Did you miss the news from the start of the morning? We have concocted a recap to help you see more clearly.
Coronavirus: The Omicron variant becomes the majority in France just before the New Year
Olivier Véran had warned, explaining on December 22 that the Omicron variant would be “in the majority between Christmas and New Year”. His prediction was confirmed. According to the figures of Public health France, 62.4% of “screened” tests, the predominant method for analyzing positive tests, were compatible with this variant at the start of the week. On December 13, this strain, which appeared in southern Africa, represented only 15% of cases. All metropolitan and overseas regions are affected, while the incidence rate explodes. Public Health France is also alerting to the situation in Ile-de-France, Corsica and the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur and Rhône-Alpes regions, where the incidence rate is greater than 1,000. The agency also notes a stronger increase among 20-39 year olds.
Joe Biden threatened Vladimir Putin with a firm response to any Russian invasion in Ukraine, during a telephone exchange Thursday during which the Russian president said that further sanctions against Moscow would be “a colossal mistake”. According to the Kremlin, Vladimir Poutine said he was “satisfied” with this exchange of about fifty minutes, and an official of the American administration described the conversation as “serious and concrete”. Any diplomatic progress will first and foremost pass through a “de-escalation” in Ukraine, warned the American leader.
The two leaders nevertheless praised the diplomatic route out of the crisis generated by the threat of a Russian invasion.
European Union: What good is the Presidency of the Council?
Europe. 447 million inhabitants. 13.315 billion euros of GDP. Second world economic power. And it is France that will lead all of this! Well, not quite … From January 1, 2022, France will “only” take the presidency of the Council of the European Union. So be careful, the Council of the European Union, it should not be confused with the European Council, nor the European Commission and even less with the European Parliament.