Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron appointed ministers for the new government of the country. Macron made the appointments on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported. In total the new government has 27 members with 17 ministries, six ministries delegates and four secretaries of state.Some Ministers from the previous governments were again appointed as Ministers but in different ministries. Macron named Elisabeth Borne as Prime Minister on May 16. The new government will hold its first cabinet meeting at the Elysee on May 23, reported French news BFMTV.—IANS

French President Emmanuel Macron appointed ministers for the new government of the country.

France announces new government

Paris: &nbsp;A tourist plane crashed near the town of Les Adrets in southeast France, officials said. Five dead bodies, including a child, were discovered at the site of the crash on Saturday afternoon, French news channel BFMTV reported.Local media reported that four people were of the same family, Xinhua news agency reported.According to BFMTV, eyewitnesses to the crash tipped off local authorities, and nearly 60 firefighters were deployed to the site to douse the fire. The plane, which belonged to an aero club, was conducting its first flight. It took off from Versoud airdrome near the city of Grenoble, BFMTV reported. An investigation has been underway, according to local officials.—IANS

  A tourist plane crashed near the town of Les Adrets in southeast France, officials said.

Tourist plane crashes in France, 5 dead

New Delhi: Indian Olympian Maana Patel set the 'Best Indian time' in the women's 100m backstroke event at the Canet leg of Mare Nostrum swimming meet in France.The 22-year-old swimmer from Gujarat, who had competed at the Tokyo Olympics last year, clocked 01:03.69, improving her personal best on Sunday night, which was the final day of the competition. The previous 'Best Indian time' of 01:03.77 in the event was also under Maana's name, which she had previously clocked in Belgrade last year. At the meet, Maana qualified 15th overall to qualify for the 'B' final, where she finished with a timing of 01:03:87. In swimming, a timing is considered a national record when it has been achieved at the National Aquatic Championships. Hence, the timings clocked in other meets are called the 'Best Indian time'.—PTI

Indian Olympian Maana Patel set the 'Best Indian time' in the women's 100m backstroke event at the Canet leg of Mare Nostrum swimming meet in France.

Swimmer Maana Patel registers Best Indian Time

Tokyo: The pending visas of the Indian contingent for the World Shooting Para Sport World Cup at Chateauroux, France, next week were cleared on Saturday after initial rejection, due to last minute intervention by the Indian government.Six members of the contingent, including double Paralympic medallist Singharaj Adhana, were initially denied visas to travel to France, despite the intervention of the Indian government. But the Sports Authority of India (SAI) later in the day said that the visas of the remaining members of the contingent have been cleared by the French Embassy after the Sports Ministry and the Ministry of External Affairs intervened for the second time."The pending visas of 3 athletes and 4 support staff of the Indian Para Shooters contingent going to France for competition has been cleared by the French embassy after further requests from MYAS and MEA. The team will fly out to France tomorrow," the SAI said in a tweet.The Indian team is expected to reach France in time for the event as it starts on June 6 as per the schedule given in International Paralympic Committee website.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The matter relating to the denial of visas came to light after Tokyo Paralympic Games gold medallist shooter Avani Lekhara took to twitter, seeking help following denial of visa to her escort and mother Shewata Jewaria and coach Rakesh Manpat.Avani later confirmed the clearance of visas by the French Embassy in New Delhi."Got visas, going tomorrow. Have gratitude for everything that happens in life!" she tweeted.Earlier, talking to PTI from the airport, chief national coach and chairman of Indian Para Shooting Jai Prakash Nautiyal said Lekhara and her coach Manpat's visas were cleared."Avani and her coach's visas were granted but her escort, who is also her mother, didn't get her visa," Nautiyal said."Besides, three para shooters -- Singharaj, Rahul Jhakhar and Deepinder Singh (all para pistol shooters) and two coaches Subhas Rana (national coach) and Vivek Saini (assistant coach) did not get their visas."The French embassy didn't mention any reason, simply said there is a huge surge for visas. We applied for our visas on April 23 and were sure of getting all cleared. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also intervened and were helping us but despite that visas of six members were rejected," he added. The event is of significance for Indian para shooters as Paris Paralympics quota places were on offer there."We are now going with a 22-member contingent, which includes 14 shooters. We were quite confident of getting visas of all members cleared since Paris will be the host for the next Paralympics and there are 18 quota places on offer at the 2024 Paralympics," Nautiyal said.—PTI

The pending visas of the Indian contingent for the World Shooting Para Sport World Cup at Chateauroux, France, next week were cleared on Saturday after initial rejection, due to last minute intervention by the Indian government.

