France Pledges €2 Billion in Military Aid to Ukraine
France will send €2 billion in military support to Ukraine, President Macron announced ahead of a key security summit in Paris.
President Macron visits cyclone-hit Mayotte, where Cyclone Chido left 100,000 homeless and 31 confirmed dead. Aid efforts intensify amid fears of disease and rising fatalities.
Thousands are feared dead, but officials in France's poorest overseas territory have only been able to confirm 31 fatalities more than five days after Chido struck, the worst storm to hit the islands in 90 years.
Many areas in the Indian Ocean archipelago remain inaccessible. Heavy rain in the capital Mamoudzou and other areas has compounded the turmoil for thousands of people whose shanty town dwellings were flattened.
Macron was due to bring four tonnes of food and medical aid, and is expected to fly over the islands to survey the damage, his office said.
The French leader, whose government has been accused by opposition politicians of neglecting Mayotte, will also visit a hospital and a neighbourhood and meet officials, the presidency added.
The French government authorised price controls on essential goods including bottled water and construction material on Thursday.
Health workers say they are bracing for a surge of disease as dead bodies lie unburied and people struggle to get clean drinking water.
Officials have warned it will be difficult to work out how many have died in a territory that is home to large numbers of undocumented migrants from Comoros, Madagascar and other countries.
Official statistics put the population at 321,000, but many say it is much higher. Some victims were buried immediately, in accordance with Muslim tradition, before their deaths could be counted.
The death toll in continental Africa, where the storm hit after passing through Mayotte, stood at 45 in Mozambique and 13 in Malawi, officials in those countries said.
Aid groups in Myanmar’s worst-hit areas urgently need shelter, food, and water after a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake killed over 2,700 people. Rescue efforts face challenges due to ongoing civil war, damaged infrastructure, and restricted aid access, with the toll expected to rise.
Russian forces carried out a drone attack on Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, late Wednesday, injuring at least twenty one people and causing structural damage, according to Ukrainian officials.
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was banned from running for public office for five years after being convicted of embezzlement, ruling her out of the 2027 presidential race. She received a four-year prison sentence, with two years suspended, and a €100,000 fine. Le Pen plans to appeal.
Apple marked its 49th anniversary by reaching a market capitalization of $3.3 trillion. Despite recent tech stock volatility, Apple's shares surged 28% in 2024.
The Armenian armed forces attempted three reconnaissance drone flights over Azerbaijan Army positions near Gerenzur, but all were successfully intercepted. Meanwhile, Armenian units repeatedly fired on Azerbaijani positions from multiple regions, escalating tensions in the area.
Russian billionaire Vadim Moshkovich, founder of Rusagro, faces charges of embezzling 30 billion roubles ($357 million). His arrest is among the most high-profile in Russia’s business world in recent years.
India's government has introduced a bill proposing sweeping reforms in the management of waqf properties, allowing non-Muslim members on waqf boards and enabling the state to determine disputed land ownership, sparking concerns among Muslim groups and opposition lawmakers.
Greece plans to invest €25 billion in a sweeping multi-year defence strategy, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told parliament on Wednesday, marking a major step in modernising the country’s armed forces and reinforcing its strategic posture amid regional tensions and global uncertainty.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son in Hanoi on Wednesday, as both nations looked to deepen their strategic partnership and navigate rising global tensions through renewed diplomatic and economic cooperation.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti is set to appear in court on Wednesday over allegations of failing to pay €1 million in taxes on image rights earnings during his first tenure at the club. Prosecutors seek a prison sentence of nearly five years and a €3.2 million fine.
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