Trump signs order imposing new 50% tariffs on certain Canadian goods

US President Donald Trump signed orders on Monday imposing new 50% tariffs on some Canadian goods, citing what the White House called Canada's "discriminatory treatment" of US alcohol, automobiles and dairy products. The tariffs take effect in 30 days, with energy, potash and sector-specific imports exempted, the White House said.


Issued on 21/07/2026 
By: FRANCE 24

Global Container Terminals' Deltaport facility in Delta, British Columbia, Canada, July 16, 2026 © Darryl Dyck, The Canadian Press via AP

US President Donald Trump signed orders Monday to impose new 50-percent tariffs on many Canadian goods, claiming "discriminatory treatment" by Ottawa against American alcohol, automobile and dairy products.

The tariffs take effect in 30 days and cover a wide range of goods including wine, hockey sticks and cement, said the White House in a fact sheet.

Trump tapped a little-known legal provision for the new duties – Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 – which allows officials to take action against countries said to engage in discriminatory trade practices.

Cover image: © France 24
01:46

The latest duties will not apply to energy, potash and goods already impacted by sector-specific tariffs, the White House said.

Crucially, however, they will hit products covered under the US-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement (USMCA).

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in response that Ottawa stands ready to "intensify" talks with the United States, and has made proposals to resolve disputes and modernise the USMCA.

"This is the latest in a series of unilateral US trade actions that began with the US imposing a series of tariffs in direct violation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement," he added.

"Canada, as is its right, has merely matched those measures," Carney said.

While Trump has slapped sweeping duties on US trading partners since returning to the presidency last year, these have generally come with broad exemptions for goods entering his country under the North American free trade pact.

His latest actions threaten to further strain ties between Washington and Ottawa, and come just days after he threatened Canada with increased tariffs over smoke from raging wildfires that drifted into the United States.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Greeted with boos, Trump lingers on stage to lap up World Cup spotlight

US President Donald Trump brushed off FIFA president Gianni Infantino's efforts to gently guide him off stage after Spain beat Argentina in the World Cup final Sunday, lingering alongside the celebrating team and treating the players to his trademark "Trump dance".

Issued on: 20/07/2026 
By: FRANCE 24

Cover image: Spain's midfielder #16 Rodri receives the trophy from US President Donald Trump after winning the 2026 World Cup football tournament final match between Spain and Argentina at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19, 2026. © Franck Fife, AFP
00:30




US President Donald Trump grabbed a share of the spotlight at the World Cup final on Sunday, staying on stage with winners Spain as they lifted the trophy after beating Argentina.

Despite being met by resounding boos as he walked on to the pitch with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Trump basked in the attention at the end of a tournament he has called "the most successful sporting event maybe in the history of the world".

Trump briefly lingered on stage as Infantino tried to lead him away while the Spanish team held the trophy aloft in celebration.

The 80-year-old US leader even did a quick version of his trademark "Trump dance" in front of the Spanish players.

Spain's midfielder #16 Rodri lifts the trophy with his teammates, flanked by US President Donald Trump (2R) and FIFA President Gianni Infantino (R), after winning the 2026 World Cup football tournament final match between Spain and Argentina at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19, 2026. © Odd Andersen, AFP

Trump had arrived on his Marine One helicopter at the New York-New Jersey stadium to watch Spain and Argentina battle it out for the trophy.

During the game, he sat next to Infantino and First Lady Melania Trump, and stood and saluted for the US national anthem.

Trump said before kick-off that he thought superstar Lionel Messi would give Argentina the edge and talked about his own close ties with Argentina's right-wing President Javier Milei.

But he told reporters afterward that he "wasn't sad" Argentina had lost.

"I would say Spain played better, really," Trump said.

The game also provided a chance for some diplomacy.

Trump said he had spoken to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney – whose country co-hosted the tournament with the United States and Mexico – about wildfires that have sent smoke over the US northeast.

The US leader said he had a "good relationship" with Carney "but maybe they should pay us some damages or something, or we should do some tariffs". The smoke had at one point threatened to disrupt the final.

During the final match, US President Donald Trump could be seen having brief exchanges with the leaders of the World Cup tournament's co-hosts, Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney © Odd ANDERSEN / AFP

Trump said he also spoke to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, insisting there was "no tension" despite recently lashing out at Madrid for failing to help with the Iran war and falling short on NATO spending.

'It's been amazing'

Trump co-presented the trophy to Spain alongside Infantino.

