That the S13 world record holder Ihar Boki claimed the spoils to add the prize to his golds in the 100m butterfly and the 100m backstroke seemed irrelevant to the 13,000 partisans around the pool.

Alex Portal led for most of the race for swimmers with visual impairments. Boki went ahead of the 22-year-old Frenchman just before the turn for 350m and the 30-year-old Belarusian surged clear in the final 50m to take the course in three minutes, 58.37 seconds and rack up a 19th gold medal over four Paralympic Games.

Portal was nearly two seconds behind the legend. His 17-year-old brother pipped Kyrylow Garashchenko to the bronze to the delight of the flag-waving French fans.

Challenge

“I said to myself: ‘This is my moment. In front of the Paris crowd, I’m obliged to do the 50m of my life.’ said Kylian Portal.

“And I think that’s what I did. I managed to get this bronze medal.”

Kylian added: “Each time I win a medal, I have the feeling that Alex is prouder for me than he is for himself when he wins.”

Their father, Frédéric, was simply delighted.

“We would never have believed that the two of them would be on the same podium,” he told RFI. “It was magical.”

On Friday, Alex Portal claimed bronze in the 100m backstroke and silver – behind Boki – on Thursday in the 100m butterfly.

“Only Alex or Kylian on the podium would have been tough,” added Frédéric Portal; “But I’m extremely proud. Before the race, the most important thing for me was that they were not disappointed at the end.”

Reward

It was an otherwise barren third night of competition for French swimmers. However, their British rivals excelled winning three of the night’s 15 finals.

Stephen Clegg started the ParalympicsGB gold rush in the men’s 100m backstroke S12.

The 28-year-old finished in a world record time of 59.02 seconds.

William Ellard won the S14 men’s 200m freestyle also with a world best of one minute, 51.30 seconds. Nicholas Bennett from Canada was second and Jack Ireland from Australia claimed the bronze.

Three years after claiming bronze in the S10 100m backstroke at the Tokyo Paralympics, Alice Tai won gold over the same distance in the S8 class at the Paris Games.

Tai, 25, completed her race in one minute, 09.06 seconds. Viktoriia Ishchiulova was some six seconds behind in second and Mira Jeanne Maack from Germany was third.

The United States picked up two golds and Gabriel Geraldo dos Santos Araujo won his second gold of the Games for Brazil.

On Thursday the 22-year-old won the men’s 100m S2 backstroke. On Saturday night, he claimed the 50m S2 backstroke in 50.93 seconds.

In the 17th century, Parisians frequently swam in the Seine, often in the nude, until authorities banned the practice. By 1923, all urban swimming in the Seine was prohibited for health and safety reasons due to increased river traffic in Paris.

A century later, in the summer of 2025, three sites in the heart of Paris will open for free to experienced swimmers.

These locations will be at Bras Marie, between the Sully and Marie bridges near the Marais on the right bank; at Bras de Grenelle, near the Eiffel Tower on the left bank, between the Grenelle port and the Île aux Cygnes; and upstream at Bercy, around the Passerelle Simone de Beauvoir between the Tolbiac and Bercy bridges.

“I really like the idea of swimming in the Seine, having heard about the recent work to clean it,” said Henry Gibbs, a set designer from Bristol, in the UK, who moved to Paris six months ago.

“I’d love it if I was able to swim here,” added his friend James Griffiths, lounging in black boxer shorts with a book on a deck chair at Bras Marie.

Griffiths, a photographer from Bristol now settled in Paris, said: “The most annoying thing in summer is having to travel outside the city, down to the river at Fontainebleau, to go swimming.”

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo takes plunge in Seine, signalling river is ready for Olympic events

Olympic boost

The Paris Olympic Games accelerated the City Hall’s long-term project of making the Seine swimmable. A total of 110 triathletes and 55 marathon swimmers participated in five open-water events held in the river, despite training sessions being cancelled and the men’s triathlon postponed due to heavy rainfall degrading the water quality.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo even dived into the Seine on 17 July to demonstrate that the water quality met Olympic standards.

The Olympics’ success strengthened the resolve of the state, the City of Paris, and others, to make swimming in the Seine a reality by July 2025 during the two-month Paris Plages summer events.

Paris Plages transforms the Seine’s banks and two canal locations into a summer oasis, offering various free activities, deck chairs, and parasols.

“I come to Paris Plages every summer,” said Eliza, an assistant lecturer in Paris. “At the moment, I don’t think I would dive in the Seine. I still feel it might be a little unclean.”

Efforts to improve water quality date back to the 1980s. Today, 34 species of fish thrive in the Seine, compared to only two 40 years ago.

Climate change

With increasing heatwaves, Paris’s initiative to open its waterways to swimming is a sustainable response to global warming and extreme heat.

The three future river swimming spots, along with the two existing sites on the canal, provide a much-needed respite for a capital city with over two million residents.

“In other major cities in Europe, you can swim in the rivers. Paris is among the only ones I know where you can’t swim in the middle of the city,” Gibbs said.

“It would be really beneficial if you could do that here in Paris, at Paris Plages.”

Monitoring the river

Opening the Seine to swimmers during summer is a €10 million project subject to strict oversight by authorities before being deemed safe.

Antoine Guillou, Paris’s deputy mayor in charge of sanitation, said ongoing discussions are taking place with the Regional Prefecture and the Regional Agency for Health.

Turning the tide: Olympic organisers hope to make murky Seine swimmable again

“The City of Paris will submit a dossier in the coming months to both institutions. The final word belongs to the Regional Prefecture. It’s the institution which will decide what the conditions will be in order to swim in the Seine in 2025.”

Once approved, Guillou said two types of tests would be regularly conducted.

The first is a laboratory test to assess E. coli and Enterococci bacteria levels, which indicate sewage or faecal pollution in the river, with results available within 24 hours. The second involves using the ColiMinder or Fluidion tool to monitor bacteria levels in the Seine in real time.

Infrastructure

Swimming areas in the Seine will be different from the four existing pools in the canal, at Bassin de la Villette.

In the canal, water flows naturally into the pools through holes on the sides, and the pools, of varying depths, are enclosed with flat floaters at the bottom.

In the Seine, there will be no enclosed pools; the swimming experience is intended to be as “natural” as possible, with lifeguards on duty.

Floaters will mark the boundaries for swimmers while protecting them from the usual river traffic.

Layla, a Californian working for a start-up in Paris, remains unconvinced. “I run near Canal Saint Martin sometimes, and I saw people swimming in there one day. To be honest, I found that gross,” she told RFI.

However, she and her friend Eliza said they might “dip their toe in” if they saw others diving into the Seine.

Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan described August’s second round of indirect talks in Ankara between his Ethiopian and Somali counterparts as constructive and positive.

“We were able to focus on the details and technicalities of concrete steps that are important convergences on some major principles and specific modalities”, Fidan said.

“This constitutes notable progress.”

While there was no breakthrough, all sides agreed to meet again in September.

Controversial deal 

Ethiopian-Somali tensions have escalated since January, when Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland, a breakaway state from Somalia.

Under the agreement, Ethiopia would secure sea access in exchange for recognising Somaliland, a deal condemned by Somalia as an infringement on its territorial integrity.

“Ethiopia needs access to a coastline”, said Dubai-based geopolitical consultant Norman Ricklefs.

“It’s the second-largest country in Africa. It’s a booming economy. And, somehow, that deal needs to be made, but it’s not going to be easy because of the previous deal earlier this year with Somaliland.”

Ricklefs predicts that finding a solution will require considerable diplomatic finesse.

“It’s not going to be easy to convince the Somalis to grant that [Ethiopian demands], feeling that they’re under pressure right now because of the deal that was previously done with Somaliland,” he said.

“But I think Turkey is probably best placed, as they have a very close relationship with both Ethiopia and Somalia.”

Somalia recently threatened to block access to Ethiopian Airlines in the latest bout of diplomatic tensions. Meanwhile, Egypt could reportedly deploy soldiers to Somalia, a move that threatens to further escalate and broaden tensions, given existing Ethiopian-Egyptian conflicts.

Ethiopia and Somalia move closer to resolving Somaliland dispute

Deepening influence

The situation between Somalia and Ethiopia is expected to be discussed during Wednesday’s summit in Turkey, where Egyptian President Sisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are set to meet.

Africa expert Elem Eyrice-Tepecikoglu from the African studies department of Ankara’s Social Sciences University said Turkey’s historical and deepening economic and military ties with both Somalia and Ethiopia give it an advantageous position in its mediating efforts.

“Somalia has a very important place in Turkey’s Africa policy. Turkey has established its largest embassy in Somalia’s capital, and it also established its largest military training facility, again in Somalia,” said Tepecikoglu.

