The French government has announced a one-off payment of €100 (£84; $116) for each citizen whose monthly net income is €2,000 or less, to help counter the surge in fuel and energy prices. The “inflation allowance” will go to about 38 million French people automatically, including those who do not drive a car or ride a motorbike. The first payments will go to business employees in late December. Civil servants, students and pensioners will get theirs in early 2022. The €100 payment will be tax-free and Prime Minister Jean Castex said it would cost the government €3.8bn (£3.2bn; $4.4bn). That would be far less than the cost of cutting fuel duty, he said. Europe is facing widespread discontent after world energy prices spiked, largely a result of huge demand from businesses recovering from the long Covid paralysis. The energy market turmoil has had a knock-on effect, disrupting supply chains and causing some shortages of fuel and other consumer goods.(BBC)…[+]