The match is the first World Cup fixture that Trump has attended, in an unusual move for a leader who relishes public events.

Two US Marine Corps aircraft, with one of the helicopters believed to be carrying U.S. President Trump, fly above the stadium ahead of the 2026 World Cup football tournament final match between Spain and Argentina at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19, 2026. © Paul ELLIS / AFP

But it is far from his first intervention in the tournament.

Less than two weeks ago, Trump infamously phoned Infantino to ask FIFA to suspend a red card against USA striker Folarin Balogun so he could play in a last-16 match against Belgium.

Despite the ensuing controversy over fairness and influence, Trump has hailed the 2026 tournament as the best ever.

"This has been the most successful sporting event maybe in the history of the world. It's been amazing," Trump told a FIFA reception with Infantino at Trump Tower in New York on Friday.

Trump said the 104 games had also helped further popularise a sport in the United States.

"It turned out we were a soccer country, and I think it's going to remain," added Trump, who said his son Barron, 20, was a huge fan of the game.

Trump has hitched his political brand to the World Cup since returning in January 2025 to the Oval Office, where he has hosted Infantino on multiple occasions.

But the run-up to the tournament also hit hiccups from Trump's immigration policies, which saw some fans face visa issues.

At the FIFA Club World Cup championship at the same New Jersey stadium last year, winners Chelsea were left confused when Trump stayed on the podium while they danced after he handed them the trophy.

Trump later claimed he had been allowed to keep the trophy itself in the Oval Office – but FIFA said the version on display was actually a replica.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Will football ever be the same? The legacy of a star-spangled World Cup

Argentina  Fans

 REUTERS - Sahiba Chawdhary

Issued on: 16/07/2026 - 
Play (43:31 min)From the show

After a stunning performance in Argentina’s come-from-behind win against England, 39-year-old Lionel Messi secured the defending World Cup champions their second final in a row – much to the delight of organizers. Taking note of Messi’s star power, the US bent the rules to include him on the Inter Miami side in the Club World Cup last year. In this edition we ask: what legacy will there be for the biggest World Cup ever, with its three countries, 64 teams and record-smashing ticket pricing?

What will the world remember from World Cup 2026? Will it be the on-field drama or the American-style packaging of the spectacle: commercial breaks disguised as water breaks, TV cutaways to celebrities during the action and red cards overturned to please the host country's leader? What will the final bring? Will US President Donald Trump be flanked by his Argentinian counterpart and far-right ally Javier Milei? Will they pose with Pedro Sanchez, the prime minister of a left-led Spain Trump has threatened to cut ties with?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Riham Mahir, Andrew Hilliar.


OUR GUESTS

Kethevane GORJESTANIFRANCE 24 International Affairs Editor; Former Washington correspondent

Ruben SLAGTERJournalist & Co-author, 'Football Investigation'

Ronan EVAINExecutive Director at Football Supporters Europe

David WEBBERSenior Lecturer in Sports Business and Politics, UCFB

BY:

François PICARD

Rebecca GNIGNATI

Juliette Laffont

Ilayda HABIP

Riham Mahir

Andrew HILLIAR

Trump administration's border barrier project sparks environmental concerns in Texas national park

The Trump administration’s waiver of environmental laws to speed up border barrier construction in Texas’s Big Bend National Park has sparked an outcry from local residents and authorities.


Issued on: 17/07/2026 
By: The FRANCE 24 Observers/
Lise KIENNEMANN

Shown at left is the Rio Grande river as it flows through Big Bend National Park. At right, a protest against the construction of a border wall in the park on April 4, 2026.

 © Instagram / laiken.jordahl

With sheer cliffs towering hundreds of metres above the waters of the Rio Grande, vast desert landscapes, and rugged mountain ranges, Big Bend National Park in southern Texas is considered one of the most remote parks in the United States.

But this park on the Mexican border has also become a battleground, with strong public opposition to a border infrastructure construction project looming over the area for months, and the waiver of a series of laws to expedite its implementation.

The project is part of US President Donald Trump's massive "One Big Beautiful" tax-and-spending bill passed in May 2025, which allocated $46.5 billion to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. However, this border corridor spans several protected areas, including Big Bend Ranch State Park and Big Bend National Park.


A post from February 23, 2026, opposing the construction of a border wall in the Big Bend Sector. Source: Instagram / @tylerpriest

Shifting plans

Repeated changes regarding the specific types of infrastructure planned for the national park have, in particular, fuelled concern among the project's opponents.

