“I am confident that the policies I am outlining and the government team I have formed will ensure we are not censured,” declared Bayrou just hours after announcing his cabinet on Monday evening.

Bayrou, 73, a canny operator who styles himself as a centrist, is President Emmanuel Macron’s fourth Prime Minister of 2024.

His predecessor, Michel Barnier left office on 8 December after three months in post following a parliamentary deal between the far right and left to oust him.

The pact furnished him with the infamy of being the premier with the shortest tenure since the start of the Fifth Republic in 1958. 

French PM Bayrou defends choices to lead country out of ‘difficult situation’

Bayrou and his cohorts could face a similar fate.

“None of the conditions of the no-confidence pact have been met in the composition of this new government,” Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure said.

He indicated that his group might vote for a motion of no confidence as early as 14 January, when Bayrou delivers his policy statement.

Former Prime Ministers Élisabeth Borne – handed the education portfolio – and Manuel Valls as Overseas Territories Minister, will be under close scrutiny along with the former Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.

The newly anointed Justice Minister has pledged to work hand in hand with Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, one of 19 ministers from Barnier’s government of Barnier who have been retained.

Tackling the deficit

Borne, who stepped down as Prime Minister in January after 20 months in the job, struck a pragmatic tone.

“I am the sixth Education Minister in just over two and a half years, and I am fully aware of the challenges and expectations of the education community,” she said.

She said she wanted to halt the rise in incivility, insults, and violence as well as the breaches of secularism in schools.

Eric Lombard, the former head of the public financial institution Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, appears to have been given the poisoned chalice as Economy Minister.

After his appointment he identified the deficit as an endemic problem.

France’s politicians are confronting a national debt, which reached 113.7 percent of GDP (€3.303 trillion) by the end of September.

Barnier had hoped to lower the public deficit from 6.1 percent of GDP this year to 5 percent by the end of 2025.

Lombard and Bayrou must steer a 2025 budget that tackles the same grim statistics through the National Assembly fully aware that Barnier’s attempt to consider the realities led to his downfall on 4 December.

Bayrou at least found some solace. Just before Christmas, three employer organisations and four of the five main unions, jointly highlighted the economic and social risks of instability.

France’s new economy, budget ministers get to work on budget for 2025

A ‘provocation’

The far-right Rassemblement National (RN), the largest group in the National Assembly, has signalled it will not initially oppose the new government.

The centre-right Les Républicains (LR) party, expressed conditional support. Party leader Laurent Wauquiez described LR’s backing as highly demanding and warned it could be withdrawn depending on Bayrou’s direction.

However, Faure has labelled it a far-right administration and a provocation.

“It’s not a government, it’s a provocation,” Faure said on social media. “The extreme right in power under the watchful eye of the extreme right.”

Marine Le Pen, the RN chief, warned on Tuesday that the days of France’s new government are numbered, predicting a presidential election in a few months instead of 2027.

After his policy statement, Bayrou expects a motion of no confidence to be tabled by the far-left party La France Insoumise (LFI).

Bayrou, who leads the MoDem party, will need to deploy his fabled skills as a convenor and a charmer not only to survive a tad longer than Barnier but also prevent his country from descending into further political chaos.

(With newswires)

The cyclone destroyed homes and infrastructure, and the death toll is expected to reach the hundreds, if not thousands.

The impact on Mayotte’s natural habitat too has been severe, with its tropical forests almost entirely destroyed – which will have serious economic consequences, as in Mayotte the majority of the population make their living farming in the forest. The island, which constitutes France’s poorest department, has 15,000 farmers.

EU mobilises for cyclone-ravaged Mayotte as Macron hits back at angry crowds

‘Risk of famine’

Between its large trees, families cultivate small plots and beneath the mango and coconut trees, banana trees grow, and below them, cassava.

These agro-forestry systems are known as the “gardens of Mayotte” and “occupy 90 percent of the island’s useful agricultural area, supplying the island with fruit, vegetables, roots and tubers to meet 80 per cent of the population’s needs,” according to the French agricultural research centre CIRAD.

After the cyclone, “cassava, bananas, breadfruit, lychees … everything that makes up the Mayotte garden has disappeared,” said Ali Ambodi, president of the Mayotte livestock farmers’ union.

“It’s the total destruction of our farms, as well as the tracks and roads. We can’t even get to our farms. And this disappearance of our natural environment makes us unhappy, because we are bound together [with it].”

Day of mourning in France for Mayotte destroyed by cyclone

This situation will not improve anytime soon, according to the farmer, who explained that the destruction of these plants means that not only will the islanders struggle to harvest food, they won’t be able to collect seeds for replanting either. It will take months or even years for the plants to grow back, he said. “My deepest concern is the risk of famine.”

Ambodi has little faith in the aid promised by the French state. He said the procedures for this are cumbersome, and there are real administrative barriers.

Farmers will have to prove that they own their land, but the majority do not have the right documents. “We’re going to be asked for one piece of paper, then another, then another, and in the end farmers won’t have access to this aid.”

Impact on biodiversity

In addition to the local economy and food security, the biodiversity of the island has been left in ruins. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN): “Mayotte’s forests are a treasure trove of vulnerable and little-known biodiversity.” More than 6,150 marine and terrestrial species have been recorded there.

Some are unique to the island, and more than 380 are protected – for example the maki, or Mayotte lemur, which lives off the fruit, flowers and buds it finds in the forest.

The forest is also a veritable water tower, enriching soil and roots, preventing erosion and landslides and retaining water, thus limiting flooding.

Tropical forests are important carbon sinks, and home to animals that are essential to the balance of life on the island. “The island’s dry forest is home to the Mayotte souïmanga, which is the main pollinator of the Mayotte aloe, a plant endemic to the island and classified as in danger of extinction,” says the IUCN. 

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

The organisation adds that the forest is a focal point for local tradition and culture. “In Mahoran society, the Patrosi and the Mugala, spirits from elsewhere, are the most familiar jinn. They relate to nature and come from the forest.”

The fragile environment of Mayotte’s forests was already suffering the consequences of pollution and deforestation. The full extent of the further damage wreaked by Cyclone Chido remains to be seen.

This article has been adapted from the French version by Jeanne Richard.

The attack, which also left several others wounded, took place during a press conference on Tuesday night to announce the reopening of the General Hospital where services had been disrupted for several months due to gang violence.

Johnson “Izo” André, considered Haiti’s most powerful gang leader and part of the Viv Ansanm group of gangs that has taken control of large parts of the capital, posted a video on social media claiming responsibility for the attack.

The video said the gang coalition had not authorised the hospital’s reopening.

The National Palace security unit intervened to evacuate the injured who were taken to other medical centres..

Following the shootings, Haiti’s interim president, Leslie Voltaire, said in an address to the nation: “I send my sympathies to the people who were victims, the national police and the journalists. 

“What happened today at the General Hospital, in the middle of the Christmas celebrations, is unacceptable. This act will not go unpunished.”

The government said later it would respond firmly to the attack.

“This heinous act, which targets an institution dedicated to health and life, constitutes an unacceptable attack on the very foundations of our society,” it said in a statement.

Robest Dimanche, a spokesman for the Online Media Collective, identified the victims as Markenzy Nathoux and Jimmy Jean. 

The Haitian Association of Journalists issued a statement condemning the attack. “It is a macabre scene comparable to terrorism, pure and simple,” it said.

Return

Street gangs forced the closure of the General Hospital earlier this year. The Minister of Health, Duckenson Lorthé Blém, had pledged to reopen the facility before the new year.

