Pro-Trump lawyer Aberaldo de la Espriella pulled ahead as a leader in Colombia’s race for the presidency in the first round of elections over the weekend, capitalizing on a growing appetite for heavy-handed crackdowns on criminal groups across Latin America. Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Christopher Sabatini, Senior Research Fellow on the Americas at Chatham House, says that "this is really again a part of what's unfortunately called the 'Donroe' doctrine asserting itself in partisan politics in Latin America".

A powerful explosion at a fireworks factory in Malta injured two people on Monday, sending a massive plume of smoke and debris into the air, police reported. The first blast occurred at around 6:35 am and was followed by a second powerful explosion, according to witnesses. No workers were at the factory when the explosions occurred.

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar on Monday threatened legal action and said the government would use its two-thirds parliamentary majority to amend the constitution to ​force President Tamas Sulyok from office. Sulyok, who was appointed under former prime minister Viktor Orban, has refused to resign before his term ends in 2029. 

Drones piloted by artificial intelligence are now being deployed on the Ukrainian front lines, and while there has been much talk about them, there is still much that remains unknown. The US-made Hornet Drone, which is partially guided by AI, is at the centre of a new Ukrainian strategy to target Russian logistics.

Oliver Farry is pleased to welcome Michelle MORGAN, Marilyn Monroe biographer. Author of The Seven Year Itch, and the Birth of an Unlikely Feminist. One hundred years after the birth of Marilyn Monroe, the actress remains one of the most recognisable cultural figures of the twentieth century. Yet, as biographer Michelle Morgan argues in this centenary interview, the enduring fascination with Monroe often obscures the complexity of the woman behind the image. Far from being merely the glamorous "dumb blonde" immortalised by popular culture, Monroe emerges as a determined, intellectually curious, and surprisingly modern figure who challenged the limitations imposed upon her by Hollywood and society alike.

Brazilian health authorities isolated two patients who recently arrived from African countries after they showed symptoms consistent with Ebola, officials said Friday, although one later tested negative. The move comes as the Democratic Republic of the Congo battles an outbreak that has surpassed 1,000 suspected cases and nearly 250 deaths since May.

Ukrainian drones struck targets across several Russian regions overnight from Saturday, including an oil pumping station, a refinery and a fuel depot, Russian and Ukrainian authorities said Sunday. Kyiv however denied Moscow's claims that a Ukrainian drone struck the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Russian-occupied Ukraine.

Former title holders crashed out at Paris's Roland-Garros tennis stadium and PSG faced off with Arsenal in Budapest to win their second Champions League final in a row as a heatwave shattered European temperature records for the month of May: FRANCE 24 looks back at some of the week's most striking images.

Colombians are heading to the polls Sunday. With current president Gustavo Petro stepping down, the search for his successor is seen as a referendum on his leftist social policies and response to growing violence in the country. Left-wing candidate Ivan Cepeda, who says he will continue pursuing peace accords with armed groups, is leading in the polls. But he faces stark opposition from the more hawkish right. Trump-loving millionaire lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella and Paloma Valencia, who comes from one of Colombia's most important conservative dynasties, both favor harsher crackdowns on guerrilla groups. Details by Caroline Baum.

It's been two weeks since a Congolese man died in Dublin after being restrained by security guards and protestors are still taking to the street. They want to see an independent and transparent probe into the death of Yves Sakila - with many viewing the incident as racially charged. Details by Eliza Herbert.

In Peru, hundreds of demonstrators marched through Lima on Saturday to protest against Keiko Fujimori’s candidacy and her family's political dynasty. They fear that, if elected, she will continue her father’s authoritarian regime. Keiko Fujimori came out on top in the first round of the presidential election and will face left-wing candidate Roberto Sánchez in the second round on June 7. Details by Eliza Herbert.

Maltese ⁠Prime Minister Robert Abela ​claimed a record-breaking, fourth successive general election victory ​for his Labour Party on Sunday after campaigning on the strength of a thriving economy and calling for a strong mandate to shield the tiny island state from the crisis in the Middle East. 

Ballots for the first round of Colombia's presidential election open Sunday, as candidates with radically diverging visions for the future face off. The vote, seen as a referendum on outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s policies, comes 10 years after Colombia signed an historic peace pact with guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). 

Back in 1975, they didn’t say “Remigration,” but “Repatriation.” For today’s viewer, this is perhaps the only interesting point that saves an otherwise rather lackluster video: even fifty years ago, people were talking about remigration, about return, and about encouraging return. And the exact opposite happened; migration flows to Western countries increased, as did miscegenation....

Colombia's presidential election is headed to a run-off after voters delivered a sharply polarised first-round result on Sunday, setting up a contest between hard-right populist Abelardo de la Espriella and leftist senator Ivan Cepeda. The vote came at the end of Colombia's bloodiest campaign in more than a decade, with issues of security and rising violence dominating the race.

Pentagon head Pete Hegseth - has said that Washington could restart the war with Iran at any time if it wanted. His remarks follow days of talks and a two-hour meeting in the White House situation room - that has yet to produce a deal between the US and Iran. Analysis by FRANCE 24 international affairs editor, Shirli Sitbon.

Per decenni il rifiuto simbolo del consumo di tabacco è stato il mozzicone di sigaretta: piccolo, onnipresente, difficile da smaltire. Oggi però nelle città europee sta comparendo un...

Colombia is going to the polls this Sunday. The presidential election is set to determine Gustavo Petro’s successor. Violence is at the heart of this campaign: armed groups are stepping up their attacks, and each candidate has their own proposals for how to prevent it. Violence is an endemic problem in the country that has been ravaged by conflict for decades. Story by Eliza Herbert and Antoine Fenaux.

Nearly a month of anti-government protests and a blockade of the capital in Bolivia have pushed the country to a "breaking point", said the President, as demonstrators call for his resignation. Details by Antonia Kerrigan.

The EU has unlocked €16.4 billion in funds for Hungary after new Prime Minister Peter Magyar enacted reforms to weed out corruption. It caps off weeks of negotiations between his government and the EU to release funding crucial to Hungary's slumping economy. Details by Camille Knight.