Georgia’s opposition immediately raised objections that the Prosecutor’s Office would not conduct an independent investigation because its head was appointed by the parliament, which is dominated by the ruling Georgian Dream party.

Georgian Dream – which has deepened the country’s ties with Russia – declared victory in Saturday’s election after authorities said it won about 54 percent of the vote with almost all ballots counted.

The balloting was seen by many Georgians as a choice between continuing to support the ruling party or seeking closer integration with the European Union.

European observers said the election took place in a “divisive” environment marked by intimidation and instances of vote-buying, double voting and physical violence.

Georgian observers also reported multiple violations and said the results do not reflect “the will of the Georgian people”.

The EU and United States have called for a full and transparent investigation of the alleged violations.

Opposition protests in Tbilisi

This comes as thousands of people rallied outside the parliament building Monday night to hear opposition speakers, including President Salome Zourabichvili, denounce what they called a stolen election.

The nation of just under four million people – which lies between Russia and Turkey – was granted EU candidate status in 2022, but Brussels halted the process indefinitely after the parliament, dominated by Georgian Dream, adopted a “foreign influence law,” similar to ones enacted in Russia to crack down on dissent.

The party was set up by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire who made his fortune in Russia and served briefly as Georgia’s prime minister but has stayed out of public view since 2013.

The investigation was requested by the Central Election Commission, and Zourabichvili was summoned for questioning Thursday about the allegations.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office others “who may possess information related to the alleged criminal act” also would be questioned.

Election officials also have announced a partial recount of ballots cast at a number of polling stations, aimed at addressing some of the accusations.

It isn’t clear when that will be completed, with a CEC statement saying ballots from five polling stations randomly selected in each election district will be recounted.

• Georgia’s pro-EU opposition calls for mass protests over ‘stolen’ election
• France joins calls for inquiry into alleged irregularities in Georgia election

‘Nobody can be fooled’

However, Salome Samadashvili of the opposition Strong Georgia coalition, questioned whether the Prosecutor’s office was independent of Ivanishvili’s influence.

“If somebody thinks that they can fool the Georgian people or our international partners into believing that Bidzina will investigate his own election fraud, they are mistaken. Nobody can be fooled,” Samadashvili said.

“That is why we are saying that the investigation should be conducted by an international mission with the adequate mandate and qualifications. Until this is done, this election cannot and will not have legitimacy or trust,” she added.

President Zourabichvili – who has a mostly ceremonial role – suggested that “Russian elections” were held in the country, and said “technology was used to whitewash counterfeiting. Such a thing has never happened before.”

However, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, a member of Georgian Dream, has urged Zourabichvili to turn over evidence of vote-rigging and has concluded that she has none.

A 180-page report by the Ministry of Territorial Administration examined 211 parties, ordering 53 dissolved and 54 suspended for three months.

Another 67 parties were placed under observation, being given three months to provide the appropriate documents to the ministry. If they fail to comply, they face suspension.

Thirty-seven parties were not assessed.

“The end result is that for the 53 parties dissolved, there are illegible registrations or registrations with falsified signatures of ministers,” said Camara Touré Djénabou, who coordinates civil status reforms at the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation.

Some parties, she added, date back to the early 1990s and have never held a bank account.

Djénabou said that parties under observation scored at least 70 percent on compliance but need to meet the remaining 30 percent in the coming three months.

‘Necessary clean up’

The department’s minister, Ibrahim Khalila Condé, defended the survey as a necessary “clean-up” of Guinea’s political arena.

However, critics argue it’s a move to exclude key figures like ousted president Alpha Condé, former presidential candidate Cellou Dalein Diallo, and former prime minister Sidya Touré, all of whom are currently in exile.

“We at the UFDG have always said that the ministry evaluates the entities for which it is responsible,” Souleymane de Souza Konaté, a spokesperson for the Union des Forces Démocratiques de Guinée (UFDG), told RFI.

“It is in this capacity that we lent ourselves to the exercise because we found it legitimate.”

Lieutenant Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, who took power in September 2021, has pledged to restore civilian rule by the end of 2024.

Since he seized control, many political opponents have faced arrest or exile.

The junta has banned demonstrations, dissolved a collective calling for the return of civilians to power and withdrawn some private media licences.

Dramatic videos shared overnight show people trapped by floodwaters, with some climbing trees to avoid being swept away.

Carlos Mazon, Valencia’s regional leader, said some residents remain isolated in areas that are currently unreachable.

“If [emergency services] have not arrived, it’s not due to a lack of means or predisposition, but a problem of access,” Mazon said, adding that reaching certain places was “absolutely impossible”.

Travel warnings

Regional emergency services have urged citizens to avoid road travel and stay informed through official channels.

Train routes to Madrid and Barcelona have been suspended, while schools and other essential services in the worst-hit areas remain closed.

Footage on social media shows firefighters rescuing drivers stranded in flooded streets in the town of Alzira.

Spain’s UME military unit, specialised in rescue operations, has been deployed to assist local emergency workers.

Spain’s weather agency AEMET has issued a red alert in Valencia, a major citrus-growing region, with some areas recording up to 200mm of rainfall.

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Climate change

The death toll appears to be the worst in Europe from flooding since 2021, when almost 200 people died, mainly in Germany.

Scientists say extreme weather events in the region are becoming more frequent due to climate change.

Meteorologists believe the warming of the Mediterranean, which increases water evaporation, plays a key role in making torrential rains more severe.

The rain has reportedly subsided in Valencia, but more storms are forecast through Thursday.

The Swedish furniture company formally committed to the fund on Wednesday, handing a declaration of intent to Evelyn Zupke, Germany’s commissioner for the victims of East Germany’s communist-era injustices.

The agreement comes after “close exchanges over several years” between Ikea, the victims’ organisation UOKG and Zupke, who became the government commissioner on the issue in 2021.

“For me, Ikea’s commitment to supporting the hardship fund is an expression of a responsible approach to the dark chapters of the company’s history,” Zupke said. 

Ikea first acknowledged in 2012, after an independent investigation, that some of its suppliers in East Germany had employed political prisoners to produce goods for the company in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

“We deeply regret that products for Ikea were also produced by political prisoners,” said Walter Kadnar, the head of Ikea in Germany.

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When it took office in 2021, Germany’s three-way coalition government pledged to establish a hardship fund for victims of crimes committed under the East German government before German unification in 1990.

The German parliament is due to vote on the establishment of the fund in the coming weeks.

Kadnar said Ikea had long ago assured the people affected that it would atone for the mistreatment they faced. 

“We therefore welcome the implementation of the hardship fund and are pleased to be able to keep our promise,” he said.

The report was released as heatwaves, fires, hurricanes, droughts and floods have lashed the world during what is expected to surpass 2023 to become the hottest year on record.

It also comes just weeks before the United Nations Cop29 talks are held in Azerbaijan – and days before a US election that could see climate change sceptic Donald Trump return to the White House.

The eighth Lancet Countdown on health and climate change, developed by 122 experts including from UN agencies such as the World Health Organization, painted a dire picture of death and delay.

Out of 15 indicators that the experts have been tracking over the last eight years, 10 have “reached concerning new records,” the report said.

These included the increasing extreme weather events, elderly deaths from heat, spread of infectious diseases, and people going without food as droughts and floods hit crops.

Lancet Countdown executive director Marina Romanello told AFP the report showed there are “record threats to the health and survival of people in every country, to levels we have never seen before”.

‘Fuelling the fire’

The number of over-65s who died from heat has risen by 167 percent since the 1990s, the report said.

Rising temperatures have also increased the area where mosquitoes roam, taking deadly diseases with them.

Last year saw a new record of over five million cases of dengue worldwide, the report noted.

