Author: France 24

A leading opponent of Chad’s ruling junta chief has died in an army assault on his party headquarters ahead of a May election when he was set to be the main rival to his cousin and transitional president Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno. Issued on: 29/02/2024 – 15:48 2 min Yaya Dillo Djerou died on Wednesday “where he had retreated, at the headquarters of his party. He didn’t want to surrender and fired on law enforcement,” said government spokesman Abderaman Koulamallah, who is also communications minister, said.It came after Chad on Tuesday announced it would hold a presidential election on May…

Issued on: 29/02/2024 – 12:55Modified: 29/02/2024 – 12:59 04:36 France’s Senate on Wednesday backed a government move to enshrine the “freedom” to have an abortion in the constitution which will now be voted on at a special congress. President Emmanuel Macron last year pledged to put the right to terminate a pregnancy — which has been legal in France since 1974 — into 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. Despite opposition from some conservative members, the upper chamber voted by 267 votes to 50…

Issued on: 29/02/2024 – 07:51Modified: 29/02/2024 – 12:42 01:30 A group of Israelis began a four-day march to Jerusalem from an area near the Gaza border to demand the release of the hostages still being held in the Palestinian territory. “We just want our loved ones back home immediately,” said Inbal Zach, a cousin of a hostage. The group will pass through several towns on their march, which they hope will pressure Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu amid ongoing negotations for a new truce in the Israel-Hamas war. Read more on related topics: Source link

Actor Judith Godreche on Thursday denounced France’s “incestuous” film industry and called for the establishment of a commission of inquiry into sexual violence in the movie industry as she spoke in the Senate upper house. Issued on: 29/02/2024 – 14:08 2 min The landmark hearing at the Luxembourg Palace comes as French cinema is reeling from claims that the world of arts has shrugged off sexism and sexual abuse for decades.Godreche, 51, became the first artist to speak to members of French parliament’s upper house about sexual and gender-based violence in the French film industry.She has become a leading voice…

Issued on: 29/02/2024 – 09:29 06:14 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…

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