Use of indicative present

Indicative present can indicate:

1) words that are currently said

It can be found in text in past between persons who are speaking:

Quand il entendit la nouvelle, il s'écria : "c'est formidable!"

2) generale truth:

Les difficultés vinrent de ce que sa maladie n'était pas de celles que l'on soigne selon les méthodes éprouvées.

by employing the verb to soigner, the author indicates a whole of diseases which answer this definition.
The present of general truth is also that which one finds in the proverbs:

les bons comptes font les bons amis. 

and in the fables:

On a souvent besoin d'un plus petit que soi.

3) past actions to make them more realistics

In a text with the past, one can meet a verb at the present of narration what makes the account more alive. This process is often employed by the journalists to make the article closer to the reader. One calls that the journalistic present.

Le pic était juste au dessus de sa tête, et elle ne l'avait pas vu qu'après avoir pas mal regardé de côtés et d'autres. Suivant ses pensées, la sage Élise se met à pleurer.

The use of the present translates better than the preterit the suddenness of the reaction of the girl.

4) near past or near future

Je vais au cinéma, je reviens ce soir.

The first verb indicates an action which has just occurred whereas the second indicates an action which will occur soon.

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