News : France24

Today

What is Palestine Action, the protest movement banned under UK terror act?

Founded in 2020, the British pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action was branded a “terrorist organisation” and banned by the UK government on July 5. Since then, more than 700 people have been arrested for showing their support for the group. Critics say

Read the article

Twin giant pandas at Berlin zoo celebrate first birthday

Twin giant #pandas Meng Hao and Meng Tian, better known as Leni and Lotti, celebrated their first birthday at the Berlin Zoo on Friday. To mark the occasion, they enjoyed some frozen vegetable treats, alongside a candle fashioned from bamboo shoots.

Read the article

‘I will be displaced once again’: Gaza City residents forced to flee as military operation begins

As Israel announced its intention to seize Gaza City on August 20, amateur and satellite images from the previous days show intensified air strikes by the Israeli military, significant destruction, and the emptying of several displaced camps. Our Observe

Read the article

Iran, European powers to resume nuclear talks as 'snapback' sanctions loom

Ahead of an August 31 deadline imposed by France, Britain and Germany, to trigger a "snapback" sanctions mechanism, Iran on Friday agreed to resume nuclear talks with the "E3" European countries next week. The Israel-Iran war in June has added pressure o

Read the article

French, German post offices restrict package deliveries to US due to Trump’s tariffs

Europe • 3:33 PM

French and German postal services on Friday announced restrictions on the delivery of packages to the US due to new rules imposed under President Donald Trump's tariff hikes.

Read the article

UN declares famine in Gaza, over 500,000 affected

The United Nations confirmed on Thursday a state of famine in Gaza, with more than half a million people affected. Israel, however, disputes the report, claiming IPC figures are based on fake Hamas sources.

Read the article

Workers' health threatened by heatwaves, WHO claims

The WHO and WMO warn that heatwaves are increasingly threatening workers, especially in agriculture, construction, and fisheries. Over 2.4 billion people are exposed, with work-related injuries rising and productivity dropping, prompting calls for heat-s

Read the article

Israel rejects famine accusations in Gaza, a war crime under international law

The UN declared this morning that famine in Gaza is now official. FRANCE 24’s correspondent in Jerusalem analyses Israel’s outright rejection of the report, noting that the government provides no alternative statistics and simply insists Hamas figures ar

Read the article

Mosquito-borne diseases: 'As world warms, parasites, diseases and viruses become more transmissible'

Europe • 1:32 PM

Europe has registered a record number of outbreaks of mosquito-borne illnesses such as chikungunya and West Nile virus this year, the EU health agency said Wednesday, saying climate change was contributing to a "new normal". Europe is experiencing longer

Read the article

'Bombs or starvation: People in Gaza waiting to see what will kill them first' (NRC's Shaina Low)

The United Nations officially declared a famine in Gaza on Friday, blaming "systematic obstruction of aid" by Israel, hours after Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened to destroy the territory's largest city. While Israel denied there was a famine, the

Read the article

Bayeux Tapestry not too fragile to loan to UK, French official says, quashing ‘heritage crime’ claim

A petition to block France from transporting the medieval Bayeux Tapestry to the UK garnered more than 52,000 signatures by Friday amid conservation fears. But a French official overseeing the loan said a study did not conclude that the 11th century arte

Read the article

The Bright Side: Panda twins Leni and Lotti celebrate first birthday at Berlin Zoo

Meng Hao and Meng Tian, better known as Leni and Lotti, were born at the Berlin Zoo on August 22, 2024. The panda twin cubs celebrated their first birthday Friday with frozen vegetable treats and a candle fashioned from bamboo shoots.

Read the article

Wildfires keep raging across Iberian peninsula

Europe • 10:39 AM

Wildfires continue to devastate Portugal and Spain, with nearly 300,000 hectares burned in Portugal and over 400,000 in Spain, marking record seasons for both countries. In Portugal, firefighters have been injured, and several people have died, while in

Read the article

UN's IPC declares famine in Gaza, Israel denies

Israel rejected a UN-backed report confirming famine in Gaza, calling the findings false and based on “Hamas lies.” The report had stated that famine now affects Gaza City, covering about 20% of the Gaza Strip. FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopolsky has some more

Read the article

Colombia hit by deadly guerrilla attacks, at least 18 killed

Two attacks by dissident guerrilla groups in Colombia killed 18 people and injured dozens on Thursday. A truck bomb struck Cali, while a drone downed a police helicopter at a northern coca farm, worsening the country’s worst security crisis in decades an

