The French armed services produced 21 medallists in judo, fencing and shooting, as well as in disciplines less connected to traditional military skills, like BMX or surfing.

They included four gold medallists: Army sergeants Manon Brunet and Althéa Laurin (fencing and taekwondo); air force aviator Nicolas Gestin (canoe-kayak); and the mixed judo team of Sergeant Major Clarisse Agbégnénou, navy seaman Joan-Benjamin Gaba, navy petty officer Shirine Boukli and army private Luka Mkheidze.

‘Army of champions’

Of the 571 French athletes competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, 78 were members of the “Army of Champions”, a programme to support high-level athletes that the Defence Ministry calls the “main state contributor to high-level sport”.

The programme has integrated some 200 high-level athletes into the different branches of the armed forces and the gendarmerie.

Para athletes are given civilian jobs in the ministry’s administration, and 19 athletes will be among the 237-strong French delegation competing in the 2024 Paris Paralympics, which start on 28 August.

Financial security

High-level athletes benefit greatly from the backing of an institution or company, which allows them to focus on training and not worry about making a living.

Speaking about France’s commitment to growing its Olympic record and supporting high-level athletes, Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra highlighted the importance of jobs.

Preparing athletes to win medals involves “supporting them materially and giving them the socio-professional support so they can build something, and have the ability to manage their university studies and open doors to companies and public sector jobs for the future”, she said.

Some athletes can cobble together a living through contracts with sports clubs or sponsorships. Others, like swimmer Léon Marchand, who won a record four gold individual medals at the Paris Olympics, is on a scholarship at the University of Arizona in the United States.

However, France has recognised that most high-level athletes need institutional support.

Public sector support

The Defence Ministry offers two-year renewable contracts of up to six years for athletes, providing them with a salary and professional support as they train.

In communicating about the programme, the ministry says this support offers an “essential balance for high performance” which “allows the athlete to be free of administrative constraints and focus fully on their sport objectives”.

Four other ministries have signed agreements to hire high-level athletes, including the Interior Ministry, in charge of the national police, which supports 65 high-level athletes.

“In exchange for financial support, training and perspectives for their post-sporting career, the members of the national police team have as a mission to represent the institution on the sports fields,” the Interior Ministry said of its programme.

Nineteen members of the police team competed in the Paris Olympics and four won medals, including surfer Kauli Vaast, who officially became a police reservist in 2023.

Private companies can secure special work contracts for athletes, allowing them to work part time, but enjoying the salary and benefits of full time employment, but the public sector can be more flexible, with official support on a national level.

The national rail company SNCF supported 11 athletes in the Olympics, along with other public companies such as electricity provider EDF and public hospitals.

The Defence Ministry remains the largest supporter of high-level athletes, with the most resources and a built-in physical component in its own programmes.

However not all athletes stay in the armed forces after the end of their sporting careers.

Since 2008, only 15 decided to continue in the military after retiring as athletes, according to Le Monde.

The outbreak has swept through several African countries, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“With a heavy heart but with an unyielding commitment to our people, to our African citizens, we declare mpox as public health emergency of continental security,” Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), said during an online media briefing.

• WHO to convene experts on mpox virus as cases surge in East Africa

“Mpox has now crossed borders, affecting thousands across our continent, families have been torn apart and the pain and suffering have touched every corner of our continent,” he said.

According to CDC data as of 4 August, there had been 38,465 cases of mpox and 1,456 deaths in Africa since January 2022.

“This declaration is not merely a formality, it is a clarion call to action. It is a recognition that we can no longer afford to be reactive. We must be proactive and aggressive in our efforts to contain and eliminate this threat,” said Kaseya.

(with newswires)

An estimated 47,690 people in Europe died in 2023, according to the Barcelona Institute for Global Health’s annual report, published Monday in the journal Nature Medicine.

Only 2022 was deadlier, with over 60,000 heat-related deaths.

Taking temperature and mortality records from 35 countries across the continent, the study showed that countries in southern Europe – Greece, Italy and Spain, as well as Bulgaria – were worst affected by the heat, and older people were most at risk.

More than half the deaths occurred during two periods of high heat in mid-July and August 2023, when Greece battled deadly wildfires.

The report found that heat-related deaths would have been 80 percent higher were it not for action taken by European governments to adapt to hotter summers.

“Our results highlight the importance of historical and ongoing adaptations in saving lives during recent summers,” said the authors, pointing to early warning systems and healthcare improvements that can help reduce heat-related deaths.

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

The report also showed the “urgency for more effective strategies to further reduce the mortality burden of forthcoming hotter summers”, they added, urging more proactive measures to combat global warming.

Scientists say that climate change is making extreme weather events like heat waves more frequent, longer and more intense.

Europe, where the United Nations says temperatures are rising faster than the rest of the globe, has experienced a growing number of heat waves since the turn of the century.

(with newswires)

The Senegalese Council of Press Distributors and Publishers (CDEPS) said that freedom of the press was threatened in Senegal in an editorial published on Monday.

“For nearly three months the Senegalese press has experienced one of the darkest phases of its history,” the organisation of editors of both private and public media companies wrote.

It said the media blackout was to call attention to threats including the “freezing of bank accounts” of media companies for non-payment of tax, the “seizure of production equipment”, or the “unilateral and illegal termination of advertising contracts” with the government.

Sonko, who took office in early April, has denounced what he called the “misappropriation of public funds” in the sector, alleging some media chiefs were failing to pay social security contributions.

Threat to the sector

The government’s “hostile acts” against media organisations pose a threat to the sector, CDEPS president Mamadou Ibra Kane told RFI. “Today the situation is that most media companies are nearly bankrupt.”

At the end of last month, the company behind two of the most widely read sports dailies suspended publication after more than 20 years due to economic difficulties.

Media organisations had hoped the new government would help find solutions out of the crisis, “but unfortunately this is not the case,” Kane said.

“On the contrary, by trying to asphyxiate, economically and financially, private media, the new government thinks it can create new media to spread their positions,” he added, nothing that dismantling critical media is “a threat to freedom of the press and freedom of expression”.

Control of information

In late June Sonko said news outlets were writing whatever they wished without reliable sources in the name of press freedom – comments which many in the media took as a threat.

“The aim is none other than the control of information and the taming of media professionals,” the CDEPS said.

“We are seasoned enough to have experienced the methods of previous powers to understand what is happening.”

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders has urged Senegal’s new president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, to take action to promote press freedom after three years of arrests and violence against journalists under the presidency of Macky Sall.

Senegal is in 94th place on the group’s world press freedom index, having slipped down from 49th place in 2021.

France has sent 180 firefighters, 55 trucks and a helicopter to help fight the fires, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Monday.

The EU said that France, along with Italy, the Czech Republic and Romania sent aid under the EU’s civil protection mechanism after Greece formally requested assistance.

Help from Spain and Turkey is also being “finalised”, the Greek civil protection ministry said.

Over 700 firefighters with nearly 200 fire engines and over 30 aircraft have been trying to contain the fire, which started Sunday afternoon in the town of Varnavas near Lake Marathon, some 35 kilometres northeast of Athens.