Around five percent of the world’s tree cover was destroyed between 2016 and 2022, reducing Earth’s capacity to capture the carbon dioxide humans are emitting.

Why extinguishing Africa’s dirty cooking fuel crisis is a global priority

It also tracked how oil and gas companies – as well as some governments and banks – were “fuelling the fire” of climate change.

Despite decades of warnings, global emissions of the main greenhouse gases rose again last year, the World Meteorological Organisation said earlier this week.

Large oil and gas companies, which have been posting record profits, have increased fossil fuel production since last year, the report said.

Many countries also handed out fresh subsidies to fossil fuels to counteract soaring oil and gas prices after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Fossil fuel subsidies amounted to $1.4 trillion in 2022, which is “vastly more than any source of commitments to enable a transition to a healthier future,” Romanello said.

‘No more time to waste’

But there were also “some very encouraging signs of progress,” she added.

For example, deaths from fossil fuel-related air pollution fell by nearly seven percent to 2.10 million from 2016 to 2021, mainly due to efforts to reduce pollution from burning coal, the report said.

The share of clean renewables used to generate electricity nearly doubled over the same period to 10.5 percent, it added.

And there are signs that climate negotiations are paying more attention to health, Romanello said, pointing to the Cop talks and national climate plans to be submitted early next year.

“If action is not taken today, the future will be very dangerous,” she warned.

“There is really no more time to waste – I know we have been saying this for many years – but what we are seeing is that the wasted time has been paid in lives.”

For people at home, Romanello advised a climate-friendly diet, travelling without burning dirty energy, ditching banks that invest in fossil fuels and voting for politicians promising greater action on global warming.

The organisation – which has been reporting on homeless deaths in France since 2012 – says the number of people who died on the streets last year increased significantly from 2022, when 624 people were reported deceased. 

However, the association points out that the latest figures should be interpreted with caution, as a significant proportion of deaths have not been included in their study, as it is difficult to know precisely how many homeless people there are in France. 

According to the Abbé Pierre Foundation, there are around 330,000 homeless in France, while the latest official estimate from France’s INSEE statistics institute – dating from in 2012 – put the number at 143,000.

For 2023, the collective counted 735 homeless people who had died – a total that could be revised upwards to 826 if the study were to include people who were no longer on the streets, but had been homeless during their lives. 

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Limited life expectancy

Les Morts de la Rue has also underlined that the average age of the people who died is 49 – almost 30 years younger than the general population.

The vast majority of deaths involved men, although the proportion of women has also increased.. 

Nearly a third of deaths took place in public places, followed by care centres – up on previous years – indicating the difficulty homeless people face when trying to access care or being cared for at the end of life.

Some 22 percent of deaths were due to external causes – such as transport accidents or assault – while less than one percent of deaths were linked to the consumption of alcohol or drugs.

The group has also be critical of a number of government measures that penalise homeless people, such as the law against illegal occupation of housing and police orders banning food distribution in certain districts of Paris and Calais.

For the first time, the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) faces strong opposition bolstered by former president Ian Khama, who is campaigning against Masisi after a bitter public fallout.

Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana declared independence on 30 September 1966, adopting a democratic system. The BDP has held power since then, with independence leader Seretse Khama as its first president.

The current BDP candidate, 60-year-old Masisi, was selected by Khama’s son Ian, who was president from 2008 to 2018, to succeed him when he reached his two-term limit.

One of four presidential candidates, he’s the favourite to win the election, which is open to one million registered voters.

Masisi, a US-educated former school teacher, won the 2019 polls with 52 percent of the vote. Shortly after taking office, he reversed several of Khama’s policies, including lifting a ban on trophy hunting, and removed the intelligence chief, a key Khama ally.

It was the start of a long, public feud.

Return from exile

After a self-imposed exile in South Africa, Khama returned to Botswana six weeks ago, calling his decision to hand power to Masisi in 2018 a “mistake”.

Unable to run for president himself, Khama has thrown his support behind the opposition, particularly the populist Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF), whose presidential candidate, 57-year-old Mephato Reatile, is a long-time Khama ally.

However, the BPF’s influence is limited to certain regions and lacks the national reach of other parties.

The main opposition alliance aiming to unseat the ruling BDP is the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), a coalition of left-leaning parties which took nearly 36 percent of the vote in the 2019 elections.

The UDC went to court to have the results thrown out over “irregularities” but the case was dismissed.

Its presidential candidate is the 54-year-old human rights lawyer Duma Boko, also leader of the Botswana National Front.

Boko has put the creation of “meaningful, decent, well-paying jobs” at the centre of his campaign and raised questions about the transparency of the election commission.

Finally, there is Dumelang Saleshando, 53, who heads the social democratic Botswana Congress Party (BCP) which won 15 percent in 2019, when it was part of the UDC.

It quit the coalition in 2023, complaining of internal dysfunction, in a blow to the opposition’s chances on Wednesday.

Unemployment surge

With the opposition divided, Masisi is still expected to win, despite rising discontent at the end of his first term.

Under Masisi, Botswana’s economic growth has shrunk, suffering from weakened demand for diamonds amid competition from lab-grown stones.

Diamonds constitute the country’s main source of income, representing 30 percent of GDP and 80 percent of its exports.

Unemployment has surged past 25 percent this year, with young people particularly affected, while the disparity between rich and poor is among the highest in the world, according to the World Bank.

Many have also critcised Masisi’s close relationship with Zimbabwe’s authoritarian president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, whom the opposition alleged was interfering ahead of voting day.

(with AFP)

The extra taxes of up to 35 percent were announced Tuesday after an EU probe found Chinese state subsidies were undercutting European automakers, but the move has faced opposition from Germany and Hungary, which fear provoking Beijing‘s ire and setting off a bitter trade war.

China slammed Brussels’s decision on Wednesday morning, saying it did not “agree with or accept” the tariffs and had filed a complaint under the World Trade Organization‘s (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism.

“China will… take all necessary measures to firmly protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies,” Beijing’s commerce ministry said.

EU trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis said Tuesday that “by adopting these proportionate and targeted measures after a rigorous investigation, we’re standing up for fair market practices and for the European industrial base”.

“We welcome competition, including in the electric vehicle sector, but it must be underpinned by fairness and a level playing field,” he said.

French cognac hit hard by Chinese anti-dumping measures

But Germany’s main auto industry association warned the tariffs heightened the risk of “a far-reaching trade conflict”, while a Chinese trade group slammed the “politically motivated” decision even as it urged dialogue between the two sides.

The duties will come on top of the current 10 percent on imports of electric vehicles from China.

The decision became law following its publication in the EU’s official journal on Tuesday, and the duties will enter into force from Wednesday.

Once they do, the tariffs will be definitive and last for five years.

The extra duties also apply, at various rates, to vehicles made in China by foreign groups such as Tesla, which faces a tariff of 7.8 percent.

Chinese car giant Geely — one of the country’s largest sellers of EVs — faces an extra duty of 18.8 percent, while SAIC will be hit with the highest at 35.3 percent.

Ailing companies

The tariffs do not have the support of the majority of the EU’s 27 member states but in a vote early this month, the opposition was not enough to block them, which would have required at least 15 states representing 65 percent of the bloc’s population.

The EU launched the probe in a bid to protect its automobile industry, which employs around 14 million people.

France, which pushed for the investigation, welcomed the decision.

“The European Union is taking a crucial decision to protect and defend our trade interests, at a time when our car industry needs our support more than ever,” French Finance Minister Antoine Armand said in a statement.

EU, China hold ‘constructive’ talks on electric vehicle tariffs but still no agreement

But Europe‘s bigger carmakers, including German auto titan Volkswagen, have criticised the EU’s approach and have urged Brussels to resolve the issue through talks.