Shooting WC in France: Visas approved for pending Indian para shooters

Copenhagen, July 4 : As several riders crossed the finish line at the same time on Sunday, Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen of Team BikeExchange was declared the winner of a photo finish in the third stage of the Tour de France in Denmark.Jumbo's Wout Van Aert finished second but retains the yellow jersey with a seven-second advantage in the overall standings. Jasper Philipsen was in third place at this stage.The competitive 182 kilometres flat course between Vejle and Sonderborg in south Denmark, close to the German border, was always going to be conducive to an extremely exciting high-speed race where the possibility of an accident among the pack of riders in the field was always going to be highly likely.For a while, it seemed only Maxime Bouet from the Arkea team would be the only crash of the day until the real drama of the race unfolded during the last 13 minutes.At the end of the race, teams began to react by increasing their speed and jockeying for positions near the front of the field to keep their captains ahead. This new dynamic resulted in the expected big crash, as the middle of the pack effectively went down, taking out half of the field of riders, Xinhua reports.However, at the front of the field this went unnoticed as all eyes were focused on the beckoning finish line where everyone of the front riders had a chance of victory as the leading position kept changing amongst them.The Tour leaves Denmark and returns to France on next Tuesday with the fourth stage, a 171.5 km run in the hills between Dunkirk and Calais.

As several riders crossed the finish line at the same time on Sunday, Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen of Team BikeExchange was declared the winner of a photo finish in the third stage of the Tour de France in Denmark.

Dylan Groenewegen Wins 3Rd Stage Of Tour De France In Sprint Showdown

Bhopal : A contract (memorandum of understanding) was singed between MPMRCL and Alstom worth Rs 3200 crore aiming to provide benefit of Metro services to over 5.7 million people in Bhopal and Indore. As per the MPMRCL, Alstom will be responsible for installation of latest generation of communications-based train control (CBTC) signalling system as well as train control and telecommunication systems, each with seven years of comprehensive maintenance.In a statement issued on Wednesday, Altsom stated that it would be responsible for the design, manufacture, supply, installation, tests and commissioning of 52 standard gauge Movia metro passenger trains of 3-car configuration each.It said that 27 trains will be delivered for Bhopal and 25 trains for Indore. These metro trains would be built at Alstom’s state-of-the-art rolling stock manufacturing facility in Savli (Gujarat). These ultramodern, light-weight trains will operate at a top speed of 80 km/h, across the 31 km line in Bhopal with 30 stations and the 31.5 km line in Indore with 29 stations.“We are delighted to be awarded this significant contract from MPMRCL and this collaboration will lay a strong foundation for an efficient and sustainable mass transport system for the cities of Bhopal and Indore. As India moves towards its vision of using green and clean energy for public mobility, Alstom takes pride in being its long-standing partner in this journey and help write the country’s growth story. Following the Agra-Kanpur metro project, winning this contract is a strong validation of our commitment to deliver mobility solutions that meet the specific requirements of our customers,” said Olivier Loison, Managing Director, Alstom India cluster.“Alstom India has a history of successfully delivering world-class metro trains for major cities, including Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Lucknow, Kochi in India and internationally for Sydney, Queensland and Montreal. The company is currently manufacturing metro trains for Agra-Kanpur, Mumbai Metro Line 3 and modern trainsets for India’s first semi high-speed Delhi-Meerut RRTS project,” Loison added. IANS

A contract (memorandum of understanding) was singed between MPMRCL and Alstom worth Rs 3200 crore aiming to provide benefit of Metro services to over 5.7 million people in Bhopal and Indore. As per the MPMRCL, Alstom will be responsible for installation of latest generation of communications-based train control (CBTC) signalling system as well as train control and telecommunication systems, each with seven years of comprehensive maintenance.

