With the Paris Games round the corner, the national day parade changed its traditional route on the Champs Elysees, and a smaller military contingent marched on the nearby Avenue Foch – one of the most prestigious streets in Paris.

This year’s parade paid tribute to those who freed France from Nazi occupation 80 years ago, with a re-enactment of the D-Day landings of  6 June, 1944, and a presentation by service members from the 31 countries whose troops contributed to the liberation.

About half are African nations that were under French colonial rule during World War II.

Overall, 4,000 foot soldiers and 162 horses marched down Avenue Foch in a tightly choreographed show, while 45 aeroplanes and 22 helicopters soared overhead

However, no tank or armoured vehicle took part in this year’s event.

Olympic flame

The parade’s final section also honoured the Olympic spirit, ahead of the Paris Games (26 July – 11 August), followed by the Paralympics (28 August – 8 September).

The flame was escorted by riders on horseback , 25 torchbearers, and cadets forming the shapes of the Olympic rings.

Colonel Thibault Vallette of the elite Cadre Noir de Saumur cavalry school and 2016 equestrian gold medallist in Rio was the main torchbearer.

Relay runners are then to carry the flame around the capital, beginning with Notre Dame Cathedral, the historic Sorbonne university and the Louvre Museum, before heading to other Paris landmarks on Monday.

France’s 14 July military parade – known as Bastille Day – marks the day in 1789 when revolutionaries stormed the Bastille fortress and prison in Paris, heralding the start of the French Revolution and the end of the monarchy.

People around France celebrate with concerts, parties and fireworks.

The annual fireworks show will be held on Sunday evening in Paris, but due to Olympic venue construction around the Eiffel Tower, spectators won’t be allowed to gather beneath the monument to watch as usual.

Government in limbo

Sunday’s event offers President Emmanuel Macron a moment of distraction from the political turmoil he unleashed by calling snap elections that have ushered in a hung parliament – weakening his pro-business centrist party and his presidency.

The 577-member National Assembly, due to convene on 18 July,  is in deadlock with no one clearly in charge.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has stayed on as caretaker head of government “to ensure stability” and is now head of Macron’s reduced Renaissance party in parliament.

Attal is expected to leave office within days, while the left-wing New Popular Front alliance (NFP) that won the most seats is struggling to agree on a proposed replacement.

• What are the next steps now France finds itself with a hung parliament?

Meanwhile, Russia’s war in Ukraine is threatening Europe’s security.

At a meeting with military leaders Saturday, Macron said France will keep up support for Ukraine and called for higher defence spending next year because of ‘’approaching threats”.

(with newswires)

Erdogan’s call for talks comes after widespread riots against Syrian refugees in Turkish cities. He aims to facilitate the return of Syrians who have fled to Turkey since the Syrian civil war began in 2011.

Soli Ozel, an international relations expert at Istanbul’s Kadir Has University, says the situation is volatile.

“The country is like a tinderbox regarding refugees, especially as economic conditions deteriorate. Syrians have become easy scapegoats, and there’s widespread frustration with their presence, justified or not. This has become a significant political issue,” Ozel said.

He also stresses that key to any solution is a credible plan for the orderly departure of Syrian refugees to reassure the Turkish public.

Erdogan’s party suffered losses in local elections in March, largely due to growing hostility towards over three million Syrian refugees in Turkey and rampant inflation approaching triple digits. These factors have intensified pressure on Erdogan to address the refugee situation.

• Turkey vows to keep borders shut despite new exodus of Syrians

Russia’s position

Russia, under Putin, supports Erdogan’s diplomatic outreach, seeing it as a potential end to Turkish backing of Syrian rebels and a conclusion to the civil war.

This aligns with Moscow’s priorities, since resolving the Syrian conflict would allow Russia to redirect military resources to Ukraine.

However, Turkey’s extensive military presence in Syria complicates potential talks. Turkish forces are engaged in operations against Kurdish groups, which Ankara claims are linked to domestic separatists. The Turkish military also protects Syrian rebel forces along the border.

Aydin Selcen, a former Turkish diplomat and now a foreign policy analyst with Medyascope, suggests that Ankara’s willingness to negotiate could provide Syria with an opportunity to secure Turkish withdrawal.

“Assad relies heavily on external support and even internal factions” he said.

“Unable to forcibly remove Turkish troops, Assad’s only option is to request their withdrawal as a precondition for talks.”

Despite this, Erdogan insists on maintaining Turkey’s military presence until Syria can effectively secure its borders.

Sinan Ulgen of the Istanbul-based Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies said: “Turkey’s primary concern is preventing the border region from becoming a security threat post-withdrawal. Turkey needs assurances from Syria before considering troop removal.”

• Turkey’s Syrian refugees face local hostility as economic problems mount

Humanitarian crisis?

The news of Erdogan’s pursuit of dialogue with Damascus sparked unrest in rebel-held northeast Syria, with protesters targeting Turkish bases out of fear of potential abandonment by Ankara.

Erdogan maintains that any agreement with Damascus would safeguard returning Syrian refugees and rebels. However, Fabrice Balanche, a regional expert from Lyon University, warns of an impending humanitarian crisis.

“If the regime regains control of rebel areas, most residents will attempt to flee to Turkey. Turkey cannot accommodate four million additional refugees,” Balanche cautions.

“These people are acutely aware that remaining under regime control, even with promised amnesties, puts them at risk of targeting by security forces, conscription, or worse. There’s no real protection.”

Despite ongoing tensions in Turkey over the Syrian refugee presence, Erdogan is seeking Putin’s assistance to soften Assad’s stance on negotiations.

The Turkish leader has proposed hosting a trilateral summit this summer, though there’s been no positive response so far.

The current situation highlights the complex interplay of regional politics, humanitarian concerns and diplomatic manoeuvering in addressing the Syrian conflict and its far-reaching consequences.

• Syria’s Assyrians flee to Turkey

Trade tensions between Beijing and Brussels have spiralled in recent months, with the European Union taking aim at China’s support for its renewables and electric vehicle sectors in particular.

China has denied that its industrial policies are unfair and has repeatedly threatened retaliation to safeguard its companies’ legal rights and interests.

Its commerce ministry said in a lengthy statement on Wednesday it would “conduct a trade and investment barrier investigation into the relevant practices adopted by the EU in its investigation of Chinese enterprises” starting on 10 July.

The Chinese investigation will be completed by 10 January, with a possible extension of three months to April. It was requested by China’s Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products.

The complaint mainly dealt with “products such as railway locomotives, photovoltaics, wind power and security inspection equipment”, it said.

The ministry added that the probe would examine the EU’s “preliminary reviews, in-depth investigations and surprise inspections of Chinese enterprises”.

Protectionism

In June, a EU Commission investigation concluded that electric vehicle value chains in China benefit from unfair subsidies, and Brussels has used a new regulation to investigate companies bidding for projects within the Union.

These include a probe into whether Chinese subsidies give wind turbine companies an unfair advantage in the competition for projects in France, Spain, Greece, Romania and Bulgaria.

China accused the European Union of protectionism and “reckless distortion” of the definition of subsidies in response to that investigation. 

• Are EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles a sign of weakness?
• Carmakers unhappy after EU hits China with tariffs on electric vehicles

The EU imposed provisional tariffs on China-made electric vehicles last week over subsidies that it alleges gives an unfair advantage to automakers exporting from China. In response, China has launched an investigation into European pork exports.