Winds pushed it across Mount Penteli, burning pine forests left dry from repeated heat waves this summer, towards the capital’s northern suburbs.

Fire brigade spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said the winds rekindled the fire in 40 different locations on Monday.

Flames reached more than 25 metres high in places along the front line, according to state TV ERT.

Television footage showed dramatic images of the roofs of stately homes in the leafy suburbs burning as water-bombing helicopters roared overhead.

The fire has forced residents to leave their homes, and authorities opened the Olympic stadium in northern Athens and other stadiums to house thousands of people evacuated from the path of the blaze.

A children’s hospital and a military medical facility in Penteli were evacuated at dawn, Vathrakogiannis said. Another hospital was evacuated during the day.

Meteorologists warned that high temperatures and winds would continue through Thursday, increasing the danger of wildfires. Dozens of smaller fires broke out in several parts of the country on Monday.

Summer wildfires are frequent in Greece, but this year, after the warmest winter and hottest June and July on record, has seen dozens of daily fires, whose frequency and intensity authorities say have been fueled by climate change.

(with AFP)

Paris 2024 organisers had planned to redistribute unconsumed products from the 13 million meals and snacks served on the Olympic sites, in order to limit food waste.

They signed agreements with three French charities – Restos du Cœur, Chaînon Manquant and Banque Alimentaire, the French Federation of Food Banks – to help collect the food.

François Gras, the president of the Banque Alimentaire of Paris and Île-de-France (Bapif) welcomed the success of this “great operation”, which made it possible to “collect quality products”.

He said that the organisations were able to recover “a lot of fruits and vegetables, breakfasts, dairy products and quite a few salads or pre-packaged snacks”.

These fresh products were a welcome addition to the “dry or frozen products” that European funds help the charity to buy.

“It’s a great addition for people in real precarious situations,” Gras said.

Paris’s eco-friendly Olympic Village gets mixed reviews from athletes

Charter

Gras told Franceinfo that the 60 tonnes of food collected during the Olympics will be passed on to food banks across France throughout the month of August.

The quantity represents “roughly the equivalent of more than 100,000 meals,” he said.

Man behind recycled plastic seats in Olympic venues plots ways to stop the trash

Although the charity could have continued to function without the newly-collected food this summer, Gras says it is nevertheless extremely welcome to have the extra stock for organisations that have trouble meeting demands.

Limiting food waste was one of the six key goals included in a social and environmental charter published by Paris 2024 organisers prior to the Games.

They promised to halve the event’s carbon footprint compared to previous Games by cutting down on plastic use and designing recyclable equipment and infrastructure.

The Louvre saw a drop of 22 percent in the number of visitors during the two weeks of the Olympic games, from 27 July to 11 August, it announced Monday.

In the ten days leading up to the opening ceremony, from 15 to 26 July, when access was limited by security protocols and the museum was closed for two days, 45 percent fewer people visited compared to the same period the year before.

The Orsay museum said it had a drop of 29 percent in the number of visitors during the Games, and the Orangerie, which houses Claude Monet’s Water Lilies and is located at Concorde, the plaza hosting the Olympic BMX, breaking and 3×3 basketball events saw 31 percent fewer visitors.

The drop in visits was expected, as the museums are along the River Seine, whose access was limited in the days leading up to the opening ceremony, and visitors to Paris prioritised sporting events over cultural visits.

The Louvre is counting on its exhibition ‘Figures du Fou’ (Figures of madness) that opens on 16 October to bring back the crowds.

While visits to the museum dropped, visitors flocked to the Tuilleries gardens and the Carrousel around it to see the Olympic cauldron rising above the city on a helium balloon each night.

And one museum benefited from the Olympics: the Monnaie de Paris, the former site of the national mint, which produced the Olympic medals.

With an exhibition about the Olympics, and selling commemorative medals, the museum saw an increase of 62 percent of visitors during the two weeks of the Games compared to the two weeks preceding them.

(with AFP)

“The Olympic medals bear the imprint of Paris, since pieces of iron from the Eiffel Tower, have been integrated into the centre of these decorations and cut into a hexagon representing France”, he told RFI.

Designed by Chaumet, these medals are set like precious stones and made by La Monnaie de Paris.

---

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

The first two editions of the Tour de France Femmes were dominated by Dutch competitors, with Annemiek van Vleuten winning in 2022 and Demi Vollering last year.

This year, four of the eight stages take place in the Netherlands. The tour will finish at the notorious Alpe d’Huez, in France on 18 August.

The tour will pass through Rotterdam, The Hague, Dordrecht and Valkenburg in the Netherlands, then cross Belgium via Liège and Bastogne, crossing into France and move on via Amnéville, Remiremont, Morteau, Champagnole, Le Grand-Bornand to the finish at Alpe d’Huez in the south, totaling 949.7 km.

One of the riders involved in the crash around the 69km mark was French cyclist Victoire Berteau (Cofidis). She is competing in her second Tour. Eighth in Paris-Roubaix this spring, she admitted yesterday that she wanted to “bounce back” after her “disappointment at the Olympics and a poor performance in the team pursuit”.

Three of the eight stages are on flat terrain, four over hilly or mountainous roads, and there’s a time trial.

In total, some €250,000 will be awarded across the different stages and team competitions. The overall winner will get €50,000.

(With newswires)

The joint statement came after one of the deadliest reported Israeli strikes on the besieged Gaza Strip in more than 10 months of war.

“The fighting must end now, and all hostages still detained by Hamas must be released,” French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a joint statement.

“The people of Gaza need urgent and unfettered delivery and distribution of aid,” the statement said.

“There can be no further delay.”

They also welcomed the “tireless” work of Egyptian, Qatari and US mediators towards an agreement on a ceasefire and the release of hostages.

Several rounds of negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza have failed until now, except for a one-week truce that was observed at the end of November.

International mediators have invited Israel and Hamas to resume negotiations towards a long-sought truce and hostage-release deal, as the fighting in Gaza and the killings of Iran-aligned militant leaders have sent tensions soaring across the region.

Hamas on Sunday called on US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators to implement a ceasefire plan for Gaza put forward by US President Joe Biden, instead of holding “more negotiations”.

• Macron says war in Gaza ‘must stop’, backs mediation efforts

• France calls on Iran for restraint in regional crises as new leader sworn in

In their statement, the three European leaders also urged Iran and its allies “to refrain from attacks that would further escalate regional tensions and jeopardise the opportunity to agree a ceasefire and the release of hostages.”

“They will bear responsibility for actions that jeopardise this opportunity for peace and stability. No country or nation stands to gain from a further escalation in the Middle East,” said Macron, Scholz and Starmer.

In northern Gaza, an Israeli air strike on Friday killed at least 93 people at a religious school housing displaced Palestinians, according to civil defence rescuers.

The Gaza war began with Hamas’s 7 October attack on southern Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally by French news agency AFP, based on official Israeli figures.

