News
Iran calls on France to review its approach ahead of talks - Iran's foreign ministry has called upon France to review its "unconstructive" approach, a few days before Tehran is set to hold a new round of talks about its nuclear programme with major European countries. On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said Tehran's uranium enrichment drive is nearing a point of no return and warned that European partners in a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran should consider reimposing sanctions if no progress is reached.
Macron joins chorus of European criticism towards Elon Musk - Meanwhile, Macron also added his voice to a growing chorus of European criticism of Elon Musk on Monday, accusing the world’s richest man of intervening directly in the continent’s democratic processes, including Germany’s snap federal elections next month. The French Head of State joined the Norwegian and British prime ministers and a German government spokesperson in responding to a barrage of hostile posts by Musk backing far-right political parties and attacking leftwing politicians in Europe.
French far right leader and politician Jean-Marie Le Pen dies - It's been announced that French politician Jean-Marie Le Pen has died at the age of 96. He founded the far-right National Front party in 1972. Le Pen reached the presidential election-run off against Jacques Chirac in 2002. His daughter, Marine Le Pen, succeeded him as leader in 2011 and went on to rebrand the party as the National Rally. In 2015, he was expelled from the party after repeating a denial of the Holocaust.
Authorities to increase security at Nice Carnival and Menton Lemon Festival - Faced with the terrorist threat, the Nice Carnival and the Menton Lemon Festival have been placed under high security surveillance. Soon both events will bring together several hundred thousand people and following France’s Interior Minister’s call to prefects to increase security for "large gatherings" the two major events here on the Riviera will see security reinforced. In 2024, the Nice Carnival welcomed 230,000 spectators over the fifteen days of the festival, and 200,000 visitors took part in the Lemon Festival.
Flu epidemic - The emergency departments of all hospitals in the Alpes-Maritimes are saturated due to a flu epidemic. Professor Michel Carles, head of the infectious diseases department at the Nice University Hospital the Nice hospital, as with all the establishments in the department, is facing a massive influx of patients combined with a lack of staff who are themselves sick. The latest figures, relating to the week of December 30th to January 5, show 35% of positive flu tests, compared to 23% at the national level. The Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region is the most affected by this epidemic after Île-de-France". The doctor has advised that people who have not been vaccinated must get vaccinated. In addition, it is essential to respect the preventative health measures such wearing a mask, washing hands, ventilating rooms. In the event of symptoms (fever, aches, respiratory problems, it is advisable to first consult your doctor.
Siren testing - The sirens in Nice will exceptionally be heard throughout the city today Wednesday, January 8th. The sirens sound on the first Wednesday of each month across France (and Monaco notably). However as last Wednesday was a bank holiday they will be heard today at 12.15pm instead.
Dating back to the Second World War, the 4,500 sirens of the Réseau National d’Alerte are supposed to sound a warning in the event of a major incident such as a cloud of toxic gas or nuclear accident, or another imminent local catastrophe such as a dam break. Official advice from Interior Ministry says that, on hearing the siren, people are supposed to know about likely local dangers and move to avoid being affected.
The alarm siren is different from the monthly reminder, which sounds for just one minute at noon on the first Wednesday of every month. In a real alarm, it sounds for three sequences of one minute and 41 seconds in a rising and falling tone with a five-second gap between each sequence. The end of the alert is indicated by a 30-second siren sound.
Princess Grace Rose Garden - The Princess Grace Rose Garden is preparing to bring the 40th anniversary celebrations to an end today, Wednesday 8th January. Visitors will have the unique opportunity to share a special moment with the gardeners, with a special guided tour from 10am entitled ‘Taille des rosiers avec les Jardiniers’. The tour will allow visitors to explore the meticulous art of rose care as well as the expertise and passion that goes into preserving the floral heritage. Created on the initiative of Prince Rainier III, it is a living tribute to the memory of Princess Grace, reflecting her love of flowers and nature. Inaugurated on the 18th of June in 1984, the rose garden is in the Fontvieille district. When it was inaugurated, the rose garden already had 4,000 rose bushes covering an area of 3,000 m², with 168 varieties. Today, it now houses more than 5,500 rosebushes.
Jardin Exotique to reopen - Meanwhile, Monaco’s much-loved Jardin Exotique is finally set to reopen in 2025. Fully renovated the site is expected to welcome visitors again by the end of summer. Locals and tourists will once again be able to enjoy the gardens which have been closed since 2020. The Jardin Exotique is one of Monaco’s most visited attractions and was conceived by Prince Albert I in 1912 and completed in 1933.
