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The US Senate on Wednesday confirmed Kevin Warsh – Trump's top pick – as the new Federal Reserve chair in the most partisan vote ever for the role. Warsh takes over as policymakers warn persistent price pressures could complicate President Donald Trump’s push for lower borrowing costs.
In a late-night social media blitz before his high-stakes China visit, Donald Trump unleashed a string of debunked conspiracy theories, AI-generated images and attacks on his political rivals. Posting 55 times in a span of 3 hours, Trump tore into former President Barack Obama, accusing him - without evidence - of treason and espionage during Trump’s 2016 election campaign. He also revived falsehoods that the election was “stolen” from him in 2020, and attacked the New York Times.
According to data obtained by the New York Times, in some countries, just a few hundred voters would have been enough to secure a popular vote victory in the Eurovision song contest. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks with Mara Hvistendahl, investigative reporter at the New York Times, about how Israel has been using the contest as a soft power tool, with attempts to influence Eurovision beginning years earlier than previously thought.
In tonight's edition, hundreds of Ghanaians caught up in xenophobic attacks in South Africa are set to be evacuated. Also, Cape Verde is ranked among the 15 countries with the lowest rainfall in the world, and the vital resource is not only scarce but also expensive. And Sudanese refugees have been going back to classes set up by Libya, where they live in refugee camps.
🇺🇸🇨🇳After nearly a decade since his last visit, US President Donald Trump is meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in a historic summit focused on global trade, technological rivalry and rising tensions over Taiwan, one of the world’s most sensitive flashpoints. 🇹🇼China claims Taiwan as part of its territory while the United States continues to back the island with military support and strong diplomatic ties. Caught in the middle is a resilient democracy that has become one of Asia’s
Eurovision has hit a "bum note" over the participation of Israel in this year's song contest. Demonstrations are planned in Vienna against the presence of Noam Bettan and his song "Michelle." He succeeded in getting through the semi final 24 hours ago, but his appearance was greeted by chants of "Stop the Genocide." Five nations who usually take part have pulled out in protest, including serial Eurovision winners Ireland. The Netherlands, Spain and Iceland are the others.
A sweeping daytime Russian drone assault killed at least six people and wounded dozens across Ukraine on Wednesday, marking a shift in Moscow’s bombardment tactics. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said more than 800 drones were launched, accusing Russia of timing the attack to coincide with US President Donald Trump’s visit to China.
Mark Owen is pleased to welcome Quentin Peel, Associate Fellow with the Europe Programme at Chatham House and former Foreign Editor at the Financial Times. At the centre of his analysis is the precarious position of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whom Peel suggests is “hanging on in there” despite initial expectations that he might “be going within 24 hours.” The paradox, Peel argues, is that Starmer governs with “a huge majority” that is structurally unstable, born not of enthusiasm but o
Pro-Russian accounts are claiming that Sergeant Bin Chen and Corporal Axel Delplanque "vanished" in Odesa, Ukraine, during an underwater mission. While it is true that these two French service members recently lost their lives, the circumstances of their deaths have no connection to any Russian attack.
This week British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been fighting for his political survival as more than 80 members of his own party have asked him to step down, and recent polls show him to be Britain’s most unpopular leader on record. Just two years ago Starmer entered Downing Steet after winning a landslide victory – where did it all go wrong?
