FormerFrenchPresidentNicolasSarkozyreturnedtocourt on March 16 for an appeal hearing in Paris over his conviction linked to the alleged illegal campaign financing of his 2007 presidential campaign by Libya. The case led him to spend 20 days in prison in 2025.FRANCE 24's Camille Knight tells us what's at stake from the court in Paris.

InFrance'smunicipalelectionsthefarrightNationalRally is gaining momentum, and France Unbowed has made a breakthrough. Both parties treated the municipal elections as a test-run for the presidential race and emerged strengthened from the first round. The left held its ground particularly in Paris, Marseille and Lyon. Here are the key takeaways.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was back in court Monday for a retrial on charges he sought Libyan financing for his 2007 election, in a case that last year saw him become France's first modern-day head of state to go to prison.

From vampires and car chases to K-pop and Shakespeare, this years Oscars showcased the range and creativity of contemporary cinema. The clear winner of the night was "One Battle After Another" from director Paul Thomas Anderson. The satirical epic took home six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, confirming its status as one of the year's most acclaimed ...

A verdict is expected soon in the landmark trial against Google and Meta in Los Angeles. At the heart of the case are repeated accusations that online platforms deliberately fuel social media addiction, especially among young users. The ruling could set a legal precedent and potentially impact thousands of other complaints filed across the United States. ...

A leading Lebanese academic has spoken of his feelings of dj vu as Israel admits it has launched what it calls a limited ground operation in the south of Lebanon. Karim Emile Bitar is professor at Saint Joseph University of Beirut and at Sciences Po University in Paris. He says that from experience, Israel mostly manages to destroy its enemies when it ...

TheIsraeliarmysaysit has begunlimitedtargetedgroundoperationsagainstHezbollahinSouthLebanon.ItcomesthreeweeksaftertheUSandIsraelbegancarryingoutstrikesinIran,awarthathassinceescalatedthroughouttheMiddleEast,andbeyond. Since the start of the war, over 800,000 people have been displaced and at least 800 killed.

InParis,themuchanticipatedresultsfromthefirstroundofthemunicipalelectionarein,withSocialistEmmanuelGrgoireinthelead. Reflectingtheimportanceoftheelection,voterturnoutinthecapitalexceededthenationalaverage,reaching58.8%.

It started quietly, with a handful of posts on tech forums and Reddit explaining why and how you should uninstall and unsubscribe from ChatGPT. Now the campaign #QuitGPT has more than 4 million participants worldwide, and the numbers are still climbing.FRANCE 24 tech journalist Charlotte Lam tells us more.

PRESS REVIEW Monday, March 16: French papers analyse the first round of the country's municipal elections. Next: Cubans protest amid worsening economic conditions. Also: The New York Times tells the story of a difficult recovery after an act of violence. Finally, researchers look into the delayed "maturation" of men and its effect on women's willingness to ...

Frenchmunicipalelectionson March 15gavepoliticalpartiesanearlytestoftheirelectoralmachinesbeforenextyearspresidentialrace,withafirstroundofvotingformayorsandtheirteamsacrossFrance. Althoughlargelyfocusedongrassrootsconcerns,thevotingwasbeingscrutinizedforhintsofwhetherthefar-rightNationalRallypartyofMarineLePeniscontinuingtogainground.

ThepoliticallychargedactioncomedyOneBattleAfterAnotherjustmanagedtooutmuscleRyanCooglersmusicallydrivenvampirethrillerSinners." in the 2026 Oscars Ceremony. But MichaelB.Jordanstill wonbestactorforSinnersandJessieBuckleywonforHamnet,makingherthefirstIrishperformertoeverwininthecategory.

FourmembersofafamilyhavediedintheWestBankafterIsraeliforcesfiredintotheircarastheyweredriving.It'sthelatestexampleoftheincreasedviolenceseeninthePalestinianterritorysincetheOctober7Hamasattacks. AccordingtoanAFPtallybasedonPalestinianhealthministryfigures,Israelitroopsorsettlershavekilledatleast1,045Palestinians- ...

New Delhi walks a policy tightrope, with public anger mounting over shortages of cooking gas as the US demands support for its war on Iran. Also in this edition: China's economy turns in stronger than expected figures, and oil prices continue to rise as Washington threatens to strike Iran's oil export infrastructure.

PaulThomasAndersons'OneBattleAfterAnother' wascrownedbestpictureatthe98thAcademyAwards,handingHollywoodstophonortoacomic,multi-generationalAmericansagaofpoliticalresistance.Michael B. Jordan and Jessie Buckley also won awards for best actors. For FRANCE 24's Ben Crowe, Paul Thomas Anderson's blockbuster's huge win is no surprise.

AnIsraelistrikehitBeirut'ssouthernsuburbs on March 15 accordingtoLebanesemedia. Israel'smilitaryissuedanevacuationwarninginthemorningcoveringseveralneighbourhoodsinthearea. LebaneseauthoritiessaidthedeathtollinIsraeliattacksroseto850,whilemorethan830,000peoplehaveregisteredasdisplaced.

TheIsraelimilitarysaidonMarch 16ithadbegunwhatitdescribedas"limitedgroundoperations"againstHezbollahinsouthernLebanon.Theannouncementechoessimilarstatementsissuedin2024,whenIsraelandHezbollahfoughtamajorwarinLebanon,andin2023,whenthemilitarylaunchedagroundassaultinGazainresponsetoHamas'sOctober7attacks. "Yet the buffer zone is expanding significantly", says ...

Russia launched a rare daytime attack on Kyiv Monday, with AFP journalists reporting air defence batteries shooting down a barrage of projectiles. Authorities said that the attack has so far caused no casualties.

Israeli soldiers killed two children along with their mother and father on Sunday after they opened fire on a car carrying a family of six in the occupied West Bank. One of their two surviving children, 12-year-old Khaled, said the soldiers beat him after dragging him out of the car afterwards.

Olympique Lyonnais could only manage a 0-0 draw on the road against Le Havre. Lyon (4th) has fallen behind Marseille (3rd) and is seeing Lille (5th) close in.

Beijing said on Monday it had lodged representations with Washington and urged the United States to correct its erroneous ways after new US trade probes launched last week. Chinas commerce ministry called on Washington to meet Beijing halfway and resolve disputes through dialogue, as negotiators from both countries meet in Paris.

Paul Thomas Andersons One Battle After Another won best picture at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday, capping a long-awaited Oscars breakthrough for the acclaimed filmmaker. The film won six awards overall, while Michael B. Jordan took best actor and cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw made history with her win.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy returns to court on Monday to challenge his conviction over allegations he sought campaign funding from Muammar Gaddafis Libya for his 2007 election. Sarkozy, who denies wrongdoing, briefly served time last year. The Paris appeals court retrial will run until June 3.

Candidates for the far-right National Rally posted strong results inthe first round ofFrances municipal elections on Sunday,winning several races outright and polling neck-and-neck with the incumbent left in Marseille,inthe last major test of the French public mood ahead of next years all-important presidential election.