Five people have been confirmed dead in a factory damaged by a major earthquake in Japan, here part of a red-and-white smokestack collapsed in the quake. At least 13 died after a shopping mall was badly damaged, as the search for survivors is ongoing. The earthquake flattened homes, triggered fires, ruptured bridges and left thousands of people with no power. FRANCE 24's Gavin Blair tells us more from Tokyo.

Jordan's army said it intercepted five Iranian missiles on July 29, Tehran's first regional strike in days following a pause in fighting between it and the United States. Iran's Revolutionary Guards confirmed the attack, saying it was in response to "the aggressive actions" of the United States, without elaborating. The attack was the first Iranian strike on regional countries in days. FRANCE 24's Fraser Jackson tells us more.

French DJ Kavinsky, who produced the pounding track "Nightcall" that featured in the hit 2011 film Drive and performed alongside Belgian singer Angèle at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Olympics, has been found dead in his Paris home, local media reported Wednesday. He was 50 years old.

Zinédine Zidane has been officially appointed as the new manager of the French men's national team. He has signed a four-year contract, with Euro 2028 and the 2030 World Cup as his objectives.

The proposal to spin off the commercial rights to the World Cup and other competitions into a semi-private company has triggered a fierce backlash, with critics warning it could create conflicts between investors' profit motives and FIFA's role as the sport's regulator.

In tonight's edition, Chad is pulling out of the International Criminal Court, accusing it of bias against Africa. Also, in Madagascar, nearly 200 people have been reported missing this year. And centuries-old medinas in the Comoros have joined UNESCO World Heritage status.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s plan to create a $20 billion company running the World Cup with private investors including the Kushner family was announced Tuesday — and immediately attacked by European soccer body UEFA. “It is not FIFA’s to sell,” UEFA said in a statement. “None of us are the owners of football.” FRANCE 24's James Vasina reports.

Monte Francis is pleased to welcome Karim Baldé, Sports Journalist and Founder of "Bal des Productions" News Agency. According to Baldé, Zinedine Zidane, as France's new football manager, one of the world's richest and most successful squads, heightening the expectations created by Didier Deschamps' sustained excellence and by a generation of players widely regarded as capable of dominating international football. Bladé suggests that while Zidane's persona and football legacy provides him wit...

"Many people" were feared trapped in a stricken shopping mall in Japan late on Tuesday, authorities said, after a major earthquake toppled buildings, sparked fires and reportedly injured more than 100.

French police have opened a murder investigation after the remains of five newborns were discovered in cardboard boxes at a couple's home in southeastern France. The bodies were found after the woman's partner searched the flat following the home birth of a healthy baby, prompting hospital staff to alert prosecutors.

France great Zinedine Zidane's long-held ambition to coach the national team became reality on Tuesday when the French Football Federation appointed the former captain and World Cup winner as Didier Deschamps' successor on a four-year contract. Here is what he had to say.

French-Algerian football icon Zinedine Zidane became the new manager of France’s national football team on Tuesday, bringing an end to what little suspense there was over Didier Deschamp’s successor. Zidane frequently stated his desire to take over the French team and much of the football world supported his ambitions.

The massive wildfires currently ravaging the French countryside are putting off massive clouds of smoke. A thick, potentially toxic miasma that has many residents of nearby metropolitan areas worried for their respiratory health. French pharmacies have noted a run on their supplies of face masks, particularly the FFP2 models that effectively filter small particulate matter. To the point that the government is rushing extra stocks to affected areas like the Bordeaux region and making them free...

Eve Irvine is pleased to welcome General Michel Yakovleff, Professor at Sciences-Po and Former Vice-Chief of Staff at NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (Shape).. He presents a strategic rather than tactical reading of the current lull in the US-Iran conflict. He argues that the apparent de-escalation is not evidence of diplomatic progress but of mounting structural constraints. Rather than viewing pauses in hostilities as signs of imminent peace, he frames them as consequences ...

Authorities say that the fires in the Gironde have been stabilised but is not entirely out yet. The French interior minister says some 40 thousand hectares went up in smoke. Meanwhile, some of those evacuated have been allowed to return home, while others are still waiting.

Rewatch Zinedine Zidane's first address as he is appointed France's new football coach.

The French Football Federation (FFF) is set to unveil its new manager for 'Les Bleus' squad - but the secret is only secret by name. The new coach is expected to be Zinedine Zidane, star player of the mythical 1998 football squad captained by France's last coach, Didier Deschamps. FRANCE 24's Emily Boyle is on the ground and tells us about Zidane's legendary status.

It is the worst-kept secret in French football: Legendary midfielder Zinedine Zidane is expected to replace Didier Deschamps as the new coach of French national team Les Bleus. Zidane, who has not coached since leaving Real Madrid in 2021, has long been viewed as the leading candidate for the role.

