Holiday trip turns tragic in Kerala: 9 killed as tourist van plunges off Valparai cliff in Tamil Nadu
A holiday trip from Kerala turned into tragedy on Friday after a tourist van carrying a 12-member group plunged off a ghat road in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore district, killing nine people and injuring four others. According to media reports, the accident occurred around 5.15 pm (local time) on the Val»»»
US Authorizes Sale of Russian Oil Loaded on Vessels as of April 17
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a general license for the delivery and sale of Russian oil, extending the easing of US sanctions to crude loaded onto ships as of April 17. "All transactions prohibited by the above-listed authorities that a»»»
Bishkek residents, visitors invited to Ooedodaiko Japanese drum show - | 24.KG
On April 25, the Ooedodaiko group, a group from the Kyrgyz-Japanese Center that has been transforming every performance into a true triumph of strength and rhythm for a quarter century, will take the stage at the Toktobolot Abdumomunov Kyrgyz National Academic Drama Theater, the organizers reported»»»
Trump administration to lobby allies to support 'trade over aid' push
The Trump administration is pushing countries worldwide to back a "trade over aid" declaration at the UN, part of a broader effort to overhaul how Washington spends billions of dollars in foreign assistance. Speaking with FRANCE 24's Yinka Oyetade, Eric Pelofsky, Vice President of Global Economic R»»»
Trump-Meloni relationship turns sour
Far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was once considered one of US President Donald Trump’s closest allies in Europe, but their relationship has recently deteriorated. As Caitlin Brown reports, Meloni has fallen out of favour with the US president in part due to her criticism of the war »»»
Over 1,500 kilometers of roads to be built, repaired in 2026 - | 24.KG
More than 1,500 kilometers of roads are planned to be built and repaired in Kyrgyzstan in 2026. These figures were announced at a working meeting chaired by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Erlist Akunbekov. According to the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Kyrgyzstan, 3,684.2»»»
Trump hails Iran's reopening of Hormuz Strait during ceasefire
The Strait of Hormuz will be “completely open” to commercial vessels for the remainder of the ceasefire, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on social media Friday. US President Donald Trump welcomed the move, thanking Tehran for reopening the critical waterway. Read our liveblog to see ho»»»
Lebanon army reports number of ceasefire violations
A 10-day ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel came into effect this Friday, though the Lebanese army has already reported several alleged violations in the southern border region, where these images were taken. US President Donald Trump announced the deal and said he has invited both coun»»»
Scoop - Where is US-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin?
This week, FRANCE 24's media show Scoop looks at growing international alarm after US-Kuwaiti journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin was detained in Kuwait. Prior to his arrest, Shihab-Eldin shared publicly available videos and images related to the Iran war. Press and human rights groups say that his&»»»
Lebanon: Mass displacement after weeks of strikes
There is a sense of both caution and hope. Although the Lebanese army had warned residents who fled the south not to return, footage shows vehicles already moving back toward the area. Six weeks of Israeli strikes displaced well over a million people—around one-fifth of Lebanon’s population. The co»»»
Press association denounces Israel’s use of altered image to depict slain journalist
Lebanese journalist Ali Shoeib was killed during an Israeli strike on March 28. To justify this attack, the Israeli army published an image online of Shoeib wearing a uniform of militant group Hezbollah. The army later admitted that the image was photoshopped. The Foreign Press Association (FPA), w»»»
‘We’ve lost a lot’: Lebanese residents return to bombed-out homes in south Beirut
Residents on Friday began to return to their homes in Beirut's southern suburbs after a 10-day truce between Israel and Lebanon came into effect. For many, Israel's relentless bombing campaign has left little to go back to. In cars and on motorbikes, people trickled back into Beirut's southern subu»»»
The World This Week - Iran, Magyar, Mythos & the Pope
In a week where Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz fully open for commercial trade—effectively ending its nearly seven-week de facto blockade of the critical shipping lane, President Trump imposed a U.S. blockade on Iranian ports to strangle its ability to trade. Trump vowed to continue enforcing w»»»
1.2 million people uprooted by war
More than a million civilians in Lebanon have been displaced since the war in the Middle East erupted at the end of February. Among them are thousands of young mothers and pregnant women, many forced to give birth in makeshift camps or other inadequate conditions. This report from our colleagues at»»»
UAE Foreign Ministry reduces service time by 90%, speeds up to six minutes
Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), announced yesterday a major success in fundamentally reengineering its processes, resulting in a reduction of service delivery time by up to 90%. Some transactions can now be completed in as little as six minutes. The Ministry stated that this achi»»»
Gabon opposition leader Bilie-By-Nze placed in pre-trial detention
Gabon’s main opposition leader and former prime minister Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze was placed in pre-trial detention Thursday night following his arrest over allegations of fraud and breach of trust linked to a 2008 cultural festival. The case has sparked criticism from his party, which says the mo»»»
