Nyheter : France24

Torsdag 28 augusti 2025

'We're at the most dangerous moment for science in America', public health law expert says

FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks with Lawrence Gostin, Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre on National and Global Health Law, about CDC Director Susan Monarez's firing by US President Donald Trump. He says that the latest development is "a very dan

US health agency’s Susan Monarez fired

Health scientist and longtime civil servant Susan Monarez was fired from her short-lived role as head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the White House confirmed Wednesday. Monarez said she had refused to sign off on what she de

Onsdag 27 augusti 2025

Nigerian firm revolutionises the world of prosthetics with bionic arms

And finally, a prosthetics firm in Nigeria has created a breakthrough that's changing the lives of amputees -- bionic arms. In the state of Aqua Ibom, the company's humanoid bionic arms are not only functional and humanlike to match Nigerians' skin tones

EU approves new injection for preventing HIV infection

The European Commission has granted marketing authorization for Gilead Sciences' twice-yearly injection for preventing HIV infection, the company said on Tuesday. Story by Eliza Herbert.

Tisdag 26 augusti 2025

France hands back human remains to Madagascar 127 years after colonial massacre

France has formally returned 3 colonial-era skulls to Madagscar -- one of which is believed to belong to a Malagasy king who was beheaded by French troops during a massacre in 1897.His skull then taken back to Paris as a trophy, and placed in the archive

The fight over Asia's rivers: China and India rush to build mega-dams

India and China are racing to build mega-dams along major rivers that would massively affect water supplies to both countries. The source of that water is a glacier in Tibet, which supplies millions of people with water downstream - and there are high po

Tisdag 5 augusti 2025

Is the US 'complicit in the war crimes being carried out by Israel in Gaza'?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is working on a complete military takeover of Gaza for the first time in two decades. Mediation between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas has collapsed despite intense international pressure for a cease

'Sinwar killed peace': Grandson of Israeli hostages urges 'to work back towards path' to peace

As it grinds on well into its twenty-second month, Israel's war in Gaza has set friends and families against one another and sharpened existing political and cultural divides. Hostage families and peace activists want Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's

Amid desperation in war-torn Gaza, 'environment of fear, intimidation and worry in West Bank'

Israel's blockade and military offensive have made it nearly impossible to safely deliver aid, contributing to the territory's slide toward famine nearly 22 months into the war with Hamas. Aid groups say Israel's week-old measures to allow more aid are f

TikTok Tan line trend sparks health concerns

A growing number of TikTok videos depict young girls giving tips on how to get halterneck tan lines, or “burn lines,” primarily through sun exposure. Digital Parenting Coach, Elizabeth Milovidov, joins us to tells us more about this new trend and how it

Måndag 4 augusti 2025

Gates Foundation commits $2.5 billion to 'ignored, underfunded' women's health

The Gates Foundation has pledged $2.5 billion to women's health by 2030, aiming to address decades of neglect of conditions like preeclampsia, endometriosis, and menopause. The investment, one of its largest recent commitments, will fund research, produc

Tisdag 29 juli 2025

French health experts say bee-killing pesticide could also harm children, adults

A number of French health experts wrote an open letter in Le Monde Tuesday calling on the French government not to reintroduce the bee-killing pesticide acetamiprid, warning that it could also be dangerous to the broader public.

Måndag 28 juli 2025

'To feed, not to poison': French chefs push back against pesticide law

A backlash is brewing in France’s culinary world over the Duplomb law, which reauthorises a banned pesticide. Michelin-starred chefs, school canteen cooks, bistro owners and farmer-restaurateur collectives have spoken out, accusing lawmakers of endangeri

Does Trump seek to levy tariffs across globe to fund 'massive tax cuts & cuts in social services'?

