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Trump says he spoke to Putin, Kremlin can’t ‘confirm or deny’

Europe • 10:30 AM

The Kremlin on Sunday declined to confirm or deny a US media report of a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine.

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New Orleans reveling in Super Bowl after terror attack

Never a city short on color, New Orleans has been looking positively brightly adorned in recent days, as the city undergoes its makeover for Super Bowl LIX. Security in the city is on high alert due to the deadly vehicle attack that killed over a dozen p

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Ecuador votes in presidential election amid surge in crime

Some 14 million Ecuadorans will go to the polls Sunday to decide who will lead their violence-wracked Andean nation through its worst crisis in half a century. Sixteen candidates are vying to become president, including two frontrunners -- hawkish young

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Hundreds of thousands protest far right in Germany

Europe • 9:30 AM

More than 200,000 protesters rallied in Munich, Germany, on Saturday against far-right extremism ahead of the country's general election. The far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is in second place in recent polls and has prompted w

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EU far-right parties rally in Madrid behind slogan 'Make Europe Great Again'

After last year's European Parliament elections, in which far-right parties performed strongly in several countries, a rally Saturday in Madrid was a meant as a show of force by the EU parliament's biggest far-right bloc. The rally adopted the slogan "Ma

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Eastern and southern African leaders call for ceasefire in DR Congo

Africa • 9:23 AM

Leaders from eastern and southern Africa on Saturday called for an immediate ceasefire in eastern Congo, where rebels are threatening to overthrow the Congolese government, but also urged Congo's president to directly negotiate with them. Congolese Presi

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Paris AI Summit: Canadian fund Brookfield to invest €20 billion in France

As Paris prepares to host a global artificial intelligence (AI) summit next week, Canadian fund Brookfield is set to invest €20 billion ($21 billion) by 2030 to help build data centres in France, according to a French media report.

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Live: Israeli army withdraws from Gaza’s key Netzarim Corridor

The Israeli military on Sunday completed its withdrawal from the Netzarim Corridor, a strip of land that bisects northern Gaza from the south, according to a Hamas official and Israeli media reports. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments in the

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Kosovo votes in parliamentary elections clouded by tensions with Serbia

Kosovars are voting Sunday in parliamentary elections that could determine who will lead the Kosovo side in negotiations with Serbia, which stalled last year. Prime Minister Albin Kurti's party campaigned on a tough line with Serbia while the opposition

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Sam Nujoma, Namibia’s founding father and ‘revolutionary hero’, dies aged 95

Africa • 5:51 AM

Sam Nujoma, the fiery white-bearded freedom fighter who led Namibia to independence from apartheid South Africa in 1990 and served as his country's first president, died on Saturday aged 95.

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Yesterday

Last-minute try gives England dramatic Six Nations win over France at Twickenham

Elliot Daly’s last-minute try punished the French for an extraordinary catalogue of handling errors as England edged France 26-25 in their Six Nations match at Twickenham on Saturday.

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Israelis protest against slow pace of the hostage-for-prisoner exchanges with Hamas

Demonstrations were held in Israel following the release of the three Israeli hostages by Hamas on Saturday. The poor physical condition of those freed sparked public anger at the government of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, blamed for the slow pace

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Wales suffer 14th straight defeat in Six Nations loss to Italy

Italy sent slumping Wales further into crisis on Saturday, triumphing 22-15 in front of delighted fans in Rome. Italy showed very little of the handling errors and poor decisions which have often plagued their Six Nations performances.

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Baltics disconnect from Russian grid: Decrease ‘vulnerability to Russian blackmail’

Three Baltic nations – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – disconnected from Moscow's power grid to join the EU's electricity network in an attempt to decrease their "vulnerability ... to Russian blackmail", FRANCE 24 Chief Foreign Editor Rob Parsons said in

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Lebanon forms new government after two years of political stalemate

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun on Saturday signed a decree to form a new government after more than two years of political stalemate and a devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah. Newly elected Aoun appointed Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to head the

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Slovakians protest PM Fico over govt pro-Russia policy shift

Europe • 3:44 PM

Huge crowds gathered in dozens of cities and towns across Slovakia on Friday to mount vocal protests against the pro-Russian policies of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico. The latest wave of anti-government rallies was fueled by Fico’s recent trip to M