Reporters - Inside the football mafia: Young players targeted by fake recruiters in Senegal
In Senegal, a generation of young men pin their hopes on football as a chance for a better future. These footballers are prepared to sacrifice everything to reach foreign leagues, making them the perfect targets for fake recruiters. FRANCE 24's Sarah Sakho and Simon Martin investigat»»»
Pope Leo warns AI boom could fuel polarisation, violence in Cameroon address
The proliferation of artificial intelligence could spread “polarisation, conflict, fear and violence”, Pope Leo XIV told students at the Catholic University of Central Africa in Cameroon’s capital Yaoundé on Friday. The pope has slammed tyrants, corruption and neocolonial world powers over the cour»»»
Pope blasts 'tyrants' ravaging the world
Days after being criticised on social media by US President Donald Trump, Pope Leo continues his four-nation tour of Africa. He is traveling to Douala, the country’s main port city, where he is set to celebrate Mass and visit a hospital. The Vatican expects around 600,000 people to attend the litur»»»
Pope Leo XIV leads massive mass in Douala
More than 120,000 people filled the Japoma Stadium in Cameroon’s largest city Douala on Friday to attend Pope Leo XIV’s Mass. The pontiff called on the Catholic faithful to reject violence despite the "material and spiritual poverty" afflicting many in the country. France24 Correspondent Indira Ayu»»»
Fallen idol: French singer Patrick Bruel accused of rape, sexual assault
Singer and actor Patrick Bruel has been a household name in France for decades, but in the past few weeks he has hit the headlines facing shock charges of sexual assault and rape. As accusations against the former teen heartthrob multiply, members of his loyal female fanbase are defending the »»»
Macron urges permanent reopening of Hormuz Strait, warns against ‘toll system’
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday hosted a video conference with their European allies to discuss the possible deployment of a multinational force to the Strait of Hormuz once the war in Iran is over. Macron welcomed Iran's announcement that the wate»»»
France, UK host talks on securing Hormuz
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are chairing a meeting of around 40 so-called “non-belligerent” countries this Friday to discuss securing the Strait of Hormuz. The closure of this vital route—now subject to both an Iranian blockade and a retaliatory US one—h»»»
Elderly Frenchwoman held by ICE has returned to France, foreign ministry says
An 85-year-old Frenchwoman who was arrested by ICE after her American veteran husband died has returned to France, the French foreign ministry announced Friday. The detention of Marie-Thérèse Ross – who had moved to the US to marry her long-lost love and was still waiting for her Green Card applica»»»
Britain, France chair meeting on Hormuz
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will on Friday host a video conference with their European allies to discuss the possible deployment of a multinational force to the Strait of Hormuz once the war in Iran is over. The force would help ensure safe and secure pa»»»
Starmer, Macron push forward efforts to reopen Strait of Hormuz
French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday chair a meeting of allies to consider sending a multinational force to ensure security and free-flowing trade in the Strait of Hormuz once the current conflict between Iran and the US and Israel ends. France24 Internation»»»
The 51% - Jeffrey Epstein and the French connection
On one of Paris's most prestigious avenues stands the former home of Jeffrey Epstein. As the world has discovered, the late convicted paedophile's activities went way beyond simply owning real estate around the world. In a special edition, Annette Young speaks to survivors and their supporters who&»»»
French film director Christophe Ruggia gets five-year sentence on appeal for abusing child actor
French film director Christophe Ruggia was given a five-year sentence on appeal Friday for having repeatedly sexually assaulted actor Adèle Haenel when she was a child in the early 2000s. A French court on Friday handed film director Christophe Ruggia a five-year sentence on appeal for s»»»
Macron urges permanent reopening of Hormuz Strait
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday hosted a video conference with their European allies to discuss the possible deployment of a multinational force to the Strait of Hormuz once the war in Iran is over. Macron welcomed Iran's announcement that the wate»»»
Turkey orders mass arrests over online praise for recent school shootings
Turkish police have ordered the arrest of scores of people accused of either praising or spreading fake news about the country's recent school shootings online. At least nine people died in a school shooting in the southern province of Kahramanmaras on Wednesday, and on Tuesday, a former student op»»»
Myanmar’s president commutes death sentences, cuts Aung San Suu Kyi’s jail term
Min Aung Hlaing, leader of Myanmar’s junta and last week installed as the country’s “civilian president”, has issued a blanket order to commute all death sentences, and reduce all prison sentences under 40 years by one-sixth. The military junta resumed executions after ousting the since imprisoned »»»
Access Asia - China steps out of the shadows in Iran war
China's President Xi Jinping has broken a six-week silence about the war in Iran, vowing to take a "constructive" role in efforts to end the conflict. Beijing is wary of being drawn into a war it took no part in, and faces a delicate balancing act between its long-term partnership with Iran and its»»»
Spotlight - Irfan Nooruddin: 'Much to be gained by having more women in India's highest parliamentary body'
