North Korea test-fires two new air defence missiles, state media says

34 years ago, the making of an independent Ukraine

In 1991, in response to a coup attempt by hardline Communist leaders attempting to reassert control over the Soviet Union, Ukrainian parliamentarians voted to approve a Declaration of Independence for the state of Ukraine. FRANCE 24's Caroline Baum takes us back to this historic day 34 years ago....

Ukraine celebrates its 34th Independence Day amid the ongoing war with Russia

A Ukrainian drone shot down by Russian air defence systems caused a short-lived fire at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, the facility's press service said Sunday, stressing that background radiation around the plant remained at "natural levels." The detonation reportedly damaged an auxiliary transfor...

Is Trump’s Ukraine gambit 'sending a signal to the world that America does not stand by its allies'?

Ukraine launched a wave of drone strikes on Russia, triggering a fire at a nuclear power plant as it celebrated Ukrainian independence day against a backdrop of fading hopes for recent peace efforts.The brutal three-and-a-half-year war of attrition, which has killed tens of thousands of people, has...

Ukraine celebrates its 34th Independence Day from Soviet Union

Ukraine is marking its 34th Independence Day this Sunday, commemorating its formal break from the Soviet Union on August 24, 1991. A day earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials observed National Flag Day, another key date in the country’s calendar. Ukrainians at home and abroad...

Ukraine celebrates its 34th Independence Day from Soviet Union, after National Flag Day

A Ukrainian drone shot down by Russian air defence systems caused a short-lived fire at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, the facility's press service said Sunday, stressing that background radiation around the plant remained at "natural levels." The detonation reportedly damaged an auxiliary transfor...

Ukraine marks its independence day as peace push shows little sign of progress

Ukraine celebrated its independence from the Soviet Union Sunday, three and a half years into a war that has killed tens of thousands of people and left almost one fifth of the country occupied by Russian forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told a crowd in Kyiv that the country would fig...

Downed Ukrainian drone causes short-lived fire at Russian nuclear power plant

A Ukrainian drone shot down by Russian air defence systems caused a short-lived fire at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, the facility's press service said Sunday, stressing that background radiation around the power plant remained at "natural levels". The detonation reportedly damaged an auxiliary tr...

Venezuela rallies civilian militia volunteers in case of US invasion

Thousands of Venezuelans on Saturday queued up across Caracas to enlist in a civilian militia, in response to "threats" of a US invasion. The show of force counters earlier accusations by the Trump administration that President Nicolas Maduro is leading a drug cartel. Three days ago, Washington had...

'Far too late': Palestinians despair as famine spreads in Gaza

Desperate Palestinians holding pots and plastic containers rushed to receive rice at a charity kitchen in Gaza City on Saturday, just a day after the United Nations declared a famine in the war-ravaged region. AFP footage from Gaza’s largest city, targeted by Israel in a planned expansion of its...

'You go to Ukraine': Paris summons Italian ambassador after Salvini mocks Macron

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini made mocking remarks toward French President Emmanuel Macron Thursday about the potential deployment of European troops to Ukraine. France responded Friday by summoning the Italian ambassador, a diplomatic source said, marking the latest of a series of i...

Italy’s deputy PM Matteo Salvini to Macron: “You go to Ukraine”

France summoned Italy’s ambassador after Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini dismissed President Emmanuel Macron’s suggestion that European troops could be deployed in Ukraine as part of a post-war settlement. When asked earlier in the week to comment on Macron’s proposal, Salvini retorted w...

Famine confirmed for first time in Gaza, journalist Shrouq Al-Aila speaks to France24

Gaza City is now officially facing famine, a crisis that the UN-backed global hunger monitor warns could spread across the entire Palestinian enclave - the first such declaration in Middle Eastern history. Speaking to France24, Gaza City journalist Shrouq Al-Aila says, “One of the reasons for thi...

Israel pushes forward with its plan to fully take over Gaza City

Despite international criticism, Israel is moving forward with its plan to fully take over Gaza City. Israeli Defense Minister Katz has warned that it could be completely destroyed unless Hamas yields to all Israeli terms. Eliza Herbert reports....

Famine-stricken Gaza City faces looming Israeli military offensive

The world's leading authority on food crises, the IPC. warned the Gaza Strip's largest city is gripped by famine, and that it's likely to spread across the territory without a ceasefire and an end to restrictions on humanitarian aid. The determination comes after months of warnings by aid groups th...

Famine-stricken Gaza City faces looming Israeli military offensive

The world's leading authority on food crises, the IPC. warned the Gaza Strip's largest city is gripped by famine, and that it's likely to spread across the territory without a ceasefire and an end to restrictions on humanitarian aid. The determination comes after months of warnings by aid groups th...

Maduro rails at ‘illegal’ US deployment off Venezuela

On Friday, President Nicolás Maduro condemned the US deployment of three warships off Venezuela’s coast, denouncing the move - presented as an anti–drug trafficking effort- as an “illegal” bid for regime change. Florent Marchais reports....

Hopes dim for Putin-Zelensky peace summit

The chances of a Russia-Ukraine summit faded Friday as US President Donald Trump appeared to tire of peace efforts and Moscow poured cold water on efforts to end the grinding war in Ukraine. Simon Moritz tells us more....

Iran, European powers to resume nuclear talks as 'snapback' sanctions loom

Ahead of an August 31 deadline imposed by France, Britain and Germany, to trigger a "snapback" sanctions mechanism, Iran on Friday agreed to resume nuclear talks with the "E3" European countries next week. The Israel-Iran war in June has added pressure on the European powers to reach a diplomatic s...

Workers' health threatened by heatwaves, WHO claims

The WHO and WMO warn that heatwaves are increasingly threatening workers, especially in agriculture, construction, and fisheries. Over 2.4 billion people are exposed, with work-related injuries rising and productivity dropping, prompting calls for heat-stress measures like cooling zones, hydration,...

Russia rejects Zelensky talks, Trump says setting up summit like mixing ‘oil and vinegar’

Russia on Friday ruled out an immediate meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, despite a claim by US President Donald Trump earlier this week that he was arranging a summit. Trump on Friday said setting up a Zelensky-Putin summit was as hard as mixing "oil and v...

Israel rejects famine accusations in Gaza, a war crime under international law

The UN declared this morning that famine in Gaza is now official. FRANCE 24’s correspondent in Jerusalem analyses Israel’s outright rejection of the report, noting that the government provides no alternative statistics and simply insists Hamas figures are false. Admitting famine would leave Isr...

Mosquito-borne diseases: 'As world warms, parasites, diseases and viruses become more transmissible'

Europe has registered a record number of outbreaks of mosquito-borne illnesses such as chikungunya and West Nile virus this year, the EU health agency said Wednesday, saying climate change was contributing to a "new normal". Europe is experiencing longer and more intense transmission seasons for mo...

'Bombs or starvation: People in Gaza waiting to see what will kill them first' (NRC's Shaina Low)

The United Nations officially declared a famine in Gaza on Friday, blaming "systematic obstruction of aid" by Israel, hours after Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened to destroy the territory's largest city. While Israel denied there was a famine, the Rome-based IPC, a body of UN-backed experts,...

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

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

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un led an emotional ceremony decorating troops who fought against Ukrainian soldiers in Russia's Kursk region and honouring those who died, images released by state media on Friday showed. In a speech, Kim praised the "admirable" troops who had lost their lives facing...

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....