“People were frothing from their mouths, the 81-year-old recalls. “Some had defecated, some were choking in their own vomit.”

His response to the deadly fumes was as brave as it was foolhardy. He tied a handkerchief over his nose and used a pushcart to ferry his neighbours to hospital. 

Gas Devi was born as the poisonous plumes of smoke seeped into the city of two million souls on 2 December 1984.

Four decades on, the daily wage labourer says she has constant pain in her chest, the result of a lung that has not fully developed. She complains that she keeps falling sick.

“My life is a living hell,” Devi told the French news agency AFP.  “My parents named me Gas.” Eyes welling up, she adds: “I believe this name is a curse. I wish I had died that night.”

Twenty-seven tonnes of methyl isocyanate (MIC), used in the production of pesticides, escaped into the cold night air after one of the tanks storing the chemical burst.

As well as those who perished in the immediate aftermath, up to 25,000 people are estimated to have since died in what remains the world’s deadliest industrial disaster.

“We don’t know when the horror will end,” Rachna Dhingra, an activist who heads the Bhopal Group for Information and Action, told RFI.

“Children in utero at the time of the disaster were born sick. The new generations have an alarming rate of cancer.

“Bhopal didn’t happen 40 years ago. Bhopal has been going on for 40 years.”

India’s Supreme Court refuses Bhopal case reopening

Payment

Union Carbide’s negligence was quickly established. In 1989, in a partial out-of-court settlement with the Indian government, Union Carbide agreed to pay 450 million euros in compensation to the victims.

But the victims themselves were not consulted in the negotiations, and received just 300 euros each.

Dow Chemical, the current owners, have refused to pay further compensation for the catastrophe.

In 1991, Warren Anderson, Union Carbide chairman and chief executive at the time of the disaster, was charged in India with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. But he never stood trial and died aged 92 in Florida in 2014.

A plea seeking compensation of 500,000 rupees (6,000 euros) from the Indian government for each victim diagnosed with cancer or kidney ailments is languishing in courts.

 “Not a single individual has gone to jail – even for a day – for killing more than 25,000 people and injuring half a million people, and contaminating the soil and groundwater,” said Dhingra.

Fight

“People in the city are continuing to fight because there is no legal mechanism to hold these corporations accountable worldwide.”

A report in the medical journal The Lancet published on 1 December to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the tragedy, highlighted the gruesome legacy in the capital of Madhya Pradesh state.

“It is estimated that more than 150,000 people exposed to methyl isocyanate are still battling respiratory, gastrointestinal, neurological, ophthalmological or psychiatric illnesses,” the report reads.

Tasleem Bano, 48, is convinced of a link between the plant and congenital illnesses.

Her son, Mohammed Salman, was born with splayed limbs. “His twin brother died in the womb. Mohammed survived but he could not speak a word till he was six-years-old,” she said as she showed the braces that help her son to stand.

“Doctors say he is like this because of the gas,” said Bano, who was living near the plant in December 1984.

Her 12-year-old son could only respond with a toothy grin when asked his name.

Like him, hundreds of children seeking medical help at the Chingari Trust struggle to speak, walk or eat their meals.

Rashida Bee, co-founder of the charity organisation, believes those who died were fortunate.

“At least their misery ended,” she said. “The unfortunate are those who survived.”

Medical aid

She says her trust has admitted more than 150 children this year alone with cerebral palsy, hearing and speech impairments.

She blames the disorders on the accident and the contamination of the groundwater.

Tests of groundwater near the site has revealed cancer and birth defect-causing chemicals 50 times higher than what is accepted as safe by the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States.

“This tragedy is showing no signs of relenting,” said Bee, 68, who has lost several members of her family to cancer since the accident.

“The soil and water here are contaminated and that is why kids are still being born with deformities.”

Activists say that Union Carbide and Dow Chemical have been evading responsibility since December 1984.

“They are using techniques known to multinationals: delaying deadlines, not going to court, refusing to recognise Indian justice as competent,” rights campaigner Satinath Sarangi told RFI.

“Data very clearly shows that mortality in the exposed population compared to a matched controlled population is much higher,” said Sarangi, founder of Sambhavna Trust clinic.

 “In 2011, we’d taken stock through our registered cohorts and we found there was 28 percent more mortality among the gas-exposed.”

Illness

Sarangi, 70, said the MIC fumes damaged the immune system of affected populations and caused chromosomal aberrations, something corroborated by medical research.

 “Children of gas-exposed parents have much higher prevalence of congenital malformations,” he said.

“Bhopal has taught corporations how to get away with murder. None of those responsible have been convicted, and the US government has always opposed their extradition. This is the biggest industrial crime in history, and it goes unpunished.”

In 2021, sociologist Nikhil Deb wrote a research paper for Oxford University Press’s academic research platform, analysing how Bhopal’s victims became marginalised.

“The Bhopal disaster could have been avoided, and it could also have enabled the players involved to rectify their mistakes,” said Deb, a professor at California Polytechnic State University.

“Instead, India’s state and private actors who are driven by increasing privatisation and a desire to have more foreign investment have exacerbated people’s suffering.”

On Monday, campaigners organised the mass posting of thousands of victims’ letters to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling for him to take action over their claims for compensation.

“The sad reality is that in India you get all the permits and escape all the controls by paying the right person,” said Sarangi.

“Today, the country is dotted with mini Bhopals, industrial zones that contaminate the local population, often from the lower castes.

 “But we will keep fighting because Bhopal is the biggest industrial crime in history and concerns the whole world.”

This story has been adapted with news wires from the  original French version by Côme Bastin

In a post on his Truth Social network, Donald Trump announced: “It is an honor to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the Magnificent and Historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago”.

The 850-year-old edifice which was ravaged by a fire in 2019 will welcome visitors and worshippers again this Saturday and Sunday, with dozens of world leaders expected among the guests.

French President Emmanuel Macron – who set the ambitious goal of rebuilding Notre-Dame within five years – conducted an inspection of the restoration on Friday, saying workers had done the “impossible” by healing a “national wound”

Macron – Trump relations

Trump also posted on Truth Social that Macron had “done a wonderful job ensuring that Notre-Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so. It will be a very special day for all!”

After Trump first took office in 2017, his relations with Macron – then a fresh new face on the world stage, boosted by a resounding election win of his own – had the initial makings of a “bromance”.

Ties later cooled, as the US leader pressed on with a steady retreat from multilateralism that at times ran counter to Macron’s position.

As the fire ravaged the fragile cathedral in 2019, Trump urged the use of water bombers to put out the blaze, earning the ridicule of the French fire services.

• Notre-Dame reopening backed by $62m from American donors

Some 250 companies and hundreds of experts were ultimately brought in for restoration work costing a total of nearly €700 million.

It was financed from the €846 million in donations that poured in from 150 countries in a surge of solidarity, of which the United States was the highest donor.

In December 2023, Macron said in he had invited Pope Francis to the reopening of the cathedral but the head of the Catholic church announced in September, to the surprise of some observers, that he would not be coming.

Instead, the pontiff is making a landmark visit the following weekend to the French island of Corsica.

Multi-day celebration

The reopening of Notre-Dame will be an elaborate, multi-day celebration, beginning on Saturday.

Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich will preside at a reopening service that afternoon, banging on Notre-Dame’s shuttered doors with his staff to reopen them, according to the cathedral’s website.

The archbishop will also symbolically reawaken Notre-Dame’s thunderous grand organ.

The fire that melted the cathedral’s lead roofing coated the huge instrument in toxic dust. Its 8,000 pipes have been painstakingly disassembled, cleaned and retuned.

Macron will attend and address the VIP guests.

After the service, a concert will be held featuring opera singers Pretty Yende and Julie Fuchs, pianist Lang Lang, cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Benin’s Angelique Kidjo and Lebanese singer Hiba Tawaji, according to France Télévisions.

• With Notre-Dame set to reopen nearly half of France plans to make a pilgrimage

On Sunday morning, the Paris archbishop will lead an inaugural Mass and consecration of the new altar.

Nearly 170 bishops from France and other countries will join the celebration, along with priests from all 106 parishes in the Paris diocese.

The Mass will be followed by a “fraternal buffet” for the needy.

