The European Union is gearing up for significant challenges as it enters a new term under Ursula von der Leyen, beginning with her second mandate as the head of the European Commission.

A total of 370 MEPs voted in favour of the new Commission’s composition, 282 voted against, and 36 abstained.

Following the green light from the Strasbourg-based parliament, the EU executive still needs to be formally approved by the European Council – with a qualified majority – before it takes office take office on 1 December.

The new Commission, consisting of 27 members, will address the key priorities for the bloc’s future..

Taking over from Josep Borrel, Estonia’s former Prime Minister Kaja Kallas will take the lead as the EU’s chief diplomat, while Lithuania’s Andrius Kubilius will oversee efforts to enhance European defence capabilities.

The issue of increased defence spending has escalated across the Union, with von der Leyen advocating for an investment of €500 billion over the next decade to address security concerns, particularly in light of fears surrounding reduced American support under Trump and a potential shift in US commitment to Ukraine.

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Economy and ecology

Economic policy is another key focus as the EU seeks to strengthen its competitiveness against both the US and China.

Trade relationships will be subject to scrutiny, particularly given Trump’s threat of imposing tariffs on EU goods.

Slovakia’s Maros Sefcovic will handle trade strategies, while France’s Stéphane Sejourné will tackle industrial strategy amid challenges such as rising energy costs and competition from Chinese manufacturers.

On the environment, Teresa Ribera from Spain will lead the charge on competition and green transition policies, working closely with Sejourné to balance the EU’s growth ambitions in tandem with climate goals, especially as the continent aims towards a sustainable, carbon-neutral future by 2030.

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Trade and industry

Since the beginning of her first mandate, von der Leyen’s leadership style has shifted perceptions of the EU Commission, by strengthening its operational capacity and focus.

She has weeded out commissioners she didn’t see eye to eye with – such as France’s Thierry Breton – and benefited from a political alignment that has seen countries fill her new team with fellow conservatives.

Her first term began in the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic, when she advocated for joint initiatives like vaccine procurement and strategic energy independence from Russia.

Considering the current economic climate, the European Commission must also address challenges such as low productivity and weak investment, especially as the bloc looks to implement a “clean industrial deal” which aims to decarbonise the economy while ensuring energy security and independence.

Furthermore, reducing bureaucratic hurdles and fostering research and innovation in sectors like Artificial Intelligence will be crucial to revitalising European industries.

One immediate bone of contention is the proposed trade agreement with South America’s Mercosur bloc, which has sparked backlash from French farmers who are up in arms over competition from lower-priced imports.

The EU is looking to finalise the pact with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay during a summit in Montevideo next month. 

But France is frantically trying to find allies to derail plans to create the world’s biggest free trade zone.

Von der Leyen plans to push forward with a vision for sustainable agriculture and food systems, in a bid to balance free trade with local agricultural interests.

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Security and migration

Since the onset of the Ukraine war, boosting military capacities has also become a pressing concern.

The addition of a dedicated defence commissioner in Kubilius highlights the EU’s commitment to a coordinated, common defence strategy.

However, as the EU consolidates its military resources, calls for a unified funding scheme – similar to its Covid pandemic recovery fund – remain contentious among member states.

Addressing the European Parliament ahead of the vote to confirm the members of her second Commission.this Wednesday, von der Leyen stated: “Our freedom and sovereignty depend more than ever on our economic strength. Our security depends on our ability to compete, innovate and produce”. 

Finally, immigration policy is especially pertinent in light of the new far-right political shift across Europe following July’s elections.

While irregular crossings have decreased by around 43 percent this year, the EU is charged with revisiting asylum legislation and tackle strategies for managing migration effectively.

In October, EU leaders called for urgent new legislation to increase and speed up migrant returns and for the commission to explore “new ways” to counter irregular migration. 

Von der Leyen has promised to work swiftly to put a proposal on the table, even though the bloc adopted a long-negotiated reform of its asylum policies only a few months ago. 

Jean-Noël Barrot’s visit to Chad and Ethiopia comes as France is expected to announce significant reductions in its military presence across the continent in the coming months. 

During his visit to Adré, a town close to Chad’s eastern border with Sudan, Barrot aims to reaffirm France’s commitment to its humanitarian promises. “France is keeping its commitments,” a source close to the minister told RFI. 

The Sudan crisis remains a key priority for French diplomacy. France led international humanitarian efforts in April when it hosted a donor conference that secured pledges worth 2 billion euros.  

However, the situation has deteriorated since then, with the UN now describing it as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. 

In the capital N’Djamena, Barrot is expected to meet with Chadian authorities to discuss the future of French military bases in the country. France’s military presence in Africa has been a contentious issue as it plans to scale back operations. 

While no formal announcements are expected during the trip, the discussions are likely to shape France’s long-term strategy in the region. 

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Institutional reforms

The second leg of Barrot’s trip takes him to Ethiopia, home to the African Union (AU) headquarters. His agenda includes discussions on international institutional reforms, particularly regarding the United Nations Security Council. 

France supports the AU’s campaign for better representation at the UN, backing proposals for two permanent African seats on the UN Security Council. 

The issue of reform has gained momentum as African leaders continue to push for changes to reflect the continent’s growing influence on the world stage. 

This trip marks Barrot’s first visit to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office in September – underscoring the region’s strategic importance to French foreign policy at a time when France’s military role in Africa is evolving. 

France wants to reshape its military footprint on the continent, with major changes expected to be announced in the months ahead. The country is seeking to maintain influence through diplomatic and humanitarian channels rather than primarily through military presence. 

Beyond the violence, hunger stands as another devastating consequence of the conflict in Sudan, which is currently experiencing the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis.

Both armies are accused of using hunger as a weapon of war and hampering the passage of humanitarian aid. The country remains largely underfunded and the crisis in Sudan has been largely forgotten.

According to RFI’s reporter in Sudan, Al-Shuhada hospital in Bahri in the northern suburb of Khartoum has just been retaken from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces by the regular army .

Just a few hundred metres from the front lines, a different battle unfolds – a fight against malnutrition and hunger, which have now claimed more lives than the war itself.

UN mission calls for peacekeeping force in Sudan, suspects war crimes

Hospitals in dire state

In front of the doors of a nutrition service, Selwa Zakaria is waiting for medical staff.

“My two daughters died of hunger,” she told RFI. “The first four months ago – she was 12 years old. The second – a year-and-a-half-year old – died a week ago. We have nothing to eat.”

Fatima Haroun tends to malnourished babies, carefully weighing them one by one on the scales.

“In September alone, we recorded 20 deaths of children under [the age of] five,” she told RFI.

“The day before yesterday, a baby died here, we couldn’t do anything. We are facing a Level 1 famine. But no one realises the seriousness of the cases we receive here. I received a family who, when they have nothing to eat, they have to resort to Nile silt on a plate!”

Starved-looking figures also wait in the hospital lobby. A young boy named Fayad, who is nothing but skin and bones, is taken care of by Doctor Imad.

