French lawmakers voted Tuesday to ban social media use for children under the age of 15, making it the first country in the European Union to introduce such an age limit.

Australia made history late last year when it implemented the first ban on social media for under-16s. The British government announced similar restrictions last month, expected to come into effect next year. Spain, Greece and Denmark are also planning to impose minimum age limits for social media use.

French lawmakers overwhelmingly voted in favor of the bill, which was strongly backed by France’s President Emmanuel Macron. He will now sign it into law.

“Social media will be banned for children under 15 starting this school year,” he posted on X after the vote as he thanked lawmakers for passing the bill.

“The brains of our children and our teenagers are not for sale,” he had said in a video message in January. “The emotions of our children and our teenagers are not for sale or to be manipulated, neither by American platforms nor by Chinese algorithms.”

Macron had ordered the French government to expedite the bill’s passage through parliament, with the aim of having legislation in place for the beginning of the new next school year in September.

It is not yet clear how the social media sites will verify users’ ages. Australia requires companies to “take reasonable steps” to prevent underage children from opening or keeping accounts, and the French government has promised to implement age controls to back up the law.

Earlier versions of the legislation also included proposals for a ban on advertising promoting social media to children, including by influencers, and to require advertisements for social media platforms to carry the warning: “Dangerous products for children under 15.” However, these plans did not make it into the final bill.

The new law will be enforced by Arcom, France’s audiovisual and digital communications regulator. It is expected to apply to all the major platforms.

According to Arcom, children aged 12 to 17 in France spend an average of 1 hour and 21 minutes a day on TikTok. The regulator says the platform’s recommendation algorithm tends to promote the most “extreme” content, exposing teenagers to a continuous stream of anxiety-inducing or otherwise harmful videos.

Social media companies say they already take steps to protect children from some kinds of content.

Across OECD countries in 2022, at least half of 15-year-olds in most countries spent 30 hours or more per week on digital devices, including learning activities in or out of school.

Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said warned that “social media is not a toy,” in a statement calling for “age-appropriate restrictions.”

“In Europe, whoever develops a product is responsible for its safety. Car manufacturers must make their vehicles safe. We do not expect children to design their own seatbelts. We do not expect parents to fit airbags at home,” she wrote. “This is not about whether children can access social media. It is about whether and when social media can access our children.”

In France, some opposition lawmakers opposed the bill at an earlier stage over concerns about free speech and access to informative online content. Some senators had proposed a blacklist of certain social media platforms.

This is not the first time France has restricted access to online material. A ban on access to online pornography for minors overcame legal challenges to finally come into effect in 2025. It requires users to provide proof of age. (CNN)

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France’s parliament on Wednesday approved a bill to allow assisted dying for terminally ill adults.

The law would allow an adult who is terminally ill to request a lethal substance that could be either self-administered or administered by a doctor.

It applies to French citizens or legal residents who have an illness that is life-threatening and in an advanced or terminal phase, and which is causing them constant physical suffering. Lawmakers stressed that psychological suffering alone is not a qualifying factor, disqualifying those suffering from severe psychiatric disorders or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. 

Patients must also be able to express their free and informed choice, and must be examined by a physician and then have their case assessed by a panel of experts.

However, Wednesday’s vote did not mark the end of the law’s legislative and judicial path. France’s highest constitutional authority will have the final say at a later date.

What’s next for France’s assisted dying law?

The lower house of France’s National Assembly on Wednesday passed the law, with 291 votes in favor and 241 against. It had also approved the law in three previous readings.

However, the government used a constitutional rule to bypass the upper house, not the Senate, which is dominated by conservatives and right-wing parties.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said the law would instead go to the Constitutional Council for a final say.

The Constitutional Council still has the power to declare the law invalid or to express reservations about certain sections, though such cases are extreme.

’14 years of parliamentary battles’

The assisted dying law has been years in the making and was even an election promise made by President Emmanuel Macron.

“In 2022, I made a commitment to open this path with the French people,” Macron wrote on X. “With seriousness, humility, and in full respect of our democracy, that commitment has been honored.”

Lawmakers also applauded the bill’s author, former deputy Olivier Falorni, who was present in the chamber. He said the vote had passed after “14 years of parliamentary battles.”

If the law clears the Constitutional Council, France will join fellow European countries Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland in legalizing assisted dying, as well as Canada, New Zealand, and some states in the US and Australia. (DW)

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France head coach Didier Deschamps was far from pleased with some of the refereeing decisions during his team’s loss to Spain in the FIFA World Cup semi-final in Dallas on Tuesday.

France suffered a 2-0 loss to Spain to qualify for Sunday’s final in New Jersey, where they will face either England or Argentina.

Although Deschamps didn’t name the referee, Ivan Barton, he questioned whether the referee was qualified enough to officiate in a big match like the FIFA World Cup semi-final.

