Author: Frank Deux

Wildfires in Los Angeles have claimed 24 lives, with officials warning of dangerous winds that could exacerbate the situation. The blazes, now in their sixth day, have devastated communities and left thousands homeless. Despite massive firefighting efforts, incoming winds could create life-threatening conditions, particularly on Tuesday. The death toll from massive wildfires that have ravaged Los Angeles rose to 24 on Sunday, with officials warning of incoming dangerous winds that could whip the blazes up further. The fires continued to rip through the United States’ second-largest city for the sixth day, reducing whole communities to scorched rubble and leaving thousands…

The Kumbh Mela festival in India opened on Monday, with vast crowds of Hindu pilgrims participating in ritual baths at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers. Organisers anticipate the world’s largest human gathering, expecting about 400 million attendees. India opens the world's largest Hindu festival for 400 million pilgrims

Jeff Bezos told Reuters on Sunday that he trusts Elon Musk will not leverage his relationship with President-elect Donald Trump against Blue Origin. Bezos expressed optimism about the new administration’s space policies, crediting Musk for prioritising public interest over personal gain.

Thousands of people demonstrated against a convention of the far-right Alternative for Germany on January 11, blocking some roads and delaying the meeting’s start as parties launched their campaigns for the country’s election next month. We talked about this situation with PhD candidate at King’s College London Claire Burchett. German election: ‘The AfD is trying to present a more moderate image’

Algeria on Saturday rejected France’s accusation of escalation, denouncing a “campaign of disinformation” in their latest diplomatic row after Algiers sent back to Paris an influencer deported from the European country. “Algeria is in no way engaged in a logic of escalation… or humiliation,” the Algerian foreign ministry said in a statement, accusing the extreme right in France of “waging a campaign of disinformation” against Algeria. “Doualemn”, a 59-year-old influencer, was detained by French authorities in the southern city of Montpellier after posting a controversial video on TikTok. He was sent by plane to Algeria on Thursday, according to his lawyer,…

Syria’s new ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa and Lebanon’s prime minister vowed on Saturday to build lasting ties after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. Sharaa said the new Syria would “stay at equal distance from all” in Lebanon, and “try to solve problems through negotiations and dialogue”. Syria, Lebanon pledge 'long-term strategic relations' after Assad ouster

We are 10 days BT: Before Trump is back in office. And this week has seen the president elect given to an unconditional discharge, spared of jail or a fine, but confirmed as a convicted felon for fraud relating to hush money payments to an adult film star.

The US on Friday imposed a swath of fresh sanctions on Russian oil and gas which could cost the country billions of dollars per month, aimed at cutting Russia’s revenue for funding the ongoing war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the action, which should improve the odds of a peace deal being reached.  US intensifies sanctions on Russia in bid to give Ukraine, Trump leverage

For the second year in a row, the city of Ouidah in Benin is playing host to Vodun Days – a celebration of the region’s long spiritual traditions. France 24’s correspondent Lilaafa Amouzou visited the festival and found out about efforts to dismantle myths about Vodon. Celebrating Benin's Vodun heritage

Russian President Vladimir Putin has asked for a meeting with Donald Trump to try to end the “bloody mess” of the Ukraine war, the US president-elect revealed Thursday, just days before his January 20 inauguration. Trump has often criticised the massive military aid Washington has sent to Kyiv.

With the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) leading the Austrian government’s coalition talks for the first time in the country’s history, an estimated 50,000 people rallied in Vienna to urge the conservative People’s Party (OeVP) not to join forces with the FPOe. Tens of thousands of people protested across Austria on Thursday against the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe)’s possible return to power after it was tasked with trying to form a government. While the far-right party has previously been a member of the country’s government several times, it is the first time that it is leading coalition talks. The FPOe topped…

US President-elect Donald Trump suffered another legal blow on Thursday, as the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s bid to stop sentencing in his hush money conviction, with two conservative judges voting against the incoming president. Trump-bid-to-stop-hush-money-sentencing-denied-by-us-supreme-court”>Trump bid to stop hush money sentencing denied by US Supreme Court

US dignitaries united to pay tribute to Jimmy Carter on Thursday, as all five living US presidents attending the former president’s funeral in his home state of Georgia, lauding Carter’s humility and commitment to promoting world peace. All five living US presidents attend Jimmy Carter's funeral in Georgia

With uncertainty lingering over US support for Ukraine under incoming US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to meet with Western allies in Germany on Thursday to strategize securing Ukraine’s battlefield position against Russia.

