GEMOLOGY

New York's Mamdani calls on King Charles to 'return' Koh-i-Noor diamond taken from India


New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday called on King Charles III to "return" the Koh-i-Noor diamond, a 105.6 carat gem that was mined in India and is now the star of Britain's crown jewels. The diamond has been in British hands since 1849 but its ownership is contested with several countries laying claim.


Issued on: 30/04/2026 
By: FRANCE 24

King Charles III and Queen Camilla met with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a state visit. © Getty Images North America, pool via AFP

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called for King Charles to "return" the prized Koh-i-Noor diamond, which the British Empire took from the Indian subcontinent in the 1800s, on the third day of the monarch's state visit on Wednesday.

Before greeting Charles and Queen Camilla at a 9/11 memorial event, Mamdani was asked what he would discuss with the king if he had the chance.

"If I was to speak to the king, separately from that, I would probably encourage him to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond," the leftist mayor said, adding that his focus would be honoring those killed in the terror attacks.

It's unclear whether Mamdani followed through and brought up the contentious subject with Charles when the two met.

The monarch was seen laughing with Mamdani and having a brief conversation after they shook hands.

Housed in the Tower of London, the massive 106 carat stone is the star of Britain's crown jewels, adorning the Crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

The Koh-i-noor, or "mountain of light," diamond, set in the Maltese Cross at the front of the crown made for Britain's late Queen Mother Elizabeth, is seen on her coffin on April 5, 2002. © Alastair Grant, AP

The ownership of the jewel has been contested over the centuries, passing through the hands of Mughal emperors, Iranian shahs and Sikh maharajas before the Kingdom of Punjab gave it to Queen Victoria in 1849 as part of a peace treaty.

India has repeatedly and unsuccessfully sought the return of the priceless jewel.

While there is little doubt it was mined in India, its history thereafter is a mixture of myth and fact, with several countries including Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan also laying claim to the gem.

A politician from the anti-immigration Reform UK party was quick to slam the comments as an "insult to our King."

"This beautiful diamond is currently on display in the Tower of London," the party's home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf said in an X post. "That is where it will stay."

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

gutenberghttps://www.gutenberg.org  › files  › 155  › 155-h  › 155-h.htm

The Moonstone | Project Gutenberg

The generations succeeded each other; the warrior who had committed the sacrilege perished miserably; the Moonstone passed (carrying its curse with it) from...

Iran crisis, World Cup tensions overshadow FIFA Congress in Vancouver

Football officials gather in Vancouver on Thursday for FIFA’s 76th Congress, weeks before the expanded World Cup kicks off in North America. War in Iran, logistics and Russia’s ban top the agenda. Iranian federation officials left Canada abruptly, casting a shadow over the meeting.


Issued on: 30/04/2026 - 
By: FRANCE 24

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is juggling multiple issues ahead of the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver, the last major gathering of football's global governing body before the World Cup © Kent NISHIMURA, AFP

Football's power brokers meet in Vancouver on Thursday as FIFA convenes its 76th Congress, a high stakes gathering less than two months before the biggest World Cup ever opens across Canada, Mexico and the United States

The Iran war, World Cup logistical headaches and the unresolved question of Russia's international ban are set to feature in discussions among roughly 1,600 delegates from more than 200 member associations.

Iran's absence is already threatening to overshadow the meeting.

Officials from the Iranian football federation (FFIRI) abruptly left Canada after landing in Toronto earlier this week, abandoning their onward trip to Vancouver.

Iranian media said FFIRI president Mehdi Taj – a former member of Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – and two colleagues flew home after being "insulted" by Canadian immigration officers.

Canada, which designated the IRGC a terrorist organization in 2024, said Wednesday that individuals linked to the force were "inadmissible".

"While we cannot comment on individual cases due to privacy laws, the government has been clear and consistent: IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada and have no place in our country," Canada's immigration agency said in a statement.

The episode adds fresh uncertainty to Iran's World Cup status, already clouded since the Middle East war erupted on February 28 with a wave of attacks by the United States and Israel.

Iranian football officials said last month they had suggested moving their three World Cup group games from the United States to co-hosts Mexico – a plan which was swiftly nixed by FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Infantino told AFP that Iran will play at the World Cup "where they are supposed to be, according to the draw."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted last week that Iran's footballers would be welcome to compete at the tournament.

