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PSG draws to play Liverpool in Champions League last 16

Paris Saint-Germain will face Liverpool in the last 16 of the Champions League, a draw showed Friday. The two teams last met in the group stage during the 2018/2019 season.

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Sweden launches probe after yet another Baltic Sea cable is damaged

Sweden has launched an investigation into suspected sabotage after yet another underwater cable in the Baltic Sea was found damaged. The cable links Finland and Germany and is the last of a string of telecom cable disruptions in the region in recent mont

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French hackers show how easy it is to 'jailbreak' Musk's new AI model Grok 3

Elon Musk is starting to see the fruits of his AI shopping spree with the release of Grok 3, one of the most capable AI models yet. But according to French startup PRISM Eval, the chatbot's safety filters can easily be bypassed to make requests about dan

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War in Ukraine: Zelensky feels 'he's being misunderstood by Trump'

Tensions between Zelensky and Trump over the US President's outreach to Moscow have exploded this week in a series of escalating barbs traded in press conferences and on social media. Volodymyr Zelensky feels 'he's being misunderstood by Donald Trump', F

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Ceasefire deal: Hostage body discrepancy and bus bombings fuel instability

Hamas had said the remains it returned on February 20 included those of Bibas and her two young sons, whose father was released by the militant group earlier this month.On February 21, however, Israel said one of the bodies was instead that of a Gazan wo

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Arab leaders meet in Saudi Arabia in bid to counter Trump’s ‘Riviera’ Gaza proposal

Leaders from Arab countries met in Saudi Arabia Friday to hammer out a recovery plan for Gaza. The summit is aimed at countering US President Donald Trump’s proposal to relocate the Palestinian enclave’s two million people to Egypt and Jordan and turn Ga

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Tunisia: Rising meat prices spark concerns ahead of Ramadan

In Tunisia, the rising costs of meat are causing concerns ahead of the holy month of Ramadan. Beef and poultry prices have increased by 21% and 19%, respectively, in 2025.

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German election 2025: Far-right expected to gain records seats

When Germans vote on February 23, conservative Friedrich Merz is the strong favourite to become the next chancellor after a bitterly fought campaign roiled by the rise of the AfD, a far-right party vocally backed by Team Trump. Our correspondent Nick Hol

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Bodies released by Hamas include some of the oldest and youngest hostages

The bodies of some of the oldest and youngest hostages taken to Gaza at the start of the Israel-Hamas war were released on February 20, bringing the total closer to the 33 supposed to be freed under the ceasefire that started last month.

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Kash Patel confirmed to head FBI despite fears he will go after Trump foes

Kash Patel, a fierce Donald Trump loyalist, has been confirmed as the new head of the FBI. Critics fear that Patel has been placed on the position to run the president’s errands and to go after Trump adversaries in both the government and the media.

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Israel says body returned by Hamas is not Shiri Bibas but identifies her sons

Israel on Friday said one of the four bodies returned by Hamas a day earlier is not that of Shiri Bibas, mother of the two young boys whose bodies were handed over Thursday. Israel said it had identified her children, Kfir and Ariel – the youngest hostag

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Live: Hamas says likely remains of Shiri Bibas ‘mistakenly mixed’ with others in Gaza rubble

Hamas on Friday said the remains of hostage Shiri Bibas appeared to have “mistakenly mixed” with those of other people killed in an Israeli air strike it claimed had hit the building she was being held in. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reacte

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US cuts Biden-era deportation protections for 521,000 Haitians

US Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on Thursday shortened the duration of temporary work permits and deportation protections for 521,000 Haitians to last until August of this year rather than February 2026, weeks after cutting a "temporary pro

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US transfers 177 migrants held in Guantanamo to Venezuela

Marking another boost to the renewed partnership between the US and Venezuela, 177 migrants were transferred from the notorious Guantanamo military base to their homeland in Venezuela at the "direct request" of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

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‘Unknown body’ returned to Israel instead of hostage Shiri Bibas, says Israel

