Switzerland said Wednesday it was temporarily closing its embassy in Tehran due to the Middle East war but maintaining an "open line" of communication between the United States and Iran. For decades, neutral Switzerland has played a key role in maintaining basic diplomatic contacts between Iran and»»»

Overall clear skies are forecast for Thursday in most of Greece, with unseasonably high temperatures persisting and a chance of rain in the afternoon. In the Greater Athens region the temperature will range from a morning low of 7 to a high of 18 degrees, while the wind will be barely perceptible. »»»

Dubai: The spy-action film Dhurandhar is returning to theatres worldwide in a rare international re-release ahead of the upcoming sequel Dhurandhar The Revenge, which is scheduled to hit cinemas on March 19. The re-release, announced by Jio Studios and B62 Studios, will see the original film screen»»»

Online aggression among young people in Kyrgyzstan was discussed at the Ministry of Education of the Kyrgyz Republic. According to the ministry, Taalim-Forum Public Foundation presented the results of a 2025 study on the spread of cyberbullying and digital hate among teenagers and young people. The»»»

Dubai: Gold prices in Dubai eased on Thursday morning, giving shoppers a small breather after several sessions of elevated prices earlier this month. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The 24-karat rate stood at Dh619.75 per gram at around 9.30 am on Thursday, down from D»»»

This is a direct translation from the original article that appeared in Arabic. With the 2026 midterm elections now only eight months away, the United States is entering an exceptional and unusually fraught political moment, one in which geopolitical turmoil collides with the deep internal polarisa»»»

Chile's ultraconservative José Antonio Kast takes office as president Wednesday in what will mark the Latin American nation’s most pronounced shift to the right since the&nbs»»»

Doha, Qatar: Visa consultancy The Visa Guy in Qatar has launched an AI-powered Visa Eligibility Checker designed to predict travellers’ chances of obtaining a visa before starting the application process. The tool allows users to select a destination country and interact with an AI assistant throug»»»

Doha, Qatar: Mannai Corporation convened its Ordinary General Assembly Meeting virtually via the Zoom platform yesterday, at 9:30 p.m. Doha time. The meeting was chaired by Sheikh Suhaim bin Abdulla bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairman of the Company, who reviewed and highlighted Mannai Corporation’s fin»»»

Lebanon said an Israeli strike on central Beirut's seafront killed at least seven people early on Thursday, another attack in the heart of the capital as Iran-backed Hezbollah launched more missiles at Israel. The Israeli military said separately it had carried out strikes on Beirut's southern subu»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Stars League (QSL) resumes today with Round 18 matches after a brief suspension caused by regional tensions, as teams return to action for the decisive phase of the season. The pause resulted in the postponement of two Round 17 fixtures - Qatar SC vs Al Shamal and Al Arabi vs»»»

The US, it seems, is back in the ‘regime change’ business. Despite his past promises to “stop the reckless and costly policy of regime change,” Donald Trump’s Operation Epic Fury looks anything but. Israel’s assassination of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khameni on the first day and Trump’s urging the »»»

A British warship is on its way to Cyprus. More than a week ago, a British Royal Air Force base was hit by an Iranian-made drone. The opposition criticizes the »»»

Twelve days after the start of the US-Israeli military campaign, Israelis are spending hours a day in bomb shelters as Iranian bombs pour on the country. But since the start of the conflict, neither the Prime minister nor the Defence minister have directly addressed the Israeli population. On top o»»»

FRANCE 24 spoke to Artak Beglaryan, former state minister and human rights ombudsman of Nagorno-Karabakh. The peace declaration signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan last August in Washington raised cautious hopes, but for displaced residents of Nagorno-Karabakh the situation remains difficult.&nbs»»»

The International Energy Agency (IEA) said its 32 members would release a record 400 million barrels from strategic reserves to steady markets as the Middle East war continue to push oil prices higher and threaten global supply. The 32 member countries of the International Energy Agency (IEA) decid»»»

