News
British sailor lost at sea - A British sailor is lost at sea after his yacht was found off the south-western French coast in stormy weather. According to maritime officials the 73-year-old set off his distress beacon on Saturday after getting into difficulty approximately 80km (50 miles) west of Lacanau, on the coast of southwestern France. A French air force helicopter was dispatched to find the man, but they only found his 12-metre yacht. After several hours of searching, the search was called off in the early hours of Sunday morning "due to a lack of information". In a statement the Préfecture maritime de l'Atlantique reminded people to be careful in the waters during the stormy weather.
Mayor of Cannes calls for more power from the French government in the regulation of cruise ships in our region - The mayor of Cannes David Lisnard, has called for “better management of cruise ships in our region” adding that mayors “should be given more power by the French government to regulate their comings and goings”, as well as manage “restrictions on how close they can come to the coastline”. While the mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi, announced last week a ban on cruise ships, Lisnard, speaking to local reporters, made a point of refusing to comment on Estrosi’s plans insisting that he “has been campaigning for many years to minimize the impact of cruise ships in our region”.
Meanwhile, Estrosi’s announcement last week was warmly welcomed by the Green Opposition Group in Nice which called the ban a “historic victory”. However, the mayor of Villefranche sur mer, which is renowned for being a popular stop over for cruise ships, claimed that he had no knowledge of Estrosi’s announcement and future ban. Christophe Trojani refuses for the moment, to comment on the ban until he has examined the plan in detail. Villefranche sur mer welcomed 70 boats in 2024 and the mayor points out that ships must not have more than 3,500 passengers and emit less than 0.1% sulphur. This is compared to 2010 when the picturesque bay saw more than 200 cruise ships dock in it.
Train passengers suffer long delays between Toulon and Marseille - Train passengers experienced long delays on Sunday after services came to a complete standstill between Toulon and Marseille. According to the SNCF an incident with the power supply at Aubagne caused the breakdown at around 2.30pm on Sunday afternoon with services not returning to normal before 10pm on Sunday evening. The breakdown affected trains in both directions and the exact cause has not yet been confirmed.
Kitty launched to support much loved restaurant manager involved in road accident - A kitty has been launched to support the manager of Le Petit Bar here in Monaco who was sadly involved in a serious road accident. The accident occurred in Cap d’Ail and John the much-loved manager of the well-known establishment here on the rock, has been hospitalised since. The funds are to support his business in his absence while locals await impatiently his return. John has been at the helm of the restaurant Le Petit Bar, on the Rocher, since 2019. The establishment has announced its closure for an indefinite period.
Nice ranks 2nd place for the most vegan-friendly city - Finally, a recent ranking has placed the restaurants of Nice in second place, just behind Paris. Nice stands out by taking second place among the most vegan-friendly cities in France thanks to the diversity of its vegetarian offering, according to a ranking by ZAVA. Although 100% vegan restaurants remain relatively rare, it is the diversity of options offered by local establishments that allows Nice to appear in the top 3 of the best cities in the country. This same dynamic is also found in other cities such as Aix-en-Provence, Montpellier and Rouen, which complete the top 5.
Business
US President Donald Trump has said he will impose 25% tariffs and sanctions on Colombia. The move comes after the Colombian president barred two US military planes carrying deported migrants from landing in the country. Trump said the tariffs "on all goods" coming into the US from Colombia would be put in place "immediately", and in one week the 25% tariffs would be raised to 50%. The Colombian President Gustavo Petro, responded by saying he would impose retaliatory tariffs of 25% on the US.
Jaguar Land Rover has announced plans to invest £65m to expand its bespoke paint services in response to growing demand from wealthy customers. The UK's largest luxury car maker says that as a result if will be opening new paint facilities in UK and Slovakia. The firm, which is owned by India's Tata Group, says it expects to more than double its bespoke paint operation, including helping clients match the colour of their exclusive Range Rover SV models to their private jets or yachts. The move is similar to that of Rolls Royce which announced earlier this month that it was investing £300m to build more highly customised versions of its cars for super-rich customers.
Meanwhile, after more than 230 years of business in Britain, WH smith is reportedly in talks to sell its entire high street business. WH Smith is expected to confirm the plan to the London Stock Exchange this Monday morning. The company's high street arm comprises roughly of 500 stores, employing about 5,000 people across the UK.
Sport
Tennis - Jannik Sinner has become Italy’s first three-time Grand Slam champion following his victory win over second seed Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open final. Despite an ongoing doping case hanging over him, Sinner has been able to block out the noise to claim a third Grand Slam title.
Monte Carlo Rally – Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier clinched a record-extending 10th Monte Carlo victory on Sunday after holding his nerve in a dramatic climax to the World Rally Championship season opener. Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans took 2nd while Adrien Fourmaux took the final podium spot. Reigning world champion Thierry Neuville endured a difficult start to his title defence finishing an eventful rally in sixth.
Football – In the Premier League on Sunday, Crystal Palace were beaten 2-1 at home by Brentford, Tottenham were also beaten at home 2-1 by Leicester City. Aston Villa came from behind to manage a 1-1 draw against West Ham and Manchester United achieved a much needed 1-0 win against Fulham.
American Football - The Kansas City Chiefs are to play the Eagles in New Orleans on February 9th after beating the Buffalo Bills to reach Super Bowl 59. The Chiefs performed a thrilling 32-29 win over the Bills on Sunday to become the first back-to-back champions to return to the Super Bowl.
Rugby Union – Many rugby fans will be gearing up for the Six Nations which kicks off on Friday with France against Wales. Latest reports in the world of rugby however say that the British and Irish Lions prop Tadhg Furlong has been ruled out of Ireland's Six Nations opener against England on Saturday due to injury. Ireland play England on Saturday at 5.45pm French time after Scotland who face Italy with a 3.15pm kick off French time.
Weather
The Alpes-Maritimes and the Var region have been placed on a yellow weather warning due to the risk of flooding and high waves along our coastline. As a reminder yellow alerts warn of more intense weather conditions locally, which could be dangerous for anyone practising outdoor activities. The warning is in place until midnight tonight.
Heavy rain with strong winds are forecast, with gusts of up to 60km/hr. Highs of 15° in Nice and Saint-Tropez, 14° in Monaco, Antibes and Mougins, 13 degrees in Vence and 17° in Toulon. This evening going down to 10 degrees with cloudy skies.
The outlook for Tuesday, fine and sunny with strong winds persisting and highs of 15 degrees. Wednesday, remaining windy in the Var region, with sunny intervals. Showers are expected to return to our region by Thursday.
Sunrise 07.52am
Sunset 05.54pm
Weather elsewhere
London 9° gusty winds.
Paris 12° sunny intervals.
Amsterdam 9° sunny intervals.
A new optional regional transport tax for businesses, introduced in France’s 2025 budget, aims to fund eco-friendly mobility projects. ...
Read More
A judge has authorised a dive to inspect the wreckage of a plane in the sea off Antibes. The plane crashed into the Mediterranean on September 11 1968...
Read More
In France, drinking water is heavily contaminated with "forever pollutants," particularly trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), as revealed by two studies from ...
Read More
The trial of the Tunisian man accused of the murder of three people in the Nice Basilica attack is continuing in Paris. Yesterday the families of the ...
Read More
Four cities in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region made Booking.com's 2025 list of the "most welcoming destinations in France." ...
Read More
