In March 2022, Ephrem Fidèle Yalike Ngonzo was sitting in the back of a 4×4 which suddenly veered off a road on the outskirts of the CAR’s capital, Bangui, and plunged into the forest. 

When it came to a stop, a white man named Michel drew a gun and warned Yalike: “I’m only going to repeat myself once. If you lie to me, I’ll kill you right here.”

This confrontation came two and a half years after Yalike began collaborating with Russia’s information service in the CAR.

He had opted for a career as a journalist over the priesthood, studying law and international relations at the Bangui seminary and going on to work for news site Le Potentiel Centrafricain.

This pro-government publication covered events organised by the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, which began operating in the CAR in early 2018.

Yalike’s journey into his collaboration with Moscow began when he received a mysterious phone call requesting a meeting at a local cafe. There he met Michel, who introduced himself as the “director of communications” for the Russian mission in the CAR.

Through an investigation led by the Forbidden Stories consortium, Michel has been identified as Mikhail Prudnikov – a pro-Putin youth activist turned regional manager in Sudan for a group associated with Wagner’s founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

‘Web of propaganda’

At the time, the CAR was struggling to recover from the political crisis of 2013: after several years of instability, the Seleka rebellion had finally entered Bangui and toppled president François Bozizé, bringing down an already fragile state.

Initially, Yalike was asked to write articles about the achievements of the Central African Armed Forces (Faca). 

It was an attractive offer, in financial terms. “In the Central African media, very few people earn more than 150,000 CFA francs,”he said – approximately €225. Working with the Russians, his own situation improved significantly, as he found himself earning a salary of €760 per month.

But as the collaboration deepened, Yalike was drawn into a complex web of propaganda.

• CAR in talks with US security firm as West eyes Wagner’s ground in Africa

As his role expanded, he provided press reviews on Russian activities and was tasked with rebutting any criticism. He also engaged with other local media outlets, facilitating payments for articles that supported Russian perspectives – all the time operating under strict orders to keep this collaboration confidential.

He met with Michel frequently at the Roux military camp, Wagner’s Bangui headquarters, where he collected payments and coordinated propaganda efforts – including radio broadcasts that featured “experts” paid to deliver pro-Russian opinions.

At the camp, the Russians also prepared pro-Moscow placards and banners used in the demonstrations they organised and financed.

To maximise his developing role as a “communications officer”, Yalike was given 30 Android phones at the start of 2020, which he distributed to “influencers” – young people who would rally demonstrators and share, comment on or “like” fake news posts on social media platforms. 

Manipulating public opinion

By late October 2022, he had arranged for experts to defend controversial decrees from the Central African government, collaborating closely with Russian operatives to manipulate public messaging.

Yalike’s involvement also extended to logistics for demonstrations targeting foreign powers. He organised an event protesting against French influence in the country, distributing both slogans and funds, and ensuring media coverage.

The objective was to manufacture a narrative of public dissent against perceived external interference – specifically targeting France, the United States and the United Nations. 

• France accuses CAR of complicity in disinformation campaign, suspends support

But the financial rewards were no longer enough to dispel Yalike’s unease, especially once he began to detect mistrust from his Russian handlers. The tipping point came when he inadvertently disclosed information that upset Michel.

One morning, he was summoned to the Roux camp, where Michel confronted him over a publication detailing a Russian misstep. It was that day that he found himself in the 4×4 in the forest, with Michel demanding that he confess to his alleged infractions.

Yalike remained composed, denying any wrongdoing. No incriminating material was found on his phone and he was allowed return to Bangui.

Escaping Moscow’s grip

For Yalike, this was the turning point – at which he finally acknowledged the reality of Russia’s interests in the CAR, and how their presence justified violent acts by local armed groups.

Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine had forced Russia to cut its budget for Wagner’s operations in the CAR. When Michel told Yalike that he would not need him as much, and consequently his salary would be cut, the journalist told his Russian handlers that he would need to look for new work opportunities in the media.

In 2022, he got in touch with Forbidden Stories, providing them with evidence of his experiences and the inner workings of the Russian propaganda machine within the CAR.

His escape from the country followed in early 2024 – but only after a tense airport encounter with police, through which he finally understood the full extent of Russian influence and the danger he had been facing.

• Russian mercenaries accused of rights abuses, hindering peacekeepers in CAR

On 6 February, as he waited to board a flight to France with his wife and child at Bangui airport, he was summoned by the border police for an intense interrogation, and his luggage was taken off the plane.

“The commissioner authorised my family to leave but said I had to stay because of the need for an investigation.”

Attempting to assert his rights, Yalike clashed with the officer. “He said to me: ‘You think you’re going to deal with us? You’re going to deal with the Russians.’ That’s when I realised where the order came from.” He was released, and went into hiding “to save [his] skin”.

Having left his phone and identity papers on the officer’s desk, when he eventually crossed the Ubangi River by boat and then travelled on to Europe, with the help of the Platform for the Protection of Whistleblowers in Africa, he arrived with nothing but the clothes on his back.

Today – as a refugee in France – Yalike is seeking redemption through his testimony, while recognising that many in the CAR already recognise the disinformation strategies employed by the Wagner group and the Kremlin.

He is calling for accountability, asking that journalists in the country do not overlook their role in spreading disinformation.

“When you get into this system, it’s hard to get out,” he said, knowing all too well the inherent risks of dissenting against powerful forces.

But his revelations serve as a timely reminder for countries where Russian influence seeks to manipulate public opinion and undermine stability.

^{This testimony was collected as part of an investigation coordinated by Forbidden Stories, an international network that continues the work of journalists who have been silenced. It involves ten partner media outlets, including Radio France Internationale.}

“The latest upsurge in violence in Haiti’s capital is a harbinger of worse to come,” said UN human rights chief Volker Turk. “The gang violence must be promptly halted. Haiti must not be allowed to descend further into chaos.”

Since 11 November, thousands have fled their homes as a coalition of gangs pushes for full control of Port-au-Prince. More than 700,000 people have been displaced across Haiti due to the violence, including 20,000 this week.

“Port-au-Prince’s estimated four million people are practically being held hostage as gangs now control all the main roads in and out of the capital,” Turk added.

Residents, police fight back

On Tuesday, residents joined police to resist an attack by gangs led by the Viv Ansanm group in the Pétion-Ville district. At least 28 suspected gang members were killed, and hundreds of munitions were seized, said Lionel Lazarre, deputy spokesman for Haiti’s National Police.

Gunmen also attacked the nearby community of Canapé Vert.

Later that night, the medical charity Doctors Without Borders announced the suspension of critical care across the capital, citing threats and violence against its staff by police officers, including allegations of rape and death threats.

“We have been in Haiti for more than 30 years, and this decision is taken with a heavy heart,” said Christophe Garnier, head of the mission in Haiti. “Healthcare services have never been so limited for people.”

Peacekeeping debate 

At the UN, discussions continued this week over whether to transition the Kenyan-led multinational police force in Haiti into a UN peacekeeping mission.

The United States backs the move, arguing it would secure more funding for the under-resourced mission.

China and Russia remain opposed, questioning the timing and feasibility of deploying peacekeepers to a country without stability.

“Peacekeepers should only be deployed when there is peace to keep, and there is no peace in Haiti,” said Shuang Geng, China’s deputy UN ambassador.

“Deploying a peacekeeping operation at this time is nothing more than putting peacekeepers into the front line of the battles with gangs.”

Russia’s deputy ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, echoed the sentiment, saying: “Their role is to maintain peace and not to fight crime in urban areas or to save a dysfunctional state that has been plunged into domestic conflict.”

Struggle for support

The multinational force was expected to include 2,500 officers, but only 430 have been deployed, with 400 coming from Kenya and the rest from Jamaica, Belize and the Bahamas.

The UN trust fund supporting the mission has raised $85.3 million of the $96.8 million pledged, far short of the $300 million the US says is needed to deploy the full force for a year.

Despite these challenges, Haiti’s leaders have appealed for a peacekeeping mission, with support from the Organization of American States.

Kenyan National Security Adviser Monica Juma said the multinational force has secured key sites, including the police academy, national palace, and hospital, but more resources are urgently needed.

