Journal in easy French

At the listening of RFI – Radio France Internationale live from Paris. It is 6:00 p.m.

The News in Easy French.

Adrien Delgrange.

4:00 p.m. Coordinated Universal Time. Today is Monday, April 13th.

Glad to have you with us. We will be together all week for the News in Easy French.

With the following topics:

To start, we will discuss the blockade of Iranian ports. For over two hours now, Donald Trump has banned the entry and exit of boats from ports in Iran. This is what we will analyze from the beginning of the journal.

After his large victory in Hungary, the future Prime Minister, Peter Magyar, spoke this afternoon at a press conference in front of journalists from around the world. You’ll hear him in a moment.

Also in this journal, Pope Leon XIV is in Algeria. Our special envoy is waiting for us.

The French company Lafarge is condemned for financing terrorism. Its former director is spending the night in prison.

News in Benin. Paul Hounkpè now admits his defeat in yesterday’s presidential elections.

And finally, we already knew that bears can attack humans. But, due to the increasing number of attacks on humans, Japan has decided to take serious measures, as explained at the end of this edition by Igor Strauss.

That’s it for the headlines. Welcome.

After the failed negotiations this weekend between Iran and the United States, the US President has decided to impose what is called a naval blockade on Iran. Washington has been blocking Iranian ports for two hours already. Donald Trump’s new strategy aims to prevent Iran from exporting and selling its crude oil abroad. Normally, 2 million barrels pass through the Strait of Hormuz each day, mainly destined for China, representing significant revenue for Iran. Analysis by Homayoun Falakshahi, who works for the Kpler company, which observes oil flows worldwide.

“If just one of these vessels gets close to our blockade, it will be immediately destroyed,” warns the American President if the blockade is not respected.

Hungarians will have a new Prime Minister. Yesterday, Peter Magyar overwhelmingly beat Viktor Orban in the legislative elections. A new chapter in the history of this country of 10 million inhabitants begins. In his first speech today to the press, the future Hungarian Prime Minister stated that the people did not vote for just a change of government, but for a complete regime change. He also thanked certain countries.

“I thank everyone for the congratulations. I note that the Kremlin and Beijing have expressed their support. I thank them for respecting the decision of the Hungarian people and for being open to pragmatic cooperation, as the geography between Hungary and Russia will likely evolve in the near future.”

The future Hungarian Prime Minister also requests that the transition with the current President be swift and smooth.

RFI. 6:05 p.m. Paris time.

It is a highly symbolic visit. The Pope is in Algeria. The representative of Catholics around the world has arrived in this predominantly Muslim country. Upon his arrival, Leon XIV paid tribute to the Algerian victims of the war against France at the Independence Martyrs’ Monument. The first leg of Leon XIV’s visit to Algiers was reported at midday by Eric Senanque.

Yes. In front of this monument to the martyrs, a symbol of the struggles for Algerian independence, the Pope was greeted by Cardinal Vesco, the Archbishop of Algiers, before he spoke his first words of greeting on Algerian soil. “Standing before this monument is a tribute to the history of Algeria and the courage of a people who fought for independence, dignity, and the sovereignty of this nation,” said the pontiff. At the foot of this concrete monument on a hill in Algiers, hundreds of chairs were placed, mostly occupied by young people; many students invited by their universities or various ministries, such as the Ministry of Culture. The rain in the Algerian capital did not deter these many young people from coming to see Pope Leon XIV. Some Christians are present in the crowd. This first leg was under high security. Drones fly in the sky. Snipers are also visible on the roofs of nearby buildings. The Pope, after this first meeting, headed to the Great Mosque of Algiers.

Eric Senanque is following the official visit of Pope Leon XIV to Algeria. The Pope will also visit several African countries.

News in Africa. In Benin, Paul Hounkpè now concedes defeat in yesterday’s presidential election to Romuald Wadagni. In a statement released a few moments ago, the FCBE party and the sole challenger of the current Minister of Economy acknowledged the lead in favor of his opponent. Final results are still not known. Paul Hounkpè congratulated Romuald Wadagni.

In France, cement company Lafarge was convicted today for financing terrorism in Syria. Lafarge, along with eight former executives, were found guilty by the Paris court of financing terrorism during the years 2013-2014, paying jihadist groups to keep a factory running during the war in Syria. Former CEO Bruno Lafont was sentenced to six years in prison with immediate incarceration.

Japan is in a state of emergency. We discuss this with Igor Strauss, who has joined us. Hello, Igor.

Hello, Adrien. Hello everyone.

Faced with a record wave of bear attacks on humans in 2025 – more than 230, including thirteen fatal ones – Japan has presented a five-year plan. As the title suggests, they are pulling out all the stops, with a plan to hunt over 10,000 bears per year. First off, how many bears live in Japan?

With 40,000 bears roaming freely in its territory, Japan is the country with the third most bears, after Canada and the United States. Two of the eight known species live in the mountains of the archipelago: the Oussouri brown bear, which can reach 2 meters tall standing on its hind legs, and the Asian black bear, smaller but more dangerous and fiercer. Since 2010, a coexistence policy with wildlife had been implemented. This means that humans and bears lived in harmony, each in their own territory, Adrien.

But climate change, global warming, and the disappearance of bears’ food sources have changed everything.

Indeed, without food, hungry bears are now wandering close to human settlements, including Tokyo, the Japanese capital. As a result, specialists speak of a new generation of urban bears – bears that no longer fear humans. The government’s plan includes killing 10,000 bears in one year, training more hunters, and allowing shooting outside of nature reserves – hunting reserves. However, some specialists believe it would be wiser to push them back towards their natural habitat, the mountains, and capture more of them to help them learn to be wary of humans.

Thank you, Igor Strauss. Join us again when you’d like on the News in Easy French, presented tonight by Valentin Wanner, with chief editor Christine Muratet.

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