“We Germans must not forget,” the German head of state said in Warsaw, the Polish capital, where people rose up against the occupying German forces during World War II. He met with very elderly veterans of the battle.

Steinmeier’s remarks continue a tradition of German leaders visiting Warsaw to honor the victims of Adolf Hitler’s regime. This tradition was notably marked in 1970 when Chancellor Willy Brandt famously knelt at the site former Warsaw Ghetto, symbolizing remorse for the extermination of millions of European Jews.

Steinmeier himself also begged for forgiveness in 2023 on the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, a revolt by doomed Jews a year before the larger city-wide uprising.

The country’s main observances of the Warsaw Uprising take place today, Thursday, the anniversary of the start of the revolt.

Warsaw uprising

On  1 August, 1944, the Polish underground army launched an uprising against German forces after nearly five years of  brutal occupation.

The thousands of poorly armed insurgents held on for 63 days in the cut-off city, inflicting heavy losses on the well-armed and trained German troops before being forced to surrender.

The Wehrmacht and SS brutally suppressed the insurgents, massacring 200,000 Poles and bombing the city into a wasteland of rubble.

Moscow watches

Meanwhile, Soviet troops, which were in the vicinity, did not come to the help of the insurgents. By giving the Germans time to quell the Warsaw Uprising, “Soviet authorities also allowed them to eliminate the main body of the military organisation that supported the Polish government-in-exile in London,” according to historians.

As a result, there was hardly any resistance when the Soviet army occupied all of Poland, which gave Moscow a free hand in creating the communist-led Provisional Government of Poland on 1 January, 1945. After the war, Poland entered the Moscow-dominated Warsaw Pact, and Poland could only choose to join NATO and the EU after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

(With newswires)

According to a letter sent by taxi unions to the France’s transport m”inistry on Thursday, the Olympic Games have proved “a great disappointment” for the industry: “demand is still at a low ebb and the very exercise of the business is deeply hampered by these Games for the entire profession”.

For the unions, Olympic spectators who have come for the Games are not mitigating the “impact of traffic restrictions, the closure of venues and the dissuasion of regular customers”.

Taxi drivers are now calling on the state to create a financial compensation fund “covering the entire period of privatisation of event sites and public spaces – from March to the end of October 2024”.

• No-fly zones and AI security measures deployed for Olympic opening ceremony

Olympic traffic restrictions

They believe that the slowdown in activity began in the spring of 2024, with the traffic restrictions associated with the initial construction of Olympic venues and the privatisation of a large number of event venues in the Ile-de-France region, such as the Stade de France and La Défense Arena, as well as elsewhere in the country – particularly in the Marseille region.

Business in June 2024 was much weaker than in 2023 because of the Games, they point out. 

For taxi driver Anissa Dinic, the average amount of clients she has driven during the Olympic Games number “between 5 and 6 journeys a day”, which she says is “very low”.

‘Critical situation’

Since the beginning of July, “government communications to encourage city dwellers to take holidays or telework, to dissuade visitors, and the organisation of professional events, have led to an additional drop in activity”. 

And since 18 July, the introduction of security perimeters and the closure of many taxi ranks in the Olympic zones have “drastically restricted taxi activity”.

The unions warn that taxis are now “in a critical situation, with charges rising and incomes falling by as much as 40 or even 50 percent in some situations”. 

• Normally bustling Place de la Concorde closed to traffic ahead of Paris Olympics

In Ile-de-France, almost 90 percent of drivers affiliated to the G7 taxi network had indicated that they intended to work during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In particular, they hoped to take advantage of the Olympic lanes on the main roads – to which tourist vehicles and hackney cabs do not have access – to save time on the ring road around the capital or from the airports.

Business – particularly from major business accounts – usually falls by 40 percent in the summer, but it was stable in London during the 2012 Olympics, when Londoners were replaced by visitors.

Water-borne wonder

Forget wunderkinds because France has its very own boy water in the aqua-dynamic shape of Léon Marchand who became the first man to win two gold medals in the same evening in the swimming pool. The 22-year-old added the 200m butterfly and then the 200m breaststroke to the 400m individual medley he collected on Day 2. He plans to compete in the 200m medley as well. Shall we say four?

Teen on the scene

Pity the poor lad Zhanle Pan. He’ll be 20 in a couple of days and he chose the same evening as  Léon Marchand was in the house to set a world record on his way to gold in the 100m freestyle. Pan’s very much the man back home in China.

Open water feats

Léon Marchand’s two gold medals capped a fine day of medalling for French athletes. Cassandre Beaugrand produced a magnificent run to claim the women’s triathlon which got underway with a dive into the murky but officially clean waters of the river Seine at the Pont Alexandre III. Around they swam for 1500m before a 40km cycle ride and a 10km run. She completed the three legs in one hour, 54 minutes and 55 seconds. 

Teen titans

Zhanle Pan’s not the only power teen in the Chinese delegation. Yuxi Chen, 18, and Hongchan Quan,17, mashed up the field to win the women’s synchronised 10m platform event at the Aquatics Centre in Saint Denis. They held first from beginning to the end and finished 45 points ahead of the silver medallists Jin Mi Jo and Mi Rae Kim from North Korea.

Old timer

At the other end of the spectrum stands Senor Rafael Nadal. The 38-year-old Spaniard lost his second round singles match against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic on Day 3 and paired up with Carlos Alcaraz lost in the quarter-finals of the doubles to the American fourth seeds Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram. Nadal, the winner of 22 Grand Slam tournaments – which are the most prestigious on the circuit –  hinted that he might not be on his way to the final Grand Slam event of the season at the US Open in New York. “It doesn’t look like it,” said Nadal who has been plagued by injuries over the past two years. “I need some time. But for me it looks difficult.” Take your time, laddie. You’ve earned it.

Two of the attacks were directed at Olympic sites at Bercy and La Villette in the French capital last Thursday, Attal told reporters on Wednesday.

“All these 68 cyberattacks, including the two cyberattacks that targeted Olympic sites, were detected in time and foiled,” Attal said, though he gave no details on the nature of the other attacks.

Attal has resigned as PM but has stayed on as head of the caretaker government, on President Emmanuel Macron’s request, while Paris hosts the Games. 

This year, the French National Agency for Information Systems Security (ANSSI) said it had been training all the various entities involved in protecting against cyberattacks in anticipation of an increase in such attempts during the Paris Olympics.

The Games opened last Friday amid tight security.

