Author: France 24

French president Emmanuel Macron hosted around 180 global CEOs at the Palace of Versailles for the 7th edition of the ‘Choose France’ investment summit, where a record €15 billion across 56 projects were pledged. Macron however warned that Europe needs to rethink its business model in the face of rising protectionism in the US and China.  Plus, small live music halls in the UK are struggling to make a profit amid a surge in costs and weakened spending power of their clients.    Source link

News of director Mohammad Rasoulof’s escape from Iran adds a dramatic twist to the 77th Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off on Tuesday against an already volatile backdrop of wars raging on Europe’s doorstep, potential worker strikes and the threat of sex abusers being outed even as they hit the red carpet. Source link

Egypt on Sunday announced its intention to formally support South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel, alleging genocide in its war against Hamas in Gaza. Meanwhile Israel sent tanks into the Jabalia area of northern Gaza Sunday to try to stop Hamas from re-establishing its military presence in a zone the Israeli army claimed to have cleared months ago. The redeployment in the north came as Israel pushed deeper into the southern Gazan city of Rafah. Read our blog to see how the day’s events unfolded. Source link

On today’s edition of arts24, FRANCE 24’s Jennifer Ben Brahim meets Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen. She’s performed on some of the most hallowed stages around the world: From the Royal Opera House to the Metropolitan Opera and La Scala. Lise Davidsen is now taking on one of the most iconic female leads in the eponymous theatre play “Salomé”, which tells a tale of sex, religion, death and decadence, at Paris’s Bastille Opera house. Source link

The exodus of Palestinians from Gaza’s last refuge accelerated Sunday as Israeli forces pushed deeper into the southern city of Rafah. Israel also pounded the territory’s devastated north, where some Hamas militants have regrouped in areas the military said it had cleared months ago.  Source link

US retail giant Amazon is expected to announce a €1.2-billion ($1.3-billion) investment in France, the French government said Sunday, while pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and AstroZeneca have pledged nearly €1 billion ahead of the annual Choose France summit on foreign investment starting Monday.  Source link

Israeli forces pushed deep into the ruins of Gaza’s northern edge on Monday to recapture an area where they had claimed to have defeated Hamas months ago, while tanks and troops pushed across a highway into Rafah in the enclave’s south. An all-out Israeli offensive on Rafah would provoke “anarchy” without eliminating Hamas, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday. Read our liveblog for all the latest developments. Source link

The 7th annual foreign investment summit known as “Choose France” kicks off at Versailles with €15 billion in new projects expected. Also in this edition, China prepares a $140 billion debt float to fund economic stimulus. Plus, hundreds of environmental activists storm Tesla’s Gigafactory in Germany. Source link

Israeli strikes on Saturday hit parts of Gaza including Rafah where Israel expanded an evacuation order and the UN warned of an “epic” disaster if an outright invasion of the crowded city goes ahead. Source link

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a U.S. threat to withhold some weapons would not deter Israel from expanding its offensive in Gaza. A limited Israeli operation earlier this week captured the Gaza side of Rafah’s border crossing with Egypt, throwing humanitarian operations into crisis. What would happen if the US were to withhold offensive weapons from Israel? Answer by FRANCE 24 international affairs editor Kéthévane Gorjestani. Source link