As the Olympic torch lands in Marseille, we ask whether Paris and its suburbs will benefit from the Olympics investments in infrastructure and be able to overcome the 'white elephant' syndrome. Mark Owen speaks to Sylvain Bersinger, chief economist of Asterès, a consulting group that gives advice to businesses in the public sector.
In halting a shipment of thousands of bombs, President Joe Biden has sent his most serious signal yet both to Israel and his domestic critics, although it remains doubtful he can fundamentally alter the course of the war in Gaza.
Ippei Mizuhara, 39, will plead guilty to one count of bank fraud -- punishable by up to 30 years in prison -- and one count of filing a false tax return, which carries a maximum sentence of three years, the Justice Department said. Federal prosecutors have said Mizuhara -- Ohtani's long-time friend and confidant -- plundered millions from the Los Angeles Dodgers ace's bank account to fund an "insatiable appetite" for gambling. Mizuhara is expected to formally enter his guilty plea in the coming weeks... Читать дальше...
Lucas Beltran forced a penalty past Simon Mignolet's fingertips in the 85th minute as Fiorentina came back from Maxim de Cuyper's opener to restore their one-goal lead from the first leg of the semi-final and book their place in the final on May 29 in Athens. Fiorentina now have the opportunity to avenge last year's 2-1 defeat to West Ham when they face either England's Aston Villa or Greek side Olympiakos in the final. "It's a great journey, I am very happy... we go to the final again," said Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano. Читать дальше...
More than 1.4 million people had crammed into Rafah, a city on the Gaza Strip's southern border with Egypt, as Israeli forces pushed their way southward from the coastal territory's north during months of war against Hamas militants. Many in Rafah have been displaced multiple times during the seven-month war, and are now heading back north after Israeli forces called for the evacuation of the city's eastern past, which hosts tens of thousands of people. "Life has completely ceased in the downtown area of Rafah"... Читать дальше...
Biden, a self-described Zionist, had long resisted stopping any of the $3 billion in weapons the United States sends each year to Israel -- and pushed Congress for an increase in the wake of the October 7 attack by Hamas that triggered the major Israeli retaliation. But US officials say privately that his hand was forced after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made clear he would go ahead with an assault on Rafah, defying Biden's public appeals to spare the southern Gaza city for the sake... Читать дальше...
"It's my first chance to defend. I don't know what that's like, so it has been exciting," Clark said Wednesday as he prepared to tee off Thursday in the Wells Fargo Championship, the sixth of the US PGA Tour's eight $20 million Signature events, which feature smaller fields and no halfway cut. Now ranked third in the world, Clark was ranked 163rd when he arrived last year at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he out-dueled Olympic champion Xander Schauffele in a back-nine battle on... Читать дальше...
Smith, who died aged 73 in October 2021, is the second most successful manager in Rangers' history, leading the club to 10 league titles, six Scottish League Cups and five Scottish Cups, as well as the 2008 UEFA Cup final, during two spells in charge. He was also the manager of the Scotland national side from 2004-07. A statue of Smith designed and sculpted by London-based artist Douglas Jennings, whose work also includes statues of England World Cup-winners Jack Charlton and George Cohen, as well as Queen Elizabeth II... Читать дальше...
Former Spanish soccer federation chief Luis Rubiales will stand trial for his unsolicited kiss of national team player Jenni Hermoso after a High Court judge admitted the case, the court said on Wednesday. Rubiales faces one count of sexual assault and one of coercion for his alleged actions in the aftermath of the kiss. The offences carry prison terms of one year and 18 months, respectively. Sarah Morris reports from Madrid.
Tens of thousands of people gathered Wednesday in the southern French city of Marseille to welcome the Olympic torch and mark another milestone in the lead-up to the Summer Games in Paris. FRANCE 24's Selina Sykes reports from Marseille.
There are similar sites at universities across Britain, and so far the protests have been peaceful and left alone by the police, unlike in the United States, France and other countries. Students, many of whom were masked, sat in a circle on a blue tarpaulin to take part in what they called a "teach-in" while others took stock of groceries and supplies piled up inside the shelters. At SOAS, former student Yara, 23, estimated that more than 20 students were taking part -- with about a dozen other encampments at universities elsewhere in the UK... Читать дальше...
A Hong Kong court has banned a protest song popular during pro-democracy demonstrations this Wednesday with authorities then demanding that online platforms remove it. Catherine Khédir-Clifford has more.