“But Turkey also has old and established relations with Ethiopia as well. There are several investments of Turkish companies in the country, and Turkey also signed a military cooperation agreement with Ethiopia. Reportedly, Turkish drones were used against the Tigray rebel forces.”

Growing military buildup in Azerbaijan and Armenia a concern for peace talks

Economic, military stakes

Earlier this year, the Somali parliament ratified a naval agreement with Turkey to protect its territorial waters and a deal to search for hydrocarbons. Turkey is second only to China in investment in Ethiopia, including selling its military-proven drones.

Analysts suggest that there is more than diplomatic prestige at stake for Ankara in resolving Ethiopian-Somali tensions, given the region’s potential and geostrategic importance as a critical world trading route.

“There’s a reason why the Horn of Africa has American military bases and Chinese military bases. The Japanese even have a base in that area. All of them think the Horn of Africa is a pretty significant region for global shipping,” Ricklefs said.

“It’s a region that has not been developed. It has hydrocarbon resources and other resources like agricultural resources that have not been developed and would need networks and infrastructure that a country like Turkey could provide if there was security and stability.”

Ethiopian and Somali talks are set to resume in September. Success would underline Turkey’s growing influence in a region of increasing international competition, while failure could threaten two decades of Turkish investment in the region.

Published every five years, this latest analysis paints a grim picture of the world’s largest coral reef system, which is struggling to recover from its fifth mass bleaching event in eight years.  

Despite a slight improvement in the condition of some fast-growing coral species, the reef’s overall prospects remain “very poor”, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) said in its 600-page report. 

“While recent recovery in some ecosystem values demonstrates that the reef is still resilient, its capacity to tolerate and recover is jeopardised by a rapidly changing climate,” it said, emphasising that any recovery is fragile at best. 

The assessment lays bare the worsening condition of the reef, driven by rising ocean temperatures, severe tropical cyclones and the increasing frequency of mass coral bleaching events. 

Rising threats 

Bleaching occurs when heat-stressed corals expel the symbiotic algae that lives within them, leading to a ghostly white appearance and, in many cases, death. 

Marine scientists in June told RFI of their deep concern for the survival of corals of the Unesco heritage-listed site, given that species typically resistant to bleaching are now also struggling.  

The GBRMPA report confirms their fears, showing that the recent marine heatwave, which brought sea surface temperatures to a peak of 2.5°C above average, has caused unprecedented damage across all three regions – northern, central and southern – of the Great Barrier Reef. 

Earlier this year, Neal Cantin of the Australian Institute of Marine Science, who led a team of researchers conducting aerial surveys along the 2,300-kilometre length of the reef, told RFI 2024 had delivered the worst bleaching event on record. 

Almost two-thirds of the reef was struck, including the southern third, an area previously thought to be more resilient due to its typically cooler waters.  

Great Barrier Reef bleaching crisis ‘like a bushfire underwater’

Warmest oceans 

The repeated bleaching of Australia’s reef comes as the warmest ocean temperatures in history, fuelled by El Nino, drive an ongoing mass bleaching of the world’s corals. Experts say more than 60 percent are suffering. 

They have described bleaching events as “underwater bushfires”, reflecting the catastrophic impact on coral reefs – often described as the rainforests of the sea due to their incredible biodiversity. 

However, the GBRMPA said that climate change was not the only threat bearing down on the Great Barrier Reef.  

Unsustainable fishing practices, pollution from coastal development, sediment runoff from agriculture and outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish were combined pressures found to be severely degrading water quality and further diminishing the reef’s health. 

France to map genes of underwater species to help protect its vast sea life

Final neon glow 

The report also sheds light on a phenomenon observed during severe bleaching events: corals sometimes emit a vibrant, final burst of colour – bright pinks, blues and greens – as they struggle to survive.  

This dramatic display is a last, desperate attempt to stave off death. Despite the initial burst of brilliance, the majority of corals that experience severe bleaching do not recover. 

A survey from Australia’s Lizard Island, in the northern reaches of the Great Barrier Reef, revealed that over 97 percent of the fluorescing corals had perished just three months after heavy bleaching.

Known for its vibrant marine biodiversity and typically clear waters, the island is now a barometer of the reef’s broader health crisis and the devastating impact of prolonged thermal stress. 

Monaco’s ‘virtual dive’ of Australia’s Barrier Reef encourages ocean protection

Call for action 

The GBRMPA warns that without substantial global efforts to reduce emissions, the Great Barrier Reef will continue to deteriorate, with its window for recovery rapidly closing.  

It stresses the urgent need for governments – including Australia, a major exporter of fossil fuels – to address greenhouse gas emissions, enhance conservation efforts, combat starfish outbreaks and restore damaged ecosystems. 

“Future warming already locked into the climate system means that further degradation is inevitable,” the report said. “This is the sobering calculus of climate change.”

Many of the works selected for the annual photo festival in Perpignan, now in its 36th year, have to do with exclusion, poverty and life on the margins.

“When we hear Trump or Orban speeches and all these populists who make exclusion a key part of their programmes, we think it’s important to draw the public’s attention to that,” Jean-François Leroy, the festival’s director, told French news agency AFP.

Poverty across borders

A multi-year reportage by Pierre Faure explores the theme of poverty in France, while Karen Ballard and Brenda Ann Kenneally look at the decline of the American empire – photographing the other side of Venice Beach, California, or the misery of a working-class family in New York State.

Other photographers turn their lens on walls built to keep out or repel others.

Alejandro Cegarra captures the barriers encountered by migrants in Mexico, while Mugur Varzariu spotlights the segregation of Roma people in Romania.

Leroy praised the “varied” and “heterogeneous” view of events offered by the photographers.

Even after 36 years, he said, “I’m always pleasantly surprised by the proposals I receive”.

Photographs lift the lid on Japan’s underground 1950s tattoo scene

Capturing conflict

Other series present scenes from some of the year’s most intense conflicts.

Anastasia Taylor-Lind’s images show life a few miles from the front in Ukraine, Corentin Fohlen captures the shock of gang violence on the streets of Haiti, and John Moore photographs the merciless war waged on drug traffickers in Ecuador.

The festival has also reserved a special place for the Middle East, riven by the Israel-Hamas conflict since the attacks of 7 October 2023, with two exhibitions on Gaza and the West Bank.

Frozen in time: reviving 19th-century technique to photograph Ukraine war

Elsewhere, the focus is on the year’s biggest sporting event: the Paris Olympics. Some of the most memorable images taken by AFP’s roughly 70 photographers bring the Games back to life. 

From 2 to 7 September, eight Visa d’Or awards will be presented, including the top prize for news reporting, as well as four grants and six other prizes to support the work of photojournalists.

(with AFP)

► Visa pour l’Image runs from 31 August to 15 September 2024.

Their third round match at the US Open in New York ended 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 to the 25-year-old Australian.

The second seed’s departure came a day after the third seed and hot favourite Carlos Alcaraz was eliminated in the second round by world number 74 Botic van de Zandschulp.

“It was crazy. Results like that happen,” said Popyrin. “I thought to myself: ‘Why not me today?’”

Popyrin, who had lost all three of his encounters with the Serb, was assisted by a distinctly off-colour Djokovic who served 14 double faults in their three hour tie.

“I have played some of the worst tennis I have ever played, honestly,” Djokovic said. “Serving – by far – the worst ever.

“It was just an awful match for me,” the 37-year-old added. “I wasn’t playing even close to my best.

“It’s not good to be in that kind of state where you feel OK physically but you just are not able to find your game. I guess you have to accept that tournaments like this happen.”

Challenge

Djokovic had been attempting to become the first player in tennis history to win 25 Grand Slam singles titles.

Instead, after knee surgery in June, he will the season without claiming at least one of the most prestigious trophies at the Grand Slam tournament venues in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York for the first time since 2017.

However, he did win gold for Serbia for the first time at the Olympic Games in Paris.

“Obviously, it had an effect,” Djokovic conceded. “I spent a lot of energy winning the gold, and I did arrive in New York just not feeling fresh mentally and physically.

Effort

“But because it’s the US Open, I gave it a shot and I tried my best. I didn’t have any physical issues. I just felt out of gas. And you could see that with the way I played.”

Popyrin said he sensed that Djokovic was unusually lacklustre but expected him to improve.

“I didn’t want to be one of those moments where Novak kind of stepped up and came back from two-sets-to-love down,” the 28th seed added.

“That was going through my head.”

Popyrin will try to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final by ousting the local hero Frances Tiafoe.

The 26-year-old American progressed following his five-set victory over his compatriot Ben Shelton. Tiafoe beat the 13th seed 4-6, 7-5, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3.

