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Russia plans to boost defence spending by a quarter for 2025

Russia will boost its defence budget by nearly 30% next year, surpassing welfare and education spending, a draft budget showed. The 2025 defence budget is set at 13.5 trillion rubles ($145 billion), up from 10.4 trillion in 2024. Military expenditure has

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Price or French butter nearly doubles in a year

The wholesale price of butter in France hit a record high in September, rocketing to 8,180 euros, compared to 4,260 euros a year earlier, as an epidemic among cows affected production. But first, a new, common digital payment system has been launched i

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Georgia judge overturns state law banning abortion after 6 weeks of pregnancy

A judge in the southern US state of Georgia overturned a stringent state-wide abortion law introduced after the Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to abortion in 2022. The Georgia judge ruled that the ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnanc

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Rwanda reports 8 deaths linked to Ebola-like Marburg virus

Africa • 8:11 PM

In tonight's edition, Rwanda raises the alarm as eight people died after getting the Marburg disease, a highly contagious virus with Ebola-like symptoms. Also, the UAE is to file an official complaint with the African Union over what it calls a heinous

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Helene's death toll rises to more than 100 as supplies rushed to isolated communities

Emergency responders in western North Carolina were racing on Monday to try to reach people who remain unaccounted for three days after Hurricane Helene tore through the southeastern United States, killing more than 100 people across six states, wiping o

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‘October Surprise’: The US election phenomenon that can sway a presidential race

Few American presidential elections have sailed all the way through to Election Day without one – or more – unexpected news events, sometimes turning a race totally on its head. This last-minute phenomenon is known as an “October Surprise” and has change

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UN extends Kenya-led security mission in Haiti amid rising hunger, violence

The UN extended its authorization of a multinational policing mission in Haiti led by Kenya on Monday amid reports of thousands of deaths due to gang violence this year and rising levels of acute hunger in the country. The transitional council governing

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Congolese basketball legend Dikembe Mutombo dies aged 58

Defensive player Dikembe Mutombo was an eight-time NBA All-Star who won accolades for his exceptional shot-blocking. He also was also known for his humanitarian work in Central Africa, especially in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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Music show: Saràh Phenom & Hen Yanni on finding freedom through music

Culture • 3:30 PM

In this edition of our music show on arts24, Jennifer Ben Brahim is joined on set by two artists from very different musical universes, but linked by a similar nomadic spirit. Model and actress Hen Yanni is starting a new chapter of her life as a singer-

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Harris, Trump battle for Pennsylvania’s Polish-American voters

With Pennsylvania set to be one of the major battleground states in the US presidential election, its large Polish community are finding themselves at the centre of a political tug-of-war, with both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris pitching for their votes

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French music flexes its muscles abroad

France • 2:33 PM

French-language music took centre stage during the Paris Olympics, with giant karaokés, star-studded ceremonies and a medley of styles and sounds. Boosted also by TV series, online streaming and a 30 percent increase in French music exports, Francophone

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More than 120 dead across southeastern US in aftermath of Hurricane Helene

At least 121 people have been killed across a wide swath of the southeastern US after torrential rains and flooding brought by Hurricane Helene downed power and communication lines, blocked roads, and caused supply shortages. Officials said the death tol

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Hurricane Helene shines light on woes of US home insurance industry

With private insurer losses expected to top $6 billion, Hurricane Helene is another reminder of climate change's impact on the US home insurance market. Also in this edition: the UK's last coal-fired power plant gets set to shut down after 54 years as th

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War in Gaza: The deadliest conflict on record for journalists

The war in Gaza has been the deadliest conflict on record for journalists. The vast majority have been Palestinians killed in Gaza, but there have also been deaths in the occupied West Bank and Lebanon. How reliable is coverage of a war if those on the g

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A cultural stroll through Paris with singer Ayo and pianist Alain Roche

