Alice Hackman

🇬🇧 🇫🇷 Britain's Queen Camilla meets French rape survivor Gisele Pelicot Queen Camilla met Gisele Pelicot, the woman who has become a symbol of the global fight against sexual violence, and told her she had been left "speechless" by her memoir. Camilla has long been a campaigner against sexual and domestic violence #geneu_AFP

"The trick is to let air between the layers" -- Homeless Frenchman Sylvain, 52, shows @AFP's @dbelaid how to dress to survive the freezing end-of-year cold. shorturl.at/ihzWj

Hiyam Zarouri, then 25, was hopeful when a senior civil servant reached out offering career advice. @AFP looks into allegations of mass drinks spiking at the culture ministry. shorturl.at/m524s

A small French town is offering 1,000-euro bonuses to pregnant women if they choose its maternity ward to give birth @AFP france24.com/en/live-news/2…

This investigation reveals how Oman-based Al-Jabri Co. lures Yemeni youth with fake jobs in Russia — then seizes passports, forces secret contracts, and sends them to fight in Ukraine. Dozens are killed, injured, missing, or held in camps for resisting. arij.net/investigations…

Martin Parr says many of us are too wealthy. My interview for @AFP as he visited Paris to promote his excellently titled autobiography "Utterly Lazy and Inattentive". france24.com/en/live-news/2…

Young Iraqis are signing up to fight for Russia in Ukraine, lured by the promise of money. @AFP's @robahusseini reports. france24.com/en/live-news/2…

@BoxingForBetter @gibberingphil @rentscape Hello @BoxingForBetter ! Something similar has happened to my mother with the same company. Could you please follow me so I can DM you? Thanks.

@gibberingphil This is how the car I hired from @rentscape ended up. 24 hours without any contact, no replacement car fr 2 days. Refusing to supply the mechanics report or Public liability insurance. Avoid at all costs.

Almost punched a car hire clerk at Bordeaux airport today when he said I was late collecting the car. I was late because I’d been stuck in the car hire queue for an hour. Never, ever use Rentscape in France.

Thousands of carpets sunbathe at Turkish resort. From June to September, in harvested fields cleared of stubble, merchants bring their cargo to age in the sun, tempering the bright hues and ridding them of undesirable elements u.afp.com/SgzR

The US administration's decision to destroy nearly $10 million worth of women's contraception products has sparked outrage. They are reportedly planned to be incinerated in France. @AFP shorturl.at/lPzMH

The United Nations and NGOs have warned of imminent famine in Gaza -- a designation based on strict criteria and scientific evidence. @AFP's @Leci_a reports shorturl.at/h4Ynk

Joint statement on Gaza from @AFP, @AP, @BBCWorld and @Reuters

⚫️ La Direction de l’AFP partage l’angoisse exprimée par la SDJ quant à la situation effroyable de ses collaborateurs dans la bande de Gaza. Depuis des mois nous assistons, impuissants, à la détérioration dramatique de leurs conditions de vie. Leur situation est aujourd’hui intenable, malgré un courage, un engagement professionnel et une résilience exemplaires. C'est pourquoi l’AFP, qui était parvenue après plusieurs mois d'efforts à faire évacuer ses huit salariés de Gaza et leurs familles entre janvier et avril 2024, entreprend les mêmes démarches pour ses collaborateurs pigistes, malgré l’extrême difficulté de sortir d’un territoire soumis à un blocus strict. Depuis le 7 octobre, Israël interdit l’accès de la bande de Gaza à tous les journalistes internationaux. Dans ce contexte, le travail de nos pigistes palestiniens est capital pour l’information du monde. Mais leur vie est en danger, aussi exhortons-nous les autorités israéliennes à autoriser leur évacuation immédiate avec leurs familles.

Depuis que l’AFP a été fondée en août 1944, nous avons perdu des journalistes dans des conflits, nous avons eu des blessés et des prisonniers dans nos rangs, mais aucun de nous n’a le souvenir d’avoir vu un collaborateur mourir de faim. Nous refusons de les voir mourir.

When Moscow invaded Ukraine, Pavel Talankin, a staff member at a secondary school in Russia, was ordered to film patriotic lessons, songs and morning drills. It was so depressing, he wanted to quit. @AFP's @AnnaSafp writes: shorturl.at/aDiAA

Olha Kyrylenko, 26, went to cover the front lines for the first time shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, and noticed that she was far from the only woman. @AFP shorturl.at/6C9SA

Thai film director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, who has won a top prize in Cannes, recruited a major influencer for his off-the-wall gay comedy with a political punch. tinyurl.com/mt3fz9vw @AFP

Gazan filmmakers Arab and Tarzan Nasser said they never thought the title of their new film "Once Upon A Time In Gaza" would have such heartbreaking resonance. tinyurl.com/5a2kjtwa @AFP

Director Tarik Saleh said he decided that, if he was going to address Egyptian politics head on in his latest film, it needed to include Egypt's current president. @AFP tinyurl.com/4r4br49c

Hasan Hadi, the first filmmaker from Iraq to be selected for the prestigious Cannes Festival, says sanctions don't work. shorturl.at/A9Bku @AFP