News from France for Monday 31 May

New travel controls came into force for people arriving from the UK

The government budget deficit is growing

Cinemas reopened, grand slam tennis got underway

and transatlantic yacht teams arrived in the Caribbean.

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Strict controls for people arriving from the UK came into force on Monday.

Travel is permitted only for people with essential reasons (motif imperieux) to visit France and they will have to show a negative Covid test taken within 48 hours of travel. On arrival they will have to self isolate for seven days.

The restrictions are due to the spread of the Indian variant of Covid in the UK.

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The gap between government receipts and spending is set to increase by 47 billion euros this year.

The deficit last year was already at an all-time high – and this year will reach 220 billion euros, according to the Public Accounts Minister.

The government has provided funding support for companies and workers during the three lockdowns due to Covid-19.

Speaking on the radio this morning, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said he was convinced there would be 5 percent growth this year and a return to pre-pandemic levels of economic activity “at the start of 2022.”

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More than two million people people went to the movies in the week after cinemas reopened after seven months of closures, according to industry sources.

There are about 400 new movies waiting to be seen in the coming months.

The teen manga Demon Slayer was watched by 350,000 people while Tom & Jerry drew a quarter of a million.

The cinemas have to limit their audiences to a third of normal capacity and can not yet show movies after 9pm, when the overnight curfew sets in.

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The Transat doubles yacht race has been won by TeamWork (Nils Palmieri / Julien Villion) who took 18 days 5 hours, 8 minutes and three seconds to cross the Atlantic.

Nils Palmieri & Julien Villion arrived two hours ahead of the second placed team – as of Monday there were still four teams at sea.

They all left the French port of Concarneau on 12 May in the 15th race to be held since its start in 1992.

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and the Roland Garros grand slam tennis event got underway in Paris on Sunday, a week after its usual start.

Held last year in the autumn due to Covid-19, it will continue until Sunday 13 June.

For the first week, 5,000 people can buy tickets each day and then from the second Wednesday 13,000 can go in to watch the matches, so long as they have a health pass.

The 9pm curfew remains in place, meaning that the first ever night session will take place behind closed doors and will be broadcast only by Amazon Prime Video.

Scheduled for 9pm until midnight, the first night match under the lights of the new roof on Monday will be played by Serena Williams.

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This has been News from France for Monday 31 May 2021.

With grey wintry skies overhead, dreaming and planning for a summer garden.

The news from France concerns a government focussed on reforming the country’s multifarious retirement systems, oddly concentrating on the age of retirement. Internationally President Emmanuel Macron is indicating more support for Ukraine.

This week:

Covid vaccines are to be made available for all adults from the end of the month

Police protested over fears for their own safety

François Pinault’s contemporary art museum opened in Paris

and France came close in the Eurovision song contest.

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Vaccines against Covid 19 will be available for all adults from the end of the month the prime minister announced this week.

People in priority professions such as teachers, police officers and bus drivers, can be vaccinated from tomorrow, Monday.

Restrictions were loosened this week with cafe terraces and large retail stores opening again and the overnight curfew starting from the later time of 9 p.m.

There were 12,611 new Covid cases reported in the previous 24 hours on Sunday.

The health minister said this week that France could expect to ‘turn the page’ on the Covid crisis by the end of the year.

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Police unions said 35,000 people joined their demonstration outside the French parliament building on Wednesday.

They were protesting over attacks on officers and growing fears for their own safety. They are calling for tougher jail sentences for people convicted of targeting police. Several officers have died in the last year.

Interior minister Gérard Darmanin took part in the protest – although he was not allowed by organizers to address the crowd. He told French radio “I will be there to show my support.” The minister’s job is to oversee France’s police and security forces.

Organizers said there would be no “playing politics” with the protest which was held just weeks ahead of local elections and a year ahead of the presidential poll.

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French billionaire Francois Pinault’s new museum opened in Paris this week.

Housed in the renovated corn and flour exchange built in the 1760s, the Bourse de Commerce has ten exhibition spaces.

Many of Pinault’s artworks have been exhibited at his museums in Venice (Palazzo Grassi & Punta della Dogana.)

It has taken the founder of the Kering luxury group – which includes the Gucci and Pomellato brands – more than 20 years to achieve his project to house his collection in the French capital.

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and French singer Barbara Pravi came close in the Eurovision song contest held in Holland last night.

Singing a strong ballad, she lost out by just 25 points to Italian rock group Maneskin.

Switzerland won the jury vote where Italy came fourth, but the 4-piece Italian rock band won the public vote, leaving the Swiss singer in 3rd place behind Barbara Pravi – who also came second in the jury vote.

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This has been News from France for Sunday 23 May 2021.

This is news from France for Sunday 16 May

This week:

France reached its 20 million target for Covid-19 vaccinations

The Paris mayor announced plans to restrict car traffic in the city centre

and an orca whale joined the leaders of a cross-Atlantic yacht race.

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President Emmanuel Macron announced on Twitter Saturday that France had reached its target of 20 million first vaccines.

The statement came ahead of this week’s planned reopening of museums, theatres, cinemas, concert halls, non-essential shops and restaurant terraces as part of easing lockdown restrictions.

