This is an unprecedented sanction for a former French head of state.

Nicolas Sarkozy will “evidently” respect the terms of the conviction after the Court of Cassation’s verdict, his lawyer Patrice Spinosi told French news agency AFP.

But he will take the case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) within weeks, Spinozi added.

This action at the Strasbourg-based ECHR will not prevent Wednesday’s verdict from being enforced. The sanction now takes effect, as Sarkozy has exhausted all legal options available to him in France.

Spinosi said it was a “sad day” when “a former president is required to take action before European judges to have condemned a state over whose destiny he once presided”.

“I want to reiterate my complete innocence,” Sarkozy said after the trial, adding he would not  accept “profound injustice” after the court verdict.

Other cases  

This latest case, often dubbed “Bismuth”, comes on top of separate cases about campaign financing overspending, and the alleged financing by Libya of Sarkozy’s 2007 election campaign.

Sarkozy had earlier been found guilty of illegal attempts to secure favours from a judge.

In 2021, a lower court found that he and his former lawyer, Thierry Herzog, had formed a “corruption pact” with judge Gilbert Azibert to obtain and share information about a legal investigation.

The court then sentenced him to a three-year jail term, two of which were suspended and one that was to take the form of home detention with an electronic tag allowing his movements to be monitored.

That verdict had already been upheld once, by an appeals court, last year.      

He is also suspected of conspiring to take cash from Libya‘s Kadhafi to illegally fund his victorious 2007 bid for the presidency.

Bygmalion, Libya, Bismuth: the trials and tribulations of Nicolas Sarkozy

Fall of a former president

Sarkozy, 69, has always claimed his innocence, with his lawyer saying he would “not give up this fight”.

Despite his legal problems, he continues to enjoy considerable influence and popularity on the right of French politics and is said to have the ear of President Emmanuel Macron.

Sources have told AFP however that Sarkozy held talks at the Elysee earlier this month in a bid to persuade Macron not to appoint veteran centrist Francois Bayrou as prime minister, but Macron went ahead and named him.

The right-winger, who was president for one term between 2007 and 2012, failing to win re-election, has been embroiled in legal troubles ever since leaving office.

 (with AFP) 

In an interview with RFI, the 74-year-old co-founder of the Sea Shepherd marine conservation organisation, discusses the political pressure surrounding his case, his plans to challenge Interpol and his determination to carry on with his work.

Environmental activist Paul Watson freed after Denmark refuses his extradition to Japan

RFI: How are you feeling after your release? 

Paul Watson: I am very much relieved that I will be able to see my children when I return to France in a couple of days. 

RFI: Does Denmark’s refusal to extradite you feel like a victory for you and your cause? 

PW: I believe it is a victory, and a recognition of the fact that Japan is killing whales illegally. They’re trying their best to set an example of me because they don’t want anybody interfering with their illegal operations. In this respect they failed to do that, so we’ll continue our opposition to their illegal whaling. 

My being in prison is really an extension of the campaign to expose illegal Japanese whaling operations, so I think it’s been very successful. We’ve probably brought more attention to what Japan is doing by my being in prison than if I had gone there with the ship. It’s been hugely successful towards that goal of exposing Japan’s illegal operations. 

RFI: Do you know how your case was ultimately resolved? 

PW: Denmark has an obligation and a commitment to human rights, and to do what’s right. The rules regarding extradition are clear. This is a very minor charge. It’s over 14 years old. It’s politically motivated. Those factors alone would prohibit extradition.

Japan was putting pressure on Denmark by threatening to cancel multimillion-dollar offshore wind turbine projects unless they delivered me to them. That, of course, is also indicative of how political this entire case is.

I think that we succeeded in exposing the fact that Japan is putting that economic pressure on. I don’t think Denmark really had a choice because Denmark is a country that supports human rights, always has. We knew that from the beginning.

Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson requests French nationality

RFI: How did you cope with five months in detention? 

PW: The prison was not very bad. The prisoners were friendly, and the guards were friendly. I spent most of my time either reading or answering letters. I received about 4,000 of them and about 70 percent were from France.

I couldn’t answer everybody but I tried to answer as many as possible – especially letters from children. 

RFI: Do you plan to take legal action? 

PW: We intend to go to Lyon to confront Interpol about the political abuse of their authority. My case has been under investigation by a European committee looking into the abuses of Interpol since 2017.

Interpol has to make a decision here as to whether their agency can be used by countries to persecute people who oppose their political positions. 

RFI: The UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders has warned there has been increasing repression of activists. Are you concerned about this? 

Over the years there’s been more and more persecution of environmental activists. Things are far different than in the 1990s, 1980s and 1970s. The laws are much more repressive in order to protect the corporate profits of companies, and also to protect government abuse of power. So it’s becoming more difficult to be an activist now than it was 20 or 30 years ago.

Minister opposes transfer of whales from French aquarium to Japan

RFI: Will this change your approach or merely reinforce your determination? 

PW: Our methods have proven to be very successful over the last 50 years, so I don’t see us changing that. Our approach is what I call “aggressive non-violence” – we non-violently intervene against illegal activities. I don’t know of any other way to go about doing this.

The only alternative is for governments to uphold their responsibility under international law, but the problem right now is there’s a lack of political and economic motivation to enforce the law, forcing non-government organisations and individuals to do the job that governments should be doing. 

RFI: What’s next for you? 

PW: I will continue to work with Sea Shepherd France in order to oppose whaling and other illegal activities: the poaching of turtles, illegal fishing. We’ll carry on doing what we have been doing for the past 50 years. 

RFI: Iceland recently extended whaling permits to 2029, and Japan has expanded fin whale hunts. Are you still optimistic? 

Over the last 50 years, we’ve shut down whaling operations in Australia, South Africa, Spain, Peru and Chile. I’m confident that we will eventually shut down Icelandic, Norwegian and Japanese whaling.

But we also have to keep in mind that all of these whaling activities are highly illegal. They are in violation of international law, and we’re committed to upholding international conservation law. 

RFI: A few days ago, you were made an honorary citizen of the city of Paris. Are you returning to Paris now?

I live in France, I’ll be returning to Paris, my family’s in France… and it was because of France that I think that we won this case. The support of Sea Shepherd France, of President Macron, of the prime minister, of the president of French Polynesia, and thousands and thousands of French citizens across the country contributed to the decision and I’m very, very grateful for that. 

This interview by RFI’s Pauline Gleize has been lightly edited for clarity.

French President Emmanuel Macron “will be in Mayotte on Thursday”, his office announced late on Tuesday, as authorities anticipate a death toll reaching hundreds – possibly even thousands – from the most destructive cyclone to hit the Indian Ocean archipelago in 90 years.

The true scale of the disaster is still being assessed as rescuers raced to find survivors in the ruins of slums such as those in the capital Mamoudzou, while also unblocking roads and clearing rubble and downed trees.

A curfew from 10pm to 4am was imposed as a security measure to prevent looting.

A preliminary toll from France‘s interior ministry shows that 22 people were confirmed killed and 1,373 injured. New French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou told parliament on Tuesday there were “200 badly wounded and 1,500 wounded in a relative state of urgency”.

“This toll could rise. We all know this,” he said.

“I have never seen a disaster of this magnitude on national soil,” Bayrou said later in a post on social media platform X.

“I think of the children whose houses have been swept away, whose schools have been almost all destroyed and whose parents are extremely distraught.”

Mayotte, located off southeastern Africa near Madagascar, is France’s poorest region. An estimated one-third of its population lives in shantytowns whose flimsy sheet metal-roofed homes offered scant protection against the storm.

Cyclone Chido, which hit Mayotte on Saturday before barrelling on to Mozambique, was the latest in a string of storms worldwide fuelled by climate change.

Experts say seasonal storms are being super-charged by warmer Indian Ocean waters, fuelling more powerful windspeeds.

Mayotte cyclone lays bare the fragility of France’s ‘forgotten’ territory

‘Crushed everything’

At Pamandzi, a small commune located off the main island, sheet metal debris and destroyed wooden structures were strewn as far as the eye could see.

“It was like a steamroller that crushed everything,” said Nasrine, a Mayotte teacher who declined to give her full name, as she showed visitors around the informal neighbourhood of La Vigie, which was razed.

Health services across Mayotte are in tatters, while power and mobile phone services have been knocked out.

The airport is closed to civilian flights and there is mounting concern over how to ensure supplies of drinking water.

“Everyone is rushing to the stores for water. There is a general shortage,” said Ali Ahmidi Youssouf, a 39-year-old resident walking on the road with a few bottles in his hand.

