Author: France 24

More than a year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, many people living there are starting to rebuild their lives. However, sectarian violence has flared across Syria and according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, about 7 million people remain internally displaced. The violence has aggravated the humanitarian situation, as Dr Mohamed Alaa Ahmado, Programs Director at the NGO Mehad, tells FRANCE 24. Among the many challenges, he says, is the need for “strengthening primary healthcare services”, “food and non-food items” and “psychological support”.

Read More

RFK Jr. has just released new U.S. dietary guidelines, as part of the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign. The national food pyramid has once again been reshaped, urging Americans to change their eating habits. But with shifting advice and political overtones, how effective are these guidelines? For expert insight, Eve Irvine welcomes Charlotte DEBEUGNY, a registered nutritionist based in Paris.

Read More

US President Donald Trump ramped up economic pressure on the Iranian regime on Monday by announcing he was imposing import duties on the goods of any country that trades with Tehran. The move could further disrupt US trade relationships with global economies like China and India. Also in this edition, we look at the global ramifications of any perceived attacks on the independence of the US Federal Reserve, as the Trump administration launches a criminal probe into Fed chair Jerome Powell. 

Read More

Her intricately layered artwork uses metal, rubber, canvas and printmaking to create scenes of oppression, trauma and renewal. As she stages her first major exhibition in Paris, Kathia St Hilaire joins us to talk about weaving her Haitian ancestry into her pieces, how Vodun practices inspire her work and why the late Haitian poet Frankétienne is a kindred spirit when it comes to his cyclical vision of a chaotic world. 

Read More

The death toll from nationwide protests in Iran spiked January 12 to at least 2,000 people killed, activists say. With the Internet down in Iran, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government hasn’t offered overall casualty figures. FRANCE 24’s Ershad Alijani, journalist at the Observers’ desk, tells us more about their findings.

Read More

Criticism has been pouring in from Republican and Democratic lawmakers, former Fed chairs and top officials after the US Justice Department launched a criminal investigation against Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell.  After he described the move as retaliation against the Fed for not lowering interest rates as quickly as the President wanted, concern over the central bank’s independence pushed prices of safe-haven assets like gold higher.  

Read More

In this edition of our arts24 music show, Jennifer Ben Brahim chats with musical polymath Jowee BasH! Omicil. The Haitian-Canadian artist blends jazz with Creole traditions, gospel, hip-hop and voodoo rhythms. He’s worked with the likes of André 3000, Tony Allen and Ibrahim Maalouf. He’s just released his 11th album “sMiLes”, a manifesto celebrating personal expression and the courage to take risks. 

Read More