The French publisher Hugo did not start out with romance novels, but today, the books represent about 60 percent of its business.

“It’s a big part of the business, it’s huge,” says Benita Rolland, who is in charge of the publisher’s international romance division.

But these are not the romance books of the past, with their euphemistically described sex scenes and covers featuring long-haired, bare-chested men.

New romance, or young adult romance, is a recent phenomenon – books most often written by self-published young women, many of whom started as readers.

Reader to writer

“I’m a big fan girl,” said CS Quill, a popular French romance writer, who still sees herself as a reader first and foremost.

She has always been attracted to love stories and started writing her own as a teenager. The work she posted on an online self-publishing platform drew notice from a publisher, which launched her career.

She insists that romance is more than sex scenes – though they do feature in her books.

“Romance is more complicated than you think,” she says, pointing to character development and plot twists that she believes adds depth.

And she pushes back against those who look down on romance as fluff.

“People still believe that this is not true literature. They’re absolutely wrong,” she says. “There is evolution of the characters, their feelings about their place in society, their issues.”

Listen to this story on the Spotlight on France podcast, episode 114:

From US to France

New romance is a genre that developed in the English-speaking world, following the success of EL James’s erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey, published in 2011.

Editor Rolland started paying attention to the genre about 10 years ago when self-published authors like Anna Todd started gaining popularity.

“When I saw what Anna Todd did in the States, I thought we should give it a try,” she explains.

Hugo bought the rights for Todd’s best-selling After series, which Todd originally wrote on the Wattpad online storytelling platform.

“And I remember the first time Anna Todd came to Paris, we went to the Fnac [bookstore] for a signing and she entered the room and the girls were crying, yelling,” recalls Roland.

“I thought I was with the Beatles! It was incredible.”

• The Zimbabwean lawyer turned publisher who took on a ‘WhatsApp’ author

French touch

Rolland then went on a search for French authors, who were themselves starting to publish online.

Many were writing stories set in the US with American characters. CS Quill’s series Campus Drivers is about the romantic escapades of four American university students.

“One of my books is set in France, and the others are in the US, because I need to travel when I write,” she explains. “And maybe maybe because I read a lot of English books or American books.”

She says her approach is French, even if she struggles to pinpoint what that means.

“It’s maybe in the expressions we use,” she says. “It’s another culture, so we have another way to of seeing things.”

But romance, she insists, is universal. Plus the genre has specific structures built into it.

“There is a kind of contract when you write a romance, and as a reader you expect certain things, like a happy ending,” she explains.

Other tropes, like the love triangle or the “enemies-to-lovers” set-up, give readers a frame.

“There are clichés, and we know the tropes,” she says. When readers see a spark developing between sparring characters, “we know that they hate each other, and then they love each other. It’s so satisfying.”

Romance community

For Rolland, what makes France’s romance writers unique is that they connect with their French fans in their own language.

“The authors really have a community. And every single day they post something online about their lives, something about their books, something about what they’re writing next,” explains Roland. “It’s not just the book, it’s almost a way of life.”

Merveille, a 19-year-old student who joined hundreds of other young people buying new releases and chatting to authors at the romance section of the Paris Book Fair this spring, says following writers online is part of the appeal.

“I like to see how an author works out how to write a new book,” she says.

She likes romance novels because their stories are engaging and draw her in: “It plunges you into another universe.”

Fans say the books offer intrigues and mysteries, along with the sex.

“That’s part of it, but it’s not all of it,” says Romane, 20, a friend of Merveille who has accompanied her to the fair, and like her has an armful of books.

“There are things that plunge you into a completely different universe. Some are set in fantasy world, or in the world of mythology. It makes you imagine something beyond your own life.”

• France’s Annie Ernaux says Nobel win a ‘sign of hope’ for women writers

Creating readers

This, arguably, is the role of fiction – to open up a new world. But romance, with its familiar tropes and simple writing, has the added benefit of being easy to read.

“I like escapism, and I can read these books a bit without pressure, without having to dig too deep to find the story,” says Emma, 18, who also has a stack of books in her hands.

She admits to not reading much other than romance, which has given her new enthusiasm for books.

“The thing I like about romance is that we have made many girls read,” says editor Rolland.

Romance even draws young fans away from social media, she says: “This generation is reading.”

For Romane, getting to know the authors, who are young women like herself, also validates her own tastes.

“We are told at school that we don’t know how to read, or we are losing the French language,” she says. “And you realise there are many young writers who are starting out and are succeeding, and they know how to write.

“It shows that young people are not as stupid as everyone thinks.”

Listen to a report on romance novels in France on the Spotlight on France podcast, episode 114.

The victory ended the recent heartbreak of Mbappé and France in shootouts, having lost in them at their last two major tournaments — in the last 16 at the Euros in 2021 and in the 2022 World Cup final.

Before that, the French were also defeated on spot kicks by Italy in the 2006 World Cup final so it had been 26 years — since beating the Italians in the quarterfinals of the World Cup in 1998 — that Les Bleus had been victorious in a shootout.

Mbappé didn’t even take a penalty this time, having been substituted during halftime of extra time following a couple of knocks to his broken nose that was covered by a protective mask. France coach Didier Deschamps said his captain was tired, too.

Les Bleus didn’t need their star player, as Ousmane Dembele, Youssouf Fofana, Jules Kounde and Bradley Barcola all found the net in the shootout — held at the end housing Portugal’s vocal fans — before Hernández’s coup de grâce set off jubilant scenes for the French inside the stadium in Hamburg.

“It wasn’t easy,” France goalkeeper Mike Maignan said. “We didn’t always play that great, it was a complicated game.

“We got to the penalty shootout and didn’t waver. We can be proud of ourselves.”

Top corner

Portugal substitute Joao Felix hit a post with the only miss in the shootout and Theo Hernández showed no sign of pressure by converting the clinching kick into the top corner.

It was a record sixth and final European Championship for the 39-year-old Ronaldo, who scored Portugal’s first penalty in the shootout and ended up consoling fellow veteran Pepe afterward as the 41-year-old defender cried on his captain’s shoulder.

“We need to go through this moment of our loss, which is very painful,” Pepe said.

France will play Spain in the semifinals after its extra-time win over Germany in Stuttgart earlier Friday, with Les Bleus staying on course for a third European Championship title after 1984 and 2000.

• France boss Dechamps stays upbeat despite ‘slumps’ at Euro 2024

(With newswires)

Several hundred delighted locals and tourists gathered outside the club, one of the most visited attractions in the French capital, to celebrate the four red blades, decked out in gold and red.

“The windmill without its wings is a void for Paris, it was just sad,” said managing director Jean-Victor Clerico, who runs the family business that attracts 600,000 visitors every year.

“The idea was to be ready for the Olympic Games,” he added, which begin on July 26.

The Olympic torch is due to pass the venue on July 15.

A show of French cancan, the wild traditional dance from Jacques Offenbach’s operettas of the early 19th century, was performed in front of the club on Friday by dancers in traditional petticoats and frills.

• Blades of Paris landmark Moulin Rouge windmill collapse

“I live in the neighbourhood and the Moulin Rouge has been part of my life for 65 years. I’m a fan of dancing, the French cancan, bubbles and good humour,” Nicole Doucin, 86, told AFP.

“I heard of the inauguration on TikTok and I’ve always wanted to come to a show but it’s so expensive, so it’s so cool to watch this,” said Autumn Mannsfeld, 25, from California.

The sails fell down on the night of April 25.

The first three letters on the cabaret’s facade, M, O and U, also fell off. No one was injured in the incident.

The club’s management has said it has ruled out any “malicious act”.

The birthplace of the cancan and the location for Baz Luhrmann’s film “Moulin Rouge”, the club has since remained open to the public.

(With newswires)

Putin told Orban, Russia’s closest EU ally, that Ukraine must withdraw its troops from regions that Moscow has annexed if it wants peace.

Orban’s visit to Moscow comes days after he made a surprise trip to Kyiv, where he urged Ukraine’s leadership to work towards a rapid ceasefire with Russia.

But Kyiv was “not ready to drop the idea of waging war until a victorious end”, he added, calling the talks at the Kremlin a “really useful, frank conversation” on the conflict.

EU officials, the United States and NATO blasted the Hungarian prime minister’s surprise trip.