But the move backfired in the latest show of gang violence that has targeted prisons, police stations and the main international airport.

At the beginning of December, at least 207 people were killed in attacks ordered by a powerful gang leader against alleged members of a voodoo cult.

Gang attacks have pushed Haiti’s health system to the verge of collapse with looting and arson attacks on medical centres and pharmacies in the capital. The violence has created a surge in patients and a shortage of resources to treat them.

Haiti’s health care system faces additional challenges during the rainy season, which is likely to increase the risk of water-borne diseases.

Poor conditions in the camps and makeshift settlements for the people fleeing the gang violence have heightened the risk of diseases like cholera, with more than 84,000 suspected cases in the country, according to the UN health agency UNICEF.

Additional reporting Peterson Luxama in Port-au-Prince

At the core of Haiti’s struggle lie predatory interventions by powerful nations, principally France and the United States.

Speaking recently to RFI, Haitian author, playwright and former politician Gary Victor said that the international community is making the same mistakes in 2024 as it has done in the past.

“I wonder how – after all the time spent in Haiti – the international community doesn’t understand what’s going on,” Victor said.

“When we talk about a foreign force for Haiti … first of all, there has to be political will within the country to resolve the security issues. That’s why [previous UN missions] totally failed in Haiti, because the force was co-opted by corruption and delinquency in Haiti.”

• France to evacuate vulnerable citizens from Haiti as unrest rages

The cost of revolution

Haiti’s present turmoil traces its genesis back to the colony of Saint Domingue – ruled by France in the 17th and 18th centuries – where the exploitation of African slaves fuelled a trade in coffee and sugar.

The vast wealth created by slave labour on the plantations was matched by the brutality of their colonial owners, who kept their slaves in line using violence.

The struggle against colonial rule came to a head in 1791 with a slave rebellion that ultimately led to the creation of the Republic of Haiti in 1804. Slavery was officially abolished in Haiti on 1 January, 1804.

France, enraged by the loss of its colonial prize in the Caribbean, demanded exorbitant reparations from Haiti, pushing the newly formed nation into a cycle of debt that hindered the country’s development.

The “Double Debt” scheme was a key part of the problem shackling Haiti to “independence debt” owed to Paris banks along with extortionate loan fees with repayments equivalent to an overwhelming percentage of its annual revenue.

• Kenya confirms security mission to Haiti as transitional administration plans collapse

US fears

As the first, liberated Black nation, the neighbouring United States saw Haiti’s independence as an existential threat to its own, slave-based economy, and bears much of the blame for the country’s ills.

After French colonisers left Haiti, the United States worked to isolate the country diplomatically and strangle it economically.

American leaders feared a newly independent and free Haiti would inspire slave revolts back home and did not officially recognise Haiti until 1862 during the Civil War that abolished American slavery.

As Haiti grappled with the burdens of emancipation, the United States seized upon the turmoil in the era of “gunboat diplomacy”, orchestrating a military occupation from 1915 to 1934 under the guise of safeguarding American interests.

US President Woodrow Wilson sent an expeditionary force that would occupy the country for two decades to collect unpaid debts to foreign powers – a period marred by coerced labour and economic subjugation.

• UN launches emergency appeal for Haiti as Benin mulls joining multinational security mission

The Duvalier dictatorships

The subsequent decades of the 20^th Century witnessed Haiti’s descent into an abyss of political instability, natural catastrophes, and the relentless spectre of foreign debt.

Estimates suggest that the legacy of coerced payments to France – that Paris has repeatedly downplayed – ensnared Haiti in an economic quagmire, depriving it of resources crucial for development, ushering in an era of gang violence coupled with brutal dictatorships.

François “Papa Doc” Duvalier and his son Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” employed the ruthless militia dubbed the “Tontons Macoutes” to crush opposition during their rule between 1957 and 1986.

While subsequent leaders also forged alliances with armed groups, the gangs have now risen above the politicians that empowered them.

Armed gangs now control large parts of the capital Port-au-Prince, where they kidnap people off the street for ransom and spread fear by sharing gruesome pictures and videos on social media of people being tortured, raped or killed.

Impunity and ‘persistent’ human rights violations

According to Ana Piquer, Americas Director at Amnesty International, this crisis is the result of decades of political instability, extreme poverty, natural disasters, weakened state structures and a lack of strong commitments from the international community, all of which have exposed the population to violence.

“Military solutions or external interventions have failed to address the causes of the crisis and – far from promoting lasting stability – have left in their wake persistent human rights violations and impunity,” she said.

Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, Haiti has been plunged into another humanitarian, political, and security crisis, with the emergence of powerful criminal gangs who have seized control over vast swathes of territory, including critical infrastructure like ports and airports.

In early March of this year, one such gang orchestrated the escape of more than 3,600 prisoners, instigating widespread terror across Haiti and prompting Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s resignation.

“The images of violence that this crisis has given us are terrifying. The criminal gangs that are currently sowing terror must know that the seriousness of their actions makes them accountable and that they can be prosecuted for crimes under international law and serious human rights violations. The suffering of so many people cannot go unpunished,” according to Amnesty International

• Aid agencies in Haiti call for 120 million euros to feed starving population

Anarchy or order?

Prime Minister Henry was last seen in Puerto Rico, negotiating his return to a homeland gripped by extreme violence while a UN-backed security force is still waiting to be deployed to challenge the heavily armed gangsters.

With his fate in the air and the situation in Haiti deteriorating by the day, the world has been left to wonder whether the country will descend into anarchy or whether some semblance of order will be restored.

 “We don’t have the impression that the international community is our friend,” author Gary Victor told RFI.

This story was first published on 29 April 2024 and appears as part of our review of the year.

France’s rail operator SNCF reported on Tuesday evening an accident involving a person as the cause of several hours of delays on the high-speed tracks linking Paris and Lyon.

But after the body of a man was recovered a few kilometres from a train on the line, police investigators said the driver appeared to have jumped to his death from the moving train.

Fail-safe signals brought the train, which was carrying 400 people, to a halt in the middle of the track near Moisenay, some 60km from Paris.

“The safety of the train’s passengers was not threatened at any time, nor was the safety of traffic, as the traffic management centre was immediately alerted automatically,” SNCF said.

Some 3,000 passengers were hit by the delays of up to five hours on Tuesday night, SNCF said.

Many passengers took to social media to complain.

“Christmas Eve is a bit ruined,” said one traveller. “Seven hours of travel instead of the planned two hours, on Christmas Eve, it’s original.”

One passenger, using the X-name Lifeisnotdaijobou, said:  “Great, I am stuck in a TGV, no water, no food. Really, thank you for this Christmas Eve, SNCF.”

SNCF said trains were expected to resume their normal service on Wednesday

“Memory laws are about recognition,” says Christophe Premat, a former MP for the French Socialist Party and now an expert in memory studies at Stockholm University.

Under a 2019 French law, 24 April is designated the official day for the yearly commemoration of the Armenian genocide.

The date marks the beginning of the arrest, deportation and execution of Armenian intellectuals by Turkish forces on the night of 24 April 1915, which over the following years would turn into a concerted campaign that Armenia says eventually cost the lives of as many as 1.5 million people.

Oriental Orthodox and Greek Orthodox Christians were also subjected to mass murder and expulsion as part of the same drive to create a nationalist Turkish state.

At the time, thousands of Armenians fled abroad and pushed the story into international media, where the genocide was widely reported.

Many went to France, which became home to Europe’s largest Armenian diaspora. Along with Russia and the United Kingdom, France condemned the events as “crimes against humanity and civilisation” as early as May 1915.

