Swiss authorities are investigating the cause of a devastating fire that ripped through a New Year’s celebration at an Alpine ski resort bar, killing about 40 people and injuring more than 115 in what may rank among the deadliest tragedies in the country's recent history. Switzerland will hold five days of national mourning for the victims.
The European Union's controversial new rules on polluting industrial imports went into effect on January 1st, following a two-year transition period. Heavy goods such as steel, aluminium and cement are now subject to a new fee levied according to the amount of CO2 emitted during their production. China issued a statement slamming the measure as unfairly targeting Chinese goods.
More than 20 million people in the United States will face sharply higher health insurance costs as of January 1 after enhanced tax credits that helped enrollees in the Affordable Care Act afford coverage expired overnight. The expiration of the subsidies will mostly affect families, small business owners and self-employed workers.
Meanwhile, Russia says it will provide Washington with evidence that a Ukrainian drone targeted one of Vladimir Putin’s residences before being shot down on Monday, a claim Ukraine firmly denies. France24 International affairs editor Angela Diffley explains.
For several years, the French government has explored ways to limit teenagers’ access to social media due to its harmful impact on mental health, and new guidance from the European Commission could now make it easier for France to pass legislation on the matter. A bill proposing a ban on social media for children under 15 has already been introduced and is expected to be debated early this year, with F24’s Solange Mougin reporting on how families feel about the proposal.
The fire broke out around 1.30am local time at a bar at the Crans-Montana ski resort. Multiple people are reported to have died and roughly 100 people injured in the overnight blaze. The Italian Foreign Ministry said that 16 Italian nationals are currently missing and 12 are reported injured.
The coming year brings a host of new exhibitions to the French capital, including blockbuster shows from modern masters Matisse and Renoir, to photographer Martin Parr’s witty observations on environmental destruction, and an exploration of the history of video game music.
A French national detained in Togo last year over his alleged involvement in anti-government protests returned to France on Thursday after his release, the French foreign ministry said. The prosecutor's office in Lome said Steeve Rouyar was one of around 50 protesters arrested on June 6 during a demonstration.
Netflix has released the final episode of one of its biggest original hits, with the season five finale of Stranger Things going live on the platform at 1 a.m. GMT; the 1980s-set sci-fi adventure series has captured the cultural zeitgeist and become Netflix’s longest-running cash cow, as Carys Garland explores.
Several dozen people are presumed dead and roughly 100 more injured after a fire ripped through a bar during New Year's Eve celebrations in a luxury resort town in southern Switzerland, police said Thursday. The cause of the fire remains unknown, but Swiss authorities have said the incident is not being treated as an attack of any kind. France24 correspondent John Zarocostas reports.
