Latest news with #BastilleDay
Zawya
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Zawya
President Boakai Hails France On National Day Observance
The President of the Republic of Liberia, His Excellency President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., has sent a congratulatory message to the Government and people of the Republic of France on the occasion France's National Day, (the Bastille Day) on July 14, 2025. According to a Foreign Ministry release, in the message to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, President Boakai, on behalf of the Republic of Liberia, extended warmest congratulations and best wishes to the Government and people of France as they commemorate this historic landmark. President Boakai noted that as the people of France celebrates this important moment in their national history, Liberia joins in honoring the enduring values of liberty, equality, and fraternity that have long inspired nations around the world. The Liberian leader added that his government salute the resilience, cultural riches and global contributions of the French people. He emphasized that France and Liberia share a longstanding relationship which is marked by mutual respect, cooperation and shared ideals. President Boakai stressed that he appreciate France's support which have extended over the years in areas such as development, education, health, and multilateral diplomacy. 'We remain committed to deepening our partnership and working closely together to address global challenges and promote peace, stability, and prosperity for all', the Liberian President stated. He then wished President Macron sincere congratulations and best wishes for continued peace, progress and the well-being for the people of France. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Liberia.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
School Assembly news headlines for today July 18, 2025: From sports to education, check 20+ national & international news
School Assembly news headlines for today July 18, 2025: Good morning students and teachers. Today, July 18, 2025, our school assembly brings you a roundup of the most important national and international news across sports, education, and current affairs. India has supplied 3 lakh doses of the measles-rubella vaccine to Bolivia. Indore has retained its title as the cleanest city in India for the eighth consecutive year. Meanwhile, Karnataka faces disruption due to heavy rains with an orange alert issued, and Ladakh has launched its first HPV vaccination program for adolescent girls. In the national sphere, Bihar announces free electricity up to 125 units starting August 1, and the government forms a high-level committee to address inter-state water issues including the Polavaram-Banakacherla link project. On the international front, France celebrates Bastille Day with grand parades and fireworks, while England gained a thrilling win against India in Lord's third Test. The Indian Meteorological Department issues an orange alert in Kerala, resulting in school closures in six districts. Today's national news headlines in English for school assembly, July 18, 2025 India requests U.S. approval for joint production of Javelin missiles. Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has deactivated 1.17 crore Aadhaar numbers of deceased citizens as part of efforts to clean the national database. Uttarakhand government aims to introduce Gita and Ramayana teachings in schools, with NCERT tasked to develop curriculum material. Central government convenes an all-party meeting ahead of the Monsoon Session to seek cooperation for key legislative business. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) injects ₹5.6 lakh crore into the banking sector to ensure effective implementation of a recent interest rate cut. Today's international news headlines in English for school assembly, July 18, 2025 Russia launches attacks on Ukraine, deploying 400 drones and missiles, escalating tensions in the ongoing conflict. UK ends its five-year ban on Pakistani airlines, allowing Pakistan International Airlines to resume direct flights to Britain. A strong 7.3 magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of Japan, prompting tsunami warnings and precautionary evacuations. Reports circulate about Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir possibly replacing President Zardari, fueling speculation about a leadership change. United Nations voices concerns after Bangladesh's GDP growth drops to 3.3%. Today's sports news headlines in English for school assembly, July 18, 2025 The ICC Annual General Meeting begins, discussing the adoption of a two-tier Test system, expansion of the T20 World Cup, and induction of new cricket member nations. India's U-20 freestyle wrestling team secures second place at the 2025 U-20 Wrestling Championship. England slips to third position in the WTC rankings after being penalized for a slow over rate, despite winning the third Test against India. FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket applications will open on September 10, with the largest-ever edition slated to feature 48 teams and 104 matches. In chess, Indian Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa defeats World No.1 Magnus Carlsen to advance to the quarterfinals of the Freestyle Grand Slam in Las Vegas. Today's education news headlines in English for school assembly, July 18, 2025 UGC NET June 2025 Results to be released on July 22: Candidates can access scorecards on the official NTA website. IIT-Kanpur releases JEE Advanced 2025 scorecards; students can view detailed marks and ranks at GSEB HSC 2025 supplementary exam results for Class 12 general stream announced online; minimum 33% required to