Author: France 24

“If you don’t understand the history of Black women, you don’t understand the history of America.” Those words from Nobel Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison open Sasha Bonét’s debut memoir, “The Waterbearers”. The New York writer traces three generations of Black women in her family: her grandmother Betty Jean, the daughter of formerly enslaved people in Louisiana who went on to raise eleven children; her mother Connie, who sought a middle-class life in majority-white Houston; and Sasha herself, now raising her daughter Sofia in New York.

The king of Saudi Arabia denounced Yemen’s Houthis as a “terrorist militia” in a rare statement Tuesday reacting to an attack authorities said targeted the holy city of Mecca last week. In the meantime, the number of refugees fleeing across the Red Sea to Djibouti could jump from 3,000 currently to 10,000 in coming months because of renewed fighting in Yemen, the United Nations warned. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments.

Zinédine Zidane led his first training session as manager of Les Bleus.

Paramount Skydance has settled a lawsuit with a dozen US states that sought to block its acquisition of Warner Brothers, as well as with the Writers Guild of America. California’s Attorney General said that while the settlement addressed concerns over competition and protection, it did not mean a vote of support for the deal. 

French disco diva Amanda Lear accused Miley Cyrus on Monday of plagiarising her 1970s song “The Sphinx” in the US pop star’s new track, “Redlights”. However, Lear later added that she was not interested in a lawsuit. 

Saudi Arabia is weighing Washington’s refusal to help fend off Houthi attacks after Riyadh requested US assistance, despite the two countries being longstanding allies and President Donald Trump and his family maintaining close personal ties with Saudi leaders. France 24 International affairs commentator Douglas Herbert shares further details on this alliance.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the government claims that the Ebola outbreak has changed course, with cases trending downwards in hotspots. But that interpretation is being met with pushback from experts and health responders, who say the outbreak remains as bad as ever. Details by FRANCE 24 correspondent Emmet Livingstone.

Paris Saint-Germain claimed the bragging rights in ‘Le Classique’ on Sunday, edging Marseille 2-1 as Spaniard Ferran Torres scored his seventh goal in six appearances for his new club.

A federation of European textile associations called on Tuesday for an import fee of €10 on fashion imports, the latest effort to stem the flood of ultra-cheap competition mainly from China. Speaking with FRANCE 24’s Sharon Gaffney, Dr Sheng Lu, Professor at the Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies at the University of Delaware, says that it remains to be seen just “to what extent such measures would push groups like Shein to change their business model”, adding that fast-fashion retailers may have to start to contend with “consumer fatigue”.

English singer Ed Sheeran opened his first show since his opener Macklemore was dropped after making pro-Palestinian comments onstage. The move sparked controversy and prompted several other support acts to drop out of the tour, publishing statements citing their support for Palestinians. While some concert goers could be seen trying to sell their tickets on Saturday, others have voiced their support for the ‘Shape of You’ singer. Story by Charlotte Hughes.