News
French Prime Minister to visit Mayotte today after devastating Cyclone - Recently appointed French Prime Minister François Bayrou will make his first visit as Prime Minister to Mayotte today, Monday 30th December. Bayrou is eagerly awaited by the residents who have been affected since the cyclone struck just over two weeks ago. The Prime Minister is accompanied by five ministers, including Ministers of State Elisabeth Borne (Education) and Manuel Valls (Overseas). The prime minister's plane is reported to be carrying 2.5 tons of humanitarian supplies, including water purification tablets. According to a report from the Mayotte prefecture published on Sunday the cyclone caused the death of 39 people and more than 5,600 people were injured. It was the most devastating cyclone to hit the island in 90 years.
French capital prepares for New Year celebrations - In other news, 10,000 police officers and gendarmes will be mobilized in Paris and the inner suburbs on the night of Tuesday, December 31st to Wednesday, January 1st, for New Year's Eve. A larger police presence has been planned compared to last year. The security measures in force will also include traffic restrictions in the French capital. The Avenue des Champs-Elysées, the scene of a show organized by the City of Paris and France Télévisions, will be "prohibited to traffic from 3pm. Access to the area will be possible on foot via several specific points where the public will be subject to police checks. Several nearby metro stations will be closed, including the Charles-de-Gaulle-Etoile (from midnight) and the Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre from 3pm. According to the prefecture the "reinforced security system" aims "to guarantee the safety of people and property, and to prevent disturbances to public order, in a context of a still high terrorist threat”. Several objects will be prohibited in the area, including alcohol, glass bottles and fireworks.
Celebrations on the Riviera – Meanwhile, New Year celebrations along the Riviera will include fireworks, dancing and live music. In the Alpes-Maritimes, several cities are organizing shows and gatherings. While no fireworks will be set off in Nice, a fireworks display will take place in the Bay of Cannes at midnight. This year, the City has chosen the theme "Dolce Vita". The show will last 20 minutes. In Antibes, the party continues the day after New Year's Eve. The public is invited to go to the beach of Juan-les-Pins on Wednesday, January 1st at 6pm for a drone show. And for those that may head to the mountains in Isola 2000, festivities will start at 6pm with fireworks. There are similar plans in Auron, with two "dance parties" and in Valberg, the New Year's festivities are organized in two parts between 4:30pm and 8:30pm and then between 11pm. and 2:30am.
Tram timetable - Don’t forget that if you are travelling by tram in Nice over New Year some timetables and routes have been changed. Lines 1, 2 and 3 will run at their usual times until around 11 p.m. after which modifications are in place. The best is to check on the Lignes d’Azur website.
Swimming ban on part of the Larvotto beach in Monaco - In Monaco, swimming is to be banned until April 30th on part of the Larvotto beach. In order to prepare for the 2025 summer season, work to stabilize the coastline and strengthen and protect the beach will be carried out from January 2nd through until April 30th. Restaurants and shops will remain open, however as a precaution a temporary swimming ban zone has been set up to ensure public safety during the works. The area to be avoided will be clearly marked for all beach goers.
Monaco’s health system to introduce new service in 2025 - Meanwhile, Monaco’s health service is to deploy a new system which is the equivalent to SOS médecin in France. By mid-2025 the prince’s government aims to provide medical assistance at night, on weekends and on public holidays. According to the government advisor and the Minister of Social Affairs and Health, several doctors have already volunteered to be part of the service. Currently, apart from an A&E service at the hospital, an out of hours medical on-call service in the Principality does not exist. The objective will be to relieve the pressure in A&E for patients who do not require priority care.
SBM launches the Monte-Carlo One Courchevel - Just a year after the announcement of acquiring the iconic Palace des Neiges in the famous French ski resort of Courchevel, Monaco’s SBM or Société des Bains de Mer, has announced that its new hotel at the resort will be named the Monte-Carlo One – Courchevel. This new venture is part of the SBM’s ambition to extend the Monte-Carlo lifestyle to worldwide destinations. The brand “Monte-Carlo One” is part of a new vision of ultra-luxury hospitality which is set to conquer the world and under the banner each hotel and residence will carry a distinct style, through not only its location, but also the renowned standards of the SBM for elegance, exclusivity, and a world-class service.