“When I received him in the emergency room, he was dehydrated, hypotensive,” the doctor told RFI. “He lacked sugar, water, everything.”

The doctor asks Fayad if he can talk. The boy can’t answer. His lips barely move.

Looking to flee

The Sudanese people who manage to escape the areas surrounded by fighting arrive in critical condition.

Azza Hussein has just left the Samarab neighborhood, a kilometre from the hospital.

“There was no food.The markets are empty. People are dying here and there,” he told RFI.

“In our neighborhood, there have been 150 deaths in two weeks. My neighbours, for example, died of sudden dysentery, and others died because of [dirty] well water. There is also dengue fever. Burials are happening in a hurry so that the bodies do not spread diseases.”

In normal times, these diseases do not kill if they are treated, but hunger makes them scourges, according to the director of the hospital Hadil El-Hassan.

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People’s immune systems are severely weakened. Across Sudan, the war has led to the destruction or looting of factories and markets. Citizens are under siege, with no access to food.

“We can’t send food to them,” El-Hassan said.

He calls for humanitarian corridors to be opened, especially to the areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces.

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

In the current chaos, precise figures are impossible to determine, he says, but the number of deaths from hunger is countless.

“They are the [collateral damage] of the war,” he adds.

The conflict has also uprooted more than eleven million people within its borders and two million refugees to neighbouring countries. 

While hunger threatens to kill more than fighting, humanitarian aid remains underfunded, distributed in rare locations. Most Sudanese feel completely abandoned.

In a carefully worded statement, the ministry said it would respect international justice obligations while noting that immunity rules protect leaders of states that are not ICC members, such as Israel. 

“A state cannot be held to act in a way that is incompatible with its obligations in terms of international law with regards to immunities granted to states which are not party to the ICC,” the foreign ministry said. 

“Such immunities apply to Prime Minister Netanyahu and other ministers in question, and must be taken into consideration should the ICC ask us to arrest them and hand them over.” 

Conflicting remarks

The announcement follows conflicting remarks from French officials about whether Netanyahu would face arrest if he travelled to France.

Prime Minister Michel Barnier previously stated that France would “rigorously apply its obligations” regarding the ICC warrant. 

Warrants were issued earlier this month for Netanyahu, former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif. All three are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. 

France has committed to respecting its obligations under the Rome Statute, the ICC’s founding treaty, which requires full cooperation with the court.  

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However, the ministry acknowledged that Article 98 of the statute permits exceptions for diplomatic immunity for leaders of non-member states, creating a potential conflict. 

Earlier on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot indicated certain state leaders may be protected from ICC prosecution. 

Barrot told FranceInfo that Paris was “very attached to international justice and to the ICC being able to work independently”. 

He added that “it will ultimately be up to the judicial authority to make a ruling”. 

Netanyahu reportedly contacted French President Emmanuel Macron last week to voice his anger about the ICC’s decision and seek assurance that France would not enforce the arrest warrant. 

The 80-year-old is being held under Article 87 of the Algerian penal code, which covers terrorism, threats and state security. 

“If there must be an investigation, it in no way justifies extending the detention of Boualem Sansal,” said his lawyer François Zimeray in a statement.  

Describing the detention of an elderly writer as “a serious act”, he added: “Whatever injuries or sensitivities are invoked, they are inseparable from the very concept of freedom, which has been hard-won in Algeria.” 

Sansal was taken into custody on 16 November at Algiers airport and has since been questioned by Algeria’s anti-terrorism prosecutor. The legal period of police custody was reportedly due to end on Wednesday. 

‘Revisionist delusions’

The charges against Sansal are linked to comments he made in October to French media, where he discussed historical ties between western Algeria and Morocco, including the city of Oran.  

The remarks angered Algerian authorities, who interpreted them as undermining the country’s sovereignty. 

The Algerian state news agency APS accused Sansal of “revisionist delusions” and claimed he questioned Algeria’s existence, independence and history.  

Global outrage grows over Franco-Algerian writer’s detention in Algeria

APS also alleged that “France is defending a negationist who questions the existence and sovereignty of Algeria”. 

Sansal’s detention has sparked outcry in France, with Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot describing the charges as baseless. 

“Nothing in Boualem Sansal’s activities justifies the accusations that have led to his imprisonment,” Barrot told FranceInfo.  

“The detention of a French writer without grounds is simply unacceptable.”  

Barrot said state services are fully mobilised in Algiers and Paris to monitor Sansal’s situation and allow him access to consular protection.” 

The heaviest sentence requested is for Dominique Pelicot, Gisèle’s former husband, who prosecutors say orchestrated the attacks by sedating her with tranquillisers and inviting strangers he met online to assault her.  

The sentences range from four years for the least-involved defendant to 20 years, reflecting the severity of each accused’s role in the crimes. 

“With your verdict, you will show that ordinary rape does not exist. That accidental or involuntary rape does not exist,” said Laure Chabaud, one of two public prosecutors at the criminal court in Vaucluse told the court.  

“You will deliver a message of hope to victims of sexual violence. You will return a part of her stolen humanity to Gisèle Pelicot.” 

Tough sentences 

The sentences requested are significantly higher than the average for rape cases in France, which was 11.1 years in 2022, according to the Ministry of Justice. Prosecutors argue that the gravity of the crimes in this case demands tougher penalties.  

The prosecution laid out detailed sentencing requests after 11 weeks of hearings. 

The lightest sentence, four years, was sought for Joseph C, aged 69, who was charged only with sexual assault. The remaining 49 defendants face sentences between 10 and 18 years, with one man who attacked Gisèle six times among those facing the harshest penalties. 

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Dominique Pelicot has acknowledged his actions throughout the trial. “I am guilty of what I did… I ruined everything, I lost everything. I must pay,” he said early on in the proceedings. 

Prosecutors described Pelicot as the “mastermind” of the abuse, which occurred in the couple’s home in Mazan, southern France.  

Wider impact 

The case has drawn international attention, with Gisèle, now 71, becoming a powerful symbol of resilience. She refused to have the proceedings held behind closed doors, a rare choice in sexual violence cases in France. 

She has since been hailed as an icon in the fight against violence against women.  

“This trial challenges our society,” said Jean-François Mayet, one of the prosecutors. “It forces us to rethink relationships between men and women, and to understand and respect the emotions, desires, and needs of others. 

Here are key reactions from around the world.

United States and France

The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will protect Israel from the threat of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and create the conditions for a “lasting calm”, US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron said ahead of the truce coming into force.

“The announcement today will cease the fighting in Lebanon, and secure Israel from the threat of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations operating from Lebanon,” the leaders said in a joint statement.

The United States and France will work “to ensure this arrangement is fully implemented” and lead international efforts for “capacity-building” of the Lebanese army, they added.

Biden welcomed the deal as “good news” and also said the United States would lead a fresh effort to secure a truce between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.