“If he serves well, plays well, he can beat anybody,” Djokovic said about Popyrin.

“Look, Alcaraz is out. I’m out. Some big upsets. The draw is opening up.”

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 12 September. We expect to be bombarded with entries from the English speakers!

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

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 counseled 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.  Please keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our excellent 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. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!

This week’s quiz: On 6 July, I asked you a question about France’s snap legislative elections, called by President Emmanuel Macron after his centrist party was severely trounced by the far-right National Rally Party in the European legislative elections.

The first round of voting was on 30 June; voter turnout was quite high. You were to consult RFI English journalist Jessica Phelan’s article “The three-way factor that makes France’s election results so unusual” and send in the answer to these two questions: What was voter turnout on Sunday 30 June, and in which year was it last that high? 

The answer is: As Jessica wrote in her article: “The last three parliamentary elections have seen turnout of roughly 48 percent (2022), 49 percent (2017) and 57 percent (2012) in the first round, which effectively meant parties had to win a higher share of ballots cast to get across the threshold.

On the 30th of June turnout reached almost 67 percent – its highest since 1997.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “Given unlimited resources, what scientific or medical problem would you investigate, and why?”

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Lata Akhter Jahan from Bogura, Bangladesh. Lata is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations, Lata, on your double win.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Ras Franz Manko Ngogo, the president of the Kemogemba RFI Club in Tarima, Tanzania, and Nirupa Bain, a member of the RFI Pariwer Bandhu Shortwave Club in Chhattisgarh, India.

Last but not least, two RFI Listeners Club members: Sakawat Hossain from Sylhet, Bangladesh, and Solomon Fessahazion from Asmara, Eritrea.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Polovtsian Dances” from the opera Prince Igor by Alexander Borodin, arranged for marimba ensemble by Fumito Nunoya and performed by the Nunoya Marimba Ensemble; “I’ve Got Rhythm” by George Gershwin, performed by Django Reinhardt and the Quintette du Hot Club de France; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and  “Un jour tu verras” by Georges van Parys and Marcel Mouloudji, sung by Mouloudji.

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 “Paralympic torch arrives in France ahead of opening ceremony”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 23 September to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 28 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.

Click here to learn how to 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,  

According to Unapei, an association that represents people with intellectual disabilities and their families, the shortage of support means many children spend six hours a week or less in school.

The week before French schools reopen on 2 September, the organisation warned in a statement of serious disparities in access to education across France.

In the Eure department of Normandy, for instance, some 27 percent of children supported by Unapei’s local branch receive six hours or less of schooling, while the figure is as high as 40 percent in Hérault in southern France, and 50 percent in the centre-west department of Sarthe. 

“The new school year is about to start and there are many children, thousands of children, who have problems going to school or who aren’t in school at all,” Sonia Ahehehinnou, Unapei’s vice president, told RFI.

The consequences can last a lifetime, she warned: “Going to school a little bit is not the same as going to school. If you don’t fully enter into learning, if you’re not in the right place, you can’t develop and you can’t build your future.”

Inclusive ideals meet reality

The French system operates on the principle that pupils with disabilities should be integrated where possible into regular classes rather than educated separately – though, as Ahehehinnou explains, that’s a challenge.

“On the one hand you have inclusion, which favours school attendance, socialising, access to equal education and participation in society,” she said.

“However, some children have very specific needs, which require adaption and much more personalised support from different professionals and in different domains. And this expertise isn’t always available within the school itself.”

She points to a lack of training and resources for staff in mainstream schools, as well as a shortage of places in specialised institutions – “for which pupils might be waiting anywhere between one and 10 years”.

Podcast: Educating the disabled, a challenge in France

‘True nightmare’

One of the main barriers, according to Unapei, is a lack of trained learning support assistants for students with special educational needs, known in France by the acronym AESH. 

Among nearly a thousand testimonies gathered by the association, some parents recounted that they still didn’t know by August whether their child would be assigned an assistant for the return to school in September.

Others described waiting years for a place in specialised facilities, or struggling to get more than a couple of hours a week in dedicated units within mainstream schools.

Having waited for a place in a designated facility for three years and with no specialised units available, the parents of one 12-year-old boy in Nantes reported that he was about to enter a regular class for his age group – despite having the reading and writing level of a six year old.

“He has learning difficulties and a class of 30 pupils where you switch teachers and classroom every period would be a true nightmare for a child who needs routine,” they wrote on Unapei’s online platform for sharing personal experiences, Ma Rentrée (“My return to school”).

Reforms promised

Some 470,000 children with disabilities were in education in France at the start of the last school year, according to the Education Ministry, two-thirds of them with learning support – though it does not specify how many hours a week such pupils spend in school.

The government promised in May to launch several new initiatives during the coming school year, including multifunctional “school support centres” where children can access specialised teaching and equipment as well as speech therapy, physiotherapy, psychological support and other services.

The government also pledged to improve training for educators and assign AESH assistants to support children during lunch breaks. 

However, with a caretaker administration in charge after France’s inconclusive parliamentary elections, those reforms are now in doubt.

“We were already worried about various measures that had been in the pipeline for years, and now we’re very concerned, and angry too,” commented Unapei’s Ahehehinnou.

“Under a caretaker government projects risk being put on standby, important projects that were supposed to be implemented from the start of the school year, and other projects will be cancelled. We don’t know who to turn to, or how things are going to go for children who are already in difficulty or for those who are just starting school now.” 

Repeated failings

Activists have slammed France for years over its record on disability issues, ranging from education to transport to health care. 

Last year the Council of Europe, the EU’s human rights watchdog, condemned France for failing to respect fundamental disability rights set out in the European Social Charter, after Unapei and three other associations brought a joint complaint.

Council of Europe rules France violated charter on disabled people’s rights

Since then, there have been high-profile promises but no concrete improvements, the associations say.

Ahehehinnou hopes the Paris Paralympics might finally help focus more attention on the issue.

“Education isn’t a competition, it’s a challenge the state has to meet,” she told RFI. “And they have to do it today, urgently.”

After five days of talks in Tonga, a “cleared” communique was released Friday that reaffirmed a 30-year-old agreement allowing Taiwan to take part in the Pacific Islands Forum.

But the wording immediately raised the ire of Chinese diplomats, who piled pressure on Pacific leaders to amend the document.

The forum reissued the communique without explanation Saturday morning, conspicuously deleting the paragraph concerning the bloc’s “relations with Taiwan”.

The original paragraph, titled “Relations with Taiwan/Republic of China,” said leaders had “reaffirmed” the 1992 decision that paved the way for Taiwan’s participation in the forum.

Exclude Taiwan

Beijing has aggressively sought to exclude Taiwan, a self-governing island of more than 23 million people, from international bodies and rejects its autonomy.

Solomon Islands, China’s main partner in the South Pacific, has lobbied for Taiwan to be stripped of its “development partner” status with the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).

A spokesperson from New Zealand’s foreign ministry told AFP on Saturday there had not been a consensus on the paragraph in question.

“There are a range of views among the 18 Pacific Islands Forum members and part of the Pacific way is respect for different views and the importance of consensus,” the spokesperson added in a statement.

In the past five years, Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Nauru have all been persuaded to switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing.

In 2022, the Solomons signed a security agreement with China, causing concern in the US and Australia and France that Beijing might want to expand its naval operations. The territory of France’s New Caledonia borders the one of the Solomon Islands.

• China expands military might as far as French borders with Solomon Islands pact

Apart from the Taiwan controversy, the PIF resulted in more pledges for the Pacific-led climate change adaptation fund, the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF), as well as a promise by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to organize a fundraising event. The PRF has $137 million, but leaders want to reach $250 million by January.

Earlier in the week, PIF leaders unveiled a plan to create up to four regional police training centres and a multinational crisis reaction force, backed by $271 million in initial funding from Australia.

France, its territory New Caledonia and PIF leaders also agreed to the terms for a PIF fact-finding mission to New Caledonia, where unrest continues over escalating grievances between Paris and the Indigenous Kanak community.

• Pacific Island leaders endorse joint policing plan

(With newswires)

Wenjuan Huang, 19, and Yucheng Jin, 16, fought off the German veterans Juliane Wolf and Stephanie Grebe to claim the prize in the WD14 category.

They won 11-4, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8 in 31 minutes at the South Paris Arena.

“It feels so good,” Huang told the International Table Tennis Federation website.

“I never imagined I could get a gold medal. This was a very good start for the whole Chinese team.”

Of her burgeoning rapport with Jin, she added: “We practise very hard and we are good friends, too. We will be even better friends after winning this gold medal together.”

Huang competed at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo where she won silver in the singles and gold in the team event.

