Author: France 24

Benchmark prices for crude oil rose on Thursday as Iran said it targeted a US airbase in response to American air strikes. Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which had slightly ticked up in previous days, dwindled down to almost nothing again. Also in this edition: Australia takes legal action against US consumer goods giant 3M over “forever chemicals” in firefighting foam. Plus Brazilian leader Lula endorses more oil and gas exploration in the Amazon.

Hollywood studios have found common ground with union leaders on a newly negotiated agreement that was approved by the national board last month and is currently being voted on by members. New protections were introduced to control the use of artificial intelligence by production companies, potentially avoiding another damaging strike like the one that shuttered the industry in 2023. 

In Lebanon, Israeli forces have advanced further north. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu says they have crossed the Litani river – a key reference point in Southern Lebanon marking the limit of a UN-monitored zone. Despite a ceasefire, Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants have continued to fight for weeks. Details by FRANCE 24 correspondent in Beirut, Renée Davis.

Located about 150 kilometres north of Zambia’s capital Lusaka, Kabwe is considered one of the most polluted places in the world, following decades of lead and zinc mining. A simple blood test of two children confirms reports of severe lead contamination. FRANCE 24’s Caroline Dumay, Stefan Carstens and Eunice Masson report.

Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca knocked out Novak Djokovic in the third round of the French Open on Friday to scupper the Serbian great’s latest quest for a record 25th Grand Slam.

NASA has unveiled its plans to send humans to the Moon, which include establishing a permanent presence on Earth’s nearest satellite by the 2030s. It comes as China moves ahead with its own lunar ambitions, launching three astronauts into outer space. FRANCE 24’s Sharon Gaffney speaks to Michelle L. D. Hanlon, Executive Director at the Center for Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi.

Nearly 20 years after his first Palme d’Or, Romanian auteur Cristian Mungiu once again takes the festival’s top prize for “Fjord” – a film exploring the tensions between religious conservatism and social liberalism. It stars “Marvel” actor Sebastian Stan and Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve as parents accused of domestic abuse. Before the big win, Eve Jackson sat down with Mungiu and Reinsve in Cannes.

The ​United States threatened Thursday to target ally Oman if it helped impose a tolling system in the key Strait of Hormuz, warning of sanctions against all parties involved in such actions. The United States and Iran also accused each other of violating an ongoing truce following an exchange of fire, three months after the Middle East war began with a wave of US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic. The latest exchange was the most serious since Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire in April. The two countries have been locked in weeks-long indirect talks through mediators to bring…

Israeli forces ‌on Friday crossed Lebanon’s Litani River – which runs around 30 kilometres north of the countries’ shared border – and advanced, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We are operating in Beirut, in the Beqaa, across the entire front and are hitting Hezbollah head on,” he said during a visit to troops near the border, according to a video released by his office. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, said Thursday that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has killed more than 200 people, can still be contained despite conflict in the country’s east. He also urged armed groups to declare a ceasefire as aid and medical support continue to arrive.