News
Nine people escape from administrative detention centre in Nice - Police have been mobilised in Nice after nine people escaped from the administrative detention centre on Sunday evening. One of them has since been arrested, while eight remain at large. The administrative detention centre allows a foreigner who is subject to a removal order to be kept in a secure facility, pending his or her forcible removal. It is limited to 90 days (except in the case of terrorist activities). There are 40 places in Nice’s centre similar to all CRA structures in France.
Three people placed in police custody following stabbing in Cannes - Three people have been placed in police custody in connection with a stabbing, following an altercation on the ice rink at the Christmas market in Cannes. According to reports the father of one was stabbed following an altercation with a group of youths on Saturday evening. Witnesses have described the scene claiming that a 7-year-old girl was jostled by teenagers while she was skating which then led to her 36-year-old father jumping over the barrier, defending his daughter and punching one the youths. Both father and daughter left the scene, only to cross paths with the group a little later near the Christmas market. The father was stabbed several times and sought refuge in a nearby restaurant. Later he was taken to hospital by emergency services where his condition was said to be stable. Local police are investigating the incident and have expressed their full support for the victim however, they also specified that the incident does “not call into question the security measures put in place at the Christmas market as the incident occurred outside of its perimeter”. The popular market opened to the public just last Friday.
Police officer injured following car chase - A police officer has been injured during a car chase in broad daylight on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. The accident, involving three vehicles and a motorcycle, occurred at around 10:30 on Sunday morning on the southern carriageway of the Prom', near the Vallon Barla/Promenade bus stop, during a chase between a vehicle and the police, after a refusal to comply on the A8 motorway, east of Nice, near Pont Michel. Witnesses described "a vehicle driving very fast, pursued by the police". And a car "that was there in the wrong place at the wrong time", which was involved in the accident. The victim was a police officer, slightly injured, who was riding a motorbike. An investigation is underway.
Christmas display vandalised - The local council in Vence has called the acts of vandalism carried out on the town’s Christmas decorations as "Shameful". Intended for children, the decorations which had been recently installed in time for the festive season, were savagely broken and some pieces were stolen. A complaint has been filed with police who say they are on the case.
Telethon 2024 - More than 780,000 euros has been collected in the Alpes-Maritimes and Var for the 38th edition of the charity fundraiser Telethon, which began on Friday evening. In the Alpes-Maritimes, 434,985 euros was collected along with 351,031 euros in the Var. In total the national event held across France raised nearly 93 million euros this year for research into rare genetic diseases. It was in 2006 that the event reached its record, with more than 106 million euros raised.
Five-star hotel opens its doors - The much awaited new 5-star hotel Maison Albar-Le Victoria has finally opened in Nice. The hotel on Avenue de Suède offer high-end facilities and services to international and local customers. The opening completes the new luxury Nice hotel trilogy with the Negresco, on the Promenade des Anglais, Le Couvent in Old Nice and now the Maison Albar-Le Victoria in the heart of the Carré-d'Or.
Magic in the air this Christmas in the Principality - Finally there was magic in the air at the weekend from the Prince’s Palace to the Casino Square here in Monaco as HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Charlene, accompanied by the princely twins, turned on the Christmas lights. The moment marked the launch of seasonal festivities lighting up the establishments of the Société des Bains de Mer until January 5th. The famous giant snow globes, which enchanted young and old last year, are back with a brand-new animated decoration dedicated to the "magical moments of Christmas", which is this year's theme. Not to be missed is the superb elves show on the façade of the Casino every hour from 6pm to 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays starting December 6th, then every day during the school holidays from December 21st to January 5th.
Business
French MPs must vote today Monday 2nd December, on the Social Security financing bill. If the bill is rejected it would force France’s Prime Minister to use Article 49.3, also known as paragraph 3, which allows the government to force passage of a law without a vote, unless the parliament passes a motion of no confidence, to adopt the text. The text submitted to MPs is the result of a joint committee (CMP), during which seven MPs and seven senators reached an agreement. However, it still contains measures that irritate the opposition. France's far right National Rally (RN) leaders said on Sunday that the government had rebuffed its calls for more budget concessions, raising the chances of a no confidence vote in the coming days that could topple Prime Minister Michel Barnier. Earlier on Sunday she had said that Barnier faced a choice of either negotiating new concessions or face the threat that his government falls in a vote of no confidence. Barnier already dropped a planned electricity tax increase last week, but the RN also wants him to raise pensions in line with inflation whereas he had aimed to raise some less than inflation to save money.