No-fly zones and AI security measures deployed for Olympic opening ceremony

Just ahead of the Games, French authorities launched a major operation to clean up computers infected by a cyber-espionage programme that has struck millions of users worldwide.

Organisers of the previous Olympics, held in Tokyo, reported 450 million cyber attacks, most of which were attempts at paralysing IT networks by saturating them with connexions. 

The head of technology for Paris 2024 said he anticipated “eight to ten times more” cyber attacks than Japan had experienced.

French cyberdefence chief warns Paris Olympics a ‘target’

(with newswires)

Seven other defendants were handed terms of up to life imprisonment at the end of the trial that played out over nearly two years, in a judgement welcomed by rights activists.

Security forces had been massively deployed for the hearing, in a case keenly awaited by victims’ families for nearly 15 years.

Just before sentencing, the court had announced the charges would be classified as crimes against humanity.

The court also ordered for compensation to be paid to the victims, running from 200 million to 1.5 billion Guinean francs ($23,000 to $174,000).

An end to impunity

On September 28, 2009 and in the following days, members of Dadis Camara‘s presidential guard, soldiers, police and militia brutally suppressed an opposition rally at a stadium in the suburbs of Conakry.

In one of the darkest chapters in the West African nation’s history, at least 156 people were killed, hundreds more wounded and 109 women raped, according to a UN-mandated commission of inquiry.

“This trial is of the utmost importance to me,” Kadiatou Sow, who was raped during the massacre and its aftermath, told AFP before the sentencing.

“I want these soldiers to pay a heavy price with sentences befitting their crimes,” added Sow, who also lost her husband in the violence.

Alfa Amadou DS Bah, lead lawyer for the plaintiffs in the case, underlined the importance of the judgement.

“It’s the first time a former head of state has been convicted for such serious crimes, and senior military officers too,” he said.

“I think that this decision must sound the toll against impunity in this country. It’s a great relief for the victims,” he added.

Human Rights Watch also welcomed the judgement.

“The Guinean court’s landmark verdict offers long-awaited justice for victims,” said Tamara Aburamadan, an international justice legal counsel for HRW.

“It puts high-level perpetrators in Guinea and elsewhere on notice that justice can prevail.”

Human rights activists want answers to Conakry stadium massacre

Crimes against humanity

Ten of the 12 accused were present to hear the court’s judgement.

Former junta chief Dadis Camara, dressed in a traditional green and yellow boubou, remained motionless as the verdict was read by the court in the capital Conakry.

Along with 11 other government and military officials, Dadis Camara had been accused of murder, sexual violence, torture, abduction and kidnapping.

He always denied any responsibility, blaming his subordinates.

The trial — which began on September 28, 2022, the anniversary of the killings — gripped the West African nation, with the courtroom drama carried on television and radio.

Judges heard from 11 defendants — who blamed each other for the massacre during the trial — as well as a dozen witnesses. Around 100 victims provided chilling testimonies.

The chief prosecutor had called for Dadis Camara and other defendants to be sentenced to life in prison.

Guinea ex-strongman faces history in massacre trial

Moment of truth

Defence lawyers had argued that reclassifying the charges as crimes against humanity on the day of the ruling would rob them of an opportunity to defend themselves and infringe their right to a fair trial.

Both the accused and the plaintiffs have 15 days to appeal the verdict. The prosecutor’s office will have two months.

The trial has taken place against a background of repression of both the opposition to Guinea’s military rulers and the media.

The day before the verdict, protests against the “forced disappearance” of pro-democracy activists Oumar Sylla and Mamadou Billo Bah paralysed parts of Conakry, with several injured in clashes between demonstrators and the police.

International organisations and human rights activists have highlighted the unprecedented nature of the trial in Guinea.

It is the first of its kind to challenge the impunity of the country’s security forces, which are seldom held to account, according to the UN probe.

During the final stages of the butterfly race at the Paris La Défense Arena, Marchand trailed the defending champion Kristof Milak. 

But the 22-year-old Frenchman surged past the Hungarian to finish in one minute 51.21 seconds. Milak claimed the silver and Ilya Kharun from Canada took the bronze medal.

And less than two hours later, Marchand was again on the starting blocks.

He won the breaststroke in an Olympic record time of two minutes, 05.85 seconds.

Zac Stubblety-Cook was second and Caspar Corbeau from the Netherlands got the bronze.

“I think it will take a while for me to realise what I’ve done,” said Marchand. “I’m just trying to keep going. I really enjoyed every moment of those two finals. It was really amazing for me to swim those.”

On Thursday, Marchand will continue his quest become the first French athlete to win four individual titles at the same Olympic Games. He will start the heats in the 200m individual medley.

Symmetry

Marchand’s feats provided wonderful symmetry for the hosts on the fifth day of competition.

Cassandre Beaugrand launched proceedings with a victory in the women’s triathlon.

The 27-year-old completed the course of a 1500m swim, a 40km cycle and a 10km run in one hour, 54 minutes and 55 seconds.

Julie Derron from Switzerland won the silver medal and Beth Potter from Britain took the bronze.

After the men’s triathlon was cancelled on Tuesday due to unclean conditions in the river Seine, the women’s race was only confirmed during the early hours of Wednesday morning.

“It would have been shameful for our sport if the swimming couldn’t have taken place,” she said after her victory. “It would have been a disgrace.”

Alex Yee from Britain won the men’s triathlon title on Wednesday following a late surge during the 10km run to overhaul pacesetter Hayden Wilde.

The 27-year-old completed the course of a 1500m swim, a 40km cycle and a 10km run in one hour, 54 minutes and 55 seconds.

Julie Derron from Switzerland won the silver medal and Beth Potter from Britain took the bronze.

Organisers had to cancel training this week in the river and postponed the men’s race on Tuesday after the Seine was found to be too dirty for athletes following heavy rainstorms last week.

World Triathlon and the Paris organisers announced at 4am local time on Wednesday that the women’s race would go ahead, followed by the rescheduled men’s event.

Surge

Beaugrand, who trains in Britain, finished the 1500m swim in 22 minutes and 32 seconds – the sixth fastest. Her bike ride left her in eighth.

But she seared through the field in the 10km run to collect France’s first individual gold in the event which became an Olympic discipline in 2000 in Sydney.

The men’s race was due to start at around 11am in Paris.

French president Emmanuel Macron said before the Games that he hoped the country’s athletes would finish within the top five in the medals table.

Early on the fifth day of competition, the French delegation lay in second position with six golds among its haul of 19 medals.

On Wednesday night, Léon Marchand, winner of the 400m individual medley on Sunday, will attempt to add golds in the 200m butterfly and the 200m breaststroke to his collection.