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will press Donald Trump on ending "the unspeakable suffering" in Gaza, and also talk trade, when they meet July 28 at the US president's golf resort in Scotland, Downing Street said. The talks will come a day after the US a

Gaza: 'It's an engineered starvation campaign against civilians, women and children' (Oxfam)

Truckloads of food reached hungry Gazans on July 28 after Israel promised to open secure aid routes, but humanitarian agencies warned vast amounts more were needed to stave off starvation. With Gaza's population of more than two million facing famine and

Torsdag 17 juli 2025

Trump diagnosed with 'benign' vein issue causing leg swelling, White House says

President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with a common and benign vein condition following concerns over swollen legs and hand discolouration, the White House confirmed Thursday. Officials also attributed recent hand bruising to frequent handshaking and

Måndag 14 juli 2025

The art of napping: How siestas are the key to a more productive life

Napping isn't just for toddlers anymore. Studies show that a daytime sleep can be great for adults too. Afternoon naps have been proven to boost memory, improve job performance, make you more alert, ease stress and lift your spirits! Sébastien Spitzer, a

Netherlands researchers redesign vaginal speculum to ease discomfort

Cold, rigid, and metallic – it’s not a medieval torture device, but the vaginal speculum, a tool used daily in gynecological exams worldwide and often linked to discomfort and fear. Two engineers at Delft University in the Netherlands are now reimagining

Fredag 11 juli 2025

Kidneys for cash: Inside Kenya's organ-trafficking network

Back in April, Kenyan authorities launched an investigation into a major kidney-trafficking ring. Wealthy international patients have been travelling to the East African country to obtain life-saving organs, while vulnerable local donors are exploited to

Onsdag 9 juli 2025

Gaza hospital director’s killing in Israeli strike highlights toll on health sector

Dr. Marwan al-Sultan, the head of Gaza’s Indonesia Hospital, was a renowned figure in the Palestinian territory. When he was killed last week in an Israeli strike, the Gaza Strip was left to cope with just one cardiologist as international groups warn of

Torsdag 3 juli 2025

The big business behind weight-loss drugs: Global market to hit $150 billion by 2035

They burst onto the scene four years ago and are taking over the pharmaceutical world. New GLP-1-based drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy or Zepbound are said to be a weight-loss game changer and could drive big pharma's revenue for years to come. But they come

How French attitudes to cigarettes are changing

You might picture the stereotypical French person wearing a beret, with a glass of wine in one hand and a cigarette in the other. But does France deserve its chain-smoking reputation? While many tourists say large numbers of smokers are one of the first

Tisdag 1 juli 2025

Climate change is changing the geography of infectious disease

Europe isn’t just at risk of the direct effects of climate change, it is also exposed to the indirect effects of infectious disease like dengue, chikungunya and West Nile Virus – which are expanding their territories northward.

US foreign aid cuts could cause 14 million deaths by 2030, Lancet study finds

The Trump administration's cuts to the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which provides 40 percent of humanitarian funding worldwide, could lead to 14 million deaths by 2030, a study in the Lancet found, potentially "halting – and even rev

Måndag 30 juni 2025

Stocamine in Alsace: 'Toxicity of chemical waste won't disappear, nobody knows how to deal with it'

A Strasbourg court has authorised the permanent containment of approximately 42,000 tonnes of highly toxic chemical waste: cyanide, arsenic, mercury, and more, at the former Stocamine potash mine. France is set to inject concrete and seal the mine galler

Fredag 27 juni 2025

US signals 'powerful shift' in vaccine policy as RFK Jr moves to change guidance

PRESS REVIEW – Friday, June 27: Donald Trump's health secretary and vaccine sceptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr moves to rescind recommendations for the flu vaccine over a longstanding anti-vaxxer belief that it causes autism. The US will also pull funding for

Onsdag 25 juni 2025

'It's the smallest glasses factory in the world': Head of GoodVision France

A new way of ensuring everyone on the planet has access to glasses is being pushed by a global NGO that has just launched in France. A machine has been developed that can make glasses anywhere on the planet for just one single dollar. This as it is estim

Study finds child vaccination rates are dropping globally, threatening millions

Researchers said on Tuesday that vaccination rates among children are dropping across the world, increasing the risk of outbreaks of preventable diseases, as economic inequality, misinformation, and foreign aid cuts threaten to stymie decades of progress

Lördag 21 juni 2025

🌟The Bright Side: French scientists identify new blood type in Guadeloupe woman

French scientists have identified a new blood type, dubbed "Gwada negative", belonging to a French woman from the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. The woman is the only known carrier of what is now the world's 48th identified blood group system.

