Rap music in Iran: Crossing the red line into politics makes you a target

france24.com/en/ • 4h, 3m ago

Dozens of rappers have been arrested in Iran since the rise of hip-hop in the country in the early 2000s. But the death sentence pronounced on April 24 against the rapper Toomaj Salehi marks a turning point in the Iranian regime’s intolerance of artists with a political message. Exiled rap artists Justina and Ghogha told FRANCE 24 of their admiration for Salehi, "who scares the powers that be".

🔴Live: Gaza truce talks between Hamas and Israel advance in Cairo

france24.com/en/ • 6h, 25m ago

A Hamas delegation headed to Cairo on Saturday to resume Gaza truce talks as the United Nations warned that Israel’s threatened assault on the city of Rafah could produce a “bloodbath”. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments in the Israel-Hamas war. 

France opens probe of TotalEnergies over 2021 Mozambique attack

france24.com/en/ • 2h, 32m ago

French prosecutors said Saturday they were investigating oil giant TotalEnergies for possible involuntary manslaughter in connection with a 2021 jihadist attack in Mozambique that killed hundreds.

Canadian police arrest 3 in slaying of Sikh separatist that strained ties with India

france24.com/en/ • 5h, 45m ago

Canadian police said they arrested three suspects Friday in the slaying of a Sikh separatist leader last June that become the center of a diplomatic spat with India, and are investigating possible ties between the detainees and the Indian government.

Flood-ravaged Kenya on high alert as it braces for first-ever cyclone

france24.com/en/ • 1, 42m ago

Kenyan President William Ruto put the flood-ravaged country on high alert and postponed the reopening of schools indefinitely as the nation braced for its first-ever cyclone.

Hundreds in Burkina Faso protest US response to HRW massacre report

france24.com/en/ • 17h, 5m ago

Hundreds protested outside the US embassy in Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou on Friday, against Washington's reaction to Human Rights Watch accusations of an army massacre of civilians, an AFP journalist saw.

Saudi court ‘secretly’ hands 11-year sentence to women's rights activist

france24.com/en/ • 20h, 14m ago

A Saudi court has recently sentenced women's rights activist Manahel al-Otaibi to 11 years in prison in a "secret hearing", according to two human rights groups who denounced the ruling as contradictory to the kingdom’s “narrative of reform and women’s empowerment”.  

Danger at every corner: How Ecuadoran city of Guayaquil became unliveable

france24.com/en/ • 23h, 10m ago

The Latin American nation of Ecuador has been experiencing an unprecedented security crisis for several months. In the port city of Guayaquil, now under the control of drug gangs, residents are living in fear.

France estimates that 150,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the Ukraine war

france24.com/en/ • 16h, 21m ago

France estimates that 150,000 Russian soldiers have been killed during Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said in an interview published on Friday.

Trust deficit at the heart of India’s electronic voting debate

france24.com/en/ • 1, 2m ago

As voters in more than 80 constituencies were casting their ballots on April 26 in the second phase of India’s mammoth general election, the country’s Supreme Court issued a critical ruling on the electoral voting system. Rejecting a petition filed by an NGO, the court ruled that India needs to nurture a "culture of trust" in e-voting. But the lack of trust lies at the heart of the issue, explains FRANCE 24's Leela Jacinto.

French MPs say ‘non’ to English at the Paris Olympics

france24.com/en/ • 1, 2m ago

Having long battled the creeping use of English in advertising, music and film, French MPs have declared a new struggle: keeping their home Olympics this year free from anglicisms.

'We are pressuring the mountain too much': Nepal court limits Everest climbing permits

france24.com/en/ • 21h, 14m ago

Nepal's Supreme Court has ordered the government to limit the number of mountaineering permits issued for Everest and other peaks, a lawyer confirmed Friday, just as expeditions prepare for the spring climbing season.

Brazil still grappling with dark period of military dictatorship, 60 years on

france24.com/en/ • 20h, 10m ago

Six decades after the military coup that plunged Brazil into 21 years of dictatorship, the country is still struggling with its old demons. FRANCE 24’s team went to meet deeply divided Brazilians – Bolsonaro supporters who are nostalgic for the dictatorship and survivors and left-wingers who want to make sure that this dark period of history is not forgotten.

Germany's FM says Russia will face consequences for 'intolerable' cyberattack

france24.com/en/ • 23h, 22m ago

Germany's top diplomat on Friday said Russia will face consequences after accusing its military intelligence service of masterminding an “absolutely intolerable” cyberattack, as NATO and European Union member countries said they will not let Russia’s “malicious" behavior in cyberspace go unanswered.

Why a bill to curb ‘foreign influence’ in Georgia has triggered mass protests

france24.com/en/ • 1, 50m ago

Georgia has been engulfed by huge protests triggered by a proposed law that critics see as a threat to media freedom and the country’s aspirations to join the European Union.

China launches probe to collect samples from far side of the moon

france24.com/en/ • 1, 56m ago

China on Friday launched an uncrewed spacecraft on a nearly two-month mission to retrieve rocks and soil from the far side of the moon, the first country to make such an ambitious attempt.

Taiwan detects dozens of Chinese aircraft and five naval ships around island

france24.com/en/ • 1, 44m ago

Taiwan's defence ministry said Friday it had detected 26 Chinese aircraft and five naval vessels around the self-ruled island in the previous 24 hours. 

UK Labour Party easily wins by-election as Tories brace for more losses

france24.com/en/ • 1, 58m ago

Britain's ruling Conservatives lost a parliamentary seat to the main Labour opposition Friday, as the country awaited local election results likely to pile more pressure on embattled leader Rishi Sunak.

Marseille, Atalanta tie in first leg of Europa League semifinal

france24.com/en/ • 1, 19m ago

Marseille's Europa League semi-final tie against Atalanta is finely poised going into the return after the teams drew 1-1 in Thursday's first leg in France.

Tbilisi rocked by clashes over 'foreign influence' bill for third consecutive night

france24.com/en/ • 1, 35m ago

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Georgia on Thursday to protest against a "foreign influence" bill likened to Russian laws silencing dissent, an AFP journalist said.