Ile de la Cité, where the cathedral sits in the middle of the River Seine, will be blocked off to tourists for the events.

A public viewing area acccomodating some 40,000 spectators will be set up along the Seine’s southern bank.

(With newswires)

The French leader arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday for a three-day state visit just as a political crisis threatens to topple the French government.

After a meeting with Prince Mohammed – the de facto ruler of the oil-rich Gulf kingdom – Macron’s office announced the signing of a new partnership aimed at improving cooperation in “defence, energy transition, culture, mobility between the two countries”. 

The two leaders also “agreed to make every effort to contribute to de-escalation in the region“, including helping to consolidate the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. 

“Together, they called for the holding of presidential elections in Lebanon with the aim of bringing the Lebanese people together and carrying out the reforms necessary for the stability and security of the country,” a statement from Macron’s office said.

Macron touched down in the Saudi capital Riyadh in the afternoon, where he was greeted by an honour guard of sword-holding servicemen and celebratory cannon fire as he disembarked from his plane.

He did not comment on the political situation in France as he arrived.

Political turmoil in France

Macron’s visit began as France’s less than three-month-old minority government faced the prospect of being forced out by a vote of no confidence in the coming days.

The far-right National Rally party said it would vote to oust Michel Barnier’s government after the prime minister used an executive tool to push through a social security budget bill without parliamentary approval.

The left wing is also expected to back the motion, which could be held as early as Wednesday. If successful, it would oust the government that was appointed in September after snap polls.

Macron’s three-day stay also coincides with a flare-up of violence in Syria, where anti-government rebels have seized Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city.

The fighting in Syria follows France’s brokering of a ceasefire in neighbouring Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting Iran proxy Hezbollah.

• French PM triggers political crisis by forcing budget through parliament

‘Working together’

Macron’s state visit is the first by a French president to Saudi Arabia since Jacques Chirac in 2006, cementing what the presidency calls a “very close relationship”.

In 2021, Macron became one of the first Western leaders to meet Prince Mohammed in Saudi Arabia after the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at Riyadh’s consulate in Istanbul.

The French president and Prince Mohammed will see how they “work together” on the conflicts shaking the region, with Lebanon at the “heart of the discussions”, the French presidency said in an earlier statement. 

Macron is hoping for Saudi support for the Lebanese army, which is being deployed towards the border with Israel under the ceasefire but is poorly armed and trained.

He will also try to win Saudi help to reverse the political disintegration that has plunged Lebanon’s government and economy into catastrophe.

Paris and Riyadh are also calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza war and a “political outcome” based on the two-state solution of separate Israeli and Palestinian states.

• Macron’s Saudi visit targets arms deals and economic diversification

Macron is accompanied by about 50 senior officials from major French companies including TotalEnergies, EDF and Veolia, as well as start-ups in artificial intelligence and quantum physics.

Discussions are also under way for Saudi Arabia to acquire French-made Rafale fighter jets, although no announcement is expected during the visit.

The French president is due to attend a One Water summit on the sidelines of the Cop16 desertification conference in Riyadh later this Monday. 

Justice Ministry figures from last month show 80,130 detainees crammed into facilities built for 62,357 people, a dozen of which are operating at double their official capacity.

The situation is particularly dire in remand centres, where 21,000 people await trial in facilities overcrowded to 155.1 percent.

Around 4,000 inmates are forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor, said Jean-Claude Mas, president of the International Prison Observatory.

“It all means that three to four people can be crammed into 9m² cells designed for one person,” Mas told RFI. “This overcrowding accentuates the dilapidation and filth associated with prisons.”

Prison numbers have been rising steadily for the past two years as government pledges to provide more places have been unfulfilled.

A Justice Ministry source described the situation as “an all-time record” and called it “regrettable”.

Failed promises

In 2017, shortly after sweeping to power, President Emmanuel Macron vowed to provide the extra capacity within a decade.

The new figures emerged after Justice Minister Didier Migaud conceded that the plan to build 15,000 additional prison places by 2027 will not be met on time.

“We have encountered difficulties in the timetable for major construction operations,” said Migaud. He stated that 6,421 places should be operational by 2027, with the full plan likely delayed until 2029 at the earliest.

In an attempt to cut prison numbers, more community service orders have been issued and judges have been told to stop giving sentences of less than one month.

It is understood the Justice Ministry is considering using former prisons, or emulating the system in Belgium and Germany where prefabricated blocks can be created within three months.

“Prisons are necessary, they are there to punish and protect citizens,” said Migaud. “But incarceration must take place in conditions that are safe for staff and dignified for inmates.

”But to tackle overcrowding we need to consider all possible tools including alternative measures to incarceration for less serious offences.”

Calls for reform

At the end of October, the International Prison Observatory and some 30 other organisations, including the French lawyers’ union, the magistrates’ union and the barristers’ union, issued a joint statement calling for fundamental reforms aimed at reducing the use and duration of incarceration.

“Prison must no longer be seen as the benchmark of the penal system, and its alternatives, far from being symbolic, must replace confinement,” they said.

Mas criticised the lack of progress, saying: “For two years now, we have been experiencing record after record levels. And there’s no sign of any progress in this area – quite the contrary. There is a growing focus on repressive measures that worsen over-incarceration and prison overcrowding.”

A recommendation inviting member states to crack down on second-hand smoke and vapour was adopted by health ministers from the bloc’s 27 nations meeting in Brussels.

Second-hand smoke

“Today’s agreement is a crucial step towards our goal of a tobacco-free generation in Europe, and is critical in protecting our children and young people from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke,” said the EU’s health commissioner, Oliver Varhelyi.

The recommendation is non-binding, as health is a competence of individual member states.

But it gives an indication of the policies governments could pursue in the future as they seek to reduce smoke-related deaths and ailments.

It passed with all countries voting in favour apart from Germany and Greece, which abstained, underscoring some political divisions on the issue.

France to ban smoking on beaches and close to schools

Last week, the European Parliament voted against a similar text.

The document approved on Tuesday calls on EU countries to extend restrictions in place for cigarettes to cover “emerging products”, such as heated tobacco devices and electronic cigarettes that are increasingly popular with young people.

Governments should “provide effective protection” from aerosols emitted by these in indoor environments such as offices and public buildings.

Following an initial proposal put forward by the European Commission in September, the text says such protection should also be granted in some outdoor areas.

This in practice entails that all smoking should be banned in locations including swimming pools, beaches, zoos, rooftop bars and restaurant terraces.

French people have stopped giving up smoking, survey shows

 ‘Violation of individual freedom’ 

The push comes as the EU is aiming to reduce its smoking population from around 25 percent now to less than five percent of the total by 2040, as part of its “Beating Cancer Plan”.

Tobacco use is estimated to kill more than eight million people globally each year, including about 1.3 million non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke, World Health Organization (WHO) statistics show.

Emissions from electronic cigarettes also typically contain nicotine and other toxic substances that are harmful including to second-hand smokers, according to the WHO.

But treating smoking and vaping the same way is contentious.

In a joint declaration ahead of the vote, Italy and Romania said calls for a ban on outdoor vaping lacked scientific basis and should have not been included in the recommendation. The two countries nevertheless backed the text.

Germany abstained saying that the issue fell within the competences of its regions — not the central government — and some opposed a ban on smoking in outdoor terraces and patios.

Greece similarly voiced skepticism about the effect of such rules, saying more scientific data was needed on the effects of e-cigarettes.

The European Parliament last week voted against a resolution on the same subject, after lawmakers on the right passed amendments to differentiate between traditional tobacco products and electronic devices.

This drew the ire of the left, which had supported the original text but rejected its watered down version.

“We see the outdoor smoking ban as a violation of individual freedom,” Pietro Fiocchi, a lawmaker with the hard-right ECR group, said in a statement.

The parliamentary resolution, which would have had only symbolic value, was turned down with 378 votes against and only 152 in favour.

(AFP)

The 49 member states of the Bern Convention charged with the protection of wildlife in Europe and some African countries agreed to lower the wolf’s protection status from “strictly protected” to “protected”, the Council of Europe said.

Grey wolves were virtually exterminated in Europe 100 years ago but their numbers have practically doubled to the current population of 20,300, triggering protests from farmers angry over the animals eating their livestock.

