Until now, only military or state-chartered planes were authorised to land in Mayotte, delivering humanitarian aid and personnel. As of Wednesday, the five airlines that operated before the cyclone will gradually resume services.

CorsAir and AirAustral are resuming links with neighbouring Reunion Island and mainland France. The three others – Kenya Airways, Ewa Air and Amelia – are expected to follow.

The civil aviation authority said flights will resume “progressively” to avoid disrupting the ongoing delivery of aid and emergency staff, with around 100 journeys per day.

The resumption of flights comes after lengthy security checks to both the airport and the surrounding area. Runways had to be cleared, signalling repaired and sufficient ground staff mobilised.

Pamandzi’s control tower, badly damaged by Cyclone Chido, is being temporarily replaced by a mobile tower provided by the French airforce.

‘Nowhere to go’

At least 39 people have been confirmed dead and more than 5,000 injured in the most devastating cyclone to hit Mayotte in 90 years.

Thousands of families were left homeless after high winds flattened the shanty towns where between 100,000 and  200,000 of the archipelago’s 300,000 population lived. Many are undocumented migrants from neighbouring Comoros.

They’ve been housed in temporary shelters, often schools.

“There’s no electricity here,” said Mrahzati Abdallah, one of the team managing the Le Manguier school in the capital Mamoudzou that’s served as an emergency shelter.

Tables turned as Comoros offers lifeline to Mayotte’s cyclone survivors

On Monday, Mamoudzou’s mayor, Ambdilwahedou Soumaila, told visiting Prime Minister François Bayrou that all shelters in the city would close on 1 January to prepare schools for reopening on 20 January.

But homeless families are not sure where to go, as the authorities struggle to restore water, power and telecoms to France’s poorest department.

“We just need time to rebuild our house,” said Siti, a middle school student in the capital. “With my mother there are six of us, the youngest is just a few months old. We don’t know where to go now. We know where to build, but we haven’t had time yet.” 

Soumaila said Bayrou had committed to “taking care of all these families who will have no place to sleep”, but details of the plan remain unclear.

On Monday, Bayrou announced a two-year construction plan for Mayotte. However, frustration is mounting among locals over the slow delivery of aid and delays in restoring water and electricity.

In an open letter published Saturday, local citizens’ groups decried the “flagrant insufficiency” of support following the cyclone.

(with AFP)  

In his end-of-year address to the nation on Tuesday, Ouattara said the withdrawal from the 43rd BIMA (Infantry and Marine Battalion of Port-Bouet) – which ends a military presence that has lasted for decades – would be “coordinated and organised”.

The president urged Ivorians to take pride in the modernised state of their armed forces.

The base, which currently hosts around 1,000 French soldiers, will be renamed Général Ouattara Thomas d’Aquin after the head of the Ivorian Chief of Staff, news agency AFP reported.

Military shift

France’s military presence in West and Central Africa is shrinking as the former colonial power reconfigures its strategy. Troop numbers will be reduced to 600, down from around 2,200, as part of this shift.

France to reduce military presence in West and Central Africa

France has already pulled its soldiers out of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, following military coups in those countries and growing anti-French sentiment.

The government of Chad – a key Western ally in the fight against Islamic militants in the region – abruptly ended its defence cooperation pact with France in November.

France handed over the Faya military base in the desertic north of Chad, on 26 December.

Meanwhile Senegalese president Bassirou Diomaye Faye confirmed on Tuesday the end of all foreign military presence in Senegal from 2025.

French troops are now only present in Djibouti and Gabon.

(with newswires)

The move aims to combat infections caused by meningococcal bacteria, which can lead to bacterial meningitis – a highly contagious and potentially deadly illness.

Bacterial meningitis presents symptoms such as high fever and stiff neck and can result in rapid death if untreated.

Even with treatment, it has a 10 percent mortality rate and can cause long-term complications such as amputation, cognitive impairments and deafness.

Meningococci, the bacteria responsible, spread easily among individuals, making vaccination critical to prevent an epidemic.

The extension of the vaccination drive comes as the French Ministry of Health aims to enhance protection for infants against the infections amid a resurgence of cases in recent years.

This increase is partially attributed to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, which inadvertently reduced exposure to meningococcal disease and led to lower vaccination rates.

From January to November 2024, more than 500 cases of meningococcal disease were reported in France, the highest in over two decades and slightly up from 2023.

Seasonal flu, Covid vaccine drive kicks off across France

‘Dangerous’ evolution of bacteria

Health authorities are also concerned about changes in the prevalence of meningococcal strains.