“If I say anything, I’ll look like a sore loser because we lost,” Deschamps told reporters after the match. “But I ask you: is the referee up to the task of officiating a semi-final? There’s the penalty, but that’s not all; it adds to everything else. I have nothing against the referee tonight, but ask yourselves the question,” he added.

Didier Deschamps on penalty awarded to Spain

Deschamps was referring to the penalty that was awarded to Spain in the 22nd minute. Forward Mikel Oyarzabal converted from the spot to give Spain a 1-0 lead, before Pedro Porro doubled the lead in the 58th minute.

Spain were awarded a penalty after France defender Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal inside the box. Digne attempted to clear the ball as Yamal sprinted in from behind to challenge inside the penalty area.

The ball brushed the teenager’s elbow before Digne’s follow-through caught him.

“It isn’t because we lost that I’m saying this. There were several situations that went against us,” Deschamps, who will step down as France head coach after the FIFA World Cup, said. “But the first reason is because we were a bit below our level,” he added.

The 1998 FIFA World Cup winner said that the players were devastated after the loss to Spain.

The Les Bleus will next play the third-place playoff match in Miami on Saturday, where they will face the loser of the second semi-final.

“The players are devastated because we had a lot of ambition. We have to recognise that today we were a level below. Technically, we came up against a team that mastered the game. We were less dangerous offensively than we could have been,” the 57-year-old explained.

Deschamps took over as France head coach in July 2012. Under his guidance, France went on to win the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League titles.

France also finished as runners-up at the 2016 European Championships and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Zinedine Zidane, another French legend, will reportedly take over as the head coach of France after the FIFA World Cup. (Live Mint Sports)

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A doctor returning from a humanitarian mission in Congo has tested positive for Ebola, the country’s first case of the virus during the current outbreak, France’s health ministry said on Wednesday.

The health ministry “confirms today the identification of a first positive case of Ebola virus disease on national territory”, it said. 

Contacted by AFP, the ministry specified that the case was identified in mainland France.

The patient is being isolated and authorities are contact tracing, the ministry said, adding that the risk for the general European population was low.

Congo’s Ebola outbreak, which has infected more than 1,000 people and killed 267, has had the largest number of confirmed cases within the first month of any episode of the disease, the World Health Organisation has said. (France 24)

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Athithiya Anantharajah, a 25‑year‑old of Sri Lankan origin, has been appointed Maire Adjoint (Deputy Mayor) of Pontault‑Combault, a municipality on the outskirts of Paris, France.

Athithiya, the daughter of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who fled the war, began her public service career at the age of 19 as a city councillor. 

She was officially appointed Deputy Mayor in March 2026 and assumed duties on March 23 following the municipal elections.

Her family traces its roots to Kayts in the Jaffna district. 

During her earlier term as Municipal Councillor for Youth from 2020 to 2026, Athithiya led several initiatives for young residents aged 11 to 17, including the “Quartier Jeunes” program and awareness workshops on environmental issues and disability inclusion.

She is expected to play a key role in local governance and community development in Pontault‑Combault. (Newswire)

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Canada has said that it “strongly condemns” Israel’s plans to occupy southern Lebanon and warned that Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity “must not be violated”, amid plans by Israeli forces to mount a major ground invasion of its northern neighbour.

Israel’s preparations to invade and take control of territory up to 30km (18.6 miles) inside Lebanon’s southern border come as the death toll in Lebanon from Israeli attacks has risen to at least 1,072 people, with almost 3,000 wounded, since the start of this month.

More than a million people have also been displaced by weeks of Israeli attacks in the south and east of the country, as well as the capital, Beirut, while warnings of a humanitarian crisis are being made at all levels, as Israel’s ground incursion looms.

Expressing “solidarity” with the Lebanese government and people of Lebanon, Canada’s Ministry of Global Affairs said on Wednesday that all sides in the conflict must “act in accordance with international law”.

“We urge all parties to protect civilians, refrain from attacks on infrastructure, health workers, and peacekeepers,” the ministry said in a statement.

On Tuesday, France’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot also said that Israel should refrain from its planned occupation of southern Lebanon, warning that such a move would have a dire impact on civilians.

“We urge the Israeli authorities to refrain from such ground operations, which would have major humanitarian consequences and would exacerbate the country’s already dire situation,” Barrot told the AFP news agency.

The French and Canadian statements come after Israel announced that its military will take control of south Lebanese territory up to the Litani River, some 30km from the Israeli border.

Israel’s Minister of Defence Israel Katz said the military “will control… the security zone up to the Litani”, adding that displaced Lebanese residents would not be permitted to return to their homes south of the river “until security is guaranteed for the residents of the north” of Israel.

