Author: France 24

Léon Marchand shattered the world record in the 200m individual medley during the semifinals at the World Swimming Championships in Singapore. He has qualified for Thursday’s final, where he will be the overwhelming favourite. Marchand is the reigning Olympic champion in the event.

Two days of talks between delegations from Beijing and Washington ended without an extension of the tariff truce set to expire on August 12. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Donald Trump still needs to be briefed on the discussions. Also, the International Monetary Fund has revised its global growth outlook upward, as Trump’s tariff policies are scaled back. And, Lesotho’s textile industry remains on edge ahead of the August 1 tariff deadline.

When two human rights groups became the first major voices in Israel to accuse the state of committing genocide in Gaza, breaking a taboo in a country founded after the Holocaust, they were prepared for a backlash. B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel released reports at a press conference in Jerusalem, saying Israel was carrying out “coordinated, deliberate action to destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip”. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24’s Delano D’Souza welcomes Tirza Leibowitz, Deputy Director at Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) and Deputy Director at Open Society Foundations.

The award-winning author of a new book has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how it is the voices and hearing the chatter of his characters that inspires him to write. Swedish-Tunisian writer Jonas Hassen Khemiri’s new book “The Sisters” in English or “Les Sœurs” in French follows the lives of three sisters and a curse that weighs on them. In the book they spend 35 years trying to break the curse “Everything you love, you will lose”. He spoke to us in Perspective.

A number of French health experts wrote an open letter in Le Monde Tuesday calling on the French government not to reintroduce the bee-killing pesticide acetamiprid, warning that it could also be dangerous to the broader public.

Lorena Wiebes remains the queen of sprinting. The 26-year-old Dutchwoman secured her second win in a row, coming out on top in stage 4 of the Women’s Tour de France. Just like on Monday, she finished ahead of the yellow jersey, Marianne Vos.

The deal reached by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump over the weekend has led the Euro to lose value against the US dollar. This follows wide-ranging criticisms within the bloc over the “asymmetrical” nature of the deal, with French Prime Minister François Bayrou equating it to submission. In this edition, we look back on what’s been agreed on, and what still needs to be determined.

After pledging to recognise a Palestinian state in September, France is co-chairing a UN conference in New York this week in a push to rally other countries behind its lead. A far cry from the “unconditional” support for Israel declared in the wake of the October 7 attacks, French diplomacy seems to be shifting gears.

Join arts24 presenter Eve Jackson on an exclusive journey inside the Grand Egyptian Museum – a colossal cultural masterpiece just a mile from the Great Pyramids of Giza. The museum’s grand debut has faced multiple delays and was set to open this July, but ongoing tensions in the Middle East have pushed back the opening once again, making this your rare opportunity to explore its wonders ahead of time. 

A backlash is brewing in France’s culinary world over the Duplomb law, which reauthorises a banned pesticide. Michelin-starred chefs, school canteen cooks, bistro owners and farmer-restaurateur collectives have spoken out, accusing lawmakers of endangering health, biodiversity and food quality.