Residents of northeastern Nigeria were fleeing their homes on Saturday as military jets and helicopters launched air strikes on Islamist strongholds. The Nigerian military has imposed a round-the-clock curfew in a dozen neighbourhoods of Maiduguri, the home base of the Boko Haram militants that are now the target of a large-scale military offensive.flee as army targets Islamists with air strikeswww.france24.comUS Secretary of State John Kerry has warned the military to use "discipline" in its offensive against Islamists.

Although Cannes had an action-packed 24 hours (a jewel heist, a man firing blanks into a crowd), competition films from Arnaud Desplechin and Kore-eda Hirokazu were sluggish. A meal prepared by chefs to the stars was consolation. Cannes, directors disappoint as chefs to the stars delight | Les blogscannesreport.blogs.france24.com

French Socialist and former presidential candidate Ségolène Royal may need to revisit her American history books after she was caught quoting the wrong Roosevelt. Ségolène Royal gets her Roosevelts mixed upwww.france24.com

It's the end of the world as we know it. Or so says Gérard Chaliand, an author and specialist on international conflicts. But there's no need to worry. While China may be rising, and the West declining, the new global order is still a work in progress.Chaliand: the end of the world as we know it An interview by Douglas Herbert.

Do-it-yourself weaponry: How Syrian rebels wage war | The ObserversThe vast majority of the Syrian rebels’ weapons come from the regular army’s stocks. The rebels use everything they can get their hands on — ranging from ammunition and weapons to vehicles — and modify the equipment to fit their needs. An activist who lives in the Al-Khalidiya neighbourhood in Homs explains how they do it.

Cory Crider, a lawyer representing hunger strikers in Guantanamo, talks to Luke Brown. One of her clients, Nabil Hadjarab, was cleared for release 6 years ago. Although he’s an Algerian citizen, Hadjarab spent most of his life in France – and now a campaign in France for his release is gaining traction.Crider, Lawyer for Guantanamo detainees

British detectives said Friday they had identified a number of "people of interest" in connection with the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, who went missing on holiday in Portugal in 2007. But Scotland Yard said it had not asked Portuguese police to make any arrests in connection with the missing girl.announce new leads in Madeleine McCann casewww.france24.com

FRANCE - If there’s one thing that Paris does well, it’s fashion – a fact that makes vintage shopping in the city all the more exciting…but goodies: Great Paris vintage | Les blogsinparis.blogs.france24.com

Find the stars on the red carpet. Every day, interviews and movie reviews.festival 2013graphics.france24.com

The UN General Assembly voted on Friday to add French Polynesia to its list of territories that should be decolonised, affirming the right of the islands' inhabitants to "self-determination and independence". French Polynesia joins 16 other territories on the decolonisation list, including the British-ruled Falkland Islands and the US Virgin Islands.adds French Polynesia to decolonisation listwww.france24.com

After two days of pouring rain, the sky in Cannes is blue again–and that seems to be making all the difference...auteurs Farhadi, Jia explore emotional and physical violence | Les blogscannesreport.blogs.france24.com

TUNISIA - The Tunisian government has definitively banned hardline Salafist group Ansar al-Sharia from holding its annual congress at the weekend, the interior ministry announced on Friday. "We have decided to prohibit this gathering, which would be in violation of the law and because of the threat it represents to public order," a statement said.bans Salafist group from holding conferencewww.france24.com

France's constitutional court on Friday approved a gay-marriage bill passed by parliament on April 23. President François Hollande is expected to sign the bill into law on Saturday, legalising marriage and adoption for same-sex couples. constitutional court approves gay-marriage billwww.france24.com

Cannes, 05/16/2013. Photos by Mehdi Chebil for FRANCE 24.Cannes Festival 2013 (2)Cannes, 05/16/2013. Photos by Mehdi Chebil for FRANCE 24.

Argentina’s ex-leader Jorge Rafael Videla, who from 1976-1981 led a military junta responsible for the torture, kidnapping and murder of thousands, died Friday in a jail cell at age 87. Videla was serving a life sentence for human rights violations.'Dirty War' junta leader dead at 87www.france24.com

A stash of jewels worth $1 million was stolen from a hotel room in Cannes Thursday night, French police said on Friday!Film Festival hit by $1 million jewellery theftwww.france24.com

French lawmakers approved a bill to completely remove the word “race” from the country’s law books, but the initiative has been blasted as naïve and useless by right-wing opponents. such thing as 'race', say French lawmakerswww.france24.com

Opening night: Cannes 2013 raises curtain! Photos by Mehdi Chebil for FRANCE 24.CANNES FESTIVAL 2013Opening night: Cannes 2013 raises curtain! Photos by Mehdi Chebil for FRANCE 24.