Militants also seized 251 people, 111 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory military offensive in Gaza has killed at least 39,790 people, according to the territory’s health ministry, which does not provide details on civilian and militant deaths.

(With newswires)

Paris and its monumental treasures were the stars as local organisers had asserted during the prelude to the official start of the Games on 26 July while dealing with the gripes.

Complaints about the €4.4bn cost, restricted access and road closures near the river Seine projected inflexibility and lack of dynamism from sections of a country whose calling card to the world was insouciance and an embrace of the unknown.

There was a glee extraordinaire to shuffle off the Olympic coil.

Voided of such lugubrious souls, the city was flooded with shiny, happy people who were around for Paris – one of the most beautiful places in the world – and for the Olympic Games. A double whammy of wonderfulness. 

The city venues – part of the organisers’ sustainability drive – and the outliers in places such as Colombes to the west – became areas of outstanding sporting action and party central.

Dutch fans celebrating the gold medal of the men’s hockey team at Yves du Manoir Stadium annexed a couple of corner shops and bars near the train station to dance and drink the night away. It was not orange juice.

A Mexican couple celebrated their betrothal smiling in the sunshine at the women’s team archery on the Esplanade des Invalides.

The overwhelming reaction to the doomsayers? International equivalents of a Gallic shrug. If the Parisians and the French don’t get this, they need help.

And the cavalry came. French athletes contributed to the delegation’s best performance at an Olympics for 30 years and the narrative could do nothing other than turn.

France delivers Macron’s wish securing best Olympic medal tally in a century

The rugby sevens squad started the reset. Antoine Dupont, the skipper of the full-sized national team, inspired the seven’s side to glory over Fiji in the final at the Stade de France.

A veteran of many a vibrant international at the venue, the 27-year-old marvelled at the atmosphere created by the 70;000 fans.

Following the ceremony to fete France’s first gold of the Games, the rugby sevens squad went into the centre of the pitch and showed off some of the dance moves they had learned to turbo charge their preternaturally fleet feet.

The connection was as electrifying as the interdependence was instructive. Here were champions responding humbly to the people who had ennobled them.

Teddy Riner added another couple of lines to his legend with two more gold medals to take his collection up to five.

The 35-year-old operates now at a  point in the national consciousness that his surname should become a verb denoting determination to maintain high standards and success.

Haul

And the 16th gold – to beat the haul of 15 at Atlanta in 1996 – came on the penultimate day of competition in the taekwondo courtesy of Althéa Laurin who, as a young girl, was supposed to have signed up for karate lessons.

A Mexican wave rolled around the Grand Palais as she contested the last seconds of her final against Svetlana Osipova from Uzbekistan. An explosion of cheers greeted her triumph as the first French gold medallist in taekwondo.

“Winning has brought a lot of joy and gratitude to the people who supported me during the day of competition and the people I have worked with for so many years,” said Laurin.

In her two visits to the Olympics, she has brought bronze and gold. And at 22, there is the prospect of more hardware – as its called in the trade.

“We wanted to be in fifth place in the medals table in Paris,” said David Lappartient, head of the French National Olympic Committee.

“These were the goals we set ourselves and we got there. Congratulations to the French athletes, who made us live out these dreams.”

Factor

Léon Marchand’s four gold medals, including two in the same evening, in the swimming pool during the first week dynamised the fervour.

Of the 64 prizes that France has garnered, there have been medals in judo, cycling, fencing – the sports where the French have traditionally been strong – but also in table tennis.

Félix Lebrun won an individual bronze and then linked up with brother Alexis and Simon Gauzy to claim bronze in the team event at the expense of the Japanese. Still some way to go though to topple the Chinese who dominated the men’s and women’s events.

Praise

Sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castera was at pains on Sunday to stress the idea of the teams behind the athletes.

She paid tribute to the transport workers, volunteers, security services who have looked after the 1.6 million visitors to events. There was especial praise for the organising committee led by the former Olympic canoeing champion Tony Estanguet.

“I felt that during this whole Olympic adventure that we’ve been on the top of a gold mine,” said Oudéa-Castéra.

“Firstly with the ideas of having the opening ceremony along the river Seine, swimming events in the river and surfing in Tahiti.

“From the beginning it was visionary, bold and ambitious,” she addded.

“But to get gold you have to have a gold mine and we had this and we’ve delivered it to the world. It’s a great achievement.”

The self-basting follows some dry analysis. French organisational skills were under the microscope following the debacle at the Champions League final in May 2022 when Liverpool fans were wrongly accused of trying to storm the ticket barriers, doused in pepper spray by police and also assaulted by gangs of local thugs.

Review

The nadir brought several inquiries led by senior politicians who said there had to be better coordination between the security services and managers of venues to allow the flow of crowds.

Two years after the Champions League final, organisation has had no serious glitches. Public relations have also stepped in. Scenes of police officers dancing with fans have gone viral.

“These Olympic Games involve both great French medals and a great gold medal for the ministry of the interior and the security forces,” said Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin during a visit to officers in Marseille in southern France.

Yet the afterglow will go. And awaiting in the icy hinterland? Political discord and dodgy dictums from politicians of all hues.

President Emmanuel Macron, who attended several of the gold medal-winning performances, must oversee the appointment of new prime minister following the parliamentary elections in July that left none of the three main blocs with a majority.

At a reception in Paris on Monday, Macron thanked all those who helped make the Olympics a “success”, saying that members of law enforcement had kept athletes and spectators safe.

He insisted that the Olympic Games showed the world “the true face of France”. 

Solution

The looming political conundrum may well be solved in the interregnum between the Olympic and Paralympic Games which begin on 28 August.

His political clout waning, Macron’s vision for future French performances might also be in jeopardy if subsequent administrations refuse to invest the hundreds of millions of euros that have been spent in the push to fifth place in the medals table.

But while she is in the hot seat, Oudéa-Castéra says the president’s plan, which has clearly been successful in 2024, will prevail.

“We’re going to continue to support research and create the right conditions for our athletes to give their all,” she added.

“It’s not just about sport in the strict sense of the word. It’s about supporting the athletes materially and in terms of support and socio-professional follow-up, so that they can build up their portfolios, so that they can plan their school and university careers, and open the doors to tomorrow’s business and public services.

“They need to have peace of mind when it comes to retraining after they’ve finished their high level careers. That’s what enables athletes to express the best of themselves in the field of play.”

The usual array of thanks and formalities wrapped up the Paris swing of the Olympic bandwagon.

It’s next port of call will be the glamour and glitz of Los Angeles in 2028. Organisers operating in a city that houses the Hollywood film industry should be able to serve up a mega-blockbuster or at the very least a gripping action adventure.

And if they don’t, we’ll always have Paris.

Marie, ensconced on a stool a few metres from Le Mondial’s counter and awaiting a drink, readily conceded she had been an Olympics doomsayer. “Well, I am a Parisienne,” she added with un petit soupcon of self-mockery to justify the default cycnicsm.

“Nothing was ready. There was political turmoil and I was sceptical that it would be a success.”