The main bacteria are divided into families: A, B, C, W and Y.

While the B strain remains common, the decline of the C strain has allowed the more dangerous W and Y strains to emerge. These strains are harder to diagnose and can cause atypical infections.

Previously, vaccination covered mainly B and C strains – a strategy now looked upon as outdated by health experts.

WHO wants to rein in meningitis by 2030

Infant vaccination mandatory

France’s updated vaccination schedule now includes mandatory coverage for all meningococcal strains in infants.

For teenagers aged 11 to 14, a booster dose targeting strains A, C, W and Y is recommended, even for those previously vaccinated.

The B vaccine remains focused on younger children, as health authorities believe its benefits for older age groups are limited.

The vaccination booster is not compulsory but will be largely reimbursed by France’s National Health Insurance.

France has a new prime minister – François Bayrou, the country’s fourth of 2024 – and a new government, plus a new budget on the way. Passing this will be the government’s priority when it gets back to work on 2 January, to replace the emergency rollover budget in place.

Already signed, sealed and due to be delivered on 1 January, 2025 are a host of new laws concerning pensions, Airbnbs, language tests for those applying for citizenship or residency, low-emission zones in major cities and the use of tickets restos.

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

Transport and housing

The so-called “Airbnb law” comes into effect on 1 January, meaning all short-term rentals will have to be registered with the local mairie as furnished tourist accommodation, no matter how long they are rented out for.

A ban on renting any property with an energy performance rating (DPE) of G will also come into force, which applies to both new leases and the renewal of existing leases.

With wildfires increasing in France over the last few years, those selling a property in one of the risk zones will now be legally required to inform prospective buyers on their first visit of their legal obligations in this regard – which include clearing scrubland and pruning gardens and forests on the property.

From 1 January, Paris, Lyon, Grenoble and Montpellier will tighten restrictions in their low-emission zones. Diesel cars from before 2011 and petrol cars from before 2006 (Crit’Air 3 vehicles) won’t be allowed into the city centres or inner suburbs during certain hours. The measure will affect nearly 8 million vehicles – 21 percent of cars on the road in France.

Speed limits will change on some roads with a view to reducing pollution – including noise pollution – and protecting ecosystems. Cities including Paris and Grenoble will adopt a limit of 30km per hour in their centres, while some national and departmental roads will see their limit changed to 70km per hour.

For those using public transport, from 1 January it will be mandatory to carry proof of address, as part of efforts to clamp down on ticket fraud. 

Pensions and benefits

On 1 January, pensions will rise by 2.2 per cent, bringing them in line with inflation – although recipients won’t see the increase until February, as there is a one-month lag.

Also this year, there will be new restrictions on top-up benefits for those on low incomes or working part time (Revenu de solidarité active, RSA) – 1.84 million people as of September 2024.

From Wednesday, claimants will have to sign a contract committing to 15 to 20 hours a week of activity such as training or work experience, in order to receive their full entitlement.

Health

From 2025 cold and flu remedies containing pseudoephedrine will no longer be available over the counter at pharmacies and will require a prescription.

And as of 22 December the standard consultation fee to see your GP has risen from €26.50 to €30, with fees to see paediatricians, psychiatrists, gynaecologists and physiotherapists among other specialists also rising.

Everyday expenses

Postage prices will increase by 6.8 percent from 1 January, for both letters and parcels. 

Also coming into effect on Wednesday is an increase in the price of tobacco products. A packet of 20 cigarettes will go up by as much as €1, depending on the brand, bringing the price of a pack to more than €12.50.

Belgium to become first EU country to ban disposable e-cigarettes

In 2022, the French government authorised the use of luncheon vouchers – tickets restos – to buy groceries, in a bid to ease the effects of inflation and the cost of living crisis. Previously these vouchers were only for the purchase of food to be eaten immediately, such as sandwiches, salads and ready meals, and from 1 January, 2025 the rules will revert to this – a move restaurant owners have welcomed.

Europe-wide changes

New laws are on the way too across the European Union. The bloc’s new Entry & Exit System – which will require those crossing an EU external border to pass through fingerprint and facial scanners – was due to come into force in November 2024. The EU now says it will be rolled out in the first half of 2025. The new system won’t apply, however, to EU citizens or residents.

Also set to come into effect in 2025 is the ETIAS visa waiver system, which will require non-EU citizens to pay a fee of €7 to visit the EU.

The system will function similarly to the ESTA visa waiver scheme in the United States, with the waiver valid for three years. The fee won’t apply to those under 18 or over 70, and those with EU residency or longterm visas will be exempt.

