Author: France 24

London’s Royal Albert Hall has swapped violins for loincloths this week as 40 sumo wrestlers take part in the city’s first Grand Sumo Tournament in 34 years. The five-day event marks the Japan Sumo Association’s first outing abroad since 2013, bringing the ancient sport’s rituals and muscle to one of the world’s most iconic stages.

US President Donald Trump says Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed that India will stop buying Russian oil, as American tariffs hit Indian exports to the United States. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has hinted at a possible de-escalation of the US–China trade war, while Argentina’s manufacturing sector is feeling the side effects of Javier Milei’s free-market policies.

On this month’s Arts 24 TV series show, TV critic Dheepthika Laurent chats with Eve Jackson about the standout shows hitting screens in October. From “Les Disparues de la Gare”, a gripping French true crime series based on real-life femicides, to “The Woman in Cabin 10”, a stylish yacht-set thriller starring Keira Knightley, there’s plenty to keep you hooked.

Two more bodies returned by Hamas under the fragile peace deal were identified by Israel on October 16, 2025, leaving now fifteen bodies left in Gaza. Israel expected the group to release 28 bodies by the 21st, yet only nine have made it back. Hamas says it needs special equipment to find the rest. FRANCE 24’s Noga Tarnopolsky tells us more from Jerusalem.

As a fragile ceasefire holds in Gaza, the occupied West Bank remains a flashpoint. Since October 7, settler violence and Israeli demolitions have reached unprecedented levels. Speaking to FRANCE 24, Anne-Claire Yaeesh, Handicap International’s Director for the Palestinian Territories, said these developments have “completely changed the face of the West Bank”. According to rights groups, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been displaced since January, following the launch of a large-scale Israeli military operation, and many are unable to access basic services such as healthcare. Yaeesh noted that one of her organisation’s partners, the Al Jaleel Health Centre in Jenin,…

Uruguay’s senate passed a law decriminalising euthanasia on Wednesday, putting the Latin American nation among a handful of other countries where seriously ill patients can legally obtain help to end their lives. It makes Uruguay the first country in predominantly Catholic Latin America to allow euthanasia via legislation. Colombia and Ecuador have decriminalised the practice through Supreme Court decisions.

Third-choice goalkeeper Abdelhakim El Mesbahi emerged as Morocco’s unlikely hero on Wednesday, saving the decisive penalty to seal a dramatic 5-4 shootout victory over France and send his nation to its first-ever Under-20 World Cup final. Coming off the bench in the dying minutes of extra time, El Mesbahi – armed with intel on France’s penalty takers – delivered the clutch moment that capped a tense semifinal, setting up a historic final showdown with Argentina.

Reintroducing a wealth tax has been a particularly divisive issue in the ongoing budget battle in France. In a world where the richest 1% holds more wealth than the bottom 95% put together, Susana Ruiz, Tax Policy Lead at Oxfam International, tells France 24 that taxing the rich is ‘a new common sense’. Also in the segment, Elon Musk’s Starlink has come under scrutiny over whether it’s helping power online scam centres in SouthEast Asia. 

Critic Emma Jones reviews this week’s major releases, including Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut, “The Chronology of Water”, and the Japanese drama “A Pale View of Hills”. Director Myriam El Hajj offers a compelling portrait of a society in turmoil in her latest documentary, “Diaries from Lebanon”, following Georges, Joumana, and Perla Joe. The film exposes Lebanon’s simmering tensions amid economic, political, and humanitarian crises. El Hajj shares the challenges of filmmaking in Lebanon in recent years and how her subjects inspired the energy and optimism to complete the project.

As funerals are organised for the Israeli hostages whose bodies were returned, Israel says it has reopened the Rafah crossing on October 15, 2025, to allow aid to come back into Gaza. After two years of relentless bombing, the enclave is still figuring out how to rebuild. US President Donald Trump reportedly said negotiations for phase two of the ceasefire have begun.