Author: France 24

In a quiet residential area of Brussels, tucked away among the modern and uniform facades of the Forest neighbourhood, sits a house that is giving birth to a unique project which could revolutionise our approach to the start and end of life. Here, expecting mothers and end-of-life patients live side by side, cared for respectively by midwives and volunteers. FRANCE 24’s Alix Le Bourdon reports. 

The French women’s cricket team came last at a tournament in the overseas territory of New Caledonia on Friday, but officials are optimistic for the future. The brand-new squad completely replaced the women’s team whose members called for a probe last year into allegations that France Cricket was faking “ghost” matches to receive funding slated for women’s cricket.

Since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Russia’s economy has proved to be robust despite sanctions, inflation and labour shortages. But how long can it last? Charles Pellegrin takes a deep dive with his guest Richard Connolly, associate fellow and specialist on the Russian economy at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in the UK. He is also the author of a commentary titled “Russia’s Wartime Economy isn’t as Weak as it Looks”.

Hamas on Friday said it is ready to free an Israeli-American hostage and the remains of four other dual nationals, after the Palestinian militants and Israel gathered for indirect Gaza ceasefire talks.

She was an icon of 1990’s television; now Pamela Anderson is embarking on a new phase in her career, as she stars in “The Last Showgirl”. Film critic Emma Jones sat down with her at the Zurich film festival where they discussed her critically-acclaimed performance as a Las Vegas cabaret performer and how facing her fears is opening up new professional opportunities for the actress. And, we meet London-based artist Lakwena Maciver, whose artwork blends vibrant colours and bold statements. Finally, the Pompidou Centre mothballs its permanent collection before undergoing extensive renovations to the building.

Captain Kylian Mbappé was recalled to the France squad on Thursday for the Nations League quarter-final against Croatia.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to slap a 200% duty on imports of wine and spirits from the European Union.  He accused the bloc of imposing a “nasty” 50% tariff on bourbons, even though that planned levy is itself a response to his 25% tax on steel and aluminium imports. Plus, Donatella Versace is stepping down as chief creative officer at the Italian fashion house after 30 years. 

Arab leaders have recently endorsed a Gaza reconstruction plan to counter Trump’s proposed US takeover of Gaza. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the future of post-war Gaza and the state of Israeli and Palestinian leadership, FRANCE 24’s Delano D’Souza welcomes Samer Sinijlawi, prominent Palestinian political activist, political commentator and the founding chairman of the Jerusalem Development Fund. 

It’s a book that tells the astonishing story of the books that were smuggled across the Iron curtain during and after the Second World War. Described by the Observer as a “gripping account of an intriguing and little-known Cold War moment”, “The CIA book Club – the best kept secret of the cold war” recounts the tale of how millions of books made it across the longest and most heavily guarded border on earth. In Perspective, we spoke to author Charlie English.

Real Madrid and Arsenal will face each other in the last eight of the Champions League. Real beat Atletico on penalties to reach the quarter-finals following an enthralling last-16 tie which ended 2-2 after extra time on Wednesday. Arsenal eased into the quarter-finals of with a 9-3 aggregate victory over PSV Eindhoven after a 2-2 draw in the second leg of their last-16 clash on Wednesday.