Spotlight on France

A controversial antisemitism bill that opponents say would criminalise criticism of Israel. A small town reubilds its long-lost Statue of Liberty, a symbol of freedom, to help it rediscover its identity. And the story of France's first female general. French MPs will vote next week on a bill that aims to tackle "new forms" of antisemitism, which has spiralled since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel triggered the war in Gaza. Among other measures, the legislation would create a new offence punishing incitement to "the destruction of a state". Critics claim the bill is aimed at silencing criticism of Israel and more than 600,000 people have signed a petition to push MPs to reject it. Law professor François Dubuisson argues the reform is not necessary and Cécile Marquerie, advocacy coordinator for a platform of pro-Palestine NGOs, raises concerns over freedom of speech. (Listen @2'40'') In 1926, Rey Jeanton donated a replica of the Statue of Liberty to his hometown of Izon, a small town outside Bordeaux. It was his tribute to the United States, where he had spent over 30 years of his life. During WWII, the statue was destroyed, and with it, a piece of Izon’s history. A century later, Izon is recreating the statue to revive its city centre and forge a sense of identity for what risks becoming another commuter town. (Listen @20'10'') The story of Valérie André, a helicopter pilot and neurosurgeon who blazed a trail for women in the armed forces when she became France’s first female general on 21 April 1976. (Listen @13') Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

A look at France's local elections, and what happened to the 2020 "green wave". The small French ski resort fighting to keep its slopes open despite diminishing snowfall. And the 1946 radio programme that was accused of causing a nuclear scare. France's far right has made further inroads into the mainstream of French politics, winning 70 cities and hundreds of municipal council seats in last week's local elections. On the left, divisions were laid bare, with Socialists who refused alliances with the hard-left France Unbowed perfoming better overall than those who joined forces. Meanwhile, the Greens party, in coalitions with the Socialists, struggled to hold onto the cities it won in 2020 during the so-called "green wave". Political scientist Sylvie Ollitrault examines how France's Greens are caught between left-wing factions, and considers how the environmental movement in France may be abandoning politics altogether. (Listen @0') France's skiing industry employs some 120,000 people directly or indirectly in its 250 resorts. But diminishing snowfall linked to climate change means that smaller, lower altitude sites are struggling to survive. Some have also failed to sufficiently invest in infrastructure or developing year-round activities. The resort of Alpe du Grand Serre in the northern French Alps is threatened with closure due to lack of funding. But local residents and businesses, who depend on the winter ski season to keep the village economy going, are taking matters into their own hands. Listen @18'10'') The 1946 radio drama about the potential dangers of nuclear science that may have started a panic on the streets of Paris... or not. (Listen @11'45'') Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

France's balancing act in the Middle East war. Convincing women to run in France's local elections. And the French village where Iran's first supreme leader spent his last months in exile. France has deployed navy vessels to the Mediterranean and Red Sea to protect countries attacked by Iran in retaliation for strikes by the United States and Israel. It says it is staying out of the war, maintaining a "strictly defensive" stance to support its allies and protect its interests in the region. Defence expert Guillaume Lagane, who teaches international relations at Sciences Po Paris, examines France's position and the delicate balancing act it is pursuing. (Listen @2'45'') France heads to the polls on 15 and 22 March to elect its mayors and town councillors. We already know that half of the councillors will be women, after a 2025 law imposed gender-balanced lists in every one of France's nearly 35,000 communes. Putting forward an equal number of male and female candidates can be challenging in a village like Fresnes-lès-Montauban in northern France, where non-profit Elles Aussi is helping encourage women to run. Julia Mouzon, founder of the Elues Locales network that supports and promotes women in politics, talks about the collective achievement of getting gender parity on electoral lists – and why there are still so few female mayors. (Listen @18'25'') The small town in France where Iran's first supreme leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, spent his last months in exile, preparing his return to Iran at the height of the 1979 revolution. (Listen @12'35'') Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani and Arthur Devillers. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