Raising the spectre of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, Katz said that Israel’s military was “following the model of Rafah and Beit Hanoon” in Lebanon, two cities that were effectively razed to the ground amid the war on the Palestinian enclave.

On Monday, Israel’s far-right Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich went even further in calling for Israel’s official annexation of southern Lebanon, saying that a “change of Israel’s borders” was necessary.

“I say here definitively… in every room and in every discussion, too: The new Israeli border must be the Litani”, he said in an interview.

Israel’s preparations to invade southern Lebanon have included bombing bridges spanning the Litani River and bombing Lebanese homes close to the border that separates the two countries.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called Israel’s attack on the Qasmiyeh Bridge on Sunday – a key to the south of the country – a “prelude to ground invasion”.

Lebanese state media cited the Ministry of Health early on Wednesday as saying that nine people had been killed in Israel’s most recent attacks on Lebanon.

Four people were killed in an “Israeli enemy raid” on the southern town of Adloun, and another two were killed in a strike on an apartment in the Mieh Mieh refugee camp, with four others wounded, according to reports. An earlier Israeli raid on the town of Habboush, also in the south, killed at least three people and wounded 18 others.

In northern Israel – as repeated air raid sirens sent residents to safety shelters – a woman was killed on Tuesday following rocket fire from Lebanon, Israeli authorities said. (Al Jazeera)

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France’s Lower House passed a Bill banning social media for those under 15, a move championed by President Emmanuel Macron as a way to protect children from excessive screen time.

The lower National Assembly adopted the text by a vote of 130 to 21 in a lengthy overnight session from Jan 26 to 27.

It will now go to the Senate, France’s upper house, ahead of becoming law.

Mr Macron hailed it as a “major step” in protecting France’s children and teenagers.

The legislation, which also provides for a ban on mobile phones in high schools, comes after Australia’s ban on social media for those under 16 in December, a world first.

As social media has grown, so has concern that too much screen time is arresting child development and contributing to mental health problems.

“The emotions of our children and teenagers are not for sale or to be manipulated, either by American platforms or Chinese algorithms,” Mr Macron said in a video broadcast on Jan 23.

Authorities want the measures to be enforced from the start of the 2026 school year for new accounts.

Former prime minister Gabriel Attal, who leads Mr Macron’s Renaissance party in the Lower House, said he hoped the Senate would pass the Bill by mid-February so that the ban could come into force for new accounts on Sept 1.

He added that “social media platforms will then have until Dec 31 to deactivate existing accounts” that do not comply with the age limit.

‘Destiny of our country’

In addition to combating the impact of screens and social media on the mental health of young adolescents, Mr Attal stressed that the measure would counter “a number of powers that, through social media platforms, want to colonise minds”.

“France can be a pioneer in Europe in a month: we can change the lives of our young people and our families, and perhaps also change the destiny of our country in terms of independence,” he said.

France’s public health watchdog ANSES said in January that social media platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram had numerous detrimental effects on adolescents – particularly girls – while not being the sole cause of declining mental health.

The risks listed include cyberbullying and exposure to violent content.

The legislation stipulates that “access to an online social networking service provided by an online platform is prohibited for minors under the age of 15”.

The draft Bill excludes online encyclopaedias and educational directories from the ban.

An effective age verification system would have to come into force for the ban to become reality. Work on such a system is under way at the European level.

The hard-left France Unbowed’s Mr Arnaud Saint-Martin criticised the ban as “a form of digital paternalism” and an “overly simplistic” response to the negative impacts of technology.

On Jan 26, nine child protection associations urged lawmakers to “hold platforms accountable”, not “ban” children from social media.

Mr Macron has also backed a ban on students having mobile phones in high schools.

In 2018, France banned children from using mobile phones in “colleges”, the schools attended between the ages of 11 and 15.

Former prime minister Elisabeth Borne expressed reservations about the measure on Jan 26.

“It’s more complicated than that,” she told broadcaster France 2. “We first need to make sure that the ban is properly enforced in middle schools.” (AFP)

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Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) Leader MP Mano Ganesan met French Ambassador to Sri Lanka Rémi Lambert at his residence, accompanied by a TPA delegation, where they raised concerns that Malaiyaha Sri Lankans, particularly plantation residents, continue to face exclusion from equal treatment under the Government’s Rebuilding Sri Lanka housing initiative.

In a post on ‘X’, MP Mano Ganesan stated that the French Ambassador was informed that the Malaiyaha Sri Lankans were the worst affected by the Cyclone Ditwah disaster.

“We apprised the Ambassador,  with facts: Malaiyaha SriLankans, especially plantation residents, were the worst affected by the Ditwah disaster, yet are systematically excluded from equal treatment under the GoSL’s Rebuilding Sri Lanka housing initiative. Despite official commitments, the promised LKR 5 million grant & land allocation to every displaced family remain denied to the plantation community. This is not oversight—it is institutional discrimination,” MP Mano Ganesan alleged.

