Author: France24

In the words of Antoine Bernard, disinformation is “the kingdom of confusion”. The director of advocacy and assistance at Reporters Without Borders (RSF) spoke to FRANCE 24 about the organisation’s project to fight fake news and analyse the geopolitics of propaganda: The Propaganda Monitor. In its first “season”, the project is focusing on Russian propaganda, which Bernard says has “gained a lot of traction” since the start of the war in Ukraine. He speaks of an intricate disinformation “apparatus” in which fake news is “laundered, propelled and amplified” by the Russian government.

The draft text for the UN climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, left out how much wealthy nations will pay poorer countries to help them to reduce greenhouse gasses and cope with climate change. The developing world says it needs the $1.3 trillion in climate finance, far more than negotiators say richer nations have been prepared to give.

Mali’s ruling junta on Thursday appointed spokesperson Abdoulaye Maiga as prime minister after firing Choguel Maiga, state television ORTM said on Thursday. 

With the COP29 summit now in its final days, we take a closer look at the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. A major global carbon sink that’s nicknamed the lungs of the planet, the Amazon is once again under threat. Illegal fires set by farmers ravaged millions of hectares over the summer. Our France 2 colleagues followed the police as they tracked down those responsible. They bring us this report, with FRANCE 24’s Luke Shrago.

PRESS REVIEW –Thursday, November 21:  In France, far-right leader Marine Le Pen threatens to bring down PM Michel Barnier’s government over its controversial budget bill. In the US, the House Ethics Committee refuses to publish the findings of a sexual misconduct report against Donald Trump’s Attorney General pick Matt Gaetz. Over in the UK, Oxford University’s election for chancellor is being played out amid geopolitical tensions. Finally, find out why the humble bean is having a moment!

Russia launched an Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at targets in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, Ukraine’s air force said. It was the first time that ICBMs have been used by Russia in the conflict. ICBMs are designed to deliver nuclear warheads, but there was no indication from Ukraine that the Russian missile was nuclear-armed.

In the antitrust trial of the century, the US Justice Department has filed for tech giant Alphabet to separate from its Chrome browser, which is used by around 3.5 billion people globally. It’s also asked the District of Colombia judge to rule that if Google continues with monopolistic misconduct, it could also lose its Android mobile phone operating system as well. In this business bulletin we take a closer look at the story, as well as Nvidia’s earnings call, Australia’s social media ban and French President Emmanuel Macron’s defence of cognac.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Washington’s decision to send antipersonnel land mines to Ukraine was needed to “help slow down” the advance of Russian ground troops. The announcement comes two months before Donald Trump replaces Joe Biden in the White House. Trump has criticized the amount the U.S. has spent on supporting Ukraine.

In a bid to further strengthen India’s alliances and global strategic partnerships, PM Modi has embarked on a veritable diplomatic blitz on the sidelines of the G20. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on Modi’s wide-ranging discussions addressing everything from trade, technology & energy to security & space, François Picard welcomes India’s Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf. “We’re witnessing sweeping changes, shifting equations in politics, geopolitics, economics, technology.”

A painting by French artist Nicolas de Largillierre that was looted by the Nazis and recovered at the end of World War II by the Monuments Men, the Allied unit responsible for returning works of art stolen by the Germans, will be auctioned by Christie’s Paris on Thursday. FRANCE 24 looks at the history of a painting that has become a symbol of Nazi-looted art.

The US Department of Justice moved to break up Google’s hold on internet searches on Wednesday, initiating a rare but significant antitrust push that could see the tech giant ordered to part with its Chrome browser.

The International Criminal Court in The Hague on Thursday issued warrants for the arrest of Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri (also known as Mohammed Deif) as well Israel’s President Binyamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity over the war in Gaza and the October 2023 attacks that triggered it. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments in the Middle East.

Indian magnate Gautam Adani, one of the world’s richest men and a strong backer of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was charged by US prosecutors on Wednesday for allegedly paying over $250 million in bribes to Indian officials.

One day after Ukraine for the first time launched US-made missiles deep into Russian territory, air raid sirens rippled across Kyiv in response to online indications that Russia might be preparing a missile and drone attack on the capital.

The United States on Wednesday stood as the sole obstacle to the adoption of a UN resolution which sought to implement an immediate ceasefire to the Israel-Hamas war, saying the resolution didn’t “link release of hostages to an immediate, unconditional ceasefire”.

Social media was abuzz with misleading, out-of-context images from Iran this week: dated, decade-old images being used to claim Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was hospitalised in a coma, and a slew of footage from 2022 demonstrations being presented as current unrest. Vedika Bahl talks us through it in this episode of Truth or Fake.

In DR Congo, parties from the political opposition have announced that they consider President Felix Tshisekedi’s plan to change the constitution as tantamount to a coup d’etat, and vowed to fight the move.

The death toll from gang violence in Haiti this year rose to over 4,500 after 150 people were killed in the capital of Port-au-Prince over the past week, United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said on Wednesday. Amid rampant violence and persistent political instability, Turk said the latest “upsurge” in violence is a “harbinger of worse to come”.

Mali’s military junta leader Colonel Assimi Goita fired Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga and his government on Wednesday. A few days previously, Maiga, who was appointed by the military in 2021, had publicly condemned the lack of clarity regarding the country’s promised transition to civilian rule.

Is it all part of a bigger plan, or has Donald Trump simply decided that cabinet picks no longer matter? What to make of a TV host for defence secretary, a vaccine sceptic for health secretary, an ex-pro wrestling executive for education chief and a Putin-friendly conspiracy theorist to head intelligence services? Not to mention a now former congressman under investigation to head the Justice Department.

Denmark’s navy said Wednesday that it was shadowing Chinese cargo vessel Yi Peng 3, which is anchored off the Danish coast. While the navy has not given any reason for its presence near the idle ship, the announcement comes a day after Finland and Sweden opened investigations into the suspected sabotage of two undersea fibre-optic cables.

French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Pablo Neruda at the poet’s former home in Santiago during his visit to Chile on Wednesday, highlighting the enduring bond between the Nobel laureate and France. This connection, which began more than 80 years ago, was both literary and political, with France serving as both a refuge and a platform for Neruda’s voice during crucial moments in his life.

Gisele Pelicot, the French woman drugged by her ex-husband so she could be raped and sexually abused by him and dozens of strangers, said on Tuesday that it was time for a “macho” society to change its attitude on rape. Pelicot has become a feminist icon by refusing to be ashamed and demanding the trial be open to the public to raise awareness about the use of drugs to commit sexual abuse.