Community meals for students in France, who are increasingly facing hardship. Kids react to France's proposed social media ban for the under-15s. And the French explorer who became the first Western woman to travel to deepest Tibet. Recent data shows one in two university students in France are skipping a meal each day and relying on food handouts. In response, the government is extending a 1-euro meal scheme – introduced during Covid for those on bursaries – to all university students as of May. Student union rep Marian Bloquet outlines why the problems go far beyond food. We also report from the Cop1ne community kitchen in Paris. Run by students for students, it provides cheap, home-cooked food, but also company and solidarity. (Listen @3'20'') As France prepares to ban children from social media, kids weigh in on their use of the platforms and how they would like to see them regulated. Cybersecurity expert Olivier Blazy considers the technical challenges and privacy issues raised by such a ban. (Listen @20'20'') The adventurous life of the French explorer Alexandra David-Néel, who in the winter of 1924 became the first European woman to reach Lhasa, Tibet's "forbidden city". (Listen @14'10'') Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

How France negotiates drug prices and the impact of US President Donald Trump's pressure to raise them. The Paris bar celebrating sobriety as more people embrace Dry January. And the radioactive legacy of nuclear testing in French Polynesia. Saying he wants to lower the price of medication in the United States, President Donald Trump has been putting pressure on French President Emmanuel Macron to raise the cost of an unspecified pill in France. But it's the French public health system, not Macron, that negotiates with drug companies – keeping prices for patients in check. Sociologist Theo Bourgeron believes that Trump's demand is not about improving care, but pressuring countries to weaken price controls and boost US pharmaceutical profits. (Listen @0') More than a third of the French claim they're not drinking this month to mark Dry January. It's part of a wider trend of falling alcohol consumption in France, particularly among young adults. But in a country famed for its wine and apéro culture, sobriety can be seen as irritating and "un-French". We visit Le Social Bar in Paris, which has gone alcohol-free for January to show you don't need to be tipsy to have a good time. Author Claire Touzard talks about her journey towards sobriety and why alcohol, far from encouraging conviviality, can end up excluding people. And journalist Vincent Edin argues that while France is becoming slightly more tolerant of non-drinkers, successive governments still struggle to recognise that alcoholism is a problem. (Listen @20'15'') France conducted its final nuclear test on 27 January 1996, ending a programme that has left a lasting legacy of health problems in French Polynesia, the archipelago in the South Pacific that for 30 years was France's nuclear testing ground. Hinamoeura Morgant-Cross, a member of the French Polynesian parliament, says the consequences of the testing have been "really traumatic for our people". (Listen @13'50'') Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

An alternative to a retirement home in a mansion near Toulouse, where residents have invented a new way of living together and contributing to society. The real-life David and Golliath story of the Parisian independent cinema that's reopening after years of fighting eviction. And the story behind France's annual census. Scandals over abuse of the elderly in French care homes, combined with growing loneliness among pensioners, are forcing reflection on how – and where – people spend their later years. Three decades after founding the Utopia network of independent cinemas, Anne-Marie Faucon and Michel Malacarnet have turned their energy and experience towards imagining an alternative to traditional retirement homes. Their project, La Ménardiere, is an 18th-century mansion in the small town of Bérat, in south-west France. It operates as a shared-living collective, where residents, known as coopérateurs, are also shareholders. By taking control of their own destinies, they have created a model that also provides services and cultural activities for the surrounding community. Residents describe the approach as ageing together in a house that is “on the offensive”. (Listen @)4') La Clef, an historic arthouse cinema in Paris, has reopened its doors after a group of residents, cinephiles and activists spent years protesting its closure. Ollia Horton met some of those who took part in the years-long occupation of the theatre that resulted in the activists raising enough money to buy the building from the owners who wanted to sell the prime piece of real estate in the centre of the city. (Listen @21'48'') As census takers fan out around France on 15 January to begin the annual counting of the population, we look at the process that started in the 14th century. The census was coopted by the Nazi occupation during WWII to identify Jews, and while it has since stripped out questions relating to race and religion, it recently added controversial ones about parental origins. (Listen @17'10'') Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

