Category Archives: France

Coronavirus live news: UK to ban travel from South Africa over new variant; Canada approves Moderna vaccine

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More areas of England moved up into tiers 4 and 3; UK has highest recorded daily rise in cases; new variant discovered in travellers from South Africa

The European Union’s transport commissioner, Adina Valean has said that she is pleased stranded trucks are now moving “slowly across the Channel”, as restrictions between France and the UK were lifted.

The initial restrictions were imposed after the UK discovered a new variant of the Covid-19 virus, which, reportedly has a faster transmission rate.

Around 10.000 truck drivers are seeking to get back in the EU. Other thousands are already in the Dover area in their vehicles.

We worked hard these days to unblock a crisis between two European countries, France and the UK.
We issued a communication appealing for proportional, non-discriminatory measures and the lift of any restrictions for transport workers.

I am pleased that at this moment, we have trucks slowly crossing the channel, and I want to thank UK authorities that they started testing the drivers at a capacity of 300 tests per hour.

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UK ferry passengers disembark in Calais after France eases travel ban

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About 4,000 lorries, and thousands more small vans, were waiting to cross the Channel on Wednesday morning

Passengers from the UK disembarked from ferries in the port of Calais early on Wednesday after Britain and France agreed a deal to ease a travel ban imposed over the discovery of a new coronavirus variant.

The Cotes des Flandres ferry – the first ship to leave Dover after the restrictions were lifted – arrived at about 3.30am local time, followed shortly afterwards by P&O’s Spirit of France.

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Three police shot dead in central France

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A 48-year-old man fired on officers trying to rescue a woman from a house in a hamlet near Saint-Just, according to a local report

Three gendarmes have been shot dead, and a fourth wounded, in central France, the country’s national police force has said. The shooting is believed to have started while officers were attending a domestic violence incident.

A 48-year-old man shot the officers on Tuesday night at an isolated hamlet near Saint-Just in the Puy-de-Dome region, after police tried to rescue a woman who had taken refuge in a house, according to news channel LCI.

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Lorry drivers blare horns in protest at border backlog in Kent – video

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About 1,500 lorries are stuck in Kent after France imposed a ban on any accompanied freight or cargo entering the country from Britain because of the new coronavirus variant discovered in the UK. The move triggered government crisis plans at Dover and other major pinch points, with some drivers redirected to a nearby airfield to ease congestion on the roads

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Covid: France to reopen UK border for French and lorry drivers, reports say

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Professionals and French nationals will have to provide negative Covid test before crossing

France is expected to reopen its border with the UK but only to its own nationals, French residents and professionals such as truck drivers, all of whom will have to provide a recent negative test, France’s public broadcaster has reported.

Britons or other non-French nationals with a permanent residence in France will be able to return, but the border is set to remain closed to all other non-French citizens in the UK, France Info said. It was not yet clear how long the measures would be in place.

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EU foreign ministers pave way for revival of Iran nuclear deal

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Step would allow Tehran to come back into compliance with deal, so long as US sanctions were lifted

EU foreign ministers have agreed not to set fresh preconditions on a revival of the Iran nuclear deal, believing Tehran and Washington should be able to come back into full compliance with the agreement without at this stage needing to accept to extend or strengthen it.

The step removes one of the potential roadblocks to Iran coming back into compliance with the existing deal, so long as the US lifts its sanctions and complies with UN resolutions.

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Coronavirus live news: Boris Johnson to hold crisis meeting as India joins countries banning flights from UK

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India joins France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Ireland, Bulgaria in flight bans over new strain; US aid bill should have votes to pass

That’s all from me, Caroline Davies. Thank you for your time. Handing over now to my colleague Aamna Mohdin.

The chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, Ken Marsh, has said there is “no way” officers will be knocking on the doors of “normal” households in London to check coronavirus restrictions were being followed now the city is in Tier 4.

“We won’t be knocking on people’s doors at all, unless there is a large group and noise, ie a party or something like that.

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France travel ban will not have major impact food imports in short term, says Grant Shapps – video

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France’s 48-hour ban on freight hauliers from Britain came as a surprise, the UK transport secretary has admitted, amid expected chaos at British ports. But Grant Shapps said the disruption would not cause food and medicine shortages in the short term because other freight routes remain available

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France’s ban on UK transport came as surprise, says Grant Shapps

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Transport secretary says UK aims to resolve issue ‘as soon as possible’ amid fears over new Covid strain

France’s 48-hour ban on freight hauliers from Britain was “surprising”, the UK transport secretary has said, amid expected chaos at British ports.

Although Grant Shapps said the disruption was not a “specific problem” in regards to food and medicine shortages in the short term, the government’s aim was to “get this resolved as soon as possible”.