A map published in February 2026 by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) appeared to show a steel bollard wall construction project along part of the river. The news sparked an outcry from local residents and officials. Opponents warned of the project's environmental and economic toll and pointed to low and declining crossing rates in the Big Bend area.

This video, posted on February 28, 2026, shows residents in Terlingua, near Big Bend National Park, protesting against the construction of a border wall. Source: Facebook/Basecamp Terlingua

The CBP discreetly updated the map in March to indicate it planned to deploy only “detection technologies” within the national park, without making any public announcement about the change.

Information currently available on the CBP website indicates plans to construct new “patrol roads” equipped with “technology” and “vehicle barrier systems” across four separate sections.

This is a screenshot of the CBP website as of July 16, 2026, showing the “smart wall” project within Big Bend National Park. © CBP

In early July, however, Bloomberg reported that a "30-foot (9-metre) border wall” was set to be built in part of the nearby Big Bend Ranch State Park.

When contacted by our team, CBP said it was “not planning to construct a 30-foot-high barrier” in Big Bend National Park or Big Bend Ranch State Park, but rather to deploy “cameras, sensors, roads, and limited low-profile post-on-rail barriers [...] to restrict unlawful vehicle access while utilising existing natural barriers”.

It also said it “conducts environmental and cultural reviews” prior to barrier construction activities, carried out “outreach in the Big Bend Sector”, and is seeking input for the vehicle barrier system project.

Opponents of the project, meanwhile, have been pointing to the CBP’s lack of transparency and the risk that its plans could change again.

“There's a different statement from CBP every day, it seems,” said Laiken Jordahl, a national public lands advocate with the Centre for Biological Diversity, a US non-profit conservation organisation.

This video shows a protest against the construction of border infrastructure, organised on April 4, 2026, in the Santa Elena Canyon, a popular site in Big Bend National Park. Source: Instagram / tylerpriest

‘They're free to inflict as much damage as they want’

These concerns were further amplified on June 9, when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) waived 28 environmental and historical preservation laws “in order to ensure the expeditious construction of barriers and roads” in a zone that includes Big Bend National Park. Among the waived laws are the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

Jordahl argues that this waiver gives the CBP enormous leeway:

“Just by publishing this notice in the Federal Register, they have eviscerated decades of environmental protections. Environmental law would normally require the opportunity for public comment, input, transparency and require them to consult with experts, whether those are biologists or archaeologists. But empowered by this waiver, they're free to inflict as much damage as they want with no consequences. Nothing like this has ever occurred in a national park.

This waiver explicitly clears the way for the construction of 30-foot-high physical border walls. If they are not moving forward to build a wall, they have stripped the protections, issued the contracts and given themselves all the tools to be able to decide as soon as they get their machines on the ground that they do want to build a wall. And there's nothing that the public could do to stop them. Right now, we're basically relying on the goodwill of the agency. And CBP has never demonstrated any goodwill to the borderlands. It's a really scary time.”

The Centre for Biological Diversity updated an existing lawsuit in mid-June to challenge the DHS waiver, arguing it was unconstitutional.

In two separate letters addressed to the DHS Secretary, several former superintendents of Big Bend National Park and 18 Democratic members of Congress have also expressed their opposition to the waiver, which DHS had justified by declaring the zone a "high illegal entry area".

“There is no border security emergency here that warrants giving CBP unfettered authority to unnecessarily destroy some of the wildest parts of Big Bend or to disregard the overwhelmingly bipartisan will of the people, the actual data showing minimal numbers of border crossings inside the park,” the latter read.

Members of Congress also noted that “the rough terrain of Big Bend itself and Mexican lands to the south form a natural wall deterring illegal activity”.

According to data obtained by former Big Bend National Park superintendent Bob Krumenaker and published by Public Domain, CPB conducted between 100 and 125 arrests annually within the national park in 2023 and 2024.

Images posted on June 12, 2026, show the words “No wall” projected on the Mexican-US border in Big Bend National Park. This is a project by visual artist Joanie Lemercier. Source: Instagram/@joanielemercier

‘Almost nobody is crossing through the park’

Jordahl highlighted the impact a physical wall would have on local ecosystems, notably on bighorn sheep and black bear populations living in the park.

“Wildlife would be unable to access the Rio Grande, which is their main – and oftentimes only – source of drinking water. We've seen that it had devastating impacts elsewhere in Arizona and other places where border walls have gone up.”

