Author: France 24

Award-winning Malaysian author Tash Aw kicks off a sprawling family saga with coming-of-age novel “The South”. He tells us about returning to the Malaysia of the 1990s and reflects on a society within which homophobic laws existed, but small queer communities were relatively visible. We also talk about how climate change has been driving waves of migration in Southeast Asia and why embarking on an ambitious literary project is a risky but rewarding business.

François Picard is pleased to welcome Aaron David Miller, Diplomat, and Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. In Gaza, where fundamental and irreconcilable differences remain between the warring parties, the former US Mideast negotiator offers a scathing assessment of Trump’s peace initiative: “No country that’s credible, has a democratic process, and has thought this through, is going to sign up to a board which has no set of governing principles, and is completely tethered to the whims, fantasies, and likes or dislikes of a single individual.”

Aston Villa booked a Europa League last-16 spot on Thursday with a 1-0 win at Fenerbahce, while Nottingham Forestslipped to a costly defeat at Braga. Celtic drew 2-2 with Bologna, leaving qualification in doubt, as Rangers exited despite a first win.

After a week of twists and turns, US President Donald Trump delivered a highly anticipated speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday. Earlier at Davos, French President Emmanuel Macron decried bullying on the global stage and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned that “the old order is not coming back”. For analysis, FRANCE 24’s Charles Pellegrin talks to Brett Bruen, president and CEO of the Global Situation Room, who is just back from Davos.   

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have announced the nominees for the 98th Academy Awards, with Ryan Coogler’s vampire horror “Sinners” leading the charge. Racking up a record 16 nominations in various categories, “Sinners” is followed by Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another”, on 13 nominations. FRANCE 24’s Olivia Salazar-Winspear takes us through the movies and the movie stars who could be in line for a gold statuette on March 15.

US President Donald Trump has unveiled his “Board of Peace,” a $1 billion initiative aimed at resolving international conflicts through permanent membership. Meanwhile, medical sources at Al-Shifa Hospital report that at least four people have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza, and an infant has died from exposure to the cold. France24 correspondent Noga Tarnopolsky reports the latest from Jerusalem.

Liverpool cruised past Marseille 3-0 to put themselves in a strong position to finish in the top eight. The French side will have to beat Club Brugge in their final league match to clinch a playoff spot.

Elizabeth Holmes, the former Theranos founder, has asked US President Donald Trump to release her from prison, with nearly six years still remaining on her sentence. Holmes’ request for commutation follows her 2022 conviction on wire fraud and conspiracy charges, and comes after a federal appeals court upheld her 11-year sentence earlier this year.

Just hours after he doubled down on his claim that the US should “get Greenland”, Donald Trump made an abrupt U-turn on the tariffs he had threatened to slap on European nations that opposed his bid.  Announcing on his Truth Social platform, the US president said he and NATO chief Mark Rutte had reached a “framework of a future deal” on Greenland, and that in light of that, he would not be imposing the 10% import duties that were slated to go into effect on February 1st. 

Manon Kerjean tells us why Pierre Niney’s performance in “Gourou” recalls the punchy rhetoric of American coaches in Yann Gozlan’s latest film. But first, we discuss the big winners at this year’s Lumières awards, selected by the foreign press in Paris, as François Ozon’s adaptation of “L’Étranger” picks up the top prize. Manon also tells us why Erige Sehiri’s film “Promised Sky” provides an insight into the socio-political reality in Tunisia and raises powerful points about families, both biological and chosen. Plus we check out the film adaptation of the beloved French comic “Les Légendaires”.