The megafire in France's southwest Gironde department near Bordeaux, which has burned through 42,000 hectares of forest since July 22, remained "stable" Tuesday morning after a calm night, according to the local prefecture. However, forecasts predict a rise in temperatures up to 33 to 35°C inland during the day, accompanied by a southeast wind, which could reignite the blaze. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

The huge fire raging in France's southwest has stabilised, according to French officials, with authorities letting nearly 60,000 evacuees return to their homes - but 14 blazes have also reigniting. Now, firefighters are trying to contain the fires as the fourth heatwave of the year comes in, set to make the firefighting mission harder. FRANCE 24's Carys Garland is on a convoy with firefighters and tells us about the situation on the ground.

After a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Japan on July 28, the country's Prime Minister said thirteen people had died, including five in a factory, so far and many were injured. The rescue work is ongoing to find those still missing. The earthquake struck the Kumamoto area on the southern main island of Kyushu. Japan is one of the world's most seismically active countries, sitting on top of four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific "Ring of Fire".

Moscow on Wednesday said it had issued an international wanted notice for Russian-born Telegram CEO Pavel Durov for "complicity in terrorism". Russian security services accused Durov of failing to remove "channels, chats and bots" on the popular messaging platform allegedly used by Ukraine to recruit people for deadly sabotage operations across Russia.

A massive wildfire that has burned some 42,000 hectares in southwest France over the past week "remains under control" after a second quiet night, regional authorities said Wednesday. But the regional prefecture warned that hot and dry weather conditions remained "unfavourable". Follow our liveblog for all the latest updates.

Residents began returning to fire-ravaged communities west of Madrid after officials lifted some evacuation orders, while authorities in southwestern France warned a looming heatwave could reignite major blazes and force thousands more from their homes.

Oman has presented Iran with a Gulf-backed proposal to jointly manage the Strait of Hormuz, including a system of voluntary fees for ships using the strategic waterway, according to a Gulf source and a Western diplomat. The plan aims to provide a framework for restoring stable shipping through the strait after months of disruption caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran and further attacks on commercial vessels.

After weeks of student protests, the resignation of India’s education minister on July 25 was hailed as a victory for the so-called cockroaches, a youth movement that has made this originally derogatory term their own. But some are concerned about facing repression down the line, aided by facial recognition.

More than 1,000 evacuees from the massive wildfires in Gironde have taken shelter in Bordeaux’s exhibition centre, where a small army of volunteers has organised a wide variety of activities to keep them busy and meet their logistical needs. FRANCE 24 reports.

After France exited the Football world cup in fourth place, there's a new change coming for the team. French football legend Zinedine Zidane has been named head coach. While Zinedine Zidane has been out of the spotlight since he coached Real Madrid, he is still considered to be a football legend.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected at the White House on July 28 for talks with US counterpart Donald Trump, as Kyiv seeks to win fresh diplomatic and military support in its fight against Russia. Zelensky is also in the US to attend US senator Lindsey Graham's funeral, an important support of Ukraine inside the Republican party. FRANCE 24's Fraser Jackson tells us more from Washington.

Firefighters are starting to see "light at the end of the tunnel" in their battle against some of the worst forest fires in Spanish history, according to the country's prime minister. In Avila, near Madrid, over 50,000 hectares were burned. FRANCE 24's Sarah Morris tells us more about the latest on the situation.

Zinedine Zidane will be unveiled on July 28 as the new coach of the French national football team, succeeding his World Cup-winning teammate Didier Deschamps. The 54-year-old is a national icon with multiple successes as player and coach. He steps into the job after five years out of the game.

A "considerable number" of people have died at the Aeon shopping mall in the town of Kashima, with many still others trapped inside, after a major earthquake Tuesday shook southwestern Japan, local broadcasters said.

Among the measures used by firefighters to battle the flames in the wildfires in southern France is a chemical retardant that is dropped on forests by planes. It is not without its harms to nature and to humans, but firefighters say it is a vital tool in combatting the spread of deadly fires.

French football icon Zinedine Zidane on July 28 has been tasked with delivering France the 2030 World Cup as coach, just as he did as a player in 1998. He will replace Deschamps, whose tenure began in 2012 and ended earlier this month after France finished fourth at the World Cup. FRANCE 24's Emily Boyle tells us more.

Chad officially launched its third General Population and Housing Census (RGPH-3) at the end of June, the country's first nationwide census since 2009. On the ground, however, logistical challenges are already emerging. In some remote areas, difficult access is preventing census teams from reaching every household, prompting some residents to travel to nearby towns in order to be counted. Many also hope to use the opportunity to draw the government's attention to shortcomings in public servic...

Fires continue to spread through Spain with one blaze to the west of Madrid now the largest to have swept through the country. Over 50,000 hectares have burnt near the city of Avila, and firefighters are attempting to bring the fires under control ahead of a rise in temperatures.

US President Donald Trump will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday for the first time since US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February triggered new regional conflict in the Middle East. Both leaders are expected to downplay their frayed ties after public – and occasionally profane – rebukes from Trump during ceasefire negotiations in April.

