Sting on his roots, Brexit and being inspired by Paris’s red light district

"4,211 km" is the distance between Tehran and Paris. It's also the title of a new play by French-Iranian director Aila Navidi showing at France's famed Avignon theatre festival next month. The show centres around a young woman named Yalda Farhadi, born in France to Iranian dissidents who never give up their dream of returning to their home country.

As the Paris Air Show kicks off, we look at how the aerospace industry is drawing inspiration from processes, forms, compositions, and interactions observed in nature to design the aircraft of the future. This process called biomimicry allows for improved performances and is also helping reduce the carbon footprint of planes. Our Science Editor Julia Sieger tells us more.

In its Commercial Market Outlook 2023–2042, Boeing projected that the global fleet growth is likely to double-fold to reach more than 48,500 jets by 2042. This equates to growing 3.5% per year, signifying ample growth potential for aerospace forerunners in the industry.

It was the fashion event of the season, if not the decade! Fashion journalists, buyers, celebrities and influencers from around the world descended on the French capital to see Paris's oldest bridge, le Pont Neuf, decked out in resplendent gold. The occasion was Pharrell Williams's first ever collection as head of menswear at Louis Vuitton. Another big celebrity draw elsewhere in Paris was the indefatigable Yohji Yamamoto, who's just a few months away from his 80th birthday. FRANCE 24 got a glimpse of the action.

An Egyptian artist, whose work has resonated particularly across the Middle East, has told FRANCE 24 how his life as a teenager amid the Arab Spring and the fall of Hosni Mubarak has influenced his work. Abdullah Miniawy is a singer, poet, composer and international actor. Born in Saudi Arabia, he moved to Egypt when young and performed in Tahrir Square during the anti-Mubarak protests. He's now in Paris working on a series of projects. He spoke to us in Perspective.

From infrastructure to security, transport to ticketing, Paris still has a series of challenges ahead before it hosts the world's biggest sporting event from July 26, 2024. One year before the Games begin, FRANCE 24 sat down with Tony Estanguet, head of the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics Organising Committee, who also discussed the importance of the highly awaited opening ceremony on the River Seine.

A hundred years ago, painters, sculptors, writers and musicians battled for gold, silver and bronze at the Olympics. To mark a year until the Paris Games, we're looking at the artistic side of the world's biggest sporting event with an exclusive interview with highly acclaimed theatre director Thomas Jolly, who's in charge of the opening and closing ceremonies.

The decision to cancel the Open Water Swimming World Cup on the Seine River was taken after analysis of water samples. The French capital was hit by heavy rains that caused a sewage overflow.

Water quality tests showed higher than acceptable levels of bacteria in the Seine River. It's the third time this month organizers have been forced to cancel a swimming event in the waterway.

Marie-Amélie Le Fur, President of the French Paralympic and Sports Committee, talks to FRANCE 24 and RFI a year ahead of the opening ceremony of the first Paralympic Games to be held in France. The former para-athlete and nine-time Games medalist takes stock of the organisation and the immense challenges still to be met, especially the accessibility to transport and accommodation.

July 2023 saw the third edition of a fashion competition in Paris called Africa Fashion Up. It aims to give a platform to young, up-and-coming African talent. Five designers from across the continent presented their collections at the Musée du Quai Branly, as they celebrated local craftsmanship with a global appeal. The winner, Aristide Loua, is an Ivorian who lived in France before returning to his home country, where he spent two years reacclimatising before embracing fashion. FRANCE 24 went to meet him and the other designers.

There'll be no more rental scooters zipping through the French capital's streets or parked awkwardly.