Ukraine's attack on Saint Petersburg 'brings war back to Russia'
Summary:
Volodymyr Zelensky called Kyiv's attack on Saint Petersburg a 'fair' response to the deadly Russian strikes on several Ukrainian cities a day earlier. It is also a testimony to Ukraine's growing capacity to strike further inside Russia. FRANCE 24's Douglas Herbert tells us what that means for Russia.
Can Europe own its digital destiny? EU unveils tech sovereignty roadmap
Summary:
The list runs long, strategic sectors where Europe's rarely the master of its own destiny, energy, manufacturing, even its nuclear deterrence. How about digital? Who even owns the personal data of its own citizens? The European Commission this Wednesday unveiling its tech sovereignty roadmap.
Israel and Hezbollah exchange fire amid new talks in Washington
Summary:
Lebanon said Israeli strikes on June 3 killed at least nine people in the country's south, while the Israeli army says it has intercepted a "hostile aircraft" in its northern regions. This comes as a new round of talks is to be held in Washington. FRANCE 24's Renée Davis in Beirut and Noga Tarnopolsky in Jerusalem tell us more.
Trump compares White House UFC arena to Eiffel Tower, hints it could stay permanently
Summary:
In a video posted to his official Tiktok account on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump suggested he may never remove the enormous UFC arena that’s being constructed on the White House lawn for his birthday celebrations. He also compared it to the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris, also initially meant to be temporary, but was kept on, though his take on the Eiffel Tower isn't quite accurate.
'Both sides are committed' to US-EU trade deal, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer says
Summary:
In an interview with FRANCE 24, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer insisted that despite fresh US tariffs proposed this Wednesday, "both sides are committed to compliance" with the US-EU trade deal. The top US trade official said he saw "a lot of room" for continued compliance, notwithstanding Washington's new tariff proposals on imports of goods produced using forced labour.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards claim attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait
Summary:
The already fragile ceasefire between Iran and the US has come under strain following a series of attacks from Iran in the Gulf and from the US on Qeshm Island. The Iranian attacks killed one person and injured 63 others. FRANCE 24's Hoda Abdel-Hamid tells us more on the attacks.
Trump denies impasse in Iran talks after fresh strikes on Gulf countries
Summary:
The ceasefire with Iran is being further tested after Iranian drones hit a terminal building in Kuwait. It forced the country to close down the airport briefly and one person was killed and at least 63 injured, according to the Kuwaiti health ministry. Meanwhile, talks with the US have been stalling over Lebanon and the US military said it had launched strikes on an island in the Strait of Hormuz.
Director Wim Wenders pulls 1975 film featuring then-teenager Nastassja Kinski in nude scene
Summary:
German director Wim Wenders announced Wednesday that he would be pulling his 1975 film “Wrong Move” from circulation due to a scene in which actress Nastassja Kinski, then a teenager, appeared topless.
AI chatbot responses polluted by pro-Russian disinformation
Summary:
AI-driven chatbots are increasingly being used as sources of information, but they are also vulnerable to disinformation campaigns. Experts have found that pro-Russian misinformation, in particular, can seep into the responses generated by these conversational agents.
Ukrainian drones hit Saint Petersburg as 'Russian Davos' opens in the city
Summary:
Ukrainian long-range drones hit an oil terminal in the Russian city of St Petersburg on June 3, setting the facility ablaze. It came hours before Vladimir Putin's showcase economic forum got under way in the city, apparently an attempt to embarrass the Kremlin chief. Moscow said it would keep striking Ukraine systematically in response to such attacks.
Paris's Saint-Germain-des-Prés book fair returns
Summary:
The Saint-Germain-des-Prés book fair is a literary rendez-vous at the famous Parisien café, Les Deux Magots. To the delight of book lovers, the event is returning for its third year, bringing a rich and modern programme to the Left Bank historical venue where Boris Vian, Jean-Paul Sartre and Ernest Hemingway once gathered. It's a new chapter in the neighbourhood's literary tradition, inspired by a bygone era. In Entre Nous, Angela Diffley speaks to Gaëlle Le Gall Nicolas, marketing director of Les Deux Magots.