The TPA Leader further said that repeated requests for a meeting between the TPA and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to discuss these unresolved, community-specific injustices have been deliberately ignored.

“We urged France to actively use its good offices to press the GoSL to end this discriminatory practice and ensure equal rights, equal resources, and equal dignity for Malaiyaha Sri Lankans,” he added.

MP Mano Ganesan said that he further appealed that France, as a leading European Union member, must insist that land and housing rights for the Malaiyaha community be made a condition for Sri Lanka’s continued access to GSP+benefits. (Newswire)

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The Embassy of France in Colombo says two French cable ships are to be built in Sri Lanka for the benefit of global connectivity.

According to the French Embassy, Global cable ship owner Orange Marine has chosen Colombo Dockyard PLC to build the 2 new cable ships.

The two new cable ships will renew the fleet capacity of the global French reference in the installation & maintenance of submarine cables, it added. (Newswire)

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The leaders of six countries, including France, have moved to recognise Palestinian statehood at a high-level summit ahead of the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting in New York.

Alongside France, which co-convened the meeting with Saudi Arabia on Monday in New York, Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta and Monaco said they were recognising a Palestinian state.

Leaders from Australia, Canada, Portugal and the United Kingdom, which formally made the move to recognise Palestine a day earlier, also spoke at the meeting.

“We have gathered here because the time has come,” Macron said at the summit convened to revive the long-delayed two-state solution to end the Israel-Palestine conflict.

“It falls on us, this responsibility, to do everything in our power to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution,” Macron said.

“Today, I declare that France recognises the state of Palestine,” he said.

The additional countries recognising Palestine now join some 147 of the 193 UN member states that had already formally recognised Palestinian statehood as of April this year.

With more than 80 percent of the international community now recognising the state of Palestine, diplomatic pressure has ramped up on Israel as it continues its genocidal war on Gaza, where more than 65,300 Palestinians have been killed and the enclave has been turned into rubble.

Spain, Norway and Ireland recognised Palestinian statehood last year, with Madrid also imposing sanctions on Israel for its war on Gaza.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told the summit on Monday that a two-state solution was not possible “when the population of one of those two states is the victim of a genocide”.

“The Palestinian people are being annihilated, [so] in the name of reason, in the name of international law and in the name of human dignity, we have to stop this slaughter,” Sanchez said.

Macron, in his speech to the summit, also outlined a framework for the creation of a “renewed Palestinian Authority”. The post-war framework envisages an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) that would assist in preparing the Palestinian Authority (PA) to take over governance in Gaza.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas commended the countries that had recognised Palestine. He made his statement to the conference by video because he was denied a visa by the administration of US President Donald Trump to attend the UNGA this week.

“We call on those that have not yet done so to do so to follow suit”, Abbas said, adding that the PA also demanded “support for Palestine’s full membership in the United Nations”.

Israel and the US, which are becoming increasingly isolated internationally on the issue, boycotted the summit, with Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, describing the event as a “circus”.

Although the vast majority of UN member states now recognise Palestinian statehood, new UN member states must have the support of the UN Security Council, where the US has used its veto to block Palestine from becoming a full UN member state.

‘A right, not a reward’

Speaking at the summit, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his support for the two-state solution, framing it as the only viable path towards peace after years of failed negotiations and ongoing violence.

Guterres said that statehood for Palestinians “is a right, not a reward”, rejecting US and Israeli claims that it was a reward for Hamas.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, thanked Macron and the UN chief for their efforts towards a two-state solution, which he said is “the only way to achieve just and lasting peace”.

He said the conference comes at a time when “the Israeli occupation authorities continue their aggression and their brutal crimes” against Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel also continues its “violations in the West Bank, and its repeated attacks on Arab and Muslim countries, with the most recent attack on Qatar”, he said.

“These actions underline Israel’s insistence on continuing aggressive practices that threaten regional and international peace and stability and undermine efforts of peace in the region,” he added.

The US, Israel’s closest ally, has criticised Western governments for their recognition of Palestine, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier saying that the move will “embolden [Hamas]” and make it harder to end the war.

On Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that US President Donald Trump believes the countries’ recognition of Palestine “is a reward to Hamas”. (Al Jazeera)

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French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France will recognise Palestine as a state, amid snowballing global anger over people starving in Gaza.

Macron said in a post on social media that he will formalise the decision at the United Nations General Assembly in September. “The urgent thing today is that the war in Gaza stops and the civilian population is saved.″

The French president offered support for Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and frequently speaks out against antisemitism, but he has grown increasingly frustrated about Israel’s war in Gaza, especially in recent months.

“Given its historic commitment to a just and sustainable peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the state of Palestine,” Macron posted. ″Peace is possible.’’

