Senior US officials said on Tuesday that representatives will begin formal talks with the Taliban "within a few" days at a new office in Doha, Qatar. The Afghan Taliban opened the office to help restart talks on ending the 12-year-old war, saying it wanted a political solution that would bring about a just government and end foreign occupation.to begin direct peace talks with Taliban 'within days'www.france24.com

Google is preparing to launch Internet-beaming balloons into the stratosphere with the aim of extending online access to the entire world. Is the initiative philanthropic, or just the latest attempt by Google to expand its empire?balloons to bring Internet to remote areaswww.france24.com

The Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1890s infected dreamers from all over the world with mining fever, tempting them to the uncharted wilderness of northwest Canada. In today’s show the director Thomas Arslan and actress Nina Hoss talk about 'Gold:' a film following a band of German immigrants in search of a better life. Also on the show the next generation of Mali's desert bluesmen, Terakaft plus the Syrian soap opera made for the holy month of Ramadan far from its war torn setting. By Eve JACKSON. Syrian soap operas, Mali musicians and Germans in search of goldwww.france24.com

G8 leaders on Tuesday threw their weight behind calls for a peace conference on Syria to be held "as soon as possible" after the conflict dominated the summit and caused frosty tensions between Russia and other world leaders.leaders call for Syria peace talks at frosty summitwww.france24.com

Mali has reached a deal with Tuareg separatist rebels paving the way for Malian government troops to return to the rebel-held northern town of Kidal ahead of planned elections in July, Mali’s chief negotiator said on Tuesday. The deal is signed.reaches deal with Tuareg rebelswww.france24.com

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Our latest updates on Twitter: [BREAKING NEWS] US officials to meet Taliban 'within days'US officials to meet Taliban 'within days' Senior US officials say that they will enter peace talks with the Taliban in Doha 'within the coming days'.

FRANCE - A leaked letter in which IMF chief Christine Lagarde pledges her allegiance to former president Nicolas Sarkozy has caused bewilderment in France, raising further suspicions over fraud at the highest levels of government. baffled by IMF chief’s bizarre letter to Sarkozywww.france24.com

YOUR PHOTOS OF BRAZIL PROTESTS

G8 leaders launched free trade talks between the EU and the US. On Tuesday, they'll be looking at tax evasion and transparency. Meanwhile, French winemakers gathering at the Vinexpo event in Bordeaux are hoping China doesn't impose tariffs on European wine exports.trade talks launched by G8 and French winemakers worry about Chinese sanctions

FRANCE - The trial of French footballers Franck Ribery (left) and Karim Benzema (right) begins in Paris Tuesday as the two men face charges of paying for sex with a minor in 2008 and 2009.footballers on trial for paying a minor for sexwww.france24.com

BRAZIL - Tens of thousands of people marched in Brazil’s biggest cities on Monday night, as protests against a rise in the cost of public transport and the huge sums being spent to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup spread across the South American country. protests over World Cup costs & rise in the cost of public transport spread nationwide

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned European powers on Monday that they will “pay the price” if they send weapons to rebel forces seeking to topple him. Such a move would lead to terrorism in Europe, he told a German magazine.Assad says Europe will ‘pay price’ for arming rebelswww.france24.com

Tunisian college grads and police clash over unemployment | The ObserversUnemployment is such a major problem for youth in the Tunisian city of Metlaoui that it led to clashes with police last week. In the mineral-rich region of Gafsa, the young and educated can no longer bear the disappointments of endemic unemployment.

Montreal Major Michael Applebaum was arrested by Quebec’s anti-corruption police on Monday, raising fears of another prolonged corruption scandal after the city's previous mayor had to step down last year following a criminal probe.mayor arrested by anti-corruption policewww.france24.com

Obama's ratings plummet after string of scandalsIn the wake of a series of controversies, a new poll finds Barack Obama at his lowest job approval rating in more than a year and a half. FRANCE 24 interviewed a political analyst for insight into how worried the US president should be. By Jon FROSCH.

USA - “Being called a traitor by Dick Cheney is the highest honor you can give an American, and the more panicked talk we hear from people like him ... the better off we all are,” Snowden said.blames US officials’ 'litany of lies' for leakwww.france24.comIn a live Q&A with readers of The Guardian’s website, Edward Snowden discussed the reasons for his disclosure, rumours...

