Author: France 24

A court formally arrested the mayor of Istanbul, a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Sunday and ordered him jailed pending the outcome of a trial on corruption charges. Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was detained following a raid on his residence earlier this week, sparking the largest wave of street demonstrations in Turkey in more than a decade. It also deepened concerns over democracy and rule of law in Turkey. FRANCE 24’s Andrew Hilliar breaks down the latest developments.

After London and New York, can musicals make a name for themselves in Paris? To answer this question, Valérie Fayolle takes you behind the scenes of the Mogador Theatre to discover the intricate work that takes place before a performance of “The Lion King”. Next, we head to the Bobino Theatre to meet the artistic team behind “Black Legends,” a tribute to African American music. Finally, in From Paris with Love, we discover Madame Arthur’s, the legendary drag cabaret in the French capital’s Pigalle district.

The Netherland’s Mathieu van der Poel won the Milan-San Remo “Monument” cycling race on Saturday for the second time after sprinting past world champion Tadej Pogacar. Lorena Wiebes, also from the Netherlands, won the women’s race.

On March 17, 2020, France, like many other countries around the world, went into lockdown as Covid-19 rapidly spread. Five years on, many infected by the virus still suffer symptoms, a condition known as Long Covid. Complications vary, but often include exhaustion, muscle ache, regular fevers, heart conditions and difficulty concentrating. Some sufferers have seen their lives turned upside down, having had no choice but to give up work and face family members who question if their illness is “real”. In this edition of Focus, Gaëlle Fonseca and Claire Paccalin met with Long Covid sufferers and specialists at the Clinique du…

The European Union has unveiled a new package of measures, including reducing its import quota by 15 percent, in a bid to shore up its struggling metals industry in the face of US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats. We take a closer look in this edition.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who was arrested this week on suspicion of corruption, has been the “most viable candidate against President Erdogan”, said Guney Yildiz, visiting fellow at the London School of Economics, adding that Imamoglu is also the opposition’s “strongest candidate” with a wide appeal “from conservatives to left-wingers to liberals”. Imamoglu’s wide-ranging political appeal is however likely prevent him from galvanising enough support, Yildiz said, adding that the current protests sweeping Turkey are likely to diminish. “The potential removal of Imamoglu from the election race, I think, opens the road for Erdogan for another term in 2028”, he…

The EU is adapting to a new security situation, not just on its own continent, but also in the Middle East. Hopes of a more peaceful Syria after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad have so far been dashed, with sectarian massacres happening on the Syrian coast earlier in March – killings that have triggered an exodus of thousands of people across the border into Lebanon. Lebanon itself remains extremely fragile, economically and socially. And the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is clearly far from over, despite a ceasefire that was announced in January. The EU is working with…

FRANCE 24’s TV critic Dheepthika Laurent joins us from Lille, where the Séries Mania festival is kicking off with two hotly anticipated French shows. The sumptuous dishes of a 19th-century celebrity chef are the jumping-off point for “Carême”, and we check out the fifth season of “HPI”, which sees Audrey Fleurot embody an exceptionally intelligent part-time sleuth. We also find out more about Amanda Seyfried’s latest show “Long Bright River”, which the award-winning actress is presenting at the festival, while Christina Hendricks’ latest project takes the “Mad Men” star to rural Ireland. Plus, as “Adolescence” sparks debate in the UK,…

After months of suspense, Kirsty Coventry has been named successor to Germany’s Thomas Bach as the new president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), one of the most powerful people in sports.  Zimbabwean Coventry becomes the first woman and African to be elected president of the IOC.  

On the 5th anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic, people across the globe are still deeply affected physically and psychologically. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on the long-term impact of the devastating once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, Eve Irvine welcomes Dr. Heather Sequeira, Chartered Psychologist specialising in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), OCD, and Trauma (PTSD). Dr. Sequeira is founder of PTSDTraumaWorkshops.