In France, by the end of 2025 there will be new language requirements for those applying for nationality or permanent residency, increasing the current proficiency levels from B1 to B2 for citizenship applications, and from A1 to A2 for some residency cards.

Personal stories paint rich portrait of France’s immigration through time

The speech caps a tumultuous 2024 for Macron, who shocked the nation in June by unilaterally calling snap elections after the far right National Rally trounced his centrist bloc in the European polls.

His gamble backfired when voters delivered a hung parliament with a big increase in far-right lawmakers, limiting Macron’s power.

“Lucidity and humility force (me) to recognise that at this stage, this decision has produced more instability than peace, and I fully own up to that,” Macron said in a televised address ahead of New Year‘s celebrations.

“The dissolution caused more divisions in the assembly than solutions for the French people,” he added, in the clearest mea culpa since the elections.

Macron had justified his decision to call snap polls in the wake of the European elections by the need to “clarify” the political situation.

But he lost his relative majority and took two months to name a minority government, which eventually collapsed in December – the first time that has happened in France since 1962.

The political fallout has been considerable. France failed to approve a budget for 2025 before the end-of-year deadline, and Macron named his fourth prime minister this year – centrist veteran François Bayrou – in December.

Macron seeks allies to rebuild government after historic collapse

Consulting the people

Macron also opened the door to using referendums in 2025. While he didn’t use the word “referendum”, he said he would ask the French to decide on “decisive” issues, without elaborating which ones.

“I want us to act with 2050 in our sights. We will have choices to make, for our economy, our democracy, our security, our children,” he said.

The French constitution grants powers to the president to initiate referendums.

France’s Macron mulls using referendums to break political deadlock

Macron has also used “citizen conventions”– gatherings of randomly picked citizens without any binding power – in the past to quell revolts such as the Yellow Vest protests and on issues such as climate and euthanasia

On international issues, where he retains wide diplomatic and military powers, Macron said the European Union should stop being “naive” when it comes to international trade, as the bloc faces threats of tariffs by US President-elect Donald Trump.

“We must say no to trade rules enacted by others and that we are the only ones to still comply with, say no to everything that makes us more dependent on others, without tradeoffs and without preparing the future,” he said.

Europe has ‘avoided bearing burden of its own security’, says Macron

He also evoked war in Ukraine and the Middle East, and election manipulation in Georgia, Romania and Moldova, as proof that Europe should not take its security for granted.

“That’s why Europe should stop delegating its security and defence to other powers,” he said, urging EU partners, who often rely on the US security umbrella, to do more for their own defence.

(with newswires)

There has been a moratorium on executions in the southern African country since 2005 although courts have continued to hand down the death sentence for crimes including murder, treason and terrorism.

The Death Penalty Abolition Act, published in Government Gazette Tuesday, says courts can no longer deliver a sentence of capital punishment for any offence and any existing death sentences would need to be commuted to jail time.

However, one provision says the suspension of the death penalty may be lifted during a state of emergency.

‘Historic moment’

Zimbabwe last executed someone in 2005.

At least 59 people were known to be under a death sentence in Zimbabwe at the end of 2023, Amnesty International said in a statement welcoming the new act as an “historic moment”.

The international rights group said: “We urge the authorities to now swiftly move to a full abolition of the death penalty by removing the clause included in the amendments to the bill allowing for the use of the death penalty for the duration of any state of public emergency.”

The local The Herald newspaper reported in February that there were 63 death row inmates who would likely have to return to court for resentencing once the death penalty was scrapped.

France pays tribute to Badinter, minister who won fight to end death penalty

Twenty-four countries across sub-Saharan Africa have abolished the death penalty for all crimes while two additional countries have abolished it for ordinary crimes only, Amnesty said.

Mnangagwa has been a vocal opponent of capital punishment since he was sentenced to death in the 1960s for blowing up a train during the guerrilla war for independence. The sentence was later commuted.

Of the 16 countries known to have carried out executions in 2023, only one – Somalia – was in sub-Saharan Africa, according to Amnesty.

The law grants amnesty only to events that took place on 15 and 16 September 2015 when members of ex-President Blaise Compaoré’s elite Presidential Security Regiment tried to end the transitional government, less than a month before democratic elections.

Campaoré was forced out of office in 2014 by protesters angered by his attempt to change the constitution to extend his 27-year rule.

‘Administrative grace’

Those seeking what the law calls “administrative grace” must submit a request to the head of state, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.

