France: Macron unveils voluntary military service in face of Russia threat

Should ultra-Orthodox Jews have to do military service? Israeli society divided

Israeli society is split over the issue of compulsory military service for the ultra-Orthodox community. Ultra-Orthodox Jews, who represent 15 percent of the population, have historically been exempt from service. But a bill has now been proposed to lift this exemption, in response to growing needs...

Live: France's Macron unveils voluntary military service in face of Russia threat

Energy infrastructure under fire amid Ukraine peace talks

Russia continues to target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, reducing electricity production by 50% and forcing residents and businesses to cope with rolling blackouts. Despite recent peace talks, attacks like the drone strike on Zaporizhzhia highlight the ongoing threat and looming difficulties f...

Euroclear warns EU that Russian frozen asset plan could lead to higher borrowing costs

The Financial Times is reporting that a depositary firm that holds frozen Russian state assets in the EU has warned that the bloc's plan to use these assets to back €140 billion in loans to Ukraine could lead to higher borrowing costs for member states. Also in this edition, Japanese beer giant A...

Ukraine turns to land drones to survive the drone-saturated frontline

Ukrainian troops in the Kharkiv region rely on slow, unmanned ground buggies to move supplies and evacuate the wounded through a drone-saturated frontline. Highly vulnerable to airborne attacks, these land drones have become essential as soldiers stay in exposed positions for months and traditional...

Witkoff's art of the deal? Trump aide coaches Kremlin on Ukraine deal response

The peace plan that read like it had been written by the Kremlin and that called for Ukraine to surrender land, cut back its military and give up any notion of NATO membership was already raising worried eyebrows. Now, in light of a recorded phone call between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian pre...

Live: Russia says its forces downed 118 Ukrainian drones overnight

Russian air defences shot down 118 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 52 over the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, Russian news agencies reported on Thursday. Moscow earlier warned it would make no big concessions on a peace plan for Ukraine after a leaked recording of a call involving US env...

France wary of MAGA influence as far right sets sights on 2027 elections

The US conservative MAGA movement's influence over European politics is raising concern in France in the run-up to high-stakes elections in 2027. The movement appears to be cultivating ties with far-right European parties more overtly than in President Donald Trump's first term....

'Nigeria needs structural reforms that will offer an alternative to organised criminal networks'

As Nigeria’s evolving security crisis pivots from ideological terrorism to organised crime, Mark Owen welcomes Dr Douglas Yates, Author, Political Scientist and Professor specialising in Africa at the American Graduate School of International Relations and Diplomacy (AGSIRD) and CY Cergy Paris ...

Russian nationals among 4 people arrested in France over espionage probe

French authorities have detained members of a pro-Russia support group and accused them of intelligence-gathering for a foreign power. The SOS Donbass group was set up in France in 2022. Its founder, a dual French-Russian national, was among four people taken into custody. FRANCE 24's Yinka Oyetade...

Two National Guard members shot near White House, suspect in custody

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that an Afghan man who fled the Taliban was the suspect in the shooting of two National Guard soldiers near the White House, calling it an “act of terror,” linking the incident to immigration, his domestic troop deployments and the Afghanistan war legacy...

'For a very long time, Ukrainians have suspected that Steve Witkoff was working for the Russians'

Russia will make no big concessions on a peace plan for Ukraine, a senior Russian diplomat said on Wednesday, after a leaked recording of a call involving U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff showed he had advised Moscow on how to pitch to Donald Trump. FRANCE 24's Kyiv correspondent Gulliver Cragg says the le...

Exclusive: Iran still 'ready to negotiate' with Trump on nuclear programme, FM says

⁠In an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran was still "ready to negotiate" with the US on its nuclear programme, but claimed that the Americans were "not really keen for a negotiation". He also announced that the exchange of French prisoners Cécil...

What we know about the revised US plan for peace in Ukraine

As negotiations to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine gather pace, FRANCE 24 explains what we know about the latest version of the peace deal, drafted by officials from Ukraine, Europe and the US. Moscow has yet to issue an official response to the revised plan, which is thought to scra...

Belgium face third day of national strike

Belgium’s third and final day of a national strike on Wednesday grounded most flights at Brussels Airport and disrupted public transport. The unions protest Prime Minister Bart De Wever’s pension and labor reforms, with Charleroi Airport also warning of major disruptions....