Demoting wolves to “protected” status would allow hunting to resume under strict regulation, a move activists fear could result in a large number of the species being shot dead.

Mixed reactions as France prepares to simplify wolf culling rules

“We need a balanced approach between the preservation of wildlife and the protection of our livelihoods,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who has strongly backed the lowering of the protection.

The Bern Convention is an international treaty of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe in nature conservation which came into force in 1982.

The European Union, which is entirely separate from the Council of Europe, is a party to the convention.

‘Far from solved’

The move comes after the EU backed a plan in September to lower the protection status of wolves as the species’ growing population brings the creatures into more frequent contact with humans.

The carnivores’ proximity to human activity is causing damage to livestock at “significant levels”, said Brussels.

In late 2022, von der Leyen herself lost her beloved pony Dolly to a wolf that crept into its enclosure on her family’s rural property in northern Germany — leading some to suggest the matter had become personal.

But some farmers say Tuesday’s decision is not enough to protect their livestock.

“The problem is far from being solved”, said Thierry Chalmin, head of a chamber of agriculture in northeastern France.

“What’s the difference between a super-bandit and a bandit,” added Chalmin, who in September encouraged farmers to “go out armed and shoot a wolf” if they see one.

‘Purely demagogic’

Animal-rights activists say the move puts at risk the wolf population, which at one point disappeared entirely from France.

“The risk of downgrading this status is to weaken or even cause the decline of this species in Europe,” said Yann Laurans of WWF France.

Some say culling the wolf population will not reduce the number of attacks on livestock.

The decision is “political and purely demagogic,” said Nathan Horrenberger, head of a France-based biodiversity association.

“It’s not going to help solve the problems facing livestock farmers, because wolves have been shot in European countries for years… and it’s not bearing fruit”, he added.

Killing wolves might even disrupt pack behaviour, creating “more solitary animals, who turn to easier prey, namely farm animals”, Horrenberger told AFP.

The change will be implemented on March 7, 2025, said the commission, unless at least a third of its members object.

But only five countries voted against the measure, said environmental association Green Impact, which called the decision a “disgrace” and vowed to take it to the European courts.

“The wolf remains a protected species,” said Paris‘s ecology minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher, promising any killing of the carnivore “will remain highly regulated”.

But “this change will make it easier to manage the species”, added Pannier-Runacher.

(AFP)

The election comes at a time when Ghanaians are grappling with a cost-of-living crisis, driven by soaring inflation and economic instability. Key topics influencing the electorate include job creation, education, and infrastructure development, as voters seek solutions to the hardships they face in their daily lives.

A total of 18,774,159 registered voters, including 459,291 first-time voters, are expected to elect a president and 276 legislators at 40,976 polling stations.

Henrietta Sarpong, a researcher at the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), emphasized the importance of addressing education, employment, and healthcare as the primary concerns for voters ahead of the 2024 elections.

During the launch of its General Election research report titled “Matters of Concern to the Ghanaian Voter,” Sarpong said: “Many voters are particularly focused on issues surrounding the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, while younger voters are increasingly concerned about employment opportunities.”

Voters Opinion

Voters, particularly first-time voters, hold differing opinions about the criteria they will use to decide in the upcoming December elections.

A recent graduate from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Akua Yeboah, shared her thoughts as a first-time voter: “I will vote for a presidential candidate who has a good policy to create jobs for the youth like myself and other unemployed youth.”

In Cape Coast, Gifty Ghartey, a resident of the Central Region, for her part, outlined her priorities: “I will consider the economy, jobs, good roads, the health sector, and even the condition of our water bodies before voting. I believe there must be meaningful change after the election.”

Richard Adu, a teacher, stressed the need for integrity. “I will look at the candidate’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and anti-corruption measures as crucial. I have carefully evaluated each candidate’s stance on key issues such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure development,” he said.

For Daniel Twumasi Kankam, a community leader from Koforidua in the Eastern Region, past performance is the most important thing. “I will vote based on the records of the various political parties over the past 16 years. Specifically, I will consider human empowerment programmes and policies introduced by both parties that have aimed to ease the burdens on citizens and promote empowerment,” he told RFI.

Cost of living

At a bustling market in Kaneshie, a suburb of Accra, traders are quick to express disappointment with the economy.

“The price of onions has tripled, and customers just walk by without buying,” said Ama Asante, a vegetable seller.

Daniel Amateye Anim-Prempeh, an economist at Policy Initiative for Economic Development, said inflation was still having an impact on voters.

“The high cost of goods and services continues to burden households. Voters will factor this into their decisions,” he said.

Bawumia has highlighted improvements in macroeconomic stability, pointing to a rebound in growth to 5.8 percent in the first half of 2024.

“Ghana’s economy has come back to life after years of difficulty,” Finance Minister Mohammed Amin Adam told NPP supporters on the campaign trail.

But critics argue Bawumia’s policies lack innovation, dismissing them as repackaged old policies.

Mahama has pledged to renegotiate aspects of the IMF deal to free up resources for development, emphasizing youth employment, agriculture, and infrastructure.

“We cannot continue with business as usual,” Mahama said at a rally in the northern city of Tamale.

Recovery is still underway. Debt-to-GDP ratios remain at 84 percent, with the IMF projecting a reduction to 55 percent by 2028.

Growth is forecast at a modest 3.4 percent in 2024, and unemployment remains high.

For many Ghanaians, Saturday’s ballot is a test in the electorate’s faith in the system.

 “I’ll vote for whoever can make life better,” market trader Serwaa said. “We’ve suffered enough.”

(with AFP)

The first group of 16 ring-tailed lemurs arrived at Antananarivo airport on 1 December, marking the start of a major operation to bring home animals that were illegally captured and smuggled out of the country. 

“It’s such an emotional moment to be here on the tarmac, seeing the lemurs coming out of their cages,” said Environment Minister Max Fontaine, as he watched the distinctive orange-eyed primates being unloaded from the aircraft. 

Criminal networks 

Investigators believe the animals were initially captured along Madagascar‘s west coast using small illegal boats before being transferred to larger vessels at sea and transported to Thailand, a known hub for wildlife trafficking. 

“This is a scourge that’s gaining ground in Southeast Asia – the domestication of these wild species that attract particular affection. For example, we’ve had cases in Hong Kong of people walking tortoises on leashes in the street,” Fontaine told RFI. 

Madagascar’s lychee growers in crisis as production plummets

The remaining animals awaiting repatriation include radiated tortoises, a species found only in Madagascar. Deforestation and trafficking have devastated their population, which has fallen 75 percent in three decades from 12 million in 1990 to 3 million today. 

The case, now classified as transnational organised crime, has already resulted in the deaths of about 50 tortoises and one lemur due to the conditions of their captivity.  

The surviving animals are set to be transported under heavy security to the south of the island, where they will eventually be reintroduced to their natural habitat. 

International probe 

A joint investigation by Thailand‘s Justice Ministry and Madagascar’s Anti-Corruption Unit has so far led to 15 arrests – six in Thailand and nine in Madagascar. 

The suspects’ extensive financial resources suggest an organised criminal network, making it challenging to dismantle. 

“There are always potential loopholes and forces of evil who are very well-organised because huge sums are at stake,” Fontaine said.  

“When it comes to tortoises, they can fetch several thousand dollars. With lemurs, it’s tens of thousands.” 

Meet the tiny tuft-tailed saviour of Madagascar’s endangered baobabs

Corruption challenge 

The fight against wildlife trafficking faces significant obstacles from corruption at the highest levels of administration.  

For years, Madagascar’s forests have been plundered with the complicity of some senior state officials and regional authorities. 

Legal measures to protect wildlife are often poorly implemented, further weakened by a lack of funding.  

“Less than 1 percent of the national budget is allocated to the Ministry of Environment,” Fontaine said. 

This story has been adapted from the original French version by Pauline Le Troquier

“It is now up to you… to decide if our country should have a financial law that is responsible, indispensable and useful for our fellow French citizens, or if we are to enter into uncharted territory,” Barnier told lawmakers.

The far-right National Rally (RN) and the left-wing bloc have both announced their intention to vote against the government. The RN, the largest party in the 577-seat National Assembly with more than 140 MPs, said in a post on X: “We will vote no confidence.”

