Author: France 24

Russia launched 122 missiles and 36 drones against Ukrainian targets, officials said Friday, killing at least 30 civilians across the country in what an air force official said was the biggest aerial barrage of the 22-month war. At least 144 people were injured and an unknown number were buried under rubble during the roughly 18-hour onslaught, Ukrainian officials said. A maternity hospital, apartment blocks and schools were among the buildings reported damaged across Ukraine.In the capital, Kyiv, broken glass and mangled metal littered city streets. Air raid and emergency service sirens wailed as plumes of smoke drifted into a bright…

Issued on: 28/12/2023 – 07:12Modified: 28/12/2023 – 10:18 01:41 In the past few days, Israeli strikes have reportedly killed dozens of people in several refugee camps across central Gaza. Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Wednesday that strikes on a central refugee camp in Gaza had entered a third day, and that an additional brigade had been deployed to the southern city of Khan Younis, the recent focus of heavy urban combat. “We keep getting stuck from one place to another,” a Palestinian man in Gaza told reporters.  Read more on related topics: Source link

Iran on Friday hanged four people convicted of spying for arch foe Israel, the judiciary said, less than two weeks after authorities had executed a man on similar grounds. Issued on: 29/12/2023 – 08:50 1 min “Four members of a sabotage group related to the Zionist regime [Israel]… were hanged this morning” in Iran’s northwestern province of West Azerbaijan, the judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported.It identified them as three men – Vafa Hanareh, Aram Omari and Rahman Parhazo – and one woman, Nasim Namazi, who had all been sentenced to death on charges of “moharebeh”, or waging war against God, and…

Issued on: 28/12/2023 – 07:28Modified: 28/12/2023 – 10:25 01:30 The border between Lebanon and Israel has seen escalating exchanges of fire, mainly between the Israeli army and Hamas ally Hezbollah, since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, raising fears of a broader conflagration. “There has been a distinct upswing in violence on the border,” says FRANCE 24 journalist Luke Shrago, reporting from the ground in Tel Aviv. Read more on related topics: Source link

A celebrity-studded “Almost Naked” party in Moscow’s famed Mutabor nightclub has drawn outrage from Russia’s political establishment, which has become increasingly po-faced since the assault on Ukraine. Issued on: 29/12/2023 – 11:43Modified: 29/12/2023 – 13:57 2 min Footage showing Russian VIPs in lingerie and raunchy costumes led to the arrest of a rapper for wearing nothing but a strategically-placed sock, and calls for boycotts and investigations.The scandal shows the shrinking space for anything deviating from conservative patriotism in Russia since its deadly assault in Ukraine almost two years ago.Amid the backlash, organiser Anastasia Ivleeva published a tearful apology video. “I would…

Issued on: 28/12/2023 – 10:38Modified: 28/12/2023 – 11:04 04:12 Israel intensifies strikes on Gaza as West Bank violence flares © France 24 Israeli forces pressed on with intensified attacks in the Gaza Strip’s biggest southern city and a central refugee camp, after the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry reported more than 21,000 people had been killed in 11 weeks of war. FRANCE 24 journalist Luke Shrago brings us the latest from the ground in Tel Aviv, Israel.  Read more on related topics: Source link

The Islamic State group attacking truffle producers in the Syrian desert, an Ivorian recruited to fight with the Wagner militia in Ukraine and the far-reaching impacts of India’s “love jihad” conspiracy. These are just a few of the stories that shaped 2023 for us. The FRANCE 24 Observers team takes a look back at some of the key investigations from this year. Issued on: 29/12/2023 – 15:17 4 min An Ivorian who fought for Wagner in UkraineOn January 1, a video showed the leader of the paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, with a fighter said to be an Ivorian who…

Western powers on Thursday condemned Iran accelerating its production of highly enriched uranium, after a watchdog said it had upped manufacture following months of slowdown. Issued on: 28/12/2023 – 21:39 2 min In a joint statement, Britain, France, Germany and the US said they “condemn this measure that further aggravates the continued escalation of the Iranian nuclear programme,” adding that “Iran’s production of highly enriched uranium has no credible civilian justification”.The statement came two days after the International Atomic Energy Agency released a report saying Iran “increased its production of highly enriched uranium, reversing a previous output reduction from mid-2023.”Iran…

From drought in Spain to floods in the Horn of Africa and wildfires in Canada, 2023 was marked by some alarming environmental disasters. However, it wasn’t all bad news – the past few months have seen some significant advances in the fight against climate change. The hottest year in historyIt was hot this year, sometimes very hot – temperatures reached 53°C in Death Valley in the United States, 55°C in Tunisia, and 52°C in China. Even after summer, the mercury did not drop to regular levels with September, October and November all experiencing unusually warm temperatures. The news everyone anticipated finally…

Issued on: 29/12/2023 – 18:12Modified: 29/12/2023 – 19:05 01:48 A former hostage held in Gaza by Hamas, Mia Schem, has given her first interview to Israeli media, since she was released a month ago. Read more on related topics: Source link