A decree that was used to limit begging on the streets of Nice in 2019 has been struck down by the city's administrative court - three years later. The League of Human Rights and the Abbé Pierre Foundation had issued a legal challenge against the rules, which were passed by Nice mayor Christian Estrosi and applied from May to September 2019. The rules, which have since been withdrawn, had aimed to regulate begging around busy tourist areas. The court said the decree risked unfairly limiting the freedoms of people already in a precarious situation. Nice city council must pay the League of Human Rights €1,000 in compensation.
Authorities in Menton have suspended their town twinning with Sotchi in Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine. Menton town hall said that "faced with war in Europe, we cannot remain neutral". Relations between Menton and Sotchi will be halted until Ukraine's full sovereignty is restored. Menton said it hoped to reconnect links between the two towns in the near future.
Meanwhile a hairdresser in Villeneuve-Loubet turned away paying customers from her salon, to give free haircuts to Ukrainian refugees who've settled on the Côte d'Azur. Myriam Karsenty welcomed about a dozen Ukrainian women to her salon yesterday. She also invited some of her regulars to meet the refugees over lunch.
And the first round of the presidential elections will be held in four days. Unlike the round of municipal elections two years ago, where strict health protocols were in place, the Paca region says no particular Covid-19 restrictions will apply on the day of the vote. Polling stations will be open to all - there's no requirement to wear a mask although it is strongly recommended, especially if you've recently had a high-risk contact. Disposable masks and hydroalcoholic gel will be made available. Voters wearing a mask may be asked to remove it briefly to check their identity. Pens, voting booths and the ballot box should be regularly disinfected.
BUSINESS
Twitter has confirmed that it is working on an edit button that would allow users to change tweets after they have been posted. It comes after new board member, Tesla boss Elon Musk, asked his followers in a Twitter poll whether they wanted the feature. Many users have long called for an edit button but there are concerns about how to best implement it. Twitter said it would start testing the idea in the coming months.
Chanel has stopped selling its products to people who intend to take them to Russia. The French luxury giant says it is just complying with EU sanctions, which ban the sale to Russia of luxury goods priced at more than €300. Chanel said the sanctions didn't just apply to direct sales to Russia - but to any individual who intends to use the goods in Russia.
SPORT
Football - Matt Le Tissier says he has "stepped aside" from his role as ambassador at former club Southampton. It comes after the former midfielder deleted a tweet suggesting media manipulation in the reporting on the war in Ukraine. He said in a statement that he did not advocate war "in any way shape or form."
Ronald Koeman will become the manager of the Netherlands for a second time following the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Koeman will replace Louis van Gaal, who on Sunday revealed that he is receiving treatment for prostate cancer.
Tonight in the Champions League quarter finals, it's Chelsea v Real Madrid and Villarreal face Bayern Munich. Kick off for both matches is at 9pm.
And in MotoGP - six-time world champion Marc Marquez will return this weekend at the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, his Honda team have announced. The Spaniard suffered from double vision after a heavy crash in Indonesia last month and missed last week's race in Argentina.
Speed restrictions are in place on all major roads in the Alpes-Maritimes today because of a smog alert....
Read More
A Marseille magistrate has been sentenced on the 17th of June in Nîmes for repeatedly avoiding motorway tolls using fake license plates. ...
Read More
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...
Read More
SFR has announced automatic compensation of 100GB of free mobile data for affected customers following a major network outage on the 16th of June....
Read More
French President Emmanuel Macron will chair a high-level Security and Defence Council meeting at the Élysée Palace today Wednesday, June 18th at 4pm, ...
Read More
