Author: France 24

Nearly 1.5 million kilometres of submarine cables criss-cross the globe. The infrastructure is key for both national security and economic stability. But an uptick in disruptions – notably in the Baltic Sea – has focused attention on the need to safeguard these networks. While many of the outages appear accidental, some can be attributed to sabotage by state-sponsored actors. 

As protests over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents sweep the US, the outrage has spilled into the cultural world – reaching the red carpets of the Sundance Film Festival and igniting fierce criticism of President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policies. At Sundance, stars including Natalie Portman and Elijah Wood donned “ICE OUT” pins and joined calls for justice following the deaths of Pretti and Renee Good at the hands of ICE and Border Patrol agents.

For Gazans, the Rafah border crossing to Egypt is their gateway to the world. But since Israel seized it in May 2024, it has been largely shut. Now, as part of the second phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire plan, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the crossing will reopen soon, raising hopes for thousands of war-wounded Palestinians seeking medical care abroad, and for tens of thousands of people outside Gaza seeking to return home.

The final day of the Champions League kicks off on Wednesday, with 18 games taking place simultaneously. Paris Saint-Germain are currently in sixth place, while Newcastle are in seventh. 

The US Federal Reserve has defied pressure from President Donald Trump, by holding interest rates steady. The policy announcement was partly overshadowed by ongoing tensions with the administration. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell – who is facing a criminal probe he describes as politically motivated – insisted the central bank would maintain its independence. Also in the show – the US dollar slides to its lowest level in four years, and Paris Fashion Week deals with the rise of ultra fast fashion. 

Emma Jones takes us through the nominations for France’s upcoming “Césars” cinema awards, with American filmmaker Richard Linklater picking up 10 nods for “Nouvelle Vague”. In this week’s film releases, Emma tells us why the Russell Crowe-led Nazi courtroom drama “Nuremberg” is worth checking out. Emma also reviews Kelly Reichardt’s offbeat drama “The Mastermind”, in which Josh O’Connor shines as a clueless art thief in the 1970s.

US President Donald Trump appeared on January 28 to threaten another attack on Iran if it does not “make a deal” on nuclear weapons, after Tehran rejected talks. He also said another armada was on the way. FRANCE 24’s Reza Sayah tells us more from Tehran, and tells us about the situation on the ground from there, where Internet has made a partial comeback.

Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and his Moroccan counterpart Aziz Akhannouch have met in Rabat in a bid to ease tensions after the chaotic Africa Cup of Nations final. 

In this edition of Entre Nous, we take a look at the current craze for protein-enhanced food. We dive into how this trend is confusing consumers, but also creating egg shortages in France. We also look into how it is boosting the sales of “healthy” snacks, namely Babybel cheeses in the US. Finally, we discuss whether extra protein is really good for you or not. 

The EU and India have hailed their new free trade agreement as “the mother of all deals”.  While the pact eliminates or significantly reduces tariffs on a vast majority of goods traded between the two, it excludes politically sensitive farming products.  We’ll take a closer look.  Also in the segment, some Cypriot fishermen have taken their battle against invasive fish to the dinner table.