Hamidi, 21, used to compete on the Afghan national taekwondo team but was forced to flee when the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

She told RFI she had been flooded with threatening messages since posting a video on social media at the end of August denouncing “gender apartheid” in her homeland.

Filming herself on a Paris street, Hamidi denounced the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s clothing, education and other basic freedoms, including doing sport.

She invited her followers to use the hashtag #LetUsExist to “be the voice for [those] who are voiceless inside Afghanistan”.

Re-shared thousands of times, the post ended up attracting the attention of Afghan media.

The situation escalated when a journalist asked Hamidi her opinion of Afghanistan’s popular national cricket team, she told RFI. The men’s squad has continued to play with the backing of the Taliban government, while women players have been driven into exile.

Hamidi told the interviewer that she believed the male players were “normalising the Taliban” and did not represent Afghan women. “So for me, they are a terrorist cricket team, not a national cricket team,” she said. 

The interview appeared on YouTube a few days later and quickly drew a backlash.

“The day after, I was at my home and I received the first call,” Hamidi told RFI’s Frédérique Genot.

It came from a man speaking Pashto. “He told me: ‘I have your address in Paris, just be aware that I will find you.'”

No giving up

In the space of three days, Hamidi says she received calls from some 3,000 different numbers in France and other European countries, as well as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Malaysia and elsewhere.

She moved out of her home and contacted her lawyer, who went to the police. They have had Hamidi under special protection since early September.

“Now I’m under police protection, but I lost my freedom, I lost my safety. I don’t feel safe any more in Paris,” said Hamidi, who until recently used to train alongside France’s national taekwondo team.

She has since changed her number but continues to receive abuse via social media, including sexually explicit images and threats of rape or other violence.

Hamidi has nonetheless kept her accounts on X and Instagram, where she still posts regularly.

“If I stay at home and cry and just be sad and afraid, they win,” she told RFI. 

“It’s very hard. But I’ve been in Afghanistan, I’ve been fighting against the Taliban in the streets of Kabul. I’m a fighter, so I can’t give up.” 

Freedom in frames: photographing an Afghan refugee’s Olympic dream

Solidarity from home

Among the threats have also come messages of support from Afghan women and girls, Hamidi said.

“They told me that they cannot raise their voice in Afghanistan, and they want me to be their voice.”

Though the security measures have forced her to stop training and suspend her daily life, Hamidi feels lucky to have access to protection and the means to continue speaking publicly. 

She said: “Imagine that millions of girls in Afghanistan, they have no protection, they are with the terrorists, and nobody can hear their voice.”

In the early hours of 2 September, the unrest at Makala resulted in at least 131 deaths and over 260 cases of sexual assault.

The riot saw inmates breaking into various sections of the Kinshasa prison, including the female quarters, and setting fire to administrative offices while ransacking the food depot.

Prisoners died from gunshot wounds, being crushed in stampedes or as a result of other serious injuries.

Prison director Joseph Yusufu Maliki alerted then Justice minister, Rose Mutombo, of the urgent situation in various letters dating from 1 March 2023 to 21 January 2024. RFI’s Pascal Mulegwa managed to access these documents.

Maliki called, on 1 March 2023, for urgent actions from the Justice ministry, highlighting inadequate security and severe overcrowding, which he said contributed to contagious diseases, suffocation and deaths.

Months later, on 21 January 2024, Maliki again warned about an “impending explosion” at Makala because of the continuous inflow of prisoners. He suggested a series of decongestion measures but claimed he received no response.

Diseases, malnutrition

Prison doctor Jadot Bernard Vibula Vundala also informed the Justice Ministry about the inadequacy of medical care at Makala. A letter sent on 21 April cited a rise in diseases, malnutrition and severe health conditions among the inmates.

“Inmates sleep directly on the floor, in corridors and even in lavatories. They also take turns to sleep,” he wrote.

The Central Prison of Makala, built during Belgian colonial rule in 1957 to accommodate 1,500 inmates, now houses around 15,000 individuals, both male and female.

The conditions have been described by Congolese journalist Stanis Bujakera, who was imprisoned there for seven months, as the “antechamber to hell where survival is a miracle”.

Bujakera told RFI that out of the 15,000 people held in Makala, only 4,000 were actually serving a sentence – the majority being detained while awaiting trial.

“While I was at Makala, I met Damas Ngoy Kumbu who was detained for 21 years with no conviction. He was finally released on 29 July,” Bujakera said.

Dozens charged

On 11 September, 63 people faced military court charges including “spiteful destruction, arson, acts of terrorism and rape of women”.

The United Nations reported that 268 out of 348 women detained at Makala suffered sexual violence during the unrest, including rape.

The authorities claim no one escaped, but inmates and prisoners’ rights groups argue there are nearly 2,000 fewer prisoners in Makala now than before the incident.

In response to the crisis, Justice Minister Constant Mutamba suspended prison director Maliki, whose family in Kinshasa have denied reports that he was on the run following the prison break.

Maliki is currently in Paris receiving treatment for a severe case of malaria. He landed in Paris on 17 August and is scheduled to return to the DRC on 15 September, according to travel documents seen by RFI.

Meanwhile Mutamba has banned the transfer of inmates to Makala and pledged to build a new prison, among other efforts, to address overcrowding.

Rights groups, opposition leaders and the European Union are demanding an independent investigation, accusing the government of excessive force and attempting to cover up the full extent of the violence.

President Felix Tshisekedi has ordered a comprehensive review of the prison system.

Théo Clerc was arrested – along with two friends from Australia and New Zealand – in the Azeri capital Baku on 30 March for spraying graffiti in the metro.

The three men were each fined and released, but 38-year-old Clerc was re-arrested the next day and has remained in detention since.

On Tuesday, an Azeri court sentenced Clerc to three years in prison.

“His two codefendants, who were accused of the exact same offence but hold a different nationality, were simply fined,” France’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

“France denounces the arbitrary and openly discriminatory treatment that our compatriot Théo Clerc has suffered in Azerbaijan.”

‘More severe’ punishment

Azerbaijan has roundly rejected the accusations of “discrimination” against Clerc and criticism of Baku’s legal process as “unacceptable” and “groundless”, its foreign ministry said in a statement, claiming the heavier punishment was justified.

“His insincere statements to the court regarding his ignorance of the illegality of acts of this nature in the Republic of Azerbaijan, including his lack of remorse for the act he committed, should be listed as the factors determining his punishment to be more severe than the other two persons.”

The ministry also accused France of “international law violations, neocolonial policy, racist, discriminatory, and Islamophobic activities, and human rights restrictions”.

Frenchman arrested in Azerbaijan for ‘espionage’

Baku ‘stoking tensions’

Paris, a longtime supporter of Armenia and home to a sizable Armenian diaspora, has a history of frosty relations with the country’s arch-rival Azerbaijan.

Tensions have intensified since the second Armenia-Azeraijan war over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 and Baku’s takeover of the region last year, which forced over 100,000 Armenians to flee..

In a further downturn, France recalled its ambassador in April, accusing Baku of taking actions that have damaged the bilateral relationship.