“It is time for the Security Council to act and to take the initial steps to realise Haiti’s request to help reestablish security for the people of Haiti,” said US deputy ambassador Dorothy Shea.

Miroslav Jenca, a top UN peacebuilding official, warned that the situation could worsen without swift action.

“This is not just another wave of insecurity in Haiti, it is a dramatic escalation that shows no sign of abating.”

The UN climate summit is scheduled to conclude on Friday but the latest draft deal released by hosts Azerbaijan was spurned by rich and poor countries alike.

The main priority at Cop29 is agreeing a new target to replace the $100 billion a year that rich nations pledged for poorer ones to fight climate change.

Developing countries plus China, an influential negotiating bloc, are pushing for $1.3 trillion by 2030 and want at least $500 billion of that from developed nations.

Major contributors like the European Union have baulked at such demands, and insist private sector money would be needed to meet a larger goal.

The latest draft recognises that developing countries need a commitment of at least “USD [X] trillion” per year, but omits the concrete figure sought in Baku.

“There is a critical piece of this puzzle missing: the overall number,” said Cedric Schuster, the Samoan chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), a group of nations at threat from rising seas.

“The time for political games is over.”

Ali Mohamed, the chair of the African Group of Negotiators, another important bloc, said the “elephant in the room” was the figure.

“This is the reason we are here… but we are no closer and we need the developed countries to urgently engage on this matter,” said Mohamed, who is also Kenya‘s climate envoy.

Cop29 hosts Azerbaijan said a “shorter” draft would be unveiled Thursday evening and would “contain numbers”.

Children are ‘first victims’ of climate change, French rights watchdog warns

‘Unacceptable’

Other major sticking points – including who contributes and how the money is raised and delivered – were also left unresolved in the slimmed-down 10-page document.

Many nations also said the text failed to reflect the need to phase out coal, oil and gas – the main drivers of global warming.

Australian climate minister Chris Bowen said countries had “hidden, pared back or minimised” explicit references to fossil fuels.

“This is a big step back, and is not acceptable at this current moment of crisis,” he said.

As the clock ticks down, frustration boiled over at the Cop29 hosts.

“Could I please – could I please – urge you to step up the leadership?” EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said in pointed remarks.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it. I’m really sorry to say, but the text we now have in front of us – in our view – is imbalanced, unworkable and unacceptable.”

Cop29 lead negotiator Yalchin Rafiyev appealed for “compromise and solidarity”.

“This is a moment where you need to put all your cards on the table,” he told delegates, stressing there was “a long way to go”.

Ireland‘s climate minister Eamon Ryan insisted negotiations were “advancing” behind the scenes.

“This text is not the final text, that is clear. It will be quite radically different. But I think there is room for further agreement,” he told AFP.

Norway‘s climate minister also offered a rosier view: “The deadline isn’t here yet,” he told AFP.

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‘Blank paper’

Landing a deal on finance for poorer countries was meant to be the centrepiece of Cop29.

But the draft entrenches the broad and opposing positions of developed and developing countries that have largely persisted since Cop29 opened over a week ago.

Developed countries want all sources of finance, including public money and private investment, counted toward the goal, and for wealthy countries not obligated to pay, like China, to chip in.

Developing countries want the money to mostly come from government budgets of richer nations in the form of grants or money without strings attached, not loans that add to national debt.

The EU and the United States, two of the biggest providers of climate finance, have refused to put forward a figure without the finer points of the pact.

That was an “insult” for the millions of people imperilled by climate disaster, said Greenpeace‘s Jasper Inventor.

Mohamed Adow, a Kenyan climate activist, said developing countries “need a cheque but all we have right now is a blank piece of paper”.

Besigye, the former president of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), was charged at the Makindye General Court Martial with possessing an illegal firearm four days after he disappeared in the Kenyan capital.

The 68-year-old will remain in custody at Luzira Prison, south-eastern Kampala, until 2 December with FDC member Hajj Lutale Kamulegeya, who was also charged with the same offence. 

Uganda’s government spokesperson said on Wednesday that it did not carry out abductions and that arrests abroad were done in collaboration with host countries.

In a TV interview on Wednesday night, Korir Sing’oei, principal secretary at Kenya’s foreign ministry, said Besigye’s detention was not the act of the Kenyan government.

Investigation

Sing’oei added: “The Kenyan interior ministry has begun an investigation into how Besigye has been forcefully removed from premises in our country and taken to Uganda.”

On Saturday, Besigye’s wife, Winnie Byanyima, claimed he had been kidnapped while in Nairobi to attend a book launch.

“As a civilian, Dr Besigye should be tried in a civilian court NOT a military court,” Byanyima wrote on the social media platform X.

Besigye was the personal physician of Yoweri Museveni during the guerrilla war of the 1980s, but became one of his fiercest critics once he seized power in Uganda.

The allegations of kidnapping and the court appearance have fuelled criticism of Kenya’s record on human rights and international law.

In July, Kenyan authorities deported 36 members of Besigye’s political party to Uganda, where they were charged with terrorism-related offences. Last month, Kenya deported four Turkish refugees to Ankara.

James Risch, the ranking member on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on X that Besigye’s abduction raises serious questions about important US partners violating international norms.

Tigere Chagutah, the regional director of the human rights campaign group Amnesty International, said: “Amnesty International is deeply disturbed by the abduction of Dr Besigye as well as the lack of an extradition process from Kenya.

“The Ugandan government has a track record of systematically cracking down on opposition political parties through abductions, arbitrary arrests and unlawful detentions on trumped-up charges.

“Amnesty International strongly believes that Dr Besigye’s abduction is designed to send a chilling message to those whose opinions dissent from the Ugandan government. These practices must stop.”

The 60-year-old chef, who succeeds Yoann Conte of the eponymous restaurant in Veyrier-du-Lac in the French Alps, responded to the honour with characteristic humour.

“Given my age, I thought I might go straight to the Académie Française,” he said, referring to the institution known for its highly prestigious members, the “Immortels”, who are often senior figures in French cultural and intellectual life.

Anton oversees the Pré Catelan in the Bois de Boulogne, the Jules Verne, which earned a second Michelin star this year, and the Don Juan II, a restaurant boat that cruises the Seine.

The Gault & Millau guide – founded by two restaurant critics in 1969 – praised his connection to traditional Parisian cuisine while noting his Lorraine roots and exceptional career path, including his time working with renowned chef Joël Robuchon.

The Chef of the Year award recognises chefs at the peak of their careers, with the guide’s investigations director Marc Esquerré noting that timing and circumstances play a crucial role in the selection.

“The title is the culmination of a career, recognising a chef at the peak of their craft, with all the right conditions aligning for this distinction that year,” he said.

Gault & Millau also honoured Sébastien Nabaile from Château de Pavie in Saint-Émilion as Pastry Chef of the Year.

Bastien Debono of La Table de Yoann Conte earned the title of Sommelier of the Year.

After an initial strike day on Thursday, the CGT-Cheminots, Unsa-Ferroviaire, Sud-Rail and CFDT-Cheminots unions said the renewable and unlimited strike action would begin on 11 December.

“There is a lot of anger and frustration. Some of us are ready to fight, we are feeling pretty low,” according to Sébastien Mourgues, regional secretary of the CGT Languedoc Roussillon in the south of France.

“We are sounding the alarm and we want real negotiations,” he told Franceinfo on Wednesday.

“We have made a series of proposals and we are asking for a parliamentary debate so that the decisions taken are not unilateral.”

Although unions are hoping for a strong turnout, SNCF said traffic will be almost normal on the high speed TGV, specifying that there would be some disruptions on regional lines with seven TER trains out of ten on average.

Intercity trains are likely to be affected with only one in two trains in circulation, and no night trains.

In Ile-de-France, disruptions will be limited and will mainly focus on the RER D and line R of the Transilien, strongholds of the Sud-Rail union, with only one train in three.

In recent weeks, the unions have criticised the continuing shake-up of the railway operator, slamming the “fragmentation” of the network.

Last week, Julien Troccaz, the Sud-Rail federal secretary referred to the changes to the freight sector alarming.

“Our colleagues don’t know what’s going to happen on 1 January. They know they’re going to be working for private companies, but they don’t know what their social rights are.”