The 22-year-old swam four times across the heats and semi-finals on Tuesday in his quest for glory.

“It’s a lot for my system,” he said after his heats on Tuesday. “I’m going to have to sleep well, eat a lot and I’ll be ready.”

The court’s verdict was in respect of an appeal of another one from the High Court late last year, which largely left the finance bill intact, only striking out the housing levy.

“A further declaration is hereby issued that the failure to comply with this constitutional dictate renders the entire Finance Act, 2023 unconstitutional,” a three-judge bench of the Court of Appeal said in a ruling.

The finance bills are presented to parliament at the start of every financial year and are the main vehicle for the government to set out its revenue-raising measures including tax hikes and the introduction of new levies.

The 2023 version was challenged in court following a round of political opposition-led street protests that turned violent, after Ruto’s government used it to double the value added tax on fuel, introduce a housing tax, and raise the top personal income tax rate, among other measures.

Kenya‘s government pushed through a new law to allow it to continue collecting the housing tax after that ruling and that law is also being challenged in court.

Ongoing protests

The government, which has been relying on the 2023 finance law to continue collecting taxes after Ruto withdrew this year’s bill, did not immediately comment on the ruling.

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

Despite President William Ruto’s decision to dismiss nearly his entire cabinet following nationwide protests by young people, the anti-government demonstrations have evolved into demands for his resignation.

• After cabinet sackings, Kenya’s youth protesters call for President Ruto to go

The government now can appeal the Court of Appeal ruling at the Supreme Court, which is the highest court.

Nor the Chief Minister Musalia Mudavadi or the top official at the finance ministry, Chris Kiptoo, did respond to requests for comment.

Ruto has nominated a new finance minister after he fired all ministers but one in response to the youth-led violent protests that started last month.

He says the higher taxes are necessary to enable the government to fund development programmes while paying off a heavy public debt load that currently exceeds the recommended level by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

The government has submitted a new economic plan to the IMF and it expects the board of the fund to consider it at the end of August.

 (with newswires)

 “We hope this agreement will help create the conditions for de-escalation of tensions between the DRC and Rwanda and enable the safe return of those internally displaced to their homes,” said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric on Wednesday.

This follows a meeting between the foreign ministers of DRC and Rwanda who agreed to a ceasefire in eastern Congo, the Angolan presidency said Tuesday following peace talks in Luanda.

“The second ministerial meeting between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Rwanda, held today in Luanda under the mediation of the Republic of Angola, agreed on the establishment of a ceasefire that will come into effect from midnight on 4 August 2024,” the Angolan presidency said.

Angola has been mediating in the conflict in the eastern DRC region of North Kivu, where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have been fighting Democratic Republic of Congo forces since late 2021.

Fragile ceasefire

The ceasefire will be monitored by a reinforced “Ad Hoc Verification Mechanism”,  a statement issued after the meeting said, referring to a monitoring system previously created under the auspices of a regional grouping.

It comes as a humanitarian truce between the M23 rebels and government forces was due to expire at 11:59 pm on 3 August.

It was not immediately clear if the ceasefire would extend the truce or have a larger scope.

France and Belgium said they welcomed the ceasefire between Kinshasa and Kigali, soon after the announcement.

A region at war

On 5 July, the United States had announced the first two weeks of a “humanitarian truce”, but the deal was not respected in some areas.

Two children and two teenagers were killed in a bombardment on 15 July, four days before the truce was set to expire.

M23 rebels, DRC begin two-week ‘humanitarian truce’

At the end of June, the M23 rebels, backed by Rwanda, seized several towns in  the Lubero territory, in the north of North Kivu, following the collapse of the Congolese army and its auxiliary militias.

The M23 and the Rwandan army also launched an offensive in North Kivu province in the mineral-rich eastern DRC at the end of 2021 and since then have seized large swathes of territory.

A report commissioned by the UN Security Council said that 3,000 to 4,000 Rwandan soldiers had been fighting alongside the M23 rebels and that Kigali had “de facto control” of the group’s operations.

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seize key town in east DRC

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has not explicitly denied the presence of Rwandan forces in DRC, and even expressed his willingness to take a “defensive” position to protect Kigali’s interests.

The eastern part of DRC, rich in minerals, has been racked for 30 years by fighting between both local and foreign-based armed groups, going back to regional wars of the 1990s.

Dozens have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in North Kivu since January.

 (with AFP) 

The initiative, know as known as the Special Measure on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines, and Health Technologies in Africa (MAV+), is designed to strengthen Ghana’s healthcare sector by improving access to high-quality health products, particularly vaccines.

Ghana’s development goals

Myriam Ferran, the Deputy Director-General of the European Commission, emphasised the EU’s commitment to supporting Ghana’s development goals. She noted that the initiative is not only expected to bolster the country’s healthcare system but also to stimulate economic growth.

“Through this initiative, the EU will assist Ghana in developing a robust ecosystem capable of producing a skilled workforce, strengthening research and development capabilities, establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework, facilitating technology transfer, and fostering both bilateral and multilateral partnerships for vaccine and pharmaceutical production,” Ferran explained.

Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, presidential advisor on health for Ghana, highlighted the government’s collaboration with the EU to realize President Nana Akufo-Addo’s vision of making Ghana a regional hub for vaccine manufacturing.

He said, “Since 2022, the EU has been actively supporting vaccine production in Ghana at both public and private levels. This crucial initiative aims to ensure that vaccines manufactured in Ghana meet the quality standards necessary for access to regional and global markets.”

Additionally, in partnership with the German Development Cooperation, the EU has initiated a €3.1 million project to enhance the capacity of Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA).

This funding is intended to improve the FDA’s regulatory and oversight capabilities, ensuring that all pharmaceutical products produced in Ghana meet stringent safety and efficacy standards.

The grant will help the FDA enhance its quality control measures, ensuring that vaccines and other pharmaceuticals adhere to international standards.

National Vaccine Institute

In 2023, the Ghanaian government established the National Vaccine Institute, supported by a 25 million euro fund. This institute aims to streamline vaccine production and enhance the capacity of local pharmaceutical companies to produce, package, and distribute mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, Malaria, and Tuberculosis.

The initiative was spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent vaccine shortages experienced in 2020.

The EU has also provided a five million euro grant through the European Investment Bank to DEK Vaccines Limited. This funding supports the establishment of a fill-and-finish vaccine manufacturing facility in Ghana.

