Новости за 08.12.2020

Prosecutors in the graft trial of French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday called for him to be sentenced to a prison term of four years of which he should serve two.

Nuclear power will remain a key part of France's energy supplies, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday in a show of support for the industry even as he looks to reduce nuclear's dominance as a power source.

Twenty-year-old Ofelia Fernandez is a Buenos Aires MP and a leading voice for the legalisation of abortion in Argentina. Her struggle may be on the verge of bearing fruit: Argentina's Congress will soon vote on a historic bill to make the procedure legal. The feminist activist tells FRANCE 24 about being politically aware at a young age and becoming the youngest lawmaker in South America.

Around the world, elderly people are paying a heavy price during the Covid-19 pandemic: they are both the most vulnerable to the disease and the worst affected by lockdowns. In France, some senior citizens literally had no contact with anyone for weeks on end during the first lockdown, when visits to nursing homes were banned. Our team went to meet French pensioners left isolated by the pandemic but also the volunteers helping them feel less lonely. James André, Eléonore Vanel, Marie Schuster, Julie Dungelhoeff and Noémie Roche report.

The French farm ministry said on Tuesday that highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu had been found on a duck farm in the southwest of the country, confirming France's first farm outbreak of the virus this year.

Prosecutors on Tuesday sought stiff sentences from five years to life in jail for 14 suspected accomplices of the Islamist gunmen who murdered cartoonists and killed hostages at a Jewish supermarket in Paris in 2015.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a briefing document Tuesday saying the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is safe and effective, raising expectations the regulator is poised to grant emergency approval. An independent committee advising the FDA will meet Thursday on the matter, after Britain became the first country to approve the vaccine last week. Data from 38,000 US trial participants revealed "suggest a favorable safety profile, with no specific safety concerns identified that... Читать дальше...

As the UK launches the world’s first nationwide Covid-19 vaccination campaign, France has begun unveiling its own strategy. With the first phase set to begin next month, FRANCE 24 asked scientists for their opinions on the government’s plan.

Jordan has opened the first of three field hospitals for Covid-19 patients, northeast of the capital, as a sharp rise in cases has overburdened health facilities. The hospital admitted its first patients on Monday, said the interim director-general of medical services in the kingdom Brigadier General Nidal Khasawneh, cited by official media. The 300-bed hospital was erected in two weeks in the northern Zarqa province, around 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the capital Amman, at a cost of around $12 million. Читать дальше...

Britain said on Tuesday it would drop clauses in draft domestic legislation that breach the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement after it clinched a deal with the European Union over how to manage the Ireland-Northern Ireland border.

Deforestation in the Amazon destroyed an area bigger than Spain from 2000 to 2018, wiping out eight percent of the world's biggest rainforest, according to a study released Tuesday. The Amazon plays a vital role in curbing climate change, but destruction of the rainforest has only accelerated in recent years, found the study by the Amazon Geo-Referenced Socio-Environmental Information Network (RAISG). Since the turn of the millennium, 513,000 square kilometers (198,000 square miles) of the rainforest have been lost... Читать дальше...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed to meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to see if they could find "a political way" through the disagreements in trade talks, his spokesman said on Tuesday. FRANCE 24's Dave Keating tells us more.

The eastern German state of Saxony will from Monday impose drastic measures shuttering schools, kindergartens and most shops to curb transmission, after it became the worst-hit coronavirus hotspot in the country. "The situation in hospitals are not only tense, but extremely dangerous," Saxony state premier Michael Kretschmer said on Tuesday, warning that in some hospitals, intensive care wards were already full. The state has reported an incidence rate of 319 cases per 100,000 people in the last... Читать дальше...

Farmers' protests against new laws liberalising agricultural markets spread across India on Tuesday, as farm organisations called for a nationwide strike after inconclusive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. FRANCE 24's Sreya Banerjee tells us more.

Left-back Alphonso Davies is set to return from injury for Bayern Munich's home Champions League match against Lokomotiv Moscow on Wednesday with the hosts already through to the last 16 as group winners. Davies, 20, was a key member of the Bayern team which lifted the Champions League last season, but has been out with an ankle injury since October. "He is back in the squad, all Bayern fans can look forward to that and it's planned that he will play," Bayern coach Hansi Flick said Tuesday. However... Читать дальше...

All US states except Wisconsin appear to have met a deadline under federal law to resolve disputes arising from the November 3 presidential election, thereby ensuring Democrat Joe Biden's Electoral College victory.

Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido launched a week-long plebiscite on Monday as President Nicolas Maduro claimed victory in legislative elections boycotted by most of his opponents and criticised by Western leaders.

The United States on Monday placed Nigeria for the first time on a religious freedom blacklist, pressing an ally as Christian groups voice growing insecurity.

Britain on Tuesday hailed a turning point in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic as it began the biggest vaccination programme in the country's history with a new Covid-19 jab.

Eight Hong Kong democracy activists including three former lawmakers were arrested Tuesday for their part in a July protest, the latest in a broad crackdown by authorities under a sweeping new security law. The detained include veteran activist "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung, the former chief of Hong Kong's Democratic Party Wu Chi-wai, ex-legislator Eddie Chu and Figo Chan, the organiser of an annual rally marking the British handover of the city to China in 1997. Police said they are suspected of inciting... Читать дальше...

New Zealand police and intelligence services made a string of errors ahead of last year's Christchurch mosques attack, but may not have been able to prevent the massacre of 51 Muslim worshippers, an inquiry found Tuesday. The royal commission -- the most powerful judicial probe available under New Zealand law -- called for sweeping changes to counter-terrorism operations in response to the white supremacist attack by lone-wolf gunman Brenton Tarrant. The 800-page report said spy agencies had placed... Читать дальше...

The developer of Cyberpunk 2077, the much-delayed video game that is reported to be one of the most expensive ever made, has promised a "new quality" in experience for users when it finally launches worldwide on Thursday. With a global publicity campaign in full swing, Marcin Iwinski, director and co-founder of CD Projekt RED, spoke to AFP from a Warsaw studio decorated like a scene from the dystopian game. He brushed off criticism over the delays and said: "This time it's happening". "We are... Читать дальше...

Seattle's Gustav Svensson headed in the winning goal three minutes into stoppage time Monday to lift the defending champion Sounders over Minnesota United 3-2 and into their fourth MLS Cup final in five seasons. The Sounders became the first MLS playoff team in 18 years to rally from a two-goal deficit, crushing the visiting Loons to sustain hopes of a third title after 2016 and last year. "That locker room is a bunch of winners. Those guys are champions," Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said. "We've... Читать дальше...

Britain on Tuesday hailed a turning point in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, as it begins the biggest vaccination programme in the country's history with a new Covid-19 jab. The first patients in line on what has been dubbed "V-Day" -- the over-80s, care home workers and at-risk frontline health and social care staff -- will roll up their sleeves for an initial dose from early morning. They will then require a second jab in 21 days' time. Last week Britain became the first country to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine... Читать дальше...

High-profile Brazilian striker Hulk has confirmed his exit from Shanghai SIPG as four years at the Chinese Super League club ended in acrimony and a bust-up with the coach. The 34-year-old, whose contract reportedly ends this month, did not feature as SIPG went out of the AFC Champions League at the last 16 stage in Doha on Monday to an Andres Iniesta-inspired Vissel Kobe of Japan. "Today is the day I say good bye to Shanghai SIPG, a team that made me feel at home," Hulk wrote on China's Weibo... Читать дальше...