Lebanon’s uneasy truce, Trumponomics, Merkel’s Memoir, Sudan ‘The Invisible Crisis’

Rebel forces claim Aleppo: ‘Preoccupied’ Russia and ‘weakened’ Iran offered ‘window of opportunity’

A preoccupied Russia and a weakened Iran – the principal backers of President Assad’s regime – have provided rebel groups in Syria with the opportunity to launch a lightening offensive on Syria’s second biggest city and capturing large parts of Aleppo. FRANCE 24’s Andrew Hilliar brings yo...

Rebel forces claim control of Syria's city of Aleppo

A monitor of Syria's war said on Saturday that jihadist rebels now control a majority of Aleppo city, reporting Russian air strikes on parts of Syria's second city for the first time since 2016. The rebels have pressed a lightning offensive against forces of the Iranian- and Russian-backed Syrian g...

Zelensky calls for NATO to protect parts of Ukraine's territory

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Friday for NATO to offer guaranteed protections to parts of Ukraine controlled by Kyiv in order to "stop the hot stage of the war." Zelensky also implied he would be willing to wait to regain the almost one-fifth of his country that Russia's army has se...

Zelensky suggests NATO membership could end 'hot stage' of war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged NATO on Friday to provide guaranteed protections for territories controlled by Kyiv in order to halt the ongoing war, suggesting he could wait to regain Russian-occupied areas diplomatically. His appeal followed escalating tensions, including a massive R...

Syrian rebels sweep into Aleppo in major setback for Assad regime

Syrian insurgents led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham captured most of Aleppo on Saturday, in the biggest challenge to President Bashar al-Assad's authority in years. The Syrian army said its forces had redeployed and were preparing for a counterattack, while a war monitor repor...

Islamic rebel forces breach Syria's second largest city

Islamic rebel forces and Turkish-backed allies reached Syria's second city of Aleppo Friday, as they pressed a lightning offensive against forces of the Iranian- and Russian-backed government. The fighting is some of the deadliest in years, with 255 people killed, according to the Syrian Observator...

Russia targets Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of winter

Russia launched more than a hundred drones at Ukraine overnight and early Friday, killing one person and wounding eight others, officials said. The nearly three-year war has seen a sharp escalation in recent days, with Moscow pummelling Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of the winter....

How to carry out a visual detox: Ways to sharpen our visual critical thinking

With the advent of social media, our brains are receiving a constant stream of images. So how can we undergo a visual detox? Annette Young speaks to Marine Tanguy who has written a book on how to do just that. Also as we face a global epidemic of domestic violence, a novel approach in southern Ital...

'End the wars everywhere': Peace in Lebanon requires 'Palestinian state, normalisation for Israel'

The US-brokered ceasefire to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah brought a rare moment of respite for Lebanon following a year of war. Thousands of displaced people joyfully drove back to their towns and villages. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on the prospects for long-term pe...

Macron acknowledges 1944 ‘massacre’ of West African troops by French army

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday acknowledged that the 1944 killing of West African soldiers in a Senegalese fishing village by French forces was a massacre for the first time. The soldiers had fought alongside the French during World War II, but were killed by their French counterparts...

Putin says there's no need to panic over Russia's plummeting ruble

Russian President Vladimir Putin says there's no need to panic over the country's plummeting currency, despite the ruble weakening to its lowest level in over two years. Plus, Australia has passed a law banning social media for under-16s. Voters in Ireland are heading to the polls on Friday, but wh...

Why Israel and Hezbollah's fragile ceasefire may already be faltering

Hezbollah and Israel traded accusations of ceasefire violations on Thursday, just a day after a US-brokered truce aimed at ending months of conflict took effect. While the agreement initially garnered international praise, experts warn of significant challenges in its implementation and enforcement...

A Russian missile and drone attack targets Ukraine's energy infrastructure

President Vladimir Putin has said that a massive Russian overnight attack on Ukrainian infrastructure was a response to Kyiv's attacks on Russian regions using longer-range Western missiles. More than a million Ukrainians were left without power Thursday. ...

'Dark tourism' on the rise in Ukraine: Is war tourism educational or unethical?

Dark tourism. or visiting places associated with tragic events, is on the rise in Ukraine. A handful of companies now offer this controversial tour. Story by Elitsa Gadeva and Anna Pereira...