Céline Dion’s first apperance after a four-year battle with a voice-threatening illness to belt out Edith Piaf’s song “L’hymne à l’amour” from the Eiffel Tower had turned her back from the dark side of the discourse.

“I was in tears,” Marie admitted. “And I don’t even like Céline Dion. It was the same for all my friends.”

Converted since that explosion of emotions at the opening ceremony, the 44-year-old was in  café with her former London flatmate Dejan, who was visiting Paris from the Slovenian capital Ljubliana.

The duo had acquired last minute tickets at 170 euros apiece to go to the boxing at Roland Garros and the athletics at the Stade de France.

“It was worth it,” said Dejan. “I tried to get tickets before but could not manage it.

Chance

“I normaly wouldn’t go to watch athletics but it was the Olympics and that makes it worthwhile. We had good weather and it was brilliant.”

On the other side of the road, Le Chateau d’Eau was doing a brisk trade with non Olympics junkies. The Sunday evening vibe distinctly chilled.

Jose Abadia and his friend, Guillaume, were among the early arrivals at Le Mondial to establish a prime position slap bang in front of the screen.

“I’m a fan of the Olympic Games,” said Jose who had been to the football, taekwondo and volleyball.

“I would have liked to have gone to the BMX riding. The volleyball was great. It’s a sport that I like.”

Guillaume, a nurse, added: “I’ve watched the Games whenever I could. I work on night shifts and I haven’t been able to go to any events because of that.

Like Marie a few metres away, he had been impressed by the opening ceremony.

“I was very proud to be French which is something that hadn’t happened to me like that. It was a very inclusive ceremony and it was really good.

Familiarity

“The Games have been in a city we know and it was heartwarming to see it in all of the places we know. It’s certainly not the end of the problems but it was nice.”

President Emmanuel Macron and the politicians will return to the Sturm and Drang of political life with French athletes basking in the glow of their haul of 16 gold medals among the 64 acquired since the Games started along the river Seine in torrential downpours on 26 July.

Just over a fortnight later of a balmy August evening, songs from Phoenix, Kavinski and Air helped the Paris extravaganza move into legend as thousands of athletes milled around the centre of the field filming and taking selfies while the 2024 supremos went through the formalities of passing on the show to Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles who was accompanied by the American gymnast Simon Biles.

“A wave rose and it has taken over the country and the entire world,” said Tony Estanguet, the boss of the Paris Olympics organising committee.

“We ave seen images that will stay with us in the history of Olympism.”

Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committe, which oversees the Games, quipped: “These were sensational days from the beginning … dare I say it “Seine” sational.”

Such rapier wit from the German gold-medal winning fencer.

View

Compatriot Valerie Haenol watched Bach’s slick stream intently. The 71-year-old physiotherapist had arrived on the Eurostar train in Paris from Cologne on Friday afternoon without tickets to see any of the events.

“I couldn’t get time off work before and I just wanted to be in Paris,” she beamed. “I’ve just been trying to get a bit of the atmosphere.”

A trip on Saturday morning to watch the marathon runners pass led into a spot of sightseeing and mingling among the amateur athletes who had taken part in Saturday night’s Marathon for All along the Olympic marathon course.

“I was last here in Paris with my son in 2006,” she added. “I came because it was Paris.”

Olympics over, she said a few more days of visiting the tourist hotspots ensued before returning home to Bruhl on Thursday.

“I was talking to a man who lives in Saint Denis, she added. “He talked about the traffic and not being able to get around.

“I know it has been difficult for people who live here but for us as foreigners it is great.”

When Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris picked Tim Walz as her vice-presidential running mate for the November elections, she described him as “a battle tested leader who has an incredible track record of getting things done.

“I know that he will bring that same principled leadership to our campaign, and to the office of the vice president,” Harris said as she geared up for the party’s convention, set for 19 August.

Harris’ choice of Walz (60) is clearly made to counter Trump’s VP pick, the young JD Vance (39,) who rose from the ranks of poor working class, middle America seen as crucial to tip the balance in the upcoming elections.

‘Hillbillies’ take centre stage

Vance was raised in Middletown, Ohio. He joined the Marines and served in Iraq, and later earned degrees from Ohio State University and Yale Law School. He also worked as a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley.

He first rose to national prominence with his bestseller Hillbilly Elegy, which was published in 2016, coinciding with Trump running for his first presidency.

The book found a place in the New York Times bestseller list, and introduced life of the “redneck” working class of Appalachian America to New York businessmen and San Francisco intellectuals.

The book (which was also turned into a Netflix movie starring Amy Adams and Glen Close) describes life at society’s underbelly, and recounts how Vance was brought up be his tough talking, gun toting grandmother as his mother was facing problems with heroin addiction.

The book got the attention of Trump, who thought Vance was ideal to garner support from working class people.

Initially, Vance was a “never Trump” Republican in 2016. He called Trump “dangerous” and “unfit” for office.

Vance, whose wife, lawyer Usha Chilukuri Vance, is Indian American and the mother of their three children, also criticised Trump’s racist rhetoric, saying he could be “America’s Hitler”.

But by the time Vance met Trump in 2021, he had reversed his opinion, citing Trump’s accomplishments as President. Both men downplayed Vance’s past scathing criticism.

“What you see is some really profound opportunism,” said David Niven, an associate professor of politics at the University of Cincinnati who has worked as a speechwriter for two Democratic governors.

One issue where his position lines up with Trump is abortion.

Vance implied in a 2021 interview that victims of rape and incest should be required to carry pregnancies to term, and in November he described a vote by Ohioans to add the right to abortion care to the state’s constitution as a “gut punch.”

• Trump makes triumphant appearance at party convention after shooting
• Biden chose interest of his country, says speaker of French parliament

Diametrically opposite views

Born in West Point, Nebraska, Tim Walz joined the Army National Guard and became a teacher. He and his wife moved to Mankato in southern Minnesota in the 1990s, where he taught social studies and coached football. Walz also served 24 years in the Army National Guard, rising to command sergeant major.

Walz’s views are diametrically opposite to those of Vance and Trump. He  signed legislation supporting abortion rights, cancelled virtually all of Minnesota’s restrictions, while adding protection for patients coming in from states where abortion is banned.

He fought to promulgate legal protection for Minnesota’s LGBTQ+ rights on gender-affirming health care, obtained tax credits for below-the-povertyline families with children and free school meals for all kids regardless of family income.

Walz legalised recreational marijuana for adults, restored rights of convicted felons to vote upon release from prison while his wife Gwen used her position to push for gun safety measures, including universal background checks.

Walz himself comes from a relatively modest family, his father being an army veteran and school superintendent.

“Tim Walz is exactly what JD Vance is pretending to be,” according to MSNBC political commentator Claire McCaskill.

While Trump and Harris have agreed, in principle, to hold their first debate on 10 September, no dates have been set yet for the two candidates for the vice-presidency.

Turning tide?

One thing is certain, since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race last month, Kamala Harris has turned the race for the White House upside down, raking in donations and erasing Trump’s lead in the polls.