He also posted a letter he sent to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about the decision.

Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas’s deputy Hussein al-Sheikh welcomed France’s intent to recognise a State of Palestine, thanking President Emmanuel Macron.

“This position reflects France’s commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people’s rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state,” Sheikh said.

On the streets, Palestinians told AFP that they hoped other countries would now follow suit.

Islamist militant group Hamas hailed France’s pledge to recognise a State of Palestine as a “positive step” and urged all countries to do the same despite Israeli opposition.

“We consider this a positive step in the right direction toward doing justice to our oppressed Palestinian people and supporting their legitimate right to self-determination,” Hamas said in a statement, after French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement that France would formally state its recognition in September.

“We call on all countries of the world –especially European nations and those that have not yet recognised the State of Palestine — to follow France’s lead,” Hamas added.

Three quarters of UN states support Palestinian state

France is the biggest and most powerful European country to recognise Palestine. According to an AFP tally, at least 142 countries out of the 193 UN members have now recognised or plan to recognise a Palestinian state, though Israel and the United States strongly oppose recognition.

They include most Middle Eastern, African, Latin American and Asian countries, but not the United States, Canada, most of western Europe, Australia, Japan or South Korea.

France has Europe’s largest Jewish population and the largest Muslim population in western Europe, and fighting in the Middle East often spills over into protests or other tensions in France.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that Washington rejected Macron’s plan calling it a “reckless decision.”

Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin on Thursday slammed France’s move to recognise a State of Palestine, calling it “a black mark on French history and a direct aid to terrorism”.

Levin, who is also justice minister, said France’s “shameful decision” meant it was now “time to apply Israeli sovereignty” to the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.

In a statement on X, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney also pressed Israel to seek peace, condemning the “Israeli government’s failure to prevent the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian disaster in Gaza” and reiterating Canada’s support for a two-state solution in the region.

Carney also accused Israel of violating international law over the blocking of Canadian-funded aid to civilians in the war-torn Palestinian enclave.

“Canada calls on all sides to negotiate an immediate ceasefire in good faith. We reiterate our calls for Hamas to immediately release all the hostages, and for the Israeli government to respect the territorial integrity of the West Bank and Gaza,” the prime minister said.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez  welcomed France’s decision to join Spain in recognising the State of Palestine, saying it would “protect” a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Together, we must protect what (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu is trying to destroy. The two-state solution is the only solution,” the Socialist leader, an outspoken critic of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, wrote on X. (France24)

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The signing of the bilateral agreement between Sri Lanka and France regarding the external debt restructuring process took place yesterday, marking a significant milestone in Sri Lanka’s efforts to achieve debt sustainability, the Ministry of Finance said. 

The Finance Ministry said Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Mahinda Siriwardana, signed on behalf of Sri Lanka and Assistant Secretary for Multilateral Affairs, Trade and Development Policies at the Directorate-General of the Treasury, William Roos, signed on behalf of France.

Issuing a statement, the Finance Ministry said that France has played a pivotal role in Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring journey, co-chairing the Official Creditor Committee alongside Japan and India. “Its leadership and constructive engagement have been instrumental in helping Sri Lanka navigate the complexities of economic reform and recovery.”

The Ministry of Finance further said that this spirit of cooperation has enabled Sri Lanka to make meaningful progress toward restoring debt sustainability.

The ministry added that the conclusion of the Exchange of Notes and signing of the Agreement will certainly pave the way to developing further the deep and longstanding bilateral relationships between the Governments of France and Sri Lanka. (Newswire)

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French authorities have announced plans to ban social media for under-15s and the sale of knives to minors after the murder of a teaching assistant by a 14-year-old boy plunged the country into shock.

A secondary school pupil was arrested on Tuesday after killing a 31-year-old school assistant with a knife during a bag search in Nogent in eastern France.

Friends and well-wishers left flowers and messages of support in front of the secondary school struck by the tragedy.

“We share your pain,” read one message.

Laurence Raclot, who knew the teaching assistant, Melanie, said she was “stunned”.

“She was great with kids,” Raclot said. “In a quiet little town, we never would have thought this could happen.”

A former hairdresser, Melanie had retrained and worked at the school since September. She was the mother of a four-year-old boy and a councillor in a village near Nogent.

“There are no words,” added another local, Sabrina Renault. “It’s really sad for her whole family, for that little boy who’s left without his mum.”

Pupils and parents were seen entering and leaving the school, where a psychological support unit has been set up.

The suspect will remain in police custody for a further 24 hours, until Thursday morning, a police source told AFP on Wednesday. Little information has been released about his motive.

‘Cannot wait’

In the wake of the attack, authorities promised a raft of measures to tackle knife crime among children.

