Author: France 24

Lionel Messi said farewell to Argentina fans Tuesday in an emotional final international appearance, scoring in a 3-0 win over Benin at Buenos Aires’s Monumental Stadium as 85,000 supporters celebrated a career that brought the country its long-awaited 2022 World Cup triumph.

The World Health Organization joined Western leaders on Wednesday in urging Russia to share more information about what killed a plague institute worker in Siberia as reports emerged of a second suspected case. The Kremlin said Moscow had shared what it knew and accused the media ​of spreading “false information”.

The Trump administration continues to crack down on immigration, with new restrictions on the H-1B visa programme. US Vice President JD Vance singled out Microsoft as having abused the system to recruit low-cost foreign workers, to the detriment of the American workforce. The tech giant has defended its hiring practices. Also in the show: Germany could join a UK-led fighter jet development programme, months after pulling out of a joint French project. 

In the heart of the Egyptian capital Cairo, within the labyrinthine streets of the Manshiyet Nasser district, nearly 120,000 residents process a third of the megacity’s waste every day. Long marginalised, these informal recycling specialists are now undergoing a dramatic transformation due to geopolitical tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, through which polyethylene from the Gulf usually passes.

Hailed for her “bold and inventive” work, “in playful dialogue with the classical tradition”, the Canadian poet, translator and essayist Anne Carson has won the Nobel Prize in Literature. We take a look at her hybrid, lyrical body of work, and the ancient Greek and Latin texts that have inspired her writing. We also discuss the significance of the prize itself, as the Nobel Academy tries to move beyond past accusations of euro-centrism and sexism.

Thursday saw the Court of Arbitration for Sport hold a long-awaited hearing in Lausanne, as sport’s highest court considered Senegal’s appeal over the decision to award Morocco this year’s Africa Cup of Nations title. While Senegal won the match on the pitch in Rabat ten months ago, the Confederation of African Football latter overturned the result because the Teranga Lions had left the pitch in protest mid-game before coming back on. The three-judge panel is expected to issue a verdict soon.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the death of a Russian plague laboratory worker did not appear to be linked to a biological weapon. “We don’t think so. We’re going to find out soon enough, but we don’t think so,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked if a “bio-weapon” was involved. Russia warned earlier against “false” information as reports emerged of a second suspected case. The US and UN have urged Russia to be more transparent. FRANCE 24’s Fraser Jackson reports from Washington.

High energy prices continue to drive inflation and stoke anger among voters around the world. But with more crude oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, and governments releasing more emergency fuel stockpiles, how long will the energy crunch last? 

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris called the October 7 attacks a “horrible act of terrorism” that brought Palestinians “only destruction”, while warning of an “expansionist” Israeli government. He also said that the economic fallout from the Iran war is already “happening”, defended doubling his UAE investment despite the regional conflict, and praised Syria’s new president.

This week on arts24, film critic Manon Kerjean takes us through some of the latest French cinema releases, starting with a new adaptation of Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables”. Vincent Lindon plays Jean Valjean, opposite Tahar Rahim as Inspector Javert in a three-hour epic that brings a thriller-like tension to the classic story.