Europe’s most powerful warship is inching closer to the strategic waterway whose effective closure has come to epitomise the war in Iran. France is moving its aircraft carrier group towards the Strait of Hormuz, as it works - with the UK - on a proposal that aims ​to lay the groundwork for safe transit through there once the conflict is resolved. 

Fans of Paris Saint Germain and Arsenal are facing soaring costs, as they scramble to book trips to Budapest for the final of the Champions League. Demand for flights and accomodation has spiked since the two football teams qualified for the match on May 30. Also in the show - FIFA defends high ticket prices for the upcoming World Cup, and Japan's Nikkei index jumps to record highs on strong tech spending. 

In tonight's programme, Tshisekedi says he's open to a third term, triggering opposition accusations that he's preparing to bypass constitutional limits and cling to power. Also tensions rise again in Ethiopia’s Tigray region as the TPLF reasserts control, defying the federal government. And in Senegal’s coastal city of Mbour, children are paying the hidden price of irregular migration. Many lost parents who disappeared at sea trying to reach Europe.  

US President Donald Trump said he had a "great ​call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday and would give the EU until July ​4 ‌to fulfill its side of the trade deal before hiking US tariffs to much higher levels.

The Israeli military says it has launched an investigation after a photo showing one of its soldiers desecrating a statue of the Virgin Mary in South Lebanon went viral, as he placed a cigarette into the statue's mouth whilst smoking. The IDF said it "respects freedom of religion" and that the soldier will be disciplined. The incident took place Debel, in the same village where last month, an Israeli soldier was filmed smashing a Jesus statue with a sledgehammer.

Donald Trump again says the Iran war will be over "soon"... The US president has said this in some way, shape or form a number of times in recent days.Yet, there's still no solution on the horizon in the Middle East. March 9: Trump said the war was “very complete, pretty much.” March 24: He reportedly said the U.S. and Israel had “won” the war. April 14: In a Fox Business interview, Trump said the war was “very close to being over.” April 16: CBS reported Trump again saying the conflict was “very close to over.” May 1: In a letter to Congress, he declared the hostilities had “terminated.” May 7:Trump said there was a “very good chance” the war was nearing an end and spoke optimistically about peace negotiations. This Thursday, there is word of a 14 point memorandum under consideration by Tehran. Key in the demands being made by Washington is a moratorium on Iran's enrichment of uranium. In return there'd be a lifting of sanctions against Iran and an unfreezing of assets. 

As Lebanon marks a month since “Black Wednesday”, when massive Israeli strikes killed 361 people, the international community continues to call on the Lebanese army to disarm Hezbollah. But the US legal imperative to ensure Israel has a “qualitative military edge” (QME) has kept the Lebanese military under-funded, under-equipped and unable to perform its role.

With PSG on the brink of history, following a very tight semi-final match against German powerhouse Bayern-Munich, Oliver Farry is pleased to welcome Victor Bolorunduro, Reporter for The Peninsula Qatar. The reigning European champions will now face Arsenal. According to Bolorunduro, PSG has discovered a "cohesiveness" and developed “a remarkable improvement from one match to another.” He places PSG’s current form within a broader narrative of European football evolution, once criticized for inconsistency, now “on the verge of retaining the title” for another year. 

Stuck between a rock and a hard place.Université Paris Nanterre's Nicolas Jara-Joly tells #F24Debate #Tories are struggling to find their own voice, caught between far-right #Reform and centre-left #Labour ➡️https://f24.my/BuFe 

The number of children diagnosed with cancer in France is on the rise. Other serious medical conditions – birth defects, neurodevelopmental disorders and reduced IQ – are following the same alarming trend. Scientists are increasingly pointing to pesticides as a major risk factor. Yet France remains Europe's leading consumer of pesticides and ranks third worldwide. Across the country, parents and doctors are speaking out about the use of pesticides and their impact on the health of children. 

Israel pummelled southern Lebanon on Thursday, state media and AFP correspondents said, a day after it targeted a Hezbollah commander in its first strike on Beirut's southern suburbs since a truce sought to end weeks of fighting. The Israeli army said Thursday that the strike on the southern suburbs killed "the Commander of Hezbollah's 'Radwan Force' Unit", an elite unit within the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah. FRANCE 24's Renée Davis reports from Beirut, Lebanon.