The Latest Breaking News from FRANCE 24

French Catholic Church in crisis: Trainee priests grapple with aftermath of abuse scandal

Six months after the publication of the Sauvé report, which revealed the scale of sexual abuse over decades in the French Catholic Church, what effect has the crisis had on aspiring priests? Despite the atmosphere of mistrust currently enveloping the Church, some forty students at the diocese in Orléans are…

France 24 · Apr 11, 2022

The suspicious Twitter accounts claiming to be run by journalists in Ukraine

The FRANCE 24 Observers team has launched an investigation into three Twitter accounts that claim to be run by journalists on the frontlines in Ukraine. The suspicious accounts were originally spotted by Conspirador Norteño, an account that specialises in studying misinformation on social media. But before that, they were thought…

France 24 · Apr 11, 2022

Rethinking the EU: The young Europeans reshaping a continent

Over the past eight months, the Conference on the Future of Europe has aimed to give a voice to 800 citizens from the 27 EU member states. The goal of this unprecedented endeavour was to see concrete progress on the climate, employment, health and even diplomacy. A third of the…

France 24 · Apr 11, 2022

Turnout in first round of French presidential election down 4% from 2017

French voters cast their ballots in the first round of presidential elections on Sunday after a campaign overshadowed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The final rate of abstention is projected to reach 26.5%, according to pollsters Ipsos-Sopra Steria, four points higher than in the first round in 2017. Follow election…

France 24 · Apr 10, 2022

Explainer: What you need to know about France’s presidential election

French voters head to the polls for the first round of presidential elections on Sunday after a muted campaign overshadowed by the war in Ukraine. FRANCE 24 takes a look at how France’s two-round presidential election plays out.

France 24 · Apr 9, 2022

Ivory Coast's ex-president Laurent Gbagbo visits Duekoue, site of 2011 massacre

Former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo visited Duekoue in the west of the country on Friday, the notorious site of the massacre where more than 800 people were killed in 2011 during the post-election crisis that ended with Gbagbo’s arrest.

France 24 · Apr 8, 2022

Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov on Ukraine: 'This is a war and Russia started it'

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Russian theatre and film director Kirill Serebrennikov said that what was happening in Ukraine is indeed "a war" and that Russia "quite obviously" started it. In his native Russia, the conflict is being called a "special military operation" and describing it as a war…

France 24 · Apr 8, 2022

Memelord-in-chief: Why Elon Musk could usher in major changes for Twitter

It's been a big week for the world's richest man, Elon Musk. Not only has he inaugurated Tesla's new "gigafactory" in Texas, but he's also officially become Twitter's biggest shareholder. But did he do it for the memes, or does he intend to truly transform Twitter and the social media…

France 24 · Apr 8, 2022

Indian spiritual leader Sadhguru on his journey from Europe to India to save our soil

Indian mystic and visionary Sadhguru is making a 100-day motorbike journey from Europe to India to raise awareness of soil erosion. He told FRANCE 24's Delano D'Souza why he feels his mission is important for humankind. With more than half of agricultural soils are already degraded, Sadhguru warned that "there…

France 24 · Apr 8, 2022

War in Ukraine: Courage and resilience amid Russian offensive

The war in Ukraine is being waged on many fronts. From Odesa on the Black Sea to Irpin in the north, via Mykolaiv and the capital Kyiv, FRANCE 24's Gwendoline Debono has followed the trail of violence and devastation. Our reporter met fighters joining the war, civilians hiding in underground…

France 24 · Apr 8, 2022