“China is more interested in displacing the US, rather than replacing it.” Philippe Le Corre tells #F24Debate China aims to make itself more central to the world order by diminishing US relevance ➡️https://f24.my/BuzY
In an interview with FRANCE 24, the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) discussed the upcoming World Cup and AFCON competitions. "I'm confident that an African country will win the World Cup," Patrice Motsepe said. "We have to aspire high and high". He also addressed the unprecedented decision by the CAF to strip Senegal of the most recent AFCON title and hand it to Morocco. "Things are back to normal," Motsepe insisted. "Based on what has happened since the AFCON in Morocco
“Africa must build not on the basis of what it lacks, but on the basis of what it already owns.” Achille Mbembe tells #F24Spotlight Africa must reconcile its “intimate knowledge” of the world with its own wealth and values ➡️https://go.france24.com/FpEM
Ten countries, including favourite Finland and controversial competitor Israel, secured places on Tuesday in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. The contest’s 70th anniversary edition has been overshadowed by divisions, with five countries — Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland — boycotting in protest against Israel’s war in Gaza, which has killed at least 75,000 Palestinians since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. For more, FRANCE 24’s Nadia Massih is joined by renown
It's Day 1 of the annual cinematic marathon for the Cannes jury weighing up the features in competition for the Palme d'Or, with 22 films to consider. Critic Emma Jones tells us more about the members of director Park Chan-wook's jury, and we discuss the first two competition screenings: "Nagi Notes" and "A Woman's Life", as well as the hotly anticipated features from Asghar Farhadi, Pedro Almodovar and Cristian Mungiu.
US President Donald #Trump has arrived in Beijing for highly anticipated talks with his Chinese counterpart #Xi Jinping. The two leaders are expected to discuss the #Iran war, trade and #US arms sales to #Taiwan. The visit to #China is the first from a US leader since 2017.
Data responsibility matters. Peter Addo explains the data governance challenges African nations must reckon with as AI infrastructure grows. More on #F24Debate➡️https://go.france24.com/kQ7s
The pomp of a speech by King Charles III to Britain's parliament Wednesday failed to quell speculation that a senior government minister is poised to launch a leadership challenge against embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The monarch's address opening a new parliamentary session was overshadowed by reports that allies of Health Secretary Wes Streeting had said he was preparing to resign to trigger a contest to oust Starmer from office.
French prosecutors on Wednesday requested a seven-year prison sentence for former president Nicolas Sarkozy in an appeal trial on charges that he sought Libyan financing for his 2007 election. Sarkozy, France's right-wing leader from 2007 to 2012, has always denied any wrongdoing but last year became modern France's first former president to have gone to jail over the case, before he was released after 20 days pending his appeal trial. FRANCE 24's Olivia Bizot reports from the courthouse in Pari
It's time for the Cannes Film Festival jury to begin weighing up the 22 films competing for the Palme d'Or. FRANCE 24 film critic Emma Jones is on the French Riviera to walk us through the main themes emerging from this year's competition. The official selection boasts a strong Asian presence, with one South Korean film in competition and three Japanese features, including Hirokazu Kore-eda’s "Sheep in the Box".
Gunshots broke out at the Philippine Senate on Wednesday and people ran for cover after a top politician wanted by the International Criminal Court said his arrest was imminent and security forces entered the building. Senator Ronald dela Rosa, a former police chief who was the main enforcer of ex-Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's bloody "war on drugs", had earlier urged people to mobilise to prevent his arrest and handover to the ICC. FRANCE 24's International Affairs Editor Kethevane G
The New York Times is reporting that classified US intelligence assessments say Iran still has substantial missile capabilities – with about 70 percent of its mobile launchers and pre-war missile stockpile still in action – and has restored access to 30 of 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz. This, as the United States has depleted its stocks of many critical munitions.
The four years of war in Ukraine have re-written the needs of modern warfare – and at its forefront are aerial drones. Amid concerns that China is aiding Russia with military goods, Kyiv has sought to edge China out of its drone supply chain. Ukraine, as well as Europe and the United States, have increasingly turned to Taiwan as an alternative supplier.
The #cruise ship Ambition arrived in #Bordeaux... and its passengers were stopped from disembarking, due to suspicions of a stomach flu outbreak aboard. One passenger has died, and about 50 others have shown symptoms. Authorities say it has no connection to the #hantavirus outbreak.