Months after the regime crackdown, Iranians search for missing protesters
Summary:
The deadly crackdown on the December 2025-January 2026 anti-regime protests saw many Iranians killed, tracked or detained. The US-Israel war on Iran has intensified the repression, but it has not stopped families from trying to trace their missing loved ones or from seeking justice for people who have disappeared into prisons and juvenile correction centres across the country.
UK far right exploiting student stabbing attack 'to promote moral panic', expert says
Summary:
Britain’s interior minister accused activists of hijacking a tragedy to stir up violence after police were attacked at a protest over the death of a teenager who was handcuffed as he lay dying while his killer stood nearby. Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Aaron Edwards, Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Leicester, says that "we're seeing a populist challenge from the right which is feeding perceptions not founded in reality and promoting a moral panic".
Deadly attack on migrants highlights issue of labour abuse in Italy
Summary:
Four migrants working as fruit pickers in slave-like conditions in southern Italy have been burned to death in a grisly murder case that is prompting fresh national soul-searching over labour exploitation. The migrants were found on Monday in a burned-out van parked in a petrol station in Amendolara, in the southern region of Calabria. Surveillance cameras showed two people setting the car alight before running away. FRANCE 24's Seema Gupta reports from Rome.
'US war on Iran not about the Iranian people: Europe can put the issue of human rights on the table'
'US war on Iran not about the Iranian people: Europe can put the issue of human rights on the table'
Summary:
Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, President of Iran Human Rights and Professor of Neuroscience at University of Oslo. He offers a stark assessment of the Iranian regime's response to recent unrest and wartime conditions. Professor Amiry-Moghaddam argues that the authorities have exploited international attention on regional conflict to intensify domestic repression. Civilians are effectively "risking their lives" so that "the world can know what is happening in Iran," underscoring both the scale of repression and the resilience of civil society under authoritarian rule.
Algeria court clears way for pardon of jailed French journalist Christophe Gleizes
Summary:
French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes, detained in Algeria since 2024 on terror charges, may be eligible for a possible presidential pardon, his lawyers said Wednesday. Algeria's Court de Cassation, the country's highest appeals court, rejected prosecutors' calls for a tougher sentence, and noted the withdrawal of the defendant's own appeal.
A year before the French election, De Gaulle remains politically fashionable
Summary:
‘De Gaulle: Resistance’, is released in cinemas in France on June 3, the first part of a two-parter on Charles de Gaulle, the French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces against Nazi Germany and Vichy France. The much anticipated films took director Antonin Baudry and his team six years to make, with a budget of nearly 80 million euros. But even beyond the silver screen, with a year to go until the presidential elections, De Gaulle has perhaps never been so politically fashionable.
Ukraine pushed Russia back in May for second month running, ISW finds
Summary:
Ukraine recaptured more territory than it lost to Russian forces in May for the second straight month, according to data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Christina Harward, Russia Deputy Team Lead at ISW, says that successful tactical counterattacks as well as ramping up of long range missile and drone strikes in Russian territory have been key in slowing down the advance in Eastern Ukraine.
Japan: Modern-day samurais battle new foe: Climate change
Summary:
It is a tradition that dates back a thousand years and has survived wars, earthquakes and even a nuclear disaster. But in recent years, Japan’s Soma Nomaoi samurai festival has found itself under threat from a new enemy: extreme heat.
'Palestinians are unbelievable people: Vast majority of in Gaza just want to live a normal life'
Summary:
Angela Diffly is pleased to welcome Dr. Adi Nadimpalli, Medical Coordinator for Gaza with Doctors Without Borders. He offers a stark assessment of conditions in Gaza following the October 2025 ceasefire. While acknowledging that "the number of kinetic injuries and violence has decreased," he argues that the territory remains trapped in a state of profound humanitarian deterioration, marked by daily strikes, mass displacement, inadequate food supplies, collapsing living conditions, and widespread insecurity.