Wave of strikes brewing as French budget cuts anger unions

In 2023, the European Commission announced an in-depth investigation into whether France breached EU rules on state support by subsidising SNCF’s freight division.

The French government launched a restructuring process which will see France’s top rail freight company replaced next January by two separate companies, Hexafret and Technis.

The plan was negotiated by the French government and the European Commission to avoid a reorganisation procedure that could have led to the outright liquidation of the company, which employs 5,000 people.

Trade unions said: “A moratorium is possible and necessary to allow the various players to get back to the table and find ways of guaranteeing not only the continuity of Fret SNCF, but also its development over the longer term.”

Reorganisation, competitiveness

Another point of contention is the opening of regional lines to competition.

Mourgues said this privatisation would result in the transfer of SNCF staff to subsidiaries, and would have the effect of lowering the social conditions of railway workers.

On 14 December, around 1,200 railway workers in Amiens, Nice and Nantes will be transferred from SNCF Voyageurs to companies that won tenders launched by the regions for the regional TER train market.

The transferred railway workers will retain certain advantages such as retirement rights and travel benefits but will also undergo a reorganisation of their working time, in order to increase productivity.

France stages May Day rallies a year after pensions backlash

“There is a very strong awareness [among the railway workers] that these structural changes are obviously not going in the right direction,” general secretary of the CFDT-Cheminots, Thomas Cavel said.

SNCF CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou insisted that the process had been underway for many years and that the social negotiations were well advanced.

“The French would not understand a long and hard strike in December,” he said in an interview with Sunday newspaper La Tribune Dimanche.

Privatisation

 In 2018, President Emmanuel Macron took on the SNCF’s powerful unions to push through an overhaul that stripped employees of jobs-for-life and pension guarantees, while promising to revive slower lines.

Labour bosses called it the first step toward privatisation. They staged massive transport strikes but failed to derail the reform.

Industrial action at SNCF has repeatedly disrupted travel during school holidays.

In February, train controllers went on strike during a holiday weekend, leaving 150,000 people stranded.

A Christmas strike in December 2022 affected some 200,000 holidaymakers.

(with AFP)

The West African country, plagued by jihadist and separatist violence, has been led by the military since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021.

Maiga, who was appointed by the military after the second coup, had been seen as isolated in his position as prime minister, with little room for manoeuvre.

His dismissal on Wednesday creates further uncertainty in an already troubled context.

“The duties of the prime minister and the members of the government are terminated,” according to a decree issued by Colonel Assimi Goita that was read out by the secretary general of the presidency, Alfousseyni Diawara, on state television ORTM.

Some key junta figures such as Defence Minister General Sadio Camara and Minister of Reconciliation General Ismael Wague are members of the government.

Australian mining company to pay Mali junta $160m for release of CEO

Elections promised

In June 2022, the junta promised to organise elections and hand over power to civilians by the end of March 2024, but later postponed elections indefinitely.

Maiga on Saturday publicly condemned the lack of clarity regarding the end of the transition to civilian rule.

He said the confusion could pose “serious challenges and the risk of going backwards”.

Maiga, 66, previously served as a minister on several occasions and ran three times as a presidential candidate.

He was the civilian face of the junta’s strategic pivot away from former colonial ruler France and toward closer political and military ties with Russia.

At the United Nations in September 2021, Maiga denounced what he called the “abandonment in mid-air” regarding the announced withdrawal of the French anti-jihadist force deployed in the country.

He said the withdrawal forced Mali to explore new avenues with other partners, at a time when the presence of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner loomed.

Malian junta suspends TV5 Monde, citing ‘lack of balance’ in reporting

Increasingly untenable

Maiga is a key figure in the M5-RFP political movement that took part in protests against Mali’s former civilian president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who was toppled by the military in August 2020.

But Maiga began to distance himself from the junta, prompting speculation for months that he would be sacked.

In May, the M5-RFP movement published a statement openly criticising the military rulers after they failed to meet their deadline to hand back power to civilians.

A close ally of Maiga, who signed the statement, was sentenced to a year in prison in July before being released in September after his sentence was commuted.

Maiga endorsed the statement but had until now kept his position at the head of the government.

After his criticism of the junta on Saturday, Maiga’s position became increasingly untenable.

An influential group supporting the military rulers, the Collective for the Defence of the Military (CDM), had called for him to step down within 72 hours.

Limited demonstrations took place on Tuesday in support of the military and calling for the prime minister’s resignation.

Maiga’s comments gave rise to speculation as to whether he was positioning himself for a possible future presidential election.

In a rare joint press conference on the side-lines of the 106th Congress of Mayors, local councillor associations reiterated their strong opposition to what they described as cuts amounting to between €10 and €11 billion in the proposed 2025 budget, which the government has labelled as “five billion euros of savings”.

David Lisnard, President of the Association of French Mayors (AMF), said Wednesday, “We are united not to contest the principle of savings, but to say that what are presented as savings on the local authority bloc are in reality essentially deductions.”

He emphasised that local authority debt has remained “stable for 30 years” at “just under 9 percent of total GDP” and warned, “The measures proposed are recessionary measures which – in the end – will have a recessionary effect on State budget revenues.”

Posting on X, the AMF wrote: “The associations representing local authorities are calling on the government and parliament to amend the finance bill so as to re-establish the trust and dialogue with mayors and presidents of inter-municipal bodies that are essential if our country is to overcome the crisis in public finances.”

Negative impact

Joining him were representatives from seven other local elected associations, all voicing their rejection of the government’s plans.

Gilles Leproust, president of Ville et Banlieue, highlighted the serious concerns within working-class towns, stating: “In our working-class towns, there are a lot of concerns about this budget. It’s going to have a huge impact on the residents, but also on the associations that are … the lifeblood of democracy and social life in our towns.”

Meanwhile, Christophe Bouillon, president of the Association des petites villes de France, warned of the potential consequences: “We are often described as social shock absorbers. When the shock absorbers are removed, when there is a democratic crash … that’s the risk we face, and it hurts a lot.”

• Wave of strikes brewing as French budget cuts anger unions
• French PM launches budget plan in test for new government

Communities ‘penalised’ 

Jean-François Debat, acting president of Villes de France, also criticised the government’s approach, saying, “This levy will result in a drop in investment and a deterioration in public services,” describing the method as “brutality” and “totally excessive and violent.”

The associations issued a joint motion opposing the proposed ‘€11 billion in levies, underlining, “It is today’s residents who are going to be penalised by the withdrawal of local public services.”

They added, “It is their children who will suffer from a slowdown in investment to combat global warming.”

The elected representatives are calling for the removal of three planned measures – including a €3 billion ‘precautionary’ fund – from the upcoming draft budget.

The hard-line farmers’ union Coordination Rurale (CR) lifted its roadblock for heavy trucks on the A9 motorway on Wednesday, which links south-western France with Spain’s northeast.

Organisers had earlier said that they intended to maintain the barricade, designed to provoke shortages of produce in French supermarkets.

Barnier also spoke with another CR branch from the western Lot-et-Garonne region by phone.

“Your Prime Minister knows and respects farmers. I will do everything I can … uphold the very many commitments that have been made,” said Barnier – a former agriculture minister – in comments captured by multiple media cameras.

Taking to social media, Barnier posted on X: “I hear the anger, the tension and the incomprehension of farmers about the proposed EU-Mercosur agreement. France is firmly opposed to it.”

Concessions ‘not honoured’

So far the French political class –  including President Emmanuel Macron – has echoed rural opposition to the Mercosur deal.

Barnier’s office stated that he had also spoken to Arnaud Rousseau – head of the heavyweight FNSEA farmers’ union – by phone.

In early 2024, farmers launched massively disruptive demonstrations including blockading many motorways across France and Europe, over issues including low prices for their produce and environmental regulation.

French protesters secured concessions from the government – but delivery was interrupted by President Emmanuel Macron’s call for new elections in June.

Resistance has been reinflamed by the prospect of an EU deal with the Mercosur bloc – Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay – that would create the world’s largest free-trade zone.

“The aim is to again put on the pressure to speak out against things that cannot be accepted. And, as I keep saying, always while respecting property and people,” Rousseau told Franceinfo on Wednesday.

