Author: France 24

Giorgio Armani directed an empire that generated 2.3 billion euros in 2024… and never sold any part of his company to an outsider. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s Fed nominee Stephen Miran was grilled by the Senate Banking Committee as he tried to convince them he intended to preserve the Federal Reserve’s independence. Plus, Melania Trump made a rare public appearance to talk AI with some top industry leaders.

In this episode of arts24, we begin at the Venice Film Festival, where a harrowing film about a five-year-old girl killed during an Israeli assault on Gaza, entitled “The Voice of Hind Rajab”, received a 23-minute standing ovation. Directed by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania and executive produced by Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix and others, the film uses real phone recordings to reconstruct the child’s final moments, leaving audiences visibly shaken and critics calling it the most urgent entry of the festival.

The people of Syria had almost lost hope before the sudden fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad, so today “hope is a new thing for them”. That’s the sentiment of an Iraqi-born internationally recognised photojournalist who grew up in Syria and returned there when the Assad regime fell in December 2024 to capture the fighting and its aftermath. Salwan Georges is a photojournalist for The Washington Post, and his work inside Syria is currently on display at the Visa pour l’Image photojournalism festival in the southern French city of Perpignan. He spoke to us in Perspective. 

France continue their preparation for their first 2026 World Cup qualifying match against Ukraine on Friday. The 2022 World Cup runners-up will also face Iceland on Tuesday. Ousmane Dembélé trained separately again due to a hamstring injury.

Florida plans to scrap vaccine mandates, becoming the first US state to end long-standing requirements protecting schoolchildren and adults from infectious diseases. State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced the move Wednesday, denouncing existing rules as “immoral” intrusions on parental rights that restrict families’ ability to make health decisions.

The European Commission has given final approval to a massive trade deal with South America’s Mercosur bloc, and presented the agreement to member states to sign.  It brings the long-stalled deal a step closer to ratification, as the revised version has put in place various safeguards to protect European farmers, and appease critics like France. 

The 82nd Venice Film Festival got underway with a constellation of stars on its red carpet, as Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield attended the premiere of “After the Hunt”, directed by Luca Guadagnino. Film critic Emma Jones tells us why she was impressed by Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Bugonia”, starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemmons. We also discuss the French-made political intrigue “The Wizard of the Kremlin”, with Jude Law playing Vladimir Putin himself. And politics were ever-present at this year’s Mostra, with Venice4Palestine protests and Kaouther Ben Hania’s powerful docu-drama “The Voice of Hind Rajab”, which is set in Gaza.

The world’s biggest academic association of genocide scholars has passed a resolution saying the legal criteria have been met to establish Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. FRANCE 24’s Mark Owen speaks with Timothy Williams, Vice President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars.

Genocide, as defined under international law, is the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. In the context of the ongoing war in Gaza, this legal definition is being invoked with growing urgency. Joining FRANCE 24’s Eve Irvine to examine the humanitarian and legal implications is Melanie O’Brien, President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars. O’Brien argues that the situation in Gaza meets the key legal criteria for genocide, pointing to widespread and systematic acts such as mass killings, the infliction of serious physical and psychological harm, starvation, denial of access…

Isak became the most expensive player in the history of British soccer after joining Liverpool for a reported 125 million pounds sterling (170 million US dollars) from Newcastle on Monday, ending the summer transfer window’s biggest saga.