Local authorities have activated a plan to reduce electricity consumption because of the risk of energy shortages in the forthcoming cold weather. The Nice Côte d'Azur Metropolitain area and the City of Nice have instituted an “ecowatt red alert” which optimises energy consumption and reduces decorative lighting of various public buildings. This includes the turning off of lighting on the Château in Nice, the Lycée Masséna and its gardens and the Phoenix Park greenhouse. There’ll be reduced lighting on the Promenade des Anglais , the Place Masséna and in the streets around the Allianz Riviera Stadium, amongst other areas of Nice. Certain public lighting will also be reduced in several urban areas across the region.
Police have revealed that a major anti-drugs operation took place in Carros last week. Police said that one hundred personnel had been involved in the operation, including dog teams and surveillance operatives. Ten people were arrested, of which eight have reportedly been charged with drugs related offences.
The Nice town hall has announced that street parking places reserved for delivery vehicles will be made available for parking by all motorists after midday. Parking will be limited to two hours. The new policy is not yet in effect though – it starts on April 15th.
A 19 year old student from Juan-les-Pins has appeared in Nice Criminal court accused of buying a Porsche Cayenne with a fake bank cheque of 74,000 euros and using a false identity. A few days later he refused to stop at a police checkpoint and was involved in an accident with another car. The student was released by the court pending a further appearance next month.
The French Civil Aviation authority has confirmed that footballer Emiliano Sala was on a light aircraft which went missing last night. Cardiff City signed Sala for a record fee from French club Nantes on Saturday and the aircraft was en route from Nantes to Cardiff when it disappeared from radar just north of Alderney. A French national navy ship and an aircraft have been involved in the search for the missing aircraft this morning.
Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel have signed a new Franco-German treaty in Aachen in Germany this morning. The treaty has been opposed by nationalists in both countries. The two leaders have stated their intention to converge policies in many areas, including the economy, defence, education and foreign policy.
Three members of the family of one of the Paris Bataclan attackers have been arrested, according to reports. The mother, sister and half-sister of Foued Mohamed-Aggad were apparently arrested in eastern France in connection with continuing investigations into the attack in Paris on November 13th 2015.
BUSINESS
EasyJet has said that the drone disruption at Gatwick airport last month cost it £15m in passenger compensation and lost revenues, and hit 82,000 customers. EasyJet's chief executive, Johan Lundgren, said he was "disappointed" the airport took so long to resolve the situation and reopen the runways. Nevertheless, the airline said that passenger numbers rose by 15% to 21.6 million for the last three months of 2018.
The number of people in work in the UK has reached a record high of 32.54 million, according to figures from the ONS. Unemployment was flat, with a small increase of 8,000 between September and November bringing total unemployment to 1.37 million. Average earnings excluding bonuses increased by 3.3% in the year to November.
The European Commission has fined Mastercard €573m for anti-competitive behaviour. It said Mastercard had prevented retailers using cheaper banking services outside their home country.
SPORT
Rugby Union… Jonathan Joseph has been added to the England squad heading to Portugal on Wednesday to begin preparations for the Six Nations. Brad Shields and Joe Launchbury have been declared fit and will join the squad. England start their campaign against Ireland on 2 February, and will fly straight to Dublin from the Algarve a week on Thursday.
Tennis… Rafael Nadal has beaten unseeded American Frances Tiafoe to reach the Australian Open semi-finals. The final score was 6-3 6-4 6-2. Meanwhile, Petra Kvitova is through to the women’s semis after defeating home favourite Ashleigh Barty 6-1 6-4.
Football… Kevin-Prince Boateng has completed a move to Barcelona on loan for the remainder of this season. The former Tottenham and Portsmouth forward has been playing in Italy this season.
A new optional regional transport tax for businesses, introduced in France’s 2025 budget, aims to fund eco-friendly mobility projects. ...
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A judge has authorised a dive to inspect the wreckage of a plane in the sea off Antibes. The plane crashed into the Mediterranean on September 11 1968...
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In France, drinking water is heavily contaminated with "forever pollutants," particularly trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), as revealed by two studies from ...
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The trial of the Tunisian man accused of the murder of three people in the Nice Basilica attack is continuing in Paris. Yesterday the families of the ...
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Four cities in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region made Booking.com's 2025 list of the "most welcoming destinations in France." ...
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