France claims Azerbaijan is interfering in its domestic politics by stoking tensions in overseas territories and dependencies – most recently the Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia, rocked by deadly unrest in May.

Azerbaijan accused of stirring unrest in New Caledonia as tensions persist

In July, Baku hosted a two-day congress of separatist movements from French territories, where they formed an “International Front for the Liberation of French Colonies” and accused France of racism and repression.

On Thursday, France advised its citizens and dual nationals against travelling to Azerbaijan unless absolutely necessary, citing the risk of arbitrary detention and unfair legal proceedings.

Another Frenchman, Martin Ryan, is currently detained in Azerbaijan on espionage charges – an accusation Paris has “categorically” denied..

Azerbaijan has been ruled by President Ilham Aliev since 2003. The gas-rich Caspian state will host the Cop29 UN climate change conference in November.

(with newswires)

Through his lens, Cunningham captures both the destruction of war and the resilience of the human spirit, aiming to shed light on a conflict that has been long overlooked.

“The pictures in this exhibition basically chart this [M23] conflict, which perhaps not many people have heard of,” Cunningham told RFI at the Visa Pour l’Image photojournalism festival, which ends on Sunday in Perpignan.

The March 23 Movement (M23) had been dormant in eastern DRC for a decade, but by late 2021, the Rwandan government and army began rearming them, leading the group to resume raids into Congo, the Goma-based photographer explained.

Over the past two years, Cunningham has photographed displacement camps in North Kivu, where civilians have been forced to live amid the fighting between government forces and the M23. His images also capture frontline areas and attacks on civilians.

“Since the front lines have been moving and moving, civilians basically have nowhere left to run. There’s a front line of artillery positions that surround the city of Goma,” Cunningham said.

“Airstrikes are ongoing, and I was able to be present for a couple of really tragic events, including a rocket strike on a displacement camp … these huge networks of white tents, outside Goma … the death toll of that attack was announced as around 35 people.”

Nearly seven million people have been displaced by the conflict in the DRC, with up to one million in North Kivu province alone. Cunningham explained that it’s difficult to visualise such a large number:

“I think it’s very interesting now to use modern technology, to use drones to photograph. It’s an amazing way of visualising the scale of the destruction. It works almost like a forensic act as well, to photograph munition strikes with a drone. This is evidence of a crime scene.”

Cunningham also struggled with limited humanitarian access.

“Due to the severity of the conflict, but also because armed forces and states are so aware of the power of image and narrative at the moment, gaining unrestricted access to front lines or red zones is extremely complicated,” he said.

“Even rebel groups have press offices and spokespeople now, which feels very surreal. But everyone wants to control their narrative, so it’s very hard to sneak in through the cracks and show the truth.”

With his project and the ICRC Humanitarian Visa d’Or award, Cunningham aims to highlight the conflict and its devastating impact on civilians, raising awareness and driving global attention to the crisis.

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

The US Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, announced on Thursday that Washington supports the move.

Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, she said the US wants to “move this agenda forward in a way that we can achieve Security Council reform at some point in the future”.

However, she could not say how long it would take to secure a General Assembly vote on the resolution.

Despite years of discussions, little progress has been made on reforming the council, and it’s unclear if US support will be enough to trigger real action.

UN legitimacy at stake

The US plan is supported by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who said the Security Council “has a problem of legitimacy” and “a problem of effectiveness” that requires reform.

Guterres previously called for Africa to have a permanent seat in August, arguing that the move would correct “historical injustices”.

The world has changed since 1945, Guterres said, but “the composition of the council, despite a few changes, has not kept pace”.

Paul Simon Handy, a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, told RFI the reform could change the council’s dynamics, but added that Africa needs to secure support from two-thirds of the General Assembly.

“Africa should be more active diplomatically to get that, like India or Japan,” Handy said.

A long-standing demand

The Security Council is the most powerful body in the UN, with the authority to impose sanctions, enforce arms embargoes, and authorise the use of force.

It currently has 15 members: five permanent ones with veto power (Russia, China, the US, Britain and France) and 10 elected members serving two-year terms.

Africa already has three rotating seats, but Thomas-Greenfield said this isn’t enough.

“Non-permanent seats don’t enable African countries to deliver the full benefit of their knowledge and voices to the work of the council,” she said.

She also backed a rotating seat for small island states, who she said offer “critical insights on a range of international peace and security issues, including, notably, the impact of climate change”.

Developing nations have long called for permanent representation on the council. When the UN was founded in 1945, the council had just 11 members, growing to 15 in 1965.

At that time, much of Africa was still under European colonial rule.

The African Union has been pushing for two permanent seats and two additional non-permanent seats for the continent.

The debate in mid-August had been led by Sierra Leone‘s President, Julius Maada Bio, who made the case for the continent.

“The time for half-measures and incremental progress is over. Africa must be heard, and its demands for justice and equity must be met,” he said.

China has also been calling for more African representation in international bodies for months.

China’s new strategy in Africa: is the continent getting a fair deal?

American soft power

The US has long supported India, Japan and Germany for permanent council seats, and now it’s extending that support to African partners. Some see this as a diplomatic move to deepen ties with African and Pacific nations amid growing competition with China.

However, many in Africa remain frustrated by Washington’s foreign policy – particularly its support for Israel’s actions in Gaza. Pacific nations are also seen as increasingly important to US efforts to counter China’s influence in the region.

Researcher Handy told RFI that while the US proposal is a step forward, it falls short of African expectations.

“The veto is the key issue,” Handy said. “It looks like a legacy move for the Biden administration.”

Washington has made it clear that it does not support expanding veto power beyond the five permanent members.

Practical obstacles

Amending the UN Charter to add permanent seats would require approval from two-thirds of the General Assembly and ratification by the current permanent members. Given Russia’s frequent use of its veto, it’s uncertain whether Moscow would back a US-driven proposal.

The 193-member UN General Assembly has annually discussed reforms of the Security Council for more than a decade, with little to no success.

Even if momentum builds, deciding which African countries would get the two permanent seats could be a challenge.

“Who gets them?” Ugandan journalist Charles Onyango-Obbo asked on social media.

“The most populous, richest, those with the largest armies?”

Handy said the competition could be fierce, with Nigeria and South Africa as long-time contenders, but also Algeria and Egypt vying for a spot.

Nigeria and South Africa have been fighting for it for years, stirring up trouble among other African countries to get support.

The UN will celebrate its 80th anniversary in 2025, and President Bio has warned that this milestone will only be meaningful if the council is reformed by then.

(with Reuters) 

In December 2021, Natacha Rey and Amandine Roy broadcast unfounded rumours online alleging the first lady, formerly Brigitte Trogneux, had never existed and that her brother Jean-Michel had changed gender and assumed that identity.

A Paris court on Thursday found Rey and Roy guilty of slander, ordering them to pay €8,000 in damages to the president’s wife, and €5,000 to Jean-Michel Trogneux.

The defendents were also given a suspended fine of €500.

Brigitte Macron, 71, had filed a libel complaint against the two women after their claim went viral,  triggering conspiracy theories notably among the far right.

