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Camille Claudel sculpture sells for $3 million at French auction

Europe • 3:44 PM

A bronze by French sculptor Camille Claudel thought to evoke her separation with fellow artist and lover Auguste Rodin was auctioned off in France Sunday for more than $3 million. Named "The Mature Age", the sculpture has been missing since 1908 and was

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Who is Alice Weidel, AfD's top candidate for chancellor

46-year-old Alice Weidel, the leader of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany party, is getting closer to holding power amid growing support ahead of Sunday's elections. FRANCE 24 takes a closer look at AfD's top candidate for chancellor.

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Trump’s Gaza plan a 'negotiating ploy' for annexation in West Bank, expert says

President Trump’s plan for the US to takeover Gaza is likely a “negotiating ploy” for annexation in the West Bank, said Hussein Ibish, Senior Resident Scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. Pointing to a possible nuclear deal with Iran

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Sewage scandal: The dirty secret polluting England and Wales

Europe • 3:21 PM

Since Brexit, the UK is no longer subject to European water quality standards. In England and Wales, floods of untreated wastewater have been discharged into rivers and seas, harming the health of residents and destroying ecosystems. FRANCE 24's Down to

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Pope Francis remains hospitalised to treat complex respiratory tract infection

Pope Francis’ respiratory tract infection is presenting a “complex clinical picture” that will require further hospitalisation, the Vatican said Monday as concerns grew about the increasingly frail health of the 88-year-old pontiff. Vatican spokesman Mat

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Music show: France's Victor Le Masne to tour with Olympic composition

Culture • 2:53 PM

Victor Le Masne's career has seen him go from touring indie pop clubs and festivals with his band Housse de Racket to conducting world-famous orchestras. 2024 brought him to dizzying new heights as he co-directed the opening and closing ceremonies of the

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Archaeologists push to restore Syria's war-ravaged heritage sites

Experts are returning to Syria’s war-ravaged heritage sites, hoping to lay the groundwork for restoring them and reviving tourism, which they say could provide a much-needed boost to the country’s decimated economy after nearly 14 years of war. One of Sy

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EU leaders seek ‘clarity’, ‘rational assessment’ of Trump administration

EU leaders gathering Monday in Paris for an informal meeting called by President Emmanuel Macron over the new US administration's policy shift regarding Europe are looking for "clarity" and a "rational assessment" of President Donald Trump's foreign poli

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Syrian leader al-Sharaa tours former Assad strongholds on surprise visit

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited Latakia and Tartus on Sunday, his office said, making his first official trip to the coastal provinces formerly known as strongholds of ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad. Despite the tour being unannounced, Sha

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Ukrainians voice concern over Trump's phone call with Putin

Europe • 2:19 PM

Ukraine is continuing to train troops for the ongoing war with Russia despite the new US administration’s apparent willingness to negotiate an end to the conflict, without Ukraine at the table. President Donald Trump’s recent phone call with Russian coun

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Bangladesh's revolution: Exiled blogger Pinaki Bhattacharya on fall of 'fascist regime'

A leading exiled blogger from Bangladesh who has more than 3 million followers on YouTube has spoken to FRANCE 24 about his hopes for the future after the revolution there. Pinaki Bhattacharya, who now lives here in France, is credited by supporters back

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Pope's condition 'complex', hospital stay extended

Pope Francis is facing a "complex clinical picture", said the Vatican on Monday, adding that he will remain in hospital for as long as necessary. The 88-year-old was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Friday for treatment and tests for a "polymicrobi

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'Netanyahu in a bind': Israeli delegation in Cairo for Gaza talks

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu appears to be “in a bind” as talks over phase two of the Gaza ceasefire deal are due to start with the arrival of an Israeli delegation in Cairo, FRANCE 24’s Noga Tarnopolsky said. Torn between hardline ministers

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US tensions overshadow final campaign phase in run-up to German election

Simmering tensions between Europe and the United States are overshadowing the final week of election campaigning in Germany on Monday, with the debate more heated than ever amid controversy over alleged US interference in favour of the far right.

