Two hundred and forty years after their last stay at the Château de Fontainebleau south of Paris, France's King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette are again taking centre stage there. Some 4,000 letters have been sent to the late queen under the chateau’s “Write to Marie‑Antoinette” initiative, showing that she in particular is still a subject of fascination to the public.

Jalen Brunson scored 45 points as the New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 on Saturday to clinch their first NBA championship in 53 years. The Knicks sealed the best-of-seven NBA Finals 4-1, denying Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs on their home court to capture their first title since 1973.

Strikes on Ukraine remain a regular occurrence, but behind this show of force, the Russian army’s offensive on the front lines is showing signs of slowing down, analysts say. More than four years after the full-scale invasion began, Russian capture of Ukrainian towns are becoming increasingly rare.

Brazil and Morocco played out a 1-1 draw in their Group C clash at MetLife stadium, the venue that will host World Cup final. Saibari's stunning lob gave Morocco an early lead, but Vinicius's superb finish dragged Brazil level before half-time, setting up a tense second half that saw both sides trade chances.

France 24's Gavin Lee speaks to Aisha Down, the Guardian AI Corr on why there may be more to the suspension of Anthropic’s ‘Fable 5’ chatbot model and discuss whether there there is a risk of a two tier system for “haves and have nots” with the chatbot programmed to judge overall trustworthiness and the nature of the interaction.

French President Emmanuel Macron will meet US President Donald Trump over dinner at the Palace of Versailles following the G7 summit of leading industrialised nations, which will take place next week in French lakeside town of Evian-les-Bains. The dinnerWednesday will mark the 250th anniversary of US independence, according to Macron's office.

Lebanon reported Israeli strikes on the country's south on Saturday as the Israeli army issued evacuation warnings for more than 20 locations including the city of Nabatieh ahead of raids there. Our correspondent Renée Davis tells us more.

In a post on X, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his visit to France will focus on strengthening economic and cultural ties, starting in Nice, where he will attend the ‘Bharat Innovates’ programme with French President Emmanuel Macron. We discuss the visit with Aparna Pande, Director of the India and South Asia Initiative at the Hudson Institute.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel on Friday announced a package of economic reforms aimed at attracting investment, expanding participation by Cubans living abroad in the economy and decentralizing parts of the country’s administration.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to hold bilateral talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit. What will be on the agenda? We spoke with Amalendu Misra, Professor of International Politics at Lancaster University.

Tourists and Parisians alike will have to contend with mass transport disruptions in the French capital and surrounding suburbs this summer due to planned major infrastructure works. Here’s what you need to know to navigate the RER train, metro, Transilien and tram services in July and August and how to plan alternative routes before travelling.

Several hundred people gathered in southwestern France on Friday to bid farewell to an 11-year-old girl whose suspected murder sparked protests across the country and exposed failures in the country's judicial system.

Peru's leftist presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez on Friday proposed a recount to his conservative rival Keiko Fujimori, citing alleged irregularities after votes coming in from abroad were tallied. Counting that continues at a sluggish pace has Fujimori ahead by a razor-thin margin.

Team USA made a commanding statement in their World Cup campaign, defeating Paraguay 3-1 in their Group D opener at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Despite a late Paraguayan rally, the co-hosts' attacking prowess proved too much for La Albirroja, with Folarin Balogun scoring twice to set the tone.

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that a draft agreement to end the war with the United States could be signed remotely within days, adding that negotiations had reached their final stages. Araghchi said the framework would address the US naval blockade and the future administration of the Strait of Hormuz. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

British artist David Hockney, who has died at the age of 88, spoke to AFP in 2021 about spending the months of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in France.

The British prime minister is once again fighting for his political survival, on the back foot after his defence secretary and defence minister quit the government over complaints of a lack of military spending and sufficient commitment to keep Britain safe from the spectre of Russian attack.

This week, Paris des Arts heads to the Czech Republic to visit Prague, a cultural capital and UNESCO World Heritage city. We meet one of the most provocative Czech artists of the international scene, David Cerny, who takes us inside his exhibition space – a former industrial site he's named the "Musoleum", a mashup of "museum" and "mausoleum".

