Author: France 24

Back to homepage / Middle East LIVEBLOG After an Israeli delegation was sent to Paris for ceasefire talks on Saturday, Israeli discussed of  progress in mediated negotiations on a new Gaza truce to recover hostages held by Hamas. According to local media, the meeting had concluded with the cabinet agreeing to send a delegation to Qatar in the coming days to continue the talks, as concern deepens over the increasingly desperate situation faced by civilians in the devastated Gaza Strip. Read our liveblog for all the latest updates on the Israel-Hamas war.  Issued on: 25/02/2024 – 08:18 1 min A vendor…

Angry farmers were back in Paris on their tractors in a new protest Friday demanding more government support and simpler regulations, on the eve of a major agricultural fair in the French capital. Issued on: 23/02/2024 – 13:53Modified: 23/02/2024 – 19:05 2 min Dozens of tractors drove peacefully into a neighbourhood in western Paris carrying flags from Rural Coordination, the farmers’ union that staged the protest. The protesters then posed with their tractors on a bridge over the Seine River with the Eiffel Tower in the background, before heading towards the Vauban plaza in central Paris. The latest protest comes three…

Ahead of the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, Ukrainian soldier and author Oleksandr “Teren” Budko spoke to FRANCE 24 about his path to recovery after losing both legs, his approach to writing and his patriotism. On a recent evening at the Ukrainian Cultural Institute in France, Oleksandr “Teren” Budko stood with his interpreter before a large audience of Ukrainians and other nationalities. Blond and with a boyish face, the 27-year-old Ukrainian soldier was on the French leg of his European book tour for “Story of a Stubborn Man”. The autobiography interspersed with memories from the front lines…

France’s annual movie awards ceremony took a somber turn Friday with a standing ovation for actress Judith Godreche who spoke out against sexual violence in the film industry. Issued on: 24/02/2024 – 07:46 3 min Thriller “Anatomy of a Fall” dominated France’s premier cinematic honours with six trophies, including best film, giving it new momentum ahead of the Oscars, in which it has five nominations.But the evening’s winners and losers were eclipsed by the speech from Godreche, who took the stage to denounce the “level of impunity, denial and privilege” in the industry.Godreche, who has become a leading figure in…

Ukraine on Saturday vowed to triumph over Russian “darkness” as it entered a new year of war weakened by a lack of Western aid and with Moscow emboldened by fresh gains. To mark the second anniversary, a virtual summit of G7 leaders was set to take place at Kyiv’s Saint Sophia Cathedral Saturday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attending. Read FRANCE 24’s coverage of the day’s events. When Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” at dawn on February 24, 2022, many expected victory within days, but Ukraine fought back, forcing Russian troops into humiliating retreats.Since then, however,…

France’s Eiffel Tower that had been closed for five days by a strike will reopen Sunday after the monument’s management announced a deal had been struck with unions. Issued on: 24/02/2024 – 14:51 1 min The stoppage since Monday at one of the world’s best-known tourist sites was the second within two months in protest at what unions say was insufficient investment.The tower’s operator SETE said it had reached agreement with the unions on Saturday “under which the parties will regularly monitor the company’s business model, investment in works and revenue through a body that will meet every six months”.With…

Two years after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the end of the war is nowhere in sight. Ukrainian refugees in France are each adapting in their own way, with many preparing to stay for the long term. Issued on: 24/02/2024 – 14:52 4 min Two years of Russia’s war in Ukraine have forced over 14 million people – nearly one third of Ukraine’s population – to flee their homes, according to the UN. Around 69,000 of those people have found refuge in France as of January 2024.The figure is modest compared to European countries like Poland and Germany, which have welcomed…

Britain’s Conservative Party suspended one of its lawmakers, Lee Anderson, on Saturday after he said the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, was under the control of Islamists. Issued on: 24/02/2024 – 20:19Modified: 24/02/2024 – 20:21 1 min Khan, the first Muslim to be mayor of London and a member of the opposition Labour Party, is a frequent target of Conservative criticism for his handling of policing in Britain’s capital, including regular pro-Palestinian marches.On Wednesday hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside parliament, during a chaotic vote over whether to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and the exact language to use.The…

West Africa’s regional bloc known as ECOWAS has lifted travel, commercial and economic sanctions imposed on Niger that were aimed at reversing the coup staged in the country last year, a senior official announced Saturday. Issued on: 24/02/2024 – 16:39 2 min The sanctions will be lifted with immediate effect, the president of the ECOWAS Commission, Omar Alieu Touray said after the bloc’s meeting in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, that aimed to address existential threats facing the region as well as implore three junta-led nations that have quit the bloc to rescind their decision.The lifting of the sanctions on Niger is…

The body of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been handed to his mother, more than a week after he died in an Arctic penal colony, his spokesperson said on Saturday. Issued on: 24/02/2024 – 17:36 1 min Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critic, died on February 16 in one of Russia’s toughest prisons in northern Siberia, where he was serving a 19-year sentence on charges widely seen as political retribution for his opposition.“Alexei’s body was handed over to his mother. Many thanks to all those who demanded this with us,” Navalny spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said on X,…