The leaders of many European nations met at a summit in Paris yesterday to discuss their response to not being involved in forthcoming talks between the United States and Russia on Ukraine. President Macron had a telephone discussion with President Trump before the meeting began. Speaking after the summit, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said "at stake is not just the future of Ukraine, it is an existential question for Europe as a whole". German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that there should be "no split" between the US and Europe on responsibility for Ukraine security.
French car manufacturer Citroen is recommending that thousands of car owners in northern France stop using their cars because of faulty airbags. The recommendation affects C3 and DS3 cars manufactured between 2009 and 2013 and covers cars located north of a line passing through Clement-Ferrand and Lyon. The “stop drive” recommendation from the manufacturer is already in place in the southern part of France but is now being extended to the north. Citroen are advising affected owners to immobilize their vehicles until the airbags can be replaced. The models have defective airbags which could cause injury. Citroen had previously launched a recall campaign but its advice has now changed to a recommendation to stop driving the affected models.
The French government has decided that regulated energy tariffs will be maintained. It follows a recommendation by the French competition regulator that they should be abolished. The government has decided that they should be kept in place because they provide price stability.
French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin has said that certain recreational activities in French prisons must stop. His remarks follow the recent revelation that inmates in a detention facility in Toulouse received facial massages and took part in a dancing workshop. The minister said that from now on, activities in prisons must be limited to education, the French language and sport.
Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi has described as “good news” the possibility that the Nice Saint-Isidore toll on the A8 motorway could disappear. Visiting Nice, the Minister of Transport Philippe Tabarot announced the study of its possible elimination by 2032. The mayor, who has long campaigned for the removal of the toll, said that it is “a prospect that would make it possible to considerably reduce fine particle pollution in this sector and improve the daily lives of the people of Nice who regularly use this road”.
The city of Marseille is lowering the cap on the number of days properties can be used for short term tourist rentals. Properties will now be allowed to be used for such purposes for a maximum of 90 days per year, down from 120 days previously. The city said that the aim of the change is to make more long-term accommodation available for residents of Marseille. A civil fine of 15,000 euros will be imposed for breaches of the regulation. Meanwhile, a group of bodies and officials have called for the requisition of housing in Marseille. The group of elected officials, associations and politicians stated in the Liberation newspaper that they want to see vacant properties requisitioned in order to deal with the problem of substandard housing and homelessness.
The chief of staff of the Prefect of Var has presided over a ceremony to pay tribute to outstanding members of the gendarmerie. Eight gendarmes were decorated: 7 medals of national defense with bronze star were awarded and one gold for acts of courage and devotion.
BUSINESS
New trade data has shown that Ireland's goods exports to the United States increased by 34% to €72.6bn in 2024 while its imports from the US fell slightly to €22.5bn. That meant Ireland had a goods-trade surplus with the US of just over €50bn, according to the data from Ireland's Central Statistics Office. The data also showed a fall in trade between Ireland and Great Britain of 6 billion euros in 2024
Nobel prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz has claimed that Donald Trump’s policies have made the US a “scary place to invest”. In an interview with the Guardian he said that the uncertain implementation of tariffs and the president’s apparent contempt for the rule of law would deter investment, adding that “it risks the worst of all possible worlds: a kind of stagflation”.
Meta, the owner of Facebook and WhatsApp, has announced plans to build a 50,000km worldwide undersea cable. It said its new cable project would provide "industry-leading connectivity" to five major continents and help support its AI projects. It will be the world's longest underwater cable project when it’s completed and will connect nations including the US, India, South Africa and Brazil.
SPORT
Rugby Union...There have been several additions to the Scotland squad for Saturday's Six Nations game against England. Ali Price, Cameron Redpath and Ross McCann have all been included but Matt Currie drops out with a concussion.
Tennis... Top seed Carlos Alcaraz has progressed to the second round of the Quatar Open with a 6-4 6-4 victory against Marin Cilic. British player Jack Draper is also through to the second round after defeating Alexei Popyrin.
Football...Celtic are taking on Bayern Munich in the Champions League play-off, second leg at the Allianz Arena in Munich tonight. Harry Kane missed training with Bayern Munich but head coach Vincent Kompany said a facial injury he got in a match at the weekend is "nothing too bad".
Arsenal have been fined £65,000 for failing to control their players after Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off during their Premier League game against Wolves. The Football Association charged Arsenal with failing to ensure their players "did not behave in an improper manner”. The club admitted the charge before an independent commission imposed the fine.
Sunny with light winds. Highs of 22 degrees in Monaco, Nice and Menton. 21 degrees in Saint-Tropez. 23 degrees in Antibes. ...
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Around 1,000 residents in East Nice have experienced a power outage on the morning of the 29th of April, mainly affecting streets like Impasse des Lis...
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A yellow weather alert is in place today, Tuesday April 29th, for the Alpes-Maritimes department, with Météo France warning of thunderstorms across pa...
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As we approach May 1st, 2025, several important changes are set to take effect in France as with every first of the month, affecting everything from t...
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Fine and sunny with light winds. Thundery showers forecast by this afternoon in Marseille. Highs of 22 degrees in Nice, Monaco and Vence. ...
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