Jin, who was playing at her first Paralympic Games, started competing internationally last year.

“Jin played very well,” said Grebe magnanimously. “The match was very close but they were just a little bit better at the end,” added the 36-year-old who took silver and bronze in the S6 singles at the Rio and Tokyo Paralympics respectively.

“We had our chances,” Wolf said. “And that’s why I’m a little disappointed.”

The 36-year-old added: “If you have a chance to win a Paralympic final, of course you want to do this.”

Triumph

Shortly after Huang and Jin’s triumph, Jing Liu and Juan Xue upset the top seeds Su Yeon Seo and Jiyu Yoon from South Korea.

The Chinese duo won 11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9 to claim the WD5 gold and burnish their respective legends.

Both players have won every event they have entered in their Paralympic careers.

Liu, 36 secured the first of her nine golds at the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing. Xue had collected four in Rio and Tokyo.

The victories helped to push the Chinese overall medal tally to 25, including 12 golds.

Britain lie second in the table with six golds among their harvest of 15. Hosts France slipped from third at the end of the first day to seventh.

French Paralympic chiefs have targeted eighth place at the end of competitions on 8 Setpember. 

Elsewhere on the second day of action, the United States – which dominated the medals table at the Olympic Games – won its first gold at the Paralympics.

The success came at Paris La Défense Arena where Gia Pergolini defended her crown in the women’s 100m backstroke S13.

Pergolini, 20, finished in one minute, 04.93 seconds. Roisin Ni Riain from Ireland claimed the silver and the Italian Carlotta Gilli collected the bronze.

The Paralympics, which got underway on Wednesday, are counting on the incredible energy generated during the two weeks of the Olympics, which drew enthusiastic crowds both inside the venues and in the public fan zones around the capital.

One of the largest areas open to the public is at the Hôtel de Ville, or town hall, in the heart of the city.

The building’s ornate stone façade are festooned with banners in the Paris 2024 palette of pale pink, green, beige and shades of blue, while the flagstones of the plaza out front have been covered with bright blue mats, sports equipment and shaded seating areas to welcome around 2,500 people at a time.

Léo, a young instructor who works for the local parasports committee in the greater Paris region, runs workshops in wheelchair basketball and sitting volleyball.

He’s happy to see parasports edging further and further into the limelight, thanks in part to the excitement around the Paris Games.

“I have a twin brother who is disabled so I have always been in contact with parasports. It is very rewarding and nice to see young people with disabilities enjoying sports,” he told RFI.

Requests for workshops to raise awareness in schools and communities have noticeably increased, he says.

Who are the French athletes competing in the Paris Paralympic Games?

A chance to explore

Nearby, teams of kids in red and green jerseys and eye masks are getting instructions on how to play blind football. Some of them are tourists visiting from Slovenia and Germany.

The workshops are run by members of Femix’Sport, an association which promotes diversity and women’s representation in sports federations.

Thiphaine Meriot, the group’s development and communications manager, says that the workshops at the city hall fan zone are an ideal opportunity for people from different social groups to mix – regardless of age and background, and whether or not they have a disability.

She says that people are surprised and curious to learn the rules of blind football, in which visually impaired players seek to score goals guided by a ball with a bell inside.

Only the goalkeeper is allowed to have full sight, while assistants near the goalposts can help give vocal instructions to the other players.

“I thought that blind football was quite well known, but in fact it’s not,” Meriot says. “We can tell that people are not familiar with it, so they discover it here.

“The more we have these kinds of workshops, the more we can help people discover new and challenging sports.”

Accessibility gaps

Not only are the Paralympics a chance to highlight the talents of remarkable athletes, organisers are also hoping to address issues of discrimination, inclusiveness and accessibility in wider society.

Alain, a volunteer at the Games, spends his days scooting around the fan zone in his electric wheelchair, showing visitors around.

Although he is proud to see Paris hosting such a high-profile event, he admits that a lot needs to be done to improve accessibility, especially when it comes to public transport.

“Only the automatised metro line 14 is fully accessible at all stations,” he says, adding that the tram network is in better shape because it was built more recently, while public buses now have special ramps.

But the suburban RER train network is unfortunately lagging behind, he says, as only a few of the stations have been upgraded. These lines serve several Paralympic sites outside the city, such as the equestrian arena at the Château de Versailles.

“Of course we can call on someone [from the station] to help us, but that means that we are not independent. I find that unacceptable in 2024. We should be independent like everyone else,” Alain says.

Paris metro accessibility a ‘weak spot’ ahead of Paralympics

Shifting priorities

A total of 18 of the 35 Olympic venues will be reused during the Paralympics, albeit with minor modifications to better suit parasports.

International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons told French news agency AFP earlier this year he hopes the Paris edition will help make the issues facing people with disabilities a higher global priority.

Parsons said he believes the Games “will have a big impact in how people with disability are perceived around the world”.

He argued that disability had fallen behind sexual and gender identity in recent years.

“We do believe people with disability have been left behind,” he said. “There is very little debate about persons with disability.”

Splash stance

The schedule was revamped for the para triathlon after forecasts showed inclement weather. All 11 medal events will be held on Day 4 instead of Day 4 and 5. “The decision was taken to provide athletes and coaches with as much certainty as possible,” said the organisers. This type of stuff revives memories over the many splendoured changes during the Olympics. Essentially heavy rains cause sewage to flow into the river which leads to a rise in bacteria levels and very unaesthetic objects in the river.

Wave of success 

Raoua Tlili from Tunisia won her seventh Paralympic title by claiming the F41 shot put category. It was her country’s first medal at the Paralympics. Tlili, 34, who competes in the petite category, was a strong favorite for gold – she has held the world record since the Tokyo Games in 2021. Her second throw of 10.40m secured the crown ahead of Kubaro Khakimova from Uzbekistan. Antonella Ruiz Diaz won the bronze medal with a season’s best throw of 9.58m.

New same old

Doubles has been off the agenda in para table tennis for a few decades. But the Paris 2024 organisers have put it back in. And lo and behold, the first two golds in the doubles since the 1976 Paralympic Games in Toronto went to … China. 

Fight for top spot

The Chinese and the Americans battled for supremacy at the top of the medals table during the Olympic Games. Athletes from both countries won 40 but the US eventually claimed the bragging rights because they had more silver and bronze. It doesn’t look like it will be anything like the same breathless struggle during the Paralympic Games. China have racked up 25 medals in two days and 12 of them shine gold. The US got its first gold on Day 2. Still a few more days to go.

Really?

Word reached the review about a poll that reported 88 percent of people questioned believed that the Paralympics opening ceremony was good. Operatives were charged with going out among the great unwashed to glean the views. The vast majority – that’s 87 percent – of the 1,189 souls quizzed thought it was a whizzer idea to launch the para sports fest along the Champs Elysées and Place de la Concorde. We’ve been watching the Paralympics action and haven’t had enough time to dive into the survey to find out how many people thought it was ace to charge between 150 and 700 euros to go and watch the show.

The environment ministry said it will cull 83 elephants, 300 zebras, 100 eland antelope, 100 blue wildebeest, 60 buffalo, 50 impala and 30 hippos from parks and communal areas where animal numbers have exceeded available grazing land and water supplies.

The ministry said the severe drought throughout southern Africa has strained human-animal relationships, necessitating this intervention to avoid conflict.

“This exercise in necessary and is in line with our constitutional mandate where our natural resources are used for the benefit of Namibian citizens,” the ministry said.

The culled animals will provide meat for vulnerable people trouble feeding themselves due to the drought. Professional hunters and companies contracted by the government have already hunted 157 animals, yielding more than 56,800 kilograms of meat.

Namibia declared a state of emergency in May over the drought and exhausted 84 percent of its food reserves last month, the United Nations said. Nearly half of Namibia’s population is expected to face high levels of food insecurity in the coming months.

Namibia is part of a conservation area spanning five countries, including Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and Angola, home to more than 200,000 elephants. Hundreds of elephants died in Botswana and Zimbabwe last year due to the drought.

The animals to be culled will come from Namib Naukluft Park, Mangetti National Park, Bwabwata National Park, Mudumu National Park and Nkasa Rupara National Park.

“Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to resuming and strengthening collaboration, with a view to ensuring regional stability and security,” said a Nigerian military statement on Thursday, a day after the nations’ defence chiefs signed a memorandum of understanding in Niger’s capital, Niamey.

Ties between the two countries soured after Niger‘s junta toppled Mohamed Bazoum in a military coup in July 2023.

The coup also fractured the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), casting doubt on the region’s ability to combat Islamist violence effectively.

Ecowas threatened to invade Niger if diplomatic efforts to restore its democratic government failed.

