The prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes has made a legal challenge against new limits on large cruise ship moorings in Nice and Villefranche. The mayor of the Nice metropolitan area, Christian Estrosi, passed a decree on Wednesday banning ships with more than 450 passengers from Nice port, and more than 2,500 passengers from the port at Villefranche. But the prefect, Laurent Hottiaux, has referred the case to Nice administrative court, arguing that it is outside of Estrosi's remit. He says the prefecture is responsible for managing Nice port and the president of the Alpes-Maritimes department has authority over Villefranche. Pending the legal appeal, large cruise ships are still allowed. The Celebrity Equinox, carrying up to 2,800 passengers, will stop in Villefranche on Monday.
Part of the port of Saint-Tropez was evacuated last night due to a fire on board a luxury yacht. Social media videos show black smoke billowing from the Sea Lady II, a 41m boat which sleeps up to 10 guests and can be chartered from €65,000 a week. Firefighters initially struggled to get on board to contain the fire, while emergency services quickly moved away surrounding yachts and put up anti-pollution barriers. Officials said the boat was likely to sink in the port and the cause of the fire is still being investigated. The crew had tried to control the fire, but within 10 minutes it had spread widely, fuelled by 27,000 litres of fuel in the tanks, which had just been filled. Nearby restaurants were ordered to close due to the toxic fumes.
A two-day strike by French air traffic controllers last week cost airlines an estimated €120 million, according to European air traffic control authority Eurocontrol. More than 1,400 flights had to be cancelled last Thursday and Friday, and several thousand others were delayed or rerouted, affecting a million passengers.
The famous red windmill above Paris's Moulin Rouge is turning again, 14 months after the 12-metre blades tumbled to the ground in a shock accident. Hundreds of people gathered in the street outside the venue on Thursday to watch a public show celebrating the restoration of the iconic monument. Dancers performed the institution's famed cancan in the street to mark the occasion, while fireworks were set off from the roof of the club. The wings fell off the windmill in April last year.
And the original Birkin bag has been bought for €8.6m, becoming the most valuable handbag ever sold at auction. The black leather bag was made for singer Jane Birkin in 1985 after she spilled her belongings while sitting next to the boss of luxury fashion house Hermès on a flight. She asked why they didn't make bigger bags, so he sketched out the design for a new, more practical but still highly desirable item on the aeroplane's sick bag. The prototype he made was sold to a private collector from Japan at Sotheby's in Paris, far surpassing the previous record sale of €439,000. Sotheby's said there was an "electrifying" 10-minute bidding war between "nine determined collectors".
BUSINESS
US President Donald Trump has said he will impose a 35% tariff on Canadian goods starting on 1 August, even as the two countries were days away from a self-imposed deadline to reach a new trade deal. The announcement came in the form of a letter published on Trump's social media platform Truth Social, along with additional threats of blanket tariffs of 15% or 20% on most trade partners. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his government would continue to protect his country's workers and businesses as they head towards the new deadline.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has called the economy's recent performance "disappointing" after figures showed it shrank unexpectedly in May. The economy contracted by 0.1%, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, after also shrinking in April. The fall in economic output, which confounded analysts who had expected to see slight growth, was mainly driven by a drop in manufacturing, the ONS said, while retail sales were "very weak". The weaker than expected figure adds pressure on the government which has made boosting economic growth a key priority.
SPORT
Football - England midfielder Jordan Henderson is set to sign for Brentford after his exit from Ajax earlier this week. The 35-year-old will join the Bees on a two-year deal after the Dutch club agreed to end his contract a year early. Henderson had considerable interest from top clubs in England and Europe but Brentford have won the race to sign the former Liverpool skipper. Playing in the Premier League will provide Henderson with the platform to stay in Thomas Tuchel's England squad before next summer's World Cup. The 84-cap England midfielder will help plug the gap vacated by former Bees captain Christian Norgaard, who has left for Arsenal. The deal formalities are expected to be confirmed in the coming days.
And in the Women's Euros tonight, in group B, Italy face Spain and Portugal are against Belgium.
WEATHER
Clear skies tonight with a gentle breeze. Overnight temperatures going down to 21 degrees Celsius on the Alpes-Maritimes coast, 19 on the Var coast and 15 inland in the Var. The outlook for the weekend: hazy sunshine on the coast tomorrow, thundery showers inland and temperatures around 27 degrees Celsius. Thunderstorms are forecast across the region on Saturday night, clearing by Sunday morning to leave another fine and sunny day on Sunday, 26 degrees Celsius.
Météo-France has declared the recent heatwave as an “exceptional episode,” lasting 11 days and ranking as the second-longest in August after 2003. Sou...
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A mother and her two daughters have narrowly escaped after masked attackers set fire to their apartment early today in Grasse....
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A landslide on the RN 205 near Chamonix in the Haute-Savoie has killed two passengers and seriously injured the driver. Traffic has reopened but the a...
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Due to a yellow storm alert, all parks, gardens, and the coastal path are closed today in Nice.
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French MP Éric Ciotti is set to stand trial on the 27th of March 2026 over allegations linked to defamation, following a complaint made by Christian E...
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