World News Hub

Hundreds missing in Nepal catastrophic flash floods

Massive flash floods in Nepal on Wednesday killed at least 22 people and left hundreds of tourists, workers and others missing after sweeping through communities and bringing travel in parts of the Himalayan country to a halt. China's government across the northern border also launched search and rescue efforts, with major casualties in the border area of Gyirong, state broadcaster CCTV reported. ...

From tariffs to French: Trump’s trade war with Canada takes a cultural turn

A trade war between Canada and the United States is escalating. Canada has announced retaliatory tariffs ranging from 15% to 50% on about $20 billion worth of American goods, after new 50% US tariffs on Canadian products took effect Saturday. But the tit-for-tat over goods has also taken on a cultural and linguistic dimension.

Dolly Parton, queen of country music, dies at 80

Dolly Parton was around six when she wrote her first song: "Little Tiny Tasseltop," an ⁠ode to her corncob doll with ​corn-silk hair. Her mother stored it preciously in a shoebox. Parton never stopped making music after that. The irrepressible country music singer, songwriter and actress whose charisma, heartfelt lyrics and ​business acumen captured the public's imagination for nearly six decades,...

'Major casualties': Devastating floods wash away villages on Nepal-Tibet border

Massive flooding near the border with Tibet killed dozens in Nepal on Wednesday. Hundreds of people were still out of contact hours after the disaster hit. A torrent of mud and debris burst from the banks of a river between China and Nepal, burying buildings and triggering a frantic search for survivors. FRANCE 24's Sarah Jacob reports from New Delhi, India.

Turkey says dissolution of Kurdish-led group crucial for Syrian stability

Turkey on Wednesday said the dissolution of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) marked a key step towards strengthening state authority and achieving lasting stability in Syria. Turkey has long regarded the SDF as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which waged an insurgency against the Turkish state for decades. FRANCE 24's Jasper Mortimer reports from Ankara, ...

Gang attack in Haiti: Anger mounts over police failures

At least 47 people were killed and more than 50 others kidnapped after armed men attacked a once-peaceful community near Haiti’s capital earlier this week, the United Nations said Tuesday. It is believed to be one of the largest mass kidnappings in Haiti in recent years, and one gang leader is threatening to kill the hostages if authorities kill any gang members as they try to secure the community...

'In Ceuta, they are eating the cats': Fake images and a persistent rumour

Cats “massacred” in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta? Three weeks after thousands of migrants crossed the border into Ceuta, Spanish websites and social media users are claiming that the migrants who have stayed are killing cats. But all of the dead cat photos that have been shared so far are either fake or have been taken out of context. Our team spoke to a local cat rescue organisation, which also c...

Meta reaches $17 billion settlement with US states over social media harm to teens

Meta Platforms on Wednesday agreed to pay $17 billion to settle claims, filed by 47 US states, that the company designed Facebook and Instagram to deliberately make teens addicted to their products while deceiving the public, according to state attorneys general. The company agreed to add child-safety measures as part of the settlement. 

Nepal: Hundreds reported missing after deadly flash floods

Entire roads and villages have been engulfed in mud after flash floods struck a border crossing between Tibet and Nepal. Hundreds are reported missing, including over 300 tourists. Flood alerts have also been issued in the Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Panama and El Salvador declare emergency over El Nino-fuelled drought

Panama and El Salvador have become the latest countries along with Honduras to declare an emergency over El Nino, which has already forced a reduction in shipping through the Panama Canal. All three countries broke their monthly temperature records in both June and July, exacerbating famine concerns.

Deadly flash floods near Nepal-Tibet border raze villages, leave hundreds missing

Massive flash floods that swept through the Himalayan border regions of Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday killed at least 95 people and destroyed villages and infrastructure, officials said. Hundreds are still missing, including foreign tourists and pilgrims from neighbouring India, as authorities race to send humanitarian assistance to affected communities.

Hundreds missing, villages destroyed in massive flash floods near Nepal-Tibet border

At least 22 bodies have been recovered and 384 people reported missing after a massive flash flood that swept through parts of Nepal and Tibet, officials said Wednesday. Chinese state media also reported on Wednesday that the mudslide disaster had "resulted in major casualties and missing people" at the Gyirong Port on the Tibetan side of the border.