The extra tariffs are “a step backwards for free global trade and thus for prosperity, job preservation and growth in Europe”, the German Association of the Automotive Industry’s president Hildegard Mueller said on Tuesday after the announcement.

Volkswagen, which has been hit hard by rising competition in China, has previously said the tariffs would not improve the competitiveness of the European automotive industry.

That warning came weeks before the ailing giant announced plans on Monday to close at least three factories in Germany and cull tens of thousands of jobs.

Retaliatory moves

Talks continue between the EU and China, and the duties can be lifted if they reach a satisfactory agreement, but officials on both sides have pointed to differences.

Discussions have been focused on minimum prices that would replace the duties and force carmakers in China to sell vehicles at a certain cost to offset subsidies.

“We remain open to a possible alternative solution that would be effective in addressing the problems identified and WTO-compatible,” Dombrovskis said.

The Chinese Chamber of Commerce to the EU urged Brussels and Beijing “to accelerate talks on establishing minimum prices and, ultimately, to eliminate these tariffs”.

The EU could now face Chinese retaliation, with Beijing already saying on October 8 it would impose provisional tariffs on European brandy.

Beijing has also launched probes into EU subsidies of some dairy and pork products imported into China.

Trade tensions between China and the EU are not limited to electric cars, with Brussels also investigating Chinese subsidies for solar panels and wind turbines.

The EU is not alone in levying heavy tariffs on Chinese electric cars.

Canada and the United States have in recent months imposed much higher tariffs of 100 percent on Chinese electric car imports.

The explosive growth of generative artificial intelligence, which creates content like text, images, audio and synthetic data, is expected to add millions of metric tonnes of electronic waste annually by the end of the decade, a study in Nature Computational Science has said.

This rise in e-waste is due to the rapid expansion of AI applications and data centres, which demand frequent upgrades of high-performance computing hardware.

Short life cycles for advanced processors and storage equipment mean devices are replaced often to meet rising demand, resulting in a surge of discarded electronics.

If left unchecked, researchers warn that e-waste could spiral, further contributing to environmental pollution and resource depletion worldwide.

Resource-intensive

Generative AI models, such as large language models, are highly resource-intensive, requiring powerful servers, processors and storage solutions to operate effectively.

As big-tech companies race to develop more sophisticated models and hardware, e-waste from discarded equipment is piling up.

At the current adoption rate, e-waste from generative AI could reach between 1.2 and 5 million metric tonnes annually by 2030 – a thousand-fold increase over today’s levels.

Researchers estimate that this jump in waste is largely tied to applications like ChatGPT, which run on hardware with an expected lifespan of only two to five years.

AI-related e-waste often contains hazardous materials like lead, chromium and mercury, which pose severe health and environmental risks if not properly managed. Globally, just over 12 percent of e-waste is recycled.

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Towards a circular economy

To address the rising tide of e-waste, researchers recommend moving towards a circular economy by extending hardware life, remanufacturing components and recycling materials from old devices.

Implementing these practices could reduce AI-related e-waste by up to 86 percent.

Asaf Tzachor, co-author of the Nature report, told the MIT Technology Review that extending the lifespan of technology by using equipment for longer is one of the most effective ways to reduce e-waste.

“Refurbishing and reusing components can also play a significant role, as can designing hardware in ways that make it easier to recycle and upgrade,” Tzachor said.

“For companies and manufacturers, taking responsibility for the environmental and social impacts of their products is crucial. This way, we can make sure that the technology we rely on doesn’t come at the expense of human and planetary health.”

This shift would require grassroots e-waste collection and recycling initiatives to keep valuable metals – like gold, copper, and silver – out of landfills. By refurbishing older devices and designing easily recyclable hardware, tech companies can help curb AI’s environmental impact.

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Barriers to reducing e-waste

Reducing e-waste generated by artificial intelligence is not without its challenges.

Data security is a major barrier, as companies often destroy used devices to protect sensitive information. Secure data erasure technology could allow for safe reuse without compromising privacy.

Recycling also remains expensive due to the cost of safely handling hazardous materials, even though recycled metals hold significant economic value.

The Global E-Waste Monitor estimates that only 22 percent of electronic trash is formally recycled, with much of it ending up in informal recycling systems in lower-income countries, where safe processing methods are usually unavailable.

This looming crisis calls for sustainable AI development. According to the Nature report, as AI technologies advance, manufacturers and companies need to take responsibility for the social and environmental impacts of their products.

Researchers say industry standards for sustainable hardware use and cross-border cooperation in waste management will be key to addressing the issue.

Speaking to Morocco’s parliament in the capital Rabat on the second day of his state visit, Macron pledged French investment in the largely Moroccan-controlled territory.

Deals with Morocoo involving Western Sahara have been a problem for European governments.

In October, the EU’s top court upheld the cancellation of trade deals allowing Morocco to export Sahrawi products to the 27-nation bloc.

“French companies will support the development of Western Sahara,” said Macron. “Their present and future belong under Moroccan sovereignty.”

Macron’s comments come a day after the two countries signed several energy and infrastructure deals worth an estimated €10 billion.

Disputed territory

The Algerian-backed Polisario Front has campaigned for independence of Western Sahara since before Spanish government forces pulled out of their former colony in 1975.

The United Nations considers Western Sahara a “non-self-governing territory” and has had a peacekeeping mission there since 1991 with the aim of organising a referendum on the territory’s future.

But Morocco has repeatedly rejected any vote in which independence is an option.

France’s stance on the issue has been ambiguous in recent years, which – in addition to Macron’s efforts to improve links with Algeria – strained ties between Morocco and France.

Ties

The two governments have also clashed over other issues, including migration. In 2021, France halved the number of visas granted to Moroccans.

However, Macron began easing tensions when he said in July that Morocco’s offer of autonomy for the territory under its sovereignty was the only basis to resolve the conflict.

France’s diplomatic U-turn had been awaited by Morocco. The United States recognised Morocco’s annexation of Western Sahara in return for Morocco normalising ties with Israel in 2020.

But the stance has come at a cost. After Macron endorsed Morocco’s autonomy plan, Algeria withdrew its ambassador to Paris and has yet to send a replacement.

And a state visit to Paris by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune was called off earlier this month following several attempts to reschedule.

(with newswires)

Tests carried out by NGOs Bloom and Foodwatch showed all 148 cans tested positive for mercury contamination. The samples were bought in France, Germany, England, Spain and Italy.

Mercury is “one of the 10 substances of greatest concern in the world, like asbestos or arsenic,” said the organisations. Its derivative, methylmercury, is classified as a “possible carcinogen” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

More than half the tested cans contained mercury levels higher than those permitted for other fish species.

While mercury content in fish like pollack or cod must not exceed 0.3 mg/kg, the limit for tuna is set at 1 mg/kg.

Banned pesticides found in imported foods in France, data shows

‘Most eaten’ fish in Europe

The NGOs criticised this discrepancy and called for authorities to impose the lower 0.3 mg/kg limit on tuna – Europe’s most consumed fish.

According the groups, tuna remains the most consumed fish in Europe.

“This metal is a powerful neurotoxicant and low doses consumed regularly are enough to cause serious disorders of the nervous system in children and attack the brain functioning of adults,” said the NGOs.

The highest concentration was found in French brand Petit Navire at 3.9 mg/kg. Spain’s Carrefour products followed with 2.5 mg/kg, while Italian brand As do Mar showed levels up to 1.5 mg/kg.

Bloom and Foodwatch demanded authorities stop the sale of tuna products exceeding 0.3 mg/kg of mercury. They also called for bans in nurseries, hospitals, maternity wards, retirement homes and school canteens.

Entire French population contaminated with heavy metals, study warns

Petition

The NGOs launched a petition urging retailers to implement stricter controls, stop promoting tuna and inform consumers about health risks.