But Rubio warned that the United States may yet bar entry to members of the Iranian delegation with ties to the IRGC.
Infantino under scrutiny

The FIFA boss heads into Thursday's meeting facing scrutiny following criticism over skyrocketing World Cup ticket prices and his close friendship with US President Donald Trump.

FIFA on Tuesday announced it had boosted World Cup financial distributions to nearly $900 million, up from the initial $727 million announced in December.

The move came after several World Cup-qualified teams reportedly warned that they risked losing money from competing at the sprawling tournament, citing the high cost of travel, taxes and overall operations.

Rights groups meanwhile have called for the football supremo to use his upcoming address to FIFA delegates to give assurances that World Cup visitors face no risk of being caught in the Trump administration's draconian immigration crackdown.

"FIFA President Gianni Infantino has yet to publicly outline how fans, journalists and local communities will be safe from arbitrary detention, mass deportations and crackdowns on free expression," Amnesty International's head of economic and social justice Steve Cockburn said Wednesday.

"This FIFA Congress should be the moment he does so, and the global football community must receive more than empty platitudes," Cockburn added in a statement.

Infantino is also facing calls to abolish the FIFA Peace Prize, which he awarded to Trump during last December's World Cup draw in Washington.

"We want to see (the prize) abolished," Norwegian football association president Lise Klaveness told reporters this week. "We don't think it's part of FIFA's mandate to give such a prize."

Thursday's Congress could also address the issue of Russia's ongoing ban from international football, which has been in force since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Infantino spoke in favor of lifting the ban on Russia earlier this year.

"We have to (look at readmitting Russia). Definitely," Infantino told Britain's Sky News.

"This ban has not achieved anything, it has just created more frustration and hatred."

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Iranian football officials leave Canada before FIFA Congress due to airport 'insult'


A team of Iranian football officials left Canada before the start of this week's FIFA Congress due to the "inappropriate behaviour" of immigration officials at Toronto airport, Iranian media reported Wednesday. The Iranian federation's president is a former member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, which is a designated terror group in Canada.


Issued on: 29/04/2026 - 
By: FRANCE 24

File photo of the 2026 World Cup logo on a screen outside Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles taken on May 17, 2023. © Jae C. Hong, AP

Top Iranian football officials left Canada before the start of the FIFA Congress because of the behaviour of officials during immigration checks at Toronto's international airport, Iranian media reported Wednesday.

The global football body's gathering of member nation representatives will be held this week in Vancouver, the British Columbia city which is also hosting seven matches in the World Cup that Canada will co-host with the United States and Mexico this summer.

The Iranian football federation (FFIRI) president, secretary general and deputy secretary general "returned to Turkey on the first flight due to the inappropriate behaviour of the immigration officials at the airport and the insult to one of the most honourable organs of the Iranian Armed Forces", several outlets reported, without providing further details.

In 2024, Canada designated Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) a terror group, barring its members from entering the country.

The Iranian federation's president Mehdi Taj is a former IRGC member.

The Iranian reports said the officials had travelled to Canada with "official visas" before turning around.

The incident underscores the practical and political obstacles surrounding Iran's participation at the World Cup, the most politically ‌sensitive item on FIFA's agenda since the US and Israel launched a war against Iran in February.

Iran's ⁠qualification has not removed hurdles tied to travel, visas and security in a tournament staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said it could not comment on specific cases due to privacy but added: "IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada."

Doubts over Iranian team's attendance

While FIFA has insisted fixtures will proceed as scheduled, the delegation's withdrawal deepens doubts over whether ​Iranian players, officials and supporters will be able to move freely across borders during the tournament.

The officials – ‌who had travelled to Canada to attend Thursday’s Congress in Vancouver – returned on the next available flight, according to the Tasnim report, which added that the incident involved an insult directed at one of the most decorated branches of Iran's armed forces.

FIFA has since contacted the Iranian ‌delegation to express regret over the incident and indicated that president Gianni Infantino would arrange a meeting with them at the organisation’s headquarters, the report added. FIFA did not respond ​to a request for comment from Reuters. A source at the FIFA Congress told Reuters FIFA had sent a representative to mediate in Toronto but their efforts were in vain.

Doubts have risen over the Iranian team's attendance at the World Cup because of the Middle East war that began on February 28 with a massive wave of US-Israel attacks.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted last week that Iran's footballers would be welcome at the global spectacle.