EXCLUSIVE - Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) president Nasser al Khelaifi told FRANCE24 that he is disappointed that football superstar David Beckham retired on Thursday, but revealed that talks are already underway to keep the star player involved with the club at some level. “I'm glad David Beckham ended his career with us, with PSG. But I'm also a little sad because I wanted him to continue playing for us,” Khelaifi noted in an exclusive interview.didn’t want Beckham to retire’, PSG boss tells FRANCE24www.france24.com

BUSINESS - French President Hollande outlined some of the ways he hopes to get the French economy growing again. Plus, who are the wealthiest bosses in France and are the country’s rich really fleeing? New evidence suggests not. We look at the value of Brand Beckham. Will it wane now he’s hanging up his boots?outlines his economic plans and are what's the value of Brand Beckham ?

FRANCE - The small town of Puteaux, an affluent suburb northwest of Paris, has been accused of censoring access to left-leaning publications after the main multimedia library there ended its subscriptions to several newspapers and magazines.town accused of censoring left-leaning presswww.france24.com

Beijing cracks down on barbecues as it battles record pollution | The ObserversThe city authorities have announced they’re trying absolutely everything they can to improve air quality. They have even started cracking down on street vendors that sell meats which they grill, creating thick smoke.

Thomas Klau, Paris Bureau Chief, European Council on Foreign Relations, on François Hollande. job of French president requires abnormal qualities"

Obama, Turkish PM call for Syria's Assad to resign DIPLOMACY - US President Barack Obama and Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted on Thursday that Syria's Bashar al-Assad must quit power as part of moves to end Syria's bloody civil war.

ART - Marc Chagall led a life that was as rich and colourful as much of his art. Born in 1887 in Vitebsk, a city formerly part of the Russian Empire, Chagall lived through a revolution, two world wars and a period of exile before dying in France at the age of 97.exhibit looks at history according to Chagallwww.france24.comA new exhibit, “Chagall, between war and peace,” opened at Paris’ Musée de Luxembourg on Thursday in what is a comprehensive look at 20th century history through the works of celebrated...

NIGERIA - More than 2,000 Nigerian troops have begun an offensive to retake territory seized by Islamist insurgents in the remote northeast. begins offensive against Boko Haram Islamistswww.france24.comNigerian troops have begun an offensive in Borno state to regain territory seized by Boko Haram Islamists, army sources said Thursday. President Goodluck Jonathan declared...

CANNES - It’s not uncommon for a film at Cannes to send critics rushing for the exit before the credits roll – but it doesn’t usually happen at the first press screening of the competition.Coppola win over Cannes with tales of teens behaving badly | Les blogscannesreport.blogs.france24.com

Two persons were killed Thursday as Cyclone Mashasen hit Bangladesh's southern Patuakhali coast, packing winds of up to 90 kilometres (55 miles) per hour.dead, hundreds of thousands evacuated as cyclone Mahasen hits Bangladeshwww.youtube.comAbout 800,000 people spent the night in more than 2,000 cyclone shelters and schools and ...

FOOTBALL - Paris Saint-Germain midfielder David Beckham will retire from football at the end of the season, he announced on Thursday. Beckham to retire at end of seasonwww.france24.comBeckham, 38, started his career at Manchester United and recently won a league title with Paris Saint-Germain.

FIRST YEAR IN OFFICE - Hollande calls for EU 'economic government' Speaking at a news conference marking his first year in office, French President François Hollande called for an "economic government" for the eurozone that would have a president, its own budget and a coordinated tax system.

EXCLUSIVE - An interview by two FRANCE24 journalists with a Polish priest who is being investigated for alleged child abuse ended in a violent confrontation on Sunday. The video has sparked outrage in deeply Catholic Poland. 24 Polish paedophile exposé ends in violencewww.france24.com

In another grisly video from Syria, fighters claiming to belong to the al Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front executed 11 Syrian soldiers. The video was published online Thursday, just days after a video of a rebel mutilating a dead body sparked outrage. execute Syrian soldiers in shock new videowww.france24.com

The film, which is titled “Welcome to New-York” for French audiences, is being promoted as full-frontal account of Strauss-Kahn’s sex-crazed ride toward disaster.Strauss-Kahn movie trailer revealedwww.france24.comStarring Gérard Depardieu, the film will deliver every raunchy detail of the disgraced man’s sordid sex life.