“I am proposing banning social media for children under 15,” President Emmanuel Macron said on X on Tuesday evening. “Platforms have the ability to verify age. Let’s do it,” he added.

Backed by France and Spain, Greece has spearheaded a proposal for how the EU should limit children’s use of online platforms as evidence shows that social media can have negative effects on children’s mental and physical health.

Macron said on Tuesday that if no progress was made within several months, then France would go ahead with the ban unilaterally.

“We cannot wait,” he told broadcaster France 2.

France has in recent years seen several attacks on teachers and pupils by other schoolchildren.

In March, police started random searches for knives and other weapons concealed in bags at and around schools.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister François Bayrou‘s office said a ban on the sale of knives to minors will be implemented by a decree issued within the next two weeks.

Speaking to broadcaster TF1 on Tuesday evening, Bayrou said that the measure would come into force “immediately”.

The list will include “any knife that can be used as a weapon”, he said.

He also said parents and educators should be watching for “signs that a teenager is not doing well”, while acknowledging that there was a shortage of psychologists.

Bayrou has also called for a trial of metal detectors in schools.

‘Overexposure to screens’

Education Minister Élisabeth Borne called for a minute’s silence to be held in all French schools at midday on Thursday to honour the memory of the teaching assistant.

“The entire educational community is in shock, as is the whole nation,” she told France Inter radio on Wednesday.

Borne said she was “open to anything” to improve safety but added that ceramic blades would be invisible to metal detectors.

She also said that young people should be protected from “overexposure to screens”.

But trade unions said they were not sure how these proposals would be implemented and enforced.

“Teaching assistants have primarily educational duties within the school environment,” said Sophie Venetitay, general secretary of the SNES-FSU teachers’ union.

But, she added, “little by little, we have seen attempts to turn them into security guards.”

Remy Reynaud of the CGT Educ’action union criticised the government’s decision to introduce bag searches outside schools.

“They increase tensions,” he said.

“School management are pressuring teaching assistants to participate in the searches, which is not part of their duties.” (France 24)

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Emmanuel Bonne, who is the diplomatic advisor to French President Macron, praised the excellent cooperation with India at the United Nations Security Council and reiterated the country’s support to India for a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

While on his visit to India on Thursday for the 36th session of the Indo-French Strategic Dialogue, Emmanuel Bonne, a G7 and G20 Sherpa to the President of France held talks on wide-ranging issues with his counterpart National Security Advisor Ajit Doval during the strategic dialogue, the Government of France said in an official statement.

All facets of the Indo-French strategic partnership were discussed, including counterterrorism collaboration, cyber security, space policy, significant global and regional challenges including the conflict in Ukraine, and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

As the first bilateral visit of the year, the dialogue between India and France aimed to pave the way for an ambitious expansion of the Indo-French strategic partnership as it marks its 25th anniversary this year.

During his visit, Bonne also called on PM Narendra Modi and met with EAM S Jaishankar and G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant. He stressed France’s full support for India’s G20 presidency and conveyed President Macron’s message that Indo-French cooperation would be key to tackling global challenges in 2023, according to the official statement.

France and India established a strategic partnership in 1998, which has since grown continuously in scope and depth, based on exceptional mutual trust, shared democratic values, and a joint vision for a multipolar, rules-based world order. (ANI)

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French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was banned from running for public office with immediate effect on Monday after a court found her guilty of misappropriating European Union funds.

The ban will last for five years, as demanded by prosecutors. She has also been handed a four-year prison sentence to be served with an electronic tag.

Le Pen said ahead of the verdict that a guilty ruling could lead to her “political death.”

The court ruled that Le Pen and her National Rally party (RN) misused €3 million ($3.25 million) in European Parliament funds meant for parliamentary assistants.

Prosecutors alleged that the money in question was used to pay France-based party staff between 2004 and 2016, violating EU rules.

Le Pen, 56, denied any wrongdoing, calling the case a political attack aimed at ending her career.

“There are 11 million people who voted for the movement I represent,” said Le Pen ahead of the ruling on Monday. She also claimed that the case against her would mean “potentially millions of French people seeing themselves deprived of their candidate in the election.”

She left the court dramatically before anything was said about the duration of the ban.

Le Pen’s political future

Prosecutors asked that Le Pen face an immediate five-year ban from public office if found guilty, regardless of any appeal process.

This could prevent her from running in the 2027 presidential election, where she is a leading contender. An appeal would trigger a retrial, likely in 2026, just months before the vote.

Le Pen’s party said the trial is a judicial overreach, similar to what US President Donald Trump had said about his legal troubles in the past.

“With provisional execution, the judges have the power of life or death over our movement,” she said. “But I don’t think they’ll go that far.”

Some of her rivals, including Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, have expressed concern over courts deciding who can run for office.

