The Boxing Day tsunami of 26 December was “a wake-up call for humanity to do more, to better understand disaster risks,” said Kamal Kishore, UN special representative for Disaster Risk Reduction.

French scientists have been doing just that, focusing on the risk of a tsunami occurring around its Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts and installing early warning systems.

2004 Indian Ocean tsunami: what to know 20 years on

Unesco has said there is a 100 percent chance of a tsunami of at least 1 metre in height occurring in the Mediterranean in the next 30 to 50 years.

Monitoring activity

In 2012, France established the National Centre for Tsunami Alert (Cenalt), with seismometers working 24 hours a day to monitor earthquake activity around the country – with an eye towards predicting tsunamis on the coast.

“We do not expect tsunamis to go over 2 or 3 metres high, compared to the Pacific or Indian Oceans where there have been waves as high as 30 metres,” Cenalt director Pascal Roudil told France Info.

However, even smaller waves can cause damage. In October 1979 an underwater landslide caused a tsunami in Nice. A 3-metre high wave hit the coast, killing 11 people and sending water 150 metres inland.

Tears and prayers as Asia mourns tsunami dead 20 years on

Since 2012, around 100 seismological events have been noted by Cenalt and some have triggered warnings, but they are yet to record a real tsunami risk.

Risk on the Riviera

Cities along the French Rivera have organised drills to raise awareness of the risks, and teach people what to do in the event of a tsunami being detected. In some cases, people would have as little as 15 minutes to move to higher ground.

The coast of south-eastern France, between the sea and the Alps, is an active seismic zone, and earthquakes are recorded regularly. In mid December a 3.7 magnitude quake was recorded off the coast of Nice.

In January, Cannes became the first French city to be recognised by Unesco as “Tsunami Ready”, thanks to its alert system, evacuation plans and the drills it has organised.

A 9.1-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia’s western tip on December 26, 2004, generated a series of waves as high as 30 metres that pummelled the coastline of 14 countries from Indonesia to Somalia.

In Indonesia’s Aceh Province, where more than 100,000 people were killed, a siren rang out at the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque to kick off a series of memorials around the region, including in Sri Lanka, India and Thailand, which the tsunami hit hours later.

People recounted harrowing tales of horror and miraculous survival as giant waves swept in without warning, carrying debris including cars and destroying buildings in its wake.

“I thought it was doomsday,” said Hasnawati, a 54-year-old teacher who goes by one name, at the Indonesian mosque that was damaged by the tsunami.

“On a Sunday morning where our family were all laughing together, suddenly a disaster struck and everything’s gone. I can’t describe it with words.”

At Aceh’s Siron mass grave, where around 46,000 people were buried, emotional relatives recited Islamic prayers in the shade of trees that have since grown there.

Khyanisa, a 59-year-old Indonesian housewife, lost her mother and daughter, searching in vain for them in the hope they were still alive.

“I kept chanting God’s name. I looked for them everywhere,” she said.

“There was a moment where I realised they were gone. I felt my chest was in pain, I screamed.”

Japan marks ‘unforgettable tragedy’ of Fukushima, 10 years on

‘Dismay’

The victims included many foreign tourists celebrating Christmas on the region’s sun-kissed beaches, bringing the tragedy into homes around the globe.

The seabed being ripped open pushed waves at double the speed of a bullet train, crossing the Indian Ocean within hours.

In Thailand, where half of the more than 5,000 dead were foreign tourists, commemorations began early in Ban Nam Khem, its worst-hit village.

Tearful relatives laid flowers and wreaths at a curved wall in the shape of a tsunami wave with plaques bearing victims’ names.

Napaporn Pakawan, 55, lost her older sister and a niece in the tragedy.

“I feel dismay. I come here every year,” she told AFP.

“Times flies but time is slow in our mind.”

Indonesia: experts warn another Tsunami could hit the country

After an interfaith ceremony, Italian survivor Francesca Ermini, 55, thanked volunteers for saving her life.

