Russia, Ukraine trade major attacks ahead of Kremlin's WWII celebrations

Russia and Ukraine trade major attacks despite Victory Day ceasefire

Russia and Ukraine are accusing each other of violating a two-day ceasefire announced by Moscow to cover the celebrations of the Soviet Union's victory over ​Nazi Germany. Ukraine's air force said it downed 56 Russian drones close to the frontline in the last few hours. On its end, the Russian De...

Iran on the verge of economic asphyxiation -- rare footage from Tehran

Two months ago, Donald Trump claimed the United States would liberate the Iranian people when it launched the offensive alongside Israel. Two months into the war, the regime is still there, the repression continues, and the country stands on the verge of economic asphyxiation. Our colleagues at Fra...

Putin's 'paranoia': 'He's fearful of Ukrainians & afraid the elite around him is starting to break'

Mark Owen is pleased to welcome Melinda Haring, expert on Ukraine, non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center and Senior Advisor to Razom Advocacy's advisory board. According to Haring, the psychological and military balance between Russia and Ukraine is shifting. Her centr...

Middle East war live: UAE responds to Iranian attacks as fragile ceasefire is challenged

The United Arab Emirates on Friday said it was responding to missile and drone attacks launched by Iran, hours after the US and the Islamic republic traded fire, further straining a fragile ceasefire. Iran and the US are trading blows as their negotiators are seeking a deal to end the fighting, but...

Strait of Hormuz: What role for France?

Europe’s most powerful warship is inching closer to the strategic waterway whose effective closure has come to epitomise the war in Iran. France is moving its aircraft carrier group towards the Strait of Hormuz, as it works - with the UK - on a proposal that aims ​to lay the groundwork for safe...

Still no sign of a solution in Iran: US president says war will be over soon

Donald Trump again says the Iran war will be over "soon". The US president has said this in some way, shape or form a number of times in recent days. Yet there's still no solution on the horizon in the Middle East....

Russia, Ukraine trade attacks ahead of Kremlin's World War II commemoration parade

Russia and Ukraine on Friday launched major attacks against each other as a two-day truce – declared unilaterally by Moscow to protect its World War II commemoration parade – appeared to be in tatters. Ukraine has said Russian President Vladimir Putin only wanted to pause fighting so he can s...

Can nuclear power resolve the energy crisis?

The war with Iran has prompted many economies to reevaluate their energy needs and strategy. In Europe, several countries are considering reviving the use of nuclear power. Sweden, Belgium, and Italy are among those rolling back previous restrictions, while France and the UK are spearheading new nu...

Norway's Svalbard archipelago, a pawn on Russia's chessboard

Not far from the North Pole, in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, lies a piece of Russia. In NATO member state Norway, two Russian villages, or "settlements" as Moscow calls them, have been active for decades. This frozen, hostile land at the ends of the Earth has caught Moscow's interest....

Middle East war live: Lebanon, Israel to hold new talks in Washington May 14-15

Propaganda war: The Gen Z team behind Iran’s hit anti-Trump videos

Satirical Lego animations depicting US President Donald Trump as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s puppet while casting Iran as the defender of the oppressed mark the latest propaganda coup for the Iranian regime in its war with the US. The FRANCE 24 Observers team spoke to one of the y...

Russian attacks kill 27 before deadline for ceasefire proposed by Kyiv

Russian attacks throughout eastern Ukraine killed at least 27 people on Tuesday, including 12 in one of the worst strikes so far this year, hours before a midnight deadline ushering in an open-ended ceasefire proposed by Kyiv. Russia announced a ceasefire ​for May 8 ‌to 9 to coincide with comme...

Israel's war priorities sidelined as Trump pushes toward a limited deal with Iran

With the standoff over the frozen Iran war threatening a global economic ⁠meltdown, Washington and Tehran have ​scaled back their efforts to agree a comprehensive peace deal and now seek a limited pact putting off the harder issues. Israel is not directly involved in the peace effort. Netanyahu...

War in the Middle East: Satellite imagery reveal scale of damage to US bases in Gulf

A new investigation by the The Washington Post verified satellite imagery published by Iranian state-affiliated media, showing damage to at least 228 structures or pieces of equipment at US military sites across the Middle East since the war began. FRANCE 24's International Affairs Editor Kethevane...

WHO warns of more hantavirus cases in 'limited' outbreak

The World Health Organization said Thursday that more cases of the hantavirus could emerge but expected the outbreak to be "limited" if precautions are taken, after the disease killed three passengers from a cruise ship....