However, he said that even the infrastructure currently slated for the national park would not be harmless. Current plans involve building “patrol roads” up to 7 metres wide and vehicle barriers featuring “steel posts supported by continuous steel rails”, with rail heights of 1.2 to 1.8 metres.

“The areas that they want to build these new roads and barriers are extremely rugged. I think the most damaging part of this project is just the amount of dynamite and blasting, bulldozing and scraping of mountain tops.

There is zero justification for any of this. Almost nobody is crossing through the park. And by building these new roads into the most remote stretch of the park, CBP is going to be opening up new smuggling routes.”

These images have been published by CBP. They show examples of a vehicle barrier in Arizona (left) and a patrol and maintenance road in New Mexico (right). © CBP

Congress members also argued in their letter that the “construction of new technology and roads will disrupt the flow of the Rio Grande River, increasing flash flood risk”.
‘In Big Bend, everybody is opposed to this project’

While Jordahl expressed concern about the project, he emphasised that it had generated opposition he “had never seen before”:

“There has been non-stop public outcry from local residents, local businesses, local law enforcement, and even the Republican sheriffs have gone on record opposing this project. In the past, border walls have been kind of a partisan issue: the left was opposed, and the right was in favour. But here in Big Bend, everybody is opposed to this project.”

An installation erected in Terlingua in February 2026 to oppose the construction of a wall in the Big Bend sector. “We support border security but not like this,” one of the signs read. © Facebook / Basecamp Terlingua

Russia-Ukraine war: First half of 2026 sees sharp rise in civilian casualties

The first six months of 2026 saw a steep rise in the number of civilians killed or wounded in the war between Russia and Ukraine, the UN said Tuesday. Both Moscow and Kyiv have increased the number of air strikes targeting vital infrastructure as the Russian invasion grinds into its fifth year.


Issued on: 21/07/2026 
By: FRANCE 24

In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, firefighters put out a fire of residential building following a Russian air attack in Sumy, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. © Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP

The United Nations said Tuesday that civilian casualties in the war raging between Russia and Ukraine rose 37 percent in the first half of this year.

"We documented 1,396 civilians killed (and) 7,978 injured ... that amounts to a 37 percent increase from the same period in the previous year," Danielle Bell, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, told reporters in Geneva.

Russia and Ukraine – which deny targeting civilians – have stepped up daily strikes on each other in recent months, as US-led talks on ending the nearly four-and-a-half year conflict remain stalled.

The UN rights office decried multiple attacks in recent days causing civilian casualties across Ukraine and in Russia.

"Civilians and civilian infrastructure are strictly protected under international humanitarian law, and any such deliberate attack is a war crime," spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters.

How rivalry with a top general brought down Ukraine’s popular defence minister Fedorov

Russia has pounded Ukraine's capital with a series of deadly missile strikes this summer, with June seeing the most civilian casualties in Ukraine since 2022.

Ukraine has also stepped up its long-range strikes on Russian infrastructure in an attempt to undermine Moscow's war effort, including oil depots and refineries.

A Ukrainian drone attack on two key warehouses of Russia's biggest online retailer Wildberries killed eight night-shift workers Saturday. Kyiv accused the facilities of supplying the Russian military with Western-sanctioned drone components, which Moscow has denied.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Ukraine plunges into political crisis as anger over defence minister's dismissal grow

Issued on: 21/07/2026 - FRANCE24

Street protests were held for a fifth day on July 19 in Ukraine, over the firing of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Fedorov was dismissed following frequent clashes with top Army general Oleksandr Syrsky, sparking indignation particularly among young Ukrainians, who credit the tech-savvy 35-year old Fedorov with innovative drone tactics that have given Ukraine new battlefield momentum against the Russian invasion. Fedorov has publicly blamed the 60-year-old Syrsky for his ouster. President Volodymyr Zelensky is now seeking to defuse the mounting political crisis and restore unity to the country's military.

Video by:  Bryan QUINN

UN says 144 migrants and refugees reported dead or missing off the coast of Mauritania

The UN refugee agency said Tuesday that 144 people were reported dead or missing following "tragic maritime incidents" off the coast of Mauritania last week. Two children who were brought safely ashore from one of the sinking boats had lost all of their families during the journey from Gambia.


