Two people have been arrested after a specialist RAID police team was deployed in the Moulins neighbourhood of Nice this afternoon. A special CRS unit has also been in the area since earlier this week. Two people carrying a weapon were reportedly seen entering a building earlier today. Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi and deputy mayor Anthony Borre have visited the neighbourhood this afternoon. The mayor said this evening that the operation to arrest the two men had gone "smoothly". He added that he had asked the Minister of the Interior and the Keeper of the Seals for a lasting presence in the area and "a severe response from the justice system". He said that it is essential for the safety of residents that the police are on duty 24 hours a day.
Meteo France have a yellow alert for heavy rain and flooding in the Alpes-Maritimes from midnight tonight until midnight tomorrow, Friday, night. There's also a yellow warning for high waves and flooding in both the Alpes-Maritimes and the Var from 5am to 3pm tomorrow.
Inflation in France fell in November according to government statistics office INSEE. The organization said that consumer price inflation stood at 3.4%, down from 4% in October. Speaking to French media, Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said that "we are emerging from the inflationary crisis" and he expected inflation to be below 4% by the end of the year, which he attributed to "the economic policies of the eurozone states".
A national strike on French railways is taking place tomorrow. The SNCF have said that services will be affected from 7pm this evening until 8am on Saturday morning.
The French Ministry of Justice has said that just over 75,000 people were in French prisons at the beginning of this month, which is a record figure. Many prisons are overcrowded, with the number of operational places standing at just over 60,000. Statistics published earlier this year show that only about 3.2% of the prison population in France are women.
Securite Routiere has launched its prevention campaign against drugged driving. It said that drugs increase reaction time, decrease rapid decision-making and change people's perceptions of space. On French roads, 1 in 5 deaths involve a driver who has taken drugs.
BUSINESS
Former UK Chancellor Alistair Darling has died at the age of 70 after a short illness. Lord Darling served as a cabinet member for 13 years under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, including being Chancellor during the 2008 financial crisis. He also led the Better Together campaign in the Scottish independence referendum in 2014.
Inflation in the Eurozone has fallen sharply. EU statistics body Eurostat said that inflation is estimated to have been 2.4% in November, down from 2.9% the previous month. It's a larger fall than expected by economists. Food, alcohol and tobacco, services and other goods all saw significant price increases but energy prices fell by 11.5%.
Bootmaker Dr Martens has warned its earnings will fall below expectations. It said that its business in the US had become more challenging in recent months and that two of its major wholesalers had reduced orders. Global profits fell by 55% to £25.8m for the half-year.
SPORT
Cricket... Lancashire have signed Australia player Nathan Lyon for 2024. He returned to first-class cricket from injury last month.
Football... A new £30m fund for grassroots women's football in England has been announced. The UK Government is providing £25m and the Football Association £5m. The "Lionesses Futures Fund" will provide 30 new 3G pitches and other new facilities.
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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