Author: France 24

Larry Ellison, the 81-year-old co-founder of US business software company Oracle, briefly became the world’s richest man on Wednesday after shares in Oracle surged over 40 percent. The company is predicting that its cloud infrastructure business will grow from $10 billion to $144 billion by 2030, thanks to AI-driven demand for its services. Also in this edition: Cuba suffers another island-wide blackout – the fifth in the past year.

The director and producer of a new television series here in France has spoken of her delight at being able to feature France’s LGBTQ+ community in a place where they feel safe. Amandine Gay is the woman behind “Ballroom” – a series that features the artistic competition of New York’s ballroom culture, where the LGBTQ community combines fashion, dance and self-expression. She says the series shows how people get to know themselves and decide who they are going to be. She spoke to us in Perspective.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed Washington would provide unwavering support to Israel in achieving its goals in Gaza as he called for the eradication of Hamas. Meanwhile, leaders from Arab, Muslim countries are gathering for an emergency summit in Doha, following Israel’s unprecedented strike on Hamas in Qatar..For deeper analysis, Carys Garland welcomes Dr H A Hellyer, Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence & International Security Studies in London.

Germany has won its first EuroBasket title since 1993, narrowly beating Turkey 88-83 to secure the gold. Greece took away the bronze medal with a win against Finland.

It’s crunch time for “chat control”, the European Commission’s plan to scan private messages and report content suspected of being child sexual abuse.

Filmmaker Kateryna Gornostai takes us to classrooms all over Ukraine in her latest documentary, as children and teenagers continue their education despite the ongoing Russian aggression. Amid the rubble and air raid sirens, “Timestamp” reveals the unwavering commitment of teachers to convey lifesaving, practical information as well as encouraging joy, beauty and laughter. Kateryna tells us about the reality of filming in an active conflict zone and why the war represents an existential attack on the very notion of Ukrainian identity. 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Israel on Sunday, as Israel intensified its attacks against northern Gaza, flattening another high-rise building and killing at least 12 Palestinians. The trip is taking place after President Donald Trump rebuked Israel over the unprecedented attack against Hamas leaders meeting in Doha on Tuesday.

There were debut goals for defenders Benjamin Pavard and Nayef Aguerd as Marseille left their middling August form behind to seal a 4-0 win over promoted side Lorient on Friday evening. 

French PM François Bayrou submitted his resignation on Tuesday after losing a confidence vote in parliament. He had gambled on a budget demanding over €40 billion in savings. The plan would have frozen welfare benefits, cut civil-service jobs and scrapped two public holidays. President Emmanuel Macron then named Sébastien Lecornu, a longtime ally, as France’s new prime minister to pick up the mantle of trying to pass a budget through a divided parliament. So where does the country’s economy stand now? Charles Pellegrin discusses this and more with Alexandra Roulet, associate professor of economics at INSEAD. 

This week, Paris des Arts takes you to La Villette, Europe’s largest urban park and the site of a world of cultural and sporting activities. We meet choreographer and director Blanca Li, who ran the institution before returning to her artistic pursuits. She talks to us about her many projects, including the “Bal de Paris”, an immersive creation combining dance, music and virtual reality.