Former French prime minister Lionel Jospin, a Socialist who led the government from 1997 to 2002, died on Sunday aged 88. Former French prime minister Lionel Jospin, a Socialist who introduced the 35-hour work week and civil partnerships for gay couples, has died aged 88, his family said Monda»»»

Former French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin passed away at the age of 88. Jospin was head ⁠of government under ​the centre-right President ‌Jacques Chirac from ‌1997 to ​2002 during cohabitation and embodied what he called the 'plural left'. FRANCE 24's Emily Boyle takes a look at early reactions to»»»

Franc has brought in its new generation of mayors, in a local election that was held with the 2027 presidential election in mind. The left succeeded in major cities including Paris, Lyon and Marseille but failed to conquer Toulouse. On the other hand, Nice swung to the far right.»»»

Marine Le Pen's nationalist eurosceptic party lost out in big target cities including Marseille and Toulon. The only win has been through its ally, Eric Ciotti who in Nice, France's fifth-largest city. The municipal votes ​were a test of ‌both the depth of the far right's support base a year ahead »»»

Despite predictions, French far-right party the National Rally failed to take over any major cities in the municipal elections, in a ballot considered to be a stress-test ahead of the 2027 presidential race. But overall, the results do not give any further clue as to who could succeed to President »»»

PRESS REVIEW – Monday, March 23: France's municipal elections are all over the French front pages. International papers try to make sense of the results, as all sides seem to be claiming victory. Next, Hittler is elected as mayor of a small French town, beating out Zielinsky. Finally, the firs»»»

France's far-right National Rally (RN) failed to win control of any major ​city in Sunday's nationwide municipal election, a setback that gave hope to embattled mainstream parties ahead of next year's presidential election. Meanwhile, the socialist party won the vote in Paris and Marseille. But wha»»»

Genie Godula is pleased to welcome Paul Smith, Head of Modern Languages at the University of Nottingham. He sees these municipal results not as a simple predictor of the presidential election, but as a revealing moment of political realignment across France. Lacking a single dominant force, these e»»»

For the extreme right National Rally, formerly the National Front, the municipal elections were supposed to confirm its national momentum at the local level. But the gamble didn’t totally pay off. While the party’s vote count doubled in some medium-sized cities like Narbonne and Lens, it came up sh»»»

Former French prime minister Lionel Jospin has died ages 88. The socialist was the father of the 35-hour work week and civil partnerships for gay couples, among other major social reforms. But he is also remembered for his loss in the first round of the 2002 presidential election against far-right »»»

Legendary French rugby player Serge Blanco successfully entered politics in Biarritz, a seaside town in the southwest where he established his athletic career, by winning the municipal election on Sunday. Blanco said he won because voters wanted "to be spoken to from the heart" and "respected". Fre»»»

Carys Garland is pleased to welcome Renaud Foucart, Economist, Senior Lecturer at Lancaster University. He observes a political landscape shaped less by ideology alone and more by geography and fragmentation. What these municipal elections reveal is not a clear national trajectory, but a mosaic of »»»

François Picard is pleased to welcome Damien Lecomte, Political Scientist and Researcher at CRPS-CESSP, Paris Pantheon Sorbonne University. According to Dr. Lecomte, there is a persistent tension between unity and fragmentation in French politics, and the legacy of Lionel Jospin illustrates this pa»»»

Stuart Norval is pleased to welcome Dr. Andrew Smith, Historian of Modern France and Lecturer at Queen Mary University of London. What stands out to our guest is not just that the Socialists held Paris, but how they did so: by resisting opportunistic alliances and instead presenting a coherent, ind»»»

An airstrike hit a military base of Iran-backed Iraqi Shiite militias, the Popular Mobilization Forces, in the city of Ramadi in the western Iraqi province of Anbar, Al Jazeera reported citing police. The channel claims the strike resulted in casualties. The group confirmed the death of Anbar Opera»»»