François Picard is pleased to welcome Irfan Nooruddin, the Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani Professor of Indian Politics in the Asian Studies Program at Georgetown University. As a scholar of Indian politics, he approaches institutional reform not as a question of isolated policy change, but as a re»»»
Irfan Nooruddin: 'Much to be gained by having more women in India's highest parliamentary body'
François Picard is pleased to welcome Irfan Nooruddin, the Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani Professor of Indian Politics in the Asian Studies Program at Georgetown University. As a scholar of Indian politics, he approaches institutional reform not as a question of isolated policy change, but as a re»»»
Adylbek Kasymaliev briefs ADB President on Kyrgyzstan's achievements - | 24.KG
Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Adylbek Kasymaliev, met with Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda during the IMF-World Bank Group Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C. He briefed the ADB leadership on the country’s development pace. It was noted that the average ann»»»
Printing company added to Kyrgyzstan’s strategic facilities list - | 24.KG
The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan has amended the list of the country’s strategic facilities. According to the resolution, Borbor-Azia Korgolgon Basmakanasy LLC has been included in Category A — facilities of special importance. These facilities are considered critical to the national economy »»»
Strait of Hormuz reopens: More than 20 ships turn back to Iran amid US blockade
Iran has said it has fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, but vessel movement remains tightly controlled, with Tehran retaining oversight of transit routes and limiting passage to designated corridors. The strategic waterway, which carries around 20% of global oil trade, has »»»
Speaker of Zhogorku Kenesh arrives in Germany on official visit - | 24.KG
The official visit of Marlen Mamataliev, Speaker of the Zhogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan, to Germany began on April 17. The parliament’s press service reported. During his visit, Mamataliev met with Julia Klöckner, President of the Bundestag. The parties discussed strengthening political, economic, cu»»»
Collaboration with EBRD: Osh city strengthens transition to green economy - | 24.KG
Osh Mayor Zhanarbek Akayev met with representatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in Kyrgyzstan to promote the Green City strategic project. The press service of the southern capital’s City Hall reported. During the meeting, key attention was paid to issues of susta»»»
Suspect in 1982 Paris Jewish restaurant attack extradited to France
A suspect in the 1982 Paris Jewish restaurant attack that killed six people was extradited to France on Thursday by the Palestinian Authority. Hicham Harb, now 72, was detained on arrival in Paris and is due to face formal proceedings over one of the country’s deadliest post-war antisemitic attacks»»»
Europe faces looming jet fuel shortage: 'Six weeks of fuel left', energy boss warns
Rising fuel costs have already prompted many airlines worldwide to raise ticket prices, passing the burden on to passengers. But as the crisis drags on and the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, both Europe and Asia are now facing a severe fuel shortage that could lead to widespread flight cancellat»»»
Europe leads postwar security talks
Donald Trump has said that another round of talks between the United States and Iran could take place as soon as this weekend. Meanwhile, this Friday, the French and British leaders are due to chair a meeting of around 40 countries focused on securing the Strait of Hormuz. France24 International Af»»»
Kremlin's digital crackdown: VPN restrictions 'a new, sophisticated effort for censorship in Russia'
Alison Sargent is pleased to welcome Hugh WILLIAMSON. As Human Rights Watch Director for Europe and Central Asia, he views Russia’s restrictions on VPNs as part of an architecture of censorship that has expanded significantly since the 2022 Ukraine invasion began. He argues that these policies»»»
Focus - Living under threat of landslides: The Italian villages at risk of disappearing
With its mountains, hills and fragile cliffs, Italy is one of the European countries most susceptible to hydrogeological disasters: landslides, sinkholes, erosion and floods. The situation is causing concern for the country's local authorities. Over 500,000 buildings are situated in areas exposed t»»»
'Allies, not vassals': How Meloni's break with Trump became a political moment for Italy
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is managing the repercussions of a public rebuke from US President Donald Trump this week over the pope, Iran and a defence deal with Israel. It's a rupture that had been building since the outbreak of the US-Israel war with Iran and may ultimately serve her po»»»
Europe welcomes Hormuz Strait reopening
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday hosted a video conference with their European allies to discuss the possible deployment of a multinational force to the Strait of Hormuz once the war in Iran is over. Macron welcomed Iran's announcement that the wate»»»
REPLAY: EU leaders deliver joint statement on Strait of Hormuz opening
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday hosted a video conference with their European allies to discuss the possible deployment of a multinational force to the Strait of Hormuz once the war in Iran is over. Macron welcomed Iran's announcement that the wate»»»
Talking Europe - EU moves to tighten rules on harmful pollutants: The invisible danger of 'forever chemicals'
They are known as "forever chemicals": synthetic compounds that resist breakdown in the human body and the environment. Also known as PFAS, there are thousands of them, and you might not even realise that you are being exposed to them while doing simple everyday tasks like cooking. The EU does have»»»