New bistro in Nice - You may be familiar with the Jan restaurant on the Port of Nice, well now the “younger brother version” as it has been dubbed, “the Bistrot de Jan” has opened its doors. Located at the same address the Bistrot de Jan serves semi-gastronomic cuisine while remaining accessible in terms of price. It opened at the end of November and is run by Elliot Kin. Unlike Jan, the Bistrot offers "generous, grandmother's cuisine", "French with a South African touch”. The pie is one of the flagship dishes on the menu at the Bistrot de Jan.
Non-Alcoholic wine launched in France – Finally, the unspeakable has become the drinkable in France, as non-alcoholic lifestyle spreads, with vineyards in Bordeaux offering wine without alcohol. Currently in France 10% of the French beer market is alcohol-free compared to 25% in Spain. But with the technology improving in leaps and bounds wine estates, which would have torched their grapes rather than submit to such an idea, are now openly contemplating the booze-free bottle. Bordeaux has just seen the launch of its first ever “cave” dedicated solely to non-alcoholic wines, reflecting a shift in perceptions which has taken many in the industry by surprise.
Business
Former US President Jimmy Carter has died at his home in Georgia, USA at the age of 100. Carter the earnest Georgia peanut farmer was the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the longest-lived U.S. president and the only one to reach 100 years of age. Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work. U.S. President Joe Biden has announced that January 9th will be a National Day of Mourning throughout the United States for Carter.
The UKs Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has been invited to an informal summit of EU leaders at the beginning of 2025 in what is the first such invitation for the UK since the bitter days of the Brexit negotiations. The focus of the February meeting is future security and defence co-operation.
And - Shoppers in the UK have complained after seeing Easter eggs already out on supermarket shelves. Easter Sunday is four months away, falling on the 20th of April next year, but chocolate eggs and hot cross buns have already been spotted for sale in shops including Morrisons, Tesco and Asda.
Sport
Football – Premier League leaders Liverpool have thrashed West Ham United 5-0. The Reds now have an eight-point lead going into 2025. In other matches on Sunday, Manchester City beat Leicester City 2-0, Crystal Palace won at home against Southampton 2-1, Everton were beaten 2-0 by Nottingham Forest and Fulham drew 2-2 against Bournemouth, while it was also a 2 all draw between Tottenham and Wolves. This evening Aston Villa are at home to Brighton, Ipswich play Chelsea and Manchester United play Newcastle.
Darts - Defending champion Luke Humphries is out of the PDC World Darts Championship after an astonishing performance from former winner Peter Wright. Humphries was beaten 4-1 by the 2020 and 2022 champion. Wright, who is seeded 17th, has endured a difficult year but said in the build-up that he was confident he could still match the levels of Humphries and teenage whiz kid Luke Littler.
Tennis - Novak Djokovic has credited Andy Murray with "bringing a fresh look" to his game as he prepares for his first tournament since naming his long-time rival as his new coach. The Australian Open, starts on 12 January. Djokovic announced in November that he will work with Murray until the conclusion of the Australian Open before planning on any longer-term partnership
Cricket – In the Men's International Test Match Series - Day 5 of 5 Australia against India. India requires 222 runs to win with 7 wickets remaining. 5.36am
Weather
Sunny with a gentle breeze. Highs of 15° in Nice, Antibes and Toulon, 14° in Monaco, Saint-Tropez and Marseille and 16° in Saint-Raphael. This evening going down to 6° along the coast and 1° inland with some ground frost overnight.
The outlook for tomorrow and Wednesday, remaining fine and sunny with highs of 14-15 degrees across the French Riviera.
Sunrise Monaco 08.03am
Sunset Monaco 05.02pm
Weather elsewhere
London 10° light cloud.
Dublin 11° sunny intervals
Paris 5° light cloud.
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To ensure public safety during New Year's Eve celebrations, authorities in both the Var and the Alpes Maritimes have banned fireworks, retail fuel sal...
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Monaco is mourning following the loss of a major figure in the world of contemporary art Marie-Claude Beaud, who has died at the age of 78. Marie-Clau...
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