Witkoff: Putin’s Messenger?
What did Steve Witkoff know about Russia when he was first sent to see President Putin in February last year?
Read briefingGlobal News Wire
Updated automatically every day
Global News Wire
Fresh headlines and publisher-supplied excerpts from Kenya, Africa and the world—collected in one transparent, attributed briefing.
France 24
The closely-watched Lindsay Clancy trial ends with one last dramatic moment
The closely watched case of the Massachusetts mother who killed her three young children was on the verge of being declared a mistrial Friday — but there was still one more dramatic moment to come.
Read briefing'Wallace & Gromit' creators turn 50 with spook-tacular Shaun yarn
Crochet hook in hand, the animator slightly raises the eyelid of a clay model sheep in a filmmaking technique as old as cinema, perfected over five decades by Aardman Animations.
Read briefingUN approves resolution in support of map that shows Africa's true size
The United Nations on Friday voted for a shift away from the 16th-century Mercator global map towards one more accurately reflecting countries' true size, a resolution sponsored by African states to counter perceptions that the continent is peripheral.
Read briefing‘Rain man’ to the rescue? France’s ex-president Hollande plots unlikely comeback
Once so deeply unpopular he had to give up running for a second term in office, former French president François Hollande has slipped back into the conversation ahead of next year’s Élysée Palace race, hoping voters put off by squabbling candidates will come to see him as a safe – if unexciting
Read briefingUber withdraws from Nigeria
In tonight's programme, a UN report says foreign fighters and support networks are fuelling Sudan’s war and worsening violence against civilians. Also, Uber is pulling out of Nigeria and Uganda, leaving thousands of drivers scrambling for new sources of income. And finally, we discuss the festival with co-director Diarah N’Daw-Spech and Laurence Cole, co-producer of the Nigerian film "Shadow of Greed".
Read briefing‘Major potential breaches of British election law’: Inside Channel 4’s investigation into Reform UK
Gavin Lee is pleased to welcome Peter Geoghegan, an award-winning investigative journalist. He's the editor of the Substack Democracy for Sale and the author of the best-selling book "Democracy for Sale". Geoghegan explains the significance of the Channel 4 investigation not simply over the conduct allegedly captured on camera, but in the broader question of how political influence is financed and made visible, or invisible, within British democracy.
Read briefingGerman power grid sabotage attack linked to ‘climate extremism’
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt on Friday said the evidence in a recent spate of sabotage attacks on power grids across the country points to a militant climate activist.
Read briefingUN ditches Mercator map to adopt more accurate one reflecting Africa's true size
The UN General Assembly on Friday voted to shift away from the 16th-century Mercator map, designed by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator, for a more accurate one reflecting the true size of continents. The resolution, spearheaded by several African countries and co-sponsored by France, was backed by 164 countries. The US voted against and six other states abstained.
Read briefingGermany’s ‘Most Dangerous Man’: PR gift for the AfD?
The Ukrainian capital was hit by Russia’s most intense wave of air attacks on Kyiv, reportedly in four years, with Reuters describing air raid sirens, drones, cruise and ballistic missiles exhausting Ukraine’s defence system, with 12 people killed and the Ukrainian foreign minister making a direct appeal to Western allies for more Patriot interceptor missiles.
Read briefingShady surgeons and Nigeria organ harvesting
In tonight's edition, legal loopholes and gaps about specialised medicine may be driving Illegal organ harvesting in Nigeria. Also, South Sudan may be moving closer to delivering on elections scheduled for December. And on the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, six colonial era plantation estates have just been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Read briefingEl Niño weather phenomenon set to deliver massive blow to global economy
The UN warns El Niño is a "supersized" phenomenon that will hit the global economy. UK cider producers are feeling the impact of drought. Plus, Nvidia buys Hugging Face for $12.9 billion.
Read briefingNo, UN chief Guterres did not call Francesca Albanese 'out of control'
Pro-Israel lobby group UN Watch alleged that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres referred Francesca Albanese, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Palestine, "out of control", saying he'd previously called her a "horrible woman." But Guterres named no one in his remarks. He said “many” independent rapporteurs were “totally out of control,” without singling out any individual. The UN has since said linking the comment specifically to Albanese is a “misreading” of his remarks. Vedika Bahl fact-checks.
Read briefingDeadlocked jury in Lindsay Clancy's children murder trial deliberates for sixth day
Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial are deliberating for a sixth day in Plymouth, Massachusetts after twice saying they can’t agree whether the former labor and delivery nurse is criminally responsible for killing her three young children. FRANCE 24's Monte Francis explains.
Read briefing‘Fight through darkness, water’: Nepal survivor recounts escape from flood-hit tunnel
A Nepalese worker recounts his harrowing escape from a hydropower project tunnel after last week's devastating flood. Around 900 workers remain trapped in tunnels at six hydroelectric plants in Nepal as the number of missing in the Himalayan disaster rose to 5,624 on Thursday, according to Nepalese and Chinese authorities.
Read briefingUS oversees signing of ‘billions’ in deals between Venezuela and Chevron, ENI, GE
US oil giant Chevron, Italy's ENI and GE Vernova signed deals worth "tens of billions of dollars" with Venezuela, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Wednesday during a trip to Caracas where he and Interim President Delcy Rodriguez finalised the agreements.