But he warned that the United States may yet bar entry to members of the Iranian delegation it judged to have ties to the Revolutionary Guard, which is also designated a terrorist organisation by Washington and several other governments.

No one "from the US has told them they can't come", Rubio said.

'Visa issues'

Sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters that the Iranian ​officials were also unable to attend Tuesday's Asian Football Confederation Congress, which was also held in Vancouver, due to visa ​issues.

“If it's like this in Canada where it's supposed to be easy, how is it ​going to be for the World Cup in the US?" a delegate at the AFC Congress told Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Concerns over security, travel restrictions and the broader geopolitical climate have prompted officials in Tehran to seek guarantees for the Iran team at the World Cup and, in some cases, explore the possibility of ⁠alternative venues for their matches in the United States.

FIFA has so far resisted any changes, reiterating that participating teams are expected to adhere to the established match ⁠schedule.

The Congress – bringing together ​more than 200 member associations – was already expected to focus on operational and financial questions linked to the first 48-team World Cup.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)

European rocket blasts off with Amazon internet satellites

Kourou (AFP) – Europe's most powerful rocket Ariane 6 launched on Thursday carrying a second batch of 32 satellites into space for Amazon's internet constellation, which is bidding to rival Elon Musk's giant Starlink.


Issued on: 30/04/2026 - FRANCE24

The rocket blasted off into overcast skies at 5.57 am local time (0857 GMT) from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on the northeastern coast of South America, an AFP correspondent said.

It was the second Ariane 6 launch carrying 32 satellites for Amazon Leo, the internet constellation of the giant US company founded by US billionaire Jeff Bezos.

The launch also marked the second Ariane 6 mission using four boosters, its most powerful configuration.

The satellites are scheduled to separate an hour and 54 minutes after launch. They will be released into low-Earth orbit in small batches of twos and threes.

Amazon Leo plans to intially deploy 3,200 satellites into space that will form a network to provide internet back on Earth.

However after delays there are currently just 239 in orbit, including some launched by the rival SpaceX company of fellow billionaire Musk, according to data provided to AFP on Wednesday by Look Up, a French startup specialising in space surveillance.

In March, Musk's Starlink internet constellation crossed the symbolic threshold of 10,000 satellites -- and now has 10,162 in orbit, the startup added.

The French company Arianespace, which operates the rocket, will carry out a total of 18 launches for Amazon Leo, its main commercial customer.

Amazon Leo has become crucial for keeping Europe's relatively new Ariane 6 rocket competitive, because many European commercial customers have opted to rely on SpaceX for launches.

© 2026 AFP

Global press freedom falls to lowest level in 25 years, RSF warns

Freedom of the press has fallen to its lowest level in a quarter of a century, NGO Reporters without Borders (RSF) warned Thursday as it released its annual global ranking. The group reported a worldwide decline in media freedom, citing factors ranging from US President Donald Trump’s “systematic” attacks on the press to actions in Saudi Arabia, where a journalist was executed in 2025.


Issued on: 30/04/2026 
By: FRANCE 24

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he hosts the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on April 6, 2026, in Washington, DC. © Brendan Smialowski, AFP

The NGO's annual ranking, which was established in 2002, uses a five-point scale to asses the level of press freedom in a country, ranging from "very serious" to "good".

This year's index reveals a global trend towards restricting press freedoms.

"For the first time in the index’s 25-year history, more than half the world’s countries now fall into the 'difficult' or 'very serious' categories for press freedom," RSF said.

The proportion of the population living in a country where the press freedom situation is "good" has plummeted, falling from 20% to "less than 1%", it said.


Only seven countries in northern Europe are ranked "good", with Norway receiving the highest rating. France ranks 25th, with a ‘"satisfactory" score.

“In 25 years, the average score for all the countries studied has never been so low,” the NGO said.

The United States, received a "problematic" rating and has dropped seven places to 64th, between Botswana and Panama.

The organisation said US President Donald Trump's attacks on the press had become “systematic” resulting in such incidents as the the detention and subsequent deportation of the Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara, who was reporting on the arrests of migrants in the United States.

Trump has also overseen a drastic reduction in funding for US international broadcasting.