WHO warns of 'limited' outbreak of hantavirus as countries move to contain spread

The World Health Organization said Thursday that more cases of the hantavirus could emerge but expected the outbreak to be "limited" if precautions are taken, after the disease killed three passengers from a cruise ship....

DRC leader Tshisekedi hints at possible rule beyond second term amid eastern war

The Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi on Wednesday evoked a possible third term and a potential delay of a presidential vote due in two years because of turmoil in the volatile east. In power since 2019, the 62-year-old will reach the end of his second five-year term in 2028...

US Rubio seeks to ease tensions with US pope after Trump's attacks

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is heading to the Vatican and Italy on a fence-mending visit after President Donald Trump’s broadsides against Pope Leo XIV and the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran have alienated those allies. FRANCE 24's International Affairs Editor Rochelle Ferguson-Bouyahi tells us m...

Trump sees swift end to war as Iran reviews US peace proposal

US President Donald Trump predicted a swift end to the war with Iran as Tehran considered a US peace proposal that sources said would formally end the conflict while leaving unresolved key US demands that Iran suspend its nuclear programme and reopen the Strait of Hormuz....

Venice Biennale 'shaken': 'Turmoil on the international scene has entered the exhibition'

Mark Owen is pleased to welcome Angelo Amante, Reuters correspondent in Rome. Russia has returned to the 2026 edition of the Venice Biennale for the first time since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Its presence has triggered protests from activists, artists and political dissidents, who...

US war on Iran: 'A game of high-risk, high-reward' for both Trump and the Islamic Republic

Mark Owen is pleased to welcome Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He presents the escalating confrontation between Iran and the United States as a dangerous and evolving contest of "high-risk, high-reward." He argues th...

Russia warns foreign diplomats to leave Kyiv in case of strike

Russia warned foreign diplomats in Kyiv on Wednesday to evacuate the city ahead of Moscow's World War II Victory Day celebrations, threatening retaliatory strikes if Ukraine disrupts commemorations tied to the May 9 military parade in Red Square....

Armenia: EU 'isn't poking the bear' enforcing ties with Russian-allied Yerevan

“Europeans are not poking the bear.”Thorniké Gordadze tells #F24Debate Armenia and the EU aren’t provoking Russia, but reacting to Moscow’s threats on the region ➡️ https://go.france24.com/xHhc...

Could Iran use ‘kamikaze dolphins’ against the US in the Strait of Hormuz?

As US-Iran tensions escalate around the Strait of Hormuz, a journalist at a Pentagon briefing this week asked top US officials an out-of-the ordinary question: whether Tehran could deploy “kamikaze dolphins” against US warships. The idea isn’t as far-fetched as it seems, as multiple countrie...

'Significant threat to local ecosystem: Israel's war on Lebanon generated 16 million tons of rubble'

Oliver Farry welcomes Antoine Kallab, AUB Associate Director and Advisor to Lebanon's Ministry of Industry. In a region ravaged by war, displacement, and political collapse, a long-term environmental crisis is rapidly unfolding. Beneath those ruins lie heavy metals, toxic materials, collapsing in...

India 'funds organisations behind terror activities in Pakistan': Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, head of the Pakistan People's Party, discussed the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan. One year ago, after a five-day war between the two countries, US President Donald Trump announced a full ceasefire, but "there are underlying ten...

War in Ukraine: Russia attacks east and south Ukraine with over 100 drones

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that Russia had decided to reject efforts to halt fighting and save lives by launching fresh attacks on Ukraine, which had called a unilateral ceasefire....

Arms deliveries and Africa Corps training: How Russia is bolstering its presence in Madagascar

From deliveries of drones and armoured vehicles to training sessions led by Russian Africa Corps instructors, security cooperation between Madagascar and Russia has intensified since the October 2025 coup. Russia’s growing influence is expanding into other sectors as well, raising questions withi...

Venice Biennale: Boycotts and threats over participation of Russia & Israel

The Venice Biennale previewed its 61st and most chaotic edition ever on Tuesday, just days after the unprecedented resignation of its jury over the participation of Israel and Russia undermined the very structure of the world’s oldest contemporary art exhibition....

Kyiv says Russia broke unilateral ceasefire with drone and missile attacks

Kyiv said on Wednesday that Russia had violated a unilateral ceasefire called by Ukraine by attacking Ukrainian cities with 108 combat drones and three missiles overnight....