 France's Alstom to supply trains for Bhopal, Indore Metro projects

Turin : French World Cup-winning midfielder&nbsp;<a href="https://www.business-standard.com/topic/paul-pogba" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(37, 145, 220);">Paul Pogba</a>&nbsp;has returned to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.business-standard.com/topic/serie-a" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(37, 145, 220);">Serie A</a>&nbsp;side Juventus on a free transfer, the Italian club confirmed in a statement on Monday.The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.business-standard.com/topic/france" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(37, 145, 220);">France</a>&nbsp;international was free to negotiate with clubs over his next move after his contract ended with Manchester United. The 29-year-old has signed a four-year contract with Juventus that will tie him with the Italian giants till June 2026.The move to Juventus would mark a return to the club where Pogba spent four years before rejoining United in 2016.For Pogba, it will represent an emotional homecoming to the club he left in 2016, having first come to Juve from United in the early stages of his senior career."Paul is back in Turin," Juventus said on their website below a photo of a grinning Pogba in a Juventus shirt."He left as a boy and returned as a man and a champion. But there is one thing that has not changed -- the desire to write unforgettable pages of club history together once more. Pogba is back and we couldn't be happier.""Juventus Football Club announces that it has signed a contract of employment with the player&nbsp;<a href="https://www.business-standard.com/topic/paul-pogba" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(37, 145, 220);">Paul Pogba</a>...Juventus and the player have signed a contract of employment until June 30, 2026," Juventus said in a statement. --- IANS

French World Cup-winning midfielder Paul Pogba has returned to Serie A side Juventus on a free transfer, the Italian club confirmed in a statement on Monday.  The France international was free to negotiate with clubs over his next move after his contract ended with Manchester United. 

 French midfielder Pogba joins Juventus, returns to club he left in 2016

French World Cup-winning midfielder Paul Pogba has returned to Serie A side Juventus on a free transfer, the Italian club confirmed in a statement on Monday.

The France international was free to negotiate with clubs over his next move after his contract ended with Manchester United. 

Paris:&nbsp;Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark claimed his first Tour de France title in the 109th edition of the most prestigious road cycling race here.Vingegaard, who finished second behind Tadej Pogacar last year, has become the first Danish rider to have won the competition since Bjarne Riis in 1996.The 25-year-old Dane finished the three-week race two minutes and 43 seconds ahead of Pogacar, thanks to his excellent performance in the mountain stages. He also won the polka-dot jersey for the mountains classification.White jersey holder Pogacar finished runner-up overall, and the 2018 winner Geraint Thomas rounded out the podium, Xinhua reports.Vingegaard's teammate Wout van Aert became the winner of the green sprint jersey, and team Jumbo-Visma combined for six stage wins out of 21.Jasper Philipsen won Sunday's ceremonial final stage to the Champs-Elysees, outclassing Dylan Groenewegen and Alexander Kristoff in the sprint.&nbsp;—IANS

Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark claimed his first Tour de France title in the 109th edition of the most prestigious road cycling race here. Vingegaard, who finished second behind Tadej Pogacar last year, has become the first Danish rider to have won the competition since Bjarne Riis in 1996

Vingegaard wins maiden Tour de France title

Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark claimed his first Tour de France title in the 109th edition of the most prestigious road cycling race here.
Vingegaard, who finished second behind Tadej Pogacar last year, has become the first Danish rider to have won the competition since Bjarne Riis in 1996

Paris:&nbsp;Wildfires in France's department of Ardeche have burnt 900 hectares of land and forced evacuation in different cities.According to the Le Figaro newspaper, a total of 550 firefighters and 100 intervention engines, as well as fire brigade aerial units, were mobilized to bring under control the wildfires, reports Xinhua news agency.The main fire is pursuing its progression along the Ardeche river and is going towards the city of Vogue where the firefighters of Ardeche are located, according to local authorities.There were no "habitations threatened" and the industrial zone of Lavilledieu has been "secured", the authorities said.Several roads were closed and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fires.—IANS

Wildfires in France's department of Ardeche have burnt 900 hectares of land and forced evacuation in different cities.

 New wildfires in France force evacuation

Paris:&nbsp;French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has activated an inter-ministerial crisis team, saying on Friday that her country was experiencing the worst drought ever recorded."The current exceptional drought is depriving many communities of water and is a tragedy for our farmers, our ecosystems and biodiversity," Borne wrote in a statement.The lack of rain is being aggravated by successive heat waves, Borne continued, which on the one hand increase evaporation, but also the demand for water, dpa news agency reported. The situation could continue over the next two weeks and even become more worrying, she added.In France, large parts of the mainland are now suffering from drought.Depending on the severity, different restrictions on water apply, including on irrigation.According to local media, some municipalities were temporarily without water supply.Borne called on the population to use water sparingly.—IANS

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has activated an inter-ministerial crisis team, saying on Friday that her country was experiencing the worst drought ever recorded.

