Wednesday, 19 August 2026
148 articles · times in UTC
France 24 · 11:20
Ukraine’s new defence minister takes office as popular predecessor calls for presidential vote ↗Ukrainian lawmakers approved former top special forces operative Yevhenii Khmara as the country’s new defence minister Wednesday, just hours after his predecessor Mykhailo Fedorov called for fresh presidential elections. Elections have been banned in Ukraine since President Volodymyr Zelensky declared martial law fo…
France 24 · 12:23
Ukraine’s ousted minister Mykhailo Fedorov calls for wartime elections ↗In a bombshell address posted on YouTube, Ukraine’s ousted defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for elections to be held even as the war against Russia continues, saying the country was gripped by a crisis of governance. Ukrainian law prohibits elections while the country is under martial law, which was impos…
France 24 · 12:52
Senegal's first elite girls' boarding school challenges patriarchal norms ↗Off the coast of Dakar, Goree Island is home to the Senegal’s first elite boarding school for girls. The Mariama Ba School of Excellence encourages its students to challenge what has traditionally been expected of girls across the predominantly Muslim West African nation. The school has a 100% completion rate, and a…
France 24 · 13:07
Israeli army launches criminal probe into killing of 5-year-old Hind Rajab in Gaza ↗The Israeli military will open internal criminal investigations into its troops' 2024 killing of 5-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab alongside six of her relatives, as well as the killings of 15 medics and humanitarian workers in 2025, it announced Wednesday. Israeli rights groups have warned that such investigat…
France 24 · 14:28
Visitors return to Syria's Palmyra after years of war and destructions ↗After years of war and destruction, Syrians are trying to reclaim their heritage – not least in the ancient city of Palmyra, where night-time tours are now being organised. As FRANCE 24’s Dana Alboz reports, it is a way of reclaiming the country’s history, but also of reviving a site that fell into the hands of the…
France 24 · 14:29
France measures more than 7,300 excess deaths – and counting – during historic heatwaves ↗More than 7,300 excess deaths have been recorded in France over the historically hot summer as Europe grapples with worsening heatwaves, wildfires and droughts, public health authorities said Wednesday. France has suffered a record-breaking 52 days of heatwaves since mid-June, an AFP analysis found.
France 24 · 14:30
Australia mushroom killer's lawyers point to jury irregularities at appeal ↗Australian mushroom killer Erin Patterson's lawyers said Wednesday the jury was not properly sequestered in her trial as they sought to overturn her conviction in a triple-murder case that sparked a worldwide media frenzy. The 51-year-old was found guilty last year of murdering her husband's parents and an elderly a…
France 24 · 14:31
Fractured opposition battles Nigeria's Tinubu as presidential campaign begins ↗Nigeria on Wednesday kicked off campaigns for the presidential election scheduled in January, with incumbent President Bola Tinubu seeking reelection against a fractured opposition. Africa's most populous country will hold the election against a backdrop of worsening economic and security crises that have caused ang…
France 24 · 14:32
Israel blames Turkey after strike on Syria air base ↗Israel on Tuesday accused Turkey of posing a threat by preparing to send troops to a base in Syria, which was hit in a strike condemned by the United States which blamed its ally. The strike marks extraordinary defiance by Israel of the United States, which has sought to support Syria's new government led by a forme…
France 24 · 14:33
PA financial crisis: No budget for 'essential services' including infrastructure, education & health ↗Annette Young is pleased to welcome Joost Hiltermann, Special Adviser for MENA and training for the International Crisis Group. He sees the Palestinian Authority’s financial crisis not as an approaching emergency, but as an ongoing process of institutional and economic erosion. The PA has already lost much of its ca…
France 24 · 14:34
Ukraine MPs approve new defence minister after divisive reshuffle ↗Ukraine's lawmakers approved the country's new defence minister on Wednesday, a month after a reshuffle that triggered a public backlash after the dismissal of his popular predecessor Mykhailo Fedorov. The decision comes a day after Fedorov in a video statement called for a move towards elections that have been put…
France 24 · 14:35
Turkey slams Israel's 'untenable' claims after strikes on Syrian base ↗Turkey firmly rejected on Wednesday what it called "untenable allegations" by Israel regarding its military position in Syria, after Israel bombed a Syrian air base near the Turkish border and said Syria was on the verge of permitting Turkish troops to deploy there. Israel carried out airstrikes against the Abu al-D…
France 24 · 14:37
Zelensky's office probed for corruption as fired defence minister demands elections ↗Ukrainian anti-corruption agencies announced Wednesday that they are investigating senior officials in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office, a day after the country’s recently fired defence minister called for national elections despite the ongoing fight against Russia’s invasion. The political drama was an unwelc…
France 24 · 15:25
Angélique Kidjo becomes the first Black African honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ↗Five-time Grammy winner Angelique Kidjo on Tuesday became the first Black African to be honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Born in Benin, Kidjo has built an international career spanning more than 40 years and 18 albums. Her star is the 2,853th on the famous Los Angeles sidewalk.
