Lebanon and Israel to hold rare direct talks in Washington despite Hezbollah opposition

Sudan to mark third anniversary of civil war

Today on Eye on Africa, we look at Sudan where the country nears three years of civil war. The conflict has already claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced around 12 million people. Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV continues his Africa tour. After spending his second day in Algeria where he celebra...

'War is development in reverse' UNDP chief tells France 24

Amid uncertainty around the war in Iran, the International Monetary Fund downgraded its outlook for the global economy under three different scenarios depending on how long the conflict would last.  Meanwhile, the United Nations Development Programme is warning that even if hostilities were to end...

YouTube bans viral pro-Iran AI-generated LEGO videos trolling Trump

As the ‘meme war’ between the US and Iran continues via AI ‘slopaganda,’ an Iran-linked group named Explosive Media has been pumping out viral LEGO-style videos ridiculing the US war effort in Iran, and trolling President Donald Trump. Many of these videos depict Trump as childish and fick...

Italian PM says suspends renewal of defence agreement with Israel

Italy has suspended the renewal of its defence agreement with Israel, which involves the exchange of military equipment and technology research, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Tuesday. US President Donald Trump criticised Meloni for her unwillingness to help in the Iran war, in an interview pub...

How a Russian ship under sanctions delivered armoured vehicles to Mali

Dozens of military vehicles transported from Russia were delivered to Mali through the port of Conakry, Guinea, in late March. The equipment was carried by a Russian cargo ship currently under international sanctions....

Antisemitic attacks in 2025 led to highest number of fatalities in 30 years, study finds

Last year saw the highest level of deadly violence against Jews in over three decades, with 20 people killed in antisemitic attacks, according to an annual study released by Tel Aviv University on Monday. The violence, including a deadly attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Australia, continued a sp...

Middle East war live: Rubio hosts Israeli, Lebanese envoys for first direct talks in decades

Hollywood stars speak out against Paramount-Warner deal

An open letter signed by hundreds of Hollywood heavyweights, including Jane Fonda, Joaquin Phoenix and Bryan Cranston, was published Monday opposing a deal that would see the historic Warner Bros. studio swallowed by rival Paramount....

Will Europe's airports run out of jet fuel?

The head of the French energy group Total has warned that a shortage of jet fuel may occur at airports in Europe in the coming weeks or months if the situation at the strait of Hormuz does not improve. Solange Mougin and Alexandra Quairini have more....

Italy suspends defence agreement with Israel as Lebanon attacks stoke tensions

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government has suspended Italy's defence cooperation agreement with Israel amid rising tensions between the two countries after Rome accused Israeli forces of firing warning shots at a convoy of Italian UN peacekeepers in Lebanon....

Israel-Lebanon talks: How motivated is Netanyahu to find a deal?

Lebanon and Israel are set to hold the first direct diplomatic talks in decades on Tuesday in Washington following more than a month of war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant. But while the talks may be historic, the Israeli government has been mostly “ambivalent” towards their outcome,...

'Very cautious optimism' as Israel-Lebanon talks set to begin

There is a sense of "very cautious optimism" in Lebanon, reports France 24's Cyril Payen in Beirut, as the country gets ready to hold its first direct diplomatic talks with Israel in decades on Tuesday in Washington, following more than a month of war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group...

Pope says doesn't fear Trump as he pushes back in Iran war feud

Pope Leo XIV pushed back Monday on President Donald Trump’s broadside against him over the US-Israel war in Iran, telling reporters that the Vatican’s appeals for peace and reconciliation are rooted in the Gospel, and that he doesn’t fear the Trump administration....

Residents of Iraqi Kurdistan in despair: 'We weren't at war with anyone'

After a month and a half spent living under the threat of drones, residents of Iraqi Kurdistan are exhausted. Just 24 hours before the ceasefire, a civilian was killed in a drone attack blamed on Iran by Kurdish authorities. In total, around 700 drone and missile attacks have targeted US positions...

'Shocking attack': Italian press reacts to Trump's feud with pope

US President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself as a Jesus-like figure on Sunday, drawing widespread criticism even from some religious conservatives who typically support him, before deleting the post on Monday. It came amid his escalating feud with Pope Leo, who has criticized t...

Sudan drone strikes kill nearly 700 in three months as civil war reaches grim milestone

Nearly 700 civilians have been reported killed in drone strikes so far this year, the United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher said Tuesday, lamenting that "the world has failed to meet the test of Sudan" after three years of a gruesome civil war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced more...