But it was only in 2001 that France officially recognised the massacres as genocide, making it the first major European power to do so. Its first national commemoration took place in 2019.

Legislating memory

The Armenian genocide and its commemoration are part of a larger debate on the role of politics in marking – or taking a stance on – historical events.

Such debates reached their zenith in the 1990s and early 2000s.

“In the beginning, it was about the Holocaust, the Second World War,” Premat told RFI.

In 1990 France passed the Gayssot Law, which made denial of the Jewish Holocaust a criminal offence.

“But then progressively new actors started promoting minority rights, tackling slavery and seeing the possibility for the recognition of past crimes,” Premat said.

Eventually the discussions resulted in parliamentary debates and proposals on the Armenian genocide, the slave trade, the Algerian war of independence and the Ottomans’ massacres of Assyrian-Chaldean Christians.

But while drafting bills that asked for recognition of crimes was fairly simple, punishing denial was more problematic.

• Why descendants of France’s slaves are still fighting for their memory
• France and Algeria revisit painful past in battle to mend colonial wounds

Backlash from historians

In 2005, a group of French historians led by Pierre Nora founded the collective Liberté pour l’Histoire (“Freedom for History”), which was critical of the idea that governments should determine the historical record.

In an appeal issued by the collective in 2008 and signed by some 750 historians from all over Europe, they expressed concern about the “retrospective moralisation of history” and “intellectual censorship”.

“History must not be a slave to contemporary politics,” they wrote. 

“In a free state, no political authority has the right to define historical truth and to restrain the freedom of the historian with the threat of penal sanctions.”

The petition led to a special parliamentary commission, which later that year advised lawmakers against any new legislation qualifying the past – while leaving existing memory laws intact. 

The effect was soon felt. In January 2012, both houses of the French parliament passed a bill outlawing the denial of all genocides officially recognised by France, including the Armenian genocide.

But the Constitutional Council followed up, and the next month ruled that punishing denial of the Armenian genocide was a “violation of the freedom of expression” and thus unconstitutional. 

Political leverage

This was repeated in 2016, when the French Parliament supported a government-sponsored bill to punish “the denial of crimes of genocide and crimes against humanity”. That proposal was struck down by the Constitutional Council one year later.

According to Nikolay Koposov, a professor of European history and author of Memory Laws, Memory Wars, this “sent a message to French politicians: only crimes against humanity defined as such by a legal tribunal could be subject to memory laws”.

As such, he says, banning denial of crimes committed in the Crusades, the slave trade and the Armenian genocide was effectively ruled out.

While there is a broad consensus of the facts of the Jewish Holocaust, researchers point out, other crimes – such as the Armenian genocide – are contested, and may be used as political tools.

“Turkey contests the notion of genocide [when] applied to what happened in 1915,” says Premat. “So that’s a source of disagreement.”

Meanwhile, Turkey recognising the Armenian genocide is being used as a pressure point for Ankara’s admission to EU membership.

Negotiations have been frozen for many years, “and France is not really promoting that decision”, Premat says. 

Drive for remembrance 

Yet victimised groups continue to push for official recognition of their suffering.

Assyrian-Chaldean Christians, part of the Oriental Orthodox Church, want France to commemorate the massacre of some 250,000 members under Ottoman rule in 1915-18.

Their supporters have proposed a new memory law that would declare the murders genocide and make 24 April a joint day of remembrance for Armenian and Assyrian-Chaldean Christian victims.

The bill was approved by the Senate in February 2023 and is currently awaiting a vote by the National Assembly. 

As the proposal only calls for recognition, not a ban on denial, it runs less risk of being judged unconstitutional.

This story was first published on 24 April 2024 and appears as part of our review of the year.

According to the NGO Médecins du Monde, there have been 3,110 reports of violence against sex workers this year, including 203 rapes or attempted rapes and 82 armed assaults.

Among the victims, most are migrant women, many of whom do not come forward due to their undocumented status and the fear of deportation. 

In 2024, seven sex workers, all female migrants, were murdered.

Dozens of people gathered near the National Assembly in Paris last week to call for improved protection for sex workers who are victims of violence.

‘I don’t dare scream’

Mei, a Chinese migrant and sex worker who was protesting, told RFI: “I have clients who don’t pay. I have clients who assault me. I suffer sexual violence.

“On top of that, I don’t dare scream because I’m afraid of losing my apartment if my neighbours find out what I do. There’s anxiety, sadness and anger. Everything mixes together. But I bear it alone.”

Migrant women in France face ‘double violence’ when reporting sexual abuse

Ting Chen, from the organisation Les Roses d’Acier, which supports migrant sex workers, has set up an emergency hotline.

He underscores the isolation these women face. “When a non French-speaking migrant calls 15 or 17 [France’s emergency services], no one answers. They’re told: ‘Madam, sorry, you don’t speak French’, even in the most serious cases.”

For Paola Gioia Macioti, coordinator of the Jasmine platform at Médecins du Monde: “This rise in violence is directly linked to repressive laws that have increased the precariousness of sex workers, without changing the material conditions that drive people to do this work to meet their needs.”

She says the root cause lies in a 2016 law that penalises clients of sex workers and third parties who assist them.

European court agrees to hear appeal against French anti-prostitution law

Former prime minister Elisabeth Borne was named as Education Minister in the reshuffle. Gerald Darmanin, who served as Interior Minister between July 2020 and September 2024 under three prime ministers, returns as Justice Minister.

Bruno Retailleau, a conservative who has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration, retains his post as Interior Minister. Rachida Dati keeps the culture portfolio while Jean-Noel Barrot and Sebastien Lecornu maintain their jobs leading the foreign affairs and defence ministries respectively.

The composition of the cabinet was unveiled just before 7pm following a frantic weekend of negotiations. 

Xavier Bertrand, who had been offered the Justice Ministry, stated that he would not join Bayrou’s government, because it had been formed with the approval of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN).

Bayrou drafted Manuel Valls back into government as minister for overseas territories. The 62-year-old served as prime minister under President François Hollande between April 2014 and December 2016. His first assignment will be to implement a recovery programme for Mayotte which was devastated after Cyclone Chido swept through the Indian Ocean archipelago on 14 December.  At least 35 people have been confirmed dead and more than 2,500 injured. The death toll is expected to rise due to the number of undocumented migrants in Mayotte.

Other appointments include Éric Lombard as Minister of the Economy and François Rebsamen as minister in charge of decentralisation.

Repeated delays

The Elysee presidential palace said on Monday morning the new cabinet would not be announced before 6pm Paris time due to the day of mourning in France for the victims in Mayotte.

Macron returns to political uncertainty after Mayotte, East Africa visit

Bayrou, 73, who heads the liberal Democratic Movement (MoDem) party, promised to present a government last week.

But his delay reflected the chaos swirling over the French body politic since President Emmanuel Macron called snap elections last summer. The move backfired spectacularly. No party or alliance secured a majority.

After weeks of bickering and manoeuvring, Macron named former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier prime minister on 5 September 2024.

His reign ended ignominiously earlier in December when the far right and left joined forces to oust him and furnish him with the infamy of being the premier with the shortest tenure since the start of the Fifth Republic  in 1958.

French lawmakers oust Prime Minister Barnier after just three months in office

Macron appointed Bayrou on 13 December, hoping that his new administration would be presented before Christmas”.

“The length of this auditioning process … is unbearable,” far-right National Rally lawmaker Jean-Philippe Tanguy told French broadcaster BFMTV-RMC.

Bayrou says he wants to make sure his government can pass a budget for next year.