Read the article

UN declares famine in Gaza, first ever in Middle East

The United Nations on Friday officially declared a famine in Gaza, the first in the Middle East, with its experts saying 500,000 people were facing "catastrophic" hunger. After months of warning of the deteriorating humanitarian situation, the Rome-based

Read the article

Netanyahu pushes ahead with Gaza takeover

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is moving ahead with its planned takeover of Gaza City. He also signalled willingness to negotiate the release of Israeli hostages, but his remarks undermined hopes for a ceasefire deal proposed by Ar

Read the article

Western powers denounce Israel’s settlement plan dividing future Palestinian state

Twenty-one countries, including France and Britain, issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s planned expansion in the West Bank as unacceptable and a violation of international law. The proposed settlement of about 3,400 homes, known as E1, would div

Read the article

In Colombia, two separate guerilla attacks kill 18

Two attacks by dissident guerrilla groups killed 18 people and injured dozens in Colombia on Thursday. A truck bomb struck Cali, killing six and wounding more than 60, while a drone brought down a police helicopter at a coca farm in the north. The violen

Read the article

Egypt unveils 2,000-year-old sunken city

Egypt on Thursday unveiled parts of a sunken city submerged beneath waters off the coast of Alexandria, revealing buildings, artefacts and an ancient dock, all dating back over 2,000 years.

Read the article

🔴 War in Gaza live: UN-backed group officially declares famine in Gaza

Read the article

Women's Rugby World Cup kicks off with organisers hoping for record ticket sales

The Women's Rugby World Cup kicks off on Friday with competition hosts, England, hoping to rectify their 2022 World Cup final loss to New Zealand. Organisers say the tournament is set to break records for attendance with hundreds of thousands of tickets

Read the article

Football: Jules Koundé extends contract with FC Barcelona until 2030

French international defender has extended his contract with Barça and could become the French player with the most appearances for the Blaugrana.

Read the article

Gaza war live: UN declares famine in Gaza, Israel slams ‘outright lie’

The UN on Friday officially declared a famine in Gaza, the first time it has done so in the Middle East, with experts warning 500,000 people face "catastrophic" hunger. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the report as an "outright lie" and said it

Read the article

Erik Menendez's parole denied three decades after parents' murder

Erik Menendez was denied parole on Thursday, the California Board of Parole Hearings said, three decades after being jailed for life – along with his brother Lyle – for killing their parents in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. The pair say they acted in

Read the article

Thai court clears ex-PM Thaksin of royal defamation charges

A Thai court on Friday cleared former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of royal defamation charges, saying there was not enough evidence to prove wrongdoing. The case stemmed from decades-old remarks Thaksin made in South Korean media that prosecutors s

Read the article

Colombia truck bomb, drone attacks kill 18 amid deepening security crisis

Two attacks by dissident guerrilla groups killed 18 people and wounded dozens in Colombia on Thursday, authorities said, as a truck bomb struck Cali and a drone downed a police helicopter at a northern coca farm, deepening the country’s worst security cr

Read the article

North Korea's Kim decorates 'heroes' who fought for Russia against Ukraine

Pacific Asia • 3:19 AM

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un led an emotional ceremony decorating troops who fought against Ukrainian soldiers in Russia's Kursk region and honouring those who died, images released by state media on Friday showed. In a speech, Kim praised the "admir

Read the article

Erik Menendez denied parole three decades after parents’ 1989 murder

Erik Menendez, serving a life sentence with his brother Lyle for killing their parents in their Beverly Hills home in 1989, was denied parole on Thursday, the California Board of Parole Hearings said. The brothers have been in prison for 35 years for the

Read the article

Newsom approves California November vote to counter Texas Republican redistricting

California voters will decide in November on a Democrat-proposed congressional map aiming to secure five more US House seats. This follows Texas Republicans advancing a map for similar GOP gains. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the legislation, escalating a

Read the article

Trump administration reviews 55 million visa holders for violations

The administration of US President Donald Trump said Thursday it is reviewing more than 55 million valid US visa holders for potential violations that could lead to deportation, in a broadening crackdown on foreigners legally in the country amid heighten

Read the article

FBI searches home of Trump’s former adviser and current critic John Bolton

John Bolton served as national security adviser during US President Donald Trump’s first term before quitting and facing scrutiny over a book he wrote about his time in government. The FBI raided his Maryland home Friday as part of a probe into the handl

Read the article

US judge orders dismantling of Trump's 'Alligator Alcatraz'