Bayrou said in Paris progress was being made with about 50 percent of the electricity network restarted, with a target of 75 percent “by the end of the week”.

Macron, who chaired a crisis meeting on Monday night, was initially due to take part in a Brussels summit with EU leaders, but cut short his trip to go to Mayotte.

French military support

Mayotte is one of several French overseas territories. Much of its population is Muslim and religious tradition dictates that bodies must be buried rapidly, meaning some may never be counted.

Assessing the toll is further complicated by irregular immigration to Mayotte, especially from the Comoros islands to the north, meaning much of the population is not even registered.

Mayotte officially has 320,000 inhabitants but authorities estimate about 100,000 to 200,000 more people, taking into account illegal immigration.

After hitting Mayotte, Cyclone Chido made landfall in Mozambique, claiming at least 34 lives and destroying 23,600 homes, authorities said.

French military planes have been shuttling between Mayotte and the island of La Reunion, also a French overseas territory, to the east that was spared the cyclone and is serving as the hub for rescue efforts.

The French navy support and assistance vessel Champlain, which set sail from La Reunion, is also due to arrive in Mayotte on Thursday morning with 180 tonnes of freight on board.

The disaster poses a major challenge for a government only operating in a caretaker capacity, days after Macron appointed the sixth prime minister of his presidency.

With winds exceeding 220 kilometres per hour – a ferocity not seen since the 1930s – Cyclone Chido lashed the Indian Ocean territory, where more than 77 percent of people survive below the poverty line and a third live in homes made of sheet metal and other lightweight materials. 

“Ninety percent of Mamoudzou is totally devastated – without water, without food, without electricity, without emergency access and without roofs,” Ambdilwahedou Soumaila, mayor of the capital city, told RFI. 

“We had no chance.” 

The sheer strength of Chido caught the people of Mayotte off guard, with the most vulnerable residents hit hardest. The territory’s port is strewn with boats piled upon each other, while damage to the airport has severely compromised relief efforts. 

Weather shield 

Mayotte typically benefits from Madagascar‘s natural shield against such weather systems, which usually weakens cyclones before they reach the territory. 

But Chido’s unusual trajectory meant no such protection was available, exposing the string of tiny islands to its full force. 

“In our 40 years of risk culture, this wasn’t something people believed could happen – at least not with this intensity,” Soumaila said. 

“Unfortunately, when it arrived, it was already too late.” 

Mayotte’s dense informal settlements – home to many illegal migrants – were obliterated, the lightweight structures offering little resistance to the cyclone’s winds. 

In Labattoir district of Dzaoudzi, a town on the island of Petite-Terre, homes have been eviscerated, roofs torn away and informal settlements reduced to twisted metal. 

Official sources estimate Mayotte’s registered population of 320,000 may be supplemented by between 100,000 and 200,000 additional undocumented residents. 

Macron to visit Mayotte and declare period of national mouring in wake of Cyclone Chido

Migrant fears 

While 10,000 emergency shelter spaces were made available before the storm, only 3,500 people sought refuge – a figure that points to deep-rooted problems in disaster preparedness and communication with vulnerable communities. 

Warning systems proved inadequate, according to the environmental news site Reporterre, which said emergency alerts were sent only in French to a population where many do not understand the language. 

Meanwhile illegal residents worried the shelters were a trap and feared being apprehended by authorities. Even children, who are not considered undocumented, were left unprotected, Soumaila told RFI. 

“These parents could have sent their children to safety, but they did not,” the mayor said. 

Emergency response 

The cyclone has severely damaged critical infrastructure, including the airport, port and hospital facilities. Many medical centres are no longer operational.  

The storm’s impact was worsened when the violet alert level halted all movement, just as hundreds of urgent calls for help began flooding in. 

“Between the moment when the violet alert was triggered, so no one could go out, neither rescuers nor law enforcement,” Soumaila said. 

“Unfortunately, it was too late for us to be able to go rescue people.” 

Forgotten territory 

Many in Mayotte have long felt neglected by France’s central government, and the devastation caused by Cyclone Chido has deepened those frustrations. 

Chronic underinvestment in infrastructure and public services has exacerbated the crisis. 

“This catastrophe shows the deep vulnerability of our territory,” Fahad Idaroussi Tsimanda, a doctor specialising in natural risks, told Reporterre.  

“The state has not provided the necessary resources to prepare for such a disaster … And as the cyclone approached, no one went to the shanty towns to warn the population.” 

Relief efforts stepped up in Mayotte as Cyclone Chido death toll set to soar

Health concerns 

Chido’s impact on Mayotte has exposed deep-rooted infrastructure failures that have plagued the archipelago for years.  

Only four in 10 homes have access to proper sanitation, leaving thousands vulnerable to disease as authorities scramble to avert a full-scale humanitarian disaster. 

“We must move quickly into the hills to prevent sanitary problems caused by decomposing bodies,” Soumaila said. 

The lack of clean water and food has become an immediate concern.”We must now avoid people going hungry after the devastation of this incredible cyclone,” he added. 

Threatening to perpetuate the cycle of vulnerability, some residents have already begun rebuilding their precarious, makeshift homes. 

“We’re seeing families, especially those who are undocumented, rebuilding their sheet metal huts,” Ali Nizary, president of the Mayotte Departmental Union of Family Associations, told French newspaper l’Humanité.  

“The solution is simple: we must prevent the reconstruction of shanty towns by rehousing these families.” 

The IEA’s Coal 2024 report forecasts that global demand will surpass 8.9 billion tonnes this year, marking the third consecutive annual record.

The agency now predicts coal consumption will peak in 2027, revising earlier estimates that projected a peak this year.

China, the world’s largest coal consumer, is expected to burn 4.9 billion tonnes of coal in 2024 – a record high. The surge is driven by rising electricity needs and continued reliance on coal-fired power plants.

While China has heavily invested in renewables like wind and solar, its coal consumption remains substantial. China accounts for over one-third of the world’s total coal usage.

Emerging economies like India and Indonesia are also increasing their coal consumption, offsetting declining demand in advanced economies such as the United States and the European Union.

Fossil fuel rise drives planet closer to critical climate safety limit

Hot year, rising emissions

The report comes as 2024 is on track to be the hottest year in recorded history, according to the EU’s climate monitor Copernicus.

Scientists have repeatedly warned of the urgent need to cut greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate the catastrophic effects of climate change.

“Our models show global demand for coal plateauing through 2027 even as electricity consumption rises sharply,” said Keisuke Sadamori, IEA director of energy markets and security.

France, Morocco sign deals worth €10bn on energy, infrastructure

Transition challenges

Efforts to transition away from coal remain slow, with countries struggling to commit to phasing out fossil fuels. Cop29, held this year in Azerbaijan, failed to deliver stronger global commitments to reduce coal usage.

The IEA highlighted that countries like Turkey now import more coal than the EU, as European reliance on coal continues to fall.

However, geopolitical developments, such as the possible return of Donald Trump to the US presidency, could disrupt climate progress.

Trump has previously dismissed climate change as a “hoax”, raising concerns about weakening global climate commitments.

The Appeal Court of Paris upheld  the life sentence given to Philippe Manier, a former Rwandan gendarme, who was retried for his involvement in the Tutsi genocide, after six and a half weeks of appeal proceedings.

Garnier (born Philippe Hategekimana in Rwanda) was found guilty on nearly all the charges brought against him.

His involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, during which an estimated 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis, were killed by Hutu forces and their allies, was central to the trial.

This verdict is part of a broader effort in France to bring perpetrators of the genocide to justice.

The president of the court said he was “the zealous arm of the genocide” through his “determined but decisive action”, adding that without him, “the facts would not have reached such a magnitude”.

Paris court upholds dismissal of case against French soldiers’ inaction in Rwanda

Satisfaction

Standing in the dock to hear the court’s decision, Manier did not react to the announcement of the sentence.

The verdict handed down by the court is in line with the charges brought by the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (Pnat) on 13 December.

The President of the ‘Collectif des parties civiles pour le Rwanda’ (CPCR), Alain Gauthier, told RFI after the hearing that the collective was “satisfied with this decision”.

“We had been waiting for it. Personally, I had no doubts about the decision that would be taken. Mr Hategekimana had the same line of defence as at first instance, i.e. that he was not present at the time of the acts of which he was accused. And frankly, it was an impossible defence,” he said.

Many massacres

Hategekimana, 67, became a naturalised French citizen in 2005 under the name Philippe Manier.