Macron said the Lebanon ceasefire should “open the path” for an ending to the war in Gaza.

Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked US President Biden for his “involvement in securing the ceasefire agreement”.

He told Biden in a call that he appreciated the US leader’s “understanding that Israel will maintain its freedom of action in enforcing it”, according to Netanyahu’s office.

Ahead of Israel’s approval of the deal, Netanyahu said the “length of the ceasefire depends on what happens in Lebanon” and the truce would allow Israel to “intensify” pressure on Hamas and focus on the “Iranian threat”.

From protector to onlooker: how France lost its influence in Lebanon

Lebanon

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the ceasefire was a “fundamental step” towards restoring stability in the region.

Thanking France and the United States for their involvement, Mikati also reiterated his government’s commitment to “strengthen the army’s presence in the south”.

Iran

Iran, a backer of both Hezbollah and Hamas, welcomed the end of Israel’s “aggression” in Lebanon, after the ceasefire came into force.

“Welcoming the news” of the end of Israel’s “aggression against Lebanon”, foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said in a statement, stressing Iran’s “firm support for the Lebanese government, nation and resistance”.

Germany

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock welcomed the deal, hailing it as “a ray of hope for the entire region”.

“People on both sides of the border want to live in genuine and lasting security,” Baerbock said in a statement, calling the deal “a success for diplomacy”.

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United Kingdom

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised a “long overdue” ceasefire that would “provide some measure of relief to the civilian populations” of both Israel and Lebanon.

Calling for the truce to be “turned into a lasting political solution in Lebanon”, Starmer vowed to be at the “forefront of efforts to break the ongoing cycle of violence in pursuit of a long-term, sustainable peace in the Middle East“.

European Union

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen hailed the “very encouraging news” of the ceasefire, saying it would increase Lebanon’s “internal security and stability”.

The announcement was welcomed news “first and foremost for the Lebanese and Israeli people affected by the fighting”, Von der Leyen said on X.

“Lebanon will have an opportunity to increase internal security and stability thanks to Hezbollah’s reduced influence,” she said.

United Nations

A top UN official welcomed the ceasefire agreement, but warned that “considerable work lies ahead” to implement the deal.

“Nothing less than the full and unwavering commitment of both parties is required,” UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said in a statement.

The Spanish paper AS described as doomed Enrique’s decision to drop the Italy international goalkeeper Gigi Donnarumma and replace him with Matvey Safonov.

Safonov’s first-half blunder gifted Min-Jae Kim the chance to score Bayern’s goal. AS was also critical of the France international Ousmane Dembélé who was sent off early in the second-half for a second bookable offence. 

“‘Dembélé’s blunders continue to detract more than they add to a Paris Saint-Germain side that is on the ropes in the continent’s top competition,” wrote Andrés Onrubia in the paper.

In Germany, Kicker singled out Safonov as PSG’s weak link.

“Everyone is responsible for things in good times and bad,” Enrique told the French broadcaster Canal+. We mustn’t always go looking for heros and villains.”

The third defeat in five games left PSG 26th in the 36-team table, one place outside the qualifying slots for the two-leg play-offs for the last-16 knockout phase.

Gonçalo Ramos, who made his return off the bench after injury, said the French Ligue 1 champions were still confident of advancing to the next round.

 “We are all disappointed but there’s nothing more we can do,” said the Portugal international who made his return to action on Tuesday night after a three-month injury lay-off.

“We are focused on the next game,” added the 23-year-old. “We can still go to the next round and we are focused on that. We will keep working. It’s not the end of the Champions League for us.”

PSG travel to RB Salzburg on 10 December before hosting Manchester City in January. They finish their group stage campaign in Stuttgart.

Aims

On Wednesday night in the Champions League, Ligue 1′s two other representatives Lille and Monaco take on Bologna and Benfica respectively.

Lille, who have seven points from their four games, play at a side looking for their first win in the tournament. Monaco are aiming to consolidate their position among the top eight automatic qualifiers.

“We obviously want to win and keep our position in the standings,” said Monaco boss Adi Hütter.

“To do that, we’ll have to be strong defensively and good in transition. We’ll have to be brave on the pitch. We have the opportunity to take a very big step towards qualification.”

After Benfica’s visit, Monaco take on English Premier League sides Arsenal and Aston Villa. They finish the group stages against Inter Milan. 

According to reports from the French news agency AFP, Kohler can be prosecuted on suspicion of illegally favouring a company to which he had family ties while working as a senior civil servant between 2009 and 2016.

The case revolves around Kohler’s links to ship-owning firm MSC, an Italian-Swiss company run by cousins of his mother, the Aponte family.

Kohler is suspected of abusing his job with a government agency between 2009 and 2012 in which he managed the French state’s stakes in companies.

The position meant he sat on boards at shipyard STX France (now named Chantiers de l’Atlantique) and the GPMH seaport in Le Havre.

Position

In the following years, prosecutors suspect he weighed in on decisions affecting MSC while working in the finance and economy ministry, including under the then minister Macron.

Kohler’s lawyers say he recused himself from decisions with any bearing on MSC and was open with his superiors about the family connection well beyond his obligations under ethics rules.

They also state that many of the alleged acts took place before 2014 and have passed the statute of limitations.

However, judges agreed with investigating magistrates who say that Kohler may have undertaken positive actions to conceal his ties to MSC more recently.

Bruno Bezard and Jean-Dominique Comolli, both former heads of the APE state investments agency, are accused of helping Kohler with a cover-up.

(With newswires)

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The South West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo) led Namibia to independence from South Africa in 1990 and has been the dominant party since, although it did lose ground at the last elections in 2019.

The incumbent president, 83-year-old Nangolo Mbumba, came to power in February following the death of his predecessor, Hage Geingob at the age of 82.

The Swapo presidential candidate in Wednesday’s elections is Mbumba’s vice president, 72-year-old Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah – known as NNN.

A political veteran with a high chance of becoming the country’s first female president, NNN has been a member of the national assembly since 1990 and a minister since 2000.

Among her promises is the creation of jobs “by attracting investments using economic diplomacy”.

Five candidates

NNN is up against four other cadidates, including former Swapo member Panduleni Itula.

The 67-year-old lawyer and founder of the Independent Patriots for Change party got 29.4 percent of votes in the last elections in 2019, losing to Geingob who won with 56 percent.

The third candidate is McHenry Venaani – leader of Namibia’s largest opposition party in parliament, the Popular Democratic Movement (PDM), which holds 16 out of 96 elected seats.

Venaani came a distant third in the 2019 presidential race with only 5 percent of votes.

Namibian President Hage Geingob dies in a hospital age 82

Also in the running is Bernadus Swartbooi, 47, is the leader of the Landless People’s Movement (LPM), a progressive party advocating for land redistribution and restorative justice.

A former member of Swapo, Swartbooi won 3 percent of votes in the 2019 presidential election.

Finally, there is Job Amupanda, 37, is a former Swapo youth leader who fell out with the party and founded a leftist political movement called Affirmative Repositioning in 2014.