Issued on: 21/07/2026 
FRANCE 24

A file photo showing migrants and refugees arriving on board a 'cayuco' boat at La Restinga port on the Canary island of El Hierro on August 28, 2024. © Antonio Sempere, AFP

The United Nations said Tuesday that 144 refugees and migrants were reported dead or missing after "tragic maritime incidents" off the coast of Mauritania last week.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR said that overall, three rescue and disembarkation operations were conducted between July 14 and 18 in Nouadhibou, Mauritania, bringing 387 people of various nationalities safely ashore.

UN launches new refugee hub in Ethiopia offering legal aid and protection

But 143 people were reported dead or missing on one of the boats, which had departed from Bufalo in Gambia headed for Spain and was rescued on Saturday after nearly 25 days stranded at sea, the agency said.

Only 38 people were brought safely ashore from that vessel, it said, adding that two children who had lost all of their family members during the journey were among the survivors.

Another death was reported on a ship from which people disembarked on July 14, it said.

"The refugees and migrants were reported dead or missing after attempting the perilous sea journey from West Africa towards Europe, highlighting the continued human cost of these dangerous routes," UNHCR spokesman Matthew Saltmarsh told reporters in Geneva.

'Return hubs': EU parliament clears the way for offshore migrant detention centres

Despite rescue efforts, "the Atlantic route from West Africa towards the Canary Islands remains one of the world's deadliest mixed movement corridors due to long distances, unpredictable ocean conditions, unseaworthy overcrowded boats and limited access to timely rescue".

So far in 2026, UNHCR said that 17 disembarkations had been recorded in Nouadhibou and Nouakchott, with a total of 2,147 individuals rescued.

The UN agency reported that the number of arrivals to the Spanish archipelago was down 61 percent from 2025, with 4,400 arrivals as of July 15.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

How the 2024 Migration Pact reconfigured European Union migration governance

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Demonstrations break out in Bologna after Moroccan man dies while being restrained by police


Protesters and police clashed in Bologna, Italy on Monday after Moroccan-born entrepreneur Abderrahim Fakir died while being forcibly restrained by police. Widely shared footage of Fakir's death show police holding the 42-year-old face-down on the ground, where he repeatedly calls for help before falling still.


Issued on: 21/07/2026 
By: FRANCE 24
Video by:  Seema GUPTA

Cover image: Protesters clash with riot police during a protest following the death of Abderrahim Fakir in Bologna, Italy, July 20, 2026. © Michele Lapini, Reuters
04:36



Italian police clashed with demonstrators in the northern city ​of Bologna on Monday, ANSA news agency reported, during a protest over the death of a Moroccan man who died while being forcibly restrained by police during an attempted arrest.

Abderrahim Fakir, a Moroccan-born entrepreneur who ran a small removals and cleaning ​business, died ‌on Sunday after police were called to deal with a man ⁠behaving aggressively and damaging a vehicle, Italian media said.

Footage of the incident filmed by a resident and widely shared online prompted ‌hundreds of people to protest. Images posted on social media showed demonstrators holding up slogans such as "Justice and truth for Fakir!" and "State murderers".

A protester holds a placard reading in Italian "State murderers" above a crowd during a protest following the death of Abderrahim Fakir in Bologna, Italy, July 20, 2026. © Michele Lapini, Reuters

According to ANSA, some threw a firecracker near ⁠police buildings in the city. Police reacted by firing tear gas and water cannons.

ANSA also reported that a group of demonstrators sat down in a square holding a photograph ​of Fakir, describing the action as a gesture of nonviolent protest.

"The chants of 'police murderers' and 'the whole world hates you,' shouted during a demonstration ​in Bologna ... are disgraceful," said Tommaso Foti, the European affairs minister in ‌the government of far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The video showed Fakir lying face down on the ground while two officers restrained him.

Fakir – who reportedly suffered from heart issues and asthma – repeatedly calls out "aiuto, aiuto, basta" ("help, help, that's enough") as the officers sit on him and ambulance workers look on.

After he stops moving, the police bind his ankles together.

Only after a moment or two do they and the ambulance workers check his vital signs, the video shows.

A protester holds a flare in front of a banner reading in Italian "Justice for Fakir" during a protest following the death of Abderrahim Fakir in Bologna, Italy, July 20, 2026. © Michele Lapini, Reuters

'Killed in cold blood'

The incident drew varied responses from across the political spectrum, with opposition politicians demanding accountability and the governing coalition ​defending the officers involved.

Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the incident.