The body of Bedouin Arab hostage Youssef al-Zayadna was repatriated to Israel from the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, the Israeli military said, in what it termed as a “complex and difficult operation” as mediators continue to push for a ceasefire and hostage release deal. Israeli troops recover body of hostage from Gaza

Venezuela’s opposition is speaking out against the arrest of a prominent pro-democracy activist and a member of the opposition party, among others, ahead of the inauguration of President Nicolas Maduro, who will be sworn in for a third term.  Venezuela's opposition decry arrests, plan protests ahead of Maduro inauguration

Known for never backpedaling his scandalous statements, Jean-Marie Le Pen, the co-founder of France’s right-wing National Front party who died on Tuesday aged 96, amassed a series of controversies throughout his time in the political arena — from calling the infamous Nazi gas chambers a “detail” of World War II, to publicly hurling homophobic slurs at political opponents. From Holocaust denial to homophobia: Jean-Marie Le Pen’s controversies

Accused of belonging to the Palestinian group Hamas, which was then Bashar Al-Assad’s bête noire, Mohamar Ouda was arrested by the Syrian army in Yarmouk in 2015. He spent seven years in prison, where his executioners inflicted all kinds of torture on him that still haunt him day and night. Seven years of torture by Assad’s executioners: ‘I will never forgive them’

A fast-moving wildfire broke out Tuesday northeast of Los Angeles hours after another blaze tore through the city’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood along the coast, prompting evacuation orders for tens of thousands.  High winds spread second Los Angeles wildfire as tens of thousands evacuated

Iran slams Macron’s ‘deceitful’ remarks on its role as a regional security threat Iran’ foreign ministry on Wednesday rejected French President Emmanuel Macron’s claim that Iran posed the main security threat in the Middle East. Macron on Monday said Iran was accelerating its nuclear programme, which the West suspects is aimed at making a nuclear bomb. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei described the comments as “baseless, contradictory, and speculative,” and called for France “to reconsider its non-constructive approaches to peace and stability”.  Iran slams Macron’s ‘deceitful’ remarks on its role as a regional security threat

Hours after US President Joe Biden welcomed exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia in the US, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said seven foreigners, including two Americans, had been arrested for planning unspecified “terrorist acts” days prior to Maduro’s inauguration into a third presidential term. Two Americans, five other 'mercenaries' detained in Venezuela

France 24 correspondent Wassim Cornet reports from Los Angeles, where authorities have ordered thousands to evacuate the Northern Palisades neighbourhood as a massive wildfire, buoyed by the strongest windstorm in almost 15 years, careened down the coast of southern California on Tuesday. People were seen leaving their cars to flee on foot, forcing authorities to remove the vehicles with bulldozers to allow hundreds of firefighters to attempt to contain the blaze. Thousands ordered to evacuate Los Angeles suburb as wildfire rages

US President-elect Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump, Jr., visited Greenland on Tuesday, while his father refused to rule out military or economic coercion as a means to purchase the mineral and oil-rich island. Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring the Danish territory, as well as the Panama Canal, saying on Tuesday that they are necessary to ensure the US’ “economic security”.

Chad and Senegal hit back at comments made by President Macron claiming that African countries in the Sahel had “forgotten to say thank you” to France for helping to combat jihadist insurgencies. Both countries have demanded in recent months the withdrawal of French troops from their territories as France’s military presence in West Africa continues to wane. Chad FM accuses Macron of ‘contemptuous attitude towards Africa’

The US Department of Defense has added Chinese social media giant Tencent and battery leader CATL to a list of firms it says work with the Chinese military. We take a closer look. Also in this edition: Nippon Steel vows to keep trying to acquire US Steel under the new Trump administration, and the 2025 CES gets underway in Las Vegas. Pentagon says Chinese tech firms Tencent, CATL affiliated with Beijing’s military