Author: France 24

Towana Looney, a 53-year-old from Alabama, is the fifth patient to receive an organ from a genetically modified pig in the United States since 2022, and was in better health than prior recipients who died within two months of receiving a pig kidney or heart. Her case could signal progress toward solving the organ-supply shortage.

US President-elect Donald Trump has upended bipartisan efforts to avert a government shutdown, after he rejected a stopgap bill and pressed Republican lawmakers to either renegotiate it or risk their political careers. The new bill would have kept federal funding running at the current level until March after the current short-term spending plan expires on Friday night. Plus, the ongoing political crisis in Georgia is taking a toll on its economy, especially tourism.   

This week, Marjorie Hache welcomes Eloïse Bella Kohn, a French pianist based in Vienna, as well as British-French-Korean artist Min-Jung Kym. Both have released new records. In “Sounds For The Soul 2”, Kym continues to explore how music can be a therapeutic tool in the fight against cancer. She tells us how her own experience led her not to underestimate the vibrational power of compositions, ranging from Vivaldi to Queen. Bella Kohn has meanwhile challenged herself to undertake a little-known piece by France’s famous opera composer Jules Massenet and an established concerto by Maurice Ravel for her new album “Parisienne”.

The key defence and foreign affairs portfolios in Syria’s transitional government go to prominent figures in the insurgency that overthrew Bashar al-Assad nearly two weeks ago, tasked with restructing the country’s army and establishing “international relations that bring peace and stability”.

Nigeria forward Ademola Lookman and Zambia striker Barbra Banda were named Footballer of the Year of the men’s and women’s categories respectively at the Confederation of African Football Awards in Marrakesh on Monday.

In the latest flood of misinformation regarding Luigi Mangione, the suspect indicted for the murder of health insurance CEO Brian Thompson in New York, some users are sharing a fake BBC headline claiming that Mangione committed suicide while in prison. The notification was actually created using Apple’s latest AI tool. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

The Flamanville 3 EPR nuclear reactor, France’s most powerful to date, finally began providing electricity to French homes on Saturday after a plethora of technical setbacks led to a 12-year delay and a four-fold increase in the project’s overall cost.

FRANCE 24’s culture editor Eve Jackson takes viewers on a festive journey to the heart of  Provence in a special programme exploring the enchanting Christmas traditions of Aix-en-Provence. This exclusive holiday show brings to life the region’s rich cultural heritage, focusing on two of its most treasured customs: the delicious tradition of the 13 desserts and the art of making santons, the clay figurines used in nativity scenes.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a missile attack in central Israel on Saturday after the Israeli military acknowledged it failed to intercept a projectile that hit Tel Aviv, lightly injuring 16 people.

Real Madrid, led by Carlo Ancelotti, secured a 3-0 victory over Pachuca in the Intercontinental Cup final on Wednesday in Doha. Goals from Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo, and Vinícius Júnior highlighted the dominant performance, with Mbappe returning from injury.