World News by Wild Rose

President Emmanuel Macron said France would send troops to defend an oil plant in Saudi Arabia as the Iran-backed Houthi militia took responsibility for new attacks on the kingdom. Macron said in a television interview Thursday with TF1 and France 2 that he would send soldiers and military support to help protect the Saudi port of Yanbu. Saudi Arabia came under attack from the Houthi militia on Thursday, with the kingdom saying it intercepted missiles fired towards the Red Sea port of Yanbu and...

Djibouti · GEOPOLITICS Key Facts —The context The Red Sea port of Yanbu is Saudi Arabia’s main oil outlet while war largely shuts the Strait of Hormuz. —What happened President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, Sept. 24, that France will send soldiers, radars and defence systems to Yanbu. —France’s military Global Firepower ranks France sixth […] The post France to Send Troops to Protect Saudi Red Sea Oil Port appeared first on The Rio Times.

Pope Leo XIV flies to France on Friday for the Vatican's first state visit to the European nation in 18 years, with artificial intelligence and young believers near the top of his agenda. President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte will be on the tarmac to greet the 71-year-old pope. 

Saudi Arabia intercepted Houthi ballistic missiles on Thursday after warning several regions, including Mecca, of possible attacks. France said it would send military assets to help protect the Saudi oil terminal at Yanbu. The strikes came amid renewed fighting in Yemen that has killed dozens, according to sources cited by AFP.

The Vatican’s recent excommunication of followers of a Catholic splinter sect, the Society of Saint Pius X, has revived a longstanding feud within the Roman Catholic Church ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s state visit to France. The ultra-conservative group has established an extensive network of schools and has attracted thousands of followers in France. 

Initially estimated at €12 million, the cost of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to France has now risen to €27 million due to the immense excitement around his trip. But with France a firmly secular country, who is going to be footing the bill? Our journalist Sam Ball explains.

Hundreds of thousands of the faithful and visitors are expected in Paris this weekend as Pope Leo XIV visits the French capital, marking the first papal visit to the country since 2008. France has pulled out all the stops to welcome the pontiff over the two-day visit in the capital and security forces are ensuring maximum protection with some 14,000 police officers, gendarmes, and soldiers mobilized across the capital.

France 24's Antonia Kerrigan reports from Paris as the French capital prepares for the arrival of Pope Leo XIV, where he is set to hold a huge open-air Mass.

France is gearing up for the arrival of Pope Leo XIV in what will be the first state visit to the country by a pontiff since 2008. Seema Gupta, France 24's correspondent in Rome takes a look at the visit from the Vatican's point of view.

It's a trend that first started in the US and is becoming more and more prevalent in France. Women are being filmed in the street without their knowledge, by men wearing smart glasses. The men are earning money by posting the videos online without the consent of their victims. Ellen Gainsford has details.

Like France under Zinédine Zidane, Germany and the Netherlands are entering new eras with their new managers. Both the Netherlands and Germany exited the World Cup frustrated following painful eliminations. Both nations are rebuilding and will face each other in the Nations League opener. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has made no secret of his desire to reach the highly symbolic milestone of scoring 1,000 goals for his national team, although he insists that this is "not an obsession".

Brother Paul-Adrien preaches from a studio with gamer-like codes. Sister Albertine debunks convent clichés on Instagram. Father Benoît prays with followers on TikTok. As France sees a surge in teen and adult baptisms, a new generation of Catholic influencers is fuelling a quiet religious revival.

It's all about his high holiness here in France. For weeks already, the nation's been abuzz over the upcoming visit of Leo. From Friday evening mass at Notre Dame Cathedral and mass before 600-thousand faithful in Paris to the pilgrimage city of Lourdes and a trip to Metz, hometown of father of European unity Robert Schuman. A papal visit to France usually draws much attention to the symbiotic love-hate relationship between the church and a secular state of mostly-lapsed Catholics. And yes, there have been grumblings about the visit's cost to taxpayers. But the pushback's relatively muted. This new American pope seems genuinely popular here in France. We'll ask why.