Culture • 8:04 AM

In the first edition of our new show Paris des arts, FRANCE 24's Valérie Fayolle meets Ayo. The Nigerian German singer-songwriter takes us on a tour of the National Navy Museum to talk about "Mami Wata", her seventh acoustic album dedicated to the Nigeri

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Israeli strike in central Beirut leaves Lebanese in ‘great limbo’

Reporting from Beirut on Monday hours after an Israeli air strike hit an apartment building in Beirut’s central Cola district, FRANCE 24’s Rawad Taha said residents of the Lebanese capital were living in fear and apprehension since the target was outside

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France's far-right leader Marine Le Pen goes on trial in much-awaited EU embezzlement case

The political stakes are high for Marine Le Pen as the French far-right leader and other party officials went on trial Monday for allegedly embezzling EU funds. The much-awaited trial could upend the political future of France's three-time presidential c

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Japanese former boxer hails acquittal ‘victory’ after four decades on death row

The world's longest-serving death row inmate hailed his historic acquittal as a "complete victory" on Sunday, just days after a Japanese court declared Iwao Hakamada innocent of a 1966 quadruple murder. The 88-year-old former boxer spent 46 years on deat

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🔴Live: Lebanon repositions border troops as Israeli incursion looms

Lebanon's army is "repositioning and regrouping forces" at the southern border following threats of an Israeli incursion, a military official said on Monday, as the US State Department said Israel told the US it had begun conducting small raids targeting

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Venezuelan opposition figure Machado wins European rights award

Europe • 12:48 AM

Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado said Monday she was "honoured" to receive a European human rights prize for her efforts to defend democracy following Venezuela's presidential elections in July. Machado is now in hiding in Venezuela as m

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Kris Kristofferson, US country music icon and actor, dies at 88

Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar who rose to fame as a country music superstar and Hollywood actor, has died at 88. Kristofferson passed away peacefully at his home in Maui, Hawaii, on Saturday, surrounded by family, according to spokeswoman Ebie McF

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Filmmaker Sandra Kogut on capturing Brazil's polarised election

A woman who captured on film Brazil's presidential election and the subsequent coup attempt as supporters of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the National Congress has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how her film has become a real historical d

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Britain becomes first G7 nation to end coal power with last plant closure

Britain's last remaining coal power plant, Ratcliffe-on-Soar in Nottinghamshire, will stop electricity generation on Monday after 57 years of operation. The closure aligns with the government's coal phase-out policy, initiated nearly a decade ago.

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Yesterday

Hurricane Helene kills dozens as emergency supplies are rushed to North Carolina, Florida

Hurricane Helene unleashed torrential rains, leaving scores stranded or homeless, as recovery efforts commence after the storm claimed dozens of lives. The hurricane caused billions of dollars in damage across the US Southeast, with several million resid

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'We could see the rockets in the sky being intercepted by Israel's air defence system'

Claire Paccalin, FRANCE 24 Reporter in Jerusalem said she was in Safed, "a town about 12 kilometres from the Lebanese border", earlier in the day. "On two occasions, the air raid siren went off as we were filming an interview, and we all ran to a bomb sh

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Austria's far-right Freedom Party comes out ahead in legislative election

Europe • 7:45 PM

Vote projections showed that Austria’s far-right Freedom Party won national legislative election for the first time on Sunday. The far right has benefited from voters’ anxieties about immigration, inflation, Ukraine and other concerns.

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'Today Mohammad Javad Zarif [. . .] visited Hezbollah's bureau in Tehran'

"Today the Vice President of Iran for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif [. . .] visited Hezbollah's bureau in Tehran", said Saeed Azimi, FRANCE 24 correspondent in Tehran, Iran. "He gave a press interview, saying that Iran's response to Nasrallah's

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Who fights for Hezbollah and why? Dalal Mawad speaks to FRANCE 24

In Beirut, Lebanese people desperately seek refuge amid Israeli strikes. The Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, says up to 1 million people could be displaced. For more insight, RANCE 24's Gavin Lee interviews Dalal Mawad, journalist and author.

