Author: France 24

Russia claimed the capture of the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka after Ukraine withdrew, but Moscow said that some Ukrainian troops were still holed up in a vast Soviet-era coke plant after one of the most intense battles of the war.  Issued on: 18/02/2024 – 11:31 4 min  The fall of Avdiivka is Russia’s biggest gain since capturing the city of Bakhmut in May 2023, and comes almost two years to the day since President Vladimir Putin triggered a full-scale war by ordering the invasion of Ukraine.Ukraine said it had withdrawn its soldiers to save troops from being fully surrounded after…

Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrived back at his Bangkok home from police hospital early Sunday, just six months after he was arrested following a dramatic return to the kingdom from 15 years of self-imposed exile. Issued on: 18/02/2024 – 07:04Modified: 18/02/2024 – 07:43 3 min The controversial billionaire, twice elected premier and ousted in a 2006 military coup, was jailed for eight years on graft and abuse-of-power charges upon his return in August.But his sentence was cut to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn within days of his return and the government said last week the 74-year-old was…

Greece’s parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly adopted a bill legalising same-sex marriage and adoption in a landmark reform promoted by the conservative government despite opposition from the powerful Orthodox Church. Once the law is promulgated, Greece will become the 37th country in the world and the first Orthodox Christian one to legalise adoption by same-sex families.The bill, which was supported by the New Democracy party of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was approved with 176 votes out of the 245 MPs present following two days of debates.”This is a milestone for human rights, reflecting today’s Greece — a progressive, and democratic country,…

Back to homepage / Shows / Talking Europe Issued on: 16/02/2024 – 11:13 12:01 TALKING EUROPE © FRANCE 24 With our eyes on this June’s European elections, we hold the second debate in our series on countries or groups of EU countries. We look at three founding members of the European Economic Community in 1957, which became the European Union in 1993: Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, known as the Benelux states. They see themselves as frontrunners in European integration, having pioneered a customs union 80 years ago, which showed their neighbours the benefits of trading without tariffs. Benelux prime…

Thousands on Saturday joined the first authorised protest in Senegal’s capital since President Macky Sall postponed elections for his successor, only for a top court to overturn his ruling. Issued on: 17/02/2024 – 20:45 2 min In a sign of calming tensions in the West African country, the protests passed peacefully and police largely kept their distance.Sall’s last-minute move to delay the February 25 poll triggered traditionally stable Senegal’s worst crisis in decades.The Constitutional Council intervened on Thursday and the president, under growing pressure at home and abroad, vowed to organise the elections “as soon as possible”, without any date…

Israel said it had taken 100 people into custody at one of Gaza’s main hospitals Saturday after troops raided the facility, with fears mounting for patients and staff trapped inside. The deadly bombardment of Gaza continued overnight with another 100 people killed in Israeli strikes, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.At least 120 patients and five medical teams are stuck without water, food and electricity in the Nasser hospital in Gaza’s main southern city of Khan Yunis, according to the health ministry.Israel has for weeks concentrated its military operations in Khan Yunis, the hometown of Hamas’s Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar,…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky labelled it a “reset” while others have called it a “shake-up”: FRANCE 24 takes a look at the new team of army commanders tasked with helping Ukraine rebuild military momentum and ultimately win the war against Russia. After weeks of speculation, Zelensky announced he was replacing popular military chief Valery Zaluzhny earlier this month while also unveiling a complete reshuffle of his top command.To find out more about Zelensky’s new men, FRANCE 24 spoke to Ryhor Nizhnikau, a Ukraine specialist and senior research fellow at the Russia, the EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood and Eurasia research programme at the Finnish Institute of International…

Issued on: 16/02/2024 – 15:31 The man who might be back in the White House next year, Donald Trump, has caused huge alarm in Europe by saying that he might let Russia “do whatever the hell they want” against NATO allies that do not contribute enough to collective defence. Our guest says that Trump’s comments should galvanise Europe into strategic autonomy and energy independence. Teresa Ribera is Spain’s minister for ecological transition, and a former secretary of state for climate change. She is a confidant of Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sanchez. “I don’t think that any of the member states…

Alexei Navalny ’s spokesperson confirmed Saturday that the Russian opposition leader had died at a remote Arctic penal colony and said he was “murdered,” but it is unclear where his body is. Issued on: 17/02/2024 – 13:42 3 min An official note handed to Navalny’s mother stated that he died at 2:17 p.m. local time Friday, Kira Yarmysh said. She added that an employee of the prison colony said that Navalny’s body was taken to the nearby city of Salekhard as part of a probe into his death. She demanded that his body be handed over to his family.When a…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned allies Saturday that an “artificial deficit” of weapons for his country risks giving Russia breathing space, hours after his military chief said he was withdrawing troops from the eastern city of Avdiivka.  Issued on: 17/02/2024 – 05:37Modified: 17/02/2024 – 11:39 2 min Zelenskyy spoke to the Munich Security Conference, an annual gathering of security and foreign policy officials. Ukraine is back on the defensive against Russia in the nearly 2-year-old war, hindered by low ammunition supplies and a shortage of personnel.“Ukrainians have proven that we can force Russia to retreat,” he said. “We can get…