The visit came days after Hungary took over the EU’s rotating presidency and Putin told Orban he expected him to outline “the position of European partners” on Ukraine.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry lambasted the meeting, stressing that the trip “was made by the Hungarian side without any agreement or coordination with Ukraine”.

No EU mandate

European Union leaders also lashed out at Orban over the trip.

“Appeasement will not stop Putin,” European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X.

“Only unity and determination will pave the path to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement that Orban’s “visit to Moscow takes place, exclusively, in the framework of the bilateral relations between Hungary and Russia”.

“Orban has not received any mandate from the EU Council to visit Moscow,” he added.

The EU has firmly opposed Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine, imposing 14 rounds of unprecedented sanctions on Moscow.

“That position excludes official contacts between the EU and President Putin. The Hungarian Prime Minister is thus not representing the EU in any form,” Borrell said, pointing out that “Putin has been indicted by the International Criminal Court and an arrest warrant released for his role in relation to the forced deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.”

• Hungary assumes EU presidency amid controversies and corruption concerns

(With newswires)

1924 was the year the Olympics came of age.

The modern Games were less than three decades old at the time and organisers were still in the process of defining them. 

The official motto the International Olympic Committee (IOC) adopted that year – Citius, Altius, Fortius, Latin for “Faster, Higher, Stronger” – revealed what it hoped the event would become: a place not just to play games, but to break records.

National committees were becoming more numerous the world over, and more selective. The first time Paris had hosted the Games, in 1900, 26 countries sent around 1,200 competitors. In 1924, more than 3,000 athletes from 44 countries descended on Paris, many of them only after proving themselves domestic champions in national try-outs. 

Meanwhile organisers were refining the list of events. Gone was the tug-of-war, military pistol shooting and equestrian vaulting, leaving disciplines like athletics, aquatics and gymnastics to take centre stage.

Some hangovers from another age remained: rope climbing and tandem cycling, for instance, not to mention the arts portion of the competition that saw painters, sculptors, musicians, writers and architects vie for medals.

Nor did the local specialties that France chose to showcase take off. The French combat sports la canne and savate, which involve whacking an opponent with a cane and kicking them respectively, never made it out of the demonstration programme.

• Paris’s role in the Olympics of the modern era

Other innovations were more successful. 1924 saw the construction of the world’s first Olympic Village, after IOC president Pierre de Coubertin lobbied to provide athletes – previously left to their own devices – with food and lodging.

A collection of wooden huts on the north-western outskirts of Paris, the village lacked today’s comforts but did provide bathrooms, a cafeteria, a post office, a newsagent and a hairdresser.

Games of legend

Paris hosted more athletes than any city before it, with countries as far-flung as Ecuador, the Philippines, Uruguay and China sending delegations for the first time (though the four Chinese sportsmen pulled out before the competition started).

The performances drew crowds of up to 60,000 a day, unprecedented at the time. 

The world’s media was watching too. Over 1,000 journalists got accreditation to cover the Games, including on the radio – another Olympic first. 

The new attention made global superstars of some competitors, chief among them Johnny Weissmuller.

Before he went on to play Tarzan in a string of Hollywood films, the charismatic 20-year-old won three gold medals for the US in swimming and a bronze in water polo – as well as charming the crowds silly by clowning around on the diving board between races.

The 1924 Games made other Olympic heroes too. Finnish distance runner Paavo Nurmi was already an Olympic champion, but it was his achievements in Paris that propelled him into legend. 

Preternaturally focused – he was known for running with a stopwatch in hand to keep his pace to the millisecond – Nurmi won five gold medals, two of them in the same afternoon (having come first in the 1,500 metres, he promptly set off to win the 5,000 metres less than an hour later).

He even made it unscathed through the cross country, an event so disastrous it has never featured at an Olympics since. The race took place in a heat wave of over 40 degrees Celsius, resulting in almost half the runners passing out or giving up.

In the sprints, two British runners stole the show: Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell, whose stories inspired the 1981 film Chariots of Fire.

Against all expectations, they beat the American favourites to gold in the 100 metres and 400 metres respectively (Liddell, a devout Christian, famously refused to take part in the heats for the 100m dash because they were scheduled on a Sunday).

It would be their only Olympics. Both men had retired from competition within a year, Liddell to become a theologian and Abrahams with a broken leg.

Overlooked Olympians

Other athletes weren’t in the same spotlight, but made history just the same. 

DeHart Hubbard of the US became the first black sportsman to win an individual Olympic gold after coming first in the long jump, despite having badly injured his foot in the trials.

Athletes of colour were scarce in the early years of the Games – as were women.

Sportswomen had had to battle the prejudices of gatekeepers like de Coubertin – who believed women’s competitions were “uninteresting and unsightly” – to get an entry at all, and in 1924 they remained limited to swimming, diving, tennis and, for the first time, fencing.

• Who was Alice Milliat, French pioneer of Women’s Olympic Games?

Among the women who stood out in Paris were Ethel Lackie, Martha Norelius, Mariechen Wehselau, Gertrude Ederle and the other members of the US swim team, who took 10 medals and set seven new records between them.

Notably, their win in the freestyle relay smashed the previous world record by nearly 13 seconds.

While France’s most famous sportswoman of the time, tennis trailblazer Suzanne Lenglen, was out of action due to illness, her regular doubles partner Julie Vlasto won silver in the singles.

Gold went to Helen Wills of the US who, at 19, was on the cusp of becoming the most dominant player since Lenglen.

Meanwhile Ellen Osiier of Denmark won the first ever Olympic gold for women’s fencing.

A century’s legacy

A lot has changed since Paris last hosted the Games. Athletes have become faster, costs higher, and the world’s interest stronger.

Sport has also got fairer. This year will see equal numbers of women and men compete for the first time in Olympic history.

• Women athletes reach parity for first time in Olympic history

But in other respects, the organisers of Paris 2024 are looking backwards. Like the 1924 Games, which took place largely on the city outskirts, this edition is also seeking to involve the suburbs.

The stadium in north-western Colombes that hosted the feats of Hubbard, Liddell, Abrahams and Nurmi has been renovated for the occasion and will host the hockey this summer. 

Meanwhile the pool on the north-east edge of Paris in which Weissmuller and Lackie won gold will be where this year’s swimmers train.

Hundreds of thousands of girls are married before turning 18 in the West African nation, where a persistently patriarchal society puts women at risk of multiple forms of gender-based violence.

Sierra Leone has some of the highest rates of child marriage, teenage pregnancy and maternal mortality in the world.

In a major step forward, the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act criminalises marrying girls below 18 with jail terms of at least 15 years or a fine of more than €2,000.

It also bans men from living with underage girls and sets out a compensation package for those who are married or fall pregnant before turning 18.

Human rights watchdog Amnesty International said that it “welcomed the historic law” but called on Sierra Leonean authorities to “now take the necessary measures to ensure its full implementation.”

But the law, championed by Sierra Leone’s First Lady Fatima Maada Bio — remains silent on the harmful practice of FGM, which many see as deeply intertwined with the marrying of young girls.

FGM involves the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs, and can lead to serious health problems including infections, bleeding, infertility and complications in childbirth.

In Sierra Leone, 83 percent of women aged between 15 and 49 have undergone the practice, according to a 2019 Demographic Health Survey.

Bans on both FGM and child marriage had already been included in a sweeping Child Rights Act, but the legislation has been stalled in parliament.

• UN alarmed over rising number of female genital mutilation cases

(With newswires)

“This campaign is short and yet we already have 51 candidates, substitutes and activists who have been physically assaulted,” Darmanin told BFMTV on Friday.

More than 30 people have been arrested, he said, including militants from far-right and far-left groups.

Four people, including three minors, were detained over attacking government spokeswoman Prisca Thevenot and her team on Wednesday while they were putting up campaign posters in Meudon outside Paris, prosecutors said.

The motive for the attack is not clear.

Thevenot, who is of Mauritian origin, was not harmed but her colleague Virgine Lanlo and a supporter were wounded and taken to hospital after the attack by around 20 people.

France ‘on edge’

Last month, President Emmanuel Macron took a gamble in calling snap parliamentary elections just weeks before Paris hosts the Olympics, after the far right trounced his centrist alliance in European elections.

Tensions have risen after the anti-immigration and Eurosceptic National Rally (RN) party came out ahead after the first round of voting on 30 June, winning 39 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly outright.

The anti-immigration party is predicted to win Sunday’s runoff.