WIKI - An employee of a right-wing Israeli NGO has been accused of making biased edits to the English-language Wikipedia page on the Israeli-Arab conflict, raising concerns that political outfits are misusing the website to promote their own interests. By HAARETZ.Wikipedia editing in Israel raises concerns of political meddlingwww.france24.com

TRADE - "Some say they belong to the left, but in fact they are culturally extremely reactionary," the Commission president said in an interview with the "International Herald Tribune" published on Monday.fear of US trade deal 'reactionary', Barroso sayswww.france24.comJose Manuel Barroso has criticised French moves to protect EU cultural industries as "reactionary" ahead of upcoming talks on a massive EU free trade agreement with the United States.

Our latest updates on Twitter: [BREAKING NEWS] Greek court overturns closure of state broadcasterGreek court overturns closure of state broadcaster A Greek court has overturned a governmental decree which saw the closure of the country’s state broadcaster last Tuesday. The ERT can now resume programming until a final decision is made, a judicial source said.

LIBYA - Muammar Gaddafi's second-eldest son, Saif al-Islam, and other former regime officials will stand trial in August for crimes committed during the 2011 uprising, an aide to the prosecutor said on Monday.to try Gaddafi son Saif al-Islam in Augustwww.france24.com

AIRLINES - The 50th Paris Air Show started on Monday. Matthew Warren was there and spoke to the VP of Marketing for Commercial Airplanes at Boeing, Randy Tinseth, about the company's expectations for the week ahead.Paris Air Show starts with Airbus and Boeing going head-to-head

Iranian president-elect Hassan Rohani pledged on Monday to follow a “path of moderation” and promised greater openness over the country’s nuclear programme in his first press conference since his election victory on Friday. Rohani hopeful of deal on nuclear programmewww.france24.com

Our latest updates on Twitter: [BREAKING NEWS] Iran's president-elect Rohani pledges greater transparency on nuclear, rules out halting uranium enrichmentIran's president-elect Rohani pledges greater transparency on nuclear, rules out halting uranium enr Iranian president-elect Hassan Rohani has called for greater transparency on the country’s nuclear programme but ruled out suspending uranium enrichment in his first press conference since his election on Friday.

Snowden leaks reveal Britain spied on G20 membersDocuments leaked by former CIA employee Edward Snowden reveal that Britain spied on G20 delegates from other member nations – including Turkey and South Africa – at a London summit in 2009, Britain's "Guardian" newspaper reported on Monday.

G8 - Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet US President Barack Obama ahead of the G8 summit on Monday for what could be contentious talks on Syria, with their policies on President Bashar al-Assad appearing to be on a collision course.Putin meet for Syria talks as G8 summit openswww.france24.com

TURKEY - Hundreds of thousands of the Turkish prime minister’s supporters watched him speak at a rally in Istanbul on Sunday. But unrest continued as riot police fired tear gas to thwart anti-government demonstrators and unions called a strike. PM addresses rally as police thwart oppositionwww.france24.com

French vegans march on Paris FRANCE - On Saturday, hundreds of people marched through southern Paris calling for an end to the killing of animals for food. France 24's Caroline Clarkson was there.photo© C. Clarkson : One of the "die-ins", where the activists played dead for several minutes.

USA - What were they thinking when they offered up the one brown-eyed, one green-eyed David Headley as an example of how US surveillance programs have thwarted terror attacks? By Leela Jacinto.Headley: NSA offers a bad example of effective US surveillance | Les blogsleelajacinto.blogs.france24.com

LEBANON - One hour’s drive is all it takes to reach the border with Syria from the seaside in the capital Beirut. But, if the capital seems oblivious to it all, hundreds have been killed and scores more wounded in Lebanon’s second city of Tripoli, where the sectarian divide has long been bitter.on edge: Hezbollah and the Syrian spilloverwww.france24.comFrançois Picard and his panel discuss, from Beirut, whether the spillover from Syria's civil war could push neighbouring Lebanon over the edge.

France 'cuts off' illegal downloader's web accessFor the first time in France, a court has banned an Internet user from going online – for 15 days – for illegally downloading copyrighted material.

BRAZIL - The Confederations Cup opener in Brasilia was marred by trouble at a protest outside the stadium on Saturday, when riot police clashed with crowds of people demonstrating against the high cost of this and next year's World Cup.mar Brazil Confederations Cup openerwww.france24.com

CHINA/FRANCE - An attack on a group of Chinese students in France generated outrage in China on Sunday. The attack took place early on Saturday morning in Bordeaux and France’s interior ministry branded it an act of xenophobia.outrage over attack on students in Bordeauxwww.france24.com

Old slogans reemerge at Iran's post-electoral partyHassan Rohani's presidential poll victory on Saturday evening sparked spontaneous outpourings of joy as the sounds of old political songs and defiant slogans resurfaced on the streets of Iranian towns and cities. By Leela JACINTO.