Interior Minister Matteo ​Piantedosi said he had "full confidence" the inquiry would establish the ​facts and clarify what happened.

Bologna police said they would give bodycam footage from the officers who intervened to the investigators.

According to media ​reports, officers called emergency services after arriving in the northeastern neighbourhood of Pilastro shortly after noon, when temperatures exceeded 35°C.

Police tried to calm Fakir before using pepper spray and holding him down while trying to handcuff him after he reacted aggressively, according to media ⁠reports.

"They killed my brother in cold blood, I want justice," Fakir's sister, Khadija, told reporters as hundreds of people in ⁠Pilastro took to ​the streets on Sunday, with some demonstrators chanting slogans against the police.

Yossra Fakir, niece of Abderrahim Fakir, reads a statement during a protest following his death in Bologna, Italy, July 20, 2026. © Michele Lapini, Reuters

Lawyer Barbara Spinelli told the ANSA news agency that she had met Fakir last year, when he applied to renew his permit to stay.

He was "a very kind, well educated, respectful person" who was in Italy legally, but who worried about being expelled.

"I told him: 'We are in Italy, a democratic country. Here the police respect the rules'," she said.

"I don't know how I will ever again manage to tell someone they don't need to be afraid", she added.

(FRANCE 24 with Reuters and AFP)

Italy: Protests over death of immigrant in police custody

Elizabeth Schumacher

DW with local media

21/07/2026 

Demonstrators are demanding answers over the death of 42-year-old Abderrahim Fakir. Local authorities have urged calm while the investigation is underway.

'Truth and justice for Fakir,' reads one of the protest banners

Image: Nicola Marfisi/AGF/ZUMA/picture alliance


A day after police and protestors clashed in the northern Italian city of Bologna, local authorities on Tuesday urged residents to remain calm and await the results of an official investigation into the death of Abderrahim Fakir.

"They killed my brother in cold blood, I want justice," Fakir's sister Khadija told reporters following his death in the city's Pilastro neighborhood on Sunday.
What do we know about the death of Abderrahim Fakir?

According to Italian media, Fakir came to Italy from Morocco as a child with his family, and they settled in Bologna. He ran a cleaning business and was a legal permanent resident of Italy. He was in Pilastro visiting friends, family members reported.

Bologna Police have said that they were called to the neighborhood on Sunday morning, responding to a call about a man causing damage to a vehicle.

Officers said that it was some 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) when they arrived, and that they tried to subdue Fakir with pepper spray before holding him down and handcuffing him when he continued to be aggressive.

In a video widely circulated online, Fakir can be seen repeatedly calling for help and struggling to breathe before he stops moving. His family told Italian media that he had a history of asthma and heart problems, that he was married and not known to have any previous run-ins with authorities.

Protests in central Bologna

On Monday, a demonstration was held in Bologna's famous Piazza del Nettuno. Italian news agency ANSA reported that some protestors chanted anti-police slogans and one threw a firecracker, but that demonstrators were largely peaceful.

ANSA added police responded with tear gas and water cannons.

Italy's two main police unions have accused activists of using social media to conduct online witch hunts against police based on incomplete footage of the event and said that dozens of officers were injured in clashes with protestors.

Local authorities have urged calm, saying a thorough inquiry is being carried out. Bologna Police have said they plan to release the bodycam footage in full to investigators.

Bologna health authorities have said they are also launching an investigation into how long it took to arrive on the scene.

Police released smoke canisters to disperse protestors

Image: Michele Lapini/REUTERS

How have lawmakers responded?

Mayor Matteo Lepore of the center-left Democratic Party (PD) also urged residents to await the full picture, but said you could tell that "something clearly went wrong."

"You cannot die like this," he said, appearing alongside some of Fakir's loved ones. At the same time he expressed his confidence in the rule of law in the city and that the truth would be borne out.

He thanked a niece of Fakir for calling for "respect, truth, and justice, not revenge."

Italy's far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has also called for the full truth to come to light, but accused online agitators of fomenting "hatred against the police."

Edited by: Rana Taha

Elizabeth Schumacher Elizabeth Schumacher reports on gender equity, immigration, poverty and education in Germany.

Hungary raids Orban's Fidesz party servers in graft probe

Budapest (AFP) – Hungarian prosecutors on Tuesday raided the data servers of nationalist ex-leader Viktor Orban's Fidesz party as part of an investigation into alleged corruption.