Nigeria’s army chief, General Christopher Musa, stated he was prepared to intervene if Ecowas requested and was “sure of victory”.

The threat of intervention prompted Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali to pull out of the 15-country bloc in January.

Claiming Ecowas had failed to assist them in addressing Islamist violence, the three Sahel nations subsequently signed a military pact, forming a parallel body known as the Alliance of Sahel States.

Despite the tensions, Niger has remained part of a Nigeria-led multinational joint task force (MNJTF) combating Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region, though it has limited its participation.

Under the agreement signed on Wednesday, Niger “reaffirmed its readiness to reume active participation in security cooperation under the Multinational Joint Task Force”, said the Nigerian statement.

The leaders of Nigeria and Niger’s armed forces are expected to meet again soon in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.

(with newswires)

Artisanal gold mining is booming in Kédougou, a region in southeast Senegal where the Falémé river flows.

Over the past 20 years, miners from 19 African countries have flocked there in search of fortune.

Unfortunately, the mercury, lead and cyanide used in the gold extraction process have polluted the river, upon which thousands rely for farming and livestock.

Scientific studies have detected toxic substances in wells, water tables, agricultural products and even in the bodies of livestock and humans.

“This worrying situation calls for strong measures on the part of the national authorities to find a fair solution to the incessant complaints from people living along the river” said Senegal’s Ministry of Mines in a report last week.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko issued a decree suspending all mining activities on Senegalese territory up to 500 metres from the river’s left bank until 30 June 2027. The issuance of new mining permits has also been suspended.

A matter of national security

The Falémé river flows from the highlands of Guinea, along a significant portion of Senegal‘s border with Mali, and into the Senegal river.

It was once home to diverse species of fish and mammals but is now in urgent need of restoration said a 2024 report in the Journal of Water Resource and Protection.

A study by the Senegalese NGO Wassaton found that the number of illegal mining sites along both the Senegalese and Malian sides of the Falémé had risen from 600 to 800 in 2021.

Wassaton’s president, Adama Ndiaye, said that Chinese companies and traditional gold panners have set up these sites on both banks of the river.

“They’re in pick ups and L200 vehicles, using excavators and they don’t live in the area,” he told the Senegalese Press Agency.

PM Sonko said suspending all gold-panning activities to combat pollution was a “matter of national security”. But he acknowledged it was a difficult issue “because the solution does not depend on Senegal alone”.

“We share the river with our neighbour [Mali],” Sonko said. “And that’s why, during our recent trip to Mali, we raised the issue with the authorities. There is gold panning on the other side too, using the same products, notably mercury.”

In 2014, Senegal designated a zone where artisanal gold mining was authorised in an effort to regulate the activity. The army has dismantled at least three illegal gold-panning sites since April this year.

The government says it’s relying on the armed forces to enforce the temporary ban.

However, Senegalese authorities are unsure who the illegal gold panners are or where they are operating said Oudy Diallo, head of the non-profit Kédougou Alerte Environnement.

This makes it difficult to conduct a proper census “because we have no control over the comings and goings of gold miners from the sub-region” he told RFI.

Gold mining in Ivory Coast: Locals fear water contamination in eastern regions

‘Protectors of the Falémé’

Environmental activist Diallo says the suspension has been welcomed by people living along the Falémé, who are ready to assist the authorities in enforcing the decree.

“We need the population, the village chiefs, to get involved,” he said. “We are all protectors of the Falémé.”

He acknowledged that locals cannot arrest the gold panners themselves but suggested they could contact local authorities to ensure security forces intervene and remind miners they no longer have the right to mine gold.

Diallo is also calling for an independent audit of mining permits, which he claims were granted “without ever being subject to an environmental impact study.”

Most of the gold extracted is sold in Mali, where prices are higher – one gram of gold in Senegal can fetch 31,000 CFA (51 USD) while in Mali it can exceed 40,000 CFA (67 USD).

The effectiveness of the ban will also depend on whether Malian authorities can implement similar measures on their side of the river – a difficult task given Mali’s military-led government since the 2020 coup and ongoing struggles with jihadist violence.

(with newswires)

With Friday’s deadline approaching for European Union members to offer nominees for von der Leyen’s 26-person team, 16 of the 21 names known so far are men.

After her re-election in July, the European Commission president had asked states specifically to give her a choice of one male and one female candidate.

Not a single country has done so. As it stands, as few as six women may hold posts in the next EU executive, including von der Leyen herself and the nominee for foreign policy chief, Estonia’s outgoing prime minister Kaja Kallas.

The European Women’s Lobby, an umbrella group working toward gender equality in the bloc, said the situation was indicative of an “old boys’ club” mindset, calling it “beyond embarrassing”.

“If member states truly believe only men are fit for these roles or that there are no qualified women in their countries, they’re not just out of touch – they’re delusional,” the group’s spokesperson Mirta Baselovic told French news agency AFP.

Equality ambitions

Lina Galvez, chair of the European Parliament’s committee on gender equality, said the numbers suggested a clear lack of “political will” from member states that sent a “very bad signal, especially to younger women and girls”.

At the root of the situation is a power play between von der Leyen and European capitals that may well back goals like gender parity on paper, but in practice resist having their hands tied in any way.

• EU adopts laws to ensure more women are appointed to company boards

Von der Leyen made gender equality a priority of her first term, and between them she, Kallas and European Parliament president Roberta Metsola clinched an unprecedented three of four top EU jobs following the bloc’s latest parliamentary elections.

But short of a radical shake-up, her ambition for a gender-balanced commission – which steers EU policy on issues of trade to climate and migration – already looks dead in the water.

Standoff looms

Von der Leyen now faces a choice, according to EU law professor Alberto Alemanno: accept the list and put the nominations to parliamentary hearings planned for September and October, or send states back to the drawing board.

Members of the European Parliament won’t pull any punches, Alemanno told AFP: “There’s a risk that instead of voting down four or five commissioners, they might vote against half of them.”

If von der Leyen instead puts her foot down, “she avoids finding herself in a position of weakness,” he said. “And it’s a chance to assert her independence.”

The commission president has the authority to make a stand, according to Alemanno. “The question is more a political one – whether she will choose to exercise that prerogative.”

Alternatively, von der Leyen could turn down some of the male candidates presented to her one by one, using the promise of choice portfolios as leverage with individual member states.

‘Bare minimum’

The European Women’s Lobby said it was counting on the commission chief to “stand firm”, calling it her “prerogative and responsibility to ensure that the EU leadership reflects the diversity of its population”.

“This isn’t a radical ask – it’s the bare minimum,” spokesperson Baselovic said. 

• Gender gap at work far wider than expected, UN says

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the European Commission insisted that Von der Leyen “stands by her conviction that in the modern world, we need to have as many women as possible in positions of responsibility”. 

“She is doing everything in her power in order to ensure that we have a well-balanced college with people who are competent for the role of commissioner, and a college that will include as many women as possible,” chief spokesman Eric Mamer told reporters earlier this week.

(with AFP)

Serbian Presdient Aleksandar Vucic announced the deal for 12 multi-purpose warplanes during a joint news conference in Belgrade with French President Emmanuel Macron, who is visiting in an attempt to strengthen Serbia’s ties with the European Union.

Macron called the deal “historic and important” and said it demonstrated Serbia’s “strategic courage” and “European spirit.”

The agreement, signed by Serbia’s Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic and Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier, also includes a complete auxiliary logistics package, spare engines and parts.

“A dozen of brand new aircraft will be owned by Serbia … this will contribute to a significant increase in the operational capabilities of our army,” Vucic said.

“We are happy to become a part of the Rafale club.”

Shift away from Russia

The acquisition suggests a shift in Serbia’s security and political stance, moving away from Russia – its traditional ally and weapons supplier.

Macron said Europe needs a strong and democratic Serbia, while Belgrade needs a “strong and sovereign EU“.

“Choice of Rafale jets by Serbia is in this context a clear choice of long-term alliance between our two countries,” Macron said.

Vucic also sought to assure that Serbia will not share Rafales technology with Moscow.

“We are not Russian spies to transfer technology, we paid for this with Serbian citizens’ money,” Vucic said.

Belgrade curtailed military cooperation with Moscow after Russia invaded Ukraine. It has condemned the invasion, but unlike the EU, which it wants to join, it has not imposed sanctions on Moscow.

To become a member of the EU, Serbia would have to improve democracy, the rule of law and judiciary, root out corruption, red tape and organised crime and mend ties with Kosovo which unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

It must also align its foreign policies with those of Brussels, including imposing sanctions against Russia.

EU, Serbia sign deal to kickstart lithium battery development

(with newswires)

The 22-year-old Frenchman secured his first Paralympic gold in four minutes, 12.55 seconds. Simone Barlaam from Italy took the silver and the Australian Brenden Hall won the bronze.

