Author: France 24

The new school year is starting in Lebanon despite ongoing strikes from Israel. With some schools partially transformed into shelters for those displaced by the fight between Israel and Hezbollah, administrators and teachers are doing what they can to prepare for the arrival of the new pupils.

We learn more about the history and traditions surrounding zombies at the Quai Branly museum in Paris, as our reporters take a tour of a new exhibition there. Contemporary art from Benin is in the spotlight at the Conciergerie in Paris, as dozens of creatives from the West African country show pieces as part of the Festival de Francophonie. Plus we check out work from artists shortlisted for the UK’s most prestigious award, the Turner Prize, as Tate Britain hosts an exhibition which explores decolonisation, culture and identity.

Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD saw its revenue top 200 billion yuan ($28 billion) in the third quarter, beating its US competitor Tesla for the first time on that particular metric. Sales have been boosted by Chinese government subsidies offered to consumers willing to trade in their petrol-powered cars for EVs or hybrids. Also in this edition, new figures show that Chinese e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu represent around a quarter of all postal packages delivered in France.

In this edition of arts24, Jennifer Ben Brahim meets the master of millinery, Stephen Jones, at a monumental exhibition of his work at Paris’s Palais Galliera museum. The British designer has been working for over four decades on both sides of the English Channel, for the likes of the late Princess Diana to Lady Gaga at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. From collaborating with couture houses like Dior and Jean Paul Gaultier, Stephen Jones has made the hat more than just an accessory, turning it into wearable art.

Despite Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior being the favourite to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or in Paris on Monday evening, his team decided to boycott the event, given their belief that he had been snubbed for the award. Monday’s event will be the first since 2003 to feature neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo. 

As we approach the US presidential election, the safety of the candidates, their families and their running mates is paramount, particularly as Republican candidate Donald Trump has already survived two assassination attempts during this election campaign. According to an investigation published by French daily Le Monde, that safety has been compromised, along with the safety of other world leaders. The culprit? The running app Strava, used by bodyguards and members of the Secret Service.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Friday said that Israel’s renewed attacks on Beirut’s suburbs confirmed its “rejection of all efforts being made to secure a ceasefire” in Lebanon. The early-morning strikes caused “massive destruction”, levelling buildings to the ground after the IDF issued an evacuation order to residents in the area. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments.

President Joe Biden tried to explain this week that he doesn’t really think Donald Trump’s supporters are “garbage,” but that doesn’t mean that other people don’t believe the label occasionally fits. “I would say that some of them are garbage,” said Samantha Leister, 32, who went to see Kamala Harris at a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. As for the rest of them? Leister, whose parents and father-in-law are backing Trump, says they are “misguided.” That same day, at Trump’s rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the idea of voting for Harris was impossible to fathom. “I just think they are uneducated,…

Two of the French capital’s most important cultural institutions, the Palais Garnier and the Opera Bastille, are in need of major renovations, according to France’s Court of Accounts. As a result, the two Parisian opera houses will be closed from mid-2027 and mid-2030, respectively. 

A new report from medical and health experts is warning that climate change – driven by fossil fuel emissions – is raising heat levels to dangerous new heights, while also worsening drought and food security. About a third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are linked to food, mostly via agriculture and land use. FRANCE 24’s Sharon Gaffney speaks to Sparsha Saha, a lecturer at Harvard University’s Department of Government.