The move comes after the EU lifts sanctions on oligarchs following what diplomats described as pressure from Baku.

As France prepares for Pope Leo XIV's visit, a surprising trend has emerged in recent years: the number of baptisms among teenagers and young adults has skyrocketed. More than 21,000 catechumens, those undergoing the period of preparation for baptism into the Christian Church, have been recorded so far in 2026. How can this renewed interest in the Catholic faith be explained? Florence Gaillard reports for France in Focus.

Eve Jackson and film critic Emma Jones run through this week's new cinema releases in France. Brad Pitt heads into the Alaskan wilderness with his four-legged co-star in "Heart of the Beast". Also, Robert Pattinson takes on a controversial TV host in "Primetime", a new generation discovers "Sense and Sensibility", and Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's "The Scarecrows' Wedding" arrives on the big screen.

After an initial training session with just 12 players, Zinédine Zidane had a full squad at his disposal on Tuesday. The manager could revert to a 4-3-3 formation, with Kylian Mbappé on the left and Ousmane Dembélé as striker.

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye met with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Canada pledges 100 million Canadian dollars ($71m) for Palestinians as UK and France urge action on Israeli settlements.

French President Emmanuel Macron says the “coalition of the willing" will not back down in its support of Ukraine.

Under pressure to help businesses and workers cope with soaring fuel prices, the French government has announced it will expand targeted energy relief for those most affected.  The new measures will cost €450 million, bringing the total so far to €1.4 billion. Meanwhile, as French president Emmanuel Macron calls for allowing more biofuels to be added to diesel, we speak with an expert on the potential environmental impact of a rapid ramp-up in biofuel use. 

French President Emmanuel Macron used his last address before the UN General Assembly as France's leader to urge the world's nations to stand alongside the United Nations in the face of a resurgent "law of the jungle". Macron also called for a moratorium on strikes on civilian and energy infrastructure in the Russia-Ukraine war and an "open-source" model for frontier AI independent of China and the US.

France coach Zinedine Zidane on Monday oversaw his first training session with Les Bleus ahead of the new Nations League campaign. The 1998 World Cup winner led a dozen of his players through a light training session under the gaze of some 50 journalists.

Thousands of protesters across France rallied against a new law they say will give police a "licence to kill”.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney have announced plans to deepen economic ties between their countries following a meeting at the weekend. Macron welcomed Carney in Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, a French territory off the coast of Canada’s Newfoundland. The two leaders discussed opportunities to share infrastructure in the space and defence sectors, as Canada’s trade relationship with the US deteriorates and Europe looks to diversify its energy supplies. Bryan Quinn has more.

The French government is holding urgent meetings today as it looks for ways to tackle rapidly rising fuel prices. Drivers are paying record-high prices for diesel, as the war in Iran disrupts crude oil shipments from the Middle East. But with public discontent growing, the government has limited options, as France’s finances are already under pressure. This report is from Bryan Quinn and our colleagues at France Télévisions.

In the south of France, climate change is reshaping the region’s fruit production. Rather than fighting against it, a growing number of farmers are learning how to work with it – turning to tropical crops, now well-suited to the local climate. Bananas, papaya and even dragon fruit are being grown in greenhouses but also in open fields, without heating or pesticides. Our Down to Earth team reports.

Preparations are underway in France for Pope Leo’s visit from September 25 to 28. During his trip, the Pontiff is expected to meet victims of church sexual abuse, as the Catholic Church faces renewed scrutiny following recent scandals. Delano D'Souza reports.

Thousands marched across France on Sunday against a bill that would presume police officers acted lawfully when using their weapons, a measure critics have denounced as a 'licence to kill.'

West Africa · GEOPOLITICS Key Facts —What happened The Economic Community of West African States and France are coordinating on counterterrorism after West Africa recorded more than 1,800 terrorist attacks in the first half of 2023. —The numbers Those attacks caused nearly 4,600 deaths, and ECOWAS backed a 2020-2024 action plan with a reported US$2.3 […] The post ECOWAS and France Discuss Terrorism Challenges Across West Africa appeared first on The Rio Times.