A policeman walks past a banner reading in Creole 'Psychiatry on strike' at the entrance to the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU - Hospital) where striking medical personnel hold a picket line against measures to curb the spread ofCovid-19, in the premises of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU - Hospital) in Pointe-a-Pitre, on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, on November 26. Guadeloupe has seen more than a week of unrest stemmed from protests started by hardline opponents of compulsory vaccination for health workers and firefighters on the island -- a measure already implemented in mainland France. Violence has also erupted in nearby Martinique after unions called for a general strike over coronavirus measures and other social grievances. (AFP Photo)
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Friday that shots were fired overnight at security forces and journalists on the French Caribbean island of Martinique, as violence erupted amid protests overCovid-19 restrictions.
Several police officers have been injured, Darmanin tweeted. He added that 10 people have been arrested.
French government spokesman Gabriel Attal denounced the “unacceptable” violence. (AP)
The EU's drug regulator said on Friday that it was closely monitoring the new B.1.1.529 Covid-19 variant but it was "premature" to tell if updated vaccines would be needed to fight it.
"EMA considers it premature at the moment to foresee the need of an adapted vaccine with a different composition in order to tackle this emerging variant," the European Medicines Agency said in a statement to AFP.