France's biggest film producer Canal+ will no longer work with hundreds of industry professionals who signed a petition against right-wing billionaire owner Vincent Bolloré, the group announced Sunday at the Cannes Film Festival, sending shockwaves through the European film industry. The petit»»»

France's film industry is reeling after its biggest production company – Canal+, owned by right-wing billionaire Vincent Bolloré – announced it would no longer work with some 600 professionals who signed a petition opposing Bolloré and the "grip of the far right" on cinema. The fallo»»»

Football club Paris Saint-Germain lifted the Ligue 1 trophy but then lost 2-1 away to neighbours Paris FC in their last game before the Champions League final against Arsenal. There were plenty of surprises during the French football competition - some bad ones for PSG and some good ones for Marsei»»»

It is a shock threat to Europe's film industry. The head of France's biggest film producer, Canal Plus, is saying it will blacklist 600 film industry professionals who have signed a petition against the right-wing billionaire owner Vincent Bolloré. The announcement was made in Cannes in southern Fr»»»

France's wide-reaching redevelopment of the Louvre will be carried out by a team of international architects including STUDIOS Architecture Paris and Selldorf Architects, the culture ministry announced Monday. The overhaul will include a new entrance for the Paris museum and a dedicated space »»»

François Picard welcomes the Minister Delegate for Francophonie, International Partnerships, and French Citizens Abroad Éléonore Caroit. She hails the “renewed relationship” between France and African nations, one increasingly defined by private capital, educational cooperation, strategic partnersh»»»

Paris investigators are looking into allegations non-teaching staff recruited by the city mistreated or abused children at 84 kindergartens and around 20 primary schools. The French capital's new mayor, Emmanuel Gregoire, a Socialist who says he suffered sexual abuse himself during an after-school »»»

It's an earthquake rocking the world of French cinema. The head of France's biggest film producer, Canal+, said that the group would no longer work with 600 industry professionals who signed a petition against right-wing billionaire owner Vincent Bolloré. The petition called people to mobilise agai»»»

A beach in France's glitzy city of Cannes that was renamed in honour of Brigitte Bardot on Monday will be open to dogs in tribute to the late French film star's animal rights activism, local authorities said. Bardot is a controversial figure in France due to her passionate support of the both the a»»»

President Donald Trump met China’s Xi Jinping in Beijing during a state visit marked by pomp but few deals, the 2026 Cannes Film Festival opened and a shootout in the Philippines Senate saw an ICC-charged politician fleeing the premises: FRANCE 24 looks back at some of the week's most striking imag»»»

The number of worldwide executions jumped to their highest level since 1981 in 2025, pushed in part by a "staggering" increase in Iran's use of the death penalty, according to Amnesty International on Monday. The UK-based rights group said it had confirmed the executions of at least 2,707»»»

Runners from across the globe put their physical and mental stamina to the test on May 16: to conquer the Great Wall of China Marathon. The race that starts and finishes near the Huangyaguan fortress celebrated its 23rd anniversary this year. It is known for being a particularly gruelling course, b»»»

Washington: India’s shift towards green steel production could help the country avoid nearly $1 trillion in long-term coking coal import costs and strengthen its position in future export markets, according to a new study released by the India Energy and Climate Center (IECC) at the University of C»»»

Kyrgyzstan’s electricity deficit currently stands at approximately 3.5 billion kilowatt-hours. First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Daniyar Amangeldiev, announced on Birinchi Radio. According to him, the deficit persists due to the constant growth of consumption, despite the country’s»»»

OAKLAND, United States: A federal jury ruled Monday that billionaire Elon Musk waited too long to sue OpenAI and its co-founders, delivering a decisive victory to the ChatGPT startup and ending one of Silicon Valley’s most closely watched courtroom battles. The swift decision caps a three-week tria»»»

TAIPEI/BEIJING: China is the greatest source of regional unease and instability due to its ongoing military activities, Taiwan’s Premier Cho Jung-tai said on Tuesday, as the Chinese navy announced it had sent a carrier task force into the Western Pacific for training. China, which views democratica»»»

