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France unveils smartphone emergency app

The terror alert app project, available in French and English, has been piloted by the French Interior Ministry.

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Users’ phone screens will remain green if their area is safe, but will turn red if a terror attack occurs.

Users can also share news of alerts from the app on Twitter and Facebook.

The hope is that the app will help facilitate the spread of reliable information on social media during an attack, while lightening the burden on France’s emergency telephone lines. Aside from attacks, the app also advises on nuclear disasters, dam failure and hazardous materials.

Two days before Euro 2016 kicks off in France, unresolved strikes and security fears hung over the tournament with Paris scrambling Wednesday to stop rubbish piling up in its streets.

The French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, said after the November attacks that he wanted to improve information to the public at a time of crisis.

Security wise, French officials were disappointed after what Washington and London have stated regarding Euro 2016.

Britain on Tuesday warned its citizens there was a “high threat from terrorism” during the month-long championship.

The government body added: “Stadiums, fan zones, venues broadcasting the tournament and transport hubs and links represent potential targets for terrorist attacks”.

French riot police officers secure the departure of commuters as railway workers and Labor unions members attend a demonstration against the French government and labor law reforms at Gare Du Nord Station in Paris France, Wednesday June 8, 2016.

The tension was ratcheted up this week when Ukrainian officials revealed they had arrested a French national trying to smuggle an arsenal of weapons back to France in order to attack 15 different sites during Euro 2016.

Germany is looking to become simultaneous world and European champions and has told players they will each receive a bonus of 300,000 euros ($342,000) if they deliver a record fourth continental title for the country.

Euro 2016 has become a bargaining chip in the workers’ negotiations with the French authorities: 1.5 million foreign visitors are set to arrive for the championship.

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SAIP (Système d’alerte et d’information des populations) is created to help keep people safe during the UEFA Euro 2016 soccer tournament kicking off on Friday in France.

A man walks past a pile of rubbish bags in Paris France Wednesday