- 13h ago
France's prime minister says wildfires are under control as the Gironde megafire is fixed and 208,000 evacuees return home
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu says wildfires across France are now generally under control, ten days after the country's largest blaze since 1949 tore through 42,000 hectares in the Gironde wine region. A separate fire in the Var remains active and has forced fresh evacuations.
- 3d ago
Death toll in Ceuta migrant crisis reaches 72 as Spain installs floating barrier
At least 72 people died trying to reach the Spanish enclave from Morocco, while Madrid installed a 500-metre floating barrier and over 48,000 migrants returned.
- 3d ago
George Clooney evacuates French estate as wildfire burns 130 hectares near Brignoles; pledges to help rebuild
The actor and his family left their Domaine du Canadel estate in Var after a fast-moving fire broke out Wednesday, though the property was outside the official evacuation zone. He wrote to the mayor promising community support.
- 4d ago
France orders expulsion of Russian journalist Xenia Fedorova and freezes her assets; she decries censorship
Xenia Fedorova, former head of RT France and now a regular on Vincent Bolloré's media outlets, was served with an expulsion order on Wednesday and placed under house arrest; on Friday the government froze her assets for six months, accusing her of relaying Kremlin propaganda.
- 4d ago
French DJ Kavinsky, known for 'Nightcall' and Olympic performance, found dead at 50 in Paris home
The body of Vincent Belorgey, the electronic musician who performed at the 2024 Olympic closing ceremony, was discovered Tuesday evening; prosecutors have opened an inquiry with no suspicious elements found.
- 5d ago
Spain and France race to contain historic wildfires as fresh heatwave threatens to push temperatures past 40°C
Fires have already consumed over 77,000 hectares in central Spain and 42,000 in Gironde, France, forcing more than 325,000 people from their homes as forecasters warn of a punishing heatwave arriving mid-week.
- 5d ago
France's largest fire in 50 years burns 42,000 hectares and forces 220,000 evacuations near Bordeaux
The largest wildfire in France in 50 years has burned 42,000 hectares in Gironde, forced 220,000 evacuations, and destroyed 240 homes. Firefighters are racing to contain it before a new heatwave arrives on Tuesday.
- Jul 26
Macron thanks Romania in Romanian while wildfires force mass evacuations in France and Spain
French President Emmanuel Macron posted a message in Romanian thanking the country's firefighters, as authorities in France and Spain battle wildfires that have forced more than 300,000 people from their homes, with Bordeaux facing a possible full evacuation.
- Jul 25
Wildfires Force 270,000 Evacuations in France and Spain; Bordeaux Airport Closed, NASA Center Evacuated
Massive wildfires in southwestern France and central Spain have forced over 270,000 people to evacuate, with Bordeaux's airport closed and a NASA deep-space communications center threatened near Madrid.
- Jul 25
A400M military transport plane drops retardant for first time on massive Gironde wildfire, 167,000 evacuated
The Airbus A400M, repurposed to carry 20 tonnes of fire retardant, dropped its first red line near Lacanau on Saturday, joining the battle against a wildfire that has consumed 32,700 hectares and forced 167,000 residents to flee.
- Jul 25
Over 220,000 evacuated as twin wildfire crises engulf southwestern France and central Spain
French authorities ordered the full evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula on 24 July, pushing the combined number of people forced from their homes across France and Spain past 220,000, as record heat and high winds drove multiple fire fronts.
- Jul 24
France battles wildfires: 20,000 evacuated, EU sends Canadair and Black Hawk aircraft as heatwave fuels crisis
Wildfires in southwestern France have burned thousands of hectares, forced 20,000 evacuations and killed two firefighters, prompting President Macron to activate the EU civil protection mechanism for aerial support.
- Jul 23
Var wildfire stabilised at 1,800 hectares as France's fires come 'under control', PM says
The wildfire in the Var department has not grown since Saturday night, allowing most of the 2,500 evacuees to return home, while the prime minister declared the nationwide fire situation 'under control'.
- Jul 23
French ecology minister Monique Barbut reverses resignation after Macron guarantees on pesticides law
Monique Barbut, France's ecological transition minister, withdrew her resignation on Wednesday after President Emmanuel Macron refused to accept it and offered new environmental guarantees, following a dispute over pesticide reintroduction in the agricultural emergency law.
- Jul 22
Germany clears French-Russian nuclear fuel production at Lingen, bans Rosatom staff and urges EU sanctions
A German state has cleared a French-Russian nuclear fuel venture at the Lingen plant, imposing a ban on Rosatom staff and demanding EU sanctions on Moscow's nuclear sector.
- Jul 22
France becomes first EU country to ban social media for under-15s, with new accounts blocked from September
Parliament adopted the ban on 21 July, with new account restrictions starting in September and a full age-verification deadline in January 2027. The move puts pressure on Brussels to craft a unified EU approach.
- Jul 22
French ecology minister Monique Barbut quits as parliament brings back two pesticides banned in France
Monique Barbut, France's Ecological Transition minister, intends to resign after the government declined to block a parliamentary amendment reintroducing two neonicotinoid pesticides prohibited nationally but still permitted across the European Union.
- Jul 22
France becomes first European country to ban social media for children under 15
The French parliament adopted a law on Tuesday prohibiting minors under 15 from using social networks, with the ban taking effect in September for new accounts and January for existing ones.
- Jul 19
Jens Spahn resigns as CDU/CSU parliamentary leader after surrogacy backlash
The head of Germany's conservative parliamentary group stepped down on Saturday after his decision to have a child via a surrogate in the United States collided with his party's long-standing opposition to the practice.
- Jul 18
Tour riders slam 'inhuman' 2am doping test after Vingegaard crashes out of Tour de France in stage 15
Jonas Vingegaard abandoned the Tour de France with a broken collarbone hours after being woken at 2am for a doping control, prompting riders to call the timing 'inhuman' and 'disrespectful' while the International Testing Agency admitted the tests 'could have disturbed' their sleep.
