Power outage hits Cannes Festival and disrupts traffic in south-east France
The outage came hours after a fire at an electrical substation near Cannes overnight had already weakened the grid.
Cannes Film Festival organisers confirmed the outage affected the early activities of Saturday and said the Palais des Festivals – the Croisette's main venue — had switched to an independent power supply.
Este Haim and Danielle Haim at the premiere of the film The Mastermind (Invision/AP)
'All scheduled events and screenings, including the Closing Ceremony, will proceed as planned and under normal conditions,' the statement said.
'At this stage, the cause of the outage has not yet been identified. Restoration efforts are underway.'
Screenings at the Cineum, one of the festival's satellite venues, were briefly suspended, the festival added.
Traffic lights in parts of Cannes and the surrounding city of Antibes stopped working after 10am, leading to traffic jams and confusion in city centres.
Most shops along the Croisette remained closed, and local food kiosks were only accepting cash. Train services in Cannes were also disrupted.
Authorities said restoration efforts are ongoing and urged residents to remain cautious during travel.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
12 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Lewis Capaldi set to make huge comeback after Glastonbury Festival – two years after breaking down on stage
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LEWIS Capaldi is reportedly set for a triumphant comeback to the Glastonbury stage two years after struggling to perform. The 28-year-old Scottish star is believed to be taking the 'Secret Set' slot on Friday night of the music festival, following Canadian legend Alanis Morrisette. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 6 Lewis is set to make his return to the Glastonbury stage after two years Credit: AP 6 The iconic festival has a 'secret set' reserved on Friday evening Credit: Getty 6 The star struggled through his performance after his Tourette's flared up Credit: AFP His return, to the Pyramid Stage, as reported by Daily Mail, will come two years after he suffered an attack of Tourette's Syndrome on stage, rendering him unable to speak or sing. In one of the most notable moments in the festival's history, the crowd performed his hit Someone You Loved completely in his place, prompting the star to become emotional at the show of unity. As he finished his set, performing Hold Me While You Wait, he told the crowd: 'Glastonbury, I'm really sorry. I'm a bit annoyed with myself.' But the crowd replied by cheering him on by chanting "Oh Lewis Capaldi". Shortly after the set, Lewis said: 'I wanted to come back and to do Glastonbury because it is so incredible, so I just wanted to thank you all for coming out and watching us. 'I was s**t-scared but you really made me feel at ease.' Referring to Glasto organiser Emily Eavis, he continued: 'I am really sorry and I hope Eavis will have me back on because this has been a f*****g s**t show. 'I feel like I will be taking another wee break over the next couple of weeks so you probably won't see much of me for the rest of the year.' Since then Lewis, who took a three week mental health break prior to the event, said he would be taking an extended period of time off 'to spend more time getting my mental and physical health in order' He then disappeared from the spotlight completely in order to adjust to the impact Tourettes has on his life and get it under control. Moment Lewis Capaldi left speechless after diehard fan serenades him in the pub (v2) 'Playing for you every night is all I've ever dreamed of, so this has been the most difficult decision of my life,' he said at the time. 'I'll be back as soon as I possibly can." Tourette's syndrome is a neurological condition that makes someone make involuntary 'tics' including rapid movements and noises, at times making them struggle to speak. Lewis tracked his diagnosis in a Netflix documentary, How I'm Feeling Now, showing how much it affects his life on a day-to-day basis. The film was released shortly before his Glasto appearance. In October last year, Lewis was overheard discussing new music and a potential new album down the pub with mates, sparking hope he was ready to perform again. In May this year, Lewis made his return to the stage alongside Tom Walker for a guest spot at a show for mental health CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) at Assembly Halls in Edinburgh. It was his first performance since the 2023 Glastonbury performance, with fans saying they were 'near tears' seeing him back on stage. 6 The singer has taken time away from the spotlight ever since Credit: Getty 6 The singer has been open about Tourettes effecting his life Credit: Getty
The Guardian
18 hours ago
- The Guardian
Trying to get rid of noisy, food-stealing gulls is missing the point – it's humans who are the pests
At this year's Cannes film festival, some unexpected hires joined the security detail at luxury hotel the Majestic. They were clad not in kevlar but in deep chestnut plumage, with wingspans up to four feet, talons for toes and meat-ripping ebony beaks. The new recruits were Harris hawks and their mission was clear: guard stars from the aerial menace of gulls daring to photobomb or snatch vol-au-vents. This might sound like an extreme solution to a benign problem – after all, haven't most of us lost sandwiches to swooping beaks and come out relatively unscathed? But as these notorious food pirates come ashore in growing numbers, cities around the world are increasingly grappling with how to manage them. Hiring hawks from local falconer Christophe Puzin was the Majestic's answer to curbing gull-related incidents (such as Sophie Marceau's 2011 wine-on-dress situation). But in metropolises such as New York, Rome, Amsterdam and London gulls are widely considered a menace, too, as they take up permanent residence on urban stoops. Gulls seem to be louder than ever, which makes it easy to forget their status as seabirds in crisis. All of the more than 50 global species of gull are falling victim to fragmenting habitats under conflicting marine policy measures, devastating avian flu, and even brain damage and organ failure resulting from plastic ingestion. In the UK, this torrent of trouble has