Author: France 24

With seven Europa League matches under their belt, Lyon have now won six of them. This means they are guaranteed a place in the round of 16 and remain at the top of the table. Meanwhile, Lille suffered their fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions and will be playing for their European future next week. Finally, Nice ended their terrible run in European competition with a victory over Go Ahead Eagles.

In 2024, 40 of the 50 cities ranked as the most polluted in the world were located in India. Delhi topped the list. Over the past decade, air pollution has become the Indian capital’s number one scourge. The situation is getting worse every year, but the authorities seem to be ignoring it, much to the dismay of residents. Our correspondents Alban Alvarez and Lisa Gamonet report.    

A new report by professional social media platform LinkedIn shows that while jobseekers currently outpace job openings, a “new-collar” era of work is opening, focused on AI-related skills. In this edition, we speak to LinkedIn’s EMEA Managing Director Sue Duke from the World Economic Forum in Davos about her insights on new labour market trends and how to navigate geopolitical uncertainty.

Award-winning Malaysian author Tash Aw kicks off a sprawling family saga with coming-of-age novel “The South”. He tells us about returning to the Malaysia of the 1990s and reflects on a society within which homophobic laws existed, but small queer communities were relatively visible. We also talk about how climate change has been driving waves of migration in Southeast Asia and why embarking on an ambitious literary project is a risky but rewarding business.

François Picard is pleased to welcome Aaron David Miller, Diplomat, and Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. In Gaza, where fundamental and irreconcilable differences remain between the warring parties, the former US Mideast negotiator offers a scathing assessment of Trump’s peace initiative: “No country that’s credible, has a democratic process, and has thought this through, is going to sign up to a board which has no set of governing principles, and is completely tethered to the whims, fantasies, and likes or dislikes of a single individual.”

Aston Villa booked a Europa League last-16 spot on Thursday with a 1-0 win at Fenerbahce, while Nottingham Forestslipped to a costly defeat at Braga. Celtic drew 2-2 with Bologna, leaving qualification in doubt, as Rangers exited despite a first win.

After a week of twists and turns, US President Donald Trump delivered a highly anticipated speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday. Earlier at Davos, French President Emmanuel Macron decried bullying on the global stage and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned that “the old order is not coming back”. For analysis, FRANCE 24’s Charles Pellegrin talks to Brett Bruen, president and CEO of the Global Situation Room, who is just back from Davos.   

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have announced the nominees for the 98th Academy Awards, with Ryan Coogler’s vampire horror “Sinners” leading the charge. Racking up a record 16 nominations in various categories, “Sinners” is followed by Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another”, on 13 nominations. FRANCE 24’s Olivia Salazar-Winspear takes us through the movies and the movie stars who could be in line for a gold statuette on March 15.

US President Donald Trump has unveiled his “Board of Peace,” a $1 billion initiative aimed at resolving international conflicts through permanent membership. Meanwhile, medical sources at Al-Shifa Hospital report that at least four people have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza, and an infant has died from exposure to the cold. France24 correspondent Noga Tarnopolsky reports the latest from Jerusalem.

Liverpool cruised past Marseille 3-0 to put themselves in a strong position to finish in the top eight. The French side will have to beat Club Brugge in their final league match to clinch a playoff spot.