What is going through Putin's mind?

Ukraine's Zelensky names spy chief Kyrylo Budanov as new top aide

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday appointed military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov as head of his office, following the resignation of top aide Andriy Yermak over a corruption scandal. Budanov, credited with daring operations against Russia, will focus on security, defence and di...

Secret operation unveiled: Ukraine fakes death of anti-Kremlin Russian fighter

Ukraine staged the death of an anti-Kremlin Russian fighter, Denis Kapustin, to prevent his killing ordered by Moscow's special forces, Ukrainian military intelligence announced Thursday. His assassination, GUR said in a statement, "was ordered by the special services of the aggressor state Russi...

Volodymyr Zelensky appoints Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov new chief of staff

Nicolas Maduro open to talks with Donald Trump over fight against drug trafficking

Whenever, wherever, however - that's the Venezuelan President's offer to sell more oil to the US, as he pleads for diplomacy, not conflict. It comes after Washington hit five more alleged drug boats with airstrikes and reportedly struck Venezuelan soil for the first time. Meanwhile, the US Coast Gu...

'Locked and loaded': Trump says US will intervene if Iranian regime kills peaceful protesters

US President Donald Trump on Friday took to his Truth Social platform to warn that the United States would intervene if Iran's security forces kill peaceful protesters. At least seven people, including one volunteer member of the Islamic Republic's security forces, have been killed in clashes over...

Putin voices confidence in war victory

Meanwhile, Russia says it will provide Washington with evidence that a Ukrainian drone targeted one of Vladimir Putin’s residences before being shot down on Monday, a claim Ukraine firmly denies. France24 International affairs editor Angela Diffley explains....

Kyiv argues alleged attack on Putin’s home was Russian false-flag operation

The CIA has concluded that Ukraine did not attempt to target Russian President Vladimir Putin or any of his residences in an attack earlier this week, an allegation Kyiv has firmly denied, saying the Kremlin is using the claim to harden its stance in peace negotiations aimed at ending the war in Uk...

Finland seizes ship from Russia

Finnish police have detained a cargo ship named the Fitburg on suspicion of sabotaging an undersea telecommunications cable linking Helsinki and the Estonian capital, with authorities saying the vessel had been traveling from Russia’s port of St. Petersburg to Israel, in a region already on high...

Putin, Xi Jinping ring in New Year

World leaders have been exchanging New Year’s greetings, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with Xi using his address to express a desire to strengthen ties with Moscow while reiterating a warning against what Beijing sees as pro-independence forces in Ta...

Iran Revolutionary Guard member killed during widening cost-of-living protests

A 21-year-old volunteer member of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was killed during protests over the Islamic Republic's worsening economic situation, authorities said Thursday. Iran's civilian government has until now struck a conciliatory approach to the initially shopkeeper-led protests...

Live: Zelensky says Russia 'brings war into the New Year' by striking Ukraine energy infrastructure

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of bringing the nearly four-year war “into the New Year” by launching more than 200 drones at the country’s energy infrastructure overnight into Thursday. More than 103,000 households in the northwest Volyn region were left without power...

Taiwan vows to defend its sovereignty after Chinese military drills

In a live New Year’s address, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te highlighted the need for increased defence spending and warned of a critical year ahead following a major Chinese military exercise that saw rockets fired towards Taiwanese territory....

Kim hails North Korea's 'invincible alliance' with Russia in New Year's letter

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un heaped praise on Pyongyang's forces supporting Russia's war in Ukraine in a new year's message, hinting at the "remarkable feats" the country's troops will perform on overseas battlefields in years to come. Thousands of North Korean troops were deployed in Russia's K...

2025 The Year in Review

In tonight's edition,  from the heartbreak and uncertainties of the war in Sudan to Africa's wrestling with White House unpredictability to the never-ending stories of creation, community, and innovation. We take a peek back at some of what 2025 delivered....

Israel bans 37 aid groups from Gaza, where the humanitarian situation remains dire

Israel plans to ban 37 aid organisations from operating in Gaza from Thursday unless they hand over detailed information on their Palestinian staff, despite mounting criticism from the United Nations and the European Union. Several NGOs have told AFP the new rules will have a major impact on food a...

Finland seizes ship sailing from Russia after suspected undersea cable sabotage

Finnish authorities seized a vessel on Wednesday, suspected of sabotaging an undersea telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea. ...