• French farmers protest EU-Mercosur deal, block motorways in southern France
• Farmers warned of ‘zero tolerance’ as France braces for week of protest

‘Unacceptable’ methods of protest

The FNSEA chief was looking to set his outfit apart from CR, some of whose members have this week dumped waste outside regional government offices, broken into the French biodiversity authority and set up the motorway blockade.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard told broadcaster France 2 that such methods were “unacceptable” and risked wearing down widespread public sympathy for farmers.

The latest farmers’ protests come weeks before elections to regional Chambers of Agriculture, at which smaller unions CR and Confederation Paysanne hope to loosen the FNSEA’s tight grip.

On Wednesday, Confederation Paysanne targeted the Rouen headquarters of Haropa Port – a state-owned firm that runs the Le Havre, Rouen and Paris ports.

“The only people who benefit from free trade are the food industry, large-scale farms, traders, chemical manufacturers and finance that speculates on all of it,” said Mathieu Grenier, one of around 20 farmers demonstrating at the offices.

“For farmers, there will be a lot more losers than winners,” he added.

“The fact is, while children are the least responsible for environmental damage, they are the most exposed to it and are the first victims”, France’s Defender of Rights chief Claire Hédon said in the  report published on Wednesday.

“These risks are in their immediate environment – ​​their home or place of life – in all the places that welcome them and in outdoor spaces.”

The report titled  Annual Report on the Rights of the Child 2024, which focuses on children’s right to live in a healthy environment, outlines the actions the Defeder’s office believes are necessary to ensure this.

To guarantee these rights, Hédon is calling on public authorities to introduce “a legally binding international treaty for the protection of the environment”.

On a global scale, “more than 99 percent of children are exposed to a climatic and environmental risk factor” and “a quarter of the deaths of children under five are directly linked to pollution”, Hédon said.

The report adds that current policies do not sufficiently take into account the particular vulnerability of children.

“The worsening consequences of the environmental crisis underline the growing burden that future generations will have to bear,” it reads.

Hédon has called on public authorities to act in order to “guarantee present children and future generations the satisfaction of their essential needs: breathing, drinking, eating healthily and living in safety”.

In all, the report puts forward 20 recommendations, including speeding up the renovation of school buildings and improving all venues that accommodate children.

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Myriad of crises

The Defender of Rights also calls for “rethinking public spaces” to reduce children’s exposure to pollution, such as planting trees, expanding pedestrian areas near schools and developing alternative transport.

Another proposition is to adapt the school day and the school holiday calendar to “better take into account climatic changes and their effects on the national scale”.

Consultations for prenatal exposure to pesticides should also be accessible to parents, the report said.

In a further push to integrate children’s rights into policymaking, Hédon proposed creating “a children’s college within the National Energy Transition Council”, or expanding the composition of the Children’s Parliament in the National Assembly, made up of several classes each year who are responsible for drafting legislative proposals.

‘Myriad of crises’

Unicef sounds alarm over child poverty in French overseas departments

The recommendations come as the United Nations agency for children also issued warnings in its annual report, released Tuesday.

“Children are experiencing a myriad of crises, from climate shocks to online dangers, and these are set to intensify in the years to come,” Catherine Russell, executive director of Unicef, wrote in a statement.

This year, Unicef has projected forward to 2050 identifying three “major trends” that in addition to unpredictable conflicts that pose threats to children unless policymakers make changes.

The first risk is demographic change, with the number of children expected to remain similar to current figures of 2.3 billion, but they will represent a smaller share of the larger and ageing global population of around 10 billion.

While the proportion of children will decline across all regions, their numbers will explode in some of the poorest areas, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

This offers the potential to boost economic growth, but only if the new young population has access to quality education, health care, and jobs, Unicef notes.

The second threat is climate change.

If current greenhouse gas emission trends continue, by 2050 children could face eight times more heatwaves than in 2000, three times more extreme flooding, and 1.7 times more wildfires, Unicef projects.

(with AFP)

While Cop29 has entered its second week of negotiations, most participants expect little progress until the very last day, Friday 22 November.

Greenpeace Africa activists are intensifying their campaign, vowing on social media to “keep fighting” until “all polluters are held accountable for their climate injustices!”

The NGO delivered a petition to the Chair of the Africa Group of Negotiators (AGN), Ali Mohammed. The petition underscores the importance of the collective power of supporters, volunteers, and partners, they said in a statement on social media. 

Juma Ignatius from Kenya is a senior advisor to the office of the AGN at the UN, and is in Baku to focus on climate adaptation.

“Adaptation remains a key priority for the African continent for many people in Africa,” he told RFI from Azerbaijan.

He says the main focus now is ensuring that financing, technology, and capacity-building are in place to scale up adaptation efforts in Africa, enabling people to lead better lives.

“This is primarily why we’re here,” he said.

While he believes the negotiations are progressing, he thinks they are moving very slowly.

“There are some tactics employed on purpose here, especially wait-and-see tactics, to see what happens in what room and then how can other rooms [will] respond to this…” Ignatius said. “We believe this is what is really slowing down the process of the negotiation.” 

He views the G20 commitments made so far, particularly on adaptation funding, as encouraging signs.

G20 backs climate finance deal but faces fossil fuel backlash

“We’ve seen reports from the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep), saying that we need money, that is a lot. But… the fractions we are receiving here are very, very small,” he also told RFI.

“The adaptation needs are increasing every day. The gap is increasing between what is really required and what’s being pledged. So, we need to see more action.”  

Double burden

Dean Bhebhe Bhekhumuzi is the intelligence and campaigns advisor at Power Shift Africa, and the lead coordinator for the Don’t Gas Africa movement. Originally from Zimbabwe, he’s working with the Kenya-based organisation remotely from Johannesburg, in South Africa. 

He expects that any breakthrough will likely occur only at the very end of this round of negotiations, most likely on the final day.

But he also thinks that what’s important is to understand the relationship between developing and developed countries.

“When we look at the type of finance that Africa needs to tap into, it becomes important to mention the debt crisis,” he said. “Nigeria, Senegal, for example, need to pay off their huge debt.”

These two countries use up to 67 percent of their GDP to pay off debt, leaving only 33 percent to tackle energy, healthcare, infrastructure, education, and all the other essential building blocks for development.

“Developing countries are asking developed countries to essentially manage and pay for emission reductions, and to implement a strategy,” Bhekhumuzi explains. 

He points out that Africa bears the brunt of the climate crisis, yet they are the least responsible for it, and the mechanisms to change this situation are not there.

“Surely we cannot be expected to also contribute financially, despite the debt burden,” he said.

Africa is battling plastic pollution and waste crisis, activists say

No room for pessimism

Both activists say they need to remain optimistic as they say they cannot give up on the multilateral processes.

“We must reckon that some of the benefits have been achieved,” Juma Ignatius, the senior advisor to the office of the AGN, told RFI. “For example, the Paris Agreement.”

Africa and the G77 at the UN, representing 77 developing economies,  have called for a total of $1.3 trillion last week. 

For Ignatius, this is achievable this week at Cop29, despite a huge presence of fossil fuel lobbies. So he insists that African negotiators should not be defeated or focus on what’s not working. 

“We can encourage ourselves [with the] that something greater is coming,” he said.  

Bhekhumuzi agrees. “I think what is important is actually uploading Global South countries,” he told RFI, and get their voices heard.

“The Africa group of negotiators is pushing for an act that is people-centred, one that will empower Africa. Because we’re having those critical discussions, this is already a small win,” Bhekhumuzi said.

“We are not against social networks, we are simply asking for the application of the law” on X, Francois-Xavier Lefranc, chairman of the board of Ouest-France, told French news agency AFP on Tuesday.

He added that the decision was taken “fairly unanimously internally”.

The daily, which is targeted at France’s vast western region and still sells over 600,000 paper copies a day, is the first French daily to quit X after Britain’s The Guardian, La Vanguardia in Spain and Dagens Nyheter in Sweden.

Sports clubs have also begun turning away from the platform.

On Tuesday, German football club Werder Bremen joined fellow Bundesliga side St Pauli in leaving X, citing an “incredible” increase in “hate speech” since it was bought by Musk in 2022.