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Would it be in Israel's interest to launch a ground operation against Hezbollah?

The Israeli military said Sunday it has killed another high-ranking Hezbollah official in an airstrike as the Lebanese militant group was reeling from a string of devastating blows and the killing of its overall leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Meanwhile, Israe

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'Sheer hypocrisy': Biden administration 'fully backing, enabling, empowering Netanyahu government'

Israel struck more targets in Lebanon on Sunday, pressing Hezbollah with new attacks after killing the Iran-backed group's leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and a string of its other top commanders in an escalating military campaign. The attacks have deal

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'We are really seeing a mounting death toll among children'

"We are really seeing a mounting death toll among children and we believe that this may be higher, given that many children and their families remain under the rubble in different parts of the country," said Ellie Higgins, Deputy representative at Unicef

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Russia says it downed more than 100 Ukrainian drones in one of the war's largest barrages

Europe • 2:18 PM

Moscow said on Sunday that its air defences downed 125 Ukrainian drones overnight, in one of the largest barrages seen in Russia since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022. In Ukraine, more than a dozen civilians were injured in an overnight barrage of Ru

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Israel continues targetting Hezbollah senior figures: is this strategy effective?

Hezbollah on Sunday confirmed the death of high-ranking official Nabil Kaouk in an Israeli airstrike, making him the seventh senior Hezbollah leader slain in Israeli strikes in a little over a week, including longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah. More inform

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Kyiv says Russia hit a medical centre in Ukraine's Sumy, killing and injuring staff and patients

Europe • 10:57 AM

Russian forces hit a medical center in Sumy in northeastern Ukraine on Saturday morning then struck again as the building was being evacuated, killing nine people and injuring 20 others, Ukrainian officials said. Ukrainian prosecutors said that at the ti

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As Israel succeeds in 'degrading Hezbollah', are they now 'goading Iran into the conflict'?

The Israeli military has announced it killed Nabil Kaouk, another high-ranking Hezbollah official, just a day after the Lebanese militant group confirmed the death of multiple commanders, including longtime Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. For in-dept

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Austrian far-right party hopes for its first national election win in a close race

Europe • 10:37 AM

Austria’s far-right Freedom Party could win a national election for the first time on Sunday, tapping into voters’ anxieties about immigration, inflation, Ukraine and other concerns following recent gains for the hard right elsewhere in Europe. Story by

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Austria holds tight election with far right bidding for historic win

Europe • 10:33 AM

Austrians were voting on Sunday to elect a new parliament, with the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) aiming to secure its first general election win in a close race with the ruling conservatives. More information with John Cummins, journalist in Vienna.

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Who will become the new leader of Hezbollah after Hassan Nasrallah's death?

Hezbollah has given no indication of who might succeed Hassan Nasrallah, but his cousin Hashem Safieddine, the cleric and senior Hezbollah official, has long been regarded as the heir apparent. More information about the man who could now be in charger w

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What is Israel's plan now that it has killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah?

Israel killed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a powerful airstrike in Beirut, dealing a heavy blow to the Iran-backed group as it reels from an escalating campaign of Israeli attacks. What is Israel's plan going forward. Answer with ABC News

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Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader sends shockwaves across the region

Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is a monumental and hugely demoralizing blow to the group he led for 32 years, marking a significant inflection point for Lebanon and the region. Details by Nicholas Rushworth.

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USA: at least 64 dead after Helene's deadly march across the Southeast

Massive rains from powerful Hurricane Helene left people stranded, without shelter and awaiting rescue, as the cleanup began from a tempest that killed at least 64 people, caused widespread destruction across the U.S. Southeast and knocked out power to m

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In Venezuela, protesters take to the streets against Nicolas Maduro as election dispute continues

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro condemned the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon. He made the comment at an event to celebrate two months since his re-election, which continues to be disputed. Opposition is on the streets of the

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Israel continues to strike Gaza as thousands of protesters call for release of hostages

Two people were killed in separate strikes early Sunday in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to the nearby Awda Hospital. In Israel, families of hostages continue to protest and call for the release of hostages still in Gaza.