Both the EU and the United States are worried that inexpensive Chinese automobiles could overwhelm their domestic producers and lead to factory layoffs.

Chinese auto exports have risen about 30 percent in the first six months of this year.

(with newswires)

The 78-year-old former president was rushed off stage with blood streaked across his face after the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, while the shooter and a bystander were killed and two spectators critically injured.

The Republican candidate raised a defiant fist to the crowd as he was bundled away to safety, and said afterward: “I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear.”

President Joe Biden, who is set to face Trump in November’s deeply polarized election, said the incident was “sick” and added that there was “no place in America for this kind of violence.”

Biden later spoke to Trump, the White House said.

The FBI has identified the gunman, who was shot dead, as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, US media reported early Sunday. His motive remains unknown.

The US Secret Service said earlier the shooter “fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside the rally” before being “neutralised” by agents.

Unconfirmed images appeared to show the assailant’s body lying on the sloping roof of a low building from where he had fired, plunging the rally filled with Trump supporters into screams and panic.

The FBI confirmed in a press conference that the shooting was being treated as “an assassination attempt against our former president, Donald Trump.”

The shooter was believed to be working alone, but law enforcement officials said they would not release any details yet.

After multiple witnesses said they saw the gunman before the shooting and alerted authorities, Butler police said they had “responded to a number of reports of suspicious activity” but gave no further details.

‘Ripping through the skin’ 

Trump, wearing a red “Make America Great Again” cap, had just started speaking at his final rally before the Republican National Convention when multiple bangs ran out.

He grimaced and clutched his ear, with blood visible on his ear and cheek, then ducked to the floor as Secret Service agents swarmed onto the podium, surrounding him and escorting him roughly off the stage to a nearby vehicle.

“It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country,” Trump said on his Truth Social network hours later, in remarks sure to stoke the political hostility already engulfing the United States.

“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” Trump said.

“Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”

He later could be seen walking unaided from his plane, though his wounded ear was not facing the camera, in video footage posted by his deputy communications director. The New York Times reported that he was staying the night in New Jersey.

Police confirmed that a male spectator was killed and two critically injured in the shooting, both of them male adults.

The attack sent shock waves around the world, with the leaders of Britain, Israel, Japan and a host of other countries expressing outrage.

Biden cut short a weekend trip to his Delaware beach house to return to Washington. He will receive an updated briefing from security officials on Sunday morning, the White House said.

The attack has already stoked political tensions, with some Republicans pointing the finger at Biden and right-wing conspiracy theories flooding social media.

Possible Trump vice presidential pick J.D. Vance said Biden’s “rhetoric” had “led directly” to the Trump attack.

Trump’s campaign said he would still attend the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, after he was reported to have had a precautionary hospital checkup.

Screams and panic

But the convention will now be dominated by the shooting at the rally, which descended into panic with screams and shouts ringing out after the gunshots.

“Let me get my shoes,” Trump was heard saying on the microphone, as security agents helped him back to his feet.

He turned back to the crowd and repeatedly raised his fist, as well as mouthing words that weren’t immediately discernible, in what instantly became an iconic image.

Agents bundled the tycoon into an SUV, as he once more shook his fist.

“We saw a lot of people go down, looking confused. I heard the shots,” said John Yeykal from Franklin, Pennsylvania, who was attending his first Trump rally.

US political figures including former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton lined up to condemn the attack and say there was no place for violence in politics.

Billionaire Elon Musk meanwhile reacted by quickly endorsing Trump.

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 while riding in his motorcade, and his brother Bobby Kennedy was shot dead in 1968. President Ronald Reagan survived an assassination attempt in 1981.

Rwandans will cast their ballots on Monday in an election where President Paul Kagame is expected to secure another term, facing the same opponents he defeated in 2017.

Kagame, who has effectively led Rwanda since the 1994 genocide, confronts challenges from two other candidates: Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda (DGPR) and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana.

The 66-year-old incumbent is lauded for steering Rwanda’s economic resurgence post-genocide, with GDP growth averaging 7.2 percent from 2012 to 2022. However, his administration faces criticism for suppressing political dissent domestically and alleged involvement in neighboring Congo’s conflicts.

Kagame’s previous electoral victories have been overwhelming, securing over 93 percent of votes in 2003, 2010, and 2017, with his last win nearing an unprecedented 99 percent.

In contrast, his current rivals Habineza and Mpayimana garnered less than one percent each in the previous election.

Rwanda’s National Electoral Commission received a total of nine presidential candidacy applications. 

Phil Clark, Professor of International Politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies, SOAS University of London talks to Spotlight on Africa about what’s at stake in the election.

Episode mixed by Nicolas Doreau.

Spotlight on Africa is a podcast from Radio France Internationale. 

Police initially said the severely mutilated bodies of six women tied up in plastic bags were found on Friday.

The corpses had been dumped in a landfill site in an abandoned quarry in Mukuru, in the south of the capital.

But the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) said in a statement later that the remains of at least nine people had been recovered, seven of them female, and called for swift investigations to identify them.

“The bodies, wrapped in bags and secured by nylon ropes, had visible marks of torture and mutilation,” it said, noting that the rubbish tip was less than 100 metres from a police station.

Images on local television showed people using ropes to heave sacks containing the human remains from rubbish-strewn water in the quarry. 

21 days to deliver results

Kenyan authorities are analysing samples to identify the deceased and investigations are underway.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations said preliminary investigations suggested all the victims had been killed in the same manner, without elaborating.

Local activists are calling for immediate, thorough investigations.

“Most of them have decomposed but one was fresh,” said Miriam Nyamuita, an activist with the Mukuru Community Justice Centre. “We don’t know if we can relate it to [the anti-government] protests or it’s femicide since most of them are women.” 

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has directed the police to submit the results of their inquiry within 21 days.

• Kenya probes deadly violence that erupted during tax hike protests

Police chief resigns

The IPOA is also looking into claims of abductions and unlawful arrests of demonstrators who went missing after widespread anti-government protests over planned tax hikes.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) said 39 people were killed in the protests and has accused officers of using “excessive and disproportionate” force against protesters.

National police chief Japhet Koome, the target of much public anger over the protest deaths, resigned on Friday after less than two years in the post.

The resignation came the day after President William Ruto fired all but two of his cabinet, bowing to the demands of protesters.

Koome’s deputy Douglas Kanja has been made acting police chief, Ruto’s office said.

• Kenya president dismisses most of cabinet following anti-government protests

Little accountability

Ruto is scrambling to contain the worst crisis of his rule since coming to power in 2022.

Crowds that gathered on Friday at the site where the bodies were found were chanting “Ruto must go”, the slogan of the wave of protests led by young Gen-Z Kenyans.

Ruto said in an event hosted on social media platform X last week that reported abductions were regrettable and that any officers found responsible would be held to account.

However, despite facing frequent allegations of extrajudicial killings, Kenyan police are seldom convicted.

Kenya’sparliament established the IPOA in 2011 to provide civilian scrutiny of a powerful institution also reputed to be among the country’s most corrupt.

(with newswires)

Gabriel Attal was the only candidate in the vote by the Renaissance party parliamentary group, which he plans to use as the base from which to rebuild the political force that got roundly beaten in a snap election called by President Emmanuel Macron.

