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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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Families of missing Congolese soldiers stranded in rebel-held city of Goma

Nearly four weeks after M23 rebels took control of Goma, the families of Congolese soldiers say they have been abandoned. While some have found shelter in schools and churches, the M23 is now pressuring them to leave. Emmet Livingstone and Aurélie Bazzar

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Children use guns discarded by DR Congo army, as M23 rebels advance in south of Bukavu

Rwanda-backed M23 insurgents shot dead three boys who had picked up guns left by Congolese soldiers fleeing the rebel advance in eastern Congo, the U.N. said on Tuesday. More information with FRANCE 24 correspondent in Kinshasa, Emmet Livingstone.

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Sudan slams Kenya for hosting paramilitaries' government declaration

A day after the Rapid Support Forces gathered in Nairobi, the Sudanese army issued a statement condemning Kenya's violation of international law by welcoming a “terrorist militia responsible for acts of genocide” to form a parallel government. More infor

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EU trade chief says ready to discuss deals with US, but will respond to unilateral action

The EU's trade chief has said the bloc was interested in having trade deals with the United States, but would react swiftly if the US went ahead with unilateral tariff hikes. Addressing a business meeting ahead of talks with officials, Commissioner Maros

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Russia agrees to resume dialogue with US ‘on all parametres’ of Ukraine war

Russia is going to resume dialogue with the United States “on all parametres” of the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin said Thursday. The announcement comes just two days after Moscow and Washington held a meeting on Ukraine in Saudi Arabia without inviting ne

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Father of African cinema, Souleymane Cissé, dies at age 84

Africa • 10:44 AM

Malian filmmaker Souleymane Cissé, a pioneer of African cinema with a career spanning 50 years, has died at age 84. Story by Charlotte Hughes, Alexandra Quarini and Florence Gaillard.

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France returns its sole Ivory coast military base to local authorities

Africa • 10:38 AM

France on Thursday handed its sole Ivory Coast military base back to its former colony. France has been present in the country for decades, and its departure is in line with a growing trend among African countries to reduce their military ties with Franc

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French pension deficit set to more than double in a decade – despite reform

Europe • 10:30 AM

Despite France’s recent pension overhaul raising the general retirement age from 62 to 64, the country’s pension deficit is expected to more than double between 2035 and 2045 alone, the French audit office said Thursday. President Emmanuel Macron’s unpop

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DR Congo : UN warns of regional conflict, as M23 advances in strategic zones

Africa • 10:06 AM

The M23 armed group is advancing on "strategic zones" in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after taking two key cities, the United Nations warned, underscoring the threat of a regional conflict. Story by Emerald Maxwell.

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Germany: final face off before the legislative elections, Scholz promises to ward off AfD

German voters will go to the polls Sunday to elect a new parliament that will determine how the country is run for the next four years. Conservative Friedrich Merz is the strong favourite to become the next chancellor after a bitterly fought campaign roi

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Crowfunding weaponry for Ukraine: activist and comedian raises €200 million in 3 years

Europe • 9:56 AM

In Ukraine, a spirit of defiance is growing, particularly among the many civil society organisations that have been helping the war effort over the past three years - crowdfunding drones and other weaponry for the army. Our correspondent Gulliver Cragg h

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Hamas hands over bodies of youngest Gaza hostages taken from 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. Analysis by FRANCE

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Hamas hands over remains of dead hostages: ‘Very strange and morbid ceremony’

FRANCE 24’s correspondent in Jerusalem Noga Tarnopolsky describes Hamas’s handover ceremony in Gaza as “very strange and very morbid”. “One of the Red Cross officials simply refused to take part, signing a document and walking off stage,” she said, addin

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🔴Hamas transfers bodies of four Israeli hostages to Red Cross: Follow our live coverage

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'Magnifique': Papers react to Mbappé's stunning Champions League hat-trick

PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, February 20: Papers around the world react with outrage to US President Donald Trump labelling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator" and blaming Ukraine for starting the war. Elsewhere, a worrying study indicates th

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Families angered as Israeli authorities release names of dead hostages before being identified

Noga Tarnopolsky, FRANCE 24’s correspondent in Jerusalem, said there has been a lot of anger in Israel after authorities released the names of the dead hostages that would be released today – despite the fact that the family had urged them to wait until

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Iran executed 975 people in 2024, says human rights groups

At least 975 people were executed in Iran in 2024, with human rights groups saying the government is using capital punishment to spread fear throughout the population, notably to crack down on nationwide protests which have persisted since 2022.