A US federal judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration and Florida state authorities from sending any new migrants to the detention centre known as "Alligator Alcatraz" and ordered much of the facility to be dismantled, effectively shutting it d

Read the article

Chile, Argentina football fans trade blame over stadium violence

Violence erupted at a Buenos Aires stadium during a Copa Sudamericana match between Independiente and Universidad de Chile, leaving 19 people injured and over 100 arrested. Argentine and Chilean fans blamed each other, while Chilean President Gabriel Bor

Read the article

Newsom approves California November vote to counter Texas Republican redistricting

California voters will decide in November on a Democrat-proposed congressional map aiming to secure five more US House seats. This follows Texas Republicans advancing a map for similar GOP gains. Governor Gavin Newsom signed the legislation, escalating a

Read the article

Yesterday

Niger army kills Boko Haram leader in Lake Chad basin operation

Africa • 11:54 PM

Niger’s army said on Thursday it killed Boko Haram leader Bakura during a “surgical operation” on an island in the Lake Chad basin in the Diffa region last week, near the borders with Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon, a statement said.

Read the article

Macrons' defamation suit designed to 'deter' Owens from engaging in 'socially reprehensible conduct'

In a dramatic legal salvo, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have filed a landmark defamation suit in Delaware against far-right US commentator Candace Owens, accusing her of spreading a "verifiably false and devastating" conspiracy

Read the article

Ukrainian national arrested over 2022 Nord Stream pipeline blasts

Italian authorities have arrested a Ukrainian national suspected of coordinating and taking part in the 2022 sabotage of Nord Stream gas pipelines. The suspect, identified only as Serhii K., was arrested overnight in Italy’s Rimini province, at the reque

Read the article

What happens in the Antarctic doesn't stay in the Antarctic, ice-sheet modeller says

A new study published in Nature reveals 'evidence for rapid, interacting and sometimes self-perpetuating changes in the Antarctic'. Speaking on FRANCE 24, glaciologist and ice-sheet modeller Frank Pattyn, Chair of the Belgian National Committee on Arctic

Read the article

Netanyahu orders new talks to release all hostages, pushes ahead with Gaza City takeover

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said he had ordered the beginning of immediate negotiations to release the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, rejecting a ceasefire proposal presented earlier this week. FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopolsky

Read the article

EU gets 15% US tariff for cars, but fails to get wine reprieve

The US and EU released details of a trade deal that foresees lower car tariffs but no relief for Europe's wine sector, but Brussels said it would push for further concessions. US President Donald Trump and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen cli

Read the article

Facing troop shortage, Israeli army looks to deserters and the diaspora

Israel is looking for new ways to recruit soldiers to fill up to 12,000 vacant positions, Israeli Army Radio announced this week. Struggling after 23 months of war, the longest in Israeli history, the army is looking to the Jewish diaspora abroad, the Or

Read the article

French judges dismiss genocide case against Rwanda's former first lady

Africa • 3:22 PM

French judges dismissed a long-running case against Agathe Habyarimana, widow of Rwanda’s former president, ruling there was insufficient evidence to link her to the 1994 genocide that killed around 800,000 people.

Read the article

French authorities rule out foul play in streamer's on-air death

A French prosecutor said Thursday that Raphael Graven, known online as “Jean Pormanove”, likely died of medical causes, not foul play, after collapsing during a broadcast. His on-air death sparked a public outcry and a judicial investigation into alleged

Read the article

Ukrainian man arrested over Nord Stream blasts in 2022

A Ukrainian suspect has been arrested in Italy over the sabotage of the Nord Stream underwater gas pipelines from Russia to Europe in 2022, German prosecutors said Thursday. Jörg Taszman, journalist in Berlin, has more details.

Read the article

'Power of the regulator: Holding platforms to account when they potentially violate national laws'

French streamer Raphaël Graven, 46, known as Jean Pormanove on social media, died in southern France during a broadcast on the Kick livestreaming platform that had been running for more than 298 hours. A government minister said he had been “humiliated a

Read the article

Palestinian groups in Lebanon begin handing over weapons under state deal

Some Palestinian armed groups in Lebanese refugee camps started handing over their weapons Thursday as part of a state-backed deal aimed at establishing government control and enabling a state monopoly on arms.