Of the 98 Renaissance deputies registered to vote, 84 backed Attal, who will start in his role next week.

As Attal and other ministers eye a future outside government, deep cracks have appeared between the 35-year-old premier and his former mentor Macron.

Macron did not get any mention in Attal’s message to Renaissance deputies outlining his leadership bid, with observers saying that the prime minister blames the president for calling the vote, which he said took the party to the brink of “extinction”.

Sunday’s election runoff left the National Assembly without any overall majority, but a broad alliance – called New Popular Front (NFP) – of Socialists, Communists, Greens and the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) won the most seats, with 193 in the 577-strong lower chamber.

Macron’s allies came second with 164 seats and the far-right National Rally (RN) third at 143.

Macron, who still has nearly three years in office, lashed out at Attal and others in a closed-door meeting Friday, saying his political friends had made a “disastrous spectacle” of themselves since the snap election.

Participants at the meeting – attended notably by Attal, his rival Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and former prime minister Elisabeth Borne – told AFP that Macron had urged his allies to give priority “to the nation rather than to premature ambition”.

• French left rebuffs Macron’s unity plea, pushes for prime minister appointment

Former communist MP as prime minister?

According to the constitution, Macron will appoint the next prime minister, who must be able to survive a confidence motion in parliament.

This appointment could come as early as next week when the new National Assembly session opens, but Macron could ask Attal to stay on while Paris hosts the Olympic Games starting July 26.

Such a decision would also give the NFP bloc more time to hammer out agreement on a consensus candidate to pitch to Macron.

The alliance’s members have been at loggerheads about a suitable frontrunner.

LFI firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon is one of a handful of names debated within the bloc.

But the latest speculation is centred on Huguette Bello, 73, a former communist MP and currently the president of the regional council in France’s overseas territory La Reunion, as a possible consensus candidate.

She has the backing of LFI, the communists and the Greens, while Socialists back their party boss Olivier Faure, a moderate.

Neither far right nor radical left

Macron has ruled out a government role for either LFI – the largest player in the New Popular Front (NFP) left alliance – or the far-right RN in any new coalition.

Attal echoed that stance Friday, saying that he would seek “to guard against any government” that included RN or LFI ministers. He himself would “contribute to the emergence of a majority concerning projects and ideas”, Attal said.

Some in the far-right RN have suggested that a non-partisan technocratic government acceptable to all sides could be the way forward.

Whoever takes charge of the new government will have spending ambitions constrained by France’s weak public finances.

Budget deficits and debt levels have spiralled in recent years, with Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire saying this week that France needed to find a total of 25 billion euros ($27 billion) in savings this year to begin returning to fiscal sustainability.

• France’s state finances deteriorate as it misses target on cutting deficit

The 46-year-old former tennis champion was accompanied by para-triathlete Alexis Hanquinquant, who will be France’s flag-bearer at the Paralympics opening ceremony on 28 August.

Weather permitting, the river will be the star of the opening ceremony of the Paris Games on 26 July and will then host the triathlon and the open water swimming.

Oudea-Castera, dressed in a body suit, slipped as she entered the Seine, but stole the thunder from Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, with whom she has notoriously poor relations.

Hidalgo had flagged up that she would swim on 17 July if the water quality was good enough.

• Paris mayor to take a dip in the Seine the week of 15 July

Oudea-Castera seized her opportunity – exclusively filmed by news channel BFMTV – a day after Paris city hall said the Seine has been clean enough to swim in for most of the past 12 days.

Swimming competitions ‘will take place’

The quality of the water met the required standard for “11 days or 10 days” of the past 12, city hall official Pierre Rabadan told RFI.

The Paris region has seen an unseasonably heavy amount of rain over recent weeks, which has raised the Seine‘s pollution levels as untreated sewage is washed into the river.

“We hope the weather will get a little better, but we are not worried about the possibility of holding the competitions,” Rabadan said. “They will take place.”

He added, however, that there may have to be “modifications”, without giving details.

French authorities have invested 1.4 billion euros over the last decade in its Swimming Plan aimed at rendering the Seine clean enough to swim in.

Weather in Paris is forecast to be mostly dry over the final 14 days before the start of the Games.

France has a caretaker government since parliamentary elections failed to deliver a majority for any one party. President Emmanuel Macron asked the prime minister and his cabinet to remain “for the time being” for the sake of stability.

• Paris dream of swimming in the Seine part of its Olympics vision

(with AFP)

Between 35 and 50 Indian nationals have been recruited into Russia’s wartime forces against their will, according to India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra.

After Modi pressed Putin on the issue at a bilateral summit in Moscow this week, the Russian president promised they would receive an early discharge – a move hailed as a diplomatic triumph for India.

Kwatra, who accompanied Modi to Moscow, reported that 10 Indian nationals had already been successfully repatriated through joint efforts with Russia.

The Russian military is believed to have hired thousands of foreign recruits, many of them from India’s neighbour Nepal.

Families in India shared harrowing accounts of their relatives’ experiences.

Two young men from the northern state of Haryana, Harsh, 19, and Abhishek, 20, travelled to Moscow in January, intending to visit Belarus – but without realising they needed a separate visa to do so.

Instead, they say, they were apprehended by police and given an ultimatum: serve a year in the Russian military or face a decade in prison.

Harsh’s brother Sahil told the Indian Express that the men received minimal weapons training or food before being deployed.

Russia, India strengthen military ties but Ukraine war brings disruption

Economic incentive

Families of the missing men were celebrating after Indian officials expressed optimism the recruits would soon be free to return home.

But the incident has fuelled political debate, with opposition figures arguing that it reflects a deeper crisis of poverty and unemployment in India.

The situation highlights a broader trend of Indians seeking better-paying jobs in conflict zones, including Israel, despite the risks involved.

Putin’s pledge underscores the enduring relationship between Russia and India, which is historically Russia’s closest non-communist ally

Their friendship has continued despite divergent views on Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

India’s tough tightrope walk between the Western bloc and Russia

During Modi’s first visit to Russia since the Ukraine conflict began, Foreign Secretary Kwatra emphasized India’s stance against the prolonged war. Modi called for dialogue to restore peace and offered India’s support in finding peaceful solutions.

Despite these tensions, the two-day trip resulted in ambitious plans to boost bilateral trade from 60 billion to 92 billion euros by 2030.

Russia also sought to reinforce military ties with India, facing competition from France and Israel.

Despite opposition from environmentalists and rights activists, the French energy giant is pushing ahead with its Tilenga drilling project in Uganda and a 1,443-kilometre crude oil pipeline to transport its output to the Tanzanian coast.

The $10-billion project involves drilling more than 400 oil wells in western Uganda – many of them in Murchison Falls Nature Park, a biodiversity reserve and the country’s largest national park.

TotalEnergies, which is working with Chinese oil company CNOOC, insists it is “a responsible operator”, acting “transparently on social and environmental issues” surrounding the project.

Alleged rights abuses

But environmentalists say the project is already severely impacting wildlife and the fragile ecosystem in the park, just a year after drilling began and before production gets underway next year.

A report from the Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO) detailed obvious biodiversity loss, and found drilling vibrations were chasing elephants from the park.

“It has been devastating,” AFIEGO conservationist Diana Nabiruma told French news agency AFP in a recent interview.