Top French newspapers sue X for unpaid use of their content

Several users had already wondered back then whether they should remain on Twitter when Musk – a businessman best known for running car company Tesla and space company SpaceX – rebranded it as X, and drastically reduced content moderation in the name of free speech.

The question has flared up again since Donald Trump won this month’s US presidential election, actively supported by Musk.

“Unless it becomes a regulated space that respects people”, Ouest-France “will not return”, Lefranc said. “This decision is final. We are not doing this just to change our minds in two weeks.”

On its X account, Ouest-France posted what it said was a “last tweet, for the moment”.

Harsh, extreme climate

Several news outlets have begun quitting X, once a favourite of global media but now accused of enabling the spread of disinformation under Musk.

Citing a “harsh and extreme” climate, Sweden’s newspaper of reference, the left-liberal Dagens Nyheter (DN), last Friday became third major media outlet to stop publishing its articles on the social media platform.

“Since Elon Musk took over, the platform has increasingly merged with his and Donald Trump’s political ambitions,” said editor-in-chief Peter Wolodarski.

Last Wednesday, Britain’s centre-left daily The Guardian announced it would no longer post content from its official accounts on X, which it called “toxic”.

EU concerned by high disinformation rate on Musk’s X platform

The Guardian has nearly 11 million followers on the platform, but it said “the benefits of being on X are now outweighed by the negatives”.

 It said “often disturbing content” was promoted or found on the platform, singling out “far-right conspiracy theories and racism”.

Spain’s Vanguardia said it would rather lose subscribers than remain on a “disinformation network”.

Stephen Barnard, a specialist on media manipulation at Butler University in the US said he expected more publishers to part ways with X in the coming months.

“How many do so will likely depend on what actions X, Musk, and the Trump administration take with regard to media and journalism,” he said.

Invent alternatives 

Musk, who is the world’s richest man, has been named by Trump’s team to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency.

One beneficiary of disenchantment with X appears to be Bluesky, a decentralised social media service offering many of the same functions as X.

On Friday, it said it had added one million subscribers within 24 hours. But its 16 million subscribers are still dwarfed by those of X, estimated at several hundreds of millions.

“Strictly speaking, there are no alternatives to what X offers today,” Vincent Berthier, head of the technology department at RSF (Reporters Without Borders) told AFP.

“But we may need to invent them.”

Berthier called departures from X “a symptom of the failure of democracies to regulate platforms” across the board.

Musk may represent “the radical face of this informational nightmare”, said Berthier. “But the problem goes much deeper.”

(with AFP)

The seminal 1954 painting had been valued at €90 million, and the previous record for a work by Magritte (1898-1967) was €75 million, set in 2022.

After a nearly 10-minute bidding war on Tuesday, “Empire of Light” – L’Empire des lumieres – was sold for €114 million “achieving a world-record price for the artist and for a surrealist work of art at auction”, according to auction house Christie’s.

The painting – depicting a house at night, illuminated by a lamp post, while under a bright, blue sky – is one of a series by the Belgian artist showing the interplay of shadow and light.

It inspired American director William Friedkin to make his famous horror film “The Exorcist”(1973).

“Empire of Light” was part of the private collection of Mica Ertegun, an interior designer who fled communist Romania to settle in the United States where she became an influential figure in the arts world.

She died in late 2023 and was married to the late Ahmet Ertegun, the music magnate who founded the Atlantic Records label.

Art market slowing down

The sale of the Magritte painting was an expected highlight of this week’s autumn sales season in New York, at a time when the art market has seen a slowdown since last year.

Christie’s – which is controlled by Artemis, the investment holding company owned by the Pinault family – said sales totaled €2 billion in the first half of this year.

That is down for the second straight year, after a peak of €3.8 bllion in 2022 as the world emerged from the coronavirus pandemic.

During the same Christie’s auction on Tuesday, a celebrated 1964 painting of a gas station by 86-year-old Ed Ruscha, titled “Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half,” sold for €65 million, setting a new auction record for the American pop artist.

(AFP)

“I have reiterated to each counterpart that we need them to support the Lebanese armed forces,” Lecornu said after visits to Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

“Both in the central role they play in welfare matters, and in the security aspect. We will have to think about more operational support on the military side.”

Lecornu’s appeal came following talks with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed of the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi.

Diplomatic efforts are intensifying to secure a ceasefire based on United Nations Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.

Paris hosts Lebanon conference amid Israel-Hezbollah conflict

The resolution called for the deployment of Lebanese government forces and United Nations peacekeeping force Unfil in areas south of Lebanon’s Litani River near the Israeli border.

Security

“There isn’t a better solution at this stage than to respect Resolution 1701 and to support the Lebanese armed forces,” Lecornu said.

“To secure the border between Israel and Lebanon, and to reinforce Lebanon’s sovereignty, the armed forces must be properly armed,” he added.

Israel expanded the focus of its operations from Gaza to Lebanon in September, vowing to secure its northern border to allow tens of thousands of people displaced by cross-border fire to return home.

Since the clashes began with Hezbollah attacks on Israel, more than 3,510 people in Lebanon have been killed, according to authorities, with most fatalities recorded since late September.

Last month, a conference in Paris raised $200 million (€188 million) to support the Lebanese armed forces, on top of $800 million (€755 million) in humanitarian aid for the country.

Macron promises €100m for Lebanon at aid conference in Paris

The Lebanese army, which plays a crucial role in maintaining stability in the deeply divided country, struggles to meet the basic needs of its 80,000 soldiers.

It has previously received financial assistance from Qatar and the United States to pay salaries.

Next month, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, will travel to Saudi Arabia. His visit is expected to focus on defence contracts and investment in new technologies.

(With newswires)

French Europe minister Benjamin Haddad said he organised the gathering in Brussels with his Dutch counterpart to tackle a resurgence in anti-Semitic violence since the start of the war in Gaza.

“I wanted us to have… a frank conversation about the causes of the rise in antisemitism and the best ways to address it and really make it a priority for the European institutions,” Haddad told French news agency AFP.

The meeting was arranged after supporters of an Israeli football team were attacked in Amsterdam this month, in an incident condemned by Dutch and Israeli authorities as antisemitic.

Israeli fans ‘welcome’ at France-Israel clash, French Europe minister says

It was attended by about a dozen ministers from other EU countries.

Dutch officials said Israeli fans were targeted in “hit-and-run” attacks by men on scooters on 7 November, after a Europa League match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and local team Ajax.

Five Maccabi fans were briefly hospitalised.

Tensions were high before the match after Israeli fans chanted anti-Arab slogans, vandalised a taxi and burnt a Palestinian flag in Amsterdam’s main square, according to police reports.

Speaking after the talks, Haddad said however that Europe was witnessing “one of the worst outbreaks of anti-Semitism” since World War II.

“When we talk about anti-Semitism, it is not just the defence of European Jewish communities that is at stake, it is the preservation… of our fundamental values,” he said.

(AFP)

After several years in which France became the number one European destination for new headquarters, research centres and factories, the tide, according to the findings of the consultancy firm EY, appears to be turning.

A barometer of France’s attractiveness – carried out between 3 and 21 October – found that 118 of the bosses said the fractious political landscape following last summer’s snap parliamentary elections was making it difficult for them to build a business plan.

Nearly half of them feared the political skirmishing would lead to a slowdown in reforms to cut red tape and they were also worried about whether it would cost more to employ people.

“Executives are still counting on France, particularly for investment in innovation and services,” said the report. “But they are more reserved about locating factories and headquarters in France.”

Importance

In France, according to the government statistics agency Insee, 17,500 companies are under foreign control and employ 2.2 million people, some 13 percent of the salaried workforce.

“Foreign-owned companies are one of the major driving forces of our economy and that of our regions,” the report says.

However, survey researchers discovered that even though the vast majority of bosses were not planning to invest any more money in schemes in France this year, more than half planned to fund research and development projects in the country until 2027.

The business leaders warn that as France has become politically brittle, the recently elected Labour government in Britain with its huge parliamentary majority, offers a more stable environment for investment.

