Recent Current Affairs related to France

Hical Technologies Pvt Ltd, an Indian aerospace and defence manufacturer, has signed an MoU with France-based Safran Aerosystems to explore the establishment of a Joint Venture in India for the manufacturing of complex systems for Dassault Rafale systems.

Henri Boris Kagan, a chemist from France, and Kenso Soai, a chemist from Japan, have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

The award is given recognising their discovery of nonlinear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis, which advanced the selective production of molecular mirror images (enantiomers). The two laureates will share the prize money of Swedish kronor (SEK) 12 million equally.

The 24th edition of the annual bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy (IN) and the French Navy named “VARUNA” was conducted at the Toulon Naval Base in the Mediterranean Sea, France.

The IN was represented by INS Trishul (F43), a modernised Talwar-class guided-missile stealth frigate, while the French Navy participated with multiple frontline units.

NTPC Ltd (formerly National Thermal Power Corporation) has signed a 50:50 Joint Venture (JV) agreement with EDF Power Solutions India Pvt Ltd to develop, own, and operate low-carbon energy projects across India and neighboring countries.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has commenced the operational phase of the multilateral air exercise named “Tarang Shakti 2026” at Air Force Station Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

The exercise, themed “Power in Partnership”, witnessed the participation of seven Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs): Australia, the USA, the UAE, France, Germany, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It builds upon the successful inaugural edition of the exercise held in 2024.

Nibe Ltd has signed an MoU with France-based Naval Group to establish a framework for cooperation in naval shipbuilding and the development of defence platforms.

The Bharat Tex Trade Federation (BTTF) has signed an MoU with Premiere Vision SA at the Premiere Vision exhibition in Paris to strengthen India’s engagement with the global fashion and textile ecosystem.

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has signed two MoUs with Business France and the India & Arab Countries Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (IACCIA) to foster trade, investment, and technology collaboration between India, France, and Arab countries.

France has become the first nation within the European Union (EU) to officially prohibit the use of social media platforms for children under 15 years of age.

Infosys has been fined €175,000 (around ₹2 crore) by a French labour authority because the employee working time recording system of the company was found to be non-compliant with the legal requirements of the country.

Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has visited France to strengthen the strategic partnership and promote economic cooperation between the two nations.

She co-chaired the France Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) at Aix-en-Provence with Roland Lescure, the Minister of France. They committed to using the EFD as a key platform for addressing issues, and agreed to explore conducting the next edition of the dialogue in 2027.

Both nations agreed to enhance cooperation on critical minerals to ensure resilient supply chains. During her visit, she also toured the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project at Cadarache to reinforce scientific and technological cooperation between India and France.

IIT Delhi and Sorbonne University of France have expanded their strategic partnership. The institutions are launching joint Master of Science (MSc) in Biological Science and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes, scheduled to commence in 2026.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has named French meteorologist Dr. Florence Rabier as the recipient of the 71st International Meteorological Organization (IMO) Prize.

The award, often called the "Nobel Prize of meteorology", carries a cash prize of 10,000 Swiss Francs (CHF).

World Music Day

Day – June 21

Theme 2026 – "Music for Peace"

Observed since – 1982

Initiated by – Jack Lang and Maurice Fleuret from France

France-based Safran Electronics & Defence and the Indian Earth intelligence firm SatSure Analytics India Pvt Ltd have signed an MoU to collaborate on Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) solutions for the Indian market.

This partnership is established under the 'France-India Year of Innovation' initiative, which aims to promote cooperation in aerospace and defence technology.

France hosted the 52nd G7 Summit under the theme "Working Together to Address Major International Challenges". PM Narendra Modi represented India at the summit.

Key outcomes of the summit included the adoption of the "Leaders' Declaration on Tackling Migrant Smuggling" to curb human trafficking and the unveiling of the "Declaration on Critical Minerals Supply Chains".

Japanese PM Takaichi introduced the "Partnership On Wide Energy and Resources Resilience (POWERR Asia)", which aims to provide nearly USD 10 billion in financial assistance to strengthen energy and critical minerals supply chains. It is to be noted that the 53rd edition of the G7 Summit is scheduled to be hosted by the USA.

PM Narendra Modi has visited France to strengthen the India-France Special Global Strategic Partnership, focusing on trade, technology, and security. He held bilateral talks with President Emmanuel Macron in Nice and participated in the 52nd G7 Outreach Summit as a guest partner.

PM Modi and President Macron co-launched the 'Bharat Innovates' initiative in Nice, featuring participation from over 120 Indian startups. At the VivaTech 2026 expo in Paris, the largest technology exhibition in Europe, India was designated as the 'AI Country of Focus'.

The visit resulted in 13 key outcomes, including the adoption of the 'India-France Innovation Roadmap 2030', the establishment of a Joint Working Group (JWG) on AI Governance, and the expansion of the UPI in France. PM Modi also addressed the Indian diaspora during the 'Bonjour Modi' event held in Paris.

India has issued a Letter of Request (LoR) to France for a government-to-government (G2G) deal worth ₹3.25 lakh crore to procure 114 Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Under this agreement, 94 of these aircraft will be manufactured in India by Dassault Aviation in collaboration with an Indian partner. The first Rafale-M jets are expected to be delivered by 2028.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has become the first Global Systems Integrator (GSI) to partner with the France-based Mistral AI, an AI startup.

The collaboration aims to deliver advanced enterprise generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) solutions for clients worldwide. The former will use ‘Mistral Forge’ to develop custom enterprise AI models, allowing clients to integrate their specific data and context for better decision-making.

The 79th edition of the annual Cannes International Film Festival 2026 was hosted in Cannes, France. The Palme d’Or, the highest award, was won by Romanian director Cristian Mungiu for his drama ‘Fjord’, marking his second win. The Grand Prix was awarded to Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev for his political thriller ‘Minotaur’.

The Jury Prize was conferred upon ‘The Dreamed Adventure’ by Valeska Grisebach (Germany). The Best Director award was jointly presented to Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi (Spain) for ‘La Bola Negra’ and Paweł Pawlikowski (Poland) for ‘Fatherland’.

The Best Actor award was shared by Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne (Belgium) for ‘Coward’, while the Best Actress award was jointly awarded to Virginie Efira (Belgium-France) and Tao Okamoto (Japan) for ‘All Of A Sudden’.

The Best Screenplay award was presented to Emmanuel Marre (France) for ‘A Man of His Time’, and the Camera d’Or for Best First Film was awarded to ‘Ben’Imana’ by Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo (Rwanda).