Author: France 24

At least 15 civilians were killed and two others injured during a “terrorist” attack on a Catholic church during Sunday mass in northern Burkina Faso, a senior church official said. Issued on: 25/02/2024 – 18:55 1 min “We bring to your attention a terrorist attack which the Catholic community of Essakane village was the victim of today, February 25, while they were gathered for Sunday prayer,” the vicar of the Dori diocese, Jean-Pierre Sawadogo, said in a statement sent to AFP.The provisional toll was 15 killed and two wounded, he added.Calling for peace and security in Burkina Faso, Sawadogo denounced…

French President Emmanuel Macron is due to host European leaders Monday for a conference aimed at strengthening Western support for Ukraine, two years into the Russian invasion Issued on: 26/02/2024 – 04:23 2 min The meeting in Paris will be a chance for participants to “reaffirm their unity as well as their determination to defeat the war of aggression waged by Russia in Ukraine”, the French presidency said.It also signals Macron’s eagerness to present himself as a European champion of Ukraine’s cause, amid growing fears that American support could wane in the coming years.”Battered and bruised, but still standing. Ukraine…

The world’s trade ministers gathered in the UAE on Monday for a high-level WTO meeting with no clear prospects for breakthroughs, amid geopolitical tensions and disagreements. Issued on: 26/02/2024 – 04:03 3 min The World Trade Organisation’s 13th ministerial conference (MC13), scheduled to run until Thursday in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, is the first in two years.The WTO is hoping for progress, particularly on fishing, agriculture and electronic commerce.But big deals are unlikely as the body’s rules require full consensus among all 164 member states — a tall order in the current climate.”I don’t have…

Hungary is expected to ratify Sweden’s NATO accession on Monday, clearing the last hurdle before the historic step by the Nordic country whose neutrality lasted through two world wars and the simmering conflict of the Cold War. Issued on: 26/02/2024 – 05:10Modified: 26/02/2024 – 05:21 2 min The Hungarian parliament’s vote, which is expected to pass smoothly after a visit by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson last Friday during which the two countries signed an arms deal, will end months of delays to complete Sweden’s security policy shift.Stockholm abandoned its non-alignment policy for greater safety within the North Atlantic Treaty…

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…

Most British exporters and manufacturers have felt an impact from disruption in the Red Sea caused by attacks on shipping by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, according to a survey. Issued on: 25/02/2024 – 23:55 1 min The British Chambers of Commerce said 55% of exporters reported disruption, as did 53% of manufacturers and business-to-consumer services firms, a category that includes retailers and wholesalers. Across all businesses, 37% reported an impact.”There has been spare capacity in the shipping freight industry to respond to the difficulties, which has bought us some time,” the BCC’s head of trade policy, William Bain, said.”But our…

Thousands of Brazilians poured into the streets of Sao Paulo on Sunday after ex-president Jair Bolsonaro called for a show of support as he faces accusations he plotted a coup to stay in power. Issued on: 25/02/2024 – 20:59 2 min Dressed in the green and yellow of Brazil’s flag, which Bolsonaro claimed as a symbol while in office, an immense crowd of his supporters thronged Paulista Avenue, one of the main arteries in the country’s economic capital.Bolsonaro arrived waving the Israeli flag—a rejection of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s remarks comparing Israel’s offensive in Gaza to the Holocaust—before…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested on Sunday that plans for Kyiv’s long-awaited counteroffensive last year had been leaked to Russia ahead of time. Issued on: 25/02/2024 – 18:27 1 min Ukraine’s counteroffensive in 2023, powered by billions of dollars in Western arms, largely fell flat, failing to break through multiple lines of Russian defences and fortifications.“Our counteroffensive action plans were on the Kremlin’s table before the counteroffensive actions began,” Zelensky said Sunday at a press conference in Kyiv.His office subsequently confirmed to AFP that Zelensky was referring to Moscow obtaining sensitive military planning information.Zelensky did not provide any other details…

The Eiffel Tower reopened to visitors on Sunday after a six-day closure because of striking employees demanding better maintenance of the historic landmark, showing traces of rust, and salary hikes. Issued on: 25/02/2024 – 15:59 1 min The operator of the 330-meter (1,083-foot) tower said in a statement it reached an agreement with unions representing the workers after promising to allocate an “ambitious 380 million euro (about $412 million) investment by 2031” for renovation work. This week, it also launched salary negotiations, expected to be finalized next month, after employees on strike demanded an increase proportionate to revenue from ticket…

It was the puddles of green sludge left by the tires of massive tractors in western Belgium’s industrial farmlands that drew the attention of biological engineer Ineke Maes. Issued on: 25/02/2024 – 14:44 4 min The slime was destructive algae, the result of the excess of chemicals used by farmers to boost their crops, but at a high cost to nature. Maes had hoped the European Union’s environmental policies would start to make a fundamental difference by improving exhausted soils.In recent weeks, some of those tractors moved off the land and onto the roads, blocking major cities and economic lifelines…