AFIEGO was among NGOs and individual Ugandans who last year sued TotalEnergies in Paris for reparations over alleged rights abuses linked to the project.

• French court dismisses lawsuit against TotalEnergies pipeline in Africa
• Environmental groups sue TotalEnergies over ‘devastating’ East Africa oil pipeline

Maintaining that over 120,000 people had been displaced by the projects in Uganda and Tanzania, Nabiruma said she was “hoping for justice” in that case and lamented that many had been “unable to replace all or parts of their land”.

In a statement to AFP, TotalEnergies insisted that its projects in East Africa “certainly don’t involve moving hundreds of thousands of people”.

It insisted that many with land along the pipeline route would “be able to use it after the works”, adding that 775 households “will be rehoused in the vicinity and in better conditions”.

Disruption to wildlife

Meanwhile AFIEGO’s report, which relied on satellite image analysis and interviews with locals, tour guides, civil society actors and biodiversity experts, documented serious environmental issues.

It found that vibrations from the drilling rig were chasing elephants into surrounding communities, where they were destroying croplands and increasingly running into humans.

At least five people had been killed in such encounters since last year, it said.

The report also said lights mounted on the rig, which could be seen across nearly 14 kilometres, were negatively affecting nocturnal and light-sensitive wildlife like leopards and lions.

More paved roads and motorised traffic in the park was also exposing wildlife to higher risks of poaching, accidents and noise and air pollution, AFIEGO warned.

TotalEnergies insisted that it had carefully examined the potential environmental impacts prior to launching the project, aiming to rein in and compensate for any biodiversity loss.

It said its contracting partner had been tasked with observing the impact of the project on elephants in particular, and had seen “no significant change in elephant movement patterns”.

And it said that “warm” and inward-facing lighting had been mounted on the rig to limit light pollution.

Overall, it insisted, the projects aim to provide “a net gain for biodiversity and communities” and “will open up economic opportunities for the local population”.

• Total’s contested oil projects in Africa: The case of Uganda and Tanzania

‘Indebting’ Ugandans

AFIEGO’s Nabiruma flatly rejected that.

“These oil activities are indebting the Ugandan population forever,” she said, urging France and others to withdraw support and bring the project to a halt.

Campaign groups suggest TotalEnergies is struggling to secure the remainder of the financing needed to complete the project.

“Ugandans shouldn’t be burdened with biodiversity loss, with grave human rights abuses and with environmental risks, just so that other countries can benefit from the oil in the country,” Nabiruma said.

Funding should instead “flow towards renewables”, she said, pointing to the huge potential for solar power, especially in Uganda.

“It’s not enough to only stop funding for bad projects. Funding must flow to the good projects.”

(with AFP)

Dangers such as extreme heat, flooding and pollution constitute a “double sentence” for prisoners in France, says the environmental NGO Notre Affaire à Tous (“Everyone’s Business”).

A report released this week warns that all of France’s 188 prisons, detention centres and other penal institutions are at risk from heat waves. 

Extreme temperatures are made more dangerous by overcrowding and ageing facilities in disrepair. 

In one prison in the southern city of Nîmes, cells have been found to reach 39°C in summer, the report said.

Meanwhile many outdoor exercise yards are made “entirely of concrete, with no trees, and sometimes without shade or access to a working water source”, it highlights, making them little relief in hot weather.

Overcrowding in French prisons reaches all-time high

Floods, storms, pollution

Half of all institutions are located in areas at moderate to high risk of clay shrinkage and swelling, a phenomenon that affects soils when rainfall is low.

It can cause buildings’ walls to crack, window joints to buckle and pipes to rupture, the report says, further harming living conditions.

Meanwhile almost one in three prisons are at risk of storms and cyclones, and nearly one in four are in potential flood zones. 

Three institutions – in the overseas territories of New Caledonia, French Guiana and the Wallis Islands – even risk finding themselves “below sea level due to climate change”, the report warned. 

Often built at a distance from residential zones, many prisons are also located in areas exposed to pollution, it found. One in 10 lies near industrial or agricultural sites classified as potentially hazardous, while 70 percent stand on soil that may be polluted.

Almost one in four are located near airports, railways or motorways, exposing inmates, staff and visitors to air and noise pollution. 

Multiple risks

“Certain prisons in France are exposed to multiple risks,” said Chloé Lailler, a spokesperson for the NGO behind the report.

She pointed to the example of La Valentine juvenile detention centre outside Marseille on the south coast: not only is it at risk of extreme heat, but bordering as it does a nature reserve, it’s also threatened by forest fires. Further, a train line runs nearby. 

“And all that when you have an underage population that is particularly vulnerable in terms of health,” Lailler told RFI.

The most exposed prisons are mainly in the south of France, the NGO said, including in Marseille and Toulouse.

It is calling on the authorities to renovate or even close the prisons at highest risk, while taking environmental factors in account when planning future institutions – for instance, avoiding building in low-lying areas. 

Record prison population

It’s not the first alarm over the state of France’s prisons, which housed a record 77,880 inmates as of June. 

Overall prison density now stands at 126 percent, according to figures from the Ministry of Justice, with more than 3,300 inmates forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor for lack of beds.

In recent years, international watchdogs including Amnesty and the European Court of Human Rights have called on France to improve conditions for detainees.

France urged to drastically improve situation in overcrowded jails

In a statement to French news agency AFP, the prison service said it was undertaking efforts to study the impact of climate change on prisons and possible ways to adapt.

While extra ventilation and sunshades are not an option for security reasons, it said, new prisons are being designed with heat resistance in mind. 

The accused, Hugo Auradou, 20, and Oscar Jegou, 21, chose not to testify at a hearing in the city of Mendoza, where the rape is alleged to have occurred after a game between France and Argentina on Saturday.

The prosecutor’s office said in a statement it had charged the pair with “the crime of sexual assault with penetration, aggravated by the participation of two people.”

If found guilty, the players face between eight and 20 years in prison.

The pair will remain in custody until a hearing scheduled in 10 days to determine if they will await trial in detention or under house arrest.

If granted house arrest, they will have to establish a residence in Mendoza and will not be permitted to return to France, a spokesman for the city’s judiciary said.

The two men were arrested Monday in Buenos Aires after a 39-year-old woman accused them of raping her multiple times and beating her in a Mendoza hotel room after the match, part of a tour of South America by the French national squad.

The men deny the accusation, saying they had consensual sexual relations with the woman.

Their French attorney Antoine Vey expressed concern over the “fairly considerable media hype” over a case that has caused shock in France and Argentina.

Vey said his clients deserved “the presumption of innocence, which is not an empty phrase.”

Raped ‘at least six times’

The players were transferred Thursday by car from Interpol‘s Buenos Aires headquarters to Mendoza, some 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) west.

The 39-year-old woman’s lawyer, Natacha Romano, told AFP on Wednesday her client had suffered violence at the hands of her assailants in a hotel room, with injuries to her face, back, breasts, legs and ribs as well as bite and scratch marks.

The woman claims to have been raped “at least six times” by one of the men and once by the other, according to the lawyer.

She allegedly tried to escape several times.

The attack allegedly took place Saturday night at the Diplomatic Hotel in Mendoza, where France’s players and staff were staying after beating Argentina.

