Why former Karabakh official Ruben Vardanyan isn't appealing his 20-year prison term in Azerbaijan

Venezuela's interim leader urges Trump to lift sanctions after Maduro ouster

Venezuela’s interim leader on Thursday urged US President Donald Trump to lift punitive sanctions and a US oil blockade, calling the nations “friends,” after Washington’s capture and ouster of Nicolás Maduro. Trump ordered the blockade in December, and US forces seized Maduro and his wife, flying them to New York for trial.

Comedy legend Jim Carrey receives lifetime honour at France’s 2026 Cesar Awards

France’s top film awards honoured Canadian-American actor Jim Carrey with a lifetime achievement prize on Thursday, recognising his eclectic career. Carrey, 64, accepted the honorary Cesar in French, joking about his language skills and recalling French ancestry. The actor, long compared to comic great Jerry Lewis, has stepped back from Hollywood.

🔴 Carine Tardieu’s ‘The Ties That Bind Us’ wins best film at 2026 César Awards

Trial of stolen Elysée Palace porcelain dinnerware opens in Paris

Three men, including one formerly in charge of the silverware at the French presidential palace, are on trial starting this Thursday, February 26, for stealing dozens of pieces of porcelain from the Élysée. The estimated value of the stolen items exceeds €350,000. FRANCE 24's Monte Francis reports.

Anthropic CEO says AI company 'cannot in good conscience accede' to Pentagon's demands

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei says AI company 'cannot in good conscience accede' to Pentagon's demands to allow wider use of its tech. Defense officials in the Trump administration warned they could designate Anthropic, which makes the AI chatbot Claude, as a supply chain risk — or invoke a Cold War-era law called the Defense Production Act to give the military more sweeping authority to use its products, even if the company doesn’t approve. FRANCE 24's Wassim Cornet reports from Los Angeles.

'Security, dilemma over Greenland have enhanced urgency' for EU referendum in Iceland

Iceland's government will soon propose a date for a referendum on resuming talks for its possible accession to the EU, the country's foreign ministry told AFP Thursday. Speaking with FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks with Eirikur Bergmann, Professor of Politics at Bifröst University, who says that "the security aspect and the dilemma over Greenland have enhanced the urgency (for a referendum) amongst some people in Iceland".