Judge orders Trump admin to restore 1,000 Voice of America jobs and resume broadcasts

RSF also highlighted the dramatic falls of El Salvador (143rd), which has dropped 105 places since 2014 following the launch of a war against the Maras criminal gangs, and Georgia(135th), which has fallen 75 places since 2020 due to an “escalation of repression”.

The sharpest decline in 2026 is attributed to Niger (120th, down 37 places) due to the “the deterioration of press freedom in the Sahel over several years”, amid “attacks by armed groups and (the) ruling juntas”, RSF said.

Saudi Arabia (176th, down 14 places), where the columnist Turki al-Jasser was executed by the state in June – “a unique occurrence in the world” – sits alongside Russia, Iran and China at the very bottom of the ranking, which is rounded out by Eritrea (180th).

By contrast, Syria (141st) has leapt 36 places following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Reporters Without Borders head on group's list of 'press freedom predators'


Issued on: 03/11/2025 - FRANCE24

09:30 min
From the show


The director general of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the "series of crises" affecting journalism. Thibaut Bruttin hit out at the "return of violence against journalists" and the "erosion of support" for the protection of journalism. Bruttin was speaking to us to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. This year, his organisation is unveiling what it calls a list of 34 "press freedom predators" who attacked journalists and the right to information in 2025.

BY:  Stuart Norval

World press freedom hits new low as authoritarianism rise

Rodrigo Menegat Schuinski

DW

29/04/2026 

With three in four countries "problematic" or worse, the 2026 World Press Freedom Index offers a bleak picture for global media. The conditions for press freedom are rated "satisfactory" in only a few dozen countries.

All data, methodology and code behind this story can be found in this github repository.

DATA GRAPHICS World press freedom hits new low as authoritarianism rises

In many countries around the world, working as a journalist has become increasingly dangerous

Image: Ibrahim Ezzat/NurPhoto/picture alliance

The ability of journalists to work safely and independently is under threat globally, according to the 2026 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

The NGO, which has reported on the state of worldwide journalism annually since 2002, defines press freedom as "the ability of journalists as individuals and collectives to select, produce, and disseminate news in the public interest independent of political, economic, legal, and social interference and in the absence of threats to their physical and mental safety."

RSF now classifies the press freedom environment as "problematic" or worse in about three-fourths of the 180 countries evaluated. Conditions for media are classified as "difficult" to "very serious" in over half of the countries, RSF found.

In 2013, conditions in fewer than one-third of countries were classified as "difficult" to "very serious." The press freedom environment in seven-tenths was classified as "problematic" or worse.


Though there's a global downward trend, press freedom varies by region. Generally, the freest countries — including the top four: Norway, Estonia, the Netherlands and Denmark — can be found in Europe, while journalists in parts of Africa and Asia face the harshest conditions.


Discrepancies within regions can also be pronounced. In Europe, for example, there's a strong divide between the Southern and Eastern regions, where challenges to press freedom are higher, and the Northern and Western regions, where countries are generally ranked as "satisfactory" to "good." Similarly, journalists in North Africa are, in general, less free than their counterparts in the Southern region of the continent.

Poland and Slovakia take different paths

One example of an interregional divide can be found in the heart of Europe: The press in Poland has become freer, while hostility toward the media is growing in Slovakia. Both countries are classified as "satisfactory," but they are trending in different directions

According to RSF, the turning point for Poland was a change in government. After the Law and Justice party (PiS), which opposed abortion and LGBTQ+ rights and pushed anti-migration policies, was ousted from power in late 2023, the new government toned down verbal attacks and judicial actions against the press.

An election that year also served as a turning point in Slovakia, where, after years in the opposition, Robert Fico began his fourth term as prime minister in 2023.

"He has a long career behind him, and it was always his narrative that journalists are his enemy," said Lukas Diko, the editor-in-chief of the Investigative Center of Jan Kuciak (ICJK), an independent news organization named after a journalist murdered during Fico's third term.

Kuciak had been investigating connections between organized crime groups and businesses in Slovakia that were linked to members of Fico's ruling party. Though Kuciak's killing led to a wave of anti-corruption protests that helped bring down Fico's government in 2018, Diko said attacks on the press had escalated since the prime minister returned to office.

"It's really without any rules," he said.

Diko said the fear caused by the murder of a young journalist and the hostile official rhetoric had discouraged people from careers in reporting.

