France registers four cases of Brazilian coronavirus variant, says minister

FILE PHOTO: The weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris

PARIS (Reuters) - France has detected four cases of COVID-19 resulting from the contagious coronavirus variant first detected in Brazil, Health Minister Olivier Veran said on Thursday.

Veran said France was in a "race against time" against the mutations first identified in Britain, South Africa and Brazil.

The variants now account for 14% of all new cases in France, the government says.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Richard Lough and Chris Reese)

Latest Stories

  • Liz Cheney stays quiet after impeachment vote while another GOP Trump critic gets louder

    The varied paths taken by Rep. Liz Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger raise a question that has bedeviled the Republican Party since 2015: How do you solve a problem like Donald John Trump?

  • Mother died protecting daughter from hitmen allegedly hired by her brother

    Police said Beaux Cormier hired two of his friends to kill his niece to stop her from testifying in a rape trial against him.

  • Indian protesters burn pictures of Greta Thunberg after she sides with striking farmers

    Outraged members of a Hindu nationalist group have burnt photographs of Greta Thunberg in New Delhi after the Swedish environmentalist tweeted in support of India’s protesting farmers. Amid rising tensions between protesting farmers and the authorities, members of the United Hindu Front also held signs saying India will "not tolerate interference in internal affairs." Hundreds of thousands of farmers are occupying the streets outside of New Delhi ahead of a planned nationwide strike on Saturday, their numbers swelling after a farmer died after violent clashes with police on January 26. Tweets by Ms Thunberg and the singer Rihanna have catapulted the farmers' protests into headline news worldwide; farmers believe proposed new agricultural laws will decimate their profits by privatising the farming industry. In addition to tweeting her support of the protests, Ms Thunberg also shared a "toolkit" advising how people could peacefully demonstrate against the laws. The “toolkit” advocated for Indians joining a farmers’ march into New Delhi, showing their solidarity on social media using specific hashtags and tweeting messages to Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister.

  • McCarthy Refuses to Remove Taylor Greene from Committees, Attacks Dems for Rejecting Compromise

    House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday ripped into his Democratic colleagues for refusing to consider a compromise regarding stripping GOP Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments. “I understand that Marjorie’s comments have caused deep wounds to many and as a result, I offered Majority Leader Hoyer a path to lower the temperature and address these concerns,” McCarthy said in a statement. “Instead of coming together to do that, the Democrats are choosing to raise the temperature by taking the unprecedented step to further their partisan power grab regarding the committee assignments of the other party,” McCarthy said. Greene, infamous for her support of the QAnon conspiracy, has come under fire since reports that the Georgia congresswoman previously indicated support on social media for executing prominent Democratic politicians, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. A video also shows Greene aggressively confronting David Hogg, one of the student survivors of the Parkland school shooting. House Democrats announced Wednesday that a floor vote will be held Thursday to remove Greene from her committee assignments after Republicans refused to take swift action against the conspiracy-mongering congresswoman. McCarthy reportedly offered to remove Greene from the House Education and Labor Committee if Democrats agree not to move forward with a House floor vote to remove her from the Budget Committee as well. McCarthy also met with Greene for several hours on Tuesday night to encourage her to apologize for her past behavior, but House GOP leadership has appeared reticent to punish her.

  • Biden, at prayer breakfast, calls out 'political extremism'

    President Joe Biden on Thursday called for a confrontation of the “political extremism” that inspired the U.S. Capitol riot and appealed for collective strength during such turbulent times in remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast, a Washington tradition that asks political combatants to set aside their differences for one morning. The breakfast has sparked controversy in the past, particularly when President Donald Trump used last year's installment to slam his political opponents and question their faith.

  • Driver stuck in snow burns to death after repeatedly revving SUV's engine

    Little Ferry, New Jersey, police officers told the driver to let off the gas. When they tried to call for a tow truck, they noticed the SUV was on fire.