Trump is described in US media reports as angry at how his campaign is now performing against Harris and how it dominates news coverage.

He is also reportedly unhappy with Vance, who has been described as a lackluster public speaker and making a poor impression with voters.

According to the latest polls released on Saturday, Harris now leads Trump with an identical 50 percent to 46 percent margin in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, all considered crucial battleground states.

(With newswires)

Every year between May and October peak flow on the Nile is accompanied by torrential rains, destroying homes, wrecking infrastructure and claiming lives, both directly and through water-borne diseases.

The impact is expected to be worse this year after nearly 16 months of fighting that has displaced millions of people into flood zones.

In Wadi Halfa, in the north of the country, near the Egyptian border, “around 3,000 homes and health facilities were severely damaged,” according to local authorities.

Meanwhile, the UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency, said in a statement that at least 11,000 people, many of them already displaced, have been affected by the heavy rains and flooding.

Much of the country has descended into a humanitarian crisis since fighting began over a year ago between the military and a powerful paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF. Some of the most devastating violence and displacement has been in the country’s western provinces of North Darfur and Darfur.

• UN warns of unprecedented hunger catastrophe in Sudan

A July report on hunger conditions released by the The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, found it likely that parts of North Darfur especially the Zamzam camp, are experiencing “the worst form of hunger” known as IPC Phase 5. The IPC said the famine conditions in Zamzam camp were fueled by the conflict and “severely restricted humanitarian access.”

Humanitarian disaster

The Norwegian research group ACAPS already predicted the current situation in a report published last June, that stated that “Sudan is anticipating severe humanitarian challenges during the 2024 rainy season, influenced by conflict and environmental factors.”

The ACAPS analysis observed that increased rainfall could cause flooding, which would in turn ruin Sudan’s agriculture, a potential humanitarian disaster for a nation at the risk of sever famine.

ACAPS warned that floods could also advance the spread of mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and prevent aid agencies from reaching more remote areas of Sudan, such as White Nile State on the border with South Sudan.

(With newswires)

The Chadema leaders were arrested in the southwestern city of Mbeya, where the party was due to hold a rally on Monday to mark International Youth Day, Chadema’s director of communications and foreign affairs John Mrema told French news agency AFP on Sunday.

He said that around 500 youth supporters had also been arrested by police as they were making their way to the Mbeya gathering and were being escorted back home.

Tanzanian police had announced Sunday a ban on the Chadema youth gathering, accusing the party of planning violent demonstrations.

The youth wing had said about 10,000 youngsters were expected to meet in Mbeya to mark International Youth Day under the slogan “Take charge of your future”.

Chadema leader Freeman Mbowe said he “strongly” condemned the arrests of his deputy Lissu, secretary general John Mnyika, zonal chair Joseph Mbilinyi and leaders of the youth council.

Return from exile

“We demand the immediate and unconditional release of all our leaders, members, and supporters who were arrested in various parts of the country,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.

“The party is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to inform the public of every development step by step.”

Chadema officials had on Sunday denounced the police ban and called on President Samia Suluhu Hassan to intervene.

Samia Suluhu Hassan sworn in as Tanzania’s first female president

Since taking the helm in 2021 after the sudden death of president John Magufuli, Hassan has moved away from her predecessor’s authoritarian policies and embarked on political reforms, including relaxing some restrictions on the media and the opposition.

In January 2023, she lifted a ban on opposition rallies imposed in 2016 by Magufuli, in an overture to political rivals seeking the restoration of democratic traditions.

Lissu had returned to Tanzania soon after Hassan lifted the ban, ending five years spent largely in exile following a 2017 assassination bid.

Police ban

In March 2022, Mbowe was freed about seven months after he and other Chadema leaders were arrested just hours before the party was to hold a public forum to demand constitutional reforms.

Announcing the ban on Sunday, Awadh Haji, Tanzania’s police chief in charge of operations and training, said the force had “clear indications that their aim is not to celebrate the International Youth Day but to initiate and engage in violence”.

Lissu had on Sunday vowed that the youth event would go ahead as planned.

Tanzania’s opposition rallies against ‘cosmetic’ electoral reforms

“President Samia, don’t bring Magufuli’s strange ways. International Youth Day is celebrated globally. Why are your police blocking Chadema youth on the road and arresting them?” he said on X.

“This is not a time to stay silent, be afraid, or just talk. It’s a time to stand up and be counted. Let’s raise our voices with all our strength!”

Tanzania is due to hold presidential and parliamentary polls late next year.

(with AFP)

In a decree that was published last week, the role in government of 40-year-old Nour El Fath Azali was reinforced, requiring that all decrees issued by ministers and governors must from now on be approved by the government secretary general before they are officially published and enacted.

Nour El Fath – who is Assoumani’s eldest son – was appointed secretary general in July.

A government lawyer said the decree was merely a structural reform formalising the role of secretary general as coordinator of government affairs.

• Former coup leader Assoumani wins disputed Comoros presidential vote

According to government spokeswoman Fatima Ahamada: “If it were not for Nour El Fath Azali, this decree would not have drawn any attention.”

But critics say it elevates the role of Nour El Fath – who has been the private advisor to his father since 2019 – to that of de facto prime minister.

‘Monarchic practices’

Assoumani, a former military ruler who came to power in a coup in 1999, was re-elected as president in January after a disputed vote that was followed by two days of deadly protests.

Since then, he has been accused of growing authoritarianism.

According to the constitution of the Indian Ocean archipelago of three islands and about 850,000 people, the president is head of state and head of government. 

• Comoros President sworn in for fourth term after disputed poll

With this new decree, Assoumani is giving his son “presidential and constitutional prerogatives that resemble monarchic rather than democratic practices,” said exiled opposition politician Said Larifou.

For constitutional rights expert Mohamed Rafsandjani, it notably means that decrees issued by the governors of the Comoros’ three islands must be approved by the secretary general and marks a significant increase in authority.

True to the rumours, Tom Cruise performed a “death-defying stunt”, abseiling from the Stade de France roof – a sure highlight of the night.

After taking the flag from gymnast Simone Biles, Cruise then “transported” it to Los Angeles, host of the 2028 Games, in a pre-filmed sequence that traversed the streets of Paris and the hills of Hollywood.

All this while the Red Hot Chili Peppers played in the background, their performance beamed live into the Stade de France from Los Angeles.

The band’s performance was swiftly followed from a very sunny California by performances from Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre.

Cauldron extinguished

The ceremony began in the Tuileries Gardens where French quadruple gold medallist swimmer Leon Marchand — one of the home heroes of the Games — extinguished the cauldron and took the flame in a lantern to the stadium.

An estimated 9,000 athletes were in attendance, along with 270 performers, for the final act directed by Thomas Jolly, the mastermind of the spectacular opening ceremony that took place on the River Seine.

The spectacle kicked off with a golden figure at the centre of the show – lowered from the roof of the Stade de France before gliding across the stage on the pitch.

The so-called “Golden Voyager”, the IOC told us, landed “in a world that is deserted and mysterious, ready to explore”.