Amnesty decisions will depend on an assessment of the threat the applicant poses to public institutions, and to their commitment to the fight against terrorism

When presenting the legislation, Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala said that applicants will have to admit to facts, behave well, and be willing to be operationally deployed in the fight against terrorism.

Bayala noted that anyone granted amnesty will no longer face legal prosecution, convictions will be overturned and the offenses will not be mentioned in the person’s record.

Several high-ranking officers were sentenced to prison terms in 2019.

Mixed reactions

The legislation, which passed unopposed, with 67 votes in favour and three abstentions, has sparked mixed reactions.

Some view it as a step towards national reconciliation, while others question its motives and potential consequences.

Burkina Faso’s recent political history has been tumultuous. Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, who won the country’s first democratic election in 50 years, was ousted in a military-led insurgency in January 2022. This was followed by a second coup nine months later, lead by Traoré, who is still in power.

(with AFP)

The expansion, made possible when Austria and other members dropped their objections to the former communist countries joining, officially took place at midnight (2200 GMT) on January 1, marked by ceremonies at various border posts.

Romania and Bulgaria, both members of the European Union since 2007, were partially included in the Schengen zone in March, eliminating border checks at ports and airports.

But Austria had threatened to veto their full entry over migration concerns, which meant that controls still applied at land border crossings.

Vienna backed off its veto threat in December after the three countries reached a deal on a “border protection package”, clearing the way for Romania and Bulgaria, two of the EU’s poorest countries, to join Schengen.

Created in 1985, the zone will now include 25 of the EU’s 27 members, as well as Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, covering a total population of more than 400 million people.

Romania and Bulgaria had met the Schengen zone’s technical requirements for membership since 2011.

But “member states objected every time” they tried to join, analyst Valentin Naumescu told AFP.

That became “a source of frustration exploited by anti-EU parties, which alleged Romania was being treated unfairly”, he said.

The resentment came into play in Romania’s recent presidential elections, in which far-right candidate Calin Georgescu surged to a surprise first-round win, before the polls were cancelled amid claims of Russian interference.

Now, “that feeling of being second-class citizens” should fade, Naumescu said.

France reinstates border checks as immigration policies tighten

Truckers celebrate

Leaders on both sides hailed the expansion as “historic”.

Austria had for years complained about hosting a disproportionate number of undocumented migrants as a result of poorly protected external Schengen borders.

It dropped its objections to Romania (population 19 million) and Bulgaria (6.5 million) joining Schengen after the three countries signed a border protection agreement in November.

The deal provides for the joint deployment of guards to the Bulgarian-Turkish border and temporary controls at land crossings for an initial period of six months.

Joining the zone will boost Romania’s and Bulgaria’s gross domestic product (GDP) by at least one percentage point, analysts estimate.

Lorry drivers, who currently wait up to 20 hours at border crossings, celebrated the news.

“It was a pure waste of time for drivers, who couldn’t even stop to rest because they had to move their vehicles every 10 minutes,” said Beniamin Lucescu, head of a Romanian transport federation.

Poor road and railroad infrastructure in Bulgaria could limit the positive impact there, however.

EU demands ‘clarifications’ from Poland over visa scandal

The countries’ tourism sectors are meanwhile expecting a surge in visitors from the two countries to nearby Greece.

“It’s excellent news,” said 46-year-old sales manager Ivailo Kirkov, who owns a house in northern Greece.

“We’d been waiting impatiently.”

Greek teacher and tour guide Gueorgui Grantcharov predicted a rush of Romanian and Bulgarian tourists to Greece.

With no queues at the border, “it takes just over four hours to get from Sofia to Thessaloniki”, he said.

In Paris alone, around 10,000 police and military personnel will be mobilised to ensure the smooth running of the New Year‘s Eve celebrations.

“We have 10,000 security forces, including police officers, gendarmes, firefighters, soldiers from the Opération Sentinelle, as well as paramedics and municipal police, who will be engaged in securing the Champs-Élysées,” said Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez in an interview on BFM TV on Tuesday.

“This is roughly the same number as last year,” Nuñez added.

The Champs-Élysées

The Champs-Élysées avenue will host the city of Paris‘s New Year’s Eve celebration on Tuesday evening, featuring shows and musical performances, and is expected to attract “over a million people.”

“The terrorist threat remains very high. We have been in a state of ‘attack emergency’ since March 2024,” Nuñez said.

Nationwide, about 90,000 police officers and gendarmes will be mobilised for New Year’s Eve, the Interior ministry spokesperson Camille Chaize told franceinfo.

This represents “one in two police officers and one in two gendarmes working on the evening of 31 December.”

