The World Health Organization, which was at the heart of the pandemic response, has been galvanising efforts to determine where the next threat might come from and to ensure the planet is ready to face it. But while the UN health agency considers the world more prepared than it was when Covid hit, it warns we are not nearly ready enough. View from the WHO Asked whether the world was better prepared for the next pandemic, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said recently: "Yes and no". "If the next pandemic arrived today... Читать дальше...
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".
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.
Once the crown jewel of the ancient Assyrian empire, the UNESCO-listed archaeological site was ravaged by Islamic State (IS) fighters after they seized large areas of Iraq and neighbouring Syria in 2014. The precious pre-Islamic artefacts destroyed by the jihadists are now in pieces, but the archaeologists working in Nimrud are undaunted by the colossal task they face. "Every time we find a piece and bring it to its original place, it's like a new discovery," Abdel Ghani Ghadi, a 47-year-old expert working on the site, told AFP. Читать дальше...
US President-elect Donald Trump is refusing to rule out using military force to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal, calling both critical to American national security. Speaking at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday, Trump explicitly declined to give assurances against using military or economic coercion when questioned about his plans regarding Panama and Greenland.
The polarising Australian made his return to tennis after 18 months last week in Brisbane following knee surgery and wrist reconstruction. He crashed out in the first round after three tough sets against rising French star Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and conceded afterwards he was in pain. Kyrgios also played two doubles matches with Djokovic and was due to face the Serb in a charity singles match on Thursday at Melbourne Park's Rod Laver Arena. The Australian Open starts on Sunday. "Unfortunately... Читать дальше...
"So far, we have not found that precursors arrive -- because most of the precursors come from Asia -- and that the whole process is manufactured here in Mexico," Claudia Sheinbaum told a news conference. "The laboratories that have been dismantled in our country are mainly for methamphetamine or crystal (meth)," she added. At the same time, Sheinbaum stressed that her government was committed to combating illegal drug distribution. In recent weeks Mexican authorities have announced several major seizures of fentanyl... Читать дальше...
The "toxic male technique" aims to breed mosquitoes that express venomous proteins in their semen, killing off females after mating. Female mosquitoes are targeted because only they bite and drink blood, thereby spreading diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. Scientist Sam Beach from Australia's Macquarie University said the method "could work as quickly as pesticides without also harming beneficial species". "This innovative solution could transform how we manage pests, offering hope... Читать дальше...
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.
Ghana's new president promised to reset the nation as he was sworn in. It's not John Mahama's first turn in the hot seat, he ran the country for 4 years prior to his predecessor, Nana Akufo-Addo's two terms in office. Mahama's landslide comeback in december was carried by voters hopes for change after a tough economic chapter for the country.
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, abruptly announced it will get rid of independent fact checkers and replace them with a "community notes" system like the one used on X. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said there had been too much accidental censorship. Rights groups accused him of currying favour with the incoming Trump administration. Plus, Getty Images and Shutterstock announced a plan to merge to better prepare for the age of AI.
France has marked 10 years since an Islamist attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper that shocked the country and led to fierce debate about freedom of expression and religion. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks to Jacob Mchangama, founder of 'The Future of Free Speech' think tank and research professor at Vanderbilt University. He says that terrorism has curtailed freedom of expression, adding that France's "schizophrenic" approach helps erode the culture of free speech.
Didier Deschamps, the France coach since 2012, will step down from the job when his contract expires after the 2026 World Cup, the French Football Federation said Tuesday.
A wildfire burned about 200 acres (80 hectares) and threatened homes in an upscale section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, forcing evacuations after officials warned of extreme fire danger from dry, powerful winds.
On the tenth anniversary of the attacks on the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, FRANCE 24 spoke to cartoonist and chair of the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation Patrick Chappette about the power of cartoons.
Social media giant Meta - home of Facebook, Instagram and Threads - is scrapping its independent fact-checking program, instead pivoting to a "community notes" style closer to Elon Musk's X. This means users on the platform will themselves do the flagging and correcting instead of fact-checking experts and organisations. CEO Mark Zuckerberg pointed to the US election as an influence in the move, and comes as he's positioned himself closer to Trump. Vedika Bahl explains in Truth or Fake.
Jean-Marie Le Pen, the rabble-rousing former far-right leader who died on Tuesday aged 96, was a convicted Holocaust denier and perennial outcast of French politics. But the party he founded half a century ago ultimately succeeded in pushing many of his extremist ideas into the political mainstream.