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Baltic nations switch from Russian power grid to EU network

The three Baltic states on Saturday cut ties with Russia's power grid to join the European Union's network, the culmination of a years-long process that gained urgency with Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – all former Soviet r

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Mexican avocado farmers prepare to meet Super Bowl demand surge

Despite Donald Trump's tariff threats, Mexican farmers working flat out to meet Super Bowl fans' appetite for guacamole believe that, as long as they keep growing avocados, people will keep buying them. Mexican avocado shipments are worth more than three

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South Africa condemns Trump 'propaganda' after US freezes aid

South Africa on Saturday condemned as "propaganda" claims by US President Donald Trump that a new law would enable Pretoria to expropriate land from white farmers. Trump issued an order freezing aid to South Africa over a law which came into effect in Ja

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US judge halts Musk's DOGE access to Treasury Department data

A US judge issued an emergency order Saturday that restricts access to Treasury Department data from Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk is leading US President Donald Trump’s federal cost-cutting efforts but ran into controvers

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Paris AI Summit: ‘Start of everything is transparency’, researcher says

AI researcher and founding member of Climate Change AI Dr Sasha Luccioni spoke to FRANCE 24 about the upcoming summit on artificial intelligence in Paris and the technology’s impact on the climate. Luccioni called for more transparency and accountability

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Three Israeli hostages freed in prisoner swap with Hamas

Three Israeli men, held captive in the Gaza Strip for 16 months, were released by Hamas on Saturday as part of a fragile ceasefire deal. Since the truce took effect on January 19, 16 Israeli and dual-national hostages have been freed, as have five Thais

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Modi’s party wins critical Delhi election for first time in almost 3 decades

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party on Saturday regained power in the nation's capital for the first time in 27 years after beating the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in local elections.

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US states sue Trump administration over DOGE access to Treasury records

Nineteen Democratic attorneys general sued President Donald Trump on Friday to stop Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Treasury Department records that contain sensitive personal data such as Social Security and bank account n

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Trump cuts US aid to South Africa over land restitution law

Africa • 11:17 AM

US President Donald Trump on Friday froze US aid to South Africa, citing a law in the country that he alleges allows farm land to be seized from white farmers, despite Johannesburg's denials. The move spurred outcry from health researchers and medical wo

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🔴 Follow live: Israel begins releasing Palestinian detainees under Gaza truce deal

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Paris AI summit: 'Zero signatories' from Big Tech on copyright charter

One of the hoped outcomes of the AI summit which would be held in Paris on February 10-11 is a charter on copyright, a contentious issue that many creators have raised with the spread of AI technology, FRANCE 24 Technology Editor Peter O'Brien said. Aime

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Hamas hands over Israeli hostages to Red Cross

Hamas on Saturday handed over three Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Gaza, the fifth hostage-prisoner swap under an ongoing ceasefire with Israel. Hostages Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami were released after they were brought onto a stage in th

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🔴 Follow live: Hamas hands over 3 Israeli hostages to Red Cross under Gaza truce deal

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Israeli medical officials prepare to receive hostages released from Gaza

Reporting from Tel Aviv, FRANCE 24’s Noga Tarnopolsky speaks to Dr. Hagai Levine, chairman of the Israeli Association of Public Health Physicians, who also heads the medical team for the Israeli Hostages Family Forum. Dr. Levine details some of the medic

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Baltic states cut ties to Russian power grid in historic switch away from Moscow

Europe • 6:35 AM

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania disconnected their electricity systems from Russia's power grid on Saturday, the region's operators said, part of a plan designed to integrate the countries more closely with the EU and boost security.

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Judge blocks Trump plan to place thousands of USAID workers on leave

A US judge on Friday temporarily allowed roughly 2,700 US Agency for International Development (USAID) employees put on leave by President Donald Trump's administration to go back to work, pausing aspects of a plan to dismantle the agency.

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Israel releases 183 Palestinian detainees after Hamas frees 3 hostages

Israel on Saturday released 183 Palestinian detainees hours after Hamas freed three Israeli hostages, all civilian men, in the fifth hostage-prisoner swap under the Gaza ceasefire deal. Read our live blog to see how all the day's events unfolded.