In his keynote speech at the first session of North Korea's 15th Supreme People's Assembly, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un officially declared South Korea a hostile state. "We will especially regard South Korea as the most hostile state, completely rejecting and ignoring it with the clearest words»»»

More than 600 people have died in Tehran since the start of the conflict with Israel and the United States, Mohammad Ismail Tavakkoli, head of the Tehran district's emergency services, said. "During this period [since the start of the conflict], 636 people have been killed, and 6,848 have been inju»»»

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi travelled to Washington hoping to strengthen ties with the United States. The visit turned into a delicate balancing act amid US President Donald Trump's growing pressure on allies to help the US in the Iran war. Yuka Royer discusses the visit with James Schof»»»

Personnel changes have occurred at Bishkek City Hall, the municipality’s press service reported. Dzholdosh Chushtukov has been appointed the new Head of Oktyabrsky district. He previously served as Director of Tazalyk municipal enterprise. Photo Bishkek City Hall. Dzholdosh Chushtukov Maksatbek Ary»»»

Kyrgyz football club Muras United from the city of Manas has strengthened its squad with former Manchester City and Ghana national team player Thomas Agyepong. The 29-year-old joined Muras United during the winter transfer window and officially linked up with the team on March 21. Agyepong began hi»»»

Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob on Sunday claimed victory after a tight parliamentary election, with near-final results showing his liberal party at 28.54 percent ahead of Janez Jansa’s conservatives at 28.17 percent. Authorities are probing whether an Israeli company was behind a video alleg»»»

British police on Monday said they were investigating an anti-Semitic hate crime after four volunteer ambulances run by a Jewish organisation were set on fire in north London, an attack Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned as "deeply shocking". British police said Monday they were investigating a »»»

Polls have closed in Italy's two-day referendum. According to exit polls, the "No" vote is slightly ahead - but the final results could differ, as they do not take into account what Italians from abroad voted. What can be said though, is that the country 'is very divided' over the county's leadersh»»»

Four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity were set on fire early on March 23 in London. British police are investigating the arson attack as a hate crime. This comes amid a rise in antisemitic attacks in the UK since the October 7 Hamas attacks, and are suspected to amplify due to the war in th»»»

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni conceded defeat on Monday in a referendum which sought to overhaul the country's judiciary. The vote is a major blow to Meloni's far-right leadership, and could weaken her re-election chances next year.  Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni conceded defea»»»

The European Commission said on Monday it was “greatly concerned” by reports Hungary’s foreign minister shared sensitive EU negotiation details with Russia. The Washington Post cited officials saying Peter Szijjarto briefed Sergei Lavrov during meetings. Szijjarto dismissed the report as “fake news»»»

Speaking at a campaign rally in Kecskemét on March 23, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Hungary has reached a crossroads, arguing that the upcoming election will determine whether the country remains on a path of peace, sovereignty, and stability or shifts toward a pro-war direction backed by Bruss»»»

Surveillance footage shows the chilling moment an Air Canada Express jet collided with a fire truck on the runway at New York’s LaGuardia Airport late Sunday. The crash killed both pilots and injured dozens, leaving the regional jet’s cockpit mangled and the emergency vehicle overturned. The collis»»»

A scheduled meeting was held at Bishkek City Hall to review the results of a site inspection at Orto-Sai market. The City Hall reported. The mayor expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of the market. «Despite work carried out throughout the year to improve and beautify the area, it was n»»»

Young people have a “much lower” level of wellbeing than 15 years ago due to the effects of social media use, according to the 2026 edition of the World Happiness Report, which sees Finland maintain its position as the world’s happiest country for the ninth consecutive year. Where is the happiest c»»»

AI-generated images are everywhere, and they're getting better and better, making it harder and harder to know what's real and what's fake. Here are four tips for detecting images generated by AI. See who posted the content. Was it a reliable source, or an unknown user? Look at the account. Does it»»»

