Author: France 24

Fashion critic Samantha Tse speaks to Eve Jackson about the highlights of Paris Fashion Week, including Louboutin’s swimming spectacle in stilettos, the return of Bella Hadid to the runway and our top picks including Alessandro Michele’s debut at Valentino, and shows from Loewe and Courrèges.

Israel launched a ground offensive in Lebanon on Tuesday, escalating a conflict against Hezbollah after a week of air strikes that have killed hundreds. Several countries have begun evacuating their nationals from Lebanon or are planning to do so. Here’s what we know so far.

In this edition of our music show on arts24, Jennifer Ben Brahim is joined on set by two artists from very different musical universes, but linked by a similar nomadic spirit. Model and actress Hen Yanni is starting a new chapter of her life as a singer-songwriter. Her lifelong passion has transformed into a debut album called “Version of You”. It’s an intimate portrait of her life and journey from Israel to France, told with a new-wave twist. She is also joined by Saràh Phenom, who describes herself as an alien thanks to her singular outlook on the world and music.…

The wholesale price of butter in France hit a record high in September, rocketing to 8,180 euros, compared to 4,260 euros a year earlier, as an epidemic among cows affected production.  But first, a new, common digital payment system has been launched in France, Belgium and Germany, backed by 16 major banks.  The platform, “Wero”, enables person to person cross-border payments instantly, at no additional cost, as EU banks aim to regain sovereignty over digital payments. 

The war in Gaza has been the deadliest conflict on record for journalists. The vast majority have been Palestinians killed in Gaza, but there have also been deaths in the occupied West Bank and Lebanon. How reliable is coverage of a war if those on the ground covering it are being killed? What about accountability and the possibility of meting out justice? Our guest on Scoop this week was Tim Dawson from the International Federation of Journalists. This episode aired on September 27, prior to news of the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

In the first edition of our new show Paris des arts, FRANCE 24’s Valérie Fayolle meets Ayo. The Nigerian German singer-songwriter takes us on a tour of the National Navy Museum to talk about “Mami Wata”, her seventh acoustic album dedicated to the Nigerian goddess of the sea. Next, we meet Alain Roche, the pianist who performs on a suspended piano, hanging from the sky. He tells us about his unique experience playing during the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Last but not least, we bring you our new segment, “From Paris with Love”, during which Valérie takes us…

Australian athletes enjoyed a hugely successful Olympics in Paris, winning a total of 52 medals and 17 golds – a feat the sports-loving nation is looking to replicate as the Paralympics get under way this week. FRANCE 24 speaks to Sam Mostyn, Australia’s governor-general, about the significance of the Games in Australia and what lessons can be learned from Paris as Brisbane prepares to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032. 

This week we look at ethical fashion in the age of “direct-to-consumer” giants like China’s Shein and Temu. Thanks to their business model based on ultra-fast design and production, consumers can purchase a new look at incredibly low prices. But at what cost for the environment and worker wellbeing? Charles Pellegrin talks to Kamila Boudova, a Paris-based slow fashion coach who helps her clients create ethical wardrobes. They discuss the challenges of wearing ethical clothes in an age of ultra-fast fashion.

“We are really seeing a mounting death toll among children and we believe that this may be higher, given that many children and their families remain under the rubble in different parts of the country,” said Ellie Higgins, Deputy representative at Unicef Lebanon. “The bombardments continued again last night and since Friday, we have seen an escalation in the conflict around Beirut, especially in the southern suburbs.”

Colson Whitehead is one of the rare authors to win the Pulitzer Prize twice. The first time was for his novel “The Underground Railroad” in 2017, loved by Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey and made into a TV series by Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins. It led to him being on the cover of Time Magazine, the first author in nearly a decade to grace the front page since Jonathan Franzen. Colson Whitehead was honoured again for “The Nickel Boys” in 2020 – adapted into a film due out in the autumn. He is in Paris at the Festival America and…