Issued on: 21/07/2026 - FRANCE24

Prime Minister Peter Magyar has moved swiftly to tackle corruption since taking office © Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP

Since ending Orban's hardline 16-year rule, Prime Minister Peter Magyar's new pro-European conservative government has rushed to loosen the self-styled "illiberal" leader's lingering grip on the country.

Magyar has also vowed to pursue figures who enabled corruption, which watchdogs believe became endemic under his predecessor, and recover public assets from those who "illegally acquired" them.

"Investigators from the prosecutor's office showed up unannounced at the data centre hosting Fidesz's servers with the intention of seizing the party's entire communications system and databases," a statement from Orban's party said on Facebook.

Prosecutors in Bacs-Kiskun County in southern Hungary were "conducting an investigation in a criminal case initiated in connection with the National Cultural Fund regarding the crime of embezzlement and other criminal offences", their spokeswoman Marianna Bodo told AFP.


Bodo added that no further information would be provided, "as this would compromise the interests of the ongoing investigation".

Blikk, a tabloid close to the party, said prosecutors were conducting an investigation at the German-majority owned Hungarian Telekom's data centre in Budapest.

According to the newspaper, the entire internal communications database of Fidesz, including its email infrastructure, was examined in the presence of the party's lawyers.

Reacting to the operations, Fidesz claimed that "there has been no precedent for this in Hungary since 1990, the end of communism".

Magyar said on Facebook that he had learnt of the alleged raid from the former governing party.

'Regime change'

Magyar's Tisza party swept the April elections on the promise of "regime change", winning a two-thirds majority in parliament.

After his victory, actor-rapper-activist Aron Molnar publicly alleged that the National Cultural Fund functioned as a state-run payment agency for members of Fidesz's inner circle.

After launching an investigation, the tax authority found that the fund's decision-making body had issued 1079 grants totalling more than 17 billion forints ($54 million) in violation of the rules, according to a previous prosecutor's statement.

In June, six people were accused of embezzlement and taken into custody, including Fidesz politician Balazs Bus, who served as the culture fund's vice-president.

Magyar's government has moved to turn the page on the Orban era, passing a swathe of anti-corruption measures and changing the constitution to effectively bar Orban from running again.

The pro-EU premier has also pushed to remove a host of Orban-allied figures he accuses of being "puppets", including unpopular ex-president Tamas Sulyok, ousted by constitutional amendment on Sunday.

Fidesz has decried Magyar's moves as "autocratic", a charge that was often levelled against Orban himself during his tenure.

But the government's reform drive has helped to smooth over ties with the European Union, frayed by Orban's closeness to the Kremlin.

Magyar's anti-graft measures are also seen as crucial to rapidly unblock 16 billion euros ($18.3 billion) in EU funds frozen over rule-of-law concerns under his predecessor.

The governing majority has also approved a dramatic overhaul of public media, which under Orban had become a de facto Fidesz mouthpiece.

© 2026 AFP

Beijing summons Philippine ambassador over clash in disputed South China Sea shoal


Beijing and Manila summoned each other's ambassadors Tuesday following a confrontation between Chinese and Philippine sailors at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. China continues to claim sovereignty over almost the entirety of the global trade route.


Issued on: 21/07/2026 
By: FRANCE 24

Philippine Navy personnel and China Coast Guard personnel clash near a grounded Philippine warship at Second Thomas Shoal, in the South China Sea, July 20, 2026. 

© cnsphoto via Reuters

China summoned the Philippine ambassador on Tuesday following a clash at a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, which sparked condemnation of Beijing by Manila's allies.

Philippine ​President Ferdinand Marcos ​Jr will in turn summon the Chinese ambassador, ​a ‌presidential communications ⁠official said ‌on Tuesday.

Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, a vital global trade route, despite an international ruling that found its claims have no legal basis.

Multiple nations in the region, including the Philippines, have territorial claims that overlap with China's, and altercations regularly occur in the heavily patrolled waterway.

Cover image: Reporters © FRANCE 24
43:51

The Philippine military accused the China Coast Guard (CCG) of clubbing a Filipino sailor with a baton on Monday as they approached a grounded vessel that has long served as a Philippine garrison.

By contrast, the CCG said ​on Monday two rubber boats sent by the Philippines' grounded ‌vessel BRP Sierra Madre rammed into a Chinese patrol boat and accused Philippine personnel of initiating "malicious attacks" against Chinese law enforcement officers using ‌oars and long sticks. The Philippine military has denied that its troops initiated any confrontation.