The former Rwandan gendarme has always denied any involvement in the genocide and has even claimed to have saved Tutsis.

In June this year, he was found guilty of participating in or encouraging the murder of dozens of Tutsis in the Butare prefecture in southern Rwanda in 1994.

Rwanda marks 30 years since genocide that horrified the world

Nicknamed Biguma at the time of the events, the former chief warrant officer was also accused of participating in or encouraging the murder of the mayor of Ntyazo, who resisted the implementation of the genocide in his commune.

According to the prosecution, Hategekimana had also ordered and supervised the erection of several “barriers”, some roadblocks “intended to control and kill Tutsi civilians”.

The prosecution also accused him of having participated in several massacres by giving orders, or even by being directly involved in the field.

The former gendarme’s lawyers have announced their intention to appeal to the French Court of Cassation.

 (with AFP) 

The controversy erupted less than a week after Bayrou was named as the sixth prime minister of President Emmanuel Macron’s mandate with the task of ending months of political crisis.

The veteran centrist had already ruffled some feathers by insisting that he would keep his post as mayor of the southwestern city of Pau while serving as prime minister. 

The appointment marks a significant moment in Macron’s second term, as Bayrou, a long-time ally of the president, steps into the role with a wealth of political experience.

Bayrou, who has served as the mayor of Pau, a southwestern city, for the past decade, made headlines even before his appointment by insisting on retaining his mayoral duties while taking on the prime ministership. This dual role raised eyebrows, especially since many previous prime ministers chose to resign from their municipal posts.

On Monday evening, Bayrou traveled to Pau to attend a town hall meeting, where he confirmed that he would stay on in the post that he has held for the last decade.

A proud native of southwestern France, Bayrou has long been a figure of political influence in the region. 

Mayotte crisis meeting

His absence from a crisis meeting on Mayotte, which Macron chaired to discuss the devastating aftermath of Cyclone Chido, raised some concerns.

Bayrou participated in the Mayotte discussion remotely via video conference, a move that was not well received by some.

Macron to visit Mayotte and declare period of national mouring in wake of Cyclone Chido

French National Assembly speaker Yael Braun-Pivet, a member of Macron’s centrist party, criticised his trip to Pau.

“In the face of such a catastrophe, it is important to be side-by-side with the people,” she told French public broadcaster Franceinfo.

“I would have preferred that the prime minister, instead of taking a plane for Pau, took a plane for Mamoudzou,” the capital of Mayotte, where hundreds are feared dead due to the cyclone.

The head of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) in parliament Mathilde Panot said that after “20 years of the politics of abandonment” of Mayotte, Bayrou “did not understand the symbol” he had sent by going to Pau.

Meanwhile, Republicans (LR) MP Thibault Bazin, suggested that the municipal council in Pau could have “done without” the presence of its mayor “given the situation in Mayotte and the urgency of having a government as soon as possible to give France a budget as soon as possible”.

François Bayrou named French prime minister as Macron seeks stability

On Tuesday, in front of the deputies, Bayrou defended his presence the day before in Pau arguing that “we do not have the right to separate the provinces and the circle of powers in Paris.”

“Pau is in France […] I chaired the municipal council of my city from 7pm to 11pm. I consider that, by doing so, I was also fulfilling my role as a citizen, and I intend to defend the idea that citizenship is not divided between being in Paris and fulfilling one’s responsibilities as a citizen on the ground,” he said.

Bayrou, appointed on Friday, has yet to name his cabinet, with the previous administration’s ministers staying on in a caretaker role for now. 

(with AFP)

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) alleges that Apple has bought contraband supplies from the country’s conflict-racked east and Rwanda, zones in which the materials are alleged to be mined illegally and then integrated into global supply chains before ending up in tech devices.

Apple’s French and Belgian units also deployed deceptive commercial practices to persuade consumers that its supply chains were clean, according to a statement from lawyers representing the DRC.

The French news agency AFP reports that complaints against Apple have been lodged in Paris and Brussels with the allegations encompassing war crimes, laundering, forgery and deception.

Last April, the legal team asked Apple CEO Tim Cook, along with Apple subsidiaries in France, about the potential inclusion of pillaged minerals in the company’s supply chain but did not receive substantive responses.

DR Congo accuses Apple of using ‘blood minerals’ from war-torn east

The DRC’s Washington-based lawyer Robert Amsterdam described the case as constituting a “first salvo” of judicial actions.

“Color Apple red, and not green. It is a trillion-dollar company that must be assumed to know the consequences of its actions. Enough with denials of accountability and hiding behind the false narrative of supply chain defenses!”, he said.

‘Endless enrichment’

Paris-based lawyer William Bourdon said the criminal complaints constitute “a first step towards making one of the biggest players in tech accountable for its policy of endless enrichment at the cost of the most serious of crimes staining African supply chains.”

Brussels lawyer Christophe Marchand added that “these complaints filed against Apple are a matter of great public interest at a time when European countries, consumers and non-governmental organisations are increasing their scrutiny of international supply chains.”

Computer chips and tech devices require a wide array of minerals and specialty metals.

Dark side of the mine: journalist unearths human cost of smartphones in DRC

The lawyers said that the scale and duration of the alleged activities have caused “unfathomable harm and suffering” for civilians, fuelling violence and conflict by financing militias and terrorist groups and contributing to forced child labour and environmental devastation.

They also cited investigations by the United Nations, the US State Department and international NGOs such as Global Witness to document the scale of the problem.

The lawyers said they have written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to inform her of the criminal complaints and to request a dialogue on the EU’s role in working towards accountability and an end to armed violence in sub-Saharan Africa’s mineral supply chains.

Apple last year said it had “no reasonable basis for concluding” its products contain illegally exported minerals from conflict-hit zones. The tech giant has insisted it carefully verifies the origin of materials in its output.

Rwanda has also dismissed the allegations as unfounded.

“This is just the latest blow by the DRC government, which is constantly seeking to divert attention to Rwanda with false accusations,” Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo told AFP.

DR Congo’s mineral-rich east has been racked by violence since the 1990s, with tensions worsening since a renewed offensive in late 2021 of Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in the DRC province of North Kivu.

Kinshasa has accused Rwanda of using M23 to take control of resource-rich eastern DRC.

(with AFP)

Denmark ha finally made the formal decision to refuse his extradition to Japan, Paul Watson’s lawyers told French daily Libération on Tuesday.

“Our Danish colleagues have just given us the good news,” Emmanuel Jez, one of Watson’s French advisors said.

The 73-year-old activist will finally be able to leave Greenland after 149 days in prison and return to France where his wife and children are based.

Watson’s detention was extended six times since July, and four of his appeals rejected, before the Minister of Justice, Peter Hummelgaard, made his decision.

“The procedure took longer than expected and hoped, given the public interest in this matter,” the minister’s office told Libération.

Political pawn

Watson, was one of the founding members of Greenpeace. He went on to create Sea Shepherd and then the Captain Paul Watson Foundation.

He was detained on 21 July in Nuuk, capital of the Danish autonomous territory of Greenland.

He had been refueling his ship John Paul DeJoria, before heading on to “intercept” a new Japanese whaling factory vessel in the North Pacific, according to the CPWF.

He has been the subject of a Japanese arrest warrant since 2012, which accuses him of causing damage to a whaling ship in the Antarctic in February 2010.

French icon Bardot lashes out at Japan over arrest of anti-whaling activist Paul Watson

Tokyo also accuses Watson of injuring a Japanese crew member with a stink bomb intended to disrupt the whalers’ activities during a Sea Shepherd clash with the Shonan Maru 2 vessel.

For Watson and his team, the extradition request had “nothing to do with what happened in 2010”, but was “a very political question” and the need for “revenge” from Japan who faced pressure over  “its illegal whaling activities”.

Japan, Norway and Iceland are the only three countries that still allow commercial whaling.

Relief

For Watson’s supporters, the news of his release is a huge relief.

“We are proud to have led this legal and political fight alongside his loved ones,” said François Zimeray, one of his lawyers and former French ambassador to Denmark between 2013 and 2018.

“He will be able to resume his fight for respect for nature, which is a fight for humanity and justice. Japan tried to silence a man whose only crime was to denounce the illegality of industrial massacre disguised as scientific research,” Zimeray told Libération.

“I find it hard to believe it, it’s surreal,” said Lamya Essemlali, the president of Sea Shepherd France and friend of the American-Canadian activist, who requested French citizenship in October.

“I have just left my hotel and am heading towards the prison, he will be released in the next few hours.”