Like the LPM, the party focuses on land reform and redistribution of foreign-owned land.

Changing of the guard?

With results expected as early as Saturday, there are fears the Swapo will face the same fate as other liberation-era parties crushed in elections across the region in recent months.

In the last six months, South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) lost its parliamentary majority, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) was ousted after almost six decades in power, and though the ruling Frelimo won elections in Mozambique, civil society and opposition groups have demonstrated for weeks claiming fraud and demanding change.

How young people in Namibia will vote is a big unknown. Unemployment among 15 to 34 year olds was estimated at 46 percent according to the latest figures from 2018 – almost triple the national average.

“They accuse the government of not providing them meaningful employment opportunities, and the government happens to be Swapo since independence,” said Henning Melber, of the Nordic Africa Institute at the University of Uppsala, Sweden.

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With a population of 2.6 million people, Namibia has one of the world’s lowest population densities at more than three people per square kilometre. 

It is also the second most unequal country on earth after South Africa, according to the World Bank in 2023.

It is the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa and takes its name from the Namib, considered the oldest desert in the world and famed for its giant sand dunes. The desert runs along the 1,500-kilometre Atlantic coastline.

Around two thirds the size of neighbouring South Africa, Namibia is rich in wildlife and game reserves. Tourism accounts for around 7 percent of GDP.

Natural resources

Namibia is the world’s third or fourth biggest natural uranium producer, depending on the year, and supplies the metal to countries producing nuclear power, including France.

Its identified uranium resources are about 5 percent of the world’s known total, according to the World Nuclear Association.

EU to sign hydrogen deal with Namibia to offset reliance on Russian energy

The first commercial uranium mine started up in 1976 and the industry expects to grow as more countries turn to nuclear power for electricity, including China and India.

Namibia is also rich in diamonds, and hopes to exploit its natural gas and recently discovered offshore oil.

(with newswires)

French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal – arrested in Algeria over a week ago – remains uncharged and has not been questioned by a prosecutor, according to his lawyer, François Zimeray.

Sansal was detained on 16 November at Algiers airport while returning from France, with the Algerian government agency APS confirming his arrest but providing no further details.

Zimeray expressed concern about the lack of information surrounding Sansal’s condition and legal situation during an interview on BFMTV. “There has been no court appearance today, and I’ve received contradictory information about the circumstances of his detention,” he said.

France ‘concerned’ over disappearance of writer Boualem Sansal in Algeria

The lawyer also told RTL radio that he had “no precise news” about the state or conditions of detention of the 75-year-old writer, who has been a vocal critic of religious fundamentalism and authoritarianism.

He also emphasised the gravity of the situation, suggesting that the risk of serious penalties – including life imprisonment – looms over Sansal due to his supposed “offences” against Algeria’s national integrity.

His comments to the French media – perceived as aligning with Morocco’s stance on colonial history – may have been the catalyst for his arrest, marking a potential threat to Algerian state interests.

Call for Sansal’s release

This comes as the Académie Française has voiced solidarity with Sansal, urging for his immediate release.

This stance emerged amidst a growing global outcry following an article by thirty literary figures – all recipients of the Académie’s Grand Prix du Roman – who have called for the protection of Sansal and respect for his rights.

In the wake of this, renowned academic Jean-Christophe Rufin proposed an unprecedented emergency vote for Sansal’s induction into the Académie.

“Every member of our Academy is anxious to see this writer from both France and Algeria return swiftly to the life he has led until now,” the Académie stated, echoing sentiments of many who regard Sansal as an important literary and political voice.

Meanwhile, the Académie des Sciences d’Outre-Mer has also called for Sansal’s freedom, with its permanent secretary, Dominique Barjot, expressing deep concern over his arrest.

“We call for his freedom of movement and expression to be restored without delay,” Barjot remarked, highlighting the collective outrage from the academic community.

Algeria’s Tebboune refuses France visit in snub to former colonial ruler

Diplomatic tensions

Zimeray has also emphasised the broader implications of Sansal’s arrest, asserting that it should concern intellectuals worldwide – not just those in France or Algeria.

“This isn’t merely a Franco-Algerian issue; it pertains to the very principles of freedom of expression and human rights,” he stated, advocating for a defence team in Algeria that could effectively represent Sansal within local legal structures.

The incident comes at a time of heightened diplomatic tensions between France and Algeria, worsened by France’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan concerning the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

In view of the friction within Franco-Algerian relations, Sansal’s arrest is seen as a further complication in an already strained environment.

On Monday the International Organization for Migration described the exodus as the worst wave of displacement in two years, with a total of 40,965 people in Port-au-Prince on the move between November 11 and 20 – some for the second or third time.

According to Gregoire Goodstein, the IOM chief in Haiti: “The scale of this displacement is unprecedented since we began responding to the humanitarian crisis in 2022”.

For the past two weeks, several neighbourhoods of Port-au-Prince and the surrounding area have been the sites of violent clashes involving “Viv Ansanm” or “Living Together” – an alliance of gangs formed in February aimed at overthrowing then-Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who resigned in April.

In total, over 700,000 people have been displaced in Haiti.

“This crisis is not just a humanitarian challenge. It is a test of our collective responsibility,” Goodstein added.

Gang warfare

Haiti has suffered from political instability for decades, with the latest security crisis linked to the presence of armed gangs that are accused of widespread murder, kidnapping and sexual violence.

The United Nations says gangs control around 80 percent of Port-au-Prince, and regularly attack civilians despite the deployment earlier this year of a multinational security mission led by Kenya.

In its new report, Human Rights Watch said attacks on civilians have risen in the past year, including an expanded use of “horrific sexual abuse”. 

The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) has also warned that children now make up almost half of gang membership.

‘Dark times’

The reports come as a member of Haiti’s transitional presidential council has publicly criticised remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron, who was caught on camera calling the Caribbean country’s leaders “total morons”.

The council’s former president, Edgard Leblanc Fils, said in a statement late Sunday that Macron had insulted an entire nation “living through dark times”.

Macron was filmed making the remarks on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Brazil earlier this month as he criticised the council’s decision to abruptly oust Prime Minister Garry Conille after only six months.

“They’re total morons,” Macron had said, referring to the council. “They never should have dismissed him”.

After dismissing Conille, the council appointed Alix Didier Fils-Aimé as the new prime minister.

A history of violence: Haiti’s revolution, collapse and descent into anarchy

In his statement, Leblanc said “[Macron] did not hesitate to interfere in a matter that essentially concerns the Haitian authorities by declaring that he supported Prime Minister Conille, that the latter was great”.

Macron’s remarks prompted Haiti’s Foreign Ministry to summon France’s ambassador to Haiti late last week, calling the president’s comments “unfriendly and inappropriate”.

Leblanc seized the opportunity to criticise how France, a former colonial power, had forced Haiti to pay the equivalent of billions of dollars to secure its independence.