Strasbourg under surveillance

Other high-risk areas have been identified across France, including several cities in Isère, such as Grenoble and Échirolles, which have seen sporadic urban violence, according to Chaize.

“The eastern part of France, especially Strasbourg, is “under heightened surveillance.

The city has experienced several days of public order disturbances, with more than fifty cars and garbage bins set on fire in several neighborhoods.

(with newswires)

A year ago, in his New Year televised address, President Macron announced a year of “French pride”.

In some ways it delivered.

In June, France welcomed WWII veterans from the US, Canada, UK, and its former colonies to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy, in what will likely be the last major ceremony in the presence of the men and women who freed France from Nazi rule.

Later that month, the Paris Olympics and Paralympics defied the naysayers and saw France pull off a spectacular opening ceremony on the River Seine, while fears over security and the capital grinding to a halt under the weight of millions of visitors failed to materialise.

And 2024 was bookended with spectacular images of Notre-Dame Cathedral rising from the ashes. The Gothic wonder reopened, more or less as Macron had promised, within five years after a devastating blaze.

Millions watched on as Macron gathered a host of international dignitaries including US president-elect Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymr Zelensky under the same, albeit freshly painted, roof.

But a subsequent controversy over Macron’s “god-like” insistence on replacing the cathedral’s original and undamaged stained-glass windows with something more modern, was a prescient reminder of the French leader’s failure to read his country’s mood.

Mounting discontent

In that same New Year’s address, Macron also laid out his vision of “rearming the nation” to face the challenges of the year ahead.

It would be economic, industrial, political, technological… even “biological”.

Feminists weren’t the only ones uncomfortable at being called on to breed for France. More broadly, 2024 saw the country lurching from from one crisis to another.

Farmers, who like French trade unions punch well above their numbers, kicked off the year with an unprecedented revolt over soaring costs and EU-imposed constraints. The government announced concessions, including a U-turn on the use of pesticides.  

There were further roadblocks in November in protest over the Mercosur free trade deal which France now opposes in a move away from many of its traditional European allies such as Germany.

In May, rioting in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia over a proposed change to voting rights left 14 dead and an estimated two billion euros worth of damage to an archipelago already in economic crisis.

The voting reform was later abandoned, but Macron and his governments have not managed to resolve the institutional crisis in its former colony.

Deadly unrest in New Caledonia tied to old colonial wounds

2024 ended badly in another French overseas territory – the Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte – devastated by Cyclone Chido. The government has promised to rebuild its poorest department within two years but the psychological wounds and sentiment of being abandoned will take much longer to heal.

In a further blow to his image, Macron was filmed on a recent visit to Mayotte telling residents they would have been “10,000 times more in the shit” if they hadn’t been part of France.

Meanwhile promises to “rearm” the economy through reindustrialisation, including the construction of more EPR nuclear reactors, appear to have hit a wall. Hopes of turning the former rust-belt north of France into a hub for electric vehicles and recycling batteries are on hold.

The country’s hefty €3.2 trillion debt burden, one of the largest in the EU, is making borrowing even most costly.

Troubled European waters

On the international scene, while war continued in both Ukraine and Gaza, Macron helped bring about the US-led ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in its former protectorate of Lebanon.

Closer to home, the president’s stress on the importance of European sovereignty and strategic autonomy has gained resonance since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But the Franco-German partnership under Olaf Scholz is not what it was under Angela Merkel.

Macron’s comments in February that France and its NATO allies should not rule out sending troops to Ukraine drew sharp rebukes from the US and Germany in particular. And the prospect of sending French boys to fight in Ukraine wasn’t popular at home either.

Dissolving parliament

But the rockiest waters have certainly been on the domestic front. And while in France it is customary for the president to preside and the government to govern, the current mess is of Macron’s own making.

It began in January, when he attempted to breathe some fresh air into his second term by naming Gabriel Attal as France’s youngest-ever prime minister.

The gamble didn’t pay off and Macron’s centrist camp suffered a severe blow in the 9 June European elections, winning less than half as many votes as the far-right anti-immigration National Rally (RN).

Having promised to halt the rise of the far right when running for president in 2017, he immediately, and unilaterally, dissolved parliament to “let the people decide”.

Two weeks later the people did, and in a further blow to his authority, his centrist bloc was beaten by the left-wing NFP coalition that had formed in extremis to fight off the RN.  

What is the New Popular Front, surprise winner of France’s election?

The decision to dissolve parliament left the Assembly fractured into three blocs, none with an outright majority, triggering France’s worst political crisis since the Fifth Republic was founded in 1958.

