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The first five of 36 Rafale fighter jets ordered by India from French constructor Dassault have left France for the Asian sub-continent, accompanied by a French plane carrying 70 respirators, 100,000 test kits and 10 military health professionals to help Indian efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

The until-now familiar heating devices to allow more comfortable al fresco conditions for clients of French bars and cafés, notably allowing smokers a space outside tobacco-free indoor drinking and dining, are to be banned after the coming winter as part of what is officially decribed as an environmental measure to clampdown on superfluous energy consumption.

Health minister Olivier Veran said it was not a second wave but that country had seen a 'noticeable increase' in the number of confirmed cases, which had been in decline for 13 weeks.

The 39-year-old who closed the cathedral in west France for the night has been arrested and placed under formal investigation for arson.

Mediapart traced former Rwandan spy chief Aloys Ntiwiragabo to the town of Orleans, about 100 kilometres south of Paris.

New measures come amid signs that the rate of infection is accelerating again in France with the health ministry saying the number of confirmed cases had risen by 1,130 over 24 hours.

Meanwhile West African leaders ended a day-long summit in Bamako without a consensus on how to alleviate Mali's political troubles. 

National strategy will add €26 billion to the public research budget over 10 years - but many say it is not t enough for the country to regain its place as a scientific leader.

French companies hiring someone under the age of 25, between August 2020 and January 2021, will get a €4,000 rebate on its social charges bill.

A toddler and his 10-year-old sibling leapt from a window of an apartment block in Grenoble as black smoke billowed from their home.