Despite an investment of €1.4 billion euros to prevent sewage leaks into the waterway, the Seine has been causing suspense in the run-up to the opening of Paris Games next week after repeatedly failing water quality tests.

Only since the beginning of the month, with heavy rains finally giving way to drier weather, have samples shown the river to be ready for the open-water swimming and triathlon, and for 65-year-old Hidalgo.

“On the eve of the Games, when the Seine will play a key role, this event represents the demonstration of the efforts made by the city and the state to improve the quality of the Seine’s waters and the ecological state of the river,” Hidalgo’s office said in a statement.

The Socialist city leader had originally planned to swim last month, but had to delay because bacteria levels indicating the presence of faecal matter were sometimes 10 times higher than authorised limits.

She will take to the water along with chief Paris Games organiser Tony Estanguet, a former canoeist, and the top security official for the greater Paris region, Marc Guillaume.

An open-water swimming race has been organised afterwards.

President Emmanuel Macron, who had promised to join the Seine bathers, will be a notable absentee, with the head of state occupied by a political crisis caused by his decision to call snap parliamentary elections last month.

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

Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera became the first public figure to splash into the Seine on Saturday, with videos of her slipping on a walkway into the water while wearing a full wet-suit going viral on social media.

• France’s sports minister takes dip in Seine in boost for Olympics organisers

(With newswires)

This as the leftist New Popular Front alliance has failed to name a consensus candidate for prime minister after snap legislative elections earlier this month. For now,  the same cabinet will stay on to govern in a caretaker capacity, a rarity in France. So, what does it mean for the running of the country?

The government’s departure became inevitable after snap elections called by Macron left his party and its allies without enough seats in parliament to lead the country on their own.

Attal tendered his resignation the day after the final results were announced, at the beginning of last week, but the president asked him to stay on “for the time being” while negotiations over a new government proceeded.

With talks still in deadlock and the deadline for the new parliament to hold its first session fast approaching, the members of the cabinet who are also elected MPs needed to be formally released from their duties in order to participate in the various votes required to fill key parliamentary positions.

Those votes begin on Thursday, 18 July.

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

To free up ministers to sit in parliament – something French laws on the separation of powers don’t usually allow – Macron opted to accept Attal’s resignation and effectively end his cabinet’s mandate too. 

But France still needs governing – not least with the Paris Olympics starting in 10 days.

Attal et al will therefore remain in place as caretakers.  

What is a caretaker government?

Such administrations are known in French as “resigning governments” or “governments of day-to-day affairs”.

Without a mandate to run the country, their role is to provide a minimum level of governance and deal with any emergencies that may arise.

“A resigning minister is no longer really a minister, they just act as one,” public law expert Benjamin Morel told Le Monde.

“They can’t do whatever they want, there are limits to their powers.”

What can it do?

Those limits aren’t clearly defined in French law. And since caretaker governments have been rare – and brief – in modern France, there isn’t much precedent to go on either.

The general principle is that a caretaker government shouldn’t introduce new bills or take any lasting decisions – nothing that permanently changes laws, services or rights.

Convention even has it that a temporary cabinet doesn’t hold meetings, according to Morel, since it isn’t its role to set policy.

Less female, older, split: What will France’s new parliament look like?

Instead it should handle the administration of existing policy, for instance issuing decrees to allow legislation already approved by the last parliament to take effect.

That changes in the event of an emergency, however. If there’s a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other urgent matter of national importance, a caretaker government has full powers to act, including declaring a state of emergency. 

If MPs object to its actions, they don’t have many options: they aren’t able to call a vote of no confidence and topple it, as they can with a regular government. 

However, the Council of State – the advisory body responsible for examining the legality of government acts – can challenge it if it believes it has overstepped its bounds.

How long will it stay in place?

France’s laws don’t set a deadline for choosing a new prime minister or forming a government.

On the few occasions in recent history the situation has arisen before, caretaker arrangements have stayed in place less than 10 days before a permanent solution was found.

But with parliament split three ways, no working majority in sight and negotiations between political factions still ongoing, the caretaker government could be leading France for some time.

“That poses a real democratic problem,” said Morel.

“We’re entering into a form of political uncertainty, because in general a government like this is only supposed to last a few days, a few weeks at most.” 

Metsola won a massive majority with 562 votes as the 720-seat parliament met for its first session in Strasbourg, France, with new MEPs.

Metsola belongs to the biggest political group in the European parliament, the conservative European People’s Party (EPP), and has been in the role since 2022.

“This must be a strong parliament in a strong union,” Metsola insisted.

“We must be the ones who push the legislation that our people want and need.”

She later vowed to address the problems facing EU citizens including Europe’s “looming” housing crisis and promised to implement “proper” migration legislation.

“We will leave Europe a better place by creating a new security and defense framework that keeps people safe,” Metsola said.

But all eyes will be on Thursday’s vote when lawmakers decide whether to give von der Leyen another five years as commission chief.

