News
Solutions to repatriate French nationals from Brazil - Clément Beaune, Secretary of State for European Affairs in France, has announced this morning on French television that solutions are currently being looked at in order to repatriate French nationals from Brazil following the suspension of flights due to the health situation. Several solutions are being considered from "allocated or indirect flights", as well as the possibility of “stricter checks of compliance with quarantines on arrival in France from certain countries considered to be at risk ” Beaune added that "France have nationals, to whom the government must find solutions, because they have a constitutional right to return to France and that the government is trying to organize their return, with France’s embassies and consulates”.
Finance Minister announces plans to “possibly spread or partially cancel corporate debts” - France’s Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has said that the government is currently studying the possibility of “spreading or partially cancelling corporate debts”. Le Maire acknowledged that some companies were "facing a wall of debt", not because of the loan guaranteed by the State, but because of other loans which they can no longer repay due to lack of activity. The Minister plans within a few weeks, to organise a council made up of the State, commercial representatives and bankers to propose the “spread or partially cancellation of corporate debts on a case-by-case basis”. Bruno Le Maire promised that the government was not going to “wait for companies to collapse adding, that each situation would be looked at to decide if it is necessary to spread the debt or even cancel part of it”.
University Hospital of Nice warns of British variant and younger patients - Professor Michel Carles, head of the infectious disease department of the Nice University Hospital has said that the arrival of the British variant of Covid is “an evidence in the region’s hospitals” adding that he fears an increase in severe cases of amongst younger people. He went on to say that already “emergency services were seeing an increase in the number of patients aged between 50 and 65 years old”.
“Significant and immediate health benefits from lockdown” - According to the SPF public health agency the lockdown in France has led to “significant and immediate health benefits” from a fall in pollution levels. There has been an estimated fall of 2,300 deaths from exposure to particulate matter and another 1,200 from nitrogen dioxide linked to traffic.
Mayor of Cannes hopes Film Festival will go ahead this year - Speaking on France Inter this morning the mayor of Cannes David Lisnard, has said that he hopes that the Film Festival, which was cancelled last year, can be held this year. Lisard went on to say that Cannes is “ready to host the Cannes Film Festival, insisting it must take place”. The mayor concluded that “attending the venue, the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, could be done in respect of current health measures”.
President Macron has visited the victims of yesterday's attack in Annecy in hospital in Grenoble and in Annecy. He said afterwards that the news regar...