France’s food safety agency Anses backed these concerns last Thursday, warning that “at high doses, methylmercury is toxic to the central nervous system of humans, particularly during in utero development and early childhood”.

The agency advised eating fish no more than twice weekly and limiting “predatory fish” like tuna. It specifically warned pregnant women to avoid predatory fish including tuna, skate, sea bream and monkfish, which are known to be most contaminated.

The 16th so-called Conference of Parties (Cop16) to the UN’s Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has the urgent task of coming up with monitoring and funding mechanisms to achieve 23 nature protection goals agreed in Canada two years ago.

Themed “Peace with Nature,” the summit has been bogged down in disagreement about modalities of funding, as well as sharing the profits of digitally sequenced plant and animal genetic data – used in medicines and cosmetics – with the communities they come from.

Delegates have no time to waste.

There are only five years left to achieve the 23 UN targets, which include placing 30 percent of land, water and ocean under protection by 2030.

A report issued by nature watchdogs said Monday that only 17.6 percent of land and inland waters, and 8.4 percent of the ocean and coastal areas, are within documented protected and conserved areas.

“This leaves a land area roughly the size of Brazil and Australia combined, and at sea an area larger than the Indian Ocean, to be designated by 2030 in order to meet the global target,” said the Protected Planet Report.

Also on Monday, an update of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of threatened animals and plants found more than one in three species of tree are at risk of extinction worldwide.

These include many that provide humans with timber, medicine, food and fuel.

More than 46,000 plant and animal species out of more than 166,000 assessed for the Red List were found to be threatened with extinction.

Ecosystems hang in the balance as Colombia hosts crucial biodiversity talks

‘More money’ needed

The Cop16 has attracted a record 23,000 registered delegates and some 1,200 journalists to Cali, according to organizers, making it the biggest yet.

Thousands of activists and residents have flocked to its so-called “green zone” set up for cultural activities, demonstrations and celebrations.

COP president Susana Muhamad, Colombia‘s environment minister, told AFP on Monday the summit had placed biodiversity loss “on an equal footing” with the climate change crisis.

But she lamented that a Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) created to help bring about the targets set out two years ago “needs more money.”

So far, countries have made about $400 million in commitments to the fund set up to give effect to the targets under the so-called Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework agreed in 2022.

This included pledges of $163 million announced Monday by Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the Canadian province of Quebec.

The Kunming-Montreal framework determined that countries must mobilise $20 billion per year by 2025 from rich nations to help developing ones. The GBFF is just part of this funding.

Of the $20 billion goal, $15 billion a year was reached for 2022, according to the OECD.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Guterres will join the heads of state of Colombia, Armenia, Bolivia, Guinea Bissau, Haiti and Suriname as well as 115 government ministers and 44 deputies in Cali.

The ministers will hopefully “help us make movement on some of these issues,” said CBD spokesman David Ainsworth.

If an issue is “really tight and intractable, negotiators would normally go back to their capitals but if the minister is there, decisions can be made fairly quickly.”

The Cop16 runs until Friday.

After successive starts outside France in Copenhagen in 2022, Bilbao in 2023 and Florence in 2024, the 2025 Grand Depart is in the northern French city of Lille, with fans expected to flood over the nearby Belgian border.

“We decided to bring the Tour home, it was high time after all the foreign starts,” race director Christian Prudhomme said.

Entirely absent from the 2024 route due to the Olympics, the 2025 edition has eight stages in the North and West and ends with eight laps along the cobbles of the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

The Olympics enjoyed a huge success with a long, arduous race around Paris but organisers said it was too soon for the Tour to attempt that.

“We are in talks with the city hall and the police about the possibility of doing that some time,” Prudhomme told AFP.

A fierce struggle for the first yellow jersey accorded to the overall race leader will be decided on a 185km race around Lille.

Cross-border Belgian fans can support a potential winner in double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, who finished third in the 2024 Tour.

“Evenepoel proved last year he is also a man of the Tour and we expect him to be active this year too,” Prudhomme said.

D-Day beaches

The three-week extravaganza visits the sites of the D-Day landings around Dunkirk and Boulogne.

Largely destroyed during the Battle of Normandy in 1944, a time-trial around the city of Caen will pay homage to the fallen on stage five.

Organisers were keen to explain the first week was tough.

“A week in the plains is not the joy ride it was in the old days,” Prudhomme said. “We have cut the sprint stages and layed traps everywhere.”

The race also makes a rare incursion into Brittany visiting the gothic city of Saint Malo with its giant granite walls.

That stage ends on the short steep climb on the Mur-de-Bretagne where in 2021 Mathieu van der Poel, the grandson of Raymond Poulidor – 12 times on the podium but never a winner or leader of the Tour – avenged the family debt.

“If only he were here,” he screamed, punching the tarmac with an unforgettable show of emotion.

“We need stages like this, going back over legendary ground so that children can dream of the Tour as we once did,” Prudhomme said.

Wine lovers will spot Chinon on stage 10, and the Rhone Valley on stage 17, but there is no Burgundy, Bordeaux or Champagne on the map at all.

Tradition holds that the Tour de France is won and lost in the Alps and this edition has been stacked with mountains in the third week.

The first mountains come as late as stage 10 in the massive Central on July 14, France’s national holiday.

A day off in Toulouse on stage 11 is followed by three blockbuster climb stages in the Pyrenees, then three more in the last week in the Alps with a plethora of legendary Tour mountains on the menu.

Defending champion Tadej Pogacar has proven too hot to handle in stages with a single mountain, but is beatable where there are four or five, especially in the heat.

After being beaten into second twice by Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard, Pogacar towered above the Tour in 2024, winning six stages in a crushing triumph

Evenepoel won the white jersey for best young rider in his first Tour and has promised to show up in 2025 better primed for climbing after focussing on his triumphant Olympics.

Several deals were signed in the presence of Macron and King Mohammed VI, with more expected on Tuesday, including on energy and infrastructure.

Macron has also been invited to address parliament on Tuesday and will attend a state dinner in the evening.

The French leader’s trip was at the king’s invitation late in September, but also follows years of tense ties with Rabat.

A delegation of French ministers and business leaders accompanied Macron, while French and Moroccan flags flew alongside each other in the city’s main thoroughfares.

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, Economy Minister Antoine Armand and Culture Minister Rachida Dati – herself of Moroccan origin – all travelled with the president.

Trains, renewables

Though specific contract details were not disclosed, French rail manufacturer Alstom is set to supply up to 18 high-speed train cars to Morocco according to the deals signed on Monday.

Energy company Engie and the Moroccan Phosphates Office meanwhile signed a renewables agreement with potential investments reaching up to €3.5 billion, according to reporters from the AFP news agency.

France’s TotalEnergies also inked a deal to develop “green hydrogen” production in the north African country.

Macron’s visit follows years of strained relations between Paris and Rabat over a range of issues.

Those include France’s ambiguous stance on the disputed Western Sahara region and Macron’s quest for rapprochement with Algeria.

Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, is largely controlled by Morocco but claimed by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which in 2020 declared a “self-defence war” and seeks the territory’s independence.

It is considered by the United Nations to be a “non-self-governing territory”.

Rabat and Paris have also been at odds after France in 2021 halved the number of visas it granted to Moroccans.

Tensions with Algeria

In July, Macron eased tensions by saying Morocco’s autonomy plan for the territory was the “only basis” to resolve the decades-old conflict.

France’s diplomatic turnabout had been awaited by Morocco, whose annexation of Western Sahara had already been recognised by the United States in return for Rabat normalising ties with Israel in 2020.

Algeria recalls ambassador after France backs Moroccan plan for Western Sahara

Monday’s visit also comes after Macron’s rapprochement efforts with Algeria appear to have hit a dead end.