Since EU leaders struck a hard-fought deal on her candidacy in late June, von der Leyen has been scrambling to win over lawmakers in the main political groups.

It could be a tight race. The polyglot German won by only nine votes in 2019.

“She needs to walk a fine line to get the support of different groups in the European Parliament,” said Elizabeth Kuiper, associate director of the European Policy Centre think tank.

Von der Leyen must satisfy lawmakers who do not want the European Union to swerve from its focus on cutting carbon emissions to tackle climate change, while other MEPs want her to reduce the number of new environmental regulations.

The far right made significant gains in June elections in the 27-country bloc, although the centrist coalition made up of the EPP, the Socialists, Democrats and Liberals is still the largest.

• Far right to seek greater influence in EU parliament

Von der Leyen’s EPP is the biggest political group in the parliament, with 188 seats, and with its coalition partners in theory has the numbers to meet the 361-vote threshold, but several MEPs have said they will vote against her in the secret ballot.

New far-right group

A new group known as Patriots for Europe – created by Hungary’s president Orban and including France’s far-right National Rally (RN) – is now parliament’s third-biggest faction, vying for two vice-president spots as well.

• Le Pen and Orban forces unite in EU parliament forming new far-right bloc

That group includes controversial figures such as Italian general Roberto Vannacci, author of a book featuring homophobic, misogynistic and anti-migrant remarks.

The far-right Patriots are a red line for the centrist coalition.

“We don’t want these MEPs to represent the institution,” said EPP spokesman Pedro Lopez de Pablo, adding there were talks to stop the “extreme right and the friends of Putin” from gaining prominent positions.

Patriots MEPs could also be excluded from leading parliamentary committees next week.

Patriots spokesman, Alonso de Mendoza, argued that a “cordon sanitaire” employed by mainstream political parties to block the far right was “undemocratic”.

Analyst Kuiper said the “situation is still evolving”.

The refusal of some MEPs to cooperate with the far right and von der Leyen’s fate “are closely linked as several groups have flagged their opposition to support the radical right,” Kuiper said.

(with AFP)

Tuesday will be the first day that French MEP Jordan Bardella, the 28-year-old leader of Marine Le Pen‘s National Rally (RN) party, will head the newly formed Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament.

After elections in early June, this new faction, comprising 84 members from 12 countries with the RN contributing the largest share of 30 MEPs, surpassed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni‘s far-right bloc and became the third-largest group in the European Parliament.

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has outraged his EU counterparts by visiting Russia and China, was due to address the parliament but his speech was postponed, officially because of a busy voting schedule. Hungary is currently heading the EU presidency.

• Le Pen and Orban forces unite in EU parliament forming new far-right bloc

Tensions are high in Europe as the 720 lawmakers start their five-year term, with current European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s future on the line.

As war rages on Europe’s doorstep, the bloc faces multiple challenges including a stagnant economy and growing global uncertainty, which the leaders will have to confront head-on after their election.

MEPs will vote on Tuesday for the president of the parliament based in Strasbourg, France, with the current speaker, 45-year-old Maltese conservative Roberta Metsola, expected to win another two-and-a-half-year mandate.

But all eyes will be on Thursday’s vote when lawmakers decide whether to give von der Leyen another five years as commission chief.

Since EU leaders struck a hard-fought deal on her candidacy in late June, von der Leyen has been scrambling to win over lawmakers in the main political groups.

It could be a tight race. The polyglot German won by only nine votes in 2019.

“She needs to walk a fine line to get the support of different groups in the European Parliament,” said Elizabeth Kuiper, associate director of the European Policy Centre think tank.

Von der Leyen must satisfy lawmakers who do not want the European Union to swerve from its focus on cutting carbon emissions to tackle climate change, while other MEPs want her to reduce the number of new environmental regulations.

(With newswires)

Kagame’s opponents — Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana — were collectively getting under one percent of the vote in provisional results.

The result mirrored the outcome in 2017, when Kagame took nearly 99% of the vote.

Final results are expected by  27 July, although they could be announced sooner.

The 66-year-old Kagame, who has held power since the end of the country’s genocide in 1994, was running virtually unopposed. Two of his stronger critics were blocked from running for high office.

Thirty years of reconstruction

This election was really “about how far Rwanda has come since the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi,” Phil Clark, a professor of international politics at SOAS University of London, told RFI English’s podcast ‘Spotlight on Africa‘. 

“If you look at the way that Kagame and the Rwandan Patriotic Front, the ruling party, have been campaigning for this election, it’s very much been on their record in helping to rebuild the country after the genocide.”

During the campaign, the party talked about the country’s economic growth and development, the peace and stability that Rwanda has experienced since the genocide as well as issues of of reconciliation and social cohesion.

“They’re seeing it very much as an election on Kagame’s record in terms of rebuilding the country after the genocide,” Clark said. “That’s a message that’s been pushed by the ruling party.”

