Following the fall of dictator Bashar Assad on December 8, Germany immediately announced a freeze on asylum applications from Syrian citizens. Just 36 hours after Syrian rebels announced they had liberated the capital, Damascus, the German government suspended decisions on more than 47,000 pending asylum claims from Syrians. Within hours, France, Britain, Italy and many … Read more
Turkey will never ease up in the fight against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists in Syria, despite its operations against Kurdish fighters seen as key to containing the extremists, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. For in-depth analysis on an emboldened Erdogan since the fall of Assad, FRANCE 24’s François … Read more
Authorities fear that thousands of people have died following the devastating Cyclone Chido that ripped through the French overseas department of Mayotte on Friday. Many inhabitants are still without water or electricity as rescue workers race against time to get emergency aid to the Indian Ocean island that’s battling many logistical hurdles. At least 20 … Read more
Chancellor Olaf Scholz faces a confident vote in the German parliament that he’s expected to lose, paving the way for the European Union’s most populous member and biggest economy to hold an early election in February. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on the collapse of Scholz’s unpopular and notoriously rancorous three-party government, FRANCE … Read more
Scholz triggered this path to new elections on 23 February by firing his finance minister Christian Lindner last month, which led Lindner’s Free Democrats to leave the government, robbing it of a majority. The dramatic developments came after months of fighting over fiscal and ideological differences that finally became too much for Germany’s first three-way … Read more
This week, France in Focus heads underground to explore the “Sistine Chapel” of prehistory. Thirty years ago, three explorers discovered the Chauvet cave, a site in southeastern France that was cut off from the world for millions of years. Inside, paintings and engravings dating back 36,000 years decorate the walls. The site is sealed off … Read more
The UK has officially become a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), joining 11 existing members including Australia, Japan and Canada. The CPTPP rose from the ashes of the TPP, which was signed in 2016 but was never ratified after Donald Trump pulled the US out of the deal. Plus, … Read more
South Korea’s Constitutional Court on Monday (December 16) began reviewing the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his Dec. 3 martial law proclamation, starting a process to decide if he will be removed from office, while investigators plan to question him this week on criminal charges. Source link
Gaza’s civil defense agency said Israeli strikes across the Palestinian territory on Sunday (December 15) killed at least 40 people, including several children, an Al Jazeera TV cameraman and three rescuers. Source link
