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It is a tradition that dates back a thousand years and has survived wars, earthquakes and even a nuclear disaster. But in recent years, Japan’s Soma Nomaoi samurai festival has found itself under threat from a new enemy: extreme heat.
German director Wim Wenders announced Wednesday that he would be pulling his 1975 film “Wrong Move” from circulation due to a scene in which actress Nastassja Kinski, then a teenager, appeared topless.
Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, President of Iran Human Rights and Professor of Neuroscience at University of Oslo. He offers a stark assessment of the Iranian regime's response to recent unrest and wartime conditions. Professor Amiry-Moghaddam argues that the authorities have exploited international attention on regional conflict to intensify domestic repression. Civilians are effectively "risking their lives" so that "the world can know what is happening in Iran," underscoring both the scale of repression and the resilience of civil society under authoritarian rule.
The already fragile ceasefire between Iran and the US has come under strain following a series of attacks from Iran in the Gulf and from the US on Qeshm Island. The Iranian attacks killed one person and injured 63 others. FRANCE 24's Hoda Abdel-Hamid tells us more on the attacks.
French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes, detained in Algeria since 2024 on terror charges, may be eligible for a possible presidential pardon, his lawyers said Wednesday. Algeria's Court de Cassation, the country's highest appeals court, rejected prosecutors' calls for a tougher sentence, and noted the withdrawal of the defendant's own appeal.
The captain of the Tagor, a tanker suspected of belonging to Russia’s “ghost fleet” that was boarded in the Atlantic Ocean by the French Navy, was taken into custody on Tuesday, announced Brest prosecutor Stéphane Kellenberger.
AI-driven chatbots are increasingly being used as sources of information, but they are also vulnerable to disinformation campaigns. Experts have found that pro-Russian misinformation, in particular, can seep into the responses generated by these conversational agents.
Volodymyr Zelensky called Kyiv's attack on Saint Petersburg a 'fair' response to the deadly Russian strikes on several Ukrainian cities a day earlier. It is also a testimony to Ukraine's growing capacity to strike further inside Russia. FRANCE 24's Douglas Herbert tells us what that means for Russia.
‘De Gaulle: Resistance’, is released in cinemas in France on June 3, the first part of a two-parter on Charles de Gaulle, the French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces against Nazi Germany and Vichy France. The much anticipated films took director Antonin Baudry and his team six years to make, with a budget of nearly 80 million euros. But even beyond the silver screen, with a year to go until the presidential elections, De Gaulle has perhaps never been so politically fashionable.
The Saint-Germain-des-Prés book fair is a literary rendez-vous at the famous Parisien café, Les Deux Magots. To the delight of book lovers, the event is returning for its third year, bringing a rich and modern programme to the Left Bank historical venue where Boris Vian, Jean-Paul Sartre and Ernest Hemingway once gathered. It's a new chapter in the neighbourhood's literary tradition, inspired by a bygone era. In Entre Nous, Angela Diffley speaks to Gaëlle Le Gall Nicolas, marketing director of Les Deux Magots.
Ukrainian drones hit energy and military sites in Saint Petersburg early Wednesday morning as officials gathered for a flagship economic forum in the city, Russian and Ukrainian authorities said.
Angela Diffly is pleased to welcome Dr. Adi Nadimpalli, Medical Coordinator for Gaza with Doctors Without Borders. He offers a stark assessment of conditions in Gaza following the October 2025 ceasefire. While acknowledging that "the number of kinetic injuries and violence has decreased," he argues that the territory remains trapped in a state of profound humanitarian deterioration, marked by daily strikes, mass displacement, inadequate food supplies, collapsing living conditions, and widespread insecurity.
Lebanon said Israeli strikes on June 3 killed at least nine people in the country's south, while the Israeli army says it has intercepted a "hostile aircraft" in its northern regions. This comes as a new round of talks is to be held in Washington. FRANCE 24's Renée Davis in Beirut and Noga Tarnopolsky in Jerusalem tell us more.
The ceasefire with Iran is being further tested after Iranian drones hit a terminal building in Kuwait. It forced the country to close down the airport briefly and one person was killed and at least 63 injured, according to the Kuwaiti health ministry. Meanwhile, talks with the US have been stalling over Lebanon and the US military said it had launched strikes on an island in the Strait of Hormuz.
Ukrainian long-range drones hit an oil terminal in the Russian city of St Petersburg on June 3, setting the facility ablaze. It came hours before Vladimir Putin's showcase economic forum got under way in the city, apparently an attempt to embarrass the Kremlin chief. Moscow said it would keep striking Ukraine systematically in response to such attacks.
Critic Emma Jones tells us why North Macedonian production "DJ Ahmet", starring first-time actors, is a gem of an independent movie and proof that the small country punches well above its weight when it comes to cinema. We also discuss unsettling thriller "The Plague", starring Joel Edgerton, as a group of teenage boys at a swimming camp prompts comparisons with "Lord of The Flies"-style dynamics. Plus, body horror "Saccharine" explores contemporary obsessions with weight loss and body image, and the "Scary Movie" horror spoof franchise returns for a sixth outing, 26 years after its Y2K debut.
Since Notre Dame Cathedral reopened to the public in 2024 following a devastating fire, it has been one of the most popular tourist destinations in Paris. What many don’t realize is that the work continues near the cathedral underground. To make way for trees and shade on the square in front of the church, workers have undertaken a significant archaeological dig.
Mexican authorities have discovered an illegal tunnel that is 600 metres long on the US border with Mexico. It links Tijuana with the city of San Diego. Its purpose? Possibly the illegal smuggling of drugs. The discovery was the result of a six-month long investigation.