- 5d ago
French firefighter unions file six-week strike notice demanding recruits and budget funding
Nine French firefighter unions will conduct a national strike from 8 September to 20 October 2026, pressing the government for 50,000 career personnel and dedicated state funding.
- Aug 24
Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Laurent Nuñez clash over the impartiality of French prefects
La France Insoumise leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon demanded an impartial state at his party summer school, prompting Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez to defend the constitutional neutrality of regional prefects.
- Aug 13
French firefighters demand 21,000 new positions after fruitless meeting with Interior Minister
Nine firefighter unions left a two-hour meeting with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez on August 13 with no concrete commitments, demanding 21,000 additional positions as 122,000 hectares have burned this summer.
- Aug 8
Darmanin's letter on child sexual violence probe failures sparks police union backlash in France
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin's 12-page letter to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez details ghost files, lost procedures and staffing shortages in child sexual violence cases, prompting police unions to accuse him of betraying his own record as former Interior Minister.
- Aug 8
France's longest-recorded wildfire declared fixed after 18 days in Var
The Gros Bessillon fire in southeastern France burned 6,300 hectares across seven communes, destroying 41 homes, before being declared fixed on 7 August after 18 days of mobilisation.
- Aug 5
France's third summer heatwave intensifies with no end in sight as temperatures approach 40°C again
Météo-France warns that France's third heatwave of summer 2026, ongoing since July 28, will intensify in the coming days rather than end as previously hoped, with 40°C potentially within reach by midweek.
- Aug 4
France wildfire arrests reach 375, including 142 minors, as Gironde megafire is fixed
French authorities have arrested 375 people, including 142 minors, in connection with the summer's devastating wildfires. Thirty-six suspects are already behind bars as firefighters continue to battle blazes in the Var.
- Aug 2
EU split over migration after 60,000 cross into Ceuta; 22 leaders demand border crackdown
After 60,000 migrants crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, 22 EU leaders signed a letter calling for stronger external borders, while Spain accused some partners of 'selfish' reactions and Italy suspended Schengen rules.
- Jul 31
17% of French smokers admit tossing cigarette butts from car windows as wildfires burn 117,000 hectares
An Ipsos BVA survey for the Vinci Autoroutes Foundation finds 17% of smokers discard butts on motorways, a habit the foundation calls 'alarming' as over 14,000 fires have scorched 117,000 hectares in France this season.
- Jul 29
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.
- Jul 28
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 27
Three women stabbed in Paris knife attack; suspect arrested by off-duty police officer
The attack at Porte de Clichy left two victims seriously injured, one of them pregnant according to Le Parisien. The attacker was subdued by a bystander with a suitcase and a waiter with a chair before a police officer made the arrest.
- 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 26
France marks decade since Father Hamel's murder at altar with call for peace and fraternity
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu leads a memorial mass and speeches in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, joined by François Hollande and other officials, as the town reaffirms a message of peace.
- Jul 26
Over 250,000 evacuated as fires sweep southwest France and central Spain
Soldiers and military aircraft join the fight as flames consume tens of thousands of hectares near Bordeaux and Madrid, with NASA’s deep space complex forced to suspend operations.
- 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
France and Spain order 250,000 evacuations as fires rage across Bordeaux and Madrid
Gironde and Landes in France, Madrid and Avila in Spain are fighting multiple blazes that have destroyed over 19,000 hectares and prompted a state of emergency in both countries.
- 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.
