French President Emmanuel Macron denied allegations that his handling of the coronavirus pandemic was devolving into authoritarianism.
He said the French fight against Covid-19 was a democratic effort and that his critics were trying to score political points.
“Never before in our history was a crisis of such magnitude fought in such a democratic way,” Mr Macron said.
As he rebuffed accusations of dictatorialism on Wednesday, he called for people to get vaccinated and said the highly contagious Delta variant remained dangerous.
“The health crisis is not behind us, very clearly. We will live for several more months with this virus,” he said.
“We exceeded the 9,200 hospitalisations for Covid at the start of the week, a level we had not reached since June. The bar of 1,600 patients has also been crossed."
Mr Macron said France was facing two threats – one on the domestic front from the Delta strain and one in its overseas territories, such as Guadeloupe and Martinique, where case numbers are rising among a less widely vaccinated population.
“I wanted us to be able to bring together this Health Council because under the effect of the variant known as Delta, the health situation is more than delicate and requires our mobilisation,” he said.
His comments follow a fourth consecutive weekend of demonstrations in major French cities against ‘health pass’ measures making access to restaurants, museums and most places of entertainment conditional on proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid test.
Some protesters say the new rules encroach on civil liberties and fear the health pass, introduced as a temporary measure, will become a permanent requirement.
But there has been increasing vaccination take-up since it was announced in July and two thirds of French citizens age 12 and over are now fully vaccinated, government data shows.
While vaccination rates are high in France, infections are increasing sharply in many of its territories.
About 20 per cent of people age 12 and above are fully vaccinated in the West Indies, a “cruel proof” that shows the shots are the most efficient tool against Covid-19, Mr Macron said.
“Today, we thus face a situation, especially in Guadeloupe and Martinique, that is dramatic,” the president said. Hospitals were already overwhelmed in the two territories, he said.
At least 100 intensive care beds are needed for Guadeloupe, the Minister for Overseas Territories Sebastien Lecornu said on Tuesday.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs
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Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
The cost of Covid testing around the world
Egypt
Dh514 for citizens; Dh865 for tourists
Information can be found through VFS Global.
Jordan
Dh212
Centres include the Speciality Hospital, which now offers drive-through testing.
Cambodia
Dh478
Travel tests are managed by the Ministry of Health and National Institute of Public Health.
Zanzibar
AED 295
Zanzibar Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, located within the Lumumba Secondary School compound.
Abu Dhabi
Dh85
Abu Dhabi’s Seha has test centres throughout the UAE.
UK
From Dh400
Heathrow Airport now offers drive through and clinic-based testing, starting from Dh400 and up to Dh500 for the PCR test.
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Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas
Two out of five stars
The biog
Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns
Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Food of choice: Sushi
Favourite colour: Orange
