Author: France 24

Issued on: 03/01/2024 – 16:28Modified: 03/01/2024 – 16:42 01:45 Israeli forces intensified their bombing of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday while the country’s defese miniser said the country remained “determined to achieve our goals” in the enclave, despite Israel being widely thought to be entering a third, less intense phase, of its assault on Gaza. Read more on related topics: Source link

Russia and Ukraine said Wednesday that they had exchanged hundreds of captive soldiers, the first such prisoner of war exchange in months. Issued on: 03/01/2024 – 17:56 The two warring sides had carried out several rounds of exchanges during Moscow’s 22-month long invasion, but the process had stalled in the latter half of last year.In almost simultaneous statements Wednesday, the Russian defence ministry and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced they had received over 200 soldiers each.”More than 200 of our soldiers and civilians have been returned from Russian captivity,” Zelensky said on Telegram, posting a video of uniformed men celebrating.Ukraine’s…

Former world champion cyclist Rohan Dennis has been charged in connection with the death of his wife, Olympic cyclist Melissa Hoskins, Australian media said Monday. Hoskins, a mother of two, died after being struck by a vehicle while riding in Adelaide. Issued on: 01/01/2024 – 17:03 2 min Dennis was charged with causing death by dangerous driving, endangering life and driving without due care, local media said. The reports said he had been released on bail to appear at the Adelaide Magistrates Court in March.Hoskins, 32, competed for Australia at the London and Rio de Janeiro Olympics.Police said emergency services…

Issued on: 03/01/2024 – 14:36Modified: 03/01/2024 – 15:31 04:13 Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group warned that Israel’s killing Tuesday of the deputy Hamas leader in a Beirut suburb they control “will not go unanswered or unpunished”. Read more on related topics: Source link

Two explosions minutes apart Wednesday in Iran targeted a commemoration for slain general Qassem Soleimani, killing at least 103 people and wounding more than 140, according to Iran’s official news agency. The attack came on the anniversary of Soleimani’s killing in a US drone strike as the Middle East remains on edge over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Issued on: 03/01/2024 – 13:47Modified: 03/01/2024 – 15:04 2 min The incident took place near the grave of the head of foreign operations of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in the Saheb al-Zaman mosque in the southern city of Kerman, state…

Spanish World Cup-winning star Jenni Hermoso told a judge on Tuesday that the kiss forced on her by disgraced former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales was “at no point consensual” and that she had come under pressure to defend his actions. Issued on: 02/01/2024 – 15:13Modified: 02/01/2024 – 16:53 2 min After arriving at the Audiencia Nacional in Madrid just before 10:00 am (0900 GMT), the 33-year-old went to testify before Judge Francisco de Jorge, who is investigating Rubiales on allegations of sexual assault and coercion.”At the end of her declaration, she ratified the statement made at the public prosecutor’s…

Issued on: 02/01/2024 – 14:04Modified: 02/01/2024 – 14:39 01:17 As its population of displaced people grows, life in the south of Gaza is becoming more desperate by the hour. Israel’s assault, now in its 13th week, has pushed almost all Palestinians across the territory toward the Rafah area. People there say everyday existence has become a struggle. Read more on related topics: Source link

Paris on Tuesday said its embassy in Niamey, Niger’s capital, was now closed, confirming previously reported plans, after relations between the two countries deteriorated following a military coup in the African country in July 2023. Issued on: 02/01/2024 – 16:38Modified: 02/01/2024 – 16:40 1 min “For five months, our embassy has been severely hampered” by obstacles that have obstructed its diplomatic mission, a spokeswoman for the French foreign ministry said in a statement. “A blockade around the embassy, travel restrictions for staff and the refusal to allow any diplomatic personnel to travel to Niger was a clear violation of the Vienna Convention…

Issued on: 01/01/2024 – 11:25Modified: 01/01/2024 – 15:20 00:45 © FRANCE 24 France is preparing for its biggest event of the year: the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris. The opening ceremony will take place for the first time ever on the River Seine, FRANCE 24’s James Vasina said, reporting from the banks of the Seine in the heart of Paris.  Read more on related topics: Source link

Issued on: 01/01/2024 – 11:27Modified: 01/01/2024 – 11:56 02:00 In Tel Aviv’s “hostages square” not far from the city’s party district, the ambience is noticeably quiet as passersby pause to reflect. © FRANCE 24 In Israel as elsewhere, people rang in the new year on Sunday night, but the proceedings were markedly more muted than in previous years, given the backdrop of the war in Gaza. Even so, some Israelis hit the streets in an effort to find a moment of badly needed levity following nearly 3 months of war – and while over a hundred hostages are still being held…