The Var and the Alpes-Maritimes have been placed on an orange alert for high winds tonight. The orange warning, which is the third level out of the four Meteo France alert levels, is in force from 9pm this evening until 6am tomorrow, with a yellow warning after that for much of the day tomorrow. Gusts of over 100 km/h are expected in places in the Var and some western parts of the Alpes-Maritimes. Meteo France said that gusts may reach 140 to 150 km/h on exposed terrain, 110 to 130 km/h in the sectors of Dracénie, Pays de Fayence, the Grasse hinterland and the Mercantour border, and 100 to 120 km/h on the coast of Gulf of Saint-Tropez as well as in the Le Luc plain.
Industrial action by French air traffic controllers next Monday, November 20, is expected to cause disruption to air travel at several airports. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said that from Sunday evening until 6am on Tuesday morning arrivals and departures will be disrupted at Paris Orly, Toulouse Blagnac, Bordeaux Merignac and Marseille Provence airports. It recommended delaying your journey if you are able and to contact your airline for more information.
Protestors are continuing their occupation of the Sciences-Po site in Menton. This morning the police cleared access to the campus, which was blocked by a few students, in order to allow the continuity of teaching. The Alpes-Maritimes Prefecture said that 66 fines have so far been issued.
The Euro 2024 qualifier match between France and Gibraltar is due to take place this Saturday, November 18 at 8:45 p.m. at the Allianz Riviera stadium in Nice. The National police have said that you should adapt your travel plans to take account of the large number of spectators and that traffic problems are possible.
Nice mayor Christian Estrosi has held a meeting with Emilio Lolli, the new Consul General of Italy in Nice. The mayor said that an "historical, geographical, cultural and economic alchemy links us with our Italian neighbours and friends".
President Macron is on the second day of a two-day visit to Switzerland. Earlier today he was met with a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside the University of Lausanne where he was giving a speech.
A new museum has opened in Draguignan. The Musee des Beaux Arts has been officially inaugurated in the presence of the sub-prefect, representing the prefect of the Var, alongside the mayor and other elected officials.
Nice is one of the rudest places in France according to a new survey. The city came third in order of rudeness, behind Lyon and Marseille, in the survey of French people. Paris is in fourth place. However, there is some good news for the people of Nice, with the survey finding that they are the most generous, as measured by tips left in restaurants.
BUSINESS
Train drivers in the UK are set to strike again as part of their long-running dispute over pay. Union Aslef has announced a "rolling programme" of walkouts between 2 and 8 December, with different train companies affected on each day. Drivers will also refuse to work any overtime from 1 to 9 December.
Confectionary company Mars has announced plans to acquire UK based retailer Hotel Chocolat. It will pay 534 million pounds for the company which was started in 2004. The two founders, Angus Thirlwell and Peter Harris, will each receive around 140 million pounds from the deal.
The price paid by the UK government to generate electricity by offshore wind farms has been raised substantially. The government has increased the price it pays from £44 per Megawatt Hour to £73. The change comes after an auction for offshore wind projects failed to attract any bids, with potential bidders arguing that the price set for generated electricity was too low.
SPORT
Cricket... Australia are through to the World Cup final after beating South Africa by three wickets today in the second semi-final. South Africa batted first and were all out for 212. Australia were 215 for 7. They will meet hosts India in the final.
Rugby Union... It's been announced that players who are picked for the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour will be available for the whole tour as a result of an agreement between Premiership Rugby and the United Rugby Championship. The deal comes after several players from the English Premiership were unavailable in 2021 when a warm-up Test against Japan clashed with the Premiership final.
Speed restrictions are in place on all major roads in the Alpes-Maritimes today because of a smog alert....
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A Marseille magistrate has been sentenced on the 17th of June in Nîmes for repeatedly avoiding motorway tolls using fake license plates. ...
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A major police stop-and-search operation along France's borders is being carried out today, involving 4,000 police officers, gendarmes and customs off...
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SFR has announced automatic compensation of 100GB of free mobile data for affected customers following a major network outage on the 16th of June....
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French President Emmanuel Macron will chair a high-level Security and Defence Council meeting at the Élysée Palace today Wednesday, June 18th at 4pm, ...
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