Business
The winter sales will start today in France and will last until 4 February. Retailers are hoping that the slowdown in inflation will encourage customers to spend more. The first three weeks of the last winter sales ended with a 6% drop in turnover on average compared to the previous year. This year, some professionals are more confident than in 2024 with some saying that “inflation has decreased, taxes on electricity will be reduced, so there is a little more room for manoeuvre for consumers to treat themselves”.
The chief executive of OpenAI Sam Altman has been accused by his sister Ann Altman of sexual abuse between 1997 and 2006. A lawsuit has been filed alleging that Sam Altman regularly abused her when she was 3 years old, and he was 12. In a joint statement on X, with his mother and two brothers, Mr Altman denied the allegations, saying "all of these claims are utterly untrue." Adding that "caring for a family member who faces mental health challenges is incredibly difficult”. Ms Altman has previously made similar allegations against her brother on social media platforms. Mr Altman is one of the technology world's most high-profile figures. In late 2022, OpenAI launched the ChatGPT generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot.
And – Due to growing demand for bespoke models the luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce is to expand its Goodwood factory and global headquarters. The carmaker plans to invest more than £300 million so it can build more highly customised versions of its cars for its super-rich clientele. The 120-year-old British brand came under full control of German carmaker BMW in 2003 and officially opened the site in West Sussex the same year. Rolls Royce says this expansion secures its future in the UK. Rolls-Royce sold 5,712 cars in 2024, the third highest total in its history.
Sport
Football – Newcastle have beaten Arsenal 2-0 in the League Cup on Tuesday evening. Newcastle have never won the competition but will make their second final in three seasons if they avoid defeat, or lose by a one-goal margin, in the second leg at St James' Park on 5 February. Arsenal, second in the Premier League, started the tie as favourites, but still have a way to go in the return fixture.
Meanwhile, it’s been announced that Didier Deschamps, will leave France’s national team role after the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Deschamps, France's longest-serving national team coach, will not seek to renew his contract which expires in 2026. His deal runs until after the next World Cup, for which Les Bleus have yet to qualify. The 56-year-old took over from fellow 1998 World Cup winner Laurent Blanc in 2012 and led Les Bleus to the World Cup title in 2018, two years after reaching the European Championship final on home soil. As a player, he won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, both as captain. A defensive midfielder nicknamed 'the water carrier' by Eric Cantona, Deschamps was a winning machine and under his guidance as coach, France were at times boringly efficient and at others brilliant, beating Argentina 4-3 in the 2018 World Cup round of 16 and Croatia 4-2 in the final.
And - In a recent interview Elon Musk’s father has suggested that his son the billionaire tycoon has expressed a serious interest in buying Premier League football team Liverpool. Musk who is worth an estimated $418 billion has in the past referred to his grandmother who was born in Liverpool in 1923 as an important part of his childhood he once wrote on X 'My Nana was one of the poor working-class girls with no one to protect her who might have been abducted in present day Britain'. It is yet to be confirmed as a serious venture although 53-year-old Musk does appear to be looking to expand his business empire and could be turning to English sport.
Rugby Union - Dragons and Wales prop Leon Brown has announced his immediate retirement because of a neck injury. The 28-year-old played 24 internationals for Wales after making his debut in 2017 with his final Test appearance coming in the Six Nations home defeat against Scotland in February 2024.
Weather
Sunny intervals with a fresh breeze and becoming increasingly cloudy. Highs of 16° in Nice, 15° in Monaco and 17° in Saint-Tropez. This evening going down to 11 degrees with cloudy skies.
The outlook for tomorrow and Friday, remaining mainly fine. Winds picking up on Thursday with highs of 17°.
Sunrise 08.03am
Sunset 05.10pm
Weather elsewhere
Bordeaux 16° sunny intervals.
Oslo -2° light cloud.
Belfast 3° sunny.
And finally
A small Italian village has banned its residents from becoming seriously ill. People living in Belcastro have reportedly been ordered by a decree from the mayor to avoid contracting any illness that may require emergency medical assistance.
Belcastro sits in the southern region of Calabria and is one of Italy's poorest regions. Around half of its 1,200 residents are over the age of 65 and the nearest Accident & Emergency (A&E) department is over 45km away. The A&E is only reachable by a road with a 30kmh speed limit. The village's on-call doctor surgery is not always open and offers no cover during weekends, holidays or after hours. The mayor told Italian TV that it was hard to "feel safe when you know that if you need assistance, your only hope is to make it to [A&E] on time" - and that the roads were almost "more of a risk than any illness".
As part of the decree, residents have also been ordered "not to engage in behaviours that may be harmful and to avoid domestic accidents", and "not to leave the house too often, travel or practise sports, and to [instead] rest for the majority of the time". It is unclear how these new rules will be enforced, if at all.
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