Author: France 24

Kylian Mbappé could make his debut for Real Madrid when they face Atalanta in the Super Cup on Wednesday. But coach Carlo Ancelotti remained tight-lipped on whether the French forward would start the game.

Gaza ceasefire talks resumed in Doha on Thursday (August 15) as pressure mounted for a deal to halt the spread of a war that the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry said has killed 40,000.

The Africa CDC or centres for Disease Control has declared its first ever public health emergency over the most recent mpox outbreak that began in DR Congo last September but has since spread to other countries. Over 38,000 cases and more than 1,400 deaths have been attributed to the virus on the continent since the start of 2022. 

Real Madrid’s superstar signing Kylian Mbappé wasted no time getting on the scoresheet for his new club, netting the Champions League-winning side’s second goal in a 2-0 victory that brought Los Blancos its sixth UEFA Super Cup trophy, and Carlos Ancelotti’s club record-tying 14th title as manager.

Indonesia is gearing up to inaugurate its new capital Nusantara later this week, on the country’s Independence Day.  Amid delays and slow private investment, President Joko Widodo hailed the unfinished city as a “canvas on which to draw the future”.  Yuka Royer takes a closer look at the 30 billion euro megaprojects and convroversies surrounding it. 

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu confirmed Wednesday that an Israeli delegation will attend a new round of Gaza peace talks slated for Thursday in Doha, along with officials from the US, Egypt and Qatar. Hamas representatives will not attend but are expected to be briefed by mediators afterwards. The talks come at a crucial time as Israel braces for an expected retaliation from Iran after the murder of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on its soil. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

Charlotte Kool beat fellow Dutch rider Lorena Wiebes on the line Tuesday to defend her leader’s yellow jersey in the second stage of the Tour de France for women. Meanwhile West Ham signed Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka in a deal worth a reported £15 million ($19 million) on Tuesday. FRANCE 24 Sports Editor Leo McGuinn reports.

Explosions were heard in Tel Aviv but there were no reports of casualties, Israeli media reported, after Hamas’s armed wing said it had targeted the city with M90 rockets. Earlier in the day, Iran rejected Western calls to “stand down” its threats to retaliate for the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran amid US warnings of a “significant” attack on Israel that could come as early as this week. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

Amid rising tensions over the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, threats from the Islamic State group, and France’s history of homegrown Islamist terror plots as well as far-right extremism, there were real concerns about France’s ability to ensure adequate security during the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, French security services managed to keep thousands of athletes and millions of fans safe – a “gold-medal” performance, according to Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. 

The Pentagon said Sunday that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and is telling the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area. The moves come as tensions soar in the region following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut. “It has to be noted, it’s pretty rare for the Pentagon, for the US, to actually publicly state submarine movements, so that in itself is pretty significant,” FRANCE 24’s Kethevane Gorjestani said in an analysis, adding…