Eighty-four bosses said Britain seemed more attractive than France while 58 disagreed. However, they were all united in their negativity about Germany.

Confidence

“After a period of constancy that had restored confidence, France has to show sensitivity to criticism of its stability, tax system, labour costs and its ecological ambitions,” the report said.

The EY report comes just six months after the Choose France forum in Versailles yielded a record amount of investment of 15 billion euros, for 56 projects.

But the report adds: “Since then, and in light of the profound changes in political governance and the resulting uncertainties, questions about France’s attractiveness are regularly asked by companies, public players and the media.”

The bosses say they want the government to maintain the drive to cut business tax and reduce the bureaucracy involved in setting up a business.

They also want authorities to simplify the rules and speed up the time for allocating industrial sites. There is also a call for clearer guidelines on environmental schemes around factories.

The report adds: “Executives also point to four long-term challenges – innovation, energy, support for small and medium-sized businesses and reindustrialisation – which indicate a desire for continuity in the economic course of recent years.”

Nadal, 38, went down in straight sets to Botic van de Zandschulp in the opening match at the José María Martín Carpena Arena before Carlos Alcaraz levelled proceedings with a 7-6, 6-3 win over Talon Griekspoor.

However, Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof – also bidding farewell to the ATP circuit – combined to see off Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers 7-6, 7-6.

“I tried my best. I tried to enjoy and play with the right energy and the right attitude,” said Nadal after his defeat to the world number 80.

“It just didn’t work. There was a possibility that that would happen.”

Nadal last played competitively at the Paris Olympics in August. He lost in the second round of the singles and then later in the quarter-finals of the doubles.

“I knew it could be my last match as a professional and the emotions were difficult to manage,” Nadal admitted.

Time

“I wasn’t able to read the game quickly enough to feel in control. When you’ve spent so much time out of competition, everything is decided by small details and I’m not in the same form as players who are on the circuit. Today won’t be the day for me to criticise myself.”

During 23 years on the ATP circuit, Nadal was dubbed “the king of clay” for an 81-match unbeaten streak that started at the Monte Carlo Masters in April 2005 and ended at the Hamburg Masters in May 2007.

Roger Federer terminated the sequence but Nadal gained revenge the following month at the French Open in Paris where he became only the second man since tennis was opened to professional players in 1968 to win three championships on the trot.

In the 2008 final, Nadal annihilated Federer 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 to brandish his fourth title at the only Grand Slam event to be played on clay courts.

Honour

By 2021, Nadal was guest of honour at the unveiling of his statue at the Stade Roland Garros to hail his 13 crowns.

A 14th followed in 2022 when he swept past Casper Ruud in straight sets.

Nadal also claimed eight titles at the three other Grand Slam events in Melbourne, London and New York.

He won Olympic singles and doubles gold and helped Spain to four Davis Cup titles, most recently in 2019.

Before the swansong, Federer hailed Nadal for forcing him to rethink his style.

“You made me reimagine my game,” Federer conceded. “Even going so far as to change the size of my racquet head, hoping for any edge.”

But it was to no avail. Nadal emerged the victor in 24 of their 40 encounters.

“What an incredible run you’ve had.” added Federer. “Including 14 French Opens – historic! You made Spain proud … you made the whole tennis world proud.”

The deal, which would establish the world’s largest free trade zone, has become a flashpoint for growing dissatisfaction in the farming sector.

On Tuesday morning, more than 100 farmers set off from Beziers, a town in southern France, heading towards the French-Spanish border near Perpignan. 

Their goal is to block traffic along major highways for several days. 

As the convoy made its way along the A9 motorway, the procession included around 100 vehicles, among them six tractors. In Narbonne, they were joined by a dozen more cars.

Meanwhile, in Bordeaux, about 30 tractors gathered outside the regional authority’s headquarters, a symbol of the growing unrest in rural areas.

Despite the French government’s vocal opposition to the deal, farmers say President Emmanuel Macron and his administration are not doing enough to address their concerns. 

The protests, which began earlier this year, are now gaining momentum, with many in the agricultural community accusing the government of failing to deliver promised support.

Farmers warned of ‘zero tolerance’ as France braces for week of protest

Blocking food freight

The FNSEA farming union and Jeunes Agriculteurs (“Young Farmers”), which together represent most farmers in France, backed the protests.

Hardline farmers’ union Coordination Rurale threatened to step up pressure later this week and start blocking food freight, if no progress is made. The demonstrations are a continuation of broader frustrations within the agricultural sector. 

On Monday, farmers staged more than 80 protests across the country, setting up mock gallows and wooden crosses to symbolise the death of French agriculture.

They also blocked the Bridge of Europe, which links France and Germany to protest against the European Commission’s plan to conclude the Mercosur treaty following two decades of talks.

In Bordeaux, on the banks of the Garonne, several dozen farmers burned uprooted vines on Monday evening.

“Today, we are reigniting the flame of our fight,” said Jerome Freville, a 60-year-old winegrower. “Be careful. We will not back down.”

Low income, bureaucracy

French farmers complain about excessive bureaucracy, low incomes and poor harvests.

They say they have been waiting for the authorities to deliver on the promises of support made by the government before Macron dissolved parliament’s lower house in the summer, sparking a political crisis.

The proposed EU-Mercosur free trade agreement has provoked fresh anger.

Farmers fear the deal would flood European markets with cheaper South American products that do not meet the same strict standards on pesticides, hormones, and environmental protections required of European producers. 

Despite these concerns, Macron has reiterated that France is not alone in opposing the agreement. 

Speaking in Brazil on Monday at the G20 summit, the French president stated that several other EU countries were joining France in its resistance to the deal. 

Macron described the Mercosur accord as outdated, saying it was “based on preconditions that are now obsolete.”

(with AFP)

The leaders of the world’s 20 richest economies were under pressure during their summit in Brazil to break the impasse over climate finance at the deadlocked COP29 talks in Azerbaijan.

A statement issued by G20 leaders in Rio de Janiero overnight reiterated support for a deal to be reached in Baku, where the first week of negotiations ended in bitter stalemate.

“We needed to see a strong signal from the G20, and we got that on finance,” said Mohamed Adow, a Kenyan climate activist and founder of the Power Shift Africa group.

Jasper Inventor, from Greenpeace, described the support for a finance deal as “a positive signal”.

“This momentum must now be translated into concrete outcomes in Baku,” he said.

Climate, trade top the agenda as Macron visits Argentina ahead of G20 summit

Action against climate change

Rich nations are being urged to significantly raise their pledge of $100 billion (94 billion euros) a year in finance for poorer countries to take action against climate change.

But efforts to finalise the deal in Baku have been glacial, with rows over how much the deal should entail, who should pay it, and what types of finance should be included.

The chair of the G77 + China, a grouping of developing nations, told French news agency AFP that the Rio statement was a “good building block” for the climate talks as G20 leaders acknowledged that the needs were in the “trillions” of dollars.

However, Adonia Ayebare, the group’s Ugandan chairman, said that the G77 was “not comfortable” with vague wording saying the money should come from “all sources”.

“We have been insisting that this has to be from public sources. Grants, not loans,” Ayebare said.

Climate crisis takes centre stage as G20 summit opens in Brazil

Harjeet Singh, an activist from India, said the G20 “displayed a stark failure in leadership”.

“Their rehashed rhetoric offers no solace for the fraught COP29 negotiations, where we continue to see a deadlock on climate finance,” he said.

The statement did not explicitly repeat a pledge made last year at COP28 to transition the world away from fossil fuels, a flashpoint issue that has caused tensions in Baku.

G20 leaders made reference to phasing out “inefficient fossil fuel subsidies” but the key language enshrined to much fanfare in the commitment made in late 2023 was absent.

“Silence on the new climate finance goal and mutism on fossil fuel phase out are unacceptable coming from the biggest economies and emitters,” said Rebecca Thissen from the Climate Action Network.

(AFP)

Patrice Douret, president of the organisation, revealed plans to significantly strengthen their aid for young children, single-parent families, and others struggling with poverty. 

The initiative will focus not only on providing food and material resources, but also on fostering social connections and helping families integrate into society.

Douret emphasized that the charity is responding to an increasing demand, particularly from single-parent families, which now make up a quarter of the charity’s beneficiaries.

