CRS riot police have been deployed to the Moulins district of Nice after another shooting last night. Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi said that two minors were seriously injured by Kalashnikov fire in the same place as an incident last week. The forces being deployed are from the special CRS 8 unit which was created to fight against urban violence.
Christian Estrosi has welcomed the decision of the French government to ban smoking on beaches. Health Minister Aurelian Rousseau announced this morning that smoking would be prohibited on beaches, parks, forests and public places. The mayor had already announced that from the summer of 2024, 100% of public beaches in Nice would be tobacco-free.
Forty one people have been arrested in raids across France in connection with an alleged sect under the guise of practising yoga. Several of those arrests were made in the Alpes-Maritimes. A judicial investigation had been opened by the Paris prosecutor's office in July concerning allegations of rape and human trafficking.
Fifteen people have been arrested in connection with an investigation into drugs trafficking in the Haut-Alpes. About one hundred gendarmes were involved in the operation according to local media.
A minute's silence has been held in the French National Assembly today in memory of Thomas, the teenager fatally stabbed at a party in the Drome department earlier this month. The president of the Assembly, Yael Braun-Pivet said that "it is important that justice be done and justice is neither revenge nor vindictiveness".
President Macron has announced that finacial aid for French fishermen will continue into next year. Fishermen currently receive state aid of 20 cents per litre of fuel, which was due to end at the end of this year. He said that payments would now continue until the end of June next year. The aid is subject to an annual limit of 335,000 euros per company. Speaking at a conference on the maritime economy in Nantes today, he also revealed that in 2025 the government will launch a call for tenders for offshore windfarm projects.
BUSINESS
EasyJet has reported a headline profit before tax of £455 million for its 2023 financial year. The previous year it made a loss of £178 million. Profits at easyJet holidays grew by 221%. The company made a record second half profit before tax despite what it called a "challenging external operating environment". easyJet flew 82.8 million passengers in the year.
Inflation in UK retail outlets has fallen according to new figures from the British Retail Consortium. The organization's latest Shop Price Index shows inflation falling for the sixth month in a row. On an annual basis it fell to 4.3% in November, which is a 17 month low. However, the organization said that after the UK Chancellor's Autumn Statement, which it said raises costs for all retailers, "this progress may stall in the coming months".
SPORT
Golf...Rory McIlroy has won the PGA Tour's $15 million 'Player Impact Programme' prize for generating the most media interest in 2023. Tiger Woods won the prize in the previous two years. The award process takes into account metrics such as Google searches, news article mentions and social media reach.
Rugby Union...Natasha Hunt and Ella Wyrwas have been awarded England women's contracts before next year's Six Nations. The 2024 tournement begins on 23 March.
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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