News
Monaco set for day of ceremony and celebration on National Day - Monaco will mark its National Day today, Wednesday 19th November, with a full programme of traditional and ceremonial events, following last night’s firework display over Port Hercule and a concert by Superbus at Espace Léo-Ferré. Festivities will begin at 9.30am with a Te Deum thanksgiving mass at the Cathedral. Prince Albert II and Princess Charlène will then proceed to the Cour d’Honneur of the Palais Princier for an 11am military ceremony, during which ranks and medals will be presented to the Force Publique, along with distinctions for members of the princely household. A giant screen on the palace square will broadcast the ceremony live. At 11.30am, the Princely Family will take to the palace balconies to watch the traditional military parade. This year, Italy’s Carabinieri have been invited in honour of the 150th anniversary of Monaco’s diplomatic representation in Italy, with 33 musicians from the Lombardy regiment joining the Prince’s Carabiniers for a special joint performance. Crowds are expected to gather in Monaco-Ville to show their support for the Sovereign and his family throughout the morning. The celebrations will conclude this evening with Bonsoir Monte-Carlo, a gala at the Grimaldi Forum paying tribute to Joséphine Baker. Traffic restrictions and parking bans will be in force across Monaco-Ville until 2pm to accommodate the day’s events.
Princess Stéphanie honoured with Monaco’s highest cultural distinction – Meanwhile, Monaco’s Fête Nationale has brought a moment of quiet emotion on Tuesday, as Princess Stéphanie was elevated to Commander of the Ordre du Mérite Culturel — the Principality’s highest cultural honour. The medal was presented at the Palais Princier by her sister, Princess Caroline of Hanover, who chairs the order’s Conseil d’Honneur. The ceremony, held in the Salon Bleu, celebrates those who have significantly shaped Monaco’s cultural life. Princess Stéphanie was recognised for her long-standing support of the circus arts and her leadership in social and charitable initiatives. In her address, Princess Caroline described culture as “a common good” and praised the recipients as creators and custodians of meaning. The event also paid tribute to influential cultural figures linked to Monaco, including Joséphine Baker and composer Pierre Boulez. Seven people received distinctions this year, among them Björn Dahlström of the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco, composer Bruno Mantovani, comic artist Damien Mac Donald, curator Ashok Adicéam, cultural mediator Isabelle Minioni and heritage advocate Pierre Nouvion Duboys de Lavigerie. Founded in 1952, the Ordre du Mérite Culturel honours those who enrich Monaco’s artistic and intellectual heritage.
Cocaine lab in Mougins dismantled in large-scale gendarmerie raid – In other news locally, a major gendarmerie operation has dismantled a cocaine-processing lab that also served as a local dealing point in the Plaine hamlet of Mougins. Around 5pm on Monday, some 70 officers, along with a helicopter, drones and canine teams, moved into the small settlement of around 40 homes, inhabited by a sedentary traveller community. Four suspects were arrested: three men aged 26, 31 and 40, and a woman in her thirties. The raid followed a four-month investigation by the Mougins territorial brigade and the Cannes research unit into what was believed to be an active, structured dealing site. A bungalow converted into a cocaine preparation lab was discovered, along with drugs ready for sale, packaging equipment, cash, weapons and ammunition. Three bungalows were searched in total. The helicopter from the Hyères aerial unit provided lighting and thermal imaging for nearly 90 minutes to secure the area and detect any attempted escapes. Officers from Cannes, Nice and Grasse PSIG units, along with specialist sniffer-dog teams, sealed off the site. The four suspects remain in custody as investigators work to confirm their roles and assess the scale of the trafficking operation.
High-Altitude French Ski Resorts set to open this weekend - France’s 2025/26 winter ski season gets underway this weekend as several high-altitude resorts prepare to open their slopes from Saturday 22 November. Val Thorens and Orelle, in the 3 Vallées area, will begin a progressive opening of their pistes, while Tignes will also launch its ski season, with plans to open links to Val d’Isère from 29 November. In the Chamonix-Mont Blanc area, the Grands Montets zone at Argentière will partially open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 21 November, ahead of a full opening on the first weekend of December. Other high-altitude destinations, including Les 2 Alpes and Alpe d’Huez, are scheduled to follow with phased openings through late November and early December. Most major resorts are expected to be fully operational by the third week of December, just in time for the Christmas holidays. Skiers are advised to check resort websites before booking, as openings remain dependent on weather and snow conditions.