But many commentators predict his premiership will rival Barnier for rapidity: many of the names adorning his cabinet featured in the past two governments that failed.

Outgoing French government to present ‘special’ budget to avoid shutdown

 (with newswires)

Just over an hour after details of his first cabinet were announced, Bayrou went on live national television to explain the logic of recalling several names from previous administrations such as former prime ministers Elisabeth Borne, Manuel Valls.

“I think we’re in the most difficult situation we’ve been in since the second world war,” Bayrou told journalists Apolline de Malherbe and Benjamin Duhamel on BMF TV.

“It is a country that has no budget, no majority, in which a large number of French people think and believe that they are being left out, that no attention is being paid to them.”

Bayrou said that Borne, who was premier between May 2022 and January 2024, would be his de facto number two. 

“The country’s number one challenge is education,” Bayrou added.

During the 90-minute interview, Bayrou attempted to present himself as a centrist, unifying figure. “If we want to fight the immense problems France is facing at the moment, we cannot let disagreements rule,” he said.

The return of Valls came as a surprise. The 62-year-old served as François Hollande’s premier between April 2014 and December 2016 and will take over as overseas territories minister after nearly a decade away from the white heat of power.

His priority will be to implement the rescue package for the battered Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte where Cyclone Chido left at least 35 dead and more than 2,500 injured.

“One of the most pressing issues for this country are overseas territories,” Bayrou insisted. “They are very fragile, very destabilised societies, which feel that no one is looking after them.”

France’s Prime Minister Bayrou names new cabinet

The 73-year-old, who heads the liberal Democratic Movement (MoDem) party, denied he had succumbed to any influence from Marine Le Pen’s National Rally on the composition of his government as claimed by the former minister Xavier Bertrand.

But there were acknowledged hard line operators at the interior and justice ministries. Gérald Darmanin, who served as Interior Minister between July 2020 and September 2024 under three prime ministers, returned to the government as Justice Minister – the post that had seemed destined for Bertrand. 

Bruno Retailleau, a conservative who has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration, retains his post as Interior Minister. 

Bayrou also promised to not use the controversial 49.3 article of the French Constitution which allows the  government to bypass MPs in parliament unless he was completely blocked. He told the interviewers that he did not want to slap new taxes on businesses but conceded the country’s deficits had to be addressed.

Named by President Emmanuel Macron on 13 December to replace Michel Barnier, Bayrou will head the fourth government of the year.

Criticisms

The leader of the National Rally, Jordan Bardella, accused him of having formed the coalition of failure.

Marine Tondelier, the Green Party chief, condemned him for placing himself in the hands of the far right.

The leader of the France Unbowed (LFI) MPs, Mathilde Panot, said: “It is a government filled with people rejected at the ballot box who have contributed to sinking our country … with the support of Marine Le Pen and the National Rally.”

Right-wing LR members of parliament have said they will not rule out withdrawing their support for Bayrou’s government. “We will be very demanding,” added LR’s Laurent Wauquiez.

The government will meet for the first time on 3 January and Bayrou is expected to give a policy speech to parliament on 14 January.

LFI MPs say they will table a motion of no confidence against Bayrou and his government as soon as possible.

Armed with only their smartphones, the women, brought together in a project run by filmmaker Mohamed Fawi, have produced three short documentaries tackling education, independence and community resilience.

“After the war broke out, I felt compelled to keep contributing from within Sudan,” said Mohamed Fawi.

He relocated 800 kilometres northeast to Port Sudan from Khartoum, where fighting between the regular army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has devastated the city since mid-April 2023.

According to UN estimates, the war has displaced more than 11 million people – over a quarter of a million to around Port Sudan, the de facto capital now hosting the army-aligned government and international organisations.

Like millions who fled the war-torn capital, Fawi, a visual artist and filmmaker with more than a decade’s experience, had to leave everything behind.

“We lost all our equipment in Khartoum,” he told AFP. “We could not get any cameras. So, our only option was smartphones.”

In Port Sudan, he began his project to empower women through film production, initially training 11 women in cinematography, scriptwriting and directing techniques, as well as post-production skills.

Deadly shelling of Darfur camp sparks exodus of displaced people

‘Challenging but rewarding’

In one standout film, girls from eastern Sudan’s Beja tribe beam at the camera as director Areej Hussein, 26, carefully frames her shot.

The short titled Toknan – which means “knowledge” in the local language – captures their journey as they learn to read, make incense, craft embroidery, and market their creations online.

For cinematographer Tasabih Hussein, 22, the whole process of production was thrilling.

“We filmed for seven days, ending up with about 32 hours of footage, which we then condensed to 18 minutes,” she told AFP.

Another documentary, Eithar Khairy’s Ana Hona (I Am Here) follows two women who run Talking Hands, an initiative supporting deaf women and children displaced by war.

Doctor-turned-filmmaker Khairy said capturing the footage was challenging. “But it was incredibly rewarding to see children being offered a bridge to communicate with a world that is often out of reach,” Khairy added.

The third film, Zeinab Alfadel’s Umm Al Fuqara (Mother of the Poor), follows two women who try to set up a health and cultural day for those displaced by the war.

They aim to foster a sense of identity and belonging through traditional dances at a cultural centre on the outskirts of Port Sudan.

“It is a model for peaceful coexistence,” said Alfadel, a chemical engineer by training.

French weapons found in Sudan war zone despite arms embargo, says Amnesty

‘Just the beginning’

Before the war, Sudan’s nascent film industry was just beginning to gain international recognition.

The country’s first feature film in decades – Amjad Abu Alala’s You Will Die at Twenty – became Sudan’s first-ever Oscar submission in 2020.

In May 2023, political drama Goodbye Julia by Mohamed Kordofani was featured in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival.

Port Sudan has no cinematic pedigree but an influx of Khartoum’s artists since the war began is helping to put it on the map.

Fawi believes the project’s success lies in the determination of the women involved. 

“Normally, producing a documentary takes over a year, but these women managed to create theirs in just a few months,” he said.

The filmmakers are now setting their sights higher.

“I want the world to see eastern Sudan through our films,” cinematographer Hussein said.

They are eager to tell more stories, whether through documentaries that delve into reality or fictional films that weave imagination with truth.

“I dream of producing films that can be seen by the world and be screened at the largest film festivals,” Alfadel said.

Fawi, too, is undeterred. He has plans for a second round of training to inspire more female filmmakers and nurture a new generation of storytellers in Sudan.

“This is just the beginning,” he said.

Mostly Muslim Senegal has a strong tradition in which different religions share and enjoy each other’s holidays.

Christmas is an example in the capital Dakar, where the city is lit up with decorations in December and holiday markets draw families seeking gifts in this West African nation.

Awa Gaye, the co-founder of the toy brand Yeewu, was among the sellers at a bustling Christmas market this month. She launched the business after having a daughter and realising there were few toys that made her feel valued.

“She couldn’t see herself reflected in the toys she played with. So, we decided to create a brand,” Gaye said.

Yeewu dolls are adorned with African hairstyles and clothing, and carry inscriptions in the widely spoken local language Wolof. The idea is still new to some Senegalese parents, who sometimes ask her for white dolls or for writing in French.

Another local producer, Racky Daffé, founder of Senegalese toy brand Alyfa, is known for toys that promote Senegalese culture, like traditional wrestler figurines or dolls that come in a wide range of skin tones, including albino.

Daffé says demand is growing, but there are challenges competing against cheaper, imported products.

In Senegal, there are often shortages of raw materials or financing that constrain production.