Several assaults have been reported as centrists and a new left-wing alliance make last ditch efforts to ensure the RN does not win the absolute majority it would need to form a government, with its leader Jordan Bardella as prime minister.

Darmanin said the attacks were happening in a climate in which France was “on edge”.

He said the attackers were either people who had “spontaneously become angry” or that they were “ultra-left, ultra-right or other political groups”.

• Macron under fire over ‘civil war’ comments ahead of French legislative elections

‘No place’ for violence and intimidation

RN candidates have also come under attack. Marie Dauchy, an RN candidate in the Savoie region announced she was suspending her campaign after being “violently assaulted” at a market near the town of Grenoble.

Nicolas Conquer, a conservative candidate allied with the RN, said he and a colleague had been pelted with eggs while campaigning in Cherbourg.

​​​Darmanin said 30,000 police would be deployed on Sunday to secure the vote, including 5,000 in Paris and its suburbs.

Meanwhile, the Paris Bar Council has asked the public prosecutor’s office to open a case after the far-right website “Réseau Libre” called for the “elimination” of lawyers who had signed an article against the RN.

“Violence and intimidation have no place in our society,” Prime Minister Gabriel Attal wrote in a social media post.

On Friday, more than 100 lawyers published an open letter in defence of the state of law, describing RN as “a danger to society”.

“We, lawyers, are forming a law brigade against the RN,” the letter read. 

(with newswires)

The centre-left Labour was set to win a massive majority in the 650-seat parliament with Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives poised to suffer the worst performance in the party’s long history as voters punished them for a cost of living crisis, failing public services, and a series of scandals.

“Change begins now,” Starmer said in a victory speech. “We said we would end the chaos, and we will, we said we would turn the page, and we have. Today, we start the next chapter, begin the work of change, the mission of national renewal and start to rebuild our country.”

Sunak had earlier conceded defeat and said he had called Starmer to congratulate him on his victory.

“Today power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner, with goodwill on all sides,” Sunak said after regaining his seat. “There is much to learn and reflect on and I take responsibility for the loss to the many good hardworking Conservative candidates … I am sorry.”

The EU on Friday congratulated Starmer, with European Council President Charles Michel calling it “historic’. 

“I look forward to working with you and your government in this new cycle for the UK,” Michel said on social media platform X,.

• What will UK foreign policy look like under Labour?

Challenges ahead

Despite his convincing victory, polls have suggested there is little enthusiasm for Starmer or his party, and he comes to power at a time when the country is facing a series of daunting challenges.

Britain’s tax burden is set to hit its highest since just after World War Two, net debt is almost equivalent to annual economic output, living standards have fallen, and public services are creaking, especially the much cherished National Health Service which has been dogged by strikes.

Starmer has already had to scale back some of Labour’s more ambitious plans, such as its flagship green spending pledges, while he has promised not to raise taxes for “working people”.

“I don’t promise you it will be easy,” Starmer said. “Changing a country is not like flicking a switch. It’s hard work. Patient, determined, work, and we will have to get moving immediately.”

• UK businesses on edge as post-Brexit customs checks come into effect

Rise of populist Reform party

Much of the heavy damage to the Conservative support was inflicted by the right-wing populist Reform UK party, headed by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, who had campaigned strongly on curbing immigration.

Starmer has promised to scrap the Conservative’s controversial policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda, but with migration a key electoral issue, he will be under pressure himself to find a solution to stopping tens of thousands of people arriving across the Channel from France on small boats.

• UK sends first asylum seeker to Rwanda, plans to deport nearly 6,000 migrants this year

Reform has captured four seats, with Farage himself finally being elected to parliament at his eighth attempt, and won more votes than the Conservatives across swathes of the country.

The growth in support for a populist alternative echoed recent similar results in Europe, where the far right have been surging.

In France, Marine Le Pen‘s National Rally party made historic gains in an election last Sunday.

• Horse-trading begins after France’s far right wins first round of snap elections

But overall the British public has plumped for a centre-left party to bring about change.

Starmer has promised to improve relations with the European Union to resolve issues created by Brexit, just as far-right politicians are enjoying success. However, despite opposing Brexit, rejoining the EU is not on the table.

(with newswires)

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winner’s names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you’ve grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week.

Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your music requests, so get them in! Send your music requests to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr – tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all!

The ePOP video competition is open!

The ePOP video competition is sponsored by the RFI department “Planète Radio”, whose mission is to give a voice to the voiceless. ePOP focuses on the environment, and how climate change has affected “ordinary” people. You are to create a three-minute video about climate change, the environment, pollution – told by the people it affects.

You do not need expensive video equipment to enter the competition. Your phone is fine. And you do not need to be a member of the RFI Clubs to enter – everyone is welcome. And by the way – the prizes are incredibly generous!

Go to the ePOP page to read about past competitions, watch past videos, and read the regulations for your entry.  You can also write to us at thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr, and we’ll forward your mail to Planète Radio.

The competition closes on 12 September, but you know how “time flies”, so get to work now! We expect to be bombarded with entries from the English speakers!

Facebook: Be sure to send your photos for the RFI English Listeners Forum banner to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

More tech news: Did you know we have a YouTube channel? Just go to YouTube and write RFI English in the search bar, and there we are! Be sure to subscribe to see all our videos.

Would you like to learn French? RFI is here to help you!

Our website “Le Français facile avec RFI”  has news broadcasts in slow, simple French, as well as bi-lingual radio dramas (with real actors!) and exercises to practice what you have heard.

Go to our website and get started! At the top of the page, click on “Test level”. According to your score, you’ll be counselled to the best-suited activities for your level.

Do not give up! As Lidwien van Dixhoorn, the head of “Le Français facile” service told me: “Bathe your ears in the sound of the language, and eventually, you’ll get it.” She should know – Lidwien is Dutch and came to France hardly able to say “bonjour” and now she heads this key RFI department – so stick with it!

Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!

In addition to the breaking news articles on our site with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts that will leave you hungry for more.

There’s Paris Perspective, Spotlight on France, Spotlight on Africa, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. And there is the excellent International Report, too.

As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service. Keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our staff of journalists. You never know what we’ll surprise you with!

To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you’ll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone.

To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show. 

Teachers take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is english.service@rfi.fr  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below. 

Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English – that’s how I worked on my French, reading books that were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it’s a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald’s free books, click here.

Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. NB: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!

We have a new RFI Listeners Club member to welcome: Tahmidul Alam Orin from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Welcome,Tahmidul! So glad you have joined us!

You too can be a member of the RFI Listeners Club – just write to me at english.service@rfi.fr and tell me you want to join, and I’ll send you a membership number. It’s that easy. When you win a Sound Kitchen quiz as an RFI Listeners Club member, you’ll receive a premium prize.

This week’s quiz: On 8 June, I asked you a question about an article we had written earlier that week about the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing, China. On 4 June 1989, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army broke up protests by pro-democracy students in the Square. According to various reports, anywhere from hundreds to thousands of students were killed.

One of the student leaders, Wang Dan, after two periods of imprisonment in China, was allowed to emigrate to the US. He currently lives in San Francisco, where he leads the Dialogue China think tank.

He was in Paris recently and came to RFI for an interview, which you read in our article “Tiananmen Square at 35: top Chinese dissident looks back”.

In the interview, we asked Wang Dan: “How did the 4th of June 1989 change China?”  What does he answer? That was your question.

The answer is, as Wang Dan explained: “June 4th is a turning point in China’s contemporary history. There are two Chinas: the China of before 1989 and the China of after. The main difference is [that] before 1989, the state and the society cooperated. That’s why we took to the streets: we as, a representative society, go to the street and ask to cooperate with the government to promote democracy. There’s no difference between “us”. We think we are all “us”. We all take responsibility for this country.

But after 1989, many Chinese people gave up on this idea. “You” are the government. “We” are the normal Chinese people. There’s no more “us”. It’s just “you” and “me”. After 1989, the Chinese people gave up the responsibility for the country’s future because they thought that they could not do anything and that it is the government’s responsibility to change China, not the people’s.” 

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “What is the ideal human relationship?” It was suggested by Debashis Gope from West Bengal, India.

Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to us!

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Karuna Kanta Pal from West Bengal, India. Congratulations, Karuna.   