Barnier’s government, formed in September after an inconclusive general election, lacks a majority. If the no-confidence motion succeeds, it would be the first time a French government has fallen since Georges Pompidou’s defeat in 1962 under president Charles de Gaulle.

Mathilde Panot, parliamentary leader of the far-left France Unbowed party, confirmed the left-wing bloc’s support for the motion, saying they aim to “topple Barnier”.

Concessions and criticism

To secure support, Barnier’s office made concessions, including scrapping a proposed cut to prescription drug reimbursements and cancelling an electricity tax hike. However, these changes have failed to appease opposition parties.

RN leader Jordan Bardella said on RTL radio: “The National Rally will trigger a no-confidence vote, except of course if there is a last-minute miracle.”

The RN’s Marine Le Pen criticised Barnier’s refusal to engage further with opposition demands. “All Mr Barnier has to do is accept to negotiate,” she said in an interview with newspaper La Tribune.

France’s article 49.3 a handy constitutional tool to bypass parliament

Barnier justified invoking Article 49.3 by emphasising the urgency of stabilising France’s public finances. He has promised to cut the public deficit to 5 percent of GDP in 2025 from 6.1 percent this year, with a target of €60 billion in savings.

France narrowly avoided a debt downgrade by S&P last week, with the ratings agency citing political uncertainty but expressing confidence that the country would gradually comply with EU fiscal rules.

Budget Minister Laurent Saint-Martin defended the government’s approach, saying: “To reject this text is to reject a democratic agreement.”

The no-confidence vote could happen as early as Wednesday. If the motion succeeds, Barnier’s government will be forced to resign, plunging France into further political uncertainty.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s second-largest arms importer, is a significant market for French military equipment.

“France has historically sold a lot of equipment to Saudi Arabia over many years,” said Renaud Bellais, co-director of the Jean Jaurès Foundation‘s Defence Observatory and advisor to missile manufacturer MBDA.

“The Gulf countries – including Saudi Arabia – are open markets, in the sense that they are prepared to buy equipment from several suppliers.”

Arms contracts under scrutiny

One key goal of Macron’s visit is securing a deal for Rafale fighter jets. However, such contracts face scrutiny, particularly since UN experts accused Riyadh of committing war crimes in Yemen.

“There is nothing to indicate that France has obtained any new guarantees that its equipment will be used in compliance with international humanitarian law by Saudi Arabia,” Aymeric Elluin, arms advocacy officer at Amnesty International, told RFI. 

Elluin added that Saudi Arabia has not taken significant steps to address alleged war crimes since the conflict began in 2014.

• Saudi Arabia hosts Cop16 to combat desertification crisis
• France weapons exports drop 41 percent in 2020, Saudis still biggest buyers

Economic diversification

Beyond arms deals, there are other pressing concerns during Macron’s visit, especially in light of the war in Gaza and the recently agreed ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.

Macron’s visit coincides with Saudi Arabia hosting the Cop16 Desertification Summit, part of the country’s Vision 2030 strategy to diversify its economy beyond oil.

“There’s obviously a desire to continue developing economic relations, since there’s also a meeting in Riyadh – a water summit in which the French president will be taking part – which is also part of the Crown Prince’s Vision 2030 plan,” said David Rigoulet-Rozé, a researcher at the French Institute for Strategic Analysis.

Saudi Arabia is undergoing a fundamental transformation, aligning its efforts to create multiple economic partnerships, with France being a key ally.

But falling oil prices have forced it to scale back some projects. The Line, its planned futuristic desert city, will now house 300,000 people instead of 1.5 million.

France views Saudi Arabia as a vital ally in developing multiple economic sectors, including renewable energy.

“This is obviously the context in which the efforts to forge multiple economic partnerships are taking place … and France is obviously one of these special relationships,” Rigoulet-Rozé said.

The centrepiece of the visit is the Lobito Atlantic Railway, a 1,300-kilometre rail line linking the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to Angola’s Atlantic coast.  

The corridor promises a faster, more efficient route for exporting critical minerals like copper and cobalt – which are essential for batteries and electronics – to Western markets. 

Beijing currently dominates the DRC’s mining sector. 

“China has only gained prominence because Western countries have probably not been paying much attention to Africa,” said Angola’s transport minister, Ricardo Viegas d’Abreu. 

The Lobito corridor, described by Washington as a “once-in-a-generation” project, is jointly funded by the US, European Union and private partners.  

The first phase, rehabilitating the track between Angola‘s coast and the Congolese border, is already complete. A second phase will extend the line by 800 kilometres to connect Zambia, with feasibility studies now finished. 

Officials say Biden’s visit could bring new announcements about the project’s next steps. It has already been extended beyond rail infrastructure to include road networks, mobile phone coverage and renewable energy development. 

Diplomatic shifts 

Relations between Angola and the US have significantly improved under Angolan President João Lourenço, who was hosted in Washington a year ago. 

Angola is now viewed as a key partner in US efforts to stabilise eastern DRC, where conflict has long disrupted regional security. 

The US views the Lobito Corridor as a strategic alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.  

The project comes as China signed an agreement with Tanzania and Zambia in September to revive a rival railway line to Africa’s eastern coast. 

The women were taken as children from their families in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and placed in orphanages.

The court rejected a prior ruling that too much time had passed to prosecute the case, stating that such crimes are not subject to statutes of limitations.

“The court orders the Belgian state to compensate the appellants for the moral damage resulting from the loss of their connection to their mother and the damage to their identity and their connection to their original environment,” the judgement said.

‘Deliberate policy’

The court described the separations as part of a deliberate policy targeting children born to black mothers and white fathers.

The judgement stated that the Belgian colonial administration systematically searched for and abducted mixed-race children under seven years old, placing them under state guardianship in institutions often run by the Catholic church.

The five plaintiffs – Simone Ngalula, Monique Bitu Bingi, Lea Tavares Mujinga, Noelle Verbeeken and Marie-José Loshi – sought compensation of €50,000 each.

“They called us ‘children of sin’,” said Mujinga, while Ngalula, recalled being called “café au lait” (coffee with milk) at school.

The women’s lawyer, Michele Hirsch, celebrated the ruling as a “total victory” and described it as historic.

“This is the first time a country has been convicted on this legal basis for acts committed during colonisation,” she said.

Belgium accused of colonial-era crimes against humanity in Congo

Colonial abuses

Belgium has faced increasing scrutiny over its colonial history, particularly its rule over Congo, considered one of the harshest in Africa.

Between 1885 and 1908, King Leopold II governed the country as his personal property, during which millions of Congolese people were killed or subjected to brutal treatment.

The territory later became a Belgian colony until independence in 1960.

The case has also shed light on the plight of mixed-race children born in former Belgian colonies, including the DRC, Rwanda and Burundi.

These children – estimated to number between 14,000 and 20,000 – were often ostracised, denied recognition by their fathers, and segregated from both white and black communities.

Fittingly, the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu – heavily impacted by rising temperatures – opened proceedings at the Peace Palace in The Hague.

The campaign to bring the issue before the UN’s top court began in 2019 with law students at the University of Vanuatu in Port Vila.

Their drive led to a UN General Assembly resolution in 2023 asking the ICJ for a formal opinion on the legal obligations of states to protect the climate system.

The court will also consider whether large polluting nations can be held liable for damages to vulnerable countries like small island states.

On the eve of the hearings in the Dutch city, students from Vanuatu gathered near the court along with other activists.

“In small islands like Bonaire and like Vanuatu, there’s no time to say: ‘Oh, we hope that in 10, 15 or 20 years things will be settled’,” Kjell Koon, from the Caribbean island of Bonaire, told RFI.

“No, we need help now. We need a solution now and we need to create a world where we and future generations can live in peace and harmony.”

Wild weather and record heat as 2024 set to breach 1.5C warming milestone

Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s special envoy for climate change and the environment, said it was imperative that fossil fuels be phased out and more money provided to poorer nations bearing the brunt of climate change.

“We are hoping the ICJ can provide a new avenue to break through the inertia we experience when trying to talk about climate justice,” he told the Reuters news agency.