Romano said the woman had gone with one of the men from a nightclub to the hotel, where she alleges she was abused for several hours.

“The violence was fierce,” said Romano. “There is more than one crime to investigate.”

Romano said her client was hospitalised Thursday after feeling emotionally and physically ill “because of everything that happened.”

• French court postpones trial of five rugby players over alleged student rape

‘They are innocent’

Another defense attorney, German Hnatow, told journalists his clients would give a statement “quite different from what the victim has said.”

He said his clients were “sure of their version, they are calm because they know they are innocent, but of course they are worried about this whole situation that they have had to live through.”

Hnatow said he believed house arrest would be possible “as long as the risk of flight and the obstruction of evidence can be mitigated.”

Lawyer Rafael Cuneo Libarona, who also represents the players, said “sexual relations” had been “consensual.”

“There are witnesses who saw her leave (the hotel). There are cameras that saw her leave. Apparently, no injuries are seen in the footage,” Libarona — the brother of Justice Minister Mariano Cuneo Libarona — told journalists.

But Romano said “the overwhelming proof that there was no consent is the victim’s body” and the wounds she bears.

Auradou and Jegou have been replaced by lock Mickael Guillard and flanker Judicael Cancoriet for Saturday’s second match against Argentina in Buenos Aires.

The New Popular Front (NFP), a hastily assembled alliance of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party and the Socialist, Green and Communist parties, unexpectedly won the most seats in Sunday’s vote, but not a majority.

The result left France rudderless at home, where it will host the Olympic Games in just over two weeks, and weakened abroad, where Macron was in Washington for a NATO summit.

In an open letter to voters, Macron said Wednesday that “nobody won” the ballot.

He has left his centrist prime minister, Gabriel Attal, in place and called on parties to find common ground for a broad coalition.

• Macron urges mainstream coalition after election, angering leftist alliance

Socialist Party chief Olivier Faure accused Macron of failing to “respect the vote of the French people”, while LFI leader Jean-Luc Melenchon blasted the “return of the royal veto”.

Sophie Binet, head of France’s biggest trade union federation, the CGT, also enlisted the image of the republic’s long-gone monarchy to attack the president.

“It’s like having Louis XVI locking himself away in Versailles,” she said, referring to the king guillotined in 1793 during the French Revolution.

‘Bring people together’

The president’s letter appeared to rule out a role for either LFI – the largest player in the New Popular Front (NFP) left alliance – or the far-right National Rally (RN) in the new coalition.

Voters from different camps joined forces in the second-round run-off to shut the RN out of power in a “republican front”, allowing Macron’s followers to claim second place with 164 seats and leaving the far right in third at 143.

With each of the three blocs controlling roughly one-third of the chamber, it may be a long slog to find a government able to survive a no-confidence vote.

“We can’t form a national unity government with just one camp,” Macron ally Francois Bayrou told French news agency AFP.

The conservative Republicans (LR) party, now reduced to 40 seats, refuses to join a government, but could provide parliamentary support.

Three-time RN presidential candidate Marine Le Pen meanwhile dismissed Macron’s letter as a “disgraceful circus”.

She now has her eyes on France’s next presidential election in 2027, when term limits will prevent Macron – who beat her twice in previous contests – from standing again.

Economic fears

Financial markets are anxious, with warnings this week from ratings agencies that uncertainty over government finances could lead to credit downgrades for France’s over three-trillion-euro debt pile.

On Thursday, Bank of France governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau warned against the left’s economic programme without specifically naming the NFP.

The NFP has vowed to increase the minimum wage, raise taxes on companies and the wealthy and roll back Macron’s pension reform that raised the retirement age.

“In the economic competition, our small firms, our companies can’t be weighed down with excessive wage costs, including the minimum wage, and by taxes that are too heavy,” Villeroy told broadcaster France Info on Thursday.

Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday that France needed a total of 25 billion euros this year to keep its promise of getting its finances back under control.

• France needs to introduce 25 billion euros in cuts to tackle EU deficit

France is aiming for a deficit of 5.1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) this year, he said, smaller than last year’s 5.5 percent but still way above the eurozone’s three-percent deficit limit.

The possibility of the leftist bloc gaining power has weighed on France’s creditworthiness, with buyers of French government bonds demanding a substantial risk premium over benchmark Germany’s debt.

This means France now has to pay investors a higher return than Portugal, although still less than Spain.

(with AFP)

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 15 June, I asked you a question about the European Parliament elections, where the far-right National Rally party trounced President Macron’s centrist bloc. Macron then preceded to dissolve and call snap elections for France’s lower house of Parliament, which was a surprise to us all – even his Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, it seems.

You were to refer to Jessica Phelan’s article “Why did Macron call snap elections and what does it mean for France?”, and send in the answer to this question: What percentage of the votes did Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party win, and what percentage of the votes did Macron’s centrist bloc win in the European Parliament elections?

The answer is, to quote Jessica’s article: “With 31.4 percent of the vote to the Macronists’ 14.6 percent, National Rally leader Jordan Bardella called the results a “stinging rejection” of the president.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by Father Steven Wara from Bamenda, Cameroon: “What do you do to help others have a secure and happy life?”   

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Jayanta Chakrabarty from New Delhi, India. Jayanta is also this week’s bonus question winner. Congratulations, Jayanta!

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are two RFI Listeners Club members from Dhaka, Bangladesh: Monzurul Alam Ripon and Atikul Islam, who is also the president of the Narshunda Radio Listeners Family Club, and hailing from Hedehusene, Denmark, Hans Verner Lollike.

Last but not least, there’s RFI English listener Nizhom Yeasmin Kona from Naogaon, Bangladesh.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: The James Bond Theme written by David Arnold; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “I Love to Laugh” from the film Mary Poppins, music and lyrics written by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman with George Stiles, and sung by Ed Wynn, Julie Andrews, and Dick Van Dyke, and John Coltrane’s “Naima”, performed by Eric Dolphy.

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 our article “What are the next steps now that France finds itself with a hung parliament?”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 26 August to enter this week’s quiz. The winners will be announced on the 31 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. 

. Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire stated these cuts are necessary to reduce the deficit to 5.1% of GDP, revised from an earlier 4.4% target.

This announcement comes in the wake of France’s recent parliamentary elections, which resulted in no single party winning an outright majority. A left-wing alliance, the New Popular Front (NFP), gained the most seats but falls short of a majority.

The European Commission has criticized France for its financial state, with debt exceeding 110% of GDP – nearly double the EU-authorized level. While the Commission can theoretically fine EU members for excessive deficits, it has never done so.

The NFP’s economic plans, including reversing pension reforms and increasing the minimum wage, could further increase deficits. This prospect has affected France’s creditworthiness, with investors demanding higher returns on French government bonds compared to some other European countries.

Standard & Poor’s recently downgraded France’s sovereign debt rating to “AA-” due to growth concerns. Despite these challenges, Le Maire has pledged to bring the deficit below 3% by 2027, in line with EU requirements that were temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war’s economic impact.

EU members have agreed to gradually realign their deficits with these requirements in the coming years.

• EU agrees plan to overhaul spending rules for more flexibility
• French budget deficit widens but government promises no tax hike

Labour unrest

Meanwhile, France’s largest union federation, CGT, has announced nationwide protests by its railway workers’ branch on July 18, coinciding with the first session of the newly elected parliament

This call to action follows President Macron’s open letter urging “republican forces” to form a “solid majority” for governance. The union contends that the left-wing New Popular Front coalition should lead the new government instead.