Five years and more than $80 billion later, Mark Zuckerberg's virtual reality dream seems to be being dismantled, and replaced with equally ambitious AI projects. We take a closer look in this edition of Tech 24. When Facebook became Meta in 2021, founder Mark Zuckerberg stood before the world and »»»

Around 200,000-250,000 Czechs rallied at the Letná plateau in Prague on March 21 against the policies of the ruling radical populist cabinet led by billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babiš' Ano party, which they fear threaten democratic standards in the country.  »»»

Slovenia’s ruling Freedom Movement, led by Prime Minister Robert Golob, was narrowly ahead in the March 22 general elections after 99.81% of votes were counted, setting the stage for complex coalition negotiations. Accordi»»»

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb has warned that relations between the US and Europe are fracturing under Donald Trump’s policies, urging allies to “salvage what you can” of the transatlantic alliance, The Telegraph reported on March 22. »»»

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The European Commission has announced that its trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc will provisionally enter into force on May 1, marking a crucial milestone for a pact that has divided European capitals and drawn fierce opposition from agricultural producers. »»»

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb has warned that relations between the US and Europe are fracturing under Donald Trump’s policies, urging allies to “salvage what you can” of the transatlantic alliance, The Telegraph reported on March 22. »»»

Dubai: A Dubai commercial court has ordered an optical company to pay Dh275,246 to a medical equipment supplier after failing to settle payments for medical and optical devices delivered in 2024. The case was filed by a medical equipment establishment, which stated that it had supplied devices and »»»

Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) has urged private sector companies across the country to strengthen workplace safety measures and take preventive steps to protect workers during expected adverse weather conditions. The ministry said worker health and safety rema»»»

The show must go on. It is an unprecedented moment in the UAE, as global tensions send ripples of uncertainty through everyday life. And yet, the wedding and events industry continues to move forward, finding ways to make room for joy. As Dubai-based bride-to-be Aamna puts it, “This is meant to be »»»

Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy (MEW) has deactivated seven overhead power lines after they were damaged by falling debris from air defence interceptions, state news agency KUNA reported. Also Read: US‑Israel war on Iran, Day 25: Netanyahu speaks with Trump as oil tops»»»

The Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Feridun Hadi Sinirlioglu, will pay a working visit to Kyrgyzstan on March 24-25. The press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan reported. Meetings with senior Kyrgyz officials and Foreign Mi»»»

The Arsen Umuraliev Bishkek City Drama Theater will participate in the 8th Samsun International Theater Festival, which will be held from March 23 to 31, 2026, in Turkey. The press service of the capital’s municipality reported. The festival, timed to coincide with World Theater Day, will bring tog»»»

Nurlanbek Saipbaev has been appointed new mayor of Uzgen. He replaced Eldos Taev, who resigned voluntarily after submitting a relevant letter. Nurlanbek Saipbaev has already been introduced to the municipal administration. The state administration of Uzgen district noted that this appointment is pa»»»

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum on Monday announced a deal with the French energy company TotalEnergies that will refund nearly $1 billion in offshore wind farm lease fees so that it can be reinvested in fossil fuel production. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo March 23 (UPI) -- The Tr»»»

The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it was investigating a fatal crash of a small helicopter in Boynton Beach, Fla. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo March 24 (UPI) -- A small helicopter crashed through the roof of a vacant warehouse in southern Florida on Monday, killing bo»»»

Abu Dhabi: Motorists are being urged to take extra precautions to protect their vehicles from damage caused by heavy rainfall and flooding, as unstable weather has led to water accumulation in several areas across the UAE. With the increase in rain-related incidents, drivers should be aware of the »»»

Dubai: While most people scroll past posts about abandoned pets in these uncertain times, UAE-based singer Sarah R Jay decided to build something that makes it harder to look away and easier to help. “I realised there was a huge gap,” she tells Gulf News over zoom. “Rescue organisations are overwhe»»»