France 24 · 15:40
Libyan government in Tunisia for crisis talks ↗On Tuesday, Libya's national oil corporation said the country needs around 40 billion dollars in investment to make the most of its energy resources. The country's unreliable access to energy is feeding into instability stemming from fighting between rival factions and political rivalries. Members of one of the coun…
France 24 · 15:47
Israeli military probes killings of Hind Rajab and Palestinian paramedics ↗Israel’s military on Wednesday announced its first criminal investigations into troop conduct in the war in Gaza, focusing on the killings of 5-year-old Hind Rajab and her family and of 15 Palestinian paramedics. The military said it would not launch criminal investigations into three other attacks that killed aid w…
France 24 · 15:55
‘We won’t go back’: Young Moroccan migrants in Ceuta refuse to abandon their European dream ↗FRANCE 24 spent an evening with unaccompanied minors who are sleeping rough in Ceuta but refusing to return home. Amid the fear, the cold and the long wait for help, these young Moroccan migrants shared their stories.
France 24 · 16:24
No, Italy’s Lake Como didn’t dry up ↗Lake Como in northern Italy has disappeared after a “geological rupture”, a sensational report posted on TikTok claimed. This isn’t true. For one, the footage and photos in this report were all generated by artificial intelligence. Secondly, while the water levels in the lake have dropped, it's because of drought –…
France 24 · 18:18
Tax hack: What we know about the cyberattacks on French government agencies ↗French government systems came under attack by hackers who stole information on hundreds of thousands of households and private businesses in June and July, notably from the tax authority. Here's what we know about the latest cyberattacks, and what the government is doing to keep personal information secure.
France 24 · 19:36
Central African Republic gold mine collapse kills more than 100 ↗A gold mine collapse in the Central African Republican village of Zamboye near the Cameroon border on Tuesday killed more than 100 people, an official at a local mining association said. A member of the local youth council said the death toll would likely rise as more people were pulled from the rubble.
France 24 · 21:36
Angélique Kidjo makes Hollywood history as first Black African on Walk of Fame ↗Beninese music icon Angélique Kidjo celebrates her global legacy with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the first dedicated to a Black African. In Nigeria, the town of Ogijo has more lead-recycling factories than anywhere else in Africa, supplying the American auto industry at a heavy cost to nearby communities.…
France 24 · 22:12
US national debt exceeds $40 trillion for first time amid rising borrowing ↗The US gross national debt surpassed $40 trillion for the first time, Treasury data showed on Wednesday, exceeding earlier forecasts as borrowing, interest costs and long-term obligations rose. Total public debt reached $40.05 trillion on Tuesday, above a Congressional Budget Office forecast of $39.4 trillion by end…
France 24 · 22:39
Prince Harry and Meghan to move back to UK six years after royal exit ↗Prince Harry and his wife Meghan plan to move back to Britain six years after stepping down as working royals, British media reported on Wednesday. The couple are expected to leave the United States by month-end and live outside London, while their two children have reportedly enrolled in a British school.