Tonight's coronavirus figures from Santé Publique France. Note: the health minister warned if the situation did not improve in Paris there would be further restrictions including bar and possibly restaurant closures.
The courageous Gisèle Pélicot whose husband drugged her and invited men to rape her over a period of ten years, has taken the stand again to slap down claims by several accused that she knew what was going on. "Since I arrived at this court, I have felt humiliated...1/x
"I've been called an alcoholic that I got myself into such an alcoholic state that I'm an accomplice to Monsieur Pélicot. It is so humiliating and degrading to hear that," she told the court. 2/x
The president of the court asked her if she had consented to the sexual "partners". She said the question was "shocking".
"Absolutely not. I did not for one second give them my consent," she said. "In the state I was I couldn't say anything as the videos show". 3/x
To sum up the main points from the International Boxing Association press conference in Paris. I am reporting what was said, not commenting on it or making any claim about the veracity of it. 1/?
*Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting were among 4 boxers who underwent blood test carried out by a laboratory in Istanbul at a championship in May 2022 after questions from boxers, coaches and medics. Two boxers’ results were clear. Khelif and Yu-ting’s results were “inconsistent”. 2/?
*A second blood test was carried out on Khelif and Yu-ting by another laboratory before another championship in March 2023.
*Based on the results of the second tests, Khelif and Yu-ting were told they were disqualified from the 2023 competition and had the chance to appeal. 3/?
The International Boxing Association, which the IOC says is discredited, is holding a press conference in Paris to address the row over boxers who it says failed "gender tests" and were disqualified from the World Women's Boxing Championship last year. 1/x
The two boxers at the centre of the claims and counter-claims are Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, both taking part in the Paris Olympics. 2/x
Elysée briefing on Ukraine following Emmanuel Macron's telephone conversation with President Zelensky.
"We (France) want Ukraine to be victorious. We want the territorial integrity of Ukraine reestablished, we want this conflict, this war of Russia's against Ukraine to end..1/n
"...as soon as possible and that negotiations start that will allow not only the reestablishing of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, but also take into account a number of other very important elements, including transitional justice, the payment of...2/n
"...war damages etc. We also hope for, and its also important for us to be able to obtain this in the months to come, that when the war is over that we have a greater clarity of what is necessary for all of us...that's to say, the security and stability of Europe..." 3/n
French president Emmanuel Macron spoke again to Russian president Vladimir Putin today. Was a 1hr45min call made by Macron. Putin reiterated his demands for: 1. The "de-Nazification" of Ukraine 2. The "neutralisation" of Ukraine (ie no joining Nato and no weapons). #Ukraine 1/n
3. Recognition that Crimea is Russian 4. Independence of the Donbas
According to Elysée Putin "expressed his determination to obtain all these objections by negotiation or by war."
Macron insisted Russia cease its military operation, respect international humanitarian...2/n
2/n
...law and negotiate. Elysée wants the International Atomic Energy Authority to secure guarantees from Russia and Ukraine on the safety of civil nuclear installations. 3/n
New thread: this morning I spoke to a British Ukrainian (UK passport holder) stuck in France waiting for @ukhomeoffice to approve visas for his Ukrainian wife and daughter (who is diabetic).
He drove from his home near London to the Polish border to pick them up and then...1/n
...drove to Calais where he was turned away from crossing the Channel and told to go to the British consulate in Paris. They drove back to Paris. At the consulate they were asked to fill in a visa application form. This asked them to pay €2,200 each (ie €4,400 for his...2/n
(...wife and daughter). This was on Monday/Tuesday. The fee has since been waived after the visa application system went online Friday. Yakiv Voloshchuk, his wife Oxsana and daughter Veronika are now stuck in France waiting for visa applications to be approved. 3/n