French ambassador to CAR accused of bringing women to official residence faces disciplinary action
France has opened disciplinary proceedings against its top diplomat in the Central African Republic (CAR) over accusations of misconduct, following allegations that he brought dozens of women into his official residence and had sex with some of them.
The allegations against Ambassador Bruno Foucher, which refer to events said to have happened between January 2024 and March this year, prompted investigations by France's foreign ministry into a potential security breach.
A French diplomat told the BBC that the ministry has since initiated administrative procedures against the ambassador,
More troops to be sent to West Bank village besieged by Israeli settlers
The situation in Qusra first began on Sunday when settlers blocked the road to the Palestinian families' gates and cut off their power and water supplies. The first Israeli soldiers who came to the site prayed with the settlers – an act for which the Israel military later said they would be disciplined.
On Wednesday an attempt by Israeli security forces to dislodge the settlers led to confrontations with a bigger group – and ultimately failed.
Palestinian security camera video shared with the BBC showed confrontations between Israeli soldiers and border police and a large crowd
Indian actor's video with endangered gibbon sparks investigation
Records cited by the official show that on 5 June this year, one male and two female lar gibbons were transferred from Manipur to a person in Perundurai in Tamil Nadu's Erode district. The stated purpose was adoption.
But investigators have not yet found documentation showing that permission from Tamil Nadu's Chief Wildlife Warden had been obtained for the animals to be brought into the state, the official said.
Two months later, on 5 August, one male and one female gibbon were transferred from Perundurai to Vikram's
Japan protests against Putin visit to disputed islands
Japan said it "strongly protests" against Vladimir Putin's visit to the Kuril islands on Thursday, the first time the Russian president had visited the disputed island chain.
Russian state media reported that Putin visited Iturup - known in Japan as Etorofu - one of four islands in the Kuril chain that are claimed by Russia and Japan.
Japan's foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the islands were "inherently Japanese territory both historically and under international law, and the Government of Japan strongly protests this visit".
The countries have
Putin can no longer claim victory in Ukraine, Nobel Peace Prize winner tells BBC
What the Kremlin had assumed in 2022 would be a short, successful "military operation" has become the bloodiest conflict in Europe since the Second World War.
Yet a confident President Putin continues to predict victory for Russia.
"There will never be 'victory'," counters Dmitry Muratov. "Because what has been going on for nearly five years – no matter how it ends – can no longer be considered a victory.
"It cannot be a victory when two Slavic nations have ripped a million people
BTS star V reveals hearing loss battle during livestream
V, a member of pop sensation BTS, says he has been receiving treatment for hearing loss in one ear, an announcement that comes midway through the band's highly-anticipated world tour.
In a livestream on Wednesday, the 30-year-old said that he has dealt with the problem for about two and a half years. This was the first time he was revealing it to the band's fans, he said.
"If the hearing in my left ear is at 100,
Twitch users can now block Amazon from using their content to train AI
Twitch is now allowing users to stop Amazon from training their generative artificial intelligence (AI) models using users' content, the popular streaming platform said.
The US company said users can opt out of a default setting that allows Amazon to use streams, clips, images, chats and other channel content.
The announcement on Wednesday confirmed that the technology giant, which took over Twitch in 2014, was using the platform's content for AI training, prompting widespread backlash from users.
Amazon runs a host of
Australian army whistleblower released on parole after more than two years in jail
A whistleblower jailed for leaking military secrets about Australia's involvement in Afghanistan has been released on parole after serving 27 months.
In 2024, David McBride was sentenced to five years and eight months after pleading guilty to stealing top secret defence documents and giving it to the media.
His actions later led to a landmark inquiry that found evidence that Australian forces had unlawfully killed 39 Afghans during the war.
On Thursday, a spokesperson for the Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said McBride's "parole was
Ebola outbreak on track to be deadliest ever, WHO chief says
The current outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo is on track to surpass the deadliest outbreak of the disease ever, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters that the 2026 outbreak, "at its current pace", would "eclipse" that of the 2014-2016 occurrence, which killed at least 11,000 people.
The outbreak this year, declared on 15 May,
'If you're not conservative, don't come here': The town making missiles for Trump
The two big drags on the president's popularity are the cost of living and the Iran War, with one bleeding into the other. The conflict has caused gas prices in the US to spike to above $4 a gallon, a painful hike to any US business that relies on transport.
But in Kingsport, support for the president approaches an almost-religious fervor. The city voted overwhelmingly for Trump in all three of his elections. So did wider Tennessee, a Republican state for more than 25 years.