Macron did not attend the trial in June and was not present for the ruling.

Rey was ill during the trial, but did not manage to have it postponed.

France’s Brigitte Macron to sue over claims she was born a man

Disinformation

Roy, an online fortune-teller, interviewed Rey, a self-described independent journalist, for four hours on her YouTube channel in December 2021.

The women discussed the unsubstantiated rumour that Brigitte Macron had undergone gender reassignment, with Rey claiming to have uncovered a  “state lie” and “scam”.

The claim went viral just weeks before the 2022 presidential election, spreading even to the US where Macron was derided in a now deleted YouTube video before the November midterm elections.

The claim was spread by accounts often opposed to President Emmanuel Macron, including followers of the QAnon conspiracy movement and the far right.

It also led to more serious accusations of child abuse brought against France’s first lady.

French intelligence ‘unmasks’ QAnon conspiracy theorists

‘Massive’ prejudice

Brigitte Macron’s lawyers sued for libel just a month after the video was posted online.

During the hearing in June this year, lawyer Jean Ennochi insisted on the “massive” prejudice the disinformation had caused his client. “It exploded everywhere”.

Reacting to Thursday’s verdict, Ennochi told AFP news agency: “It’s not a victory, it’s a normal application of the law.”

The former US first lady Michelle Obama, the US vice-president and presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, and the New Zealand former prime minister Jacinda Ardern have also been the target of disinformation about their gender or sexuality in efforts to mock or humiliate them.

As news of the ruling came though on Thursday, Macron made her Netflix debut playing herself in the hit series Emily in Paris.

(with newswires)

In an address late Thursday, Faye said working with the assembly had grown difficult after members refused to start discussions on the budget law and turned down efforts to dissolve wasteful state institutions.

“I dissolve the national assembly to ask the sovereign people for the institutional means to bring about the systemic transformation that I have promised to deliver,” Faye said in his brief speech, in which he announced the date for voting.

The announcement came as little surprise. Lawmakers from Faye’s Pastef party are looking to win a majority in the assembly and Thursday marked the two-year anniversary of the parliament – the minimum time required before fresh legislative elections.

Faye’s announcement followed earlier promises by Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko to dissolve the national assembly and launch a wide-ranging probe into government corruption.

‘Ridiculous strategy’

The opposition was quick to react. Seydou Gueye, spokesperson for Alliance for the Republic – the party of former president Macky Sall – denounced Faye’s “ridiculous strategy” aimed at “protecting soldier Sonko”.

Gueye denied the opposition-led assembly was blocking government efforts.

“Two days ago the assembly voted unanimously in favour of legislation proposed by the president,” he told RFI.

Parliament shake-up looms as Senegal’s government faces showdown with opposition

Faye defeated the ruling coalition candidate in a landslide victory in March, becoming Africa’s youngest ever president. He has promised to crack down on corruption and introduce economic reforms that prioritise the national interest.

Senegal’s new government last month set up a commission to review all oil and gas contracts.

Sonko has promised to rebalance them in the national interest, without providing details on how long the review will take.

(with newswires)

The Normandy port of Le Havre was liberated by Allied troops on September 12, 1944, more than three months after the D-Day landings to the west.

But the freeing of Le Havre was shadowed by intense Allied bombardments a week before that devastated the city and left more than 2,000 of its inhabitants dead.

The political symbolism was being watched as closely as the historical references, with reportedly glacial relations between Macron and Philippe, who is now mayor of Le Havre but from 2017 to 2020 was Macron’s prime minister, his longest-serving head of government.

Macron said in a speech that Le Havre had never “completely healed” from the bombing, which gave the city “the colour and appearance of ashes, crushed, pulverised”.

He said that in contrast to the sheer jubilation felt in Paris when it was liberated in August 1944, Le Havre felt the “infinite suffering of a city sacrificed to liberate its country”.

Philippe expressed his “sincere thanks” to Macron for his presence, which showed “the importance that the nation now attatches” to this painful history.

According to the Elysee, this was the first time large-scale ceremonies have been held in Le Havre to mark the liberation, due to the “trauma” caused by the Allied bombardments.

‘The government must govern’

With Macron last week still scrambling to find a new prime minister after legislative elections, Philippe, 53, suddenly announced for the first time his intention to stand for president in the next presidential elections.

Macron, 46, was “surprised” by the abruptness and timing of the announcement, even if Philippe’s intention to stand had never been a secret, a person close to him, asking not to be named, told AFP.

Philippe, who leads a centre-right party that is allied to but not part of Macron’s faction, has since warmly applauded the naming of right-winger Michel Barnier as prime minister and warned the president to give him space to rule.

“To be president (in modern France) does not mean inaugurating chrysanthemums,” Philippe told BFMTV late on Wednesday.

“It does not mean governing. The president must preside, the government must govern.”

Despite those barbs, Philippe greeted Macron with a warm handshake in Le Havre and the president addressed him as “dear Edouard Philippe“.

Some saw Philippe’s early announcement of his candidacy as a recognition that due to the current political turbulence in France, Macron could even step down before his second and final mandate ends in 2027 and prompt an early presidential election.

The former premier, known to be a keen boxer, had taken the gloves off in his criticism of Macron’s move to call the snap legislative elections, which he described as “poorly thought out, poorly explained, poorly prepared” and which had “killed the presidential majority” in parliament.

An Ifop poll published on Thursday showed that far-right leader Marine Le Pen was ahead in voting intentions for the first round of the 2027 presidential elections but that Philippe was her best-placed challenger.

The massive effort to develop renewable energy, essential in the fight against climate change, requires minerals and metals such as copper, cadmium, nickel and lithium, necessary for electric vehicle batteries, solar panels and more.

Demand for such materials will quadruple by 2040 as nations race to limit global warming to +1.5 degrees Celsius, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has estimated.

The experts – representatives from non-governmental organisations and various countries’ mining and environment ministries – are part of a UN committee set up in April by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to draw up guardrails in the face of the looming energy revolution.

“We established the panel in response to calls from developing countries, amid signs that the energy transition could reproduce and amplify inequalities of the past,” Guterres said Wednesday.

He asked the panel to share its recommendations with UN member states ahead of November’s COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

“We will bring the UN system together to support implementation of the panel’s work, safeguarding and advancing human rights, including the rights of Indigenous Peoples, across the critical minerals value chain,” Guterres said.

Africa ‘bleeding’

In a report released Wednesday, the committee put forward seven guiding principles.

They include: putting human rights at the heart of the production chain; protecting the integrity of the planet; and ensuring that benefits are shared.

“The essence of this report is to inspire care and caution to avoid the mistakes of the past, where we are already seeing conflict generated by the scramble for these resources, particularly in my continent that is bleeding,” said co-chair Joyce Mxakato-Diseko of South Africa.

More concretely, the experts, citing disparate existing initiatives, recommended the establishment of “global traceability, transparency and accountability framework along the entire mineral value chain – from mining to recycling.”

They called for the system to provide an independent assessment of the environmental and social performance of companies involved in the trade – for example, their respect for human and labor rights, levels of corruption, level of greenhouse gas emissions, and so on.