“Haiti’s independence, acquired at the cost of blood, should not be subject to any compensation,” Leblanc said. “This ransom must be returned. It will be returned sooner or later”.

Fils-Aimé has promised to restore stability to the country, aiming to hold national elections for the first time since 2016.

(with newswires)

Wikie and Keijo are the last two orcas, living in captivity at Marineland in Antibes in the south of France.

On Monday, the Minister of Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier-Runacher said she was against the proposal to send the pair to Japan.

“There are parks which today are able to accommodate orcas”, like “in Spain”, but “in Japan, there are no such extensive regulations on animal welfare,” she told TF1 broadcaster.

Located on the Côte d’Azur, Marineland has until 1 December 2026 to part with its two orcas, since a law prohibited their detention in 2021.

Wikie and her son Keijo, were both born in captivity in this park, the first in 2001 and the second in 2013.

Marineland made a request last week to transfer the pair to the Kobe park, in western Japan.

According to the managers of the site, “the park carried out several research projects to comply with the law (…) and it appeared that Kobe, which complies with the standards in force, was the best option”.

Health assessment

However, animal rights groups like One Voice suggested a transfer to a sanctuary in Nova Scotia (eastern Canada), where the enclosures were bigger than in Kobe.

Marineland said that the solution was “not possible”.

The minister also indicated on Monday that she was opposed to this option, suggesting that other parks respect “European regulations” such as that of Tenerife in the Spanish archipelago of the Canaries.

France approves tough new laws targeting animal cruelty, banning wild animal entertainments

One Voice had requested a court order to suspend the transfer while an assessment of the health of the whales is underway. 

President of the association Muriel Arnal told French news agency AFP that she had written to the Ministry of Ecological Transition to remind it that “the state of health of the orcas does not, in our opinion, allow for their transport”.

Marineland appealed the original court order, and the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal is due to render its decision on 5 December.

Last March, two of the four orcas at Marineland died, one from septicemia and the other after ingestion of a foreign object.

Standoff with Japan

Arnal told France Televisions last month that she sees a link between the fate of the orcas and that of fellow activist and whale protector Paul Watson: a standoff with Japan.

Watson, is being held in a Greenland jail on a 2012 Japanese arrest warrant that accuses him of causing damage to a whaling ship in the Antarctic in 2010 and injuring a whaler.

Fifth Greenland hearing for anti-whaling activist Watson

Greenland extended the detention last month, prompting Watson’s legal team to file a request for French nationality so that he can avoid extradition to Japan. 

“There is a kind of tragic resonance. Paul. Orcas. It would be a tragedy if the orcas went to Japan which kills whales without a care,” Arnal said.

“We hope that the President of the Republic will grant political asylum to Paul and that the Ministry of Ecology will not let Marineland send the orcas to Japan. It’s all a question of diplomatic negotiations,” Arnal said.

(with AFP)

Carlos Favaro told the GloboNews broadcaster he was “happy with the attitude of our suppliers,” which since last week have been snubbing retailers in Brazil operated by the French supermarket group.

The supply disruption was triggered after Carrefour’s CEO Alexandre Bompard last week told French unions his supermarket chain would “not sell any meat coming from Mercosur” in its French outlets.

The row is linked to France’s opposition to finalising a European Union trade deal with Mercosur amid protests from French farmers who fear the pact could open the door to unfair competition.

The Mercosur bloc includes Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

Favaro said: “If for the French, Carrefour doesn’t want to buy Brazilian meat, then Carrefour won’t be buying Brazilian meat to put on its shelves here in Brazil either.”

Macron seeks to stall Mercosur deal on visit to South America

Carrefour Brazil confirmed in a statement it was being affected by the suppliers’ decision.

A source at major meat supplier JBS told French news agency AFP on condition of anonymity that, since last Friday, “the company took the decision to suspend beef supplies” to Carrefour-run outlets in Brazil.

Supplies “are completely suspended and will continue to be suspended” until the French boss of Carrefour goes back on his position, the source said.

The Carrefour CEO‘s announcement sparked indignation in Brazil, with the government and the powerful meat industry accusing France of trade “protectionism” and smearing the quality of the country’s meat exports.

Brazilian media are calling the disrupted meat deliveries to Carrefour supermarkets a “boycott” and many Brazilians online have applauded it.

Tense negotiations continue

Carrefour Brazil said in a statement on Monday: “Unfortunately, the decision to suspend the supply of meat impacts our customers.”

While a spokesman for the company stressed that “there is no lack of meat in the shops,” the latest Carrefour statement said it was seeking “solutions that will enable us to resume the supply of meat to our stores.”

Carrefour Brazil noted that it served “millions of customers” in the country, and had a workforce of more than 130,000 employees.

Is France misguided to keep rejecting the EU-Mercosur trade deal?

Next week, the Mercosur countries are to hold a summit in Uruguay, with discussions to include progress on the trade accord with the European Union, which has been negotiated since 1999.

The developments in Brazil come as French MPs are set to hold a parliamentary debate over the deal on Wednesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron already reiterated his strong opposition to the deal when he attended a G20 summit in Brazil last week. Just before that he made a trip to Argentina, whose President Javier Milei, he said, was “not satisfied” with the pact.

The European Commission, however, is intent on swiftly concluding the accord, whose contours were agreed in 2019. Germany and Spain, too, have expressed impatience to see the deal done.

(with AFP)

Three childhood friends and Paul Pogba’s own brother, Mathias, are at the center of a high-stakes extortion plot that has left the French football world stunned.

The scandal first made headlines in August 2022, when Mathias Pogba took to social media with a video in French, Italian, English, and Spanish.

In this post, he promised revelations about his younger brother that were “likely to be explosive” while remaining vague about the details. He later accused Paul of casting an “evil spell” on France teammate Kylian Mbappé.

In response, Paul Pogba’s legal team and agent, Rafaela Pimenta, issued a statement that the videos “came on top of threats and attempts at extortion as part of a criminal gang” against their client.

Pogba had already filed criminal complaints in both Italy and France by July 2022.

Police investigate extortion claims by French football star Paul Pogba

Tricked by friends

In interviews with French investigators, Pogba described how, in March 2022, he was “tricked by childhood friends” from his hometown of Roissy-en-Brie, near Paris where he and Mathias grew up.

He accused them of snatching him before he was held at gunpoint by two hooded men with assault rifles, demanding €13 million for “services rendered” – blaming the footballer for failing to help them financially since his professional success.

Pogba said at the time that he had paid them “only” €100,000.

The footballer said he had also been pressured at the France national team’s training centre in Clairefontaine, at one of his homes in Manchester, and at Juventus’ training ground.

Pogba added that he had also paid a bill of more than €57,000 that the same friends had racked up at the Adidas store on Paris Champs-Elysees avenue.

Criminal gang

The accused deny the allegations, instead claiming to be victims of the same hooded men who allegedly held Pogba at gunpoint, though the identities of these individuals remain unknown.

