Author: France 24

More than 1,400 people were killed in a spate of sectarian violence lasting several days near Syria’s coast in March, a government investigation released on Tuesday found. Security forces in the south carried out widespread violence against civilians, seeking out members of the Alawite sect, investigators found.

For three weeks every summer, the streets of the southern French city of Avignon are overrun with performances of all kinds, from classical drama to spontaneous stand-up comedy. FRANCE 24’s Olivia Salazar-Winspear went to check out this year’s programme, as festival director Tiago Rodrigues invites Arabic-speaking artists to show their work as part of his guest language initiative.

England and Italy face off on Tuesday in Geneva in the Women’s Euro semi-finals. England can secure a second consecutive final appearance after winning the Euro in 2022. Italy will aim to end a 28-year final drought. The winners of this clash will face either Spain or Germany in the final on Sunday.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang attended a ceremony on Saturday marking the start of construction for a new $167 billion mega dam project in Tibet. The project aims to boost the national economy as well as increase the country’s capacity to produce clean energy, but it raises risks to biodiversity and to relations with India. Also in this edition, we look at the success of Barcelona’s tourist tax scheme.

The Syrian government on Monday began evacuating Bedouin families from the Druze-majority southern Syrian city of Sweida as the latest ceasefire, agreed over the weekend, appeared to halt clashes between the two communities that killed more than 1,000 people in one week, according to a war monitor.

Apple TV+’s dark sci-fi drama “Severance” topped the 77th Emmy Awards nominations with 27 nods, signalling strong early favour in this year’s race. HBO Max’s Batman spinoff “The Penguin” followed closely with 24 nominations, while comedy favourites “Hacks” and “The Bear” dominated their categories. The awards ceremony is set for September 14 in Los Angeles.

Belgian champion Tim Wellens soloed to his first Tour de France victory on Stage 15, becoming the 113th rider in history to claim stage wins at all three Grand Tours. Tadej Pogacar retained the yellow jersey ahead of Monday’s rest day.

Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday that it was “unlikely” he would fire the chairman of the US Federal Reserve, after reportedly floating the idea to Republican lawmakers. The US president has repeatedly criticised Jerome Powell for not lowering interest rates fast enough, but is constrained in his ability to dismiss him. Also in this edition, Brazil calls for “urgent talks” with Washington over looming 50 percent tariffs that are set to take effect on August 1.

A fragile ceasefire has brought calm to Syria’s Sweida province after a week of deadly sectarian fighting that left over 1,000 dead and displaced more than 128,000. Druze fighters, Bedouin groups and government forces were drawn into the conflict, with Israeli strikes and Islamist factions escalating the violence.

In this episode of arts24 with Eve Jackson, we explore the 56th Rencontres d’Arles festival in France, where women and Indigenous artists like Caroline Monnet take centre stage, challenging colonial narratives and celebrating resilience through photography and art. Plus, get previews of London’s new burlesque musical “Diamonds and Dust” starring Dita Von Teese, Oasis’s triumphant return to Manchester and the global Netflix sensation “KPop Demon Hunters”.