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PARIS: Ali Akbar knows everyone and everyone knows him. The last newspaper hawker in Paris zigzags each day from cafe to cafe, shouting humorous headlines in the heart of the French capital.
“France is getting better!” he cries, just one of the headlines he invents to sell his wares round the upmarket streets of Saint-German-des-Pres.
“(Eric) Zemmour has converted to Islam!” he shouts, referring to the far-right candidate at the 2022 presidential elections.
Locals and tourists on the Left Bank, the intellectual and cultural heart of Paris, look on amused.
“Even the walls could talk about Ali,” smiled Amina Qissi, a waitress at a restaurant opposite the Marche Saint-Germain, who has known Akbar for more than 20 years.
Now 73, Akbar, a slim, fine-featured “character” with newspapers tucked under his arm, is a neighborhood legend, she added.
“Even regular tourists ask where he is if they don’t see him,” she told AFP.

Hard life 

French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to soon make Akbar a knight in the national order of merit in recognition of his “dedicated service to France.”
“At first I didn’t believe it. Friends must have asked him (Macron) or maybe he decided on his own. We often crossed paths when he was a student,” said Akbar.
“I believe it’s related to my courage, because I’ve worked hard,” he added.

Akbar, who wears round spectacles, a blue work jacket and a Gavroche cap, mainly sells copies of the French daily Le Monde.
When he arrived in France at the age of 20, hoping to escape poverty and send back money to his family in Pakistan, he worked as a sailor then a dishwasher in a restaurant in the northern city of Rouen.
Then in Paris he bumped into Georges Bernier, the humorist also known as Professeur Choron, who gave him the chance to sell his satirical newspapers Hara-Kiri and Charlie Hebdo.
Akbar has been homeless, experienced extreme poverty and had even been attacked — but despite the hardships, he said he has never given up.
“Emmanuel Macron is going to put a bit of antiseptic on my wounds,” he told his son Shahab, who at 30 is the youngest of his five children.
Shahab, who describes himself as “very proud” of his father, enjoys cataloguing the numerous profiles dedicated to his father in the foreign press.
When he started out as a hawker in the 1970s, Akbar focused on the Left Bank of the river Seine, which was a university area “where you could eat cheaply,” he said.
On the rue Saint-Guillaume in front of the prestigious Sciences Po university, he recalled learning French from interactions with students like former prime minister Edouard Philippe and “many others who became ministers or lawmakers.”

‘A good mood’ 

Paris used to have about 40 newspaper hawkers — street vendors without a fixed newsstand — who were posted at strategic locations such as the entrances to metro stations.

Akbar stood out by choosing to walk around, selecting the Latin Quarter. In the 1980s, he started inventing sensational headlines.
“I want people to live happily. I do it to create a good mood, that’s all,” he said.
But he admitted that he is finding it increasingly difficult to come up with good jokes.
“Everything is such a mess,” he added.
Akbar, who receives a pension of 1,000 euros ($1,175) a month, still works from 3 p.m. until 10 p.m. each day.
When AFP met him on a recent afternoon, clients were few and far between. On average, he sells about 30 newspapers every day, compared to between 150 and 200 when he started.
“As long as I’ve got the energy, I’ll keep going. I’ll work until I die,” he joked.
On the terrace of one cafe, Amel Ghali, 36, said Akbar was “inspiring.”
“It’s good to see it in the digital age,” he said. “Unfortunately, our children won’t experience the pleasure of reading a newspaper with a coffee.”
 

RIYADH: Jomana R. Alrashid, CEO of Saudi Research and Media Group and chairwoman of the Red Sea Film Foundation, has made history as the first Saudi to be recognized on Time magazine’s TIME100 Next list.

An expansion of the iconic TIME100 list of the most influential people in the world, TIME100 Next highlights 100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, health, science, activism and more.

Alrashid’s inclusion highlights her pioneering leadership in business and media and marks a milestone moment for Saudi women on the global stage. Alongside Alrashid, the list includes names such as White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, international football phenom Lamine Yamal, Irfaan Ali, the president of Guyana, and many more influential and emerging leaders in their respective fields.

Time magazine described Alrashid as “an architect of the Middle East’s shifting media landscape.” Since her appointment in 2020 as the first female CEO of SRMG, she has spearheaded the company’s comprehensive digital-first transformation, launched innovative media verticals and forged landmark global partnerships. These efforts have been reflected in the rapid growth of SRMG’s stock, signifying extensive trust by investors in her business development and management strategies across the media entertainment and technology sectors. Under her leadership, SRMG has redefined how Arab media engages with audiences, while nurturing new generations of talent.

As chairwoman of the Red Sea Film Foundation, she has championed the growth of the film industry across the Arab world, Africa and Asia, driving initiatives to empower filmmakers and foster international collaboration. This commitment has culminated in an unprecedented achievement, with over 80 supported films premiering and garnering awards and international recognition at the world’s most prestigious festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance.

These are filmmakers and their stories that once struggled to find a place in the international film industry, now making their mark on the global stage. Today, the Red Sea International Film Festival stands as a premier global destination for cinema, culture and creativity.

Alrashid commented on the recognition: “I am deeply honored to be included in the TIME100 Next list. This recognition reflects the collective efforts of the extraordinary teams I have the privilege to work with at SRMG and the Red Sea Film Foundation. It is also a testament to the vision and leadership that have driven the remarkable transformation taking place across ����ֱ�� and the wider region — a future built on innovation, creativity and storytelling that resonates globally.”

Alrashid’s selection underscores not only her growing global influence but also the pivotal role of ����ֱ��’s creative and media industries in shaping conversations worldwide. As the Kingdom continues its ambitious cultural and economic transformation, her leadership represents both the spirit of progress and the power of storytelling to inspire and unite communities across the globe.