Refusing to name a prime minister from the left-wing NFP, Macron finally landed on the conservative former minister and EU commissioner Michel Barnier. He was felled in a vote of no-confidence after just three months in the job when opposition parties voted against his government’s proposed austerity budget. 

No stepping down

Centrist politician François Bayrou took over from Barnier on 13 December. Bayrou was reportedly not Macron’s pick but, in a sign of the president’s waning influence, was pressured into naming the 73-year-old.

“Emmanuel Macron even lost his power to appoint the prime minister, who has appointed himself,” far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen told Le Parisien. “He doesn’t have much left.”

Macron, however, remains defiant. In a televised address on 5 December, he refused to take the blame for the fall of Barnier’s government and ruled out stepping down before the end of his term, saying he would carry his “full mandate” through to 2027.

Macron rules out quitting, vows new PM after French government collapse

He faces the prospect of tax increases in the 2025 budget – a red-line for his pro-business platform – and his flagship pension reform, which raised the legal age of retirement from 62 to 64, is under review.

“The shadow of the dissolution will weigh heavily on these [New Year] wishes” said political scientist Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet, noting that the president is “really cornered” and has to try and restore momentum in what remains of his second five-year term.

Just how long remains to be seen. Some of his opponents consider his resignation before 2027 inevitable.

Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu has confirmed that French aircraft have bombed Islamic State positions in Syria, in its first such strike on the country’s soil since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

Posting on X, Lecornu wrote: “Our armed forces remain engaged in battling terrorism in the Levant,” during a New Year visit to French UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.

“On Sunday, French air assets carried out targeted strikes against Daesh on Syrian soil,” he added, using the Arabic name for IS.

The defence ministry also explained that France’s Rafale fighter jets and US-made Reaper drones “dropped a total of seven bombs on two military targets belonging to Daesh in central Syria”.

France has belonged to the Inherent Resolve international coalition against Islamic State since 2014 for Iraq and 2015 for Syria.

French troops involved in the operations are based in the region, including in the United Arab Emirates.

As Assad’s fall to a shock offensive by Syrian rebels led by a radical Sunni group rapidly reshapes the country, observers fear space could be left for IS to regather its strength.

The group has survived in both Iraq and Syria despite the destruction of its so-called caliphate that lasted from 2014 to 2019.

France’s defence minister calls on Gulf states to aid Lebanese forces

Lebanon ceasefire

The news of the strike comes as France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Lecornu arrived in Lebanon on Monday, where a fragile truce since late November ended intense fighting between Israel and militant group Hezbollah.

Upon arrival in Beirut, Barrot and Lecornu met with Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun, and on Tuesday visited UN peacekeepers near the Israeli border.

A Lebanese army statement on social media said that Aoun and the visiting ministers discussed “ways to strengthen cooperation relations between the armies of the two countries and to continue support for the army in light of current circumstances”.

Aoun – who is being touted as a possible candidate for Lebanon’s president – has been tasked with deploying troops in the south of the country since the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire came into effect on 27 November.

Arrest of French embassy staff at Jerusalem holy site further strains ties

Lecornu also said he is due to meet with a French general representing Paris “within the ceasefire monitoring mechanism“.

“Our armies are, and will remain, committed to the stability of Lebanon and the region,” he said on X.

The monitoring body brings together Lebanon, Israel, the United States, France and the United Nations’ UNIFIL peacekeeping mission.

It is meant to support the implementation of the ceasefire and assess violations.

On Thursday, UNIFIL said it was “concerned” by “the continued destruction” carried out by the Israeli army in southern Lebanon, despite the truce.

(With AFP)

According to a study from the Ministry of Health published on Tuesday, at the age of 65, French women can expect to live another 12 years without disability – as in, without being limited in the activities of daily life – with men hoping to have some 10.5 years disability-free. 

This essentially corresponds to the number of years a person can expect to live without being limited by a health problem.

“Life expectancy is increasing steadily, but not all of these extra years of life are necessarily spent ‘in good health’,” the French Social Ministries Statistics Directorate (Drees) explained. 

France tops quality of life expectancy

A disability-free lifestyle at the age of 65 has increased by one year and eleven months for women and one year and ten months for men since 2008, according to Drees, placing France among the best countries in the world for quality of life expectancy. 

Europeans toast to tradition as drinking habits show little sign of change

Over this period, disability-free life expectancy at age 65 has risen faster than life expectancy. 

Between 2008 and 2023, the proportion of years remaining to be lived without disability at age 65 rose from just under 45 percent to over 50 percent for women, and from under 48 percent to almost 53 percent for men, according to the statistics monitor.