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Iran says militant groups will go on confronting Israël and avenge Nasrallah

Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, commenting on the killing of Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said on Sunday that what Iran terms resistance groups will continue to confront Israel with the help of Iran, according to Iranian st

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Nearly one million people displaced in Lebanon, Israeli strikes kill dozens

Israel struck multiple targets in Lebanon on Sunday, pressing Iran-backed Hezbollah with more attacks after it struck a huge blow by killing the group's leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Story by Andrew Hilliar.

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Israel pounds Lebanon, pressuring Hezbollah after killing its leader

Israel struck multiple targets in Lebanon on Sunday, pressing Iran-backed Hezbollah with more attacks after it struck a huge blow by killing the group's leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. More information with Shirli Sitbon.

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Nepal shuts schools as floods and landslides kill more than 150

The death toll from flooding and landslides caused by heavy rains in Nepal has reached at least 151, with dozens of people still missing, officials said Sunday, warning that the toll was expected to rise further as reports come in from villages across th

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Nasrallah killing reveals the extent of Israel's infiltration of Hezbollah

The killing of Hezbollah’s longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah caps a series of stunning Israeli operations that exposed the extent to which Israeli spy agencies have penetrated the powerful Iran-backed militant organisation and tracked its shadowy command

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Trojan cars: Why the US fears Chinese cyberattacks on electric vehicles

The White House announced a plan this week to ban the sale or import of connected vehicles containing “specific pieces of hardware and software” that could be made in China or Russia, citing national security fears. While the threat of cyberattacks on co

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Austria's far-right Freedom Party comes out ahead in legislative election

Vote projections showed that Austria’s far-right Freedom Party won national legislative election for the first time on Sunday. The far right has benefited from voters’ anxieties about immigration, inflation, Ukraine and other concerns.

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Israel pounds Hezbollah in Lebanon and strikes Yemen’s Houthis

The Israeli military launched consecutive strikes on Lebanon on Sunday while appearing to expand its confrontation against Iranian-backed proxies in the region by striking dozens of Houthi targets in Yemen. This comes a day after Hezbollah confirmed its

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In Lebanon, 'we are seeing a mounting death toll among children'

Hezbollah and Israel have traded near-daily strikes since the Israel-Hamas war started after the Palestinian militant group stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, sparking fears of regional war. Israeli airstrikes across large parts of Lebanon have killed at lea

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Is Israel going to launch a ground operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon?

Tensions remain high across the Israeli-Lebanese border, a day after the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was announced. While the sustained military campaign is raising fears that the war could spiral into a wider regional conflict, Israel con

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Iran Revolutionary Guard general died in Israeli strike that killed Hezbollah leader

A prominent general in Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard died in an Israeli airstrike that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, Iranian media reported Saturday. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday that the killing wa

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'Always space for diplomacy' whereby 'Palestinians get justice, statehood and Israelis get security'

Lebanon’s Hezbollah group confirmed on Saturday that its leader and one of its founding members, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in a southern suburb of Beirut. An Iranian official said on Sunday that militant groups would carry on c

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Russia to formalise revised nuclear doctrine in warning to the West

Europe • 12:10 AM

Amendments to Russia's nuclear doctrine have been prepared and "will now be formalised", the Kremlin said Sunday, days after President Vladimir Putin warned that Russia could use nuclear weapons if it was struck with conventional missiles and would consi

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Saturday, september 28, 2024

Israeli air strike kills Hezbollah leader Nasrallah, robbing Iran of top ally

The Israeli military said on Saturday it had "eliminated" Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a strike on the group’s headquarters in Beirut. Nasrallah's death is a major blow to both Hezbollah and Iran, depriving Tehran of an influential ally who helpe

