S2E48: The two rules that Parisians broke in the hot summer of 2025

Spoiler: Politics, and the private lives of politicians.  Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times catches up with its foreign correspondents about life and trends in the countries they're based in. For more than a century, it was quite accepted in France that Presidents and male politicians could have mistresses, and no one would pry into their private lives.  But public attitudes are changing, and this is manifested in persistent curiosity about President Emmanuel Macron and his wife - who have now taken the unprecedented step of filing a lawsuit to battle scurrilous allegations.  In this episode, ST's foreign editor Li Xueying hosts global affairs correspondent Jonathan Eyal, who takes his skewer to double standards, culture wars and conspiracy theories that are fuelling the change.  Highlights (click/tap above): 1:48 Paris in summer: A hotbed of scandals 4:11 Climate and political heat 7:01 Changing political privacy norms in France 9:29 The role of social media and disinformation 13:31 Macron’s political challenges and scandals Read Jonathan Eyal’s article here: https://str.sg/cDua  Read Li Xueying’s articles: https://str.sg/iqmR  Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ip4x   Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz  Host: Li Xueying ([email protected]) Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani Executive producer: Ernest Luis Follow Asian Insider on Fridays here: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX Feedback to: [email protected]  SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg  --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts  The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa  --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX  --- #STAsianInsiderSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.