Daughter of South Africa ex-president accused of recruiting for Russian forces

South African police are investigating allegations that Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former president Jacob Zuma, helped recruit men to fight for Russian mercenaries in Ukraine. The claims, made by her sister in an affidavit, accuse her and two others of luring 17 South Africans to Russia un...

Zuma’s daughter accused of tricking men into fighting for Russia in Ukraine

South African police are investigating claims that a daughter of ex-president Jacob Zuma was involved in recruiting men to join Russian mercenaries in the Ukraine war. ...

US envoy Witkoff coached Russia to pitch a Ukraine peace plan to Trump

US Envoy Steve Witkoff advised a senior aid to Vladimir Putin on how to pitch a peace plan to end Russia's war in Ukraine, according to a transcript of a call from October 14 published by Bloomberg News on Tuesday. The White House has not contested the veracity of the transcript. In November, an in...

France set to revive military conscription – but this time it's voluntary

France's army was once built on the idea of the “citizen soldier”, but plans are reportedly in the works to introduce a new form of national military service. The plan, which comes as Europe looks to bolster its defences against Russia, would revive the long-dormant French system of conscriptio...

Sudan: Neither of warring factions has accepted truce plan, US says

The United States has proposed a truce to Sudan's warring parties, but neither the army nor the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has formally accepted it. The RSF declared a unilateral three-month humanitarian ceasefire, while the army reported repelling an attack in West Kordofan. International efforts,...

Israeli army launches major operation in northern West Bank

The Israeli military said Wednesday it had launched a broad operation in northern parts of the occupied West Bank, where deadly violence has soared since the start of the war in Gaza. The army said the operation was separate from the "Iron Wall" operation launched earlier this year that has displac...

Live: Kremlin confirms US envoy Witkoff to visit as Trump eases peace plan deadline

The Kremlin has confirmed next week's visit by US envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. President Donald Trump has also said he would send Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to meet with Ukrainian officials as he seeks to close out a deal to end the war in Ukraine. Trump said...

US envoy Witkoff advised Russia on getting Trump to Ukraine deal, Bloomberg reports

US envoy Steve Witkoff advised the Kremlin on how Russian President Vladimir Putin should negotiate a deal on Ukraine with President Donald Trump in mid-October, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. A 28-point US peace proposal was widely seen as favouring Russia, requiring Ukraine to make large territorial...

At the end of the Cold War, 'Europe was convinced that it was going to remain at peace forever'

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to announce a new version of France's Universal National Service (SNU), invoking "moral forces" needed to face "rising threats" across the globe. For in-depth analysis on what form this new kind of military service could take, Annette Young welcomes Hélène...

South Africa declares gender-based violence a national disaster

In tonight's edition: As the world marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, 15 women are killed in South Africa every single day. Also, the 24 schoolgirls abducted in Nigeria's Kebbi State have been rescued. Plus Washington's latest proposal of a ceasefire for S...

Paris police arrest three for spying and promoting Russian propaganda

Paris police arrested three people suspected of spying for Russia and promoting the Kremlin's war propaganda, prosecutors said on Tuesday. ...

Zelensky told allies 'ready to move forward' with US plan: speech copy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told allies Tuesday Kyiv was ready to "move forward" on a new "framework" of a US plan to end fighting with Russia but there were still "sensitive points" he wanted to discuss with Donald Trump.FRANCE 24's Yinka Oyetade speaks with Natia Seskuria, Associate Fe...

Daughter of ex-South African leader Zuma accused of luring men to fight in Russia-Ukraine war

South African police are investigating claims that a daughter of ex-president Jacob Zuma was involved in recruiting men to join Russian mercenaries in the Ukraine war. The allegations against Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla claim Zuma-Sambudla and two other people were involved in recruiting 17 South Africa...

Georgia's fifth president Salomé Zourabichvili on her optimism for her country's future

The fifth president of Georgia has spoken to FRANCE 24 about her decision to leave the presidential palace almost a year ago, and her attempts ever since to help the millions of people who support her and the country’s bid for EU membership. After losing elections in Georgia that were widely seen...

Europe ramps up military service amid growing Russian threat

European governements rebuild armed forces amid growing Russian threat....