“Yet, there are two big parts to the Rwandan story,” he added. “The first one is a story of amazing recovery since the genocide, particularly in economic and social terms, and at a country that is now very peaceful and stable.”

But the other dimension of Rwanda is that this is still a very repressive state.

“This is still a very controlling government. And you can see that even in this election, several potential presidential candidates have been excluded from the vote,” he said.

Only two candidates were approved by the state-run electoral commission to run against him. 

The candidacies of others, including Kagame’s most vocal critics like Victoire Ingabire, were invalidated for various reasons, including prior criminal convictions.

• Rwandan opposition leader asks court to restore her civic rights

There was “absolutely no question at all that Kagame and the RPF would win”, Clark said, “because the election has been controlled in such a way as to guarantee that outcome.”

Engulfed in the DRC’s conflict

Currently, the most significant challenge for Rwanda is the situation in eastern Congo (DRC). This issue is a major concern not only for the broader region but also for all of Rwanda’s international partners.

“The conflict in eastern Congo is on a knife’s edge,” Clark adds, “with many observers predicting that we could see a regional war in the coming months if the situation is not de-escalated.”

Once this election is out of the way, the big question is whether regional partners can find a peaceful way from the brink of something that could be truly horrific.”

The greatest challenge that Kagame will face after this election is whether he can be part of a peaceful mediation to try to finally bring some peace and stability to eastern DRC.

Hawa Sangaré was born in Drancy, in Seine-Saint-Denis, est of Paris, of Malian parents.

She studied psychology before embarking on a career in fashion, and for over 20 years worked with unemployed people.

In 2020, Sangaré launched an organisation called Hawa au féminin, a back-to-work workshop for women.

Emancipation, access to autonomy, diversity and inclusion, Hawa Sangaré conveys these values through the cut of her clothes.

Hawa Paris’ collections are produced in small batches thanks to donations of end-of-stock items from partners in major luxury and high-end fashion houses. 

The brand is responsible and promotes fashion that fights against clothing waste.

Olympic torchbearer

Sangaré also played a key role before the Paris Games. 

Her workshop produced t-shirts, key rings and tablecloths for the giant picnic which took place on 15 July in the Parc des Buttes Chaumont in the 19th arrondissement of Paris. 

The designer also carried the flame on the final leg of the national torch relay from Seine-Saint-Denis to the opening ceremony on the Seine. 

She was accompanied by 48 children, 24 from Seine-Saint-Denis and 24 from Paris, for whom she made t-shirts.

This report is part of the 100% Création podcast produced by RFI’s Maria Afonso.

The Olympic lanes, marked “Paris 2024”, cover 185 km across four major motorways leading into Paris, the city ring road and certain thoroughfares within the centre.

They will remain in place until 15 September.

Only drivers with prior authorisation will be allowed to use them: official delegations, emergency services, public transport, transport for people with limited mobility and licensed taxis.

The goal is to allow athletes to reach any of the competition venues scattered around Paris and its outskirts within 30 minutes of setting off from the Olympic Village in the northern suburb of Saint-Denis, as the city promised when it first bid for the Games.

In pictures: Olympic torch relay finally reaches Paris, 12 days before Games

Uber drivers put out

Drivers caught using the lanes without permission face fines of €135. 

Ride-share services such as Uber and Bolt are not eligible, and drivers were complaining as the lanes came into force that they stood to lose out.

“When clients see on the app that I won’t arrive for 20 or 30 minutes, they’ll cancel,” Uber driver Abdallah told Franceinfo. 

On regular roads ride-share drivers typically use the lanes reserved for buses and taxis, but with surveillance cameras and police enforcing the Olympic restrictions, they’ll be forced to merge with normal traffic – unlike official taxis licensed by the city of Paris.

“It doesn’t make sense, we do the same job,” grumbled Abdallah.

While most of the Olympic lanes will return to normal use after the Games, Paris hopes to permanently reserve some of them for carpooling and and public transport.

Who needs QR Codes for getting around during Paris Olympics?

The striker, who had completed his medical earlier on Tuesday morning, signed a five-year contract and was handed a No. 9 shirt by club president Florentino Perez.

“Wow,” Mbappe said to roars from a packed Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

“For years I’ve dreamed of playing for Real Madrid and today my dream has come true,” said the 25-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain player, speaking Spanish.

“I’m a happy boy. I’m going to give my life for this club,” said Mbappe.

Accompanied by his parents watching from the crowd and with a former French hero of the club, Zinedine Zidane, in attendance, Mbappe was emotional as the crowd chanted his name, and at one point kissed the jersey of the reigning Spanish and European champions.

Mbappe is “an exceptional player who comes to help us continue winning, a player who today fulfils the dream of his life,” said Perez. “Welcome to your home.”

