World

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has authorised spot Bitcoin exchange traded funds (ETFs) after years of opposition, in what cryptocurrency enthusiasts hope will spur wider interest in the digital currency. The move will give investors exposure to movements in Bitcoin prices without taking direct ownership of the token.

Three candidates, two superpowers and one island. Taiwan is picking a president and a parliament on Saturday amid steadily surging nationalism in mainland China and all the talk of decoupling and derisking by the United States. Who will succeed the outgoing pro-Western president, Tsai Ing-wen? How high are the stakes?

Russia's domestic security agency said the detained person was attempting to transfer information to Polish intelligence. Poland has denied these accusations.

Images of the Indian prime minister promoting India's idyllic Lakshadweep islands have exacerbated tensions with the Maldives, which is turning more towards China under a new government.

In France's eastern Lorraine region, scientists have uncovered vast deposits of natural hydrogen, one of the cleanest fuels in nature. The discovery could be the biggest of its kind so far, spurring a global energy race for the fuel of the future. The Down to Earth team takes a closer look.

It is only on a voluntary basis. So how much to make of Russian authorities offering their citizens a ride out of Belgorod? The western city across from Ukraine's Kharkiv is increasingly the target of Moscow's own medicine: a steady diet of missiles from the sky. As NATO leaders meet in Brussels, the battle for air superiority is squarely on the radar of both sides.

"This is the problem with democracy": some people did not see the funny side of a video purportedly of Volodymyr Zelensky doing a belly dance. In fact, humorous or not, the video does not show the Ukrainian president. Real videos have previously emerged of Zelensky proving he can be light on his feet, from before his presidency, but this is not one of them.

Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa says his country is 'at war' with drug gangs who are holding over 130 prison guards hostage amid an outburst of violence. Noboa intends to build new prisons and deport foreign prisoners.

Faced with soaring costs and new environmental measures, many European farmers say their backs are against the wall, much like their German counterparts.

We look at reactions in the French and international press to 34-year-old Gabriel Attal's meteoric rise to the second most powerful position in French politics. We also take a look at why Donald Trump's court appearance in a hearing on whether he should have immunity on charges he tried to overturn the 2020 election perhaps did not go as he would have liked.

The respected author of a new book on Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has told FRANCE 24 that he sees no peaceful solution to the conflict. Nicolas Tenzer is a non-resident senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis and Chairman of the Center for Studies and Research on Political Decision.

We look at reactions to the new French ministers who'll make up PM Gabriel Attal's government, including Rachida Dati, a vehement critic of President Emmanuel Macron's party. Also: we look at what Taiwanese voters are concerned about ahead of Saturday's elections. Archaeologists discover the traces of Amazonian cities that date back 2,500 years. Finally, a woman in Tasmania wins an award for the world's ugliest lawn!