Author: France 24

What’s in a name? When it comes to AI, a name can mean a huge data protection headache. This week, the internet was fascinated by a list of people that the AI chatbot ChatGPT refuses to talk about. And it’s changing the debate around your “right to be forgotten” online.

Syrian rebels claimed on Friday that were closing in on the central city of Homs, just ten days after they began a lightening offensive that has seen them seize control of multiple cities. If the rebels succeed in ousting the Syrian army from Homs it will secure their advance towards the capital Damascas, FRANCE 24’s Andrew Hilliar reports.

As the iconic cathedral rises from the ashes, we met with the workers who formed a choir while working on the repairs and renovations. These artisans are now giving a special concert to mark the re-opening of Notre-Dame. And, masterpieces of the Spanish Baroque period have been brought together at the Petit Palais in Paris as we learn more about the mission to unite Jusepe de Ribera’s paintings for this landmark exhibition. Also, we take a dive into the spectacular world of Parisian cabaret, a thriving scene that’s managed to keep audiences captivated for more than a century.

FIFA’s new Club World Cup will kick off with a match between Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Cairo-based Al Ahly, the draw revealed on Thursday. The tournament will bring together 32 clubs from around the world in what FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said will “start a new era in club football”.

The world produces some 400 million tonnes of plastic waste every year. About half of all plastic is designed to be single use, that is, thrown away after being used just once. Hopes for a global treaty to tackle plastic production and waste faded at the start of December, when UN-backed talks failed to reach an agreement on curbing plastic pollution. A lot of global efforts to tackle plastic waste is focused on recycling – a solution our guest disagrees with. Rosalie Mann, founder and CEO of the No More Plastic Foundation tells us why.

Israeli strikes on Friday hit the Kamal Adwan hospital, one of northern Gaza’s last working health centres, its director said. A WHO representative said that Israel issued “no official evacuation order” before the strikes.

Known for his playful and colourful designs and collaborations with pop royalty like Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Rihanna, French fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac has a big mission: to dress the 700 clergy for the grand reopening of Paris’s beloved cathedral after the devastating fire 5 years ago. The designs are fun, modern and simple. At the centre there is a gold cross, surrounded by an explosion of vibrant colours which he describes as a river of faith and hope to symbolise the rebirth of the near 900-year-old cathedral. A far cry from the popstar glam of his earlier years,…

Investigators probing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s murder uncovered key leads Thursday, including a suspect’s possible New York trip from Atlanta and ammunition marked “deny, defend, depose.” The phrase, linked to insurance critics, was written in marker, officials revealed anonymously.

French President Emmanuel Macron lashed out at the far-left and the far-right for uniting an “anti-Republican front” to bring down the government after Prime Minister Michel Barnier was ousted by a vote of no-confidence. He promised to name a new prime minister within days and that a special budget bill would be tabled by mid-December. Yuka Royer takes a look at what will likely happen next. 

The Syrian army on Thursday said it had lost control of the key central city of Hama and withdrawn its troops after rebel forces broke through its defences. The insurgents, who are led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), began their lightning advance a week ago and quickly seized swathes of territory, including Syria’s second city Aleppo.