UN panel seeks to stem mining abuses in global rush for critical minerals

They also suggested the creation of a global fund, financed by governments and companies, to fund the aftermath of mining operations – particularly land rehabilitation and support for local communities.

And, with the IEA fearing global supplies of such minerals are running out, the UN experts also called for investment in innovation and recycling to reduce the quantities needed.

The NGO coalition Climate Action Network, represented on the committee, welcomed the report.

But there “is still a long way to go in making these principles a reality,” its director, Tasneem Essop, said in a statement.

Too often, “production of these minerals leaves a toxic cloud in its wake: pollution; wounded communities, childhoods lost to labor and sometimes dying in their work,” Guterres said when he announced the committee in April.

Developing countries and communities have also not reaped the benefits of their production, he said, adding: “This must change.”

On 12 September 1974, Ethiopia’s Emperor Haile Selassie I was quietly deposed by the Armed Forces Coordinating Committee – the Derg – after several months of nationwide demonstrations and strikes.

A severe drought in the winter of 1973 had devastated the northern regions of Wollo and Tigray, causing widespread famine.

Dramatic images of the victims added to the growing economic difficulties and the stalemate in a society still bound by feudal structures. This fuelled discontent against the Ethiopian emperor, who had been in power for 44 years.

First crowned as regent in 1916 – alongside his aunt Empress Zaouditou – Ras Tafari took the throne of Abyssinia in 1930 under the name of Haile Selassie I.

As the 225th descendant of the dynasty of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, Negus of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie held great privilage and prestige for decades.

Faced with Mussolini

Haile Selassie was a symbol of Ethiopia’s independence, particularly during the invasion by Italian forces under dictator Benito Mussolini in 1935.

When he went into exile in Europe, Selassie gave a keynote speech at the League of Nations on 28 June, 1936, that left a lasting impression on the world stage.

On 5 May 1941 – after returning via Sudan – he triumphantly entered the capital, Addis Ababa, which had been liberated by Anglo-Indian brigades with the support of the Free French Forces.

Emperor of a country that had never been colonised, Haile Selassie symbolised the desire for independence throughout Africa.

Respected internationally, Haile Selassie was seen as a reformer in his early days, especially for his role in abolishing slavery.

He advocated for African unity and helped establish the Organisation of African Unity in 1963, securing its headquarters in Addis Ababa.

Despite these efforts, he met strong opposition from landowners and the clergy in a largely Christian country.

With no free press or political parties to provide outlets for dissent, frustrations grew, especially as the Eritrean Liberation Front began its calls for independence in 1961.

A state of emergency was declared in Eritrea in 1970, but it only deepened repression.

Revolt of young intellectuals

While living in splendour, Haile Selassie amassed a colossal fortune and  lost touch with the growing unrest, particularly among Ethiopia’s young intellectuals.

The famine and its thousands of victims intensified anger at the regime. By February 1974, mass demonstrations were taking place across the country, followed by a wave of strikes.

Marxist-Leninist ideas spreading through universities strengthened the revolution, which claimed to be democratic, modern and in support of women’s rights.

However, the Derg deposed the emperor by 12 September of that year.

In a bid to avoid chaos, the military had Crown Prince Asfa Wossen proclaimed king – though he was abroad for medical treatment and never exercised power.

• 30 years young: Eritrea reaches a milestone but struggles with legacy of its past

The abolished monarchy and Selassie’s death

Writing for the French weekly L’Express in September 1974, journalist Christian d’Épenoux summed up Haile Selassie’s downfall.

“A champion of the non-aligned, he had managed somehow to preserve the unity of his kingdom … against the greed of his neighbours to the south and north, Sudan and Somalia, who were breathing down his neck,” he wrote.

“But his prudence, once praised, had become a blemish. Old age and attrition had overcome the spirit of reform. Isolated, ill-advised, turning a blind eye to privilege and injustice, having amassed an incredible fortune of his own, the old Negus could no longer see his country crack.

“Drought, famine and the atrocious deaths of 100,000 of his subjects while he fed his molosses triggered the revolt that was to sweep him off his feet”.

The Ethiopian monarchy was finally abolished in March 1975, when Haile Selassie was imprisoned in the basement of the imperial palace.

The world learned of his death on 27 August that same year – probably assassinated on the orders of the country’s new strongman, Mengistu Haile Mariam.

• Ethiopia conflict at a ‘national scale’ according to UN investigators

The rise of Mengistu and the ‘Red Terror’

The revolution, initially led by left-wing students, was soon taken over by the army.

The Derg established the Provisional Military Administrative Council on 15 September 1974, which brought clashes with the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party.

These struggles paved the way for Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam, who took over the junta in 1977.

Mengistu’s rise to power triggered a wave of repression known as the “Red Terror”.

Tens of thousands were killed, though the full scale of the Derg’s crimes remains unknown. The regime ruled with brutal force until its overthrow in 1991.

To this day, 87-year-old Mengistu lives quietly in Zimbabwe despite being convicted of genocide and sentenced to death in absentia in 2008. 

Zimbabwe continues to refuse his extradition, and in 2011, many Derg leaders saw their death sentences commuted to life imprisonment.

The legacy of authoritarian rule

The dictatorial violence of the Derg’s communist rule – along with constant warfare against separatist movements in Eritrea and Tigray – led to the collapse of food and cash crop production in the country by the late 1970s and early 1980s.

A National Revolutionary Development Campaign, launched in 1984, aimed to transform Ethiopia’s economy within 10 years. It failed.

The situation came to the world’s attention during the 1984-1985 famine in Tigray, which inspired the Live Aid charity concerts in 1985.

Since the fall of the Derg in 1991, many Ethiopians lament the failure of the country to reconcile with its past. 

There has been no Truth and Reconciliation Commission, nor any real effort from Ethiopian leaders to help victims heal or receive financial reparation. 

Fifty years after the revolution, the country still feels the effects of the Derg’s brutal rule as it continues to grapple with civil war and deep ethnic divisions.

The Conference of Bishops of France (CEF) announced on Thursday that it would make its archives on Abbé Pierre public without waiting the usual 75 years after his death.

The priest, who died in 2007, stands accused of sexual assault by multiple women.

While the church had not been due to open its records on him until 2082, it decided to make them available sooner to investigators, journalists and researchers – in particular the independent experts commissioned by Abbé Pierre’s charity Emmaus to look into how its founder’s alleged abuse went unchallenged for more than 50 years. 

The archives consist of “a fairly thin file” with “a few letters” which show that the Central Office of Cardinals at the time “took note of the behaviour” of the priest, the head of the bishops’ conference, Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, told Catholic radio stations.

The documents indicate that concerns about Abbé Pierre were raised as far back as the 1950s, when “the church sought to help him by imposing a psychiatric stay in Switzerland” and assigning a church worker to accompany him, he said on RCF and Radio Notre-Dame.

“Apparently, Abbé Pierre always managed to get around this. But I wouldn’t say that the church did nothing,” de Moulins-Beaufort said.