The daily reported cases of Covid-19 stood at just over 15,000 as of Sunday.

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The mayor of Paris announced a public consulation for a project to close the capital’s four central arrondissements to car traffic from next year.

Anne Hidalgo was re-elected as mayor last year and promised to tackle pollution by building new bus and bicycle lanes and closing roads – including the expressways on the banks of the River Seine – to cars.

The consultation is due to last until October –

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18 yachts set off from the bay of Concarneau in north west France on Wednesday headed for Saint Barts in the 15th edition of the cross-Atlantic (Transat en Double) yacht race.

Each boat has a crew of two – and on Sunday, off the coast of Portugal, the Figaro III was joined by an orca whale which the crew filmed playing alongside their yacht. Crews are used to seeing dolphins, but not whales.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLIOkglHWDo&t=7s

The record for making the 7,000 kilometer voyage to the Caribbean is 18 days.

https://www.transatendouble.bzh/actualites

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This has been News from France for Sunday 16 May 2021.

This is news from France for Sunday 9 May

This week:

The government stepped up its vaccine programme

There was a slight uptick in employment numbers

and protests over fishing reached the island of Jersey.

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The French vaccine programme against Covid-19 is being stepped up with people aged over 50 able to book an appointment from Monday.

As of Sunday 17.53 million people had received a first injection. New daily cases reported stood at 20,745.

President Macron said on Thursday he was “absolutely in favour” of a global waiver on Covid-19 patent protection.

No French pharmaceutical company has yet developed a vaccine.

Current restrictions on movement are due to be reviewed in ten days time. For now, the overnight curfew remains in place.

Quarantine for people arriving from a further seven countries came into force on Saturday night.

They include Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Travel is only permitted for essential reasons and all travelers have to comply with strict, pre-travel conditions followed by a compulsory 10-day quarantine on arrival.

Travelers from India, South Africa, Brazil, Chile and Argentina are already subject to the quarantine.

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The national statistics bureau (INSEE) has reported an increase in private payroll employment for the first quarter of the year.

It is the second quarterly increase since the Covid pandemic began – the first being in the summer of 2020.

There were a total of 57,300 new jobs created across all sectors.

Overall unemployment remains at 8 percent. Business managers surveyed in April remain optimistic for a strong rebound in investment in manufacturing this year, particularly for electrical, electronic and machine equipment.

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UK navy vessels were sent to Jersey in the Bay of St Malo amid protests from French fishermen over licenses to fish in the waters around the island.

Jersey is a self-governing British Crown Dependency 22 kilometers from the French coast and 137 kilometers south of the English one. It was part of the Duchy of Normandy, whose dukes went on to become kings of England from 1066.

The island issues its own fishing licenses but Brexit has led to changes in the permits available for French boats.

Jersey boats have also faced problems landing their catches in France.

About 50 French fishing boats arrived at dawn on Thursday.

According to the UK government, the two Royal Navy patrollers (HMS Severn and HMS Tamar) were sent to “monitor the situation.”

French authorities said their police boat (Athos) and patroller (Themis) were on a public service mission to ensure safety.

The fishing boats left the area on Thursday afternoon and the UK and French vessels were withdrawn.

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This has been News from France for Sunday 9 May 2021.

This is News from France, a weekly review for Sunday May 2nd

Highlights this week were:

a presidential timetable for Covid-19 restrictions

labour day marches

EU funds for countries affected by Brexit

and the Emperor Napoleon’s books

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The French president laid out a timetable for relaxing restrictions due to the Covid pandemic, as indicators suggested some signs of improvement.

There were 25,670 new cases reported in the 24 hours to Sunday and French hospitals are still under intense pressure to care for critically-ill patients.

Since the start of the pandemic, France has recorded 5.57 million Covid-19 cases and 103,947 deaths.

President Macron announced that the nightly curfew would be relaxed from May 19 and outdoor service would be allowed at cafes, bars and restaurants.

Vaccinations would be offered to all adults from mid-June and travel restrictions are also expected to be eased.

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Traditional labour marches on May day were held with about 100,000 people taking part in 281 gatherings across the country.

Numbers were restricted because of Covid-19 controls on assemblies.

The range of demands and concerns varied among the demonstrators – for jobs, wages, public services, liberty and peace in the world.

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Irish lawmakers are concerned Ireland could lose 200 million euros to France from its share of the billion-euro Brexit compensation fund.

French negotiators at the EU had argued the original proposal for most of the fund to go to Ireland was unfair.

Last week, a compromise was reached under the auspices of the Portuguese government which holds the EU’s rotating presidency.

Funds will be calculated on a basis of the importance of UK trade to EU economies as well as share of total EU trade.

Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews compared the French approach to a “smash and grab.” He told the Independent newspaper that Ireland was “very disadvantaged” by the deal.

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And nearly 200 years after his death the Emperor Napoleon continues to be a subject of interest for readers across the world.

On average one book for each day of the year is published – and most of them find ready buyers.

The Emperor’s own library at Fontainebleau contains some 35,000 books although he did not apparently write many manuscripts of his own.

One of them, a 74-page document dictated to his seven secretaries, was written shortly after the Battle of Austerlitz. It remains in private hands.

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This has been news from France for Sunday 2nd May, 2021.