Author: France 24

On his first official visit to Saudi Arabia since Bashar al-Assad’s ouster, Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shibani said he hoped to open a “new, bright page” in bilateral relations. Syria’s new leaders are focused on rebuilding their war-shattered country amid Saudi concerns over the trafficking of captagon, a narcotic produced under the Assad regime in large quantities.

Smokers in Italy’s financial and fashion capital of Milan risk being fined for lighting up on city streets or crowded public areas, after the country’s toughest ban comes into effect Wednesday. Those who defy the new prohibition in the polluted northern Italian city could be fined between 40 to 240 euros ($41 to $249), a punishment that does not sit well with all residents.

Bernard Arnault, France’s richest man and the billionaire head of luxury group LVMH, is set to take the witness stand in a Paris court in the trial of Bernard Squarcini, the former head of France’s domestic intelligence agency. Squarcini is accused of using his contacts and influence for private gain by providing confidential information to Arnault, his main client. Plus, it’s Thanksgiving Thursday but many Americans are finding it harder to host a traditional holiday dinner due to rising prices, especially of eggs. 

From Donald Trump’s return to the White House to marking 80 years since the end of World War II and 250 years since Jane Austen’s birth, FRANCE 24 looks ahead to what the year 2025 may have to offer.

Syrians celebrated their first New Year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday as fireworks lit up the night sky above Damascus. In the capital’s main square, people brandished “revolution” flags, the country’s unofficial new emblem.

It was another turbulent year from start to end, dominated by wars still raging in Ukraine and the Middle East. But 2024 also witnessed some breakthroughs in medical research, space exploration and human rights, while the Paris Games gave the host country and viewers around the world a summer to remember. FRANCE 24 looks back at some of the positive stories that lifted our spirits over the past 12 months.

The cocoa industry in Haiti is one of the few bright spots in an economy that’s suffocating amid gang violence and political instability. Exports of fermented cocoa to Europe are having a significant impact for small Haitian producers, and helping to create jobs. Carys Garland reports from the Paris Chocolate Show. Also in the show: we speak to Tony’s Chocolonely, a chocolate company that has pioneered efforts to expose exploitation and child labour in the cocoa industry.

Hollywood superstars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have finally reached a divorce settlement after battling it out more than eight years in the courts, People magazine reported on Tuesday. “Brangelina” first got together after starring in the 2005 film “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” and have six children.

The health care system in northern Gaza has been “obliterated” with hospitals “completely inoperable”, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Monday, leaving sick and wounded civilians in “grave risk”.

A survey on the outlook of French businesses released by the Bank of France shows that the country’s industrial and construction sectors have reached levels of uncertainty last seen during the 2022 energy crunch. This comes as Emmanuel Macron is expected to name a prime minister who will be tasked with forming a new government, thereby pushing back the approval of a budget for 2025. Also, Ukrainian farmers clear their fields of mines in a bid to boost grain production.