“I’m happy that the hard work has paid off,” said Didier who was born with clubbed feet.

“It’s my time to win,” he added. “I followed the race plan and it worked really well.”

His victory on the first day of competition was greeted with a raucous din from the 15,000 partisans packed into the arena. 

“The noise from the supporters was fantastic,” he added. “I really appreciated it. And it is something I will never forget. Normally at events we don’t have such crowds making noise like that. It was incredible.”

Participation

During the Paris Paralympics, Didier will also compete in the 50m freestyle, 100m backstroke and 200m individual medley for swimmers who have slight problems coordinating their arms and legs or who have a missing limb.

A few hours before his triumph, Marie Patouillet won France’s first medal of the Games when she claimed siiver in the  C4-5 500m time trial at the Vélodrome National in Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines

Caroline Groot from the Netherlands won the course for athletes with an artificial limb or limited movement in their arms or legs in 35.566 seconds. Kate O’Brien of Canada claimed bronze.

Elsewhere during the first day of action, Zakia Khudadadi from Afghanistan won the refugee team’s first medal at a Paralympics when her opponent, Naoual Laarif of Morocco, withdrew ahead of their contest for the taekwondo bronze medal in the K44 under 47kg event.

At the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021, Khudadadi became the first Afghan woman to compete in an international sporting event since the Taliban retook control of the country following the withdrawal of troops from Nato and the United States.

Challenge

Khudaddi, 25, who has lived in France since fleeing the Taliban administration, says she is representing Afghan women who have been stripped of their rights under the government.

“My life has been a journey filled with ups and downs,” she said just before the competition started at the Grand Palais.

“I faced death threats and even contemplated suicide. What set me apart was my disability. When I looked in the mirror, I knew I was missing a hand. But I pictured in my head having an iron hand instead that made me impossible to stop.

“In that way, my disability has given me extra strength. It is a great honour because I am representing millions of refugees who have disabilities in these Games.”

The four-day conference aims to address the obstacles hindering the adoption of nuclear energy on the continent.

While South Africa remains the only African nation with nuclear power plants, Kenya and Rwanda are eager to follow.

This summit is the second major convention on the issue, following a similar event in Accra, Ghana, in October-November 2023. That event was organised by the US Department of Energy in collaboration with the Nuclear Power Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission.

Feasibility in question

Experts are questioning the feasibility of building nuclear power plants in Africa.

“There is a lot of talk about nuclear programmes in Africa, but these ideas are closer to fantasy than industrial reality,” said Mycle Schneider, project coordinator at the World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR).

The first major obstacle, he told RFI, is the size of grids.

The International Atomic Energy Agency states that an average large nuclear reactor is around 1,000 megawatts (MW) or one gigawatt (GW). However, only four African countries have a grid larger than 10,000MW or 10GW – Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Nigeria. Most other African nations have much smaller grids.

“Kenya’s grid is about 3.3GW, so the largest unit should be around 300MW, which is much less than a large nuclear reactor,” Schneider said.

“In Rwanda, the total national grid is 300MW. So we’re in a situation where an ordinary nuclear power plant would absolutely not have the grid size needed in most African countries.”

Schneider argues that African countries need decentralised energy production systems, a mix of renewable energy and power systems that can be built quickly, unlike nuclear power plants.

“The wonderful opportunity on a continent like Africa is that in many places everything has to be done from the beginning,” he said.

“The fact that there are no grids or very small grids can be an opportunity to implement advanced, highly flexible grids designed for the future, with decentralised production of solar, wind or other energies, and biomass.”

A US agenda

The US has sent top nuclear energy officials to the summit to offer Africans insights on nuclear technology. The US is also keen to strengthen its ties with Kenya through this summit and to support other African economies.

“By emphasising international cooperation, sharing innovative solutions and shaping policies, the summit aims to drive positive change and serve as a platform to strengthen existing relationships and forge new ones to enhance cooperation in the nuclear energy sector,” the Atlantic Council, a major participant, said in a statement.

Kenya is promoting the construction of a 1,000MW plant starting in 2027, which is expected to cost around 500 billion Kenyan shillings (about €3.5 billion).

The country hopes to raise investments during the summit to be able to complete it by 2032.

• Kenya to build first nuclear power plant by 2034 amid local opposition

But for Schneider, nuclear energy is expensive, and demands time and highly skilled workers that very few countries have.

Therefore is also no economic, industrial or practical drivers to make the nuclear option viable in Africa.

“Russia and China are dominating the nuclear power sector and so it seems like this stems from US geopolitical interest to counter their role on the continent more than anything else,” he said. 

Kenya signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Russia in 2016, but no progress has been made since then.

“The key term is feasibility – this debate is curious because building costly plants like nuclear reactors is challenging anywhere in the world, even in France, and in Africa, it’s simply not feasible,” Schneider said.

He also pointed out that investing in nuclear power exacerbates climate change.

“It’s not fast enough. Choosing a more expensive and slower option is misguided. The 2030s won’t even see a new plant in South Africa. If substantial resources are spent on technology that isn’t viable, how can Africa achieve energy efficiency?”

Despite these concerns, summit participants argue that nuclear power remains crucial for reaching net zero by 2050.

The athletes’ village was designed with accessibility in mind, according to organisers, and has undergone further modifications since its Olympic tenants moved out earlier this month.

Located in the northern suburbs of Paris and set to host up to 4,400 Paralympians, the complex is crisscrossed by accessible roads, pavements and ramps. 

It also includes less obvious accessibility features, such as electrical outlets installed at a comfortable height for wheelchair users.

While some were built in from the start, others have been added in the transition from Olympic to Paralympic village. Organisers had roughly a week to cover up uneven floors with mats, fit grab bars and seats in showers, install specialised training equipment in the gym, and space out chairs and tables in the canteen to make more room for wheelchairs.

Also proving popular is a fleet of motorised devices that connect to the front of wheelchairs, giving users a power boost.

Ludivine Munos, a former Paralympic swimmer who now is now in charge of inclusion efforts for Paris 2024, called the village a “paradise” for para-athletes.

She remembers limited facilities during her own time competing, with only certain areas adapted for people with disabilities. 

“That’s not the case here. They can go everywhere that they want,” she told the Associated Press.

Equipped to compete

One of the most significant additions to the village is a specialised centre for maintaining and adjusting para-athletes’ equipment. 

Staffed by more than 160 experts from German company Ottobock, the workshop is responsible for repairing prosthetics, wheelchairs and other essential items that may have been damaged on the journey to Paris, as well as fine-tuning them for competition.

In some cases athletes may even get an upgrade, explained the centre’s technical director Bertrand Azori, who described opening up devices to find them patched together with DIY repairs or out-of-date parts.

“There were plumbing pipes, plastic tubing, being used as tubes in prosthetics,” he told RFI. “With 180 or so different delegations, there are sometimes some surprises.”

As well as a stock of some 15,000 spare parts, the workshop is also equipped with a 3D printer that enables technicians to make pieces to athletes’ exact specifications.

“They’re very competent in their domains, you can tell. They give everyone careful attention,” said French para-archer Damien Letulle, who stopped by to get the tyres checked on his wheelchair. 

“We can’t have technical hitches hindering us and messing with our heads. So you have to do everything you can to make sure there aren’t any problems and your mind is free to do your best in your discipline.”

Who are the French athletes competing in the Paris Paralympic Games?

Athletes with disabilities underserved

The extensive facilities at the Paris Games remain an exception in France, where last year just 1.4 percent of the country’s 160,000 sports clubs said they were adapted to people with disabilities.

According to the French Paralympic and Sporting Committee, people with disabilities have to travel 50 kilometres on average to practice the sport of their choice. 

Via a programme dubbed Club Inclusif, the committee is aiming to support 3,000 sports clubs to become inclusive by the end of the 2024-25 season – a challenge that involves training coaches, procuring specialised equipment and the space to store it, and allocating time for para-athletes to practice.

“We’ve passed the 1,000 inclusive clubs mark and we’re aiming for 1,500 for the Paralympic Games,” said Sylvain Sabatier, who heads the programme for the Paralympic committee.

He told news broadcaster FranceInfo: “We’ve come a long way, but there’s still a lot to do.”

Paralympians head to Paris to set sporting standards and show need for change

Born in Leningrad – now St Petersburg – in 1984, Durov’s early life was marked by a move for his father’s work to Italy, where he and his older brother Nikolai excelled academically.

While Nikolai became a mathematical prodigy, Pavel thrived in languages, topping his class after just two years in Turin.