Elsewhere, unions at state-controlled ADP group, which runs Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, announced a one-day stoppage on 17 July to press for bigger Olympics bonuses and staff recruitment.

“The fact that we are forced to call for a strike is because of the obstinate refusal of management and in particular the CEO of the company,” unions said in a joint statement on Monday.

The stand-off with management could impact the Paris Games, with athletes set to start arriving  from 18 July and hundreds of thousands of ticket holders flying in ahead of the 26 July opening ceremony.

The first batch of American-made F-16s are already being transferred to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands and will be flying over Ukrainian skies this summer, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.

Denmark has committed to donate 19 jets in total, while the Netherlands has promised to deliver 24 aircraft. Both countries have been driving forces behind an international coalition to supply Ukraine with F-16s.

Norway also said on Wednesday that it would donate six F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and that the deliveries were planned to start this year.

French President Emmanuel Macron has already promised that France will deliver its own fighter jets to Ukraine.

Speaking on 6 June, he said that France would send Mirage-2000 fighter jets made by French manufacturer Dassault and train Ukrainian pilots to fly them as part of a new military cooperation with Kyiv.

Russian response

Moscow, which blames the current war on NATO and accuses it of engaging in unprovoked expansion, said it was planning “response measures” to contain the “very serious threat” from the alliance.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying on Thursday that the Western military alliance was now “fully involved in the conflict over Ukraine”.

• Did NATO’s expansion drive Vladimir Putin to war?

In a joint declaration after the NATO summit this week in Washington DC, which was also attended by President Zelensky of Ukraine, the alliance declared: “Russia remains the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security.”

It also said that Russia and China, with “their mutually reinforcing attempts”, were undercutting and reshaping “the rules-based international order”, leading to “biggest reinforcement of our collective defence in a generation”.

(with newswires)

Orban’s meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago is expected to further strain relations with Hungary’s allies, coming on the heels of Orban’s controversial encounter with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, which drew widespread criticism from European leaders.

The right-leaning Hungarian Prime Minister, who currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, has been an outspoken advocate for Trump. Their previous meeting occurred in March, and Trump is now vying for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Following Thursday’s rendezvous, Orban shared on social media, “We explored avenues for achieving peace. The day’s highlight: he’s committed to resolving the situation!” The post was accompanied by an image of the two leaders in conversation.

The post did not elaborate further.

Trump reciprocated on his Truth Social platform, stating: “Gratitude, Viktor. PEACE is imperative, and urgently so. This conflict, which should never have begun, has claimed far too many lives!”

Orban recently stirred controversy within the EU by traveling to Moscow for discussions with Putin. The Hungarian leader characterized this visit as a “peace mission” regarding the Ukraine conflict, a move that followed his earlier trip to Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The EU, comprising 27 member states, has consistently denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and implemented unprecedented sanctions against Moscow.

At the NATO summit in Washington, Orban appeared marginalized, maintaining a notably low profile with minimal media engagement.

• EU, Kyiv condemn Orban for meeting Putin

‘No mandate”

At the NATO summit, Finnish President Alexander Stubb stated, “Viktor Orban lacks authorization from either the alliance or the European Union to engage in any negotiations. He may act independently, but I fundamentally oppose such action and fail to see its purpose.”

US President Joe Biden, Trump’s likely opponent in November, addressed reporters Thursday, saying, “I currently see no valid reason to engage with Putin. He shows little willingness to modify his behavior.”

Orban, echoing Trump’s stance, has expressed reservations about NATO’s support for Ukraine and refuses to supply Kyiv with weapons, arguing it would escalate the conflict.

The Hungarian leader’s meeting with Trump, a vocal critic of the US’s central role in NATO, followed Biden’s efforts to rally the alliance at the Washington summit.

Biden also aimed to reassure NATO allies and US voters about his leadership capabilities and fitness for office, following a poorly received televised debate performance against Trump last month that reignited age-related concerns.

During a highly anticipated press conference at the NATO summit, Biden acknowledged the need to “address concerns” among Democrats but affirmed his determination to remain in office.

Biden’s attempt to project leadership was compromised by two verbal missteps. Earlier in the day, he mistakenly introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as Russian President Vladimir Putin. Later, during the news conference, he referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.” These gaffes undermined his efforts to convey a sense of control and competence.

(With newswires)

Ruto said the move, announced on Thursday, affects all ministers including the attorney-general.

Only Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi have held onto their posts, the president said.

The East African nation was left reeling after peaceful rallies last month over steep tax increases flared into deadly violence with police firing at crowds who stormed parliament.

Led largely by young, Gen-Z Kenyans, the protests plunged Ruto’s administration into the most serious crisis of his presidency, forcing him to abandon the tax hikes and scramble to contain the damage.

‘Extensive transformation’

Ruto said his decision was taken “upon reflection, listening keenly to what the people of Kenya have said and after a holistic appraisal” of the performance of his cabinet, he told reporters from State House Nairobi.

“Even with the progress we’ve made, I’m acutely aware that the people of Kenya have very high expectations of me, and they believe that this administration can undertake the most extensive transformation in our nation’s history,” he said.

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

Human rights organisations have denounced what they say is “excessive repression” by the government.

According to The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNHCR), 39 people have died in the protests since they began on 18 June.

A probe was opened in June to investigate the violence.

Ruto also said he will “immediately engage in extensive consultations across different sectors and political formations, with the aim of setting up a broad-based government”.

This government would, he said, help him to develop “radical programmes” to deal with the country’s huge debt burden, increase job opportunities, eliminate government waste and “slay the dragon of corruption“.

(with AFP)

The vote, which Macron unexpectedly called after losing to the far-right National Rally (RN) in European elections, has plunged France into uncharted waters, with three politically divergent blocs and no obvious path to forming a government.

In a letter to regional newspapers published Wednesday, the deeply unpopular Macron urged mainstream parties with “republican values” to form a governing coalition and said he hoped to pick a prime minister from such a grouping.

“Let us place our hope in the ability of our political leaders to demonstrate sense, harmony and calm in your interest, and that of the country,” he wrote. “It is in the light of these principles that I will decide on the appointment of the prime minister.”

Left denounces ‘machinations’

The New Popular Front (NFP), a hastily assembled alliance of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party and the Socialist, Green and Communist parties, unexpectedly won the most seats in Sunday’s vote, but not a majority.

Macron’s centrist camp came second and the RN third after 215 third-placed candidates from the left and centre withdrew from the run-off to avoid splitting the anti-RN vote, scuppering the far right’s hopes of winning a majority and forming a government.

It would be customary for Macron to call on the biggest parliamentary group, in this case the left-wing bloc, to form a government, but the constitution does not oblige him to do so.

Macron did not explicitly call for the RN or France Unbowed to be excluded from a governing coalition, but his mention of “republican values” is typically understood to exclude parties on the far left or the far right.

Several France Unbowed lawmakers reacted to Macron’s letter by saying that he should accept the left-wing alliance’s pick for prime minister, when it has agreed on one, and allow the bloc to form a government.

“The best he can do for the country at this stage is to allow the group that won the most seats, the New Popular Front, to govern. Any other machinations would be truly problematic and dangerous for democracy,” said one of them, Eric Coquerel, on LCI television.