At least 22 bodies recovered, hundreds missing after Nepal-Tibet flash floods

At least 22 bodies have been recovered and 384 people reported missing after a massive flash flood that swept through parts of Nepal and Tibet, officials said Wednesday. Chinese state media also reported on Wednesday that the mudslide disaster had "resulted in major casualties and missing people" at the Gyirong Port on the Tibetan side of the border.

US country music legend Dolly Parton dies, aged 80

Dolly Parton was one of the rare celebrities that transcended divides in the United States. The country music legend and actress died, aged 80, on August 25.

Pakistan: At least 14 newborns die in hospital fire

Devasted parents gathered outside a hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Wednesday after a fire tore through a mother-and-baby ward, killing at least 14 newborns. Witnesses described chaotic and harrowing scenes, including intense smoke and broken glass, while local media blamed the tragedy on a faulty air conditioning system.

Nile crocodile eggs hatch naturally in French zoo following heatwaves

Ten Nile crocodile eggs at a wildlife park in southern France hatched naturally without the need for controlled incubators, zoo authorities said Wednesday. The natural incubation, a first at the reserve for reptiles, occurred following a series of extreme heatwaves over the summer.

Nile crocodile eggs hatch naturally in French zoo due to heatwaves

Too hot to incubate: Nile crocodiles hatch on their own in French reserve

Too hot to incubate: Nile crocodiles hatch on their own in French reserve

France's heatwaves have produced an unusual outcome at a wildlife park, where 10 Nile crocodiles hatched without human assistance for the first time, the director of the reserve said on Wednesday.

Mawlid festivities cancelled in Ethiopia's Tigray region over fears of drone strikes

In Ethiopia, festivities marking Mawlid, the Muslim holiday celebrating the birth of the Prophet Mohammed, have been cancelled at the last minute over fears of drone strikes. The cancellation comes just days after another major Tigrayan festival, Ashenda, was also called off at the last minute for the same reason. Drone strikes hit northern Ethiopia in recent days, as tensions between the Tigray P...

A new chapter for Syria’s Kurds: What integration really means

The integration of the Kurdish administration within Syria's state institutions is now complete, Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi said on Thursday, marking the end of the Kurds' long-held dream of autonomy. The announcement follows months of negotiations between the two sides after a January agreement that called for the full integration of Kurdish civil and military institutions into the state ...

At least 14 infants killed in Islamabad hospital fire

At least 14 infants were killed in a fire at a ​state-run hospital in ‌Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Wednesday, the prime minister said, with the health minister ⁠attributing the tragedy to a blast in the nursery ward. The incident is among the deadliest hospital fires in recent years ‌in the country, where government healthcare is subsidised but facilities are under-resourced and overburdened. ...

French astronaut Adenot takes part in second spacewalk

French astronaut Sophie Adenot began a second spacewalk at the International Space Station on Tuesday, as she and NASA astronaut Anil Menon were set to continue work on a space-to-ground communications antenna. Adenot, a European Space Agency astronaut, was scheduled to help Menon retrieve and install a spare antenna on the station’s Z1 truss, above the Unity module, and make electrical and data c...

US proposes expanding UN Sudan arms embargo to entire country

The United States urged the UN Security Council on Monday to expand an arms embargo on the Sudanese region of Darfur to cover all of Sudan, saying the nation's brutal conflict risks regional expansion. The Darfur arms embargo, in place for over two decades, is set to expire on September 12, 2026 if a new agreement is not reached. Expanding the restrictions to all of Sudan would require a vote of t...

Kremlin says CIA chief met Russian counterparts, not Putin, in Moscow

The Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe held ​talks with Russian intelligence officials during his visit to ​Moscow ‌on ⁠Tuesday but did not ‌meet President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin ⁠said on Wednesday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov ​said it was also too ​early to say ​whether such contacts ​between the two countries' intelligence ​agencies could help improve US-Russia relations.