Author: France 24

On today’s Arts24 Music Show, Jennifer Ben Brahim speaks with Ulysse Cottin, one half of French indie duo Papooz. The band is celebrating ten years of music with a new album, “Papooz and Friends” – a sunny journey featuring some of their favourite collaborators. We also hear from British multi-hyphenate Wesley Joseph, who has just released his much-anticipated debut album, “Forever Ends Someday”. The record is steeped in nostalgia, with much of it written in his childhood home of Walsall, in the West Midlands.

​A Paris court ​on Monday found cement maker Lafarge, now owned by Switzerland’s Holcim, guilty ​of ‌paying the Islamic State group and other jihadists to ⁠keep a plant operating in northern Syria ​during the country’s ‌civil war. The company’s former CEO was sentenced to six years’ prison. 

The election in Hungary had the highest turnout since the fall of Communism. Following Péter Magyar’s landslide victory, FRANCE 24’s Eve Irvine is pleased to welcome Bálint Magyar, Author, Hungary’s former Minister of Education and one of the founding members of the Alliance of Free Democrats. According to Magyar, this election marks the “third regime change” since 1989-90, which will involve transforming it from a “mafia state” back into a liberal democracy. “Therefore, there are three pillars of this latest regime change,” he explains. “One is the restitution of the constitutional state. The second is abolishing the state criminal organization…

French teenage sensation Paul Seixas sealed a dominant overall victory at the Tour of the Basque Country on Saturday, becoming the youngest ever winner of a World Tour stage race as Andrew August claimed the final stage.

One of the world’s leading AI companies has built a model so powerful that it refuses to fully release it publicly just yet, prompting urgent talks from Wall Street to financial regulators in the UK.

The Coachella Festival, which kicks off in the California desert Friday, features a star-studded line-up including Justin Bieber, Karol G. and Sabrina Carpenter, and has gathered thousands of fans. French DJ and producer David Guetta returns to the desert in Indio, and David Byrne, the legendary co-founder of Talking Heads, will make an appearance.

US navy will begin blockading ships trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz “effective immediately”, US President Donald Trump said in a social media post Sunday. He added that the US would ‌also “interdict” every ‌vessel in international waters that had paid a toll to Iran for passing through the critical waterway. France 24 correspondent Fraser Jackson tells us the latest.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the Paris Marathon sees participants staying connected throughout the race, with technology playing a key role in managing exertion and optimizing performance. Caitlin Brown reports.

Crude oil prices rose again on Thursday as the ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump and Iran shows signs of fragility. In this edition, we speak with Ilian Mihov, Professor of Economics at INSEAD, about whether the war and the resulting oil shock could trigger a global recession. He explains that supply shortages can affect economic activity more than price hikes and outlines the delicate calculations central banks will have to make.

Aïda Asgharzadeh was widely praised for her powerful exploration of dissidence and exile in Persian Dolls, weaving her own family’s story into a drama spanning Iran and France. Her deft use of history as a backdrop to intimate, personal narratives is once again in focus with her latest play, The Last Cedar of Lebanon, which examines how individuals respond to the pressures of war and violence – and how geopolitical upheaval can echo across generations. Speaking to FRANCE 24, she explains how creating an emotional landscape lies at the heart of her work, and why, as an Iranian, she struggles…