U.S. warships fire 59 missiles on Syrian airfield

In our show "Correspondence", we explore how the world is coping with the twists and turns of 2021, amid the consequences of Covid-19 and beyond. FRANCE 24 brings you a selection of original reports from our correspondents and teams around the globe. Our reporters went to Brazil, Lebanon, Iraq and Niger.

South Korea confirmed earlier US reports that Pyongyang tested short range missiles. Meanwhile, the North slammed recent EU sanctions.

North Korea fired what are suspected to be the first ballistic missiles on the Biden administration's watch. This was also the second missile launch in the past week.

Germany is set to pledge additional help to the victims of the Syrian Civil War at a donor conference being held in Brussels. The amount is expected to be comparable to a €1.6-billion sum given last year.

Zero asylum seekers — that is essentially the Danish government's ultimate goal. Now, it is ordering Syrian refugees to return to Damascus, which Copenhagen says is safe.

As a teenager in Syria, Ibrahim al-Hussein dreamt of becoming an Olympic swimmer before he lost a leg in the war. Now a refugee in Greece, he is training for a place at the Tokyo Paralympics.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and first lady Asma al-Assad cast their votes at a polling station in the war-torn town of Douma just outside of Damascus. Voters flocked to polls across Syria for a presidential election in which few doubt Assad will extend his grip on power for a fourth term, in a war-battered country mired in economic crisis.

North Korean state media has blasted the US decision to permit South Korea to develop unlimited range missiles, calling it evidence of a "hostile" US policy towards Pyongyang.

Diving into the pool at the Athens Olympic Aquatic Centre, Ibrahim Al Hussein is a natural. The swimmer is aiming for Tokyo this summer, a journey that has been far from simple. Originally from Syria, Ibrahim lost his leg and had a metal rod inserted into the other. Ever since, he's been on a mission to turn his life around.

In the ancient Syrian village of Maalula, whose residents still speak the language of Jesus, volunteers rake stones and scrub graffiti in preparation for the return of Christian pilgrims after years of war. Nestled among towering cliffs in the mountains north of Damascus, Maalula is one of the world's oldest Christian settlements.

Syrian weightlifter Maan Asaad and high jumper Majd Eddin Ghazal are preparing to participate in the Tokyo Olympics after a 2 year hiatus from competing internationally because of COVID-19. The lack of international participation has impacted Maan according to his brother and trainer, Qays.

Foreign paragliding pilots fly over Syria's war-scarred city of Homs, as part of a festival to showcase the safety of Syrian skies after years of civil war.