World News by Wild Rose

Our guest is veteran French journalist and commentator Bernard Guetta, who is a Member of the European Parliament for the centrist Renew group. He tells the programme that Donald Trump is "a liar, because he tried to tell the American people that Zelensky and the Ukrainian resistance were responsible for the price of diesel. This is a pure lie. He (Trump) is responsible because he started the war with Iran." Guetta goes on to say that "without American intelligence sharing, Ukraine is weaker and weaker. That's terrible, to see the president of the United States giving a hand to Putin against Ukraine."

UBS Chief Economist Arend Kapteyn discusses the Fed’s rate outlook following hotter inflation data, the impact of AI investment and borrowing on bond yields, and why he believes AI fundamentals remain strong despite the recent market selloff. Kapteyn also weighs in on Europe’s economic challenges, competition with China and France’s fiscal outlook. He spoke on Bloomberg Brief. (Source: Bloomberg)

A conversation with Shahin Vallée.

PRESS REVIEW – Friday, October 16: French papers look ahead to Saturday's call for mass protests, which will bring together a number of social movements. Next, climate change has devastating consequences on communities in Afghanistan. Also, Libération publishes a special edition written in the style of Georges Perec. Finally, this year's animal of the year has been named.

As student protests converge with broader public discontent over the rising cost of living in France, Genie Godula is joined by Sébastien Vieille, national secretary of the SNALC teachers’ union. He offers an assessment of a movement confronting political uncertainty, deteriorating school infrastructure and mounting fiscal constraints. Speaking from Montbéliard in eastern France, Vieille questions whether alliances with larger protest movements, including the Yellow Vests, will strengthen students’ demands or ultimately make them "less visible". 

Things are going from bad to worse for Marseille. The French side suffered their second defeat in as many Europa League matches, losing 1-0 to Olympiakos. Lyon, meanwhile, are heading in the opposite direction, having secured a win over Premier League side Crystal Palace. Rennes, for their part, claimed their first Europa League victory of the season with a narrow 2-1 win over OFI Crete.

France and Germany have backed looser EU emissions rules for carmakers and agreed to include Britain in a “made in Europe” scheme, in a provisional deal reached Thursday that could reshape the bloc’s automotive and climate policies.

A minibus collided with a stationary train in a Channel Tunnel vehicle boarding area in France on Thursday evening, injuring the driver and 18 passengers, authorities said. Five people were severely injured, though no one’s life appeared to be in danger, the local prefect said in a statement. The minibus was carrying truck drivers of various nationalities who were heading to travel on a LeShuttle train, which carries vehicles and their passengers through the tunnel. The area around the tunnel...

François Picard is pleased to welcome Layla Abdelké Yakoub, Tax Justice and Inequality Advocacy Officer at Oxfam France. "Today in France a billionaire pays less taxes proportionally than a nurse or a firefighter," explains Yakoub. She challenges the foundations of France's fiscal system, arguing that the growing concentration of wealth and preferential tax treatment of the ultra-rich are undermining the constitutional principle of equality before taxation. As Oxfam pursues legal action against the French state, Yakoub describes a widening disconnect between the government's efforts to attract investment and its ability to finance public services, address poverty and carve out an ecological transition.

Pink October – the French version of Breast Cancer Awareness Month – is at the centre of a political storm here in France, after one MP said she refused to wear a pink ribbon, calling the month "utterly cynical". We dive into her reasoning, discuss the history of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and learn how to look out for "pinkwashing".

Charles Pellegrin is pleased to welcome Nicolas Vercken, Director of Advocacy for Oxfam France. France’s tax inequality is under scrutiny and Oxfam is challenging the state over its constitutional obligations. “It’s not so much about how much the percentage of tax and the burden of our tax system, it’s who you tax and for what,” explains Vercken. As France confronts mounting fiscal pressures and contentious budget negotiations, Oxfam France is challenging the constitutional foundations of the country's tax system, arguing that successive fiscal reforms have disproportionately benefited the wealthiest while exacerbating economic inequality. Their legal initiative seeks to establish whether the French state has failed in its constitutional obligations, potentially placing fiscal inequality under judicial scrutiny for years to come.

Anti-terrorism prosecutors said a 14-year-old involved in a shooting that wounded teaching staff at a school in the south of France earlier this week was acting out of revenge for bullying. The teenager was charged with attempted murder and remanded in custody Wednesday.

The shock from turmoil in French debt has yet to show up in the country’s market for short-term funding, signaling a broad credit crisis is off the cards for now.

Far-right leader and presidential candidate Marine Le Pen said on Wednesday that France could no longer afford to fund Ukraine, citing the country's high deficit and weak economic growth.

Some high schools in France remained closed on Wednesday, a day after tens of thousands of people joined rallies across the country to support protesting students. On Saturday, national demonstrations against the spiralling cost of living are to take place, and unions and student groups see the two protest currents fusing together.

The world's most-visited museum "will eventually have to close its doors to the public" unless the French state steps in to finance a major overhaul, Louvre director Christophe Leribault told Le Figaro on Wednesday, in the latest dire warning about the creaking institution hit by a string of scandals including water leaks, ticket frauds and a high-profile jewel heist.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that France's student protesters are being "exploited" by political forces months ahead of the country's presidential elections. Hard-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon participated in a Paris demonstration while hard-right frontrunner Marine Le Pen voiced support for police deployed to protests.

Niger on Tuesday condemned the expulsion of two of its security agents from France, calling it a “serious and unacceptable act of ingratitude.”

Student protesters in France have told the BBC's James Waterhouse that they will continue to take action until change has been made. The protests have now entered their fourth week.

Tens of thousands of people rallied across France on Tuesday in support of protesting high school students, with unions putting turnout at 480,000, as anger over school conditions and alleged police violence fuels a growing movement challenging President Emmanuel Macron’s government ahead of planned cost-of-living demonstrations on Saturday.

France seizes tanker suspected of belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet

A 14-year-old pupil suspected of shooting and wounding a headmaster and teacher near Marseille may have been involved in an online network associated with the glorification of mass killers known as the True Crime Community, prompting France’s anti-terror prosecutor to take over the case.

More than 500 shops across France were hit in a major cyberattack on freezers, which caused tonnes of food to perish.

French students are protesting overcrowded classes and timetables, teacher shortages, and calling for reforms or the abolition of Parcoursup, the university admissions platform. Although school blockades have declined, incidents continue around some high schools. A demonstration has now started in Paris, from Place d’Italie towards Les Invalides, as Claire Paccalin reports from the scene.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg has joined demonstrating high school students in France as protests continue to grow.

As protests nationwide protests rage, activists warn proposed law could lead to more impunity.

The exposure of France’s banking sector to the nation’s public debt remains limited and doesn’t pose stability risks even as yields on government bonds surge, the country’s top financial watchdog said Tuesday.

French presidential candidate Raphael Glucksmann declared Monday that the "battle begins" as he launched a bid to unite a fragmented left ahead of next year's election. Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Damien Lecomte, Political Scientist and Researcher at Paris Pantheon Sorbonne University, explains that Glucksmann has to be careful not to be seen as "the new Macron, because that is not a winning card".

Renoir art heist suspects were planning 'imminent' second robbery, prosecutors say.

French presidential candidate Raphaël Glucksmann said Monday that the "battle begins" to revive the country's divided left ahead of the 2027 election. The EU lawmaker was elected Sunday as the centre-left candidate with more than 66 percent of the vote.