Read the article

Tunisians rally in support of embattled trade union amid government clampdown

Tunisia’s main labour union drew the country’s largest rally in months on Thursday, as members and backers protested President Kais Saied’s growing pressure on the UGTT, denouncing rising repression and a rollback of freedoms in the birthplace of the Ara

Read the article

Anti-war protest in Gaza City as Israel prepares offensive

Residents of Gaza City demonstrated this Thursday to call for an end to the war, as Israel approved a plan to seize Gaza City and prepares to launch its offensive and enter the city. Ceasefire negotiations appear to be at a standstill, although Hamas rec

Read the article

French music festival Rock en Seine kicks off in Paris

Rock en Seine 2025 kicked off at the Domaine national de Saint-Cloud with an all-female opening night, headlined by Chappell Roan in her only French concert of the year, alongside London Grammar, Suki Waterhouse and Luvcat. The festival’s following days

Read the article

'Hugely disappointed': EU gets 15% tariff on cars but fails to secure exemption for wine

The US and EU unveiled details of a trade deal Thursday lowering tariffs on European cars but keeping a 15% levy on wine and spirits, despite a push by France, Italy and other wine-making countries to win a zero tariff exemption. Brussels said it would p

Read the article

Firefighters struggle to contain wildfires in Spain and Portugal

Spain and Portugal keep on fighting major wildfires during one of the most destructive fire seasons in recent decades. Thousands of firefighters, aided by soldiers and water-bombing aircraft, fought flames devastating woodland and small towns, particular

Read the article

Ukraine: Largest Russian strikes in weeks as peace efforts drag on

Russia carried out one of its largest aerial attacks of the year on Ukraine, firing 574 drones and 40 missiles overnight, mostly targeting western regions where Western military aid is stored, amid intense diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire. The str

Read the article

Italy arrests Ukrainian suspected of involvement in Nord Stream pipeline blasts

Europe • 11:39 AM

Italian police said Thursday they had arrested a Ukrainian man suspected of being one of the coordinators of the 2022 attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which were built to carry gas from Russia to Germany. Prosecutors believe the suspect was one

Read the article

NATO weighs Ukraine security guarantees amid peace talks

NATO defence chiefs held talks on Ukraine’s future security guarantees, as Kyiv insists any peace deal must ensure a lasting ceasefire and protection against future Russian attacks. Moscow, however, has criticised these discussions for excluding its role

Read the article

CHAN 2025: Three hosts, three teams through to quarters

All the quarter-finalists of the CHAN are now known. And this year marks a first: the tournament, organised jointly by three host countries, saw all Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda make it through the group stage. The CHAN (African Nations Championship), unli

Read the article

Texas redraws congressional map: Stakes high for 2026 midterms

Texas state representatives have approved a new congressional map that could help Republicans gain five seats in the 2026 midterms. While redistricting itself isn’t unusual, FRANCE 24s Kethevane Gorjestani notes this year’s plan is controversial for its

Read the article

Rights groups reports reveal human rights violation in DRC

Rights groups accuse the Rwanda-backed M23 militia of ethnically targeted killings in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with both M23 and pro-government Wazalendo forces implicated in abuses like gang rapes and summary executions. Their seizure of mi

Read the article

Khartoum struggles to rebuild amid devastating war damage

In Sudan’s capital Khartoum, residents are struggling to rebuild after more than two years of war, with reconstruction costs nationwide estimated at $700 billion, half of which is for the capital alone. Despite frequent shortages of water and electricity

Read the article

In Malawi, overcrowded refugee camp fuels hunger, crime

In Malawi, cuts to US foreign aid are hitting the World Food Programme and UNHCR hard. At the country’s only refugee camp, now over five times its original capacity, refugees report growing food insecurity and rising crime, highlighting the urgent humani

Read the article

Israel begins bombing Gaza City after expanded offensive gets green light

Israel on Thursday told medical personnel in northern Gaza to prepare evacuation plans ahead of a major offensive on Gaza City, as it stepped up bombardments and left mediators waiting on its response to a ceasefire proposal accepted by Hamas.

Read the article

War in Ukraine: Russia says European troops in Ukraine would be ‘unacceptable’

Europe • 8:05 AM

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday the presence of European troops in Ukraine would be "absolutely unacceptable" to Russia while Kyiv and its allies push to establish security guarantees to end the war. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zel

Read the article

'Shocking, not surprising': Death of French influencer 'will cast long shadow over these platforms'

Europe • 7:45 AM

French authorities are investigating the death of a man during a live video stream on the Kick live streaming platform, where he had regularly been shown enduring violence and humiliations. Prosecutors ordered an autopsy and opened an investigation into

Read the article