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Following the first of two rounds of municipal elections on March 15, the race for many of France's bigger cities including Paris and Marseille looks set to be tight. Politicians are now moving to make cross-party alliances against they key opponents, after both the far right and left made inroads.
In an interview with FRANCE 24, Abdullah Mohtadi, secretary-general of the Iranian Kurdish opposition Komala party, said Kurds "can play a very significant role in making a breakthrough" in Iran. He pointed to "serious signs of weakness" among security forces in Kurdish regions of Iran and said "tens of thousands" of young people were ready to take up arms – without, he claimed, any foreign backin...
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy is on trial once again as he appeals his conviction in the Libyan funding case. Although a guilty verdict is unlikely to change what his base thinks of him, it would undeniably taint his legacy. The trial also sends out a clear message to the political elite over corruption and is a robustness test for the country's judicial system, as FRANCE 24's Camille Kn...
Donald Trump is putting pressure on European countries to keep Strait of Hormuz open. But as Europe refuses to get dragged into the war in the Middle East, it also doesn't want to jeopardise Ukraine, which benefits from the US in different ways. FRANCE 24's Angela Diffley looks at how the two conflicts are intertwined.
The European Union is weighing options on how to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open as energy and commodity prices rise in the third week of war between Iran, Israel and the United States. The bloc's foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels this Monday after US President Donald Trump asked allies — including France, China, Japan, South Korea and Britain — to help secure the strait for global shi...
One month after the Piton de la Fournaise volcano began erupting on Réunion Island, lava continues to flow and has reached the ocean for the first time in 19 years. Two lava flows have also cut the national road linking the southern and eastern parts of the French island in the Indian Ocean.
The race for Paris mayor looked uncertain on March 16 as a right-wing former minister hoping to wrest control of the French capital from the left claimed she had gained key support for the second round of the mayoral polls. The French elections is largely seen as a test for the 2027 presidential election. But for FRANCE 24's Marc Perelman, it is still hard to draw conclusions a year beforehand.
Conflict across the Middle East continues to rage, and Israel is fighting a war on several fronts all at once, but for how long? Since it attacked Iran, Israel has endured regular strikes, forcing widespread air raid alerts, school closures and the mobilisation of reservists. How much longer can Israel sustain itself financially if the conflict were to last?
Yasmen Almashan spent years fighting to find out what happened to her brothers, who were among the more than 180,000 Syrians who went missing under the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Now, during Women’s Week at the UN, she is back – only this time she has an official public role in Syria’s transitional justice commission.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is back in court to appeal criminal charges that he sought financing for his 2007 campaign from former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. It's one of the many cases to follow Sarkozy since he left office.
As French voters head to the polls for municipal elections, would-be mayors are presenting their programmes for the next six years. Yet with multiple pressures weighing on these local representatives, many step down before the end of their terms. Resignations among mayors are currently at an all-time high. We take a closer look in this edition of France in Focus.
In France's municipal elections the far right National Rally is gaining momentum, and France Unbowed has made a breakthrough. Both parties, which treated the municipal elections as a test-run for the presidential race, emerged strengthened from the first round, in a vote that generally saw the left hold its ground, particularly in Paris, Marseille, and Lyon. Here’s an overview of the key takeaways...
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy returned to court on March 16 for an appeal hearing in Paris over his conviction linked to the alleged illegal campaign financing of his 2007 presidential campaign by Libya, a case that led him to spend 20 days in prison in 2025. FRANCE 24's Camille Knight tells us what's at stake from the court in Paris.
Donald Trump's broadcast regulator has issued a warning to top news channels in the United States, threatening to cancel the spectrum permits of broadcasters pushing what he called "hoaxes and news distortions". Brendan Carr, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, responded to a Trump complaint about negative coverage of the Iran war. It comes amid heightened tensions between broadcas...
As oil prices continue to rise and supply is disrupted by the conflict in the Middle East, the Sri Lankan government has announced fuel-rationing measures, effective immediately. Thailand has seen a rush to the pumps, causing shortages, as people try to fuel up before price control measures expire. Meanwhile, India has managed to get two tankers through the Strait of Hormuz by negotiating with Ira...
