France

Defence Minister of France, Florence Parly, on December 17, said that if India demands more Rafale jets, "we're ready to supply more". She further stated that the 36 aircrafts will be delivered on time. ''I'm very happy that the Indian Air Force is satisfied with Rafale,'' said Parly. Reportedly, India signed a deal to purchase 36 Rafales jets in 2016 for a price of Rs 59,000 crore.  

India will receive the remaining six Rafale fighter jets in April 2022, said Emmanuel Lenain, French Ambassador. "As per the contract, it'll be done on time. COVID hasn't disrupted anything even if factories and many companies were closed for a few weeks," added Lenain. So far 30 rafale jets have arrived in India, with which the Air Force will begin upgrading its fleet from January 2022.

The Indian Army on November 21 said the military exercise ''Shakti'' is going well at the Military School of Draguignan in France. The sixth edition of the exercise focuses on strengthening mutual understanding, coordination between the soldiers, and combatting counter-terrorism. The Indian Army contingent comprises three officers, three Junior Commissioned Officers, and 37 soldiers from a battalion of Gorkha Rifles and supports Arms. The… read-more

Remi Ouvrad broke his own world record which he set in 2019. Ouvrard boarded a giant balloon at an altitude of 4,016 meters over Chatellerault in western France. He stood on top of the hot-air balloon, not just for fame, but for a noble cause. Remi's stunt was a part of the Western France Telethon campaign, an annual event for raising funds for research and advocacy related to rare neuromuscular diseases.

Facebook on October 21, announced that people can continue to upload and share news stories freely amongst their communities while ensuring the copyright of publishing partners is also protected. France has been fighting for two years to protect the publishing rights and revenue of its news agencies. However, Facebook has come to an agreement to pay the media entities.