(With newswires)

Governments worldwide are stepping up efforts to engage with Syria’s new interim rulers, just over a week after Islamist-led rebels ousted president Bashar al-Assad, ending decades of brutal rule and civil war.

Governments are carefully assessing their response to the new reality, especially in countries where the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group remains proscribed as a “terrorist” organisation.

HTS is rooted in Syria’s branch of Al-Qaeda, but since toppling Assad has sought to moderate its tone, vowing to protect members of all religious communities in the multi-confessional, multi-ethnic country.

A four-strong French diplomatic team is due in Damascus on Tuesday to “retake possession of our real estate”, make “initial contact” with the new authorities, and “evaluate the urgent needs of the population”, acting Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Monday.

France welcomes fall of Syria’s Assad, calls for peaceful transition

Turkey, a key backer of HTS, reopened its embassy in Damascus, on Saturday.

Both Britain and the United States also confirmed they were in touch with HTS despite officially considering the organisation a terrorist group.

“We can have diplomatic contact and so we do have diplomatic contact,” British Foreign Minister David Lammy said as he announced an aid package for Syrians.

The embassy of the Gulf Emirate of Qatar is also to resume operations Tuesday, its foreign ministry announced Sunday as its diplomats visited the country and met with representatives of its transitional government.

Unlike other Arab states, Qatar never restored diplomatic ties with Assad after a rupture in 2011.

Syrians hold rallies in Paris and across Europe to celebrate fall of Assad

‘Peaceful future’

Meanwhile, in a joint statement after a meeting in Jordan on Monday, diplomats from the European Union, the United States, Turkey, and Arab countries “affirmed the full support to the Syrian people at this critical point in their history to build a more hopeful, secure and peaceful future”.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that the bloc, Syria‘s biggest aid provider, is “interested in rebuilding and reconstruction of Syria”.

“We can’t leave a vacuum,” Kallas said, adding: “For us, it’s not only the words, but we want to see the deeds going to the right direction. So not only what they are saying, but also what they are doing,” she indicated, referring to HTS leaders.

The EU and its counterparts called for a Syrian-led transition to “produce an inclusive, non-sectarian and representative government formed through a transparent process”, with respect for human rights.

“Syria finally has the chance to end decades of isolation,” the group said.

The head of the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, in the country’s northeast, on Saturday appealed on social media platform X for Kurds “to adopt a favourable position toward the Syrian dialogue”.

UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen – who met interim prime minister Mohammad al-Bashir – urged participants in the Jordan talks to provide humanitarian aid and to ensure “that state institutions do not collapse”.

Assad – who has sought refuge in ally Russia on Monday said he left Syria only after Damascus had fallen and he denounced the country’s new leaders as “terrorists”.

Five former officials previously told French news agency AFP that hours before rebel forces seized Damascus on 8 December, the former Syrian president was already out of the country.

The officials said that the night before, Assad had even asked his close adviser to prepare a speech – which the ousted leader never gave – before flying from Damascus airport to Russia’s Hmeimim air base, and from there out of the country.

Waiting for ‘positive signals’

Meanwhile, foreign ministers from the United States, UK, France, Germany and Italy will hold a virtual meeting on Tuesday on developments in Syria, Italy’s Antonio Tajani said Monday.

“We hope that the first positive signals will transform into concrete positive signals,” Foreign Minister Tajani said at a conference of diplomats at the Italian foreign ministry.

Italy, which holds the presidency of the G7 group of rich nations in 2024, earlier this year named an ambassador to Damascus for the first time in over a decade.

(With newswires)

Envisaging a multi-orbital network of almost 300 satellites, Iris² aims to rival US satellite internet service providers such as Elon Musk’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper.

“This cutting-edge constellation will protect our critical infrastructures, connect our most remote areas and increase Europe’s strategic autonomy,” said European Commission vice president Henna Virkkunen.

The system, developed as a public-private partnership, will serve both governments and private clients.

With an estimated budget of €10.6 billion euro, Iris² is to allow for secure communications for military, defence and diplomatic purposes.

Surveillance, connectivity in natural disaster-hit areas and commercial broadband access are among its other potential uses, according to the European Union.

On Monday, the EU signed a 12-year concession for the implementation of the project with SpaceRISE, a consortium led by France’s Eutelsat, Spain’s Hispasat and Luxembourg’s SES.

Other partners include OHB, Airbus Defence and Space, Telespazio, Deutsche Telekom, Orange and Hisdesat.

The EU’s commissioner for defence and space Andrius Kubilius hailed the signing as the launch of “a vision of a stronger, more connected, and more resilient Europe”.

“Iris² demonstrates the Union’s resolve and commitment to strengthening Europe’s space global posture both in terms of security and competitiveness to the benefit of our governments, businesses and citizens,” said Kubilius.

More than half of the project’s budget will be footed by the EU, with €4.1 billion coming from private investment and €550 million from the European Space Agency (ESA).

The launch comes as the market for high-speed space connectivity, particularly useful for serving isolated regions, has become ultra-competitive.

Ariane 6 rocket debuts successfully restoring Europe’s space independence

6,000 satellites

Earlier this year, Starlink claimed to have already put more than 6,000 satellites into orbit, serving 2.6 million customers.

While Iris² counts on a lower number of satellites, its multi-orbital design puts it on par with a constellation of about 1,000 Starlink satellites in terms of performance, EU officials said.

Iris² earth-based infrastructure will be located exclusively in Europe with control centres in Luxembourg, France and Italy. The system will be fully operational by 2030.

“This programme not only addresses today’s connectivity needs but also lays the groundwork for Europe’s strategic autonomy in a digitalised world,” the bloc said in a statement.

Iris² is the EU’s third large space project, after the Galileo satellite navigation system and the Copernicus Earth monitoring satellite constellation.

(With newswires)

Out of the Bundestag deputies, 394 voted against Scholz while only 207 expressed confidence in the chancellor, with 116 abstentions.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier can now move to dissolve the legislature and formally declare the agreed 23 February election date.

Friedrich Merz – the top candidate of the conservative CDU-CSU opposition alliance of ex-chancellor Angela Merkel – is well ahead in opinion polls.

The political contest comes at a time when Europe’s top economy is struggling to revive its stuttering export-led industrial sector amid high energy prices and tough competition from China.

Berlin also faces major geopolitical challenges as it confronts Russia over the Ukraine war and as Donald Trump’s looming return to the White House heightens uncertainty over NATO and trade ties.

Minority government

Merz, a former corporate lawyer, has persistently attacked the alliance of the chancellor’s Social Democrats (SPD), the left-leaning Greens and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP).

Coalition bickering over fiscal and economic woes came to a head when Scholz fired his rebellious FDP finance minister Christian Lindner on 6 November, the very day Donald Trump was re-elected.

The departure of Lindner’s FDP left Scholz at the helm of a minority government with the Greens of Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

Unable to pass major bills or a new state budget without opposition support, the government is now limping along, with all sides in election mode.

Germany’s political turmoil comes as France has also been roiled by crisis and gridlock which saw President Emmanuel Macron on Friday asking centrist politician François Bayrou to try to form a new government.

Uncertainty looms over Germany as Scholz navigates political crisis

Politics ‘in crisis’

German politics in the post-war era was long staid, stable and dominated by the two parties, the CDU-CSU and the SPD, with the small FDP often playing kingmaker.

The Greens emerged in the 1980s, but the political landscape has been further fragmented over the past decade by the rise of the the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), a shock for a country whose dark World War II history had long made far-right parties taboo.

Formed as a Eurosceptic fringe party, the AfD grew into a major political force when it protested against Merkel’s open-door policy to migrants, and now has around 18 percent voter support.

While other parties have committed to a “firewall” of non-cooperation with the AfD, some of them have borrowed from its anti-immigration and anti-Islam rhetoric.

Following the fall of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, some CDU lawmakers were quick to demand that the around one million Syrian refugees in Germany return to their home country.

Germany’s Scholz says EU must not be daunted by Russia, but urges reform of the bloc

‘Plagued by doubt’

The winter election is all the more heated as it comes at a time “the German model is in crisis,” said Berlin-based political scientist Claire Demesmay of Sciences Po Paris.

According to Demesmay, Germany’s prosperity “was built on cheap energy imported from Russia, on a security policy outsourced to the USA, and on exports and subcontracting to China”.

She added that the country was now in a sweeping process of reorientation which is “feeding fears within society that are reflected on the political level”. 

“We can see a political discourse that is more tense than a few years ago. We have a Germany plagued by doubt”.