US President Donald Trump said he has demanded about seven countries send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open as Iranian strikes continued to rain down on Gulf countries. Trump has warned his allies not helping him could lead to a 'very bad' future for NATO. And although the conflict in the Middle East is not a NATO war, it is very much 'entwined' with the United States' position on Ukraine...
US President Donald Trump said he has demanded about seven countries send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open as Iranian strikes continued to rain down on Gulf countries. Trump has warned his allies not helping him could lead to a 'very bad' future for NATO. And although the conflict in the Middle East is not a NATO war, it is very much 'entwined' with the United States' position on Ukraine...
From vampires and car chases to K-pop and Shakespeare, this year’s Oscars showcased the range and creativity of contemporary cinema. The clear winner of the night was "One Battle After Another" from director Paul Thomas Anderson. The satirical epic took home six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, confirming its status as one of the year's most acclaimed films. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, the ...
A verdict is expected soon in the landmark trial against Google and Meta in Los Angeles. At the heart of the case are repeated accusations that online platforms deliberately fuel social media addiction, especially among young users. The ruling could set a legal precedent and potentially impact thousands of other complaints filed across the United States. Regardless of the outcome, the trial has ca...
A leading Lebanese academic has spoken of his feelings of déjà vu as Israel admits it has launched what it calls a limited ground operation in the south of Lebanon. Karim Emile Bitar is professor at Saint Joseph University of Beirut and at Sciences Po University in Paris. He says that from experience, Israel mostly manages to destroy its enemies when it enters into Lebanon, but is never able to br...
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was back in court Monday for a retrial on charges he sought Libyan financing for his 2007 election, in a case that last year saw him become France's first modern-day head of state to go to prison.
Following France's lowest voter turnout since the COVID pandemic, Eve Irvine is pleased to welcome Dr. Andrew Smith, Historian of Modern France and Lecturer at Queen Mary University of London. According to Dr. Smith, the defining feature of these municipal elections is not the performance of any single political force. The level of abstention marked the elections more than any other storyline: Wit...
US President Donald Trump on Sunday sought to pressure NATO allies and China to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the critical oil transport conduit that Iran has effectively closed in retaliation for the US and Israeli war against Tehran. Global oil prices have surged by 40 to 50 percent as Iran has choked off the waterway and attacked energy and shipping industry targets among its Gulf neighbour...
In Paris, the much anticipated results from the first round of the municipal election are in, with Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire in the lead. Reflecting the importance of the election, voter turnout in the capital exceeded the national average, reaching 58.8%.
The Israeli army says it has begun limited targeted ground operations against Hezbollah in South Lebanon. It comes three weeks after the US and Israel began carrying out strikes in Iran, a war that has since escalated throughout the Middle East, and beyond. Since the start of the war, over 800,000 people have been displaced and at least 800 killed.
It started quietly, with a handful of posts on tech forums and Reddit explaining why and how you should uninstall and unsubscribe from ChatGPT. Now the campaign #QuitGPT has more than 4 million participants worldwide, and the numbers are still climbing. FRANCE 24 tech journalist Charlotte Lam tells us more.
US President Donald Trump has warned allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, and that refusal would mean NAto would face a 'very bad' future. Addressing the war, the British Prime Minister point blank rejected the threat, saying the UK would not commit to a war unless it had a clear objective and a strong lega basis. FRANCE 24 's Angela Diffley breaks it down for us.
Rewatch as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer addresses the war in the Middle East following Trump's threat that lack of ally help would mean 'very bad' future for NATO.
The politically charged action comedy “One Battle After Another” just managed to outmuscle Ryan Coogler’s musically driven vampire thriller “Sinners." in the 2026 Oscars Ceremony. But Michael B. Jordan still won best actor for “Sinners” and Jessie Buckley won for “Hamnet,” making her the first Irish performer to ever win in the category.
French municipal elections on March 15 gave political parties an early test of their electoral machines before next year’s presidential race, with a first round of voting for mayors and their teams across France. Although largely focused on grassroots concerns, the voting was being scrutinized for hints of whether the far-right National Rally party of Marine Le Pen is continuing to gain ground.