Regarding how much was known within the church, he said he was “unable to say” who knew what.

“Some bishops certainly knew a certain number of facts, but which ones exactly?” he said. “A historical inquiry will be needed to reveal that, and I strongly support the inquiry that Emmaus has just opened.”

French charity turns its back on founding father accused of sexual abuse

From hero to aggressor

De Moulins-Beaufort pointed out that Abbé Pierre “did not live in an ecclesiastical framework”, but with Emmaus – meaning that the charity holds most of the surviving records on him. 

“It is above all through this that we must try to understand,” de Moulins-Beaufort said.

Born in 1912, Abbé Pierre was for long celebrated as a hero in France for his dedication to the poor.

He founded the first Emmaus community to help homeless men in Paris in 1949, and turned into a household name when, in the especially cold winter of 1954, he made a passionate plea for France to remember the most vulnerable.

Just last year he was the subject of an adulatory biopic marking the 70th anniversary of his famous speech.

But in July, Emmaus revealed allegations of sexual assault from seven women to the media.

More testimonies emerged last week, including accusations of rape and abuse of a young girl.

Emmaus has since tasked an independent commission with “explaining the dysfunctions” that allowed Abbé Pierre “to act as he did for more than 50 years”. It is also looking at how to compensate the victims.

Meanwhile the charitable Abbé Pierre Foundation is to change its name, and a memorial centre in Normandy, where the priest resided for many years, will close permanently.

The board of Emmaus France will also to vote on whether to remove the founder’s name from its logo.

“There are 364 children in 59 departments who are followed by judges for children and benefit from coordination from my office to ensure they receive optimal care,” prosecutor Olivier Christen told FranceInfo radio on Wednesday.

In 2018, another anti-terror prosecutor had expressed concern that the children of French nationals who joined IS after its 2014 so-called caliphate could be “ticking time bombs”

Christen – who leads the National Anti-Terror Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT), opened in 2019 following a series of jihadist attacks – dismissed that fear.

“These 364 children in no way seem to me to correspond to that expression,” he said.

“They are being closely monitored … They pose no particular difficulty.”

He noted that their situations varied greatly: “Some are very, very young children, others are fully fledged teenagers.”

In response to Christen’s remarks, France’s United Family Rights Collective said in a post on X: “There are still 120 French children being held in Syria in appalling conditions.”

• France repatriates 35 women and children from Syrian jihadist camps
• France brings 40 children, 15 women back from Syrian camps

Repatriation of Syrian children

Since the collapse of IS’s territorial control in 2019, 170 women have returned to France from Iraq and Syria, including 57 from detention camps in northeast Syria.

Of the 364 children brought back to France, “169 have been repatriated over the past two years”, Christen added.

Until 2022, France only repatriated children on a case-by-case basis, prioritising orphans and children whose mothers had agreed to give up parental rights.

Paris changed that policy two years ago, accelerating the return of both women and children.

IS seized large areas of Syria and Iraq in 2014 before Kurdish-led Syrian forces, backed by a US-led coalition, ousted them from their last stronghold in eastern Syria in 2019.

Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria are holding around 56,000 people – including 30,000 children – in detention centres and camps. Among them are IS fighters and their families, as well as displaced people who fled the fighting.

The complaint was filed as concerns grow over children becoming addicted to video games, with some parents claiming game developers are deliberately creating products to foster addiction.

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), alongside 22 member groups across Europe, including in France, Germany, Italy and Spain, lodged the complaint with the European Commission and the European Network of Consumer Authorities.

The groups accused the companies of using “manipulative spending tactics” involving in-game virtual currencies, which they said children are “even more vulnerable to.”

“BEUC’s members have identified numerous cases where gamers are misled into spending money. Regulators must act, making it clear that even though the gaming world is virtual, it still needs to abide by real-world rules,” said BEUC Director General Agustin Reyna.

The complaint targets Epic Games, Electronic Arts (EA.O), Roblox

The complaint targets some of the biggest names in gaming, including Epic Games, Electronic Arts, Roblox, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Mojang Studios, Supercell (majority-owned by China’s Tencent) and French company Ubisoft.

These firms are behind popular titles such as Fortnite, EA Sports games, Minecraft, and Clash of Clans.

Vulnerable consumers

“Premium in-game currencies are purposefully tricking consumers, and this takes a big toll on children. Companies are well aware of children’s vulnerability and use tricks to lure younger consumers into spending more,” Reyna said.

The organisations expressed concerns that consumers, particularly children, often fail to recognise the true cost of digital items, leading to overspending. They also argued that consumers are frequently denied their rights when using premium in-game currencies.

Virtual currencies, such as gems, points or coins, can be bought with real money in games or app marketplaces. When used to buy options or items within games, the groups claim, players lose track of the real amounts being spent, leaving them vulnerable to overspending.

BEUC noted that 84 percent of 11 to 14-year-olds in Europe play video games, with the in-game purchases market valued at around $50 billion worldwide in 2020.

In 2023, a study led by Ipsos and Video Games Europe revealed that children in Europe making in-game purchases spend an average of €39 each month on various gaming extras.  

BEUC’s legal action targets the major video game publishers across mobile, PC and console platforms, accusing them of violating EU consumer protection laws. 

“Gamers shouldn’t need to rely on a calculator anytime they want to make an informed decision on how much they want to spend,” Reyna added.

The organisation recommended that real-life currency be used instead of virtual currencies, to give consumers a clearer understanding of the money they are spending.

(with newswires) 

Germany, Austria, Denmark, France, Italy, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and Finland have all reinstated or intensified border controls.

EU officials worry the moves risk creating logistical and economic disruptions, and are urging member states to work together to avoid uncoordinated policies that could disrupt both travel and trade in the Schengen area.

Germany has announced plans for tighter border controls at all nine of its land borders starting on 16 September.

“We want to further reduce irregular migration. To this end, we are now taking further steps that go beyond the comprehensive measures currently in place,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told reporters on Monday.

“Until we achieve stronger border protection with the joint European asylum system, we must further protect our national borders.”

Germany’s move, which will initially last six months, follows a knife attack in Solingen linked to a suspected asylum seeker with ties to the Islamic State armed group.

The decision has caused tensions with its neighbours, with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk calling the move “unacceptable” and Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner saying his country would not accept any asylum seekers rejected at Germany’s borders.

Luxembourg has expressed concern about potential disruptions to cross-border traffic, with the government pledging to minimise negative impacts on commuters.

‘Europe could die’: France’s Macron urges leaders to scale up EU defences

Temporary controls

Other countries are also adjusting their policies. Austria has reinstated checks at its borders with Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary, citing pressures on its asylum system and security threats related to the Ukraine conflict.

The controls will last until mid-November or December 2024, depending on the border.

France has implemented border checks with Schengen countries until 31 October, blaming pressures on its asylum system and heightened terrorism threats, while Italy has extended its checks with Slovenia until 18 December because of issues related to the Ukraine war.

Denmark has introduced checks on land and sea transit from Germany until 11 November, citing security threats linked to the Gaza conflict and Russian espionage concerns.

