FRANCE 24 English

France’s record heatwave pushes champagne alcohol levels to historic high
France’s record-breaking summer heat has forced champagne producers to contend with unusually high sugar levels in grapes, forcing authorities to allow alcohol content of up to 15 percent in the region’s sparkling wine for the first time. Champagne is usually capped at 13 percent.

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Serbia's Vucic calls snap elections after nearly two years of protests
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Wednesday called snap parliamentary elections for October 25. They are expected to be a key test of his right-wing populist Serbian Progressive Party after nearly two years of student-led anti-corruption protests.

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Russian drone strike near Ukraine-Moldova border kills at least two as Ukraine targets oil terminal
An overnight Russian drone strike at a border crossing between Ukraine and Moldova killed at least two people, Odesa's regional governor said Wednesday. Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Tofan said that 17 drones had hit Moldovan territory in August alone as both Kyiv and Moscow ramp up long-range strikes on military and energy infrastructure.

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OpenAI says its models solved one of math's hardest problems as researchers cry foul
US tech giant OpenAI on Tuesday said it had solved one of the hardest problems in mathematics with an unreleased artificial intelligence model after just 88 hours – and millions of dollars' worth of computing power. But a US mathematician and a researcher at rival Anthropic allege that OpenAI only took up the problem after it had gotten wind of their own AI-assisted efforts to crack the challenge which had demanded months to craft a radically distinctive approach.

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Eiffel Tower row over Hindu sect BAPS unites French politicians – but divides Indian diaspora
France got a crash course on the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a Hindu sect at the heart of an Eiffel Tower strike this week. But for Indians in France who have been trying to raise awareness of far-right Hindu groups, the awareness comes too late. As the 2027 election campaign goes into high gear, some fear the issue will be politicised by the French far right.

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Rubio hails Colombia's new pro-Trump leader De la Espriella on first stop of Latin American tour
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged closer security cooperation with Bogota on the first stop of his three-nation tour of pro-Washington Latin American nations. Rubio hailed the election of Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella as part of a growing alignment with US interests across the Western Hemisphere.

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US bans Canadian alcohol, motorcycles and dairy products as trade spat escalates
The US and Canada escalated a bitter trade dispute on Tuesday, with Washington imposing new import bans on Canadian alcohol, motorcycles and dairy products as Ottawa's retaliatory tariffs on US goods took effect.

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Key post-9/11 air toxicity information was kept secret for 25 years
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani released tens of thousands of previously undisclosed documents on Tuesday detailing what city officials knew about toxic air after the September 11 attacks, as the 25th anniversary approaches and thousands continue to suffer from related illnesses.

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Smithsonian chief Lonnie Bunch steps down amid Trump administration pressure
The Smithsonian announced Tuesday that Secretary Lonnie Bunch will leave his post at the end of the year, as the institution faces continued scrutiny from the Trump administration over how its museums present US history.

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Middle East live: US destroys five Iranian oil tankers as Iran threatens Kuwait and Bahrain
US forces destroyed five Iranian oil carriers on Tuesday after Tehran launched ballistic missiles at an American warship twice in recent days. Iran also launched strikes on US targets in Jordan, and threatened attacks on oil tankers off Kuwait and Bahrain. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

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Mourinho's Real Madrid edge Inter Milan in Champions League opener
Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid began their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 win over his former side Inter Milan on Tuesday, taking a two-goal lead before Carlos Augusto pulled one back. Thibaut Courtois and Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez both made crucial saves as Madrid held on for victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.

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Trump tells Putin he wants swift end to Ukraine war, Kremlin says
US President Donald Trump told Russian President Vladimir Putin he wanted a swift end to the Ukraine war, the Kremlin said, arguing that peace could pave the way for a broad restoration of US-Russia ties. The hour-long call Tuesday followed weekend talks by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow and Kyiv to try to revive stalled peace efforts.

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Messi, Mbappé and Kane headline Ballon d'Or shortlist, Vozinha named for Yashin award
Eight-time laureate Lionel Messi is in the 30-man shortlist for the 2026 Men's Ballon ​d'Or, with Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé among the favourites to succeed France's Ousmane Dembélé. Cape Verde's Vozinha has been shortlisted for the goalkeepers' Yashin Trophy after his heroics at the recent World Cup.

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World Cup final scorer Torres leads Ballon d'Or nominees
Ferran Torres, whose goal against Argentina won the World Cup for Spain in July, leads a 30-man list for the men's Ballon d'Or revealed on Tuesday.

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Middle East live: Israel to close British consulate in Jerusalem after sanctions on settlements
British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband accused the Israeli government on Tuesday of turning a "blind eye" to what he called "ethnic cleansing" by settlers in the West Bank as the UK joined France and ten other countries in banning imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied territory. The decision comes amid rising violence over settlement expansion. Follow our liveblog for the latest.

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France, UK to join 10 other countries in banning goods from Israeli West Bank settlements
France is preparing to introduce a ban on products from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël ​Barrot said on Tuesday, following a wave of settler violence in recent days that has further undermined prospects for a two-state solution with the Palestinians.

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UAE leader warned Netanyahu of Hamas attack days before October 7, says report
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced strong backlash from opposition leaders on Tuesday after a report published by Haaretz newspaper said UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan warned Netanyahu that Hamas was planning a major operation days before the attacks on October 7. The report alleges that Netanyahu failed to inform security chiefs.

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Houthi attacks disrupt Saudi oil facilities and wound more than 70
Attacks on Saudi Arabia Tuesday claimed by Yemen's Houthis wounded more than 70 people and ignited fires at several oil facilities and utilities in the kingdom's southern region, authorities said, in a major escalation in the renewed conflict between an important US ally and the Iranian-backed rebels.

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Thieves steal works of art worth 9 million euros from France's Renoir museum
Two thieves on Tuesday broke into the Renoir Museum in the town of Cagnes-sur-Mer in southern France and stole "four works of art", dropping one as they fled, according to the local mayor. Officials estimated the value of the stolen works at 9 million euros.

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French AI startup Mistral valued at over 21 billion euros after latest funding
French AI company Mistral announced Tuesday that it had raised three billion euros ($3.5 billion) in what it described as the largest-ever European tech fundraising, valuing the startup at over 21 billion euros. While still an upstart compared to the AI giants OpenAI or Anthropic, Mistral says it is carving a niche by offering models that companies can run themselves with their own data.

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