A state visit to Paris by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune was rescheduled multiple times before being called off by Algiers earlier this month.

After Macron endorsed Morocco’s autonomy plan, Algeria promptly withdrew its ambassador to Paris and has yet to send a replacement.

(with AFP)

 The EU and Switzerland have said they want to seal an agreement to “stabilise and develop” their relations by updating and expanding a set of more than 120 agreements by the end of the year.

Despite continued disagreement over central issues like immigration and Swiss wage protections, President Viola Amherd told reporters that she remains optimistic.

“It is possible that we won’t make it, but I am optimistic,” she said, speaking at an event hosted on Monday by Switzerland’s foreign press association, APES.

And “if we don’t succeed, it is obvious that we have to continue trying,” she said.

When it comes to immigration and wage protections, the main challenge will be to shift positions at home, she acknowledged.

“We are working on that a lot, we are discussing that a lot,” she said, adding that “we don’t yet have a final solution, but I think that we have the possibility” to find one.

Patchwork of agreements

EU-Swiss ties are currently governed by a patchwork of agreements, and for years the two have been striving to nail down a broader cooperation agreement.

But their relations have been strained since Bern – without warning – slammed the door on the negotiations with its main trading partner in 2021.

And after the talks tentatively resumed this year, Switzerland‘s efforts to secure an exemption to a central EU tenet – the free movement of people between countries – threw another spanner in the works.

Swiss hard right largest in elections, pledges pragmatism

Earlier this month, Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel slammed that position, stressing that “Europe is not an a la carte menu”.

But Amherd said “the European Commission understands that there must be a solution” that addresses Swiss concerns, since Swiss citizens in the end will be called on to vote on the final deal under the country’s direct democracy system.

Obstacle

A main obstacle, she acknowledged, is the opposition from Switzerland’s largest party, the hard-right, anti-EU Swiss People’s Party (SVP).

“It will be very difficult to find an agreement that satisfies the SVP,” she said.

“It is almost impossible.”

Swiss parliament votes to ban extremist symbols and gestures

Faced with that reality, Amherd, from The Centre party, said it would be necessary to “work with other forces in the country”, including unions, to try to secure the popular backing needed for an agreement.

Mechanisms could be found to counter a drop in wages and unlimited migration, she said.

“I am convinced we will find a solution.”

(with AFP)

According to results announced by the electoral commission, the Georgian Dream party of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili won 54.08 percent of the vote.

The pro-EU coalition claimed 37.58 percent and has refused to concede defeat to a party it accuses of pro-Kremlin authoritarianism. 

“We expect the Georgian authorities to investigate the irregularities observed before and during the vote,” said a French foreign ministry spokesperson.

France’s call followed a demand from EU chief Ursula von der Leyen for an independent investigation into the vote. 

“For so many years now, the people of Georgia have been striving and fighting for democracy,” she said in a speech at the College of Europe in the Belgian city of Bruges.

“They have a right to know what happened this weekend. And they have a right to see that electoral irregularities are investigated swiftly, transparently and independently.

In an interview with the French news agency AFP on Monday, Georgia’s President Salome Zourabishvili, who is pro-Western and opposed to the government, hit out at what she called a sophisticated system of fraud based on a Russian methodology.

She said it had enabled the ruling party to win the legislative elections. 

Sophistication

“This sophistication, this accuracy in the targets that were taken, is more than a traditional government here has been able to defraud in order to stay in power.

“Given the relationship between the party in power and Russia, and the fact that their election propaganda was totally modelled on Russian propaganda and that they have PR specialists who also come from Russia, this is a Russian methodology,” she added.

Zourabichvili claims the fraud was perpetrated through electronic voting, which was being used for the first time in Georgia. She said the same identity card numbers were sometimes found corresponding to 17 votes, 20 votes, in different regions.

She says the alleged fraudsters bought votes, put pressure on public officials and on the families of prisoners who could be promised release.

She claims that money was visibly distributed in minibuses as people left the polling stations.

Protest

Zourabichivili had urged people to take to the streets after the results were announced.

“You did not lose the elections,” she told protesters many of whom were draped in the flags of Georgia and the European Union.

“Your vote was stolen and they tried to steal your future as well. 

“Together, peacefully, as we are today, we will defend what is ours: your constitutional right to have your vote respected.”

Under its constitution, Georgia officially aspires to join the EU and Nato.

But since the enactment in May of a law on ‘foreign influence’ targeting civil society and copied from Russia’s legislation on ‘foreign agents’, Brussels has frozen the EU accession process and the United States has imposed sanctions on Georgian officials.

The result will give Georgian Dream 91 seats in the 150-member parliament – enough to govern but short of the supermajority it had sought to pass a constitutional ban on all main opposition parties. 

“Our victory is impressive,” Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said in a statement, accusing the opposition of undermining the country’s constitutional order by questioning his party’s victory.

However, international observers said Saturday’s election was “marred by an uneven playing field, pressure and tension”. 

An EU parliament mission also expressed concern about democratic backsliding. It reported instances of ballot box stuffing and the physical assault of observers. But as the US and EU said they were concerned about the legitimacy of the vote, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in the country to show his support to Georgian Dream.  

• Hungary’s Orban clashes with EU leaders over Ukraine, migration policies
• Georgia thrown into political turmoil after disputed vote

Orban, whose country is the current holder of the EU’s rotating presidency, congratulated Georgian Dream for an overwhelming victory on Saturday after one exit poll showed the government in the lead and before preliminary results were published.

Just before Orban’s arrival, other EU leaders condemned the vote. “The President of Georgia has announced that the parliamentary elections were falsified. Europe must now stand with the Georgian people,” Poland’s foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on X.  

• Macron, Scholz voice ‘deep concern’ at Georgia foreign influence law

Opposition parties have lined up to denounce the vote. “This is an attempt to steal Georgia’s future,” said Tina Bokuchava, leader of Saakashvili’s United National Movement.

Nika Gvaramia, leader of the liberal Ahali party, denounced the way the vote was held as a constitutional coup.

Manchester City midfielder Rodri and the Barcelona playmaker Aitana Bonmati provided the panache with the men’s and women’s crowns respectively for their performances with their clubs and the Spain national team.

Spanish champions Real Madrid injected the petulance. Executives of the outfit announced during Monday afternoon that their players and coaches would snub the event after learning that their star players Vinicius Junior and Dani Carvajal had not been anointed for the top men’s prize.

Hours after their boycott, George Weah, the former president of Liberia and the 1995 Ballon d’Or winner, presented the men’s award to a visibly moved Rodri.

“It’s an incredible night for me,” said the 28-year-old Spaniard who is out for the season with a knee injury.

Gratitude

“Thank you to everyone who voted for me,” he added as he choked back the tears. “And thanks to my family for the values they transmitted to me.”

Rodri, hailed by his club coach Pep Guardiola as the best midfielder in the world, paid tribute to the Barcelona maestros Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez who controlled the flow and tempo of games with mesmerising effiency during their storied careers but never claimed the accolade. 

“This trophy is my victory,” added Rodri. “But it is the victory of so many Spanish players, of Iniesta, of Xavi. It is a victory for Spanish football and for the figure of the midfielder.”

Rodri becomes only the third Spanish man to lift the Ballon d’Or since the inception of the prize in 1956.

Two Spanish women, though, have claimed four of the six titles.

“Thank you for this award,” said 26-year-old Bonmati, who won in 2023.

“It’s not an indiviual award. I’m lucky to be surrounded by so many great players.

“Without these people, I wouldn’t be able to get these things,” she added. “Thanks to the staff, to the club workers, without you we would not achieve so much success.”