"Not many young people want to become journalists anymore," he said. "The murder of Kuciak is still something that tells them not to do it — but they also don't want to be verbally attacked on a daily basis."

Attacks on press as a political strategy

Argentina is another country that has sharply dropped in the index. Media advocates say anti-press smear campaigns waged by President Javier Milei, whose hard-right policies favor financial freedoms above all others, have created a hostile climate for journalists. He often uses social media to attack critics, and claims that journalists are "not hated enough."

"When Milei insults a journalist, he is not doing that as Milei, the economist, or Milei, an ordinary citizen," said Fernando Stanich, the president of the Argentine press forum FOPEA, an organization that defends freedom of expression and promotes quality journalism. "He is doing that as the main representative of the Argentinian state. "

Stanich said previous Argentine governments had been hostile to the press — the Peronist Cristina Kirchner had frequently sparred with the media as president from 2007 to 2015 — but, according to FOPEA's monitoring, the current level of verbal attacks on journalists is unprecedented.

Like Argentina's Milei and Slovakia's Fico, US President Donald Trump has insulted and threatened the press since his first campaign for office in 2016. Coincidentally, the United States has also seen a significant drop in its standing in the World Press Freedom Ranking, along with other countries where leaders follow the same playbook — such as El Salvador.


Argentina, Slovakia and the United States show how quickly countries considered relatively stable and democratic can become hostile to journalists. The press has never been free in Eritrea, China, North Korea and Iran, which have long been ruled by authoritarian regimes that silence independent reporting.

According to the RSF report, "armed conflict is the primary reason for [the] decline in press freedom" in countries such as Iraq, Sudan, South Sudan and Yemen. Since Israel launched its war in Gaza following the Hamas-led terror attacks on October 7, 2023, more than 220 journalists have been killed by the Israeli army, including at least 70 while working, the report states.

Networks fight threats to press freedom

Vera Slavtcheva-Petkova, a professor in the Department of Communication and Media at the University of Liverpool, said societal threats to press freedom fell into three main categories. The use of political structures to intimidate or harm journalists, including verbal attacks by public officials and threats of violence and incarceration, is the most obvious indicator of press freedom in decline. But societal and economic factors, such as the targeting of journalists for their gender, race or sexual orientation and the pressures of a precarious media labor market, can also curtail press freedoms.

Slavtcheva-Petkova said journalists could fight such challenges by banding together, as well as by collaborating with organizations that share their values, including rights activists and academics.

"Knowing that there is somebody you can rely on for support is very important," Slavtcheva-Petkova said. "When journalists don't have that, when they don't know whom to turn to for help ... then they feel that what they're experiencing might even be their own fault."

With most journalists worldwide now working in conditions that are problematic at best, as the 2026 RSF World Press Freedom Index demonstrates, such networks are likely to take on increased importance in the coming years — both within countries and internationally. Only 17 countries improved their press freedom scores from 2013 to 2026; conditions in 163 got worse.

South Africa is one example of a country with robust networks to fight for press freedom. The country has maintained its "satisfactory" rating since 2013, resulting in a steady climb in the rankings as other nations' scores have slipped.

Glenda Daniels, a journalist and professor of media studies at Wits University in Johannesburg, said a strong civil society had helped South Africa maintain its status as press freedom declines globally. Despite challenges common to journalists across the world — including biases against and threats to women in the media and a shrinking labor market — Daniels said strong networks had helped preserve press freedom in South Africa.

Daniels herself serves as secretary-general of the South African National Editors’ Forum, which defends journalists' right to conduct their work. "SANEF is loud and noisy," she said. "It makes a difference to have a strong civil society approach, advocacy and activism."

Edited by: Gianna Grün and Milan Gagnon

All data, methodology and code behind this story can be found in this github repository. More data-driven stories by DW can be found on this page.
Rodrigo Menegat Schuinski Data journalist

Indian Muslims say they're being targeted as millions of voters deleted from rolls

Issued on: 29/04/2026 - FRANCE24
06:20 min From the show

Last year, the Election Commission of India launched a "Special Intensive Revision", or SIR, describing it as an exercise to eliminate duplicate or deceased voters. So far, 13 states and federally administered territories have completed the task, leading to the deletion of over 55 million voters from the electoral rolls. But this exercise has become a political flashpoint in West Bengal, where 9 million voters have been deleted ahead of a crucial state election.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party, the BJP, is hoping to win that state election. Opposition leaders and former officials argue the scale and timing of deletions could undermine democratic fairness and tilt the election result.