“I think all of us (survivors), when we think about you, it makes us feel so hopeful,” she said.

Unofficial beachside vigils were also expected to accompany a Thai government memorial ceremony.

Train vigil

A total of 226,408 people died as a result of the tsunami, according to EM-DAT, a recognised global disaster database.

There was no warning of the impending tsunami, giving little time for evacuation, despite the hours-long gaps between the waves striking different continents.

But today a sophisticated network of monitoring stations has cut down warning times.

In Sri Lanka, where more than 35,000 people perished, survivors and relatives gathered to remember around 1,000 victims who died when waves derailed a passenger train.

The mourners boarded the restored Ocean Queen Express and headed to Peraliya – the exact spot where it was ripped from the tracks, around 90 kilometres south of Colombo.

A brief religious ceremony was held with relatives of the dead there while Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Muslim ceremonies were also organised to commemorate victims across the South Asian island nation.

Nearly 300 people were killed as far away as Somalia, as well as more than 100 in the Maldives and dozens in Malaysia and Myanmar.

Dorothy Wilkinson, a 56-year-old British woman who lost her partner and his parents to the tsunami in Thailand, said the commemorations were a time to remember the best of those who died.

“It makes me happy to come… a bit sad,” she said.

“It’s celebrating their life.”

The deadline was agreed with the West African regional bloc Ecowas, but government officials confirmed two weeks ago they would not meet the target date.

Instead, authorities announced a second phase called “refoundation of the state” without providing further details.

In a statement, Forces Vives – which unites opposition parties and civil society groups – called for the establishment of a civilian-led transition, accusing the current authorities of failing to deliver on their promises.

Abdoul Sacko, coordinator of the Forum of Social Forces of Guinea, one of the signatory organisations, expressed frustration at the lack of progress.

“We are talking about a celebratory situation because this mandate – what we call the transition timeline – which the transitional authorities granted themselves and which was accepted by the people of Guinea and the international community, is coming to an end,” Sacko said.

Guinea’s political parties face survival test as junta orders mass cull

Public frustration

Sacko criticised the lack of progress towards democratic rule, saying there is “no relevant, visible and perfectible approach to returning to constitutional order”.

He added: “Responsibility would require us to commit to working, informing and mobilising the people towards a civilian transition, respecting and giving substance to this commitment. So, once again, we are facing a situation where there is frustration at all levels.”

The missed deadline raises fresh concerns about the military’s grip on power in Guinea, where authorities have not specified a new timeline for elections or return to civilian rule.

The announcement comes amid growing regional pressure on military-led governments in West Africa to honour their commitments to restore democracy.

The 58-percent increase includes 1,538 children and 421 women, migrants rights group Caminando Fronteras or Walking Borders said in a report which covers the period from January 1 to December 5, 2024.

It amounts to an average of 30 deaths per day, up from around 18 in 2023.

The group compiles its data from hotlines set up for migrants on vessels in trouble to call for help, families of migrants who went missing and from official rescue statistics.

It blamed the use of flimsy boats and increasingly dangerous routes as well as the insufficient capacity of maritime rescue services for the surge in deaths.

‘Unacceptable tragedy’

“These figures are evidence of a profound failure of rescue and protection systems. More than 10,400 people dead or missing in a single year is an unacceptable tragedy,” the group’s founder, Helena Maleno, said in a statement.

The victims were from 28 nations, mostly in Africa, but also from Iraq and Pakistan.

The vast majority of the fatalities – 9,757 – took place on the Atlantic migration route from Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands, which has received a record number of migrants for the second year in a row.

Seven migrant boats landed in the archipelago on Wednesday, Christmas Day, Spain‘s maritime rescue service said on social media site X.

