News
Difficult to access the educational platform as homeschooling comes into effect in France - As parents across France find themselves dealing with home schooling and online lessons today, following the closure of schools due to the health crisis there have been reports of several problems accessing the digital platforms and workspaces.
Many parents especially in the Ile-de-France region reported that the digital site dedicated for the learning platform the ENT has not been accessible for internet users. Sessions are limited due to the sheer number of people trying to access the site and parents are being told by the educational platform to “come back and try again later”.
10,500 fines issued over Easter weekend - France’s minister of interior has announced that 103,000 checks were carried out over the Easter weekend with 10,500 resulting in fines for not respecting the 7pm curfew or for gatherings of more than six people. The French government had announced that movement over the Easter weekend would be tolerated to allow people to choose where they wanted to spend lockdown.
Vaccination centres - Giant vaccination centres are opening their doors in several location in France today including at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis), the Grand Palais in the Nantes exhibition center (Loire-Atlantique), and the Océane stadium in the Havre (Seine-Maritime).
In other news
Electric scooter users fail to respect highway code - According to a road safety survey published today in France. Electric scooter users fail to respect the highway code compared to other road users. The survey focuses on the use of scooters and other EDPM (Motorized personal mobility devices), which has increased over the years.
In the survey 78% of users declared that they made phone calls while on an electric scooter, while 65 % consult or post on social networks and 49% surveyed indicate that they use them after having drunk more than two glasses of alcohol. 68% do not wear a helmet (which is not mandatory but recommended) and 66% do not stop at an orange traffic light.
Meanwhile according to figures from Nice City Council 6,000 fines have been issued in 2020 for not respecting the cycling lanes with motorists using them to double park on. Parking in the lanes reserved for cyclists can lead to a fine of 135 euros. One hundred and thirty-seven cyclists died on the roads in France in last year.
Finance minister suggest that former Prime Minister defends Macron - France’s Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, has suggested that Former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe “defends President Emmanuel Macron in the upcoming presidential elections”. The former Prime Minister who has ranked top in several polls as one of the most popular political figures in France, has remained silent on the possibility of himself running in the next presidential elections. When asked about the political ambitions of Edouard Philippe and mayor of Le Havre, Bruno Le Maire said that he wanted “him to have an important place in the 2022 campaign and support Emmanuel Macron for his re-election”.
Philippe has not yet clearly denied or confirmed his position but has been reported as saying that “he would only be a candidate if Emmanuel Macron was not”.
Investigation - French police are investigating accusations that French government ministers and others dined in secret at luxury restaurants and clubs in violation of Covid-19 restrictions. The Paris prosecutor’s office said that it was seeking to identify the organisers and participants of the alleged gatherings. The investigation came after an undercover report aired on French TV network M6 over the weekend.
And Finally
A new study suggests that we’ve been making tea all wrong and should actually be adding milk into our teacup before we add hot water.
Researchers looked into how to get the best brew in hard water areas and apparently, you should pour milk onto your tea bag before adding hot water.
As the high mineral content of the water is believed to affect how flavour compounds form, adding a splash of milk first can make all the difference.
An expert found the proteins in the dairy product can help to protect the flavour of your brew.
Leeds University Professor, Alan Mackie, explained that pouring in hot water first can have the opposite impact.
Even though scientists recommend putting milk in before getting the kettle, the majority of people don’t follow this rule.
In a YouGov survey of 1,595 Brits, 79% of Brits said they pour in milk after hot water. It also found that people in the UK don’t like their brew to be very strong. A sizeable 47% put a generous splash of milk in, but not enough to turn their cup of tea into a beige colour.
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