All five suspects face charges of extortion, kidnapping, and forming a criminal gang.

Mathias, who was not present during the abduction, is accused of pressuring Paul and his family to ensure the 13-million-euro payment. He faces charges of attempted extortion and criminal gang formation.

He claimed months ago that he was only a “puppet” in the extorsion affair, making an emotional appeal to see his brother again.

“Despite everything that’s happened, they’ll always have a place in my heart… they were like my family,” Paul Pogba said in September 2023 after he and the defendants were jointly questioned by investigators.

The trial comes as 2018 World Champion Pogba battles professional woes, as Juventus this month cancelled his contract following his suspension until March 2025 for doping.

(with newswires)

The world-renowned Notre-Dame cathedral, which was severely damaged by a devastating fire on 15 April, 2019, will reopen to the public on 8 December after five years of restoration work. 

The anticipation surrounding the reopening is high, with half of the 1,000 people surveyed planning to visit it after its reopening, according to a recent online survey led by polling organisation Verian for La Croix daily newspaper and in partnership with franceinfo. 

Also six percent stated that they plan to visit it “very quickly” after the doors swing open.

Indifferent to the restoration?

According to the study, 43 percent of respondents feel a sense of pride about the reopening, with this sentiment even stronger among practicing Catholics. 

But nearly a third of the French population remains indifferent to the extensive restoration project.

The study also reveals that half of French people expect the historical integrity of the cathedral to be meticulously preserved during its reopening. 

Bells of Notre-Dame cathedral ring out for first time since 2019 fire

In addition, 42 percent of practicing Catholics hope to see the cathedral restored to an even more beautiful state. The general public are more focused on improved accessibility for visitors.

For 65 percent the project reveals the French craftmanship expertise, while 52 percent regard it as an architectural feat. 

For practicing Catholics, the restoration symbolizes France’s ability to unite in the face of adversity. They believe the project is a successful example of cooperation between the Church and the State.

French heritage

The study underscores the deep emotional attachment the French people have to Notre-Dame, with 53 percent of respondents – rising to 81 percent among practicing Catholics. 

For half of the French population, Notre-Dame remains a symbol of French heritage, a piece of history and a universal cultural treasure.

Spiritual reflection

While the cathedral’s religious significance is acknowledged, it is less prominently mentioned by the general public. 

Only 29 percent of French people, and 53 percent of practicing Catholics, primarily view Notre-Dame as a Catholic place of worship. 

Meanwhile, 16 percent of all French people and 33 percent of Catholics see the cathedral as a space for spiritual reflection open to all, regardless of faith.

(With newswires)

Foreign ministers from the DRC and Rwanda approved a concept of operations – a strategy under which Rwandan troops will disengage from Congolese territory, Angola’s foreign ministry said.

A previous draft of the plan in August set out the dismantling of a militia created by former ethnic Hutu leaders involved in the Rwandan genocide in 1994 as a precondition for Rwanda withdrawing its troops.

Often portrayed by Rwanda as a threat to its security, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda is one of several militias fighting alongside the Congolese armed forces against forces from the M23 group which is alleged to have backing from Rwanda.

UN welcomes DRC and Rwanda ceasefire, hopes for de-escalation of troops

Moves

Since 2021, the M23 has seized swathes of the eastern DRC, displacing thousands and creating a humanitarian crisis.

In August, Angola mediated a truce that stabilised the situation at the front line. But since the end of October, reports have emerged of ceasefire violations.

Earlier this month, officials from the DRC and Rwanda started a committee – chaired by Angolan diplomats – to monitor the skirmishes.

The violence in North Kivu is driven by complex rivalries along ethnic, religious and political lines – with Rwanda and Uganda accused of backing rebel groups to expand their influence and gain access to valuable resources in eastern DRC.

About six million people have been killed by fighting in the region since 1996, making it one of the deadliest conflicts in global history. 

A report commissioned by the UN Security Council found that between 3,000 to 4,000 Rwandan soldiers were fighting alongside the M23 rebels in North Kivu, with Kigali exercising “de facto” control over the group’s operations.

Slim prospects for peace as DRC-Rwanda ceasefire comes into effect

Analysts warn that failure to adequately address the conflict may cause massive instability in central and East Africa that could pave the way for Chinese or Russian involvement and further expansion of Islamist terrorists. 

The UN has also highlighted alarming levels of violence against civilians, and particularly against women and girls. 

“We are witnessing in the DRC one of the most severe, complex and neglected humanitarian crises of our times,” Bintou Keita, head of the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC (Monusco), told the Security Council in July. 

(AFP)

Despite making combatting violence against women a national cause, sexual violence appears to be on the increase in France.

In the latest VRS survey, published in November, 484,000 women said they had been victims of violence by a partner or former partner in 2023.

Some 123,000 reported sexual violence (rape, attempted rape and sexual assault), 109,000 physical violence, and 339,000 non-physical violence (sexual harassment and indecent exposure).

Official figures show 93 women were killed at the hands of their partner or former partner in 2023, while feminist collective #Noustoutes (All of us Women) has reported 122 such femicides since the beginning of the year.  

Mass rape trial sparks demonstrations across France

On Saturday thousands of women in France took to the streets to denounce the government’s insufficient action.

Speaking on Franceinfo public radio on Monday, Equality Minister Salima Saa said the government was “fully mobilised” on the issue.

She announced the expansion of a system allowing victims of sexual violence to file complaints in hospitals, not just police stations.

The system, currently in operation in 236 hospitals, will be extended to 377 structures by the end of 2025, Saa said.

The government is hoping it will encourage more victims to press charges.

While the MeToo movement has made it easier for victims of violence to come forward and the police have registered double the number of victims since 2016, only 14 percent of victims pressed charges in 2022, the VRS survey found.

‘Before and after’ Mazan

The government also recently announced an information campaign to help potential victims of chemical submission, which Saa described as “a new scourge”.

The issue has been brought into focus since the mass rape trial in which Frenchman Dominique Pélicot drugged his wife Gisèle before inciting dozens of men to rape her at the couple’s family home in Mazan.

Mass rape trial sparks demonstrations across France

The campaign, backed by the M’endors pas association co-founded by Gisèle Pélicot’s daughter, includes a helpline offering advice on where you can go for tests on hair, blood, urine, Saa explained.

Prime Minister Michel Barnier has announced the trial-run of reimbursing self-detection kits for people who believe they may have been victims of chemical submission.

There would be “a before and after Mazan”, Barnier said on a visit to a women’s shelter on Monday. 

Increased budget

The government promised to boost emergency aid to support victims of domestic abuse once they leave home.

Saa said 33,000 people had benefited from the fund since it was launched at the end of 2023.

Beneficiaries receive between €240 to €1,130; the average sum is €800.

Next year, the allocated budget would increase from €13 million to €20 million.

