Author: France 24

Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC, Asia’s most valuable company, has announced plans to produce 3-nanometre cutting-edge chips in Japan. Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi lauded the announcement as “the missing piece for the country” since she’s looked to bolster domestic chipmaking ahead of lower house elections on February 8. Also in this edition: Cuba is on the edge of a “humanitarian collapse” as it faces an oil siege imposed by the United States.

FRANCE 24’s Charli James previews a big weekend in arts and entertainment. Bad Bunny promises a “huge party” for everyone at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Also, Mariah Carey sings in Italian at the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony. Plus, a new light show opens in Bordeaux featuring the colours of Henri Matisse and Frida Kahlo.

US President Donald Trump on Friday described the latest round of indirect talks between Washington and Tehran as “very good”, saying that the discussions would like resume “early next week”. The Oman talks are the first since the US joined Israel’s bombing campaign of Iran in June last year during the previous round of negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme. Carys Garland reports.

The Trump administration on Thursday unveiled TrumpRx, a website aimed at helping Americans access discounted prescription drugs directly from manufacturers. The initiative, part of broader efforts to tackle rising health care costs, includes weight-loss and fertility medications.

The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics opened Friday with a glittering ceremony at the San Siro stadium featuring US pop diva Mariah Carey, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and Chinese pianist Lang Lang among other performers. It was accompanied by celebrations at Games venues across the Italian Alps in an unprecedented four-site, dual-cauldron opening ceremony.

Artificial intelligence is the next frontier – but is it also the next bubble? That’s the question investors have been asking since tech giants began investing billions of dollars in AI and driving stock market gains. We put the question to an expert.

For some designers, fashion is less about clothes themselves, and more about what those clothes can convey. They see fashion as primarily a political endeavour, a means of challenging a status quo that too often seeks to erase the individual for the alleged benefit of the social order. They champion diversity, gender fluidity and disruption. Jeanne Friot, Walter van Beirendonck, Ahmed Hassan, Louis-Gabriel Nouchi, Yohji Yamamoto and Willy Chavarria are among the group’s most outspoken voices. FRANCE 24 checks out their latest collections.

The United States and Iran have begun talks in Oman on a potential new nuclear deal, the first since US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear programme last June. While both sides say the nuclear issue is central, Washington wants to broaden the discussions to include Iran’s missiles and human rights record, demands Tehran has rejected. The talks are taking place amid ongoing regional tensions.

The Trump administration unveiled TrumpRx on Thursday, a website aimed at helping Americans access discounted prescription drugs directly from manufacturers. The initiative, part of broader efforts to tackle rising health care costs, includes weight-loss and fertility medications.

France sent a clear message in their Six Nations opener, overpowering Ireland 36–14 at the Stade de France to collect a bonus point. Five tries, led by Louis Bielle-Biarrey, put the champions in firm control early, before Ireland’s late rally proved too little, too late on a rain-soaked night as their title defence began in emphatic style.