France's largest Braille publisher struggles to continue producing embossed books in the digital age. Researchers delve into people's guts with a large-scale study on the French population's microbiome. And Louise Bourgeois, the French midwife who in 1609 became the first woman in Europe to publish a book about medicine. As France marks 200 years since Louis Braille invented his system of raised dots allowing blind people to read by touch, we visit the country's only remaining Braille printing house. At the CTEB in Toulouse, a team of 12 staff and mainly blind volunteers transcribe more than 200 books each year for both adults and children, along with bank statements, brochures and other documents. Despite extremely high production costs, the centre sells its books at the same price as the originals to ensure equal access. Now deeply in debt, it's calling for state aid to survive – arguing that, even in the age of digital Braille and audio books, turning a page is important in learning to read. (Listen @3'15'') Scientists are increasingly convinced that the trillions of bacteria living in the human digestive system also contribute to health and wellbeing. Le French Gut is a large-scale study intended to track the connection between the microbiome and disease. Launched in 2023, it aims to recruit 100,000 French participants, to contribute samples and fill out health and diet questionnaires. Now the scientists are looking to get more children on board. Project director Patrick Vega shows the lab and biobank where the bacteria are being analysed, and talks about the discoveries in the gut that could help predict or even cure diseases. (Listen @21'20'') Seventeenth-century French midwife Louise Bourgeois, the first woman in Europe to publish a medical book, was a pioneer in women's health at a time when only men were allowed to be doctors and women delivered babies according to tradition, not science. (Listen @14'45'') Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

What France can learn from Italy's fight against the mafia as it tackles its growing problem with drug-related organised crime. A look at France's new military service. And wrapping Paris's oldest bridge, 40 years after it was transformed by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The recent murder in Marseille of 20-year-old Mehdi Kessaci, the younger brother of a well-known anti-drugs campaigner, has highlighted the growing problem of drug-related organised crime in France. The government has promised tougher repressive measures, but what if civil society also had a role to play? Inspired by the example of Italy, the Crim'HALT association campaigns for the official recognition of victims of organised crime. Its co-founder, Fabrice Rizzoli, talks about taking ordinary citizens to see firsthand how Italian anti-mafia initiatives work. Jean-Toussaint Plasenzotti, who founded the anti-mafia collective Massimu Susini following the murder of his nephew in 2019 in Corsica, and Hassna Arabi, whose relative Socayna was killed by a stray bullet in 2023, explain how travelling to Italy with Crim-HALT has helped their work back home. (Listen @0') As Europe looks to increase its defence capacity in the face of war in Ukraine and threats from Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a special military service aimed at recruiting a new generation of soldiers. Unlike the mandatory military service that was suspended in 1997, the new format would be voluntary – and paid. Historian and army reservist Guillaume Lasconjarias says that in providing a way for young people to be of service, the scheme responds to something they want. (Listen @17'30'') Forty years after Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped Paris's Pont Neuf in September 1985, opening the door to monumental public art displays, the city has approved a new project on the bridge by artist JR. (Listen @11'45'') Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

A decade after the 2015 Paris terror attacks, France continues to pass security laws, sometimes to the detriment of civil liberties. A feminist journalist's take on the Pelicot mass rape trial. And the auction of the Pascaline, one of the world's earliest calculators, is halted. Immediately following the Paris attacks on 13 November, 2015, the French government put in place a nationwide state of emergency, granting police exceptional powers to detain and search people suspected of links to terrorism. Some of those sweeping powers have since passed into law, at the expense of civil liberties. Law professor Sophie Duroy says that while the public may have got used to authorities having greater reach, it is not always the best way to fight terrorism. (Listen @0') Last December, 51 men were found guilty of raping or sexually assaulting Gisèle Pelicot in her home in Mazan in what was France's biggest rape trial to date. It made headlines worldwide – not least because Pélicot chose to drop her anonymity to make "shame swap sides" from victim to rapist. Independent photojournalist Anna Margueritat was one of many to cover the trial, but in her own way: as a feminist, an activist and victim of sexual violence, posting daily photos and stories on her Instagram account. Author of a recent book on her experience, she reflects on her time in court and what it changed. (Listen @16'45'') A judge this week suspended the auction of a nearly 400-year-old calculator, after a group of academics called for the government to stop it leaving France. The object in question is a Pascaline, one of the first calculating machines, invented by French scientist Blaise Pascal in the 1640s. (Listen @10'40'') Episode mixed by Nicolas Doreau. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