Bonmati emulates her Barcelona and Spain teammate Alexia Putellas, who won back-to-back Ballon d’Or awards in 2021 and 2022.

Barcelona wunderkind Yamine Lamal notched up another notable accolade.

Not only the youngest player to have played and scored for Spain and win the European championships, he became at 17 years and 107 days the youngest man to win the Kopa award for best player under 21.

“It makes me very proud to get this award,” said Lamal who has been compared with the Barcelona legend Lionel Messi.

“I would like to thank my coaches and teammates who have made this possible.”

Madrid’s withdrawal seemed all the more rancorous and myopic with Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham just behind Rodri in the votes of journalists from the top 100 countries in the rankings of world football’s governing body Fifa.

 “If the award criteria doesn’t give it to Vinicius as the winner, then those same criteria should point to Carvajal as the winner,” Madrid told the French news agency AFP.

 “As this was not the case, it is clear that Ballon d’Or-Uefa does not respect Real Madrid. And Real Madrid does not go where it is not respected.”

Organisers France Football magazine insisted before the prize-giving ceremony that Madrid’s move was premature.

Secret

“No player or club knows who has won the Ballon d’Or,” said a spokesperson.

In previous years, the winner was informed of the impending honour. But for the 2024 ceremony, organisers said they wanted to preserve the element of suspense.

“All clubs and players are in the same situation,” organisers added. “So Real Madrid cannot know whether one of its players will be crowned or not.”

Luis de la Fuente, who steered Spain to glory at the 2024 European championships, condemned Madrid’s stance.

“It’s not good for football that an entity like Real Madrid is not present at a gala of this dimension,” said the 63-year-old Spaniard who lost out in the race for coach of the year prize to the Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Award

The 65-year-old Italian was hailed for guiding Madrid to a 36th La Liga title in 2024 and the 2024 Champions League – European club football’s most prestigious trophy.

 In a further irony, Madrid’s double-winning side was awarded the prize for the best men’s team of the year for their exploits between August 2023 and July 2024.

In their absence, a video was shown of their brilliance to a dazzling array of the most famous faces in world football.

In other awards, Emilio Martinez was handed the Lev Yashin prize for best goalkeeper. The 32-year-old was saluted for helping his English Premier League team Aston Villa back into European football’s top club competition for the first time since 1982 and his role in Argentina’s World Cup and Copa America sucesses.

England skipper Harry Kane shared the Gerd Muller award for best striker in Europe with his France counterpart Kylian Mbappé. The men hit the net 52 times. 

Mbappé won Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and the French Super Cup during his exploits with Paris Saint-Germain before moving to Madrid.

Kane, for all his potency in front of goal, ended the season without silverware at Bayern Munich.

Depardieu is the highest-profile figure to face accusations in French cinema’s version of the #MeToo movement, triggered in 2017 by allegations against US producer Harvey Weinstein.

The judge ordered a medical to be held in early March to see if Depardieu would be fit to stand trial towards the end of that month.

His lawyer, Jeremie Assous, had said earlier that the 75-year-old actor was “extremely affected” by ill health, and that he had asked for proceedings to be delayed until he could attend in person.

“Unfortunately his doctors have forbidden him from appearing here today,” the lawyer said, arriving at the courthouse.

He said would ask the court for a suspension of the trial, which comes after numerous other assault complaints and with a possible second court case already lying in wait.

The actor, who has denied ever abusing a woman, faces charges of sexual assault during a 2021 film shoot.

The names of the two women accusing him have not been made public.

No special treatment

One of the plaintiffs, a set dresser now aged 55, reported in February that she had suffered sexual assault, sexual harassment and sexist insults while filming director Jean Becker’s Les Volet Verts (The Green Shutters) in a private house in Paris.

“I expect the justice system to be the same for everybody and for monsieur Depardieu not to receive special treatment just because he’s an artist,” the plaintiff’s lawyer Carine Durrieu-Diebolt told French news agency AFP.

Assous said that Depardieu’s defence would offer “witnesses and evidence that will show he has simply been targeted by false accusations”.

French museum removes Depardieu wax sculpture as family denounces ‘conspiracy’

The actor’s lawyer accused the plaintiff of attempting to “make money” by claiming €30,000 ($32,500) in compensation.

The plaintiff told French investigative website Mediapart that Depardieu had started loudly calling for a cooling fan during the shoot because he “couldn’t even get it up” in the heat.

She claimed the actor went on to boast that he could “give women an orgasm without touching them”.

The plaintiff alleged that an hour later Depardieu “brutally grabbed” her as she was walking off the set.

The actor pinned her by “closing his legs” around her before groping her waist and her stomach, continuing up to her breasts, she added.

She described the actor’s bodyguards dragging him away as he shouted: “We’ll see each other again, my dear”.

‘Salacious nonsense’

“My client expects that the justice system will find Gerard Depardieu to be a serial sexual assaulter,” Durrieu-Diebolt said.

The second plaintiff in Monday’s case, an assistant director on the same film, also alleges sexual violence.

French actor Depardieu stripped of Quebec honor over misogynistic comments

Anouk Grinberg, an actor who appeared in The Green Shutters, has told AFP that Depardieu used to offer “salacious nonsense from morning to night”.

“When producers hire Depardieu to work on a film, they know they are hiring an assaulter,” she added.

Grinberg said that in her experience, Depardieu had “always used sexual, smutty language” – but that his behaviour had become “much, much worse, with permission from his profession, that pays him for it and covers up his offences”.

Around 20 women have now accused Depardieu of various sexual offences.

(with AFP)

According to the government and local sources, an attack by the jihadist group Boko Haram on the Chadian army killed around 40 people overnight Sunday near the Nigerian border. 

In a statement, the Chadian presidency said the attack struck near Ngouboua in the west of the country, “tragically leaving about 40 people dead”.

President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno visited the scene early on Monday – a garrison housing more than 200 soldiers – and launched an operation “to go after the attackers and track them down in their furthest hideouts”, the statement added.

The attack reportedly struck at 10:00 pm local time, when Boko Haram members took control of the garrison, seized weapons, burnt vehicles equipped with heavy arms, and left. 

Jihadist insurgency

A vast expanse of water and swamps, Lake Chad’s countless islets serve as hideouts for jihadist groups, such as Boko Haram and its offshoot Islamic State in West Africa, who make regular attacks on the countries’ army and civilians.

Boko Haram launched an insurgency in Nigeria in 2009, leaving more than 40,000 people dead and displacing two million, and the organisation has since spread to neighbouring countries.

In March 2020, the Chadian army suffered its biggest ever one-day losses in the region, when around 100 troops died in a raid on the lake’s Bohoma peninsula.

The attack prompted then-president Idriss Deby Itno – the current president’s father – to launch an anti-jihadist offensive.

• Dozens of Chadian soldiers killed in Boko Haram surprise attack
• Boko Haram and ISWAP are kidnapping children to train as soldiers and merciless killers

Epicentre of terrorism

In June, the International Office for Migration recorded more than 220,000 people displaced by attacks from armed groups in Lake Chad province.

Chad is an important ally for French and US forces aiming to fight jihadists in the Sahel, which has become the epicentre of global terrorism under attack by factions loyal to al Qaeda and Islamic State.

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have ended military operations with the US and France in recent years and have turned to Russia for support instead.

(with newswires)

In a report released ahead of the Cop29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, the WMO said the peak in greenhouse gas levels already locks in future temperature rises, even if emissions are cut to net zero. 

Carbon dioxide climbed to 420 parts per million (ppm), a concentration that has not existed for three to five million years. During that era, temperatures were 3C warmer and sea levels up to 20 metres higher than today. 

“Another year. Another record. This should set alarm bells ringing among decision makers,” said WMO secretary-general Celeste Saulo. “We are clearly off track to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to well below 2C.”  