A report released recently ranks Eurostar as the worst-performing rail operator among 27 companies in Europe, citing expensive and unreliable service, while Italy’s Trenitalia claims the top spot.

“Our analysis shows that ticket prices do not correlate with higher service quality,” the report by Transport and Environment concluded.

While Austria’s “OBB and Trenitalia offer a strong price-to-quality ratio, operators like Eurostar charge nearly twice the European average price per kilometre, yet fail to deliver better services,” the sustainable transport NGO said.

Eurostar – which links France, Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands ranked only 14th on reliability. 

Pricing and reliability

The research group looked at eight criteria on medium and long-distance routes.

While comparing prices was important, the study also considered reliability, discount programmes, compensation policies in the event of delays, passenger experience and the existence of night trains or bicycle spaces.

Trenitalia was followed by Switzerland’s SBB with the Czech Republic’s RegioJet in third in the overall ranking.

France’s SNCF was fifth just behind OBB.

French rail company looks to greener future with zero emission hydrogen trains

Room for improvement

The study however said that all companies could improve their on-time performance. 

“The reliability of major rail operators in Europe remains disappointing. Of the 25 operators with punctuality data, only 11 achieve a rate above 80 percent,” it said.

Germany’s Deutsche Bahn – the largest train operator in Europe and which is struggling with an aging network – was 25th in reliability and 16th overall. 

T&E said the opening up of competition has improved service on several lines such as Madrid-Barcelona and Milan-Rome, but noted that privatisation did not improve train services in Britain.  

Transport and Environment also called on governments to invest in track networks to improve reliability and reduce fees on train operators in order to reduce ticket prices. 

(with newswires)

The landmark decision was announced on Sunday at an Ecowas summit of regional heads of state in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.

The The Special Tribunal for Gambia will cover alleged crimes committed under military dictator Yahya Jammeh, whose rule from 1996 to 2017 was marked by arbitrary detention, sexual abuse and extrajudicial killings.

Gambian court sentences five former spies to death for Jammeh-era murder

Jammeh lost a presidential election in 2016 to current President Adama Barrow and went into exile in Equatorial Guinea after initially refusing to step down.

Calls for justice for the victims of the dictatorship had been growing for years in Gambia, a country surrounded by Senegal except for a small Atlantic coastline.

Crimes against humanity

In 2021, a truth commission in the country wrapped up its hearings with strong recommendations, urging the government to try perpetrators.

In May, Jammeh’s former interior minister was sentenced to 20 years in jail by a Swiss court for this crimes against humanity.

US moves to seize Gambia ex-leader Yahya Jammeh’s $3.5 million mansion

In November, a German court convicted a Gambian man, Bai Lowe, of murder and crimes against humanity for involvement in the killing of government critics in Gambia.

The man was a driver for a military unit deployed against opponents of Jammeh.

Gambia’s Justice Ministry described the move as a “historic development” that “marks a significant step forward for Gambia, the region, and international community” in a statement.

The Cinémathèque, a film archive and cinema partly funded by the French state, announced the decision to cancel the 15 December screening of Last Tango in Paris in order “to calm tensions and in light of potential security risks”.

“We are a cinema, not a fortress. We cannot take risks with the safety of our staff and audience,” said Cinémathèque director Frédéric Bonnaud.

“Violent individuals were beginning to make threats and holding this screening and debate posed an entirely disproportionate risk. So, we had to let it go,” he added.

Last Tango in Paris, directed by Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci in 1972, was scheduled to be shown Sunday evening as part of a retrospective of work by American actor Marlon Brando.

Actress Judith Godrèche, a prominent figure in France’s #MeToo movement, led criticism of the decision to screen the film without providing context to viewers, which she said disrespected the memory of Maria Schneider, who died in 2011.

“It’s time to wake up, dear Cinémathèque, and restore humanity to 19-year-old actresses by behaving humanely,” she wrote on Instagram.

French actress dominates Césars with calls for reckoning on sexual violence

The film delves into the complex relationship between a widowed American man in Paris and a much younger woman, culminating in a disturbing, non-consensual sodomy scene.

While the sex was simulated, it later emerged that Schneider had been kept in the dark about what was to happen by Brando and Bertolucci, who were both later nominated for Oscars. 

Public discussion

Schneider later revealed she was in tears during the filming, and Brando did not console her afterwards.

Schneider’s allegations, first made in the 1970s, were largely dismissed at the time, a topic explored in the recent documentary “Maria.”

The 50/50 collective, a group advocating for gender parity in cinema, called on the Cinémathèque to provide a “thoughtful and respectful” space for Schneider’s testimony alongside the screening.

The Cinémathèque promised last week to hold a “discussion with the audience” to address the issues raised by the film. 

Bonnaud pointed out that the film had been screened “without incident” at the Cinémathèque in 2017 – before the #MeToo era brought violence against women to the fore. 

(with AFP)

“I would like to start by hailing the courage of my ex-wife” Gisèle Pelicot, her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot said in his final statement to the court ahead of the verdict later in the week.

“I regret what I did, making (my family) suffer… I ask them for forgiveness,” he said, asking the family to “accept my apologies”.

In a trial that has shocked the country, Dominique Pelicot, 72, has admitted to drugging his then wife Gisèle Pelicot for almost a decade so he and strangers he recruited online could rape her.

Gisèle Pelicot, 72, has become a feminist hero at home and abroad for refusing to be ashamed and standing up to her aggressors in court.

Alongside her ex-husband, 50 other men aged 27 to 74 are on trial, including one who did not abuse her but instead raped his own wife with Dominique Pelicot’s help.

Sitting in the glass defendants’ box, Dominique Pelicot reaffirmed that he had told “the whole truth” since the beginning of the trial on 2 September in the southern French city of Avignon.

France gets new helpline amid trauma of mass rape trial

He also thanked the court for allowing him to remain seated on a special chair because of his fragile state of health, which “could have been interpreted as nonchalance” but which was not, he added.

He added that “I have been called many things” but “I rather intend to be forgotten,” saying he felt an “inner shame”.

“I can tell my whole family that I love them,” he said.

Turning to the five judges who will issue the verdict, he said: “There you go, you have the rest of my life in your hands.”

Mass rape trial revives question of consent within French law

On 25 November, prosecutors requested the maximum possible sentence – 20 years behind bars – against him for aggravated rape.

Shortly after the closing statements, the presiding judge announced that the delivery of the verdict was scheduled for Thursday morning.

“We will head to the deliberation chamber and will not leave until we have made our decision,” Roger Arata told the court, warning that the timing was “theoretical” and it could be postponed to Thursday afternoon or Friday morning.

(with AFP)

Laurent Bonadei’s charges will kick off their campaign for a first international title on 5 July against England. Their other Group D games follow on 9 July and 13 July.

The tournament, which will be played at eight venues across Switzerland, will be the first major test for 55-year-old Bonadei who took over from Hervé Renard last summer after France were eliminated in the quarter-finals at the Olympic Games in Paris.

Hosts Switzerland, who will feature in Group A, will open the football fest on 2 July against Norway at St Jakob-Park in Basel. They will also play Finland and Iceland.

Germany, who lost to England in the final in 2022, will take on Poland, Denmark and Sweden in Group C. In Group B, world champions Spain will face Portugal, Belgium and Italy.

The top two from each of the four pools advance to the last eight knockout stages where penalty shoot-outs kick in if the scores are level after 30 minutes of extra-time.

The semis are scheduled for Geneva and Zurich respectively on 22 and 23 July and the final will be played on 27 July at St Jakob-Park.

Before the draw at the Swiss Tech Convention Centre in Lausanne, the executive committee of the organisers Uefa approved a 41 million euro prize fund for the competition.

Uefa handed out 16m euros to the teams competing at the 2022 tournament in England which was delayed by a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Lookman, 27, emerged as one of the favourites for the prestigious trophy for his performances in the Nigeria national team on the way to the final at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations at the start of the year.

He boosted his chances with a hat trick for his Italian club side Atalanta in the 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the final in May of the 2024 Europa League.

Since the start of the Serie A season, Lookman has been an integral feature in the team’s rise to the top of the table.

“This is something incredible,” said Lookman after receiving the award. “To the youth of Africa I say never give up. Turn pain to power.”

Banda, 24, claimed her prize after an inspirational first season in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the United States.

Following her move from the Chinese outfit Shanghai Shengli to Orlando Pride in March, she starred as the side surged to the NWSL Championship.

Banda scored the winner in the final against Washington Spirit and was later named the championship’s most valuable player.