Exciting offensive trio

Although his new teammates began training on Monday, the forward, who captained France during their unsuccessful Euros campaign, will have a few more days off before kicking off his season in the Spanish capital.

• Former PSG hero Mbappé joins ‘dream’ club Real Madrid on a five-year deal

The unveiling of Real’s latest Galactico allowed its fans to continue celebrating following Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph on Sunday.

The crowd was expected to be bigger than that 15 years ago when Cristiano Ronaldo was unveiled.

The free tickets were snapped up rapidly with some fans reportedly trying to resell them to take advantage of the hype surrounding the arrival of arguably the world’s best striker.

At Real, Mbappe will form part of an offensive trio alongside England midfielder Jude Bellingham and Brazil attacker Vinicius Junior under the watch of veteran Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti.

(With newswires)

Health workers in Côte d’Ivoire began administering free doses of the R21/Matrix-M vaccine on Monday, in the first official vaccination campaign to use it.

Around 250,000 infants under two are expected to benefit in 16 regions across the country, where malaria kills four people a day, mostly young children.

“This disease is devastating and does a lot of damage,” one resident, Achiaou Aremu, told French news agency AFP in Abidjan.

She said she would get her grandchildren the jab soon.

“It won’t be long now, to prevent them from getting malaria because when a child already has the vaccine, he’s saved.”

‘New era’

South Sudan starts a similar drive on Tuesday, according to the University of Oxford, which developed the vaccine in partnership with the Serum Institute of India (SII).

The Central African Republic, Ghana and Nigeria are among the other countries preparing to roll it out. 

Adrian Hill, director of Oxford University’s Jenner Institute, called it “the start of a new era” in malaria control, with more than 25 million doses of the vaccine already available at less than $4 each.

“We hope that very soon this vaccine can be provided to all countries in Africa who wish to use it,” Hill said in a statement.

World’s second malaria vaccine

R21 is the second vaccine to be endorsed by the World Health Organization, after the RTS,S/Mosquirix vaccine made by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). 

More than two million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi have already received that vaccine as part of a pilot programme started in 2019, while Cameroon became the first country to roll it out in January 2024.

Since then, Burkina Faso, Benin and Sierra Leone have also added it to their roster of routine childhood immunisations.

Cameroon receives first shipment of ‘breakthrough’ malaria vaccine

Unlike RTS,S, which requires four doses, with three doses R21 is more than 75 percent effective at preventing severe disease and death in the first year.

Protection can also be extended for at least another year with a booster shot.

SII says it plans to make 100 million doses of the R21 vaccine every year, while GSK has previously said it would only be able to make about 15 million doses of RTS,S.

15 countries this year

Both vaccines are being rolled out in Africa with the support of Gavi, the global vaccine alliance that helps poor countries buy vaccines.

Gavi aims to assist 15 African countries to introduce malaria vaccines in 2024, potentially protecting around 6.6 million children this year and the next.

More than 94 percent of the world’s 249 million malaria cases and 608,000 deaths every year are in Africa, according to the WHO.

The mosquito-borne disease is most dangerous to children under five and pregnant women. 

Vaccines do not prevent malaria spreading, however, and public health experts stress that mosquito nets, insecticides and hygiene measures remain essential.

Why is malaria so difficult to combat?

(with newswires)

Donald Trump received a hero’s welcome Monday as he entered the Republican National Convention arena with a bandaged right ear in his first public appearance since being wounded in a weekend assassination attempt.

Hours after winning the formal nomination to be the Republican presidential candidate and announcing right-wing Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate, Trump marched into Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum flanked by aides and waved at supporters on the opening day of what is expected to be a triumphalist gathering.

Their vote made it official that Trump, who had long been the presumptive nominee, will lead the GOP in a third consecutive election.

Trump won the presidency in 2016, but lost to current President Joe Biden in 2020. In November, he will again face Biden.

While delegates were still voting, Trump announced he had chosen Vance (39) as his running mate. The young Ohio senator rose to national attention with his best-selling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” which was turned in a Netflix movie in 2020.

In a first reaction, Biden dismissed Vance as “a clone” of Trump on important issues – Vance is against no-fault divorce, supports a national abortion ban, and voted against IVF access.

According to Politico, Vance underwent a “political transformation: from blue-collar bard and self-described ‘Never Trump’ conservative to hard-edged MAGA loyalist and dogged defender of the former president.” Trump eventually picked him as running mate over Florida Senator Marco Rubio and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.

The Republican National Convention (RNC) takes place just days after a failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, the Republican’s party’s nominee.

The RNC is held every four years since 1856 and administered by the Republican National Committee.

The goal: apart from officially nominating and confirming a candidate for president and vice president, the gathering also adopts a comprehensive political platform and unify the party. The RNC marks the official launch of the presidential campaign.

The RNC will continue through Thursday. The agenda features more than 100 speakers focused on kitchen table issues and Trump’s plans to lift everyday working Americans.