Norway, which is part of the Schengen zone but not an EU member, has reinstated checks at ports with ferry connections to Schengen areas until 11 November due to threats from Russian intelligence operations.

Slovenia has reintroduced checks with Croatia and Hungary until 21 December, citing increased security threats from the Middle East and organised crime in the Western Balkans.

Sweden has tightened its border controls until 11 November in response to increased violence risks following the Gaza conflict.

Finland has closed crossing stations on its land border with Russia indefinitely, alleging a surge of asylum seekers orchestrated by Moscow. Helsinki has also restricted several ports to travel from Russia.

The Paralympics in Paris shone a light on disability and the challenges disabled people in France face in getting access to sport. Novosports, one of only 40 sports clubs in the capital open to players with disabilities, is entirely focused on inclusive sports, where people with and without disabilities can train together. Club founder Jerome Rousseau talks about developing inclusive volleyball, and club members talk about the importance of opening sport up to everyone. (Listen @1’55”)

Decades before the Paralympic Games were born, the world’s first multi-discipline competition for athletes with a disability took place in Paris in the summer of 1924. Reserved for deaf competitors, the International Silent Games were a landmark in the history of inclusive sport and laid the foundations for today’s contests. Historian Didier Séguillon, curator of an exhibition on the Games at the National Institute for Deaf Young People, discusses their origins and legacy. (Listen @10’15”)

Since recent parliamentary elections in France failed to give any political party a ruling majority, the three main blocs – the left-wing NFP alliance, the centre-right Ensemble coalition and the far-right National Rally – have been at loggerheads. The new prime minister has to form a unity government, but this involves compromise on all sides – a notion that’s often equated in France with “giving in”. Laure Gillot-Assayag, a researcher in political science and philosophy, argues that in such a politically divided landscape, France needs a culture of compromise more than ever. (Listen @17’10”)

Episode mixed by Cecile Pompéani. 

Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

In a resolution adopted unanimously, the Council extended until 12 September 2025 the sanctions regime in place since 2005, which is aimed solely at Darfur.

That includes individual sanctions (asset freezes and a travel ban) on three people, and an arms embargo.

The “people of Darfur continue to live in danger and desperation and despair. This adoption sends an important signal to them that the international community remains focused on their plight,” said deputy US ambassador Robert Wood.

Though sanctions do not apply to the whole country, their renewal “will restrict the movement of arms into Darfur and sanction individuals and entities contributing to or complicit in destabilising activities in Sudan,” he said.

Ongoing conflict

More than 16 months of war between rival Sudanese generals has killed tens of thousands of people and triggered what the United Nations calls the world’s worst internal displacement crisis.

Sudan at ‘cataclysmic breaking point’ amid multiple crises, UN warns

The war pits the army under Sudan‘s de facto leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against the RSF, led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

The UN and humanitarian organisations fear that the war could degenerate into new ethnic violence, particularly in Darfur, already ravaged more than 20 years ago by the scorched-earth policy pursued by the Janjaweed — Arab militiamen who have since joined the RSF.

China and Russia, permanent members of the Security Council who abstained the last time the embargo was renewed, in 2023, this time voted in favour.

The move “will go some way towards stemming the steady flow of illicit arms into the battlefield and calming down and deescalating the situation on the ground,” said deputy Chinese ambassador Dai Bing.

He said the sanctions were “a means, not an end. They must not replace diplomacy.”

Calls for more sanctions

Jean-Baptiste Gallopin, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, said the decision was a “missed opportunity” by the Council to extend the embargo to the whole of Sudan.

In their annual report, published in January, experts charged by the Council with monitoring the sanctions regime said the arms embargo had been violated multiple times.

They pointed the finger at several countries, including the UAE, accused of sending arms to the RSF.

Sudanese ambassador Al-Harith Idriss al-Harith Mohamed said it was “no secret” that the UAE has a “key role” in the fighting, and argued that maintaining the embargo creates “an imbalance between the different forces in Darfur.”

His Emirati counterpart rejected the “baseless” accusation, describing it as “a cynical attempt to deflect attention from the failings of the Sudanese armed forces.”

 (AFP)

Mali’s media regulator, the High Authority for Communication, announced its decision, criticising TV5 Monde for reporting on the deaths of at least 15 civilians in drone strikes in the northern town of Tinzaouatene without considering the Malian army’s perspective.

The controversial report aired on August 25 as part of the channel’s widely viewed Africa program in Mali.

In a statement, the channel said: “TV5 Monde regrets this situation, and in particular the fact that it was not approached by the HAC and was unable to provide any explanations regarding the facts of which it is accused”. 

Press freedom watchdog, Reporters Without Borders has condemned the junta’s move against the French-language broadcaster.

The channel said that the Malian army had not yet provided its version of events at the time the channel broadcast its report on the drone strikes, “despite direct requests from TV5 Monde”.

“However, the Malian army’s version was given by TV5 Monde in a news item dated 26 August,” the channel said.

Mali has been ruled by military leaders since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021. 

Breaking away from former colonial ruler, France, the junta has instead turned politically and militarily towards Russia. 

• RFI and France 24 contest ‘definitive’ broadcasting ban in Mal

French media taken off air

Since taking power, Mali’s military leaders have suspended the widely followed French outlets France 24 and Radio France Internationale. 

The junta also suspended France 2 in early 2024, before news channel LCI suffered the same fate at the end of August.

Mali suspends French news channel LCI for two months

Correspondents from a number of foreign media have been forced to leave, go into exile or cease work.

Mali’s military leaders have also taken an ever-tougher line on political opposition within the country.

TV5 Monde aims to promote French culture and creativity, with ownership shared between French, Belgian, Swiss, Canadian and Quebec public broadcasting companies.

(with AFP)

On Wednesday, prosecutor Olivier Christen said the plots included plans to attack “Israeli institutions or representatives of Israel in Paris” during the Olympic Games.

The prosecutor told broadcaster FranceInfo that “the Israeli team itself was not specifically targeted,” but he did not give any further details.

In all, five people – including a minor – were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the three foiled plots against the Summer Games, which were held against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war and Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The suspects are facing various terrorism-related charges while they remain in pre-trial detention.

France was on its highest security alert in the months ahead of the Olympics and Paralympics, which wrapped up last week.

During preparations for the Games, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin repeatedly warned that security threats included those from Islamic extremist groups, violent environmental activists, far-right groups and cyberattacks from Russia or other adversaries.

Olympic security jitters rise as French police deal with string of attacks

Influence of Islamic State

In May, members of France’s DGSI General Directorate of Internal Security arrested an 18-year-old man from Chechnya on suspicion of being behind a plan to attack Olympic soccer events that were held in the southern city of Saint-Etienne.

The planned attack was to target “bar-type establishments around the Geoffroy stadium,” the prosecutor said.

The suspect is accused of planning “a violent action” on behalf of the Islamic State armed group’s jihadist ideology.

According to the prosecutor, jihadist threats dominated the foiled plots and 80 percent of legal proceedings against suspects include the extremist ideology that still influences France’s youth.

France says multiple Olympic accreditation requests rejected over security fears

The Islamic State group continues to “spread propaganda,” he added.