In a separate statement on Tuesday, the CCG said China permitted ​the Philippine side to transfer the injured personnel through ​small shuttle boats from the grounded Philippine warship "out of humanitarian consideration".

China's foreign ministry said Tuesday it had "urgently summoned" the Philippine ambassador "to lodge solemn representations over the Philippines' deliberate provocation and attack ... at Ren'ai Reef", referring to a flashpoint also known as the Second Thomas Shoal.

"The Philippine side provoked first, yet it has turned the blame upside down, distorted the facts, and maliciously hyped the issue," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Key Philippine allies condemned the clash, with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong slamming "destabilising and dangerous conduct" by China.

Wong's comment came after Washington condemned Beijing's "dangerous and aggressive actions".

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio landed in Manila on Tuesday for a summit of the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Rubio has said he is open to a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, who will also attend the ASEAN summit, though talks have not been publicly confirmed.

The two met last year on the sidelines of an ASEAN gathering in Kuala Lumpur and again in Munich in February.

In an op-ed published in Philippine media outlets on Tuesday, Rubio heralded Washington's commitment "to freedom of navigation in Southeast Asia" while reaffirming the US defensive umbrella in the region.

"This freedom is by no means guaranteed. If these waters were to fall under the control of a power willing to use trade as a geopolitical weapon, both the United States and the ASEAN states would face serious new threats to their sovereignty, security, and economic future," he wrote, in an apparent allusion to China.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)

MULTIPOLAR WORLD

China ally Solomon Islands invites US Coast Guard patrols

Washington (United States) (AFP) – The Solomon Islands will sign a deal for the US Coast Guard to patrol its waters with local police aboard, Prime Minister Matthew Wale said on a visit to Washington.


Issued on: 21/07/2026 - FRANCE24

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale is visiting Washington and Tokyo © Hilary Wardhaugh / AFP

The Solomons became China's closest security partner in the South Pacific after signing a secret security pact in 2022, blocking a US Coast Guard vessel from making a port call the same year.

Wale, who pledged to bring change after he was elected in May, met with US Coast Guard vice commandant Admiral Thomas Allan in Washington on Monday.

He also met with US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on deepening bilateral ties, said a State Department readout.

A "ship rider agreement" will be signed in the capital Honiara next week to strengthen joint maritime enforcement and surveillance, a Solomon Islands statement said.

"Prime Minister Wale highlighted the urgent need to enhance security across the Pacific region, noting the increasing threats of drug trafficking, human trafficking, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing," it added.

The US Coast Guard has expanded patrols of the South Pacific in recent years, assisting "ship riders" -- local Pacific police -- to cover millions of kilometres of ocean to inspect for illegal fishing fleets.

Ship riders on a US Coast Guard vessel boarded Chinese fishing boats in Vanuatu and Kiribati in 2024, prompting Chinese officials to protest when some vessels were found to be fishing illegally.

The Solomons has a vast 1.5 million square kilometre exclusive economic zone and like many South Pacific countries counts tuna fishing as a major industry.

James Batley, a former Australian diplomat in the Solomons, said the US Coast Guard deal was a significant shift and showed Wale was acting on his pledge to deliver change.

"There is a lot of anxiety around the Pacific about transnational criminal movement of drugs, with 'narco subs' turning up in Solomon Islands, so I think the US could mount a persuasive case they could help on that front," he said.

Wales' meeting with Landau included talks of potential investment, including Bina Harbour, where the Solomons wants to develop a factory to process tuna for export.

Reported Chinese interest in developing Bina Harbour has previously sparked concern from Australia about the potential it could be used as a dual-purpose military and civilian port.

Wale and Landau signed a letter of intent to return Peace Corps to Solomon Islands, the State Department readout said, adding that it would provide $6 million in new funding to widen its unexploded ordnance removal program.

Wale will next travel to Tokyo to meet with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, his office said.

© 2026 AFP

The darkside of 10-minute delivery: Inside India's quick commerce revolution

In 2025, urban youth unemployment stood at 13.6%, far above the national average of 3.1%, pushing many young people into platform-based work for lack of alternatives.

The rise of instant delivery has become one of the clearest symbols of India’s new consumer economy, where speed is marketed as a service. But it also raises deeper questions about the quality of the jobs being created – and who is really paying the price for that convenience.

BY:

Sacha Desmaizières

Supriya Kumar