At least 21 dead after heavy rain causes flash flooding in Dominican Republic

US envoy Witkoff calls Ukraine talks in Miami 'productive'

US special envoy Steve Witkoff called weekend talks in Florida “productive and constructive” as officials from the US, Europe, and Ukraine worked to align positions. President Donald Trump pushes for a quick end to the nearly four-year conflict, but Russia wants to keep seized Ukrainian land....

Tricked into war: A father speaks out as police probe alleged Zuma family links to Russian recruitment

South African authorities are investigating the whereabouts of around 20 African men who were allegedly misled into fighting for Russia in Ukraine. FRANCE 24 has reviewed a letter from former president Jacob Zuma, testimony from a father in Botswana and analysis from a defence expert to understand...

Ongoing Ukraine peace talks in Miami 'constructive', Kremlin envoy says

A Kremlin envoy reported that peace talks in Florida on a US-proposed plan to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine are progressing "constructively" as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing diplomatic efforts. The talks, involving both Ukrainian and European officials, come amid sharply di...

Live: French presidency ‘welcomes’ Putin's willingness to hold talks on Ukraine

The French presidency said Sunday that it welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s willingness to speak with President Emmanuel Macron over the war in Ukraine, adding that the conditions for such talks would be determined in coming days. In an interview published earlier Sunday, a Kremin spoke...

MAGA civil war steals the spotlight at 'AmericaFest' conference

AmericaFest, the first major Turning Point USA conference since the murder of its founder Charlie Kirk, took place in Phoenix on Thursday – but instead of showing unity, it exposed sharp rifts within the MAGA movement over anti-Semitism, leadership, and its post-Trump future....

Eight killed in Russian strike on Odessa

Russian missile strikes on port infrastructure in Odesa, southern Ukraine, killed eight people and left 27 wounded, Ukraine’s Emergency Service said Saturday morning. The strikes came as Russian envoys are set to travel to Miami to hold talks with US negotiators aimed at ending the war in Ukraine...

US, Russian officials to meet in Florida for latest round of Ukraine talks

Russian officials arrived in Florida on Saturday to meet with US negotiators for the latest round of talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. The meeting comes as talks between US, Ukrainian and European negotiators on Friday ended with all sides saying progress had been made on agreeing security...

Ukraine strikes Russian shadow fleet tanker in Mediterranean sea

Ukraine on Friday said its drones had hit a vessel from Russia's shadow fleet – the first such strike in the neutral waters of the Mediterranean sea. Russia's shadow fleet transports sanctioned Russia oil by frequently changing flags and concealing ownership....

Gaza famine over but situation 'remains critical', UN says

Improved aid access means there is no longer famine in Gaza, but the war-ravaged territory still faces emergency conditions, a UN-backed global hunger monitor said on Friday. Israel denied that there is a food shortage in Gaza, where around 1.6 million people are expected to face "crisis" levels of...

Only US can persuade Russia to end Ukraine war, Zelensky says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Saturday said that only the US can persuade Russia to end the war in Ukraine. The comments come as Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev arrived in Miami for talks with US counterparts Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Earlier, Russian missile strikes hit port infrastr...

Trump refuses to rule out war with Venezuela as US sanctions Maduro family members

US President Donald Trump refused to rule out going to war with Venezuela in an NBC interview published on Friday, days after he ordered a naval blockade of sanctioned oil tankers coming to and leaving Venezuela. The Trump administration also imposed sanctions on family members and associates of Ni...

Sudan: RSF kills over 1,000 civilians in Zamzam refugee camp in April, UN reports

On Thursday, the United Nations Human Rights Office released a report detailing a horrific attack on Sudan's largest refugee camp earlier this year. The document noted that over 1,000 civilians were killed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in April during a three-day attack on the Zamzam ref...

French government warns farmers against Christmas blockades over cattle cull

The French government held talks with farmers' unions on Friday and warned against staging further blockades during the Christmas holiday season after days of angry protests over a mass cull of cows ordered in response to an outbreak of lumpy skin disease....

Russia: Annual conference of Vladimir Putin

During his annual year-end news conference, which lasted four and a half hours on Friday, President Vladimir Putin highlighted that Russian forces were making progress on the battlefield in Ukraine and expressed confidence that the Kremlin would accomplish its military objectives if Kyiv refuses to...

Zelensky and Putin issue warnings to each other and Europe

On December 19, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelinsky both gave addresses. In the morning, the Russian president spoke during his annual press conference, broadcast on television. He once again blamed the Ukrainian authorities for the war that has been raging for four years. A few hours later, it...