Al-Qaeda's north African branch confirmed that one of its top leaders, Algerian-born Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, was killed in fighting in Mali, three months after France announced his death, according to a statement published Sunday.confirms Zeid died in Mali battlewww.france24.com

Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza says that gains in recent mayoral elections bode well for bigger tests in Moscow later this year and in 2014. But Armen Georgian puts it to him that, with President Putin’s approval ratings still comfortably above 60%, the opposition is failing to break through the wall. Kara-Murza, Member of the Coordinating Council of the Russian Opposition

UK - Wednesday will mark one year of captivity for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who fled to the Ecuadorian embassy in London last June in order to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces sex crime allegations.Julian Assange marks one year of embassy asylumwww.france24.com

In Somalia, women who fled a famine two years ago are now falling prey to rape by militias and even government troops. These attacks are taking place in displaced camps where they hoped to find refuge. A woman was even sent to prison after complaining that she was violated by government soldiers.imprisoned for being raped in Somaliawww.youtube.com

North Korea proposed high-level talks with the US on Sunday, on denuclearisation and easing tensions on the Korean peninsula, just days after it abruptly cancelled a rare meeting with the South. Korea proposes high-level talks with USwww.france24.com

Animal rights activists march in Paris demanding closure of slaughterhouses | Les blogsFRANCE - On Saturday, hundreds of people marched through southern Paris calling for an end to the killing of animals for food. France 24's Caroline Clarkson was there. This is her report. photo © Caroline Clarkson

TURKEY - Thousands of people took to the streets of Istanbul overnight on Sunday, erecting barricades and starting bonfires, after riot police firing teargas and water cannon stormed a park at the centre of two weeks of anti-government unrest.Clashes continue in Istanbul after Gezi Park raidwww.youtube.com

Egypt has decided to sever diplomatic ties with Syria, President Mohamed Mursi said Saturday. He also backed a no-fly zone over Syria and called on Hezbollah to leave the country. cuts off diplomatic relationship with Syriawww.france24.com

France and Britain on Saturday acknowledged Hassan Rohani’s election as Iran’s next president and looked ahead to establishing a relationship with him, as jubilant supporters took to the streets of Teheran to celebrate the dawning of a new era.UK seek ties as Teheran celebrates Rohani winwww.france24.com

UK - The police were out in force in Northern Ireland Saturday as anti-G8 protests got underway ahead of the summit. The crisis in Syria is likely to top the agenda at the meeting, which is due to start on Monday.deploy as Northern Ireland G8 protests beginwww.france24.com

The trial of Florida neighbourhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman began on Monday. Zimmerman stands accused of murdering 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, in February of last year. The case caused uproar in the United States amid allegations of racial profiling, and sparked a closer look at the country's continuing gun control debate.gun control and the US justice system in the spotlight

Turkish police clear Istanbul park after PM's warning TURKEY - Riot police on Saturday used tear gas and water cannon to expel protesters from Istanbul’s Gezi Park. The move came just hours after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued an ultimatum warning them to be gone by Sunday.

Our latest updates on Twitter: [BREAKING NEWS] Egypt has cut all ties with Syria, President Mursi saysEgypt has cut all ties with Syria, President Mursi says Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi on Saturday said Egypt has decided to cut all ties with Syria. Egypt has chosen to close Syria's embassy in Cairo and withdraw its own envoy from Damascus, he said.

Moderate cleric Hassan Rohani was declared Iran's new president on Saturday in an surprise outright election victory that ends eight years of conservative grip on the top office. Interior Minister Mohammad Mostafa Najjar said 36.7 million people, or 72.7 percent of the electorate, had voted on Friday.Rohani declared Iran's new president: people cheering!www.youtube.com

IRAN - Moderate cleric Hassan Rohani was declared the winner of the 2013 Iranian presidential election on Saturday with just over 50% of the vote, avoiding the need for a runoff and offering the prospect of a less pugnacious management style.wins Iran presidential poll in reformist surgewww.france24.com

Former South African president Nelson Mandela is recovering well in hospital, his grandson said on Saturday. Mandela was hospitalised a week ago with a recurrence of lung problems dating back to his time at the Robben Island prison camp.recovering well, says grandsonwww.france24.com