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Nafisa Khatun, the president of the RFI Mahila Shrota Sangha Club in West Bengal, India, and RFI Listeners Club member Kashif Khalil from Faisalabad, Pakistan.   

Last but not least, there are RFI English listeners John Yemi Sanday Turay from Freetown, Sierra Leone, and Rafiq Khondaker, the president of the Source of Knowledge Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh.

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Take the A Train” by Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington, performed by Duke Ellington and his orchestra; “El Bueno y El Malo” composed by and performed by the brothers Estevan and Alejandro Gutiérrez (Hermanos Gutiérrez); “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and The Chairman Dances (Foxtrot for Orchestra) by John Adams, performed by Edo de Waart and the San Fransisco Symphony. 

Do you have a music request? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

This week’s question … you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read Jessica Phelan’s article: “The three-way factor that makes France’s election results so unusual”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 19 August to enter this week’s quiz. The winners will be announced on the 24 August podcast. When you enter be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

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or

By text … You can also send your quiz answers to The Sound Kitchen mobile phone. Dial your country’s international access code, or “ + ”, then  33 6 31 12 96 82. Don’t forget to include your mailing address in your text – and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

To find out how you can win a special Sound Kitchen prize, click here.

To find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or form your own official RFI Club, click here. 

Keir Starmer has pledged to “make Brexit work” and seek “an ambitious” security pact with the the European Union.

But contrary to the hopes of many in the UK who may have hoped that London would return to the EU mainland fold, Labour is careful not to offend its pro-Brexit constituencies.

Over the years, especially in the north of England, many voters shifted to the pro-Brexit ideas of the Conservative party, afraid that EU immigrants would take away their jobs.

RFI talks to political scientist John Barry, of Queens University in Belfast, about how he thinks Brexit affected the UK economy, and if London will ever rejoin the common market.

This interview was carried out online.

According to the Paris mayor’s office, E.Coli bacteria levels at a key Olympic swimming site in central Paris have remained within acceptable limits for four consecutive days.

Officials attribute this positive trend to recent warm, sunny weather and ongoing efforts to enhance the river’s water quality.

This news comes as a relief after last week’s concerning reports, which showed E.Coli levels – an indicator of fecal contamination  – exceeding acceptable limits daily at the Alexandre III bridge, the starting point for swimming events.

At one point, levels reached ten times the upper limit of 1,000 colony-forming units per 100 millilitres (cfu/ml), following heavy rainfall that caused untreated sewage to overflow into the river.

• Huge River Seine stormwater basin opens ahead of Paris Olympics
• River boats carry out successful Paris Olympics opening ceremony rehearsal
• River Seine unfit for swimming one month from Paris Olympics, tests show

Seine competitions

The Seine is scheduled to host the triathlon’s swimming leg on 30-31 July and  5 August, as well as open-water swimming events on  8-9 August. Enterococci bacteria readings, another crucial water quality indicator, have also shown significant improvement.

Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera expressed optimism about the situation, noting the “clear improvement” and suggesting that current readings bode well for the smooth proceeding of competitions.

In the middle of June, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo confirmed that she plans to swim in the Seine in mid-July, with the exact date fixed for a day between 15 July and 17 July, depending on the weather.

Over the past decade, French authorities have invested 1.4 billion euros in river cleanup efforts, including upgrades to Paris’s sewerage system and the construction of new water treatment and storage facilities.

However, major storms can still overwhelm the city’s aging wastewater network, resulting in effluent discharges into the Seine.

Recent data collected between 24 June and 2 July showed the river was swimmable for six out of nine days across nearly all four sampling locations. This year, Paris has experienced above-average rainfall, receiving 415 mm since January – about 40 percent more than the long-term average.

Additional challenges

While the improved water quality is encouraging, organisers face additional challenges due to increased river flow and height caused by frequent storms in May and June. These conditions have led to repeated postponements of rehearsals for the water-borne opening ceremony scheduled for 26 July.

Last week, the Seine’s flow ranged between 400-600 m³/second, significantly higher than the usual 100-150 m³/s for this time of year.

Thierry Reboul, director of Paris Olympic ceremonies, emphasised the need to keep the flow below 500 m³/s. High flow levels could potentially lead to the cancellation of swimming events for safety reasons.

However, Seine Grands Lacs, the organisation managing upstream reservoirs, suggests that sustained dry weather could reduce the flow by 50 m³/s daily.

They also mentioned the possibility of diverting more water into reservoirs, although many are approaching capacity.

As the Games draw near, officials remain cautiously optimistic about the Seine’s readiness to host Olympic swimming events, while continuing to monitor water quality and flow conditions closely.

(With newswires)

Les Bleus have netted only three times in four games, with one a penalty by Mbappe and the other two coming from own goals, including Jan Vertonghen’s which allowed them to beat Belgium in the last 16.

Mbappe’s broken nose

Mbappe has been hindered by a broken nose, which saw him miss one group game before returning to action while wearing a protective face mask. He also suggested on Thursday that he is not currently fully fit.

“I don’t think I’m fully fit. It’s not an excuse, but I think to be really at 100 percent, explosive and fast, I need a proper pre-season with my club,” he said.

Mbappe, who recently signed for Real Madrid, will come up against his boyhood idol in Ronaldo, the Portugal captain who is now 39.

“Whatever has happened before or will happen after, he will remain a legend in the game, but of course, we hope to win tomorrow and get through to the semi-final.”

Ronaldo’s difficulties

Ronaldo is enduring a difficult tournament, failing to find the net and ending up in tears after missing a penalty in the last-16 tie against Slovenia from which Portugal squeezed through on penalties.

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez, meanwhile, insisted the focus cannot solely be on the two opposing superstars.

“Football is a team sport. Tomorrow is not a match between two individuals. They are two incredible players who have a big influence on the game worldwide, and that influence will continue, but tomorrow we will need a real top-level team performance if we are to win,” Martinez said.

While the Bobigny court noted a “weakening of ethical safeguards” on the part of the 47-year-old Socialist councillor – who had a relationship with her deputy who was close to drug dealers – it did not consider that there was any “positive act” in the case that could be construed as complicity. 

The former Socialist mayor, who resigned in February from the office she had held since 2014, has maintained her innocence since being taken into custody in October 2021.

She repeatedly denied any involvement in the affairs of the Meziani clan, a family with an iron grip on drug trafficking in her town, outside Rouen.

At the end of June, the Bobigny public prosecutor’s office requested Boulanger be handed a one-year suspended prison sentence, as well as five years’ ineligibility to stand for office and a €10,000 fine.

‘Non-aggression pact’

In the prosecutor’s view, the mayor’s passing on of certain sensitive information to the traffickers under duress, as well as some of her dealings with the local police, amounted to a “non-aggression pact” with the traffickers.

On the other hand, the court gave a one-year suspended prison sentence to her deputy  Hasbi Colak, who had lent his car to dealers undertaking a cocaine transaction in Seine-Saint-Denis, in order to “punish breaches of probity as an elected official”.

In a chaotic trial that lasted from the end of May to the end of June, the Bobigny court tried 18 defendants in connection with a high grade cocaine, heroin and cannabis trafficking operation based in Canteleu, a poor commune in the Rouen conurbation.

• Trial involving former French mayor exposes drug dealers’ hold on small towns

• Police arrest nearly 200 in massive anti-drug operations across France

Kingpin on the run

According to a conservative estimate by the court, the Meziani family’s criminal organisation generated a turnover of €15 million over the two years covered by the investigation, between 2019 and 2021.

The head of the drug ring, Aziz Meziani –  known as “Le U” – is currently on the run in Morocco and was sentenced in absentia to a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment and a €2 million fine.

All the other defendants in the case received sentences ranging from two years’ suspended to eight years’ imprisonment.

(With newswires)

The centrist forces of President Emmanuel Macron and a broad-left wing coalition have withdrawn over 200 candidates from the runoff on Sunday in a joint effort to ensure the far-right National Rally is defeated.

While the RN was ahead in the popular vote in the 30 June first round, a poll published Wednesday predicted it would now fall well short of an absolute majority in the National Assembly.

Speaking to BFMTV, Le Pen said: “I think there is still the capacity to have an absolute majority with the electorate turning out in a final effort to get what they want.”

“I say turn out to vote as it’s a really important moment to get a change in politics in all the areas that are making you suffer right now,” she added.