Chronic inflation hits Russia as huge pay increases fuel rising prices

Inflation has again spiked in Russia in recent months, fuelled by massive public spending on the Ukraine war and big wage increases in many sectors of the economy. To counter this, the Central Bank raised its benchmark interest rate to a record 21 percent at the end of October, a measure that has y...

'Europe needs to wake up to the reality of Russia's threat'

Russia unleashed its second big attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure this month on Thursday, triggering deep power cuts across the country. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on Putin's brutal war on Ukraine, FRANCE 24's Nadia Massih is joined by Peter Zalmayev, Director of the Eur...

Syria: HTS breaches the frontlines of Idlib and Aleppo for the first time since 5 years

Jihadists and their allies cut a major highway linking the main cities of Damascus and Aleppo on Thursday after launching an offensive against government forces in Syria's northwest, a war monitor said. "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions cut off the Damascus-Aleppo international M5 hig...

War in Ukraine: Putin says barrage 'response' to West-supplied missiles

A massive aerial bombardment of Ukraine's energy facilities was in response to Kyiv striking Russian territory with Western-supplied missiles, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday. Pledging Moscow would always respond to Ukraine's use of US-supplied ATACMS missiles, Putin said his military was co...

Jonathan Coe on 'The Proof of My Innocence', his political satire of the Liz Truss days

The world-renowned British author Jonathan Coe has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the joys of writing, and his love of mixing a variety of genres in his work. He also warned people to be wary of the self-deprecating British form of humour, something often seen in his books. His latest novel "The Proof o...

Amb Paoli: 'In diplomacy, you never give up' so we must support all efforts to elect a new president

Lebanon's parliament will meet on January 9 to elect a new president, seeking to end more than two years without a head of state, a day after an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire began. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on Lebanon's multiple crises, compounded by a devastating war, FRANCE 24'...

ICC warrant against Netanyahu: France says Israeli PM has immunity

France said Wednesday that it “intends to continue to work in close collaboration” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite an arrest warrant issued for him by the world’s top war crimes court. For more, Marc Perelman French politics editor for FRANCE 24....

Romania's top court orders recount of presidential first-round votes

Romania's constitutional court on Thursday ordered a recount of votes cast in the first round of presidential elections after far-right, pro-Russia candidate Calin Georgescu took a surprising lead after polling in the single digits before the vote. Romania's media regulator on Wednesday requested...

Tens of thousands in Lebanon head home as Israel-Hezbollah truce takes hold

Thousands of displaced people started returning to their homes in southern Lebanon in the first hours of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, defying a warning from the Israeli military to stay away from previously evacuated areas. A story by Matthew-Mary Caruchet....

Macron welcomes Nigerian president as he seeks to boost Africa ties

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed President Bola Tinubu to the Élysée palace on Thursday, the first state visit by a Nigerian leader in more than two decades. Paris is seeking to expand its influence on the continent to include English-speaking nations after former colonies Niger, Mali an...

Did France backtrack on Netanyahu arrest warrant in exchange for Israel-Lebanon ceasefire?

PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, November 28: The French government's revelation that it may not enforce the ICC arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu draws ire in the press. Some dailies wonder if this "about face" was a requirement in order for France to broker the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon....

'Lot of Ukrainians spent the night in their shelters or in metro stations'

Russian army conducted a “massive” attack against energy infrastructure in Ukraine on Thursday, firing nearly 200 missiles and drones and leaving more than a million households without power, Ukrainian officials said. FRANCE 24 correspondent, Gulliver Cragg reports from Kyiv....

Live: Russian strikes a 'response' to Ukraine using Western missiles, Putin says

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that a massive aerial barrage against Ukraine was Moscow's "response" to Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian territory with Western missiles. Russia is selecting targets in Ukraine that could include "decision-making centres" in Kyiv, Putin added....

More than 130 killed as Syrian rebels seize territory from army in Aleppo province

Syrian rebels on Wednesday launched a massive offensive against the Syrian regime in Aleppo province, making the first territorial gains since a ceasefire came into force in 2020, army and rebel sources said. More than 130 have been killed in the fighting, according to a Syrian war monitor. ...

At least one million people without power in Ukraine after ‘massive’ Russian attack

At least one million people are without power in Ukraine after Russia staged a “massive” attack on the country’s energy infrastructure in the early hours of Thursday. The missile strikes come as temperatures have dropped to freezing, and a UN official has warned that as Russia continues to ta...

Ukraine says energy sector 'under massive enemy attack'