France 24 correspondent Noga Tarnopolsky reports from Jerusalem after Israel announced on Thursday the "crushing" news that Hamas had returned an "anonymous body" instead of that of Shiri Bibas, whose remains were to be returned along with those of her t

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Zelensky meets US envoy, calls for strong ties despite Trump branding him 'dictator'

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky called for "strong Ukraine-US relations" after meeting with US envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv on Thursday. Zelensky said the meeting, which came after US President Donald Trump this week called Zelensky a "dictator" and

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Zelensky meets US's Kellogg in Kyiv, joint news conference cancelled

The United States is urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to sign deal on US access to Ukraine's critical minerals, White House national security adviser Mike Waltz has said. Zelensky has refused the offer, saying: "I can't sell our state." The

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Where is Shiri Bibas?: France 24's Noga Tarnopolsky reports from Jerusalem

"It's the end of a very dense and emotionally heavy day here in Israel," said Noga Tarnopolsky, "The news just came through from the National Institute of Forensic Medicine... that while the bodies of the two children have just been positively identified

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Israel accuses Hamas of handing over body of unknown person rather than that of Shiri Bibas

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Breastfeeding or baby formula? Fighting pushing marketing of breastmilk substitutes

Breastfeeding or using baby formula? To influence women’s choices, some companies have been using 'misleading and aggressive marketing' of formula milk products in some African countries, according to the WHO. 'The laws are now tight enough,' says our gu

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Ivory Coast takes control of last remaining French base

France returned on February 20 its sole military base in Ivory Coast to the west African nation's authorities, marking an end to decades of French presence at the site.

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'An assault on Britishness': James Bond's creative rights sold to Amazon

PRESS REVIEW – Friday, February 21: We look at what the French and German press are saying ahead of German elections this weekend, which are the most consequential since World War II, according to Politico. Journalist network Forbidden Stories sheds ligh

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Yesterday

Bolivia's Morales runs for president again, defying term limit

Bolivia's former leader Evo Morales launched his fourth presidential bid on Thursday, ignoring the constitution, which only allows three terms in office. Morales, who was Bolivia's first-ever indigenous president, is also facing criminal charges, which h

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France leaves last remaining military base in Ivory Coast

In tonight's edition: A page has turned in Franco-Ivorian military relations, as France hands over the keys to its sole military base in Côte d'Ivoire. Located near Abidjan airport, French forces had occupied the base for 47 years. Military relations are

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Conservative Merz leads Germany's turbulent election race

German voters go to the polls Sunday to elect a new parliament that will determine how the country is run for the next four years. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks to Ed Turner, Chair of the International Association for the Study of German Politics and

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Amazon’s Hollywood arm to take full creative control of James Bond franchise

Amazon MGM Studios, the Hollywood production arm owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos’s business empire, is set to take over the rights for the popular James Bond spy franchise as its producers head into retirement. The move could mean that a new 007 movie ma

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Defence minister orders military to 'intensify operations' after bus blasts

Israeli police said three bombs exploded while two were being defused at separate locations involving buses in central Israel on February 20. "These are identical explosive devices with a timer. Three have detonated, and two additional ones have been loc

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Kitchenware excluded from French PFAS ban after intensive lobbying

France’s parliament has voted to ban some PFAS or "forever chemicals", but the law excludes kitchenware after Tefal's parent company led an intensive lobbying campaign. Meanwhile, French aviation giant Airbus flew way ahead of Boeing in 2024. Plus, James

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NATO US security guarantee, credibility of Article 5 already weakened, former NATO official says

Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said the US president is “obviously very frustrated” with Ukrainian President Zelensky. “Some of the rhetoric coming out of Kyiv, frankly, and insults to President Trump were unacceptable,” Waltz said. FRANC

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White House posts 'dehumanising' ASMR video mocking migrants in shackles

Donald Trump’s White House is being blasted online for “ridiculing” and “dehumanising” migrants being deported in shackles in an ASMR-style video posted to its official channels. It comes as Trump declared himself the “King” online, with the White House

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Trump upends decades of foreign policy in pivot towards Putin

FRANCE 24's Fraser Jackson in Washington takes a look at the fallout of an extraordinary week in geopolitics as US President Trump upends decades of foreign policy doctrine with a pivot towards Vladimir Putin's Russia.

