Russia launches hundreds of drones and missiles at Ukraine in largest attack in weeks

Hopes dim for Putin-Zelensky peace summit

The chances of a Russia-Ukraine summit faded Friday as US President Donald Trump appeared to tire of peace efforts and Moscow poured cold water on efforts to end the grinding war in Ukraine. Simon Moritz tells us more....

Iran, European powers to resume nuclear talks as 'snapback' sanctions loom

Ahead of an August 31 deadline imposed by France, Britain and Germany, to trigger a "snapback" sanctions mechanism, Iran on Friday agreed to resume nuclear talks with the "E3" European countries next week. The Israel-Iran war in June has added pressure on the European powers to reach a diplomatic s...

Workers' health threatened by heatwaves, WHO claims

The WHO and WMO warn that heatwaves are increasingly threatening workers, especially in agriculture, construction, and fisheries. Over 2.4 billion people are exposed, with work-related injuries rising and productivity dropping, prompting calls for heat-stress measures like cooling zones, hydration,...

Russia rejects Zelensky talks, Trump says setting up summit like mixing ‘oil and vinegar’

Russia on Friday ruled out an immediate meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, despite a claim by US President Donald Trump earlier this week that he was arranging a summit. Trump on Friday said setting up a Zelensky-Putin summit was as hard as mixing "oil and v...

Israel rejects famine accusations in Gaza, a war crime under international law

The UN declared this morning that famine in Gaza is now official. FRANCE 24’s correspondent in Jerusalem analyses Israel’s outright rejection of the report, noting that the government provides no alternative statistics and simply insists Hamas figures are false. Admitting famine would leave Isr...

Mosquito-borne diseases: 'As world warms, parasites, diseases and viruses become more transmissible'

Europe has registered a record number of outbreaks of mosquito-borne illnesses such as chikungunya and West Nile virus this year, the EU health agency said Wednesday, saying climate change was contributing to a "new normal". Europe is experiencing longer and more intense transmission seasons for mo...

'Bombs or starvation: People in Gaza waiting to see what will kill them first' (NRC's Shaina Low)

The United Nations officially declared a famine in Gaza on Friday, blaming "systematic obstruction of aid" by Israel, hours after Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened to destroy the territory's largest city. While Israel denied there was a famine, the Rome-based IPC, a body of UN-backed experts,...

UN declares famine in Gaza, first ever in Middle East

The United Nations on Friday officially declared a famine in Gaza, the first in the Middle East, with its experts saying 500,000 people were facing "catastrophic" hunger. After months of warning of the deteriorating humanitarian situation, the Rome-based IPC panel said famine was now confirmed in t...

🔴 War in Gaza live: UN-backed group officially declares famine in Gaza

North Korea's Kim decorates 'heroes' who fought for Russia against Ukraine

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un led an emotional ceremony decorating troops who fought against Ukrainian soldiers in Russia's Kursk region and honouring those who died, images released by state media on Friday showed. In a speech, Kim praised the "admirable" troops who had lost their lives facing...

What happens in the Antarctic doesn't stay in the Antarctic, ice-sheet modeller says

A new study published in Nature reveals 'evidence for rapid, interacting and sometimes self-perpetuating changes in the Antarctic'. Speaking on FRANCE 24, glaciologist and ice-sheet modeller Frank Pattyn, Chair of the Belgian National Committee on Arctic/Antarctic Research, says that 'what happens...

Facing troop shortage, Israeli army looks to deserters and the diaspora

Israel is looking for new ways to recruit soldiers to fill up to 12,000 vacant positions, Israeli Army Radio announced this week. Struggling after 23 months of war, the longest in Israeli history, the army is looking to the Jewish diaspora abroad, the Orthodox community and even former deserters...

Ukrainian man arrested over Nord Stream blasts in 2022

A Ukrainian suspect has been arrested in Italy over the sabotage of the Nord Stream underwater gas pipelines from Russia to Europe in 2022, German prosecutors said Thursday. Jörg Taszman, journalist in Berlin, has more details....

Anti-war protest in Gaza City as Israel prepares offensive

Residents of Gaza City demonstrated this Thursday to call for an end to the war, as Israel approved a plan to seize Gaza City and prepares to launch its offensive and enter the city. Ceasefire negotiations appear to be at a standstill, although Hamas recently accepted a mediated proposal....

