France 24

Most of the countries on the US travel ban list are from Africa. Among the 12 nations whose citizens Trump says are no longer welcome are Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia and Sudan. Nationals of Burundi, Sierra Leone and Togo are included in a seven-strong list for restricted access.

Since Ukraine's surprise 'Spider's Web' attack on Russian bombers, some internet users have been coming up with theories about how Kyiv carried them out. Some allege that Ukraine took advantage of a requirement laid out in a nuclear deal between Russia and the U.S. But as France 24's Charlotte Hughes explains, their claims are not rooted in the facts of the deal.

Speaking to reporters before a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, when asked if he would impose further sanctions on Russia, US President Donald Trump responded: "When I see the moment where it's not going to stop ... we'll be very, very, very tough. And it could be on both countries to be honest. You know, it takes two to tango."

President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to cut off government contracts with billionaire Elon Musk's companies, and Musk suggested Trump should be impeached, as the bromance between the president and his former adviser disintegrated into a barroom brawl. FRANCE 24's Fraser Jackson reports from Washington.

Shares in Elon Musk's electric car company Tesla plunged 15% after Donald Trump threatened to terminate government contracts and subsidies given to Musk's companies. The rapid escalation in a feud between the two men comes just days after Musk left his government job with a golden key handed by the president. Plus, a landmark trial opens in Paris against TotalEnergies, accused of "greenwashing" its fossil fuel activities. 

Israeli airstrikes in the southern Beirut suburbs rocked the Lebanese capital on Thursday night in an attack Israel claimed targeted Hezbollah drone factories, but Lebanon and the UN describe as a violation of the November ceasefire agreement.

The Kremlin on Monday released a memorandum with conditions for a ceasefire at talks in Istanbul. As expected, the document calls for the annexation of four more of Ukraine's regions, the disarmament of its military and control over its diplomacy. It also reveals Russia's desire to control Ukraine's elections and the country's linguistic and religious policies and fend off future war reparations demands.

Tensions between US President Donald Trump and his formerly close adviser, billionaire Elon Musk, reached a whole new level on Thursday, as the pair hurled insults against each other via their respective social media platforms, Truth Social and X. While Trump called Musk “crazy”, the latter accused the president of lying about having asked him to leave DOGE.

The Lebanese army has dismantled more than 500 of Hezbollah installations in the south to restore “authority" over the country, Lebanon’s prime minister said Thursday.

British actor Tom Felton, who starred as Draco Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” movies, is returning to the role in a Broadway musical. “This is a full-circle moment for me,” he said.

The African Union (AU) on Thursday expressed concern over a new US travel ban on several countries, while Somalis were indignant at being among the seven African nations singled out by the Trump administration. President Donald Trump signed the decree on Wednesday, banning citizens from Somalia, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Haiti and Iran from travelling to the United States.

NATO’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Thursday said he will propose that members increase their overall military spending target to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) at the pact’s next summit. To reach that number, 3.5 percent of GDP will go toward core military spending, and 1.5 percent will be made up of defence and security-related investments. “There’s broad support,” Rutte said.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met Donald Trump on Thursday, hoping to avoid one of the US president's Oval Office infamous ambushes amid discord over Ukraine, tariffs and the Trump administration's support for Germany's far-right. It was all smiles and handshakes as Republican Trump, 78 greeted the conservative Merz, 69, outside the West Wing at the start of their first face-to-face meeting. A month into his job, Merz will try to build a rapport with the mercurial Trump as he seeks to maintain good ties with the country he considers post-war Germany's "indispensable" ally. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24's Delano D'Souza welcomes Kristine Berzina, Managing Director of Geostrategy North at the German Marshall Fund.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to meet US President Donald Trump on Thursday to foster a personal relationship despite tensions over Ukraine and potential trade conflicts. A month into his role, the 69-year-old conservative is a committed transatlanticist aiming to maintain strong ties with Germany’s key post-war ally. FRANCE 24's Leela Jacinto has the analysis.

The European Union unveiled its strategy Thursday to better protect the oceans by tackling pollution, illegal fishing, and developing carbon reserves, aiming to showcase its leadership ahead of next week’s major UN ocean summit in Nice. This strategy aligns with the efforts of over 2,000 scientists from around 100 countries, who have gathered in Nice since Tuesday to present ten key recommendations to guide policymakers at the summit. Together, these actions emphasize a global push toward stronger ocean protection. FRANCE 24's Antonia Kerrigan explains what's at stake in this summit.

President Donald Trump is intensifying his efforts against leading US universities by banning visas for new international students enrolling at Harvard and threatening to revoke Columbia’s academic accreditation. He argues that international students pose a national security risk, accuses universities of overlooking anti-Semitism on campus, and claims they promote a liberal bias.

At least eleven people have been killed and nearly thirty injured in a stampede outside a cricket stadium in the state of Karnataka, southern India.

Watch again the press conference of Mark Rutte, the NATO leader, on the sidelines of a security summit in Brussels on Thursday, June 5.

Trump says travel ban ‘can’t come soon enough’ President Donald Trump has resurrected a hallmark policy of his first term, announcing that citizens of 12 countries would be banned from visiting the United States and those from seven others would face restrictions. Meanwhile, Germany’s new leader, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, is meeting Trump in Washington on Thursday as he works to keep the U.S. on board with Western support for Ukraine, help defuse trade tensions that pose a risk to Europe’s biggest economy and further bolster his country’s long-criticised military spending. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24's Delano D'Souza welcomes Dr Richard Johnson, Senior Lecturer in US Politics & Policy at Queen Mary University of London.

The dockworkers at the port of Marseille-Fos have refused to load military components that were scheduled to be sent to Israel on Thursday, the CGT dockworkers’ union announced on Wednesday, expressing their refusal to "participate in the ongoing genocide orchestrated by the Israeli government." The media outlet Disclose has investigated the matter. Journalist Ariane Lavrilleux spoke about the issue on France 24.

At the initiative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), more than 130 international news outlets and press freedom groups – including FRANCE 24, RFI and Monte Carlo Doualiya – on Thursday issued a joint appeal calling for the “immediate, independent and unrestricted” access to Gaza for international journalists. They also called for the “full protection” of the Palestinian journalists working there. Nearly 200 journalists have been killed by the Israeli army in Gaza over the past 20 months.

Gender equality remains a challenge across the globe and particularly in Africa. Despite progress, women continue to face persistent barriers on the continent: limited access to education, inequalities in healthcare, difficulties in obtaining financing and underrepresentation in decision-making positions. To help change that, former French Minister Élisabeth Moreno co-founded ADWIN alongside George-Axelle Broussillon Matschinga and Prescillia Avenel Delpha. It's an international network dedicated to the promotion and empowerment of African and Afro-descendant women through training, mentorship, financing, and well-being. Moreno spoke to us in People & Profit.

As famine threatens Gaza, humanitarian aid sites will close on Thursday. The remaining food distribution centers are operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which says it is conducting maintenance and repairs at these locations. Backed by Israel and the US, the GHF has taken over from all other aid organizations in Gaza, including the UN. However, the international humanitarian community criticizes the newly established group for not following basic humanitarian principles.

At the joint press conference in Paris on June 5, 2024, Presidents Lula and Macron discussed key international issues, including the war in Ukraine, where Lula is trying to push for peace, as Clovis Casali explains. The leaders also touched on cooperation around the Mercosur trade agreement.

Watch the joint press conference of Presidents Lula and Macron in Paris during the Brazilian president’s state visit on Thursday, June 5, 2024.