An infected blood scandal in Britain was no accident but the fault of doctors and a succession of governments that led to 3,000 deaths and thousands more contracting hepatitis or HIV, a public inquiry reported on Monday.
The announcement that the ICC prosecutor is seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as well as Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh, is a signal to Israel that the international community will not accept the perpetration of war crimes in response to war crimes, says Yossi Mekelberg, Associate Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House. He spoke to France24's Mark Owen
The artificial intelligence powerhouse said in a blog post that the "Sky" voice at issue was based on the natural speaking voice of a different professional actress and not meant to sound like Johansson. "We believe that AI voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity's distinctive voice," OpenAI said in the post. "Sky’s voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson." OpenAI is working on a way to "pause" Sky as it addresses what appears to be confusion about who it sounds like, the company said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Читать дальше...
India’s mammoth six-week general election entered its fifth voting phase on Monday, May 20, with some parts of the country’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, heading to the polls. Last time, Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party scored a commanding victory here, but, with some resenting the prime minister’s divisive and at times inflammatory politics, will things go the same way this time around?
The WTA said in a statement that it shared with PIF an "ambition to grow women's professional tennis and inspire more women and girls around the world to take up the game." "We look forward to sharing the journey of our talented players across the season, as we continue to grow the sport, creating more fans of tennis and inspiring more young people to take up the game," said Marina Storti, CEO of WTA Ventures, in the joint statement. PIF will become the "first-ever naming partner of the WTA Rankings". Читать дальше...
The State Department said Iran, which has had no diplomatic relations with Washington since the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution, reached out afer Raisi's aging chopper crashed in foggy weather Sunday. "We were asked by the Iranian government for assistance," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. "We said that we would be willing to assist -- something that we would do with respect to any government in this situation," he said. "Ultimately, largely for logistical reasons, we were unable to provide that assistance.
Iran's first Vice President Mohammad Mokhber was appointed acting president of the Islamic Republic on Monday after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.
Change will come eventually from the inside in Iran, but it's unlikely that Ebrahim Raisi's death will be the catalyst for it, says Henri Barkey, professor of International Relations at Lehigh University. He spoke to France24's Tom Burges Watston.
Cate Blanchett is back on the red carpet at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, with "Rumours", a dark comedy which pokes fun at the G7, by directors Guy Maddin and the Johnson brothers. Speaking to FRANCE 24’s Juliette Montilly, the US actress talks about “omnicrisis” and what makes the film “partly a satire, partly a Scooby Doo episode”. Will you find her nod to Neil Young?
Wild card Murray was 7-5, 4-1 down to Yannick Hanfmann when a thunderstorm lashed the Parc des Eaux-Vives grounds and the match was called off for the night. Ever since Friday's draw, tennis fans had been relishing what could be the final match between members of the Big Four who have dominated men's tennis this century: Djokovic, Murray, Rafael Nadal and the now-retired Roger Federer. Murray, 37 and playing with a metal hip, has said he is unlikely to carry on playing competitive tennis beyond the next few months... Читать дальше...
"People who are displaced have a voice, they have a story," said the Oscar-winning actor at a talk at the Cannes Film Festival. "Their stories are so incredible and inspiring." Blanchett, who has met refugees as a UNHCR envoy since 2016, said 114 million people had been displaced around the world by violence and war. "I'm always bewildered as to why more films don't speak directly or obliquely to this," she said. "The more we exclude these voices from our narratives, the more we're othering them." "So I would love to say to people... Читать дальше...
Muslim voters in India feel targeted more and more by the ruling party and Prime Minister Modi with hate speeches. There have been reports of Muslim voters' names being removed from the voting list and in one village in Uttar Pradesh, they were even beaten up. But no action has been taken by the Election Commission of India against these complaints prompting activists to launch a campaign against it. Navodita Kumari reports.
Sargent, who scored 16 goals in 28 appearances for Norwich in the English Championship this season, is in line for his first US camp appearance since the 2022 World Cup after injury forced him to withdraw from the Nations League Final camp in March. Sargent was sidelined four months after ankle surgery in August, and limped off at halftime after tweaking his ankle in Norwich's Championship playoff against Leeds on Thursday. Berhalter said Sargent had some swelling that US team medical staff would address. Читать дальше...
The silver-haired 73-year-old, known by his nickname "Bibi", has dominated his country's politics for decades but now faces mounting isolation both at home and abroad over his handling of the war against Hamas in Gaza. Netanyahu has faced staunch criticism for the security failures that led to Hamas's unprecedented attack on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures. He has remained steadfast in his vow to "eliminate" Hamas... Читать дальше...
"We're here to help you!" called out Giannis, a member of the search and rescue team of the Ocean Viking charity ship, on patrol in the waters between Malta and Italy. A few hours earlier, the crew had been pulled from their bunks at 4:00am by news of the boat in distress. The crackly call to action -- "SAR Team, Ready for Rescue!" -- was relayed across walkie-talkies around the ship, a former supply vessel for oil rigs now run by SOS Mediterranee. The team pulled on life-jackets, hats, gloves... Читать дальше...
South Africa's former president Jacob Zuma is barred from running for parliament in this month's election, the country's top court ruled on Monday (May 20).
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on Monday (May 20) applied for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top Hamas leaders. Will arrest warrants now be issued? For more analysis, FRANCE 24's Nadia Massih is joined by Rosa Freedam, professor of law, conflict and global development at the University of Reading in England.
President Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash comes at a turbulent time in Iran’s history as the country struggles with both internal dissent and rising regional insecurity. FRANCE 24 discusses Raisi’s legacy and the impact of his sudden death with Jonathan Piron, a historian specialising in Iran.
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on Monday (May 20) applied for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top Hamas leaders on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity. FRANCE 24's Irris Makler tells us more about what are the reactions in Israel.
Injuries have blighted Archer's international career and he has not played top-level cricket for 14 months due to back and elbow issues. He has managed just 15 Twenty20 appearances for England since making his international debut five years ago but is in the squad for their four-match T20 series against Pakistan, starting this week, and the World Cup. The 29-year-old has been building up his fitness by playing club cricket in Barbados and last week took a wicket for Sussex's second XI. "It's... Читать дальше...
Shahram Akbarzadeh, convenor of the Middle East Forum from Deakin University, talked to France 24 about the president Raisi's death.
The hardline cleric was considered a favourite to succeed supreme leader Ali Khamenei, 85, who has ultimate authority in Iran, and Raisi's death will pose a challenge to the country's authorities in ensuring the stability of the political system. But analysts are betting on the continuity of the Islamic republic's foreign policy which is the domain of Ayatollah Khamenei and the secretive Supreme National Security Council. "A successor may emerge who is as conservative and loyal to the system as Raisi was," said Ali Vaez... Читать дальше...
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, a hardliner seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed after his helicopter crashed in poor weather in mountains near the Azerbaijan border, officials and state media said on Monday (May 20). For more analysis, FRANCE 24's Nadia Massih is joined by Simon Mabon, lecturer in International Relations Middle East studies at Lancaster University.
"My little dog... always recognized me. That's all that counted," joked Moore, who brought her Chihuahua dog Pilaf to the Cannes Film Festival this week. Explicit body horror film "The Substance" has been a breakout hit, drawing boisterous cheers, wild shrieks and lengthy applause at screenings in packed theatres along the Croisette. It tells the story of an ageing actress who, after being booted from Hollywood by chauvinistic male studio executives, resorts to a strange and mysterious technology... Читать дальше...
Heavy Israeli bombardments and street battles have been reported in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, where the Palestinian civil defence agency said a strike early Sunday (May 19) killed 31 people.
