More than 43,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the war

Ukraine hosts security talks in Kyiv after strike hit Kharkiv on Friday

As the war in Ukraine enters the new year, Russian bombardments continue to hit Ukrainian cities, with authorities reporting on Friday that residential areas in Kharkiv were targeted. Amid Russia’s largest battlefield gains since 2022, Ukraine has ordered the evacuation of 3,000 children from the...

Zelensky names spy boss chief to head presidential administration in big shakeup

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy named Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov as his top adviser on Friday and proposed a drone and digitalisation specialist as defence minister. The appointments were made as Kyiv seeks to strengthen its hand in U.S.-backed talks to end its nearly four-y...

Zelensky signals defense shakeup with tech-focused appointment

President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced planned government changes, including his intention to replace Ukraine’s defense minister, a move he confirmed on Friday without providing a specific explanation. He said he has offered the post to the current minister of digital transformation, Mykhailo...

Live: Kyiv hosts high-level security talks with Ukraine's allies

Ukraine is set to host security advisers from around 15 countries in Kyiv on Saturday for talks on a US-brokered peace plan as President Volodymyr Zelensky said negotiations were nearing a deal, despite unresolved territorial issues and Russian claims of setbacks. Follow our liveblog for the lates...

Ukraine's Zelensky names spy chief Kyrylo Budanov as new top aide

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday appointed military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov as head of his office, following the resignation of top aide Andriy Yermak over a corruption scandal. Budanov, credited with daring operations against Russia, will focus on security, defence and di...

Russia makes largest territorial gains in Ukraine since 2022 invasion

Russia captured more than 5,600 sq km of Ukrainian territory in 2025, its largest advance since 2022, as Kyiv prepares to host allied security talks. As pressure on the battlefield continues to build, President Volodymyr Zelensky named Kyrylo Budanov his new top aide, proposed Mykhailo Fedorov as d...

Secret operation unveiled: Ukraine fakes death of anti-Kremlin Russian fighter

Ukraine staged the death of an anti-Kremlin Russian fighter, Denis Kapustin, to prevent his killing ordered by Moscow's special forces, Ukrainian military intelligence announced Thursday. His assassination, GUR said in a statement, "was ordered by the special services of the aggressor state Russi...

Volodymyr Zelensky appoints Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov new chief of staff

Nicolas Maduro open to talks with Donald Trump over fight against drug trafficking

Whenever, wherever, however - that's the Venezuelan President's offer to sell more oil to the US, as he pleads for diplomacy, not conflict. It comes after Washington hit five more alleged drug boats with airstrikes and reportedly struck Venezuelan soil for the first time. Meanwhile, the US Coast Gu...

'Locked and loaded': Trump says US will intervene if Iranian regime kills peaceful protesters

US President Donald Trump on Friday took to his Truth Social platform to warn that the United States would intervene if Iran's security forces kill peaceful protesters. At least seven people, including one volunteer member of the Islamic Republic's security forces, have been killed in clashes over...

Putin voices confidence in war victory

Meanwhile, Russia says it will provide Washington with evidence that a Ukrainian drone targeted one of Vladimir Putin’s residences before being shot down on Monday, a claim Ukraine firmly denies. France24 International affairs editor Angela Diffley explains....

Kyiv argues alleged attack on Putin’s home was Russian false-flag operation

The CIA has concluded that Ukraine did not attempt to target Russian President Vladimir Putin or any of his residences in an attack earlier this week, an allegation Kyiv has firmly denied, saying the Kremlin is using the claim to harden its stance in peace negotiations aimed at ending the war in Uk...

Finland seizes ship from Russia

Finnish police have detained a cargo ship named the Fitburg on suspicion of sabotaging an undersea telecommunications cable linking Helsinki and the Estonian capital, with authorities saying the vessel had been traveling from Russia’s port of St. Petersburg to Israel, in a region already on high...

Putin, Xi Jinping ring in New Year

World leaders have been exchanging New Year’s greetings, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with Xi using his address to express a desire to strengthen ties with Moscow while reiterating a warning against what Beijing sees as pro-independence forces in Ta...

Iran Revolutionary Guard member killed during widening cost-of-living protests

A 21-year-old volunteer member of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was killed during protests over the Islamic Republic's worsening economic situation, authorities said Thursday. Iran's civilian government has until now struck a conciliatory approach to the initially shopkeeper-led protests...

