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Green

Bears Are Back In Japan — Is It Time To Unleash The Wolf Robots?

Climate change and demographic collapse have driven bear attacks to reach a record high in Japan. In both the countryside and the cities, bears and other animals are taking back territory from humans. Should locals learn to live with them or take extreme measures?

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Economy Food / Travel Society

Barbados Postcard, Tracing The Sweet Birthplace Of Rum

The history of Barbados, a small Caribbean island, has been profoundly shaped by sugarcane. It is also home to the oldest recorded mention of the word “rum,” an industry that remains central to the economy of one of the world’s younger republics.

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Economy

Trader Joe’s Of China? Pangdonglai, A Grocery Store The Masses Love To Trust

As China slowed down after the COVID-19 pandemic, this modest supermarket chain from Henan seems to have found the magic formula to encourage Chinese consumers to shop. Pangdonglai is so successful that it has become a national tourist attraction.

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Society

France Holds On To Its Ancient Passion For Board Games

With its festivals, game libraries, bars and clubs, France has become the European country where board games are most popular. That’s thanks to a dynamic associative and economic ecosystem as well as the internationally recognized talents of its creators, now echoed throughout social media. Gamers of all ages tell us what they love so much about board games.

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Economy Society

How Dogs Became The Luxury Sector’s New Best Friend

From dedicated spas and luxury perfumes to prebiotics and behavioral therapies, how man’s best friend became the target of high-end marketing.

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Society

Notre-Dame Was Saved — But France Has 8,000 Other Churches Falling Apart

France’s churches are a rich religious heritage that, unlike other European countries, largely belong to the national or local governments. But with strained budgets and years of neglect, keeping these historic churches standing has become a daunting and costly struggle.

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Economy Food / Travel Green

Sustainable Evolution? The Galapagos Recipe For Beating Overtourism

Ecuador’s exceptional Galapagos archipelago has been at the heart of an ambitious decades-long preservation policy to protect its unique fauna from too many visitors. Could it serve as a model for others for how to resist overtourism?

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Economy Future Green

Cash-For-Climate: The Green Rationale For Local Currencies

Increasingly widespread across France, these alternative currencies are emerging as a new tool for promoting short supply chains, local economies and ecological transition.

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Society

“Healing The Wounds” — Meet The Architect Who Led Notre-Dame’s Historic Restoration

Ahead of the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris-based daily Les Echos talks with chief architect Philippe Villeneuve, who oversaw the five-year reconstruction project, about his work and what visitors can expect.

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Economy Food / Travel Society

The “Notre-Dame Effect”? Paris Braces For Overtourism Backlash

After the Summer Olympics, Paris will be back in the international spotlight this weekend with the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral. While tourism actually fell during the sporting event, it may now be primed to explode and could spark a backlash like in Barcelona and elsewhere.

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Geopolitics

Notre Drame! Macron’s Fate In The Balance After Playing With Political Fire

France’s “drama” comes after the government of French Prime Minister Barnier collapsed, the final failure on last summer’s bet of President of Emmanuel Macron to dissolve parliament. But even as he hopes for another distraction with the reopening of Notre-Dame, Macron’s political future is looking increasingly impossible.

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Geopolitics

A Dark Sign In Europe: The France-Germany Duo Is Weaker Than It’s Ever Been

Having long been the driving force of the European Union, France and Germany are facing multiple crises simultaneously, threatening the balance of their relationship. It couldn’t have come at a worse time.

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Food / Travel Society

Saint-Tropez In The Snow? French Ski Resorts Take The Chic Party Scene To New Altitudes

Mountain chalets transformed into dance floors, festive restaurants at ski resorts, giant festivals on the slopes. The party craze has taken over the mountains — a phenomenon that is revolutionizing the winter sports business.

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Economy Society

Shein Reality Check: The Dark Side Of China’s Fast Fashion Boom

Shein, a Chinese retailer, has rapidly risen to compete with the likes of H&M and Zara — and even Amazon. But now France is leading the West’s crackdown on the questionable practices of so-called “fast fashion.” Here’s deep look inside the company’s working and sourcing practices.