Posting on X, Le Pen wrote: “We have the capacity to win an absolute majority. I call on the French people to mobilise on Sunday, to obtain a change of policy in all the areas where they are currently suffering”.

• More than 210 candidates exit French election runoff to block far right progress

Blocking the RN majority

If the RN wins an absolute majority of 289 seats in the 577-member National Assembly, it will be able to form a government with Le Pen’s 28-year-old protégé Jordan Bardella as prime minister.

But she acknowledged that the “operation” by Macron’s centrists and the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) coalition to withdraw candidates “had the aim of preventing the RN from having an absolute majority”.

The moves have sparked speculation that a possible right-centre-left coalition could emerge after the election to hamstring the RN’s influence in parliament.

Le Pen alleged that the “biggest dream” for Macron was to have a “single party” taking in all forces from the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) to right wing Republicans (LR) but excluding the RN.

Macron however made clear at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that there was “no question” of the LFI being part of any coalition, according to a participant.

• Far-right candidate exits French elections after Nazi cap controversy

Extremist ‘gaffes’

Le Pen – who is expected to make a fourth attempt to win the Elysée in 2027 – admitted there had been problems with a handful of RN candidates, one of whom had to withdraw after a picture of her emerged wearing a Nazi Luftwaffe hat.

She said: “There are been some inadmissable statements and they will involve sanctions; there are also statements that are just clumsy.”

A poll by Harris Interactive has projected the RN and its allies would win 190 to 220 seats in the National Assembly, the NFP 159 to 183 seats and Macron’s Ensemble (Together) alliance 110 to 135.

Hemp farming nearly died out in France in the 1970s but is making a comeback in textiles and the construction industry. Fast-growing, pesticide-free, and a good absorber of CO2, the plant is proving to be an ally in the fight against climate change. Franck Barbier, head of Interchanvre, talks about cannabis sativus’s bright future on a tour of the Planète Chanvre mill in Aulnoy. And Jean-Michel Morer, mayor of Trilport, shows us how his town is using hemp in buildings as part of its commitment to sustainability and the circular economy. (Listen @3’10”)

Romance literature has long been looked down on for its undemanding language, basic story tropes and steamy sex scenes. But French publishers are taking note as a new generation of authors, inspired by English-language best-sellers, are writing for a growing audience of young women, many of whom are newcomers to books. Publisher Benita Rolland, of Hugo publishing, talks about developing the genre for the French market, and CS Quill, who started out as a reader before becoming a popular romance author, talks about connecting with her fans. (Listen @21’50”)

As Paris prepares to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, a look back on the last time the city held the Games in 1924. Those Olympics were a smaller, more eclectic and more masculine event, which nonetheless marked a turning point and brought the Games closer to what they are today. (Listen @14’30”)

Episode mixed by Cecile Pompéani. 

Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

After two weeks of protests against a new tax law, dozens of Kenya activists have been abducted, rights groups say, while some now demand President William Ruto‘s resignation.

“Security forces across the country singled out suspects found engaging in criminal activities in the guise of protesting and took them to custody,” the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said in a statement posted on social media this week.

Though Ruto withdrew the tax increases in a victory for the movement, the heavy-handed reaction to the protests – campaign groups have documented hundreds of arrests and at least 39 deaths – has raised fears of rights backsliding.

“The president and I gave a categorical promise to the people of Kenya that the issue was abductions and extrajudicial killings will never happen again,” Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said in a televised address. “Sadly, this is back.”

• Kenya’s Ruto withdraws finance bill after anti-tax protest deaths

Abuses

The police did not respond to journalists’ request for comment on the abductions, nor did Noordin Haji, the director of Kenya’s intelligence services.

In an interview on Sunday, Ruto had denied police involvement in disappearances but broadly defended the actions of the security forces.

Irungu Houghton, executive director of Amnesty International Kenya, told Reuters however that there were clear cases of abuse.

“People who are considered to be protesters or organisers or even just simply voices of dissent are being plucked from their homes or even as they go to church with their families and locked up,” he said.

Amnesty, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights and the Law Society of Kenya all put the number of abductions at more than 30, even if they said most were later released.

Faith Odhiambo, the president of Law Society of Kenya, said the interrogations abduction victims have undergone during their ordeals have focused on how the protest movement is financed, how it is organised, and the identity of its leaders.

“It’s a very clear indication that the government is behind this,” she said.

After his aggressors bundled him into their vehicle, Omollo said he was blindfolded and driven to an unknown location where he was brought to a room and ordered to strip to his underwear.

He was forced to sit on the concrete floor, which his captors flooded with freezing water. Then the interrogation and threats to his family began.

“They asked me ‘Who sent you? Who is funding you?’. I told them no one is funding us,” said Omollo, who does not know who abducted him and has not reported the incident to the police.

“I thought I would be a dead man.”

Missing people

Amnesty also confirmed some instances of torture during the illegal detentions.

Odhiambo of the Law Society of Kenya added that if the goal of the abductions was to intimidate the victims, then it appeared to be succeeding.

“They don’t want to be seen on social media or any forums,” she said. “Fear has been instilled.”

Some testified of their case, like Nairobi resident Mutia Paul, who is still looking for his 17-year-old brother, Tony, last seen heading for a protest on 25 June.

Paul has searched at police stations and hospitals, scoured the morgues for the body… He now believes his brother is being detained.

“My heart is full of sorrow, I have done all I can,” he said.

Activists have vowed to keep up pressure on Ruto and lawmakers.

Worried they would be followed and abducted again, some left Nairobi.

“I miss my home, I miss my brothers, I miss my sisters and I miss my community,” one said. “I feel like a refugee in my own country.”

 (with Reuters)

A total of 31 defendants, including 27 soldiers and four of their civilian wives, appeared before the Butembo garrison military court in North Kivu province, near the front line, on Wednesday. 

Twenty-five soldiers, including two captains, were charged with “fleeing the enemy, dissipating munitions of war and violating orders”.

They were also convicted of theft since they stole goods from shops in a nearby village after abandoning their posts, accoding to an army spokesperson.

The other accused, including four of the soldiers’ wives believed to have received looted goods, were acquitted for lack of evidence.

In March, the government lifted a moratorium on the death penalty, in place since 2003, arguing the need to remove “traitors” from the army. Prior to that, death sentences were systematically commuted to life imprisonment.

A lawyer for the soldiers has said he will appeal the sentence.

• DRC army says it foiled attempted coup involving US citizens
• DRC’s new PM and parliament sworn in after months of delay

Discourage fugitives

A military spokesman in North Kivu welcomed the court’s decision, telling RFI it would discourage other fugitives as the army struggles to repel the advance of M23 (March 23 movement) rebels in the province.

Over the last few days, M23 rebels have captured several towns on the northern front of the conflict, including the strategic town of Kanyabayonga, which is seen as a gateway to the major commercial centres of Butembo and Beni.

More than 150,000 civilians have fled their homes in the past week, according to the UN.

Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of backing the Tutsi-led M23 rebel group, but the government in Kigali denies this.

• Who are the armed groups ravaging the eastern DRCongo?

M23 fighters are said to be well-equipped and disciplined, contrary to the Congolese army whose soldiers complain of poor pay and lack of equipment.

Several civil society groups denounced the military court’s decision, highlighting structural problems within the army.

“It seems that lower-ranking soldiers are being blamed,” said Reagan Miviri from the Congo Resarch Group.

“The fact the army was unable to deal directly with the rebel threat is, we believe, simply because those on the ground were not effective,” he told RFI. “But do they bear full responsibility? Isn’t it more a question of structural problems relating to the soldiers’ equipment and motivation?”  

The RN, as France’s second largest political party, receives the most public funding after Emmanuel Macron’s presidential majority Renaissance party. 

But that was before the first round of early legislative elections that took place on Sunday.

Because the number of ballots cast last in the RN’s favour on 30 June, this will radically change the situation for Marine le Pen’s party.

In France, political parties receive public funding – with a total budget of just under €66.5 million for 2024 – as set out in the France’s Finance Act.

This sum is divided between the parties, half on the basis of the number of votes each obtained in the first round of the last legislative elections, and the other half on the basis of the number of members of parliament they have elected.

• Results from first round of France’s snap elections mapped out

Coffers filled by high turnout

As a result – based on the 4.2 million votes the RN received in 2022 – the far-right party received almost €6.8 million in 2024.

A further €3.4 million should now be added to this sum for its 91 MPs, giving the RN a total of €10.2 million.