“We have to be able to lay out a vision for where we want to take this country,” according to Republican Party chairman Michael Whatley.

He said the central message would have little to do with Biden’s political struggles, Trump’s grievances about the 2020 election or the ex-president’s promises to exact retribution against political enemies.

Policy platform

“We are going to have the convention that we have been planning for the last 18 months,” he said. “We are a combination of relieved and grateful that the president is going to be here and is going to accept the nomination.”

In addition to formally naming Trump the nominee, delegates from across the nation will turn to updating the GOP’s policy platform for the first time since 2016.

The scaled-down platform proposal, just 16 pages with limited specifics on key issues, including abortion, reflects a desire by the Trump campaign to avoid giving Democrats more material on campaign issues.

The platform approved by a committee last week doesn’t include an explicit call for a national abortion ban, two years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and ended a federally guaranteed right to abortion.

“More divisiveness would not be healthy,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council.

• US former president Donald Trump survives assassination attempt at rally

(With newswires)

The attack at the Gare de l’Est station in northern Paris came less than two weeks before the start of the Olympic Games in the French capital.

The soldier’s life was not in danger, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on social media platform X, while a police source told AFP he had suffered a knife wound “between the shoulder blades”.

The 40-year-old suspect was arrested by other soldiers on patrol while the wounded man was taken to hospital “conscious”, the source said.

A security perimeter was erected on one side of the station in the wake of the stabbing, an AFP journalist said, with police still present around midnight  some two hours after the incident.

The public prosecutor in Paris has opened an investigation into attempted murder, which it said would seek to establish “the circumstances and the motivation”.

The suspect is a 40-year-old born in the Democratic Republic of Congo who obtained French nationality in 2006, a police source said.

He “said he is Christian and shouted ‘God is great’ in French” at the moment of the attack, another police source added.

The suspect said he attacked the soldier “because the military kills people in his country”, the second source said.

The man was known to authorities in France over a 2018 murder that saw him detained in a psychiatric facility, two police sources told AFP.

He fatally stabbed a 22-year-old man at the Chatelet-les-Halles metro station in central Paris.

He was declared not legally responsible for the murder due to diminished responsibility and was never tried, according to a court judgment verified by AFP.

• Paris police says man who attacked three people with knife may suffer mental health issues

(With newswires)

The guest list for Anant Ambani’s wedding, the youngest son of the magnate, boasted an array of international figures. These included former UK Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Tony Blair, tech moguls Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

The patriarch is the world’s 9th richest man with a net worth of 104 billion euros. He is also the richest person in Asia, according to Forbes’ latest figures.

The second and the seventh slots in the Forbes list of 10 richest Asians were also held by Indians as on 24 June, 2024.

Big fat wedding

The celebrations which kicked off in December gained pace with 1,200 guests invited to a gala party where Barbadian singer Rihanna performed.

It followed a four-day Mediterranean luxury cruise with 800 guests in May and then a gig by singer Kate Perry at a ball in Cannes followed by an orchestra in the Italian Riviera.

A sea of celebrities attended Saturday’s wedding of Anant to pharmaceutical heiress Radhika Merchant, both 29.

Guests received color-coded wristbands and entry required pre-sent QR codes on mobile phones. Medical teams stood by.

Sunday’s post-wedding reception drew thousands more, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cricket stars, Bollywood actors, and Kim and Khloé Kardashian.

Ivanka Trump, attending the festivities, commented on the assassination attempt on her father Donald Trump, which occurred the day after the wedding.

She reflected on her mother’s passing two years prior, believing she watched over her father during the incident.

“Two years ago today, my mom passed away. I believe she was watching over dad last night during the attempt on his life,” she said in a sombre post.

Wedding costs reportedly reached 143 million euros, including Justin Bieber’s 9-million-euro performance fee, trousseau, and a lunch for 50,000 people.

• Modi re-elected as Indian prime minister after bitter election battle
• India scraps colonial-era penal laws to ‘end the endless wait for justice’

The backlash

The Ambanis have not revealed the costs but the staggering display of wealth led to a backlash in India, where 60 percent of its 1.3 billion people live on less than 2.8 euros a day.

“Legally it may be their money but such ostentatious expenditure is a sin against mother earth and [the] poor,” opposition politician Thomas Isaac posted on X, awash with comments.

The “cost of Anant Ambani’s wedding (invitation) card almost matches average annual salary in India,” remarked one X user but some rooted for the tycoon, whose 27-floor Mumbai landmark home is said to have 600 servants.

The lavish display sparked controversy in India, where 60% of the 1.3 billion population lives on less than 2.8 euros daily. Critics called it ostentatious, while some defended the Ambanis’ right to spend their wealth.

India’s Richie Rich!

The events coincided with reports of widening inequality in India. Since market liberalization in 1992, billionaires have proliferated. By 2023, the richest Indians owned 40.1% of national wealth, the highest since 1961, according to the World Inequality Lab.