rendered many species of gull in decline. Predator-free rooftops have enticed them from the waves since the 1940s and, broadly speaking, gulls have adapted well to their changing environment – even becoming effective urban seed dispersers. Lamp-posts have replaced cliff ledges, buildings are islands, landfill is rocky shore. One study found that gulls can recognise human routines, with their presence around schools tripling during mealtimes. Their adaptation – however bothersome it might be for us – has driven their survival. Perhaps acknowledging this could help us to live alongside them. As we have no licence to either capture or kill these birds, introducing hawks as agents of natural gull control is one method of regulating human/gull interaction. Some councils have produced gull awareness campaigns, encouraging locals to report nesting and not to feed them. Others default to installing physical barriers, such as spokes and spikes, to discourage gulls' resting sites. Such measures are expensive for local authorities and their effectiveness is inconclusive. Some councils, such as Carlisle, opt for a more covert approach, threatening gulls more gently in the form of hawk-like kites. In Exeter, Deliveroo trialled 'repellent' audio tracks, broadcasting recorded falcon cries and gull distress calls to deter them. Researchers at the University of Exeter have also investigated the benefit of holding eye contact with a gull, in making them think twice about stealing food. But such an array of anti-gull options perpetuates the patronising narrative of these animals as pests. The fact that gulls are thriving in cities points to our own ecological failures as a society. Global household waste is growing rapidly, most of which is thrown into landfill, where it is left to rot, releasing large amounts of methane – a greenhouse gas 80 times more harmful than carbon dioxide for 20 years after its release. We aren't so much giving gulls an ocean eviction notice as we are begging for them to come inland, feeding their instinct to dive, rip and smash around us – one bin day at a time. So what are urban gulls, if not a menace? Perhaps, in Cannes, they're a message of timing. The film festival takes place in May, during gull breeding season (April to July). It is a period when gulls are loud and chaotic, their defensiveness spiking when hatching and fledging; and when food is visible, we're baiting them with easy pickings. With broods to protect, reflexes are heightened. It is easy to conflate gulls' seasonal survival with year-round behaviour. On wilder shores, these periods of increased activity would unfold unnoticed. But we have altered ecological niches to make cities too tempting, deforming the instincts of species trying to adapt with acts of imagination and resilience. As a long-living social species that has mastered feats of adaptation, gulls have much to teach us. And as they adapt to urban habitats, we must also learn to live alongside them. This offers us a chance to change the story, to shape the future of shared urban spaces. Spaces where festival organisers align with nature's calendar, and the rhythms of life are respected. Spaces where waste is not just managed, but reimagined. Spaces where human impact is studied with intent, not ignorance. Spaces that would allow our relationship with the wild to mature so profoundly, conflict would become obsolete. Sophie Pavelle is a writer and science communicator
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
Brit pop superstar thanks Netflix hit Adolescence for ‘changing her relationship with her son' in heartfelt letters
The four-parter has become Netflix's second most-watched English language TV series SHOW OF THANKS Brit pop superstar thanks Netflix hit Adolescence for 'changing her relationship with her son' in heartfelt letters Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SUPERSTAR Adele has written letters of thanks to the makers of Netflix hit series Adolescence. The British singer, 37, told the director of the award-winning show that she had made a point of watching it with son Angelo. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 3 Adele has written letters of thanks to the makers of Netflix hit series Adolescence Credit: Getty 3 The series stars Owen Cooper and Stephen Graham Credit: AP 3 Adele pictured with Angelo Credit: Alamy And she praised the hard- hitting drama for 'changing her relationship' with the 12-year old — who she shares with her ex-husband Simon Konecki, 51. Film director Steven Spielberg is also a fan. The series, starring Owen Cooper and Stephen Graham, tells the story of a 13-year-old schoolboy accused of murdering a girl in his class after being brainwashed by misogynistic online content. Director Philip Barantini said: 'I am getting messages, inundated on Instagram, from people from all over the world who can relate to this story or have really been affected by it. 'That, for me, has blown my mind a little bit.' Speaking in a masterclass with the Royal Television Society, he added: 'I had a text message from Steven Spielberg who has watched it twice and I got letters from Adele last week — handwritten letters from Adele.' He continued: 'I mean, just like saying that she had watched it with her son and it has changed their relationship. 'Things like that are just beyond anything I ever imagined from this little show that we made with our family. 'You see things like Baby Reindeer and all of those shows — they come out and then they just blow up. 'It's a huge thing and that is the power of Netflix. Evil Adolescence teens butchered our kids after knife taunts & love feuds online…it's an arms war & no one feels safe 'For some reason, because we made it in Yorkshire and it is set in a small town in England, I never thought in a million years it would be the number one show in India or Venezuela.' The four-parter has become Netflix's second most-watched English language TV series, behind only Addams Family spin-off Wednesday. Adolescence has amassed 141.2million views since its debut on the streamer on March 13. It has also triggered a national debate and led to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer saying schools should show it to children. Sir Keir said he watched the series with his 14-year-old daughter and son, 16. He added: 'As a dad, I have not found it easy viewing.'