  • Prosecutors don't know where Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse is, want him arrested again

    Prosecutors in Kenosha, Wisconsin, sought a new arrest warrant Wednesday for Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager charged with killing two people during an Aug. 25 protest against the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man now paralyzed from the waist down. The prosecutors said Rittenhouse has violated the terms of his $2 million bond by moving without informing the court or providing his new address. After a court filing sent to Rittenhouse was returned as undeliverable Jan. 28, Kenosha detectives visited Rittenhouse's listed address and discovered another man has been living there since mid-December, prosecutors explained. It is "extremely unusual for a defendant facing a charge of first-degree intentional homicide in Kenosha County to post cash bond and be released from custody pending trial," prosecutors said in their motion. "Rarely does our community see accused murderers roaming about freely." Along with Rittenhouse's arrest, they asked the court to increase his bond by $200,000, noting that since his $2 million bond had been paid from a "dubious internet fundraising campaign," Rittenhouse "has no financial stake in the bond" and no incentive to cooperate since "he is already facing the most serious possible criminal charges and life in prison." Rittenhouse's lawyer, Mark Richards, responded Wednesday night, saying his client is in an undisclosed "safe house" due to death threats and "has stayed in constant contact" with his lawyers, if not the courts. He said he had offered to provide prosecutors with the new address if they would keep it secret, and they declined. Rittenhouse, now 18, is accused of fatally shooting Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and wounding a third man. He says he fired in self-defense. Prosecutors sought to amend the terms of his bail last month after video footage captured him drinking with a group of Proud Boys at a Wisconsin bar and flashing white-power hand signs. It is legal for 18-year-olds to drink in bars in Wisconsin if a parent is present, and Rittenhouse's mom was apparently at the bar with him. More stories from theweek.com5 scathing cartoons about the GOP's Marjorie Taylor Greene problemMarjorie Taylor Greene is getting exactly what she wantsWhat the SAG Awards nominations might tell us about the 2021 Oscars

  • Beirut: Six months after the explosions that scarred a city, in pictures

    Six months after the Aug 4 blast that damaged much of the Lebanese capital, the scars of the explosion remain visible across Beirut. The investigation into what happened has been brought to a virtual halt by the same political rivalries that have dogged the country for years. What started as an investigation into how nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive fertiliser component, were stored in Beirut port for years, has taken a turn, wading into a web of murky international business interests in the explosives trade and global shipping. While there are still few answers, the devastation wrought by the explosion has been captured vividly in new pictures taken from a drone from above the blast site and surrounding area. A massive crater

  • GOP Senators Will Force Dems to Vote on Paying Illegal Immigrants, Raising Taxes during Pandemic

    Senate Republicans will make Democrats vote on a number of controversial topics in the coming days as part of the budget reconciliation process that Democrats are using to pass President Biden’s COVID relief plan against GOP lawmakers’ wishes. Debate on the budget resolution began Wednesday and will continue in the Senate on Thursday. After that time expires, a “vote-a-rama” begins, allowing any senator to file an amendment to the resolution. As retribution for using budget reconciliation — which will allow Democrats to avoid the 60-vote threshold required to pass most legislation and instead only require just a simple majority vote to pass Biden’s plan — Republicans plan to force Democrats to vote on a number of hot button issues. “The new President talks a lot about unity, but his White House staff and congressional leadership are working from the opposite playbook,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), said of the budget reconciliation process. “We’ll be discussing the facts… Senate Republicans will be ready and waiting with a host of amendments to improve the rushed procedural step that’s being jammed through.” He continued: “We’ll be getting senators on the record about whether taxpayers should fund checks for illegal immigrants… whether Democrats should raise taxes on small businesses in the midst of this historic crisis… and whether generous federal funding should pour into school districts where the unions refuse to let schools open. And this is just a small taste.” While not all of the amendments that are introduced will receive a full floor vote and some may be dropped for violating the Byrd rule, which says anything passed during budget reconciliation must have to do with the federal budget, senators plan to bring up a wide array of issues. Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) introduced an amendment that would keep federal funding from going to schools that don’t reopen for in-person learning as battles over whether it is safe to return to the classroom rage across the country between teachers unions and school districts. Senator Steve Daines (R., Mont.,) said that he is spearheading seven amendments for the reconciliation process and co-sponsoring three others, including amendments that reverse Biden’s decision to scrap the Keystone XL oil pipeline project; resume oil and gas leasing on federal lands; stop tax increases while the pandemic is ongoing; prevent the federal government from using taxpayer money to implement the Paris Climate agreement; and more. Senator Tom Cotton (R., Ark.,) said that he plans to introduce amendments to support funding for the U.S. nuclear weapons program; oppose taxpayer funding from being used for abortion internationally and at domestic nonprofits; oppose illegal immigrants from using U.S.-government supported health care options; and support keeping the number of Supreme Court justices at nine. “Republicans are happy to work with Democrats to bring COVID-19 relief to the American people, but we cannot and will not support a bill that redirects funds to long-standing Democratic priorities,” Cotton said. “My amendments are designed to ensure the American people – not the Senate Democrats’ far-left policies – are protected.”