The controversy has become one of the defining issues of the West Bengal election, exposing deeper fault lines in voter rights and the integrity of India's electoral system.

FRANCE 24's Navodita Kumari, Zubair Dar and Mohammad Sartaj Alam report.

BY: Navodita KUMARI

 LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Hinduism Is Fascism

Oil crisis fuels calls to speed up clean energy transition

Paris (France) (AFP) – The oil crisis triggered by the Middle East war has underscored the need for the world to accelerate the clean energy transition, the COP31 president-designate and the UN's climate chief said Thursday.


Issued on: 30/04/2026 

'The world is facing the biggest energy crisis in its history today,' COP31 president-designate Murat Kurum said. © Ludovic MARIN / AFP

Crude prices have soared since the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran in late February and Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz in response. That has fuelled calls for the world to ditch its reliance on fossil fuels.

"The fossil fuel cost crisis now has its foot on the throat of the global economy," Stiell said at a meeting on the energy transition hosted by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in Paris.

"From this tragedy, an immense irony is unfolding. Those who've fought to keep the world hooked on fossil fuels are inadvertently supercharging the global renewables boom," he said, without naming countries or companies.

The Paris meeting was being in held in the lead-up to the UN's COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, in November.

Diplomats and representatives from banks, oil firms and renewable energy companies attended the talks.

"The world is facing the biggest energy crisis in its history today," COP31 president-designate Murat Kurum said.

"We now know clearly that the global economy must transform its energy paradigm," said Kurum, who is also Turkey's climate minister.

"And the most critical step is to accelerate the transition to clean energy," he added.

IEA chief Fatih Birol said oil prices, which topped $126 per barrel on Thursday, were "putting a lot of pressure in many countries".

"Our world is facing a major energy and economic challenge," said Birol, adding that his agency, which advises its member countries on energy policy, was monitoring the situation.
'Real momentum'

The talks in Paris came as nearly 60 nations hailed progress at the end of a conference in Colombia aimed at speeding the shift away from planet-heating fossil fuels and break a stalemate on the issue at UN climate talks.

The Santa Marta conference was announced last year after nations failed to include an explicit reference to fossil fuels in the final deal reached at the UN COP30 climate summit in Brazil.

"Coalitions of the willing are already forging ahead," Stiell said, pointing to the gathering in Colombia.

"In key sectors right across the action agenda, COP31 in Turkey will provide a global stage to pick up the pace," he said. "We must seize this moment. We have no time to lose."

Stiell said that countries rich in renewables, such as Spain and Pakistan, had been shielded from the worst impacts of the fossil fuel cost crisis.

"Renewables offer safer, cheaper, cleaner energy that can't be held captive by narrow shipping straits, or global conflicts," Stiell said.

"That's why so many governments are pushing renewables plans into overdrive: to restore national security, economic stability, competitiveness, policy autonomy and basic sovereignty," he added.

China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Germany, the UK, and others have been "clear that pushing forward with the renewables transition is a cornerstone of energy security", he added.

"This is real momentum," Stiell said. "We must harness it to accelerate a truly global shift."

© 2026 AFP

'We represent a new force': Nearly 60 nations push ahead with fossil fuel exit

Issued on: 27/04/2026 - FRANCE24
05:48 min From the show

Some 60 countries are gathering in the coastal city of Santa Marta in Colombia to tackle an issue that has deadlocked UN climate talks: how to exist fossil fuels. It's the first global conference of its kind, bringing together nations that want to accelerate a fossil fuel phaseout, despite a decades-long stalemate at the UN-level COP summits. Our Environment Editor Valerie Dekimpe tells us more.

BY: Valérie DEKIMPE

From translating Agatha Christie at 17 to redefining Nordic Noir: Ragnar Jónasson's rise

Darek melancholic storytelling 

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arts24 © FRANCE 24

Play (12:00 min)

From the show

Before he became one of the leading voices of Nordic Noir, Ragnar Jónasson was a teenager who translated novels by Agatha Christie into Icelandic. That early immersion in the mechanics of crime fiction helped shape a writer now published in around 40 countries, with millions of copies sold worldwide and a particularly devoted readership in France.