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Macron says France won't send troops to Ukraine 'tomorrow' but may give security guarantees

President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that France would not be sending troops to Ukraine "tomorrow" but reiterated that France could provide security guarantees to the war-torn nation after a ceasefire. Macron will be meeting US President Donald Trump

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Zelensky, Trump envoy Kellogg give no statement after Kyiv meeting

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine did not give public statements following their meeting in Kyiv Thursday, "at the request of the American side" Zelensky's spokesman said. FRANCE 24's Gullive

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Zelensky meets US envoy after Trump brands him a 'dictator'

Tensions between Zelensky and Trump over the US President's outreach to Moscow have exploded this week in a series of escalating barbs traded in press conferences and on social media. Amid the war of words, Zelensky said Thursday he had held a "productiv

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Germany's crunch elections: Can mainstream parties blunt surging far right?

Crunch elections for Germany at perhaps the most pivotal moment since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Back then, it was about making a success of reunification. Now comes a reckoning over the German model that ensued. Under threat, the kind of global free t

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Ukrainian filmmaker, and soldier, Vadym Adamov warns “Russia won’t stop”

He enlisted the month of his 18th birthday. Three years on, film director and videographer Vadym Adamov shares with France 24's François Picard his harrowing plight as a veteran of the brutal battle of Bakhmut: “Europe has a God-given chance to learn fro

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Zelensky meets US envoy after Trump brands him a 'dictator'

Volodymyr Zelensky was meeting Thursday with US envoy Keith Kellogg after Donald Trump branded the Ukrainian leader a "dictator" and said the Russians "have the cards" in any talks to end the war. Analysis by FRANCE 24 International Affairs Editor, Kethe

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Twenty-four hours in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, where life goes on despite the war

Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine’s largest city, is resolutely entering its fourth year of war, with residents stoically coping with emergency laws, night curfews and incessant air alerts. Underground schools have been built, and the city still offers a few leis

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France leaves last remaining military base in Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast officially took control of the last remaining French military base in the country as the majority of French forces departed from countries across West Africa. Story by Anna Pereira and Antonia Kerrigan.

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A model in crisis: Germans head to polls amid economic downturn

The economy is a top concern for voters in Germany as they go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new government. The country has seen two consecutive years of economic contraction and this stagnation could very well continue for a third year. Its post-Cov

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Who are the Gaza hostages whose bodies have been returned to Israel?

Hamas handed over the bodies of Israeli infant Kfir Bibas and his four-year-old brother Ariel, the two youngest captives taken by Hamas in their October 7, 2023 attack and among the most potent symbols of the trauma inflicted that day. Story by David Gil

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Press conference between Zelensky and Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy is canceled by US

A news conference after talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy was canceled at the request of U.S. officials, a Kyiv official said. More information with FRANCE 24 correspondent in Kyiv, Gulliver

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France's parliament votes to limit use of man-made 'forever chemicals'

France's lower-house National Assembly voted Thursday to limit the sale and production of items containing dangerous and highly polluting "forever chemicals". Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been used since the 1940s in the mass productio

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Putin using Trump ties as 'legitimisation' in Russia, exiled opponent Khodorkovsky says

FRANCE 24 spoke to exiled Russian opponent Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was jailed for a decade until he was pardoned by President Vladimir Putin in 2013. Over the past few weeks, Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump have spoke to each other and agreed

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Julianne Moore's book banned in the USA following executive order by president Trump

In the United States, a children’s picture book by the actress Julianne Moore is on a list of library books suspended for a ‘compliance review’ after an executive order by president Trump. Explanation by Emerald Maxwell.

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UK accusers of influencer Tate urge US to stay away from case

Four British women who have accused notorious influencer Andrew Tate of rape they were "concerned" by reports the US government was petitioning Romania to ease his travel restrictions. Story by James Vasina.