 Ambani leads India’s billionaire population which rose to 161 in 2022 from 145 the previous year and is projected to grow to 195 by 2027, added London-based consultancy firm Knight Frank.

The mega tycoon whose financial empire spans telecommunications, energy and retail sectors is from India’s Gujarat state where the business community is admired for its adroit trading skills.

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said once voted to power he would tax India’s super rich and transfer the revenue to the poor as “a starting point for delivering social justice.”

“This is not a political issue for me, this is my life mission,” added Gandhi, who was absent at the three-day bash.

More than half of all nursery schools in France risk classroom temperatures of 35°C by 2030, according to Oxfam, affecting some 1.3 million children aged between two and five.

In a new report, based on dozens of studies of the likely impact of climate change, the NGO said that more than a third of workers are already exposed to severe heat on the job.

Meanwhile 5 percent of hospitals – over 100 establishments – may find themselves forced to close by the end of the century because of extreme weather such as heat, floods, fires and rising sea levels.

Underinvestment

Oxfam says at least 26 of 50 fundamental rights set out in the European Union’s charter are threatened in France because of what it calls the state’s “negligence” when it comes to climate adaptation.

It accuses French authorities of taking an “unplanned, reactive and piecemeal” approach to preparing for a changing climate, and especially of massively failing to invest.

While the construction sector needs an estimated €7 billion to adapt to predicted warming of 4°C by 2100, agriculture around €1.5 billion and the electricity network €100 billion, Oxfam calculates that the government currently spends around €600 million per year on adaptive measures.

It calls instead for investment of “several dozen billion euros a year”. 

Climate body says France must improve ‘fragile’ gains on global warming

‘Green gentrification’

“The public investment allocated today completely fails to take adaptation into account,” said Quentin Ghesquière, head of climate campaigns for Oxfam France. 

“We can no longer allow ourselves to throw public money out the window and finance infrastructure such as hospitals, schools and roads that won’t be suitable 20 or 30 years from now.”

He also called on the government to factor in the inequalities that make certain people more vulnerable to climate impacts – those working in the agriculture, care or construction industries, for instance, earning low incomes, or living in rented housing.

Twenty years after deadly 2003 heatwave, what has France learned?

The report highlights the phenomenon of “green gentrification“, whereby efforts to provide more green space ends up driving up property prices and forcing poorer residents into less desirable neighbourhoods worse protected from heat, pollution or floods.

France is due to present an updated version of its national plan on adapting to climate change, but the draft has already been delayed several times in the past year.

After snap elections that resulted in a hung parliament, it is now on hold pending the formation of a new government.

While the climate issue took a backseat during the campaign, “it cannot be ignored any longer”, Oxfam said, calling on the incoming administration to make it an urgent priority.

Over 9 million voters are registered for Monday’s election. As well as choosing a president, they will elect members of the 80-seat lower house of parliament.

Provisional results are expected by 20 July, but suspense over the outcome is limited.

Kagame and his ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) are assured – as usual – of a crushing victory.

Only two candidates – Democratic Green party leader Frank Habineza and the independent Philippe Mpayimana – were approved by the state-run electoral commission to run against him. 

The others, including Kagame’s most vocal critics, were invalidated for various reasons that included prior criminal convictions.

That result followed a constitutional change removing term limits that would have barred him from standing again.

The 66-year-old has been de facto ruler of the small Great Lakes nation since 1994 when he helped lead the rebel movement that brought the Rwandan genocide to an end.

He was elected president by parliament in 2000 and has won three times at the ballot box, always scoring at least 93 percent of the vote. In 2017 he won nearly 99 percent of the vote.

• Rwanda marks 30 years since France’s contested mission to stem 1994 genocide

Two challengers

Kagame’s two rivals both ran against him in 2017.

Habineza told Reuters news agency that he expected to exceed the 0.48 percent he scored last time.

“People are only considering 2017 and say that I got 0.4 percent, but they forget that our party stood for parliament and got more than 5 percent,” he said.

Mpayimana, who works for the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement, urged voters at a campaign event to consider his candidacy.

“It’s true you cannot change the winning team, but we also have to give opportunities to the junior teams to see if they can deliver on their pledges. That is what democracy means,” he said.

• The two candidates challenging Kagame again

Kagame generation

Kagame’s most vocal supporters are young people – the “Kagame Generation” in a country where two-thirds of the population is under the age of 30.

“I don’t know any other candidate but Paul Kagame,” said Fabrice Nkurunziza, 19, at a campaign rally in Kigali on Saturday.

“The president has made many achievements, there’s equality, development, knowledge… He is the one [to whom] we attribute all the achievements.”

But Kagame and his government have drawn criticism, especially from abroad.

Some Western nations and rights activists accuse him of ruling in a climate of fear – silencing the media and the opposition with a brutal campaign of arrests and extrajudicial killings.

