A third person has died following the explosion at a building in the fifth arrondissement of Paris last month. The announcement was made by the prosecutor this afternoon. The woman had been in hospital in a critical condition since the explosion. One person remains in a critical condition.
French statistics body INSEE has estimated that one in ten French households are unable to afford proper heating for their homes. In a new report just published, it said that nine million people in mainland France were in a state of "material and social deprivation" last year. INSEE said that the situation resulted from increased inflation and what it called the resumption of "lifestyle habits" from before the pandemic.
The new Council of Ministers has held its first meeting in Paris this morning after yesterday's government reshuffle. The meeting was chaired by President Macron who said that being a minister "is not speaking in the post" but "is to implement decisions". The new Minister of National Education, Gabriel Attal is visiting a school in the Yvelines department near Paris today. The school, in the town of La Verriere was burnt down during the recent riots.
Bernard Gonzalez, prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes has been present at an operation against drug trafficking by the National Police in the Liserons district and route de Turin in Nice. The Prefecture said that "daily pressure" is being applied against dealers to put an end to trafficking. It said that since the beginning of this year there had been 404 deal point dismantling operations and that the amounts of drugs and criminal assets seized have never been higher.
A medical evacuation took place from a ship off Corsica last night. A woman on board the Paglia Orba ferry was winched onto a French Navy helicopter and taken care of by a medical team from the Toulon La Seyne hospital.
The firework display in Cannes this evening has been postponed because of high winds. It's been rescheduled for this Sunday evening at 10pm. The team representing the United States in the fireworks competition is competing.
The Monaco government is making the installation of carbon monoxide detectors mandatory in dwellings connected to the combustible gas network. The measure comes into force tomorrow, 22 July. The detection device must be able to broadcast a local audible alarm intended to warn the occupants of an abnormal rise in the level of Carbon Monoxide. The measure aims to allow early detection of this toxic, odourless and colourless gas that can cause serious poisoning. Further details can be found on www.gouv.mc
Motorway operator VINCI autoroutes has created areas in service areas on its network to enable motorists to take a nap if they feel tired. Ten nap spaces are in place until August 19, every Friday and Saturday, at rest areas of the VINCI Autoroutes network. On the A8 motorway in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, the Sainte-Victoire and Vidauban Sud rest areas offer this facility. Motorists will be able to find giant cushions to rest and regain a good level of alertness before hitting the road again. Drowsiness remains one of the main causes of fatal accidents on motorways. A new survey released by VINCI Autoroutes shows that the risk of a fatal accident on motorways is 4 times higher at night, with a peak between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m.
BUSINESS
Unions have called off major industrial action which would have affected London's Underground system for much of next week. However, the RMT union said that the dispute over changes to working conditions is still continuing and a strike mandate is continuing in place. Separate industrial action is still due to affect UK overground services at various points over the next few weeks.
UK government net borrowing for June came in at a lower level than expected by many economists. The Office for National Statistics said that, excluding public sector banks, borrowing was £18.5 billion in the month which is £0.4 billion less than in June last year. However, it's still the third-highest June borrowing since monthly records began in 1993.
India has introduced a ban on the export of certain types of rice. The ban on non-basmati rice takes effect immediately and has been prompted by rising domestic inflation. The country is the world's largest exporter of rice.
SPORT
Cricket...It's day three of the fourth Ashes Test today. England were all out for 592 in their first innings in reply to Australia’s 317 all out. Early this evening Australia are batting in their second innings.
Motorsports.... Mercedes' George Russell was fastest in first practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Rain and surface water dominated the practice session, with Sergio Perez crashing on his first flying lap.
Football... In the women's World Cup, Spain defeated Costa Rice 3-0 in Wellington. Switzerland beat the Phillippines 2-0 and Nigeria against Canada ended in a goalless draw.
Train traffic is completely halted after 5:30pm today, Thursday 17th of October.
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A 26-year-old biker has died following a road accident behind the Eze-Village tunnel.
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Thirteen departments in southern France are under orange weather alert for rain, flooding, thunderstorms, and/or river surges. ...
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All schools in the Alpes-Maritimes will be closed today Thursday 17th October, due to the orange weather alert which is to be reinstated from 9am this...
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The Alpes-Maritimes and Var regions were placed under an orange weather alert for storms and rain-induced flooding on Wednesday, the 16th of October,...
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