“This is a reality we can no longer accept,” Douret said, calling on the French government to provide more support to organisations fighting poverty, especially in light of the ongoing economic challenges.

At the launch of the new winter campaign, Douret was joined by Prime Minister Michel Barnier, who visited the charity’s temporary headquarters in Gennevilliers, north of Paris. 

Barnier reassured that efforts to reduce France’s national deficit would not come at the expense of vulnerable populations. 

“We must reduce the debt, but I do not want these efforts to impact the most fragile,” he said, stressing that the budget for solidarity programs would not be cut.

Finances stabilised

The Restos du Cœur has long been a cornerstone of France’s social safety net, providing 35 percent of the country’s food aid. 

After experiencing a severe financial crisis earlier this year, the charity has managed to stabilise its finances. The organisation reported a surplus of 22 million euros for the 2023-2024 campaign, a remarkable turnaround from the expected 35 million euro deficit.

The charity had sounded the alarm in the fall of 2023 about its precarious financial situation, struggling to meet the needs of an increasing number of people facing food insecurity. 

French charity forced to cut number of beneficiaries as winter food drive begins

Rising operating costs, combined with a surge in demand, had forced Restos du Cœur to cut the income threshold for eligibility for food aid for the first time in its history. As a result, 110,000 people were turned away during the 2023-2024 campaign.

Over one million beneficiaries

Despite these challenges, the food bank was able to assist 1.3 million beneficiaries, maintaining the same number of people served as the previous year. 

The charity distributed 163 million meals, just shy of the 171 million served during the 2022-2023 campaign. 

“What will happen in the future as all indicators show that the situation has worsened since 2020?” Douret expressed concern, as rising poverty and inflation continue to impact vulnerable communities.

The most recent figures from France’s National Institute of Statistics (INSEE) reveal that more than nine million people in the country live below the poverty line, defined as earning less than 1,216 euros a month. 

This accounts for 14.4 percent of the population. 

For many, the Restos du Cœur provides not just food, but a lifeline to escape from the cycle of poverty.

(With newswires)

The whale shark, the largest fish on Earth, can grow up to 20 metres long and weigh over 30 tonnes, yet despite its awe-inspiring size, the species is facing an escalating risk of extinction. Overfishing, accidental bycatch, and collisions with ships are some of the major threats contributing to its endangered status.

In an interview with public broadcaster franceinfo on Sunday, Hugues de Kerdrel, founder of the marine conservation group Over The Swell, described the whale shark as a majestic creature.

“You see a huge mass, with a peace and tranquility that is extraordinary. It swims very slowly,” he said, highlighting the gentle nature of the giant fish.

Founded in Brittany, Over The Swell has taken up the cause of protecting whale sharks, now calling for the creation of an international protected zone in the South Atlantic. 

The campaign was sparked by de Kerdrel’s own encounter with a whale shark near Saint Helena island, located in the heart of the South Atlantic. This experience deepened his commitment to safeguarding the species, which is increasingly threatened by human activity.

Offshore corridor

According to a study published last month in Nature Climate Change, the risks to whale sharks are rising due to climate change, which forces the animals to migrate to areas with denser maritime traffic.

“We won’t be able to stop illegal fishing or industrial fishing,” de Kerdrel acknowledged. “But we can start by working on international marine protected areas.”

French fishing ban great news for dolphins, less so for industry

His organisation is pushing for the creation of the world’s first offshore corridor specifically for whale sharks, stretching between Cape Verde and Saint Helena island. 

By better understanding the sharks’ migration routes, de Kerdrel believes international bodies can be persuaded to protect the area.

Support from sailors

Last week, Over The Swell’s project received an official support from the Vendée Globe Foundation, which was created this year to promote the protection of oceans and marine biodiversity. 

Fabrice Amedeo, a sailor currently competing in the 10th edition of the annual Vendée Globe round-the-world race, voiced his backing for the project. 

40 skippers leave France to embark on gruelling ‘Everest of the Seas’

Amedeo emphasised the need for a shift in the approach to marine conservation, calling for an end to the silence surrounding the issue. He also stressed the importance of viewing sailors as “whistleblowers” rather than perpetrators when it comes to collisions with marine life.

Amedeo also pointed out that four of the 40 boats in the Vendée Globe unintentionally kill a whale every four years by striking the animals.

“What about the global commercial fleet?” he asked, urging a broader awareness of the devastating impact of ship collisions on marine wildlife.

The Academie Française, guardian of the French language since 1635, has issued the 9th edition of its official dictionary, with 21,000 new words compared to the 8th edition of 1935. President Macron has praised the academy’s steady pace, which “prevents it from giving in to the temptations of ticks and trends”. Writer Frederic Vicot, one of the “immortels” on the dictionary commission, talks about how writers, historians and scientists have pooled their talents over the decades to get the best definitions possible. But the dictionary has its detractors – a group of  linguists have slammed the opus as useless and outdated given the time it takes to publish. Florent Moncomble from the “Community of Appalled Linguists” outlines why both the choice of terms, and the academy’s methodology, are problematic. (Listen @0′) 

Donald Trump’s recent election to a second term as President of the United States came as a shock to many in France, who’d been less than enthusiastic about his first term in office. Trump’s intent to impose import tariffs is set to impact the economies of both France and Europe more widely, and his approach towards Ukraine runs against France’s unwaving support. Celia Belin, head of the Paris office of the European council on Foreign Relations, talks about what France needs to do to face a second Trump presidency, and reflects on the impact his election will have on France’s far right. (Listen @19’50”) 

The collapse of the Malpasset dam in the south of France, on 2 December 1959, decimated the Reyran river valley. More than 400 people died and the town of Frejus was cut off for days. The disaster prompted a wave of fundraising and solidarity, in what is considered the first example of international solidarity following a catastrophe. (Listen @15’30”) 

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).

Turkey’s media regulator, RTUK, revoked the station’s licence, claiming it had failed to comply with an earlier fine and suspension.

That order came after a guest earlier this year referred to the 1915 killings of Armenians by Turkey’s then-Ottoman rulers as a genocide.

RTUK ruled that the comment incited public hatred. While Acik did pay the fine, it didn’t come off air, saying it was appealing the initial ruling in court.

The revocation of its broadcasting licence has drawn international condemnation and alarm. “Acik Radio has always adopted a moderate language, reflecting various political views,” Erol Onderoglu, the Turkey representative for Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) told RFI. 

Onderoglu warns that banning Acik is part of a wider trend in the country of “eliminating media pluralism and weakening remaining minority voices”. He continued: “It is in line with a political mission to impose a single official view on society, what they call national and patriotic journalism.”

‘Cultural hub’

In Istanbul’s Kadikoy district, listeners have been chanting in protest over Acik Radio’s removal from the airwaves.

Elif Unal, an avid listener, said the station has been an important part of everyday life for a long time. “They ban everything that makes us smile, that makes us feel happy,” she said. “Most of the people in Istanbul, across Turkey, open their eyes listening to Acik Radio. Acik Radio is important because it’s a cultural hub and also a political supporter of many organisations, NGOs and activists.”

Armenians warn ethnic cleansing risks being forgotten – again

Protestor Mete Atature said he grew up listening to Acik. “Whichever programme you are listening to, you’ll learn something. Not like a lecture, not like an education programme, but there’s always something it leaves you with, and I miss that.”

He added: “From one side, of course, it’s a shock. From another side, it’s not unexpected, given the way the whole country is going. There is less and less free speech, and there’s more oppression, and this is another example.”

Diverse voices

Since its launch in 1994, Acik Radio has sought to bridge Turkey’s deep cultural and political divides. Volunteers produce and present social and cultural programmes that represent the country’s diverse population, including minorities.

Yetvart Danzikyan hosted Acik’s show “Radio Agos,” a programme aimed at Turkey’s Armenian minority.

“We tried to make the unheard voices of not only the Armenian community but also all the other minorities, the Greek, Jewish, and Suryani communities,” he said, adding that they were trying to bring even more unheard voices to the station’s programmes.

Turkey’s embattled civil society fears worst as foreign funding dries up

Turkey’s main opposition parties are supporting the station, and say the closure is a government attempt to further tighten its grip on the country’s media.