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Wellness, toxic masculinity and filthy rich holidaymakers: 'The White Lotus' returns

TV critic Dheepthika Laurent has been dipping her toes into the luxury waters of "The White Lotus" resort, as the series returns for a third season. The major ingredients of Mike White's award-winning show are all there: a mysterious murder victim, milli

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Germany: what are the voters' main concerns in the upcoming legislative elections?

From immigration and Germany's ailing economy to cannabis and gender politics, here is a round-up of the burning issues on voters' minds in the run-up to Sunday's election. Analysis by Armin Steinbach, Jean Monnet Professor of Law and Economics at HEC Pa

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Israel receives the bodies of four hostages: 'These deaths could have been prevented'

Hamas released the bodies of four Israeli hostages, said to include a mother and her two children who have long been feared dead and had come to embody the nation’s agony following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Analysis by Dr. Ori Goldberg, Israeli political

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Libyan-Irish singer Farah Elle on her unique blend of music

A Libyan-born Irish singer has spoken to FRANCE 24 about her love for music, and how primarily she makes music for herself, this as she prepares for a concert here in Paris. Farah Elle's music is defined by her Libyan roots as she performs songs for pian

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Hamas returns bodies of 4 Israeli hostages said to include a mother and her 2 young children

Hamas on Thursday released the bodies of four Israeli hostages, said to include a mother and her two children who have long been feared dead and had come to embody the nation's agony following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Story by Delano D'Souza.

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Lemons take centre stage at festival in southern French town of Menton

In this edition we discover a fruit-themed festival in the south of France. The Fête du Citron, or Lemon Festival, takes place every year in the town of Menton on the Franco-Italian border, attracting hundreds of thousands of locals and tourists. Marine

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Spain's former football chief Luis Rubiales convicted of sexual assault over forced kiss

Spain's former football chief Luis Rubiales has been convicted of sexual assault and fined more than 10,000 euros for having forcibly kissed Women's World Cup star Jenni Hermoso in 2023. The court acquitted Rubiales of a charge of coercion that carried a

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Spain's ex-football chief Luis Rubiales fined more than 10,000 euros for unsolicited kiss of player

A Spanish court convicted former football chief Luis Rubiales of sexual assault over the forced kiss he gave star forward Jenni Hermoso and fined him 10,800 euros ($11,300). More information with FRANCE 24 correspondent in Madrid, Sarah Morris.

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EU says 'Ukraine a democracy, Putin's Russia not' after Trump comments

In an extraordinary rift, Trump said that Zelensky was a "dictator without elections" who should act quickly or lose his country. The European Union hit back by saying that "President Zelensky was legitimately elected in free, fair and democratic electio

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Born to revolt? A closer look at striking culture in France

This week, we focus on a stereotype about France: that of it being a country on strike all the time. The joke goes that striking, "faire grêve", is a national sport. While it's certainly an important part of French history, are the French really world st

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France's parliament votes to ban some uses of 'forever chemicals'

France's parliament voted to limit the production and sale of some items containing polluting and health-threatening "forever chemicals" including cosmetics, most clothing and ski wax. Story by Delano D'Souza.

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Denmark boosts its defence spending by $7 billion, as Nordic countries fear Russian rearmament

A mood of panic is spreading across Europe after the dramatic foreign policy shift in Washington. Several Nordic countries today reacted - and took action: Denmark announced an increase in military spending to 3 percent of its GDP over the next two years

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New deficit assessment brings French pension reform back on negotiating table

France's independent public audit office shared its assessment of the pension system deficit with Prime Minister François Bayrou this Thursday. This is the starting point of a renegotiation of the 2023 pension reform that raised the legal retirement age

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Unveiling Iran's resistance: Meet those taking a stand against the regime

More than two years have gone by since mass "Woman, Life, Freedom" demonstrations erupted in Iran following the death of Kurdish student Mahsa Amini. She was killed by the Iranian morality police for a few strands of hair escaping from her veil. Recently

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