Although the ICJ’s opinions are non-binding, they are legally and politically significant. Lawyers say the ICJ’s eventual ruling will likely be cited in lawsuits about the effects and impacts of climate change.

Fiji’s Attorney General, Graham Leung, called the hearings an historic opportunity for small island developing states in their quest for justice.

Climate litigation

The hearings follow the Cop29 summit, where a $300 billion climate finance plan by 2035 was criticised as inadequate by developing nations.

“As Cop29 failed to provide a clear direction for climate justice and ambition, any developments from the ICJ will now only become more weighty,” said Lea Main-Klingst, a lawyer with the environmental law charity ClientEarth.

As well as small island states and developing countries, the court will also hear from the United States and China – the world’s top two emitters of greenhouse gases. The oil producer group OPEC will also give its views.

The 15 judges at the ICJ will hear submissions until 13 December and deliver their decision next year.

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), in collaboration with the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), gave a written statement to the ICJ emphasising the need for what it calls a just transition.

Climate change worsened deadly floods in African regions, scientists say

“Climate change is not just an environmental challenge, it is a profound social and economic crisis,” said ITUC general secretary Luc Triangle.

“A just transition, ensuring decent work and fairness, must be at the heart of international climate obligations. This is a chance to put workers and communities at the forefront of climate solutions.”

Climate activists who represent their homes in the Pacific say that time and time again the outcomes of Cop summits fail to meet the scale of the crisis. Papua New Guinea withdrew from the talks entirely this year, calling them “a total waste of time”.

“We represent communities where every fraction of a degree of warming translates to real losses: homes swallowed by the sea, crops destroyed by salinity, and cultures at risk of extinction,” said Dylan Kava, a regional facilitator for the Climate Action Network.

“Pacific nations are left grappling with escalating costs of adaptation and recovery, often relying on meagre resources and the resilience of our people.”

(with newswires)

The Black Sea nation has been rocked by turmoil since the governing Georgian Dream party claimed victory in 26 October parliamentary elections that the pro-European opposition said were fraudulent.

“Another powerful night of Georgians standing firm to defend their constitution and their European choice,” pro-European President Salome Zurabishvili posted on X on Monday.

“The determination in the streets shows no signs of stopping!” she wrote.

The turmoil deepened after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced Thursday that Georgia was shelving accession talks with the European Union until 2028, sparking a wave of protests in the capital, Tbilisi, and other cities.

Kobakhidze further angered protesters Sunday by ruling out new parliamentary elections, saying “the formation of the new government based on the 26 October parliamentary elections has been completed”.

The opposition is boycotting the new parliament, and Zurabishvili has asked the constitutional court to annul the election result, declaring the new legislature and government “illegitimate”.

Georgian president calls for new elections to resolve political crisis

Russia ties

Critics accuse Georgian Dream, in power for more than a decade, of having steered the country away from the European Union in recent years and of moving closer to Russia, an accusation it denies.

On Sunday evening, tens of thousands rallied outside parliament waving European and Georgian flags, AFP reporters saw.

Some demonstrators threw fireworks and stones at riot police, while others banged on the metal door blocking parliament’s entrance or built barricades from dustbins and set them ablaze.

Police fired water cannon but were unable to disperse the crowds.

Later during the night riot police moved in using tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowds.

The interior ministry said around 150 demonstrators had been arrested in the latest protest wave, while the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association put the number at 200.

Police in some instances have chased protesters through the streets, beating them and firing rubber bullets and tear gas.

France joins calls for inquiry into alleged irregularities in Georgia election

‘Systematic beatings’

Zurabishvili said Monday that those detained by police “have been subjected to systematic beatings between arrest and transport to already overcrowded detention facilities”.

The “majority of the arrested protesters have injuries to their heads and faces, broken face bones, eye sockets, open wounds,” she said.

The leader of the opposition United National Movement party, Levan Khabeishvili, told journalists that he was attacked by around 15 masked police officers attempting to detain him, but said he had managed to escape with the help of protesters.

The interior ministry said Monday that 21 police officers were injured.

Georgia’s Public Broadcaster (GPB), widely accused of acting as a propaganda tool for the ruling party, on Sunday conceded to the protesters’ demand to grant Zurabishvili airtime, which it had previously denied her.

Earlier last week, Georgian Dream nominated a far-right former football international, Mikheil Kavelashvili, to replace her in the largely ceremonial post of president.

But Zurabishvili told AFP in an exclusive interview on Saturday that she would not step down until the parliamentary elections are redone.

Brussels has not recognised the outcome of the October elections, and demanded an investigation into “serious electoral irregularities”.

The European Parliament has called for a re-run and for sanctions against top Georgian officials, including Kobakhidze.

Constitutional law experts have questioned the legitimacy of the new parliament, citing the fact it approved its own credentials in violation of a requirement to await a court ruling on Zurabishvili’s bid to annul the election results.

Hundreds of public servants, including from the ministries of foreign affairs, defence and education, as well as a number of judges, issued joint statements protesting Kobakhidze’s decision to postpone EU accession talks.

More than 200 Georgian diplomats criticised the move as contradicting the constitution and leading the country “into international isolation”.

A number of Georgia’s ambassadors resigned, while around 100 schools and universities suspended academic activities in protest.

“We call on all parties to de-escalate and protect civilians and infrastructure to avoid further displacement and disruption to the delivery of humanitarian aid,” the statement said.

“The current escalation only underscores the urgent need for a Syrian-led political solution to the conflict,” in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254, the statement added.

An alliance of Syrian rebel factions led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seized control of Aleppo over the weekend. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad launched a counter offensive with the help of his allies Russia and Iran.

On Sunday, government troops created a defensive line in northern Hama as they attempted to stall the insurgents’ momentum, according to Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Meanwhile, jets pounded the cities of Idlib and Aleppo, killing at least 25 people, according to the Syrian civil defence group that operates in opposition-held areas.

Security risk

The United Nations special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said the push by the rebels poses a risk to regional security and called for a resumption of diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN’s State of the Union programme that the US was watching the situation carefully. 

HTS, he said, has been designated a terrorist organisation. “We have real concerns about the designs and objectives of that organisation,” he added.

“At the same time, of course, we don’t cry over the fact that the Assad government, backed by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, are facing certain kinds of pressure.” 

According to Syrian state news agency SANA and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the army has pushed back insurgents in the northern countryside of Hama province.

Sham FM said the Syrian army had shot down drones belonging to HTS in northern Hama while Syrian state television claimed government forces had killed nearly 1,000 insurgents over the past three days, without providing evidence or details.

The 2016 battle for Aleppo was a turning point in the war between Syrian government forces and rebel fighters after protests in 2011 against Assad’s rule turned into an all-out war.

After appearing to be losing control of the country to the rebels, the Aleppo battle secured Assad’s hold on strategic areas of Syria, with opposition factions and their foreign backers controlling areas on the periphery.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called the meeting, which gets under way in Riyadh on Monday, a “moonshot moment” for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to protect and restore land, and respond to drought.

Activists accused Saudi Arabia – the world’s biggest oil exporter – of trying to water down calls to phase out fossil fuels at last month’s Cop29 climate talks in Azerbaijan.

However, the subject of desertification is close to home for the Gulf kingdom, which is home to one of the largest deserts on the planet.

“We are a desert country. We are exposed to the harshest mode of land degradation, which is desertification,” said Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Environment Minister Osama Faqeeha. “Our land is arid. Our rainfall is very little. And this is the reality. And we have been dealing with this for centuries.”

Degradation of land disrupts ecosystems and makes it less productive for agriculture, leading to food shortages and driving migration. Land is considered degraded when its productivity has been harmed by human activities such as pollution or deforestation, with desertification an extreme form.

1.5bn hectares by 2030

The last gathering of parties to the UNCCD, in Côte d’Ivoire in 2022, produced a commitment to “accelerating the restoration of 1 billion hectares of degraded land by 2030”.

But the desertification conference – which brings together 196 countries and the European Union – now says 1.5 billion hectares must be restored by the decade’s end to combat crises including escalating droughts.

Saudi Arabia is aiming to restore some 40 million hectares of degraded land, without specifying a timeline, although Riyadh is reportedly anticipated restoring “several million hectares” by 2030.