As the Africa Forward summit concluded in Nairobi, FRANCE 24 sat down with Kenya's President William Ruto. For him, the summit was "significant" after French President Emmanuel Macron announced investments in Africa in areas such as the energy transition, digital and AI. Ruto also discussed the war in Sudan, refuting claims that he is siding with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). "Both SAF (the Sudanese Armed Forces) and RSF are cut from the same cloth," he said. "And they have taken
France's iconic teething toy is caught up in a manufacturing scandal. The investigative journalism website Mediapart has found that Sophie the Giraffe, or Sophie la Giraffe in French, is actually made in China and has been for decades. We dive into how the toy has been seen as a French-made success story for nearly 65 years and how Vulli, the company that makes it, is now under a fraud investigation.
Several heads of state, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, are gathering in Bucharest this Wednesday for the B9 summit, which brings together NATO's eastern flank countries amid growing tensions linked to the war in Ukraine. Even in Romania, the conflict feels increasingly present. In recent months, Russian attacks have intensified against Ukrainian Danube ports located just a few hundred metres from the Romanian border.
It’s not just rare earths and AI. The humble soybean is also at the heart of a trade dispute between the US and China. For decades the US was China’s preferred source of soy – buying billions of dollars worth in 2024. But when Washington launched a trade war on China, Beijing stopped buying US soy altogether. Since last October’s truce between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, China has started to buy the bean again. But how long will this relationship last ?
King Charles III laid out on Wednesday the British government’s legislative program for the coming year or so, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer fought to remain in power following rising discontent within his Labour Party. In a speech to lawmakers laced with all the pomp that accompanies the ceremonial opening of Parliament, the king said the U.K.'s energy policy, defense and national security would be tested as it deals with the fallout from the wars in Iran and Ukraine. FRANCE 24's Bénédicte Pav
Argentina's city "at the end of the world," Ushuaia, the jump-off point for expeditions to the Antarctic, is laboring under suspicion of being the source of the deadly hantavirus outbreak that killed three cruise ship passengers. The MV Hondius set sail from this spectacular Patagonian port, sandwiched between snow-capped mountains and the South Atlantic, on April 1.
King Charles III outlined UK leader Keir Starmer's legislative plans during a pomp-filled ceremony Wednesday, despite uncertainty over the prime minister's future as he faces calls to resign from his own party. The monarch's address, and its lavish traditions, was meant to be a brief interlude from the open warfare within the ruling Labour party over whether the unpopular premier should step down following disastrous local polls.
A French woman repatriated from a cruise ship struck by hantavirus was Tuesday in intensive care on a ventilator battling a severe case of the rare disease, a doctor said. The woman, one of five French passengers flown back from the MV Hondius and placed in isolation in Paris, started to feel very unwell on Sunday night and tested positive. FRANCE 24's Antonia Kerrigan reports from Paris's Bichat hospital.
PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, May 13, 2026: A highly awaited summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping kicks off in China. But first, the British front pages discuss Prime Minister Keir Starmer's continuing struggles. Next, climate scientists are worried that El Nino will be particularly intense this year. Finally, sunburns might hold the keys to a technological revolution.
In a televised announcement on May, 12, Vladimir #Putin announced the Sarmat would be ready for combat by the end of the year. This comes a few days after he said the war in #Ukraine was close to an end.
US President Donald Trump is expected to land in China this Wednesday ahead of a summit with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Trump is accompanied by a large delegation of US executives and has promised to ask Xi to "open up" the country to US business. In this edition, we explore what "opening up" means in this context. Plus, FRANCE 24's Yena Lee looks into one of the key points of negotiations: China's purchases of US soybeans.
