Aujourd'hui: What's happening in France on Monday

Tomorrow marks ‘D-Day’ in France when lockdown is lifted, but a lot of rules are still in place and some new ones have been added - here’s everything you need to know.

It will mean that travel is again possible for some people and that second-home owners from Europe can visit France again.

And starting today was a mass-testing programme that is being trialled in several French towns and cities.

But the next phase - the planned reopening of bars, restaurants, cinemas theatres and museums in January - is ‘not certain’, the country’s finance minister has warned.

Brexit

The minister, Bruno Le Maire, has also been talking about Brexit, saying that a no-deal exit would only affect around 0.1 percent of the French GDP, and that the big losers would be the British, adding: “I regret that my British friends have to pay the price, because they are paying the price for populism, they are paying the price for lies”.

But there was some good Brexit-related news (no, really) as an agreement was reached to make travelling between the UK and France with pets a lot less complicated.

Figures

Tributes have been paid around France today to Gérard Houllier former manager of the French French national football team as well as Ligue 1 clubs Lyon and PSG - although he also won a place in many British hearts as manager of Liverpool FC where he helped transform the club and won a treble in 2001, including the Uefa cup.

 

 

Language and culture

Our French phrase of the day is a handy little phrase for when you’re chatting about changes large or small.

And if you’re in France you won’t have failed to notice a frankly incredible amount of seafood flooding into the shops, but do you know the origin of this festive tradition?