Boris Johnson’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda ‘contravenes Geneva Convention'

A UK plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda has been decried by NGOs as well as the UN refugee agency, which has criticised the plan to relocate migrants as “contrary to the letter and spirit of the Refugee Convention”. FRANCE 24 spoke to Sciences Po university’s François Gemenne, an expert in migration.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday announced that some of the migrants and asylum…

Live: Zelensky invites Macron to see evidence of ‘genocide’ in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he has invited French President Emmanuel Macron to visit Ukraine to see for himself evidence that Russian forces have committed “genocide,” a term President Emmanuel Macron has avoided. Earlier, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the strategic port city of Mariupol “has not fallen” and that the encircled forces defending the city from Russian attack will “fight…

Le Pen tries to ‘take the politics out’ of her image in new campaign poster

Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen heads into her second-round duel against President Emmanuel Macron with a new poster at the heart of her campaign, plastered with the new slogan “For all French people”. This marks the latest step in her communication strategy aimed at “de-demonising” her party.

Le Pen unveiled on Tuesday her new campaign poster for the April 24 second round. Gone is the previous poster…

'Screwed' either way: Macron-Le Pen presidential duel leaves young Mélenchon voters cold

French far-leftist Jean-Luc Mélenchon on Sunday fell just short of advancing to the presidential run-off, leaving far-right flagbearer Marine Le Pen to challenge Emmanuel Macron again for France's top job. But among 18-to-25 year-olds, it was Mélenchon, 70, who won the night with 29 percent of their vote. What his supporters do next will be critical on April 24. FRANCE 24 met with students north…

France's former president Sarkozy endorses Macron, touting 'experience'

France's conservative former president Nicolas Sarkozy threw his support behind Emmanuel Macron in his bid for reelection on Tuesday, touting Macron's experience in the face of the "grave international crisis" in Ukraine. Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, for her part, said she had no plans to pull France out of the European Union despite her deep euroscepticism.

Le Pen and Macron will face off in the…

Live: Le Pen calls for ‘unity govt’ as Macron campaigns in her heartland

French President Emmanuel Macron took his re-election bid on Monday to the northern blue-collar stronghold of his rival Marine le Pen, who he will face in an April 24 runoff vote. His walkabout in Denain came as Le Pen promised to put in place a "national unity government" if she is elected to the presidency. Follow all the latest developments on FRANCE 24's liveblog.

President Emmanuel Macron of La…

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.

Some 48.7 million people are eligible to vote in Sunday’s presidential contest, choosing from a field of 12 candidates who are vying to lead the European Union’s second-largest…

God, church, Tsar: The world of Russian oligarch Malofeyev and his Western associates

In the first criminal proceeding against a Russian oligarch since the start of the Ukraine invasion, US prosecutors have charged Konstantin Malofeyev, an arch-conservative with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, for sanctions violations. The Kremlin crony’s business interests, from Greece to Africa to annexed Crimea, reveal the scope of his ideological intent – aided by willing,…

French priest renowned for uncovering massacres warns of ‘Buchas everywhere’

Over the past two decades, Father Patrick Desbois, a French Catholic priest, has been identifying World War II atrocity sites, uncovering evidence of overlooked massacres. After doing similar work with the Yazidi victims of the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq and Syria, he is now back in Ukraine, collecting testimonies from the victims of the Russian invasion.

Father Patrick Desbois’ mission to fight…

Live: Zelensky tells UN that Russia turning Security Council veto into ‘right to die’ for Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that Russian forces have committed "the most terrible war crimes" since World War II in Ukraine. France's anti-terrorism prosecutor announced that three war crimes probes have been opened into events in Ukraine. Read our live blog for all the latest developments. All times are Paris time…

Emissions must peak before 2025 for 'liveable future', UN report says

Humanity has less than three years to halt the rise of planet-warming carbon pollution, UN climate experts warned Monday, with any delay to peak greenhouse gas emissions likely to result in smashing through warming targets.

The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said emissions have to peak before 2025 and drop sharply to keep even the more conservative Paris treaty warming goal of two degrees…

Depardieu blasts Putin’s ‘crazy excesses’, Russia offers to explain Ukraine crisis

The Kremlin on Friday offered to "explain" Moscow's actions in Ukraine to French actor Gérard Depardieu after he denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin's "crazy, unacceptable excesses".

Depardieu, who took up Russian nationality in 2013, told Agence France Presse on Thursday that the Russian people were not responsible for "the crazy, unacceptable excesses of their leaders like Vladimir…

'McKinsey Affair': Macron under fire from election rivals over costly consultancy fees

French President Emmanuel Macron has come under fire for his government's liberal use of public money on private consultancy firms, including US-based giant McKinsey, with political rivals sensing an opportunity to narrow his considerable lead just 10 days ahead of the April 10 first round of presidential elections.

Macron has been forced to defend his government’s use of private consultants…

Turkey in delicate balancing act with Russia, Ukraine amid economic woes

Turkey has played a major role in the search for an end to the Ukraine war as the host for this week’s talks between Moscow and Kyiv – the product of an ambivalent stance experts say is largely rooted in the troubled Turkish economy’s deep links to both countries.

Weeks before Russia and Ukraine agreed on Istanbul as the site for the March 28-30 peace talks, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made Turkey’s…

Five years of Macron: A gap between words and action on presidential priorities (Part 4 of 4)

French President Emmanuel Macron hit the campaign trail once again in March, seeking re-election following a five-year term fraught with crises. FRANCE 24 takes a look at how Macron's actions as president measured up to his promises – or didn't.

This is the final installment of FRANCE 24's four-part series on Emmanuel Macron's record as French president on foreign policy, economics,…

Russian forces are abducting Ukrainians in occupied territories

Ukrainian journalists, public officials, civil rights activists and even civilians who are vocal against the invasion of their country are being arbitrarily detained by Russian forces. The tactic is being used to instil fear in local communities, some say, with forced detentions lasting anywhere from a day to two weeks.

It was an icy cold morning on March 23 when Russian forces knocked on Svetlana Zalizetskaya’s…

Macron remains clear favourite – but rivals turn up heat two weeks from vote

Candidates in France's looming presidential election are pushing to make themselves heard over the war in Ukraine, as polls suggest incumbent Emmanuel Macron remains the clear favourite to win.

Buoyed by his shuttle diplomacy and toughness on Moscow since its troops invaded Ukraine, the president is riding high with two weeks to go but has faced accusations of ducking real debate.

Questioned…

Threat looms of Russian attack on undersea cables to shut down West’s internet

US President Joe Biden warned this week that Russia is considering attacks on critical infrastructure. One of the scenarios that has been mooted since the start of the war in Ukraine is that Moscow will attack undersea cables in order to cut off the world's internet. But this worst-case scenario is more difficult to implement than it sounds.

"Based on evolving intelligence, Russia might be planning a…

France's first-time voters: 'I'm sure I'll be filled with emotion when I get to the voting booth'

Eighteen-year-old Noélie will be voting for the first time in France's presidential election next month. The literature student hails from a family of left-wingers who aren't big voters. But Noélie has taken another approach, to say the least. She has thrown herself wholeheartedly into this electoral race, campaigning for far-right candidate Éric Zemmour. As for voting? She can't…

‘I had to find a way to support my country’: Community spirit boosts morale in Kyiv

In the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, life is far from normal. But local businesses are finding their own ways to help civilians who have remained in the city, despite the threat of a Russian attack. FRANCE 24 meets some of the workers keeping the capital supplied with food and medicine.

Residents in Kyiv have been waking to the sounds of shelling as early-morning Russian attacks have targeted…