Tisdag 17 juni 2025

'Manosphere' influencers prey on the insecurities of young men, expert says

The UN has recently warned about the dangers of online misogyny, specifically in relation to the so-called 'manosphere' - a network of communities that claim to address men’s struggles, but often promote harmful advice and attitudes, as well as false nar

Bhopal disaster 'continues to kill people even today', leading activists warn

The Bhopal gas tragedy, which happened over 40 years ago, continues to kill people even today. That's the message brought to France this week by two leading activists who continue to push for justice. The initial leak, which is still considered the world

Måndag 16 juni 2025

At least 30 Palestinians killed in new shootings near food distribution centers

At least 34 Palestinians were killed Monday in new shootings on the roads leading to Israeli- and U.S.-supported food distribution centers in the Gaza Strip, the local Health Ministry said. Story by Antonia Kerrigan.

Söndag 15 juni 2025

A British surgeon who recently returned from Gaza speaks to FRANCE 24

Dr Graeme Groom, a British trauma and orthopaedic surgeon recently returned from Gaza. Among the patients he treated during his most recent mission was 11-year-old Adam al-Najjar, the only surviving child of paediatrician Dr Alaa al-Najjar. Since 2009, D

One year after the riots in New Caledonia, a healthcare system in tatters

One year after the riots in New Caledonia, how is the archipelago doing? The territory still bears deep scars from the social uprising of May 2024—especially in the healthcare sector. Many facilities were damaged, but more critically, many healthcare wor

Tisdag 10 juni 2025

Sudanese doctors on mission to rebuild Mycetoma Research Centre

The war in Sudan has led to the total or partial destruction of clinics and hospitals, but health professionals are determined to rebuild what has been lost. Among them are scientists researching and treating mycetoma, a rare but devastating fungal disea

'We're better at treating cancer the earlier we detect it,' top specialist says

One of the world’s leading cancer specialists has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the need to detect cancer early and prevent it from ever taking hold, rather than having to treat people later. Professor Alexandra Leary is an oncology specialist in gynaecologi

Robert F. Kennedy fires entire US vaccine panel, citing conflicts of interest

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday dismissed all 17 members of a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine advisory panel, accusing them of conflicts of interest in his latest salvo against vaccines. Scientists have denoun

Torsdag 5 juni 2025

Protecting minors from harmful content on-line: France requiring pornographic sites to verify age

French visitors to major adult websites Pornhub, YouPorn and RedTube have been met with a message denouncing privacy risks from government demands that they verify users' ages. "Your government suggests checking your age every time you visit our site --

RNA Covid vaccine was initially 'developed for oncology use and was already in phase 2'

A new treatment nearly halves the risk of disease progression or death from a less common form of breast cancer that hasn't seen major drug advances in over a decade, Results from the study, presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Cli

Trump orders inquiry into 'conspiracy' to cover up Biden's declining cognitive health

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday directed an investigation into Republican claims of a "conspiracy" to conceal Joe Biden's alleged cognitive decline while in office. The move escalates Trump's years-long effort to undermine his Democratic predecess

Tisdag 3 juni 2025

'Nurses are the heartbeat of healthcare': Award-winning nurse Naomi Ohene Oti

A Ghanaian oncology nurse who has won an international award for her work has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the need to invest in nursing. Naomi Ohene Oti is an Oncology Nurse Specialist and Head of Nursing at Ghana's National Radiotherapy Oncology and Nucle

Måndag 2 juni 2025

New Caledonia unrest, one year on: A healthcare system in tatters

France's overseas territory of New Caledonia is facing a growing crisis. The number of healthcare workers has dropped dramatically, particularly since the unrest of May 2024. In response, authorities are offering incentives – such as annual contracts and

Torsdag 29 maj 2025

France to ban smoking on beaches, parks and bus stops from July 1

France will ban smoking in all outdoor places that can be accessed by children, including beaches, parks and bus stops from July 1, French Health and Family Minister Catherine Vautrin announced Thursday.

UAE grapples with obesity crisis fuelled by fast food, sedentary lifestyle

Behind the skyscrapers and luxurious resorts of the United Arab Emirates, a silent health crisis is looming. According to a study published in The Lancet, the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adult men in the UAE is set to rise from 84 percent

Sudan 'on brink' of health emergency amid deadly cholera outbreak

A deadly cholera outbreak has killed at least 70 people in just 48 hours in Sudan's war-torn capital, health officials said Thursday, deepening an already dire humanitarian crisis after more than two years of brutal conflict between the army and paramili

Onsdag 28 maj 2025

Right to assisted dying provides 'autonomous choice for patient suffering endlessly, unbearably'

France’s lower house of parliament adopted a bill Tuesday to allow adults with incurable illness to take lethal medication, as public demands grow across Europe for legal end-of-life options. The National Assembly vote is a key step on the long-debated i