Within the current system, each vote earns €1.61 and each parliamentary member is pegged at €37,000.

With 9,377,297 votes cast last Sunday, the RN has more than doubled its 2022 score.

• Horse-trading begins after France’s far right wins first round of snap elections

Marine le Pen’s party is therefore guaranteed to receive more than €15 million a year until the next presidential and legislative elections taking place in 2027.

Thanks to the high turnout, the RN will receive almost twice as much as Macron’s Renaissance has every year since 2022.

And that’s not accounting for the windfall from its MPs.

According to projections, that will add up to between €9 million and €10 million.

When the RN becomes profitable

This windfall should enable Marine Le Pen’s party to continue a debt reduction process that began in 2022, including money owed to Hungarian and Russian banks. 

From being the most indebted party in France in 2021, with almost €27 million in the red, the RN has begun to balance its books.

• Has France’s far-right National Rally really turned on Russia?

According to the latest figures available from the CNCCFP – France’s political campaign finances commission – the RN’s accumulated debt was down to just €9 million in 2022, including some €6.5 million with credit institutions.

While this is a fine performance overall for the RN, it didn’t not prevent the party from posting an deficit of nearly three million euros.

Whatever the final outcome of the second round of polls on 7 July, the snap legislative elections are well on the way to making the far right – for once – profitable.

It’s normally straightforward: multiple candidates stand in the first round of French legislative elections, then the top two go through to a deciding round the week after.

But little about these elections is normal.

They are taking place three years ahead of schedule and were organised in less than three weeks, after President Emmanuel Macron took the shock decision to dissolve parliament when his party took a drubbing in EU elections last month.

The lightning lead-up, shifting political alliances and high turnout have all combined to shake up the usual patterns. 

After Sunday’s first round of voting, as many as 306 of the 577 seats in France’s National Assembly could be decided in three-way races.

In the last parliamentary elections two years ago, it was just eight.

Turnout crucial

While it’s always been possible for more than two candidates to qualify for the second round, falling voter turnout has made that outcome less and less likely.

Under France’s election rules, unless one candidate wins the first round by a landslide – by getting more than 50 percent of ballots cast, which have to add up to at least 25 percent of the total number of voters – the two highest-placing candidates go through to a runoff.

But candidates who come third or lower also qualify if they win the votes of at least 12.5 percent of the electorate. 

That’s hard to do if not many voters take part. The last three parliamentary elections have seen turnout of roughly 48 percent (2022), 49 percent (2017) and 57 percent (2012) in the first round, which effectively meant parties had to win a higher share of ballots cast to get across the threshold.

On Sunday, turnout reached almost 67 percent – its highest since 1997.

That year’s elections were also called early, and likewise resulted in an unusually high number of three-way races in the second round: 79. 

• From power play to gamble, the history of snap elections in France

Conglomeration effect

Snap elections also mean a last-minute dash to field candidates, which in many cases leaves voters with fewer choices.

A total of 4,010 candidates stood in Sunday’s first round, compared to 6,290 in 2022 and 7,877 in 2017.

With smaller parties less likely to have found strong contestants in time, votes ended up concentrated in France’s biggest political blocs.

There are three: the far-right National Rally (RN) and its allies, Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance, and the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) – a broad coalition freshly  formed to take on the far right.

By sweeping several parties into the same tent, its emergence further reduced the number of candidates competing.

All that narrowed the field from the first round and made it more likely three frontrunners would each take a larger share of the vote.

To run or not to run

That’s what happened in 306 of the 501 constituencies now going into a second round, Ipsos pollsters calculate based on official results. 

A further five constituencies are headed for four-way races, something virtually unheard of in recent elections.

With the RN qualifying for almost every runoff, the question now is whether third- or fourth-place candidates will step down. 

The NFP, which features in at least 272 of the three-way contests and all of the four-ways, has already promised to withdraw from races where another bloc stands a better chance of beating the RN. 

Macron has indicated his centrists will do likewise, though with the caveat that they’ll only give way to parties that share the “values of the Republic”. Candidates from his alliance qualified for at least 239 three-way runoffs and five four-ways.

Meanwhile the smaller right-wing Republicans, eligible for two four-way contests and 33 three-ways, have signalled they plan to stay in every race.

• Horse-trading begins after France’s far right wins first round of snap elections

Tactical votes

Those decisions have to be made by Tuesday evening, the deadline for candidates to confirm whether or not their name will be on the ballot for the second round.

They could prove crucial when France votes again on Sunday. 

So-called “triangular” runoffs typically result in a win for whichever party came top in the first round, since the opposition is split. But two-way contests are more closely fought, especially when voters are galvanised. 

Polling conducted before the first-round vote suggests that a large majority of left-wing voters would be willing to back another bloc to keep the RN out of government, as would a smaller majority of centrists.

But after a polarising election campaign, there’s no guarantee French voters are prepared to cross party lines.

According to Syria’s opposition, one attack on the rebel-held suburbs of Damascus in August 2013 killed around 1,400 people – including more than 400 children.

Prosecutors said Tuesday they had made the request to the Paris Court of Cassation on judicial grounds on Friday – two days after another appeals court upheld an arrest order issued in November.

The Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), lawyers’ association Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI) and the Syrian Archive – an organisation documenting human rights violations in Syria – filed the initial complaint.

However, SCM head Mazen Darwish criticised Tuesday’s move, saying: “We view [the] filing of the appeal as a political manoeuvre aimed at protecting dictators and war criminals”.

Legal question

“This decision is by no means political. It is about having a legal question resolved,” the prosecutor’s office at the court said in a statement.

France is believed to be the first country to issue an arrest warrant for a sitting foreign head of state.

Investigative magistrates specialising in cases of crimes against humanity issued the warrant after several rights groups filed a complaint against Assad for his role in the  series of alleged chemical attacks on 4, 5 and 21 August 2013.

• France issues arrest warrant for Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad
• France declassifies report accusing Assad of Syria chemical attacks

However, prosecutors from a unit specialising in the investigation of “terrorist” attacks have sought to annul it, although they do not question the grounds for such an arrest.

They argue that immunity for foreign heads of state should only be lifted for international prosecutions, such as ones brought to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. 

Alongside Assad, the warrants target his brother Maher – the de-facto head of the Syrian army’s elite fourth division – and two generals, Ghassan Abbas and Bassam al-Hassan.

To date, the anti-terror prosecutors have only contested the warrant for Bashar al-Assad’s arrest.

(With newswires)

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winner’s names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you’ve grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week.

Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your music requests, so get them in! Send your music requests to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr – tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all!

The ePOP video competition is open!

The ePOP video competition is sponsored by the RFI department “Planète Radio”, whose mission is to give a voice to the voiceless. ePOP focuses on the environment, and how climate change has affected “ordinary” people. You are to create a three-minute video about climate change, the environment, pollution – told by the people it affects.

You do not need expensive video equipment to enter the competition. Your phone is fine. And you do not need to be a member of the RFI Clubs to enter – everyone is welcome. And by the way – the prizes are incredibly generous!

Go to the ePOP page to read about past competitions, watch past videos, and read the regulations for your entry.  You can also write to us at thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr, and we’ll forward your mail to Planète Radio.

The competition closes on 12 September, but you know how “time flies”, so get to work now! We expect to be bombarded with entries from the English speakers!

Facebook: Be sure to send your photos for the RFI English Listeners Forum banner to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

More tech news: Did you know we have a YouTube channel? Just go to YouTube and write RFI English in the search bar, and there we are! Be sure to subscribe to see all our videos.

Would you like to learn French? RFI is here to help you!

Our website “Le Français facile avec RFI”  has news broadcasts in slow, simple French, as well as bi-lingual radio dramas (with real actors!) and exercises to practice what you have heard.

Go to our website and get started! At the top of the page, click on “Test level”. According to your score, you’ll be counselled to the best-suited activities for your level.

Do not give up! As Lidwien van Dixhoorn, the head of “Le Français facile” service told me: “Bathe your ears in the sound of the language, and eventually, you’ll get it.” She should know – Lidwien is Dutch and came to France hardly able to say “bonjour” and now she heads this key RFI department – so stick with it!

Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!

In addition to the breaking news articles on our site with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts that will leave you hungry for more.

There’s Paris Perspective, Spotlight on France, Spotlight on Africa, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. And there is the excellent International Report, too.

