The town of Nîmes goes all out for Christmas, with thousands of lights and giant candy canes all along the streets. It might just be the most festive city in France!

Sakado (a play on sac à dos, “backpack”) is an organization that helps the homeless of France by collecting backpacks filled with all of life’s essentials, from hygienic products to books. As this article reports, homelessness is one of France’s biggest domestic problems.

"Un Petit Noir" (or "A Small Black," a slang term for a small black coffee) is the bookstore café in Lyon specializing not only in gourmet coffees, but also in detective novels and thrillers. Besides crime fiction and caffeine, the store also serves some great jazz concerts to add to the "noir" ambiance.

If you're a comic book lover, you might want to hop on a plane to Lyon, which has held a huge comic book festival for the past ten years. This year, they're even launching a monthly comics magazine called "The Streets of Lyon."

In the process of relocating its archives, the diocese of Lyon discovered a thousand-year-old parchment dating from the time of Charlemagne.

We live in tumultuous times, but Patrice and Sophie are optimistic, excited even, about the changes that are happening around the world. They're referring specifically to the yellow vests movement (les gilets jaunes), a populist movement that began in France in 2018.

Patrice and Sophie discuss the various candidates in the 2022 French presidential election. Patrice predicts the second round could be between Macron and Pécresse. Time will tell!

Patrice and Sophie discuss the recent coup that took place in Mali. As always, people suffer in the hands of the army and the oppressors.

Patrice and Sophie discuss the war in Ukraine and the consequences of the sanctions and trade embargo for the Russian people.

Sophie and Patrice discuss the legislative elections in June 2022. The left-wing parties have reunited for the first time since the Popular Front in 1936. How long will they be able to set aside their differences to form a solid and lasting coalition?

Patrice and Sophie don't quite see eye to eye about the protests against pension reform in France. Listen to them discuss both sides of the argument.

Sophie and Patrice complain about the excessive use of Article 49.3, a law that allows the government to bypass parliament and push through many unpopular measures like the latest labor reform.

Sophie and Patrice discuss the retirement reforms in France and the mass protests opposing them. They also explain the role of President Macron in this controversial situation.

Patrice and Sophie discuss Anne Hidalgo's contribution to the city of Paris. As mayor, she is a controversial figure best known for banning cars from the banks of the Seine. Many Parisians either love her or hate her.

In Ivory Coast, Noël Hala and his family have two occasions to celebrate on December 25: Christmas Day and his birthday!