Live: Zelensky says Russia 'brings war into the New Year' by striking Ukraine energy infrastructure

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of bringing the nearly four-year war “into the New Year” by launching more than 200 drones at the country’s energy infrastructure overnight into Thursday. More than 103,000 households in the northwest Volyn region were left without power...

Taiwan vows to defend its sovereignty after Chinese military drills

In a live New Year’s address, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te highlighted the need for increased defence spending and warned of a critical year ahead following a major Chinese military exercise that saw rockets fired towards Taiwanese territory....

Kim hails North Korea's 'invincible alliance' with Russia in New Year's letter

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un heaped praise on Pyongyang's forces supporting Russia's war in Ukraine in a new year's message, hinting at the "remarkable feats" the country's troops will perform on overseas battlefields in years to come. Thousands of North Korean troops were deployed in Russia's K...

2025 The Year in Review

In tonight's edition,  from the heartbreak and uncertainties of the war in Sudan to Africa's wrestling with White House unpredictability to the never-ending stories of creation, community, and innovation. We take a peek back at some of what 2025 delivered....

Israel bans 37 aid groups from Gaza, where the humanitarian situation remains dire

Israel plans to ban 37 aid organisations from operating in Gaza from Thursday unless they hand over detailed information on their Palestinian staff, despite mounting criticism from the United Nations and the European Union. Several NGOs have told AFP the new rules will have a major impact on food a...

Finland seizes ship sailing from Russia after suspected undersea cable sabotage

Finnish authorities seized a vessel on Wednesday, suspected of sabotaging an undersea telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea. ...

Ukraine: War medics confront their trauma in mountain retreat

Deep in the Carpathian mountains in west Ukraine, a government programme offers Ukrainian military medics a ten-day respite from the war while helping them confront their traumas. #ukraine #ukrainewar #ukrainearmy...

'Shivering from cold and fear': Winter rains flood Gaza camps

Winter rain lashed the Gaza Strip over the weekend, flooding camps with ankle-deep puddles as Palestinians displaced by two years of war attempted to stay dry in tents frayed by months of use. The foreign ministers of 10 nations on Tuesday expressed "serious concerns" about a "renewed deterioration...

Russia says 'no evidence needed' to accuse Ukraine of drone attack on Putin's residence

Ukraine said Tuesday there was no "plausible" evidence it launched a drone attack on one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's residences, and accused Moscow of peddling falsehoods to influence peace talks. Story by Laurent Berstecher....

Gaza: Some Palestinians turn to art to process war trauma

In Gaza, a fragile ceasefire has been in place since October, but humanitarian conditions remain dire. Many in the international community accuse Israel of refusing to allow necessary aid into the territory. In this difficult context, some Palestinians are turning to art to help them process the tr...

Saudi Arabia bombs Yemen city of Mukalla over weapons shipment from UAE for separatists

Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen's port city of Mukalla on Tuesday after a weapons shipment from the United Arab Emirates arrived for separatist forces in the war-torn country, and warned that it viewed Emirati actions as “extremely dangerous.” Story by Ellen Gainsford....

Israel says will bar several NGOs from Gaza, FRANCE 24 speaks to MSF

Israel warns it will suspend from January several aid organisations operating in Gaza if they fail to provide details about their Palestinian staff, accusing two Doctors Without Borders employees of links to militant groups. The organisation, which provided care to nearly half a million people ...

Taiwan coastguard says Chinese ships 'withdrawing' as Beijing announces drills' completion

Beijing said Wednesday it had "successfully completed" military drills around Taiwan that simulated a blockade of the self-governing island's key ports. The war games began days after the US announced an unprecedented $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan. ...

Live: Russia publishes video it says shows Ukrainian drone fired at Putin’s residence

Russia's defence ministry released a video Wednesday of a downed drone that it says Ukraine launched at President Vladimir Putin's residence in north-west Russia this week. Kyiv has denounced Moscow’s claims as a “lie”. Follow our liveblog for all the latest developments....

The Bright Side: Libyans savour shared heritage as national museum reopens after 14 years

For the first time since the outbreak of civil war in 2011, Libyans are reconnecting with their ancient heritage at the recently reopened national museum in Tripoli....