Food-related health warnings have become increasingly frequent in recent years, to the point where maintaining a diet free of contaminants can seem almost impossible. So what’s the best way to limit your exposure, and will there ever be a way to fully remove these harmful pollutants from our blood? FRANCE 24 breaks it down in part 2 of our 3-part series.

US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Washington D.C on July 28 as Netanyahu flew over for the funeral of US Senator Lindsay Graham. It was the first time the two have met in person since launching their joint war against Iran in February. Despite rumours of tensions between Trump and his ally prior to discussions, both sides praised the meeting.

Khalida Boufedeche, a trained allergist who represents the Algerian capital Algiers, was elected as the country's first-ever woman parliament speaker Wednesday. Boufedeche is a member of the ruling National Liberation Front's central committee – and now the fourth highest-ranking official in the country.

US and Saudi warplanes carried out strikes on Tuesday against Iran-backed militants in Iraq who launched more than two dozen drone attacks in recent days, the US military said. Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they struck and halted three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz early Wednesday. Follow our live blog for the latest developments.

The newly inaugurated president – the ninth in just a decade – pledged to deploy the armed forces to crime-ridden areas and adopt a hardline security strategy as Peru grapples with its worst wave of gang violence, extortion and illegal mining in decades.

France's largest wine region is facing a wake-up call as the wildfires blazing near Bordeaux's famed vineyards underscore the climate challenges posed by severe drought and repeated heatwaves. Many chateaux do not have enough water to irrigate their entire vineyard and without rain in the coming weeks, vines ​could shut down to protect themselves, leaving grapes to shrivel, growers said.

French President Emmanuel Macron vowed Monday "to rebuild a different kind of forest" as he visited an area ravaged by wildfires in southwest France, adding that "the coming weeks will be tough". FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks with Yuval Zelnik, Researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Ecology Department.

A British opposition lawmaker on Tuesday accused a French naval patrol vessel of firing "warning shots" while he was being interviewed aboard a fishing boat in the English Channel, an allegation French authorities deny. France said the gunfire was part of a routine training exercise conducted under international safety rules.

Firefighters work around the clock battling the blazes. Those affected by the disaster need shelter and essentials. But they can count on the support of local residents. Food, drinks... Relief efforts continue to be organized in the face of this massive wildfire.

The return of high temperatures is threatening firefighters hold on a vast blaze in the Gironde. Calmer conditions over the last two days have enabled authorities to stabilise the fires but as the region is placed under a yellow heat warning and new evacuation order come into force on July 28, fears are mounting that the blaze could once again spiral out of control.

Japanese media is reporting that there are a number of casualties following the 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Japan. Authorities have said people are trapped in a shopping mall after its second floor collapsed, including casualties. Rescue efforts are ongoing.

Benjamin Netanyahu is set to visit the White House once again on July 28. But the Israeli Prime Minister is likely to get a cooler welcome in Washington than on previous trips. The US's full-scale air war on Iran - which Netanyahu reportedly had a major role in convincing Donald Trump to launch - has become a major headache for the US President. Meanwhile continued deadly strikes on a devastated Gaza despite a cease-fire, the occupation of southern Lebanon, and mounting settler violence in th...

US president Donald Trump says there's a good chance a deal can be reached with Iran to end the war. The statement comes after the stopped airstrikes on the Islamic Republic over the weekend. For more on the latest diplomatic effort to end the conflict, here's this report.

French firefighters are still battling major wildfires in the southwest of the country, that have already ravaged 42,000 hectares. Thousands have been evacuated due to the fires, although some of them have been stabilised. Authorities are also trying to prevent burglaries in evacuated areas. FRANCE 24's Carys Garland patrolled with them and tells us more.

As French firefighters rush to contain the fires raging in the southwest of the country, a political debate is growing over conflicting codes on forest management. While firefighters say brushwood has to be gotten rid of to avoid forest fires, forest rangers say it should not be destroyed if protective species use it as their habitat. FRANCE 24's Angela Diffley tells us more.

After two days of fierce battles against the RSF, the Sudanese army says it has gained control of the Al Sadarat highway, a key military supply route, and effectively blocked the siege of El Obeid. In response, the RSF has increased their drone strikes on El Obeid, whilst hundreds of thousands of people are still stuck in the city.

He is one of #France's most memorable #football players: nearly thirty years later after helping 'Les Bleus' win their first #WorldCup - and twenty years after his infamous #redcard, Zinedine #Zidane is coming back to coach the squad.

The huge fire raging in France's southwestern region of Gironde has not progressed overnight on July 28, local authorities say. For firefighters however, the task might further complicate as the region is set to experience extreme temperatures due to a new heatwave. FRANCE 24's Carys Garland is on the ground and tells us about what's happening since the fire first broke out, and how locals are showing up to help.

More than 120 journalists and photographers are expected at the headquarters of the French Football Federation for the presentation of Zinédine Zidane as manager of the French national team.

President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said one forest fire in southwest France had been "contained" even as another, much bigger one near Bordeaux continued to rage, and western Europe braced for new heatwaves this week.