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SpaceX launches rescue mission for two NASA astronauts stranded at the ISS

SpaceX on Saturday launched a mission to rescue two astronauts stuck on the International Space Station (ISS), though the return leg of the mission to bring the two home will not be completed until next year. The two test pilots were marooned on the ISS

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Manhunt after 17 killed in double mass shooting in South Africa

Africa • 6:15 PM

The shooting victims, including 15 women, were killed while attending a family gathering near the town of Lusikisiki in a rural area of Eastern Cape province. South Africa, a country of 62 million, recorded 12,734 homicides in the first six months of thi

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Israeli military aims to continue to weaken Hezbollah capabilities

France 24's Irris Makler says Israel will continue its offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon in an effort to continue to weaken the group's military capabilities.

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Death of Nasrallah: Iran's leader calls on Muslims to confront Israel

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Muslims on Saturday "to stand by the people of Lebanon and the proud Hezbollah with whatever means they have and assist them in confronting the ... wicked regime (of Israel)". Khamenei's call came af

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Death of Hezbollah chief Nasrallah raises question of what comes next

The death of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah is prompting speculation over the future of the militant group and what it will mean for Lebanon as well as for the broader Middle East. Attention is also turning to the man widely regarded as Nasrallah's hei

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Nasrallah’s death has created ‘power vacuum’ in Lebanon, expert says

The death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, which has been confirmed by the group Saturday, has created a “power vacuum” within Hezbollah and Lebanon, said David Wood, Senior Analyst at the International Crisis Group. Israeli forces may seize the opp

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‘American leadership is under question’ as MidEast conflict escalates

The US leadership is coming under question as the conflict in the Middle East escalated with Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a strike on Beirut Friday, The Guardian’s Washington bureau chief David Smith told FRANCE 24. With

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Ground operation in Lebanon could be 'costly' to Israeli forces, specialist says

A ground offensive in Lebanon would be “costly” to the Israeli army if it decides to send troops across the border, former head of the French military mission to the UN Dominique Trinquand told FRANCE 24. “I think it would be a very dangerous position to

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Israel kills Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in targeted strike on Beirut

Lebanon’s Hezbollah group confirmed on Saturday that its leader and one of its founders, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut the previous day. The Lebanese Health Ministry said six people were killed and 91 injured in the strik

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Biden administration ‘lost control’ to Israel amid brewing MidEast crisis, expert says

There is no doubt that the “Biden administration has completely lost control” to Israel amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East, said Ali Vaez, director of the Iran research programme at International Crisis Group, pointing to the Israel’s target

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Iran has no interest in ‘launching a direct attack against Israel’

Iran has little interest in “launching a direct attack against Israel or face the wrath of the United States” in the event of a wider conflict in the Middle East, FRANCE 24 International Affairs Editor Philip Turle said in an analysis. Following the deat

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Death of Nasrallah: Iran’s options range from ‘unattractive’ to ‘unpalatable’

Iran’s options following Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah range from “unattractive” to unpalatable”, International Crisis Group Iran research programme Director Ali Vaez told FRANCE 24. “Hezbollah was always supposed to be the s

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Death of Nasrallah: Who might take power next?

Lebanon’s Hezbollah group confirmed on Saturday that its leader and one of its founders, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut the previous day. Nasrallah’s death has led to a multitude of questions on a potential successor and t

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Lebanon's Hezbollah confirms leader Nasrallah killed

Lebanon’s Hezbollah group has confirmed that its leader and one of its founders, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike. A statement Saturday said Nasrallah “has joined his fellow martyrs”. The statement did not mention a successor. FRANCE

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Axis of resistance 'failed to react' to Israeli attacks

“The so-called axis of resistance has thus far failed to react” to attacks from Israel, said Filippo Dionigi, University of Bristol senior lecturer of politics and international relations, referring to the Iranian-backed political and military coalition

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