Author: France 24

A Libyan-born Irish singer has spoken to FRANCE 24 about her love for music, and how primarily she makes music for herself, this as she prepares for a concert here in Paris. Farah Elle’s music is defined by her Libyan roots as she performs songs for piano as well as selections from her debut album “Fatima” that weaves together pop, touches of R’n’B, jazz and Middle Eastern music. She spoke to us in Perspective. 

France’s parliament voted to limit the production and sale of some items containing polluting and health-threatening “forever chemicals” including cosmetics, most clothing and ski wax. Story by Delano D’Souza.

Spain’s former football chief Luis Rubiales has been convicted of sexual assault and fined more than 10,000 euros for having forcibly kissed Women’s World Cup star Jenni Hermoso in 2023. The court acquitted Rubiales of a charge of coercion that carried a possible sentence of 18 months in prison.

France’s parliament has voted to ban some PFAS, but the law excludes kitchenware after Tefal’s parent company led an intensive lobbying campaign. Meanwhile French aviation giant Airbus flew way ahead of Boeing in 2024. Plus, James Bond’s long-serving producers are giving control to Amazon.

Hamas released the bodies of four Israeli hostages, said to include a mother and her two children who have long been feared dead and had come to embody the nation’s agony following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Analysis by Dr. Ori Goldberg, Israeli political commentator.

TV critic Dheepthika Laurent has been dipping her toes into the luxury waters of “The White Lotus” resort, as the series returns for a third season. The major ingredients of Mike White’s award-winning show are all there: a mysterious murder victim, millionaire tourists and an exotic location, with the action decamping to Thailand after Sicily and Hawaii in previous seasons. We then discuss the sequel to “1923”, the American far west drama that paints a fresco of European settlers in the cattle country of Montana. With Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren reprising their roles in the sweeping story of the…

The Berlin Film Festival is known for its political nature and this year’s edition is no exception, with elections in Germany casting a shadow over proceedings and calls for a boycott over the event’s attitude towards Palestinians in Gaza. Film critic Emma Jones takes us through some of the highly topical productions that are screening, from a Ukrainian documentary about how children are experiencing life in wartime to an Israeli film about actor David Cunio, who was taken hostage on October 7, 2023. Timothée Chalamet, Jessica Chastain and Robert Pattinson have all been on the red carpet in Berlin for…

US President Donald Trump has floated the idea of slapping import duties on all imports of cars, pharmaceuticals and chips, saying to reporters that he could make a formal announcement on April 2. The new tariffs are supposed to encourage companies to manufacture their goods in the United States, and could considerably widen the scope of Trump’s trade war. Also in this edition: the EU mulls easing its fiscal rules in order to allow for an increase in defence spending.

A Hamas official said Wednesday that Hamas is ready to release all the remaining hostages in one batch during the second phase of the ceasefire agreement rather than in stages. The fragile Gaza truce has held since taking effect on January 19, despite accusations of violations by both Israel and Hamas.

Actress and author Julianne Moore says it was a “great shock” to hear that her children’s book “Freckleface Strawberry” was among those removed from some American public schools, after an executive order from President Donald Trump saw a long list of titles confiscated for review. Olivia Salazar-Winspear explains what the current US administration sees as cause for concern in children’s literature. We also take a look at a new exhibition recreating the “Degenerate Art” scene of the 1930s, when the Nazi party sought to demonise avant-garde painters like Marc Chagall, Paul Klee, Otto Dix and Pablo Picasso, as the Picasso…