As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service. Keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our staff of journalists. You never know what we’ll surprise you with!

To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you’ll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone.

To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show. 

Teachers take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is english.service@rfi.fr  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below. 

Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English – that’s how I worked on my French, reading books that were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it’s a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald’s free books, click here.

Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. NB: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!

We have a new RFI Listeners Club member to welcome: Tahmidul Alam Orin from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Welcome,Tahmidul! So glad you have joined us!

You too can be a member of the RFI Listeners Club – just write to me at english.service@rfi.fr and tell me you want to join, and I’ll send you a membership number. It’s that easy. When you win a Sound Kitchen quiz as an RFI Listeners Club member, you’ll receive a premium prize.

This week’s quiz: On 8 June, I asked you a question about an article we had written earlier that week about the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing, China. On 4 June 1989, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army broke up protests by pro-democracy students in the Square. According to various reports, anywhere from hundreds to thousands of students were killed.

One of the student leaders, Wang Dan, after two periods of imprisonment in China, was allowed to emigrate to the US. He currently lives in San Francisco, where he leads the Dialogue China think tank.

He was in Paris recently and came to RFI for an interview, which you read in our article “Tiananmen Square at 35: top Chinese dissident looks back”.

In the interview, we asked Wang Dan: “How did the 4th of June 1989 change China?”  What does he answer? That was your question.

The answer is, as Wang Dan explained: “June 4th is a turning point in China’s contemporary history. There are two Chinas: the China of before 1989 and the China of after. The main difference is [that] before 1989, the state and the society cooperated. That’s why we took to the streets: we as, a representative society, go to the street and ask to cooperate with the government to promote democracy. There’s no difference between “us”. We think we are all “us”. We all take responsibility for this country.

But after 1989, many Chinese people gave up on this idea. “You” are the government. “We” are the normal Chinese people. There’s no more “us”. It’s just “you” and “me”. After 1989, the Chinese people gave up the responsibility for the country’s future because they thought that they could not do anything and that it is the government’s responsibility to change China, not the people’s.” 

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “What is the ideal human relationship?” It was suggested by Debashis Gope from West Bengal, India.

Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to us!

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Karuna Kanta Pal from West Bengal, India. Congratulations, Karuna.   

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Nafisa Khatun, the president of the RFI Mahila Shrota Sangha Club in West Bengal, India, and RFI Listeners Club member Kashif Khalil from Faisalabad, Pakistan.   

Last but not least, there are RFI English listeners John Yemi Sanday Turay from Freetown, Sierra Leone, and Rafiq Khondaker, the president of the Source of Knowledge Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh.

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Take the A Train” by Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington, performed by Duke Ellington and his orchestra; “El Bueno y El Malo” composed by and performed by the brothers Estevan and Alejandro Gutiérrez (Hermanos Gutiérrez); “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and The Chairman Dances (Foxtrot for Orchestra) by John Adams, performed by Edo de Waart and the San Fransisco Symphony. 

Do you have a music request? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

This week’s question … you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read Jessica Phelan’s article: “The three-way factor that makes France’s election results so unusual”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 19 August to enter this week’s quiz. The winners will be announced on the 24 August podcast. When you enter be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

or

By text … You can also send your quiz answers to The Sound Kitchen mobile phone. Dial your country’s international access code, or “ + ”, then  33 6 31 12 96 82. Don’t forget to include your mailing address in your text – and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

To find out how you can win a special Sound Kitchen prize, click here.

To find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or form your own official RFI Club, click here. 

Keir Starmer has pledged to “make Brexit work” and seek “an ambitious” security pact with the the European Union.

But contrary to the hopes of many in the UK who may have hoped that London would return to the EU mainland fold, Labour is careful not to offend its pro-Brexit constituencies.

Over the years, especially in the north of England, many voters shifted to the pro-Brexit ideas of the Conservative party, afraid that EU immigrants would take away their jobs.

RFI talks to political scientist John Barry, of Queens University in Belfast, about how he thinks Brexit affected the UK economy, and if London will ever rejoin the common market.

This interview was carried out online.

Hemp farming nearly died out in France in the 1970s but is making a comeback in textiles and the construction industry. Fast-growing, pesticide-free, and a good absorber of CO2, the plant is proving to be an ally in the fight against climate change. Franck Barbier, head of Interchanvre, talks about cannabis sativus’s bright future on a tour of the Planète Chanvre mill in Aulnoy. And Jean-Michel Morer, mayor of Trilport, shows us how his town is using hemp in buildings as part of its commitment to sustainability and the circular economy. (Listen @3’10”)

Romance literature has long been looked down on for its undemanding language, basic story tropes and steamy sex scenes. But French publishers are taking note as a new generation of authors, inspired by English-language best-sellers, are writing for a growing audience of young women, many of whom are newcomers to books. Publisher Benita Rolland, of Hugo publishing, talks about developing the genre for the French market, and CS Quill, who started out as a reader before becoming a popular romance author, talks about connecting with her fans. (Listen @21’50”)

As Paris prepares to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, a look back on the last time the city held the Games in 1924. Those Olympics were a smaller, more eclectic and more masculine event, which nonetheless marked a turning point and brought the Games closer to what they are today. (Listen @14’30”)

Episode mixed by Cecile Pompéani. 

Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

In the heart of Istanbul, onlookers gather around taking selfies of the police’s latest addition to its carpool: a Ferrari. City police now boast some of the world’s flashiest supercars, not only Ferraris but also Bentleys and Lexuses.

They’re the pickings of a nationwide crackdown on international organised crime involving narcotics smuggling and money laundering.

Turkey‘s unique geography straddling Europe and Asia makes it an ideal centre for international crime.

“Turkey is in between the continents. So once you want to transfer a commodity which is illegal, it may be drugs, etc, you must have a step here,” says Murat Aslan of the Foundation for Political, Economic, and Social Research, a think tank in Ankara.

Gang links

“Most criminal gangs in Europe or the United States or South America have links to the ones here in Turkey – and that is why police have started operations, especially focusing on the ones who have warrants or arrest warrants by Interpol.

“It’s a process, and Turkey is currently in the middle of it.”

Interior Ministry videos show heavily armed police breaking down doors in the middle of the night at luxury addresses usually associated with Istanbul’s high society.

Vast quantities of cash and guns are invariably recovered. Among those arrested are some of the world’s most wanted criminals from Europe, Asia, and the United States, most connected to the illicit drugs trade, underlining Turkey’s status as a hub for the European narcotics trade.

Last week, Turkish police, with their Spanish and French counterparts, broke up a European Central American drug cartel, resulting in dozens of arrests.

“According to Interpol and the Turkish police’s narcotics department, Turkey has become a transshipment hub for Europe and the Middle East,” says Atilla Yesilada, a Turkey analyst for Global Source Partners, another think tank.

“There are huge amounts of money floating around here.”

• Turkey set on rebuilding bridges with China to improve trade

Crime hub

Yesilada says Turkey became a hub for international crime not only because of its geography but also because of the government’s recent efforts to attract foreign currency to prop up the Turkish lira with a wealth amnesty.

“Look at our wealth amnesty, bring cash, bring diamonds, we don’t really care. Just check it at the border or deposit it in a bank, and we’ll never ask questions. This never-ask-questions part is, of course, completely in violation of the spirit of the global anti-money laundering legislation,” Yesilada says.

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, at a recent press conference on the crackdown, announced that over 1,000 arrests – including 50 people wanted by Interpol – had been made this year, along with over 3 billion dollars in seized assets.

Yerlikaya says he’s committed to ending Turkey’s reputation as a haven for drug kingpins.

“Thirty-eight mafia-type organised crime gangs, seven of which were international and 31 of which were local, were broken up,” Yerlikaya says.

“We consider drugs a global disaster in the Turkish century. Our main goal in the fight against drugs is to ensure that Turkey becomes an inaccessible and Prohibited Zone for drugs. We consider drug crime equivalent to terrorism.”

• Turkey cuts trade with Israel but seeks role in resolving Gaza conflict

Turkey grey-listed

The crackdown follows the international anti-money laundering organisation the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) putting Turkey on its grey list of countries failing to combat global money laundering.

“Commercial banks and global funds are reluctant to do business with a country that’s still on the grey list because, you know, too many sanctions,” warns Yesilada.