 Vaccine Importation

Currently, 99 percent of vaccines used in Africa are imported, with many countries relying heavily on donations. Ghana is no exception to this trend.

Professor William Ampofo, Chief Executive Officer of the National Vaccine Institute, expressed optimism that the global initiative would create a conducive environment for local vaccine production.

“Ghana has been spending significantly on vaccines. Local production will not only reduce costs but also create jobs and accelerate the country’s economic development. There is a pressing need to strengthen public-private partnerships to support the pharmaceutical industry,” he added.

The human rights NGO has reported this Wednesday that long-standing tensions between the authorities and the nomadic Maasai community have sometimes resulted in deadly clashes, after the government launched a programme beginning in 2022 to relocate some 82,000 people from the world-renowned Ngorongoro Conservation Area to Handeni district – roughly 600 kilometres away – by 2027.

The government says the scheme aims to conserve the UNESCO World Heritage site from human encroachment, but HRW says the authorities will “use their land for conservation and tourism purposes”.

The programme has come under growing international criticism with the World Bank and the European Union pulling funding.

HRW said it interviewed nearly 100 people between August 2022 and December 2023, including community members who had already moved to Msomera village in Handeni and others facing relocation.

Rangers ‘above the law’

The report noted “government-employed rangers assaulting and beating residents with impunity”, with community members describing how they were targeted, and listing 13 alleged beatings between September 2022 and July 2023.

“He was just walking, and they just punished him,” one man told HRW, describing how rangers stopped his 35-year-old friend en route to a funeral and made the man kneel before clobbering him with a stick, leaving him wounded. 

There was no hope of legal redress, he told HRW, as you “go to the same police who have beaten the guy, so you can’t get any aid.”

“Rangers are like people who are above the law.”

The report also alleges that the Tanzanian government failed to provide free and fair consent to the relocation, describing violations of rights to land, education, and health.

While the nomadic community has historically been allowed to live within some national parks, the authorities say growing populations encroach on wildlife habitats.

The government has consistently maintained its relocation scheme observes Tanzania’s rights laws.

• HRW warns of ‘irreparable harm’ to East Africa’s ecosystem with TotalEnergies oil project
• Global democracies must act to quash rising autocracy, rights body warns‘

Funding suspended

The relocation programme has prompted the World Bank to suspend a payment towards a €130 million conservation fund in April and the European Union is also revoking Tanzania’s eligibility for some €16 million in similar funding.

HRW has found that “the government has systematically silenced critics … contributing to a climate of fear”.

“You’re not allowed to say anything,” said one person quoted by HRW who has already relocated to Msomera.

People have “fear in their hearts”.

(With newswires)

The race comprising a 1500m swim, a 40km cycle ride and the run was scheduled for Tuesday morning but postponed until Wednesday morning due to poor water quality in the river Seine.

Following the swim and cycle, Yee and Wilde immediately surged clear in the run

Wilde, the bronze medallist in Tokyo in 2021, made an early move to go clear. But Yee, who won silver in Tokyo, declined the challenge from the New Zealander.

He eventually strode clear in the final 300 metres.

“I honestly thought the race was over for me,” said the 26-year-old. “But I wanted to give myself that one last chance and not give up,” said Yee.

Leo Bergère of France took the bronze a couple of hours after Cassandre Beaugrand won the women’s race.

“I never stopped believing,” said Beaugrand “It was the dream of my life and I’ve achieved it,” the 27-year-old added.

“I was trying not to let myself get destabilized, because when you hear the fans, your whole body tenses up. But it was just incredible, I had chills all over. I didn’t want to lift my arms until I crossed the line and say: ‘I’ve finally done it.'”

 Poivre d’Arvor (76) has denied repeated accusations of rape or sexual assault, but in December he was charged with the rape of writer Florence Porcel in 2009.

That probe was widened in February to look into claims of the rape of two more women and a sexual assault of another committed between 2007 and 2018, which could lead to fresh charges.

The new investigations are into accusations of rape during an earlier period, the prosecutor’s office in the Paris suburb of Nanterre announced on Wednesday.

The five accusers had filed previous complaints that were reportedly rejected for being past the statute of limitations.

Amongst the five accusers, journalist Helene Devynck has alleged the television presenter raped her when she was his assistant in 1993.

Another journalist, Stephanie Khayat, has accused him of two rapes in 1994 and 1997.

Marie-Laure Eude-Delattre claims Poivre d’Arvor raped her as a 23-year-old intern at the Cannes Film Festival in 1985, while Margot Cauquil-Gleizes, now a teacher, said he raped her the same year when she was 17.

They were identified by their lawyer Corinne Herrmann, although it was not immediately clear who the fifth plaintiff was.

• Twenty women accuse TV journalist Poivre d’Arvor of rape, sexual assault
• French celebrities distance themselves from Depardieu, accused of rape

Statute of limitations does not apply

After a preliminary inquiry opened in 2021, prosecutors dropped 19 out of 22 testimonies or legal complaints accusing the veteran presenter of rape, sexual assault or sexual harassment for being past the statute of limitations.

But the five plaintiffs have used another legal channel to obtain investigations. 

Herrmann said “these cases are not past the statute of limitations because there are several of them. When you have a cascade of cases, the latest annuls the statute of limitations for the one before it.”

France is reeling from a series of accusations of abuse in the arts and journalism.

Screen icon Gerard Depardieu is to stand trial in October over accusations of sexually assaulting two women.

He was also charged in 2020 with rape two years earlier. He denies all charges.

(With newswires)

That Olympic legacy unfurls a swimming pool into a deprived region where surveys have shown that only around 40 percent of the under-11s know how to swim. National and international competitions will also be staged at the venue just a sleek footbridge away from the Stade de France.

Nearly four months on from the presidential effusions, one of the two pools, around which an environmentally friendly array of woods and photovoltaic panelling have been arranged, hosted the women’s synchronized 10-meter platform event.

The competition that began at 11am was soon a battle for the lesser precious metals as the Chinese teenage duo Yuxi Chen and Hongchan Quan eased into ascendancy.

Their first turn – a back dive – with 2.0 of difficulty brought 56.40 points.

The Canadian pair of Caeli McKay and Kate Miller were the nearest with 49.20 points. 

Supremacy

The second a reverse dive in the pike position – with 2.0 difficulty – harvested 54.60 points. They enjoyed a lead of nearly 14 points over the British pair Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson.

After that, it was the severn other places that changed hands.

Chen, 18, and Quan, 17, were salient in their supremacy, drawing from an altogether different pool of talent.

