In the spotlight: the Omicron wave breaks and worries
Audio 04:49
A line of New Yorkers, in Times Square, wait to be vaccinated against Covid-19, in New York, on December 3, 2021. © REUTERS / JEENAH MOON
By: Sébastien Duhamel Follow
4 min
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Palpable concern in the American press today. "
Americans are feeling the pinch of the virus,
" reads the
Washington Post front page
. “
As Omicron cases increase, closures are coming back,
” it read, and many “
don't know how to assess and respond to risks
”.
Front
page of the
New York Times
, we see a photo of a queue in front of a health center in Manhattan. People who came to be tested, like Derdre, a fiftieth-year-old met on the spot. “
Monday, I didn't even think about that, today I'm in a panic,
” she testifies. Like, obviously, many Americans.
In New York State, yesterday, the newspaper reports, more than 18,000 Covid-19 infections, more than half of which only in the "Big Apple".
And the authorities then rely on the booster dose, we learn.
Joe Biden thus warned of "
a winter of serious illness and death
" for the unvaccinated.
Concern in Europe
A variant that is "
spreading rapidly
", notes
El País
in Spain.
It now represents nearly "
30
% of infections recorded in hospitals in Madrid
" and "
experts warn that the explosion of cases will lead to more deaths
".
"
In Italy, 26,000
new infections, four additional regions on alert,
" worries
La Repubblica
. It is "
a wave record
", underlines
Le Corriere della Sera
. Italian newspapers are also observing the attitude of the European Union: "
The EU crosses the Draghi line
",
La Repubblica
poster
. Italy now requires a negative test for travelers coming from abroad, in addition to a health pass, and "
in Brussels the leaders no longer criticize [this] choice but want to expand it,
" says
La Repubblica
. Yes, "
more and more countries in the European Union are following the Draghi line
», Confirms
Le Corriere
.
He sees for example that "
Paris is closed to the British
".
Britain is preparing
Great Britain, in fact, is preparing for these measures. In the
Financial Times
, the photo of a Eurostar at the Gare du Nord in Paris and "
the last travelers from London
", Thursday, December 16, before the entry into force of the restrictions during the night. "
The French government has announced that British travelers will no longer be able to enter the country
", in an attempt to halt the progress of Omicron, explains the
Financial Times
. While Great Britain "
recorded a new daily record of infections, with more than 88,300
cases and 146 deaths
".
This situation has also forced Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to return "
urgently
" from a trip to California, to take exceptional measures to help the hotel sector, "
affected by serial cancellations in the run-up to Christmas
”.
Boris Johnson's new casserole dish
And that, while Boris Johnson, him, still collects the pots. He has one more. After the electoral commission revealed that he had lied in the affair of the renovation of his private apartment at 11 Downing Street, this time, new revelation in front of the English newsstands. A joint investigation by the
Guardian
and
The Independent
concludes that the British Prime Minister did indeed participate in a "
pizza party
" last year organized by his team at 10 Downing Street, while the country was under lockdown.
Boris Johnson "
spent 15 minutes
" there, and reportedly told a collaborator "
they deserved a drink
" for fighting the coronavirus.
Nearly 20 people were gathered at this evening, affirms the
Guardian
, and according to him, finally, this raises especially questions on "
the existence of a culture of non-compliance with the rules for several months
".
The "Boss" sells his catalog
After “Bojo”, make way for the “Boss”, the great Bruce Springsteen! He no longer owns his works, but much richer than before. Yep, "
Bruce Springsteen sells his music catalog in a massive deal
," the
New York Times
tells us
. "
Sony Music Entertainment is buying the entire body of the Boss, including classics like 'Born to Run', for an estimated amount
of $
550 million
." His music has traveled the planet, so has this news. From the
New Zealand Herald
to
La Vanguardia
in Spain to
The Herald
in Scotland.
The latter wonders moreover what this sale "
teaches us about the generation of boomers
". There was already Bob Dylan and his sale to Universal Music last year, or even Neil Young at the beginning of this year, who sold his rights to a British investment fund. However, these sales, ultimately, for
The Herald
, “
it is a marker of two things
.” “
Heritage artists, as they are called, are getting a little older, but it also reminds us of how much cultural capital is precious,
”said the newspaper. “
Indeed, he
says,
Goldman Sachs bank has predicted that music revenues will be around $ 131 billion (just under £ 100 billion)
”.
That makes a tidy sum and a real windfall, in short, for our savings.
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