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France trial opens for suspected IS group militants accused of kidnapping journalists in Syria

A landmark trial opened Monday at a Paris court in which five suspected Islamic State group terrorists stand accused of kidnapping four French journalists covering the war in Syria in 2013. Among the accused is Mehdi Nemmouche, who is already in prison f

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Israelis mark 500th day since October 7 attacks

Israelis marked the 500th day since the October 7 attacks on Monday as families called for the return of the remaining hostages in Gaza. A tenuous ceasefire in the enclave has held for nearly a month and seen the release of over a dozen hostages in excha

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Jihadist Nemmouche denies involvement in Islamic State kidnappings

Europe • 10:41 AM

Convicted French jihadist Mehdi Nemmouche was back in court Monday in Paris where he was tried for the kidnapping and torture of journalists in Syria over ten years ago. Whilst presenting himself to the court, Nemmouche hit back at the accusations, stati

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After Mbappé: Could PSG’s least ‘galactic’ team be their most successful yet?

Paris Saint-Germain’s players have developed a newfound confidence and clinical efficiency following the loss of players like Neymar, Mbappé and Messi, a shift epitomised by Ousmane Dembélé’s transformation from wasteful finisher to ruthless goal scorer.

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EU leaders meet in Paris over Trump policy shift on Ukraine

Europe • 10:32 AM

European leaders were due to meet in Paris on Monday to address Washington's shock policy shift on the war in Ukraine, as Britain declared itself ready to dispatch peacekeeping troops to Ukraine. US President Donald Trump sidelined Kyiv and its European

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Europe considers seizing frozen Russian assets for Ukraine funding

EU leaders mull the possibility of funnelling some $300 billion in frozen Russian assets to Ukraine as the US launches peace talks with Russia without input from Brussels or Kyiv. Also in this edition: US President Donald Trump's minerals-for-security de

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Jihadist Nemmouche back on trial in France for Islamic State kidnappings

Jihadist Mehdi Nemmouche, who is already serving a life sentence for a anti-Semitic terrorist attack, is back on trial Monday in France. Nemmouche and four others are accused of holding four French journalists, kidnapped in Syria in 2013, hostage.

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Israel security cabinet to discuss second phase of Gaza ceasefire

Israel's security cabinet was set to discuss on Monday the next phase of the ceasefire with Hamas, as top US diplomat Marco Rubio began a visit to Saudi Arabia where he will push Donald Trump's proposal for a US takeover of Gaza.

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Tens of thousands demonstrate against far right in Germany

Tens of thousands of people joined a demonstration against cooperation with the far right in Berlin on Sunday, after US Vice-President JD Vance called for Germany to drop the longstanding taboo. Protesters voiced concerns that the far-right Alternative f

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Live: Key European leaders arrive for Paris summit on Ukraine

Europe • 8:58 AM

Key European leaders arrived Monday at the Élysée Palace in Paris for an emergency summit called by French President Emmanuel Macron to agree on a coordinated response to a shock policy shift on the Ukraine war by the new US President Donald Trump. Briti

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Lille's Bentaleb scores in first match after cardiac arrest

Lille midfielder Nabil Bentaleb staged a star comeback on Sunday, scoring the opening goal in a match won by his team that marked his return to the pitch following a heart attack last year.

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Lost Claudel sculpture found in Paris flat fetches $3 million at auction

A bronze by French sculptor Camille Claudel, who for years sought recognition for her artistic talent independent of her lover and fellow artist Auguste Rodin, was auctioned off in France on Sunday for more than $3 million.