How French media silence helped false stories claiming First Lady Brigitte Macron is a man to go viral. The unsung praises of France's street markets, which bring people together around buying and selling food. And France's short-lived colonial foray into Brazil. False claims that President Emmanuel Macron's wife Brigitte is transgender first emerged online in 2021. The story could have fizzled out. But pushed by the far right and conspiracy theorists, it's now reached half the world's population. Ten people are on trial in France for cyberbullying the first lady and a lawsuit has been filed against a far-right influencer in the US. Thomas Huchon, an investigative journalist and teacher specialising in fake news, says he and other mainstream journalists failed to address the story when it broke, allowing conspiracists to fill the gap. (Listen @2'15'') Open-air food markets are arguably a cornerstone of life in France. Held once or twice a week in most cities, they're one of the few ways of still bringing people together. On a visit to Paris' Aligre market, journalist Olivier Razemon, author of a new book extolling street markets as "an ingredient for a happy society", argues that they are underappreciated by policymakers and the general public for their ability to create community and revive urban centres. (Listen @20'40'') One of France’s earliest colonisation attempts was in what is now Brazil, when 600 settlers arrived in Guanabara Bay – now Rio de Janeiro – in November 1555. The colony, called France Antarctique (Antarctic France), lasted only 12 years, but it inspired other French colonising missions as well as reshaping Europeans’ ideas about South America and its people. (Listen @15') Episode mixed by Cécile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

The proposal to tax the ultra-rich that could address some of France's budget woes. The last paperboy in Paris, who has been hawking newspapers for nearly 50 years, tells of challenges and successes from Pakistan to Paris. And the man who ended the death penalty in France enters the Panthéon. As French politicians remain deeply divided over how to address the country's growing deficit, one measure appears to unite public opinion across the political spectrum: the Zucman tax. Devised by 38-year-old economist Gabriel Zucman, the idea is to add a two percent tax on the ultra-rich, who often use holding companies to shield their wealth from income taxes. While the left sees it as fiscal justice, many on the right are concerned about additional taxes in a country that already has a lot, and maintain taxing the wealthiest will drive them abroad. (Listen @2') Ali Akbar left his native Pakistan aged 18, looking to make enough money to buy his mother a decent home. Since arriving in France in 1973, he's managed to do just that – selling newspapers like Le Monde on the streets of Paris's Left Bank district. A popular figure in the neighbourhood, Akbar – the capital's last remaining hawker – was recently selected for the National Order of Merit by President Emmanuel Macron, a former customer. He talks about loving his work, the collapse of the newspaper culture and how recognition by France will help to "heal" the injuries of his past. (Listen @18'30'') France abolished the death penalty on 9 October 1981. Forty-four years later, the justice minister who fought to change the law, Robert Badinter, is entering the Pantheon, the monument dedicated to French heroes. (Listen @11') Episode mixed by Cécile Pompeani Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

France recognises Palestinian statehood but evacuations from Gaza are still suspended. French savings are at an all-time high, reflecting uncertainty about the future. And the story of the ten-day week put in place after the French Revolution. Evacuations from Gaza to France were suspended on 1 August after a Gazan student in Paris was found to have published antisemitic social media posts before her arrival. The suspension has left applicants for the largely state-funded Pause programme, which welcomes scientists and artists facing persecution, in limbo. French and international writers and Palestine solidarity groups have denounced it as "collective punishment". Gazan rap musician Abou Joury, who arrived in France in January, talks about finding safety and financial stability. Meanwhile French fruit farmer Mathieu Yon – whose friend and "sister", the poet Alaa al-Qatrawi, is currently stuck in Gaza – has taken up position in front of the Foreign Ministry, pushing for evacuations to resume. (Listen @3'50'') A record 19 percent of France's GDP is now in savings accounts – the highest level outside of the exceptionally high rate recorded during the Covid pandemic. While the French have always had a tendency to squirrel money away, sociologist Jeanne Lazarus says the current increase is a sign people are feeling anxious about the economy and the long-term viability of France’s famously supportive social welfare system. (Listen @22'20'') The story of how French revolutionairies overturned not only the monarchy but time itself, by instituting the Republican calendar from 22 September 1792. (Listen @16'25'') Episode mixed by Cécile Pompeani Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