qualify. SSC CHSL Exam 2025 last date to apply for 3,131 Group C posts is July 18, 2025; eligibility and application process detailed online. High school holidays declared in UP during Kanwar Yatra; Telangana schools observe Bonalu festival and Jharkhand schools close amid heavy rain. Today's state news headlines in English for school assembly, July 18, 2025 Electricity supply to be disrupted in Sangla Valley on July 18 due to scheduled maintenance. Uttarakhand Government requests NCERT to include Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana in syllabus for 17,000 state government schools. Trinamool Congress launches protest over the Bengali identity issue ahead of the 2026 polls; Mamata Banerjee to lead the march. TVK (Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam) to hold its second state conference in Madurai on August 25, with Vijay's statewide tour planned for September. Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu seeks central support for the Polavaram–Banakacherla water project to address Rayalaseema's water scarcity. Top business and economic news headlines for July 18, 2025 Cabinet approves 'PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana' with a ₹24,000 crore outlay to boost agriculture in 100 under-performing districts. NTPC and NLC India receive Cabinet approval to invest ₹20,000 crore and ₹7,000 crore respectively in renewables; renewables sector targeted for major growth. ITC Hotels posts a 53% surge in Q1 net profit to ₹133.71 crore, hitting a 52-week high on robust revenues. Bharti Airtel's final dividend ex-date is July 18 for ₹16 per share; today is last day to trade for eligibility. Reliance Industries to announce its Q1 FY26 financial results on July 18, 2025, with investors' attention on growth projections. Daily word and thought of the day for school assembly, July 18, 2025 For the school assembly on July 18, 2025, here are the daily word and thought of the day: Word of the Day: Bellicose Meaning: Demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight; hostile or warlike in manner.(Example: The bellicose tone of the debate heightened tensions among the participants.) Thought of the Day 'Do not put your hope in wealth, which is uncertain, but in doing good and being generous. True life is found in kindness, generosity, and sharing with others.' For more informative articles on historical and upcoming events from around the world, please visit Indiatimes Events.
Qatar Tribune
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
French Embassy in Doha marks National Day with tribute to strong Qatar-France partnership
Ashraf Siddiqui The French Embassy in Doha recently hosted its National Day celebration at the Ritz-Carlton Doha, the event marked Bastille Day celebrated annually on July 14 to commemorate the 1789 storming of the Bastille, a pivotal event in the French Revolution, as well as the 1790 Fête de la Fédération symbolising national unity. Present on the occasion were Minister of Transport of the State of Qatar HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulla bin Mohammed Al Thani; the Director of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, HE Ambassador Ibrahim Yousif Fakhroo; members of the diplomatic corps; dignitaries; and representatives of the French community in Qatar. Patrick Poinsot, Chargé d'Affaires at the Embassy of France in Qatar, in his welcoming address on the occasion highlighted the strong and wide-ranging cooperation between Qatar and France across sectors including politics, trade, investment, defence, culture, and education. He pointed to significant cross-investments in key areas such as energy transition, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and health. He also commended the contribution of approximately 200 French companies operating in Qatar, recognised for leadership in their respective fields. Poinsot expressed France's gratitude for Qatar's security support during the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, noting that Qatar's deployment of over 100 officers made it the fourth largest contributor among foreign security forces. In cultural cooperation, he highlighted the April visit of the French Minister of Culture to Qatar, which resulted in the signing of seven cultural and museum partnership agreements. He also praised Qatar's commitment to promoting the French language, which is increasingly taught in local schools, and noted recent joint participation in the Permanent Council of La Francophonie. Acknowledging Qatar's diplomatic role, Poinsot praised its mediation in humanitarian crises, including facilitating the ceasefire between Iran and Israel, and its participation in the June 15 Peace Summit on Ukraine. He also commended Qatar's efforts that led to the return of dozens of children to their families. Addressing the situation in Gaza, he reiterated France's alignment with Qatar in advocating for unconditional humanitarian access, the release of hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and progress toward a two-state solution. He also noted both countries' solidarity with Lebanon and Syria, supporting reconstruction, security, accountability, and inclusive political transition since 2011. Poinsot further mentioned that the French community in Qatar now numbers around 6,000 residents, with the Embassy committed to providing high-quality services in close coordination with Qatari authorities. Earlier, a ceremonial cake-cutting ceremony was attended by Minister of Transport, HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulla bin Mohammed Al Thani; Patrick Poinsot, Chargé d'Affaires at the French embassy; and HE Ambassador Ibrahim Yousif Fakhroo, Director of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar.
