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« Croire à l’impossible » : Pretty Yende, d’un township d’Afrique du Sud aux scènes d’opéra du monde entier

AI feature film on Iran’s protest movement makes festival history

A film about Iran's protest movement is making cinema history. "Dreams of Violets" is the first fully AI-generated feature film ever selected by a major international film festival. The 75-minute drama will premiere at New York's Tribeca Festival next week. Created by Iranian-British director Ash Koosha from his home in London, the film took just three months to produce and cost less than 2,000 euros. There were no actors, no cameras, no sets and no film crew. Koosha says the film simply could not have been made through conventional means. Living in exile and unable to safely film inside Iran, he turned to AI to recreate events linked to the country's deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters. The film is based on journalistic reports, photographs and eyewitness accounts, and explores themes of memory, censorship and resistance. But as Tribeca becomes the first major festival to embrace a fully AI-generated feature, the film is also reigniting a fierce debate. Can artificial intelligence tell deeply human stories? Does AI democratise filmmaking or threaten the future of the industry? Eve Jackson speaks to Ash Koosha about Iran, ethics and the future of cinema.

Ukraine's Zelensky pledges clear timetable of talks on EU membership

President Volodymyr Zelensky ⁠pledged on Thursday that ​Ukraine would keep to a clear timetable in talks on joining the ​European Union and in sticking to its obligations with the 27-nation bloc. FRANCE 24's Mark Owen speaks with Georgia's former minister of Euro-Atlantic integration and professor at SciencesPo Paris Tornike Gorgadze.

A 'ceasefire war' in Lebanon continues as 'chaotic global leadership' takes its toll

Hezbollah's chief on Thursday rejected a conditional truce announced by Lebanese and Israeli envoys, demanding instead a comprehensive ceasefire and full Israeli withdrawal as he threatened northern Israel with new attacks. FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopolsky reports from Jerusalem.

WHO says Ebola response catching up as confirmed DRC cases hit 344

The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that the world is "catching up" with the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo, where there have been 344 confirmed cases of ​the disease ‌and 60 confirmed deaths, although challenges remain. "The outbreak had a big head start, and ⁠we're still behind, but under the leadership of the government of DRC, we're catching up," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press briefing. The outbreak, linked to ‌the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, has spread to neighbouring Uganda where 15 cases have ⁠been confirmed, including one death, the agency said.

Protests grow over Trump family-linked resort in Albania

A massive coastal development project linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, is facing growing resistance from protesters in Albania. The government says the development on the Adriatic coast would be transformational for the former communist nation as it seeks to enter the high-end tourism market and pushes for European Union membership. But the venture has drawn opposition from environmental campaigners and critics of long-time Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama.

Summer blockbuster: Why the French keep coming back to Charles de Gaulle

The release of a two-part summer blockbuster on General Charles de Gaulle’s fight to rally resistance to Nazi occupation is yet another sign that the once-divisive figure continues to fascinate the French public. And while his name risks being turned into an empty signifier of fading French glory on the lips of politicians of every stripe, his call for France to forge its own foreign policy – free of Washington’s dictates – may have found new relevance as Europe’s relationship with the US worsens.

Ukrainian strike kills three in Crimea after Kyiv targets St. Petersburg energy, military sites

A Ukrainian strike killed at least three people in Crimea, Moscow-installed authorities said on Thursday, a day after Kyiv targeted energy and military facilities in Saint Petersburg during Russia's flagship economic forum. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned of a "real" risk of escalation, while Ukraine described the attacks as justified retaliation for intensified Russian strikes on its territory.

'Most PFAS emissions in Europe come from air conditioners and heat pumps, even though these are the flagships of decarbonization'

The debate over these chemical substances is being reignited within the European Union, as machines designed to help adapt to climate change come under fire, historian Jean-Baptiste Fressoz notes in his column for Le Monde.