As France gets its fifth prime minister in three years, demonstrators who responded to a call to block the country talk about feeling ignored by the government. Residents and business owners in Paris' picturesque Montmartre neighbourhood hit out at overtourism. And the brutal history of France's colonisation of the Caribbean island of Martinique, one of five French overseas departments. For many critics of French President Emmanuel Macron, his nomination of close ally Sebastien Lecornu to replace François Bayrou as prime minister is a slap in the face, and further proof that the government is ignoring people's wishes. Participants in a movement to shut down the country on Wednesday talk about feeling unheard, and draw comparisons with the anti-government Yellow Vest movement from 2018-2019. (Listen @0') Tourists have long been drawn to the "village" of Montmartre, with its famed Sacre Cœur basilica, artists’ square, winding cobbled streets, vineyards and pastel-shaded houses. But the rise of influencers and instagrammers who post picture-postcard decors, as featured in hit films and Netflix series, have turned it into a must-see destination. With tourists now outnumbering residents by around 430 to one, the cohabitation is under strain. Béatrice Dunner, of the Association for the Defence of Montmartre, is calling on local authorities to follow the example of Amsterdam and tackle overtourism before it's too late. (Listen @13') On 15 September 1635, a group of French colonists claimed the Caribbean island of Martinique, establishing a plantation economy reliant on slavery. Its economic and cultural legacy continues to shape the island today as an overseas department. (Listen @6'35'') Episode mixed by Cécile Pompeani Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

As France heats up, an experiment simulating life in 50°C aims to get people to take climate change more seriously. Faced with a growing demand for eggs, France looks for ways to boost homegrown production and halt the need for imports. And a look back at the first line of the Paris metro, which opened in 1900. France just experienced its hottest June since 2003, with several days of extreme heat at the end of the month that left two people dead and slowed the country down – halting work outdoors and closing schools. The heatwave is a taste of what the future might hold, as global warming leads to more extreme weather conditions. The Human Adaptation Institute has created an immersive experience of what life at 50°C would be like. Jeanne Richard reports from the mobile lab as it tours France to raise awareness over the need to mitigate and adapt to climate change, one hot individual at a time. (Listen @0') France is Europe's largest egg producer, yet it's struggling to meet growing demand from people looking for a cheap source of protein. Eggs are now being imported from Ukraine where environmental, health and animal welfare norms are far lower. Alice Richard, head of the National Egg Promotion Committee (CNPO), talks about the need to increase home-grown production and make it easier for farmers to start or expand their farms. Cyril Ernst, campaign manager with Anima, whose mission is to put an end to laying hens in cages, insists any easing of regulations for new farms mustn't be at the expense of animal welfare. (Listen @16'45'') The first line of the Paris metro opened on 19 July 1900, after decades of wrangling between the capital and the state slowed down its development. Today the metro system is 245kms long, with 16 lines covering the entire city and beyond. (Listen @10'30'') Episode mixed by Cécile Pompeani Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

As French lawmakers consider legalising assisted dying, a look at the citizen's assembly that carefully considered the issue. Also, a film about the writer – and filmmaker – Marcel Pagnol at the Cannes film festival, which is finally tackling sexual harassment in the industry. And the man who created the fête des voisins 25 years ago so neighbours get to know one other. French MPs are shortly to vote on whether or not to legalise assisted suicide and euthanasia. The draft legislation draws heavily on the work of the Citizens’ Convention on end-of-life care – a group of 184 people, randomly selected in late 2022 to reflect France's diverse population. Though strangers to each other and to the subject, they spent four months in thoughtful debate, building a spirit of mutual respect despite deep differences of opinion. Economist Marc-Olivier Strauss-Kahn, one of the participants, talks about why this exercise in deliberative democracy was so enriching and valuable to society. Along with others, he's helped launch an association to ensure the dialogue, and the social inclusion it fostered, continues beyond the convention itself. (Listen @0') This year's Cannes film festival is taking the issue of sexual harassment in the movie industry more seriously than ever, just weeks after actor Gerard Depardiee was convicted for sexual assault. Ollia Horton talks about what's changing. She also introduces a film about the life of Marcel Pagnol – one of France's most cherished writers and a former Cannes jury president. (Listen @20'15'') The annual fête des voisins, held on the last Friday of May, is an opportunity for neighbours to get to know each other. Launched 25 years ago in Paris by local councillor Atanase Périfan, it was aimed at bringing more solidarity into everyday life and it seems to be working. (Listen @14'10'') Episode mixed by Cécile Pompeani Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

