Author: France 24

In their final warm-up match before the start of the FIFA World Cup (June 11- July 19) in the United States, Mexico and Canada, France face Brazil in a friendly. Weakened by absences, the Brazilians will have their work cut out against the French, the World Cup runners-up, who comfortably topped their qualifying group. This international break could also be Kylian Mbappé’s chance to become the French national team’s all-time leading goalscorer.

The French population is overexposed to cadmium through food sources, according to a comprehensive report published Wednesday by the national environmental health agency. Cadmium is a toxic metal that is ubiquitous in the environment and can contaminate soil, water and air.

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The only person who managed to coax Daniel Day-Lewis out of his eight-year retirement was a certain Ronan Day-Lewis, whose début feature “Anemone” stars his father. Film critic Emma Jones tells us why a mesmerising Day-Lewis senior steals the show with the intensity of his performance.

Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Natasha Lindstaedt, Author, Professor of Government at the University of Essex. The unfolding conflict reveals a profound shift in Gulf strategic thinking, Professor Lindstaedt argues, driven less by ideological ambition than by accumulated insecurity. What began as a strong preference for de-escalation has gradually given way to a more hard-edged assessment of regional realities. The persistence of attacks, particularly on critical infrastructure, has reinforced the perception that coexistence with a hardline Iranian regime may no longer be viable. 

The French national team have arrived in Boston for their US tour. France will face Brazil on 26 March and Colombia on 29 March.

The EU and Australia have signed a sweeping free trade agreement that will eliminate tariffs on nearly all trade between them as global economies seek to hedge against chaotic US tariff policies. Also in this edition: crude oil prices rise again as traders remain sceptical of signals that Washington is trying to de-escalate its war with Iran.  

While Céline Dion may have performed a showstopping song at the Paris Olympics, it has been years since the singer has performed a concert. According to Canadian media, she’s planning on giving multiple shows in Paris. While no official announcement has come in yet, there are some mysterious signs popping up in Paris.

Delano d’Souza is pleased to welcome Scott Lucas, journalist and Professor of American Studies and International Politics at the Clinton Institute, University College Dublin. Mr. Lucas warns there has been no breakthrough whatsoever in diplomacy. He describes this as strategic uncertainty dressed up in a narrative that does not exist. What appears outwardly as decisive action is, in practice, a reactive process shaped by market pressures, geopolitical signaling, and misread assumptions about regime fragility. The expectation that escalation will produce capitulation misunderstands both the resilience of the Iranian political system and the divergence of objectives between key actors, particularly the…

Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix is making his first appearance in the France squad. France face Brazil and Colombia.