Last year’s rise of 2.3ppm in atmospheric CO2 marked the 12th consecutive year with an increase above 2ppm – bringing overall levels to 151 percent higher than pre-industrial times.

Ecosystems hang in the balance as Colombia hosts crucial biodiversity talks

Wildfires and El Nino

Natural phenomena like El Nino, combined with large vegetation fires and persistent fossil fuel emissions, helped drive up CO2 levels, the WMO report found.  

The effectiveness of carbon sinks such as forests and oceans has been reduced, creating what scientists call a “vicious cycle”. 

“Climate change itself could cause ecosystems to become larger sources of greenhouse gases,” said WMO deputy secretary-general Ko Barrett.  

“Wildfires could release more carbon emissions into the atmosphere, whilst the warmer ocean might absorb less CO2. Consequently, more CO2 could stay in the atmosphere to accelerate global warming.” 

Global fire carbon emissions were 16 percent above average in 2023, including record-breaking wildfire seasons in Canada. Australia experienced its driest three-month period on record from August to October, with severe bushfires. 

The report showed methane levels reached 1,934 parts per billion – 265 percent above pre-industrial levels. Nitrous oxide hit 336.9 parts per billion, up 125 percent. 

Analysis reveals that just under half of CO2 emissions stay in the atmosphere, with about one quarter absorbed by oceans and just under 30 percent by land ecosystems.  

However, this varies yearly due to El Nino, which reduces carbon uptake by plants, and La Nina, which can increase it. 

Ice loss and plant growth mark new era for warming Antarctica

Long-term warming impact

Greenhouse gases are warming the Earth 51.5 percent more than they did in 1990, with CO2 driving four-fifths of that increase, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Scientists emphasised that CO2’s extremely long lifetime means temperature increases will persist for decades, even with rapid emissions cuts.  

Carbon dioxide accounts for approximately 64 percent of climate warming, mainly from fossil fuel burning and cement production. 

With the concentration of CO2 at its highest in millions of years, the WMO emphasised the urgent need for global action.  

“Every part per million and every fraction of a degree temperature increase has a real impact on our lives and our planet,” Saulo said. 

The WMO’s findings serve as a key publication ahead of next month’s discussions at Cop29 in the Azeri capital Baku. 

Speaking to journalists at the Palace of the Republic ahead of the launch of electoral campaigns, Faye said: “I invite all Senegalese people, and in particular political players from all sides, to avoid any excesses in their speeches and actions”.

“Over the past few days, we have observed comments and behaviour that smack of communalism, as well as verbal and physical threats in the public arena and in the media on social networks. This is not the way to express our differences,” he added.

The Senegalese president called on those involved to show “responsibility, restraint and moderation,” assuring that the “elections will be free, democratic and transparent”.

• Senegal’s president dissolves parliament, calls snap November election
• Senegal unveils 25-year development plan aiming for economic sovereignty

A break with the past

The people of Senegal will elect a new parliament on 17 November, just eight months after the presidential election in which Faye won the first round with 54 percent of the vote.

Campaigning got underway on Sunday.

Faye, elected on the promise of a break with the past, social justice and the fight against corruption, and his Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, have been battling for months with a hostile parliamentary majority following legislative elections in 2022.

In order to secure a new majority, Faye dissolved the national assembly in September – as soon as the constitution allowed him to do so – paving the way for early elections.

The president also affirmed that Senegal was on the road to recovery, saying: “The fruits of our reforms are beginning to be felt in the form of concrete results”.

(with AFP)

Libya resumed oil exports this month after a pause caused by a dispute over control of the country’s central bank, which oversees oil exports.

“This was a serious crisis,” said Jalel Harchaoui from the Royal United Services Institute. “And while it’s partly fixed, there are still issues that need attention.”

The row between Libya’s two rival administrations which led to the temporary halt, was only resolved by intense negotiations, but Harchaoui claims the conflict’s repercussions continue.

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

“A lot of players, including armed groups in Tripoli, are trying to take advantage of whatever has happened over the last several weeks. So I’m not describing a scenario of war, but I’m describing a more volatile environment,” he said.

Turkish-Egyptian relations

However, a recent rapprochement between Egypt and Turkey could offer hope of easing Libyan tensions.

“We agreed to consult between our institutions to achieve security and political stability,” pledged Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at a press conference last month in Ankara with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

Libya once was a point of Turkish-Egyptian rivalry, with Cairo backing the eastern Libyan administration in Benghazi of Khalifa Haftar and Ankara supporting the western Tripoli-based Government of National Unity. Now, Egyptian-Turkish collaboration is key to resolving the latest Libyan crisis.

“Both countries can push the Tripoli-based government at least to accept something or come to the least terms that they can agree,” said Murat Aslan of the SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, a pro-Turkish government think tank. “So it’s a win-win situation for both Egypt and Turkey.”

Economic crises

With both the Turkish and Egyptian economies in crisis, the economic benefits of cooperating in Libya are seen as a powerful force behind the country’s rapprochement and Libyan collaboration.

Fighting between rival militias in Libya kills dozens

“These two countries are very important to one another,” said Aya Burweila, a Libyan security analyst

“They’ve figured out a way to divide spheres and work together. Even in the east now, Turkish companies have cut lucrative deals, infrastructure deals, just as Egypt has.

“So economy and money drive a lot of these political friendships and reapportionment.”

Ankara is looking to Cairo to use its influence over Hafta to support an agreement it made with the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity to explore widely believed energy reserves in Libyan waters.

Libya’s stability at greater risk with turmoil in Niger and Sudan, UN warns

At the same time, Cairo is pressing to remove Ankara-supported Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh of Libya’s Government of National Unity. Despite differences, Harchaoui says Cairo and Ankara are committed to cooperation.

“What has already been decided is that they are going to speak and they are going to speak on a daily basis,” said Harchaoui.

“And then at every crucial moment, they are going to make sure and Turkey, specifically, is going to make sure that Egypt is on board.

“But we need more tangible results from the dialogue that has already been in place,” he added.

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.

It’s time for you to start thinking about your New Year’s resolutions for our annual New Year’s Day show. If you’ve already made up your mind about what you’ll aim for in 2025, go ahead and send it to us … if not, be sure you send us your resolution – or resolutions if you are really ambitious! – by 15 December.

Mark your calendars now for 12 December, 6 PM Paris time – that’s when the winners of the ePOP video competition will be announced, live on the ePOP Facebook page. My good pals Max Bale and Gaël Flaugère, who run the Planète Radio department that sponsors ePOP, invited me to come on the show and talk to you for a few minutes, in English. So plan to stay up late or get up early on 12 December, beloved listeners!

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!

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 Spotlight on France, Spotlight on Africa, The International Report, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We also have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. 

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 Alison Hird and Sarah Elzas’ Spotlight on France podcast no 115, Alison produced a piece on France’s current governmental crisis, and the lack of an ability in the French political landscape to compromise – as Alison noted: “France does not have the tradition of coalition building more commonly found in Germany, Switzerland and the Nordic countries.”

As social scientist Loïc Blondiaux told Le Monde: “The idea of deliberation – organised, reasoned debate in the form of an exchange of arguments – has never had the force and legitimacy in France that it has in other countries … a specific trait of our political culture is, on the contrary, contempt for consensus. Compromise is often seen as synonymous with giving in and weakness.”

I asked you to re-listen to Alison’s report, and send in the answer to this question: How many political groups are there in France’s National Assembly?

The answer is: As Laure Gillot-Assayag, a researcher in political science and philosophy told Alison: “There are 11 political groups in the National Assembly, it’s a record … a culture of compromise is more necessary than ever if the government is to function in such a deeply divided political landscape.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “What is the most wonderful thing you’ve ever seen in a museum?”