Victims of domestic abuse in France to receive emergency aid

At a time when the government is seeking to save €60 billion to mop up France’s growing debt burden, Saa said they had “succeeded” in obtaining a 10 percent increase in the budget for gender equality – up to 85.1 million euros.

However, women’s rights groups are calling for a total budget of €2.6 billion a year and an “integral framework law” to replace current legislation they deem “fragmented and incomplete”.

The final round of negotiations by the UN committee aimed at addressing plastic pollution got underway this Monday in the South Korean city of Busan, with representatives from 175 countries.

Their talks over the next week will focus on the urgent need to combat the escalating dangers posed by plastic production.

The meeting opened not long after a chaotic end to the Cop29 climate talks in Baku, which agreed to a boost in climate funding that developing countries slammed as insufficient.

Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that it has even been found in clouds, the deepest ocean trenches and even human breastmilk.

And while almost everyone agrees it is a problem, there is less consensus on how to solve it.

Threshold surpassed

Among the most contentious issues are whether the treaty should cap plastic production, a possible ban on chemicals feared toxic to human health, and how to pay for implementation.

Researchers have warned that the global threshold for plastic and chemical pollution was surpassed in 2022, already highlighting the urgency of the situation.

In Busan, delegates face the challenge of bridging two diverging viewpoints: on one side are nations advocating for strict measures to reduce plastic production, while the opposing faction – primarily composed of oil-producing countries – favours less stringent guidelines that allow for continued production growth.

High ambitions

The “high ambition coalition” – spearheaded by France, Norway, and Rwanda – is a collective of around 75 countries united in their goal to end plastic pollution by 2040.

The scope of the coalition has broadened over time and includes nations like Germany, Senegal, and Peru, with their agenda focusing on reducing problematic chemicals, promoting responsible plastic usage, and upholding the principle that polluters should bear the costs of their actions.

Conversely, oil-exporting countries view plastics as a promising investment avenue, particularly as the shift from fossil fuels to greener energy sources intensifies.

Global plastic production has surged to approximately 460 million tonnes – double the amount produced two decades ago – and is projected to triple by 2060 according to OECD forecasts.

Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, India, Iran, and Brazil heavily support the continued production of plastics, pitching their arguments around enhanced recycling and improving waste management instead of reducing manufacturing.

While countries advocating for reduced plastic production are facing significant lobbying efforts from oil-rich nations and petro-chemical industries.

They argue that efforts should centre on the entire lifecycle of plastics, including collection and recycling, rather than strictly on production limits.

How French laws on plastic packaging are changing an industry

The ‘3Rs’

However, according to Sylvie Lemmet, France’s Ambassador for the Environment, the coalition is also focusing on the ‘3Rs’ – reduce, reuse, recycle – as essential steps in addressing the global plastic crisis.

Currently, a mere 9 percent of the plastics circulated globally are recycled, emphasising the need for systemic change in plastic waste management.

Philippe Bolo, a member of the French Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices, maintains that improving recycling technologies is insufficient without concurrently diminishing plastic output, saying: “Even in a country like France, where waste management is well established, we still come across issues of plastic-related pollution. So for countries that don’t have the infrastructure we do, it’s even more of a problem”.

France, is especially lagging behind in the treatment of its plastic waste, having paid €1.5 billion in fines to the European Union in 2023 alone.

A key aim for France and its allies at the negotiations is to ensure any negotiated text explicitly calls for a reduction in plastic production.

Scientists in the French delegation are set to highlight that failing to address rising production levels jeopardises the planet’s ecosystems and human health.

How big industry ‘diluted’ the EU’s triumphant deal on packaging waste

An end to ‘virgin plastic’ ?

At the recent Cop16 biodiversity conference in Colombia, French Minister for Ecological Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, underlined the gravity of the situation.

“If we do nothing, the use of plastic will triple by 2060,” she said. “You don’t need to have done a lot of scientific studies to understand that, even if we become champions of recycling and waste collection, we won’t crack the plastic pollution problem if we don’t reduce the use and production of virgin plastic”.

As an agreement on plastic production enters its final round of negotiations in Busan, uncertainty looms.

A draft document circulated prior to this latest session disappointed the French delegation for its vague references to “sustainable production” instead of clear reduction targets.

France will be actively pushing for explicit language on production cuts, but the possibility of failing to reach an agreement remains if those “high ambition” commitments are not made.

“The maximum sentence is 20 years, which is a lot… but at the same time … too little in view of the seriousness of the acts that were committed and repeated”, Laure Chabaud, one of the two public prosecutors, told the court in the southern city of Avignon on Monday.

Dominique Pelicot has admitted to drugging his wife and recruting dozens of men online over a decade to rape her while she lay unconscious in their home in Mazan, Provence.

Despite video evidence against the other 50 men on trial, only 14 of them have admitted rape.

The others have said they did not realise they were raping her, did not intend to rape her or put all the blame on her husband, whom they said had manipulated them.

In her closing statements, 72-year-old Gisèle Pelicot said the case has laid bare a “macho society” in which rape is “trivialised”.

France’s Gisele Pelicot says ‘macho’ society must change attitude on rape

The 11-week trial, which has prompted demonstrations in France and attracted worldwide attention, has turned into an examination of the pervasiveness of sexual violence.

Public prosecutor Jean-François Mayet told the court on Monday that what’s at stake in the Mazan trial is to “fundamentally change the relationship between men and women…not a conviction or an acquittal”.

Mayet praised the “courage” and “dignity” of Gisèle Pelicot and thanked her for allowing hearings to be held in public and allowing some of the approximately 20,000 photos and videos taken without her knowledge by Dominique Pelicot to be shown.

 “You were right, madam: the past few weeks have shown the importance of showing this, so that shame changes sides,” he added.

The court is expected to deliver its verdicts before 20 December. 

(with newswires)

Globally, an intimate partner or family member was responsible for the deaths of more than 51,000 women and girls in 2023 – an increase from an estimated 48,800 victims in 2022 – UN Women and the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said.

The report released on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women found the increase was largely the result of more data being available from countries and not more killings.

However the agencies stressed that “women and girls everywhere continue to be affected by this extreme form of gender-based violence and no region is excluded”.

“The home is the most dangerous place for women and girls,” it added.

Africa sees highest toll

The highest number of intimate partner and family killings was in Africa – with an estimated 21,700 victims in 2023, the report said.

There were also high rates last year in the Americas with 1.6 female victims per 100,000 and in Oceania with 1.5 per 100,000, it said. Rates were significantly lower in Asia at 0.8 victims per 100,000 and Europe at 0.6 per 100,000.

Paris to honour murdered Ugandan Olympian Rebecca Cheptegei

Based on data from 107 countries, UNOCD found that the majority of femicides in Europe and the Americas were perpetrated by partners, while in the rest of the world it was more likely to be family members.

In contrast, the vast majority of male homicides take place outside homes and families, it said.

France sees surge in domestic violence as cases double since 2016

Despite efforts made in several countries to prevent the killing of women and girls, feminicide “remains at an alamingly high level”.