RN president Jordan Bardella, 29, has been tipped as a potential replacement for Le Pen at the 2027 presidential election. He, however, is not expected to match her electoral appeal.

The judge on Monday also handed down guilty verdicts to eight other members of her party who, like Le Pen, served as lawmakers in the European Parliament.

Twelve parliamentary assistants were also found guilty. (DW)

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Three overseas diplomats appointed to Sri Lankan presented their credentials to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo today. 

Accordingly, the Government of the State of Palestine with the concurrence of the Government of Sri Lanka has appointed Ihab I.M. Khalil as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Palestine to Sri Lanka based in Colombo. 

The Government of Nepal with the agreement of the Government of Sri Lanka has appointed Purna Bahadur Nepali as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Nepal to Sri Lanka based in Colombo. 

Furthermore, the Government of the French Republic with the concurrence of the Government of Sri Lanka has appointed Rémi Lambert as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Sri Lanka based in Colombo. 

According to Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry, the three newly appointed Ambassadors presented their credentials to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake today. (Newswire)

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be attending the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit in France from February 10 to 11, in what will be a significant visit to the European nation, announced French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday,, according to Reuters.

While addressing the 30th Conference of Ambassadors, President Macron said, “France will be hosting the AI Summit on February 10-11. A summit for action, as we call it. This summit will allow for an international conversation on AI. There will be Prime Minister Modi, who will move up to a major visit in our country as we want to forge a dialogue with all powers on AI.”

The French President emphasised the importance of AI as a global conversation, stating that it will include countries such as the US, China, and India, as well as, the countries from the Gulf, which have significant roles in developing and regulating AI technologies.

“The US, China, and major emerging countries such as India have a key role to play, as well as the Gulf,” Macron said.

Macron also highlighted that the summit will focus on innovation, talent, and positioning France and Europe at the centre of the global AI landscape.

“Beyond that conversion, what we want to do for public interest with the foundation will be setting up… The summit’s core for me will be innovation and the ability to attract talent and to have France and Europe at the heart of the AI battle,” he added.

Notably, the French Presidency earlier confirmed India’s invitation to the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in December, describing India as a “very important country.”

During a press briefing about the summit, the French Presidency announced that 90 countries, including India, had been invited to participate.

“We have invited India and are working very closely with India in the run-up to the summit. Misinformation and misuse of AI are themes that will be addressed,” the French Presidency stated.

“India is a very important country, particularly in terms of its potential to make a concrete impact on people’s lives. We look forward to India’s contributions to the summit’s various teams,” it added.

The summit, to be hosted by France at the Grand Palais in Paris, will convene Heads of State and Government, leaders of international organisations, CEOs from large and small companies, representatives from academia, NGOs, artists, and members of civil society.

The event will focus on five key themes: public interest in AI, the future of work, innovation and culture, trust in AI, and global AI governance.

The French Presidency further highlighted the importance of addressing issues related to disinformation and the misuse of AI, which are central topics for the summit’s discussions.

On February 10, various stakeholders, including heads of state and government representatives, will participate in multiple sessions. Macron will host a formal dinner for heads of state and other VIPs that evening.

On February 11, the summit will feature a dedicated leaders’ session exclusively for heads of state. (The Statesman)

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Secretary General of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Anne-Marie DESCÔTES undertook an official visit to Sri Lanka from 10-11 December 2024 to attend the inauguration of the Regional Centre for Maritime Studies at the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) on 11 December 2024.

During her short visit, the Secretary General had a courtesy meeting with Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They welcomed the continued upward trajectory in the Franco-Sri Lanka bilateral partnership, strengthened through high-level engagements and new initiatives in the pipeline.

The Regional Centre for Maritime Studies is a Sri Lanka-France bilateral initiative that aims to strengthen capacity and knowledge mainly in maritime safety and security. This collaboration demonstrates the shared interest of the two countries to strengthen cooperation in the maritime domain in the Indian Ocean, as Indian Ocean States and members of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).

Bilateral talks were also held between Secretary General DESCÔTES and her counterpart Foreign Secretary Aruni Ranaraja on 11th of December. They reiterated the shared commitment to further enhance the longstanding bilateral partnership through frequent interactions and dialogues between the two Foreign Ministries. The discussion also focused on a range of potential areas of mutual interest including economic and development cooperation, maritime cooperation, climate change and cooperation in the multilateral fora. (Newswire)

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French Prime Minister Michel Barnier has been forced to resign just three months into his term, after lawmakers on the left and the right united to support a no-confidence motion and plunge the country into deeper political instability.

A total of 331 out of 577 lawmakers voted against Barnier’s fragile government, seizing their opportunity to topple the veteran politician – and renowned negotiator – after his attempt to ram through part of his government’s annual budget on Monday.

