North Korea's Kim decorates 'heroes' who fought for Russia against Ukraine

UN declares famine in Gaza, first ever in Middle East

The United Nations on Friday officially declared a famine in Gaza, the first in the Middle East, with its experts saying 500,000 people were facing "catastrophic" hunger. After months of warning of the deteriorating humanitarian situation, the Rome-based IPC panel said famine was now confirmed in t...

🔴 War in Gaza live: UN-backed group officially declares famine in Gaza

What happens in the Antarctic doesn't stay in the Antarctic, ice-sheet modeller says

A new study published in Nature reveals 'evidence for rapid, interacting and sometimes self-perpetuating changes in the Antarctic'. Speaking on FRANCE 24, glaciologist and ice-sheet modeller Frank Pattyn, Chair of the Belgian National Committee on Arctic/Antarctic Research, says that 'what happens...

Facing troop shortage, Israeli army looks to deserters and the diaspora

Israel is looking for new ways to recruit soldiers to fill up to 12,000 vacant positions, Israeli Army Radio announced this week. Struggling after 23 months of war, the longest in Israeli history, the army is looking to the Jewish diaspora abroad, the Orthodox community and even former deserters...

Ukrainian man arrested over Nord Stream blasts in 2022

A Ukrainian suspect has been arrested in Italy over the sabotage of the Nord Stream underwater gas pipelines from Russia to Europe in 2022, German prosecutors said Thursday. Jörg Taszman, journalist in Berlin, has more details....

Anti-war protest in Gaza City as Israel prepares offensive

Residents of Gaza City demonstrated this Thursday to call for an end to the war, as Israel approved a plan to seize Gaza City and prepares to launch its offensive and enter the city. Ceasefire negotiations appear to be at a standstill, although Hamas recently accepted a mediated proposal....

Ukraine: Largest Russian strikes in weeks as peace efforts drag on

Russia carried out one of its largest aerial attacks of the year on Ukraine, firing 574 drones and 40 missiles overnight, mostly targeting western regions where Western military aid is stored, amid intense diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire. The strikes killed at least one person and injured 1...

With Gaza war escalation, Israel risks 'sacrificing hostages and its standing in the world'

The Israeli military stepped up its bombardment of Gaza City overnight, ahead of a key meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ministers on a potential ground operation to seize the enclave’s largest city. The army has already called up 60,000 reservists, signalling that the gov...

Italy arrests Ukrainian suspected of involvement in Nord Stream pipeline blasts

Italian police said Thursday they had arrested a Ukrainian man suspected of being one of the coordinators of the 2022 attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which were built to carry gas from Russia to Germany. Prosecutors believe the suspect was one of a group of people who placed undersea expl...

NATO weighs Ukraine security guarantees amid peace talks

NATO defence chiefs held talks on Ukraine’s future security guarantees, as Kyiv insists any peace deal must ensure a lasting ceasefire and protection against future Russian attacks. Moscow, however, has criticised these discussions for excluding its role....

Khartoum struggles to rebuild amid devastating war damage

In Sudan’s capital Khartoum, residents are struggling to rebuild after more than two years of war, with reconstruction costs nationwide estimated at $700 billion, half of which is for the capital alone. Despite frequent shortages of water and electricity, locals remain determined to restore their...

War in Ukraine: Russia says European troops in Ukraine would be ‘unnacceptable’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday the presence of European troops in Ukraine would be "absolutely unacceptable" to Russia while Kyiv and its allies push to establish security guarantees to end the war. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that such guarantees were...

Russia launches hundreds of drones and missiles at Ukraine in largest attack in weeks

Russia lauched hundreds of missles and drones at Ukraine in an overnight attack, the Ukrainian air force said on Thursday. The attack, which killed at least one person, is the largest Russia has launched in weeks and comes amid US-led efforts to kickstart peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv....

Tourism surge is driving up pollution in Antarctica, scientists warn

A boom in tourism over the past two decades is increasing pollution in Antarctica and accelerating the melting of snow, scientists have warned. Much of the pollution caused by the increase in human presence comes from transport powered by fossil fuels releasing fine particles containing heavy metal...

