The nurse at London’s King Edward VII hospital who transferred a prank call from someone pretending to be the queen inquiring about the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge’s health was found dead on Friday in a suspected suicide.
IN THE FRENCH PAPERS, 06/12/12: French papers focus on a meeting that took place yesterday between the government and trade unions over an embattled steel plant in north-eastern France. Trade unions say they feel the government has betrayed them. Meanwhile, according to an alarming study, the French sperm count has gone down by one third in the last 17 years!
French men are not as fertile as they used to be, according to a new study which reports that the sperm count in the average Frenchman's semen has fallen by nearly a third over a 16-year period.
Alerted by the precedent set after Chernobyl, Japanese doctors have set about testing all children who might have been exposed to radiation after last year's nuclear disaster at Fukushima. They're looking for signs of thyroid cancer, and out of the 100,000 children tested so far, 40% have shown some sign of abnormality. With parents struggling to get advice from the authorities, the Fukushima Medical University has had to organise meetings where information can be given out.
As Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton prepare to part ways, we look at the controversy surrounding her succession as the United States' top diplomat. Next, we bring you a special report on the state of hospitals in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, Brazil. Finally, we explore why next month has a special significance for the ancient Mayan people of Guatemala.
FRENCH PAPERS, Monday 26th November: It’s all about the UMP this Monday, as French papers try to work out what’s going on within the leadership of France’s main opposition party. Le Figaro calls it a "suicide broadcast live", while Libération equates it to a story line from Dallas! In other news, the Russian Prime Minister Medvedev talks all matters Syrian with Le Figaro and we look at how life as a "bon vivant" might just be good for you!
After 43 years, Libyan exile Abdoullassem Al Naji finally returns to his homeland. Helped by the Red Cross, he has been reunited with the family he left behind in Libya decades ago. Next, there's fierce debate in Tunisia as the government weighs up the pros and cons of granting a shale gas drilling permit to energy giant Shell. Finally, we go to the movies in Morocco, where we settle down for a look at the Zagora Trans-Saharan film festival.
If we lined up one year's supply of plastic bags it would circle the globe 63 times. Today, recycled and biodegradable alternatives are at the centre of efforts to reduce the impact on the environment. This week we investigate the future of the plastic industry.
The Chinese Communist party has a freshly appointed leadership. We give you a run-down of who’s who in the new political elite. Staying in China, we visit the country’s richest village: an impressive example of a hybrid of communism and capitalism. Finally, on the South Pacific island of New Caledonia, a team of scientists are on a mission to save the "big-headed turtles", a species teetering on the verge of extinction.
