Author: France 24

The Senegalese team was welcomed by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye before parading through the streets of Dakar.

As 79-year-old US President Donald Trump enters the second year of his second term, questions about his physical and cognitive health are a recurring topic amid viral images, defiant responses from the White House and a lack of medical disclosure. The debate echoes earlier controversies around the health of US leaders – and raises uncomfortable questions about transparency and power.

French president Emmanuel Macron spoke out against Donald Trump’s latest tariff threat, describing his approach to trade deals as bullying and an attempt to weaken and subordinate Europe. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the French leader called on the EU to be ready to activate its powerful anti-coercion mechanism, colloquially called the “trade bazooka”. 

One year after Donald Trump’s return to power, FRANCE 24’s Eve Jackson revisits the paradoxical and conflictual relationship between the US president and culture and the arts. From controversial appointments in Hollywood, to attacks on diversity policies, to the symbolic takeover of the Kennedy Center, the US president intends to regain control of the American cultural narrative. Faced with this pressure, artists and institutions are getting organised, taking a stand and mobilising for freedom of speech.

Syrian government forces on Tuesday made further gains in the northeastern region long held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), according to Syrian military sources. Kurdish fighters have vowed to defend their remaining enclaves in a bid to stem the biggest shift in territorial control in Syria since Bashar al-Assad fall in 2024.

Kylian Mbappé and Luis Enrique defended Brahim Diaz after his failed Panenka penalty in the AFCON final.

Eve Irvine is pleased to welcome Daisy Fancourt, Professor of Psychobiology & Epidemiology and Head of the Social Biobehavioural Research Group at UCL. Her new book “Art Cure” highlights the healing power of the arts. Drawing on thousands of scientific studies, Ms. Fancourt argues that the arts are an essential part of our well-being. From boosting dopamine and reducing cortisol, to enhancing brain plasticity and even altering gene expression, the book reveals the untapped potential of immersive, hands-on creativity for preventive health. 

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has announced he will invoke Article 49.3 of the Constitution to pass the 2026 budget bill into law without parliamentary approval. He admitted that resorting to this tool represented a ‘partial failure’ as he had promised not to do so.  But after a host of concessions the government has made, he is betting he now has enough political support, notably from the Socialists, to survive even if no-confidence motions were filed. 

On the occasion of the one-year anniversary of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, arts24 travels to the undisputed world capital of country music – Nashville, Tennessee – for a special two-part programme exploring how this quintessentially American genre has become both a global force and a mirror of a deeply divided nation.

The leader of a group that aims to unite Iranian students amid the violence in the country has spoken to FRANCE 24 about her belief that the Islamic regime cannot hold its power just through terror. Aïda Tavakoli is founder of the group We Are Iranian Students. She spoke to us after Iran’s supreme leader for the first time publicly admitted that thousands of his own people have been killed in the huge demonstrations there. She spoke to us in Perspective.