Officials warned Thursday that flare-ups could cause a massive wildfire to further spread in France's parched southwest, site of the most intense blazes that have blackened swaths of the country this week.

The French government said Friday that it had activated a crisis task force to coordinate efforts to alleviate the impacts of a "historic" drought exacerbated by a third extreme heatwave of the summer.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne will on Wednesday lay out the government's policy priorities in her first speech in front of what promises to be a stormy parliament. The 61-year-old will make the customary "general political declaration" to kick off the legislative session, which is being scrutinised closely given Borne's weak position at the head…

France's new government lineup will be announced later on Friday, the presidency said, with the new cabinet set to meet on Monday.

France will ban electric scooters from pavements in September, the transport minister said, in a backlash against a surge of the commuter gizmos invading pedestrian areas. An estimated 15,000 scooters operated by several companies have flooded the French capital since their introduction last year, a number projected to surge to 40,000 by the end of…