Author: France 24

Two-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman, 95, and his wife Betsy Arakawa, 63, have been found dead in their home in the US state of New Mexico. The couple died along with their dog. There is no immediate indication of foul play. Culture editor Eve Jackson looks back at the career of a cinema icon.

A child has died after contracting measles in the US state of Texas. The outbreak is spreading rapidly and has so far infected at least 124 people, mostly children and the unvaccinated, in the rural West of the country and neighboring New Mexico. Health officials have reported that more cases are expected

Stade Briochin, a fourth-tier club from the Breton town of Saint-Brieuc, pulled off a huge upset in the French Cup on Wednesday by beating top-flight Nice 2-1 in a round that saw two other Ligue 1 clubs knocked out by lower-tier teams.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is pointing the finger at TraderTraitor, a North Korean hacker group, as being behind the largest ever crypto heist in history. The group, also known as Lazarus, allegedly stole 400,000 Ethereum tokens from cryptocurrency exchange Bybit on Friday. Also in this edition: Donald Trump revokes Chevron’s permit allowing the US energy giant to exploit Venezuela’s oil resources.

A celebrated Palestinian filmmaker who was born and brought up in Gaza has told FRANCE 24 that he and his colleagues just want to share their stories through art. Rashid Masharawi has put together a film made up of 22 individual short projects filmed and put together in Gaza amid the Israeli bombings since the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023. “From Ground Zero” tells the stories of the people of Gaza in their own words. His other current film “Passing Dreams” was notably filmed in Bethlehem, Old Jerusalem and Haifa. He spoke to us in Perspective.

From “Mercato”, a thriller showing us behind the scenes of French football with Jamel Debbouze, to a rural drama about motocross enthusiasts called “Block Pass”, in this edition of arts24 with Eve Jackson and critic Perrine Quennesson we’re looking at the best French-language films of the moment.

Italy sent slumping Wales further into crisis on Saturday, triumphing 22-15 in front of delighted fans in Rome.  Italy showed very little of the handling errors and poor decisions which have often plagued their Six Nations performances.

As Ukraine and the US reportedly reach an agreement on a joint exploitation of Ukraine’s critical minerals, FRANCE 24 takes a closer look at exactly which minerals can be found in Ukraine and why they are so crucial to the US economy. However, a number of obstacles will make it difficult for the US to fully profit from the country’s deposits, as we explain in this edition. 

With the first phase of the ceasefire that paused 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas set to end on March 1, FRANCE 24 spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. The second phase entails in theory the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza but what comes next remains unclear. “We don’t intend to stay there (in Gaza),” Sa’ar said. However, he added: “We have clear objectives. And the objectives are the release of all our hostages, and that [the] Gaza Strip will not threat[en] anymore Israel’s security and Israel’s citizens.”

Join us on arts24 for an in-depth interview with acclaimed Irish author Mike McCormack, as he delves into his latest novel, “This Plague of Souls”, now available in French. Known for his unconventional storytelling, McCormack explores themes of confinement and global unrest through the journey of Nealon, a painter returning home from prison to face a mysterious presence.