“The biggest challenge compared with global brands is that we cannot produce at the scale needed to offer these toys at a price affordable for the Senegalese middle class,” said Daffé.

Distributors, who have had rising sales in the past few years, are aware of the constraints.

At Kidz Palace, a toy distributor in Dakar, chief executive Fatimetou Diop, said the toys sell quickly among families that want educational toys that reflect the country’s cultural identity.

“The market cannot always be supplied consistently,” Diop said. “Sometimes we run out of stock due to raw material shortages or financing issues. Local manufacturers often face these constraints.”

Daffé remains optimistic that demand for Senegalese toys will remain strong, and noted that children often point out toys that look like them.

“It’s really about representing an entire community. Every child can see themselves through our toys,” she said.

 (Reuters)

As France grapples with the topic of immigration in its political chambers, on a cultural level there is a current push to embrace diversity, and put names and stories to faces.

This is the aim of the exhibition “Every Life is History”, on display at the National Museum of Immigration History in Paris – to celebrate this collective experience. It brings together 13 contemporary artists from different horizons, each tasked with creating new pieces.

Meanwhile, in parallel, curators have selected 200 items from the museum’s permanent collection on the theme of personal stories: a mix of artefacts, testimonials, multimedia pieces, artworks and photographs.

From international journeys taken by choice, to forced exile and economic migration, the exhibition aims to weave a comprehensive historical tapestry.

‘The more you know, the less you are afraid’

“The role of this collection is to show that these people are like you and me, in fact,” co-curator Elisabeth Jolys-Shimells told RFI.

As director of the museum’s heritage collection, she oversees the gathering of testimonials and documents that pertain to ordinary people and their experiences. These range from telephone cards and letters to a suitcase used as a symbol at a protest, to video interviews with child migrants and the NGOs who help them.

The museum’s role is not to pass judgement or make political statements, but to let the documents speak for themselves. However, by bringing the personal into the mix, Jolys-Shimells says it broadens the scope of stories that are heard, in the hope that empathy will emerge.

“Obviously, it is from a positive perspective in the sense that knowing each other better means living together better,” she said. “It’s about saying the more you know, the less you are afraid and the less you tend to judge by this fear.”

Shared experience

The museum is housed in the Palais de la Porte Dorée – “the palace of the golden gate” – and has had a long and varied history. Built for the 1931 Paris Colonial Exhibition, the elegant, sand-coloured Art Deco structure with its imposing columns was designed by Alfred Janniot.

Museum dedicated to history of immigration in France reopens

Inside, rooms are adorned with giant frescoes depicting France’s colonies and their inhabitants – a testament to another time.

Among the artists taking part in the exhibition are Nge Lay and Aung Ko from Myanmar, who were forced to flee their home when a military junta seized power in a coup in 2021.

African displacements and the search for refuge, in life and art

Both have created interactive spaces which invite museum-goers to share in the artistic experience and create a “home away from home”. 

Lay’s semi-transparent black, silk tents, suspended from the ceiling, are embroidered with poems in golden silk thread. There are cushions on the floor, encouraging people to sit and take a moment with the artwork and meditate on its meaning.

The name of her work, “Anchoring”, refers to the importance of ancient banyan trees in her culture. Their roots latch on wherever they may be, just as migrants try to make new homes for themselves.

History in the making

Aung Ko has created two works for the exhibition, one a temporary shelter in the shape of a traditional Burmese house, built from recycled clothing. He invites the public to add a piece each time they pass by, adding new layers of memories to what thus becomes a collective home.

The other is a giant fresco he is adding to each day, with portraits of passersby. He began with the faces of museum staff and curators and hopes to paint the faces of children and their parents coming to see the exhibition, allowing them to become a part of it.

The museum began its permanent collection in 2005, and in 2008 opened a public donation fund so that people could hand over artefacts or personal objects they felt would augment its archives. Combined with acquired pieces by contemporary artists, the collection is a perpetual work in progress – history in the making.

Constance Rivière, director of the museum, says that in the 20 years since the permanent collection was started, questions of migration have become increasingly central to contemporary creation, regardless of the medium.

The question of climate change and how it has affected the global movement of people is also being addressed more widely by artists, not only in this collection but in other art shows in France and around the world, she said. The theme of this year’s Venice Biennale, for example, is “Foreigners Everywhere”.

“What artists teach us is to what extent immigration is an opening to the world, to other points of view.”

This story was first published on 24 November 2024 and appears as part of our review of the year.

“Every Life is History: 200 Views on Immigration” (Chaque vie est une histoire) runs until 9 February, 2025.

In a resignation letter addressed to Louis Mapou, New Caledonia’s pro-independence Kanak president, seen by French news agency AFP, Caledonia Together cited disagreements with the head of government, particularly regarding the financing plan for New Caledonia’s reconstruction following the violent events that began on May 13.

Caledonia Together, which is affiliated with French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party, also criticizes Mapou’s government, in place for three years, for having transformed into an independent body.

For several weeks, other groups – Pacific Awakening, Rally-The Republicans and the Loyalists – have been critical of government’s post-riot reconstruction policies.

“Since the events of May 13, (the) country has sunk into deep economic and social distress. In such circumstances, unity between … the government and the Congress of New Caledonia, is an urgent need,” says the letter.

“I can only note that this has not been the case, and I regret it,” writes Jérémie Katidjo-Monnier, who resigned as member of the Caledonian government.

This government was the 17th in the South Pacific archipelago since the 1998 Noumea Accord, which enacted transfer of certain state powers to local politicians.

The Caledonian government is appointed by members of Congress through a list-based vote. When an individual government member resigns, the next person on the list takes their place. Only a collective resignation leads to the fall of the government.

Headache for Valls?

New Caledonia is one of France’s overseas possessions. As such, it will be under the responsibility of Manuel Valls, who took over the portfolio of France’s overseas territories in the Monday night’s cabinet reshuffle.

Prime Minister François Bayrou announced that the former Socialist turned Macron supporter was chosen for his expertise on New Caledonia and, more broadly, for his experience in crisis management.

In the line-up of the new government, Valls was presented as number three, after Bayrou and Education Minister Elisabeth Borne.

It is understood that Vall’s position will send a strong signal to the overseas territories of their importance.

Macron has come under fire for neglecting the regions and slow responses to crises. The violence in New Caledonia last spring was followed by Cyclone Chido ravaging the Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte.

“Manuel Valls is a bit of a kamikaze personality, I like bold personalities,” said Bayrou during an interview with BFM-TV just after announcing the composition of his new cabinet.

• New Caledonia separatists in Paris court over alleged role in deadly riots

The demand followed a night of protests in which police stations, bank branches and toll booths were attacked and set ablaze. Trade routes to South Africa were also targeted as police in armoured vehicles patrolled the centre of the capital Maputo.

On social media, Mondlane, the Podemos candidate, who has been in hiding abroad since the election, denounced the regime as illegitimate and illegal.

“We must carry on the fight, stay united and strong,” he declared.

The central hospital in Maputo is operating under critical conditions, with more than 200 staff members unable to reach the site, Mouzinho Saide, the hospital’s director, told AFP.

He reported receiving nearly 90 injured individuals, 40 of whom were wounded by firearms and four by bladed weapons.

The Constitutional Council, the highest court in Mozambique, confirmed on Monday the disputed 9 October election results that extended the Frelimo party’s 50-year grip on power.

Daniel Chapo, Frelimo’s presidential candidate, who was declared winner, immediately called for dialogue to overcome differences,. But his appeal appears to have fallen on deaf ears.

Ossufo Momade, the leader of the Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), also rejected the results and  called on the population to mobilise to save democracy.