 France experiencing worst drought ever: PM

Paris: France is currently reeling under a third heatwave of this summer season, with temperatures soaring to 38-41 degrees Celsius, weather officials said. The heatwave, which began on July 31 and mainly concerned the Mediterranean regions until the beginning of the week, has now spread to the southwest and the Atlantic coast, reports Xinhua news agency citing Meteo-France, the country's national meteorological service, as saying.
Although less intense than the heatwaves in June and July, the current soaring temperatures have lasted longer on a national scale, it added.
The country experienced a historic deficit of rain in July, with barely any notable precipitation at the beginning of August except for a few thunderstorms, particularly in the Alps, Corsica, and the Pyrenees.
Therefore, this new rise in temperatures will further aggravate an already intense soil drought across a large part of the country, warned Meteo-France.
On a national level, since July 17 France has set a new daily record for soil drought since records began in August 1958.
In the southeast of the country, this extreme drought began even earlier.
The daily record has been broken every day since the beginning of July in Corsica, and since mid-May in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur region.
As of August 8, the soil drought situation is affecting the entire territory of Metropolitan France, which constitutes a major event comparable to the droughts of 1976 and 2003, according to Meteo-France.&nbsp;
—IANS

France is currently reeling under a third heatwave of this summer season, with temperatures soaring to 38-41 degrees Celsius, weather officials said.

 France suffers third heatwave

New Delhi (The Hawk): The Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle (INPI; the National Industrial Property Institute), France and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) entered into a cooperation on the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) Access through an Agreement in the gracious presence of Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, DG, CSIR and Secretary, DSIR. The Agreement was exchanged by Mr. Sebastien Connan, Regional IP Counselor for India and Dr. Viswajanani J Sattigeri, Scientist-H and Head, CSIR-TKDL Unit. Through this Agreement, the INPI, France gains access to the complete TKDL database towards examining prior art related to Indian traditional knowledge for the purposes of patent grant procedure.
Speaking on the occasion, DG, CSIR welcomed the collaboration with France in the area of traditional knowledge. She encouraged concerted efforts for upcoming health care challenges. Mr. Connan while thanking India for the cooperation stated that the TKDL database would be an important instrument not only for the INPI but also for the traditional industrial entities in France. He stated that France also looks forward to strengthening ties with the CSIR for scientific pursuits in traditional areas.
The signing of the TKDL Access Agreement with the INPI, France marks the beginning of a new partnership and mutual cooperation in the domains of Intellectual Property Rights as well as traditional knowledge between France and India.
About TKDL:
The TKDL database, first of its kind worldwide, was established in 2001 by the Government of India, through a collaboration between CSIR and Ministry of AYUSH. The key objective of the TKDL is to prevent the erroneous grant of patents on Indian traditional knowledge (TK) and deter misappropriation of the country’s traditional knowledge. Currently, the TKDL contains information on over 4.2 lakh formulations and techniques of Indian Systems of Medicine such as Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and Sowa Rigpa as well as Yoga from the traditional texts. The TK information from diverse languages and subject areas are transcribed into value-added information correlated with modern terminologies.
The TKDL information is presented in a digitized format in five international languages including English, German, French, Japanese and Spanish, and format easily understandable by patent examiners. As per the extant approvals in place, the TKDL database is available only to patent offices through TKDL Access Agreements. With this cooperation with Danish Patent and Trademark Office, the number of patent offices worldwide that have access to the TKDL database rises to fifteen.
The TKDL is a global benchmark in the defensive protection of traditional knowledge and has been successful in protecting India’s interest against any possible misuse of its heritage. The impact has been significant, with over 265 patent applications world-over being revoked, amended, withdrawn or abandoned, based on the prior art evidences presented from the TKDL database.

 The Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle (INPI; the National Industrial Property Institute), France and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) entered into a cooperation on the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) Access through an Agreement in the gracious presence of Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, DG, CSIR and Secretary, DSIR. 

Cooperation Between INPI France & CSIR On Access To TKDL, A Prior Art Database Of Indian Traditional Knowledge