RTÉ News
a day ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Ben Healy defends lead at Tour de France to retain yellow jersey
Ben Healy will wear the yellow jersey at the Tour de France again on Thursday after safely defending his lead on Stage 11. As predicted, the lumpy, relatively short 156.8-kilometre course that started and finished in Toulouse led to a breakaway that stayed away for the duration, Jonas Abrahamsen taking a first grand tour win with a sprint finish on a chaotic day. Back in the peloton, over three minutes back on Abrahamsen, Healy rolled over the line safely. His lead remains 29 seconds despite an incident for race favourite Tadej Pogacar, the UAE Team Emirates rider taking a tumble with four kilometres to go. Healy and the other leaders in the peloton sat up and waited for the defending champion to return to the bunch after his bike suffered no major damage. Having produced a typically aggressive display last Thursday to claim his first Tour de France stage win, Healy again took the initiative on Monday to finish third on the Bastille Day stage and sensationally wrest the general classification lead from Pogacar.
Gulf Today
a day ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
How realistic is Macron's perception of threat?
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on July 14, the Bastille Day, marking the outbreak of the 1789 French Revolution, that France will increase its defence spending in the next two years by 6.5 billion euros (3 billion euros in 2026 and 3.5 billion euros in 2027), and in 2027 France's total defence spending would be 64 billion euros, double the amount that it was in 2017. Macron declared in his Bastille Day speech: 'Since 1945, freedom has never been so threatened, and never so seriously. To be free in this world, we must be feared. To be feared, we must be powerful.' He appealed to the people: 'The nation needs you. Every French man and woman must be cognizant of the threat around us. We all need to make sacrifices. Freedom has a price tag.' It is an aggressive speech from the leader of one of the leading democratic countries in Europe. And he is proposing to arm the country because Macron thinks that France is threatened. He has identifies the sources of threat as Russia, terrorism and online attacks. Russian attack on Ukraine is seen by western European democracies like France as a threat to democracy in Europe. It seems to be a rhetorical stance, to justify defence spending. France is not directly threatened by Russia. France chooses to back Ukraine along with other NATO and European Union (EU) countries, and the threat to Ukrainian independence is considered a threat to the rest of Europe of Europe. It is this mindset of collective security that has drawn Europe into two world wars. And the sense of collective security has reappeared on the political horizon of Europe for the first time since the 1930s. The serious question to be asked is whether the perceived Russian threat to Europe is an ideological one or is it a military threat. Russia is not interested in, nor capable of, threatening Europe militarily. Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2024 was unjustified but the situation was complex. Russia was feeling threatened by the idea of Ukraine becoming a member of the Western military alliance, NATO. Russian President Vladimir Putin should have handled it with tact instead of going to war with Russia. Is France's decision to step up its defence spending massively a response to Russia, or is it a response to the pressure exerted by US President Donald Trump that European members of NATO must spend at least 5 per cent of their national GDP on defence because he felt that America was bearing the financial burden of NATO alone on its shoulders? It seems to be the case that Macron is responding to Trump's pressure, and he has turned it into a grand statement against Russia. The other two sources of threat that Macron has identified are terrorism and online attacks. There have been sporadic terrorist attacks in France by Islamic extremists. But the way to respond to terrorism is not an increase in defence expenditure but to formulate a strategy of isolating the extremist elements in the Muslim expat community in France, most of whom are from north African countries like Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia. Macron does not recognise the fact that the religious extremists from these communities pose a threat to the communities themselves. There is a need to protect the North African communities, majority of whom are Muslims. This needs a social strategy. It would require that these communities should be integrated into French society. The subtle and the not-so-subtle discrimination that exists against the migrants, especially the Muslims, will need to end. It is indeed puzzling that President Macron wants to counter online attacks through billions of euros on defence preparedness. Cyber-attacks have to be countered through technological upgradation and not through guns, tanks and fighter planes.
