Author: France 24

China has moved from exporting cars to bringing entire auto industry ecosystems, building up production capacity in Europe and boosting partnerships with local companies. Arthur D. Little’s automotive expert Philipp Seidel tells France 24 that while tariffs and quotas can buy time, EU carmakers must improve their own competitiveness and not become too dependent on Chinese suppliers. But first, we look at the latest IMF global growth forecast and warning about rising debt. 

Houthi media reported an ​attack ‌by Saudi Arabia on ⁠the ‌Yemen Oil Company ⁠in Sanaa on Tuesday, which came ‌shortly after the ‌Saudi-led coalition ​ordered the evacuation of the ​facility ​ahead of ​a military ​operation. The Iran-backed rebels had warned that they would target Riyadh’s airport and other sites in the country if Saudi Arabia followed through on its threat.

Franco-Syrian five-piece SARAB, or mirage in Arabic, make what can be described as poetic punk rock, blending guitar-heavy riffs with classical Arabic sounds and socially conscious lyrics. They’re on tour with their latest album “Mit Warde – Cent Roses”, a record dedicated to the victims of war around the world, from Gaza to Syria. We also speak to Tom McFarland from British neo-soul band Jungle, who are on tour with their radiant fifth album “Sunshine”.

Lille are away to Arsenal on Matchday 2 of the Champions League. Olivier Giroud is set to face his former club, where he spent five and a half seasons.

The death of a 28-year-old Russian lab worker at Siberia’s Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute has sparked online panic about a “plague, despite the WHO assessing the public health risk in Russia as low. Unverified claims about how the worker became ill, including a laboratory accident involving a test tube, are circulating online. Misleading posts and out-of-context videos have also fuelled speculation and fear. Vedika Bahl goes through them, and what we know, in Truth or Fake.

The biennial Paris Motor Show kicks off with a record number of Chinese brands descending on the French capital.  European carmakers are fighting back, showcasing their latest models, as the EU announced a deal with China to limit the imports of hybrids.  France 24’s Charles Pellegrin has been speaking with CEOs of both Chinese and European carmakers. 

The concerts of several singers accused of supporting the regime of deposed president Bashar al-Assad have been cancelled this summer in Syria. People in Homs ripped down posters advertising performances by artists Mohamad Iskandar and Hossam Jneed, denouncing their previous links with the regime. One of the musicians later publicly apologised. 

Fifteen years after “The Social Network”, Aaron Sorkin is taking on Facebook again. His new film, “The Social Reckoning”, looks at what the platform has become and the role it plays in division, extremism and misinformation in America, themes that have fuelled his long-running public feud with Mark Zuckerberg. It tells the true story of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, played by Oscar-nominated actress Mikey Madison (“Anora”), who leaked thousands of internal documents to Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, played by Jeremy Allen White (“The Bear”).

Disappointed with his performance at the World Championships two weeks ago, French cyclist Paul Seixas quickly made up for it at the final Monument of the season. He won the Tour of Lombardy, setting a new record as the race’s youngest-ever winner in the process.

Major new research has found that cases of several different kinds of cancer have risen sharply among young people in England, the US and the Netherlands. The number of people under the age of 50 diagnosed with prostate cancer in England has quadrupled since 2001. Researchers aren’t exactly sure why there’s been such an increase, but say the broad reason could be linked to a growing rate of obesity, poor diets and a lack of exercise. FRANCE 24’s Sharon Gaffney speaks with Jon Shelton, Head of cancer intelligence at Cancer Research UK.