France is opening its arms to foreign scientists, particularly from the US, as the Trump administration pulls back from climate research. French GPs and trainee doctors are up in arms over proposals to address 'medical deserts', which they say would make the problem worse. And as Europe marks the 80th anniversary of Europe Day, Algeria commemorates the 8 May, 1945 massacre of civilians by French colonial forces. Ever since US President Donald Trump started defunding and dismantling US scientific institutions, France has made a push to get scientists to move. In March the French minister in charge of research asked universities to fund programmes to attract American scientists. In 2017, after Trump first pulled the US out of the Paris Climate Accords, Macron launched a recruitment drive aimed at climate scientists working in the US. Two of those grantees, Ben Sanderson and Philip Shulz, talk about the experience of leaving the US for France, and what the current environment is like for climate scientists today. (Listen @1'10) With 87 percent of France considered a "medical desert", lawmakers and the government are looking to tackle doctor shortages. But the proposals – to regulate when specialists can open their private practices and require health professionals to work two days a month in areas with chronic shortages – have met with strong opposition from GPs, trainee doctors and students. Yassine Bahr, vice-president of the French junior doctors union (ISNI), and Anna Boctor, president of France's Jeunes Medecins (young doctors) union, talk about why the proposals won't solve the problem and the sense of injustice at being held responsible for a situation that is not of their making. (Listen @20'20) On 8 May 1945, during a celebration of the end of WWII in Europe in the Algerian city of Setif, French colonial authorities shot at Algerians holding pro-independence signs. The ensuing riots then spread to neighbouring cities where the authorities unleashed a campaign of reprisals to crush the unrest – indiscriminately killing tens of thousands of Algerian men, women and children. France has yet to officially acknowledge its role in the massacres. (Listen @15'00) Episode mixed by Cécile Pompeani Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

A French-German weapons manufacturer ramps up production to meet the needs of France's war economy. An encounter with France's largest supercomputer dedicated to artificial intelligence. And how the Marseillaise national anthem has contributed to reinforcing French values and ideals. Shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, President Emmanuel Macron said France was moving into a "war economy" – calling on weapons manufacturers in particular to produce more and more quickly. We hear from staff at KNDS, a Franco-German defence group half-owned by the French state, about how they've managed to triple production of Caesar artillery and ammunitions to deliver to Ukraine. We also talk about the challenges of funding a war economy, given France's huge deficit, with economist Virginie Monvoisin from the Grenoble School of Management. (Listen @2'20'') As France aims to become a leader in developing artificial intelligence, it is upping its investment into building the computing power needed to run it. The Jean Zay supercomputer, at the Paris-Saclay university campus south of Paris, is one of France's most powerful, and is available free of charge for researchers. Pierre-François Lavallée, director of France's IT research institute (IDRIS), explains how the supercomputer works, its uses, and how the massive amount of heat generated by the calculations is redirected and reused as a source of energy. (Listen @18'45'') La Marseillaise became the French national anthem 230 years ago, in 1795. Written in a few hours, on 25 April 1792, it has weathered many a storm and remains a popular symbol of revolutionary fervour against authoritarianism. It has also been reinterpreted in France and abroad to serve other political causes, such as feminism. (Listen @12') Episode mixed by Vincent Pora. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