Russia: Ukraine drones hit Saint Petersburg

Ukrainian drones hit energy and military sites in Saint Petersburg early Wednesday morning as officials gathered for a flagship economic forum in the city, Russian and Ukrainian authorities said.

Ukraine strikes St. Petersburg with drones ahead of 'Russian Davos'

Ukrainian drone attacks in St. Petersburg targeted military and energy infrastructure overnight into Wednesday, setting ablaze a Russian warship and oil depots on the Baltic coast. This attack deep in Russian territory came on the opening day of Putin's three-day economic forum held in the city and as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in Kyiv for an unannounced visit.

Strikes on Russian strategic sites show Ukraine 'ramping up long-range strikes'

Ukrainian drones hit energy and military sites in Saint Petersburg as officials gathered for a flagship economic forum in the city. The strikes come a day after a barrage of Russian missiles and drones killed 23 people across Ukraine. FRANCE 24's Kethevane Gorjestani looks at why those strikes are so significant.

NATO chief on unannounced visit to Kyiv after deadly Russian attacks

NATO chief Mark Rutte arrived in Kyiv on June 3 for an unannounced trip after a series of large-scale fatal Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital. It also comes as Ukrainian drones hit Saint Petersburg just as the city's flagship economic forum opens. FRANCE 24's Emmanuelle Chaze has more from Kyiv.

The 'palace' paradox: Most of France's top luxury hotels are owned by foreigners

The government's latest 'Palaces de France' list was revealed on June 2, with six new additions and four removals. The label aims to showcase this flagship sector of French expertise, even though the establishments' owners are rarely French.

The Macron method: How to deal with Putin's Russia?

Here’s one for free speech absolutists to chew on: What should the French government do when the former head of Russian state television's French language channel is offered a place of rank on an all-news station with a free-to-air broadcast license and she touts Kremlin propaganda lines with little or no pushback or fact-checking?Introducing Xenia Fedorova, who’s just had her ten-year resident permit approved and who’s become the darling of far-right shipping magnate turned media mogul Vincent Bolloré, the same Bolloré who’s swooped for TV, radio, print and publishing outlets.

1994 Tutsi Genocide: 'French government has never fully come to terms with its involvement'

Annette Young is pleased to welcome Phil Clark, Professor of International Politics at SOAS University of London. He specialises in conflict and post-conflict issues. As French President Emmanuel Macron and Rwandan President Paul Kagame inaugurate a new memorial in Paris dedicated to the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, profound questions remain about France's historical role and the limits of reconciliation between Paris and Kigali. Beneath the symbolism of remembrance lies a deeply unresolved historical dispute. While describing the memorial as significant, Clark contends that "the French government has never fully come to terms with its involvement in the genocide," and suggests that for many survivors, "some of the great truths of the genocide and France's involvement in it have never really been fully acknowledged." France and Rwanda are seeking a mutually beneficial partnership driven by "a huge amount of political pragmatism."

Pope appoints first lay woman to head the Vatican's communications department

Pope Leo XIV named Maria Montserrat Alvarado, a prominent figure in Catholic media, to head the Dicastery for Communication, in a new step for the Vatican in opening up to women in Catholic Church leadership roles.

Chile's hard-right Kast renews crime, migration crackdown pledge

Chile's hard-right leader Jose Antonio Kast on Monday announced crackdowns on crime and migration as his ratings suffer less than three months into his term. Kast unveiled new measures including a "vandal" registry and longer detentions for migrants during his first-ever address to Congress as Chilean president. The 60-year-old took office in March as Chile's most right-wing leader since the end of General Augusto Pinochet's 1973-1990 dictatorship.

Duralex placed under court-ordered receivership, despite its popularity with the general public

The company, which notably raised funds from the French public in the autumn, placed itself under the protection of the commercial court on June 1.

Gaza, Iran, Mali: The dangers of the world's rapidly shrinking media access

Several global hotspots are locked down by those in power, who, eager to impose their own narrative, keep journalists from witnessing events as they unfold. This censorship is a boon for propagandists.