Zelensky welcomes EU approval of €90bn loan for Ukraine at Cyprus meeting

EU approves massive loan to help Ukraine after Hungary lifts its veto

The European Union on Thursday approved a massive loan package to help Ukraine meet its economic and military needs for the next two years, the bloc’s Cypriot presidency said, after Hungary lifted its veto. The EU also approved a new raft of sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine. FRANC...

Humanitarian worker Mike Penrose on the 'Food from Ukraine' programme

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Mike Penrose, a veteran humanitarian worker and special adviser to the government of Ukraine on the "Food from Ukraine" humanitarian programme, explained that this initiative "increases the value of the aid that's being distributed" in an "era of diminishing amounts...

AI robot beats elite table tennis players in 'pivotal breakthrough'

PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, April 23: Le Parisien reports on an "unprecedented" criminal complaint filed against food delivery giants UberEats and Deliveroo for human trafficking in France. Le Monde looks at the important role of priests in the war in Ukraine and we also look at a suggestion to ren...

Warner Bros. shareholders set to vote on Paramount takeover bid

Shareholders in Warner Brothers Discovery are voting this Thursday to approve or reject a $110 billion acquisition offer from Paramount Skydance in the face of widespread opposition from Hollywood workers. Also in this edition: the US considers currency swap deals with its Middle Eastern and Asian...

In Gaza, first local vote in years offers gauge of Hamas popularity

Palestinians in one of the only Gaza cities ​not overrun by Israeli ground forces during the war will vote this weekend in municipal elections that will feature some pro-Hamas candidates, offering a rare barometer of the militant group's popularity. The vote in Deir al-Balah is part of Palestinia...

EU 'must' shift to renewables to end fossil fuel 'blackmail from war-driving authoritarian regimes'

François Picard is pleased to welcome Hannah Neumann, German MEP, Greens/EFA and Chair of EU Parliament's Delegation for Iran. She offers analysis on the growing geopolitical instability surrounding Iran, energy security, and the EU’s strategic position in an increasingly fragmented global order...

Middle East war live: Lebanon meets Israel in Washington to request truce extension

Israel and Lebanon hold a new round of talks in Washington on Thursday, during which Beirut plans to request a one-month extension of a ceasefire due to expire within days. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates....

Gulf allies have requested financial support, US Treasury Secretary says

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that a number of allies in the Gulf region and ​in Asia have ‌requested currency swap lines from the United States to help deal with energy shocks ⁠and other fallout from the Middle East war. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks with Dr Kri...

EU unveils plan to tackle energy crisis

The European Union has unveiled plans to shield households and businesses from the energy crisis, triggered by the war with Iran. The bloc says it has spent an additional €24 billion on energy imports beacuse of higher prices since the war began, and it urged more investment in renewable energy....

‘Hungry all the time’: US Navy deny food shortages after grim photos emerge

The US Navy has fiercely denied claims that its warships in the Middle East are running low on food and leaving its sailors “hungry all the time,” as Washington’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz continues. Photos showing dismal, mostly-empty trays of food circulated online, with the claims t...

Three ships targeted in Hormuz, Iran seizes two

Iranian forces targeted three container ships on Wednesday, seizing two, the latest incidents to threaten a crucial trade route in the Middle East war. Iran's parliament speaker said on Wednesday that the Islamic republic would not reopen the Strait of Hormuz as long as the US naval blockade remain...

World's worst energy crisis? Iran war sparks scramble for alternatives to Gulf oil

Will the world have enough fuel to fill the tank and fertilize the crops? The seizure of ships by Iran adding to global jitters as the extension of a ceasefire offers zero visibility on prospects for the planet’s biggest choke point for oil and gas. Nearly two months on, the Paris-based Internati...

Mapping the environmental toll of the Middle East war

Oil refineries set ablaze, missiles hitting pesticide factories, an oil slick in the Strait of Hormuz In under two months, the US and Israel’s war on Iran has inflicted a heavy toll on the environment, fuelling concerns over the public health impact on local populations....

Prize-winning book 'Houris' brings prison term for French-Algerian author Kamel Daoud

French-Algerian author Kamel Daoud says he has been sentenced in Algeria to three years in prison and fined over his award-winning novel “Houris,” which revisits the country’s civil war. The ruling reflects the mounting pressure on authors confronting Algeria’s violent past and raises fresh...

Food security: Why UN chief Guterres’s plan to get fertiliser flowing in Hormuz is stalling

The United Nations is pushing its proposal for a humanitarian corridor to get fertiliser and other essential goods through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively blocked since the start of the Iran war. This plan, which FRANCE 24 has seen, has yet to be approved by several countries. ...

