Emmanuel Macron visits Mayotte - Emmanuel Macron has returned to the French overseas territory of Mayotte, four months after it was devastated by a cyclone which killed 40 people and caused an estimated €3.5 billion in damage. It's the first stop in a five-day tour of the Indian Ocean. Water, electricity and telecommunications networks have since been restored but local residents are still waiting for major reconstruction projects to begin. One of the aims of Macron's visit is therefore to show progress is being made in areas such as the fight against unsafe housing and boosting the local economy.
Tributes to Pope Francis - French president Emmanuel Macron has joined many European leaders in honouring Pope Francis, who has died aged 88 at his residence in the Vatican. Macron wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "From Buenos Aires to Rome, Pope Francis wanted the church to bring joy and hope to the poorest, to unite people with one another and with nature. May this hope be reborn endlessly.” He added: “To all Catholics, to a grieving world, my wife and I send our thoughts." Prime minister François Bayrou added that Pope Francis wanted the church "to be alongside the poorest and most vulnerable" and be "a home of generosity and fraternity". Pope Francis led the Catholic Church for 12 years and was the first Latin American pontiff. His passing led to an outpouring of tributes from leaders in Europe and beyond. The bells of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris rang out yesterday morning following the news and the Eiffel Tower was plunged into darkness last night. His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco spoke of Pope Francis's "tireless message of love, fraternity, peace, faith, justice, mercy, compassion and respect". A mass will be held this evening at 6.30pm in Monaco cathedral.
Nice hospital scanners out of use - In local news, Pasteur 2 university hospital in Nice has had to turn away some patients over the Easter weekend after two of the scanners in its emergency ward broke down. The two machines have been unusable since Saturday evening and can't be repaired until today at the earliest as the hospital does not have a 24/7 maintenance contract. Victims of road accidents who need an urgent CT scan have been transferred to other local hospitals over the weekend and on a typical day the scanners are used by up to 100 patients. A CGT trade union rep at the hospital described the situation as "dramatic" and said it was the latest in a range of technology malfunctions at the hospital due to what it claimed were budget cuts.
Tremor north of Nice - A small earthquake measuring 2.8 on the Richter scale was recorded north of Nice yesterday morning at about 9.30. The tremor was felt the most in the commune of Contes. It's the latest in a series of seismic activity on the Riviera. In mid-March, an earthquake measuring 4.1 and an aftershock measuring 3.7 were recorded just north of Contes, in Coaraze.
Police cadets attacked outside nightclub - Two trainee police officers have been attacked outside a nightclub in Toulon when they tried to stop six men harassing a group of young women. The students, from the police school in Nîmes, were on a visit to Toulon and were violently beaten up in the early hours of Sunday morning when they tried to intervene and protect the women. The six attackers fled the scene. An investigation is under way.
Police officer dies during triathlon - A municipal police officer from La Ciotat has died of a heart attack while taking part in this weekend's Toulon triathlon. The 53-year-old man was an experienced athlete and had a valid medical certificate. He suffered a cardiac arrest at the start of the swimming stage of the event and couldn't be resuscitated. The event's organisers expressed their "deep sadness" and "solidarity with the victim's loved ones".
Var flights to Netherlands resume - Twice-weekly flights from the Var to the Netherlands have resumed for the summer season. Transavia will fly from Hyères-Toulon airport to Rotterdam every Tuesday and Saturday afternoon until the end of September, in just under two hours. Almost 5% of second homes in the Var are owned by Dutch residents.
Rise in Easter baptisms - Nearly 350 people were baptised in the Alpes-Maritimes during Easter vigils on Saturday evening - a figure that's on the rise compared with previous years. Across France, almost 18,000 people had an Easter baptism this year, that's up by about 40% on last year.