“They are often the culmination of repeated episodes of gender-based violence, which means they are preventable through timely and effective interventions,” the two agencies said.

The head of UN Women, Sima Bahous, has called on countries to strengthen their legislation and improve data collection. 

25 years on

Activists have observed 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women since 1981.

This date was selected to honour the Mirabal sisters, three political activists from the Dominican Republic who were brutally murdered in 1960 by order of the country’s ruler, Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961).

The UN is launching a special series of events for awareness: UNiTE campaign, held between 25 November and 10 December. The initiative of 16 days of activism will conclude on the day that commemorates the International Human Rights Day, on 10 December.

The 2024 campaign aims to draw attention to the alarming escalation of violence against women to revitalise commitments, call for accountability and action from decision-makers.

(with newswires)

Grapes have been grown for centuries in Manisa, western Turkey. It is here that Fulya Akinci and her Spanish husband, Jose Hernandez Gonzalez, decided they wanted to be a part of the transformation of the country’s wine industry.

“In 2005, in 2006, maybe when you went to a restaurant, you would order red wine or white wine, that was it,” explains Akinci. “In the last 15 years, there has been a real boom. We have so many, we say, boutique wineries. Now, with these small wineries, the quality has changed a lot.”

With their wine label Heraki, Akinci and Hernandez Gonzalez are part of this surge of new, small producers – a group which has grown to number around 200, from only a handful a decade ago. The couple trained at a wine school in Bordeaux and have worked in vineyards around the world. Hernandez Gonzalez explained that it was Turkey’s untapped potential that persuaded him and Akinci to produce their own wine there.

“As a foreigner, when I came to Turkey I was really surprised about the biodiversity of different grape varieties,” he said. “This is a country with many different grape varieties. Also, [there was] the potential of the soils and the climate. We have mountains, we have the coasts – many different climates to make grapes. And the potential of those grapes to make wine is huge.”

France asks for EU help to destroy ‘unprofitable’ Bordeaux vines

Government restrictions

Hernandez Gonzales explained that rather than making wine from vines used worldwide, they decided to use indigenous grapes. “One of our main ideas here at Heraki was to make wines from those local grapes.”

In five years, their production has increased from a couple of thousand to 20,000 bottles. But the couple says this has been an uphill struggle. “We have some difficulties because of the bureaucracy – so much paperwork – and some pressures over tax… so huge pressures on us. It’s not easy at all,” explained Akinci.

Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AK), which enjoys large support among Muslims, has, since coming to power in 2002, hiked alcohol taxes to 65 percent, among the highest in the world. There are also growing restrictions on wine production, sales and advertising. “We love making wine, but it’s not easy at all. It’s hard, and every day is getting worse and worse,” said Akinci.

Turkey’s broadcasting authorities banned images of alcohol on television back in 2013, and in much of the country securing alcohol licences is difficult.

Turkish radio ban is latest attack on press freedom, warn activists

But meanwhile, government adverts promoting Turkey as a tourist destination abroad often highlight the country’s wines as an attraction. With much of the wine industry based in tourism centres, experts say tourists are helping to drive demand and grow the reputation of Turkish wines.

International interest

“Wine producers have started to get better prices for their wines. They can now make money, against all the odds. There is international interest,” said wine consultant Sabiha Apaydın Gonenli. Through her Kok Koken Toprak Conference (Root Soil Wine Conference) international symposiums, she promotes Turkey’s wine industry internationally.

However, she warns the industry still has a long way to go. “It’s not that economically viable at the moment because it is very small. In order to market this, you need support. You can’t do this alone, wine producers need to come together.”

Police break up French-Italian wine fraud ring

As for Heraki wines, they are now being stocked at a top European restaurant and have secured a German distributor. But despite such successes, Akinci says wine-making in Turkey remains a bittersweet experience.

“One day, we are so happy to make wine here, and we are thinking about increasing the volume and making other things. Then another day, we’re thinking about closing up and going to Spain.”

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.

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, 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! 

It’s time for you to start thinking about your New Year’s resolutions – or wishes – for our annual New Year’s Day show. If you’ve already made up your mind about what you’ll aim for in 2025, or what you hope to see happen in 2025, go ahead and send it to us. We’ll need your resolutions and/or wishes by 15 December.

Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your music requests, so get them in! Send your music requests to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr  Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all!

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

More tech news: Did you know we have a YouTube channel? Just go to YouTube and write “RFI English” in the search bar, and there we are! Be sure to subscribe to see all our videos.

Would you like to learn French? RFI is here to help you!

Our website “Le Français facile avec RFI” has news broadcasts in slow, simple French, as well as bilingual radio dramas (with real actors!) and exercises to practice what you have heard.

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

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

Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!

In addition to the 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!

We have a new RFI Listeners Club member to welcome: Jahangir Alam from Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Jahangir is also the president of the World DX International Radio Fan Club in his fair city. Welcome, Jahangir!

This week’s quiz: On 26 October, I asked you a question about The COP16 Biodiversity Summit, which opened on  21 October and ran through the first of this month, November. Held in Cali, Columbia, it was attended by leaders and delegates from over 200 countries.

RFI English journalist Amanda Morrow wrote about what was at stake at this COP, in her article “Ecosystems hang in the balance as Colombia hosts crucial biodiversity talks”.

Not much has happened since COP15 – as Amanda noted, as of this date, only 17 percent of land and about 8 percent of oceans are protected – a far cry from the 30 percent committed to at COP15.

Money pledged is also far behind schedule: and that was your question. You were to re-read Amanda’s article and send in the answer to this question: How much money was promised by wealthy nations to support biodiversity protection in developing countries, and how much has actually been secured?   

The answer is, to quote Amanda: “Talks at Cop16 will focus on pressuring wealthy nations to deliver the promised US 30 billion annually to support biodiversity protection in developing countries. So far, pledges to a new biodiversity fund have fallen far short, with only about 400 million secured – and even less disbursed. Countries like China may also be called on to play a larger financial role.”  

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “Imagine that France’s president Emmanuel Macron came to visit your city. Which three places would you take him?”

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

The winners are: RFI English listener Malik Shoaib Ahmad Khokhar from Muzaffargarh, Pakistan. Malik is also this week’s bonus question winner. Congratulations, Malik!

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are our brand-new RFI Listeners Club member Jahangir Alam from Rajshahi, Bangladesh, as well as RFI English listeners Kripa Ram Kaga from Sirajganj, Bangladesh; Bari from the Friends Radio Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh, and last but assuredly not least, our brother journalist Suresh Agrawal, from Odisha, India.

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Les Pommes de Grand-Mère” from Le Grand Cahier by Alexander Litvinovsky, performed by the Metamorphose String Orchestra conducted by Pavel Lyubomudrov; “Zingaro” by Rene Aubrey; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and  “Intro” by Alan Braxe and Fred Falke.

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 “Senegal’s ruling Pastef party on track to get large majority in elections”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 6 January to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 11 January 2025 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.   

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.

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.