By the time the North Korean pair of Jin Mi Jo and Mi Rae Kim claimed second place on the fifth of their six dives, the Chinese were 38.40 points ahead.

Not so much a coronation but an annihilation.

“We really wanted to give gold to our country,” said Kim after collecting the country’s first medal in the diving.

“But the performance was not done as we expected so we regret that. The next time we do it we will try hard for the gold.”

Spendolini-Sirieix and Toulson claimed bronze with 304.38 points. They were 11 points off the North Koreans’ silver medal and nearly 55 off the golden ones.

Change

Diving done, the second pool at the Aquatics Centre took pride of place for two games in the group stages of the women’s water polo.

Though water polo has been an Olympic sport since 1900, the women’s event was only introduced in 2000 – another highlight of the gender disparities the International Olympic Committee has permitted since it was set up in 1894.

Fittingly, as male and female triathletes took to the river Seine at Pont Alexandre III on Wednesday morning for the first leg of the triathlon, the 1900 water polo event was played at Asnières further upsrteam as the river heads up to Normandy. 

And what a gentlemanly affair it was.

Eight teams from four European countries entered the event. The chaps at the Osborne Swimming Club of Manchester beat the old beams from the Brussels Swimming and Water Polo Club of Belgium. The two teams from French clubs who lost in the semi-finals shared the bronze medal.

One hundred and 24 years later, 12 men’s squads and 10 women’s teams from different countries are competing for the water polo crowns.

“It’s good to see the people from all over the world in the stands,” said Jos Van Schepen freshly arrived at the Aquatics Centre from central Paris where he had been watching snatches of the men’s triathlon with fellow Dutchman Jelmer Talsma.

Following the Group A women’s water polo game between the Netherlands and Australia, the pair planned to sightsee and take in a handball tie between the Netherlands and Brazil as well as a volleyball match between China and France before returning home to Sneek.

Van Schepen, 33, a self-confessed sports junky, added: “I was playing football from the age of seven but I had to give up recently – too many injuries – but now I go running, cycle and play padel.

“When the Olympics are on TV, I was watching everything.”

The pair will be back in the Netherlands when their country’s women’s water polo players contest their final game against Canada with the hope of reaching the last eight in their quest to claim a second crown and prevent a fourth consecutive title for the Americans.

“I’ve spent around 350 euros on the tickets,” added Van Schepen.

And settling into his recycled plastic seat, he beamed: “And there have been no regrets.” 

On Wednesday, Hamas said Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli strike in the Iranian capital, Tehran where he was attending the swearing-in of the country’s new president.

Militant groups have vowed the act “will not go unanswered”. 

In a statement, Hezbollah said: “The martyrdom of leader Haniyeh … will increase the determination and stubbornness of the mujahideen resistance fighters on all resistance fronts… and will make their resolve stronger in confronting the Zionist enemy”.

The group described Haniyeh as “one of the great resistance leaders of our time who stood bravely against the American hegemony project and the Zionist occupation.” 

Hezbollah has been trading near-daily cross-border fire with Israel since its ally Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, triggering war in Gaza.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has met Hamas leaders several times to discuss the war and US-backed negotiations for a truce. 

• France backs ICC after arrest warrant for Israeli, Hamas leaders
• France ‘committed’ to de-escalation of regional conflict after Golan attack

Fears of ‘direct retaliation’

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian also condemned the killing, posting on X that his country will defend its territorial integrity and make those responsible regret their actions.

There has been no immediate comment from Israel, which had vowed to kill Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders over the October attack on southern Israel.

The strike came just after Haniyeh had attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president in Tehran, Iran said.

The dramatic predawn killing of Hamas’s top political leader threatens to reverberate on multiple fronts.

The blow of striking Haniyeh in Tehran could trigger direct retaliation against Israel by Iran. 

The two bitter regional rivals had an unprecedented exchange of strikes on each other’s soil in April after Israel hit Iran’s embassy in Damascus, but international efforts succeeded in containing that cycle of retaliation before it spun out of control.

Barbara Butch’s lawyer said in a letter posted to the DJ’s Instagram on Tuesday that Butch “has been threatened with death, torture and rape, and has also been the target of numerous anti-Semitic, homophobic, sexist and grossophobic insults”.

Although the ceremony’s artistic director Thomas Jolly has repeatedly said that he wasn’t inspired by “The Last Supper,” critics interpreted part of the show that featured Butch as a mockery of Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting showing Jesus Christ and his apostles.

Butch, who calls herself a “love activist”, wore a silver headdress that looked like a halo as she got a party going during her segment of the show. Drag artists, dancers and others flanked Butch on both sides.

• Paris Olympic opening creator rebuffs anti-Christian criticism

French Catholic bishops and others were among those who said Christians had been hurt and offended.

Paris Olympics organisers have said there was “never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group” and that the intent was to “celebrate community tolerance”.

Jolly has said he saw the moment as a celebration of diversity, and the table on which Butch spun her tunes as a tribute to feasting and French gastronomy.

“My wish isn’t to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock,” Jolly said. “Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide.”

‘Cyber-harassment and defamation’

The statement from Butch’s lawyer Audrey Msellati said she is filing several complaints.

Typically, French judicial authorities examine such complaints and determine whether to launch a formal police investigation.

The statement said Butch has been “the target of an extremely violent campaign of cyber-harassment and defamation”.

In a statement of her own, also posted on Instagram, Butch said: “Whatever some may say, I exist. I’ve never been ashamed of who I am, and I take responsibility for everything – including my artistic choices. All my life, I’ve refused to be a victim: I won’t shut up.”

• French government unveils plans to combat rise in anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes

Her lawyer’s statement said legal complaints would be filed regardless of “whether committed by French nationals or foreigners and intends to prosecute anyone who tries to intimidate her in the future”.

She said she “was extremely honoured” to perform in Friday’s ceremony and that her heart was “still full of joy”.

“I’m committed, and I’m proud. Proud of who I am, of what I am, and of what I embody, both for my loved ones and for millions of French people. My France is France!” she wrote.

Update on Wednesday 31 July 2024:

Hairdresser and social media activist Junior Ngombe, 23, was arrested outside his shop in the western city of Douala on July 24 by three plainclothes men claiming to be intelligence officers, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

“Ngombe was granted bail under a guarantor’s undertaking at the Yaounde military court, where he was on trial,” said his lawyer Serge Emmanuel Chendjou.

Social media activist Junior Ngombe was arrested outside his shop in the western city of Douala on 24 July by three plainclothes men claiming to be intelligence officers, the rights group said in a statement published Monday.