Tisdag 27 maj 2025

France's lower house backs assisted dying bill in first reading

France's lower house on Tuesday approved a right-to-die bill in the first reading, the initial step in a lengthy process that could grant patients medical assistance to end their lives in clearly defined circumstances. FRANCE 24's Antonia Kerrigan report

French parliament to vote on assisted dying: Patients share their stories

French deputies are set to vote Tuesday on a controversial bill regarding end-of-life options before it moves to the Senate. The proposed “right to aid in dying” has divided politicians and healthcare professionals and reignited heated bioethical debates

Måndag 26 maj 2025

Vegetable Garden World Cup: 'We all need to reconnect with nature and our health'

"It takes a village!" And it takes a vegetable garden! François Picard's guest Henri Landes, Co-Founder of LanDestini, says it's absolutely "fundamental" for kids, especially in urban areas, to learn where food, fruits and vegetables come from. And so, i

Tisdag 20 maj 2025

'Original Sin': New book paints damning portrayal of Biden's mental decline

PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, May 20: Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson's new book "Original Sin" shows that Joe Biden's cognitive decline was far more severe than portrayed. It comes as the Democrats are accused of covering for him during his presidency. Also, re

Rethinking management of natural resources: Filtration of bottled water just the tip of the iceberg

The government of French President Emmanuel Macron covered up decisions over the illegal treatment of mineral water by food industry giant Nestle, including the world-famous Perrier brand, a Senate inquiry commission said Monday. Its report focused on Ne

Måndag 19 maj 2025

Former US President Biden diagnosed with 'aggressive' form of prostate cancer

Former US President Joe Biden, 82, has been diagnosed with an "aggressive" form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones and is reviewing treatment options, his office said Sunday. The Democrat was diagnosed Friday after reporting worsening urinar

Söndag 18 maj 2025

Former US president Biden diagnosed with 'aggressive' form of prostate cancer

Former US president Joe Biden, 82, has been diagnosed with an "aggressive" form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones and is reviewing treatment options, his office said Sunday. The Democrat was diagnosed Friday after reporting worsening urinar

Lördag 17 maj 2025

Ghana detains over 2,200 undocumented migrants in crime crackdown

Ghanaian immigration officials said they had detained more than 2,000 undocumented foreign nationals in Accra Friday in an operation to dismantle criminal networks and curb street begging. Of the 2,241 arrested during the early morning raids, 1,332 were

Måndag 12 maj 2025

Trump to sign executive order aimed at lowering medication costs

US President Donald Trump said he would sign an executive order on Monday that could lower the cost of some medications, an effort that will face strong pushback from the pharmaceutical industry.

Fredag 9 maj 2025

What will Pope Leo XIV mean for Africa?

As the world woke up in a new papal era, the Catholic faithful across Africa joyfully welcomed the election of Leo XIV. We unlock the African perspective with Father Henry Chukwujekwu from the Diocese of Nnewi in Nigeria, now serving a mission in France

Tisdag 6 maj 2025

People taking more 'aggressive, negative' stance towards youth identifying as trans, gender diverse

Trump has said the US should recognise only two sexes and has moved to restrict gender-affirming care for minors and bar transgender people from the military. Yet Europe offers no safe haven either, as right-wing populism rises across the old continent.

Fredag 2 maj 2025

PFAS 'forever chemicals': Citizens take on industrial giants in quest for justice

PFAS, better known as "forever chemicals", are ultra-resistant to water and heat – so much so that they are virtually indestructible in nature. These chemicals are everywhere in our daily lives – in clothes, cosmetics and kitchen utensils – and are poiso

Torsdag 1 maj 2025

RFK Jr alarms medical experts with vaccine 'placebo testing' plans

PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, May 1: The Spanish papers continue to wonder what – or who – was responsible for the Great Blackout that plunged Spain and Portugal into darkness this week. Is renewable energy to blame? Also: US Health Secretary Robert F. Kenned

Onsdag 30 april 2025

MSF warns: USAID’s demise a ‘human-made disaster that will have dire health consequences worldwide'

UN aid agencies warn of deep service cuts as US funding plummets under President Donald Trump. His administration has slashed 83% of programs funded by USAID, which had a $42.8 billion annual budget—42% of all global humanitarian aid. As vital operations