Child Safety Crackdown: France has passed Europe’s first blanket ban on social media for kids under 15, with platforms required to block access via age checks and a rollout starting September (with existing accounts to be handled later). EU-Politics & Tech Law: The move is already reshaping Brussels talks, as France and the EU Commission align on online child safety while still clashing on Gaza, settlement trade, and migration policy. Heatwave & Wildfires: Extreme heat is driving a surge in deaths and fires, with France reporting 5,764 excess deaths in June–July and evacuations in the southwest as wildfires spread near Bordeaux and across southern Europe. Energy & Climate Accountability: Activists at TotalEnergies’ Paris HQ renewed pressure over record fossil profits as climate disasters intensify, pushing for tougher taxation of big polluters. Justice & Public Safety: A 70-year-old woman has been charged over the murder of British-South African Karen Carter in rural France, while another case involves a pensioner rape and robbery in Rennes. Prediction Markets Under Fire: Polymarket’s access block in France is under legal challenge, as regulators cite illegal gambling concerns.