Macron: Turn out the lights, brace for Russian gas cutoff

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is warning his country’s people to prepare for a total cutoff of Russian natural gas by supporting alternatives and having public lights switched off at night. Macron said in a televised interview marking Bastille Day that France needs to engage in a period of nationwide energy “sobriety.” The Russian invasion of Ukraine and ensuing sanctions have aggravated other factors driving up prices for energy and others goods. Macron says that with no end in sight for the Ukraine war,  the French should brace themselves for costs to remain high. He said his government is preparing a plan to conserve energy, which would start with turning off unneeded public lights at night.