The Nigerian woman helping Bordeaux wine find new markets in Africa. Confronting France's fatphobia by classifying obesity as a disease. And the story of the French video game company behind the hit game Assassin's Creed. As French people consume less wine, and exports to China are slowing down, the wine industry – in Bordeaux in particular – is turning to new markets. Jan Van der Made meets Chinedu Rita Rosa who is helping Bordeaux winemakers shift their approach, to sell in Nigeria and other African countries. (Listen @1'30) Obesity is on the rise in France with an estimated 10 million people living with the condition – twice the number since 1997. While France has put in place a range of measures, people suffering from obesity still face a lot of social stigma and discrimination in a country that values thinness. Anne-Sophie Joly, author of Je n'ai pas choisi d'etre gros.se (I didn't choose to be fat), and founder of an association that's advising the health ministry, shares her experience and talks about why France needs to recognise obesity as an illness. Not only would it make economic sense, it would encourage much-needed training of health professionals and a better understanding of patient suffering. (Listen @14'30) Ubisoft has become a leader in Europe's video game industry. Created on 28 March 1986, the company is facing challenges and is banking on the release of the latest installment of its hit series Assassin's Creed to bring it out of its economic woes. (Listen @8'50) Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

Despite a raft of laws and programmes in France to address the gender pay gap, women still earn less than men. Organic farmers try to adapt to a drop in demand for organic food. And the story of Ravel's Boléro – the world's most performed piece of classical music. There are some explanations for France's 22 percent gender pay gap – women work fewer hours on average and in lower-paid jobs. But even doing the same job and putting in the same hours, women still earn 4 percent less than men, and a barrage of legal measures hasn't managed to change that. We look at what's going on with economist Anne Eydoux and lawyer Insaff El Hassani – founder of a company helping women negotiate salaries. El Hassani highlights negative images around wealthy women and how France's "female wage", dropped in 1946, still impacts the way some employers view women's salaries. (Listen @0') France has downsized its ambitions to increase the amount of organic agriculture after a drop in consumer demand for organic food . After years of growth, especially during the Covid pandemic, inflation and a distrust in labelling have turned consumers away from buying organic produce, even as new farmers are drawn to the prospect of working in a different way. At the recent annual agricultural fair in Paris, farmers and others working in the organic sector talk about how they are adapting to the new economic reality, and the need to raise awareness of the value of organic food, beyond the price tag. (Listen @17') France is marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of composer Maurice Ravel, whose most famous piece, Boléro, is considered an avant-garde musical expression of the machine age. (Listen @9'50'') Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

A French large language model adds European context and nuance to the dominant artificial intelligence being developped by US tech giants and China. Is France really being "flooded" with immigrants? The numbers say no, but the feeling remains. And the mixed legacy of a landmark law on disability and inclusion, 20 years later. Countries are looking for sovereignty in artificial intelligence and at a major AI summit in Paris this week, France and the EU backed a "third path" approach to AI – midway between the US' private tech firm-dominated model and China's state-controlled technology. With a focus on regulation to ensure trust, France is creating public/private partnerships, and encouraging companies to develop home-grown products. Linagora, an open-source software developper, recently released a large language model (LLM) trained on French and European content, in contrast to American LLMs like ChatGPT that are trained on mainly US content. While chatbot Lucie got off to a rocky start, Linagora's General Manager Michel Maudet says there's a clear need for technology focused on Europe, able to address the nuance of the continent's languages and culture. (Listen @0') French MPs recently voted a controversial draft bill to end birthright citizenship on the overseas department of Mayotte to discourage illegal immigration from neighbouring Comoros. Prime Minister François Bayrou supports the proposed measure and has called for a wider debate on immigration and what it means to be French. His earlier remarks that there was a feeling immigrants were "flooding" France have caused outrage on the left in particular. We talk to Tania Racho, a researcher on European law and who also works for an association fighting disinformation on migration issues, about the reality of immigration in France. While the data does not support claims France is overwhelmed with foreigners, people's perceptions – nourished by a fixation on migration by both politicians and media – tell a different story. (Listen @18'40'') Twenty years after the 11 February 2005 law on disability and inclusion, daily life for France's 12 million people living with disabilities has improved. But since the law underestimated the timelines and costs of accessibility, there's still a lot of work to be done. (Listen @14'30'') Episode mixed by Vincent Pora. Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).