Over 700,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon amid intense Israeli strikes, with nearly 600 having died since the start of the war. Although the capital has mostly been spared, it has suffered two strikes in its heart. FRANCE 24's Catherine Norris Trent speaks from where the latest bomb struck»»»

Since the war has started, fourteen ships have been hit in the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran vows to carry out an 'oil blockade'. Although oil prices have gone down after sharply increasing, concern remains. French President Emmanuel Macron is calling on G7 leaders to work together to reestablish 'free»»»

G7 leaders have announced the record release of 400 million barrels of oil in response to the war in the Middle East. This represents about twenty days worth of usual oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, currently through dangerous to go through due to the threat of Iranian strikes. This initi»»»

Volatility on oil markets is already being felt in the travel sector, as a spike in the price of jet fuel is being passed on to air passengers. Higher fares&nb»»»

US financial service group Citi and two other companies in Dubai's financial centre asked employees to evacuate their offices on Wednesday after Iran threatened to strike US and Israel-linked banks in the Middle East. FRANCE 24's Camille Knight has more.»»»

More than 700,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in Lebanon since the country was dragged back into war with Israel on March 2. FRANCE 24’s reporter met with displaced families who have found refuge in Beirut’s overwhelmed emergency shelters, and others who have no choi»»»

The New York Times on Wednesday reported that a US Tomahawk missile likely hit a school in Iran due to outdated targeting data, killing more than 150 people. This comes after US President Donald Trump suggested that Iran itself might have been responsible for the strike. The United States was respo»»»

One war can fuel another. After the United States and Israel launched an operation that began on Day One with the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Donald Trump expressed surprise at Tehran’s decision to draw in Gulf oil producers and disrupt global supplies. From the ensuing energy crisis, l»»»

A brief social media post by the US Energy Secretary caused the Trump administration to do a major U-turn. Within 30 minutes, Secretary Chris Wright posted - and deleted - that the US Navy had successfully escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz. Despite its short life, the claim s»»»

The Israeli military said Wednesday that it had launched a new wave of strikes on Hezbollah targets in the southern Beirut suburbs, vowing to act with "great force" in the area. The military said it had begun a "large-scale wave of strikes" on Hezbollah infrastructure in Dahiyeh, the Lebanese capit»»»

Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Graig Klein, Assistant Professor in Terrorism and Political Violence at Leiden University in The Hague, explains that Iran may tap into organised crime in order to carry out terror attacks in Europe in retaliation for the war waged by the US and Israel, adding t»»»

Iran has ⁠arrested dozens including ​a foreign national for allegedly spying for the country's "enemies". Dr Aviva Guttmann, Lecturer in Strategy and Intelligence at the Department of International Politics at Aberystwyth University, details how Mossad has inflirtated Iran's security apparatus over»»»

Iran has ⁠arrested dozens including ​a foreign national for allegedly spying for the country's "enemies". Dr Aviva Guttmann, Lecturer in Strategy and Intelligence at the Department of International Politics at Aberystwyth University, details how Mossad has inflirtated Iran's security apparatus over»»»

Tehran may seek to choke off oil traffic through the vital Strait of Hormuz following US and Israeli strikes on Iran, raising fears it could deploy sea mines, officials say. President Donald Trump said US forces struck 28 Iranian mine-laying vessels as concerns grow over threats to the strategic sh»»»

Several major international businesses closed or evacuated offices in Gulf countries after Iran threatened US- and Israel-linked economic targets and centres in the Middle East. US finance group Citi and British consultancy Deloitte evacuated offices in Dubai's financial centre, while PwC, another »»»

The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday it has made "considerable progress" in talks with Pakistan ⁠over its funding ⁠facilities and that discussions will continue. "While considerable progress was made ⁠in the discussions, these will continue in the coming days, including to more fully a»»»

War-torn Ukraine "will stop at nothing" to prevent Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party winning the upcoming Hungarian elections, the Hungarian government claims. Physical violence against the prime minister and his family, and attacks or sabotage of key energy installations, are being »»»