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'Playing with fire': European leaders convene for emergency meeting in Paris

PRESS REVIEW – Monday, February 17: European leaders flock to Paris to discuss an uncertain future, as US President Donald Trump excludes both Ukraine and Europe from peace talks with Russia. Elsewhere, an investigation by The Observer reveals that Googl

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China's Xi tells business leaders private sector challenges 'surmountable'

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Stephen Curry shines as Team Shaq wins revamped NBA All-Star game

Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum led Shaquille O’Neal’s "Team Shaq" to a 41-25 victory over "Team Chuck" in the revamped NBA All-Star Game on Sunday. The new four-team mini-tournament drew mixed reactions, with some players welcoming the change, and others

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US says it killed senior al-Qaeda affiliate official in Syria

The US military said on Sunday that it killed a senior official of an al Qaeda affiliate during an airstrike in northwest Syria the day before. US Central Command described the person in a statement as a "senior finance and logistics official in the terr

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Yesterday

UK PM says ready to send troops to Ukraine if needed as part of peace deal

Europe • 11:50 PM

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday he was "ready and willing" to put UK troops on the ground in Ukraine, as part of any postwar peacekeeping force, to ensure the security of Britain and Europe. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he said it was "e

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Zelensky lands in UAE as US and Russia prepare for Ukraine peace talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky touched down in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday for an official visit ahead of planned talks between US and Russian officials, expected to take place in Saudi Arabia in the coming days. The UAE has been an import

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Rally against Germany's resurgent far right draws thousands in Berlin

One week out from Germany's general election, tens of thousands of people gathered in Berlin to protest the growing support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. A quarter of a million people joined a similar rally in Munich last weekend

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UK: Over 10,000 foxes share streets and gardens with Londoners

If you live in London, an occasional sighting of a fox would come as no surprise. They were first sighted in the capital after WWII. Nowadays, more than 10,000 foxes share streets and gardens with residents, and not all of them are happy...

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Marco Rubio's Mideast tour: US, Israel present united front on Gaza, Iran

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a united front on February 15 against their common enemies, threatening to 'open the gates of hell' on Hamas and 'finish the job' against Iran.

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Navalny's widow Navalnaya calls for fight for 'free, peaceful' Russia

Russian opposition figure Yulia Navalnaya, widow of the late Alexei Navalny, on February 16 urged supporters to fight for a 'free, peaceful' Russia, a year after her husband's prison death.

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Hezbollah leader says Lebanon's government must ensure Israeli withdrawal

Hezbollah's leader Naim Qassem said that the Lebanese government had a responsibility to "make Israel withdraw" in keeping with its commitment under the ceasefire deal to pull its troops out of the country before February 18.

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Vance-Zelensky: 'This meeting was more successful than we expected'

US Vice President JD Vance held a meeting in Munich with Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss Donald Trump's push for a deal with Moscow. Olena Prokopenko, senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, was our guest. 'I would

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Hamas, Israel complete sixth hostage-prisoner swap of Gaza truce

Palestinian militants released three Israeli hostages on February 15 in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian inmates freed by Israel, completing the latest swap despite fears the Gaza truce deal was near collapse.

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European countries to meet in Paris to discuss security: France FM

France's President Emmanuel Macron will host envoys from the 'main European countries' on February 17 to discuss security on the continent, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said. 'The president will bring together the main European countries tomorrow fo

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Trump's plan for Gaza: 'Ethnic cleansing is not acceptable,' UN chief Guterres says

In an interview with FRANCE 24, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed US President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza, saying that "ethnic cleansing is not acceptable in our world".

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The situation in DR Congo dominate agenda at African Union summit

Our special envoy and politics editor Marc Perelman is covering the African Union summit for us. The conflict in DR Congo is on the top of the agenda.

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French President Emmanuel Macron to host European leaders' meeting on Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron will host a meeting of European leaders on February 17 to discuss the situation in Ukraine. What can we expect to come out of this meeting? France/Europe correspondent for the Swiss daily Blick Richard Werly tells us more

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Rubio says Hamas 'must be eradicated': 'It sounded as if, almost, the war still had to begin'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on February 16, fully endorsed Israel's war aims in the Gaza Strip, saying Hamas 'must be eradicated' and throwing the future of the shaky ceasefire into further doubt. He was speaking alongside Benjamin Netanyahu. 'It

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Former PM of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk: 'No talks about Ukraine without Ukraine'

Europe won't have a seat at the table for Ukraine peace talks, Donald Trump's Ukraine envoy said on February 15, after Washington sent a questionnaire to European capitals asking what they could contribute to security guarantees for Kyiv. Former Ukraini

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M23 troops advance into DR Congo's second city as UK warns of escalation

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels advanced on Sunday into Bukavu, the second-largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, witnesses said, as the British government warned the advance risks escalating into a broader regional conflict.

