logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2024
28m 53s

French Farmers and the 'Siege of Paris

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Kate Adie presents stories from France, Turkey, Cambodia, Canada and Chile.

French farmers have staged nationwide protests this week, blocking roads to vent their anger over falling incomes, rising bureaucracy, and competition from imports. Andrew Harding reflects on how these latest protests are a sign of a broader social and political schism that has been emerging in France.

Next week marks a year since Turkey and Syria were hit by a devastating earthquake, which killed more than 60,000 people and displaced millions more. Victoria Craig travelled to Antakya in southern Turkey, one of the worst-hit regions, and spoke to people trying to rebuild their lives while still dealing with the grief of losing loved ones.

Brick kiln workers in Cambodia work in some of the hottest and harshest conditions in the world. The factories often use a mix of fabric, plastic and rubber to fuel the kiln fires, which emit toxic fumes and trigger health conditions. Laura Bicker went to visit workers on the outskirts of the capital, Phnom Penh.

Louis Harnett O'Meara takes to the road in British Columbia, Canada, to see some of the region's iconic redwoods. He hears how efforts to protect these centuries-old trees, along with the wider biodiversity of the region, are being met with opposition from communities dependent on logging for their livelihoods.

In Chilean Patagonia, Kirsty Lang explores a remote region which has been converted into national parkland. encountering sea lions and a lone penguin along the way. It's now one of the world's most protected areas of wilderness, thanks to the work of two American philanthropists.

Series Producer: Serena Tarling Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Production Coordinator: Rosie Strawbridge

Up next
Jun 28
Iranians anxious over what comes next
Kate Adie introduces dispatches from the Turkey-Iran border, Russia, the USA, Paraguay and Transylvania.Israel’s attacks on Iran led thousands of people to flee cities under fire - now they must decide whether to return home, fearing further strikes and a regime still in power. O ... Show More
28m 27s
Jun 14
LA Protests and Donald Trump's crackdown
Kate Adie presents stories from the US, DRC, Hungary, Nigeria and Italy.There's been a heavy crackdown in Los Angeles after more than a week of protests over US immigration raids. Federal police had been targeting undocumented migrants in workplaces across the city. In a marked e ... Show More
29m 8s
Jun 7
Ukraine's 'Operation Spider's Web'
Kate Adie introduces stories from Ukraine, Chile, Indonesia, and France.Ukraine’s audacious drone raid on Russian airbases was met with disbelief that such an attack was even possible. Operation ‘Spider’s Web’ was 18 months in the planning, and caused huge damage to Russia's bomb ... Show More
28m 47s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2022
French oil workers vote to continue strike
The strike by French oil workers is now in its third week, and has shut six of France's seven oil refineries. With long queues of cars now a regular sight at the pumps, the government wants to get the fuel flowing again. The government has said it would use mandatory powers to fo ... Show More
28m 29s
May 2024
Jobs or the environment? And, how do pilots prepare for turbulence?
How do we help people keep their jobs and livelihoods alongside the pressure to move to an environmentally friendly and sustainable future?   It's been estimated that 1.3 million jobs in the UK could be affected by the drive to get to net zero emissions - many in traditional indu ... Show More
19m 16s
Jan 2024
Feuding, arrests, protests: Poland’s gripping political drama
Poland's president, Andrzej Duda, and the country's new prime minister, Donald Tusk, are locked in a power struggle that’s testing the very foundations of the state. Poland has gone through turmoil as the new government reverses changes made by its predecessor. As tens of thousan ... Show More
22m 32s
Apr 2021
Earth Day Stupidity | 4/22/21
Joe Biden has a history of racist comments. Amazon is testing new technology that uses the palm of your hand to identify shoppers. China has a new vaccine that has not been working particularly well, especially in Chile. The Pfizer vaccine now has a side effect of its own, causin ... Show More
1h 35m
Apr 2022
Dying to hunt in France
Just before Christmas, 2021, Joel Vilard was driving his cousin home on a dual carriageway just south of Rennes in Brittany. Suddenly, a bullet flew through the window and hit the pensioner in the neck. He later died in hospital of injuries accidentally inflicted by a hunter firi ... Show More
27m 30s
Jul 2023
BBC OS Conversations: Race in France
France has questions to answer around inequity and its approach to policing. It follows days of violent protests after the fatal shooting in Paris, during a police traffic stop, of a 17-year-old boy of Algerian descent. The world also witnessed some of the country’s social issues ... Show More
24 m
Mar 2024
Inondations, sécheresses, incendies : la France bientôt inassurable ?
Depuis le 1er janvier, la commune des Sables-d’Olonne (Vendée) n’est plus assurée. Cette station balnéaire de la côte vendéenne a subi, ces dernières années, une multiplication des événements climatiques extrêmes. Lâchée par son assureur historique, elle « s’auto-assure » désorma ... Show More
20m 8s
Feb 2024
Lots More on Why Farmers Across Europe Are Furious
In France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Poland, we've seen a wave of protests recently from angry farmers. So what's driving the activity? On this episode of Lots More, we speak with Lorcan Roche Kelly, a former cattle farmer in Western Ireland who is now the business editor at ... Show More
22m 38s