The arrest of the 23-year-old activist, who is also a hairdresser, has prompted an outcry over what international human rights groups call a growing crackdown on freedom of expression under 91-year-old President Paul Biya, in power for 42 years.

Ngombe was taken to a detention facility in the capital Yaounde, which HRW says is notorious for practising incommunicado detention and torture, including near-drownings and severe beatings.

Ngombe’s lawyers said he had been charged with “incitement to rebellion” and “propagation of false information”, which they believe to be linked to videos he posted on social media.

In his posts on TikTok, Ngombe encouraged people to vote in the presidential election and challenged the Cameroonian authorities’ crackdown on dissent.

“We are millions of young Cameroonians who are suffering under the more than 40-year reign of the RDPC,” Ngombe said in a video in mid-April, referencing Biya’s ruling party, the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement.

Since his arrest, civil society and opposition figures have clamoured for his release, using the hashtag #FreeJuniorNgombe on social networks.

‘Peaceful demands’

HRW urged Cameroon’s authorities to “listen to peaceful demands for reform instead of stifling freedom of expression”.

“They should immediately release Ngombe and drop the charges against him.”

Biya and his government are regularly accused by international human rights organisations of repressing all opposition.

The long-serving president was re-elected in 2018 to his seventh term after a contested vote that sparked a wave of political repression.

The day before Ngombe’s arrest, HRW had warned that Cameroon was implementing measures designed to limit freedom of expression.

For its part, the government has denounced “the rise in insulting remarks against the institutions and those who embody them” in the run-up to the vote.

 (with AFP)

France has acknowledged Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara, marking a significant shift in its long-standing position. Meanwhile, the United Nations-mediated peace process remains at a standstill.

In a letter to Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, President Macron stated, “For France, autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the framework within which this issue must be resolved.”

He added, “Our support for the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco in 2007 is clear and unwavering. For France, this plan now represents the only basis for reaching a just, lasting, and negotiated political solution in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions.

According to a statement from the Moroccan Royal Cabinet, the French president sent this letter to Mohammed VI on the occasion of the Throne Day which marks the arrival in power of Mohammed VI, in 1999.

The Royal Palace in the statement welcomed the announcement and said it was a “significant development in support of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara.”

Algeria said a few hours later that it is recalling its ambassador to France over Western Sahara rift.

“The Algerian diplomatic representation in France is now the responsibility of a charge d’affaires,” the Algerian foreign ministry was quoted as saying by the official Algerian news agency APS.

The ministry denounced Macron’s statement as a “step that no other French government had taken before.”

Disputed territory

The distue originated in 1975 between and involves Morocco,, which claims the Western Sahara as its territory, and the Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, which advocates for the region’s independence.

France, as the latest former colonial power in the region has long walked a diplomatic tightrope between Rabat and Algiers on the issue, but recently sent good signals to Morocco.

• France reiterates its support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara

Most of France’s Western allies already back Morocco’s plan.

Spain, which colonised Western Sahara for decades, publicly recognised the plan for Western Sahara put forward by Morocco in March 2022.

For Sarah Leah Whitson, the executive director of the DAWN think tank (Democracy for the Arab World Now), the recognition by France of Morocco’s annexation on Western Sahara undermines the rule of law, not only in North Africa but all over the world, including in Ukraine.

“The only way to resolve the conflict and territorial dispute would be the promised referendum,” she told RFI English.

“The annexation of Western Sahara is as illegal as the one of Crimea in Ukraine, or the annexation of Jerusalem by Israel. So, any decision from French President Macron to side with Rabat would cause harm with global implications,” she added.

“This recognition will only encourage the impunity of regimes like Russia and Israel. If even France must fall in line behind US diktat on Western Sahara, France’s own sovereignty has taken a hit.” 

She thinks that Macron should have ignored the pressure from Morocco, as the country has no major leverage on France.

Historical colonial dispute

Western Sahara has for long been designated by the UN as a “non-self-governing territory” whose people “have not yet attained a full measure of self-government”.

An armed conflict has opposed Morocco to the Sahrawi separatists of the Polisario Front in this vast desert territory bordering the Atlantic since 1975.

Polisario has been supported by Algeria, to where most Sahrawi refugees have fled.

Morocco controls 80 percent of the territory, while an area bordering Mauritania that is almost totally landlocked is run by the Polisario Front. 

Morocco’s interest in the land is in its fish-filled waters and significant phosphate reserves, but also and mostly on its historical claim regarding its  sovereignty over parts of the Sahara desert.

The territorial dispute dates back to colonial times, when Spain ruled over the actual Western Sahara and parts of Morocco, while France held the rest of North Africa including today’s Algeria and Tunisia.

• Extension of UN mandate in Western Sahara: the status quo or agreement in sight?

In its most recent report, the international Crisis Group said it regretted teh fact that the UN had not been able to bring all actors to the table and to find a peaceful, negotiated and democratic solution for the future of what the Polisario calls the last colonised part of Africa.

A UN-mediated Settlement Plan was put into place in 1991.

It included a ceasefire, a buffer zone that divided Western Sahara along the sand berm and provisions for a referendum on self-determination for the entire territory.

It also created a UN mission, MINURSO, to monitor the ceasefire and organise the referendum vote.

But the referendum never took place, and subsequent talks failed to make notable progress.

 (with newswires)

The violence erupted after student rallies against civil service job quotas this month and the death toll based on police and hospital data includes several police officers. Critics say the quota is used to stack public jobs with loyalists of the ruling Awami League party.

Borrell expressed his deep concern over the deaths of officers as well as the “torture, mass arrests and damage to property that have taken place”.

He called for an investigation and for those responsible to be brought to justice.

“There must be full accountability for the numerous instances of use of excessive and lethal force by the law enforcement authorities against protesters and others,” he said in a statement.

“We will follow closely the actions of the authorities in the context of this crisis and, with the fundamentals of EU-Bangladesh relations in mind, expect all human rights to be fully respected,” he added.

The clashes were some of the worst of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year tenure but her government has since largely restored order with mass arrests, troop deployments and a nationwide internet shutdown that was rescinded on Sunday.

• Bangladesh PM Hasina wins election marred by violence

(With newswires)

The West African nation, which has been actively fighting insurgent jihadist and separatist forces in its north for over a decade, turned to Wagner for support after a military junta came to power in 2020.

From July 22 to 27, the Malian armed forces and fighters from Wagner’s 13th Assault Squad “fought fierce battles” against a coalition of Tuareg separatist forces and jihadist militants, according to a statement from Razgruzka Vagnera, a Telegram channel linked to Wagner’s leadership.