In a choreographic ballet, the figure discovers the Olympic rings, which are excavated out of the floor and hoisted into the air.

At the same time, French pianist and opera singer Benjamin Bernheim sang the Hymn to Apollo, while Alain Roche played on a piano while being suspended vertically in the air.

• Hollywood ending for Paris Olympics as LA enters the spotlight

‘Stade de Dance’

Paris organisers nickname the stadium the “Stade de Dance” as French band Phoenix get the music started with their rendition of Lisztomania, before as tearing into their second song, 1901 with the help of Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig.

French artists Angèle and Kaminsky, and Cambodian rapper Vannda also made appearances.

In a speech, president of the Paris organising committee, the three-time canoe Olympic champion Tony Estanguet said: “To you, athletes, what can I say? We knew you would be brilliant, but you were magic.”

France finished fifth in the medal table, with 16 gold, 26 silver and 22 bronze for an overall tally of 64.

“You made us happy, you made us feel alive. On behalf of billions of sport lovers across the five continents, thank you very much,” Estanguet added.

Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee and 1976 fencing Olympic champion, carried on the speech fanfare.

“Millions of people celebrating the athletes in the streets of Paris and all across France,” he told the crowd.

“The Olympic Games Paris 2024 were a celebration of the athletes and sport at its best. The first Olympic Games delivered fully under our Olympic Agenda reforms: younger, more urban, more inclusive, more sustainable. The first ever Olympic Games with full gender parity.

Olympic flag lowered

The Olympic Anthem was performed by the Maîtrise de Fontainebleau and the Orchestre Divertimento while the Olympic Flag was lowered.

It was passed from Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo to Bach and then to Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles, which will hosting the next Olympics in 2028.

Before the end of the night, French swimmer Leon Marchand featured once again at the Stade de France to raptuous applause.

That was followed by French singer Yseult brining the show to a close with a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s My Way.

The French women’s basketball team delivered the delegation’s 64th medal when they took silver after their final defeat against the US, the highest number since the 1900 Games – also held in Paris – when fewer nations competed, and some events were only contested by French athletes.

With 16 golds, France also beat their tally from Atlanta 1996 of 15 gold medals, and their 64 medals overall easily eclipsed their Beijing 2008 tally of 43.

• Race to retain the Olympic cauldron begins as Paris Games come to an end

“This result is an exceptional result,” Claude Onesta, High Performance Manager at the French National Sports Agency, told a news conference on Sunday as France finished fifth in the medals table.

“I wanted share our big satisfaction, with results that reflect the structural strength of our nation,” sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera added.

On X, the sports minister expressed her pride in the French women’s basketball team’s achievement, saying: “Well done girls for your exceptional tournament. You were giants!”

Marchand and Riner shine

Two athletes in particular shone and gave the host country a huge boost in confidence, as swimmer Leon Marchand and judoka Teddy Riner claimed four and two golds respectively, and sent the crowds wild across the capital.

Team sports also contributed with seven medals – one more than in Tokyo – although the handball defending champions, women and men, lost their titles.

• Hollywood ending for Paris Olympics as LA enters the spotlight

Although expectations were not high, the major disappointment came from the athletics, where France only managed one medal.

“It’s a disappointing result, but there are still glimmers of hope behind it,” Romain Barras, High Performance Director at the French Athletics Federation, told a news conference without elaborating.

A’ja Wilson scored a game-high 21 points for the Americans who won the title for the 10th time overall, surviving a buzzer-beating shot from France’s Gabby Williams.

The hosts needed a three to force overtime in Paris but Williams’ foot was on the three-point line as she let go of the ball, so her shot counted for just two points in a dramatic finale.

“It’s all a blur right now,” said Wilson, who also registered 13 rebounds and four blocks.

“We were just resilient and when we needed to we just kept going.”

Kelsey Plum and Kahleah Copper both scored 12 points off the bench for the US. Williams led France with 19.

An eighth straight triumph gave the US women the record for most consecutive gold medals in any team sport at the Olympics, breaking a tie with the US men, who won seven basketball titles in a row from 1936 to 1968.

“That was an absolutely incredible basketball game. Two teams that left it all out there,” said US coach Cheryl Reeve.

“Coming home with gold, I can’t think of anything greater in life than what we just did together.”

For the 42-year-old Diana Taurasi it was a record sixth Olympic gold, moving her one ahead of Sue Bird.

The US women got support from LeBron James, who sat courtside wearing his gold medal and was joined by team-mates Bam Adebayo and Derrick White, after they won the men’s gold by beating France 98-87 in Saturday’s final.

It was the first time in Games history the men’s and women’s finals featured identical match-ups.

Frantic finish

A low-scoring first quarter saw a cold-shooting France muster just nine points, but the US only fared marginally better and led by six after 10 minutes.

Nevada-born Williams, who qualifies to play for France through her mother, trimmed the gap to a point with a three early in the second period before a basket from Valeriane Ayayi tied the game at 20-20.

Marine Fauthoux drained a three from near midcourt with the shot clock expiring to send the Bercy Arena crowd wild, but Napheesa Collier’s putback ensured the teams headed into the break level at 25-25.

France strung together a 10-point run to start the third period as Fauthoux and Ayayi both nailed threes.

The US hit back to lead 45-43 going into the final quarter, with Plum connecting on a pair of threes, one after Marine Johannes took a nasty blow from Wilson that went unpunished, to France’s fury.

Wilson belatedly found some rhythm offensively after a difficult first half, but France had an answer each time and went back in front, 51-49, on Marieme Badiane’s layup.

The US nudged back ahead, Wilson getting a kind bounce off the backboard and Plum sinking a pair of free throws to leave them leading by three with two minutes to play.

Williams’ jumper made it a one-point contest before Copper drove to the basket to keep the US on top.

A travelling call against Wilson gave the ball back to France with around 45 seconds left, but Fauthoux’s desperation three came up well short under pressure from Breanna Stewart.

Wilson then made a free throw to extend the lead to four and Plum looked to have clinched the win with a pair of foul shots, but Williams kept France alive with a clutch three.

Copper held her nerve to sink two more free throws for the US to restore their cushion to three.

They needed every point as Williams nearly pulled off a miraculous escape act as the buzzer sounded, only to be denied by a matter of centimetres.

The unique version of the Olympic flame, located in the Tuileries Gardens between the Louvre Museum and Concorde obelisk, has been one of many innovations for this year’s Games.

The seven-metre ring of flame is not actually fire, but is made up of clouds of mist lit by LED rays, built by French energy firm EDF and powered by 100-percent renewable.

Each night at sunset, it is drawn up into the sky for two hours by a 30-metre helium balloon, coated in light-reflecting satin paint.

All 10,000 daily slots to watch it rise up-close have been booked out until the end of the Games on Sunday, and it will return for the Paralympics at the end of the month.

The “real” Olympic flame – transported from Greece to France – is installed a few steps from the cauldron in a lantern sheltered by a display case.

Now, many politicians are talking about making the cauldron a permanent addition to the Paris skyline. 

The decision lies with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.