US hits ICC with more sanctions, targets French judge involved in Netanyahu arrest warrant

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday announced more sanctions on International Criminal Court judges, saying that the court was a "national security threat" because it had sought to prosecute US or Israeli nationals. Judge Nicolas Guillou of France, who is presiding over a case in which...

French researcher in Russian jail faces new espionage charge

A French researcher imprisoned in Russia is under new investigation for espionage, a court filing showed on Wednesday. Laurent Vinatier, already serving a three-year sentence, faces a hearing on August 25. The new charges carry a potential prison term of up to 20 years....

Russia not vying for peace but seeking Ukraine's surrender, former NATO official says

NATO chiefs have been discussing the security guarantees that could be provided to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal with Russia. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks to former NATO Assistant Secretary General Antonio Missiroli. He says that the conditions put on the table by Russia mean that it is...

‘Today it’s paper, tomorrow it’s nothing’: the perils of security guarantees for Ukraine

Security guarantees have become a crucial part of discussions about a peace deal for Ukraine, with the country’s President Volodymyr Zelensky saying they are “the key issue – the starting point for ending the war”. Integrating Ukrainian forces into the European defence architecture would be...

Under Geneva Convention, Russia has no automatic claim to territory simply by virtue of occupying it

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that discussing any Western security guarantees for Ukraine without Russian involvement was a "road to nowhere". NATO military chiefs were set to discuss the details of eventual security guarantees for Ukraine amid efforts to broker an end to Russia's b...

New disinformation operation targets Armenian government with corruption claims

In mid-August, multiple accounts with ties to pro-Trump and pro-Russian networks alleged that Anna Hakobyan, the wife of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan embezzled 3.4 million dollars in a children's cancer fund corruption scandal. However, their claims are based on a fake article published...

Israel set to approve settlement project that could divide the West Bank

Israel on Wednesday gave approval for a controversial settlement project in the occupied West Bank’s E1 area, a move Palestinians and rights groups warn could effectively block a future Palestinian state. The development, long frozen under US pressure, has been backed by far-right Finance Ministe...

Israel defence minister approves plan to conquer Gaza City

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz has approved a plan to seize Gaza City and authorised the mobilisation of 60,000 reservists, his ministry confirmed Wednesday. Fighting is already underway on the ground as mediators await Israel’s reply to the latest ceasefire proposal in the nearly two-ye...

Israel approves major settlement project that would divide West Bank

Israel on Wednesday approved a major settlement project in the West Bank, despite warnings from the international community that doing so threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state....

Iran says it will use more advanced missiles if Israel attacks again

Iran on Wednesday said that if Israel launched fresh attacks it would respond with newly developed missiles that have "far greater capabilities" than those used by Tehran during its 12-day war with Israel in June. ...

Israeli military will call up 50,000 reservists as it plans new phase of war in Gaza

An Israeli military official says the country’s top generals have approved plans to call up tens of thousands of reservists in order to begin a new phase of operations in some of Gaza’s most densely populated areas. From Jerusalem, FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopolsky has the details....

Ukrainians flee front line amid Russian drone strikes

As international efforts to kickstart Russia-Ukraine peace talks continue, increasing numbers of Ukrainian residents living near the front lines are fleeing to safety to escape ongoing Russian drone attacks. Numbers are currently so high they threaten to overwhelm transit centres that help evacuees...

Russia, Switzerland, Austria: where might Ukraine peace talks take place?

US President Donald Trump's recent efforts to broker peace in Ukraine has led to speculation over where a potential face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky might take place. While Putin has suggested meeting in Moscow, Europ...

War in Ukraine live: Russia says ready to discuss political aspects of a settlement with Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Moscow is ready to discuss the political aspects of a settlement with Ukraine. As efforts to kickstart peace negotiations progress, Lavrov also criticised European leaders for their “clumsy” attempts to influence US President Donald...

‘We've given up on Israel’: Disillusioned with Netanyahu and the war in Gaza, Israelis are fleeing

Israel has seen emigration double since the attacks of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza. While some are choosing to leave for security reasons, among those choosing exile are peace activists weary of war and feeling increasingly isolated amid their country's illiberal drift. ...

Security guarantees for Ukraine still unclear after Washington summit

A day after Trump pledged security guarantees to help end the war in Ukraine at an extraordinary White House summit, the path to peace remained uncertain as the US and allies prepared to work out what military support for Ukraine might include....