Chapo secured 65 percent of the vote, the seven-judge bench ruled, revising down the initial results of nearly 71 percent, announced in November by the National Electoral Commission (CNE).

Mondlane remained in second place with 24.19 percent of the votes (compared to around 20 percent according to the CNE results).

Mozambique’s highest court confirms Frelimo election victory

More fears

Political scientist Justino Quina told RFI that there has been an escalation of tensions on both sides. However, he warns that the country cannot endure periods of cyclical instability.

Maputo-based political and security risk analyst Johann Smith told AFP that he was convinced that there would be violence.

“The whole game changes on Monday,” said Smith. “It will be a lot more intense and bloody.

“It’s almost like the Southern African Spring,” Smith added, in a reference to the Arab anti-government protests in North Africa in the early 2010s.

Call for calm

The Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) on Tuesday urged the parties involved in Mozambique’s electoral process to act with calm and responsibility. It said it was willing to support initiatives promoting peace and stability.

“We appeal to all parties involved to act with calm and responsibility, prioritising constructive dialogue as the most effective way to overcome differences and promote stability.”

In its statement, the CPLP’s rotating presidency, held by São Tomé and Príncipe, stated it is monitoring the definitive results announced by Mozambique’s Constitutional Council.

On Sunday, Pope Francis also called for dialogue and goodwill to prevail over mistrust and discord in Mozambique.

Mozambique has been rocked by unrest since the election commission said Chapo won the vote. More than 130 people have died in protests, according to civil society organisations.

Mozambique violence fuelled by historical grievances and civil war politics

 (with newswires)

The Amsterdam district court on Tuesday found the men them guilty of a range of crimes from kicking Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in the street to inciting violence in chat groups.

One man, identified as Sefa O, was jailed for six months for playing a leading role in the violence. He was filmed kicking a person on the ground and chasing down and punching others.

Maccabi Tel Aviv fans came under attack in the early hours of 8 November after their side lost 5-0 in the Europa League match against Ajax at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

Police arrested 62 people and five people were taken to hospital following the skirmishes on the streets.

Prosecutors told the court the beatings had little to do with football. The violence, they insisted, was not anti-Semitic, as claimed by Israel and other observers.

“The violence was influenced by the situation in Gaza, not by anti-Semitism,” said the prosecutor, referring to Israel’s war against Hamas.

The attacks followed two days of skirmishes in which Maccabi fans chanted anti-Arab songs, vandalised a taxi and burned a Palestinian flag.

Police said they were investigating at least 45 people, including fans of the Israeli club.

(with AFP)

Security at the Christmas market in Strasbourg – France’s oldest and biggest, attracting some three million visitors last year – has been strict each year since 2018 after a gunman who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State armed group killed five people and wounded 11 others.

Measures have been reinforced since the deadly car-ramming attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, north-eastern Germany, on Friday.

Every single bag is searched and the few vehicles allowed in the market are carefully inspected.

Anti-terror law applied

Authorities have also been monitoring at least a dozen people using an anti-terror law used during Paris Olympic Games this summer, according to the Reuters news agency, which identified at least 12 cases of people being monitored during the Strasbourg market.

The measures, known by the French acronym Micas, were authorised by a 2017 anti-terror law that allows police to strictly limit the movements of individuals.

The legislation was part of a toughening of French security laws in response to deadly attacks and a growing political threat from the far right, and until recently, it was mainly used to monitor people after prison sentences.

But according to Reuters, of the 12 people monitored during the Strasbourg market, at least 10 had no terror-related convictions, although one person had been barred from the market before.

Expanding surveillance

During the Paris Olympics, which also saw a trial of AI-driven monitoring, at least 547 people were placed under an individual measure of administrative control and surveillance, according to a parliamentary report.

Some had never faced criminal charges. Lawyers and activists are concerned that the wider use of Micas could become the norm for other major public events.

An intelligence source, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said in November that Micas orders had proven effective during the Olympics, and authorities would take the same no-risk approach toward those who might target Christmas markets.

As the use of Micas orders has increased, challenges to them have also become more successful, perhaps because the profile of those targeted has been expanded.

As of November, judges across the country had cancelled or suspended 50 Olympics-related Micas orders, or about 9 percent, according to the parliamentary report.

There have also been at least five successful appeals against measures issued for the Christmas market, according to records from the Strasbourg court.

In the first five years after the orders were introduced, 13 out of 1,203 orders were successfully appealed, according to the interior ministry’s 2023 report.

(with Reuters)

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) is due to publish a survey on Tuesday that shows  famine affecting five areas. The shortages could expand to 10 by May, the report says.

“This marks an unprecedented deepening and widening of the food and nutrition crisis, driven by the devastating conflict and poor humanitarian access,” says a briefing document seen by the Reuters news agency.

But authorities in Sudan accuse the IPC of bias.

“Sudan is withdrawing from the IPC system because the IPC is issuing unreliable reports that undermine Sudan’s sovereignty and dignity,” the agriculture minister said in a letter.

Sudan’s withdrawal could undermine humanitarian efforts to help millions of people suffering from extreme hunger.

The IPC, an independent body funded by Western nations, and overseen by 19 large humanitarian organisations and intergovernmental institutions, is designed to sound the alarm about food crises so organisations can respond and prevent famine and mass starvation.

But the IPC in Sudan has struggled to function since a civil war broke out in April 2023, with fighting between the army-backed government and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary disrupting data collection in areas controlled by both sides.

Pointing fingers

The agriculture minister’s letter was addressed to the IPC and its Famine Review Committee, which vets and verifies a famine finding, as well as to diplomats. 

It says the report lacks updated malnutrition data and assessments of crop productivity during the recent summer rainy season.

The growing season was successful, the letter says. It also notes serious concerns about the IPC’s ability to collect data from territories controlled by the RSF.

Reuters found evidence that the government obstructed the IPC’s work earlier this year in the Zamzam camp for internally displaced people, where some have resorted to eating tree leaves to survive.

Beyond Sudan

The IPC faces challenges elsewhere, with authorities in Myanmar and Yemen also blocking or falsifying data or suppressing its findings, according to Reuters.

In Ethiopia, after the government disliked a 2021 IPC finding that 350,000 people were experiencing catastrophic acute food insecurity, it stopped working with the IPC.

Meanwhile, the United Nations’ main food-aid distributor, the World Food Programme (WFP), is struggling in Sudan.

An internal report, based on an assessment in July and August identifies a range of problems, including an inability by the WFP to scale up its operations, missed funding opportunities and what it describes as “anti-fraud challenges.”

(with Reuters)

The government launched a one-stop shop in February, aiming to simplify export permits after a review of the gold mining sector.

But only 12 kilograms of gold have passed through the system. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Mines estimates that one tonne of gold is being smuggled out of Madagascar every month.

Insiders at the ministry blame the new system’s failure on a tax having to be paid on the gold. That levy was abolished in August in amendments to the finance bill for 2024.

Slow renewal of licences for the gold counters – the intermediaries between the gold collectors and the one-stop shop – has also been given as the reason for the initial hiccups.

‘Encouraging people to use legal channels’

Nevertheless, Ernest Lainkana Zafivanona, Madagascar’s director general of customs, believes the new set-up will prevail.

“I think that the one-stop shop should be an incentive for people who want to export gold,” he told RFI. “It simplifies procedures.

“It’s always costly when you’re caught, because you lose all the gold, which means that smuggled gold is systematically seized by the state. The controls should encourage people to return to the legal channels.”