It’s been a tumultuous week for Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is facing a leadership crisis. Following a chaotic week in which nearly 90 Labour MPs called on Starmer to resign, along with a series of ministerial resignations, the prime minister is clinging on to power. Read moreWho are»»»

The hantavirus-hit cruise ship MV Hondius on Monday reached the Dutch port of Rotterdam for disinfection as authorities prepared quarantine arrangements for remaining crew and medical staff following an outbreak that has killed three people and triggered global monitoring. The hantavirus-hit cruise»»»

Oliver Farry is pleased to welcome Chiara Sangiorgio, Amnesty International's Death penalty specialist. In Amnesty International’s latest global report on the death penalty, 2025 emerges as a grim landmark year: at least 2,707 executions were recorded across 17 countries, the highest figure documen»»»

Russia launched hundreds of drones and nearly two dozen missiles at Ukraine overnight, hitting ​two ships in the Black Sea near Ukraine's Odesa region and wounding more than 30 people. Ukrainian authorities said that the two civilian vessels hit included one ‌under the Marshall Islands flag an»»»

A British photographer who lives in Kyiv has told FRANCE 24 how he doesn't believe the war in Ukraine is coming to an end. Mark Neville takes his photographs to tell the real stories of the Ukrainian people as they fight for their country against the Russian invasion. Amid the latest more positive »»»

PRESS REVIEW – Monday, May 18, 2026: First, Ukraine's drone attacks on Russia may mark a turning point in the war. Next, Venezuela's post-Maduro era is conflicting for locals. Also, there's more drama at the Cannes Film Festival as Canal+ hits back at filmmakers. Finally, Gen Z find new ways o»»»

The MV Hondius has arrived in Rotterdam, where the crew will disembark and the ship will be disinfected. Despite fears of a widespread outbreak, the World Health Organisation has maintained its assessment of this hantavirus outbreak is of low risk. Disease specialists say a global pandemic of the d»»»

France's justice minister Gérald Darmanin is in Algeria to discuss improving cooperation and the fate of a detained French journalist. The visit is a sign of warming ties between the two countries, after a diplomatic spat triggered among other things by Paris's official backing Moroccan sovereignty»»»

At the start of May, Jordan launched several airstrikes into neighbouring southern Syria, targeting facilities it deemed key assets for drug smugglers operating along the Syrian-Jordanian border. Jordanian warplanes struck warehouses and even residential buildings believed to shelter stockpiled dru»»»

Bulgaria’s Regional Development Minister Ivan Shishkov has announced that all payments linked to construction projects using the old indexation methodology will be suspended, marking a significant shift in infrastructure financing policy. Speaking to Nova TV, Shishkov said the decision follows the »»»

Bulgaria’s Finance Ministry has formally launched the budget procedure for 2026, with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev outlining a broad package of austerity and restructuring measures that he said would put an end to what he described as years of “financial acrobatics” and un»»»

Tariff benefits have been granted to Mailuu-Suu Electric Bulb Plant, the company reported. According to the enterprise, a tariff exemption from import customs duties has been introduced for certain types of LED modules classified under EAEU Foreign Economic Activity Commodity Nomenclature code 8539»»»

Nearly 48 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated value exceeding 4.4 million euros have been seized in a coordinated operation by Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security (SANS), customs officials, and the prosecutor’s office near the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint. The operation was launc»»»

A 35-year-old man has been detained after allegedly setting fire to multiple vehicles and construction equipment in the town of Beloslav in Varna Region during the early hours of the morning. According to initial information, the fire destroyed or damaged five cars along with a road roller. Authori»»»

Freestyle wrestler from Kyrgyzstan Malik Shavaev won the Ali Aliyev Memorial International Tournament held in Kaspiysk, Russia, from May 15 to 18. The Wrestling Federation of Kyrgyzstan reported. Competing in the 86-kilogram weight category, he secured five victories and claimed the gold medal. Mal»»»

The history museum in Karakol will be completely reconstructed, the Ministry of Construction reported. The project is being implemented using the republican budget, with a total cost of 159 million soms. The work is being carried out by the state-owned enterprise Kyrgyzkurulush. ​​Dismantling work »»»