  • David Hogg launching pillow company to compete with MyPillow's Mike Lindell

    March for Our Lives co-founder David Hogg tweeted on Thursday that he and software developer William LeGate are launching a pillow company to compete against MyPillow, which is led by Trump supporter CEO Mike Lindell. Driving the news: Lindell is one of former President Trump’s most adamant defenders and has repeatedly shared unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about the election since President Biden took office.Get smarter, faster with the news CEOs, entrepreneurs and top politicians read. Sign up for Axios Newsletters here. * Lindell had a tumultuous interview with Newsmax earlier this week, where anchors attempted to block the CEO from reiterating conspiracies about the 2020 election. He refused. * Dominion Voting Systems also sent a cease-and-desist letter to Lindell last month and ordered him to preserve all documents related to the company. * Lindell told Axios in response: "I want Dominion to put up their lawsuit because we have 100% evidence that China and other countries used their machines to steal the election." * The Department of Justice has found no evidence to support Lindell's claims about Dominion Voting Systems or widespread voter fraud.Details... Hogg wrote that he and LeGate hope to "sell $1 million of product within our first year" and to launch in about six months. * "[W]e would like to do it sooner but we have strict guidelines on sustainability and [U.S.] based Union producers," Hogg added. * "Mike isn't going to know what hit him—this pillow fight is just getting started."What they're saying: MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell told Axios in a text Thursday morning, "Good for them.... nothing wrong with competition that does not infringe on someone's patent."Support safe, smart, sane journalism. Sign up for Axios Newsletters here.

  • Lauren Boebert: QAnon-supporting Republican claims 38,000 miles worth of gas money on Congress expenses

    In order to justify a reimbursement of such a big amount, Boebert’s distance driven during the campaign has to be 38,712 miles

  • Biden adviser suggests holdovers from Obama era dictated 'harsh' response to GOP COVID-19 relief proposal

    The Monday night White House statement that appeared to take some air out of bipartisan COVID-19 relief bill negotiations didn't sound like President Biden, an anonymous longtime adviser to the commander-in-chief told Politico. "I think it sounded like more like [White House Chief of Staff] Ron Klain," the adviser said. "The GOP plan wasn't a joke. I looked at it and said, 'OK the midpoint between $600 billion and $1.9 trillion is about 1.2 or 1.3.' I was a little surprised we hit back that hard. It's not like our plan is perfect and there's nothing we can approve. Vintage Biden would not have been that harsh." The adviser suggested that while Biden has a penchant for bipartisan deal-making, Klain, an Obama-era holdover, doesn't have fond memories of working with Republicans after unsuccessful talks with GOP lawmakers about the stimulus in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and the Affordable Care Act. "Ron has this whole thing: 'Remember how they rat-f---ed us on the ACA!," the adviser told Politico. It's worth noting, however, the White House statement did say Biden wants to keep talking with the group of senators going forward, so the idea of a bipartisan resolution hasn't been completely shot down, even if the possibility is shrinking. Read more at Politico. More stories from theweek.com5 scathing cartoons about the GOP's Marjorie Taylor Greene problemProsecutors don't know where Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse is, want him arrested againMarjorie Taylor Greene is getting exactly what she wants

