Author: France 24

A new, 25% import tax on all steel and aluminium coming into the United States has taken effect, drawing swift retaliatory measures from Canada and the European Union.  Donald Trump warned of a further response. Sweeping metal tariffs imposed during Trump’s first term did have some positive impact on the US steel and aluminium industries but negatively affected other sectors downstream. Plus, US inflation in February cooled slighly. 

Reports continue to emerge of the distressing scale of violence in Syria’s coastal region since 6 March. The UN Human Rights Office has so far documented the killing of 111 civilians, but the process of verification is ongoing, and the actual number of people killed is believed to be significantly higher. FRANCE 24’s Mark Owen speaks to UN Human Rights Spokesman Thameen Al Kheetan.

Critic Perrine Quennesson takes us through the latest releases in the world of French cinema, with two family stories that transport us to convincing versions of France in the 1960s and 1990s. “My Mother, God, And Sylvie Vartan” tells the story of a devoted mother, played by Leïla Bekhti, who is prepared to move mountains for her son. Meanwhile “Queen Mom” charts an immigrant family’s experience as they come up against stereotypes about North Africans and attempt to overcome the obstacles planted in their path; the film also offers a comical and fantastical take on one of the bogeymen of…

The French capital’s diverse venues are once again the backdrop for ready-to-wear collections, with local and international labels presenting their looks. Fashion critic Samantha Tse takes us through the highlights and introduces us to British designer Sarah Burton, who is the newly appointed creative director at Givenchy. Stars from the worlds of cinema and fashion were in attendance at the Louvre’s gala dinner, as the Parisian museum raises more than €1 million for its upcoming refurbishments. And we go through some of the stand-out silhouettes from Chloé, Courrèges, Alaïa and Dior and discuss a fashion pop-up aiming to pamper our…

Paris Saint-Germain progressed to the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday after beating Liverpool 4-1 in a penalty shoot-out to win an epic last-16 tie between the clubs.

In the latest twist in an escalating trade war between the US and Canada, Donald Trump announced doubling tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium to 50% only to halt them hours later, after Ontario’s premier Doug Ford suspended a planned 25% surcharge on electricity exports to the United States. Wall Street had another chaotic trading day.  Plus, embattled Japanese carmaker Nissan has announced a management reshuffle. Ivan Espinosa will replace Makoto Uchida as CEO next month. 

The worst violence to hit Syria since Bashar al-Assad’s ouster poses a major threat to the transition, with mass killings of civilians throwing into doubt the new authorities’ ability to govern. FRANCE 24’s Mark Owen speaks to Matt Broomfield from the Rojava Information Centre. He says that the only workable solution for Syria is a federal decentralized system that protects minorities.

This week we welcome Icelandic folk artist Árný Margrét who has just released her new album  “I Miss You, I Do”. Her award winning debut (“They Only Talk About The Weather”) garnered rave reviews and fans across the world and led her to tour the US extensively. The states contrasted wildly with her native country and inspired her song-writing and she recorded much of her second album in the US. We also chat to neo-soul artist Greentea Peng about her soon to be released introspective album “Tell Dem It’s Sunny” for which she’s about to tour Europe and take a look at K-pop rapper Jennie’s (Black…

Wall Street stocks plummeted after Donald Trump refused to rule out the possibility of a recession resulting from his tariffs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 89 points, the S&P 500 closed down 2.7% and the Nasdaq sank 4%, its biggest one-day loss in five years. Tesla shares nosedived, closing the day down 15% as a backlash against Elon Musk’s politics intensified. Plus, Japan auctioned off a portion of its emergency stockpiles of rice in an effort to bring prices down. 

After the commercial and critical success of “Parasite”, South Korean director Bong Joon-ho has adopted a very different tone for his sci-fi comedy “Mickey 17”. Film critic Ben Croll tells us why Robert Pattinson is very good at acting alongside multiple selves, and how the movie’s overblown atmosphere sits within Bong’s body of work. We also discuss the atmospheric film “Black Dog”, from Chinese director Guan Hu, which takes place in a ghost town in the Gobi Desert and we learn about the phenomenal success of “Ne Zha 2” as the children’s movie becomes the highest-grossing animated feature of all…