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EU far-right parties rally in Madrid behind slogan 'Make Europe Great Again'

After last year's European Parliament elections, in which far-right parties performed strongly in several countries, a rally Saturday in Madrid was a meant as a show of force by the EU parliament's biggest far-right bloc. The rally adopted the slogan "Ma

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Netanyahu orders negotiators to Qatar after fifth hostage-prisoner swap

The fifth hostage-for-prisoner swap agreed under the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was completed on Saturday, with three Israelis exchanged for 183 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu ordered negotiat

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Friday, february 7, 2025

Hamas to free 3 more Israeli hostages for dozens of Palestinian prisoners under Gaza ceasefire

Hamas-led militants are set to free three more hostages, all Israeli civilian men, on Saturday, and Israel will release dozens of Palestinian prisoners as part of a fragile agreement that has paused the war in the Gaza Strip. FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopolsky

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UN warns of regional escalation in DR Congo conflict ahead of the high stakes Tanzania summit

Africa • 10:10 PM

Diplomatic efforts to achieve peace are getting underway this weekend in Tanzania. It will be the first time that Paul Kagame and Felix Tshisekedi engage in direct talks since the resurgence of the conflict. As the United Nations warned of regional escal

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Israel and Hamas to seal fifth prisoner-hostage exchange Saturday

Hamas named three more Israeli hostages it plans to release Saturday in exchange for 183 Palestinian prisoners in the fifth hostage-prisoner exchange between the militants and Israel. The latest swap takes place amid the global outcry sparked by US Presi

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Brussels grapples with spree of shootings linked to drug gangs

Europe • 8:46 PM

Brussels is grappling with an outbreak of drug-related violence with authorities appearing powerless to stem a rise in violent crime connected to a thriving narcotics trade. Footage went viral of masked men firing automatic weapons outside a Brussels met

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North Korean soldiers back on Russia's front line, says Zelensky

Europe • 8:12 PM

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that North Korean soldiers "have been brought in again" to Russia's Kursk region after reports that the troops had been pulled from the front due to high casualties. Zelensky added that a "significant nu

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Trump 'floods the zone', France's 'Monsieur Confidence', UK plays the 'Grey Man'

This week, Donald Trump’s latest bombshell—suggesting the U.S. should own Gaza and relocate its population in what he calls a Real Estate solution. Critics call it ethnic cleansing; he calls it Gaza Lago. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer kept a low profile at his

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Haute Couture collections, summer 2025: Antidotes to tense times

In 2025's uncertain climate and amid international crises, luxury industries are questioning their model: how to meet ever more ambitious financial targets? How can creativity inspire people to dream? Solutions are offered up by feminist designer Maria G

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Enrico Letta to Europe: 'Now is the time to act'

Forty years after Europe's Single Market was conceived as the cornerstone of post-war integration for millions of citizens across its member states, a divided continent is in danger of behind left behind in a fierce global competition dominated by the Un

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'France can be a bit bolder': Paris AI summit draft declaration sparks concern for civil society

A draft declaration of the Paris AI Action Summit has raised concerns for The Future Society, a nonprofit tasked by organisers to provide recommendations for protecting civil society from the risks of artificial intelligence.

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Locked out of decent housing, disabled residents in France struggle for dignity

Europe • 5:03 PM

For people with disabilities in France, finding accessible housing is particularly challenging. From emergency shelters unfit for mobility needs to social housing failing wheelchair users, the housing crisis hits disabled residents hardest and pushes man

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Economy, migration, defence loom large in German election: A turning point for Europe?

Of all the elections happening in the EU this year, the vote in Germany is probably the one that is being watched most closely across the bloc. Europe's largest economy is in trouble; the old model of cheap gas and easily accessible export markets is no

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🔴 Follow live: Hamas releases names of three Gaza hostages to be freed Saturday

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Former French president Sarkozy to get electronic tag after being convicted of graft

Europe • 4:43 PM

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is to be fitted with en electronic tag for a year after being found guilty of corruption, a source close to the case said on Friday. Sarkozy will wear the ankle monitor from February 7 and will only be allowed out

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UN Human Rights Council launches probe into abuses in eastern DR Congo

Africa • 4:33 PM

The UN's top human rights body on Friday launched an investigation into alleged abuses during the escalating crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) and adopted a resolution urging Rwanda-backed M23 soldiers to retreat immediately f

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