Why has Will Smith travelled to India?

Relations between India and China took a nosedive after deadly border clashes in June 2020. The Chinese foreign minister's visit marks the first high-level trip by a Chinese official in nearly two years.

We take a look at how the press is reacting to Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock live on television at the Academy Awards. We also delve into newspapers’ reactions to Joe Biden's comment that Vladimir Putin "cannot remain in power". Plus, with less than two weeks to go until the French presidential election, we discuss how voter apathy could shift the outcome of the first round.

Will Smith slapped Chris Rock in the face on stage at the Oscars after the comic made a joke about the actor's wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

The Oscar winner's slapping of Chris Rock at the Academy Awards has triggered heated debate on social media. Almost everyone agrees, however, that violence is no answer to a poor joke.

The 94th Academy Awards aimed to boost the ceremony's increasingly dismal ratings, but this year's Oscars went more viral than they bargained for. Just minutes before Will Smith won best actor for "King Richard", he walked onstage and slapped comedian Chris Rock after the latter made a bad joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia.

While the EU tries to reduce its dependence on Russian energy, others are cashing in. India is buying more oil from Russia, at a heavily discounted price. It's already ordered six million barrels of Russian crude oil – half of last year's imports. Also in the show: Ghana's lawmakers approve a controversial "e-levy", a 1.5 percent tax on electronic payments.

It's that old adage: your friends' friends are not always your friends. Over the years, India has drifted towards the United States, partly due to its border tensions with China. But even the invasion of Ukraine cannot break the historic ties binding Delhi to Moscow – from arms and oil imports to the non-aligned strategic autonomy that steered India through the Cold War. So can India stay out of it? Can anyone? If nations don't actively oppose an invasion, do they enable it?

The prime ministers of both countries witnessed the signing of the deal in a virtual ceremony. Australia wants to curb dependence on China as its largest trading partner.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba met his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to shore up economic relations, two years after ties between Nepal and India plummeted over a border dispute.

Indian mystic and visionary Sadhguru is making a 100-day motorbike journey from Europe to India to raise awareness of soil erosion. He told FRANCE 24's Delano D'Souza why he feels his mission is important for humankind. With more than half of agricultural soils are already degraded, Sadhguru warned that "there is no alternative to soil". He also described his own personal journey, saying that he does not see himself as a guru.

The US actor has been barred from attending the glamorous Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles for 10 years after hitting comedian Chris Rock.

Government critics accuse the ruling Hindu nationalist BJP of using so-called demolition drives to intimidate the country's Muslim minority. But authorities say they are only targeting illegal structures.