Olivier Veran

French President Emmanuel Macron's government will try this week to revive his economic reform drive and score a major political victory by launching a pension reform in the face of fierce union opposition, Reuters reported today.

The EU, chaired by France, has launched a joint health union initiative with a joint declaration, said French Health Minister Olivier Veran.

The text will be called the "Grenoble Declaration" after the French city, where EU health ministers met to discuss their ambitions for closer coordination.

People who want to go to cinemas, museums, sports matches and other cultural events in France will have to show proof of the Covid-19 vaccine or a negative test starting Wednesday, as the country faces a sudden jumping new cases of coronavirus highly transmissible Delta variant.

A new Covid health pass has come into effect in France amid a surge of new infections.

From Wednesday, people need proof of vaccination, a negative test or recent recovery from Covid to enter most museums and cinemas.

Later lawmakers will debate whether to extend its use in August for entry to cafes, restaurants and shopping malls.

France savored a fresh sense of freedom on June 17 as people were allowed to remove face masks when outside for the first time since last autumn and  Disneyland Paris welcomed visitors after an eight-month COVID hiatus.

The number of novel coronavirus cases worldwide passed 2.4 million late on April 19, according to a running tally by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

The university's data showed the number of deaths has reached 165,044 while 623,911 have fully recovered.

A total of 2,401,379 confirmed cases have been recorded worldwide.

A Turkish-origin baker and his family bake bread and take them to health personnel in the French city of Mulhouse to contribute to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The family appealed to Emile Muller Hospital in the city to help its personnel, and the request was accepted, the baker, Faruk Beyaz, said.

Health officials are warning that over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs may make coronavirus worse.

French health minister  Olivier Véran, a qualified doctor and neurologist, is urging people to opt for paracetamol instead of ibuprofen to stay safe.

The number of novel coronavirus cases in Europe continues to rise, with more countries on the continent confirming their first cases.      

French Health Minister Olivier Veran said that the number of coronavirus cases in the country has risen to 38.