Turkey‘s crackdown on organised crime and tightening of its financial controls are part of efforts to remove itself from the grey list and escape its damaging economic impact.

• Interpol fights crime and controversial image, 100 years on

“If we remain on the FATF grey list again, from the top of my head, 20 percent of the institutions that would otherwise be interested in investing in Turkey probably won’t be able to do so because of compliance fears,” Yesilada says.

“It is going to be a significant concern when this extensive due diligence work is undertaken, whether to make a particular investment in Turkey.”

The Turkish government sees increasing international investment as key to solving the country’s economic woes, which means the raids on wanted international crime figures seem set to continue, along with confiscating their valuable assets.

For the Istanbul police, the supply of fancy cars looks set to continue.

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winner’s names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you’ve grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week.

Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your music requests, so get them in! Send your music requests to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr – tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all!

The ePOP video competition is open!

The ePOP video competition is sponsored by the RFI department “Planète Radio”, whose mission is to give a voice to the voiceless. ePOP focuses on the environment, and how climate change has affected “ordinary” people. You are to create a three-minute video about climate change, the environment, pollution – told by the people it affects.

You do not need expensive video equipment to enter the competition. Your phone is fine. And you do not need to be a member of the RFI Clubs to enter – everyone is welcome. And by the way – the prizes are incredibly generous!

Go to the ePOP page to read about past competitions, watch past videos, and read the regulations for your entry.  You can also write to us at thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr, and we’ll forward your mail to Planète Radio.

The competition closes on 12 September, but you know how “time flies”, so get to work now! We expect to be bombarded with entries from the English speakers!

Facebook: Be sure to send your photos for the RFI English Listeners Forum banner to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

More tech news: Did you know we have a YouTube channel? Just go to YouTube and write RFI English in the search bar, and there we are! Be sure to subscribe to see all our videos.

Would you like to learn French? RFI is here to help you!

Our website “Le Français facile avec RFI”  has news broadcasts in slow, simple French, as well as bi-lingual radio dramas (with real actors!) and exercises to practice what you have heard.

Go to our website and get started! At the top of the page, click on “Test level”. According to your score, you’ll be counselled to the best-suited activities for your level.

Do not give up! As Lidwien van Dixhoorn, the head of “Le Français facile” service told me: “Bathe your ears in the sound of the language, and eventually, you’ll get it.” She should know – Lidwien is Dutch and came to France hardly able to say “bonjour” and now she heads this key RFI department – so stick with it!

Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!

In addition to the breaking news articles on our site with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts that will leave you hungry for more.

There’s Paris Perspective, Spotlight on France, Spotlight on Africa, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. And there is the excellent International Report, too.

As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service. Keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our staff of journalists. You never know what we’ll surprise you with!

To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you’ll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone.

To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show. 

Teachers take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is english.service@rfi.fr  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below. 

Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English – that’s how I worked on my French, reading books that were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it’s a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald’s free books, click here.

Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. NB: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!

We have a new RFI Listeners Club member to welcome: Tahmidul Alam Orin from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Welcome,Tahmidul! So glad you have joined us!

You too can be a member of the RFI Listeners Club – just write to me at english.service@rfi.fr and tell me you want to join, and I’ll send you a membership number. It’s that easy. When you win a Sound Kitchen quiz as an RFI Listeners Club member, you’ll receive a premium prize.

This week’s quiz: On 1 June, the Roland Garros French Open International Tennis Tournament was in full swing, and our very own Paul Myers was there to keep you in the know.

Earlier that week, there was a nail-biting match between Alexander Zverev and Rafael Nadal, the 14-time winner of the Roland Garros French Open tennis tournament. You were to re-read Paul’s article “Zverev sees off Nadal to advance to second round at French Open”, and send in the answer to this question: What was the final score in the match between Zverev and Nadal?

The answer is: 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “How do you stay cool?”

Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to us!

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Sahadot Hossain from Kishoreganj, Bangladesh, who is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations, Sahadot!

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Ras Franz Manko Ngogo, the president of the Kemogemba RFI Club in Tarime, Mara, Tanzania, and RFI Listeners Club members Radhakrishna Pillai from Kerala State, India, as well as Ajharul Islam Tamim from Kishorganj, Bangladesh.  

Last but not least, there’s RFI English listener Sadman Al Shihab from Naogaon, also in Bangladesh.

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Liber Tango” by Astor Piazzolla, performed by Layers; the scherzo from Midsummer Night’s Dream by Felix Mendelssohn, performed by Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Southern Freez” by Andy Stennett, John Rocca, and Peter Maas, performed by Freez.

Do you have a music request? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

This week’s question … you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, listen to Sarah Elzas’ report on the latest Spotlight on France podcast, and consult her article “French far-right party to fund policies by cutting aid to foreigners”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 12 August to enter this week’s quiz. The winners will be announced on the 17 August podcast. When you enter be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

or

By text … You can also send your quiz answers to The Sound Kitchen mobile phone. Dial your country’s international access code, or “ + ”, then  33 6 31 12 96 82. Don’t forget to include your mailing address in your text – and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

To find out how you can win a special Sound Kitchen prize, click here.

To find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or form your own official RFI Club, click here. 

According to the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, more than 120 million people are forcibly displaced today by war, violence and persecution.

It is an unprecedented number, one the organisation calls a “terrible indictment on the state of the world”.

Sudan alone has 9.9 million internally displaced people, as well as South Sudanese refugees who escaped civil war and now find themselves caught up in conflict once again. Aaron Adkins of the International Organisation for Migration discusses the complex needs of people repeatedly forced to flee.

Meanwhile Maribeth Black from the UN’s World Food Programme describes how Mauritania has successfully managed to integrate refugees, providing an example for other countries in Africa and beyond.

Finally, we head to the Mo.Co museum of modern art in Montpellier, in the south of France, to meet the French-Algerian artist Kader Attia at his new exhibition, “Descent into Paradise”.

He is inspired by his own story of migration, multiple identities, and his main theme: how to repair past traumas through art.

Episode mixed by Nicolas Doreau.

Spotlight on Africa is a podcast from Radio France Internationale. 

Madhya Pradesh is often referred to as the Heart of India. Located right in the middle of the country, the Indian region shows everything India has to offer through its abundant diversity. The IFTM trade show, which took place in Paris at the end of September, presented the perfect opportunity for travel enthusiasts to discover the region.

Sheo Shekhar Shukla, Managing Director of Madhya Pradesh’s tourism board, sat down to explain his approach to sustainable tourism.

“Post-covid the whole world has known a shift in their approach when it comes to tourism. And all those discerning travelers want to have different kinds of experiences: something offbeat, something new, something which has not been explored before.”

Through its UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Shukla wants to showcase the deep history Madhya Pradesh has to offer.

“UNESCO is very actively supporting us and three of our sites are already World Heritage Sites. Sanchi is a very famous buddhist spiritual destination, Bhimbetka is a place where prehistoric rock shelters are still preserved, and Khajuraho is home to thousand year old temples with magnificent architecture.”

All in all, Shukla believes that there’s only one way forward for the industry: “Travelers must take sustainable tourism as a paradigm in order to take tourism to the next level.”

In partnership with Madhya Pradesh’s tourism board.

Also known as the Land of the Beautiful Islands, Malaysia’s landscape and cultural diversity is almost unmatched on the planet. Those qualities were all put on display at the Malaysian stand during the IFTM trade show.

Libra Hanif, director of Tourism Malaysia, explained the appeal of the country as well as the importance of promoting sustainable tourism today: “Sustainable travel is a major trend now, with the changes that are happening post-covid. People want to get close to nature, to get close to people. So Malaysia being a multicultural and diverse [country] with a lot of natural environments, we felt that it’s a good thing for us to promote Malaysia.”

Malaysia has also gained fame in recent years, through its numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which include Kinabalu Park and the Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Valley.

Green mobility has also become an integral part of tourism in Malaysia, with an increasing number of people using bikes to discover the country: “If you are a little more adventurous, we have the mountain back trails where you can cut across gazetted trails to see the natural attractions and the wildlife that we have in Malaysia,” says Hanif. “If you are not that adventurous, you’ll be looking for relaxing cycling. We also have countryside spots, where you can see all the scenery in a relaxing session.”

With more than 25,000 visitors at this IFTM trade show this year, Malaysia’s tourism board got to showcase the best the country and its people have to offer.

In partnership with Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board. For more information about Malaysia, click here.