News
French Prime Minister promises government before Christmas - France’s recently appointed Prime Minister François Bayrou has promised a new government "before Christmas" and reserves the possibility of using 49.3. Bayrou invited political forces, without the far-left (LFI) or the far-right (RN), to Matignon on Thursday. The PM’s first week at Matignon has been especially marked by criticism of his presence at the local council meeting of Pau, a city of which he intends to remain mayor, while a cyclone had just ravaged Mayotte. During Thursday’s meeting, which was attended by around thirty people, the Prime Minister proposed to the party leaders present to enter the government putting forward two proposals to try to convince them.
Weather warning - Meteo France has placed the Var and the Alpes Maritimes on a yellow weather warning with gusts of up to 120 km/h forecast. The warning was issued at 9pm on Thursday evening and is in place until 2pm this Friday afternoon. Corsica is also concerned with an orange alert in place due to strong winds.
Major project to ease traffic on the road between Saint-Tropez and Saint-Maxime - Local elected officials in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez in the Var, have validated a major project aimed at easing road traffic in the region which has reached saturation. Many of us living, as well as visitors to region, are all too familiar with the long queues between Saint- Tropez, Grimaud and Saint-Maxime. The project, with an overall budget close to 300 million euros, hopes to relieve the problem for many motorists and see a complete reorganisation with possibly a new road. While the hardest part will be obtaining administrative authorizations the vote, unanimously, commits elected officials to make sure that this much needed project becomes a reality.
Father demands that alcohol be removed from meals at a daycare centre for young children – The father of a little girl, who attends a local council run daycare centre in Nice, has asked for alcohol to be removed from the meals served to the children. 51-year-old Marc is furious after last year realising that wine was used in some meals on the menu. Giving examples to local media the father goes on to say that there was “a piece of beef cooked with local organic white wine”. Since making the complaint the town council has acknowledged the father’s concern, saying that “yes in some meat recipes, white wine can be used to add more flavour. However, during the long cooking (more than 3 hours) and at high temperature of these dishes, the alcohol evaporates completely, which means that this recipe can be offered to young children." They also added that the father has been invited to discuss the matter further but failed to show up on three occasions. The subject has caused a stir within the town council and employees at the establishment. Not a surprise, as France is known for being a country where “the glass of red wine is almost a tradition”.
DHL Strike - A four-day strike at DHL has caused delays in package processing, raising concerns about on-time deliveries for Christmas. While thousands of parcels piled up, DHL assured customers that all Christmas deliveries would be completed, with possible delays of only one day. The company mobilized extra staff and expected to clear the backlog quickly.
The population in Nice continues to grow - The latest figures from INSEE have shown that the population in the city of Nice is growing with 353,701 inhabitants as of January 1, 2022 compared to 351,011 residents in 2021. Nice still stands out as the fifth city in France, ahead of Nantes and behind Toulouse.
Christmas Gifts from the Princely Family - Nearly 700 children have received Christmas gifts from the Princely Family during a festive event at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco. The Cour d'Honneur was transformed into a magical setting with Christmas trees, performances, and a toy-filled distribution led by Prince Albert II, Princess Charlene, and their family. The joyful occasion brought smiles — and a few tears — as children unwrapped their early holiday surprises.
Sports village – Finally, don’t forget that today, Friday 20th December, in addition to the Christmas Village there will be the opening of the Sports village. A vast area of fun offering sporting activities on the Port of Monaco! Composed of 3 obstacle courses (inspired by the famous TV game "Ninja Warrior"), a treetop adventure course, a climbing structure and a 180-meter-long zip line, the Sports Village is open to children from 3 years up. Opening times, prices and other information is available on the Town Hall website: https://www.mairie.mc/le-village-des-sports
Business
One of America's most powerful labour unions is staging a protest against Amazon, aiming to put pressure on the tech giant as it rushes out packages in the final run-up to Christmas. The union said Amazon delivery drivers at seven facilities in the US had walked off the job on Thursday, after the company refused to negotiate with the union about a labour contract. The company, which employs roughly 800,000 people in its US delivery network, said its services would not be disrupted.
And - According to a new study, a total of $2.2bn (£1.76bn) in cryptocurrencies has been stolen this year, with North Korean hackers accounting for more than half that figure. Research firm Chainalysis says hackers affiliated with the reclusive state stole $1.3bn of digital currencies - more than double last year's haul. Some of the thefts appear to be linked to North Korean hackers posing as remote IT workers to infiltrate crypto and other technology firms, the report says. It comes as the price of bitcoin has more than doubled this year as incoming US president Donald Trump is expected to be more crypto-friendly than his predecessor, Joe Biden.
Sport
Football – In the English League Cup Tottenham beat Manchester United 4-3. Spurs eventually overcame United with a win to reach the last four.
Formula One - New Zealander Liam Lawson will race for Red Bull alongside world champion Max Verstappen in 2025 following the team's decision to ditch Sergio Perez. The 22-year-old moves into the Formula 1 front-line after just 11 grand prix’s spread over two seasons.
Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas is returning to Mercedes as their reserve driver for 2025. Bottas drove for Mercedes from 2017-21, winning 10 races and taking 20 pole positions. Bottas said: "Returning home to the Mercedes family as third driver for 2025 is what's next and I couldn't be more pleased”.
Weather
Meteo France has placed the Var and the Alpes Maritimes on a yellow weather warning with gusts of up to 120 km/h forecast. The warning was issued at 9pm on Thursday evening and is in place until 2pm this Friday afternoon. Corsica is also concerned with an orange alert in place due to strong winds.
Highs of 15° in Nice with clear skies, 13° in Monaco and Saint-Tropez. This evening going down to 5° with clear skies. The outlook for the weekend and heading into the holiday season. Winds are expected to drop by Saturday before another mistral forecast for Sunday and heading into Monday. Temperatures are to remain the same, around 15-16 degrees. Next week for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day the forecast as it stands is sunny, with highs of 15 degrees across our region. Reaching 17° and sunshine on boxing day.
Sunrise 08.00am
Sunset 04.55pm
Weather elsewhere
Madrid 11° sunny.
Liverpool 9° light cloud.
Rome 11° light rain.
A powerful Mistral storm has swept through Provence, with wind gusts exceeding 150 km/h in some areas. ...
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France’s recently appointed Prime Minister François Bayrou has promised a new government "before Christmas" and reserves the possibility of using 49....
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A four-day strike at DHL has caused delays in package processing, raising concerns about on-time deliveries for Christmas....
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French judges in Avignon will today Thursday 19th December, deliver their verdicts in a mass rape case against 51 men that has appalled France and the...
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Monaco Info and TV Monaco are set to make way for a new television channel on September 1st of 2025. During the debates on the 2025 preliminary budget...
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