Paris: France detected an increase of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) cases in coastal birds since mid-May, the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food has said. "The national health situation with regards to avian influenza had improved in France since the beginning of May, with the return to a level of risk classified as 'negligible'. However, since mid-May a sharp increase in cases has been observed in 'indigenous' wildlife on the Channel coast and more recently on the Atlantic coast," the ministry was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency. "Since mid-May, grouped mortalities of coastal birds have been observed," it said in a press release. "The situation is exceptional (never encountered in France before) due to its scale and the period of when the detections are held," the ministry said, adding that "strict compliance with biosecurity rules and bird monitoring" were reinforced. In these cluster areas, "various measures have been introduced, the aim of which is to strengthen the surveillance of the wildlife and poultry farms," the ministry noted. On Monday, 19 clusters of HPAI, 12 in breeding farms and seven in poultry yards, were detected in the country, the ministry said. An avian flu cluster has been detected on Saturday in a farm of 36,000 poultry which located in the city of Cere-la-Ronde, Indre-et-Loire department, west-central France, the local prefecture of the department revealed on Monday. According to the prefecture, in order to avoid the spread of the avian flu, culling of the animals in the farm was "carried out as soon as possible." A three-km protection zone and 10-km surveillance zone were established on Saturday around the cluster, where hunting of waterfowl and other birds were also prohibited, the prefecture added. Since August 2021, HPAI outbreaks have been detected in wildlife or farms in Europe and 36 countries are affected by the avian flu on the continent.&nbsp;
—IANS

France detected an increase of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) cases in coastal birds since mid-May, the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food has said.

 France detects avian flu case increase in coastal birds since mid-May

France detected an increase of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) cases in coastal birds since mid-May, the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food has said.


San Francisco: Gaming company Activision Blizzard's chief compliance officer, Frances Townsend, is stepping down after several sexual assault allegations surfaced at the company.
She is stepping down from her role after hundreds of employees last year criticised her response to workers' sexual harassment complaints, a charge Townsend has denied.
Townsend will still serve as an advisor to the board and the embattled Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, reports Wall Street Journal.
Townsend joined the Call of Duty (CoD) game maker in March 2021 as executive vice president for corporate affairs, corporate secretary and chief compliance officer.
She will no longer be an employee and "her deputies will be promoted to fill the positions she held".
Townsend, an ex-counterterrorism official under former US President George W. Bush, was tasked with helping Activision deal with state and federal probes into allegations of gender bias and sexual harassment at the company, the report mentioned.
Her departure came as Activision is in the process of its $68.7 billion all-cash acquisition by Microsoft.
The European Commission last week opened a formal investigation into the deal and set a provisional deadline of November 8 for the first phase of its probe.
The UK market watchdog last month announced an in-depth probe into Microsoft's deal.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it is concerned that Microsoft's anticipated purchase of Activision Blizzard "could substantially lessen competition in gaming consoles, multi-game subscription services, and cloud gaming services (game streaming)".
Activision Blizzard has some of the world's best-selling and most recognisable gaming franchises, such as Call of Duty (CoD) and World of Warcraft.
—IANS&nbsp;

Gaming company Activision Blizzard's chief compliance officer, Frances Townsend, is stepping down after several sexual assault allegations surfaced at the company.

 CoD maker Activision Blizzard's compliance chief officer steps down

San Francisco: In a bid to introduce an ad-supported tier for its users, popular streaming platform Netflix has announced that it will roll out the "Basic With Ads" steaming plan on November 3 in the US for $6.99. The plan will also be rolled out in several other countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, and the UK. "In short, 'Basic with Ads' is everything people love about Netflix, at a lower price, with a few ads in-between. Starting in November, signing up will be easy -- visit Netflix.com, and register with your email, date of birth, and gender to get started," Greg Peters, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Product Officer, said in a statement. "The plan also represents an exciting opportunity for advertisers -- the chance to reach a diverse audience, including younger viewers who increasingly don't watch linear TV, in a premium environment with a seamless, high-resolution ads experience," Peters added. At launch, ads will be 15 or 30 seconds in length, which will play before and during shows and films.&nbsp;
"To help advertisers reach the right audience and ensure our ads are more relevant for consumers, we will offer broad targeting capabilities by country and genre," the company said. "Advertisers will also be able to prevent their ads from appearing on content that might be inconsistent with their brand," it added. The plan will sit alongside the Basic, Standard, and Premium plans and will be limited to 720p content. Users can sign up via Netflix.com and register with their email, date of birth, and gender. Meanwhile, a recent report said that the platform, with nearly 221 million subscribers worldwide, collaborated with the UK TV rating agency BARB to reveal how many people are watching its streaming shows and movies. From the second week of November, BARB will publicly report the monthly reach and share of viewing for broadcaster groups, and subscription video-on-demand (SVOD)/advertising-based video-on-demand (AVOD) services which account for more than 0.5 per cent of total identified viewing.&nbsp;
—IANS

In a bid to introduce an ad-supported tier for its users, popular streaming platform Netflix has announced that it will roll out the "Basic With Ads" steaming plan on November 3 in the US for $6.99.