Centre-left Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure told France 2 television that Macron must “respect” the choice of French voters and nominate a prime minister from the NFP.

Sophie Binet, head of France’s biggest trade union federation, the CGT, invoked the image of France’s long-defunct monarchy to attack the president.

“It’s like having Louis XVI locking himself away in Versailles,” she said, referring to the king guillotined in 1793 during the French Revolution.

If Macron “doesn’t respect the result of the polls, he risks plunging the country into chaos once again,” she said.

• What is the New Popular Front, surprise winner of France’s election?

Political paralysis

Financial markets, the European Commission and France’s euro zone partners are all watching closely to see whether the impasse can be broken.

Options include a broad coalition, a minority government or a technocratic government led by a non-politically affiliated person, which would seek to pass laws in parliament on a case-by-case basis.

But any government – of the left, centre, or a broader coalition – could quickly be toppled by a vote of no confidence from the opposition if it had not secured sufficient support.

RN leader Jordan Bardella said Macron was to blame for the political paralysis.

“And now his message is: ‘sort something out’. Irresponsible!” he posted on X, referring to Macron’s letter.

• French election leaves far-right National Rally down but not out

Tone hardens

Bardella’s mentor, the long-time RN leader Marine Le Pen, has spent the last few years cleaning up the image of a party once known for racism and antisemitism, and must now decide what strategy to adopt to win the 2027 presidential election.

She has framed the tactical withdrawals as an establishment plot to keep her party from power.

On Wednesday her tone hardened, when she drew parallels between a hard-left politician’s call for a march towards the prime minister’s office and the assault on Capitol Hill by supporters of former US President Donald Trump.

She said the NFP has almost “subversive attitudes since they are calling for Matignon to be taken by force,” referring to the prime minister’s office. “It’s their assault on the Capitol.”

She was reacting to a social media post by France Unbowed lawmaker Adrien Quatennens, who accused Macron of wanting to “steal” the left’s victory after he asked centrist Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to stay on for now, for stability. Quatennens had called for “a big popular march” on Matignon.

Responding to Le Pen, Quatennens said she was “nuts” to liken his suggestion to a call for insurrection.

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

(with Reuters)

The quality of the water met the required standard for “11 days or 10 days” of the past 12, city hall official Pierre Rabadan told RFI.

Weather permitting, the river will be the star of the opening ceremony of the Games on 26 July and will then host the triathlon and the swimming marathon.

The Paris region has seen an unseasonably heavy amount of rain over recent weeks, which has raised the Seine’s pollution levels as untreated sewage is washed into the river.

“We hope the weather will get a little better, but we are not worried about the possibility of holding the competitions,” Rabadan said. “They will take place.”

He added, however, that there may have to be “modifications”, without giving details.

Weather in Paris is forecast to be mostly dry over the final 14 days before the start of the Games.

The Seine is set to be used for the swimming leg of the triathlon on 30-31 July and 5 August, as well as the open-water swimming on 8-9 August.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo also told France Inter radio on Wednesday that she will swim in the Seine next week “to prove its cleanliness.”

• Paris mayor to take a dip in the Seine the week of 15 July
• River boats carry out successful Paris Olympics opening ceremony rehearsal
• Huge River Seine stormwater basin opens ahead of Paris Olympics

E.Coli bacteria levels

On 4 July, city hall had already reported that E.Coli bacteria levels at the Olympics swimming spot in central Paris had fallen to within acceptable limits for four days.

But the previous week, levels of E.Coli – a bacteria indicating the presence of faecal matter – had been above the upper limits used by sports federations every day at the Alexandre III bridge location in central Paris, which is set to be the jumping off point for the swimming.

At one point, E.Coli levels were 10 times the upper limit of 1,000 colony-forming units per 100 millilitres (cfu/ml), with heavy rain over the previous two months leading to fears for the Olympic events.

French authorities have spent 1.4 billion euros in the last decade trying to clean up the river by improving the Paris sewerage system, as well as building new water treatment and storage facilities.

A famous Gothic cathedral in Rouen, Normandy, was evacuated on Thursday after its spire caught fire.

Images posted on social media platform X by the prefecture, show black smoke billowing from beneath a canopy and scaffolding at the top of the building, which is about 150m tall.

The fire’s “origin is unknown at this point,” mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol posted on X, adding that “all public resources are mobilised” to fight the fire.

Local fire service SDIS76 said the alarm was raised around midday and that 33 vehicles and 63 firefighters were on the scene.

Firefighters told French television channel BFM that the fire has since been contained.

 “Fire broke out at the tip of the spire, which isn’t made of wood, but rather metal,” the prefecture of the local Seine-Maritime department told AFP.

 The monument is “currently undergoing restoration work,” it added.

Memories of Notre-Dame

A jewel of French medieval gothic architecture, the Our Lady of the Assumption cathedral dates to the 12th century and was repeatedly painted by the impressionist artist Claude Monet in the 19th century, lifting its worldwide fame.

A fire in the wooden frame of the roof was behind the massive 2019 damage to the world-famous Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris, where repairs are only now nearing completion.

• Paris’s fire-damaged Notre Dame Cathedral to reopen at the end of 2024

Construction began on Rouen‘s cathedral in the 12th Century, according to its website, with work lasting several centuries until it achieved its present form.

(with AFP)

Erdogan’s call for talks comes after widespread riots against Syrian refugees in Turkish cities. He aims to facilitate the return of Syrians who have fled to Turkey since the Syrian civil war began in 2011.

Soli Ozel, an international relations expert at Istanbul’s Kadir Has University, says the situation is volatile.

“The country is like a tinderbox regarding refugees, especially as economic conditions deteriorate. Syrians have become easy scapegoats, and there’s widespread frustration with their presence, justified or not. This has become a significant political issue,” Ozel said.

He also stresses that key to any solution is a credible plan for the orderly departure of Syrian refugees to reassure the Turkish public.

Erdogan’s party suffered losses in local elections in March, largely due to growing hostility towards over three million Syrian refugees in Turkey and rampant inflation approaching triple digits. These factors have intensified pressure on Erdogan to address the refugee situation.

• Turkey vows to keep borders shut despite new exodus of Syrians

Russia’s position

Russia, under Putin, supports Erdogan’s diplomatic outreach, seeing it as a potential end to Turkish backing of Syrian rebels and a conclusion to the civil war.

This aligns with Moscow’s priorities, since resolving the Syrian conflict would allow Russia to redirect military resources to Ukraine.

However, Turkey’s extensive military presence in Syria complicates potential talks. Turkish forces are engaged in operations against Kurdish groups, which Ankara claims are linked to domestic separatists. The Turkish military also protects Syrian rebel forces along the border.

Aydin Selcen, a former Turkish diplomat and now a foreign policy analyst with Medyascope, suggests that Ankara’s willingness to negotiate could provide Syria with an opportunity to secure Turkish withdrawal.

“Assad relies heavily on external support and even internal factions” he said.

“Unable to forcibly remove Turkish troops, Assad’s only option is to request their withdrawal as a precondition for talks.”

Despite this, Erdogan insists on maintaining Turkey’s military presence until Syria can effectively secure its borders.