After the family moved back to the Soviet Union in 1990, the brothers lived through the fall of the USSR and the chaotic years that followed under Boris Yeltsin.

They also started experimenting with coding and the internet. “As we had taken IBM computers from Italy we were some of the rare people who were introduced to this technology,” Durov revealed in a recent interview.

He then went on to create the social network VKontakte, or VK, which would become known as “Russia’s Facebook” – and eventually in 2013, Telegram.

Durov sold his stake in VKontakte after pressure from Russian authorities in 2014. They accused the network of being used by opposition figures and playing a role in the Maidan uprising in Ukraine, which resulted in the deposition of the pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych.

Durov then left Russia and moved the Telegram headquarters to Dubai, which he called “the best place for a neutral platform like ours to be in if we want to make sure we can defend our users’ privacy and freedom of speech” in an April interview with conservative talk show host Tucker Carlson.

‘Invited by Macron’

According to the Wall Street Journal, Durov came to France in 2018 under circumstances that were completely different from his detention this week: invited by French President Emmanuel Macron himself, Durov found himself pressed to move the Telegram HQ to Paris.

At a lunch with the French leader, “Macron invited the Russian-born Durov to move Telegram to Paris, people familiar with the discussions said”, according to the newspaper.

The Journal says Durov declined the offer, but a French official quoted by the paper said he asked Macron for citizenship – which he later obtained, although he hardly spoke any French at the time and had never lived there.

He was eventually naturalised in August 2021 and officially “Frenchified” his name to Paul du Rove one year later, based on a rule that grants citizenship to “a French-speaking foreigner who, through their outstanding actions, contributes to the influence of France and the prosperity of its international economic relations”.

Apart from his Russian and French passports, Durov also holds nationality of Saint Kitts and Nevis and the United Arab Emirates, and speaks multiple languages, among them Italian and Ukranian.

Du Rove’s Channel

Until his detention in Paris, Durov was active on “Du Rove’s Channel” on Telegram, where he has over 11 million followers. He typically used it to update his readers about technical developments and new features of the app – now in its 11th year – boasting, in February, that “broadcast channels on Telegram generate 1 trillion views monthly”.

Before his detention, he posted pictures about his trips to Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan over the summer, and speculated that he may have “over 100 biological kids” after regularly donating sperm to a clinic that serves 12 different countries.

But he also addressed issues of moderation and censorship.

In a post in October last year, he said that “every day, Telegram’s moderators and AI tools remove millions of obviously harmful content from our public platform” – adding, one month later, that “all large social media apps are easy targets for criticism due to the content they host” and that “media coverage of Meta’s moderation efforts has been particularly negative for most of its history”.

He then promised: “We shall solve any potential challenges the same way we do everything else – with efficiency, innovation and respect for privacy and freedom of speech.”

And on 13 October, a week after Hamas’s attack on Israel, Durov posted: “Hamas used Telegram to warn civilians in Ashkelon to leave the area ahead of their missile strikes. Would shutting down their channel help save lives – or would it endanger more lives?”

EU launches proceedings against X over Israel-Hamas disinformation

User choice

Separately, Durov also pointed out that he tried to restrict Telegram channels in Russia and Ukraine, because they were being used for military propaganda.

But “both our Ukrainian and Russian users vehemently opposed restrictions, prioritising the freedom to access information, even when it’s biased,” he wrote. “I supported our users’ choice.”

French cyber experts reveal vast network of Russian disinformation sites

And in China – known for its merciless crackdown against any form of dissent – Durov claims that Telegram is “the number-one most downloaded mobile app”.

“Access to Telegram requires a VPN in China, but Chinese people are smart – they like Telegram and find a way to use it,” he says.

Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan described August’s second round of indirect talks in Ankara between his Ethiopian and Somali counterparts as constructive and positive.

“We were able to focus on the details and technicalities of concrete steps that are important convergences on some major principles and specific modalities”, Fidan said.

“This constitutes notable progress.”

While there was no breakthrough, all sides agreed to meet again in September.

Controversial deal 

Ethiopian-Somali tensions have escalated since January, when Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland, a breakaway state from Somalia.

Under the agreement, Ethiopia would secure sea access in exchange for recognising Somaliland, a deal condemned by Somalia as an infringement on its territorial integrity.

“Ethiopia needs access to a coastline”, said Dubai-based geopolitical consultant Norman Ricklefs.

“It’s the second-largest country in Africa. It’s a booming economy. And, somehow, that deal needs to be made, but it’s not going to be easy because of the previous deal earlier this year with Somaliland.”

Ricklefs predicts that finding a solution will require considerable diplomatic finesse.

“It’s not going to be easy to convince the Somalis to grant that [Ethiopian demands], feeling that they’re under pressure right now because of the deal that was previously done with Somaliland,” he said.

“But I think Turkey is probably best placed, as they have a very close relationship with both Ethiopia and Somalia.”

Somalia recently threatened to block access to Ethiopian Airlines in the latest bout of diplomatic tensions. Meanwhile, Egypt could reportedly deploy soldiers to Somalia, a move that threatens to further escalate and broaden tensions, given existing Ethiopian-Egyptian conflicts.

Ethiopia and Somalia move closer to resolving Somaliland dispute

Deepening influence

The situation between Somalia and Ethiopia is expected to be discussed during Wednesday’s summit in Turkey, where Egyptian President Sisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are set to meet.

Africa expert Elem Eyrice-Tepecikoglu from the African studies department of Ankara’s Social Sciences University said Turkey’s historical and deepening economic and military ties with both Somalia and Ethiopia give it an advantageous position in its mediating efforts.

“Somalia has a very important place in Turkey’s Africa policy. Turkey has established its largest embassy in Somalia’s capital, and it also established its largest military training facility, again in Somalia,” said Tepecikoglu.

“But Turkey also has old and established relations with Ethiopia as well. There are several investments of Turkish companies in the country, and Turkey also signed a military cooperation agreement with Ethiopia. Reportedly, Turkish drones were used against the Tigray rebel forces.”

Growing military buildup in Azerbaijan and Armenia a concern for peace talks

Economic, military stakes

Earlier this year, the Somali parliament ratified a naval agreement with Turkey to protect its territorial waters and a deal to search for hydrocarbons. Turkey is second only to China in investment in Ethiopia, including selling its military-proven drones.

Analysts suggest that there is more than diplomatic prestige at stake for Ankara in resolving Ethiopian-Somali tensions, given the region’s potential and geostrategic importance as a critical world trading route.

“There’s a reason why the Horn of Africa has American military bases and Chinese military bases. The Japanese even have a base in that area. All of them think the Horn of Africa is a pretty significant region for global shipping,” Ricklefs said.

“It’s a region that has not been developed. It has hydrocarbon resources and other resources like agricultural resources that have not been developed and would need networks and infrastructure that a country like Turkey could provide if there was security and stability.”

Ethiopian and Somali talks are set to resume in September. Success would underline Turkey’s growing influence in a region of increasing international competition, while failure could threaten two decades of Turkish investment in the region.

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 12 September. We expect to be bombarded with entries from the English speakers!

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

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 counseled 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.  Please keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our excellent 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. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!

This week’s quiz: On 6 July, I asked you a question about France’s snap legislative elections, called by President Emmanuel Macron after his centrist party was severely trounced by the far-right National Rally Party in the European legislative elections.

The first round of voting was on 30 June; voter turnout was quite high. You were to consult RFI English journalist Jessica Phelan’s article “The three-way factor that makes France’s election results so unusual” and send in the answer to these two questions: What was voter turnout on Sunday 30 June, and in which year was it last that high? 

The answer is: As Jessica wrote in her article: “The last three parliamentary elections have seen turnout of roughly 48 percent (2022), 49 percent (2017) and 57 percent (2012) in the first round, which effectively meant parties had to win a higher share of ballots cast to get across the threshold.

On the 30th of June turnout reached almost 67 percent – its highest since 1997.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “Given unlimited resources, what scientific or medical problem would you investigate, and why?”

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Lata Akhter Jahan from Bogura, Bangladesh. Lata is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations, Lata, on your double win.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Ras Franz Manko Ngogo, the president of the Kemogemba RFI Club in Tarima, Tanzania, and Nirupa Bain, a member of the RFI Pariwer Bandhu Shortwave Club in Chhattisgarh, India.

Last but not least, two RFI Listeners Club members: Sakawat Hossain from Sylhet, Bangladesh, and Solomon Fessahazion from Asmara, Eritrea.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Polovtsian Dances” from the opera Prince Igor by Alexander Borodin, arranged for marimba ensemble by Fumito Nunoya and performed by the Nunoya Marimba Ensemble; “I’ve Got Rhythm” by George Gershwin, performed by Django Reinhardt and the Quintette du Hot Club de France; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and  “Un jour tu verras” by Georges van Parys and Marcel Mouloudji, sung by Mouloudji.