In other categories, Cote d’Ivoire won the national men’s team of the year for their psychedelic waltz to the Africa Cup of Nations trophy in February.

After suffering a 4-0 defeat to Equatorial Guinea – their worst loss at home in their 64-year history – the Ivorians scraped into the last-16 knockout stages as the fourth of the four best third-placed teams at the tournament.

But they came back from the seemingly dead in the last-16 against defending champions Senegal and Mali in the quarter-finals to live up to their nickname of “Les Revenants” – The Zombies.

They saw off Democratic Republic of Congo in the semis and Nigeria in the final to claim the Cup of Nations for a third time. Unsurprisingly, Emerse Faé, who was appointed during the tournament after the sudden departure of Jean-Louis Gasset, was designated men’s coach of the year for masterminding Cote d’Ivoire’s voyage to rapture.

Lamia Boumehdi won the equivalent in the women’s category for taking TP Mazembe to the 2024 women’s Champions League title. Nigeria’s women claimed the team of the year after finishing 2024 as Africa’s top side in the rankings of world football’s governing body Fifa.

Ahead of the Paris’s Arcurial auction house an exhibition showcased a remarkable collection of historical documents, including private correspondences with Charles de Gaulle and figures like Winston Churchill and Josephine Baker.

“This is the most historic collection I’ve ever handled,” Stéphane Aubert, an auctioneer at Artcurial, told public broadcaster franceinfo.

“These documents offer a rare glimpse into the life of General de Gaulle, from his childhood through to his death in Collombey-les-Deux-Eglises.”

Among the items is a notebook filled with visionary stories from de Gaulle’s youth, including the manuscript of his first book from 1924, La Discorde chez l’ennemi (The Enemy’s House Divided).

“What’s extraordinary is that he already saw himself as a general. He refers to himself as General de Gaulle, commanding an army of 300,000 men, ready to fight the Germans,”explains Aubert.

Other items up for sale include a tiny lead soldier, a collection of youth poems, and de Gaulle’s high school diploma.

Also featured is an electric train with Cyrillic inscriptions, a gift from Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to de Gaulle’s grandchildren in 1960.

“We were born just after the war!” says Jacques, a collector. “These items really take us back to our childhood. We lived through that whole era.”

Remembering France’s Oradour-sur-Glane massacre, one heirloom at a time

Manuscript

The auction was organised by De Gaulle’s descendants who inherited a trove of personal items from his brother, Philippe, who died at the age of 103 in March.

However, not everything is being sold. One key piece – a document from 1940 – remains off-limits.

It was de Gaulle’s Appeal of 18 June was broadcast by the BBC from London in which De Gaulle urged French people to fight on, laying the foundation for the underground resistance movement.

“Has the last word been said? Should hope disappear? Is defeat final? No! Believe me… nothing is lost for France,” De Gaulle said.

For Aubert, this is “the most important manuscript in French history”.

“It’s the 18 June manuscript, with dense, fine handwriting, full of crossings-out and corrections. That’s how de Gaulle wrote,” Aubert says.

Macron marks 84 years since de Gaulle’s call to resist Nazi occupation

Modern French state

Many visitors have expressed surprise that the family is parting with such significant items.

“I feel like a whole part of history is going to be scattered among private collectors,” says a visitor. “Perhaps all these documents should have been preserved in a single place of memory.”

Actually, much of Charles de Gaulle’s archive has already been donated to the French National Library (BNF).

A portion of the revenue from this sale will go to the Anne de Gaulle Foundation, a place founded in 1945 to take in young mentally handicapped women.

The French state and private institutions are expected to be among the buyers of the memorabilia from a man considered the father of the modern French state.

The service will run daily between Berlin Hauptbahnhof and Paris Gare de l’Est, stopping in Strasbourg, Karlsruhe and Frankfurt Sud, with the journey taking about eight hours in total.

Until now, journeys between the two capitals involved several connections, taking anywhere up to 10 hours. 

Named “ICE 3”, the high-speed train offers 444 seats, including 111 in first class.

There will initially be just one service each day, leaving Paris at 9.55am and arriving in Berlin just after 6pm. The return trip will leave Berlin at 11.54am, arriving in Paris just before 8pm.

Seats went on sale in October, with fares starting from €59 for a one-way second-class ticket and €69 for first class.

Prices will fluctuate according to demand and passengers will now able to pre-book 12 months ahead, up from the current six.

German-owned Deutsche Bahn and France’s SNCF began cooperating in 2007, and since then ICE and TGV trains have run between Frankfurt and Paris, and Stuttgart and Paris.

Wheels in motion for railway strike action across France

Cleaner transport push

The new Berlin-Paris route has been highly anticipated for years, with train operators across Europe under pressure to increase their services amid a political push to persuade people to use greener transport options.

Deutsche Bahn board member Michael Peterson says the partnership sends a strong signal of the development of European rail travel. “With our cooperative partners, we continue to fully focus on growth to enable more quality international rail connections. This is the only way for Europe to achieve its climate goals.”

France seeks end to cut-price air fares to fight environmental dumping

CEO Alain Krakovitch of SNCF welcomed the initiative as proof of the Franco-German commitment to a more connected and greener Europe.

SNCF points out that only 2kgs of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are generated by the new Paris-Berlin journey, compared to 200kgs of emissions for the same distance by plane.

With the addition of the new high-speed line, the rail operators will provide 26 daily connections between France and Germany, including links such as Paris-Stuttgart/Munich, Paris-Frankfurt, Frankfurt-Marseille and the seasonal summer service between Frankfurt and Bordeaux.

Night and day

The Paris-Berlin daytime link complements a night-time connection between the two capitals, managed by Austrian rail company OBB in partnership with SNCF and Deutsche Bahn.

The OBB Nightjet takes around 13 hours and 15 minutes but only departs three times a week – on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. It was relaunched last year but has been beset by numerous technical problems.

French rail company looks to greener future with zero emission hydrogen trains

A study published by Transport and Environment, which advocates for cleaner transport across Europe, last week revealed performance rankings for 27 European rail operators.

The research looked at eight criteria on medium and long-distance routes. Price was the most important of these, but the study also considered reliability, discount programmes, compensation in the event of delays, passenger experience and the existence of night trains and bicycle spaces.

Deutsche Bahn, the largest train operator in Europe, ranked 25th in reliability and 16th overall. SNCF was fifth just behind OBB, while Italy’s Trenitalia topped the list.

Referee Benoît Bastien stopped play eight minutes into the second-half with PSG leading 2-1 after hearing the abusive din.

PSG skipper Achraf Hakimi approached supporters in the Auteuil stand behind one of the goals pleading for them to stop.

A message was also displayed on the stadium’s giant screens warning spectators that such chants are forbidden.

“The match could be stopped and the game awarded to Lyon,” the announcement added.

Play eventually resumed after a few minutes and substitute Gonçalo Ramos sealed the victory in the closing stages for the hosts. The Portugal international slotted home after Lyon goalkeeper Lucas Perri parried Bradley Barcola’s shot into his path.

PSG boast 37 points after 15 of the season’s 34 games. Marseille, who drew 1-1 with Lille on Saturday afernoon, lie in second with 30 points along with Monaco, who were held to a goalless draw at Reims on Saturday night.

“It was a fantastic weekend,” said PSG boss Luis Enrique. “Out of the top nine teams, only PSG won and we’ve opened up a gap. We played against a very confident Lyon side who hadn’t lost in 10 matches and I think we performed at a very high level.”

However, off the field, the homophobic chanting – less than two months after similar abuse during the game at the Parc des Princes against Strasbourg – is likely to have far-reaching consequences for PSG.

France’s Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, who has vowed to crackdown on bad behaviour in football grounds, could turn up the pressure on football authorities to sanction clubs that fail to bring their supporters into line.

Action

In the wake of the Strasbourg encounter, the Ligue de Football Professionnel, (LFP), which organises the top two divisions, ordered PSG to partially close one of the stands at the Parc des Princes for the match against Toulouse on 22 November.

PSG said in a statement that it reaffirmed its commitment against all forms of discrimination, including homophobia.

“PSG is taking all necessary measures, before and during matches, to ensure that the Parc des Princes remains an inclusive venue for all,” the statement added.

Under French law, those found guilty of making anti-gay remarks in public can face up to one year in prison and fines reaching €45,000.

Last season, several PSG players received a one-match suspended sentence from the league’s disciplinary committee for their involvement in offensive chants directed at Marseille supporters following a 4-0 victory. Ousmane Dembélé, Hakimi, Randal Kolo Muani, and Layvin Kurzawa were caught on video using derogatory language during their celebrations.

