Spotlight on France
Interested in France? Let us be your ears and eyes on the ground. Hosts Sarah Elzas and Alison Hird introduce you to the people who make France what it is, and who want to change it - to give you a fuller picture of this country at the heart of Europe. Spotlight on France is a podcast, in English, from Radio France International, out Thursdays.
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Podcast: Taxing the ultra-rich, last paperboy in Paris, end of the death penalty
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.09/10/202528:38 -
Podcast: Gazans in France, saving and spending habits, the Republican calendar
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.25/09/202532:10 -
Podcast: PM woes, tourists 'overtake' Montmartre, when Martinique became French
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.11/09/202529:55 -
Podcast: living in 50C, French egg shortages, Paris metro
As France heats up, an experiment simulating life in 50C 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 1900.03/07/202528:55 -
Podcast: Assisted dying in France, Pagnol at Cannes, meet the neighbours
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.22/05/202528:15 -
Podcast: US science 'refugees' in France, doctor shortages, 8 May massacre
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.08/05/202534:33 -
Podcast: War economy, France's supercomputers, La Marseillaise and the Republic
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.10/04/202528:53 -
Podcast: French wine in Africa, confronting obesity, video game giant
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.27/03/202529:08 -
Podcast: Women wage outrage, farmers face organic slump, Ravel's Bolero
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.13/03/202530:17 -
Podcast: AI 'à la française', immigration fact vs feeling, disability law
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.13/02/202533:14 -
Podcast: Budget woes, medical cannabis stalled, French comic who defied Hitler
How France's budget cuts will impact development work abroad and civil society at home. An inconclusive medical marijuana experiment leaves patients in limbo. And how Jewish comedian Pierre Dac used humour in the Resistance.30/01/202532:27 -
Podcast: France Algeria fall out, land of dinosaurs, abortion rights
A big freeze in Franco-Algerian relations as domestic politics drive international diplomacy. France is full of dinosaur bones, but short on paleongolotists to dig them up. And France's law decriminalising abortion turns 50.16/01/202534:50 -
Podcast: Renaming Tibetan art, Paris region's first olive oil, Comoran independence
Tibetans question why a French museum has renamed its collection of Tibetan art. A group of neighbours south of Paris produce the region's first olive oil. And the independence of the Comoros, without Mayotte.19/12/202431:02 -
Podcast: Forgotten female war correspondent, lighter French wine, Notre-Dame reopens
Unearthing the story of the woman who documented Charles de Gaulle's liberation of Paris in 1944. The impact of climate change on alcohol content in wine, and how French consumers are reacting. And the reopening of Notre-Dame cathedral, five years after the fire.05/12/202432:20 -
Podcast: Dictionary wars, France digests Trump, disaster solidarity
Controversy around the latest edition of the Académie Française dictionary. How France is processing the re-election of US President-elect Donald Trump. The first disaster to prompt waves of international solidarity.21/11/202431:30
Spotlight on France
Interested in France? Let us be your ears and eyes on the ground. Hosts Sarah Elzas and Alison Hird introduce you to the people who make France what it is, and who want to change it - to give you a fuller picture of this country at the heart of Europe. Spotlight on France is a podcast, in English, from Radio France International, out Thursdays.