Biden warns of era of 'significant political change' in last meeting with key Asian allies

We'll defend our interests 'with an iron will': French FM Barrot on Trump's re-election

In an exclusive interview, FRANCE 24 and Radio France International sit down with France's minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, who was appointed to the job in September. We discuss France's diplomatic initiatives in the Middle East, in Europe and in relation to Ukraine. Bar...

EU enlargement put to the test: Georgia, Moldova votes shake Brussels

The EU likes to underline that enlargement towards the east is a security priority. And indeed, since the war in Ukraine started, accession negotiations have begun with several countries, most of them in the Balkans. But in a shock referendum result, barely over 50 percent of voters in Moldova said...

'Drill, baby, drill': What Trump's election victory means for climate change

Nations have gathered in Azerbaijan for COP29, under the shadow cast by the re-election of climate change denier Donald Trump, who has pledged to row back on the United States' carbon-cutting commitments. As the planet logs its hottest year on record, Charles Pellegrin and his guests discuss how th...

Scholz-Putin call opens 'Pandora's box', Zelensky says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday opened "Pandora's box" by undermining efforts to isolate the Russian leader....

Immigrants struggle as cracks deepen in Canada's pro-immigration 'consensus'

As public opinion in Canada shows growing scepticism toward immigration, the South Asian Women's Rights Organization in Ontario is working to support immigrant women as they establish their lives in Canada. Daniel Bernhard, chief executive of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, warns that while...

Widespread rape in Sudan's civil war: Women and girls targeted by paramilitary

A spike in violence in Sudan's civil war sees a rise in the number of women and girls being raped by paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in the east of the country. Also what happens when men outnumber women in some cases as high as 25 percent in parts of eastern Germany, where young women have left...

Protesters storm parliament in Georgia separatist region Abkhazia over deal with Russia

Protesters stormed the parliament of Georgia's Russia-backed breakaway region of Abkhazia on Friday while the government was set to discuss a real-estate investment agreement with Russia. Some Abkhaz fear the deal would price them out of the property market and boost Moscow's control in the region....

'Green Islam': How Indonesian Muslims are helping protect the Earth

Indonesia may be on the front lines of the fight against global warming, but many of its people are climate sceptics. A 2019 survey found that Indonesia – the world's biggest Muslim-majority country – has the highest proportion  of climate change sceptics globally. About 18 percent of responde...

Oxfam: Israeli blockades deprive Gaza of most basic humanitarian aid

Israel's warfare in Gaza is consistent with the characteristics of genocide, a special UN committee said Thursday, as a Human Rights Watch report said Israel's displacement of Gazans amounts to a "crime against humanity". Israel said HRW's claims were "completely false", insisting its "efforts are...

French territory Guadeloupe declares epidemic of dengue driven by uncommon strain

Authorities in the Caribbean archipelago of Guadeloupe on Thursday declared a dengue epidemic driven by a virus strain that had a limited circulation for two decades. Health officials in the overseas French territory warned of a "high number" of "severe forms" of the disease.  ...

North Korea orders 'mass production' of attack drones, raising concerns over Russia alliance

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered the mass production of attack drones, state media said, as military ties with Russia deepen. Pyongyang's August drone unveiling and recent defense pact with Moscow raise concerns over technology transfers, prompting warnings from South Korea's President Y...

Forced displacement in Gaza is 'widespread, systematic and intentional', HRW says

Israel is being accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, including massive forced displacements that amount to ethnic cleansing. A new report from the New York-based group Human Rights Watch says civilians have been killed while evacuating under Israeli orders, and in I...

What next for Ukraine? Trump's return could redefine the war

Ukraine is at a crucial point in its existential fight against the full-scale Russian invasion launched by Vladimir Putin in February 2022. US president-elect Donald Trump is said to want to accelerate the timetable to a truce. Ukraine wants guarantees against any future Russian invasion before any...

Russian assault on Ukraine's Kupiansk mounts pressure on northeastern front

Russian infantry managed briefly to advance into the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kupiansk on Wednesday before being repelled by Kyiv's army, local authorities said Thursday. The city, an important railway hub, was taken by Russia in the early days of Moscow's invasion then retaken by Ukraine in...

Tipping point: How drug trafficking became a ‘national cause’ in France

France is grappling with an alarming surge in drug-related violence, from grisly murders in Marseille to deadly clashes in smaller towns. As criminal networks thrive, the government has declared the fight against trafficking a "national cause" – but experts warn the crisis may be spiralling beyon...