China's exports slow amid surging costs brought on by Iran war

China's exports grew only 2.5% in March from a year earlier, a significantly slowdown caused by the war in Iran. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has pushed up the cost of materials, and many Chinese factories saw their profits squeezed last month. Also in this edition: hundreds of Hollywood sta...

What hopes for Lebanon-Israel talks as Hezbollah urges cancellation?

Lebanese and Israeli representatives are set to meet in Washington Tuesday for US-mediated talks on ending the war in Lebanon. However, Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has said will not abide by any agreements that may result from the negotiations and called for them to be cancelled and the prosp...

US naval blockade begins as Trump vows will destroy Iran boats that approach

President Donald Trump warned on Monday that any Iranian "fast-attack" ships that go near a US maritime "blockade" on Iran would be eliminated. The US blockade on vessels entering and departing Iran went into effect at 1400 GMT on Monday....

'No glimmer of hope': Little optimism among Lebanon's displaced as talks with Israel begin

Lebanese and Israeli representatives are set to meet in Washington Tuesday for US-mediated talks on ending the war in Lebanon, although Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has said will not abide by any agreements that may result from the negotiations and called for them to be canceled....

Magyar's landslide victory over Orbán 'showed the limits of right-wing populism in Europe'

Following the landslide victory of Peter Magyar over Hungary's long standing autocratic ruler Viktor Orbán, Genie Godula is pleased to welcome Ian Bond, former Senior British Diplomat and Deputy Director of the Centre for European Reform. Bond sees this election within broader European political d...

Lebanon, Israel to meet for tough talks in Washington

Lebanese and Israeli representatives are scheduled to meet in Washington Tuesday for US-mediated talks on ending the war in Lebanon, but the prospects of an agreement appear slim....

EU doubles steel tariffs to 50% to curb surge of cheap Chinese imports

EU lawmakers and member states agreed on Monday to double tariffs on foreign steel to 50%, aiming to shield the bloc’s struggling industry from a surge in cheap Chinese imports. The deal also cuts duty-free import volumes by 47% as EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic warned global overcapacity threaten...

Trump vows US will 'eliminate' any Iranian ships defying blockade

US President Donald Trump has warned that any Iranian vessels that breach Monday's newly enforced US naval blockade will be “immediately eliminated,” escalating tensions amid a fragile ceasefire after talks brokered by Pakistan failed to reach a peace agreement on the conflict in Iran....

War in Iran could accelerate global energy transition

The Iran war has exposed vulnerabilities of countries reliant on Middle Eastern fossil fuels. Ramon Mendez, former Uruguayan Energy Secretary and President of REN21, tells France 24 that a drastic shift to renewable energy is possible with the right strategy in place, and other nations can follow U...

Trump says he won't apologize to Pope Leo after criticism

President Donald Trump refused to apologize to Pope Leo XIV on Monday after criticizing the pontiff for his opposition to the war in Iran — and he sought to explain away a now-deleted social media post depicting himself as Jesus by saying he had thought the image was of him as a doctor. Italian P...

Lebanon will need '1 billion dollars just to keep humanitarian situation afloat', minister says

FRANCE 24's Mark Owen speaks with the Lebanese Minister for Social Affairs, Hanin Sayyed, about the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon in the wake of the Israeli attacks and ground invasion. She says that if the war continues and displacement in Lebanon continues at the current pace, the country will n...

French court jails Lafarge former CEO for funding IS in Syria

A French court on Monday fined the cement group Lafarge over $1.3 million and sentenced its former boss to six years in prison for paying protection money to the Islamic State group and other jihadists to maintain its business in war-torn Syria. FRANCE 24's Emerald Maxwell reports....

Hungary will be "a tough partner, but a partner" on Ukraine, expert says

Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Lukáš Macek, Director of the Greater Europe project at the Jacques Delors Centre, says on the question of Ukraine the new Hungarian government led by Peter Magyar is likely to stop obstructing aid for Ukraine and will be "a tough partner, but a partner nonethe...

Deadline passes for US blockade of Hormuz, Iran threatens to retaliate against Gulf neighbours

The deadline passed on Monday for the start of a US ​military blockade of ships leaving Iran's ports, and Tehran threatened to retaliate against ports of its Gulf neighbours after weekend talks on ending the war broke down. Oil prices surged, with no sign of a swift reopening of the Strait of Hor...