PARIS: France said on Friday that negative COVID-19 tests will be required to travel to its overseas territories, as the government tightens controls to battle against a fifth wave of the virus.
The new measure will take effect on Dec. 28 and affect travelers both from mainland France and abroad, said the French government.
France’s overseas territories include Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, La Reunion island, and New Caledonia, which often depend heavily on tourists coming over from mainland France for their local economies.
The French Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe have been hit by protests over the last month, partly sparked by anger over COVID-19 protocols.
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France: COVID-19 tests needed for trips to overseas territories
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France: COVID-19 tests needed for trips to overseas territories
Russia will examine Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ invite: Putin
- Invites were sent to dozens of world leaders with a request for $1 billion for a permanent seat on the board
MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said Russia would study US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join his “Board of Peace.”
“The Russian foreign ministry has been charged with studying the documents that were sent to us and to consult on the topic with our strategic partners,” Putin said during a televised government meeting. “It is only after that we’ll be able to reply to the invitation.”
He said that Russia could pay the billion dollars being asked for permanent membership “from the Russian assets frozen under the previous American administration.”
He added that the assets could also be used “to reconstruct the territories damaged by the hostilities, after the conclusion of a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.”
Invites were sent to dozens of world leaders with a request for $1 billion for a permanent seat on the board.
Although originally meant to oversee Gaza’s rebuilding, the board’s charter does not seem to limit its role to the Palestinian coastal enclave and appears to want to rival the United Nations, drawing the ire of some US allies including France.
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