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Day: 27 August 2021

France: "Worst has been avoided" in 4th wave thanks to vaccines

by: Stephanie Horsman
27/08/2021

French Health Minister Olivier Veran says that the “worst has been avoided” in France’s fourth wave of Covid thanks to the vaccination programme, however he warned even those double-jabbed are increasingly becoming infected with the virus. 

During a press conference on Thursday 26th August, Olivier Veran, France’s Health Minister, spoke of the stable and improving health situation in the country, though pointedly singled out the South of France as being in a particularly fragile state.

Since the start of July, the Delta variant has hit the region especially hard. This latest variant is far more contagious than previous ones and has left even those who have been vigilant and double-jabbed testing positive and falling ill.

Veran explained that the newest wave affected “young people and rose rapidly”, adding that “It stabilised in August and was concentrated in the most touristic regions and has gradually spread to other regions and vulnerable populations.”

The good news is that circulation of the virus decreased 15% in a single week, but the minister stressed “the fourth wave is not yet behind us”, though the pressures of the pandemic are on the decline. The bad news is that no one is yet sure how the start of the new school year and return from holidays will affect numbers in the coming weeks.

With over 11,000 people in hospital and 2,200 in intensive care in France, the Minister makes clear that the majority of these cases were not jabbed, thus leading him to call the fourth wave “the epidemic of the unvaccinated”. 

“Many people in the public mistakenly believe the vaccine to be a magic potion that eradicates the virus completely, but in fact, the jab has done what it was intended to do by lessening the severity of the disease in most, saving lives and allowing those infected to get well sooner. If we had not been able to count on a vaccine, the fourth wave would have been the worst wave we have known,” said Veran.

So far, 48 million people have been vaccinated, coming close to the goal of 50 million by early September, though two million vulnerable and elderly people still remain unvaccinated and are the country’s biggest concern.

Meanwhile, Veran announced that the health pass could be extended past 15th November “if Covid does not disappear from our lives” by the deadline set by law, acknowledging that it would need the government to reconvene on the topic. “This pass cannot be extended beyond 15th November. We would need a new law, which would be debated again in Parliament. I am not saying that it cannot happen, it could happen if Covid does not disappear from our lives in the next three months.”

He noted that “the last of the reluctance is falling in the face of the success of the health pass” which, along with a “system of effective tests and massive vaccination of the French made it possible to go through the summer without confinement despite a wave of highly contagious variant.”

Obligatory since the 21st of July in some places, the pass was extended on 9th August and is necessary to access hospitals, bars, restaurants, and large shopping centres. From Monday, the employees of these facilities must also have the pass or face losing their jobs.

 
 
 
Photo by Clovis Wood Photography on Unsplash
 
 
 

Cyclist Chris Froome joins Board of Factor Bikes

by: Stephanie Horsman
27/08/2021

Monaco-based professional cyclist Chris Froome has joined with Point King Capital and Skip Capital to invest in premium bicycle brand Factor Bikes, and in the process has signed on to the company’s Board of Directors.
Factor Bikes and its parts and accessories subsidiary Black, Inc. now have a bona fide cycling superstar on their Board in the form of Chris Froome. The Monaco-based racer has joined up with two investors, Sam McKay, Co-Founder of Point King Capital, and Scott Farquhar, Co-Founder of Skip Capital, to invest in the company’s future.
Froome and McKay will sit on the Factor/Black Board of Directors, and CEO Rob Gitelis will keep his position as majority shareholder.
“We are genuinely excited to bring on new capital partners who will help Factor realise its potential,” said Gitelis in a statement. “With Chris, Point King Capital and Skip Capital we have the ideal team to support and advise us on every aspect of our business as we enter a new, growth-oriented chapter. They all understand and support our mission to push boundaries and challenge the status-quo, which is critical.”
The new influx of capital will help the company in its global growth strategy. The focus will be on continued investment in the products, innovation, talent and global channel expansion.
Factor/Black had recently announced its intention to open a new retail shop in Melbourne as part of improving on their direct-to-consumer experience. They have also signed on for another year as the sponsor for the UCI World Tour professional cycling team, Israel Start-up Nation, who Froome races for.
This will be Froome’s first foray into investments in a bicycle company and he intends to play an active role in strategic direction, product development and marketing and sponsorship decisions.
The Brit has won seven Grand Tours including four editions of the Tour de France, one Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España twice. He has also won several other stage races, and the Velo d’Or three times. He has also been awarded the Oder of the British Empire (OBE) for his achievements.
Speaking from Monaco, Froome shared his excitement about the new venture, saying, “I’m really excited to be joining the Factor/Black Inc team. Over the past year, I’ve had a first-hand look at Factor/Black Inc’s technical and development prowess. I truly believe that they’re building something special, and I can’t wait to bring my racing experience and product understanding to help the company continue to bring ground-breaking innovations to cyclists all over the world.”
Factor CEO Gitelis is equally happy about Froome’s involvement, saying, “As much as his physical abilities, Chris’ obsession with extracting every last ounce of performance from his equipment has played a key role in his becoming one of the greatest cyclists of all time. The fact that he chose to make his maiden bicycle company investment in Factor/Black Inc. after just one season of racing on our products speaks volumes about his belief in what we’re doing. We will benefit greatly from his knowledge of both the product and the peloton.”
 