Droughts, heatwaves, extreme rainfall and a record-breaking hurricane had major impacts on health, food and energy security, and economic development, the UN body said in a new report. "Unfortunately, 2023 was a year of record climatic hazards in Latin America and the Caribbean, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said in a statement. "El Nino conditions during the second half of 2023 contributed to a record warm year and exacerbated many extreme events. This combined with rising temperatures and... Читать дальше...
The 25-year-old American matched Annika Sorenstam and Nancy Lopez for the all-time record win streak of five by taking last month's Chevron Championship, beating Sweden's Maja Stark by two strokes in the year's first women's major championship. Reigning Olympic champion Korda arrives at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, New Jersey, after two weeks off, saying she hasn't had time to focus on what six in a row would mean. "I have not thought about it at all because I've had so much going on... Читать дальше...
Chasing a modest 166 for victory, Head, who smashed 89, and fellow left-hander Abhishek, who hit 75, tore into the opposition attack to romp home with 10.2 overs to spare at their home in Uppal. "I'm lost for words. We've watched that batting on TV but that was unreal," Lucknow skipper KL Rahul said of the bludgeoning by the Hyderabad openers. "Everything was hitting the middle of the bat, kudos to their skill, they've worked very hard on their six-hitting." Australia's Head attacked with a flurry... Читать дальше...
Israel and Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, have stepped up cross-border exchanges that have been ongoing following the Palestinian group's October 7 attack on southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza. According to the Lebanese security source, "two Hezbollah fighters" were killed in an Israeli air strike on the border town of Adaisseh. Hezbollah later said two of its fighters had been "martyred on the road to Jerusalem", the phrase it uses to refer to members killed by Israeli fire. A separate strike... Читать дальше...
Speaking on the eve of the PGA Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina, McIlroy said some other board members had concerns about his return after stepping down from the board last year. "There's been a lot of conversations. Sort of reminded me partly why I didn't (stay)," McIlroy said. "It got pretty complicated and pretty messy and I think with the way it happened, it opened up some old wounds and scar tissue from things that have happened before. "There was a subset... Читать дальше...
Nearly 400 municipalities have been affected by the worst natural calamity ever to hit the state of Rio Grande do Sul, with hundreds of people injured and 160,000 forced from their homes. Many have no access to drinking water or electricity -- or even the means to call for help with telephone and internet services down in many places. On Tuesday, state governor Eduardo Leite had warned the human toll was likely to rise as "the emergency is continuing to develop" in the state capital of Porto Alegre and other cities and towns. Читать дальше...
Kennedy, 70, made the claim in a 2012 deposition as part of his divorce from his second wife, according to the New York Times, which said the scion of the storied political clan reported severe memory loss and mental fog. A New York surgeon who reviewed his brain scans told Kennedy his health issues could have been "caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died," the White House hopeful reportedly told attorneys. Kennedy -- a nephew of former president John F. Kennedy... Читать дальше...
President Joe Biden's decision to hold up delivery of high payload munitions to Israel was taken in the context of Israel's plans to carry out an offensive in Rafah that Washington opposes without new civilian safeguards, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Wednesday. More information with FRANCE 24 correspondent Irris Makler and former US Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Frank Lowenstein.
Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah movement began attacking Israel in support of ally Hamas a day after the Palestinian militant group's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel that sparked war in the Gaza Strip. Hezbollah has stepped up its attacks in recent weeks, while Israel's military has struck deeper into Lebanese territory, saying it has targeted fighters and "infrastructure" used by the Iran-backed group. Lebanon's Southern Council, an official body tasked with assessing the destruction, has estimated that since October 8... Читать дальше...
French police detained 86 people following an operation to remove students staging a pro-Palestinian occupation at the Sorbonne university in Paris, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Talks aimed at reaching a Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal are ongoing, and Israel and Hamas militants are close enough to an agreement that they should be able to close the gaps, the White House said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Israel is pursuing an incursion into the overcrowded southern city of Rafah on Tuesday and seized the Rafah crossing into Egypt that is the main conduit for aid into the besieged Palestinian territory. Story by Catherine Khédir-Clifford.
As former President Donald Trump remains stuck in the courtroom listening to salacious details of an extramarital sexual encounter he denies, another spectacle is playing out in the background as his vice presidential tryouts get underway. More information with political analyst, Larry Sabato.
