Author: France 24

The tiny British overseas territory of Saint Helena, where Napoleon was sent into exile, is now the proud owner of the world’s most remote EV charging point.  The South Atlantic island currently only has four electric cars, but is hoping to go all-electric as part of a broader push to become carbon-neutral. But first, in his general policy speech in parliament, France’s new prime minister François Bayrou warned that the country is now the most indebted in its history. 

In this edition of arts24, Dheepthika Laurent meets producer, director and actor Tyler Perry. His career spans decades, with a singular focus on African American stories and casts. His latest film, “The Six Triple Eight” on Netflix, is based on the true story of an all-women of colour battalion from World War II. The unit was given the impossible task of sorting through a backlog of 17 million pieces of mail in six months to boost morale among US soldiers.

PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, January 14: We look at front-page reactions after outgoing US President Joe Biden announces that Israel and Hamas may be close to a temporary truce in the 15-month war in Gaza. Also in the news: confirmation hearings begin for Donald Trump’s top cabinet picks, including the controversial Peter Hegseth as secretary of defence. Plus: a group of dads in a French village band together for a nude calendar – to raise money for their children’s school trips!

British heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury said Monday he was retiring from boxing after having suffered a second straight defeat at the hands of Ukrainian rival Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia in December. Fury previously announced his retirement in 2022 before returning to the ring later that year.

As it embarked on its final week, the Biden administration has announced sweeping new rules to control the export of US-made advanced AI chips.  The new curbs are not just aimed at China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, but most of the world – with the exception of just 18 of its closest allies. Plus, global oil prices continued to rise and shipping data showed dozens of tankers had dropped anchor, following the latest round of US sanctions targeting Russia’s shadow fleet. 

2025 is gearing up to be an exciting year for Josephine Orme, aka Heartworms, who combines hypnotic electronic beats and post-punk riffs. She is about to release her debut album “Glutton For Punishment”, which explores comfort within discomfort as well as joy. Heartworms popped by FRANCE 24 to tell Marjorie Hache about goth cultural heritage and her passion for military history. The show also looks at Netherlands festival Eurosonic, as well as new releases by Colombia’s Ela Minus and late US rapper Mac Miller.

A majority of Lebanon’s lawmakers support International Court of Justice judge Nawaf Salam for prime minister, local media said Monday. Newly elected President Joseph Aoun has been holding consultations with lawmakers as he prepares to name the crisis-hit country’s new head of government.

Barcelona came from an early goal down to beat Real Madrid 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday, scoring four goals in a dominant first half and surviving having their goalkeeper sent off to clinch a record-extending 15th trophy.

Social media giant Meta – home to Facebook, Instagram and Threads – is scrapping its independent fact-checking programme, instead pivoting to a “community notes” style closer to Elon Musk’s X. This means that users on the platform will themselves do the flagging and correcting instead of fact-checking experts and organisations. CEO Mark Zuckerberg pointed to the US election as an influence in the move, which comes as he’s positioned himself closer to Donald Trump. Vedika Bahl explains in this edition of Truth or Fake.

Saudi Arabia said Sunday it was time to lift sanctions on Syria as it hosted talks between key diplomats from the Middle East and Europe focused on reestablishing stability in the war-torn country following the fall of Bashar al-Assad.