Neighbouring DRC accuses Rwanda of fomenting instability in the east and supporting armed rebel groups, including the Tutsi-led M23.

Rwanda‘s government denies the accusations against it, and while campaigning Kagame promised continued “good security, development and good governance based on a real democracy”.

• Macron urges Rwanda to end support for DRC M23 rebels, withdraw troops

(with newswires)

Intercommunity tensions in the territory of Kwamouth in Maï-Ndombe, in the west of the Democratic Republic of Congo,persist.

The militiamen, described as members of the Yaka community, first attempted an attack on Friday before being routed by the army.

They returned with reinforcements on Saturday at dawn but were poorly equipped against the army.

“It seems the Mobondo militia attacked the Teke people,” David Bisaka, provincial deputy for Maï-Ndombe, told RFI’s correspondent in the country.

He added: “We struggle to understand how these people, civilians as they are, with machetes, sticks and 12 calibers, organised themselves to attack the well-armed soldiers…They must have formed a rebel movement.”

The militiamen accuse government forces of siding with the Teke.

In response to these accusations, a senior army official firmly refused to identify ethnic groups, stating that only the protection of civilians and the reestablishment of state authority matter.

At the beginning of April, traditional leaders and militia leaders from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) signed an agreement with the government in the presence of President Félix Tshisekedi to cease hostilities.

“The hatchet has been buried,” Stanys Libi, the chief of the neighboring Kimomo village, told RFI. “Why are the militiamen rising up to take up arms and attack government forces now?” he asked.

 (with AFP) 

Tax cuts, inflation, lingering fallout from the Covid crisis and major new expenses including the 2024 Olympics mean that, on its current trajectory, France looks unlikely to bring its deficit below 3 percent within three years.

That’s according to the Court of Accounts, the body responsible for auditing the use of public funds in France.

In its latest assessment of France’s finances, the court warned that 2023 was “a very bad year” and was followed by a number of emerging risks in 2024, including widespread farmers’ protests, unrest in New Caledonia and the cost of organising the Paris Games.

The government’s goals to save billions of euros and bring the deficit below 3 percent by 2027, as required by EU rules, are “unrealistic targets” based on overly optimistic growth forecasts and unprecedented savings on public spending, the auditors said.

Its own calculations show that “any deviation from the growth, expenditure or revenue forecasts would be enough to derail the trajectory and miss the deficit and debt targets for 2027”.

Climate costs underestimated

Yet the current forecasts fail to properly account for significant medium-term risks, the court said – notably the effects of climate change. 

Climate-related risks and the transition to renewable energies will inevitably weigh on growth, investment and tax revenues, the auditors warned.

Climate disasters cost French insurers €6.5bn in ‘worrying uptick’

The court called for more ambitious efforts to reduce France’s deficit and rein in national debt.

Its warning comes as France struggles to form a new government after snap elections resulted in a hung parliament. 

A left-wing alliance, the New Popular Front, gained the most seats but falls short of a majority. If it manages to rule by minority or in coalition, some investors are nervous its economic plans – which include reversing pension reforms and increasing the minimum wage – could further increase deficits.

France targeted in EU crackdown on excessive spending

France’s budget deficit was 5.5 percent of GDP last year – the second-highest in the Eurozone after Italy – while public debt is projected to reach 114 percent by 2025. 

Both are well above EU limits, and Brussels has opened disciplinary proceedings against France for flouting its budget rules.

“Reducing our debt is a pressing obligation,” Pierre Moscovici, president of the Court of Accounts, told business newspaper Les Echos.

“It’s not a matter of left or right: it’s in the general interest.”

Substitute Mikel Oyarzabal slid in Spain’s winner four minutes from time to set up a grandstand finale after England substitute Cole Palmer curled in England’s equaliser in the 73rd minute to cancel out Nico Williams’ opener for Spain early in the second-half at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

Oyarzabal’s strike condemned England to successive defeats in European championship finals and means the country’s top footballers have not won a major international competition since the 1966 World Cup.

Despite the setback, King Charles III congratulated the team and manager Gareth Southgate for reaching the final.

“Although victory may have eluded you this evening, nevertheless my wife and I join all my family in urging you and your support team to hold your heads high,” he said on social media.

“All those who have participated in sporting activities at any level will know how utterly despairing such a result can feel when the prize was so near – and will join me in sending heartfelt sympathy, even as we congratulate Spain.

“But please know that your success in reaching the European championships final is a really great achievement in itself, and one that brings with it the pride of a nation which will continue to roar for the Three Lions today – and in the many triumphs which I have no doubt lie ahead.”

Unbeaten

Spain entered the 2024 tournament unheralded.

World Cup runners-up France were touted as favourites for the crown. A resurgent Germany under Julian Nagelsmann were also fancied along with England and Portugal.

But under coach Luis de la Fuente, Spain won all three of their games in the pool stages and saw off Georgia in the last-16, Germany in the quarter-finals and France in the semis.

