Author: France 24

Aryna Sabalenka and Lorenzo Musetti sailed into the second round of the French Open on Sunday with straight-sets wins, as fans at Roland-Garros also paid tribute to Rafael Nadal during a ceremony marking the retired champion’s legacy on the court.

US tech giant Google said during its developers’ conference on Tuesday that it was rolling out a new AI feature that could potentially transform the way people make internet queries. The firm relies heavily on its search business for its revenue and wants to make sure it can compete with AI startups, notably OpenAI and its flagship product, ChatGPT. Also, Japan’s agriculture minister resigns after making a joke about being gifted rice.

Rescuers in Gaza said at least 22 people were killed and dozens more wounded in Israeli air strikes across the Palestinian territory on Sunday, taking the war’s overall death toll to 53,939, according to the Gaza health ministry. 

Arts Editor Eve Jackson and film critic Emma Jones take us through the winners of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, including the Palme d’Or-winning “It Was Just an Accident” by Iranian dissident Jafar Panahi. It was a powerful and symbolic moment for Panahi, who returned to Cannes after a 22-year absence caused by repeated prison terms and travel bans. His film about prisoners confronting their jailer echoes his own fight for artistic freedom.

Paris Saint-Germain warmed up for their Champions League final showdown with Inter Milan by winning the French Cup on Saturday as Bradley Barcola netting twice in a comfortable 3-0 win against Reims.

Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives in Washington on Wednesday appeared closer to finding common ground on new tax bill which will enact sweeping tax cuts. That news has jolted US bond and stock markets on the assumption that it could add trillions of dollars to the national debt and affect the government’s creditworthiness. Also, Nvidia CEO calls US semiconductor export controls a failure.

The United Arab Emirates registered a sizzling 51.5 degrees Celsius on Saturday, breaking its May temperature record for the second day in a row. The desert nation lies in one of the world’s hottest regions and is at risk of severe heat waves due to climate change. 

The race for the Palme d’Or wound up with a return for two-time winners the Dardenne brothers, adding a slice of Belgian social realism to a politically charged 78th Cannes Film Festival that delivered strong contenders for the top prize but no outright favourite ahead of Saturday’s closing ceremony.

Napoli won the Serie A Italian football championship for the fourth time on Friday, finishing the season one point ahead of rivals Inter Milan.

Crippled by international sanctions, and decades of mismanagement and corruption, the Iranian economy has gone through what’s been described as a lost decade of economic growth. As the national currency plummets and purchasing power declines, ordinary Iranians are struggling to make ends meet and experience regular power outages. Could the recent nuclear talks between Teheran and Washington eventually lead to a new agreement? FRANCE 24’s Charles Pellegrin speaks to Vali Nasr, Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. He is also the author of “Iran’s Grand Strategy: A political history” published…