A first look at French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s visit to South Africa. He proposes a new axis in the capital’s “Francafrican” politics and shores up relations with English-speaking Africa.

On the final leg of French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s visit to South Africa, the leader meets with Nelson Mandela (after visiting the cell where Mandela was imprisoned for twenty-seven years), and speaks about the importance of being a uniter—not a divider.

The first in a trilogy of segments from Le Journal on the same subject, this video discusses the emergency measures called for by the French government, which has brought together a task force to deal with rising food prices in French stores.

The second video on rising food prices in France takes a look at dairy products, in particular yogurt, which has been especially affected by this general trend of skyrocketing prices. So who is responsible? The milk producers? The product manufacturers? The supermarkets?

French Minister of Finance Christine Lagarde takes a stroll through the aisles of a Parisian supermarket, checking as she goes to see if the actual prices of the store’s dairy products match prices recorded in a recent French consumer’s report. The verdict? It appears that shelf prices are actually lower than what was listed in the report. But the French can rest assured that this won’t stop the government’s investigation into the country’s rising food prices.

Tuberculosis remains a deadly disease—affecting 10.6 million people annually and killing one person every twenty seconds. The recent development of multidrug-resistant strains of the bacteria has made TB even more threatening. Especially affected are areas without the proper means of fighting the illness. Eight countries accounted for more than two thirds of the global total: India, Indonesia, China, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to the WHO, 13 billion dollars would be required to effectively combat the disease.

Her stirring, tragic story has moved millions of people. As an eight-year-old Jewish girl during World War II, she was taken in by wild wolves and walked for thousands of kilometers in search of her family. Sound too implausible to be true? Turns out it is. Her story is fiction, and, in fact, she’s not even Jewish. Though she may be the James Frey of French World War II tales, her lawyer claims she’s done nothing wrong.

What is the best way to explain the horrors of the Holocaust to nine-year-old children? France’s Holocaust memorial has taken measures to avoid disturbing children by placing the most graphic photographs out of their line of sight and by offering a tour specifically designed for younger viewers. The idea is for children to learn about this dark moment in our history without being overwhelmed.

The Yacyretá dam in Argentina is controversial for several reasons. Accused by some to be the result of a bribe to displace the local population, the dam has now gotten famed French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand into hot water. Arthus-Bertrand, who was filming a documentary there, is alleged to have walked out on a twenty-eight-thousand-euro bill he owed to a local travel agency.

The best way to teach primary school students about the Holocaust is a contested topic in France. (See our Le Journal video on France’s Holocaust memorial.) One idea, originally proposed by Nicolas Sarkozy at a dinner organized by the Conseil représentatif des institutions juives de France, has not yet been able to see the light of day.

Marion Cotillard was not a superstar when she landed the role of Edith Piaf in La Môme. But, already a formidable actress, she had an impressive set of roles under her belt, and the film’s director had no doubt she was “the one.” He was right: Marion took home the Oscar for best actress in 2008.

An interesting note: The USA release title for the film – in French, ironically enough – is La Vie en Rose, the name of a famous Piaf song, which basically means, “life through rose-colored glasses.” The French title comes from Piaf’s nickname: “La Môme Piaf,” which can be translated as “the little sparrow,” but also means “little kid Piaf.”

The Thai police force caught a very big fish: the world’s most wanted arms dealer, Viktor Bout. The man who inspired the film Lord of War starring Nicolas Cage was repatriated after 12 years to Russia as part of a prisoner exchange.. And it seems he may have been protected by certain intelligence agencies — but which ones?

Don’t confuse Noah’s Ark with Zoé’s Ark. The first is said to have saved Noah, his family, and two representatives of each living creature, and the second claims it tried to save children. The members involved in this child abduction scheme have been found guilty, but who should pay the restitution?

Two students from Gabon were expelled from a French University and deported back to their home country for having low grades in school. One was even forced to leave behind his wife and young daughter (a French citizen). The government of Gabon is not pleased and may take measures to retaliate in kind.

The young and the old are always the most severely affected by crises – a fact illustrated by this demonstration, in which the elderly clamor for emergency measures so they can make ends meet.