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

The winners are: Saleem Akhtar, the president of the RFI Seven Stars Radio Listening Club in District Chiniot, Pakistan. Saleem is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations, Saleem!

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Sakirun Islam Mitu, a member of the RFI Amour Fan Club in Rajshahi, Bangladesh; also from Rajshahi, RFI English listener Sumaiya Akter, a member of the World Dx International Radio Fan Club.

Rounding out this week’s list of lucky winners are Ferhat Bezazel, the president of the RFI Butterflies Club Ain Kechera in West Skikda, Algeria, and finally, RFI English listener Abdul Rehman, a member of the International Radio Fan and Youth Club in Khanewal, Pakistan.

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Take a Hike” by Rik Carter and Phil Brown; “Galerie” by Bruno Letort; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Identité” by Gaël Horellou, performed by Horellou and his ensemble.

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 Amanda Morrow’s article “Ecosystems hang in the balance as Colombia hosts crucial biodiversity talks”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 18 November to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 23 November 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

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.   

On October 11, Fitch’s decision to downgrade France’s economic outlook to “negative” serves as a warning to Prime Minister Michel Barnier, who is struggling to push his 2025 budget through parliament. The credit agency’s assessment signals a potential downgrade if the government fails to take swift action to improve public finances.

France’s fiscal situation appears increasingly precarious. The deficit, now at €167 billion (5.5 percent of GDP), could  surpass 6 percent  by year’s end. With national debt projected to hit €3.5 trillion, or 114.7 percent of GDP, France is far beyond EU limits.

France braces for economic judgment amid political turmoil and record debt

EU rules require member states to keep budget deficits below 3 percent of GDP and debt under 60 percent of GDP.

Fitch predicts that the deficit will hover around 5.4% in both 2025 and 2026 due to ongoing political uncertainty and the challenges in implementing fiscal reforms. The agency believes the budget could pass before the year’s end, but the government may need to make concessions to win support from opposition parties. 

All eyes are now on Moody’s which will reveal its judgement on France’s economy and credit-worthiness on 25 October. 

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Antoine Armand emphasised the government’s commitment to improving the economy following Fitch’s assessment, but will that be enough?

RFI spoke to Erik Norland, Chief Economist with the Chicago-based CMEGroup about the possible scenarios France’s economic planners are facing.

Over 405,000 people – both Lebanese and Syrian – have crossed into Syria from Lebanon since the start of Israel’s offensive, according to figures from UN refugee agency UNHCR.

Approximately 60 percent are under 18, UN spokesman Farhan Haq said on Thursday, and most are struggling to meet basic needs.

The returnees are mainly people who had sought sanctuary in Lebanon from the civil war in Syria, now in its 13th year. “In Lebanon, there have been nearly one million Syrian refugees just since 2011,” says Metin Corabatir of the Research Centre on Asylum and Migration, an Ankara-based NGO.

He warns this could be just the beginning of the exodus if the fighting in Lebanon continues, threatening to overwhelm Syria.

“We are not talking only about Syrian refugees going back to Syria, but the Lebanese population is moving, crossing the border to Syria. And Syria would either try to close the borders or force them to go north to the Turkish borders,” Corabatir told RFI.

“This really would lead to a catastrophic situation for people, for countries and may pull Turkey into more tensions with Israel.”

Anti-refugee backlash

People fleeing Lebanon have been arriving at refugee camps in north-east Syria, close to the Turkish border. But Turkey, already hosting an estimated five million refugees, including over three million Syrians, is facing growing public backlash over their presence.

“Turkey basically cannot handle more refugees,” warns Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, head of the Ankara office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, an international think tank.

Earlier this year, tensions spilled over into violence against refugees in the provincial city of Kayseri. The issue has become a significant political liability for the government, with opinion polls routinely finding large majorities wanting refugees to leave.

Even if the country has the practical capacity to take more people in, “I don’t see Turkey accepting a massive new wave of refugees”, predicts Unluhisarcikli. 

Turkey’s Syrian refugees face local hostility as economic problems mount

Border barricades

In the last couple of years, Ankara has constructed a wall along its border with Syria in a bid to prevent more refugees from entering Turkey. 

Murat Aslan, of the pro-government Seta Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, believes such efforts will only continue as the war in the Middle East threatens to trigger a new exodus.

“Turkey does not want any further waves coming from another region because Turkey is just experiencing and mending an economic crisis,” he says. “Inflation is currently under control, and we expect a decrease in it.

“What does another wave of refugees mean? A lot of spending, a lot of inflation, and other than this, societal insecurity. That’s why Turkey will not tolerate another wave.”  

But such a stance will likely be tested if Israel continues its offensive, creating more refugees and with them, the risk of Turkey facing a humanitarian crisis on its border.

Turkey continues to host more refugees than anyone else, but for how long?

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.

It’s time for you to start thinking about your New Year’s resolutions for our annual New Year’s Day show. If you’ve already made up your mind about what you’ll aim for in 2025, go ahead and send it to us … if not, be sure you send us your resolution – or resolutions if you are really ambitious! – by 15 December.

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!

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 21 September, I asked you a question about a gender equality plan at France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  We reported on that plan in our article “France’s foreign ministry unveils two-year gender equality strategy”.

You were to re-read the article and send in the answer to this question: What is the Foreign Ministry’s goal for promoting women to important posts? What is the percentage they are aiming for?

The answer is, to quote our article: “According to the ministry, this year more than 45 percent of ambassadors appointed for the first time will be women, while among newly-appointed consuls-general, over 40 percent will also be women.” 

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “How would you define a truly happy person?”, which was suggested by Sabah Binte Sumaiya from Bogura, Bangladesh:

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Hans Verner Lollike from Hedehusene, Denmark. Hans is also this week’s bonus question winner. Congratulations, Hans, on your double win.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are RFI Listeners Club members Samir Mukhopadhyay from Kolkata, India; Mizanur Rahman from Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Faiza Zainab – who’s also a member of the International Radio Fan and Youth Club in Khanewal, Pakistan.

Last but certainly not least, RFI English listener Tafriha Tahura from Munshiganj, Bangladesh.

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Mazurka no. 4″ by Frédéric Chopin, arranged by Serge Forté and performed by the Serge Forté Trio; “Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima” by Krzysztof Penderecki, performed by Antoni Wit and the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra; “La Grande Galerie de la Zoologie” by Philippe Hersant, performed by the Ensemble Bestiaire Fabuleux; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin, performed by McFerrin.

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 Paul Myers’ article “Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich sets women’s world record at Chicago Marathon”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 11 November to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 16 November 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,  

Ghana is being swamped by millions of unwanted clothes from the West, creating an environmental disaster as textile waste piles up across the country.

The scale of damage to public health and the environment has been laid bare in a new Greenpeace report that exposes the devastating impact of discarded clothing on communities and ecosystems in Ghana. 

About 15 million items of second-hand clothing arrive in Ghana each week. Nearly half cannot be resold.

The unsellable clothes end up in informal dumps or are burned in public washhouses, contaminating the air, soil and water.

“The situation is catastrophic. These clothes are literally poisoning our communities,” said Sam Quashie-Idun from Greenpeace Africa, speaking to RFI.

The report shows how Ghana has become a dumping ground for the world’s unwanted textiles, with devastating consequences for local ecosystems.

“What we’re seeing is environmental racism. The Global North is using Ghana as its trash can,” said Hellen Dena of Greenpeace Africa.

The flood of cheap, disposable fashion reflects broader problems with global waste management and environmental justice.

To explore this issue further, RFI spoke to Sam Quashie-Idun and Hellen Dena from Greenpeace Africa.  

Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani.

Spotlight on Africa is a podcast from Radio France Internationale.

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.