France 24

French rider Pauline Ferrand-Prévot sailed to victory on Sunday in stage nine to seal the women's Tour de France title, 36 years after her compatriot Jeannie Longo won what was then the Tour de France Feminin.

Three Syrian security personnel and a member of a Druze militia were killed in renewed clashes in the southern province of Sweida, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Sunday. More than 1,400 people were killed in an outbreak of sectarian violence in July between members of the Druze religious group and Sunni Bedouins, reportedly supported by government troops.

An independent watchdog agency responsible for enforcing a law against partisan political activity by federal employees has opened an investigation into Jack Smith, the Justice Department special counsel who brought two criminal cases against then-candidate Donald Trump before his election to the White House last year. The Office of Special Counsel confirmed that it was investigating Smith on allegations he engaged in political activity through his inquiries into Trump.

In his closing blessing for the Jubilee of Youth, Pope Leo XIV remembered the young people of Gaza and Ukraine and other countries “bloodied by war” who could not join their celebration.

Parts of the European Commission's much-anticipated AI Act come into force this weekend. It's been hailed as the first piece of comprehensive legislation aimed at regulating AI globally, critics though say it doesn't go far enough.

A far-right Israeli minister visited and said he prayed at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site on Sunday (August 3), triggering regional condemnation and fears that the provocative move could further escalate tensions. FRANCE 24's Kethevane Gorjestani gives us her analysis.

Renewed sectarian clashes erupted in southern Syria's Druze-majority Sweida province on Sunday (August 3). For more on that topic, FRANCE 24 spoke to Amr Fahed, a Syrian artist and human rights activist.

More than 50 people in northwest Nigeria's Zamfara state were seized by bandits in a mass abduction Friday, a private conflict monitoring report created for the United Nations has found. Nigeria continues to struggle with a growing kidnap-for-ransom industry as criminal gangs take root across the country's impoverished north.

New outbreaks of violence overnight into Sunday (August 3) rocked Syria straining a fragile ceasefire. Meanwhile residents in Sweida are calling access to more humanitarian aid.

Videos released by Palestinian militant group Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad showing a pair of emaciated hostages held in Gaza since the the October 7, 2023 attack were condemned as "appalling" by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Sunday. Kallas called on the groups to release all remaining hostages "immediately and unconditionally". 

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on Sunday (August 3) and said he prayed there, challenging rules covering one of the most sensitive sites in the Middle East. FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopolsky tells us more.

French swimming superstar Léon Marchand convincingly won the 400m individual medley world title on Sunday, securing his second gold of the Singapore 2025 World Aquatics Championships. 

Donald Trump said on Friday (August 1) that Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva can call him anytime to discuss tariffs and other friction between the countries. Trump slapped a 50% tariff on Brazil, with many exemptions, starting next week to fight what he has called a "witch hunt" against former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is on trial on charges of plotting a coup following his election loss in 2022. For more analysis, FRANCE 24's Oliver Farry is joined by Anthony Pereira, director of the Kimberly Green Center, at Florida International University.

International outcry over images of emaciated children and increasing reports of hunger-related deaths have pressured Israel to let more aid into the Gaza Strip. Aid groups and Palestinians say the changes have only been incremental and are not enough to reverse what food experts say is a “ worst-case scenario of famine” unfolding in the war-ravaged territory.

Pope Leo XIV presided over a final mass in Rome for young people on Sunday (August 3), the culmination of a youth pilgrimage that has drawn Catholics from across the world. FRANCE 24's Seema Gupta tells us more.

Over the past few days, Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad have released three videos showing two hostages seized during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. The videos sparked reactions from Israelis who are stepping up calls for a truce securing the release of the remaining captives before it's too late.

A robot is navigating the cold depths of the South Atlantic seabed, streaming images of dazzling coral and previously unseen fish, while scientists provide live commentary on YouTube – and Argentines are captivated. The scientific mission is for the first time exploring the Mar del Plata canyon, a submarine gorge which plunges nearly 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) deep. The live stream began a week ago and exceeded one million views per day since Thursday.

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday (August 2) led a final Mass in Rome attended by hundreds of thousands Catholic youths, marking the end of a weeklong encounter with the next generation of the faithful. On Saturday night, before an twilight vigil led by the pope, organisers had confirmed the attendance of 800,000 people in the vast, open-air space on Rome's eastern outskirts, and on Sunday the Vatican said that number had grown to one million people.

Russia and China began joint naval drills in the Sea of Japan on Sunday as they seek to reinforce their "no-limits" strategic partnership – signed shortly before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The drills take place two days after US President Donald Trump announced he had deployed two nuclear submarines to “the appropriate regions” in response to comments by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.

More deadly chaos in Gaza. Local officials say at least 18 more Palestinians were killed Saturday (August 2), including aid seekers near distribution sites. The UN has warned of the risk of famine, with 7 more malnutrition-related deaths in the past 24 hours. For more on the humanitarian situation in Gaza , FRANCE 24's Jean-Emile Jammine is joined by Ruth James, Oxfam International's Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa and by our correspondent in Jerusalem Noga Tarnopolsky. 'Famine is unfolding in Gaza. It's not pending anymore', said Ruth James.

The French cyclist powered to victory on the mountainous stage 8 of the Tour de France, losing her rivals before the Col de la Madeleine finish summit to claim France's first yellow jersey. The 33-year old Olympic mountain bike champion is about to win her first first Tour de France after first winning Paris-Roubaix in April. Mauritian Kim Le Court crashed on a descent with 65km remaining. 

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday led a final Mass in Rome attended by more than a million Catholic youths, marking the end of a weeklong encounter with the next generation of the faithful. The gathering represented a major organidsational feat for the Vatican, with hundreds of thousands of young people in Rome for most of the week. 

A robot is navigating the dark, cold depths of the South Atlantic seabed, streaming images of dazzling coral and previously unseen fish, while scientists provide live commentary on YouTube – and Argentines are captivated. It's the first time human eyes, albeit remotely, are witnessing this underwater oasis in real time, where the frigid, nutrient-rich Malvinas current meets the warm, salty waters of the Brazil Current.

Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched across Australia's iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday. The crowd included WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who moved back to his native Australia last year after his release from a high-security British prison.