• COP15: ‘Great Green Wall’ still touted as the Sahel’s desertification solution

‘Global security is at stake’

So far 240,000 hectares have been recovered in Saudi Arabia, using measures including banning illegal logging and expanding the number of the country’s national parks from 19 in 2016 to more than 500.

Other ways to restore land include planting trees, crop rotation, managing grazing and restoring wetlands.

The Cop29 climate talks yielded a hard-won $300 billion climate finance deal, although poorer nations most at risk of worsening climate disasters dismissed this as an insultingly low figure.

UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw says he hopes Cop16 will result in an agreement to accelerate land restoration and develop a “proactive” approach to droughts. “We have already lost 40 percent of our land and our soils,” he said. “Global security is really at stake, and you see it all over the world. Not only in Africa, not only in the Middle East.”

• Desertification summit ends with promises to restore a billion hectares of land

Repression and reform

Thousands of delegates have registered to attend the Riyadh talks, which run until 13 December, including “close to 100” government ministers.

French President Emmanuel Macron is due to attend the One Water Summit, taking place on the sidelines of Cop16 on 3 December. 

Saudi Arabia’s high oil production, resulting in eye-watering profits for state oil giant Aramco, routinely draws the ire of climate activists. But its exposure to desertification could give it more credibility during the Riyadh talks.

The country’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been criticised for mounting repression, even as the kingdom pursues social reforms intended to lure tourists and investors. 

As Cop16 is a UN-organised event, civil society players including campaigners will be able to take part, although it was not clear if protests – a rarity in the kingdom – would be allowed.

For a week, delegates from nearly 200 nations meeting in South Korea have wrestled with how to stop millions of tonnes of plastic waste entering the environment each year.

Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peak, in the deepest ocean trench and scattered throughout almost every part of the human body.

More than 90 percent of plastic is not recycled, while plastic production is expected to triple by 2060.

First Nations groups from petrol-producing US states such as Texas and Alaska, and Indigenous peoples from Australia to Latin America have used their time in Busan to describe harms linked to plastic.

They range from the growing incidence of once-rare diseases to mountain villages being progressively buried in plastic.

Waste pickers battle for recognition at plastic treaty talks

Two years ago, countries agreed they would find a way to address the crisis by the end of 2024.

But a week of UN-lead talks in Busan has failed to resolve deep divisions between “high-ambition” countries seeking a globally binding agreement to limit production and phase out harmful chemicals, and “like-minded”, mostly oil-producing nations that want to focus on waste.

A draft text released Sunday afternoon after multiple delays included a wide range of options, reflecting ongoing disagreement.

Unresolved issues

Chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso acknowledged late Sunday that “a few critical issues still prevent us from reaching a comprehensive agreement.”

“These unresolved issues remain challenging and additional time will be needed to address them effectively,” he said.

“There is a general agreement to resume the current session at a later date to conclude our negotiations.”

Several nations took to the floor to support the call for more time – but their agreement ended there.

Africa is battling plastic pollution and waste crisis, activists say

Rwandan delegate Juliet Kabera spoke of “strong concerns about ongoing calls by a small group of countries to remove binding provisions from the text that are indispensable for the treaty to be effective.”

She delivered a statement on behalf of dozens of countries, demanding a treaty with targets to reduce production and phase out chemicals of concern.

“A treaty that lacks these elements and only relies on voluntary measures would not be acceptable,” she said, inviting supporting delegations to stand up to extensive applause from the plenary room.

‘Huge gap’

Saudi Arabia’s Abdulrahman Al Gwaiz however pushed back strongly on continued discussion of production or chemicals of concern.

“If you address plastic pollution, there should be no problem with producing plastics, because the problem is the pollution, not the plastics themselves,” he said.

Backed by allies including other Arab nations, Russia and Iran, he insisted that every part of a latest draft text should “be open for proposals” if talks continue.

Alarm as plastic pollution of oceans reaches unprecedented levels

Iran too said there was still a “huge gap” between parties, while Russia warned that agreeing a treaty was “being hampered by ambitions on the part of certain parties that are too high.”

The comments raised the prospect that any new talks could follow the pattern seen in Busan, where repeated attempts by the chair to synthesise and streamline text encountered resistance.

Delegations seeking an ambitious treaty earlier warned that a handful of countries was steadfastly blocking progress.

‘Blocking progess’

A French minister accused the like-minded group of “continuing obstruction,” while Fiji’s Sivendra Michael called out a “very minority group” for “blocking the process.”

“We are worried by the continuing obstruction by the so-called like-minded countries,” Olga Givernet, France’s minister delegate for energy, told reporters, referring to a group of mostly oil-producing nations.

“Finding an agreement for us on (an) ambitious treaty that reduces plastic pollution remains an absolute priority for France,” Givernet said.

“We are planning on pushing it, pushing it again.”

France leads charge in UN talks to tackle global plastic pollution crisis

Diplomats have declined to directly name those preventing a deal, but public statements and submissions have shown Saudi Arabia, Iran and Russia have sought to block production cuts and other ambitious goals.

All three delegations declined repeated requests ny French news agency AFP for comment.

Environmental groups warned that another round of talks could be similarly hamstrung if ambitious countries were not willing to push for a vote.

“We need to break out of this cage of consensus that is condemning us to failure, and start to think much more creatively about how we deliver a treaty that the world desperately needs,” said Greenpeace‘s Graham Forbes.

“For too long, a small minority of states have held the negotiation process hostage,” added Eirik Lindebjerg of WWF.

“These countries have no intention of finding a meaningful solution to this crisis and yet they continue to prevent the large majority of states who do.”

The world’s top two plastic producers – China and the United States – have stayed relatively quiet in public.

Neither backed Rwanda’s statement, though China’s delegate warned of “concerns that have not been reflected in a balanced manner.”

(with AFP)

“We came to give a clear message that we stand with Ukraine, and we continue to give our full support,” Costa told media outlets including French agency AFP, accompanying them on the trip.

The European Union’s new leadership team is keen to demonstrate it remains firm on backing Kyiv at a perilous moment for Ukraine nearly three years into its fight against Russia’s all-out invasion.

Questions are swirling around the future of US support once Donald Trump assumes office in January and there are fears he could force Kyiv to make painful concessions in pursuit of a quick peace deal.

‘Worry’ in Ukraine at Trump victory at critical moment in war

Kyiv as target

Meanwhile, tensions have escalated as Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to strike government buildings in Kyiv with his new Oreshnik missile after firing it at Ukraine for the first time last month.

The Kremlin leader said the move is a response to Kyiv getting the green light to strike inside Russia with American and British missiles, and he has threatened to hit back against the countries supplying the weaponry.

As winter begins Russia has also unleashed devastating barrages against Ukraine’s power grid and on the frontline Kyiv’s fatigued forces are losing ground to Moscow’s grinding offensive.

“The situation in Ukraine is very, very grave,” Kallas, a former prime minister of Estonia, said. “But it’s clear that it comes at a very high cost for Russia as well.”

The new EU leaders – the bloc’s top officials along with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen – were set to hold talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky on Friday appeared to begin staking out his position ahead of any potential peace talks.

Stop ‘hot stage of war’

He called on NATO to offer guaranteed protections to parts of Ukraine controlled by Kyiv in order to “stop the hot stage of the war”, and implied he would then be willing to wait to regain other territory seized by Russia.

“If we speak ceasefire, (we need) guarantees that Putin will not come back,” Zelensky told Britain’s Sky News.

Kallas said that “the strongest security guarantee is NATO membership.”

As NATO marks its 75th anniversary, US says Ukraine will eventually join

“We need to definitely discuss this – if Ukraine decides to draw the line somewhere then how can we secure peace so that Putin doesn’t go any further,” she said.

Diplomats at NATO say there appears little prospect of the alliance granting Ukraine membership soon given opposition from a raft of members cautious of getting dragged into war with Russia.

Kallas said the EU “shouldn’t really rule out anything” in terms of the question of sending European troops to help enforce any ceasefire.

“We should have this strategic ambiguity around this,” she said.

US aid in doubt

Trump has cast doubt on continuing Washington’s vast aid for Ukraine and called on EU countries to do more.