Track-side stewards prepare for Grand Prix - About 700 volunteer track-side stewards are making the final preparations for this year's Monaco E-Prix and Grand Prix. One last briefing meeting was held in the principality last Thursday ahead of the E-Prix on 3rd and 4th May, followed by the Formula One action from 22nd to 25th May. All the stewards undertook their annual physical training in Fontvieille earlier this month. This year there are about 50 new recruits taking part in the Grand Prix for the first time. At last week's meeting, the stewards were also reminded of some basic rules about trackside behaviour. Last year about a dozen stewards were sanctioned for taking photos and videos during the races and practice session, which is banned. The volunteers are also entitled to free and discounted tickets to the race and have been reminded that they strictly must not be resold.
BUSINESS
US Vice-President JD Vance has visited the Indian capital, Delhi, where he’s holding talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid global trade tensions sparked by Washington's tariff policies. The talks will focus on fast tracking a much-awaited bilateral trade deal between the two countries. His visit comes as countries across the world rush to negotiate trade deals before US President Donald Trump's 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs ends on 9 July.
And staff at Scottish Water will strike for two days from this morning as a standoff over pay continues at the state-owned company. The striking workers’ union warned that emergency repairs and quality checks to water supplied to 5 million people across Scotland would not be carried out during the action on Tuesday and Wednesday. More than 1,000 workers in the Unison union will go on strike for the second time in a month in the pay dispute, after rejecting a deal that the union said was 2.6% and followed years of real-terms cuts to wages.
SPORT
Football - Four scheduled matches in the top flight of Italian football were postponed last night following the death of Pope Francis. The Vatican announced on Monday morning that Pope Francis had died at the age of 88, having recently been discharged from hospital following five weeks of treatment for an infection. Four Serie A matches had been scheduled to be played on Easter Monday, which is a national holiday in Italy. The governing body which oversees the Italian top flight said the fixtures would be rearranged in due course. Pope Francis was a known football fan and had supported Argentine side San Lorenzo since he was a child. A number of Italian clubs posted tributes to the Pope following his passing.
Formula One - Max Verstappen has refused to discuss his unhappiness with a penalty he was given in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix because he was concerned about retribution from Formula 1's governing body the FIA. The four-time champion's five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage in a first-corner battle with McLaren's Oscar Piastri potentially cost him the race win to the Australian. Verstappen’s refusal to comment is a reference to a change in the FIA's rule book over the winter that codified a series of penalties for drivers who either repeatedly swear or criticise the governing body.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton believes his struggles at Ferrari are "going to be painful" and will last the rest of 2025 after a "horrible" Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Hamilton started and finished seventh in Sunday's race on another weekend where he was clearly outperformed by Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc. Since winning the Chinese Grand Prix Sprint last month, Hamilton has not beaten Leclerc in qualifying or the race over three rounds in Japan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Boxing - Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr finally step in the ring together this coming Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, just shy of 1,000 days since their first fight was announced. The bitter rivals have feuded at a distance after their first encounter was cancelled in October 2022. They are set to meet more than 30 years after their fathers - Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank - fought each other in two world title contests.
WEATHER
Hazy sunshine on the coast today, becoming cloudy inland this afternoon with the chance of some light rain in some inland parts of the Alpes-Maritimes later today. Generally light winds, except in western parts of the Var coast where there are some strong gusts up to 50 kilometres per hour. Temperatures this afternoon reaching 18 degrees Celsius on the coast and 20 inland in the Var. It'll be a partly cloudy night, with temperatures going down to 13 degrees Celsius on the coast and 9 inland. The outlook for Wednesday: generally fine and sunny, still those strong winds throughout the Var and some occasional light rain inland in the Alpes-Maritimes in the afternoon. Temperatures tomorrow again around 18 degrees Celsius on the Alpes-Maritimes coast, up to 20 on the Var coast and 21 inland in the Var.
President Macron is cutting short his visit to Indian Ocean territories in order to attend the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday. He was due to be i...
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Emmanuel Macron has returned to the French overseas territory of Mayotte, four months after it was devastated by a cyclone which killed 40 people and ...
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President Macron has paid tribute to Pope Francis who has died today at the age of 88. The President expressed his condolences to “Catholics around th...
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French prime minister François Bayrou has announced plans for a consultation on proportional representation in the country's legislative elections....
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A British man has died in an avalanche in the Savoie department. According to local reports, the man in his twenties was on a road near the ski resort...
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