Ukraine: War medics confront their trauma in mountain retreat

Deep in the Carpathian mountains in west Ukraine, a government programme offers Ukrainian military medics a ten-day respite from the war while helping them confront their traumas. #ukraine #ukrainewar #ukrainearmy...

'Shivering from cold and fear': Winter rains flood Gaza camps

Winter rain lashed the Gaza Strip over the weekend, flooding camps with ankle-deep puddles as Palestinians displaced by two years of war attempted to stay dry in tents frayed by months of use. The foreign ministers of 10 nations on Tuesday expressed "serious concerns" about a "renewed deterioration...

Russia says 'no evidence needed' to accuse Ukraine of drone attack on Putin's residence

Ukraine said Tuesday there was no "plausible" evidence it launched a drone attack on one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's residences, and accused Moscow of peddling falsehoods to influence peace talks. Story by Laurent Berstecher....

Gaza: Some Palestinians turn to art to process war trauma

In Gaza, a fragile ceasefire has been in place since October, but humanitarian conditions remain dire. Many in the international community accuse Israel of refusing to allow necessary aid into the territory. In this difficult context, some Palestinians are turning to art to help them process the tr...

Saudi Arabia bombs Yemen city of Mukalla over weapons shipment from UAE for separatists

Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen's port city of Mukalla on Tuesday after a weapons shipment from the United Arab Emirates arrived for separatist forces in the war-torn country, and warned that it viewed Emirati actions as “extremely dangerous.” Story by Ellen Gainsford....

Israel says will bar several NGOs from Gaza, FRANCE 24 speaks to MSF

Israel warns it will suspend from January several aid organisations operating in Gaza if they fail to provide details about their Palestinian staff, accusing two Doctors Without Borders employees of links to militant groups. The organisation, which provided care to nearly half a million people ...

Taiwan coastguard says Chinese ships 'withdrawing' as Beijing announces drills' completion

Beijing said Wednesday it had "successfully completed" military drills around Taiwan that simulated a blockade of the self-governing island's key ports. The war games began days after the US announced an unprecedented $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan. ...

Live: Russia publishes video it says shows Ukrainian drone fired at Putin’s residence

Russia's defence ministry released a video Wednesday of a downed drone that it says Ukraine launched at President Vladimir Putin's residence in north-west Russia this week. Kyiv has denounced Moscow’s claims as a “lie”. Follow our liveblog for all the latest developments....

The Bright Side: Libyans savour shared heritage as national museum reopens after 14 years

For the first time since the outbreak of civil war in 2011, Libyans are reconnecting with their ancient heritage at the recently reopened national museum in Tripoli....

Situation in Gaza is 'catastrophic’, foreign ministers from 10 countries warn

A group of 10 countries, including France, warned on Tuesday that the situation in Gaza was "catastrophic" due to the "renewed deterioration of the humanitarian situation" in the Palestinian enclave. They called on Israel to allow greater access for NGOs and to lift restrictions on importing esse...

Why China is bringing out the big guns for military drills around Taiwan

China stepped up its military drills around Taiwan with live-fire exercises on Tuesday, the second day of an operation dubbed “Justice Mission 2025". The massive show of force comes at a crucial time as Beijing seeks to capitalise on domestic political tensions in Taiwan and issue a warni...

UAE to withdraw remaining forces from Yemen following Saudi strike

The United Arab Emirates announced on December 30 the withdrawal of its remaining forces in Yemen after Saudi Arabia set a 24-hour deadline for their departure, following a Saudi strike in a Yemeni port controlled by UAE-backed separatists. Initially intervening on the same side in the Yemeni war o...

The UAE denies shipping weapons to Yemen after overnight Saudi strike

In an overnight strike, the Saudi military hit a Yemeni port saying they were neutralising a weapons shipments arriving from UAE and meant for the STC separatist group. The UAE has denied the shipment contained weapons and claimed the vehicles were not intended for any groups. Both countries have s...

Bashar al-Assad disappears off Syrian banknotes as country brings in new currency

More than a year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, images of the former dictator persist throughout Syria, not least on the country's banknotes. On December 30, the country's current president Ahmed al-Sharaa announced the introduction of new notes, which will no longer bear the likeness of Assad...