News
Vaccination in France - The chairman of the Vaccine Strategy Council in France, Professor Alain Fischer, has said in an interview that more than 90% of adults would need to be vaccinated in France for a complete lifting of restrictions in September. Fischer went on to say that “this will be difficult for several reasons in particular the population's willingness to get vaccinated” pointing out that some of the youngest, "are not convinced of the benefit of being vaccinated".
Fischer said that “if the objective to be achieved is that of collective immunity, then it makes sense to vaccinate children as well". "For the flu, for example, the British and Americans vaccinate children. Not so much to protect them, because they do not have severe symptoms, but to limit the spread of the virus to older generations. This however is not in the philosophy of French vaccination”.
On Friday the Pfizer laboratories with the United States Medicines Agency (FDA) authorized the vaccination for those aged from 12 to 15 years. He concluded that "If France resumes its social habits too early, the health consequences could be disastrous."
Brazil variant - Meanwhile Several French doctors have aired their concern that flights from Brazil, continue to be authorised in France. "The Brazilian strain, for the month of March, is 0.1% of the strains detected in France”. But the minister for transport warns that France must remain vigilant”. For several days, many doctors have raised the alarm on these variants which could develop in Europe if stricter border control measures are not put in place.
“Smokescreen” - According to Xavier Bertrand, president of the Hauts-de-France region and presidential candidate in 2022, the vaccination campaign being announced, as open to over 55s this morning, is “a smokescreen”. He said that “today we are told that people over 55 can be vaccinated, but the truth is that France has not yet vaccinated everyone over 70”. He concluded that “there are a lot of announcements and once again I would like to be told the truth. "
Minister of Culture returns to ministry – And France’s Minister of Culture Roselyne Bachelot is to return to the ministry today after having been hospitalised with Covid a couple of weeks ago.
In other news
French publishing house asks for budding writers to stop sending in manuscripts - The French publishing house Gallimard has sent out a message to would-be authors asking them to stop sending their manuscripts, after receiving a deluge of submissions. Gallimard, known for publishing Marcel Proust, Simone de Beauvoir and Albert Camus, wrote on its website and on Twitter: “Given the exceptional circumstances, we ask you to defer sending your manuscripts. Take care of yourselves and happy reading.” Successive lockdowns in France have given budding writers the time to finally work on that idea for a novel and as a result, publishers have been overwhelmed.
Push for regional languages in France - In an attempt to protect and promote regional languages in France, the French parliament has approved a new law it what is a first, since the creation of the French Fifth Republic in 1958. The law will give primary schools the possibility of “immersive teaching” in a regional language.
Top 3 dog breeds in the PACA - A ranking on the region’s favourite dog breed has shown that the Staffordshire Bull Terrier comes top for the Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur region. In 2nd place is the Australian Sheperd and in 3rd is the Belgian Sheperd dog.
A water leak has led police to discover a squat filled with drugs, weapons, and cash in Nice.
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Around 100 far-right activists have staged an unauthorised demonstration in Nice waving French flags and singing La Marseillaise on the steps of the M...
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A high school student has been arrested after police found two switchblade knives in his bag during a security check at the school entrance in Menton,...
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France is bracing itself for major strike action this week. This Thursday the 18th of September, schools may close, transport workers will strike, cau...
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A major union representing French air traffic controllers has cancelled its strike notice for 18 September...
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