Author: France 24

In a surprise announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday kicked his popular defence minister Yoav Gallant to the curb and replaced him with Israel Katz, the country’s former foreign minister. Nicknamed a “bulldozer” in Israeli media, the 69-year-old is a close confidante more likely to be in tune with Netanyahu than his predecessor.

Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Lopez, Harrison Ford and even The Avengers have come out in support of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, while Republican hopeful Donald Trump has the likes of Elon Musk, Kid Rock and Hulk Hogan supporting him. In this edition of arts24, Eve Jackson tells us more about the American culture wars, including book bans in schools and colleges in Florida. We also hear from some of arts24’s previous guests about America’s political situation, including “Godfather” director Francis Ford Coppola, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead and Iranian-Danish director Ali Abbasi, whose movie “The Apprentice” tells Trump’s…

As American voters cast their ballots, the rest of the world is watching, as the outcome of the election will have global implications, including on trade and the economy. Yuka Royer takes a closer look at what Donald Trump and Kamala Harris may do regarding trade and tariffs.  Plus, tyre giant Michelin announces a plan to shut down two plants amid flagging sales. 

Gaza hostages group urges probe after ex-aide to Israeli PM Netanyahu allegedly leaked confidential documents, potentially hindering hostage release efforts. Ex-aide Eliezer Feldstein and three others detained Sunday, sparking opposition calls for Netanyahu’s accountability, which his office denies.

A female student who stripped to her underwear at an Iranian university does not represent a security issue but is a “troubled individual” who is receiving treatment, a government spokesperson said. All the while, Amnesty International is calling for her immediate release on X (formerly Twitter), saying she was “violently arrested on 2 Nov after she removed her clothes in protest against abusive enforcement of compulsory veiling by security officials at Tehran’s Islamic Azad University. FRANCE 24’s is joined by Azadeh Pourzand, Author, PhD candidate at SOAS University of London’s Global Media and Communications Department, Spokesperson and Community Director Spokesperson…

FRANCE 24 Journalist Jenny Ben Brahim tells us more about Quincy Jones, the superstar producer behind Michael Jackson’s thriller album, who died at 91. Born in Chicago, Jones’ decades-long career started in smoky jazz clubs where he collaborated with jazz innovators like Miles Davis and Charlie Parker. He also worked on arrangements for Frank Sinatra. Jones also left his mark on pop music, notably through his collaboration with Michael Jackson for whom he produced what is still the biggest selling album of all time – Thriller.

The US economy is humming with GDP expected to grow at a healthy clip, unemployment low and inflation coming down closer to the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. But polls have shown American voters are worried about the state of the economy. Home prices have gone through the roof.  Both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have promised to bring them down. Plus, Boeing workers are voting on a new wage offer, which could end their seven-week strike. 

The UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Monday that Israel’s ban on its operations would lead to the “collapse” of humanitarian work in the war-torn Gaza Strip after Israel formally told the UN it had severed ties with the agency that has long been a critical lifeline to millions. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments in the war in the Middle East.

If you think of the major axes of the world, the big borderlines, you might think of migratory routes like through Africa into Europe, or through the Americas. You might also think of trade routes, like the Silk Road, or you might even think of the route into space. Those axes of humanity and how they shape our geopolitics are all covered in a new book by one of FRANCE 24’s regular guests. General Dominique Trinquand commanded a battalion in Lebanon in the early 90’s and in the former Yugoslavia, and has held a number of other senior positions with NATO, the…

China is a top priority for US foreign and economic policy and the trade tensions between the world’s largest economies are set to continue, regardless of who wins the US presidency. FRANCE 24’s Beijing correspondent Yena Lee reports on the state of US-China tech rivalry. Also in the show: the UK government outlines £40 billion in tax hikes, in the first Labour budget in nearly 15 years.