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 “Paralympic torch arrives in France ahead of opening ceremony”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 23 September to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 28 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.

Click here to learn how to 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,  

Azerbaijan showcased its military might in a grand parade in Baku last year to celebrate its victory in recapturing the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave from Armenian-backed forces.

Azerbaijan, buoyed by its oil wealth, is continuing its aggressive rearmament programme, heavily relying on Turkey for military support.

“The Turkish defence industry and Turkish military equipment will be providing further arms to protect Azerbaijan,” predicts Huseyin Bagci, a professor of international relations at Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.”

However, Bagci noted that Azerbaijan is also turning to another ally for advanced weaponry.

“Israel is much better in this respect. Azerbaijan buys the highest technology from Israel, and Israel is providing it.”

Turkish and Israeli arms played a crucial role in Azerbaijan’s recent military successes, overwhelming Armenian-backed forces that relied on outdated Russian equipment.

Armenia’s response

In response to its loss of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia is also ramping up its military capabilities, with France leading the supply of new, sophisticated weaponry.

Paris argues that this support helps Armenia shift its focus away from Russian reliance and towards Western alliances.

Yerevan maintains that its rearmament is purely for self-defence.

“Right now, there is no military parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” says Eric Hacopian, a political consultant in Armenia.

“The goal is to create deterrents to make any aggression against Armenia more costly. In the medium term, we aim for equality, and in the long term, superiority.”

Stalled peace talks

The rearmament comes amid stalled peace talks, with Baku concerned that Yerevan’s military buildup might indicate ambitions to retake Nagorno Karabakh.

“The truth is our territory was under occupation, so we worry that in five, 10 years, Armenia will rearm its military, strengthen military capacities, and will come back,” warned Farid Shafiyev, chairman of the Baku-based Centre of Analysis of International Relations.

Yerevan maintains that its rearmament is purely for self-defence.

“Right now, there is no military parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The goal is to create deterrents in the short run to make any aggression against Armenia far more costly than it has been in the past,” says Eric Hacopian, a political consultant in Armenia.

“Two is to create equality in the middle term and in the long term superiority. You can’t have any other goal when your country is constantly under threat, or attack is the only way to respond to it.”

Hacopian also notes: “The moment Armenia can defend itself, then the game is up because Ilham Aliyev is not going to risk a war that he is not guaranteed to win; Armenia rearming means he is not guaranteed to win a war which he means he won’t launch one.”

However, Hacopian acknowledges that the coming year will be dangerous for the region as Yerevan seeks to close the military gap with Azerbaijan.

“Next year is the year of living dangerously because next year is the last year that they can do a major aggression against Armenia without having to face the consequences because the gap is closing. Once it closes, the game will be up,” he says.

Ongoing tensions

Earlier this month, Armenian and Azerbaijani forces exchanged fire in a border skirmish, underscoring the ongoing tensions between the two nations.

Both Baku and Yerevan insist their military enhancements are for defensive purposes.

However, Bagci warns that the arms race is turning the region into a potential flashpoint.

“Armenia and Azerbaijan are like two children; they play with fire, and the house is burning, and everybody is asking the big powers why the house is burning and who has done it. They have done it together,” he says.

Despite their rearmament, both Armenia and Azerbaijan claim to remain committed to the US-backed peace process.

Analysts, however, warn that the escalating arms race could deepen mutual suspicions and further complicate efforts to achieve lasting peace.

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 12 September. We expect to be bombarded with entries from the English speakers!

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

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 counseled 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.  Please keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our excellent 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. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!

This week’s quiz: On 29 June, I asked you a question about France’s snap elections for the lower house of Parliament, the National Assembly. President Emmanuel Macron had just dissolved the Assembly after his party was rather severely trounced in the European Parliament elections by the far-right National Rally party.

The first round of voting was on 30 June, and the candidates were, as I noted then, promising the moon to voters … you were to listen to Sarah Elzas’ report on her Spotlight on France podcast, and send in the answer to this question: What did the National Rally party say they would do in July to decide what they can or cannot do, as far as their economic promises to the voters?

The answer is: As Romeric Godin told Sarah on the podcast: “Many of the spending proposals put forward by Bardella and the RN are predicated on an audit of the country’s finances, planned as of July, which would determine what can (and cannot) be done.

“That’s a traditional way to say ‘We can’t implement some promises we made before, because public finances are not in order’,” says Godin, skeptical that the RN will be able to deliver.

For Godin, the economic audit offers a way out: “They can say that if the report on France’s public finances is very bad, they will not do it in the autumn, or at all.”

The fiscal information is all there, no audit is necessary.  France’s Cour des Comptes, the country’s independent and supreme audit institution, publishes a monthly report on the country’s finances. It’s not a secret document. It’s online, and everyone can read it.

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “What do you remember about your first day at your first job?”, which was suggested by Mokles Uddin Mollahis from Bogura, Bangladesh.

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

The winners are: RFI English listener Rafiq Khondaker, the president of the Source of Knowledge Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh. 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 Hans Verner Lollike from Hedehusene, Denmark. Last but not least, there are RFI English listeners Liton Ahamed Mia, from Naogaon, Bangladesh, and Malik Muhammad Nawaz Khokhar from the Sungat Radio Listeners Club in Muzaffargarh, Pakistan. 

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Sous le ciel de Paris” by Hubert Giraud and Jean Dréjac, sung by the one and only Edith Piaf; the traditional valse-musette “A Happy Day in Paris” performed by AccordionMan; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Hymne à l’Amour” by Marguerite Monnot and Edith Piaf, sung by Céline Dion.

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

This week’s question … you must listen to the show to participate.

You have until 16 September to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 21 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.

Click here to learn how to 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,  

In a world increasingly dominated by Western beauty standards promoted through pop culture and the global beauty industry, the Decolonising Beauty campaign seeks to challenge narrow perceptions and showcase the multifaceted beauty traditions in Africa.

The campaign uses a multi-platform approach to reach a broad audience of English and French speakers in Africa and around the world.

A series of initiatives from the campaign will be announced until the end of the year involving photographers, artists, poets, media makers and content creators.

Zikora Media & Arts founder Chika Oduah tells us more.

• Read also: French lawmakers vote in favour of bill to ban hair discrimination

Episode mixed by Cécile Pompéani

Spotlight on Africa is a podcast from Radio France Internationale

Abbas received a standing ovation in the Turkish Parliament on Thursday, where he addressed an extraordinary session. Deputies wore scarves adorned with Turkish and Palestinian flags as a show of solidarity.

With Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan watching from the balcony, Abbas praised Turkey’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause.

“We highly appreciate Turkey’s pioneering role under the leadership of President Erdogan for its courageous and unwavering positions in defense of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to freedom and independence,” declared Abbas.

Increasing isolation

Erdogan is attempting to position himself at the forefront of international opposition to Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza, even as Turkey finds itself increasingly sidelined from global efforts to resolve the conflict.

China’s recent hosting of Palestinian faction leaders highlights Erdogan’s diminishing influence.

“Erdogan was hoping to reconcile Palestinian factions, but China stole the spotlight and acted preemptively. China had more political clout over the parties,” Selin Nasi, a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics contemporary Turkish studies department, told RFI.

Abbas’s visit to Russia on Tuesday further underscores the growing importance of other nations in efforts to address the Gaza conflict.

Domestic message

Erdogan’s invitation to Abbas also serves as a way to reinforce his pro-Palestinian credentials with his domestic conservative base.

“He’s trying to keep his base intact domestically,” Sezin Oney, a commentator on Turkey’s Politikyol news portal, told RFI.

“Once upon a time, Erdogan resonated with the Arab public in general.

“The Arab Street, as it was called back then, and the Muslim population in general saw him as connected with international grassroots movements. But he doesn’t have that appeal anymore; he’s lost that appeal.”

Turkey a bridge?

Erdogan has long claimed to be a bridge between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.

“This is an issue that Erdogan personally invested a lot of time and energy in,” said Selin Nasi.

However, Erdogan’s influence with Hamas has waned, particularly after the assassination of its leader Ismail Haniyeh last month, and his replacement by Yahya Sinwar, who is relatively unknown in Turkey.

“They cannot host [Sinwar], they cannot contact him, nor do they have the kind of relations that they had with Haniyeh. So they have to settle with Mahmoud Abbas at this point,” Oney said.

Abbas, however, appears to show little interest in Turkey’s playing a larger role in resolving the conflict, and Erdogan’s strong support of Hamas and his fiery rhetoric against Israel is increasingly isolating him from countries seeking to end the fighting.

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.