French lawmakers open tense two-week debate on assisted dying

In 2022, France was the fifth country in the European Union in terms of disability-free life expectancy for women aged 65, two years and six months higher than the European average. 

For men, France ranked seventh in the EU, above the European average but with a smaller gap – by one year and four months. 

On Tuesday, Brigitte Bardot, founder of an animal protection foundation that bears her name, condemned the “carnage” criticised by French animal rights groups.

“I am horrified to learn that the hunting plan for the Doubs, in effect until 29 January 2025, permits the culling of nearly 600 chamois,” Bardot wrote in an open letter to the Doubs police chief.

“You cannot, and must not, condone or become complicit in such a massacre,” she added.

In a decree dated 21 August, the Doubs police chief set the hunting plan for the 2024/2025 season at 259 to 594 chamois.

The same decree concerning deer permits their culling to range between 72 and 209 animals.

‘Forest damage’

Authorities justified this decree in July by the need to prevent forest damage caused by both species on young trees.

However, the Association for the Protection of Wild Animals (ASPAS), citing data from the National Forests Office (ONF) argued that no “forest or agricultural damage has been scientifically documented.” 

An online petition launched this summer by the Humanimo organisation had gathered over 62,000 signatures as of Tuesday, as well as a legal appeal has been filed with the administrative court.

“We can only be shocked, especially since at the same time, wolf culling is widely practiced, and its eradication is even advocated by some,” Humanimo stated.

(With AFP)

Speaking after spending most of Monday visiting a field hospital and desalinisation plant in and around the capital Mamoudzou, Bayrou said: “There is only one guideline: no rhetoric, but concrete and precise decisions” as he presented his “Mayotte Standing” plan to the archipelago’s departmental council.

The newly-appointed prime minister announced that an emergency law will be presented to an inaugural council of ministers meeting on Friday, 3 January, with a presentation to the French parliament “within a fortnight”, without giving any further details.

He added that his government would also put in place a programme legislation within three months to overhaul the entire territory.

‘Mayotte of the future’

François Bayrou, accompanied by Education Minister Elisabeth Borne Overseas Minister Manuel Valls, has set himself the goal of rebuilding Mayotte within two years, underlining that “we need to think about the Mayotte of the future”.

With regard to France’s emergency response, he promised that electricity would be restored to all homes in Mayotte by the end of January, with “a reinforcement of 200 technicians to achieve this objective”.

EDF – France’s electricity provider – will supply 200 generators and 20 of its employees are due to arrive as reinforcements this week.

Drinking water production levels prior to the cyclone will be restored “before the end of the week,” while the budget for the water plan will be “protected and increased”. 

Bayrou added that the French State and local authorities, have implemented measures to prevent the reconstruction of shanty towns and a complete overhaul of priority urban districts will be put in place and possibly “enshrined in law”.

French PM Bayrou promises ‘concrete’ aid and two-year reconstruction of Mayotte

Economy and security

Local businesses will be able to benefit from a suspension of social security contributions until 31 March and receive up to €20,000 of emergency financial aid.

Residents will also be able to take out exceptional 30-year loans, with five years free interest, to rebuild their homes.

In terms of security, the government will be sending in extra gendarmes and police officers, and will be putting in place a vigilance plan to protect schools from looting and damage.

Meanwhile, the start of the new school year will take place on a school-by-school basis from 13 January. 

New government of French PM Bayrou settles in under shadow of no-confidence vote

Death toll ‘rumours’

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister was once again cautious about the feared high death toll following the passage of cyclone Chido.

“We need to be very careful when talking about this… what is striking for everyone we meet is that the rumours of thousands of deaths are unfounded,” he said, referring instead to a death toll of dozens or hundreds.

The latest official death toll – presented by the authorities on 24 December – is at least 39, with 124 seriously injured and over 4,000 slightly injured.

(With AFP)

Hundreds of tourists braved the cold in front of Notre-Dame de Paris during the Christmas week, eager to catch a glimpse of the iconic cathedral.

Some, like Elena from Argentina, had traveled from far away. “In Argentina, the local news covered the reopening of the cathedral extensively,” she told RFI. “It caught my attention and really made me want to come.”

Early risers were rewarded with a chance to tour the cathedral, but for others, like Laetitia and her family from Switzerland, patience was key.

“We arrived at 11am, and it’s already 1.30pm, but we’re determined to see this cathedral,” Laetitia explained.

Eric and Noa, visiting Paris for the first time from Madrid, were also excited but didn’t expect such large crowds.