For now, Acik has returned to broadcasting via the internet, securing a licence under the new name of APACIK Radio. 

But those who run the station feel they are fighting an uphill battle. “The general atmosphere is getting towards more repression in Turkey,” Acik’s co-founder Omer Madra said wearily. “But we are very determined to fight on, and we’ve had some magnificent support from all the regions of the country.”

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! And we are so pleased that “one of our own” has made it into the running: Saleem Akhtar Chadhar, the president of the RFI Seven Stars Listeners Club, is one of the 10 nominees in the RFI Clubs category! 

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 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: In mid-October, our beloved sportsman Paul Myers wrote about yet another speedy Kenyan: Ruth Chepngetich. Chepngetich not only won the Chicago Marathon on 13 October, she set a world record, too. She finished the 42-kilometer course in two hours, nine minutes, and 56 seconds – beating the previous long-distance record set by almost two minutes. That record was set by Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa at the 2023 Berlin Marathon. 

Chepngetich also became the first woman to win the Chicago Marathon three times, since its inception in 1977.

You were to re-read Paul’s article “Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich sets women’s world record at Chicago Marathon”, and send in the answers to these questions: What are the names and nationalities of the women who took second and third place in the 2024 Chicago Marathon race?

The answer is: Ethiopian Sutume Kebede came second in two hours, 17 minutes and 32 seconds. Irine Cheptai from Kenya was third, with two hours, 17 minutes, and 52 seconds.

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “How do you describe real friendship? Give an example.” The question was suggested by Lata Akhter Murshida from Bogura, Bangladesh.

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

The winners are: RFI English listener Pradip Chandra Kundu from West Bengal, India. Pradip is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations, Pradip, on your double win.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Ali Shahzad, a member of the RFI Seven Stars Radio Listeners Club in District Chiniot, Pakistan, and RFI Listeners Club members Shaira Hosen Mo from Kishoreganj, Bangladesh as well as Samir Mukhopadhyay from West Bengal, India.

Last but assuredly not least, RFI English listener Tesha Akhter from Rajshahi, Bangladesh.  

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Sanoftob” by Thierry David; “Virtual Lifestyle” by Jean-Paul Merkel; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and In the Steppes of Central Asia by Alexander Borodin, performed by Evgeny Svetlanov and the USSR State Symphony Orchestra.

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 Isabell Martinetti’s article “Paris Photo fair focuses on photo books and their publishers”, which will help you with the answer.

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

Zitouni Ould Dada, representing the FAIRR Initiative – a network raising awareness of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks in the food sector – underscores the need to transform global food systems.

“Since Cop15 in Paris and Cop26 in Glasgow, good progress has been made towards building sustainable and resilient agri-food systems,” he said. “Cop29 is a key moment to accelerate the transformation of food production.”

He calls on policymakers to strengthen climate commitments, integrate agriculture into national plans, and create policies to attract sustainable investment.

Financing green energy and addressing climate disasters are key issues at this year’s summit.

Seyni Nafo, spokesperson for the African negotiators group and chair of the Green Climate Fund, coordinates the African Union Adaptation Initiative. He shared his perspective with RFI’s Christophe Boisbouvier.

Speaking from Baku, Nafo explored the question of responsibility for funding climate recovery in the most affected regions.

The negotiations come during what is expected to be the hottest year on record, underscoring the urgency of Cop29’s agenda.

Episode mixed by Erwan Rome.

Spotlight on Africa is a podcast from Radio France Internationale.

Erdogan, who congratulated Trump as a “friend” on social media, sees this as a chance to reshape US-Turkey relations.

During Biden’s presidency, engagement was largely limited to foreign ministers – marking a stark contrast to the “strong leader-to-leader relationship” Erdogan and Trump had enjoyed, says analyst Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, of the German Marshall Fund in Ankara.

Trump and President Erdogan met face to face about nine times, compared to only two “brief encounters” with Biden, he adds.

Chemistry

Erdogan often speaks warmly of his dealings with Washington during Trump’s first term in office.

“The chemistry is the same. Two charismatic leaders, two leaders who are unpredictable,” notes Turkish presidential adviser Mesut Casin, a professor of international relations at Istanbul’s Yeditepe University.

He believes their personal rapport could set the stage for greater bilateral and regional cooperation, including efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Erdogan has long sought to play a role in ending the Russia-Ukraine war, given his close ties with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and, more controversially, with Vladimir Putin – a relationship that drew criticism and suspicion from some of Turkey’s NATO partners.

“Trump will push for negotiations in the Russia-Ukraine war. And I think that’s something that Turkey has always preferred,” predicts Asli Aydintasbas a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

Turkey eyes US presidential race that stands to shake up mutual ties

YPG policy

Erdogan will also look to Trump for changes in US policy toward the YPG, a Syrian Kurdish militia that Ankara views as linked to the PKK, a group fighting the Turkish state.

The YPG’s alliance with Washington against the Islamic State has strained US-Turkey relations, with Biden resisting Erdogan’s calls to end support for the group.

Former Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen predicts Erdogan will hope Trump might be open to a deal.

“Erdogan thinks that, like himself, Trump too is a pragmatic leader. So leaving aside principles or other such in brackets, the two sides can reach an agreement by giving and taking something between the two,” says Selcen.

Unpredictability

While Trump has often spoken positively about Erdogan, he nonetheless remains unpredictable.

“Can you rely on him?” asks Murat Aslan of SETA, a Turkish pro-government thinktank.

Tensions between Turkey and Israel could also complicate relations.

Erdogan has expressed hope that Trump will succeed where Biden failed in ending Israel’s war on Hamas and Hezbollah, but with Trump’s strong support for Israel and Erdogan’s backing of Hamas, a clash could be looming.

“What happens if there is an escalation in the Middle East with the polarisation of Israel and Turkey, as it currently is, and the attitude of Trump, it’s very clear that the Trump administration will threaten Turkey,” says Aslan.

With conflicts raging across the region, Erdogan views a new Trump presidency as an opportunity for Turkey and the region.

But given the leaders’ unpredictability, that opportunity doesn’t come without risks.

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! And we are so pleased that “one of our own” has made it into the running: Saleem Akhtar Chadhar, the president of the RFI Seven Stars Listeners Club, is one of the 10 nominees in the RFI Clubs category! 

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 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 12 October, I asked you a question about the troubled relationship between France and Algeria.

Algeria’s recently re-elected president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, accused France, its former colonial ruler, of “genocide”.

Tebboune has postponed trips to Paris to meet with Emmanuel Macron several times; the latest was scheduled for late September or early October, and that trip was also postponed.

You were to re-read our article “Algeria’s Tebboune refuses France visit in snub to former colonial ruler”, and send in the answer to this question: What happened last July that sent the Algeria/France relationship into a nosedive – even provoking Algeria to recall its ambassador to France?

The answer is, to quote our article: “… relations nose-dived in July after Macron sent a letter to King Mohammed VI of Morocco voicing support for the Kingdom’s autonomy plan in the disputed territory of Western Sahara.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “How do you remember things?”

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

The winners are: RFI English listener Bushra Nawaz, who’s a member of the Sungat Radio Listeners Club in Muzaffargarh, Pakistan. Bushra is also the winner of this week’s bonus question.

Congratulations, Bushra, on your double win.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are RFI Listeners Club members Zenon Teles, the president of the Christian – Marxist – Leninist – Maoist Association of Listening DX-ers in Goa, India, and Father Steven Wara, who lives in the Cistercian Abbey in Bamenda, Cameroon.

Last but assuredly not least, RFI English listeners Amara, a member of the International Radio Fan and Youth Club in Khanewal, Pakistan, and Jahangir Alam, the president of the World DX International Radio Fan Club in Rajshahi, Bangladesh.

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Soul Bossa Nova” by Quincy Jones, performed by the Quincy Jones Ensemble; “Aghan” by Mohammad Rouane, performed by the Rouane Ensemble; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Asa Branca” by Luiz Gonzaga and Humberto Teixeira, performed by Rosinha De Valença.

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 “Tributes roll in for beloved musician and producer Quincy Jones, who died at 91”, which will help you with the answer.

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

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.