He told reporters last week that the idea “would be a dream for many people” and that his team would “look at all that in due time”.

• France ‘happy’ and ‘united’ in success as Paris Olympics draw to an end
• Hollywood ending for Paris Olympics as LA enters the spotlight

‘Long-term destiny’

It was an idea first floated by Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, who told France 2 television she was “very keen” on keeping it.

“I’m not the one who decides since it is on the site of the Louvre, which belongs to the state. So I wrote to the president,” she said.

That has already sparked some competition, with the head of the wider Paris region, Valerie Pecresse, suggesting it could be shifted to the Parc de La Villette on the edge of the city if it cannot stay in the Tuileries. 

The huge popularity of the new landmark – with thousands coming daily for selfies – has been a surprise for its designer, Mathieu Lehanneur.

“It touches me deeply, which I had not expected, or at least not to this extent,” he told reporters. 

“It’s an inverted sunset: the ritual and daily elevation of the Olympic sun. The support was immediate. We had thought about it and designed it to be absolutely recyclable after the Games and now we are considering a long-term destiny for it,” he added. 

Grand Palais, hey hey

The partisans were giving it a right go for the local heroine Althéa Laurin who was competing in the women’s +67kg category. Up and down they stomped and rompedbellowing: “Qui ne saute pas n’est pas français, hey! hey!” And if even if you initially don’t understand the words, things become clear viscerally. And the Grand Palais was the apt venue for the grand moment: Laurin winning at the expense of Svetlana Osipova from Uzbekistan. It was France’s first gold medal in the sport. Also the country’s 16th gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games. That eclipsed the haul of 15 at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. Everyone stuck at around to see 22-year-old Laurin go up onto the podium and get a chance to sing the national anthem. 

Kingpins

Well, at 22, Laurin could be around for a while. So too Britain’s Caden Cunningham and Ariane Salimi from Iran. At 21 and 20 respectively, they fought out the Olympic final for the men’s +80kg category. Salimi won the battle 2-1. Could we be seeing a rivalry à la Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in tennis? “Perhaps more Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo,” Salimi smiled. 

Double wonders

Before Althéa Laurin took France to gold medal number 16, the men’s volleyball team had pushed the tally to 15 following a straight sets win over Poland at the South Paris Arena to retain their title. Men’s and women’s volleyball was introduced at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Not surprsing really since the Japanese women’s volleyball team was quite extraordinary. Les Sorcières de l’Orient was made a few years back highlighting their 1964 Olympic title-winning feats and the techniques of their coach Hirofumi Daimatsu. The Soviet Union won the inaugural men’s competition and also four years later. The United States repeated the double in 1984 and 1988. France can join that pantheon.

Long way to go

Still some way to go for the men’s vollyball team when compared to say the Chinese men’s table tennis team (five on the trot) or the United States men’s basketball side who beat France 98-87 at the Bercy Arena to extend their hold to five consecutive titles. The American team, to be fair to the rest, is packed with operators from the NBA like Steph Curry and Lebron James. Men’s basketball entered the Olympic realm in 1936 in Berlin. The United States won that one and overall have taken 17 of the 21 competitions contested. France are taking on the US in the women’s basketball final on Day 16. Now if the French were to win and stop an eighth consecutive American victory and clock up a 17th gold … they’ll be singing La Marseillaise into next week.

Play it anyway

Worrying times for supremos at the French athletics federation. Cyrena Samba-Mayela won silver in the women’s 100m hurdles to register the only French success in track and field events at the 2024 Games. At the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, French athletes also won one medal – that too was silver and came in the men’s 4x400m. At least it’s not deteriorating. With French medals flying around in other sports, questions are bound to be asked of the athletics bosses. Really, what are those noises at the Chateauroux shooting range?

In a ceremony attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, China’s BYD car company signed an agreement to build a billion-dollar factory in Turkey.

The factory will produce 150,000 vehicles annually, mainly for the European Union market.

Analysts say the July deal marks a turning point in Turkish-Chinese relations.

“The significance of this deal is Turkey would be considered as a transition country between China and the EU,” Sibel Karabel, director of the Asia Pacific department of Istanbul’s Gedik University told RFI.  

“This deal has the potential to reduce the trade imbalance, the trade deficit, which is a detriment to Turkey,” he adds, “Turkey also wants to reap the benefits of China’s cutting-edge technologies by collaborating with China.”

Sidestepping tariffs

China’s pivot towards Turkey, a NATO member, is also about Beijing’s increasing competition for global influence, especially with the United States.  

Karabel says the planned BYD factory offers a way for China to avoid the EU’s new tariffs on vehicles.

Turkey is already a part of China’s global investment strategy through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Beijing has shown interest in Turkey becoming a trade route from China to Europe through Ankara’s Middle Corridor Intiative.

But until now, such collaborations have until been just empty words, claims Ceren Ergenc a China specialist at the Centre for European Policy Studies.  

Turkey set on rebuilding bridges with China to improve trade

“When you look at the press statements after meetings, you don’t see Chinese investments in Turkey, and the reason for that is because China perceives Turkey as a high political risk country in the region,” Ergenc explains.

One of the main factors widely cited for Beijing’s reluctance to invest in Turkey is Ankara’s strong support of China’s Muslim Uyghur minority.

Ankara has been critical of Beijing’s crackdown on Uyghurs, offering refuge to many Uyghur dissidents. Their Turkish supporters fear Beijing’s billion-dollar investment in Turkey could be part of an extradition deal struck during Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s recent visit to China.

“There are rumors, of course, that the Chinese side is pressing for the ratification of this extradition agreement, that they would want Uyghurs in Turkey, some of them at least, to be returned to China to be tried in China,” warns Cagdas Ungor of Istanbul’s Marmara University, referring to people China considers to be dissidents or “terrorists”.

Common ground over Gaza

Elsewhere, Ankara and Beijing are finding increasing diplomatic common ground, including criticism of Israel’s war on Hamas.

“If you take, for instance, the Gaza issue right now, Turkey and China, and even without trying,” observes Ungor, “they see eye to eye on this issue. Their foreign policies align, overlap, and their policy becomes very much different from most of the other Western countries.”

Carmakers unhappy after EU hits China with tariffs on electric vehicles

For example, Ankara welcomed last month’s decision by Beijing to host Palestinian leaders amid an escalation of threats and bombardment by Israel.

Such a move can provide common ground, Ungor suggests, and this could be the basis for future cooperation.

“There are certain issues at a global level, at the regional level, that China seems to be a much better partner(to Turkey) than the Western countries,” he concludes.

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday. This week, you’ll hear musical requests from your fellow listeners Hossen Abed Ali, Karuna Kanta Pal, and Jayanta Chakrabarty.

Be sure you send in your music requests! Write to me at thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “How Long”, written and performed by Jackson Browne; “Top of the World” by John Bettis and Richard Carpenter, performed by The Carpenters, and “Mademoiselle Chante le Blues” by Didier Barbelivien, sung by Patricia Kaas.