France and Comoros clash over migrants lost in Mayotte cyclone disaster

At their closest point, the Canaries lie 100 kilometres off the coast of North Africa. The shortest route is between the coastal town of Tarfaya in southern Morocco and the island of Fuerteventura in the Canaries.

But the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands is particularly dangerous because of strong currents.

Along with Italy and Greece, Spain is one of the three major European gateways for migrant arrivals.

According to the interior ministry, 60,216 migrants entered Spain irregularly between January 1 and December 15 – a 14.5 percent increase over the same time last year.

The majority, over 70 percent, landed in the Canaries.

A total of 1,534 detainees escaped the high-security prison located about 15 kilometres from the capital, said national police chief Bernardino Rafael at a press conference.

Among those attempting to escape, 33 were killed and 15 wounded in clashes with prison staff, he added.

A search operation, backed by the army, led to the arrest of about 150 fugitives, he said.

Around 30 of the prisoners were linked to armed groups that have been behind unrest and attacks in the northern province of Cabo Delgado for the past seven years.

“We are particularly concerned about this situation,” Rafael said.

The Portuguese-speaking African country’s highest court had confirmed on Monday that Frelimo, in power since 1975, won the October 9 presidential election that had already triggered weeks of unrest.

Frelimo leader Daniel Chapo won 65.17 percent of the vote, about five points less than the initial results declared by the country’s electoral commission.

Chapo’s main challenger, exiled opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, has claimed the election was rigged, sparking fears of violence between rival party supporters.

Mondlane has said that a separate count shows he won enough votes to take office, which he intends to do.

On Wednesday, groups of protesters had approached the penitentiary, creating confusion and triggering unrest inside the prison, where inmates ended up knocking down a wall through which they escaped, he explained.

Barricades remained erected in several areas of the capital Wednesday, limiting movements, as acts of vandalism continued.

Mozambique faces more unrest after high court confirms Frelimo victory

Insecurity

In addition to stores and public buildings that were already ransacked Monday, ambulances were set ablaze along with a drugstore and other businesses, according to an AFP correspondent.

Some demonstrators also set up tables in the streets to occupy the space while celebrating Christmas with family or neighbours, an AFP journalist witnessed in several working-class districts of Maputo.

A few residents ventured out to buy food and drink, but many supermarkets had been vandalized. Those that did reopen had shortened hours.

Monday’s final results extend Frelimo’s half-century grip on power and lines up Chapo to take over from President Filipe Nyusi whose second term ends on January 15.

It came despite claims of irregularities from many observers.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller had said there was “a lack of transparency” about the results and urged all parties to “refrain from violence and engage in meaningful collaboration to restore peace and foster unity”.

Mozambique violence fuelled by historical grievances and civil war politics

But on Tuesday, the Mozambique interior ministry said that 21 people including two police officers had been killed in 24 hours in street clashes.

Interior Minister Pascoal Ronda also said 236 “acts of serious violence” occurred.

“Groups of armed men using bladed weapons and firearms have carried out attacks against police stations, penitentiary establishments, and other infrastructure,” Ronda had said.

At least 25 people were wounded, while more 70 people had been arrested, he said.

The ensuing unrest has claimed the lives of at least 150 people, according to several NGO reports.

“Nelson Mandela himself always said that the struggle against apartheid was a collective effort,” Tshepo Moloi, history lecturer at the University of Johannesburg, told RFI. 

“People who were not in leadership had a great role too: the labourers, the workers and the cultural activists – people who sang, poets, painters, sculptors,” said Moloi, a specialist on the liberation struggle.

“They played an important role for the international community to know what was happening in South Africa.”

Thirty years after the long fight led South Africans to freedom, that cultural resistance has become part of the country’s essence, inspiring new generations of artists.

Johannesburg, a hotbed of resistance 

“Some people would easily understand the speeches by leaders like Oliver Tambo, who went around the world informing about the brutal system of apartheid, but some people would sympathise through music or poetry with what was happening inside the country,” Moloi says.