Preventive measures included increased house searches and house arrests before the start of the Olympics, with police and other security personnel having conducted 936 house searches to date in 2024, compared to 153 last year. 

“We’re going to do things methodically and seriously,” Barnier told reporters in the eastern city of Reims, adding that he was “listening to everybody” in a political scene split into three broad camps since July’s inconclusive snap parliamentary election.

“We’re going to name a government next week,” he said.

Barnier, who has served as environment, foreign and agriculture minister and was the EU’s former chief Brexit negotiator, was named last week by President Emmanuel Macron as his compromise pick for head of government.

With no longer even a relative majority in parliament following his decision to dissolve the National Assembly, Macron delayed picking a PM for weeks over the summer as he tried to find someone who would not suffer an immediate no-confidence vote.

French left protests against appointment of new conservative PM

The chamber is largely divided between Macron’s centrist supporters — now loosely allied with Barnier’s rump conservative party – the left-wing NFP alliance and the far-right National Rally (RN).

NFP leaders have vowed to vote no confidence in any government not headed by them after they secured the most votes, but fell well short of a majority.

Meanwhile Macron appears to have taken care to find a candidate in Barnier who does not immediately raise the hackles of the RN.

Rumours are swirling in Paris about who might claim key ministries after Barnier said he was open to working with people on the left or right.

Who is France’s new prime minister Michel Barnier?

“For now, the names in circulation seem to be just wish lists of people wanting to receive a ministerial portfolio,” Politico’s French edition wrote Wednesday.

One prominent Socialist, Karim Bouamrane, mayor of the Paris suburb of Saint-Ouen, said he had turned down an invitation to serve.

“We have a right-wing prime minister approved of by the RN, a prime minister under supervision,” Bouamrane told Franceinfo radio.

An October 1 deadline to file a draft government budget for 2025 has Barnier under pressure to get moving and sets him and his new team up for a fierce battle over taxes and spending.

In particular, both the NFP and RN promised ahead of the July elections to overturn last year’s unpopular pension reform that increased the official retirement age to 64 from 62.

The company water subsidiary, Nestlé Waters, reached a settlement known as a judicial public interest agreement (CJIP) on Tuesday with the prosecutor in Epinal, in eastern France.

The fine comes after two investigations revealed that Nestlé had been drilling without permits and using unapproved purification methods, including ultraviolet treatment and charcoal filters, in its water production.

The company acknowledged these actions and has since stopped the unauthorised treatments.

Prosecutor Frédéric Nahon said the fine must be paid within three months. He described the agreement as “the most significant environmental CJIP ever signed in France”.

Damage repair

Unlike a full trial, a CJIP does not result in a formal conviction but allows for the payment of fines and reparations without a declaration of guilt.

Alongside the fine, Nestlé Waters has committed to investing €1.1 million in an environmental restoration plan for two local rivers, the Petit-Vair and the Vair.

This plan will also focus on restoring wetlands in Vittel and Contrexéville, two towns closely linked to the company’s water production. The project will be supervised by the French Office for Biodiversity for the next two years.

In addition to the fine, Nestlé Waters will pay €516,800 in compensation to environmental groups. These include Vosges Nature Environnement, Foodwatch, and Eau 88, which were behind the complaints leading to the investigation.

‘Limited justice’

Some organisations, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the settlement.

This agreement allowed those with money to avoid a full trial and a criminal record, said Bernard Schmitt of Eau 88.

“Without this agreement, we would have faced a lengthy legal battle, possibly lasting five to 10 years, with minimal consequences,” he said.

Marie-Amandine Stévenin, president of UFC-Que Choisir, said the case highlights “the unfortunate limits of the French justice system”.

Despite the criticisms, the Epinal prosecutor emphasised that Nestlé Waters had fully cooperated with both the judicial and administrative authorities.

Fishing club files complaint against Nestlé for pollution in Ardennes river

The company ceased the unauthorised treatments in 2023 and there were no health risks to the public.

Nestlé Waters also agreed to conduct an impact study on water levels in the affected aquifers, addressing concerns raised by environmentalists.

We demanded that an impact study be part of the agreement because we no longer have the luxury of waiting when facing urgent climate and resource challenges,” said Eau 88 lawyer François Zind.

This isn’t the first time Nestlé has faced environmental issues.

In 2022, it settled another CJIP after being blamed for a pollution incident in the Aisne River, which killed six tonnes of fish.

Although the company contested its role, it paid a €40,000 fine.

Kylian Mbappé claims PSG owe him 55 million euros which the Parisians say the 25-year-old had agreed to waiver in August 2023.

The Real Madrid forward stated that the amount includes a signing bonus he anticipated receiving in February, his salary for the final three months, and an “ethical bonus” for that period

Lawyers representing the two parties met early on Wednesday after Mbappé – who joined Madrid this summer – had referred his case to the LFP‘s legal committee.

The league then made the proposition to mediate.

Mbappé’s entourage said in a statement: “The eventuality of a mediation was mentioned this morning.

The player’s representative, hwoever, dismissed this option during the meeting, stating that mediation would be pointless since a simple review of the player’s payslip clearly shows the lack of payment.

• Mbappé says ‘dream has come true’ at Real Madrid inauguration
• Mbappé confirms he will leave Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season

LFP proposition

For its part, Paris Saint-Germain said it was “highly satisfied” with the two-hour hearing before the commission today.

The club emphasised that the player has consistently made both public and private commitments that must be honored, especially after receiving unparalleled privileges from the club during seven remarkable years in Paris.

“The club recalled that the player has made clear repeated public and private commitments that must be respected, having been afforded unprecedented benefits by the Club over seven fantastic years in Paris,” the club said in a statement.

“In the light of the club’s oral and documented arguments, the commission insisted on mediation between the parties, which Paris Saint-Germain has been seeking for many months.”

(with newswires)

The Paralympics in Paris shone a light on disability and the challenges disabled people in France face in getting access to sport. Novosports, one of only 40 sports clubs in the capital open to players with disabilities, is entirely focused on inclusive sports, where people with and without disabilities can train together. Club founder Jerome Rousseau talks about developing inclusive volleyball, and club members talk about the importance of opening sport up to everyone. (Listen @1’55”)

Decades before the Paralympic Games were born, the world’s first multi-discipline competition for athletes with a disability took place in Paris in the summer of 1924. Reserved for deaf competitors, the International Silent Games were a landmark in the history of inclusive sport and laid the foundations for today’s contests. Historian Didier Séguillon, curator of an exhibition on the Games at the National Institute for Deaf Young People, discusses their origins and legacy. (Listen @10’15”)

Since recent parliamentary elections in France failed to give any political party a ruling majority, the three main blocs – the left-wing NFP alliance, the centre-right Ensemble coalition and the far-right National Rally – have been at loggerheads. The new prime minister has to form a unity government, but this involves compromise on all sides – a notion that’s often equated in France with “giving in”. Laure Gillot-Assayag, a researcher in political science and philosophy, argues that in such a politically divided landscape, France needs a culture of compromise more than ever. (Listen @17’10”)

Episode mixed by Cecile Pompéani. 

Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

The Egyptian president received a full diplomatic reception, with military bands and horses parading the Egyptian flag through the streets of the Turkish capital on Wednesday.

Erdogan did not hold back in welcoming a man he once dubbed a “brutal dictator”, and signalled a new era of partnership between the two countries.

“With our joint declaration, we confirmed our will to advance our cooperation in all fields, including industry, trade, defence, health, environment and energy,” the Turkish president declared.

String of bilateral agreements

The two leaders signed no fewer than 17 agreements to deepen bilateral trade, diplomatic and military cooperation.

The goal is to expand their annual commercial exchanges to over €13 billion in five years, from a little over €9 billion now.

They also discussed their concerns linked to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the shared desire to see a ceasefire there – part of a wider trend of converging regional interests.

Sisi’s visit follows Erdogan’s trip to Cairo in February, which resulted from years of efforts to mend damaged relations.

Ankara and Cairo cut ties in 2013 after Sisi, then defence minister, ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi – Turkey’s ally and part of the Muslim Brotherhood movement.

• Turkey and Egypt turn page on decade of friction with show of friendship

Question of Somaliland

Despite the decade of estrangement, trade between the two countries never ceased: Turkey is Egypt’s fifth-largest trading partner, while Egypt is Turkey’s largest in Africa.

With the Egyptian and Turkish economies in difficulty, the need to increase bilateral trade is seen as a powerful impetus towards rapprochement and a driving force for cooperation.

It could also ease tension in oil-rich Libya, which has been in a state of civil war for over a decade and where Cairo and Ankara back rival governments.

Libyan security analyst Aya Burweila says that Libya has become an important arena for both countries.

“Because the lines in the sand are so set – and each country has its sphere of influence – this has helped both countries realise that it’s much more lucrative if they cooperate rather than fight each other,” she told RFI.

Sisi and Erdogan also discussed tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia over the breakaway state of Somaliland, following reports that Egypt has started deploying weapons to Mogadishu.

The deployment is part of Egypt‘s bitter dispute with Ethiopia over its Grand Renaissance Dam, which Cairo claims seriously threatens vital water supplies from the Nile River.

• Newly reconciled, Turkey and Egypt could be a force for stability in Africa

Rivalry paused, not ended?

However, analysts suggest Egypt could also be seeking to challenge Turkey’s influence in Somalia – in which it has heavily invested – as well as complicating Ankara’s efforts to mediate between the Somali and Ethiopian governments.

Elem Eyrice-Tepeciklioglu, a professor of African studies at the Social Sciences University of Ankara, acknowledges the danger – but predicts Erdogan and Sisi will initially seek common ground.

“Both Egypt and Turkey can cooperate in Somalia, especially in terms of security,” she observes.

“They can implement joint anti-terrorism initiatives. They can combine their efforts in development projects. They can involve themselves in political stabilisation initiatives, and so on.

“But they can also compete with each other for a more significant role and influence in Somalia.”

For now, though, most experts seem to agree that with the spectre of a wider regional conflict and increasing economic pressures, Erdogan and Sisi are fully aware that cooperation, rather than rivalry, is in both their interests. 

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!

Only a few days are left to submit your video to the ePOP competition. 

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 bilingual radio dramas (with real actors!) and exercises to practice what you have heard.

Go to our website and get started! At the top of the page, click on “Test level”. According to your score, you’ll be counselled to the best-suited activities for your level.

Do not give up! As Lidwien van Dixhoorn, the head of “Le Français facile” service told me: “Bathe your ears in the sound of the language, and eventually, you’ll get it.” She should know – Lidwien is Dutch and came to France hardly able to say “bonjour” and now she heads this key RFI department – so stick with it!

Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!

In addition to the breaking news articles on our site, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts that will leave you hungry for more.

There’s Paris Perspective, Spotlight on France, Spotlight on Africa, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. And there is the excellent International Report, too.

Remember, podcasts are radio, 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 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 13 July I asked you yet another question about France’s snap legislative elections.

As you know, the left coalition New Popular Front won the most seats, followed by Macron’s centre-right alliance, with the far-right National Rally in third place. None of the parties have an absolute majority.

There’s been something of a “cease-fire” during the Olympic Games, so not much has been done. However, the French constitution sets strict deadlines for when key positions must be filled; one of these is the appointment of chairs for each of the eight standing parliamentary committees. That was your question – what are those eight standing committees, and by which date must the chairs of each committee be decided?

The answer is: Finance, foreign affairs, defence, economy, social affairs, culture, sustainable development, and law. The date for deciding the chairs was 20 July. So that has happened: six of the eight committees are headed by the centre-right coalition, and the other two were taken by the left coalition.

The centre-right and the left coalition joined forces and no position was allocated to the far-right National Rally.

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “What was your biggest life-changing decision, and how did it change your life?”

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

The winners are: RFI English listener Malik Allah Bachaya Khokhar from the Sungat Radio Listeners Club in Muzaffargarh, Pakistan. Malik is also the winner of this week’s bonus question – congratulations, Malik!

There are two winners from India this week: Nafisa Khatun, the president of the RFI Mahila Shrota Sangha Club in Hariharpara, and Mousumi Khatun, a member of the RFI International DX Radio Listeners Club in Murshidabad. Moving over to Bangladesh, there’s Shrabonty Shermin, a member of the RFI Surfers’ Society Bangladesh in Rajshahi, and RFI English listener Rowshan Ara Labone from Dhaka.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Pendulum” by Eberhard Weber, performed by the composer and Paul McCandless; “Contrapunctus 1” from J.S. Bach’s The Art Of Fugue, BWV 1080, performed by the Emerson Quartet; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and “Street Life” by Joe Sample and Will Jennings, performed by The Crusaders.

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 “Golden glory for French para-triathletes despite delays over Seine water quality”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 30 September to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 5 October 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,  

This week, we focus on the presidential election in Algeria, scheduled for 7 September, with a potential second round two weeks later, if none of the candidate reaches 51 percent in the first round.

The campaign ended on Tuesday, 3 September. Most experts expect incumbent Abdelmadjid Tebboune to win again, while only two challengers have been allowed to run: Abdelaali Hassani of the moderate Islamist party, the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP), and Youcef Aouchiche of the centre-left Socialist Forces Front (FFS). 

• Few surprises in store as Algeria’s presidential election nears

The opposition has, however, complained of intimidation with dozens of people arrested last month over alleged election fraud.

Opposition leader Fethi Ghares was even detained  during the last week of the campaign, accused of “insulting the president” and spreading disinformation online.

Meanwhile, Algerian officials are tightening restrictions on civil liberties, Amnesty International reports. The human rights group says that the authorities’ actions aim to limit citizens’ rights to free speech, peaceful protest, and form associations.

To understand how opponents, political parties and civil society navigate the civic space, RFI spoke to Nadège Lahmar, the consultant on Algeria for Amnesty. 

Episode mixed by Nicolas Doreau. 

Spotlight on Africa is a podcast from Radio France Internationale. 

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,  

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.