US and Pakistani leaders predicted a Sunday signing of an agreement to end the war against Iran, with US President Donald Trump saying the critical Strait of Hormuz would be "open to all" immediately after. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei had said earlier on Saturday that the date of the signing was yet to be determined, but that it would not be on Sunday. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

Swiss voters will decide on Sunday whether to approve a proposal to cap the country's population at 10 million by 2050, a measure critics say could have Brexit-like consequences for the economy and relations with the European Union. The referendum reflects growing anti-immigration sentiment seen across Europe.

Dozens protested Saturday outside a foreign ministry office in Iran's northeastern city of Mashhad, chanting slogans against top diplomat Abbas Araghchi after a televised interview in which he discussed signing a peace deal with the US. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

Switzerland was caught off guard in a dramatic draw against Qatar (1-1) in their World Cup 2026 group stage opener. Breel Embolo opened the scoring in the 17th minute from the penalty spot after a reckless challenge from goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada. The Swiss dominated possession but struggled to convert their numerous chances, allowing Boualem Khoukhi to snatch a stoppage-time equaliser.

Manuel*, a Latin American asylum seeker, was snatched by ICE as he headed to a FIFA match in New Jersey with his sons last summer. He has now been separated from his wife and sons for almost a year. Detained at MetLife stadium in Newark, where the World Cup final will be held in mid-July, his experience illustrates the risk that immigrant fans will take if they watch the matches in public spaces during the tournament.

Thousands of people on Saturday gathered for an anti-racism rally in the Northern Irish city of Belfast after unrest sparked by a horrific stabbing. France 24's Hervé Amoric tells us more.

The United States and Iran are close to signing an agreement aimed at ending their war, three regional officials told The Associated Press on Friday. A senior U.S. official said the tentative deal includes terms for removing and destroying nuclear material from Iran. France 24's Douglas Herbert tells us more.

AI giant Anthropic said in a statement released Friday that it had disabled its most advanced AI models, known as Fable 5 and Mythos 5, after the US government ordered it to suspend access to the models for foreign nationals, citing unspecified national security concerns.

Pakistan's prime minister said on Friday that the United States and Iran had agreed on the wording of a deal aimed at ending their war in the Middle East, and that mediators were working with both sides to finalise an agreement. We discuss the developments with Lebanon's Social Affairs Minister, Hanine Al Sayyed.

The World Cup is well and truly underway, and so is the jersey craze. We're taking you to the second-hand market in Kibera, Kenya, where enthusiasts scour the stalls in search of hidden treasures. One of these bargain hunters is Antonio Massari, an Italian-born volunteer English teacher in Kibera, who has made the market his favourite spot.

Days of anti-immigration violence in Belfast have shown how three decades of unrest in Northern Ireland, known as the Troubles, still shape the contours of daily life, residents and academics said.

Three Indian sailors have died in a U.S. military operation to halt a tanker off Oman as part of Washington's efforts to blockade Iran-linked shipping, Indian authorities said on Thursday.

The leader of the Tren de Aragua gang Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, for whom the US government had offered a reward of up to $5 million, was killed during a joint operation with the United States in southern Venezuela, the two countries announced on Friday.

Team USA takes centre stage on Friday evening as the 2026 World Cup's third opening ceremony unfolds at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, featuring pop star Katy Perry. The USMNT faces Paraguay in their tournament opener, a moment of reckoning for American soccer on home soil amid visa concerns, soaring ticket prices, and competing sports dominating the conversation. Follow our blog to learn more.

Co-host nation Canada salvaged a 1-1 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday night at Toronto's BMO Field, but missed a string of clear-cut chances that could have delivered a winning start to their Group B campaign.

The European Union will resume membership negotiations with Ukraine on Monday after Hungary's new government lifted a long-standing veto imposed by former prime minister Viktor Orban. EU leaders said all member states had agreed to open the first phase of accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, marking a fresh show of support for Kyiv amid Russia's ongoing war.

Right now, the path the EU and NATO faces another set back. There's been no functioning government, despite three elections in less in 16 months.

An Iran-linked hacker group called Handala claimed to have breached FBI drones and threatened to target the 2026 World Cup, monitoring group SITE said Friday.

Scotland secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Haiti in their Group C opener at Boston's stadium. John McGinn struck early in the 28th minute after a chaotic scramble in the box, before Haiti mounted sustained pressure but lacked the clinical finishing to break down Scotland's resolute defence.

