France is to launch a French-language international news channel by the end of 2006. The French Culture and Communication Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres announced in November that the long-awaited Chaîne Française Internationale d’Information (CFII) will be launched in partnership with private channel TF1 with a start-up budget of $40 million. The channel, which was given the green light in June by the European Commission, seeks to rival CNN and the BBC World. CFII is considered a pet project of President Jacques Chirac, who was reportedly unhappy with the way British, American and Arab networks covered the war on Iraq. Broadcasting will be predominantly in French, but there will also be programs in English and other languages. The channel will not be available in France itself.