Sinan Ulgen of the Istanbul-based Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies said: “Turkey’s primary concern is preventing the border region from becoming a security threat post-withdrawal. Turkey needs assurances from Syria before considering troop removal.”

• Turkey’s Syrian refugees face local hostility as economic problems mount

Humanitarian crisis?

The news of Erdogan’s pursuit of dialogue with Damascus sparked unrest in rebel-held northeast Syria, with protesters targeting Turkish bases out of fear of potential abandonment by Ankara.

Erdogan maintains that any agreement with Damascus would safeguard returning Syrian refugees and rebels. However, Fabrice Balanche, a regional expert from Lyon University, warns of an impending humanitarian crisis.

“If the regime regains control of rebel areas, most residents will attempt to flee to Turkey. Turkey cannot accommodate four million additional refugees,” Balanche cautions.

“These people are acutely aware that remaining under regime control, even with promised amnesties, puts them at risk of targeting by security forces, conscription, or worse. There’s no real protection.”

Despite ongoing tensions in Turkey over the Syrian refugee presence, Erdogan is seeking Putin’s assistance to soften Assad’s stance on negotiations.

The Turkish leader has proposed hosting a trilateral summit this summer, though there’s been no positive response so far.

The current situation highlights the complex interplay of regional politics, humanitarian concerns and diplomatic manoeuvering in addressing the Syrian conflict and its far-reaching consequences.

• Syria’s Assyrians flee to Turkey

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 15 June, I asked you a question about the European Parliament elections, where the far-right National Rally party trounced President Macron’s centrist bloc. Macron then preceded to dissolve and call snap elections for France’s lower house of Parliament, which was a surprise to us all – even his Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, it seems.

You were to refer to Jessica Phelan’s article “Why did Macron call snap elections and what does it mean for France?”, and send in the answer to this question: What percentage of the votes did Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party win, and what percentage of the votes did Macron’s centrist bloc win in the European Parliament elections?

The answer is, to quote Jessica’s article: “With 31.4 percent of the vote to the Macronists’ 14.6 percent, National Rally leader Jordan Bardella called the results a “stinging rejection” of the president.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by Father Steven Wara from Bamenda, Cameroon: “What do you do to help others have a secure and happy life?”   

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Jayanta Chakrabarty from New Delhi, India. Jayanta is also this week’s bonus question winner. Congratulations, Jayanta!

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are two RFI Listeners Club members from Dhaka, Bangladesh: Monzurul Alam Ripon and Atikul Islam, who is also the president of the Narshunda Radio Listeners Family Club, and hailing from Hedehusene, Denmark, Hans Verner Lollike.

Last but not least, there’s RFI English listener Nizhom Yeasmin Kona from Naogaon, Bangladesh.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: The James Bond Theme written by David Arnold; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “I Love to Laugh” from the film Mary Poppins, music and lyrics written by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman with George Stiles, and sung by Ed Wynn, Julie Andrews, and Dick Van Dyke, and John Coltrane’s “Naima”, performed by Eric Dolphy.

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 our article “What are the next steps now that France finds itself with a hung parliament?”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 26 August to enter this week’s quiz. The winners will be announced on the 31 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. 

Rwandans will cast their ballots on Monday in an election where President Paul Kagame is expected to secure another term, facing the same opponents he defeated in 2017.

Kagame, who has effectively led Rwanda since the 1994 genocide, confronts challenges from two other candidates: Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda (DGPR) and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana.

The 66-year-old incumbent is lauded for steering Rwanda’s economic resurgence post-genocide, with GDP growth averaging 7.2 percent from 2012 to 2022. However, his administration faces criticism for suppressing political dissent domestically and alleged involvement in neighboring Congo’s conflicts.

Kagame’s previous electoral victories have been overwhelming, securing over 93 percent of votes in 2003, 2010, and 2017, with his last win nearing an unprecedented 99 percent.

In contrast, his current rivals Habineza and Mpayimana garnered less than one percent each in the previous election.

Rwanda’s National Electoral Commission received a total of nine presidential candidacy applications. 

Phil Clark, Professor of International Politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies, SOAS University of London talks to Spotlight on Africa about what’s at stake in the election.

Episode mixed by Nicolas Doreau.

Spotlight on Africa is a podcast from Radio France Internationale. 

The recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Almaty, Kazakhstan, provided a platform for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet in person.

Their encounter was marked by a display of cordiality, with both leaders appearing at ease and Putin emphasizing the significance of their bilateral relationship.

Active engagement

Putin, standing alongside Erdogan, stated, “We continue to actively engage on crucial matters of international politics.” He further added, “Our communication is constant, and our respective ministries and departments regularly share information and align our stances on key issues.” Erdogan was observed nodding in agreement with these remarks.

• Turkey set on rebuilding bridges with China to improve trade
• How Turkey’s support for Ukraine is a double-edged sword

According to reports, a notable topic on the leaders’ agenda was Turkey’s aspiration to join BRICS, an economic alliance comprising Russia, China, and several nations from Asia, Africa, and South America. This potential membership represents a significant shift in Turkey’s international alignments.

Atilla Yesilada, a Turkey analyst at GlobalSource Partners, explains, “A core principle of BRICS is reducing the dollar’s role in mutual trade, which aligns with Turkey’s interests.” He argues that BRICS membership complements Turkey’s broader foreign policy objectives, stating, “The concept of a new platform fostering trade among geographically distant countries naturally appeals to Turkey and fits its foreign policy stance.”

Yesilada suggests that Turkey’s BRICS bid serves an additional purpose: “It signals to Putin that Turkey intends to maintain and strengthen its growing commercial ties with Russia.” This comes despite Putin’s recent cautions to Turkey regarding its efforts to improve relations with its traditional Western allies.

The Russian leader strongly supports Turkey’s BRICS membership bid. Ceren Ergenc, a China specialist at the Centre for European Policy Studies, posits that Moscow views Turkey’s potential BRICS membership as a strategic move to balance Beijing’s increasing influence within the group.

Turikey and BRICS

Putin strongly supports Turkey’s BRICS membership bid. Ceren Ergenc, a China specialist at the Centre for European Policy Studies, suggests this support is part of Moscow’s strategy to counterbalance Beijing‘s growing influence within BRICS.

Ergenc explains, “BRICS has become China’s domain, with recent membership invitations primarily extended to countries China seeks closer ties with, effectively sidelining Russia and India as the group’s other major powers.”

Turkey’s pursuit of BRICS membership coincides with its stalled EU accession process, hampered by Turkey’s non-compliance with the EU’s Copenhagen Criteria on human rights. This impasse is reportedly affecting Turkey’s trade relations with the EU. Atilla Yesilada, a Turkey analyst, notes, “Erdogan’s frustration with the EU’s lack of progress on Turkey’s accession and customs union update contributed to the BRICS bid.”

However, Yesilada argues that Turkey’s interest in BRICS transcends Erdogan’s presidency, reflecting a broader foreign policy strategy. He states, “This aligns with Turkey’s overarching policy goal, widely supported by the country’s policy establishment, of maintaining independence from any single political bloc, be it Western or Eastern.”

As Erdogan prepares to attend the NATO summit in Washington, where he’s expected to reaffirm Turkey’s Western security commitments, analysts view the BRICS bid as a clear indication that Ankara is diversifying its international partnerships beyond its traditional Western allies.

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.

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.