Major police operation today against illegal migration - A major police stop-and-search operation along France's borders is being carried out today, involving 4,000 police officers, gendarmes and customs officers. French interior minister Bruno Retailleau announced the nationwide operation against illegal immigration yesterday. Spot checks will be carried out today at railway stations near the border - including in Menton - and on buses and coaches crossing into France. The interior minister has sent a note to all of France's prefectures giving instructions on today's operation. He says that 47,000 suspected illegal migrants have been arrested on French territory since the start of the year.
15 arrests in Nice drugs raids - Meanwhile, hundreds of police officers and CRS riot police have carried out a series of targeted raids in the ongoing fight against drug trafficking. Guns and nearly €80,000 in cash were seized in the operation, and 15 suspects were arrested. The raids come after several months of investigations by the narcotics brigade within Nice's judicial police service. Arrests were made in Nice-Ouest, les Moulins and in Saint-Laurent-du-Var. Those in custody at the Auvare police barracks in Nice are mostly men aged between 18 and 35. Police can detain them for up to 96 hours before deciding whether charges should be brought.
Investigation reopened into man's disappearance - In other local news, an investigation into the mysterious disappearance of a man from Gorbio last year has been reopened - after a wallet containing his identity card was found last weekend near La Turbie. Sébastien Grosso, who was 42, was last seen leaving Princess Grace hospital in Monaco on 2nd June last year. A widespread appeal for witnesses was launched at the time, in vain. A group of hikers found the wallet and ID card on Saturday. Investigators also found some bones nearby and the Nice prosecutor's office is carrying out work to identify them.
SFR says sorry for network outage - French mobile operator SFR is offering compensation to customers who were affected by a major network outage earlier this week. A technical incident meant SFR users weren't able to send text messages, make phone calls or use their mobile internet. Calls that did work were often disconnected at random. SFR said it would give all of its customers on a contract 100 gigabytes of extra free data. The allowance will be automatically added to accounts in the coming days.
Swimmers ask Nice to install lockers on beach - Nice says it will consider a suggestion by some residents to install lockers on the city's beaches. Since earlier this year, it's been possible for locals in Nice to submit proposals for projects to improve the city on the official Nice website. One such proposal, which has gathered significant support, is to make it possible for swimmers and joggers to safely lock away their belongings to avoid theft. Nice city council says it'll examine the proposal. Of all the ideas put forward, it'll decide in September which ones to go ahead with. Beach lockers are already available in parts of Cannes, Toulon, Menton and Antibes to secure swimmers' belongings.
BUSINESS
European gas prices have risen for a sixth consecutive day, as traders worry that an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran could disrupt global energy flows. European natural gas futures jumped above €39 per megawatt hour, that's the highest level in more than ten weeks. Tensions heightened after Donald Trump urged the evacuation of Tehran and dismissed peace talks. The US president took to social media calling for Iran’s “unconditional surrender”. While Europe currently has enough gas supplies, its reliance on global liquefied natural gas makes it vulnerable to geopolitical shocks.
Chocolate prices in the UK have risen at the fastest pace on record in May as the overall cost of food continued to climb, according to new official figures. The main rate of inflation remained at 3.4% in the year to May, the highest for more than a year. However, food prices grew for the third month in a row and, at 4.4% in May, it's the highest rise since February last year. Some economists speculated that businesses were passing on recent increases in employer National Insurance payments to customers. The rise, along with a higher minimum wage, came into effect in April.
Airbus says it aims to pay out more in dividends, after giving a business update to shareholders yesterday. The European aviation company, which makes single-aisle jets for passenger airlines, has raised the upper end of its dividend payout target. The world’s biggest planemaker reiterated its commitment to profitable growth and reaffirmed its production targets. Airbus shares were trading 2.6% higher yesterday on the back of the news.
SPORT
Tennis - A man who was given a restraining order for stalking British tennis player Emma Raducanu earlier this year has been caught trying to apply for tickets for this month's Wimbledon Championships. The All England Club's security system highlighted the man's name had been red-flagged, and blocked his attempt to enter the public ballot. British number one Raducanu was left in tears after seeing a man who had followed her to four successive tournaments in the stands during a match at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February. The man, who was removed, had given Raducanu a letter and asked for a photo in a coffee shop the previous day. He was given a restraining order by Dubai police and his name was circulated around tennis authorities.
Football - Champions Liverpool will host Bournemouth on the opening weekend of the 2025-26 Premier League season, with Manchester United playing Arsenal at Old Trafford. Liverpool, who won the league in Arne Slot's first season in charge, will begin their title defence at Anfield in the curtain-raiser on Friday, 15 August. Newly promoted Sunderland, back in the top flight for the first time since 2016-17, start their campaign at home against West Ham the following day. Details of all the matches in the forthcoming Premier League season were announced yesterday. The season, which consists of 380 games over 33 weekends and five midweek rounds, will conclude on Sunday, 24 May 2026. The Premier League has said the start date of 15 August - 82 days on from the end of the previous season - "allows for the maximum player rest time available". During the festive period, clubs will not be asked to play twice in less than 60 hours.
Meanwhile, as next summer’s World Cup approaches, concerns are growing over the viability and environmental sustainability of the vastly expanded competition. Held across 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the 2026 World Cup will see the tournament expand from 32 nations to 48. It will be a tournament of unprecedented scale both in terms of the number of teams, and the vast geographical expanse it will cover. Both of these factors bring significant environmental concerns - particularly regarding the tournament’s carbon footprint. It's been argued by critics that Fifa’s reliance on carbon offsetting lacks transparency and may not b e effective in mitigating the environmental impact of the expanded tournament.
WEATHER
Another fine and sunny day across the Riviera, with a gentle breeze and temperatures this afternoon getting up to 29 degrees Celsius on the Alpes-Maritimes coast, 32 on the Var coast and up to 33 inland in the Var. There'll be clear skies overnight, staying very warm with temperatures at night around 24 degrees Celsius on the coast and 20 inland. The outlook for Friday: fine, sunny and hot again - 29 degrees Celsius on the coast and up to 34 degrees Celsius inland in the Var, with the chance of some thundery showers inland in the Alpes-Maritimes tomorrow afternoon.
A major police stop-and-search operation along France's borders is being carried out today, involving 4,000 police officers, gendarmes and customs off...
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SFR has announced automatic compensation of 100GB of free mobile data for affected customers following a major network outage on the 16th of June....
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French President Emmanuel Macron will chair a high-level Security and Defence Council meeting at the Élysée Palace today Wednesday, June 18th at 4pm, ...
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Fine and sunny with light winds. Highs of 28 degrees in Monaco and Nice, 27 degrees in Saint-Tropez, 29 degrees in Toulon. ...
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A French man from Nice, Pierre Mario, is stranded in Tel Aviv with his wife and 11-year-old child due to the closure of Israeli airspace amid the Iran...
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