INTERNATIONAL REPORT

A UN tourism report ranks France at the top tourist destination in the world, with nearly 90 million tourists last year. Fifty million visit Paris alone, according to the mayor's office. For the fourth part of our series A Parisian Summer, Arnab Béranger goes aboard a boat cruise down the Seine. So sit back and enjoy the ride. Click the 'play' button above to listen, or subscribe to our podcast by searching 'RFI international report'.

Arts and entertainment have taken over every corner in the Scottish city of Edinburgh. We're two weeks into the Edinburgh Festivals, and just about every bar, theatre and concert hall is tackling tough issues through art and performance. Racial and class inequalities in particular are the focus of hundreds of shows. Assa Samaké-Roman has this second report on a series on the festivals in the capital of Scotland. Click the 'play' button above to listen, or subscribe to our podcast by searching 'RFI international report'.

We’re going back to the US for part two of our special report with former US gymnast Rachel Haines. Rachel was one of hundreds of girls abused over years by their then-team coach, Larry Nassar. Today, Colm Flynn talks to Rachel about her recovery, and life today.  Click the 'play' button above to listen, or subscribe to our podcast by searching 'RFI international report'.

Rachel Haines was a star US gymnast who suffered years of abuse by her then coach, Larry Nassar. Since the national scandal broke in 2016, more than 250 women have accused Larry Nassar of sexual assault, and in 2017 he was convicted and sentenced to 175 years in prison. It was a case that rocked the gymnastics world and for the first time, Rachel has decided to talk about her experience in the hope of helping others. In part one of our two-part report, our correspondent Colm Flynn travelled to Minnesota to meet Rachel and hear her story. And a warning, some listeners may find some of what she describes upsetting. Click the 'play' button above to listen, or subscribe to our podcast by searching 'RFI international report'.

That question is not as strange as it might sound. Every summer since 2002, the banks of the Seine and the La Villette Canal Basin in Paris turn into a seaside resort known as Paris Plages. Parisians and visitors alike can relax and take advantage of the cool lawns, sun umbrellas, deckchairs, palm trees and cultural and sports activities. Arnab Béranger put on his flip-flops and swimming shorts in search of golden sand in the heart of the city in today's report from a five-part series on summer in Paris. Click the 'play' button above to listen, or subscribe to our podcast by searching 'RFI international report'.