Unblocked EU loan provides relief to Ukraine's strained finances

European Union ambassadors unblocked ⁠on Wednesday a ​90-billion-euro ($106 billion) loan to Ukraine that is critical for Kyiv's ability to keep up the fight against Russia. The loan, which ​was approved by the European Council in December, had been halted by a Hungarian veto amid a dispute o...

'Trump's high-stakes political theatre: US winning conventional war, Iran winning asymmetrical war'

Delano D'Souza is pleased to welcome Dr. William Lawrence, Senior Academic and Research Fellow-in-Residence and the Director of the North African Area Studies Program at the National Council on US-Arab Relations. As a former US diplomat in the Muslim world, he views what we are witnessing as a deli...

Residents pay the price as Afghanistan-Pakistan border remains closed

The border between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been completely closed for six months, a direct consequence of the conflict between Kabul and Islamabad. Despite several mediation attempts, negotiations have failed, and the two countries remain at a diplomatic impasse in a war that has already displ...

Iran: 'Going back to war is not in anyone's interest,' risk analyst says

A risk management analyst has spoken to FRANCE 24 about what it means, amid the ceasefire, if the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed. Paymon Azmoudeh is a senior consultant with the risk and compliance practice at Forward Global. He says he thinks the calculation on all sides is that going...

EU resumes aid to Ethiopia suspended over Tigray war

The European Union has said it will resume budgetary aid to Ethiopia, which was suspended when a brutal civil war broke out in 2020. The EU suspended its annual budgetary support payment in December 2020, a month after the start of the war between government forces and rebels from the northern Tigr...

EU gives preliminary approval to unblock €90 billion Ukraine loan

EU member states on Wednesday gave a preliminary approval to unlock a €90 billion loan for Ukraine. The decision comes after delays linked to an oil dispute with Hungary over the Druzhba pipeline. ...

Iranian economy: Layoffs, inflation add to sanctions pain amid war

The ongoing conflict between the US and Israel has created a profound economic crisis in Iran. As the government deals with the crippling internet blackouts and soaring inflation, a sense of uncertainty has taken hold of the nation's workforce....

In south Lebanon village, Hezbollah buries fighters killed in war with Israel

Hezbollah held a mass funeral in south Lebanon's Kfar Sir on Tuesday for more than a dozen fighters killed during more than six weeks of war with Israel. The ceremony came after Israel and Lebanon entered into a 10-day ceasefire on Friday announced by US President Donald Trump. Iran-backed Hezbolla...

Ukraine to restart oil flows via Druzhba pipeline, potentially unblocking EU's loan

Ukraine ​will resume pumping oil through the Druzhba pipeline on Wednesday, an industry source said, after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said repairs were complete and urged the EU to unblock a 90-billion-euro loan halted by an argument over the pipe. A lengthy suspension of oil flows through the...

Devastated Gaza will need over $70 billion to rebuild, international report warns

Gaza will need over seventy billion dollars in the next decade to rebuild from more than two years of devastating conflict. That's from a report this week from the UN, the EU and the World Bank, which has looked at the damage done after Israel went to war with Hamas in the Palestinian enclave follo...

Venezuela: 'Repressive apparatus remains in place,' says Amnesty International

In Venezuela, the state’s repressive apparatus “remains intact” after Nicolás Maduro’s overthrow, Amnesty International warns....

Rabbi who bulldozed Palestinian homes selected for Israel's national celebration

PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, April 22: An extremist rabbi accused of war crimes has been selected to participate in Israeli Independence Day celebrations. Next: papers look at LGBTQ laws in Hungary and Russia. Also: did someone manipulate France's official meteorological station for insider betting...

Iran's workers face waves of layoffs as war batters domestic economy

Iranians are confronting mass layoffs and soaring inflation amid destroyed infrastructure and internet blackouts. We take a closer look. But first: US senators grill Donald Trump's nominee for Federal Reserve chair, and the global condom industry takes a blow from supply chain issues tied to the cl...

🔴 Middle East war live: Iran seizes two vessels in Strait of Hormuz, state media says

Displaced Palestinians return to books as Gaza's Phoenix library rises from the rubble

Displaced Palestinians browse books at Gaza's new Phoenix Library, a youth-led initiative in the Rimal neighbourhood that aims to revive culture and literature during the war. The library houses a diverse collection of literary and scientific books, and includes a children's section, its name refle...