Niçoise crowned “Miss Petite Universe Côte d’Azur 2025” in teen category - Berre-les-Alpes has hosted the “Miss Petite Universe Côte d’Azur 2025” pageant, a regional competition open to candidates under 1.70m. The event, organised under the delegation of Élodie Caroline Moss, featured two categories: adults and teens (under 19). In the teen category, 18-year-old Niçoise Lola Galatioto won the 2025 crown. Among adults, the title went to 20-year-old Lara Cimino from Fréjus. Each French region selects representatives for the national “Miss Petite Universe France” competition, presided over by Léna Abgrall. The national final will take place on 2 May 2026 at the Zénith in Caen, where both the adult and teen titles will be awarded. Winners will then go on to represent France internationally.
French singer Michel Sardou to attend Var pétanque tournament honouring his father - Bormes-les-Mimosas will host the first “Trophée Fernand Sardou” on 29–30 May 2026, a pétanque event paying tribute to the singer’s father, Fernand Sardou. Michel Sardou, who has been living in Cap-Bénat for over a year, is expected to attend and is personally involved in the project. The idea emerged after Sardou discovered the village’s Saint-François square boulodrome, which immediately won him over, according to mayor François Arizzi. Sardou requested a friendly, local tournament rather than a star-studded event. The programme includes an invitational exhibition and small friendly contest on the Friday evening, followed by the “Challenge Fernand Sardou” on Saturday, open to 64 doublette teams — possibly more given strong interest. The village square will be decorated for the occasion, and Sardou may even take part on the terrain. Details on registration will be announced soon.
SPORT:
Scotland have qualified for their first men's football World Cup since 1998. They needed to beat Denmark to avoid having to go through the play-offs, and two stoppage time goals sealed a dramatic 4-2 win at Hampden Park in Glasgow. Belgium, Spain, Switzerland and Austria also confirmed their qualification last night.
Former England midfielder Michael Carrick believes Jude Bellingham's place in the starting eleven for next summer's World Cup is far from certain. The Real Madrid player began last weekend's qualifying win away to Albania - but wasn't happy to be taken off late in the game.
British doubles star Joe Salisbury is taking a break from tennis because of anxiety. The former world number one, who reached the French Open and US Open finals this season, isn't planning to return to the court until at least April.
BUSINESS:
Adverts for three hotel chains and a travel site have been banned for misleading consumers about the number of rooms at the cheapest prices. Booking-dot-com, Accor, Travelodge and Hilton all used 'from' price claims. The firms say they believed the information provided was accurate.
The CEOs of Tesla and Nvidia will discuss advances in AI at a US-Saudi Arabia investment forum. Its taking place in Washington today - and moderated by Saudi Arabia's minister of communications.
And Google's revealed its latest version of its artificial intelligence model Gemini - which is integrated into the search engine. Gemini 3 is expected to keep Google at the forefront of the AI race.
WEATHER:
The sun is shining for Prince's Day across the Cote d'Azur. There'll be some patchy cloud, with light showers this evening. Pretty chilly with highs of 14 degrees across the region.
Monaco will mark its National Day today, Wednesday 19th November, with a full programme of traditional and ceremonial events, following last night’s f...
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A man has been arrested after making threats to attack a synagogue in our region. In a post on social media, the man threatened to “blow up” the synag...
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A sharp drop in temperatures is expected across Nice and the Alpes-Maritimes as a cold spell moves in during the third week of November. After a rainy...
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France and Ukraine have signed a major new arms deal. President Zelinsky and President Macron signed the agreement...
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All football fixtures scheduled for Sunday in the Alpes-Maritimes were postponed after the department was placed on an orange alert for heavy rain and...
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