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No clues, no leads … now winter snows could cover last trace of missing hiker

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As the police search for Esther Dingley winds down in the Pyrenees, the theories around her disappearance multiply

Police in Spain have begun scaling back the search for a British hiker missing in the Pyrenees, almost a month after she disappeared without a trace.

Sharing an update of their investigation into the puzzling disappearance of Esther Dingley, the Guardia Civil also said that they were no longer using helicopters to scan the vast mountain range for signs of the 37-year-old.

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Charlie Hebdo: four men charged over Paris knife attack

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Arrest of Pakistanis held on suspicion of inciting attacker comes after court convicts 14 people linked to 2015 terrorist massacre

French authorities have charged and detained four Pakistanis suspected of links to a meat cleaver attack by a compatriot outside the former offices of the Charlie Hebdo weekly that wounded two people, the national counter-terrorism prosecutor’s office has said.

The four male suspects, aged 17 to 21, were in contact with the attacker, a source familiar with the case said on Friday.

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French modelling agent charged in Jeffrey Epstein inquiry

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Jean-Luc Brunel charged in France with sexual harassment and the rape of minors over 15 years old

A modelling agent associated with the disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein has been charged in France with sexual harassment and the rape of minors over 15 years old.

Jean-Luc Brunel was arrested on Wednesday at Charles de Gaulle airport as he was preparing to take a flight to Senegal.

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‘It can affect anyone’: Macron urges French to follow rules after contracting Covid – video

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Emmanuel Macron has blamed his coronavirus infection on a combination of negligence and bad luck and urged his compatriots to stay safe in a self-shot video. The French president was isolating with symptoms that included headaches, fatigue and a dry cough. 'Despite everything I caught this virus,' Macron said. 'Perhaps, doubtless, a moment of negligence, a moment of bad luck too.'

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Covid: Austrians who pass antigen test to be exempt from lockdown

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Italy prepares for national lockdown over Christmas; Spanish minister warns of third wave

Austria is to enter a third lockdown from Boxing Day but will stage mass coronavirus tests in mid-January to determine who will be exempt from certain restrictions, the government announced on Friday.

Italy is preparing to outline new measures that could lead to a complete lockdown over the Christmas and new year period, while the Spanish government has warned of a possible “third wave” of infections.

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French president Emmanuel Macron tests positive for coronavirus

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Macron and several other European leaders who recently met him go into self-isolation

Emmanuel Macron has been diagnosed with Covid-19 after developing symptoms, the Élysée Palace has announced, forcing several other European leaders who had recently met the French president into self-isolation.

In a brief statement on Thursday, the palace said Macron had a PCR test as soon as the symptoms had appeared and would “self-isolate for seven days in line with the health protocol applicable to everyone”.

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Charlie Hebdo trial: French court convicts 14 over 2015 terror attacks

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Defendants found guilty on range of charges from membership of criminal network to complicity in attacks

A court in France has convicted 14 people in relation to the January 2015 terror attacks in Paris on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket.

A total of 17 people were murdered across three days in a series of attacks that horrified the nation. All three assailants were killed in shootouts with the police, leaving only accomplices to face trial.

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Paris city hall fined for putting too many women in senior roles

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Paris mayor to pay fine of €90,000 for breaking national rules in 2018 on gender parity

Paris city authorities have been fined for employing too many women in senior positions, a decision mocked as absurd by the mayor, Anne Hidalgo, on Tuesday.

The fine of €90,000 (£81,000) was demanded by France’s public service ministry on the grounds that Paris city hall had broken national rules on gender parity in its 2018 staffing.

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Gérard Houllier, former Liverpool and France manager, dies aged 73

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  • Houllier had undergone heart surgery in Paris before his death
  • Michael Owen leads tributes to treble-winning manager

Liverpool have paid tribute to their former manager Gérard Houllier after his death was confirmed at the age of 73.

RMC sport and the sports daily L’Equipe confirmed that he had died after having a heart operation in Paris, with Liverpool issuing a statement in recognition of the manager who led them to the FA Cup, League Cup and Uefa Cup treble in 2000-01.

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Parisians: ‘We love Britain’s culture, its energy, its people. It’s sad you don’t love us too’

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People in the French capital are hurt and baffled by the UK’s attitude to France as a no-deal Brexit looms

At the Châtelet branch of Boulinier, a Paris bookshop that has stocked English language books since 1845, shoppers were yesterday reflecting on a spate of British newspaper headlines threatening to send Royal Navy gunboats to board invading French trawlers in the event of a failure to agree a trade deal.

Anglophiles like Didier Aubert, 72, a retired civil servant, said the threats were “ridiculous”.

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