They later issued public apologies for their actions. 

The project, overseen by Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi, includes 22 short films spanning documentary, animation, and drama.

The films aim to share the voices of people living through the conflict in Gaza, offering a glimpse into their fears, dreams and hopes.

“The idea for From Ground Zero came immediately, in the second month of this ongoing war, to try to pick up films and stories from Gaza,” Masharawi told RFI.

He explained that the goal was to give filmmakers in Gaza the chance to make their own films.

As a recent report from Reporters Without Borders (RSF) underlines the toll of the war on Palestinian journalists, RFI spoke with him and his team in Paris.

RSF says Israel responsible for one-third of journalist deaths in 2024

The shorts, ranging from three to six minutes, are “a mix between fiction, documentaries, video art and even experimental films,” he said.

“We are filmmakers, we are dealing with cinema. Even if it’s a catastrophe, it’s very tough with all the massacres. But we were also trying to make cinema, to add life, to be optimistic and to add hope.”

The 112-minute collection is presented as a feature film in two parts. Contributors include Reema Mahmoud, Muhammad Al Sharif, Tamer Nijim and Alaa Islam Ayou.

From film festivals to the Oscars

After premiering at the Toronto Film Festival in September, From Ground Zero toured film festivals across Europe, North Africa and South West Asia in November and December.

Screenings have taken place at the French Arab Film Festival near Paris, the Bristol Palestine Film Festival and in London. Additional showings are scheduled for Morocco and Egypt.

Earlier this year, Masharawi held an outdoor screening of the film during the Cannes Film Festival to protest its exclusion from the event.

Now, the collection has been selected to represent Palestine at the Oscars in March 2025, with hopes of a wider release in the United States, Europe and the Middle East.

UN rapporteur says Israel’s war in Gaza is ’emptying the land completely’

Emerging voices

The project was made possible by the Masharawi Fund for Gaza Filmmakers, launched in November 2023 to support creative talent from the territory.

Masharawi, who is from Gaza, is one of the first Palestinian filmmakers to have directed cinema projects in the occupied Palestinian territories.

His first film, Travel Document, was released in 1986, followed by The Shelter in 1989 and Long Days in Gaza in 1991.

The executive producer of the film, Laura Nikolov, who is French and based in France, is travelling with Masharawi to promote the film around the world.

“It’s a very unique project,” she told RFI. “We have now translated it into 10 different languages. We made this to allow the voices of the Gazan people [to be heard] and it’s working. I think we’ve reached more than 60, perhaps 80 screenings and festivals.”

With its selection for the Oscars, Nikolov is hopeful that the film will reach even wider audiences.

“This means it will be shown in cinemas in the United States,” she said, adding that they hope to expand its reach across Europe and the Middle East.

This dramatic end to the Assad family’s half-century rule over Syria marks a significant shift in the region’s balance of power, with analysts predicting that Turkey’s influence in Syria could now grow at the expense of its regional rivals.

“Turkey emerged… by proving its relevance, importance and its strength… out of these latest developments in Syria… as the clean, clear winner,” says Aydin Selcen, a former senior Turkish diplomat who served in the region and is now a foreign policy analyst for Turkey’s independent Medyascope news outlet.

“And Iran is definitely the loser. And Russia also is pushed aside.”

Success of rebel groups in Syria advances Turkish agenda

The Turkish-backed Syrian National Army played a role in the overthrow of Assad. However, it was the radical Islamist group Hayat Tahir Al Sham – or HTS – that led the offensive. And that, analysts say, will be a cause for apprehension in Ankara.

“Despite all the jubilation of the Turkish press and the government and the circles that support the government about the collapse of the Assad regime in general, I would think there is some uneasiness,” says Hasan Unal, professor of international relations at Ankara’s Baskent University.   

“I can see it through lots of problematic issues that would be coming out of what’s going to happen,” he added, “because of the ideological Islamist leanings of the incumbent government and… the Islamic jihadist terrorist groups associated with it.”

Support and protection

However, Turkey may not be entirely without influence over Syria’s new Islamist leaders. For years, it provided support and protection to the Idlib region of Syria, where HTS was based. 

Analyst Aydin Selcen suggests Ankara could retain significant influence if recent statements by HTS leadership calling for an inclusive Syrian government are honoured.  

“If pragmatism prevails, that’s perhaps where Turkey and Ankara may come in. And also Ankara definitely will be viewed as a positive outside contributor by these new Syrian rulers, because of the fact that we here in Turkey are hosting over 5 million Syrians and also that Turkey helped protect Idlib.”

Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan, addressing an international conference in Doha last Sunday, 8 December, said that Turkey is committed to helping secure a politically inclusive new Syria. 

Turkey’s Syrian refugees 

A stable Syria is also key to Ankara’s goal of sending home millions of Syrian refugees now living in Turkey. Public resentment over their presence has grown, as the country has grappled with an economic crisis over the past few years.

However, such a return may not be simple, predicts Sezin Oney, a commentator on Turkey’s independent Politikyol news site.

“The refugees, the Syrians you have in Turkey, are mostly women and children. So it has to be a [new Syrian] government, an administration, friendly to women and children, especially women.”

“But we don’t know if these Islamic jihadist groups will be really friendly towards these groups,” he added.

“There might be a Taliban 2.0 arising just across the border; we don’t know what kind of administration HTS and surrounding groups will be. It’s a big security risk; I don’t see Syria settling down to become a safe clash-free place.” 

‘Imperative’ to work against IS in Syria, Blinken tells Turkey

For now, Erdogan is celebrating the overthrow of Assad as a Turkish triumph, with European leaders and Washington queuing up to speak to him as Turkey positions itself as a key player in shaping Syria’s future.

But the sudden demise of the Assad regime underscores how quickly fortunes can change in the region, and the future of Syria – and Turkey’s role in it – are today more uncertain than ever. 

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 winners’ 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.

The RFI English team is pleased to announce that Saleem Akhtar Chadhar, the president of the RFI Seven Stars Listening Club in District Chiniot, Pakistan, won the RFI / Planète Radio ePOP video contest, in the RFI Clubs category. Bravo Saleem! Mubarak ho!

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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: Zahurul Islam Joy from Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Welcome, Zahural!

This week’s quiz: On 9 November, I asked you a question about the American composer and musician Quincy Jones, who died earlier that week.

You were to re-read our article “Tributes roll in for beloved musician and producer Quincy Jones, who died at 91”, and send in the answer to this question: What is the name of the legendary Frenchwoman with whom Jones studied in Paris in 1957?

The answer is: Nadia Boulanger, arguably the single most important composition teacher of the 20th century.  

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: What is the best way to flatter a mother-in-law?

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Pradip Chandra Kundu from West Bengal, India. Pradip is also this week’s bonus question winner. Congratulations, Pradip!

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are RFI Listeners Club members Zenon Teles, the president of the Christian – Marxist – Leninist – Maoist Association of Listening DX-ers in Goa, India, and Ataur Rahman Ranju, the president of the Alokito Manush Cai International Radio Listeners Club in Rangpur, Bangladesh. Rounding out the list of this week’s winners are RFI English listeners Shatrudhan Sharma from Rajasthan, India, and Mahfuz from Cumilla, Bangladesh.

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Tamasha” by Aamer Shafiq, Farhan Bogra, Shiraz Khan, and Sparlay Rawail, performed by Khumaariyan; “No Bones at All” by Quincy Jones, performed by the Quincy Jones Ensemble conducted by the composer; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and the traditional Mexican huasteco “La Huasanga”, performed by Xochicanela.

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 “France’s support for Syrian transition hinges on respect for minority rights”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 20 January to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 25 January 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.   

Kolawole Osinowo, CEO of Baobab Plus in Nigeria – a French-Nigerian energy distribution company – highlighted the challenges of energy access in the country.

“A lot of people in Nigeria don’t have access to electricity, so we’re supporting the government by bridging the gap,” Osinowo told RFI.

“There’s a connection in terms of technological and financial support that is key.”

Osinowo said he hopes to shift Africa-Europe relations from being aid-driven to investment-focused, aiming to boost Nigeria’s economy and create jobs.

“This is essential so that people don’t have to migrate and cause different migration issues around the world,” he said.

Creative partnerships

Uchenna Pedro, founder of the lifestyle platform Bella Naija and named one of Forbes Africa’s 50 Most Influential Women, emphasised France’s potential as a partner in Nigeria’s creative industries.