Europe together has spent around $125 billion (€118 billion) on supporting Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion, while the United States alone has coughed up over $90 billion (€85 billion), according to a tracker from the Kiel Institute.

Kallas said the EU would use a “transactional language” to try to convince Trump that backing Kyiv was in the interest of the US.

“Aid for Ukraine is not charity,” she said. “A victory for Russia definitely emboldens China, Iran, North Korea.”

EU leaders chart independent future as Trump takes White House

The new EU foreign policy chief said the bloc would continue seeking to put Ukraine in the “strongest” position – if and when Kyiv chose it was time to negotiate with Moscow.

But she conceded that it was becoming “increasingly difficult” for the 27-nation bloc to agree on new ways to ramp up support for Ukraine.

“This war has been going on for quite some time and it is harder and harder to explain it to our own people,” she said. “But I don’t see any option.”

(with AFP)

By this time of year, the town of Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland – marketed by tourism officials since the 1980s as the “real” home of Santa Claus – should be white and pretty.

But on a recent visit, rain poured down from a gloomy slate sky and the temperature was well above freezing, with the thermometer showing +2C.

“My reindeer can fly, so that’s no problem,” said the man in the red suit and long white beard, resting his weary legs after a long day of meeting excited children and adults.

But “we can see that climate change is real. And it’s affecting the reindeer. It’s affecting life here in the Arctic,” added the man, whose employers declined to identify him by his real name.

Herders say milder and more unpredictable winters have left reindeer struggling to dig up their main food, lichen.

Snow and ice have melted and refrozen, burying it under layers of packed ice.

The Arctic is warming faster than other parts of the world due to climate change – nearly four times as fast, according to research published by Finland-based scientists in the journal Nature in 2022.

Warming global temperatures, driven by humans burning fossil fuels, have been aggravating weather disasters such as floods and droughts worldwide in recent years.

In Finnish Lapland, after a historically warm summer, a new November temperature record was set a few weeks ago when 11.1C was measured in the town of Utsjoki, breaking the previous record of 11C from 1975.

Ice loss and plant growth mark new era for warming Antarctica

Tourism boom

Tourists flock to Rovaniemi from around the world to see its enchanting snowy landscapes and experience the Arctic cold.

With only a few hours of daylight this time of the year, many also hope to see the spectacular colours of the Northern Lights streaking across the dark skies.

Last year, the town registered a record high of more than one million overnight stays.

Visitors looking to get a glimpse of Santa can meet the man himself at different locations in Rovaniemi, including the Santa Park underground theme park and the nearby Santa Claus Village.

“It’s super nice. It’s like in the Christmas movies, super magical,” said Maria Batista Torres from Tenerife in Spain, visiting the Santa Claus Village with her two young children.

Glittering fairy lights illuminate rooftops and trees in the Santa Claus Village, which is open all year round.

“I figured it would be much more snowy,” however, said Wenguel, a visitor from the United States.

“I mean, it still feels like Christmas… but I figured it would be a little bit more Santa-like.”

In addition to meeting Santa Claus, visitors can pay to go snowmobiling or jump on a reindeer sleigh-ride.

While visiting Santa Claus Village is free, a picture taken with Santa costs a minimum of €40.

France’s first wind-propelled cargo ship successfully crosses Atlantic

Wishing for peace

Gloomy skies aside, Santa Claus’s Post Office in Santa Claus Village was bustling with activity, as red-hooded elves busily stamped cards and sorted piles of letters in the Christmas rush.

“In December there can be about 30,000 letters each day,” said postal elf Heidi Mustonen, who has worked here for 20 years.

Over half a million letters to Santa find their way here every year, Heidi said, insisting that every letter gets opened and read thoroughly.

Most of the letters were wish lists, but both children and adults also wrote to tell Santa about their personal concerns, fears, wishes and joys, with many of the envelopes containing drawings and small gifts.

“This year many people have wished for peace,” Heidi said.

Most letters sent from Asian countries were written by young adults, with many wishing for strength to cope with their studies, she said.

Letters from European countries were meanwhile mostly written by children.

Heidi said she loved the warm and happy atmosphere in Santa’s village, but did wish for snowfall to brighten up the landscape.

“We would make snow everywhere if we could. But we are just postal elves.”

“After the French, the Americans have been the biggest donors by far,” Michel Picaud, president of the Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris, told French news agency AFP, ahead of the cathedral’s reopening next week.

Founded in 2017, the group saw donations soar two years later, following the devastating fire that tore through the cathedral on 15 April, 2019.

To date, the organisation, headquartered in the northeastern US state of New Hampshire, has raised a total of $57 million (€54 million) from 45,000 donors, with Americans leading the way.

The top donations included $10 million (€9.5 million) each from the Starr Foundation, one of the largest American foundations, and the Marie-Josee and Henry Kravis Foundation.

When one adds donations made to other Notre-Dame supporting groups, including New York’s French Heritage Society – which received a $2 million (€1.9 million) check from the family of cosmetics icon Estee Lauder – Picaud estimates that Americans have contributed $62 million (€59 million) for the restoration fund.

Built more than 600 years before the Eiffel Tower, the cathedral on Paris’s Ile de la Cité is “one of the world’s great treasures,” as former US president Barack Obama, who visited in June 2009 with his wife and daughters, said on Twitter.

Obama was, of course, one in a long line of American presidents to visit the cathedral. Future president Thomas Jefferson visited in the 1780s while serving as ambassador to France.

Macron to preside over Notre-Dame’s reopening five years after blaze

Medieval art

Though the United States is a relatively young nation, its museums are full of medieval masterpieces. The Metropolitan Museum of Art even reassembled cloisters from four French abbeys on a Manhattan hill now known as The Cloisters.

“For Americans, Notre-Dame of Paris is a physical symbol of a premodern European history that does not exist on American soil; as a potent ‘lieu de memoire,’ it evokes an imagined nostalgia for a rich and complex culture of the past,” Meredith Cohen, a professor of medieval art and architecture at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), told AFP.

“Americans also love Victor Hugo, who made Notre-Dame famous through his books and writings on it, as well as in his vivid description of Revolutionary Paris in ‘Les Miserables,'” which was hugely successful on Broadway and film versions, she added.

References to the cathedral run deep through American culture, from the first black-and-white films to recent animations.

Quasimodo superstar

Hugo’s 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame was adapted to the big screen in 1923, becoming a silent-film classic. Other versions followed, notably a 1956 film that had Anthony Quinn playing Quasimodo and Disney’s 1996 animation.

The cathedral also appears in numerous Hollywood full-length films, including Vincent Minnelli’s “An American in Paris” with Gene Kelly; Stanley Donen’s “Charade” starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn; the Woody Allen film “Midnight in Paris” featuring Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Carla Bruni and Marion Cotillard; and even popular Pixar animation “Ratatouille.”

For professor Michael Davis, a specialist in French Gothic art, “First and foremost, its facade offers an instantly recognisable image, not only of the cathedral itself, but one that evokes the city of Paris, the nation of France, the Middle Ages, the Catholic faith.”

‘A great affinity’

The fire that tore through the cathedral five years ago sparked a worldwide wave of shock and concern. Major TV networks interrupted their programming and sent their star reporters to Paris.

As the flames were devouring the structure’s wooden framework, then-president Donald Trump became so alarmed that he suggested to French authorities in a tweet that they should consider deploying “flying water tankers” like those used to fight wildfires. The French Civil Security agency said that was a bad idea.

Five years after devastating fire, race to rebuild Notre-Dame gains pace

“If the millions of visitors to Paris and France have seen one Gothic cathedral, it is probably Notre-Dame, and the fire of 15 April, 2019, no doubt activated the memory of that encounter and the bond to the cathedral,” said Davis, a board member of the Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris.

Former World Bank managing director Bertrand Badre, another board member, paid tribute to the “generous and immediate” response of American donors.

“Americans generally have a great affinity for Paris and France’s extensive culture… for its philosophers, artists and fashion houses, as well as the food and wine culture made famous in America by Julia Child,” explained UCLA’s Meredith Cohen.

(with AFP)

Eight days ahead of the 7 December reopening of the cathedral, Macron conducted an inspection, broadcast live on television, which provided the first official insight into how the 850-year-old edifice now looks inside.