Jónasson has since carved out his own space in the genre: quieter than the violence-driven thrillers often associated with Nordic Noir, his novels lean into atmosphere, psychology and slow-burning tension. His stories unfold in stark Icelandic landscapes, where silence and isolation are as important as plot. Now, with "Hulda" – the fourth instalment in his series about detective Hulda Hermannsdóttir – he returns to one of his most distinctive creations.

Hulda is not your typical crime heroine. In her sixties, pushed out of the police force and routinely underestimated, she stands in sharp contrast to the genre's usual protagonists.

In this latest novel, Jónasson takes readers back to one of her earliest cases: the disappearance of a baby in 1960; a cold case that echoes through decades.

Across the "Hulda" series, Jónasson has consistently explored the lives of women navigating systems that fail them – a recurring thread that adds depth to his tightly constructed mysteries.

It's a perspective that goes against Iceland's image as a model of equality, revealing darker undercurrents beneath the surface. And Hulda's story isn't confined to the page. The series has now been adapted for television as "The Darkness", bringing Jónasson's understated, melancholic storytelling to a wider audience

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BY:

Eve JACKSON

Laura DI BIASIO

Magali FAURE

Loïc CHALAVON

Amélia MARADAS

Musk lawsuit against OpenAI 'more about corporate strategy than any philosophical or ethical moves'

Issued on: 28/04/2026 - FRANCE24


Oliver Farry is pleased to welcome Bernard Benhamou, Secretary General of the Institute of Digital Sovereignty (ISN) and Senior Lecturer on Internet Governance at Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. According to Mr. Benhamou, this trial is not a clash of the tech titans. Rather, it is a strategic legal battle in the uncharted waters of AI. The timing is critical, as it coincides with the anticipated IPO of a new entity emerging from the convergence of SpaceX and xAI. In this context, any legal victory for Musk could have far-reaching consequences that could weaken a primary competitor such as OpenAI.

Europe hit by record heat, glacier loss and marine extremes per climate report

Europe recorded its hottest year yet in 2025, with unprecedented heatwaves stretching from the Mediterranean to the Arctic, rapid glacier melt, record sea temperatures and expanding wildfires, according to a major climate report warning that the continent is warming twice as fast as the global average.

Issued on: 29/04/2026 - 
By: FRANCE 24

A droplet of water falls from an iceberg delivered by members of Arctic Basecamp is placed on show near the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland. © Alastair Grant, 

Europe endured a historic heatwave across Nordic countries, shrinking glaciers and record sea temperatures in 2025 as the fast-warming continent faces more frequent climate extremes, a new report showed Wednesday.

"The climate indicators ... are quite worrying," Mauro Facchini, a European Commission official, told journalists.

The European State of the Climate report underscores the urgent need for the region to adapt to global warming and accelerate its transition to clean energy, another EU official said.

Here are some key findings of the report published by the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO):

Record heatwaves

At least 95 percent of the region experienced above-average annual temperatures, with Britain, Norway and Iceland recording their warmest year on record, according to the report.

"Since 1980, Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average, making it the fastest warming continent on Earth," WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said in a briefing on the report.

"Heatwaves are becoming more frequent and severe. And in 2025, we saw long duration heatwaves from the Mediterranean to the Arctic Circle," Saulo said.

Sub-Arctic Finland, Norway and Sweden – a region dubbed Fennoscandia – experienced a record three-week heatwave in July, with temperatures reaching 30C within the Arctic Circle.

Parts of Fennoscandia had almost two weeks of "strong heat stress" – when temperatures feel hotter than 32C. In an average year, the region will normally have up to two days of strong heat stress.

In Turkey, temperatures reached 50C for the first time in July while 85 percent of the Greek population was affected by extreme temperatures close to or above 40C.

Large parts of western and southern Europe were hit with two significant heatwaves in June, including most of Spain, Portugal, France and southern parts of Britain.

A third major heatwave struck Portugal, Spain and France in August.

Europe and the rest of the world could face another extremely hot summer as the El Nino weather phenomenon, which pushed global temperatures to record highs in 2024, is expected to return in the middle of the year.

Melting ice

Glaciers across Europe recorded a net mass loss in 2025, with Iceland experiencing its second-largest ever melt.

Europe's glaciers are found in mountainous areas such as the Alps, northern Scandinavia, Iceland and Greenland's periphery.