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Iran executed 975 people in 'horrifying' 2024 escalation

Iran executed at least 975 people last year in a "horrifying escalation" of its use of capital punishment, two human rights groups said on Thursday.

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Trump blames Ukraine war on 'dictator' Zelensky

After the US held bilateral talks with Russian delegates in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, breaking from US policy on the Ukraine war, US President Donald Trump chided Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a social media post, calling him a "dictator" and

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Israel braces for 'heartbreaking' day as bodies of four Gaza hostages set to be returned

Hamas will return the bodies of four Israelis that were taken hostage on the October 7, 2023 attacks on Thursday, setting up what Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called a "heartbreaking" day for Israel. Among the four hostages are Ariel and Kfi

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Live: Convoy carrying remains of four hostages returns to Israel after Hamas handover

Hamas on Thursday transferred the bodies of four Israeli hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross for repatriation to Israel as part of the ceasefire agreement.The two small boys, their mother, and the elderly man have come to symbolise t

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US judge considers ‘unusual’ request by Trump official to drop charges against NYC mayor

A US judge said on Wednesday he will take some time to consider a request by prosecutors under orders from a Trump administration political appointee to drop corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams, saying he wants to make a reasoned decisio

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Yesterday

Champions League: Madrid outclass Man City as PSG power into last 16

Mbappe was the star of the show as he scored a hat-trick which helped Real Madrid beat Manchester City 3-1 to reach the last-16 of the Champions League on Wednesday. PSG annihilated Brest 7-0 at the Parc des Princes in Paris.

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Ukrainians dismiss Trump's broadside against Zelensky

US President, Donald Trump, has branded Volodymyr Zelensky a 'dictator' who 'refused to have elections'. Defiant Ukrainians are dismissing the extraordinary broadside, saying they have to fight on, even as their key ally engages in talks with the enemy.

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Denmark to spend $7 billion more on defence in next two years

The Danish government on Wednesday announced plans to bolster its military by setting up a 50 billion-kroner ($7 billion) fund that it says will raise the country's defense spending to more than 3% of gross domestic product this year and next. Neighbouri

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Andrew Tate capitalizing on rising fascist sentiment in his political aspirations: researcher

Europe • 10:23 PM

Four British women who have accused notorious influencer Andrew Tate of rape said Wednesday they were "concerned" by reports the Trump administration was petitioning Romania to ease his travel restrictions. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks to Dr Stephan

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Andrew Tate capitalizing on rising fascist sentiment in his political aspirations: researcher

Europe • 10:02 PM

Four British women who have accused notorious influencer Andrew Tate of rape said Wednesday they were "concerned" by reports the Trump administration was petitioning Romania to ease his travel restrictions. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks to Dr Stephan

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Fact-checking Trump's statements on Ukraine

US President Donald Trump has launched a flurry of controversial claims about the war in Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky, while addressing reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Many of these claims were made without providing any evidence. We fact

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Kenya slammed for hosting Sudan rebels' government declaration

Africa • 9:37 PM

In tonight's edition: Sudan condemns Kenya for hosting the war-torn country's paramilitary rebels. Also, the M23 continues its advance in eastern DR Congo, with fighting reported around the town of Uvira. Plus, Malian director Souleymane Cissé, one of th

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Israel confirms Bibas family among four dead hostages to be returned by Hamas

Israel confirmed on Wednesday that the bodies of Ariel and Kfir Bibas and their mother Shiri will be returned from Gaza by Hamas on Thursday as part of the ceasefire agreement. The two boys, 4 years old and 9 months old respectively, and their mother hav

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South Korea's Yoon becomes first sitting president to stand trial in criminal case

Pacific Asia • 9:05 PM

Impeached South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol went on trial on Thursday. The former prosecutor has been behind bars since January on charges of insurrection, for which he could be sentenced to life in prison or face the death penalty.

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Why Europe’s leadership is skeptical of negotiating with Putin

Europe • 8:29 PM

The idea that US President Donald Trump’s negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin will bring about lasting peace in Ukraine has been met with scepticism across Europe. FRANCE 24 spoke to political scientist Anton Shekhovtsov about what the US

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Brazil's electorate remains 'divided': Will Bolsonaro trial 'bleed into 2026 presidential election'?

Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro has been charged with orchestrating a coup to stay in office despite losing the 2022 election — a plot that the country's top prosecutor says included a plan to poison his opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. For

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Trump "is very interested in doing business with Russia": analyst

Europe • 8:18 PM

President Zelensky said he will meet US envoy Kellogg on Thursday and that he hopes for "constructive" work with the US. The meeting comes as Trump used an extended social media post on his Truth Social platform to lash out at Zelensky and call the Ukrai

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Is Trump simply 'bucking the trend' of unfulfilled election pledges from past presidents?

President Donald Trump is moving to give the White House direct control of independent federal regulators such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission. The move generated criticism

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Trump calls Ukranian president "dictator", Zelensky says Trump living in "disinformation space"

Relations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump deteriorated rapidly Wednesday as Zelenskyy said Trump was living in a Russian-made “disinformation space" and Trump called Zelenskyy “a dictator without elections”

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Rule by decree? Trump's executive orders and the future of US democracy

Does the United States already face a constitutional crisis? At what point does a president’s "rule by decree" manner of governing take a centuries-old democracy into unchartered territory?

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How Earth can defend itself against the 'city killer' asteroid

NASA said on Tuesday that the recently discovered 2024 YR4 asteroid has a 3.1 percent chance of hitting Earth in December, 2032 -- the highest probability for an impact by such a large space rock in modern forecasting. But there's no need to worry, as ex

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Andrey Kurkov: 'You can't write fiction when your houses, cities are shelled with missiles, drones'

As we approach the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, FRANCE 24's Erin Ogunkeye welcomes celebrated Ukrainian novelist and author Andrey Kurkov to share his very powerful and personal accounts of a veritable proxy war, an unpro

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Baltic region prepares for war as Russia and US debate Ukraine's fate

As Russia and the US debate Ukraine’s future, countries on the Baltic Sea are ramping up preparations for a military conflict amid fears that Russia is preparing for a future war with NATO.

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🔴 Follow live: Trump brands Zelensky 'a dictator'

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French surfers Dupont, Roseyro triumph in Nazare big wave competition

France's Justine Dupont overcame tough conditions and waves of up to 35 feet to win the Tudor Nazare Big Wave Challenge on Tuesday, with countryman Clement Roseyro taking the men's division and the team performance with partner Nic Von Rupp.

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Berlin International film festival 2025: Film explores life after war trauma

The Berlin international film festival is underway in the German capital until Sunday. It closes on the same day as the German snap elections. Timely given that this 75th edition has featured quite a bit of politics - with films covering the themes of im

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'I lost it all in the war': Gaza’s fishermen struggle to rebuild livelihoods

Despite the ceasefire, now a month old, there's no business as usual in the Gaza strip. Homes are destroyed, and livelihoods too. After the destruction the war left behind, fishermen struggle to make a living as they once did.

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Emmanuel Macron to host second emergency talks on war in Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting a new meeting on Ukraine in a bid to coordinate a European response to what he called an "existential threat" from Russia after a shock policy shift in Washington. Macron planned to speak to leaders of around 1

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Nearly 300 United States deportees held in Panama hotel

Nearly 300 migrants deported from the United States remain hauled up at a hotel in Panama. Panamanian officials deny they're detaining the migrants, even though the deportees are being guarded by local police. The United States is footing the bill for th

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'We are all now different people' says Andrey Kurkov on FRANCE 24

In just a few days, it will have been three years since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. FRANCE 24's invites Andrey Kurkov, one of Ukraine's best known writers. Last year he published 'our daily war', a second volume of his war d

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Hamas says it is ready to free all hostages at once in phase two of Gaza truce

A Hamas official said Wednesday that Hamas is ready to release all the remaining hostages in one batch during the second phase of the ceasefire agreement rather than in stages. The fragile Gaza truce between Israel and Hamas has held since taking effect

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Pope Francis had 'peaceful night' says Vatican after tests confirmed pneumonia

Pope Francis slept well, had a "peaceful night", got out of bed and ate breakfast Wednesday, the Vatican said, after tests confirmed the 88-year-old pontiff had developed pneumonia in both lungs in a further complication that raised concerns about his ab

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Trump signs executive order to study how to expand in vitro fertilisation

Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order meant to expand access to and reduce costs of in vitro fertilization. He also issued a presidential memorandum calling for “radical transparency requirements” from the government, which he suggested could reduce

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Trump brands Zelensky 'a dictator'

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday called Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator without elections" who "better move fast or he is not going to have a country left". The comments risk widening a personal rift between the two leaders, with po

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