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Deadly Austria stabbing was 'Islamist attack', interior minister says

Austria's Interior Minister Gerhard Karner on Sunday said that the stabbing attack in Villach, which killed a teenager and injured five others, was an "Islamist attack". The suspect, a 23-year-old Syrian asylum seeker, was reportedly radicalised online.

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US Secretary of State Rubio to meet Netanyahu on first Middle East tour

Rubio landed at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv hours after Hamas freed three Israeli hostages in Gaza in exchange for 369 Palestinian prisoners — the sixth swap under the fragile ceasefire.

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US cuts Europe from Ukraine peace talks: It 'has caused extreme alarm'

Trump shocked European allies this week by calling Russian President Vladimir Putin without consulting them or Kyiv beforehand and declaring an immediate start to peace talks. 'The idea the Europe is going to be excluded from talks to reach an agreement

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Europe will not be part of Ukraine peace talks, US envoy says

Europe won't have a seat at the table for Ukraine peace talks, Donald Trump's Ukraine envoy said on February 15, after Washington sent a questionnaire to European capitals to ask what they could contribute to security guarantees for Kyiv.

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DR Congo: 'It’s getting worse and it requires international attention'

UN chief Antonio Guterres on February 15 demanded the Democratic Republic of Congo's 'territorial integrity' be respected and a regional war avoided, at an African summit the day after Rwandan-backed fighters seized a second DRC provincial capital. 'The

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Navalny supporters mark first anniversary of his death as Russian opposition falters

Europe • 9:43 AM

Supporters of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny marked the first anniversary of his death on Saturday, risking retaliation from President Vladimir Putin. The opposition has been badly weakened since Navalny’s death as many members have fled into e

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Residents flee, looters run rampant: M23 rebels advancing in Bukavu

The morning after M23 fighters entered the outskirts of Bukavu — a city of about 1.3 million people that lies 63 miles (101 kilometers) south of rebel-held Goma — some streets were flooded by residents attempting to leave and looters filling flour sacks

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Panama Canal caught in power struggle as US and China vie for trade dominance

The Panama Canal is one of several territories that US President Donald Trump says he wants the US to take control of, amid concerns about China's influence over the waterway. What worries the US is a Hong Kong-based company that manages the two ports of

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Netanyahu and top US diplomat Rubio affirm ‘common strategy’ to eliminate Hamas in Gaza

Israel's security cabinet is due to discuss phase two of the Gaza ceasefire on Monday, following a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Sunday. In a joint statement, Netanyahu and

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One person killed and five wounded in knife attack in Austria, police say

A teenage boy has been killed and five more people wounded in a knife attack in southern Austria on February 15, police said.

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Thousands mark Serbian Statehood Day with mass protest against corruption

Europe • 7:29 AM

Thousands of Serbians blocked Kragujevac’s main boulevard on February 15 in the latest student-led protest since the deadly collapse of Novi Sad’s train station roof. Marking Serbia’s Statehood holiday, demonstrators called for government accountability

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Djibouti’s Mahmoud Ali Youssouf elected to head African Union Commission

Djibouti’s long-serving Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf was elected on February 15 as head of the African Union Commission, securing the backing of regional leaders in Addis Ababa. Youssouf vowed to prioritise peace and security as Africa faces con

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Dozens killed in India stampede as crowds rush to Kumbh Mela's festival

Pacific Asia • 6:27 AM

At least 18 people died in a stampede at a New Delhi railway station on February 15 as crowds rushed to board trains bound for the Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious gathering. The incident, which mostly claimed women and children, follows another

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Several killed in India stampede on way to world's largest religious gathering

Pacific Asia • 4:37 AM

At least 18 people died in a stampede at a New Delhi railway station late Saturday as crowds rushed to board trains bound for the Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious gathering. The incident, which mostly claimed women and children, follows another

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