Author: France 24

24-year-old Jannik Sinner won the Paris Masters for the first time on Sunday by defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Italian’s maiden crown in Paris will see Sinner return to the pinnacle of men’s tennis when the ATP rankings are updated on Monday.

Several trade deals and frameworks between the US and Southeast Asian countries unveiled at the recent ASEAN summit heavily favour Washington. Some analysts are concerned that the lopsided deals will push ASEAN countries towards Beijing, this as China beefs up its own trade ties with the region. Also in this edition: France’s National Assembly passes an extension on corporate tax surcharges, and the US government shutdown threatens funding for critical social services.

US President Donald Trump hails an “amazing” meeting with China’s Xi Jinping, Hurricane Melissa leaves a trail of destruction in the Caribbean, and Mexicans don colourful skeleton costumes as they celebrate El Dia de los Muertos – the Day of the Dead. FRANCE 24 takes a look back at the week’s most striking images. 

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will make a “historic” visit to Washington DC later this month to discuss issues including lifting remaining sanctions, reconstruction and counter-terrorism with White House leadership, the country’s top diplomat said Sunday.

Armel Le Cléac’h, skipper of the Maxi Banque Populaire XI, never leaves anything to chance as he and co-skipper Sébastien Josse prepare for the 2025 Transat Café-L’OR, formerly the Transat Jacques Vabre. Former winners of the Ultim division, the duo will face thousands of nautical miles of unpredictable Atlantic waters, where tactical decisions, extreme weather, and high-speed sailing make every move crucial. Cédric Ferreira reports with Simon Moritz.

It’s a promising medical discovery that could help researchers fight cancer. New research published in the journal Nature has found that patients with some forms of advanced cancer who received a COVID mRNA vaccine lived significantly longer than those who didn’t. FRANCE 24’s Sharon Gaffney speaks with Christiano Marconi, cancer researcher at the University of Florida.

China said Saturday it will exempt some Nexperia computer chips from an export ban that threatened to seriously disrupt EU car production. European automakers had warned that shortages of chips supplied by Nexperia would force stoppages at production lines in Europe.

Saturday marks the innauguration of Cairo’s Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) – the world’s largest museum dedicated to an ancient civilization. It is expected to attract 5 million visitors annually, which would put it in the ranks of the most popular museums in the world. Watch our special coverage of the museum’s inauguration live on FRANCE 24 from 6pm Paris time (GMT+1). 

The Israeli military said Saturday that the remains of three people handed over by Hamas to the Red Cross this week do not belong to any of the remaining Israeli hostages. Palestinian militants have released the remains of 17 hostages they held in Gaza, but the handover of the bodies of the 11 remaining hostages has been slow.

After winning the Shanghai Masters 1000 title, Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot secured a fine victory over Cameron Norrie in Paris. He will now face a top-10 player in the quarter-finals.