  • 27 Best Desk Lamps to Brighten Up 2021

    Let there be lightOriginally Appeared on Architectural Digest

  • Search Continues Chula Vista Woman Who Vanished Without a Trace 1 Month Ago

    A Filipino American woman has been missing for nearly a month after vanishing without a trace from her home in Chula Vista, California. “It was odd -- she was always the first to answer, and this trip was for her daughter’s birthday,” Maricris Drouaillet, her sister, told NBC News’ Dateline. Initial attempts to contact May’s husband, Larry Millete, as well as their three children, were reportedly unsuccessful.

  • 7 insurgents, 2 troops killed in separate raids in Pakistan

    Pakistani security forces and police acting on intelligence Wednesday raided suspected militant and separatist hideouts, triggering shootouts that killed seven insurgents and two soldiers. Kamran Hussain, an official with Pakistan's counter-terrorism department, said in a statement the first raid took place in the district of Dera Ghazi Khan in the eastern Punjab province. The raid left three militants from the outlawed Baluchistan Republican Army dead, he said.

  • Gunman who killed FBI agents led a seemingly mundane life. But some neighbors were wary

    The FBI on Wednesday identified the gunman who mowed down five FBI agents at the door of his Sunrise apartment — but as agents pored over the crime scene for a second day, what prompted the violent outburst remained a mystery.

  • My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell was asked repeatedly to stop citing conspiracy theories

    On the right-leaning TV channel Newsmax My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell was asked repeatedly to stop citing conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

  • Biden reportedly considering sending face masks to all Americans after Trump scrapped a similar plan

    White House says there are 'range of options on the table' after previous administration allegedly nixed USPS plan to distribute face masks to households nationwide

  • Pentagon, stumped by extremism in ranks, orders stand-down in next 60 days

    The U.S. military on Wednesday acknowledged it was unsure about how to address white nationalism and other extremism in its ranks, and announced plans for military-wide stand-downs pausing regular activity at some point in the next 60 days to tackle the issue. The decision to a hold a stand-down was made by Lloyd Austin, who made history by becoming the military's first Black defense secretary after a long career rising in the ranks of the Army. In his confirmation hearing, Austin underscored the need to rid the military of "racists and extremists".

  • Boris Johnson prepared to override parts of Brexit deal on Northern Ireland

    Boris Johnson has warned Brussels that he is prepared to override parts of the Brexit deal on Northern Ireland unless the EU agrees to extend grace periods for traders and supermarkets until January 2023. Ratcheting up pressure on the European Commission on Wednesday, the Prime Minister said he was prepared to do "everything we need to do" to protect businesses in the province and ensure there was no sea border in the Irish Sea. It came as Michael Gove wrote to his EU counterpart, Maros Sefcovic, demanding that a three-month leniency period for supermarkets be extended by two years. The letter, leaked to The Telegraph, called for a similar extension for chilled meat products if a permanent solution cannot be found before the six-month stopgap ends, along with the flow of parcels and medicines across the Irish Sea. It also urges Brussels to reconsider rules on the importation of seed potatoes – amid reports that officials are blocking shipments that contain too much British soil – and for a bilateral agreement to be struck with Ireland on pet transport. Should the EU fail to agree to the UK's demands, Mr Gove said the Government would use "all instruments at its disposal" to protect the integrity of the UK internal market. In a meeting with Arlene Foster, Northern Ireland's First Minister, Mr Johnson also reportedly hit out at the EU's "cavalier approach" to Northern Ireland after it controversially moved to erect a hard vaccine border on the island of Ireland last week.