Morocco faces Brazil in their World Cup 2026 opening match, with Group C's heavyweight clash pitting Achraf Hakimi's African underdogs against Vinicius and Brazil's five-time champions. Follow our blog as the tournament's first truly heavyweight encounter unfolds.

The Israeli army on Saturday issued evacuation warnings for the southern city of Nabatieh and more than 20 other locations across Lebanon as strikes were reported in the country's south and east. The latest strikes came as the US and Iran indicated they were close to reaching a deal on ending the Middle East war that could also include Lebanon.

When he came into office, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared that the first duty of a leader is to keep the country safe. His defence secretary, John Healey, resigned this week, telling his boss that he was making the country less safe. It was a stinging letter, claiming Sir Keir was unable to make the financial commitments needed to defend the country against the spectre of a Russian attack. A second defence minister, Al Cairns, also resigned for the same reasons.They had both seen...

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said a deal aimed at ending the war was closer than "ever before" and expected to be finalized within 24 hours. Pakistan was preparing for the electronic signing of the agreement, to be followed immediately by technical-level talks next week.

A funeral has been held for 11-year-old Lyhanna. Her murder has sparked a national debate over child sexual abuse and failures of the French judicial system. The suspect, Jérôme Barella, had been previously accused. It’s now been discovered that child protection authorities in the US flagged his suspicious online activity and passed it on to French authorities, who didn't follow up.

NATO's top military officer is weighing alternative plans to defend Europe should it come under attack from Russia, after the United States announced that it is cutting the number of aircraft and warships it would provide in a security crisis. We discuss it with our guest, André Loesekrug-Pietri, president of the Joint European Disruptive Initiative.

Shares in Elon Musk's SpaceX closed almost 20 percent higher on their trading debut Friday after the biggest IPO in history, making the polarizing entrepreneur the world's first trillionaire as he vowed to take humanity to Mars.

Mexico opened the World Cup on Thursday with a dominant 2-0 win over South Africa in front of a boisterous home crowd at Mexico City's Azteca Stadium. Joining us to discuss the match is sports journalist Mbuelo Thinta.

World Cup Debrief - Day 2: Two more hosts launched their World Cup campaigns. Canada earn their first World Cup point following their 1-1 draw against Bosnia Herzegovina. Meanwhile, team USA powered past Paraguay, scoring more goals in one game, than they did total in Qatar in 2022. They won 4-1 in front of delighted home crowds, and soar to the top of group D.

As Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama appeared at a rally of jubilant supporters on Friday in Tirana, thousands were already filling a nearby boulevard, repeating daily calls for his resignation.

The United States and Iran signaled on Friday that an agreement ​to end their war was close, with a senior U.S. administration official saying both sides had agreed on a text and that Washington expects to sign an initial deal in the coming days.

Israeli and Palestinian civil society groups appealed to the international community in France on Friday to keep pursuing a two-state solution, warning that the window for peace is narrowing. The call came as world powers gathered amid mounting concern over settlement expansion and violence in the occupied West Bank.

A record number of African nations are at the 2026 World Cup, but South Africa’s opening defeat to Mexico has raised questions about the continent’s chances. Can African teams turn numbers into history and finally challenge for football’s biggest prize?

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu hosted political representatives from across party lines on Thursday to discuss the issue of electoral interference ahead of the country’s 2027 presidential election. French authorities are sounding the alarm over the rapid advances in artificial intelligence which they fear could make attempts to digitally manipulate the voting process from abroad – and consequently the electoral outcome – easier than ever before.

In a week that began with President Trump pronouncing that a ceasefire extension was so close with Iran, two or three days max, and that would only take an hour to finalise. Hours later Tehran downed a US Apache helicopter off the Gulf of Oman with the crew rescued from the sea, the attack reportedly an attempt to deter the US’s evolving efforts to increase air patrols that target Iranian drones in order to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The election of the Hungary's new centre-right prime minister, Peter Magyar, in April marked a particularly stinging defeat for Viktor Orban, whose government was widely regarded as one of the most anti-LGBTQ in the EU. Rights advocates expect legal changes but wonder about the timeline Magyar will adopt as the new prime minister remains cautious on divisive issues.