Schools facing the Covid, the "no" of Mike Pence and the Carrefour bomb: the information to remember this afternoon

The main info

Faced with the risk posed by the British variant of Covid-19, should all schools be closed immediately?

The scientific council, which advises the government on the health crisis, is not in favor.

"We have not advocated the closure of schools, because the English data are not yet clear enough," said Professor Jean-François Delfraissy, this morning on Franceinfo.

While specifying that “we must change the gauge and, from the first patient of the English variant, […] go faster and close this school”.

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Follow the evolution of the epidemic live

What is not debated, however, is the circulation of the British variant in France.

There are "already a thousand people infected with the English variant in France", assures Professor Delfraissy.

"We can only slow it down, we can no longer block this English variant which will spread in the country," he insisted.

In Ile-de-France, 11 cases of the English variant "are confirmed" in the region and "forty are suspect", meanwhile said the director of ARS Ile-de-France, Aurélien Rousseau, interviewed Wednesday morning on BFMTV.

The Defense Council scheduled for today could decide on new measures.

After this meeting at the Elysee Palace, followed by the Council of Ministers, it will be up to the government of Jean Castex to present the conclusions on Thursday.

What to also remember

• Lecornu targeted by an investigation.

  A preliminary investigation for “illegal taking of interests” targeting Minister Sébastien Lecornu was opened by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office.

  The facts go back to the time when the current Minister of Overseas Territories combined a post of director of the Société des autoroutes Paris-Normandie and the functions of president of the departmental council of Eure, within the framework of which he approved , according to Le Canard Enchaîné, several deliberations in connection with the SAPN.

• Mike Pence is holding back the Democrats.

  The US vice president refused to invoke the 25th amendment to the Constitution that would have declared Donald Trump unfit to lead the country.

  “I do not believe that such an act is in the best interest of our nation nor does it correspond to the Constitution,” Mike Pence wrote to Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.

  However, the latter does not intend to renounce impeachment.

• Thunderclap in distribution.

  The French juggernaut Carrefour has been requested by the Canadian Couche-Tard for a "rapprochement", said the two companies overnight, which underline the friendly nature of the discussions.

  A merger between the global giant and the ambitious Canadian, established in the convenience store, would be a bomb in the distribution sector.

• Seven French children repatriated from Syria.

  These young minors, "particularly vulnerable", were handed over on their arrival to "judicial authorities" and "taken care of by social services", indicates the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

  According to a Kurdish source, they were detained in the Roj and Al-Hol camps.

  “They belong to Daesh families.

  Three children are from the same family and are orphans.

  For the other four, their mothers accepted their return alone, because of their delicate state of health, ”adds this Kurdish source.

The unexpected info

Some will see there the story of a renamed cheese.

Others, the confirmation that it is not always in vain to fight, that times are changing and that the fight against racism is gaining ground.

In Australia, after a long fight, an indigenous activist got a cheese with a racist name to change its name.

Stephen Hagan had been denouncing “Coon” cheese from the Saputo cheese factory for twenty years.

Because this name referred to an employee working for an American cheese factory, but it was also considered insulting to people of African origin.

His petition to the former owners of the company had so far not had the desired effect.

But this Wednesday, Saputo finally declared that it had decided to rename its product after "careful examination" aimed at allowing the brand to be in line with consumers, taking into account "current mentalities and perspectives".

The product in question will now be called Hurray.

Like the cry of joy that Stephen Hagan must have uttered.