 Netflix to bring 'Basic With Ads' early next month

London: Italy's Francesco Passaro will look to thrill his home fans in next month after he has qualified for the Next Gen ATP Finals.
Passaro is the seventh player to earn his spot in the eight-player field at the 21-and-under season finale, which will be played at the Allianz Cloud in Milan from November 8-12.
Only one place remains at the event, which will also feature Lorenzo Musetti, Holger Rune, Jack Draper, Brandon Nakashima, Jiri Lehecka and Chun-Hsin Tseng.&nbsp;
This will be the first time two Italians -- Musetti and Passaro -- compete in the Next Gen ATP Finals in the same edition. Italian Jannik Sinner won the tournament in 2019.
Passaro began the season outside the Top 600 in the ATP Rankings, but has soared as high as World No. 122. He reached the final at ATP Challenger Tour events in Sanremo and Forli as a qualifier, then advanced to another championship match at that level in Milan before claiming his first Challenger trophy in Trieste.
The 21-year-old earned his first tour-level match win earlier this month in Florence, where he defeated Zhang Zhizhen.
Passaro then qualified for another ATP Tour event the following week in Naples.&nbsp;
—IANS

Italy's Francesco Passaro will look to thrill his home fans in next month after he has qualified for the Next Gen ATP Finals.

 Italy's Francesco Passaro qualify for Next Gen ATP Finals

Italy's Francesco Passaro will look to thrill his home fans in next month after he has qualified for the Next Gen ATP Finals.


Doha (The Hawk): At Janoub Stadium on Tuesday night, Olivier Giroud scored twice, Adrien Rabiot scored once, and Kylian Mbappe scored once to help the defending champions France defeat Australia 4-1.
The World Cup hosts recovered from an early scare when Craig Goodwin gave the Socceroos a startling lead in the ninth minute, but goals by Rabiot (27th), Giroud (32nd and 74th minutes), and Mbappe (68th minute) made it possible for manager Didier Deschamps' team to earn all three points.
After drawing 0-0 with Tunisia earlier in the day at Education City Stadium, Denmark will play France on November 26 before wrapping out their group matches against Tunisia on November 30.
On the other side, Australia's final group game is against Denmark four days after their play against Tunisia in the next round.
An early goal had given the Australians hope of a victory this time around after France narrowly defeated them 2-1 in the group stage of the last World Cup thanks to an own goal and a penalty.
However, Mbappe and co. rose to the occasion to launch their campaign to defend the title in style, so that was not to be.
Karim Benzema, the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner, had to withdraw from the competition after ripping a muscle in practise, so Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann took over calling the shots on the field.
Given its embarrassing wealth, France did not notice much of a difference when players like Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante, who were both a part of the winning 2018 World Cup side but were unable to travel to Qatar, were absent.
Early in the game, the Socceroos silenced the French fans with a spectacular goal as Craig Goodwin slammed the ball into the net from the back post following a sweeping, magnificent attacking move in the ninth minute.
The European juggernauts displayed class by making a strong comeback to rip apart the opposition's defence. They scored twice in the final five minutes of the half to make it 2-1 at the interval.
France's first goal in the tournament was scored by midfielder Rabiot, and Giroud added a second goal five minutes later to put his team ahead.
Three minutes into the second half, France added two more goals to make it 4-1.
In the 71st minute, Giroud scored his second goal of the game; three minutes earlier, Mbappe had made it 3-1.
The Australians had their fair share of opportunities, with Jackson Irvine's shot shortly before halftime hitting the post.
(Inputs from Agencies)

At Janoub Stadium on Tuesday night, Olivier Giroud scored twice, Adrien Rabiot scored once, and Kylian Mbappe scored once to help the defending champions France defeat Australia 4-1.

France, the defending champs, comes back from a goal down to thrash Australia 4-1

