The Latest Breaking News from FRANCE 24

For France’s ‘minor’ candidates, Élysée Palace run is a race against time

French presidential candidates must collect 500 signatures, known as parrainages, from elected officials in order to run for the Élysée Palace – a hurdle that is hard to overcome for lesser-known candidates. Three of them, Hélène Thouy, Anasse Kazib and Georges Kuzmanovic, tell FRANCE 24 about their difficulties.

France 24 · Feb 10, 2022

Locals in Maldives battle to preserve coral reefs

The One Ocean Summit opens this Wednesday in the French port city of Brest. Seas and oceans cover around 70 percent of the surface of our planet, but continue to face an onslaught of problems, from pollution to rising temperatures. In the Maldives, coral reefs are dying because of climate…

France 24 · Feb 9, 2022

'Tefal campaign': Pandemic, prudent president keep French election race on the backburner

A presidential campaign is a fount of coined phrases. Be they expressions finessed for maximum impact by a candidate's team or deployed spontaneously on the trail, evocative terms bring texture to an election race and come to define a campaign – for a news cycle or forever in the history…

France 24 · Feb 9, 2022

Searching for new plant species in Senegal

According to the latest estimates, 10 to 20 percent of the world's flora is still unknown to mankind. Botanists are scouring the world in a bid to find new plants and deepen our understanding of the planet's ecosystems. In the far east of Senegal, one group of Senegalese and French…

France 24 · Feb 4, 2022

Haute couture, summer 2022: High fashion returns to Paris catwalks

January's summer 2022 Couture Fashion Week showcased the latest sartorial offerings from 17 labels, just over half the number included in the official calendar due to ongoing Covid restrictions. Dior's Maria-Grazia Chiuri offered an ode to embroidery at Paris's Rodin museum, Jean Paul Gaultier handed the reigns of his empire…

France 24 · Feb 4, 2022

Drop in Facebook user numbers wipes $200 billion off parent company's value

The number of daily users of Facebook has fallen for the first time in the social network's 18-year history. The news sent shares in the platform's parent company Meta plunging by more then 20 percent in after-hours trading on Wall Street – a slump which wipes around $200 billion off…

France 24 · Feb 3, 2022

First AFCON female referee Salima Mukansanga on making football history

Salima Mukansanga, 33, became the first female referee to officiate a game at the Africa Cup of Nations when she oversaw the Zimbabwe-Guinea tie in this year's group stage. She sat down with FRANCE 24's James Vasina to tell us more about her journey and what her experience means for…

France 24 · Feb 2, 2022

Explainer: Why are 500 signatures required to run for president of France?

As France's presidential election approaches, some aspiring candidates say they are still striving to collect the 500 signatures from elected officials required to join the ballot for the first round on April 10. Many an Élysée Palace dream has been dashed when hopefuls have fallen short of that magic number.…

France 24 · Feb 2, 2022

From favourites Cameroon to Salah’s Egypt: What to expect from the semis

The Africa Cup of Nations semifinals kick off on Wednesday as Senegal take on Burkina Faso, followed by Cameroon’s clash against Mo Salah’s Egypt the next day. Hosts Cameroon are the clear favourites but they’re expected to face tough competition. FRANCE 24 gives you the lowdown.

France 24 · Feb 2, 2022

In Turkey, soaring inflation hits consumers hard

In Turkey, inflation reached a record annual rate of 36 percent at the end of 2021. The Turkish lira has plummeted and in supermarkets, workers are forced to change price tags on basic necessities several times a day. Turks are increasingly struggling to buy staple foods like flour and milk.…

France 24 · Feb 1, 2022