Author: France 24

After Donald Trump announced a pause to the US operation in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s online propaganda machine was quick to declare victory. Explosive Media, one of the groups behind Lego-style videos mocking Trump, proclaimed it “TACO Tuesday”, ie that the US president had “chickened out”. Meanwhile, Minecraft, the Minions and Simpsons-style characters are joining the legions of copycats. FRANCE 24’s Technology Correspondent Peter O’Brien looks at how these videos are actually made.

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Three people have died and three others are ill ⁠after a Netherlands-based cruise ship in the Atlantic was hit by a suspected outbreak of hantavirus. The virus is transmitted to humans through infected wild rodents, such as mice or rats, which shed the virus in their saliva, urine and droppings. In rare cases, it can also spread from human to human. FRANCE 24’s Environment Editor Valerie Dekimpe tells us more.

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In the second week of the trial pitting Elon Musk against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, former board member Shivon Zilis took the stand before judge and jury. Zilis is romantically involved with Musk as he is the father of her four children. In this edition, we look back at what pushed the tech magnate to file this lawsuit to begin with and put in context Zilis’s testimony that Musk wanted OpenAI to be a subsidiary of Tesla. Also in this segment: FIFA boss Gianni Infantino defends the 2026 World Cup’s high ticket prices.

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Mark Owen is pleased to welcome Angelo Amante, Reuters correspondent in Rome. Russia has returned to the 2026 edition of the Venice Biennale for the first time since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Its presence has triggered protests from activists, artists and political dissidents, who argue that culture itself has become an extension of state power and warfare.

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As the Hantavirus-ridden vessel heads for the Spanish Canary islands with 140 passengers on board, a second cruise ship passenger has tested positive in a Dutch hospital. It emerged on Thursday that dozens of passengers disembarked the ship nearly two weeks after a man died on board, leaving health professionals to track where the virus came from, and where it might have gone since. Story by Antonia Kerrigan.

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