Author: France 24

Third-choice goalkeeper Abdelhakim El Mesbahi emerged as Morocco’s unlikely hero on Wednesday, saving the decisive penalty to seal a dramatic 5-4 shootout victory over France and send his nation to its first-ever Under-20 World Cup final. Coming off the bench in the dying minutes of extra time, El Mesbahi – armed with intel on France’s penalty takers – delivered the clutch moment that capped a tense semifinal, setting up a historic final showdown with Argentina.

Reintroducing a wealth tax has been a particularly divisive issue in the ongoing budget battle in France. In a world where the richest 1% holds more wealth than the bottom 95% put together, Susana Ruiz, Tax Policy Lead at Oxfam International, tells France 24 that taxing the rich is ‘a new common sense’. Also in the segment, Elon Musk’s Starlink has come under scrutiny over whether it’s helping power online scam centres in SouthEast Asia. 

Critic Emma Jones reviews this week’s major releases, including Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut, “The Chronology of Water”, and the Japanese drama “A Pale View of Hills”. Director Myriam El Hajj offers a compelling portrait of a society in turmoil in her latest documentary, “Diaries from Lebanon”, following Georges, Joumana, and Perla Joe. The film exposes Lebanon’s simmering tensions amid economic, political, and humanitarian crises. El Hajj shares the challenges of filmmaking in Lebanon in recent years and how her subjects inspired the energy and optimism to complete the project.

As funerals are organised for the Israeli hostages whose bodies were returned, Israel says it has reopened the Rafah crossing on October 15, 2025, to allow aid to come back into Gaza. After two years of relentless bombing, the enclave is still figuring out how to rebuild. US President Donald Trump reportedly said negotiations for phase two of the ceasefire have begun.

Joining Delano D’Souza, Deir el-Balah resident and humanitarian responder Bahaa Zaqout offers us a glimpse of Gaza at a crossroads, where a tenuous calm overlays a land in ruins. He describes a slight turn toward normalcy now that the relentless daily bombing has ceased: aid convoys entering without looting, food supplies stabilizing, displaced families tentatively returning. Yet he warns that this moment remains very volatile and the violence continues, albeit at a much lower level: “There is shooting every day and every moment” as Hamas seeks to “take over or take control of the Gaza Strip, not limited to the areas…

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said President Donald Trump and the Republican Party are “marching the country” into a government shutdown over their refusal to meet with Democrats and strike a deal to save health care funding from cuts. This shutdown, not the nation’s first, could be more difficult. Trump’s budget office this week ordered federal agencies to prepare a mass firing of federal workers, rather than the typical temporary employee furlough, if the federal government were to close.

The three nations clinched the last automatic African berths for the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday, each cruising to dominant 3-0 or 4-0 victories to join Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and others at next year’s global tournament in North America.

In the face of an unprecedented political crisis, France’s re-appointed prime minister Sébastien Lecornu proposed suspending President Emmanuel Macron’s signature pension reform enacted in 2023.  Speaking before parliament, Lecornu warned however of the estimated cost of such a move as he pressed lawmakers to agree on next year’s budget.  Also in the segment, the US and China have started collecting new tit-for-tat port fees imposed on each other’s maritime transport and shipping industry. 

The first French contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race – and the fearless host of Drag Race France – Karl Sanchez, better known as Nicky Doll, joins Eve Jackson on Arts24 to share the story behind the persona. In this episode, Karl opens up about his powerful new album “Apollo • Artemis”, his journey balancing masculinity and femininity, and how drag has become a platform for art, fashion, and activism. He also tells us about the first-ever Drag Race France Live All Stars Royal Tour.

With huge crowds waiting to welcome them home, Palestinian prisoners released by Israel on Monday were overwhelmed with joy as they returned to their loved ones. Israel freed about 1,700 Palestinian prisoners and 250 security detainees in exchange for 20 hostages held by Hamas, under the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal.