News
French judges to deliver verdict on mass rape case in Avignon - 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 world and has transformed the victim, Gisele Pelicot, into a symbol of courage and resilience. Pelicot's ex-husband of 50 years, Dominique Pelicot, has pleaded guilty to drugging her repeatedly for almost a decade to rape her, and to offer up her unconscious body for sex to dozens of strangers he had met online, while videoing the abuse.
Prosecutors have demanded the maximum 20-year prison sentence for him, and terms of between four to 18 years for the other 50 defendants. The defendants come from all walks of life, lorry drivers, soldiers, firefighters, security guards, a supermarket worker, a journalist and the unemployed.
The trial has triggered protest rallies around France in support of Pelicot, including a debate on whether to update France's rape law, which at present makes no mention that sex should involve consent.
Court upholds Sarkozy conviction - France’s highest court has upheld former President Nicolas Sarkozy's conviction for corruption and influence peddling. Sarkozy had appealed against the 2021 conviction in which he had been handed a three-year prison sentence. Two of the years were suspended and Sarkozy would wear an electronic monitoring bracelet instead of going to prison for the last year. Sarkozy’s lawyer has said that he would appeal to the European Court for Human Rights to challenge the ruling he added that Sarkozy would comply with the ruling which forces him to wear an electronic bracelet but would continue to use all legal means to prove his innocence.
Sarkozy had been found guilty by a lower court of trying to bribe a judge and of peddling influence in exchange for confidential information about a probe into his 2007 campaign finances. The court found that Sarkozy conspired to secure a job in Monaco for a judge in exchange for inside information about an investigation into allegations that Sarkozy had accepted illegal payments from L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt.
A visit to your local GP will increase from December 22nd - From December 22nd a visit to your local GP (General practitioner) in France will cost you more. The new medical agreement will apply from this Sunday and as a result will see a general increase in fees. A visit to your GP will now be billed at 30 euros instead of 26.50 euros and for an appointment with a paediatrician the fee will rise from 47.50 euros to 54 euros.
Monaco Info and TV Monaco to make way for new television channel - 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, on December the 16th, the National Councillors addressed the question of the future of TV Monaco. In an interview with Monaco-Matin in mid-November 2024, Prince Albert II said that he had asked his Minister of State, Didier Guillaume, to bring Monaco Info and TV Monaco together in a single entity. On September 1, 2025, a new "independent" public television will be launched, confirmed Monaco’s Minister of State Didier Guillaume, to the elected members of the National Council, explaining that it would not "depend on the director of communication" of the government, nor on the government. A board of directors will be set up, but also a strategic council made up of professionals, as well as an advertising agency, in order to develop revenues. The Minister of state promised that "there will be only one public channel that will be efficient and professional, but it will not be 100% financed by the public”.
Jeanne d’Arc statue to be installed in Nice - The mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi along with other local officials will today oversee the installation of the Jeanne d’Arc statue in Nice. In 2021, Estrosi, launched a project to improve the Jeanne d’Arc site. The new development, which includes an underground car park and a 2,200 m2 park with 70 trees, constitutes a new green space popular with residents. The statue of Joan of Arc, created by the Missor workshop, was unveiled during the inauguration on October 24. It will be installed on its base, in front of the church forecourt at 4:30pm.
Motorway works - The VINCI Autoroutes network has announced that due to renovation and maintenance work. The Le Muy interchange of the A8 motorway in the Var, heading eastbound towards Nice will be closed from January 6th through until mid-march of next year. Traffic will be modified on certain motorway slip roads in the area with a diversion in place.
Ski resorts - Some ski resorts in our region are set to open this weekend. While Auron, Isola 2000 and La Colmiane opened part of their skiing area on December the 7th Valberg and Gréolières will welcome skiers from this Saturday, December 21st. Auron’s latest snow report shows that 12 out of the 43 slopes are open with 6 out of the 19 ski lifts operating. Meanwhile, Valberg will mark its opening this weekend with a host of festivities to celebrate the launch of the season. For more information you can go to the Valberg website.
The Clooney’s spotted enjoying the sunshine in Saint-Tropez - Amal and George Clooney have been spotted in Saint Tropez, in the Var. The Hollywood couple were seen entering a restaurant on the famous place des lice this week. The couple are more than familiar with our region after buying a property in Brignoles in 2021 and are often seen out and about happy to be photographed by fans and enjoying the Riviera lifestyle.
Eric Clapton to play in Nice next June - Finally, if you’re an Eric Clapton fan then you’ll be thrilled to hear that the singer will be giving two concerts in France next year and one of them will be in Nice. Clapton will play at the Nikaïa in Nice on Monday, June 2nd, 2025, a few days after a concert in Paris, on May 31st. The 79-year-old musician came to Paris, Lyon and Nîmes at the same time last year. His latest album "Meanwhile" includes six new songs released as independent singles and includes collaborations with Jeff Beck, who passed away last year and Van Morrison. Tickets for the Nice date are already available. Prices: from 89.50 euros to 199.50 euros. For more information you can go to Info. www.nikaia.fr
Business
US share prices slumped after the central bank cut interest rates for the third time in a row but its projections signalled a slower pace of cuts next year. In a widely expected move, the Federal Reserve set its key lending rate in a target range of 4.25% to 4.5%.
Meanwhile, the Bank of England is expected to hold interest rates at a meeting later today. Most analysts predict the benchmark rate will stay at its current level of 4.75% when the decision is announced at 12:00 GMT. In November, the Bank's governor Andrew Bailey said the path for rates would likely be "downward from here" but cautioned that the process would be gradual.
And - El Salvador has struck a $1.4bn (£1.1bn) loan deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after agreeing to scale back its controversial bitcoin policies. The global lender said risks related to the adoption of the world's largest cryptocurrency had eased now that businesses will be allowed to decide whether or not to accept bitcoin. In 2021, El Salvador became the first country in the world to make bitcoin legal tender. This week, the cryptocurrency briefly hit a fresh record high of more than $108,000.
Sport
Football - In the English Cup Arsenal beat Crystal Palace 3-2, Newcastle won at home against Brentford 3-1 and Liverpool beat Southampton 2-1; This evening Tottenham face Manchester United in the final last-eight tie kick off is at 9pm French time.
Meanwhile, here in Monaco on Wednesday evening Paris Saint Germain came from behind to extend their unbeaten start to the Ligue 1 season with a 4-2 win away to Monaco but the match saw PSG loss goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to a gruesome facial injury. The Italian international was left requiring 10 stitches to the right side of his face when he was caught by the studs of Monaco defender Wilfried Singo.
Formula One - Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur has said that he is "not worried" about Lewis Hamilton's struggles in his final season with Mercedes. Hamilton officially joins Ferrari in the new year. Vasseur admitted Hamilton had had “tough moments’ in qualifying but added that he was "never, never, never worried about the situation".
Weather
Strong winds are forecast with gusts of up to 130 km/h in certain areas of the Var and the Alpes Maritimes by the end of the day. A cloudy start with sunny intervals later in the day. Highs of 16° in Nice, 15° in Monaco, Draguignan and San Remo, 17° in Toulon. This evening going down to 5° inland and 7° along the coast.
The outlook for Friday from Météo France, is that the strong winds are set to continue in the Var with the mistral, giving way to clear skies. Light showers are expected in Nice. 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 07.59am
Sunset 04.55pm
Weather elsewhere
London 8° sunny intervals.
Edinburgh 6° sunny.
Dublin 7° sunny.
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