Author: France 24

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that a deal for a ceasefire in Gaza and release of remaining hostages by Hamas is near the “goal line.” “I believe we’re inside the 10 yard line and driving toward the goal line” on an “agreement that would produce a ceasefire, get the hostages home, and put us on a better track to trying to build lasting peace and stability,” Blinken said at a forum in Colorado. Source link

Tadej Pogacar climbed to a convincing victory on stage 19 of the Tour de France on Friday, extending his overall lead over defending champion Jonas Vingegaard to close on a historic Tour-Giro double. Source link

Eight Palestinian athletes will take part in the Paris Olympic Games, which get under way on July 26. After nine months of war in Gaza, their presence will serve as a platform to raise public awareness of their commitment to their people, according to Palestinian officials. Source link

The top United Nations court said Friday that Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful and called on it to end, and for settlement construction to stop immediately, issuing an unprecedented, sweeping condemnation of Israel’s rule over the lands it captured 57 years ago. Story by Charlottes Hughes. Source link

In today’s edition of Destination Paris, we focus on the final stages preparations of the opening ceremony. Meanwhile, the Japanese gymnastic team are dealt a huge blow as their captain is forced to withdraw, and our reporters in Kenya follow marathon hopeful Rosemary Wanjiru. Source link

The International Court of Justice ruled Friday that Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian Territories is illegal and called on it to stop building settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas hailed the decision while Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said it cannot alter the “legality of Israeli settlement in all the territories of our homeland”. Source link

Tadej Pogacar overtook three riders on the final 16-kilometer climb to win stage 19 of the Tour de France in the southern Alps on Friday. Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard finished sixth and now stands more than five minutes behind his main rival with two stages to go. Source link

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed a drone attack Friday on Tel Aviv that left one person dead, saying it marked a “new phase” in its operations against Israel. ABC’s Jordana Miller reports from Jerusalem. Source link

A powerful explosion of unknown origin went off in a building in Tel Aviv before 4:00 am (0100 GMT), Israeli police said Friday. Israeli media reported a loud explosion on Ben Yehuda Street on the corner of Shalom Aleichem in Tel Aviv. “Numerous police officers and bomb disposal experts have arrived on the scene and are dealing with the situation,” police said in a statement, without giving further details. Source link

In this week’s edition of Destination Paris, we focus on the opening of the Olympic Village, with athletes flocking from the world over. Also, the Refugee Olympic Team have convened in Bayeux ahead of the Games, with 37 athletes hoping to inspire displaced people everywhere. Finally, our reporters in Kenya visited the small town of Iten, known as the Mecca of long-distance running. Source link