Author: France 24

Global oil prices rose further with Brent crude climbing near $110 a barrel, as a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz continues with the US and Iran both rejecting the other’s ceasefire proposal.  Meanwhile, Japanese snack giant Calbee has decided to temporarily switch to black and white packaging for some of its products including crisps and prawn crackers due to supply instability in printing ink, made using petrochemical materials. 

The 79th Cannes Film Festival is officially underway, and France 24 is live from the Croisette for its very first Cannes 2026 special. Join Culture Editor Eve Jackson and Film Critic Emma Jones as they break down the biggest moments from opening night: the honorary Palme d’Or presented to Peter Jackson, the arrival of Hollywood stars on the red carpet, and the films already creating buzz on the Croisette.

Hamas and allied Palestinian militant groups committed “systematic, widespread” sexual violence during the October 7th 2023 attack on Israel and against hostages held captive in Gaza. That’s according to a report by an independent Israeli investigative commission released on May 12. The report builds on prior investigations, including by the UN, to determine the full scale of sexual violence perpetrated.

Annette Young is pleased to welcome Dr Martin Farr. Senior Lecturer in Contemporary British History at Newcastle University. As Keir Starmer faces a mounting leadership crisis, Dr. Farr argues that the Prime Minister’s latest attempt at political reset “changed nothing” and exposed deeper structural weaknesses at the heart of his premiership. Dr. Farr categorically dismisses Starmer’s speech as “better delivered than his speeches tend to be, but that’s a low bar.” Only to follow it up with an equally blunt assessment: “He’s demonstrated that a politician needs politics… and a sense of politics.” As Labour grapples with disastrous local election…

As the world saw with COVID-19, the only thing that spreads faster than a virus is misinformation, and Hantavirus is no exception. Despite only a few confirmed cases, conspiracy theories have swirled on social media falsely claiming Hantavirus is a planned pandemic, or a ploy to disrupt the US midterm elections. Others alleged it’s a “bioweapon” created by big pharma  to “poison” people or even that it’s a side effect of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. 

Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé on Monday was named the Ligue 1 player of the year for the second year running. Paris Saint-Germain and RC Lens shared the main trophies.

British prime minister Keir Starmer said he would introduce legislation this week to give the government powers to take full ownership of British Steel in Scunthorpe, the last plant in the UK that can make steel from scratch.  Last year the government seized control of the steelworks from its Chinese owner to stop the potential closure of the blast furnaces. Plus, French farmers dump manure near TotalEnergies’ refinery to protest at soaring energy costs. 

In this edition of our arts24 music show, Jennifer Ben Brahim chats with Scottish-American duo Witch Post. Despite living more than 4,000 miles apart, Alaska Reid and Dylan Fraser crossed geographical barriers to form this band, united by a shared love of indie-rock, songwriting and folklore from their respective homelands. They are on tour with their sophomore EP “Butterfly”, a record steeped in fantasy and the supernatural.

The world has just weeks to prevent a crisis that could tip tens of millions of people into hunger and starvation if fertilisers are not allowed through the Hormuz strait, the UN warned Monday. Peace talks between Iran, the US and Israel are looking increasingly shaky as President Donald Trump said Sunday that Tehran’s response to the latest peace proposal was “totally unacceptable”. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates

Passengers started disembarking on Sunday from the hantavirus-hit cruise ship anchored off Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands, hours after arriving there as evacuation plans got underway.