HRW accuses Israel of 'war crime' with 'forcible transfer' in Gaza

Human Rights Watch said in a report released Thursday that Israel's repeated evacuation orders in Gaza amount to the "war crime of forcible transfer", and to "ethnic cleansing" in parts of the Palestinian territory. "Human Rights Watch has amassed evidence that Israeli officials are committing t...

Benefit fraud: Amnesty accuses Denmark of using AI to build 'system of surveillance'

Amnesty International is accusing Denmark of using artificial intelligence in a way that targets people with disabilities, low-income families, migrants and anyone who is marginalised in society. The NGO is voicing deep concern about a new welfare system in the country that uses AI. The algorithm t...

'The world order based on the UN Charter and international law is collapsing before our eyes'

Russia is open to negotiations on an end to the Ukraine war if initiated by US President-elect Donald Trump, but any talks need to be based on the realities of Russian advances, Moscow's ambassador to the UN in Geneva told reporters. Trump has promised to end the conflict swiftly, without explainin...

Two years after Ethiopia's Tigray war, Eritrean forces still occupy border regions

Two years after the Pretoria agreements ended the Tigray war, what’s the situation on the ground? The conflict resulted in nearly 600,000 deaths, with Eritrean soldiers fighting alongside the Ethiopian federal army against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. While the peace deal called for Er...

🔴Live: Israeli warfare methods 'consistent with genocide', UN committee says

Corruption looms over Ukraine's massive reconstruction effort

While Ukraine has stepped up its anti-graft measures over the past decade to bolster its chances of joining the European Union, corruption scandals are still rife in the war-torn country, where a multi-billion-dollar reconstruction programme has provided new opportunities for personal enrichment....

Israel is committing ‘ethnic cleansing’ amid mass forced displacements in Gaza, HRW report says

Israel has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, including pursuing a deliberate policy of forcibly displacing people and denying them the right to return home, according to a Human Rights Watch report released Thursday. The report also labelled the likely permanent dispossessio...

Ukrainians see surrender as 'end of their country', geopolitical analyst says

Kyiv was the target of its first missile attack since August on Wednesday morning, with a two-hour Russian ballistic missile operation that targeted the entire country. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks to Olga Oliker, Program Director for Europe and Central Asia at the International Crisis Group....

How does climate change affect young people and migration?

COP 29 taking place all this week, dozens of world leaders gathered to discuss how to combat the challenge of climate change and global warming. FRANCE 24's speaks to Aakash Ranison, Youth Delegate on Climate Migration at the International Organization for Migration....

How racism and war spur soccer violence: sports and politics don't mix?

A football match in Paris is raising concerns over potential clashes between Jewish and Palestinian sympathisers. Security measures have been heightened following last week's violence in Amsterdam, where Israeli supporters clashed with both local men of Arab origin and Dutch fans. Tensions fueled b...

Toxic towns in Kyrgyzstan battle dangers of Soviet-era radioactive waste

Three decades on from independence, Kyrgyzstan is still dealing with the consequences of the Cold War nuclear arms race. Mining towns like Min-Kush provided the Soviet Union with essential uranium, leaving behind vast quantities of dangerous toxic waste that is still being cleared away, while local...

Sexual violence on 'staggering' scale in Sudan civil war, says UN probe

Rape is widespread in Sudan's civil war, a United Nations investigation said Tuesday, accusing paramilitaries especially of committing sexual violence on a "staggering" scale. Children are not spared the abuse, while women and girls are being abducted for sexual slavery, the UN Independent Internat...

Lebanon says Israel strikes Hezbollah bastion in south Beirut

Lebanese state media reported on Wednesday a third wave of Israeli raids on Hezbollah's south Beirut bastion in 24 hours, after the health ministry said another strike south of the capital killed six people. People hastily drove away from the area following the evacuation calls, with residents firi...

Blinken, in Brussels, pledges to shore up Ukraine support ahead of Trump transition

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured NATO on Wednesday that the Biden administration would bolster its support for Ukraine in the few months before Donald Trump's return as president and would try to strengthen the alliance in that time. Meeting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels...

Amsterdam warns of new calls for unrest after violence around Israeli match

A senior police officer warned Tuesday of calls for more rioting in Amsterdam, after dozens of people armed with sticks and firecrackers set a tram on fire Monday night and the city faces tensions following violence last week targeting fans of an Israeli football club. The Amsterdam mayor, chief of...