The African National Congress, the liberation movement that has since become South Africa’s ruling party, even had its own performing group, he says. Named the Amandla Cultural Ensemble after a local word for “power”, it toured the world promoting the anti-apartheid cause.

But back in segregated South Africa, just making music as a black artist could be an act of defiance in itself.

“Music was segregated. Apartheid affected every life in South Africa, even work,” says Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse, a jazz musician who played with some of South Africa’s finest.

“We were not allowed to perform at some of the best venues in town.”

Born under apartheid in 1951, Mabuse grew up in Soweto, the Johannesburg township that became an epicentre of black resistance. 

A singer-songwriter who plays everything from drums to saxophone, he started out in the 1970s in the afro-soul group The Beaters – a reference to the famous British band – who later changed their name to Harari.

Mabuse also recorded with South African legends Miriam Makeba, Hugo Masekela, Ray Phiri and Sibongile Khumalo.

Harari’s music was rooted in pan-African politics, inspired by the Black Panther Movement and black consciousness in general.

Despite their passion and support from black fans, Mabuse says their life was made “very difficult” by apartheid.

• Podcast: Jo’burg’s new musical generation
• A tribute to jazz pioneer and activist Hugh Masekela

Beyond apartheid

The musicians got a glimpse of a different way when tours took them outside South Africa.

“When we started going into other countries, especially when we got to Botswana, we suddenly realised that people of all races mixed. There was no issue, it made no difference to those people dancing to our music,” Mabuse told RFI.

In neighbouring Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland (now Eswatini), musicians like him could tour freely and play in all venues, to all audiences.

For him and his bandmates, that ignited their political consciousness and led them to question why things remained different back at home. 

“That made us self-conscious,” Mabuse recalled. “And we started pursuing a different approach to music, which we felt we could use as a vehicle to express our political alliance.”

Meanwhile international artists expressed solidarity by joining in a cultural boycott, as well as writing music that highlighted the fight for freedom.

Today, South Africa’s musical activism isn’t just the subject of history books and museum displays, but lives on in the contemporary arts scene.

At 70, Mabuse is still performing and touring – sharing the legacy of South African musicians’ fight for freedom, which continues to resonate worldwide.

French rescuers launched twelve operations throughout the day along the coast of northern France that picked up 107 migrants, the Channel and North Sea maritime prefecture said in a statement.

In the morning, 30 people were rescued from a boat near Dunkirk, while the others onboard, who wished to continue onwards, were left to be taken into British custody once they reached British waters.

Another 51 people were rescued from a boat experiencing engine damage near Dunkirk, and 26 people were taken off a boat experiencing difficulty near Calais.

The Channel is “a particularly dangerous area, especially at the height of winter for precarious and overloaded boats,” the statement said.

Storms and strong winds have made crossing attempts impossible for a week, but the weather improved on Tuesday, resulting in dozens of boats attempting the crossing.

Authorities in the Dover harbour said over a hundred people arrived in the early morning. The British Home Office has yet to publish its daily arrivals count.

2024 has been the deadliest year on record for Channel crossings, according to the Pas-de-Calais authorities, which have recorded 73 migrant deaths.

Tens of thousands have managed to reach Britain, where the government has vowed to crack down on people-smuggling gangs.

In November, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for greater international cooperation against the gangs, which he described as a “global security threat similar to terrorism.”

(with AFP)

On 12 September 1974, Ethiopia’s Emperor Haile Selassie I was quietly deposed by the Armed Forces Coordinating Committee – the Derg – after several months of nationwide demonstrations and strikes.

A severe drought in the winter of 1973 had devastated the northern regions of Wollo and Tigray, causing widespread famine.

Dramatic images of the victims added to the growing economic difficulties and the stalemate in a society still bound by feudal structures. This fuelled discontent against the Ethiopian emperor, who had been in power for 44 years.

