Author: France 24

The Syrian army on Thursday said it had lost control of the key central city of Hama and withdrawn its troops after rebel forces broke through its defences. The insurgents, who are led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), began their lightning advance a week ago and quickly seized swathes of territory, including Syria’s second city Aleppo.

For almost 6 months every year, residents of New Delhi suffocate under a blanket of pollution. The Indian capital is among the most polluted cities in the world, and new records are set each November. The fine particles in New Delhi’s air are 60 times that of levels recommended by the WHO, which can cost an average of 12 years in life expectancy for a lifetime spent in the city. For children, the impact is even more serious: being born in Delhi is equivalent to smoking 30 cigarettes a day. One child in three suffers from serious respiratory illnesses, and…

The Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch Glinda are finally getting their big screen moment thanks to “Wicked”, John M. Chu’s adaptation of the Broadway hit. Film critic Emma Jones tells us why this fantastical Wizard of Oz origin story of sorts left her pleasantly surprised and thoroughly entertained. We check out the star-packed thriller “Conclave”, and learn why Ralph Fiennes could clean up come awards season thanks to his performance in this stylish tale of Papal intrigue. French feature “And their Children after them” revisits the socio-realism of the award-winning novel of the same name, and…

The chief executive of one of the United States’s largest health insurance companies, UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed outside a New York Hilton hotel in an apparently targeted hit Wednesday. Brian Thompson was shot just before 7 am outside the hotel in the Midtown district of Manhattan. Police are searching for the killer. 

An Ho Chi Minh City court upheld a death sentence for Vietnamese real estate magnate Truong My Lan after convicting her for embezzlement and bribery in the country’s biggest financial fraud case. The 68-year-old still has the right to request a review of the case and can also commute her sentence to life imprisonment if she raises 75 percent of the sums she embezzled, which would total $9 billion. Also, a new plan to reduce the chances of drought in the Panama Canal raises concerns. 

From leader of the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda to commander-in-chief of militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammed al-Golani has spent the past dozen years carefully polishing his public image, including distancing himself from al-Qaida, in order to win over international governments and Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities. 

Pakistan is home to thousands of climate refugees. While the country contributes less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas, it is heavily impacted by the warming climate. One of the most affected areas is the autonomous province of Gilgit-Baltistan, located in northern Pakistan. It is known for its breath-taking landscapes made up of the majestic peaks of the Karakoram, the Himalayas, and the Hindu Kush mountain ranges. The province has thousands of glaciers that supply water to the valley floors and their millions of inhabitants, but the accelerated melting of the glaciers due to climate change has turned these ice…

The tragic 2019 fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral led to major discoveries during restoration work. Archaeologists unearthed treasures dating back from antiquity to the 19th century.

Excitement is building, one day ahead of the start of the famous round-the-world yacht race, the Vendée Globe, setting off from France’s Atlantic coast. How does one prepare for the 3-month unassisted mega sailing race? FRANCE 24’s Cédric Ferreira and Natalia Riuz Giraldo met some of the skippers, including Clarisse Cremer, one 6 women participating.

A day after the US government announced new export restrictions hitting China’s chip industry, Beijing retaliated with a ban on the sale of key minerals like gallium and germanium to the United States.  Plus, after its bizarre rebranding campaign was met with a social media storm, Jaguar unveiled its next-generation, all-electric concept car as it tries to turn around its business.