Author: France 24

This week, FRANCE 24’s Valérie Fayolle meets Meryl. The singer and rapper from Martinique takes us to the Elysée Montmartre concert hall, where she first performed in Paris. She chats about her latest album, Caviar I and its many influences. Then it’s off to Agnès Baillon’s Paris studio where we will see the sculptor’s papier-mâché figures including dancers and swimmers. Then last but not least, Paris des Arts brings you to 88 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, where we take a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the French presidential palace represented at the Maison Elysée.

She was the ultimate 1990s bombshell: Pamela Anderson got her break on TV show “Baywatch” three decades ago. After years out of the spotlight, Anderson returns as the protagonist of Gia Coppola’s film, “The Last Showgirl”. The actress spoke to film critic Emma Jones about her big-screen comeback at this year’s Zurich Film Festival, where a crop of new films could be headed to the awards ceremonies early next year. We also take a look at Kate Winslet’s impressive performance as the American photojournalist Lee Miller in “Lee”; the actress was picking up a career achievement award at the 20th…

Novo Nordisk’s weight loss drug Wegovy will be available in France from Tuesday. The drug will require a prescription and will not be covered by social security. FRANCE 24’s Sharon Gaffney speaks to Adam Collins, Associate Professor of Nutrition at the University of Surrey. He says that the latest class of drugs is a useful tool for people who have a moderate amount of weight to lose.

PSG Forward Ousmane Dembele has been left out of the squad for their Champions League game at Arsenal, after the player failed to meet the needs of the team, manager Luis Enrique said on Monday.

Global trade tensions are heating up, as China announces new tariffs on imports of European brandy. The move follows the EU decision to raise tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, following similar moves by the US and Canada. Greta Peisch, Partner at Wiley Rein LLC and former General Counsel for the US Trade Representative, explains why French cognac producers are set to bear the brunt of the latest tariffs, and what’s next for US-China trade relations. 

There have been documentaries, television programmes and “Saturday Night Live” comedy sketches, but this is the first film about one of the most divisive men of our times. “The Apprentice” tells of how Donald Trump rose to fame and power in 1980s New York before he became president of the United States. Directed by Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi, it stars Sebastian Stan as the young Trump. At its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, it earned a standing ovation and threats of lawsuits from the Trump election campaign. The director sits down with culture editor Eve Jackson to…

The cousin of a slain Israeli hostage has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how Israel should have put her life and the lives of the other hostages at the top of the agenda right from the start. Gil Dickmann says the Israeli government did not do that, and as result they were lost. His cousin Carmel Gat was killed by Hamas at the end of August, along with five others. Gil Dickmann also called for a deal to be reached urgently to save the remaining hostages. He spoke to us in Perspective.

This week, arts24 is in the delightful seaside town of Dinard in Brittany, for France’s yearly celebration of British and Irish film. For 35 years, it’s been a launchpad for independent gems that go on to conquer the world of cinema. Culture editor Eve Jackson shares some of this year’s highlights.

Chris Sanders is the artistic mastermind behind children’s films “Lilo and Stitch”, “How to Train Your Dragon” and “The Croods”. His latest animated feature sees a lone robot, Roz, cast adrift on an island where her artificial intelligence is pitted against the innate intelligence of the local flora and fauna. Sanders joins us to talk about why actress Lupita Nyong’o was the perfect voice for his protagonist and discusses the challenge of conveying big issues like climate change to the small people who make up much of his audience.

The first vaccines were given to hospital staff on Saturday and more will be made available to members of the public who are most at risk on Monday, the health minister said. As Democratic Republic of Congo attempts to curb a deadly mpox epidemic, the country is still waiting for millions of vaccine doses to arrive from France, Japan and the US.