First crowned as regent in 1916 – alongside his aunt Empress Zaouditou – Ras Tafari took the throne of Abyssinia in 1930 under the name of Haile Selassie I.

As the 225th descendant of the dynasty of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, Negus of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie held great privilage and prestige for decades.

Faced with Mussolini

Haile Selassie was a symbol of Ethiopia’s independence, particularly during the invasion by Italian forces under dictator Benito Mussolini in 1935.

When he went into exile in Europe, Selassie gave a keynote speech at the League of Nations on 28 June, 1936, that left a lasting impression on the world stage.

On 5 May 1941 – after returning via Sudan – he triumphantly entered the capital, Addis Ababa, which had been liberated by Anglo-Indian brigades with the support of the Free French Forces.

Emperor of a country that had never been colonised, Haile Selassie symbolised the desire for independence throughout Africa.

Respected internationally, Haile Selassie was seen as a reformer in his early days, especially for his role in abolishing slavery.

He advocated for African unity and helped establish the Organisation of African Unity in 1963, securing its headquarters in Addis Ababa.

Despite these efforts, he met strong opposition from landowners and the clergy in a largely Christian country.

With no free press or political parties to provide outlets for dissent, frustrations grew, especially as the Eritrean Liberation Front began its calls for independence in 1961.

A state of emergency was declared in Eritrea in 1970, but it only deepened repression.

Revolt of young intellectuals

While living in splendour, Haile Selassie amassed a colossal fortune and  lost touch with the growing unrest, particularly among Ethiopia’s young intellectuals.

The famine and its thousands of victims intensified anger at the regime. By February 1974, mass demonstrations were taking place across the country, followed by a wave of strikes.

Marxist-Leninist ideas spreading through universities strengthened the revolution, which claimed to be democratic, modern and in support of women’s rights.

However, the Derg deposed the emperor by 12 September of that year.

In a bid to avoid chaos, the military had Crown Prince Asfa Wossen proclaimed king – though he was abroad for medical treatment and never exercised power.

• 30 years young: Eritrea reaches a milestone but struggles with legacy of its past

The abolished monarchy and Selassie’s death

Writing for the French weekly L’Express in September 1974, journalist Christian d’Épenoux summed up Haile Selassie’s downfall.

“A champion of the non-aligned, he had managed somehow to preserve the unity of his kingdom … against the greed of his neighbours to the south and north, Sudan and Somalia, who were breathing down his neck,” he wrote.

“But his prudence, once praised, had become a blemish. Old age and attrition had overcome the spirit of reform. Isolated, ill-advised, turning a blind eye to privilege and injustice, having amassed an incredible fortune of his own, the old Negus could no longer see his country crack.

“Drought, famine and the atrocious deaths of 100,000 of his subjects while he fed his molosses triggered the revolt that was to sweep him off his feet”.

The Ethiopian monarchy was finally abolished in March 1975, when Haile Selassie was imprisoned in the basement of the imperial palace.

The world learned of his death on 27 August that same year – probably assassinated on the orders of the country’s new strongman, Mengistu Haile Mariam.

• Ethiopia conflict at a ‘national scale’ according to UN investigators

The rise of Mengistu and the ‘Red Terror’

The revolution, initially led by left-wing students, was soon taken over by the army.

The Derg established the Provisional Military Administrative Council on 15 September 1974, which brought clashes with the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party.

These struggles paved the way for Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam, who took over the junta in 1977.

Mengistu’s rise to power triggered a wave of repression known as the “Red Terror”.

Tens of thousands were killed, though the full scale of the Derg’s crimes remains unknown. The regime ruled with brutal force until its overthrow in 1991.

To this day, 87-year-old Mengistu lives quietly in Zimbabwe despite being convicted of genocide and sentenced to death in absentia in 2008. 

Zimbabwe continues to refuse his extradition, and in 2011, many Derg leaders saw their death sentences commuted to life imprisonment.