“Sublime,” said a visibly pleased Macron, who was accompanied by Paris‘ archbishop Laurent Ulrich, the culture minister, the mayor of Paris and other officials.

“It is much more welcoming,” he added, praising Notre-Dame’s pale-coloured stones and saying everyone involved in the reconstruction should “be proud”.

Accompanied by his wife Brigitte, Macron toured the key areas of the cathedral, including the nave, choir and chapel, and spoke to experts.

Notre-Dame will welcome visitors and worshippers again over the December 7-8 weekend, after a sometimes challenging restoration to return the imposing Paris cathedral to its former glory after it was badly damaged by fire on 19 April, 2019.

Macron at the time set the ambitious goal to rebuild the masterpiece of Gothic architecture within five years and make it “even more beautiful” than before, a target that the French authorities say has been met.

The “building site of the century” was a “challenge that many considered insane”, Macron said on the eve of his visit on Friday.

The French president is hoping the re-opening of Notre-Dame will be a major feather in his cap amid the current political deadlock following early parliamentary elections this summer.

World leaders are expected to attend but the guest list has yet to be unveiled.

With Notre-Dame set to reopen nearly half of France plans to make a pilgrimage

Costly restoration

Some 250 companies and hundreds of experts were brought it for restoration work costing hundreds of millions of euros.

All 2,000 people who contributed to the effort have been invited to Friday’s event, of whom at least 1,300 are expected to attend.

“This final site visit is an opportunity to thank them in particular – from wood craftsmen to those of metal and stone, from scaffolders to roofers, from bell makers to art restorers, from gilders to masons and sculptors, from carpenters to organ builders, from architects, archaeologists, engineers and planners to logistical and administrative functions,” Macron said.

The restoration cost a total of nearly 700 million euros (more than $750 million at today’s rate).

It was financed from the 846 million euros in donations that poured in from 150 countries in an unprecedented surge of solidarity.

The 19th-century gothic spire has now been resurrected with an exact copy of the original, the stained windows have regained their colour, the walls shining after fire stains cleaned and a restored organ ready to thunder out again.

France mulls charging tourists to enter Notre-Dame cathedral

Unseen to visitors is a new mechanism to protect against any future fires, a discreet system of pipes ready to release millions of water droplets in case of a new disaster.

Notre-Dame, which welcomed 12 million visitors in 2017, expects to receive an even higher figure of 14 to 15 million after the reopening, according to the church authorities.

French ministers have also floated the idea of charging tourists an entrance fee to the site but the Paris diocese has said free admission was an important principle to maintain.

Reopening ceremony

Macron had hoped to speak inside Notre-Dame to mark the reopening but after negotiations with the diocese, he was now set to speak in the forecourt only.

France is by its constitution a secular country with a strict division between church and state.

The next day, Sunday 8 December, will see the first mass and consecration of the new altar.

Macron said in December 2023 he had invited Pope Francis to the reopening of the cathedral but the head of the Catholic church announced in September, to the surprise of some observers, that he would not be coming.

Instead, the pontiff is making a landmark visit during the subsequent weekend to the French island of Corsica.

The French Catholic church has in recent years been rocked by a succession of sexual abuse allegations against clerics, including most recently the monk known as Abbe Pierre who became a household name for providing aid to the destitute.

Over five years on, the investigation into what caused the fire is ongoing, with initial findings backing an accidental cause such as a short circuit, a welder’s torch or a cigarette.

US President Joe Biden signalled this week that Turkey could have a role in mediating peace in the Middle East.

“The United States will make another push with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and others to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza,” Biden told reporters.

However, US officials have downplayed Turkey’s mediating role due to Ankara’s ties to Hamas.

“We don’t believe the leaders of a vicious terrorist organisation should be living comfortably anywhere, and that certainly includes in … a major city of one of our key allies and partners,” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said earlier.

Hamas tensions

Hamas leaders reportedly relocated to Turkey after the collapse of ceasefire efforts in November.

Erdogan, a staunch supporter of Hamas, has described the group as a “liberation movement”. Following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Erdogan declared a national day of mourning.

“There are rumours, and I don’t know how true they are, that many of those people have actually received Turkish citizenship as well,” Soli Ozel, a lecturer at the Institute for Human Studies in Vienna told RFI.

In a move seen as an attempt to placate Washington, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that there are no plans for Hamas to open a political bureau in Turkey.

Turkish presidential adviser Mesut Casin defended the policy: “Ankara will continue its position hosting Hamas number one. Number two, they will continue dialogue with Hamas in order to establish peace”.

Turkish President Erdogan ready to rekindle friendship with Trump

Complex ties

Despite tensions between Turkey and Israel, they maintain back-channel communication.

In November, the head of Israel’s intelligence agency Shin Bet met his Turkish counterpart in Ankara. The meeting reportedly centred on the plight of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

“We have 101 hostages that are still, we don’t know their fate,” says Gallia Lindenstrauss, an Israeli foreign policy specialist at the Institute for National Security Studies.

“There are attempts to at least receive information about who’s alive, who’s dead, who’s holding them – Hamas or Islamic Jihad.”

Lindenstrauss cautioned that Israel remains sceptical of Turkey’s ability to act as a neutral mediator.

“It would be very hard for Israel in general and specifically Prime Minister Netanyahu to trust Turkey to be a mediator that will be respectful to both sides,” she said.

While Erdogan’s public rhetoric often inflames tensions, analysts say Turkish-Israeli relations are shaped more by pragmatism than politics.

“Turkey and Israel have one way of dealing with one another in public and another way of dealing with one another diplomatically and in security cooperation,” Ozel explains.

In a possible effort to build trust, Turkish authorities recently extradited three Uzbek suspects linked to the murder of an Israeli rabbi in the United Arab Emirates.

Egypt and Turkey’s closer ties spark hope for peace among Libya’s rival factions

Challenges remain

As Israel intensifies its military campaign against Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a Gaza ceasefire for now.

“The reason for having a ceasefire is to separate the fronts and isolate Hamas,” Netanyahu said Tuesday.

“From day two of the war, Hamas was counting on Hezbollah to fight by its side. With Hezbollah out of the picture, Hamas is left on its own. We will increase our pressure on Hamas.”

Despite Ankara’s overtures, Israel has warned that Hamas leaders are not safe from targeting, even in Turkey.

“They will find these Hamas leaders and target them wherever they find them,” Lindenstrauss maintains.

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday. This week, you’ll hear musical requests from your fellow listeners Jayanta Chakrabarty from New Delhi, India, Alan Holder from Isle of Wight, England, and Karuna Kanta Pal from West Bengal, India.

Be sure you send in your music requests! Write to me at thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Nunca es Suficiente” written by Natalia Lafourcade, Daniela Azpiazu, and Anthony Lopez, sung by Natalia Lafourcade; “Lake Como” by Giselle Galos, performed by Sweet People, and “Dance Little Lady, Dance” by Gerry Shury and Ron Roker, sung by Tina Charles.

The quiz will be back next Saturday, 7 December. Be sure and tune in! 

“Negative narratives about Africa have real consequences for people’s lives and futures,” said Abimbola Ogundairo, campaign lead for the NGO Africa No Filter, which produced the report and works to promote balanced storytelling about the continent.

The organisation’s latest research found these biases cost African economies $4.2 billion annually in lost investment opportunities.

It found that persistent portrayals of poverty, conflict and corruption have far-reaching consequences, from deterring investment to increasing borrowing costs for African nations.

Stories of success, innovation, and resilience were overlooked.

Investors deterred

Using case studies and data analysis, the report examined how media narratives influence investment, particularly during election periods. It compared African countries to their global peers and quantified the costs of misrepresentation.

The report also quantified how biased media coverage correlates with sovereign bond yields – a critical financial indicator.

It found that even nations with strong democratic institutions are often framed through lenses of instability and corruption – reinforcing negative stereotypes and overshadowing progress.

The Spotlight on Africa podcast explores this issue, featuring interviews with both Ogundairo, who is from Nigeria, and the acclaimed filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako, from Mauritania.

Both emphasise the need for African voices to take control of the continent’s narrative.

Episode mixed by Vincent Pora.

Spotlight on Africa is a podcast from Radio France Internationale.

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).

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.