USA - Tax chief resigns as Obama battles raft of scandalsUS President Barack Obama on Wednesday demanded the resignation of the director of the US tax office as part of an effort to quell controversy over the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of conservative groups.

BUSINESS - After France slipped back into recession, how are companies coping on the ground? Better news from Japan where the economy grew by 0.9% in the first three months of the year, but is the growth robust? And the world’s most expensive diamond sells at auction.Businesses struggle and the world's most expensive diamond

The new UN resolution welcomed the opposition Syrian National Coalition "as effective representative interlocutors needed for a transition." civil war : arming the rebels... but which faction ?

The pledges vastly exceeded expectations, with Mali originally hoping to secure some €2 billion in funding.conference pledges €3.25 billion for Maliwww.youtube.com

Cannes - The Great Gatsby takes center stage for the opening night. Film Festival: 66th edition gets underway

If found guilty of accepting illegal contributions on behalf of his former boss, the man who has spent the last 11 years of his life in the highest echelons of French government may find himself with few prospects for the future.funding scandal engulfs Sarkozy allywww.france24.comFrance’s former interior minister Claude Guéant has found himself mired in scandal after becoming the focus of an investigation into allegations that Nicolas Sarkozy received illegal...

USA - "He's not a monster and he shouldn't be demonised by the media," attorney Jaye Schlachet told AFP. kidnapping suspect Castro to plead not guiltywww.france24.comUSA - Ariel Castro, the Ohio man accused of holding three young women captive for some 10 years, will plead not guilty to charges of rape and kidnapping, one of his lawyers...

The 2013 Cannes Film Festival officially kicked off Wednesday with a gust of wind, a rain shower, and a burst of 3D-enhanced colour at the press screening of this year’s opening film: Baz Luhrmann’s long-gestating adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic “The Great Gatsby”...lifts off with DiCaprio in flawed, flashy, endearing ‘Gatsby’ | Les blogscannesreport.blogs.france24.com

American women at high risk for breast cancer, such as Angelina Jolie, often opt for a preventive mastectomy. But in France, women tend to stay away from the surgery, preferring to be closely monitored by doctors. cultural bias against preventive mastectomywww.france24.com

QPR's French striker Rémy arrested on rape allegationswww.france24.comafp Queens Park Rangers' French striker Loïc Rémy, 26, has been arrested on suspicion of rape along with two other men, media reports said Wednesday. A 34-year-old woman told police the three men raped her in west London on May 6.

EUROPE - 520 million euros ($674.8 million) over the next two years to help rebuild the west African country of Mali after months of conflict.pledges 520m euros for Mali reconstructionwww.france24.com

Assad helping Hezbollah target Israel, media saywww.france24.comReuters Syrian President Bashar al Assad has agreed to an Iranian request to allow Hezbollah to establish a military front against Israel in the Golan Heights, the Arabic-language Al-Hayat newspaper reported on Wednesday.

A glittering cast has been assembled for this year’s edition of the world's most famous film festival!DiCaprio opens the 66th Cannes Film Festival!www.france24.comAmong those expected on the red carpet are Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, Ryan Gosling, Robert Redford and Carey Mulligan. Twenty films will compete for the coveted top prize, the Palme d’Or.

Obama compared to Nixon after trio of scandalswww.france24.comAFP Monday’s revelation that the US Justice Department seized phone records from the AP news agency is the latest scandal to rock the Obama administration, with some of his political foes calling for his impeachment.

In the West Bank, everyone calls him "The Godfather". Munib al-Masri, 80, is not only the richest Palestinian in the Palestinian Territories; he is also one of the most influential.East: Munib al-Masri, the godfather of Nablus

As Cannes 2013 raises curtain, a question: is the selection too French?

French MPs ward off English 'invasion' of universitieswww.france24.comPhoto: AFP A new law championed by France’s higher education minister that would allow certain university classes to be taught in English has been met with stiff opposition in parliament and elsewhere.