According to the statement, “fighters of the 13th Assault Detachment of the Wagner PMC, led by commander Sergei Shevchenko, call sign ‘Pond’, together with servicemen of the Malian Armed Forces FAM, entered into an unequal battle with superior forces of Islamists from the Coordination Movement of Azawad (CMA) and Al-Qaeda in the Sahel (JNIM).”

• Suspected jihadist attack in Mali kills at least 21 civilians

The battle lasted for “several days.” 

According to the account, Wagner and regular Malian troops received information that “large detachments of radicals” had arrived in the Tin-Zoutine area.

A reconnaissance unit discovered “a large concentration of (jihadist) forces: detachments of militants, totaling about 100 people, as well as more than 10 pickups with large-caliber weapons.”

Wagner then launched an attack, destroying “up to 50 radicals and six units of equipment. The remnants of the militants were unable to resist” Wagnerites and “fled the battlefield”.

But the Jihadists, led by “field commander Abda-Rahman Zaza” then struck back and over a period of two days, the separatists “increased the number of massive attacks, using heavy weapons, drones and SVBIEDs (suicide car bombs), which caused losses on the part of Wagner and Malian army soldiers”, the statement said.

The commander of the 13th Assault Squad, Sergei “Prud” Shevchenko, was killed in action, it added, and his group’s final message was: “There are three of us left. We are continuing to fight.”

A spokesman for the CSP-DPA alliance, a coalition including mainly Tuareg separatist forces, claimed victory over Mali’s army and Wagner on Sunday.

Mali’s military leaders, who seized power in a coup, have made it a stated priority to retake the entire country from separatist and jihadist forces, particularly Kidal, a pro-independence bastion in the north.

(With newswires)

Under controversial legislation currently passing through parliament, local authorities would be responsible for rounding up stray dogs, which would be killed after 30 days if an owner can not be found for them.

Opponents claim as many as eight million street dogs could be at risk.

“They are planning to round them up into shelters, which we call death camps,” said Zulal Kalkandelen, one of the animals rights activists taking part in a recent protest against the plan in Istanbul.

“For some time, there has been a campaign to fuel stray animal hatred,” she declared.

“Our people, who have been living with street dogs for many years, in fact for centuries, are now being brought to the point where all these animals will be erased.”

Street dogs have been a part of Istanbul life for centuries. The proposed legislation evokes memories of a dark chapter in the city’s past when, in 1910, street dogs were rounded up and left on a nearby island to starve.

It has provoked emotive arguments in parliament, with MPs jostling one another and exchanging insults – opening another deep divide in an already fractured political landscape.

But President Erdogan insists something must be done to control stray animals that, he argues, have become a menace to society, causing traffic accidents and spreading disease.

Humane alternatives

Addressing parliament, Erdogan claimed he was answering the call of the “silent majority”.

“The truth is that a very large part of society wants this issue to be resolved as soon as possible and our streets to become safe for everyone, especially our children,” he declared.

“It is unthinkable for us to remain indifferent to this demand, this call, even this cry. Our proposals are no different from those of other countries in Europe.”

Mixed reactions as France prepares to simplify wolf culling rules

Lawyer Elcin Cemre Sencan, who has helped organise protests against the proposed legislation, argues there are more humane ways to address people’s concerns.

“There is a group of people who are disturbed by these stray animals or who are afraid even to touch them,” she acknowledges. “But even if there are these concerns, the solution is not to put the dogs to sleep.

“Scientific studies have shown that sterilising animals, especially dogs, reduces not only their numbers but also attacks on people.”

Veterinary organisations have also pointed out that the cost of euthanising a dog is many times higher than sterilisation and vaccination.

Diversion tactic?

Some critics suggest politics could be behind the move.

With Erdogan’s conservative AK Party suffering heavy defeats in local elections this spring and Turkey grappling with near 100 percent inflation, opponents claim the Turkish president could be calculating that objections to his street dog legislation comes mainly from the secular opposition and hoping the issue will consolidate his religious base.

“We know our problems in this country; the world knows our problems. There is an economic crisis, and we have human rights problems everywhere. But they want to change the main topics to these animals,” said Eyup Cicerali, a professor at Istanbul’s Nisantasi University, at a recent protest against the legislation.  

“They want to kill them all,” he claimed. “We are here to protect our values, values of respect and dignity for human and animal rights. Life is an issue for all groups.”

According to one recent opinion poll, less than 3 percent of the Turkish public support the culling of street dogs.

Some of Erdogan’s MPs have even started speaking out against the law in the media, albeit anonymously. “This law makes us dog killers,” one unnamed deputy was quoted as saying.

Despite such misgivings, the legislation is expected to pass parliament later this month.

But with the protests drawing together secular and religious animal lovers, and opposition-controlled local authorities declaring they won’t impose the law, the stray dog legislation could prove a risky move for Erdogan.

Where will Gaza stray dogs find shelter?

In total, more than 200 delegations and 10,000 athletes are participating in 36 sports at the Paris Games. 

RFI’s sport editor Paul Myers discusses how African athletes from all over the continent are likely to perform.

Who are the African athletes to watch out for at Paris Olympics?

Episode mixed by Erwan Rome. 

Spotlight on Africa is a podcast from Radio France Internationale. 

Hello everyone!

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear an essay by listener Ashik Eqbal Tokon from Rajshahi, Bangladesh. I hope you’ll be inspired to write an essay for us, too!

If your essay goes on the air, you’ll find a package in the mail from The Sound Kitchen. Write in about your “ordinary” heroes – the people in your community who are doing extraordinarily good work, quietly working to make the world a better place, in whatever way they can. As listener Pramod Maheshwari said: “Just as small drops of water can fill a pitcher, small drops of kindness can change the world.”

I am still looking for your “This I Believe” essays, too. Tell us about the principles that guide your life … what you have found to be true from your very own personal experience. Or write about a book that changed your perspective on life, a person who you admire, festivals in your community, your most memorable moment, and/or your proudest achievement. If your essay is chosen to go on the air – read by you – you’ll win a special prize!