A 2022 report by the U4 anti-corruption resource centre identified systemic issues in Madagascar’s gold sector. These include corruption, illegal resource exploitation, gold laundering and poor coordination among state institutions.

“Some links in the chain are not playing their role,” said the report. “Corruption, illegal exploitation of natural resources and gold laundering … are identified as drivers of the increase in illicit practices in the gold sector.

“A lack of communication between state institutions, the poor distribution of roles between institutions, the practice of exploiting gold outside of authorised locations and counterfeiting in the gold sector were also identified,” the report added.

Clean-up

Clément Rabenandrasana, national coordinator of the Extractive Industries Civil Society Organisation, was one of the authors of the report along with Ignace Harris and Daniel Rabemazava.

“The one-stop shop is a first step towards cleaning up the industry,” Rabenandrasana told RFI. “But there is still a lot to be done.

“There are authorities and influential people behind the traffickers so showing political will mean fighting corruption in the gold sector.

“We need to identify the perpetrators of all the trafficking and punish them, and apply the law severely.”

Rabenandrasana suggests setting up local smelting facilities near artisanal mines to improve traceability and ensure miners receive fair prices.

“This will enable better control of gold flows, to the benefit of gold miners, who don’t even know the international price of gold,” he added.

“It will also benefit the local authorities because if the industry is organised illegally, they won’t collect any taxes. It’s very important to trace the chain so that they can collect royalties and contribute to local development.”

This story has been adapted from the original version in French by Guilhem Fabry in Antananarivo

Since the start of the year, French media have been reporting on violent crimes involving teens including, most recently, the stabbing death of a 15-year-old in Chateauroux.

This came after another 15-year-old was beaten to death in April by young people outside his Viry-Châtillon school, days after a 14-year-old girl was left unconscious after being attacked outside her school in Montpellier.

The crimes led Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to announce a “public consultation” on youth violence in France.

But despite these heavily publicised events, actual statistics do not back claims that youth violence is on the rise.

“The trend over more than 20 years is overall stability,” sociologist Laurent Mucchielli told RFI, adding that the current focus on young people can be boiled down to political rhetoric. 

More in the Spotlight on France podcast, listen here: 

Although police statistics show younger people as overrepresented in violent crimes, numbers have dropped by a third since 1993.

For Mucchielli, who has long studied youth delinquency in France, a media focus on such crimes gives the impression of an increase.

“There has not been a single year when I haven’t heard this theme in the mouth of politicians in the media,” he said, attributing the current uptick to upcoming European parliamentary elections.

“Youth violence is a classic topic of French public debate. It constitutes a resource for political power. The general messages are always the same,” he continued, saying these include declining teacher authority and a lax justice system.

“I have been hearing this for 27 years.” 

‘Ultra-violence’?

During the summer of 2023, French President Emmanuel Macron decried what he said were “very young” people in the riots following the police killing of a teenager at a traffic stop.

Macron requested the public consultation on youth violence in April  to put an end to what he called a “surge of ultra-violence”.

When introducing the consultation, Attal announced new measures aimed at middle-school students, including sending troublemakers to military-style boarding schools for a few weeks.

• French PM says boarding school key step in preventing juvenile violence

Immigration links

The consultation came as the far right had been calling for more crackdowns on youth violence and linking it with immigration – a key issue for its supporters.

And though the political focus is on young people in general, Mucchielli argues it is young people with immigrant backgrounds actually being referred to. 

“Since the end of the ’80s, this term of ‘youth violence’ has been really linked to the term of drugs, to that of riots, and to that of what we call now, religious radicalisation, which obviously concerns Islam in France.”

Gang influence

While statistics do not show an increase in violence committed by young people, there is growing influence and power of gangs running criminal activities which attract young people from lower socioeconomic areas around the country.

Mucchielli says getting involved is a “way of life” for these youth, adding that addressing the problem involves more than sending kids to boarding schools or imposing school uniforms.

Many young people involved in gangs are growing up in unstable homes, and have poor school performance and few opportunities in their often disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

“Therefore if a politician really wants to change the situation, they have to work on those social and generational determinants, which are very heavy,” he said.

This story was first published on 4 May 2024 and appears as part of our review of the year.

For more on this story, listen to the Spotlight on France podcast, episode 110.

The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses.

“We anticipate that if this integration comes to fruition, we will be able to deliver even greater value to a wider customer base,” Nissan’s CEO Makoto Uchida said in a statement.

Automakers in Japan have lagged behind their big rivals in electric vehicles and are trying to cut costs and make up for lost time.

News of a possible merger surfaced earlier this month, with unconfirmed reports saying that the talks on closer collaboration partly were driven by aspirations of Taiwan iPhone maker Foxconn to tie up with Nissan, which has an alliance with Renault SA of France and Mitsubishi.

Behemoth

A merger could result in a behemoth worth more than $50 billion based on the market capitalization of all three automakers.

Together, Honda and the Nissan alliance with Renault SA of France and smaller automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corp. would gain scale to compete with Toyota Motor Corp. and with Germany’s Volkswagen AG. Toyota has technology partnerships with Japan’s Mazda Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp.

Even after a merger Toyota, which rolled out 11.5 million vehicles in 2023, would remain the leading Japanese automaker. If they join, the three smaller companies would make about 8 million vehicles.

In 2023, Honda made 4 million and Nissan produced 3.4 million. Mitsubishi Motors made just over 1 million.

Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi announced in August that they would share components for electric vehicles such as batteries and jointly research software for autonomous driving to adapt better to dramatic changes centered around electrification, following a preliminary agreement between Nissan and Honda set in March.

Honda, Japan’s second-largest automaker, is widely viewed as the only likely Japanese partner able to effect a rescue of Nissan, which has struggled following a scandal that began with the arrest of its former chairman Carlos Ghosn in late 2018 on charges of fraud and misuse of company assets, allegations that he denies. He was eventually released on bail and fled to Lebanon.

“Desparate move”

Speaking Monday to reporters in Tokyo via a video link, Ghosn derided the planned merger as a desperate move.

From Nissan, Honda could get truck-based body-on-frame large SUVs such as the Armada and Infiniti QX80 that Honda does not have, with large towing capacities and good off-road performance, Sam Fiorani, vice president of AutoForecast Solutions, told The Associated Press.

Nissan also boasts years of experience building batteries and electric vehicles, and gas-electric hybird powertrains that could help Honda in developing its own EVs and next generation of hybrids, he said.

But the company said in November that it would slash 9,000 jobs, or about 6 percent of its global work force, and reduce its global production capacity by 20 percent after reporting a quarterly loss of 9.3 billion yen ($61 million).

It recently reshuffled its management and Makoto Uchida, its chief executive, took a 50 percent pay cut to take responsibility for the financial woes. He said Nissan needed to become more efficient and respond better to market tastes, rising costs and other global changes.

“Worsening profitability”

Fitch Ratings recently downgraded Nissan’s credit outlook to “negative,” citing worsening profitability, partly due to price cuts in the North American market. But it noted that it has a strong financial structure and solid cash reserves that amounted to 1.44 trillion yen ($9.4 billion).

Nissan’s share price also has fallen to the point where it is considered something of a bargain.

On Monday, its Tokyo-traded shares gained 1.6 percent. They jumped more than 20 percent after news of the possible merger broke last week.

Honda’s shares surged 3.8 percent. Honda’s net profit slipped nearly 20 percent in the first half of the April-March fiscal year from a year earlier, as sales suffered in China.

(With newswires)

Three children, aged six, 11 and 12, have been living since 2019 in an orphanage in Damascus, whose director was prohibited from having direct contact with their family in France by the regime of Bashir al-Assad.

