French Minister in charge of Public Accounts, Gabriel Attal, has said that the government is considering merging the Carte Vitale and the Carte d'Identite into a single card. Speaking to newspaper Le Parisien he said that the change is being considered in order to reduce the amount of fraud in health benefits. He said that he is invstigating the possible timetable and the methods by which such a change could be made and added that a single secure card is already being used in Belgium, Portugal and Sweden.
A parliamentary commission investigating the death of Corsican nationalist Yvan Colonna has published its report this afternoon. Colonna was serving a life sentence for the murder of the Prefect of Corscia Claude Erignac in 1998. He was attacked by a fellow inmate in Arles prison in March 2020. The commission said that there was a lack of surveillance and a series of failures and inactions. It also made 29 recommendations for change.
A record number of people are being detained in French prisons. According to data released by the Ministry of Justice, there were 73,162 prisoners on 1 May, an increase of 3% in one year. Meanwhile, unions representing prison officers in Avignon have called for action to be taken after one of their members was assaulted yesterday. It was the seventh assault on staff in six months at the city's prison. The union is drawing attention to what it says is overcrowding and lack of staff.
There has been major traffic disruption on the A8 motorway near the Italian border this afternoon. A tanker crashed this morning on the A10 motorway in Italy, just after Ventimiglia. A security perimeter was established and drivers had to exit at Ventimiglia to continue their journey via the secondary road network. The accident had a strong impact on traffic on the A8 motorway, with a jam of nearly 10 kilometers forming at the border. As a result, the Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (junction 58) and Menton (junction 59) exits have been closed towards Italy. VINCI Autoroutes have said that the Italian authorities have requested the implementation of reversal measures for heavy goods vehicles heading for Italy and they are therefore invited to turn around at the La Turbie and Menton interchanges. Early this evening VINCI Autoroutes said that the Roquebrune-Cap-Martin and Menton junctions have now reopened.
A plume of black smoke has been visible across Paris this afternoon after a blaze broke out in a warehouse in a northern suburb of the capital. According to local reports about one hundred firefighters and forty fire department machines have been mobilised. A nearby metro station has been closed and local residents have been advised to keep their windows closed. Over 30 employees were evacuated from the building and there have been no reports of any injuries.
BUSINESS
The rate of price rises at UK supermarkets hit a new high of 9% in the year to May due to coffee, chocolate and non-food goods, according to a new survey. The BRC and NielsenIQ figures, covering the week between 1 and 6 May, show that overall food inflation fell slightly from 15.7% in the year to April to 15.4%.
Supermarket chain Asda is to step up its expansion into the convenience food sector after buying the UK and Ireland business of petrol station operator EG Group for £2.27bn. The deal brings together two businesses that are already owned by the billionaire Issa brothers. EG has about 350 petrol stations and more than 1,000 food-to-go locations. The newly-combined company will employ about 166,000 people.
SPORT
Tennis...At the French Open today, Ons Jabeur beat Lucia Bronzetti 6-4 6-1. Selena Janicijevic beat Oceane Dodin in three sets. Sweden's Rebecca Peterson beat French player Fiona Ferro 6-2 6-0. Mirra Andreeva beat US player Alison Riske. France's Diane Parry is through to the next round after defeating Anhelina Kalinina.
Football... Neco Williams and David Brooks have been named in a 25-man Wales squad for Euro 2024 qualifiers against Armenia and Turkey in June. Brennan Johnson is also included. Tom Lockyer has been left out after collapsing during Luton Town's match against Coventry City.
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France’s recently appointed Prime Minister François Bayrou has promised a new government "before Christmas" and reserves the possibility of using 49....
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A four-day strike at DHL has caused delays in package processing, raising concerns about on-time deliveries for Christmas....
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French judges in Avignon will today Thursday 19th December, deliver their verdicts in a mass rape case against 51 men that has appalled France and the...
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Monaco Info and TV Monaco are set to make way for a new television channel on September 1st of 2025. During the debates on the 2025 preliminary budget...
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