Author: France 24

TV critic Dheepthika Laurent has been dipping her toes into the luxury waters of “The White Lotus” resort, as the series returns for a third season. The major ingredients of Mike White’s award-winning show are all there: a mysterious murder victim, millionaire tourists and an exotic location, with the action decamping to Thailand after Sicily and Hawaii in previous seasons. We then discuss the sequel to “1923”, the American far west drama that paints a fresco of European settlers in the cattle country of Montana. With Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren reprising their roles in the sweeping story of the…

The Berlin Film Festival is known for its political nature and this year’s edition is no exception, with elections in Germany casting a shadow over proceedings and calls for a boycott over the event’s attitude towards Palestinians in Gaza. Film critic Emma Jones takes us through some of the highly topical productions that are screening, from a Ukrainian documentary about how children are experiencing life in wartime to an Israeli film about actor David Cunio, who was taken hostage on October 7, 2023. Timothée Chalamet, Jessica Chastain and Robert Pattinson have all been on the red carpet in Berlin for…

US President Donald Trump has floated the idea of slapping import duties on all imports of cars, pharmaceuticals and chips, saying to reporters that he could make a formal announcement on April 2. The new tariffs are supposed to encourage companies to manufacture their goods in the United States, and could considerably widen the scope of Trump’s trade war. Also in this edition: the EU mulls easing its fiscal rules in order to allow for an increase in defence spending.

A Hamas official said Wednesday that Hamas is ready to release all the remaining hostages in one batch during the second phase of the ceasefire agreement rather than in stages. The fragile Gaza truce has held since taking effect on January 19, despite accusations of violations by both Israel and Hamas.

Actress and author Julianne Moore says it was a “great shock” to hear that her children’s book “Freckleface Strawberry” was among those removed from some American public schools, after an executive order from President Donald Trump saw a long list of titles confiscated for review. Olivia Salazar-Winspear explains what the current US administration sees as cause for concern in children’s literature. We also take a look at a new exhibition recreating the “Degenerate Art” scene of the 1930s, when the Nazi party sought to demonise avant-garde painters like Marc Chagall, Paul Klee, Otto Dix and Pablo Picasso, as the Picasso…

Benfica snatched a nailbiting 3-3 draw against Monaco on Tuesday to reach the Champions League last 16 with a 4-3 aggregate victory in the play-off round.

Europe’s gas demand dropped to an 11-year low in 2024, with imports in liquefied natural gas declining 19% from the previous year. However, import of Russian LNG into the EU increased by 18% with France, Spain and Belgium sourcing the most, according to a new industry report. Also on the show, Stellantis issued a “stop drive” order on around 250,000 Citroen cars over potentially deadly airbags produced by now-defunct Takata, extending an existing recall nationwide.

Since 2011, some 1.5 million Syrians have found refuge in Egypt, where they have succeeded in creating new lives for themselves. But two months after the fall of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, many are ready to return to their largely destroyed country. FRANCE 24’s Nuria Tesón and Edouard Dropsy report.

Victor Le Masne’s career has seen him go from touring indie pop clubs and festivals with his band Housse de Racket to conducting world-famous orchestras. 2024 brought him to dizzying new heights as he co-directed the opening and closing ceremonies of the Paris Olympics and Paralympics. Fresh from winning a Grammy and a Victoire de la musique award, he popped by FRANCE 24 to tell Marjorie Hache about his new album “Music from The Opening Ceremony of The Olympic Games Paris 2024”, which will be played live at the Grand Rex in Paris on June 13.

Paris Saint-Germain’s players have developed a newfound confidence and clinical efficiency following the loss of players like Neymar, Mbappé and Messi, a shift epitomised by Ousmane Dembélé’s transformation from wasteful finisher to ruthless goal scorer. Under Luis Enrique’s management, the team’s hyped-up, overpriced squads have racked up some of the most depressing fiascos in the history of club football.