Author: France 24

Pakistan’s National Assembly swore in newly elected members on Thursday in a chaotic scene, as allies of jailed former Premier Imran Khan protested what they claim was a rigged election. Issued on: 29/02/2024 – 09:40 3 min Lawmakers from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party repeatedly chanted “Vote-thief!” as Shehbaz Sharif, who’s expected to form the government, entered the lower house of parliament with his brother Nawaz Sharif. Both men are former premiers.Outgoing National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf administered the oath to incoming legislators at noon.The house echoed with chants of “Long Live Sharif!” when the brothers signed the register after…

Gaza’s health ministry collects data from the enclave’s hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent.The health ministry does not report how Palestinians were killed, whether from Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages or errant Palestinian rocket fire. It describes all casualties as victims of “Israeli aggression”.The ministry also does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Throughout four wars and numerous skirmishes between Israel and Hamas, UN agencies have cited the Hamas-run health ministry’s death tolls in regular reports. The International Committee of the Red Cross and Palestinian Red Crescent also use the numbers.In the aftermath of war, the UN humanitarian office has published…

Seven wildfires were raging in Texas, including one of the largest in recent state history, authorities said Wednesday, as properties were destroyed and multiple evacuation orders were issued, particularly in the north. Issued on: 29/02/2024 – 01:36 2 min The Smokehouse Creek Fire in Texas’ panhandle, a flat northern area known for its prairies and smattering of small towns, was listed as 3 percent contained by the Texas A&M Forest Service.The enormous blaze has already scorched some 850,000 acres (344,000 hectares) — an area approximately half the size of the state of Delaware.Following harsh winds and unseasonably warm temperatures, the…

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday urged the world to “act rapidly” on Haiti, at a Caribbean summit where political agreements were announced on a possible way forward for the crisis-torn nation. Issued on: 28/02/2024 – 23:40 2 min Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, has been in turmoil for years with armed gangs taking over parts of the country and unleashing brutal violence that has left its economy and public health system in tatters.In recent weeks, the country has also been engulfed in widespread unrest as thousands of people took to the streets to…

Issued on: 28/02/2024 – 14:34Modified: 28/02/2024 – 15:04 01:35 Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said on Wednesday the Islamist group was showing flexibility in negotiations with Israel over the Gaza war, but at the same time was ready to continue fighting. Both sides have delegations in Qatar this week hammering out details, but there are major disagreements on which Israeli hostages would be released first. While Israeli media reports that Israelis want female soldiers to be among the first, Hamas “see all soldiers as major bargaining chips”, says FRANCE 24 correspondent Andrew Hilliar.  Read more on related topics: Source link

French senators on Wednesday voted to enshrine the right to an abortion in the country’s constitution. If the bill is approved by a three-fifths vote of parliament, expected on Monday, France will become the first country in the world to constitutionally ensure the right to an abortion.   Issued on: 28/02/2024 – 20:10 2 min Wednesday’s vote comes after the lower house, or National Assembly, overwhelmingly approved the proposal in January. The government of President Emmanuel Macron had pushed for Article 34 of the constitution to be amended to cite “the freedom of women to have recourse to an abortion, which is guaranteed”.The government said in its introduction…

Issued on: 28/02/2024 – 15:38 Broken childhoods is the summary of this week’s film show: those of young film stars, at the heart of French actress Judith Godrèche’s speech at France’s César awards ceremony; and that of the young heroine in the film “When it Melts”, which is out in France this week. It’s the directorial debut of Belgian actress Veerle Baetens, who joins Eve Jackson and Lisa Nesselson in the studio. (In France, the film is banned for under-12s and comes with a warning). Join them for a roundup of the week’s French film news. Source link

Issued on: 28/02/2024 – 17:23Modified: 28/02/2024 – 17:37 02:54 The families of hostages held in Gaza and their supporters are launching a four-day march from southern Israel to Jerusalem to demand their loved ones be set free. The march comes as negotiations are underway in Qatar to bring about a deal between Hamas and Israel that would lead to a ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages. But there are “major sticking points” hindering a mutual agreement, says FRANCE 24 correspondent Andrew Hilliar.  Read more on related topics: Source link

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny’s funeral service and burial will take place in Moscow on Friday, his spokesperson said, but his allies accused the Kremlin of thwarting their attempts to organise a bigger event a day earlier.  Issued on: 28/02/2024 – 11:21Modified: 28/02/2024 – 13:32 3 min Kira Yarmysh, his spokesperson, posted on X that a service for Navalny would be held on Friday at 2 p.m. (1100 GMT) in the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God in the Moscow district of Maryino where Navalny used to live.Navalny would then be buried at the Borisovskoye cemetery, which…

Issued on: 28/02/2024 – 14:41 08:14 A French government plan to enshrine the “freedom” to have an abortion in the constitution is to be tested Wednesday in a crucial vote in the right-dominated Senate. President Emmanuel Macron last year pledged to inscribe the right to terminate a pregnancy — which has been legal in France since 1974 — in the constitution after the US Supreme Court in 2022 overturned the half-century-old right to the procedure, allowing states to ban or curtail abortion. France’s lower-house National Assembly overwhelmingly voted in favour of making abortion a “guaranteed freedom” in late January, with…