The legacy of authoritarian rule

The dictatorial violence of the Derg’s communist rule – along with constant warfare against separatist movements in Eritrea and Tigray – led to the collapse of food and cash crop production in the country by the late 1970s and early 1980s.

A National Revolutionary Development Campaign, launched in 1984, aimed to transform Ethiopia’s economy within 10 years. It failed.

The situation came to the world’s attention during the 1984-1985 famine in Tigray, which inspired the Live Aid charity concerts in 1985.

Since the fall of the Derg in 1991, many Ethiopians lament the failure of the country to reconcile with its past. 

There has been no Truth and Reconciliation Commission, nor any real effort from Ethiopian leaders to help victims heal or receive financial reparation. 

Fifty years after the revolution, the country still feels the effects of the Derg’s brutal rule as it continues to grapple with civil war and deep ethnic divisions.

The craft, which blasted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on 12 August 2018, sent out a beacon on 22 December to say it was en route to its date with destiny some 6.2 million kilometres from the surface of the sun.

Parker has swept past the star on 21 occasions, edging nearer to pave the way for the closest approach – known as perihelion.

Mission teams on Earth, who have been out of contact with the probe for the past three days, must wait for another beacon on Friday to confirm whether the spacecraft has successfully completed its moment in the sun.

“This is one example of Nasa’s bold missions, doing something that no one else has ever done before, to answer longstanding questions about our universe,” said Arik Posner, the Parker solar probe programme scientist.

“We can’t wait to receive that first status update from the spacecraft and start receiving the science data in the coming weeks.”

Heat

Although the heat shield on the probe will endure temperatures of about 870 to 930 degrees Celsius, its internal instruments will remain near room temperature – 29 degrees C – as it explores the sun’s outer atmosphere, called the corona.

Not only will the temperatures be extreme, but Parker will also be moving at around 690,000 kilometres per hour – the fastest any craft has travelled.

“No human-made object has ever passed this close to a star, so Parker will truly be returning data from uncharted territory,” said Nick Pinkine, Parker Solar Probe mission operations manager at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland. 

“We’re excited to hear back from the spacecraft when it swings back around the sun.”

By venturing into these extreme conditions during its seven-year mission, Parker will help scientists tackle some of the sun’s biggest mysteries: how the solar wind originates, why the corona is hotter than the surface below, and how the corona throws out massive clouds of plasma that hurl through space.

Thierry Dudok de Wit, a professor of space science at the University of Orleans in western France, which developed one of instruments aboard the probe, told RFI: “It’s a general question that not only addresses the sun but also other stars.

“Whenever you venture into such unknown territories, you are likely to make major discoveries. And for that reason, this probe has a major potential as a revolutionary mission.”

“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.

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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

“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.

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

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

New Prime Minister Francois Bayrou’s team, which he unveiled Monday, is under pressure to pass a budget to cut soaring public spending and reduce a deficit expected to end the year at above six percent of gross domestic product.

Bayrou appointed Eric Lombard to lead the charge, as Economy minister. He has extensive experience in the public and private financial institutions.

The head of Caisse des Depots, the investment arm of the French government, he has had a career as a banker. But he may be vulnerable to accusations that he leans too far left politically, and that he is too close to the deeply unpopular Macron.

He will work with Budget Minister Amélie de Montchalin, a long-time Macron supporter who was elected to parliament in 2017, along with four other ministers.

They will prepare a draft budget that will be presented to the National Assembly when it comes out of its recess on 13 January.

While the National Assembly passed a special law to avoid a government shutdown on 1 January, it is only a temporary measure and does not provide long-term funding, and leaves aside promises for farmers, and New Caledonia, among others.

A budget also sets income and corporate tax rates for the year, and addresses a public deficit that France has promised its European partners it would reign in.

The Moody’s rating agency has already downgraded France’s sovereign credit rating, and that of seven of the country’s largest bank, which adds to the debt burden.

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)

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

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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.