France

France expands India education outreach, targets 30,000 students by 2030

France is stepping up its education outreach in India with a four-city tour featuring more than 50 French institutions, as the two countries seek to deepen cooperation in higher education, innovation and artificial intelligence, an official French government agency said. The outreach comes amid a sharp rise in Indian enrolment in French higher education, with the number of students growing to 9,100 in 2024-25, according to a statement by Campus France on Friday. Campus France is the official French government agency that promotes higher education abroad and guides international students through the university admission and visa application processes. Operating under the French Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Higher Education, it serves as the mandatory first step for anyone applying to study in France. The Choose France Tour will be held in Mumbai on October 11, Pune on October 13, New Delhi on October 15 and Bengaluru on October 17. October's four-city tour assumes significance

France to expel 2 Iranian diplomats over alleged assault on French envoys

In a post shared on X, Barrot said the Iranian people were the "primary victims" of the ongoing tensions in West Asia, caught between internal repression and military strikes.

France's top court blocks social media ban for children under 15

France's Constitutional Council said the proposed ban disproportionately infringed freedom of expression and lacked safeguards for the right to privacy.

French press body asks competition watchdog to take action over Google AI

The Alliance of General Information Press, which represents French newspapers and ​magazines, opposes the recent rollout of AI-generated article summaries by ‌Google without consultation

Wildfires rage across southern Europe; 3 firefighters killed in Greece

An uncontained wildfire four times the size of Paris threatened to surge again in southwest France on Wednesday -- as three firefighters died in Greece and crews across southern Europe confronted a punishing mix of heat, drought and strong winds. The deaths on Crete brought a fatal new dimension to a wildfire emergency stretching from the Atlantic coast to the eastern Mediterranean. At the peak of the evacuations, a third of a million people were driven from homes and vacation sites in France and Spain. In France's Gironde region, the country's biggest blaze had not spread during a calm night, authorities said. But as temperatures approached 40 degrees Celsius Wednesday afternoon and winds strengthened, the reprieve threatened to be short-lived. The landscape was so combustible that investigators believe routine brush-clearing work near a high-voltage line may have sparked the inferno, even though the work appeared to comply with regulations. At the command centre in Lege, ...

From US to China: How countries punish exam cheating and paper leaks

As Parliament debates tougher penalties for paper leaks, here's how countries from China and South Korea to the US, UK and Singapore punish exam fraud and organised cheating

Infosys fined €175,000 by French authority over work-hour tracking system

Infosys said in an exchange filing that it had received a communication from French labour authority DRIEETS lle-de-France, informing the company of a €175,000 penalty

France, Spain battle worsening wildfires as heat fuels massive blazes

With over 300k people evacuated across the two nations, a French official said the fire in the southwest Atlantic coast's Gironde region is headed toward Bordeaux, an urban center of 265k people

More than 250,000 people flee as wildfires spread across France, Spain

Authorities on Saturday ordered the immediate evacuation of some western suburbs of Bordeaux, a city in southwestern France famed for its wines

Wildfires force evacuation of over 200K people in France and Spain

Massive forest fires forced the evacuation of some 200,000 people in southwestern France and central Spain, with residents fleeing towns near Madrid and Bordeaux as the flames raged out of control. Firefighters and authorities in both European countries on Friday were caught off guard by the virulence of the fires, which were fuelled by high temperatures and the long-term effects of climate change. Firefighters in Spain admitted the fires were so fast and violent that they could not be tackled head on. Some people even fled by boat when flames swept through the touristic area on France's Atlantic coast. Some 141,000 fled homes in the Gironde and Landes departments in France, the French interior ministry said. In central Spain, 60,000 were forced from their homes, according to the Spanish interior ministry. Dozens of French firefighters were injured, authorities said, but no deaths were reported in either country despite the scenes of panic as townsfolk fled by car and police went d

Spain declares national emergency over wildfires, France asks EU for help

French authorities ordered the total evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula, a tourism hotspot busy for the summer season, as smoke and flames drew closer to homes

Why France banned social media for children under 15

France has become the first European Union country to ban social media access for children under 15. The law will be introduced in phases,

France approves social media ban for under-15s: Key details explained

The phased law bars new accounts from September, removes existing ones from January 2027, and signals a wider European push to tighten children's access to social media

FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinals: Date, time (IST), predictions, key stats

Argentina are bidding to become only the third nation after Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962) to successfully defend the FIFA World Cup title

Explosions in Damascus during French Prez Macron's Syria visit, 4 injured

Explosions rocked Damascus on Tuesday as France's president met with his Syrian counterpart in a landmark visit. Emmanuel Macron had entered the presidential palace to meet Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa when the explosions happened near the Four Seasons Hotel. Syrian authorities did not immediately comment on the incident. Syrian media reported that Macron was staying at the Four Seasons. Two explosions were heard in the heart of the capital, Syrian newspaper Al-Watan and Syria TV network reported. A large plume of smoke could be seen from the site. Footage widely circulated on social media showed a vehicle on fire and blood stains on the street. The number of casualties was not immediately clear. No group immediately claimed responsibility. The incident comes days after an explosive device was detonated in a cafe near the Justice Palace in Damascus, killing at least 10 people and wounding 20.

Why Europe's heatwave has already killed 1,300 people | El Niño | France | Germany | WHO

Europe is witnessing one of the worst heatwaves in its recorded history. The ongoing heatwave has caused more than 1,300 excess deaths since June 21, according to the World Health Organization

Sitharaman begins four-day France visit to deepen economic, strategic ties

The finance minister will co-chair the India-France Economic and Financial Dialogue, meet business leaders and participate in a global economic forum during her four-day visit

Intensifying heat wave threatens record-breaking temperatures across Europe

The heat wave is spreading north from mainland Europe, where it's plagued France for nearly a week