Send your essays to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

Or by postal mail, to:

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Here’s Ashik Eqbal Tokon’s essay:

The Transformative Journey, Inspired by Pather Panchali 

As a child growing up in the bustling megacity of the 1980s, I was accustomed to the constant hum of trains, the clanging of trams, the honking of buses, and the rhythmic peddling of rickshaws. My world was a mosaic of concrete, electricity, radio broadcasts, and black-and-white television screens. It was a life saturated with modern conveniences and rapid movement, where nature seemed distant, relegated to small parks and occasional glimpses of the sky between towering buildings. However, this perception shifted dramatically when I encountered a short story extracted from the novel Pather Panchali by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. The tale of Apu and Durga’s discovery of the train in their remote Bengali village captured my imagination with its vivid descriptions and emotional depth. The scene where they run through lush fields, their eyes widening in awe at the sight of the train, resonated deeply within me. This moment became etched in my mind, igniting a spark of curiosity and longing for a world beyond the urban sprawl.

My First Journey to the Village

Shortly after reading the story, I had the opportunity to visit my ancestral village, a place starkly different from my city life. The journey began with a train ride that mirrored Apu’s wonder and excitement. As the train chugged through the countryside, I gazed out of the window, mesmerised by the passing landscapes. Rivers snaked through the green fields, and orchards of mangoes, lychees, and jackfruits painted the scenery with vibrant colours. It was as if I had stepped into Apu’s world, experiencing the same unmeasurable happiness he felt. The bus journey that followed took me deeper into the heart of nature. The scent of fresh earth and blooming flowers filled the air. The sight of villagers working in the fields, children playing under the shade of trees, and the serene flow of rivers created a permanent visual in my mind. This experience was a revelation, a tactile encounter with the natural world that Apu had introduced me to.

Discovering Pather Panchali in My Teenage Years

As a teenager, I read the full novel Pather Panchali and felt an even stronger connection to Apu’s journey. The book opened my eyes to the beauty of nature, the simplicity of rural life, and the profound emotions tied to family and survival. It made me realise that true happiness and fulfilment could be found in the simplest of experiences and the purest of surroundings. This realisation shaped my life’s journey and passions. I developed a deep love for travel, seeking out places where I could immerse myself in nature’s embrace. The novel’s influence led me to explore diverse landscapes, from the golden deserts of Rajasthan, India, to the lush hills of Bhutan. I found joy in the contrasting environments—the tranquil charm of Thailand’s beaches, the cultural richness of Bali, the waves of the Bay of Bengal, and the expansive horizons of the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Thailand, and Java Sea.

Embracing My Home Country, Bangladesh

One of the most profound impacts of Pather Panchali was how it deepened my appreciation for my own beautiful country, Bangladesh. After my teenage years, I have had the privilege to explore all 64 districts of Bangladesh, each with its unique natural beauty and cultural heritage. From the verdant hills of Sylhet to the serene beaches of Cox’s Bazar, the majestic Sundarbans mangrove forest to the vibrant cultural tapestry of Dhaka, every corner of Bangladesh offered a new discovery and a deeper connection to my roots. The green landscapes, the winding rivers, and the warmth of the people in Bangladesh constantly reminded me of Apu’s world. This profound connection to my homeland enriched my life and reinforced my love for travel and exploration. Bangladesh, with its rich history and diverse natural beauty, continues to be a source of inspiration and joy.

Embracing Nature and the Love of Travel

Pather Panchali taught me to appreciate the feather-light touch of nature, to find beauty and peace in its presence, even in the most unexpected places. Whether it was the arid sands of Rajasthan, where the desert winds whispered ancient tales, or the verdant hills of Jalpaiguri, where the air was thick with the scent of tea leaves, nature became my sanctuary. The novel instilled in me a sense of wonder and a desire to explore, to experience the world through the lens of its natural splendour. In Thailand and Bali, I found a different kind of charm, where the azure waters and golden sunsets painted the skies with hues of tranquility and adventure. Swimming in the waves of the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean, I felt a connection to the vastness of the world, a reminder of Apu’s endless curiosity and love for discovery. The icy expanse of Mongolia, though harsh, revealed the serene and stark beauty of a world wrapped in snow and silence, expanding my understanding of nature’s extremes.

Final Word

The transformative power of Pather Panchali by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay lies in its ability to transport readers into a world where nature and simplicity hold profound meaning. For me, the novel was not just a story but a catalyst for a lifelong passion for travel and an enduring love for the natural world. It taught me to seek out the beauty in every corner of the earth, to cherish the moments of awe and wonder, and to find joy in the journey itself. This timeless tale of Apu’s adventures has forever changed my perspective, making every travel experience a homage to the spirit of discovery and the beauty of nature, from the warm beaches of Bali to the freezing steppes of Mongolia, and the verdant beauty of Bangladesh, my beloved homeland.

The music chosen by Ashik is “Janmo Amar Dhonno Holo Mago” by Azad Rahman, sung by Sabina Yeasmin.

Be sure and tune in next week for an essay written by Bidhan Chandar Sanyal. Talk to you then!

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!

This week’s quiz: On 22 June, I asked you a question about the world’s largest arms show – the Eurosatory weapons show – which was just ending up here in France. RFI English journalist Jan van der Made went out to take a look, and wrote an article about it for you: “Israel and Russia barred as world’s largest arms show opens in Paris”.

You were to re-read Jan’s article and send in the answer to this question: why is the arms fair called “Eurosatory”?

The answer is, to quote Jan’s article: “Eurosatory is named after Satory, a town near Versailles that is home to Paris’s 24th infantry regiment and the GIGN (an elite French crisis intervention group) headquarters.

The first Eurosatory show was held there in 1967, but due to its expansion over the years, the show moved to the Villepinte exhibition halls north of the French capital.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “What is your favorite food, and why?”, which was suggested by Momotaz Begum Nazu from Naogaon, Bangladesh.

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

The winners are: Riaz Ahmad Khan, the president of the RFI Listeners Club in Sheikhupura, Pakistan. Riaz is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations Riaz, on your double win.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Ferhat Bezazel, the president of the RFI Butterflies Club Ain Kechera in West Skikda, Algeria, and RFI Listeners Club member Zenon Teles, the president of the Christian – Marxist – Leninist – Maoist Association of Listening DX-ers in Goa, India.

Last but not least, there are RFI English listeners Nilu Dhakal from Mechi, Nepal, and Laily Akhter Nessa from Naogaon, Bangladesh.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: The theme from The Pink Panther by Henry Mancini; “No Apparent Reason” by Alex Norris, performed by Ralph Irizarry and Timbalaye; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Canon” by Siouxsie Sioux, Budgie, and Steven Severin, performed by Siouxsie and The Banshees.

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 “Rwanda heads to the polls to likely re-elect Kagame for fourth term”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 9 September to enter this week’s quiz. The winners will be announced on the 14 September 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. 

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. 

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.