US President Donald Trump is set to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday for his highly anticipated summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a restless moment for a world worried about war, trade and artificial intelligence. While Trump likes to project a sense of strength, the visit occurs at a delicate moment for his presidency as his popularity at home has been weighed down by the US and Israel's war with Iran and rising inflation as a consequence of that conflict. FRANCE 24's International Affairs
The hantavirus outbreak has now reached 11 total reported cases, 9 of which have been confirmed. In France, a woman infected in the deadly virus outbreak on a cruise ship is critically ill, a doctor at the Paris hospital caring for the sickened passenger said Tuesday. With 22 contact cases in the country overall, authorities say there is no widespread transmission of the virus at this moment.
A Dutch ornithologist may be "patient zero" in the new hantavirus outbreak – a theory currently favored by the World Health Organisation. The 70 year old was the first person to die aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius. But how and where did he come into contact with the virus?
From the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, Emmanuel Macron gave an exclusive interview to France 24, RFI, and Le Monde. It was an opportunity for the French president to take stock of his work in Africa, which began in 2017 during his first term.
🎞️ Who really walks the steps at Cannes Film Festival?Not just the stars and not on the same carpet! 🚕Celebrities arrive by car, guests on foot, and badges decide everything. At Cannes, even the red carpet has a hierarchy.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing a battle for his job after dozens of lawmakers from his own party called on him to step down in the wake of a resounding defeat for his center-left Labour Party in local elections last week. Those considered to harbor leadership ambitions include Health Secretary Wes Streeting, and former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, who had to resign last year after acknowledging that she didn’t pay enough tax on a house purchase. Andy Burnham, the popular mayor
The 79th Cannes Film Festival launched on Tuesday, marking the start of 12 days of nonstop premieres that will culminate May 23 with the centrepiece that every director is hoping to take home: the prestigious Palme d’Or. As the festivities in the south of France get underway, we take a look at how the most coveted prize at the Cannes Festival is made.
Oliver Farry is pleased to welcome Muhammad Munir, Virologist and Professor in Virology and Viral Zoonosis at Lancaster University. Munir offers a rare combination of epidemiological precision, operational insight, and public health realism as he assesses the international response to the hantavirus. Speaking at a moment of acute uncertainty, Munir frames the repatriation effort not merely as a logistical exercise, but as what he calls “a crucial juncture and a Rubicon moment”: a threshold at wh
Genie Godula is pleased to welcome Bryce Warner, Canadian virologist and Research Scientist at Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization. When reports emerged of suspected human to human transmission of the Andes virus, memories of the early days of COVID-19 were never far from public consciousness: Cruise ships, quarantine protocols, international evacuations, alarmist headlines. But according to Bryce Warner, the scientific reality is profoundly different. Joining us from the University of S
Annette Young is pleased to welcome Matt McKee, Professor of European Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. As health authorities race to contain an emerging cluster of hantavirus infections, McKee offers a measured but sobering assessment of the risks, and the lessons the world should have learned from COVID. He warns that hantavirus is “a serious disease” with “a fatality rate of about one in three,” McKee is careful to distinguish it from the coronavirus pandemi
King Charles III will deliver the government's legislative programme for the coming year in the traditional King's Speech on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer's job hanging in the balance following heavy defeats in local elections that have exacerbated divisions within the ruling Labour party. Watch the speech live at 12:30pm Paris time (GMT+2).
Former president Nicolas Sarkozy held his breath Wednesday as prosecutors were due to announce their requested sentences against him in an appeal trial over allegations of illegal campaign funding from Libya’s late dictator Muammar Gaddafi for his 2007 election campaign. Sarkozy was last year sentenced to prison by a lower court and became the first modern French president to serve time behind bars after spending three weeks in jail.
US President Donald Trump's highly anticipated visit to Beijing on Wednesday comes at a restless moment for a world worried about war and trade disputes. Trump has said he will have a "long talk" about Iran with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and will also discuss US arms sales to Taiwan. Here's what to know about the summit.
A French woman repatriated from the cruise ship struck by hantavirus is in intensive care and being treated with an artificial lung, doctors at a Paris hospital said Tuesday as the country's health minister said there was "no evidence" of widespread circulation of the rare virus.