The Bank of England has warned that around half the UK's mortgage holders face paying higher rates over the next three years. In its latest stability report, which is published twice a year it was revealed that 4.4 million homes were set to refinance at higher rates. The Bank also added however that around a quarter of borrowers were expected to benefit from lower rates, based on current market pricing, as rates have dropped from the highs seen in 2023.
And - One of Britain's biggest high street banks and Europe's largest lender by market value HSBC Holdings, is preparing to hunt for its next chairman. HSBC's board has appointed head-hunters to orchestrate the recruitment of a successor to Mark Tucker, who has held the post since 2017.
Sport
Football – Fans at Anfield were chanting “sacked in the morning, you’re getting sacked in the morning” to Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola. Liverpool's dominant 2-0 win over Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday has put them nine points clear at the top of the table as they continue to take charge of the title race. Arsenal, runners-up for the past two seasons, and Chelsea are joint-second after winning this weekend. Pep Guardiola does however remain the mastermind behind six Premier League title triumphs since taking charge of City in 2016.
Formula One - World champion Max Verstappen has told reporters that he has "lost all respect" for George Russell after receiving a penalty at this weekend’s Grand Prix. The world champion was unhappy at the role the Mercedes driver played in the incident. Verstappen was given a one place grid penalty for delaying Russell by driving unnecessarily slowly in qualifying on Saturday. It dropped his Red Bull from pole position behind the Briton on the grid.
Max Verstappen won the dramatic race with Monegasque Charles Leclerc coming in second and Oscar Piastri in third place.
In other motor racing news, former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone is to sell his collection of race cars driven by motorsport legends including Michael Schumacher and Niki Lauda. Ecclestone, who was in charge of the sport for nearly 40 years until 2017, assembled the collection of 69 iconic F1 and Grand Prix cars over a span of more than five decades.
Rugby Union - Ireland, as they often do, came out fighting at the start of the second half beating Australia 22-19 at the weekend.
Snooker - Judd Trump has claimed his second UK Championship title with a 10-8 victory over Barry Hawkins in York. Trump, who won his previous UK crown in 2011, now has five Triple Crown titles - the same number as Alex Higgins but 18 fewer than O'Sullivan - having also won the Masters twice and the World Championship once in his career.
Meanwhile, former world snooker champion Terry Griffiths has died aged 77, after a long battle with dementia. The Welshman became the first qualifier to win the world championship, beating Dennis Taylor 24-16 in the 1979 final. Griffiths also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982 to complete snooker's 'Triple Crown'.
Cricket - Captain Ben Stokes has no doubt over his fitness to play in England's second Test against New Zealand. The second Test of the three-match series starts on Friday (22:00 GMT, Thursday).
Weather
Mainly fine in Nice and Monaco. Cloudy in Saint-Tropez and the Var. A gentle breeze. Highs of 16 degrees in Nice and Antibes, 15 degrees in Monaco and Saint-Tropez, 17 degrees in Cannes. This evening going down to 9 degrees with cloudy skies.
The outlook for tomorrow, sunny with highs of 14 degrees and a moderate wind. Wednesday, sunny intervals and light winds forecast.
Sunrise 07.45am
Sunset 04.53pm
Weather elsewhere
London Drizzle 11°.
Dublin Sunny intervals 7°
Paris Sunny intervals 12°
And Finally
"Brain rot" has been selected as Oxford's word of the year for 2024, reflecting growing worries about excessive social media usage and intellectually unstimulating content. The selection process involved over 37,000 public votes from a shortlist of six words compiled by Oxford University Press, which publishes the Oxford English Dictionary. This annual recognition, previously awarded to terms "climate emergency", seeks to capture the year's predominant sentiments and developments. According to a report from The Guardian “the term describes a perceived decline in mental or intellectual capacity, particularly attributed to excessive consumption of trivial or undemanding online material”.
France is considering a "taxe lapin” or “rabbit tax" to fine people who cancel medical appointments without warning. The proposal aims to hold patient...
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Due to high murkiness caused by recent storms, several municipalities in the Pays de Fayence continue to face tap water restrictions. ...
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A recent report published by the Court of Auditors has highlighted the underestimated risk of flooding on the Cote d’Azur, particularly criticizing th...
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Nice’s mayor, Christian Estrosi, has said he is open to compensating Villefranche-sur-Mer’s businesses if they suffer losses due to the cruise ship ba...
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On Monday, two skiing accidents occurred in our regions ski resorts.
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