New York: The UK, France and UAE on Wednesday (local time) extended support for India's permanent membership at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
Dame Barbara Woodward, the UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations said, "The Security Council must as others have said become more representative of the world today and the UK has long called for its expansion in both the permanent and non-permanent categories, as the UK Foreign Secretary publicly reiterated this week - we support new permanent seats for Brazil, Germany, India and Japan."
Incidentally, India is holding the presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month of December 2022.
Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere, Permanent Representative of France to the UN said, "We support an expansion of the Security Council to take into account the emergence of new powers that have the world and the ability to shoulder the responsibility of a permanent presence on Security Council. France thus supports the candidacies of Germany, Brazil, India and Japan as permanent members."
Both countries supported India's bid for permanent membership in the reformed Security Council. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates also reiterated its endorsement of India's bid for permanent membership of a reformed security council. UAE minister Noura Bint Mohammed Al Kaabi at UNSC Open Debate on 'Maintenance of International Peace &amp; Security: New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism' said, "Congratulate you and Indian mission at very successful 8th term on the Security Council. Your voice at this chamber is necessary and UAE reiterates its endorsement of India's bid for permanent membership of the reformed UNSC.
The UN Security Council is the premier global body for maintaining International peace and security. The Security Council, the United Nations' principal crisis-management body, is empowered to impose binding obligations on the 193 UN member states to maintain peace.
The Security Council, the United Nations' principal crisis-management body, is empowered to impose binding obligations on the member states to maintain peace.
The council's five permanent and ten elected members meet regularly to assess threats to international security, including civil wars, natural disasters, arms proliferation, and terrorism.
Structurally, the council remains largely unchanged since its founding in 1946, stirring debate among members about the need for reforms. The UN Security Council is composed of 15 members, including five permanent member states - China, France, Russian Federation, the United States, and the United Kingdom - and 10 non-permanent member states, which are elected by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
Ten non-permanent members are elected to the UNSC every year for a two-year term
The 10 non-permanent seats are distributed among the regions of the world: five seats for African and Asian countries (three are for Africa and two for Asia), one for Eastern European countries, two for Latin American and Caribbean countries, and the remaining two for Western European and other countries.
The Africa and Asia Pacific group takes turns every two years to put up an Arab candidate.
There is a need reform in UNSC, due to the undemocratic nature of UNSC, barring two regions (North America and Europe), other regions are either underrepresented (like Asia) or not represented at all (Africa, Latin America and the Small Island developing states).
Moreover, there is a misuse of veto power. The veto power is used by P-5 countries to serve the strategic interest of themselves and their allies.
Meanwhile, India is a founding member of the UN. India, till now has been elected for eight terms for a two-year non-permanent member seat.
Most significantly, India has almost twice the number of peacekeepers deployed on the ground than by P5 countries.&nbsp;
India being the largest democracy and second-most populous country (soon to become most populous) in the world, are the primary reasons for it to be granted permanent membership in UNSC. Also, India is one of the largest economies and fastest-growing economies of the world. —ANI

The UK, France and UAE on Wednesday (local time) extended support for India's permanent membership at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

UK, France And UAE Support India's Bid For Permanent Membership At UNSC

Chennai (The Hawk): A 500-year-old stolen state idol was about to be sold at auction when the French auction house Christies was quickly stopped by the DGP of the Tamil Nadu Idol Wing, Jayanth Murali.
When the elite idol wing DGP learned that the idol was being auctioned off for between Euro 2,000 and Euro 3,000 (about Rs 1.76 to Rs 2.64 crore), he tweeted, "STOP AUCTION, Return it to us This is stolen from India, TN."
Jayanth Murali also mentioned the Archeological Survey of India and the "Antiquities Coalition," which conducts an international fight against cultural racketeering (ASI).
As soon as the state administration received word from the police, it was relayed to the Union Home ministry, which raised the matter with the French government through the Indian embassy in Paris.
According to the Director General of Police of States (DGP), the Idol wing initiated communication through diplomatic channels to thwart the auction.
Nataraja, a 500-year-old idol, was taken in 1972 from Kayathar's Sri Kothanda Rameswara Temple in the Thoothukudi district.
According to the experts of the Archeological Survey of India, the bronze idol dates to the Vijayanagara era (15th to 16th century)
After discovering that the idol was being auctioned, the idol wing officials double-checked the pictures of idols at the Indo-French Institute in Puducherry and discovered that the pictures of the stolen idol and those on the records of the institute were similar.
It was determined that the stolen Nataraja idol and the one that was being offered for sale were identical, according to a senior officer of the Tamil Nadu idol wing who spoke to IANS. After this discovery, the Tamil Nadu government informed the Union Home Ministry and pursued the case further.
(Inputs from Agencies)

A 500-year-old stolen state idol was about to be sold at auction when the French auction house Christies was quickly stopped by the DGP of the Tamil Nadu Idol Wing, Jayanth Murali. When the elite idol wing DGP learned that the idol was being auctioned off for between Euro 2,000 and Euro 3,000 (about Rs 1.76 to Rs 2.64 crore), he tweeted, "STOP AUCTION, Return it to us This is stolen from India, TN."

