Paperjam.lu

Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said France’s 4-week lockdown would continue another 4 weeks. Screengrab of Emmanuel Macron’s video address, 13 April 2020. Image credit: Emmanuel Macron on Facebook 

France to ease restrictions next month

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, said he was extending his country’s covid-19 lockdown until Monday 11 May. Schools and workplaces will open progressively. Restaurants and cultural venues are unlikely to reopen before July. Macron said the pandemic “is starting to slow down” but “is not under control yet” and admitted to gaps in preparedness. Sources: DPA, France 24, The Guardian, Politico and Reuters.

Reopening elsewhere in Europe

Germany: The government will this week consider progressively relaxing restrictions which currently are set to expire on Sunday 19 April, per CNBC, DPA and Deutsche Welle. Austria: Smaller shops, DIY stores and garden centres will reopen today, with shopper required to wear masks, per the BBC, Deutsche Welle and Reuters. Spain: Thousands of nonessential staff went back to work on Monday, but other restrictions are still in force, per CNN, Euractiv and France 24.

Trump pushes reopening plan

Donald Trump claimed that he had total authority to end restrictions across the US, even though governors have broad powers over public health and public safety in their own states. Sources: BBC, The Guardian, Politico and South China Morning Post.

Roosevelt sailor dies

A sailor on the USS Theodore Roosevelt--whose captain was controversially relieved of command after he raised the alarm over a coronavirus contagion aboard the aircraft carrier--died of covid-19. Sources: CNN, The Guardian, San Francisco Chronicle and Reuters.

Sanders supports Biden

The US senator Bernie Sanders endorsed Joe Biden as the Democratic candidate to face Donald Trump in November’s presidential elections. Sources: AFP, BBC, The Guardian and NBC News.

Johnson out of hospital

The UK’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, was discharged from a central London hospital after a week of care for covid-19. He thanked the National Health Service “for saving my life.” Sources: BBC, CNN, NPR and Sky News.

Wildfires approaching Chernobyl site

Forest fires are just a few kilometers away from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and radioactive waste site. Sources: AFP, BBC, DPA and The Guardian.

Luxembourg court blocks Iran account seizure

A Luxembourg appeals court rejected a US request to transfer $1.6bn in Iranian funds frozen in a Clearstream account since 2017 to compensate victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks. The assets remain blocked since the case can be appealed to Luxembourg’s top court. Source: AFP.

Historic cut in oil production agreed

After weeks of wrangling, oil producing nations led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, under pressure from Donald Trump, struck a deal to pump about 10% less of the world supply in a bid to boost the oil price. Sources: Bloomberg, CNBC, Financial Times and Seeking Alpha.

Vestager wants to prevent some Chinese investments

Margrethe Vestager, the European competition commissioner, told the Financial Times that EU member states should buy strategic stakes in companies facing covid-19 troubles to prevent the firms from being snapped up by state-backed Chinese rivals.

Disney enters credit agreement

The entertainment giant Disney obtained a $5bn credit line from Citibank to weather the shutdown of its theme parks. Sources: Reuters, Seeking Alpha and Variety.

Amazon adding yet more positions

Amazon said it would hire 75,000 more employees in the US, after it just hired 100,000 new workers to keep pace with growing demand. Sources: CNBC, Financial Times, Reuters and Seeking Alpha.

Blackrock wins EU ESG contract

Blackrock, one of the world’s largest asset managers, secured a €280,000 contract to advise the EU on how to integrate environmental, social and governance factors into the bloc’s banking regulations. Sources: Financial Times and The Guardian.

When art becomes life

Several working ventilators were found on the set of a BBC medical drama and donated to the National Health Service, per ITV News.

Dubliner’s take on covid-19 Luxembourg

Tracey Darlington, a 20-year Luxembourg resident and native of Ireland, shared her impressions of the grand duchy under lockdown with the Irish Times.

Hot recipe

Want to make whipped coffee (Dalgona coffee), the beverage that’s all the rage on TikTok and Instagram? Popular Mechanics shows you how.

Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Aaron Grunwald