"Glaciers across Europe and globally are projected to continue to lose mass throughout the 21st century, regardless of the emission scenario," the report said.


The Greenland Ice Sheet lost around 139 billion tonnes of ice – "equivalent to losing 100 Olympic-sized swimming pools every single hour", said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), which operates Copernicus.

It raised the global mean sea level by 0.4mm.

Europe's snow cover, meanwhile, was the third lowest on record.

Renewables rise

For the third year running, renewable energy produced more of Europe's electricity than fossil fuels, accounting for 46.4 percent of the continent's power generation.

Solar power's contribution reached a record 12.5 percent.

"But that's not sufficient. We need to speed up," said Dusan Chrenek, principal advisor at the European Commission's climate office. "We need to work on transitioning away from fossil fuels."

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03:45

Other extremes

Europe's annual sea surface temperature was the highest on record for the fourth consecutive year.

A record 86 percent of the European ocean region had at least one day with "strong" marine heatwave conditions.

Such heatwaves have an impact on biodiversity, notably on seagrass meadows in the Mediterranean which act as natural sea barriers and are sensitive to high temperatures.

"They are biodiversity hotspots housing thousands of fish per acre and are critical nursery habitats," said Claire Scannell, one of the report's authors and principal meteorologist officer at Ireland's weather service.

The area burnt by wildfires, meanwhile, reached a record 1,034,550 hectares.

Storms and floods killed at least 21 people and affected 14,500 across Europe, though flooding and extreme rainfall were less widespread than in recent years.

FIFA introduces new World Cup red-card rules to combat racism

FIFA announced on Tuesday that players who cover their mouths during confrontations with opponents could be sent off at this year's World Cup under new anti-racism measures while walking off the pitch in protest at refereeing decisions may also result in red cards.

Issued on: 29/04/2026 
By: FRANCE 24

Italy's defender #21 Alessandro Bastoni (C, bottom) receives a red card from French referee Clement Turpin during the FIFA World Cup 2026 European qualification final football match between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Italy at the Bilino-Polje stadium in Zenica on March 31, 2026. © Elvis Barukcic, AFP

World Cup players who cover their mouths during confrontations with opponents will face a red card as part of a new initiative aimed at combating racism, world governing body FIFA said on Tuesday.

In a statement following a meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in Vancouver, FIFA confirmed that the rule was one of two law changes that would be introduced at this year's World Cup.

"At the discretion of the competition organiser, any player covering their mouth in a confrontational situation with an opponent may be sanctioned with a red card," FIFA said in a statement.

The new rule follows controversy earlier this year when Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni was accused of racially abusing Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior during a Champions League game in February.


Prestianni was accused of calling Vinicius a "monkey" repeatedly while covering his mouth. Prestianni denied racially abusing Vinicius but was later banned for six matches – with three of those suspended – for "homophobic conduct".

FOCUS © FRANCE 24
05:09

FIFA President Gianni Infantino had voiced support for the law change in an interview with British broadcaster Sky News last month.

"If a player covers his mouth and says something, and this has a racist consequence, then he has to be sent off, obviously," Infantino said.

"There must be a presumption that he has said something he shouldn't have said, otherwise he wouldn't have had to cover his mouth.

"If you do not have something to hide, you don't hide your mouth when you say something. That's it, as simple as that."
Protest sanction

In a separate law change announced on Tuesday to be enforced at the World Cup, FIFA said that red cards would also be introduced for players leaving the field of play in protest at a referee's decision.

Sports © Glody Murhabazi, AFP
05:09

"At the discretion of the competition organiser, the referee may sanction with a red card any player who leaves the field of play in protest at a referee's decision," FIFA said.

"This new rule will also apply to any team official who incites players to leave the field of play."

FIFA said a team causing a game to be abandoned will forfeit the match.

The move follows the uproar at this year's final of the Africa Cup of Nations, when Senegal's players, head coach Pape Thiaw and his staff walked off the pitch in Rabat after Morocco were awarded a penalty in added time, which forward Brahim Diaz ultimately missed.

Senegal went on to win the final 1-0 in extra time, but were sensationally stripped of the title by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in a bombshell decision issued last month.

The law changes came as FIFA delegates gathered in Vancouver ahead of Thursday's FIFA Congress, the final gathering of football's global governing body before the World Cup gets underway in Canada, Mexico and the United States in June.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)