Italy is heading into a fresh political and cultural debate over immigration, integration and religious symbols in schools after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced plans to introduce new classroom rules. Meloni said her government will bring forward legislation to set a legal maximum on the number of foreign students in each class, while also banning burqas and niqabs in Italian schools. The proposal would additionally require parents of foreign students facing serious integration difficulties to learn Italian. The announcement has triggered a wider political argument over assimilation, religious freedom, national identity and the role of schools in integrating migrant families.

A massive wildfire has erupted in the historic Fontainebleau Forest, just 70 kilometres from Paris, forcing evacuations, shutting highways and disrupting train services. Hundreds of firefighters and water-bombing aircraft have been deployed as France battles one of its largest fires amid a severe heatwave. The blaze comes as much of Europe faces extreme temperatures, with wildfires, evacuations and record-breaking heat spreading across France, Spain and Italy.