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Society

The Science Of Love: How Romance Changes Our Brain And Body

What do we know about what goes on in our bodies, and especially in our brains, when we’re in love? A new French essay, “Cerveau, sexe et amour” (Brain, Sex and Love), looks into this question.

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Economy Ideas Society

The French Worker-Slacker Paradox: Why More Hours May Not Be The Answer

The Macron government says France needs to work more — and it has a point. The French people disagree — and they’re not wrong. Here’s why, and how to bridge the gap.

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Economy

Nigeria: How Africa’s Largest Democracy Is Barely Holding On

With a population of more than 200 million, Nigeria is facing a series of crises: an economy at its lowest, endemic corruption and insecurity throughout a large part of the country. Despite the challenges it faces and its history of military coups, the country is holding firm, but for how long?

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Economy Future

AI For Africa? The Best And Worst Of Times

AI could offer a great new way in to the global economy for sub-Saharan Africa. Yet with some 20 million jobs needed to be created annually to absorb the massive influx of young people in the labor market, AI could also create new unemployment.

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Society

Why First Aid Training Should Include Mental Health Specialization

The World Health Organization estimates that mental disorders impact one in four people worldwide. To help respond to mental health issues, a first aid training program was created in Australia in the early 2000s and has become available in France over the past five years.

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Economy Eyes on the U.S. Future special series Trump And The World

How Trump’s Return Could Turn Into A Huge Opportunity For European Tech

The United States seeks to strengthen its competitive edge over the European Union through broad deregulation. While this poses a genuine risk, it also presents Europe with a chance to step up and fill a void, globally.

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Economy Food / Travel

The Mysterious Threat To Norway’s Lucrative King Crab Industry

For the past two decades, Norway has developed an industrial and tourist sector around the king crab, a giant crustacean whose leg span can exceed two meters. But this boon for the economy of the great Norwegian north is now in more than a pinch.

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Eyes on the U.S. In The News special series Trump And The World

Why Kim Jong-un Went All In On His Alliance With Putin — And Left Trump Behind

Pyongyang has just ratified its new defense pact with Moscow. North Korean soldiers are deployed near Kursk, in an unprecedented engagement that marks a reversal of Kim Jong-un’s foreign policy.

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Geopolitics Migrant Lives Society

Our “Rebordering” World — Walls Go Up Everywhere, 35 Years After Berlin’s Came Down

November 9 marks 35 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Once seen as a step toward open borders, walls and fences now span a quarter of the world’s land borders today. It’s central to what’s being called the “rebordering” among nations around the world.

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Eyes on the U.S.

Georgia Is Ground Zero For Trump’s “Stolen Election” Claims — Then And Now

Allegations of widespread fraud in 2020 have left lasting impacts in Georgia. The state hopes to avoid renewed tensions this year, but both Democrats and Republicans are bracing for potential disputes in the case of a close result.

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Food / Travel

The Colonel v. Michelin Star Chefs: A Fried Chicken Battle Sizzling In France

As American fried chicken chains KFC, Popeyes and Wingstop expand in France, local fast-food entrepreneurs as well as Michelin-starred chefs are trying to nab a part of this growing market. What is behind this trend sweeping the land of the traditional Sunday roast chicken?

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Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics

“Worse v. Even Worse” — How Michigan’s Arab Voters Are Choosing Between Evils

The Arab community has long supported the Democrats during elections, but the ongoing conflict led by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon is changing the dynamics, and could give Trump an opening in this crucial swing state.

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Food / Travel Society

Charleroi Postcard: The Rusting Pleasures Of The “Ugliest City In The World”

For 15 years, Nicolas Buissart has been guiding curious visitors through the industrial ruins of Charleroi, the largest municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. With his storytelling skills, he has transformed the supposed ugliness of this urban landscape into a tourist attraction.

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Society Women Worldwide

The Midwest Abortion Clinic Forced To Cross State Lines — A Lesson For U.S. Voters?

