France

A week after his cancellation of a major submarine contract which triggered a diplomatic spat with Paris, Australian PM Scott Morrison said that he had sought but failed to schedule a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. Morrison stated that repairing ties with France will take time. Paris has summoned its representatives from Canberra and Washington, claiming that Australia's plan to construct nuclear submarines had caught them off… read-more

The French government plans to provide free contraceptives to women aged up to 25, by 2022 to prevent unwanted pregnancies. The budget allotted for this initiative is USD 25 million including consultation over contraceptives. However, the decision for free contraceptives comes in order to support women in the cost of protection against pregnancy. Earlier, France provided free pills to 18-years-old while now it is extended to 25.

Amid USA's evacuation mission in Afghanistan, France has announced the completion of its evacuation drive named ''Operation Apagan'' on August 27. French Defence Minister Florence Parly said on Twitter, ''the French military has evacuated around 3,000 people, including over 2,600 Afghan citizens''. France had started the drive on August 15 and the last flight took off late in the night, on August 27.

According to the reports by French online investigative journal Mediapart, confirmed by France's national cyber-security ANSSI, Pegasus spyware has been discovered on the phones of two journalists. Reported on July 29, this is the world's first attestation by any government on a global spying scandal. "The study carried out by ANSSI is similar to Amnesty International's Security Lab report on the reality of the Pegasus infection," Mediapart… read-more

Halftime at Tokyo Olympics basketball match between the US and France was exceptional as it showcased the talent of a robot. Initially, the robot stood at the foul line, from which it shot the ball to the basket. It was then placed at the top of the three-point arch and was neat at its shot. Lastly, the robot moved to the half-court and throws the ball into the basket.