Defender Marc Cucurella, who set up the winning goal, told journalists: “We deserved the trophy from the start.

“Not many people backed us but we kept quiet and did our job, which is to play football. We know how to suffer as a family.”

Double victory

The victory rounded off an excellent day of success for Spanish sportsmen.

On Sunday afternoon at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in south-west London, Alcaraz retained his Wimbledon men’s singles title following a straight sets romp past Djokovic.

Alcaraz, 21, claimed the trophy at the third Grand Slam tournament of the season with a 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 blitz of the 37-year-old Serb to become only the sixth man since tennis was opened to professionals in the late 1960s to lift the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season. 

He joins a pantheon including Djokovic as well as Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

“It’s a huge honour for me to be among those players who have achieved the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year,” said Alcaraz.

“They are huge champions. I don’t consider myself as a champion yet, not like them, but I’ll keep going to build my path, my journey.

“This is the most beautiful tournament, most beautiful court and most beautiful trophy,” he added.

Djokovic, who had surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee in early June, conceded he had been outplayed in the showdown on Centre Court.

“My preparation for Wimbledon wasn’t as I would have it normally,” he admitted. “There was hindrance obviously because of the injury. That probably had an effect, particularly in the opening rounds.

“But as the tournament progressed, I felt better and better and in some matches I played some really good tennis. Some matches I kind of battled my way through.

“But today, I saw that I was just half a step behind him, in every sense.”

Brenda Biya, 26, shared a photo on social media late last month that showed her embracing Brazilian model Layyons Valença.

The post was accompanied by the caption: “I’m crazy about you and I want the world to know it”, along with a heart emoji.

It came despite the fact that in Cameroon, sexual relations between people of the same sex are illegal and punishable by prison sentences ranging from six months to five years.

‘Message of love’

Activists hailed Biya’s “courage” in coming out.

Alice Nkom, a prominent Cameroonian human rights lawyer who specialises in defending LGBTQ+ people, wrote on Facebook that the president’s daughter was “sending an important universal message of love”.

Nkom described her as “a model of courage, the courage that we expect from all Cameroonians”.

Bandy Kiki, a Cameroonian blogger and activist based in the UK, told RFI that the announcement “brings attention to the legal and social issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community in Cameroon”.

“As the first daughter, Brenda Biya’s post directly challenges Cameroon’s laws and societal norms that criminalise and stigmatise same-sex relations,” Kiki said.

Backlash

Biya has since deleted her Instagram post, which she said had “turned sour”.

“I received a lot of negative comments… insults, a lot of criticism, but I also received a lot of support from LGBTQ communities, and from organisations or people who didn’t feel represented in Cameroon,” she said in a later TikTok video.

She has also found herself threatened with legal action for “inciting homosexuality”.

An anti-LGBTQ group that calls itself Against the Decriminalisation of Homosexuality in Our Country filed a complaint against Biya with the public prosecutor this week, accusing her of “promoting and inciting the practice of homosexuality”.

It is unclear whether the prosecutor will pursue charges against Biya, who no longer lives in Cameroon.

Cameroonian gay man faces deportation, says life is in danger at home

Colonial-era laws

“Brenda must be aware that the photo would cause a stir,” said Luiz De Barros, a spokesperson for South African group OUT LGBT Well-being.

“Whatever her motivation, everyone should be free to joyfully express their closeness and love, romantic or otherwise, for other human beings, regardless of gender or sexuality. If that is the message that Brenda is sharing, we heartily applaud her.”

He expressed concern over Cameroon’s laws oppressing LGBTQ+ people, arguing that they were imposed on the country by its European former colonisers.

“These laws are not natural to Africa and must be eradicated if we truly wish to decolonise the continent,” he insisted.

Being LGBTQ+ in South Africa and Senegal: one continent, worlds apart

‘Voice for change’

Cameroon is one of approximately 30 African countries that criminalise same-sex relationships. Enforcement of these laws has been strict.

Shakiro, a transgender woman, fled Cameroon and sought asylum in Belgium after receiving a five-year prison sentence for “attempted homosexuality”.

She believes Biya’s post could be a “turning point for the LGBTQ+ community in Cameroon”.

Biya “is now positioning herself as a voice for social change in a country where taboos are deeply rooted”, Shakiro said.

It remains uncertain whether the involvement of the president’s daughter will significantly impact the LGBTQ+ community in Cameroon, where her father has ruled for more than 40 years.

In 2021, a spokesperson for his government, Rene Sadi, called homosexuality “contrary to our realities, our convictions and our culture as well as to the requirements of procreation”.

Speaking to French newspaper Le Parisien this week, Brenda Biya said that mentalities were changing in Cameroon, especially among her generation.

“There are lots of people in the same situation as me who are suffering because of who they are,” she said. “If I can give them hope, help them feel less alone, send them some love, I’m delighted.”

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

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 neighbouring 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.