National News France
France’s transport minister warns of disruption to public order with new EU e-gates - France’s transport minister Patrice Vergriete has said that he is 'worried' about the new automated border measures which are set to come into force from October warning that they could “disturb public order”. New EU e-gates will require that British and non-EU passport holders go through fingerprint checks and face scans under the new EU Entry/Exit System (EES). The system will check each passenger's name and biometric data when they enter an EU country.
State of emergency in New Caledonia has been lifted - The state of emergency put in place in New Caledonia has been lifted after twelve days. On Monday, the main independence groups, called on their activists to "loosen the grip" on the road blockade points installed in recent weeks. Meanwhile, police reinforcements continued on Sunday with 3,500 French officers now deployed on the pacific island. Evacuations are still underway with French people and foreign tourists leaving via military flights chartered by France, Australia and New Zealand.
Admission to the Eiffel Tower to increase - Paris city hall has voted to increase the Eiffel Tower adult admission price by 20% from next month to help pay for urgent renovation work. Visitors currently pay €29.40 ($31.90) for a ride by lift to the top of the Eiffel Tower, a price tag that is set to rise to €35.30 on June 17th. The 300-meter iron structure – 330 meters tall when the high-frequency antenna at the top is included, has not been given a full paint job since 2010. Visitor numbers recovered to nearly 6 million last year, having dropped to 1.5 million in 2020 because of Covid restrictions. The masterpiece by architect Gustave Eiffel has been repainted 19 times since it was built for the 1889 World Fair. Eiffel recommended at the time that it should be painted every seven years to keep inevitable rust at bay.
Local News
Shooting in Marseille - An 18-year-old man has been seriously injured following a shooting in Marseille. The victim, aged 18 and known for drug trafficking, was hit in the head and abdomen on Sunday evening at around 10.30pm. The perpetrators fled the scene. An investigation has been opened.
Demonstration in Nice - There has been a demonstration in front of the town hall of Nice following the Israeli strike on a refugee camp in Rafah. Several dozen pro-Palestinian activists demonstrated on Monday, May 27th against the attack which left at least 45 dead in a displaced persons camp in Rafah. Activists called for a “ceasefire in Gaza” and accused “Israel of murdering the children of Palestine” as well as demanding the removal of the Israeli flag in front of the town hall. In response on social media the mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi condemned what he called a “wild gathering”. During the night from Sunday to Monday, an Israeli strike on a refugee camp in Rafah caused numerous victims. The President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron said he was "outraged".
Bank scam - Police have warned of a recent scam circulating in the Var region where the victims have been forced to communicate their bank card details. Four suspects have been arrested in recent days in connection with two separate cases. The perpetrators contact the victims by telephone, posing as their bank manager and telling them that their card has been used without their permission, asking for the details and adding that someone will come to collect the card from their home. Police have reminded the public that there are two simple pieces of advice firstly to "never give your bank card to a third party and secondly, never communicate your bank details or codes in response to a letter, a phone call or SMS."
Mercan’tour classic cycling race - The 4th edition of the Mercan’tour Classic cycling race starts tomorrow Wednesday 29th May between Puget-Théniers and Valberg. The 168.2 km race passes through twenty towns and villages in the Alpes-Maritimes. You can also follow this race live and on video on the France 3 Côte d'Azur website.
Business
The German Chancellor along with French President Emmanuel Macron has warned in a joint opinion piece for the Financial Times that the European Union must make dramatic efforts to improve its competitiveness or risk seeing its way of living undermined. In the article it was written that “among the reforms needed were further efforts to decarbonize the economy, while leaving the precise means of doing so up to member states”.
According to latest reports Amazon’s computing unit AWS is in talks with Italy to invest billions of euros in the expansion of its data centre business in the country as part of the tech giant's effort to boost its cloud offer in Europe. Discussions between parties over the size and the location of the investment are ongoing, with one source saying that the Amazon Web Service (AWS) is considering expanding its current site in Milan or building a new one.
And - Former England soccer captain David Beckham has been signed as brand ambassador to AliExpress the e-commerce site owned by Chinese giant Alibaba. The move comes in an attempt to play catch up with rival PDD Holdings' Temu in a battle to sell cheap made-in-China goods to the world.
Sport
Football - Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has signed a new five-year contract with the club. The Spaniard has turned Villa around since arriving from Villarreal in October 2022 with the club sitting 17th in the Premier League.
Tennis - Rafael Nadal's return to the French Open has ended as the 14-time champion lost in straight sets to German fourth seed Alexander Zverev. The 22-time Grand Slam winner was beaten 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-3. Nadal indicated when he missed last year's French Open that the 2024 season could be his final one on tour because of injury.
Cricket - England captain Jos Buttler is set to miss today’s third T20 against Pakistan for the birth of his third child. Buttler has left the England squad in Cardiff to be with his wife Louise. All-rounder Moeen Ali will captain England in Buttler's absence with batter Ben Duckett likely to fill the spare space in the side.
Weather
Sunny with a gentle breeze and a mistral blowing in the Var region. Highs of 22 degrees in Nice, 20 degrees in Monaco, 21 degrees in Mougins and Saint Tropez, reaching up to 27 degrees in Toulon. This evening going down to 15 degrees with clear skies.
Tomorrow, sunny intervals highs of 22 degrees. Thursday mainly fine. Friday showers are forecast in the Alpes Maritimes highs of between 22-24 degrees.
Sunrise 05.53am
Sunset 09.02pm
Beach weather
Sea temperature Nice – 18.4°
UV level is very high at 8.
Average winds.
Weather elsewhere
Paris 17° light rain.
Rome 26° sunny.
Amsterdam 19° heavy rain.
Palma 27° sunny.
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