Emmanuel Macron arrived in Mauritius this Thursday, November 20. This long-awaited state visit marks the strengthening of the partnership between Paris and Port-Louis, a direct neighbor of the French territory of Reunion in a strategic region of the Indian Ocean. The last visit of a French president to Mauritius dates back to 1993: this return therefore has a strong symbolic dimension and opens a new chapter of cooperation.
On the program, a follow-up exercise between the armed forces in the southern zone of the Indian Ocean and the Mauritian coast guard, in a context of increased trafficking at sea (drugs, illegal fishing, migration) which requires coordinated action. But maritime security is not the only issue. Emmanuel Macron will meet Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam to deepen cooperation in the fields of energy and water, discuss new technologies in education and artificial intelligence, and finalize several agreements, including a possible new financing loan. The upcoming opening of the new French embassy in Moka will also be part of the agenda.
This Mauritian stop is part of a broader African tour, from November 20 to 24, also including South Africa, where the Head of State will attend the G20, then Gabon and Angola. For Paris as for Port-Louis, the visit is strategic: Mauritius, France’s historical and economic partner, occupies a key place in an area where international influences are increasingly contested.
2 – Moody’s updates the rating of Italy and the United Kingdom
This Friday, November 21, the Moody’s agency will update the sovereign rating of Italy and the United Kingdom, a meeting eagerly awaited by the European markets. The decision comes a few weeks after France was kept at AA3 but placed under negative outlook, due to political instability and the drift in the deficit. Despite maintaining its rating, Paris had received a clear warning: the ability to restore public accounts is now being closely scrutinized.
Last May, Moody’s upgraded Italy’s outlook from stable to positive while maintaining its rating at Baa3 – just above the speculative category. The agency then welcomed a better-than-expected budgetary performance, a political environment considered stable, a robust labor market and a solid banking sector. But it also pointed to a still very heavy debt and the structural challenges linked to the aging of the population.
This Friday’s update could confirm or change this assessment, in an economic context marked by the European slowdown and trade tensions between Washington and the European Union. Investors will closely monitor the valuation of Italy and the United Kingdom, two key economies whose ratings influence the entire Eurozone and bond markets. In the background, each Moody’s decision is now seen as a signal on the continent’s fiscal trajectory.
3 – Miss Universe 2025 Competition
Eve Gilles.
© Jumeau Alexis
/ ABACA
The Miss Universe 2025 competition will be held this Friday, November 21 in Bangkok, Thailand, and France will be represented there like never before. Four French women will take the stage at the heart of a record edition with 127 candidates. Eve Gilles, Miss France 2024, will defend the colors of mainland France, while Nourya Aboutoihi (Mayotte), Ophély Mézino (Guadeloupe) and Célya Abatucci (Martinique) will each wear the scarf of their overseas territory. A particularity linked to the geography of the competition, which distinguishes the mainland and the Overseas Territories as separate entities.
Eve Gilles, aged 22, chose Miss Universe rather than Miss World in order to highlight a committed project while embracing her “show girl side”. And the Frenchwoman is already among the favorites: the video of her presentation published on the official competition account exceeds 8.5 million views and arouses impressive enthusiasm on social networks.
All four will try to succeed Victoria Kjaer, Miss Denmark and Miss Universe 2024. The last French victory dates back to 2016, with the coronation of Iris Mittenaere in Manila. Broadcast in France on Paris Première on the night of November 20 to 21, the competition promises to be intense and well-attended. It remains to be seen whether this historic edition will allow one of the French ambassadors to win the supreme crown.
4 – Virtual meeting of Pope Leo XIV with young American Catholics
This Friday, November 21, Pope Leo XIV will experience an unprecedented moment: his first digital meeting with young American Catholics. At 10:15 a.m. EST, he will speak live streamed during the plenary session of the National Catholic Youth Conference. Around 15,000 young people, aged 14 to 18 and from Catholic movements across the country, are registered to exchange with the Sovereign Pontiff. For 45 minutes, Leo XIV will dialogue directly with them, in an interactive format encouraged by the Church.
For Mgr. Nelson J. Pérez, Archbishop of Philadelphia, this initiative demonstrates the pope’s closeness to the younger generation, in continuity with the vision of his predecessor for whom “young people are the present of God”. The National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry welcomes a “deep honor” and emphasizes that this event will allow young people to feel that their voices, their experiences and their hopes truly matter at the heart of the Church. The meeting is part of three days of prayer, training and celebration in Indianapolis. It will be broadcast by EWTN, exclusive partner of the event.
5 – The good news of the day
Tom Cruise finally won an Oscar. Sunday, November 16, the American actor received an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards, his very first statuette after more than forty years of career. Appointed four times (for Born on the 4th of July, Jerry Maguire, Magnolia and, as a producer, for Top Gun: Maverick) he had never before been rewarded by the Academy. This time, under the notes of Mission Impossiblethe 63-year-old actor took the stage at the Dolby Theater, greeted by a standing ovation from Hollywood. Among the personalities who came to salute his career were Steven Spielberg, Colin Farrell and Emilio Estévez.
Visibly moved, Tom Cruise expressed his gratitude: his love of cinema, he confided, was born very early and gave him “gave me a hunger for adventure, knowledge, humanity and storytelling”. Considered one of the last great stars capable of filling theaters alone, he has been hailed for an entire career marked by his physical commitment, his stunts and the global success of Top Gun: Mavericksymbol of the public’s return to cinemas after the pandemic.
During the ceremony, the Academy also presented honorary Oscars to actress Debbie Allen, production designer Wynn Thomas and singer Dolly Parton, distinguished for her humanitarian action.