Ukraine can now invest in ramping up its drone production thanks to EU loan, says Zelensky

The news that the EU will be loaning Ukraine €90 billion for the next two years is good news for the country, who is spends most of its tax revenue on defence to fight off the Russian invasion. Volodymyr Zelensky said the money will help the country invest in ramping up the production of innovati...

More than 1,000 patients have died awaiting evacuation from Gaza since July 2024

The WHO and its partners have evacuated more than 10,600 patients from Gaza with severe health conditions, including more than 5,600 children, since the start of the war, the head of the UN health agency said Friday, adding that 1,092 patients are known to have died while awaiting medical evacuati...

Switzerland goes bunkers as citizens revamp fallout shelters

Despite being a neutral country, Switzerland counts hundreds of thousands of fallout shelters – enough to accommodate its entire population in the event of armed conflict. This culture of civil protection is a legacy of the Cold War. Now the war in Ukraine has revived interest in Switzerland'...

UN declares famine over in Gaza, says 'situation remains critical'

A famine declared in Gaza in August is now over thanks to improved access for humanitarian aid, the United Nations said on Friday, but warned the food situation in the Palestinian territory remained dire....

Russia's Putin says it is up to Ukraine and its allies to end hostilities

At his annual press conference on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the ball was in Kyiv and its allies' court to end the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin chief also said he was certain that Moscow would take more cities and towns in eastern Ukraine before the end of the year. ...

New EU loan to Ukraine was 'not what most EU member states wanted'

EU countries have announced they will raise a joint €90 billion loan on the capital markets to financially help Ukraine. But the announcement is not the deal that most EU member states hoped for, which initially meant using frozen Russian assets. The loan will be guaranteed by the common EU budge...

Rwandan stadiums, the new refuge of Sudanese football in exile

Forced into exile by the war tearing its country apart since April 2023, Sudanese football has found an unexpected new home… in Kigali. The country’s two biggest clubs, Al-Hilal and Al-Merrikh, have been invited to join the Rwandan Premier League for the 2025–2026 season. It’s an unpreceden...

Vladimir Putin hails recent gains in Ukraine at annual press marathon

Russian President Vladimir Putin opened his year-end news conference on December 19, an event that will be closely watched for his response to the U.S.-backed peace plan for Ukraine. Putin reaffirmed that Moscow was ready for a peaceful settlement that would address the “root causes” of the con...

The EU agrees to help Ukraine financially without Russian assets

All eyes were on Brussels as EU leaders met for a make-or-break summit  to find a way to lend billions of euros to Ukraine. But as Belgium pushed back against the use of frozen Russian assets, demanding guarantees against potential repercussions from Russia, the EU settled on another plan: a €90...

EU leaders agree on €90 billion loan to Ukraine as 'plan B' to use of Russian assets

European Union leaders agreed on December 19 to provide a €90 billion interest-free loan to Ukraine. The joint borrowing will cover two-thirds of the country's financial needs for the next two years. Although hailed by several European leaders as a clear sign that the block stays behind Ukraine,...

Live: Vladimir Putin says Russia advancing on all parts of front, praises gains in Ukraine

EU agrees to €90 billion loan for Ukraine, without frozen Russian assets

European leaders on Friday decided to finance Ukraine's war effort for at least two years through a joint loan of €90 billion, without resorting to Russian assets due to a lack of agreement. Kyiv was at risk of running out of money as early as the first quarter of 2026....

EU targets 41 additional vessels in Russia's shadow fleet

The European Union on Thursday imposed sanctions on 41 more ships in Russia's shadow fleet, taking the total of designated vessels to almost 600. The EU has imposed 19 packages of sanctions against Russia so far, but Moscow has managed to adapt to most measures and is still selling millions of barr...

Trump administration imposes sanctions on two more ICC judges for investigating Israel

The International Criminal Court slammed a "flagrant attack" on its independence on Thursday after the United States imposed sanctions on two more judges over their role in investigating Israeli officials for possible war crimes in Gaza. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces an ICC...

'This night may show us whether Europe is capable of being a real leader'

As discussions on the use of frozen Russian assets for Ukraine continue at the EU summit in Brussels, Ukrainian MP Lisa Yasko tells FRANCE 24 that 'this evening, this night may show us whether Europe is capable of being a real leader or fear of Russia will win' adding that 'this is a decision not o...