An earthquake with an intensity of approximately magnitude 3.5 hit Jalal-Abad region, the Institute of Seismology of the National Academy of Sciences of Kyrgyzstan reported. According to the Institute, seismic activity was recorded on May 18 at 8:25 p.m. The earthquake’s epicenter was located in Ba»»»

Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings has improved Bulgaria’s credit outlook from “stable” to “positive,” while confirming the country’s long-term and short-term foreign and local currency ratings at “BBB+/A-2,” according to information released by the Finance Ministry. The agency said the revised o»»»

On a sunny May 15, Bulgaria’s solar generation briefly reached a level where photovoltaic production alone could match the country’s instantaneous electricity demand, "Capital" reported. Around midday, solar plants delivered more than 3.7 GW, while system consumption stood at roughly 3.2 GW, accord»»»

President Iliana Yotova visited an industrial facility near Baku that was fully financed by Bulgarian investment, as part of a broader visit to Azerbaijan focused on economic cooperation and urban development initiatives. The plant is located in the Sumgait industrial free economic zone, around 25 »»»

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev has stated that any decision on a potential state buyback of the Lukoil Neftokhim refinery must be preceded by a detailed assessment of its value, risks, and long-term benefits for the country. Responding to a question about how such an acquisi»»»

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The Polish government published its first official list of companies designated as beneficiaries of the EU SAFE programme — the defence financing instrument under which Poland, the first EU member state to sign a loan agreement with the European Commission, can access up to €43.7 billion. Some 41 c»»»

Poland ranks as the sixth most complex country in Europe and 19th globally for doing business, according to TMF Group’s 2026 Global Business Complexity Index. The report, which covers 81 jurisdictions representing more than 90% of the global economy, compares 292 indicators across accounting and ta»»»

Poland's Defence Ministry dispatched two deputy ministers — Cezary Tomczyk and Paweł Zalewski — to Washington on Monday for emergency consultations at the Pentagon. They carry a message from Prime Minister Donald Tusk that Poland is ready to host a larger American military presence, in direct respo»»»

Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Defence Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz oversaw the signing on Monday of an agreement between state-owned Military Aviation Works No. 1 in Dęblin and US engineering giant Honeywell. Under the deal, Dęblin will host an Authorised Service Centre for the AGT1500 engines that po»»»

BEIRUT: The death toll in the latest round of fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon surpassed 3,000, Lebanon’s health ministry said Monday. The ministry said the toll is now 3,020 killed in the Israeli strikes, including 292 women and 211 children. Fighting began on Ma»»»

A former boss of a notorious Libyan prison faces three days of hearings at the International Criminal Court from Tuesday, accused of war crimes including murder, rape and torture. Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, 47, is suspected of 17 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committ»»»

New Delhi, May 19 (IANS) In a significant breakthrough against rising street crime and mobile snatching incidents, the Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of the South District Police apprehended a mobile phone snatcher on Tuesday. It recovered six stolen and snatched mobile phones from his possession, an»»»

LONDON: Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was slightly higher last week, returning to levels in line with the average recorded since the start of the Middle East conflict after hitting a wartime low. A total of 55 commodities vessels crossed the strategic waterway between May 11 and 17, accordin»»»

LOS ANGELES: Billie Jean King raised her right arm in triumph. Not for another victory on the tennis court. This time, she was celebrating earning a college degree 65 years after she first took classes. The 82-year-old sports and equality icon received her bachelor's of art in history from Cal Stat»»»

A shooting Monday at a mosque complex in southern California killed three people, with two suspected teenage gunmen later found dead in a car from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds, police said. Police said emergency response teams found the victims outside the sprawling Islamic Center of San »»»

Kurman Ait will be celebrated in Kyrgyzstan on May 27, 2026. The Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan (SDMK) reported. The date of one of the most important Muslim holidays is determined according to the lunar calendar and changes every year. Kurman Ait marks the completion of the Hajj pi»»»

People look at a mural depicting Colombian-Venezuelan businessman Alex Saab in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sunday, a day after he was extradited to the United States. On Monday, Saab made his initial appearance in a Miami courtroom. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez/EPA May 18 (UPI) -- Alex Saab, a billionaire »»»