Author: France 24

Pro-Ukrainian forces are conducting incursions into Russian territory, temporarily seizing a village in the border region of Kursk, reminiscent of similar operations in the spring of 2023 but occurring in a very different military and political context. Ukraine-based Russian militias are again on the attack, staging cross-border raids this week into Russian territory. Pro-Ukrainian forces even claimed on Tuesday, March 12, to have taken full control of a Russian village. The Freedom of Russia Legion, mainly composed of anti-Putin Russian fighters, posted a video showing Russian soldiers deserting Tetkino, a municipality in the Kursk region, on the Russian side of the…

At least 60 people died on a migrant boat that lost power as it tried to reach Europe from Libya, an aid group said Thursday, citing accounts from those rescued. Issued on: 14/03/2024 – 17:51 1 min “Survivors report that at least 60 people died en route, including women and at least one child,” said Marseille-based SOS Mediterranee.The group’s Ocean Viking rescue ship is currently heading for port, carrying 224 people rescued from different boats.Among them are 25 from a boat that survivors said had set off from Zawiya, Libya on March 8 — only for its motor to give…

SpaceX’s mega rocket blasted off on another test flight Thursday and made it farther than two previous attempts, but the spacecraft was lost as it descended back to Earth. Issued on: 14/03/2024 – 16:35 1 min The company said it lost contact with the spacecraft as it neared its goal, a splashdown in the Indian Ocean, about an hour after liftoff from the southern tip of Texas near the Mexican border.Two test flights last year both ended in explosions minutes after liftoff.Starship, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, headed out over the Gulf of Mexico after launch Thursday.…

Spain’s Parliament approved on Thursday a controversial amnesty bill aimed at forgiving crimes — both proven and alleged — committed by Catalan separatists during a chaotic attempt to hold an independence referendum in the region six years ago. Issued on: 14/03/2024 – 14:51 3 min Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has promoted the amnesty as a way to move past the 2017 secession attempt by the then-leaders of Catalonia, a northeastern region centered around Barcelona where many speak the local Catalan language as well as Spanish.However, the bill has also met opposition from millions of Spaniards who believe that the…

Issued on: 14/03/2024 – 12:20 Some pro-Palestinian accounts on social media are sharing a photo that they claim shows two Israeli female soldiers who were “subjected to gang rape and violence” within the Israeli army. We tell you where this photo really comes from in this edition of Truth or Fake. Source link

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un joined his troops in training to operate newly developed battle tanks as he called for bigger efforts to prepare for war, state media reported Thursday. Issued on: 14/03/2024 – 05:28 1 min The North’s tank training was seen as a response to the annual 11-day South Korean-US military drills that are to end later Thursday. The North views its rivals’ exercises a rehearsal for invasion.The North’s training on Wednesday was designed to inspect tankmen’s combat capabilities and involved the new-type main battle tank that Kim called “the world’s most powerful,” the official Korean Central…

Issued on: 14/03/2024 – 11:22 France’s National Assembly is debating a bill that would impose penalties on purchases from brands like Shein, Temu and Primark as the explosive growth of the ultra-fast fashion industry wreaks massive environmental damage. We take a closer look. Also, German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall projects record sales for 2024 in a Europe threatened by war. Source link

Issued on: 13/03/2024 – 23:43Modified: 14/03/2024 – 10:52 02:06 Activists at Israeli charity, Standing Together, attempted to take a truck bearing humanitarian supplies into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing at the border point between Israel, Egypt and the southern Gaza Strip. But at a police checkpoint near the Kerem Shalom crossing, the aid mission came to an abrupt end. The Israeli activists told to make a U-turn. FRANCE 24’s Andrew Hilliar and Claire Duhamel report from Israel. Read more on related topics: Source link

China on Thursday slammed the approval of a US bill that would ban TikTok unless it severs ties with its Chinese parent company, blasting Washington’s “bandit” mentality and vowing Beijing would “take all necessary measures” to protect the interests of its companies overseas.  Issued on: 14/03/2024 – 10:31 2 min The short-video app has soared in popularity worldwide but its ownership by Chinese technology giant ByteDance – and alleged subservience to Beijing’s ruling Communist Party – has fuelled concern in Western capitals.On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill that would force TikTok to divest from its…

Atletico Madrid bounced back from two goals down on aggregate against Inter Milan to reach the Champions League quarter-finals with a thrilling 3-2 penalty shoot-out triumph on Wednesday. Issued on: 14/03/2024 – 00:39 3 min Trailing by a single goal after last month’s first leg, Atletico looked dead and buried when Federico Dimarco pushed home Inter’s opener at the Estadio Metropolitano.But Antoine Griezmann immediately pulled the hosts level on the night and three minutes before the end of the regulation 90 minutes substitute Memphis Depay took the tie to extra time at 2-2 with a fine low finish.That set up…