Parts of France enter fresh Covid lockdown - a podcast by BBC World Service

Twenty-one million people in 16 areas of France begin a new month-long Covid lockdown. The BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris tells us about the likely impact on businesses in France, and the government's deficit. Also in the programme, there's a new phase of international port diplomacy, where major economic powers are helping to construct ports to help establish commercial and military footholds around the world. The BBC's Ranga Sirilal in Colombo describes India and Japan's assistance to Sri Lanka for a port there. We hear from Cobus Van Staden, senior China-Africa researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs about a Chinese loan deal for Bagamoyo Port in Tanzania. And Cristina Maza, a freelance journalist who has been covering a deal between Sudan and Russia for military access to Port Sudan on the Red Sea, discusses what is in it for the two sides. Plus, we hear from the chief executive of Australian airline Qantas, Alan Joyce, how he hopes to revive the company's fortunes in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

(Photo: A lone pedestrian walks near the Louvre in Paris. Credit: Getty Images)

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