Côte d'Azur

Alpes-Maritimes farmers are reporting yield losses of up to 70 percent as a fresh summer drought grips the department.

Elderly residents in the Alpes-Maritimes high country are set to lose their on-demand transport service next week, as regional and local officials trade blame.

A violent storm on August 14 damaged the village cemetery with a mudslide, partially destroyed a community hall roof, cut off a road and flooded cellars. Young residents spontaneously turned out to help restore order.

Mayor Sébastien Olharan says the commune is still owed 4 million euros in disputed compensation, after insurer SMACL refused to recognise one of two official natural disaster declarations covering the 2020 storm's landslide damage.

Sixty-four firefighters and 32 vehicles joined the overnight and following-morning search for the 22 year old still missing after Sunday's collision, before the maritime prefecture called off the effort around 11am Monday.

Unions disrupted the network again on Friday, August 14 and Monday, August 17, running affected lines on Sunday schedules, as the pay dispute BCN has followed since July continues without resolution.

Around thirty elected officials, including Nice mayor Éric Ciotti and several MPs, co-signed a letter to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez requesting reinforcements at the year-end staffing round, noting the department currently counts around 2,340 national police officers.

Hotel occupancy regularly tops 85% this summer, driven by growing international demand, even as UMIH06 reports restaurant footfall down 15 to 20%, and as much as 25% for traditional establishments, amid repeated heatwaves and squeezed household budgets.

A pleasure yacht and a semi-rigid inflatable collided in the Golfe de la Napoule around 11pm Sunday, throwing a 24 year old man overboard. Search efforts, suspended overnight, resumed at 7am with naval helicopters and coast guard vessels still searching.

Préfet Jean-Marie Girier widened restrictions ahead of the August 15 long weekend, as enforcement checks found 68% of properties inspected in breach, with 41 prosecutions launched so far.

Nearly 95 percent of the sun was obscured over Nice at the eclipse's peak on Wednesday evening, with viewers across Cannes, Antibes and the Préalpes d'Azur seeking out clear westward horizons to catch the rare event.

France's Mediterranean maritime authority says the Alpes-Maritimes sits among the top five departments for search and rescue callouts this season, as the growing popularity of paddleboarding drives a rise in interventions along the coast.