“French industries in my domains bring high value, and France’s belief in the arts makes it a great partnership,” said Pedro. Her platform already collaborates with French companies like L’Oréal in the beauty and fashion sectors.

Pedro is also a member of the French Africa Foundation’s young leaders group, which supports initiatives connecting France with African nations.

Nigerian businesses court French investors during Tinubu’s landmark visit

France as a cultural hub

Singer-songwriter and activist Chioma Ogbonna, known as Cill, also praised France’s prioritisation of the arts and its thriving creative industry.

“Because of how the arts and the creative industry thrive here in France and how it is prioritised, it is an important destination for Africans and Nigerians especially,” she said.

Tinubu’s visit underscored the potential for deeper collaboration between Nigerian businesses and French investors, particularly in energy, culture, and creative sectors.

Episode recorded and mixed by Erwan Rome.

Spotlight on Africa is a podcast from Radio France Internationale.

The lightning offensive of Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, which has seen the rebels capture several major Syrian cities in less than two weeks, gives Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan leverage over his Syrian counterpart President Bashar al-Assad.

“Turkey can easily stop both [rebel] entities and start a process. Turkey does have this strength, and Assad is well aware of it,” said Murat Aslan of the SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, a Turkish pro-government think tank. 

Until now, Assad has rejected Erdogan’s overtures for dialogue to end the civil war peacefully. “The Turkish intention politically is not to escalate in Syria [but to] start a political, diplomatic engagement with the Assad regime, and come to the terms of a normal state, and that all Syrians safely return to their homes,” Aslan noted.

Syrian rebels surround Hama ‘from three sides’, monitor says

Syrian refugees an issue

Erdogan is seeking to return many of the estimated 4 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey, amid growing public unease over their presence in the country.

“According to the opinion polls here, yes, the Syrian refugees [are] an issue. For any government, it would be a wonderful win to see these Syrians going back to Syria of their own will,” explained Aydin Selcen, a former senior Turkish diplomat who served in the region and is now a foreign policy analyst for Turkey’s Medyascope news outlet.

However, Moscow has a lot to lose in Syria, as a key military backer of Assad, who in turn has granted Russia use of a key Syrian naval base. “For Moscow, it’s of crucial importance that the personality of Assad remains in power,” said Zaur Gasimov, a professor of history and a Russia specialist at the University of Bonn.

Syria rebel leader says goal is to overthrow Assad

Gasimov warns that Turkey could be facing another humanitarian crisis. “Russia would definitely use the military force of its aerospace forces, that can cause a huge number of casualties among civilians. Which means a new wave of migrants towards Turkish eastern Anatolia.”

With more than a million Syrian refugees camped just across the Turkish border in the rebel-controlled Syrian Idlib province, analysts warn a new exodus into Turkey is a red line for Ankara.

“If they refresh their attacks on the captured areas by indiscriminate targeting… well [we can] expect further escalations in the region,” warned Aslan of the pro-government SETA think tank. “And for sure there is a line that Turkey will not remain as it is, and if there is a development directly threatening the interests or security of Turkey, then Turkey will intervene.”

Pushing back the YPG

With the Syrian rebel offensive also making territorial gains against the US-backed Kurdish militant group, the YPG, Ankara is poised to secure another strategic goal in Syria. Ankara accuses the YPG of having ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is fighting the Turkish state.

France joins Germany, US and Britain in call for de-escalation in Syria

“Without putting up a fight, and without getting directly involved, they [Ankara] have achieved one of their goals – for YPG to pull back from the Turkish frontier towards the south,” explained Selcen. “I think Ankara now is closer to that goal.”

With Syrian rebel successes appearing to advance Ankara’s goals in Syria, some analysts are urging caution, given the rebels’ links to radical Islamist groups. “The crashing down of the Assad regime is not in the interest of Turkey, because there will be chaos,” warned international relations professor Huseyin Bagci, of Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.

“Who is going to rule? What type of [governing] structure are we going to have?” he asked. “They are radicals, and another Daesh-style territory would not be in the interest of Turkey – in Turkish prisons, there are thousands of Daesh people.”

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 winners’ 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 get your New Year’s resolutions – or wishes – in the mail for our annual New Year’s Day show. We 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: Zahurul Islam Joy from Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Welcome, Zahural!

This week’s quiz: On 2 November, I asked you a question about Ghana – Melissa Chemam had just published her Spotlight on Africa podcast, where she shined the light on textile waste in Africa from fast fashion – and how Ghana has become a dumping ground for the world’s unwanted textiles, with devastating consequences for local ecosystems.

You were to send in the answer to these questions: How much second-hand clothing arrives in Ghana each week, and what happens to the unsellable clothes?

The answer is, to quote Melissa: “About 15 million items of second-hand clothing arrive in Ghana each week. Nearly half cannot be resold. The unsellable clothes end up in informal dumps or are burned in public washhouses, contaminating the air, soil and water.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question:  “Which of the 13 overseas French territories would you visit, if you had the chance?”, which was suggested by Hans Verner Lollike from Hedehusen, Denmark.

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Radhakrishna Pillai from Kerala State in India. Radhakrishna is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations, Radhakrishna, on your double win.   

Also on the list of lucky winners this week is a long-lost RFI Listeners Club member: Arne Timm from Harjumaa, Estonia. Welcome back to the Kitchen, Arne – don’t be such a stranger!

There’s also Ekbal Hossain, who’s a member of the RFI International DX Radio Listeners Club in West Bengal, India, and our brand-new RFI Listeners Club member Zahurul Islam Joy from Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Rounding out the list of lucky winners this week is RFI English listener Kadija Akter, also from Rajshahi, Bangladesh.

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Set Me Free” by Dominique Guiout and Manu Vergeade; “Life is Just a Party” by Kiala Pepple, performed by Ghetto Blaster; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and “Motor Head Baby” by Johnny “Guitar” Watson and Mario Delagarde, played by Johnny “Guitar” Watson.

Do you have a music request? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

This week’s question … you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read Paul Myer’s article “Small island nations lead fight for climate justice at UN’s top court”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 13 January to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 19 January podcast. When you enter be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

Click here to learn how to win a special Sound Kitchen prize.

Click here to find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or form your own official RFI Club.   

Madhya Pradesh is often referred to as the Heart of India. Located right in the middle of the country, the Indian region shows everything India has to offer through its abundant diversity. The IFTM trade show, which took place in Paris at the end of September, presented the perfect opportunity for travel enthusiasts to discover the region.

Sheo Shekhar Shukla, Managing Director of Madhya Pradesh’s tourism board, sat down to explain his approach to sustainable tourism.

“Post-covid the whole world has known a shift in their approach when it comes to tourism. And all those discerning travelers want to have different kinds of experiences: something offbeat, something new, something which has not been explored before.”

Through its UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Shukla wants to showcase the deep history Madhya Pradesh has to offer.

“UNESCO is very actively supporting us and three of our sites are already World Heritage Sites. Sanchi is a very famous buddhist spiritual destination, Bhimbetka is a place where prehistoric rock shelters are still preserved, and Khajuraho is home to thousand year old temples with magnificent architecture.”

All in all, Shukla believes that there’s only one way forward for the industry: “Travelers must take sustainable tourism as a paradigm in order to take tourism to the next level.”

In partnership with Madhya Pradesh’s tourism board.

Also known as the Land of the Beautiful Islands, Malaysia’s landscape and cultural diversity is almost unmatched on the planet. Those qualities were all put on display at the Malaysian stand during the IFTM trade show.

Libra Hanif, director of Tourism Malaysia, explained the appeal of the country as well as the importance of promoting sustainable tourism today: “Sustainable travel is a major trend now, with the changes that are happening post-covid. People want to get close to nature, to get close to people. So Malaysia being a multicultural and diverse [country] with a lot of natural environments, we felt that it’s a good thing for us to promote Malaysia.”

Malaysia has also gained fame in recent years, through its numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which include Kinabalu Park and the Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Valley.

Green mobility has also become an integral part of tourism in Malaysia, with an increasing number of people using bikes to discover the country: “If you are a little more adventurous, we have the mountain back trails where you can cut across gazetted trails to see the natural attractions and the wildlife that we have in Malaysia,” says Hanif. “If you are not that adventurous, you’ll be looking for relaxing cycling. We also have countryside spots, where you can see all the scenery in a relaxing session.”

With more than 25,000 visitors at this IFTM trade show this year, Malaysia’s tourism board got to showcase the best the country and its people have to offer.

In partnership with Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board. For more information about Malaysia, click here.