Latest news with #Hottiaux
Yomiuri Shimbun
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Arson Suspected as Power Outage in Southeast France Disrupts Final Day of Cannes Film Festival
AP Shop employees wait during an electricity outage in Cannes, southern France, Saturday, May 24, 2025. CANNES, France (AP) — French authorities believe arson may have played a role in a power outage Saturday in southeast France that threatened to jeopardize the Cannes Film Festival's closing celebrations, including the much-anticipated Palme d'Or ceremony. Power was restored hours before the ceremony, around 3 p.m. local time, as music began blasting again from beachfront speakers. The end of the blackout was greeted with loud cheers from locals. Authorities were investigating the likelihood of arson in a fire at an electrical substation near Cannes that weakened the grid overnight, a spokesperson for the French national gendarmerie said. The power outage happened hours later, after a high-voltage line fell at another location. Authorities were investigating what caused that line to collapse. About 160,000 households in the Alpes-Maritimes area lost electricity. In a statement, Laurent Hottiaux, the prefect for the area, condemned 'serious acts of damage to electrical infrastructures.' 'All resources are mobilized to identify, track down, arrest and bring to justice the perpetrators of these acts,' said Hottiaux. Cannes Film Festival organizers 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. '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.' Traffic lights in parts of Cannes and the surrounding city of Antibes stopped working after 10 a.m., leading to traffic jams and confusion in city centers. Most shops along the Croisette remained closed, and local food kiosks were only accepting cash. Train service in Cannes was also disrupted. Screenings at the Cineum, one of the festival's satellite venues, were briefly suspended, the festival added. The Palme d'Or — the festival's most prestigious prize — was set to be awarded Saturday night, with top contenders including Joachim Trier's family drama 'Sentimental Value,' Jafar Panahi's revenge thriller 'It Was Just an Accident,' Kleber Mendonça Filho's political thriller 'The Secret Agent,' and Óliver Laxe's desert road trip 'Sirât.'
Sydney Morning Herald
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Power outage across Cannes during film festival being treated as sabotage
Paris/Cannes: French authorities say a power outage in the Cannes area in south-eastern France that briefly disrupted the film festival there was caused by acts of sabotage, including arson at a substation and damage to a transmission tower. About 160,000 homes in Cannes and the surrounding area were left without power for hours on Saturday, Cannes time, according to RTE, France's electrical grid operator, which said service had been fully restored by late afternoon. The outage interrupted some screenings at the film festival, which quickly switched over to its own generators. Laurent Hottiaux, the state representative for the Alpes-Maritimes area, which includes Cannes, said the outage was caused by 'major damage to network installations' near the city, including the arson attack and damage to the tower. 'All resources are being mobilised to identify, track down, arrest and bring to justice the perpetrators of these acts,' Hottiaux said in a statement. RTE said the outage started with an overnight fire at a substation west of Cannes. Firefighters brought the blaze under control, and electricity was restored by diverting power from other lines. But around 10am, the company also detected an unstable pylon on a separate line east of the city that was threatening to topple, forcing crews to cut power in the area once more. 'We need transparency and fast answers,' Éric Ciotti, a right-wing lawmaker representing the Alpes-Maritimes, said on social media.
The Age
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Power outage across Cannes during film festival being treated as sabotage
Paris/Cannes: French authorities say a power outage in the Cannes area in south-eastern France that briefly disrupted the film festival there was caused by acts of sabotage, including arson at a substation and damage to a transmission tower. About 160,000 homes in Cannes and the surrounding area were left without power for hours on Saturday, Cannes time, according to RTE, France's electrical grid operator, which said service had been fully restored by late afternoon. The outage interrupted some screenings at the film festival, which quickly switched over to its own generators. Laurent Hottiaux, the state representative for the Alpes-Maritimes area, which includes Cannes, said the outage was caused by 'major damage to network installations' near the city, including the arson attack and damage to the tower. 'All resources are being mobilised to identify, track down, arrest and bring to justice the perpetrators of these acts,' Hottiaux said in a statement. RTE said the outage started with an overnight fire at a substation west of Cannes. Firefighters brought the blaze under control, and electricity was restored by diverting power from other lines. But around 10am, the company also detected an unstable pylon on a separate line east of the city that was threatening to topple, forcing crews to cut power in the area once more. 'We need transparency and fast answers,' Éric Ciotti, a right-wing lawmaker representing the Alpes-Maritimes, said on social media.
Leader Live
24-05-2025
- Leader Live
Power outage hits Cannes Festival and disrupts traffic in south-east France
About 160,000 households in the Alpes-Maritimes department lost electricity after a high-voltage line fell on Saturday morning, electricity network operator RTE said on X. The outage came hours after a fire at an electrical substation near Cannes overnight had already weakened the grid. Police have opened an investigation into possible arson. 'We are looking into the likelihood of a fire being started deliberately,' said a spokesperson for the French national gendarmerie. Laurent Hottiaux, the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes department, condemned 'serious acts of damage to electrical infrastructures'. 'All resources are mobilised to identify, track down, arrest and bring to justice the perpetrators of these acts,' said Mr Hottiaux. 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. '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.
The Hill
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hill
Arson suspected as power outage in southeast France disrupts final day of Cannes Film Festival
CANNES, France (AP) — French authorities believe arson may have played a role in a power outage Saturday in southeast France that threatened to jeopardize the Cannes Film Festival's closing celebrations, including the much-anticipated Palme d'Or ceremony. Power was restored hours before the ceremony, around 3 p.m. local time, as music began blasting again from beachfront speakers. The end of the blackout was greeted with loud cheers from locals. Authorities were investigating the likelihood of arson in a fire at an electrical substation near Cannes that weakened the grid overnight, a spokesperson for the French national gendarmerie said. The power outage happened hours later, after a high-voltage line fell at another location. Authorities were investigating what caused that line to collapse. About 160,000 households in the Alpes-Maritimes area lost electricity. In a statement, Laurent Hottiaux, the prefect for the area, condemned 'serious acts of damage to electrical infrastructures.' 'All resources are mobilized to identify, track down, arrest and bring to justice the perpetrators of these acts,' said Hottiaux. Cannes Film Festival organizers 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. '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.' Traffic lights in parts of Cannes and the surrounding city of Antibes stopped working after 10 a.m., leading to traffic jams and confusion in city centers. Most shops along the Croisette remained closed, and local food kiosks were only accepting cash. Train service in Cannes was also disrupted. Screenings at the Cineum, one of the festival's satellite venues, were briefly suspended, the festival added. The Palme d'Or — the festival's most prestigious prize — was set to be awarded Saturday night, with top contenders including Joachim Trier's family drama 'Sentimental Value,' Jafar Panahi's revenge thriller 'It Was Just an Accident,' Kleber Mendonça Filho's political thriller 'The Secret Agent,' and Óliver Laxe's desert road trip 'Sirât.' ___ For more coverage of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, visit
