Author: France 24

Ambulances from the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing have been seen heading into Gaza. The reopening of the enclave’s southern crossing marks a major step in the US-backed peace plans’ second phase. But for the moment, the Rafah gate is only being used on a trial basis – and key details are still unclear. Many Palestinians have been waiting for this moment, as they head to Egypt for medical treatment. Analysis by Dr. James Smith, deputy director of UCL’s humanitarian policy and practice program.

Novak Djokovic came back from behind to qualify for his 11th Australian Open final on Friday, taking down reigning champion Jannik Sinner in a five-set epic.

German police searched Deutsche Bank’s Frankfurt headquarters and its Berlin office on Wednesday as part of a money-laundering investigation. Local media said the probe was connected to suspected offences in the bank’s dealings with companies linked to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.

Nigeria’s Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti will be posthumously honored this weekend with a Grammys Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming the first African artist to receive the prestigious distinction.

New Israeli air strikes slammed targets across Gaza on Saturday, including a Gaza City residential building and a tent camp Khan Younis, killing at least 30 people, hospital officials said. The strikes come just a day before the announced reopening of the enclave’s Rafah crossing with Egypt and mark a continually rising death toll as Israel and Hamas trade accusations of violating the ceasefire.

Both Meta Platforms and Microsoft shared their latest quarterly results on Wednesday and showed they are still planning on sustained spending on artificial intelligence. Similarly, Telsa posted a drop in annual revenue for the first time in its history and announced a shift away from electric vehicles and towards AI and robotics. Meanwhile, hardware providers like Samsung Electronics are fuelling the boom in AI, and reaping the benefits.

This week on Paris des Arts, singer Faudel makes his long-awaited comeback. Once crowned the “little prince of Raï”, the Algerian folk icon returns to the spotlight with his nostalgic 2000s tour “I Gotta Feeling”. He also takes us inside “Tenter l’art pour soigner” at the Arab World Institute – an exhibition exploring art as healing through archives and ceramics from an Algerian hospital that broke with colonial psychiatry in the late 1960s.

The Syrian government ⁠and US-backed Kurdish forces have declared an integration deal.The agreement comes after government forces captured swathes of northern and eastern Syria from the Kurds this month, forcing them to retreat into a shrinking enclave. Under the agreement, ​forces will withdraw from the front lines, ‌government units will deploy ‍to the centres of Hasakahand Qamishli, and local security forces ‍will be merged.

Olympique Lyonnais clinched top spot in the Europa League with a 4-2 home win over PAOK on Thursday, while AS Roma squeezed into eighth and direct qualification for the last 16. Lyon recovered from an early goal and a red card to PAOK, while Roma endured a nervy night after Gianluca Mancini was sent off early.

A Buddhist monk influencer has amassed millions of followers on social media, sharing spiritual guidance videos and selling e-books on healing. The catch is, he’s AI-generated. Vedika Bahl explains in Truth or Fake.