 
 
Photo supplied
 
 
 

SBM donates fountain coins to Fight AIDS Monaco

by: Stephanie Horsman
27/08/2021

The Société des Bains de Mer has handed over 115kg of coins collected in four fountains at the Carré d’Or to Fight Aids Monaco, equalling about €3,500 for the Princess Stephanie-led charity.

Making a wish whilst tossing a coin in a fountain has been a long-standing tradition, but in the case of the four fountains in the Carre d’Or section of Monaco, the coins will not only benefit the coin thrower, but will make dreams for others come true.

The fountains, maintained by the Société des Bains de Mer (SBM), had collected some 115 kilograms of coins over the past 18 months. When emptied recently, the haul came to an estimated €3,500 worth. This number came after counting the value of a single kilo of coins, then multiplying the amount by the weight.

“We were not going to keep all these coins,” said Jean-Luc Biamonti, CEO of the SBM. “We then thought of donating the amount to charity and our choice ultimately fell on Fight AIDS Monaco, which is a great cause for us.”

The act, he said, may be repeated in the months and years to come, “when a reasonable sum is reached again.”

The decision to make the coins a gift also has a practical side.

“You have to know that the parts end up damaging the fountains. We have to remove them, and this is an operation that we repeat often,” Biamonti explained.

The handover took place on Thursday morning when the Deputy Chairman made the donation to Christine Barca, who was there representing Fight AIDS Monaco.

Barca, the General Secretary of the association, thanked SBM, saying that the move “once again proves its loyalty.”

A meeting will soon take place between Princess Stephanie and the charity’s Board of Directors to determine how to best use the unexpected windfall.

“It is quite possible that this sum will be used for the weekends of resourcing of the affiliates that we have in the Principality,” said Ms Barca. In any case, the tidy sum will no doubt be put to good use for a good cause.

 
 
Photo by Manuel Vitali, Government Communication Department

 

 
 

European Commission hands €289 million to Lithuania

by: Cassandra Tanti
27/08/2021

The European Commission has given €289 million to Lithuania in pre-financing to kick-start investment and reform measures in the country as part of a major EU pandemic recovery plan.
The European Commission disbersed the money on 17th August, equivalent to 13% of the country’s financial allocation under the Recovery Resilience Facility (RRF) and as part of NextGenerationEU, which will eventually provide €723.8 billion (in current prices) to support investments and reforms across Member States.
“After three very successful bond issuances under NextGenerationEU over the past few weeks, and the first payments for other NGEU programmes, I am glad that we have now also reached the disbursement stage for the RRF,” said Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for Budget and Administration. “Intense cooperation with Lithuania and solid preparation within the Commission allowed us to pay out the funds in record time. This shows that with the resources raised, we will be able to swiftly deliver on the pre-financing needs of all Member States, thus giving them the initial boost in implementing the numerous green and digital projects included in their national plans.”
The RRF in Lithuania will finance projects that include €242 million to develop offshore and onshore wind and solar power, as well as to create public and private energy storage facilities. €341 million will be invested to phase out the most polluting road transport vehicles and increase the share of renewable energy sources in the transport sector.
€73 million will be allocated to develop the rollout of very high capacity networks, including by facilitating the 5G rollout, connecting digitally intensive enterprises and institutions.
€312 million will be invested to consolidate teaching and learning resources, improve preschool, primary and secondary education, vocational education and training, as well as adult learning.
“The first disbursement for Lithuania will kick-start the implementation of a recovery and resilience plan built for success,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “NextGenerationEU is powering a more sustainable, a more digital and a more resilient future for Lithuania. An ambitious digitalisation plan and reforms in education and research will give a boost to Lithuania’s innovation and competitiveness.”
The Commission will authorise further disbursements based on the implementation of the investments and reforms outlined in Lithuania’s recovery and resilience plan. The country is set to receive €2.22 billion in total, fully consisting of grants, over the lifetime of its plan.
 
 
 
Photo source: European Commission