President Macron is hosting a meeting of European leaders in Paris today to discuss the situation in Ukraine. Political leaders from France, the UK, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain and Denmark are expected to attend. The leaders will discuss US efforts to agree a deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. European governments fear Washington could strike a deal which damages European security. US and Russian negotiators are due to convene in Saudi Arabia in the week ahead but Ukraine is reportedly not invited. Speaking on Meet the Press on NBC television yesterday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky restated his position that Ukraine will never accept a peace deal negotiated solely between Russia and the US, without Ukraine at the negotiating table.
The French Interior Minister has expressed his support for a bill going through parliament which will prohibit marriage between a French citizen and a person living in France illegally. Speaking to French media yesterday, Bruno Retailleau said that he recognised that marriage is a way for a person in an irregular situation to become regularized. It follows the prosecution of the mayor of Beziers last week for refusing to marry a couple in 2023, one of whom was in France illegally.
The National Rally party has confirmed that it will not support a motion of censure against the French government expected to take place this week. The party has over 120 seats in the National Assembly and would have been able to carry the motion if it had voted in favour. The Socialist Party is expected to file the motion shortly. A spokesperson for the National Rally said that there may be other opportunities to censure the government in the future and they did not rule it out.
A teenager has been shot dead in Corsica over the weekend. Authorities believe the shooting may have been a case of mistaken identity. The 18 year old woman was reportedly driving a car usually used by her partner when she was shot. An investigation has been opened.
Two people are in hospital with serious injuries after a car was in collision with a motorbike in Cagnes-sur-Mer at the weekend. The driver and passenger on the motorcycle were reportedly taken to la Fontonne Hospital in Antibes with serious injuries after the accident on Saturday night. The driver of the car suffered lesser injuries and was transported to hospital in Nice.
French Transport minister Philippe Tabarot has inaugurated the first regional trains open to competition in France in a ceremony in Nice. Between Cannes, Nice and Menton, ZOU! trains now run every quarter of an hour, including weekends. The minister said that as a former VP of Transport “of this wonderful Region and now “Minister of Users”, I am delighted with this leap forward in terms of quality of service”. He added that the goal is to make life easier for all those who take the TER to go to work, get medical care, or see loved ones.
The Prefect of the Var has reminded residents of the annual calendar of actions to be taken to limit the risks of fire and the legal obligations of clearing in the department. Details can be found on the Prefecture’s website www.var.gouv.fr
A new survey is being carried out to assess the consumption habits of tourists visiting Monaco. The survey, which will take place throughout 2025, is being organised by statistics body IMSEE and the Tourism and Convention Authority. It aims to collect essential information on, in particular, the reasons for their visit to Monaco, their preferences in terms of accommodation, catering and leisure activities, and the length of their stay. The aim is to better understand the behaviour of visitors with the aim of optimising their experience in the Principality and improving the Monegasque tourist offering.
BUSINESS
UK business secretary Jonathan Reynolds has said that the UK and US have a "mutual interest" in negotiating an exemption for the UK from President Trump's planned export tariffs on steel. Speaking to the BBC he said that the impact of the 25% tariffs which could come into force in March would be negative for the UK as well as for the US. He added that the UK was in a different trading position to other nations and could offer what he called "very specialised" steel and aluminium exports which the US needs.
The man whose computer hard drive containing millions of dollars worth of Bitcoin has said he won’t give up on his fight to retrieve it. James Howells, from Newport in Gwent, claimed his ex-partner accidentally threw out the hard drive, containing 8,000 bitcoin, back in 2013, with it ending up in a tip owned by Newport City Council. The bitcoin would now be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. A High Court judge recently threw out his efforts to access the landfill or get compensation, saying there were no "reasonable grounds" for bringing the claim and "no realistic prospect" of succeeding at a full trial. Mr. Howells is reportedly planning to appeal against the decision.
The US government is apparently trying to rehire nuclear safety employees it had fired on Thursday, after concerns grew that their dismissal could jeopardise national security. That’s according to reports in US media. The workers were employed at The National Nuclear Security Administration which is responsible for designing, building and overseeing the US nuclear weapons stockpile. The government has reportedly struggled to reach the people who were fired after they were locked out of their federal email accounts.
SPORT
Football… in the English Premier League at the weekend, on Saturday Arsenal beat Leicester 2-0, Aston Villa and Ipswich resulted in a 1-1 draw, Fulham defeated Notts Forrest 2-1 at home, Newcastle were defeated by Manchester City 4-0, Bournemouth beat Southampton 3-1, Brentford beat West Ham 1-0, and Crystal Palace were defeated by Everton 2-1. Then on Sunday Liverpool beat Wolves 2-1 and Spurs beat Manchester United 1-0.
In the Scottish Premiership Rangers defeated Hearts 3-1. Celtic beat Dundee United 3-0.
Horseracing…24 year old Irish jockey Michael O'Sullivan has died after a fall during a race earlier this month. He had been ****in intensive care in a hospital in Cork since the incident at a race in Ireland on 6 February.
Athletics… Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo has become the first person to run a half marathon in a time below 57 minutes at an event in Barcelona. The 24-year-old completed the half marathon in 56 minutes and 42 seconds, beating the world record by 48 seconds.
Ice Hockey…. A game between the United States and Canada descended into chaos on Saturday with three fights breaking out between players in the first nine seconds. The US national anthem was loudly booed by the home crowd at Montreal's Bell Centre. The US won the match 3-1.
A new optional regional transport tax for businesses, introduced in France’s 2025 budget, aims to fund eco-friendly mobility projects. ...
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A judge has authorised a dive to inspect the wreckage of a plane in the sea off Antibes. The plane crashed into the Mediterranean on September 11 1968...
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In France, drinking water is heavily contaminated with "forever pollutants," particularly trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), as revealed by two studies from ...
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The trial of the Tunisian man accused of the murder of three people in the Nice Basilica attack is continuing in Paris. Yesterday the families of the ...
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Four cities in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region made Booking.com's 2025 list of the "most welcoming destinations in France." ...
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