China's Xi woos Trump with state banquet: Taiwan on the table?

Forever at war? US, Iran trade blows as Israel pushes deeper into Lebanon

About that four-week campaign that the Pentagon promised… Overnight volleys between Iran and the United States met by many with a shrug…so often has the current ceasefire been violated. Even the deal in the works is mostly to roll over that fragile truce and open more talks… not to permanently settle differences.Ceasefires and their violations the norm...as Israel and Hezbollah continue to trade blows and US-brokered truces for both Lebanon and Gaza go mostly ignored. We’ll ask if the taking of the Crusaders-era castle at Beaufort’s a PR stunt or are Israelis digging in at what was an army command center for nearly two decades during the last occupation of south Lebanon? Benjamin Netanyahu espouses a super Sparta state mentality to national security, insisting that Israel - like the Ancient Greek state - embrace a permanent war footing. Do the benefits outweigh the costs for an Israeli prime minister who’s again up for re-election? And how about for Hezbollah, the Iranian regime and a United States whose leaders promised no more boots on the ground but who under Donald Trump has increasingly made use of or threatened military might around the globe. Does that project strength or weakness? And is it sustainable?   Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

No love for Arsenal? English fans divided ahead of Champions League final

What exactly is the issue with Arsenal? Here in France, we just assume that everyone in England is enamored with the storied team of Arsène Wenger, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira…and all the other greats all the way to the team’s present French defender William Saliba. Ahead of the Champions League final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, our panel delves into the not-always-rational, always-impassionate world of football fandom. So regarding the side that has just won its first Premier League title in 22 years, what is it? The way they play? Their attitude? Anti-London sentiment? Anti-north London sentiment? Contrast that with the love the Gunners get here in France and across much of Africa.  Likewise, donning a PSG jersey will earn you compliments on several continents. But our panellists may advise against it in Marseille and a host of other cities across France. Old domestic grudges are hard to overcome – even when one side is the defending European champion, and even though PSG’s Qatari owners booted out hooligans a decade ago and streamlined the club’s big egos in favour of an exciting brand of more fast-paced, team-oriented style of play. Perhaps what lovers and haters of both Arsenal and PSG can agree on is that Saturday’s final could serve up that key ingredient that may be lacking when the FIFA World Cup kicks off in North America: authenticity. Is the beautiful game bigger than the toxic build-up to any one tournament – or will this bloated 48-team, price-surged, travel ban-threatened World Cup be a game-changer for football? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Riham Mahir, Guillaume Gougeon, Charles Wente

Where does Europe's far right turn? Populists look to distance themselves from Trump

If the first thing Europeans think of when they fill up at the pump is Donald Trump's decision to attack Iran, it's little wonder that previously pro-MAGA populists are quietly distancing themselves from the president of the United States. In fact, Trump actively campaigning for Peter Magyar's rival actually helped Hungary's new conservative prime minister boot out Viktor Orban, his predecessor of 16 years. Magyar is hoping to cash in this week with a deal to unlock more than €10 billion in frozen EU funds. If Budapest is no longer MAGA's European headquarters, then where do fellow travellers turn in places like France [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/france/], Italy [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/italy/], Spain [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/spain/] and the Netherlands [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/netherlands/]? Do they instead double down on the love for Russia [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/russia/]'s Vladimir Putin [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/vladimir-putin/], like Germany [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/germany/]'s far right? For hardened Eurosceptics, does the master of the Kremlin still seem like an invincible nationalist when he's bogged down in Ukraine [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/ukraine/]? So do they cosy up to outside superpowers – like Britain's Nigel Farage [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/nigel-farage/], who's long been enamoured with Trump – or as shown by recent revelations surrounding the same Reform UK [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/reform-uk/] leader, instead find a billionaire with a bee in his bonnet to bankroll them?  Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Guillaume Gougeon, Charles Wente.

Hotter than July: Can electrification save humanity from soaring heat?

Europe's in meltdown, and it's not even June yet. We're seeing a not-so merry month of May as record highs explode under a heat dome that's drifted north from the Sahara. After the frying pan of an energy crisis, the fire of a heatwave is forcing a reset by the same politicians who pandered to those who complained about the cost and red tape of recent energy transition policy. Enter Emmanuel Macron [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/emmanuel-macron/]. France [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/france/]'s president was precisely one of those politicians who had segued from summits to make the planet great again to cuts in subsidies for homeowners and moratoriums on going green. Flanked by captains of industry [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/industry/], Macron on Tuesday unveiled plans to turbocharge what almost sounds like the electrification of everything. We hear about heat pumps, charging stations and electric vehicle factories here in the land of nuclear power. Read moreWhy is Europe heating up faster than the rest of the world? [https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20260526-why-is-europe-heating-up-faster-than-the-rest-of-the-world] More broadly, can industry and technology come to the rescue of humanity? If blocking the Strait of Hormuz [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/strait-of-hormuz/] is all it takes to threaten livelihoods the world over, it's worth asking about the sustainability of the alternative: one that features a scramble for copper, cobalt, uranium [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/uranium/] and whatever else can be extracted in the name of growth. Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Guillaume Gougeon, Charles Wente.

End in sight? Hormuz, nukes at the heart of US-Iran sticking points

Three months into what was originally billed as four-week war, is an end really in sight? Donald Trump's messaging on bargaining with Iran was enough to push Brent crude oil below $100 a barrel for the first time in two weeks. Both Washington and Tehran are managing expectations of a final deal or "memorandum of understanding". Time is not on Trump [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/donald-trump/]'s side, what with a World Cup [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/world-cup-2026/] to host in less than three weeks and inflation [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/inflation/] that's fast erasing the sweetener of tax breaks for voters ahead of the November midterm elections. But if inflation's bad in the US, Iran [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/iran/] has economic ruin to contend with. So again, who blinks first? Read morePossible Iran-US deal: What we know about the key issues on both sides [https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20260525-possible-iran-us-deal-what-we-know] And how do regional players align? Gulf states are divided between hawks – led by the United Arab Emirates [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/united-arab-emirates/], who've drawn closer to Israel [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/israel/] in this conflict – and doves, led by the Strait of Hormuz [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/strait-of-hormuz/]'s other frontline state Oman [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/oman/]. So which is it: a deal, a return to war or permanent state of limbo over the world's biggest choke point for oil and gas [https://www.france24.com/en/tag/oil/]? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Jean-Vincent Russo, Guillaume Gougeon, Charles Wente.