North Dakota’s last abortion clinic was forced to move to neighboring Minnesota two years ago, when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down federal protection of this right, guaranteed since 1973. Ahead of the presidential election, the fight for women’s rights is rallying Democrats.

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Economy

The Vacant Apartments Of Shaoguan, Symbol Of China’s Real Estate Crisis

China’s real estate crisis is hitting small, unattractive cities like Shaoguan hard. This city of 3.3 million residents in the far south of the country has a stock of empty apartments that could take 10 years to sell.

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Food / Travel Society

Battle Of Intolerances? When French Chefs Must Respond To Special Dietary Requests

More and more people are paying attention to what they eat, even in tradition-bound French restaurants. Almost 15% of orders in France now include specific requests. Dialogue between chefs and diners is not always easy.

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Geopolitics Green

Climate Change, The Silent New Enemy Of Armed Forces Everywhere

Climate change, accelerating conflicts and altering operational conditions, will not spare the armed forces. These factors combined will alter the conditions under which armies around the world have to operate. Paris-based daily Les Echos looks at how France’s armed forces are working to adapt as well as reduce their carbon footprint.

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Eyes on the U.S. Israel-Palestine War

Netanyahu Is Playing The U.S. Election Like A Master Class In Cynicism

Never since it became the “great protector” of the Jewish state has the United States shown so much weakness towards Israel, as the Israeli prime minister stays one step ahead of his adversaries in a cunning maneuver to help Trump return to the White House.

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Economy

Legacy Of Leadership: Ratan Tata’s Death Marks The End Of An Era

The “titan” of Indian business, Ratan Tata, has died at 86. Under his leadership, the Tata Group evolved into a global powerhouse, renowned for its integrity and expansive reach.

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Economy Russia-Ukraine War

Fozzy, The Ukrainian Supermarkets Resisting The Russian Invader

Founded by four amateur musicians with a passion for rock, Ukraine’s largest holding company, which includes supermarkets and banks, has paid a heavy price for the war. But that has not stopped Fozzy Group from using its economic power to serve its threatened homeland.

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Economy Eyes on the U.S. Future

Country Folk Vs. Silicon Valley: The Rural County Fighting Big Tech’s New City Project

Tech’s biggest fortunes are funding a project to build a new city of 400,000 people just an hour outside of San Francisco. But the residents of the region’s most rural county are resisting.

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Food / Travel Society Weird

The “Golden Owl” Quest Is Over, After 30 Years Of Stumping Treasure Hunters In France

After more than 30 years, the “Golden Owl” has been found, ending frantic quests by thousands of players from around the world that involved wild excavations, low blows and even lawsuits. Based on mysterious clues from a book, this treasure hunt turned into a flourishing business, while keeping thousands of hunters hooked over decades.

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Geopolitics

PRC At 75: How Xi Jinping Overtook Mao In Accumulation Of Power

As October 1 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, its leader Xi Jinping wields more power than any other past Chinese communist leader — including the country’s actual founder, Mao. Xi now wants to accelerate the rise of Chinese influence around the world.

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Economy Food / Travel Green

How French Winegrowers Are Trying To Save Vineyards From Climate Change

While wine consumption is declining and operating costs increasing, winegrowers also face increasingly frequent and extreme climatic hazards. Is this the last straw? As the sector is preparing for a new uprooting plan, some winemakers are looking into ways to adapt to the new market needs and climatic conditions.

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Geopolitics Israel-Palestine War

Yes, Nasrallah Hit Makes The U.S. And Iran Look Weak — But This Won’t End Well For Israel

As Israel celebrates the death of Hezbollah’s leader, Washington and Tehran both suddenly seem powerless, looking like spectators of an unraveling tragedy that is beyond their control. Yet, given its demographics and geography, Israel desperately needs allies.

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Israel-Palestine War

Syria, An Unlikely Refuge For Anyone Fleeing Lebanon — Syrian Refugees Too

As Israel continued its strikes in several parts of the country, more than 30,000 Lebanese and Syrians living in Lebanon set out for the Syrian border. It’s an improbable turn of events, after years of Syrians fleeing into Lebanon.

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