Read briefingKenyan editor found safe after abduction
In tonight's edition, rights groups in Kenya call for an investigation after a top journalist is abducted overnight by heavily armed men. Also, trials for three potential vaccines against the Bunjeebuyyoo strain of Ebola are due to start over the next couple of months. And Senegalese consumers who are frustrated by the rising cost of living have launched a new campaign.
Read briefingChevron, Eni commit to expand oil projects in Venezuela under US eye
U.S.' Chevron, Italy's Eni and other foreign energy producers committed on Wednesday to major project expansions to boost oil output in Venezuela, in a signing ceremony in Caracas overseen by interim President Delcy Rodriguez and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright. FRANCE 24's Maya Yataghene reports.
Read briefingZelensky warns airlines Russian skies not safe due to Ukraine drones
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Tuesday that his country's drones would make Russia's airspace "completely unsafe" for the duration of the war, drawing accusations of "state terrorism" from Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Former British Military Intelligence Officer Philip Ingram explains that Zelensky's warning is addressed to "those international airlines from the Middle East, from South East Asia, China included that are still operating into Moscow" adding that "it's all part of the information war and bringing the overall conflict to the Russian people".
Read briefing🔴 Spanish report flags Moroccan police's 'total permissiveness' in Ceuta migrant rush
Moroccan security forces displayed "total permissiveness" during last month's massive wave of migrants who crossed into the Spanish North African territory of Ceuta, according to a Spanish police report seen by a French news agency on Wednesday.Moroccan security forces displayed "total permissiveness" during the unprecedented migrant rush into Spain's north African territory of Ceuta in July, according to a Spanish police report seen by AFP on Wednesday.The report said the police deployment around the border "was clearly smaller than usual" and cited migrants who spoke of the "passive attitude" of Moroccan officers as tens of thousands of people crossed into Ceuta.On Wednesday, thousands took to the streets to protest the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Ceuta, demanding solutions and blaming Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for his government's handling of it.Waving Spanish flags, they shouted “A united Ceuta will never be defeated," and “Invaders – go home!” referring to the thousands of migrants still in the city.Last month, about 72,000 people poured into the small Spanish territory neighboring Morocco, with at least 90 dying in the effort to reach Europe.Read more‘We won’t go back’: Young Moroccan migrants in Ceuta refuse to abandon their European dreamMost of the migrants quickly returned or were ushered back over the border, but around 5,000, including 1,200 minors, remain in Ceuta weeks later, according to the national government. Difficult questions likewise linger over what caused the mass crossing that the government says was fueled by an online campaign on social media.The sudden influx of tens of thousands of migrants into Ceuta, which has a population of about 84,000, put a huge strain on resources and angered many residents. Local authorities said that Spain's central government ignored warning signs before the border was breached.“What happened to us was not a migratory crisis,” Ceuta's regional leader, Juan Jesús Vivas, said during an institutional act on Wednesday to mark the holiday. “What happened was the violation of Spain's territorial integrity.”Vivas is a member of Spain's leading conservative Popular Party which, with Spain's far-right Vox party, has latched onto the Ceuta crisis and made it the focus of a political fight to oust the left-wing government in Madrid.The organiser of Wednesday's protests in Madrid and more than 200 other towns is the officially nonpartisan Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces. But the protests are being promoted by PP and Vox, which is strongly against irregular migration.
Read briefingBurnham pledges to restore hope as he makes his House of Commons debut as UK leader
Prime Minister Andy Burnham faced lawmakers in the House of Commons on Tuesday for the first time since becoming U.K. leader six weeks ago, with wars in Europe and the Middle East weighing on his promise to kick-start the economy, ease the cost of living and oversee a radical redistribution of power from London to Britain's regions. FRANCE 24's Mark Owen speaks with Dr Martin Farr, Senior Lecturer in British Contemporary History at Newcastle University.
Read briefingSouth Africans missing in Nepal's glacial flood
In tonight's edition, Africa Disaster Relief is looking for 6 South Africans who went missing in the deadly floods on the border between Nepal and China. Also, South African illegal miners are undermining their own communities. And rising fuel prices are pushing Kenyans' shifts to electric vehicles.
Read briefingGoogle Maps changes Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’ as MapQuest downloads surge
Lake Ontario is now appearing as “Lake America” on Google Maps for US users, following Donald Trump’s executive order to rename the lake. Canadians still see “Lake Ontario”, while users elsewhere see both names. But the change is far from universal: Apple Maps and MapQuest continue to use Lake Ontario. MapQuest has remained defiant against the move and since surged to the top of the US App Store download charts.
Read briefingAI data centers become surprise issue in US midterm elections
The boom of data centers to power artificial intelligence was a topic of discussion at the G20 summit on Tuesday in North Carolina. Elon Musk told member countries that US companies need to find new energy sources outside of China to power these massive data centers. That same issue is also creating a backlash in the United States ahead of the midterm elections in November. Donald Trump is doubling down, calling those who are against the data centers, “backwards and poor.” FRANCE 24's Monte Francis explains.
Read briefingLive Radio · Worldwide
TPM
Live streamReady