TN DGP swiftly stops France auction of stolen 500-year-old Nataraja idol

Doha, Qatar (The Hawk): On Sunday at Lusail Stadium, Argentina overcame a few tense moments to defeat France in a dramatic 4-2 penalty shootout, fulfilling Lionel Messi's lifelong dream of winning the FIFA World Cup.
Both sides were tied at two goals each at the completion of regulation play, and they each added a goal in extra time to make it three goals each, forcing the final match into a penalty shootout.
Kylan Mbappe scored the first goal for France in the tie-breaker, but after that, the French players were unable to defeat Martinez in the Argentinian goal, with one kick being saved by the keeper and one being off-target.
Kolo Mani scored for France, but it wasn't enough because their competitors made all four kicks.
Messi opened the scoring for Argentina, and then his three teammates did the same, giving their captain the ideal send-off gift. The 35-year-old has declared that the World Cup in Qatar will be his final.
Messi and Mbappe were the main topics of conversation leading up to the game because of their significant roles in the final, and they did not dissapoint. Mbappe scored a hat trick while Messi scored twice.
The roughly 90,000 spectators were kept on their toes by six goals, three penalties, and a lot of drama in extra time, which forced a penalty shootout.
Messi gave Argentina the lead for the second time in the game with a goal in the 109th minute, but Mbappe tied the score with his third and second penalty kick in the 118th minute to make it three all.
The defending champion's game included two distinct facets in the championship match. They were essentially passengers in the first half until roaring back late in the second half to match their opponents.
Both teams started the scoring from the penalty spot, and the important players for each squad made no mistakes in slamming the ball home from a distance of 12 yards.
Messi gave Argentina the lead in the 23rd minute, and Angel Di Maria scored a second to make the score 2 -0 at the break.
The Les Blues rallied to tie the score and added a second goal, both of which were scored by Mbappe in the 80th and 88th minutes.
Argentina were not the same team against the Asian side despite playing in the same stadium where they started their tournament campaign and shockingly lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia.
The Argentinians were all over France's defence after playing six matches and developing communication and fluency with one another.
The fact that thousands of their fans were yelling, singing, and beating drums to motivate their players gave Argentina an additional advantage.
Argentina made a strong start and sent a few attempts directly at goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. In the first half, France only managed one shot on goal at the other end.
With Antoine Griezmann not playing the crucial role in the midfield for the French team, Argentina had made sure to shut off the supply line to Mbappe in the first half.
On the other hand, Argentina made good use of Angel Di Maria on the left flank. Messi frequently squared the ball or floated it to send some probing crosses deep inside the French defence.
Attended by 89,966 viewers Through the successful conversion of a spot kick, Argentina took the lead. When Di Maria was hauled down within the box, the Polish referee pointed to the location.
To make it 1-0, Messi, who stepped up to take the penalty, sent Lloris the wrong way.
Argentina added a second goal, which was initiated by Messi on the right after a few passes found him there again. The mercurial left-footed magician then skillfully released Di Maria to make it 2-0 for Argentina.
Close to halftime, French coach Didier Deschamps made two substitutions in an effort to turn the tide after falling down by two goals.
Despite Argentina's continuing dominance, Lloris stopped a few chances that were headed for the net, preventing them from adding a third to end the game.
The first of Mhappe's two goals sparked the action.
He scored twice from the penalty spot, making it 2-2 after the first conversion.
When France requested a second penalty kick, the referee instead issued the French striker a yellow card, adding to the tension on both sides of the field.
In injury time of the second half, Lloris was had to make a spectacular stop to deflect Messi's graceful drive for a corner kick.
Argentina stopped a couple dangerous efforts to force extra time by stopping more goalmouth action at both ends.
Argentina and France did not play as well in the extra period, engaging in numerous sloppy tackles that required the Polish referee to repeatedly maintain control of the situation.
Messi was denied by Lloris in the second period of extra time after he unexpectedly created an opportunity.
But it did not take long for Argentina to score after the French goalkeeper had first blocked a shot; in the 109th minute of the game, Lloris' defence gave way.
(Inputs from Agencies)

On Sunday at Lusail Stadium, Argentina overcame a few tense moments to defeat France in a dramatic 4-2 penalty shootout, fulfilling Lionel Messi's lifelong dream of winning the FIFA World Cup. Both sides were tied at two goals each at the completion of regulation play, and they each added a goal in extra time to make it three goals each, forcing the final match into a penalty shootout.

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