Ukraine: Largest Russian strikes in weeks as peace efforts drag on

Russia carried out one of its largest aerial attacks of the year on Ukraine, firing 574 drones and 40 missiles overnight, mostly targeting western regions where Western military aid is stored, amid intense diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire. The strikes killed at least one person and injured 1...

With Gaza war escalation, Israel risks 'sacrificing hostages and its standing in the world'

The Israeli military stepped up its bombardment of Gaza City overnight, ahead of a key meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ministers on a potential ground operation to seize the enclave’s largest city. The army has already called up 60,000 reservists, signalling that the gov...

Italy arrests Ukrainian suspected of involvement in Nord Stream pipeline blasts

Italian police said Thursday they had arrested a Ukrainian man suspected of being one of the coordinators of the 2022 attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which were built to carry gas from Russia to Germany. Prosecutors believe the suspect was one of a group of people who placed undersea expl...

NATO weighs Ukraine security guarantees amid peace talks

NATO defence chiefs held talks on Ukraine’s future security guarantees, as Kyiv insists any peace deal must ensure a lasting ceasefire and protection against future Russian attacks. Moscow, however, has criticised these discussions for excluding its role....

Khartoum struggles to rebuild amid devastating war damage

In Sudan’s capital Khartoum, residents are struggling to rebuild after more than two years of war, with reconstruction costs nationwide estimated at $700 billion, half of which is for the capital alone. Despite frequent shortages of water and electricity, locals remain determined to restore their...

War in Ukraine: Russia says European troops in Ukraine would be ‘unnacceptable’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday the presence of European troops in Ukraine would be "absolutely unacceptable" to Russia while Kyiv and its allies push to establish security guarantees to end the war. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that such guarantees were...

Tourism surge is driving up pollution in Antarctica, scientists warn

A boom in tourism over the past two decades is increasing pollution in Antarctica and accelerating the melting of snow, scientists have warned. Much of the pollution caused by the increase in human presence comes from transport powered by fossil fuels releasing fine particles containing heavy metal...

US hits ICC with more sanctions, targets French judge involved in Netanyahu arrest warrant

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday announced more sanctions on International Criminal Court judges, saying that the court was a "national security threat" because it had sought to prosecute US or Israeli nationals. Judge Nicolas Guillou of France, who is presiding over a case in which...

French researcher in Russian jail faces new espionage charge

A French researcher imprisoned in Russia is under new investigation for espionage, a court filing showed on Wednesday. Laurent Vinatier, already serving a three-year sentence, faces a hearing on August 25. The new charges carry a potential prison term of up to 20 years....

Russia not vying for peace but seeking Ukraine's surrender, former NATO official says

NATO chiefs have been discussing the security guarantees that could be provided to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks to former NATO Assistant Secretary General Antonio Missiroli. He says that the conditions put on the table by Russia mean that it is...

‘Today it’s paper, tomorrow it’s nothing’: the perils of security guarantees for Ukraine

Security guarantees have become a crucial part of discussions about a peace deal for Ukraine, with the country’s President Volodymyr Zelensky saying they are “the key issue – the starting point for ending the war”. Integrating Ukrainian forces into the European defence architecture would be...

Under Geneva Convention, Russia has no automatic claim to territory simply by virtue of occupying it

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that discussing any Western security guarantees for Ukraine without Russian involvement was a "road to nowhere". NATO military chiefs were set to discuss the details of eventual security guarantees for Ukraine amid efforts to broker an end to Russia's b...

New disinformation operation targets Armenian government with corruption claims

In mid-August, multiple accounts with ties to pro-Trump and pro-Russian networks alleged that Anna Hakobyan, the wife of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan embezzled 3.4 million dollars in a children's cancer fund corruption scandal. However, their claims are based on a fake article published...

Israel set to approve settlement project that could divide the West Bank

Israel on Wednesday gave approval for a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank’s E1 area, a move Palestinians and rights groups warn could effectively block a future Palestinian state. The development, long frozen under US pressure, has been backed by far-right Finance Ministe...

Israel defence minister approves plan to conquer Gaza City

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz has approved a plan to seize Gaza City and authorised the mobilisation of 60,000 reservists, his ministry confirmed Wednesday. Fighting is already underway on the ground as mediators await Israel’s reply to the latest ceasefire proposal in the nearly two-ye...

Israel approves major settlement project that would divide West Bank

Israel on Wednesday approved a major settlement project in the West Bank, despite warnings from the international community that doing so threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state....