Новости за 03.12.2020

French President Emmanuel Macron said in a TV address on Thursday evening that France would pay tribute to the late president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing with a national day of mourning next Wednesday, December 9. The centrist former head of state died on Wednesday from Covid-19 at the age of 94.

Four people have died following an explosion at a waste water treatment plant near the southwest England city of Bristol, police said Thursday.

After the vaccination of an initial 1 million people in January an additional 14 million at high risk for coronavirus infection will be inoculated beginning in February.

The Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been refused bail on four charges, as Chinese authorities continue on their crackdown on high-profile critics of Beijing pro-democracy activists. Lai and two colleagues were charged with accusations that they violated the lease of their office space.

French authorities will inspect dozens of mosques and prayer halls suspected of radical teachings starting Thursday as part of a crackdown on Islamist extremists following a spate of attacks, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said. Darmanin told RTL radio that if any of the 76 prayer halls inspected was found to promote extremism they would be closed down. The inspections are part of the government's response to two brutal recent attacks that shocked France -- the October 16 beheading of a teacher... Читать дальше...

The second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is getting worse in the United States, as the country broke its own record for deaths and hospitalisations, with over 3,100 people dying in the past 24 hours. 100,000 Americans are now hospitalised due to a coronavirus infection a record. “There are more people dying daily from Covid-19 than Americans who died on 9/11, a shocking figure”, FRANCE 24’s Kethevane Gorjestani reports from Washington.

British skipper Sam Davies was the latest competitor in the Vendee Globe race to run into trouble after hitting an 'unidentified floating object' around the Cape of Good Hope, she explained on Thursday. Two days ago French skipper Kevin Escoffier had to be rescued after his boat folded in two and sank, and on Wednesday his compatriot Sebastien Simon, racing in fourth, reported that his new generation Arkea Paprec yacht had also struck an unidentified object. Charlie Dalin continues to lead the... Читать дальше...

France is mourning former French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, who died Wednesday, aged 94 after contacting Covid-19. ‘Giscard’, as he was known, was in office during only one term, from 1974 to 1981, but his political impact was big, especially among the European Union as pushed for European integration. “He clearly wanted to build a progressive society in France, with the principles that came out of the May 1968 movement”, Professor Paul Smith analyses.

France is mourning former French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, who died Wednesday, aged 94 after contacting Covid-19. ‘Giscard’, as he was known, was in office during only one term, from 1974 to 1981, but his political impact was big, especially among the European Union as he pushed for European integration.

Malnutrition in conflict-hit Yemen has reached record levels, narrowing the window of opportunity to prevent a famine, the UN said Thursday, as the coronavirus and funding shortfalls threaten a humanitarian perfect storm. The number of people facing the second highest level of food insecurity in Yemen is set to increase from 3.6 million people to 5 million in the first half of 2021, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned. Yemen, which since 2014 has been gripped by a war between Iran-backed... Читать дальше...

European diplomats warned Thursday they have made all the concessions they can in trade talks with Britain, as Downing Street vowed to press ahead with a UK law that could undermine Brussels' remaining trust in London. The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier has been in London for six days, trying to carve out a difficult compromise with his UK counterpart David Frost and draw up a trade pact that can be ratified within weeks. "We are at the end of an marathon, probably past the 40 kilometre (25-mile) mark. Читать дальше...

The top court in Central African Republic (CAR) rejected on Thursday the candidacy of former President François Bozizé in a December 27 election being held despite security concerns because of fighting between rival militias.

France is mourning former French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, who died Wednesday, aged 94 after contacting Covid-19. ‘Giscard’, as he was known, was in office during only one term, from 1974 to 1981, but his political impact was big, especially among the European Union as pushed for European integration. “He paved the way for monetary union, what later become the euro, used in 19 countries, which was revolutionary then”, FRANCE 24’s Catherine Nicholson analyses.

Former US presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton are volunteering to take a coronavirus vaccine on camera if it will help promote public confidence. Obama, in an interview with SiriusXM radio, said he would be inoculated if top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci signs off on a Covid-19 vaccine. "If Anthony Fauci tells me this vaccine is safe, and can vaccinate, you know, immunize you from getting Covid, absolutely, I'm going to take it," Obama said. "I promise you that... Читать дальше...

Australia duo Adam Zampa and Ashleigh Gardner were among several men's and women's players Thursday to commit to the Birmingham Phoenix franchise for next year's inaugural edition of English cricket's The Hundred. This year's competition was postponed when it became clear the coronavirus pandemic meant fans would not be allowed into grounds, with one of the key aims of the 100 balls per side format to attract new spectators to cricket. Zampa had already been signed up by the Phoenix in a televised... Читать дальше...

Iran said its novel coronavirus caseload surpassed one million on Thursday, as the authorities consider easing restrictions in many parts of the Middle East's hardest hit country. The Islamic republic had recorded 49,348 Covid-19 deaths and 1,003,494 infections since announcing its first cases in February, health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari said. In the past 24 hours, the virus caused 358 new deaths in the country with a population of more than 80 million, and 13,922 cases of infection, Lari said. Читать дальше...

A European dispute on the wisdom of opening ski resorts amid the Covid-19 pandemic has turned into a battle pitting France, Italy and Germany – whose slopes remain shut – against the defiant Alpine nations of Switzerland and Austria, backed by Spain.

French authorities will swoop down Thursday on dozens of mosques and prayer halls suspected of radical teachings as part of a crackdown on Islamist extremists following a spate of attacks, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said.

One in eight people in DR Congo live with disabilities and most receive no aid from the government and are left to fend for themselves. But a new bill aims to change that. As the world marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, France 24 reports on a new glimmer of hope in this central African country.

Edmund Platt, a British environmental activist, and his French photojournalist friend Frédéric Munsch set off on October 1 to follow the high-speed TGV train line to the French capital, aiming to open people’s eyes to the extent of everyday pollution.

France was once home to the father of immunisation, Louis Pasteur, but it is now among the most vaccine-sceptic nations on Earth – a pressing concern as it prepares one of the biggest vaccination campaigns in its history.

Thursday, December 3: The French press pays tribute to former French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, who died, aged 94, of complications linked to Covid-19 on Wednesday. We also take a look at international coverage of his legacy.

President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday promised a group of workers hit by the raging Covid-19 pandemic that more aid would be on the way, while President Donald Trump hinted he may be ready to begin planning another run for the White House in 2024.

FRANCE 24 looks at the key dates in the life of former French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, who died Wednesday, aged 94, of complications linked to Covid-19.

Argentina's rugby union lifted the interim suspension of skipper Pablo Matera and two other players for racist tweets Thursday, in a shock U-turn just two days after calling the posts "unacceptable". The surprise move followed reports that Argentina's players had threatened to strike over the suspensions of Matera, Guido Petti and Santiago Socino for their "discriminatory and xenophobic" tweets. "The disciplinary process will continue and the commission will reach its final resolution in the coming... Читать дальше...