Author: France 24

Togo’s International Fashion Festival has chosen a topical theme for its twelfth edition: the fight against cancer. The issue may not appear glamorous, but the alarming rise in cancer rates makes it extremely relevant. Jacques Logoh, the festival’s founder, believes that fashion must help raise awareness of the disease, with prevention as its watchword. As such, some 40 designers from 25 countries are showing off their artisanal and fashion expertise at the event. FRANCE 24 went to check it out.

A client who was injured during a fatal cryotherapy session that earlier this week claimed the life of another woman is now brain-dead, the prosecutor’s office said on Friday. An autopsy on the first victim showed she suffocated due to a lack of oxygen, which might confirm the theory of a nitrogen leak into the cryotherapy chamber.

Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain reached the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday, beating Aston Villa 5-4 on aggregate in Birmingham after fending off a ferocious comeback by the hosts, and setting up a showdown against Arsenal or Real Madrid.

The Baltic nation of Estonia has been calling for a significant boost in EU defence spending for years and is now seeing that call heeded. Sharing a 300-kilometre border with Russia, Estonia would be on the front lines in case of an invasion. Tallinn has committed to bump up the country’s defence spending to 5 percent of GDP by next year – well above the current NATO commitment of 2 percent. For more, FRANCE 24’s Charles Pellegrin speaks to Estonian Foreign Affairs Minister Margus Tsahkna. 

At least 74 people have been killed and 171 were wounded in a series of US air strikes on the key Yemeni fuel port of Ras Issa, the country’s Houthi rebels said early Friday. It is one of the highest reported death tolls so far from US President Donald Trump’s renewed assault on the Iran-backed group.

This week in Paris des Arts, we meet a bestselling author from the French literary scene: David Foenkinos. In his new book, “Tout le monde aime Clara” (“Everybody loves Clara”), he explores his favourite themes: the right to a second chance, the fear of a blank page, and art at the heart of beauty. We meet him at the Tristan Bernard Theatre where the play inspired by his novel “Numéro deux” (Number two) is being performed. 

In his first major speech since leaving office, former US president Joe Biden slammed his successor Donald Trump’s frenetic government overhaul, warning that Trump’s cuts to Social Security risk devastating the lives of millions of retirees who depend on the programme for survival. France24 International Affairs commentator Douglas Herbert explains.

Manchester United rallied from 4-2 down in extra time to beat Lyon in a thrilling Europa League quarter-final on Thursday. Trailing by two with six minutes left, Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire struck late to complete a stunning comeback. United, despite Lyon’s Corentin Tolisso being sent off, will now face Athletic Bilbao in the semis.

US President Donald Trump has called for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to be fired, a day after the central bank chief delivered a stark warning about the effects of tariffs. Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping is ending his Asian tour with a visit to Cambodia, portraying China as a stable trading partner. Plus, the Hermès Birkin handbag is about to get a lot more expensive, at least in the US. 

FRANCE 24 spoke to Elliott Abrams, a senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington. Abrams, who served as Special Representative for Iran from 2020 to 2021 in the first Trump administration, discussed the ongoing talks between US and Iranian officials about Iran’s nuclear programme – the first of their kind in years. The meetings “should be no surprise”, he said: US President Donald Trump “certainly doesn’t want to go to war” [with Iran].