Be sure and tune in next week for a “This I Believe” essay written by RFI Listeners Club member Rodrigo Hunrichse.   

In this episode we hear from the artist and from Hoor Al-Qasimi, director of the Sharjah Art Foundation and the president of the Africa Institute, Sharjah, UAE, who helped organise the London retrospective.

Jantjes’s formative years in Cape Town coincided with the early years of South African apartheid, an his journey has since embodied a quest for artistic emancipation, with a freedom not bound by the Eurocentric gaze or expectations of black creativity.

For Jantjes, this quest has meant a life of itinerant exile manifesting in multiple careers.

Structured into chapters, To Be Free! explores his engagement with anti-apartheid activism from the 1970s to the mid-1980s, his transformative role at art institutions in Europe, his compelling figurative portrayals of the global black struggle for freedom, and his recent transition to non-figurative painting.

This retrospective also provides insights into Jantjes’ curatorial initiatives, written contributions, and wider advocacy, which had a significant impact on both African and African diaspora art on the global contemporary art scene.

It coincides with the 30th anniversary of the end of apartheid in South Africa.

The exhibition is at the Whitechapel Gallery, London (12 June – 1 September 2024), after opening at the Sharjah Art Foundation from 18 November 2023 to 10 March 2024, and was organised in collaboration with The Africa Institute, Sharjah.

---

Episode mixed by Erwan Rome. 

Spotlight on Africa is a podcast from Radio France Internationale. 

July saw major military drills in Armenia between Armenian and United States forces.

“Politically, it is exceptionally relevant; they are four or five times larger than last year,” explains Eric Hacopian, a political analyst in Armenia, who notes the range of US divisions mobilised for the drills. “It’s not about peacekeeping.”

The military exercise, dubbed “Eagle Partner“, is part of Yerevan’s wider efforts to escape its Russian neighbour’s sphere of influence, Hacopian believes.

“These are serious exercises, and they were followed up with the news that there is going to be US permanent representation in the Ministry of Defence of Armenia as advisors to join the French who are already there,” he noted.

“Essentially, there is no other play but to join the West.”

France, Russia stand on opposite sides of Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict

Armenia is also seeking to reduce its economic dependence on Russia, pressing Turkey to open its border and providing a new gateway to Western markets for the landlocked country.

Ankara closed the frontier in 1993 after ethnic Armenian forces seized the contested Azerbaijani enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. However, with Azerbaijani forces recapturing the enclave last year, analysts say the opening of the border could now align with Turkey’s goals to expand its regional influence.

“The normalisation of the relationship with Armenia would allow Turkish policy in the Cacasus to acquire a more comprehensive dimension today. That’s the missing element,” said Sinan Ulgen, an analyst with the Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies, a think tank in Istanbul.

“Turkey obviously has very strong links to Azerbaijan and very good relations with Georgia, but not with Armenia,” he explained. “And that’s a predicament, as we look at Turkey’s overall policy in the Caucasus.”

Leverage

Washington is working hard to broker a permanent peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. “A deal is close,” declared US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of July’s NATO summit in Washington.

Last week, Turkish and Armenian envoys held their fifth meeting aimed at normalising relations. However, with critical issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan unresolved, Baku sees Turkey’s reopening of the Armenian border as important leverage.

In principle, both Azerbaijan and Turkey are in favour, claims Farid Shafiyev, an Azeri former diplomat and now chair of the Centre of Analysis of International Relations in Baku.

“However, we believe at this stage, as we have not signed a peace agreement, it might send a wrong signal to Yerevan and Armenia that we don’t need to come to an agreement about the core issues – the mutual recognition of territorial integrity,” he said.

Can Turkey tip the balance of power in the Caucasus conflict?

Meanwhile Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has developed close ties with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, and is ruling out opening the border until Baku’s demands are met.

Turkish arms were key to Azerbaijan’s recent military successes against Armenian-backed forces. “Azerbaijan is where it is, in good part because of Turkey’s military assistance, intelligence assistance and all that,” argues Soli Ozel, who teaches international relations at Istanbul’s Kadir Has University.

But Ozel says Baku is dictating Ankara’s Caucasus policy. “It is befuddling to me that Turkey cannot open the borders with Armenia, which Armenia both needs and wants, because of Azerbaijan’s veto,” he said. “Especially if indeed Azerbaijan, for one reason or another, believes that its interests are once more in turning toward Russia.”

With Azerbaijan’s Socar energy company Turkey’s biggest foreign investor, Baku retains powerful economic leverage over Ankara – meaning any hope of reopening the Turkish-Armenian border appears dependent on the wishes of Azerbaijan’s leadership.

Hello everyone!

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear a “My Hero” essay by listener Bidhan Chandra Sanyal from West Bengal, India.  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 Bidhan Chandra Sanyal’s essay: 

Hello, I am Bidhan Chandra Sanyal from West Bengal, India. Today I would like to share with you the story of a man whom I greatly admire, Kailash Sharma.

Kailash Sharma was born on January 11, 1954, in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, India.  He is an electrical engineer by profession, but he did not work as an engineer – instead, he engaged in social service work.

Appalled by the plight of child slavery across South Asia, in 1980 Sharma founded Bachpan Bachao Andolan – the Save Childhood Movement – to fight against the evil of child labor and slavery which has been socially accepted and widely practised in the region for generations.

As the saying goes: “The farmer’s child or the king’s potter all have work in this world.”  But a child’s work should be tailored to children, in the home.

Far too often, harsh reality takes them on another path. Disrespect, neglect or severe rule towards children are not right. When a child is forced to take the lead in financial hardship, to meet the family’s food needs, he frequently endures inhuman torture through child labor. They become the victims of malnutrition, illiteracy, and poor education. They cannot enjoy what should be a normal childhood – instead, childhood is a burden.

The goal of Kailash Sharma’s Bachpan Bachao Andolan movement is to create a child-friendly society, where all children are free from exploitation and receive a free and quality education. It aims to identify, liberate, rehabilitate and educate children in servitude through direct intervention, child and community participation, coalition building, consumer action, promoting ethical trade practices and mass mobilisation.

It has so far freed close to 100,000 children from servitude, including bonded labourers, and helped in their re-integration, rehabilitation and education.

Due to Sharma’s hard work, the Child Protection Act came into effect in India in 2012.  India’s Supreme Court ordered that any complaint of torture against child laborers be registered immediately.  Kailash Sharma has received many awards in recognition of his work: the Achina National Peace Prize, the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Prize, the Alfonso Comin National Prize and a medal from the Italian Senate.

And then, in 2014, he received the world’s highest award: The Nobel Peace Prize.

There is hope: Light can come from darkness. A total of 365 villages in our 11 states in India are now child labor free.  Kailash Sharma’s work has inspired and created change not just in India, but all across the globe. 

Kailash Sharma is my true hero.

Thank you for listening.

The music chosen by Bidhan is “Brishtir Gaan”, written and performed by Aditi Chakraborty.

Be sure and tune in next week for a special “Music in the Kitchen”, featuring your musical requests. Talk to you then!

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.”

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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.

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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.