Author: France 24

US President Donald Trump’s plan to take control of the Gaza Strip and clear out Palestinians has drawn international condemnation. Western and Arab governments, the United Nations and human rights groups were all quick to say it was tantamount to ethnic cleansing. But many media outlets in the US and France did not make the same connection. Why? Was it poor taste, bad judgment or something else? Our guests are Thomas Fenton, head of FRANCE 24’s English channel; Kethevane Gorjestani, foreign editor and former White House correspondent; and Arno Pedram, co-founder of the anti-racist journalist organisation AJAR.

Paris Saint-Germain seized control of their Champions League playoff with a commanding 3-0 first-leg win at domestic rivals Brest on Tuesday, driven by a brace from forward Ousmane Dembélé.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed as health secretary by the Republican-controlled US Senate on Thursday, despite warnings from the medical community over his history of promoting vaccine misinformation, propagating conspiracy theories and denying scientific facts. Kennedy has also vowed to gut the Food and Drug Administration and suspend research on infectious diseases.

US President Donald Trump has announced sweeping reciprocal tariffs on trading partners. They won’t go into effect immediately but could be imposed within weeks. The announcement comes just ahead of Trump’s meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who’s country Trump says imposes some of the highest tariffs in the world. Meanwhile, Mexican businesses are in limbo amid Trump’s tariff threats.

Salman Rushdie has been getting death threats for more than 35 years. The Indian-born British-American novelist sparked outrage with his book “The Satanic Verses” in 1988. It was declared blasphemous by many Muslims, so much so that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against him, calling for his death. In August 2022, the Booker Prize-winning author was stabbed multiple times on stage in New York state, leaving him blind in one eye. His attacker is now on trial for attempted murder. The book “Knife” is Rushdie’s account of what happened. He spoke about the work at the 20th edition…

Hamas on Thursday said it was committed to honouring the Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel, including the release of the next group of three hostages this weekend as planned under the terms of the deal. Follow our liveblog for all the latest developments.

Vangelis Pavlidis scored his sixth goal in this season’s Champions League to give Benfica a 1-0 win away to 10-man Monaco in the first leg of their knockout phase play-off tie on Wednesday.

A new IISS study shows Russian defence spending exceeds all of Europe’s combined… adding weight to worries that Russia would be capable of attacking other parts of the continent. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has wrapped up a two-day visit to France, French President Emmanuel Macron working on developing ties with one of the world’s most important developing economies. US inflation spiked more than expected in January. Plus, Duolingo announces the death of its green owl mascot.

From Brady Corbet’s haunting “The Brutalist” about a Holocaust survivor in 1950s America to the raw and emotional “From Ground Zero”, an anthology capturing life under siege in Gaza, Eve Jackson and film critic Emma Jones take us through this week’s standout releases. Also, get ready for the return of “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”, where Bridget dives back into the world of romance. And, the moving Iranian film “My Favourite Cake” graces the big screen.

Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham struck a last-gasp goal to give the Champions League holders a 3-2 victory over Manchester City in an edge-of-your-seat first leg of their knockout phase playoff on Tuesday at the Etihad Stadium.