With the change in regime, there is hope that the children could be brought to France.

“Before she died, the mother had contacts with the childrens’ aunt, but I was not allowed to have any [contact],” the director of the orphanage, who asked to remain anonymous, told RFI.

“If I said anything, I would have ended up in the Saydnaya prison. The only way I was allowed to contact the childrens’ family was through the Red Crescent, which was risky.”

Nevertheless, the children were able to speak to their aunt every week.

They were brought to the orphanage in 2019 by Syrian intelligence officers, which gave little information about what happened to them.

Raids

The orphanage director learned, through the children themselves, that their parents, French jihadists, had been killed during the bombings of the Islamic state in the Deir Ezzor region.

“The children came here with an intelligence service document. The mother’s name was false,” explained the director.

“The children themselves told me their mother was dead, that there were bombings and many killed. Their father was also dead.”

The director wanted to keep a link with the aunt of the children even if it was forbidden by the Assad regime.

The orphanage has not had any contact with French authorities, according to the director, who is determined to get the children repatriated.

France has been reluctant to repatriate women jihadists and their children being held in Syria, and until 2022 only allowed children on a case-by-case basis whose mothers agreed to give up their parental rights.

However, policy changes have accelerated the return, and France has always promised to care for orphans.

Since the collapse of the Islamic State in 2019, 170 women have returned from Iraq and Syria, and more than 350 children are being followed by child services around France.

This article was adapted from an article by Murielle Paradon and Boris Vichith which appeared in French on www.rfi.fr

The Syrian National Army, supported by Turkish air power, is pushing against the US-supported People’s Defense Units (YPG), which Ankara claims is linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, the PKK, which has been fighting Turkey for decades. 

The YPG controls a large swathe of Syria bordering Turkey, which Ankara says poses a security threat.

Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan says Turkey is determined to prevent the YPG and its affiliate the PKK from exploiting a power vacuum following the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

As Erdogan celebrates Turkish role in ousting Assad, uncertainty lies ahead

“We are in communication with the groups to make sure that terrorist organisations, especially Daesh [Islamic State] and the PKK, are not taking advantage of the situation,” he said. “Turkey is committed to continuing the fight against terrorism. All minorities – non-Muslims, Christians, non-Arabs, Kurds – should be treated equally.”

Opportunity for Ankara

Ever since the YPG took over control of the Syrian territory at the beginning of the Syrian civil war, Ankara has been seeking to remove it. 

With the ousting of the Assad regime and the withdrawal of its Iranian and Russian backers, which had in the past blocked Turkish military interventions, analysts say Ankara now sees an opportunity to finally remove the YPG threat.

“The current situation creates an opportunity for its [Turkey’s] fight against PKK and YPG because there is now no Russia, there is no Iran,” explains Bilgehan Alagoz, a professor of international relations at Istanbul’s Marmara University.

“Turkey was facing the Russian forces, the Iranian forces, and Assad’s regime forces while it was combatting the PKK and YPG,” she added. “We can name it as an opportunity for its fight against PKK and YPG.”

Success of rebel groups in Syria advances Turkish agenda

However, the YPG is still being supported by a small US military force, as part of the war against the Islamic State (IS). The YPG is also detaining thousands of IS militants.

‘The Euphrates is a line’

With the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army now approaching the Euphrates River, analysts say further eastward advances could put Ankara on a collision course with both Washington, and Syria’s new rulers – Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS. 

“The Euphrates now is like a line perhaps for the US military,” explains 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.

“If that [military advance] goes on as such, it could bring Turkey indirectly head to head with the US, with even perhaps HTS, and it could put Ankara in a delicate diplomatic position again,” warned Selcen.

Tensions with Israel

The Israeli military’s advance into Syria is adding to Ankara’s concerns over the threat posed by the PYG and its political wing, the Democratic Union Party (PYD). Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar last month described the Kurds as a “natural ally” of Israel, a comment that came amid growing Israeli-Turkish tensions.

Turkey seeks Gaza ceasefire role despite US criticism over Hamas ties

“Israel is now carving out a corridor [in Syria] between the PKK/PYD-controlled territories, and its own territories,” explained Hasan Unal, a professor of international relations at Ankara’s Baskent University.

“That suggests that this is what they [Israel] are trying to do – [to create] a Kurdish puppet state east of the Euphrates. And this is something that is likely to create lots of problems with Turkey,” he added.

With Israel’s presence in Syria, Ankara is likely to step up pressure on the YPG, and on the incoming Trump administration to end US military presence in Syria.

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winner’s names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you’ve grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week.

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!

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: Himangshu Mukharjee from West Bengal, India. Welcome, Himangshu! So glad you have joined us!

This week’s quiz: Paris Photo – the largest international art fair dedicated to photography – is held every November at the magnificent Grand Palais. RFI English journalist Isabelle Martinetti wrote an article about it: “Paris Photo fair focuses on photo books and their publishers”.

You were to re-read Isabelle’s article and send in the answers to these questions: What is the name and nationality of the photographer who won the First Book prize at this year’s Paris Photo fair?

The answer is, to quote Isabelle: “The first book prize was awarded to Taiwanese photographer Tsai Ting Bang for “Born From the Same Root”, a self-published work, awarded with a $10,000 cash prize.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question:  “What do you like to eat in the winter? Why?” The question was suggested by Liton Hissen Mia from Naogaon, Bangladesh.

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Dipita Chakrabarty from New Delhi, India. Dipita is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations, Dipita!

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Ferhat Bezazel, the president of the Butterflies Club Ain Kechera in West Skikda, Algeria, and Zaheer Ayiaz, a member of the Naz Radio France and Internet Fan Club in Faisal Abad, Pakistan. There’s also RFI Listeners Club member Shaira Hosen Mo from Kishoreganj, Bangladesh, and last but not least, RFI English listener Sadman Shihabur Rahaman, from Naogaon, Bangladesh.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, performed by Johnny Bregar; “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, performed by the Dexter Gordon Quartet; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Un flambeau, Jeannette, Isabelle”, attributed to Nicolas Saboly and Emile Blémont, performed by Les Petits Chanteurs de Mont-Royal.

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, listen to Melissa’s 15 December International Report podcast – “Gaza’s powerful war narratives make their way to the Oscars”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 27 January to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 1 February 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.   

Tibetans and Tibetan scholars are alarmed at how Paris’ Guimet museum of Asian art has categorised its art and artefacts from Tibet. Tenam and other Tibetans in exile, who have been demonstrating regularly outside the museum, talk about the importance of using the name Tibet, and scholar Katia Buffetrille questions the role of China in putting pressure on a French public institution. (Listen @2’48”) 

Like many residents in the town of Malakoff, just south of Paris, Vincent Chévrier had an olive tree in his garden but wasn’t doing much with it. So he federated a group of fellow local olive tree owners and together they’ve made Born to be Olive – the first olive oil “made in Ile de France”. Their collective project isn’t just about making a locally grown, organic product, it’s brought people together in a unique way. (Listen @17’37”)

On 22 December 1974, the people of the Comoros in the Indian Ocean voted overwhelmingly for independence from France. But the island of Mayotte did not, and became France’s 101st department. It’s created an immigration conundrum, straining the island’s already sparse resources  which were laid bare by Tropical Cyclone Chido last week. Listen @13’40”)

Episode mixed by Hadrien Touraud. 

Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

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!

There are just two days left for you to be a part of our New Year’s Day show – get your New Year’s resolutions and/or wishes to me by this coming Monday, 16 December. Send them to me at thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

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 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.   

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.