World News Hub

D4vd asks judge to remove handcuffs before preliminary hearing in Celeste Rivas murder case

Singer D4vd has requested to appear in court without handcuffs during his preliminary hearing. Prosecutors will present evidence to determine if the case moves forward to a murder trial. D4vd faces charges including murder and lewd acts involving a child. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains in custody. The judge has not yet ruled on the request for restraints.

Can mediators broker a truce between the US and Iran?

With every new round of attacks raising political cost of compromise, analysts warn the window for peace may be closing.

Pete Hegseth faces questions over $87.6bn additional funding for Pentagon

Defense secretary and chair of the joint chiefs face Senate appropriations committee to continue Iran war effortUS defense secretary Pete Hegseth walked into the Senate on Tuesday to defend the Trump administration’s $87.6bn supplemental funding request, facing lawmakers furious that the US-Israel war on Iran is costing far more than the White House has admitted.Hegseth and the chair of the joint ...

Rescuers search for flood survivors in Afghanistan

Rescuers in eastern Afghanistan are searching through mud and rubble after flash floods and a landslide

Trump says he’s open to talks with Hezbollah, vows to help Lebanon

US President Trump said he is open to direct talks with Hezbollah.

Joseph Aoun in Washington: Bilal Saab firmly believes 'this meeting couldn't have gone any better'

François Picard is pleased to welcome Bilal Saab, Senior Managing Director of the Trends Research Group and a close friend of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. Mr. Saab offers a cautiously optimistic assessment of a pivotal moment in Lebanese diplomacy, arguing that President Aoun's visit to Washington represents an important opportunity to consolidate international backing for Lebanon's sovereignty...

France becomes first EU country to ban social media access for under-15s

Parliament votes to stop children using apps such as TikTok in policy championed by Emmanuel MacronFrance’s parliament has approved a bill banning social media access for children under 15, making it the first EU country to bar children from apps such as TikTok.The president, Emmanuel Macron, has championed the ban as a key reform of his final term in office and pledged to enforce it by September....

France becomes first European country to ban social media access for under-15s

Parliament votes to stop children using apps such as TikTok in policy championed by Emmanuel MacronFrance’s parliament has approved a bill banning social media access for children under 15, making it the first European country to bar children from apps such as TikTok.The president, Emmanuel Macron, has championed the ban as a key reform of his final term in office and pledged to enforce it by Sept...

France first European country to ban social media access for under-15s

Parliament votes to stop children using apps such as TikTok in policy championed by Emmanuel MacronFrance’s parliament has approved a bill banning social media access for children under 15, making it the first European country to bar children from apps such as TikTok.The president, Emmanuel Macron, has championed the ban as a major reform of his final term in office and pledged to enforce it by Se...

Anas Sarwar reportedly set to quit as Scottish Labour leader to be minister in Andy Burnham’s government – as it happened

Sarwar expected to be elevated to Lords to take up a ministerial post at revamped Department for Business, Innovation, Science and TradeBurnham to cut VAT on electricity bills in first cost-of-living moveAntónio Costa, the president of the European council, said in a post on X that he held a “good” phone call with Andy Burnham last night, in which he said they agreed to “further strengthen” EU-UK ...

Anas Sarwar reportedly set to quit as Scottish Labour leader to be minister in Andy Burnham’s government – UK politics live

Sarwar expected to be elevated to Lords to take up a ministerial post at revamped Department for Business, Innovation, Science and TradeBurnham to cut VAT on electricity bills in first cost-of-living moveAntónio Costa, the president of the European council, said in a post on X that he held a “good” phone call with Andy Burnham last night, in which he said they agreed to “further strengthen” EU-UK ...

'If we die, we die together': Meet Svetlana Grković who grabbed husband's leg after his body went outside a plane mid-air

Lawyer in sensitive Vatican abuse case issues scathing critique of church's secretive legal system

The lawyer for five women who say they were sexually, psychologically and spiritually abused by a once-famous Jesuit priest has penned a scathing denunciation of the Vatican’s secretive legal system

Former Met police chief admits surveillance of Stephen Lawrence’s family was institutionally racist

Paul Condon tells spycops inquiry force failed to properly control unit which committed ‘horrendous’ abusesA former Metropolitan police commissioner has admitted that the surveillance of the family of Stephen Lawrence by undercover officers was institutionally racist, the spycops inquiry has heard.While Paul Condon was in command of the Metropolitan police in the 1990s, a controversial undercover ...

Instagram on trial for allegedly harming kids

The trial between the state of Tennessee and Instagram is kicking off this week.

Netherlands to sanction trade with illegal Israeli settlements

Dutch ban on Israeli goods from occupied territory comes as efforts to implement EU-wide sanctions remain stalled.

Saxophonist Plas Johnson, known for solo on The Pink Panther Theme, dies aged 94

Jazz saxophonist – who recorded with artists Frank Sinatra, BB King and more – died in Los Angeles, reports sayUS jazz saxophonist Plas Johnson, best known for his solo riff on the timeless classic The Pink Panther Theme, has died at the age of 94, according to reports.The native of Donaldsonville, Louisiana, died on 15 July, according to a report from the Los Angeles jazz radio station KKJZ. Cont...

Emergency farm law adopted: conditional return of two pesticides

The law confirms that, by way of exemption, permission may be granted to use two controversial pesticides: acetamiprid, harmful to pollinators, and flupyradifurone, likely to be sold as treated seeds.

Zelensky faces deepening political crisis as protests dig in

In Ukraine, protesters say they’re giving Volodymyr Zelensky until Friday to re-instate the popular Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, and fire General Oleksandr Syrsky, the military chief of staff. The President removed Fedorov from his post last week, citing a clash between the two men. The protests have brought Syrsky’s unpopularity to the forefront. Through credited with stopping the Russian i...

As US-Chinese AI model gap narrows, what next for Washington?

For years, Washington has fixated on the gap between US and Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) models as AI has increasingly taken centre stage in the strategic competition between the world’s two leading powers. The release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022 established a clear early lead for the US, with the first batch of export controls on advanced semiconductor chips introduced in October tha...

Lebanon's president urges Trump to 'keep supporting' its army

US President Donald Trump vowed Tuesday to help Lebanon "a lot" as its president, Joseph Aoun, sought Washington's backing for a fragile effort to disarm Hezbollah and forge a path to peace with Israel. Reporting from Jerusalem, FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopolsky explains how the meeting between Aoun and Trump reprents "a slap in the face" for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

French parliament backs social media ban for under-15s in EU first

FRANCE 24's Clovis Casali reports from France's National Assembly, where lawmakers have approved a ban on social media for children and teenagers under-15, the first EU country to do so. FRANCE 24's Mark Owen speaks with Philippe Coen, lawyer and founder of the NGO Respect Zone.

US appeals court rejects Biden bid to block release of memoir ghostwriter recordings

A divided three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit suspended its decision until 3 August to give Biden more time to consider a further appeal.

US appeals court rejects Biden bid to block release of memoir ghostwriter recordings

A divided three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit suspended its decision until 3 August to give Biden more time to consider a further appeal.

French lawmakers adopt a sweeping social media ban for children under 15

French lawmakers have adopted a bill banning children under 15 from using social media, making France the first country in the European Union to approve a blanket ban on platforms as concerns grow worldwide over the harmful effects of digital content o...