The Veterinary, Livestock, Pastures, and Feed Development Service of Kyrgyzstan reminds everyone that meat sold in official markets and retail outlets across the country is safe. The agency emphasizes that the country has a well-functioning animal identification and tracking system. All cattle, pig»»»

Deputies reviewed and adopted the draft law «On Amendments to the Law ’On Conflicts of Interest’» in its second reading at a meeting of the Zhogorku Kenesh. The bill was initiated by the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers. The document aims to clarify the conceptual framework, determine a single »»»

In tonight's edition, a new report accuses Sudan's Rapid Support Forces of destroying farms around El Fasher before alleged mass killings in October 2025. Also, Congo-Brazzaville prepares to vote, but many young voters say they've lost faith in politics as veteran leader Denis Sassou Ngue»»»

A French aid worker for the UN children's agency was killed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday, after air strikes overnight killed several people in the city of Goma.  A French national working for UNICEF was killed in Goma in the eastern »»»

The DRC is preparing to elect its next president. But some young voters in the African country are increasingly disillusioned with politics. Incumbent leader Denis Sassou-Nguesso, who is 82 years old, is the favorite to win after more than forty years in power.»»»

Rising inflation has dampened Ramadan celebrations in Libya. Across the country, families have had to cope with higher prices. In the eastern city of Benghazi, residents have embraced the spirit of the holy month by lending a helping hand to the city's most disadvantaged people. FRANCE 24's Lilia B»»»

In Egypt, Ramadan is not just a time for religious fasting – it is also a critical financial lifeline for the country’s public and charitable healthcare system. Without the generosity of Zakat (obligatory alms) and Sadaqa (voluntary charity), many major hospitals would struggle to survive. For»»»

In tonight's edition, a French aid worker is killed by a drone strike in Goma in eastern DRC. Also,  global cocoa prices plunged after 2024's record highs, forcing producers to cut payments to farmers. And after nearly 170 years, leopards are returning to South Africa’s western coast, a real c»»»

With France preparing to vote in the first round of the municipal elections on Sunday, Paris has become a battleground between left- and right-wing forces fighting to shape the capital’s future. FRANCE 24 looks at how the city’s affordable housing crisis is shaping the tight-run race.  For man»»»

French artificial intelligence startup AMI on Tuesday said it has raised $1 billion to develop AI systems designed to understand the physical world "in the way animals and humans do", unlike the language-based models behind chatbots such as ChatGPT. The company said it expected to pr»»»

Paris gears up to turn the page after 12-years of Anne Hidalgo. Can the French Socialist party retain control of City Hall after ruling the city for 25 years? Find out who the main contenders in the race are in this edition of Entre Nous. »»»

Doha, Qatar: Sharing photos from fire that broke out in the fuel tanks of one of the facilities in Muharraq Governorate, Bahrain's Ministry of Interior said that the Civil Defence teams are continuing their efforts to control the fire. The Ministry in another post told the residents in three parts »»»

Greek Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias will visit Bulgaria on Thursday at the invitation of caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov. The two ministers and the delegations they lead will discuss current issues in the field of security and defence, the Bulgarian Defence Ministry’s press»»»

Caretaker Energy Minister Traicho Traikov will hold a meeting on Thursday with Prof. Klaus-Dieter Borchardt, coordinator of the Central and South Eastern Europe Energy Connectivity (CESEC) initiative, the Energy Ministry said. The main topic of discussion is expected to be accelerating work on the »»»

Members of the Zhogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan have approved in the third reading a draft law introducing amendments to the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic «On the State Civil Service and Municipal Service.» The bill was initiated by MP Dastan Bekeshev. The document proposes granting citizens of Kyrgyzsta»»»

Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Russian special presidential envoy for economic cooperation with foreign countries, visited the United States, where he met heads of the working group on bilateral economic cooperation. "On instructions from [Russian] Presid»»»