His is the first French government to be defeated in a no-confidence motion since 1962, and Barnier is now set to become France’s shortest-serving prime minister in history.

Barnier’s cabinet is now expected to serve in a caretaker capacity until French President Emmanuel Macron names new leadership.

But that will prove a delicate task, with the increasingly vulnerable president forced to appease lawmakers on both extremes of French politics.

Macron had appointed Barnier to lead a minority government after a snap election, called by the president in the summer, split France’s parliament into three factions, each well short of a majority.

The situation had immediately appeared untenable, and it collapsed at the first major hurdle on Monday, when Barnier was forced to use a constitutional mechanism that bypassed a vote in the legislature on his 2025 budget.

That allowed rival lawmakers on the left, who had long vowed to bring him down, to call a confidence motion in response, and the far-right National Rally supported the motion to see it through on Wednesday. The far right had also called a similar motion.

Pleading his case during Wednesday’s debate in the National Assembly, Barnier told lawmakers he was “not afraid,” but warned that removing him would make “everything more difficult.”

But he was forced to watch as lawmaker after lawmaker called for his ouster.

Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Rally, said during the debate that Barnier’s “stubborn adherence to dogma and doctrine prevented him from making the slightest concession, which would have avoided this outcome.”

In the day before the vote, Barnier accused the far right of political blackmail, saying that they had agreed to his concessions on electricity tax hikes and medical aid for undocumented people before demanding more.

The far-right leader has been the chief antagonist throughout the Macron era, challenging him in two presidential elections and now dispatching the prime minister he handpicked to settle a simmering crisis.

She placed the blame for the fall of Barnier’s government squarely on Macron’s shoulders.

“He’s the one most responsible for the current situation,” she said following the vote. Macron “will assume his responsibilities, he will do what his reason and his conscience dictate to him,” she said in an interview with French broadcaster TF1.

Macron will address the French nation at 8 p.m. on Thursday evening, the Elysee Palace announced.

Pressure on Macron intensifies

France is now hurtling towards the end of a remarkably volatile year without a prime minister or a budget. Macron is required to pick a new prime minister, but it is difficult to envisage a candidate who would expect the support of both the leftists and the far-right.

A budget must also be passed before a December 21 deadline; if that deadline is missed, the government could still legislate a “fiscal continuity law,” which would avoid a shutdown by allowing the government to collect taxes and pay salaries, with spending capped at 2024 levels, according to the S&P Global Ratings credit rating agency.

A further snap election is not possible because the current parliament is required to sit until June, one year after the last vote.

Instead, Macron is set to face intensifying calls for his resignation – a demand that lawmakers such as Le Pen may seek to make an ultimatum in return for supporting a prime ministerial candidate.

Macron is increasingly unpopular after his remarkable gambit following the European elections in June, when he responded to continent-wide gains for the far-right by calling early legislative elections in France.

The murky results of that nationwide poll saw parties to the left and right squeeze Macron’s centrist bloc, with all three falling well short of a parliamentary majority.

Macron is halfway through his second and final term as president, but the results of the snap election have severely complicated the final stages of his time in power and diminished his authority at home and abroad.

Barnier’s financing bill, which sparked his downfall, includes €60 billion ($63 billion) worth of tax hikes and spending cuts aimed at bringing the country’s budget deficit down to 5% next year, according to the government’s calculations. Some of the measures are hugely unpopular with opposition parties, such as delaying matching pension increases to inflation.

“At last, the Barnier government has fallen, as has his violent budget, as we knew that it would, for a very simple reason: It was a provocation of French voters,” said Mathilde Panot, president of the LFI-NFP left-wing bloc that had put forward the motion, immediately following the vote.

On Monday, worries about the impact of the political maelstrom on France’s public finances briefly pushed the government’s borrowing costs above those of Greece.

France’s government debt is approaching 111% of gross domestic product (GDP) – a level unmatched since World War II, according to S&P Global Ratings – partly as the state spent big to cushion the economy from the Covid-19 pandemic and the energy crisis sparked by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. (CNN)

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Sri Lanka made a strong impression at this year’s International French Travel Market (IFTM) in Paris, showcasing the island’s rich tourism offerings alongside 26 prominent companies and SriLankan Airlines. 

The Sri Lanka Pavilion was officially inaugurated by the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to France,  Manisha Gunasekara accompanied by the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Chalaka Gajabahu and esteemed industry representatives.

According to a Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau statement, the delegation highlighted Sri Lanka’s diverse tourist attractions, from its cultural heritage to natural beauty, positioning the destination as an attractive option for French travellers. 

The collaborative effort between the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and the Private sector reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to strengthening its presence in the French travel market.

The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau says with Digital Marketing, Events participation, Public Relations, and Consumer Promotions, Sri Lanka continues to promote itself as a destination not to be missed. (Newswire)

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