“Despite all the people, we’re going to try to see as much as we can, but it’s tough during the Christmas season,” they said, concerned about the long lines and heavy foot traffic.

Around 270,000 people have visited the medieval cathedral in the first eight days since Notre-Dame reopened in early December, rector Olivier Ribadeau Dumas told French daily Le Parisien. “Around 30,000 people a day enter the cathedral.”

Tourists “tell themselves it’s time to go to Paris”, Delvau said.

“They have both Notre-Dame and the department stores’ windows, which always attract a lot of people.”

‘Open your doors’: Paris unveils Notre-Dame after five-year refit

Tourism in Paris has surged after the Paris Games this summer, with a significant increase in international arrivals.

According to the Paris Tourist Office, foreign passenger numbers at the city’s airports rose by 15 percent in November 2024, reaching 1.3 million.

Paris hotels have also seen higher occupancy rates. Hotel bookings for the two Christmas weeks neared 70 percent in mid-December, nine percentage points higher than a year ago, according to data from MKG Consulting.

Top-of-the-range establishments are doing particularly well, with an increase of nearly 14 points over one year.

According to the UMIH hotel and restaurant union, well-heeled international customers are making a comeback.

Frank Delvau, UMIH president for the Paris region, pointed to an “Olympic effect”. The Games “have made tourists want to come back, or to visit”, he told French news agency AFP.

(with newswires)

France’s agriculture ministry said authorities confirmed new cases of avian influenza or HPAI, commonly known as bird flu, on two farms in the northwestern Normandy region.

“As a direct consequence of these outbreaks, France loses its HPAI-free status, that it had just regained on 15 December,” it said in a statement published Monday.

The disease-free status, which means no reported outbreaks for at least a month, allows trade with importing countries.

In a separate notification to the World organisation for animal health, French authorities said the entire flocks on the two farms – one with 25,000 birds, the other with 540 – would be culled as a safety measure.

Highly contagious, the virus is spreading across Europe this winter as birds migrate.

Its impact has been less severe than in the United States, where flock losses have led to record egg prices, but the virus has been transmitted to cattle and humans.

France has been able to slow the spread of virus better than in previous years because of a vaccination programme, required for ducks raised for foie gras, which are particularly vulnerable.

The country nonetheless remains on high alert for the virus given continued risks of contamination from migrating wild birds, the ministry said.

(with AFP)

Police fired teargas into a rally to disperse protesters demonstrating Monday in Nairobi, where several marched through downtown, and others staged sit-ins, chanting slogans against the government and holding images of the latest to have been abducted – primarily young people who criticised President William Ruto online.

Officers eventually detained several demonstrators, including opposition lawmaker, Senator Okiya Omtatah Okoiti, who was taking part in a sit-in.

Dozens of people were forcibly abducted, allegedly by security forces, since the summer – more than half of them have not been returned. Six people have disappeared since December.

Rights groups have blamed the abductions on Kenya’s police and intelligence services and have dismissed Kenyan authorities’ claims to the contrary.

The alleged abductions started after anti-government protests that started in June. Initially aimed at blocking proposed tax hikes, the demonstrations eventually turned into a larger movement threatening Ruto’s government.

Last week Ruto addressed the disappearances saying: “We are going to stop the abductions so that our youth can live peacefully”.

(with AFP, Reuters)

Carter signed the Camp David Accords in 1978, establishing the framework for a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.

It’s seen as one of his major political achievements.

Yet looking back on his term of office, in 2002, he told history professor Nancy Mitchell: “I spent more effort and worry on Rhodesia than I did on the Middle East.”

Mitchell – author of Jimmy Carter in Africa, Race and the Cold War – said reams of documents detailing his commitment to end white rule in Rhodesia and help bring about its independence as Zimbabwe backed up the former president’s claim.

Carter’s involvement in Rhodesia during his four-year stint in office was based largely on realpolitik.

Southern Africa had become a theatre for Cold War politics – Fidel Castro had sent Cuban troops to Angola in 1976 to protect the leftist MPLA from a US-backed invasion by apartheid South Africa, and Mozambique had fallen to left-leaning Frelimo. South Africa faced the prospect of being surrounded by hostile black-ruled states.

Meanwhile in Rhodesia, an insurgency – led by the leftist Patriotic Front against the white minority government – was gaining ground.

The Patriotic Front was backed was Cuba and the USSR. Washington knew that if the conflict did not end, Cuban troops risked crossing the continent to help the rebels.

According to Mitchell, the Carter administration’s emphasis on human rights meant it was unthinkable to intervene in Rhodesia to support Ian Smith’s racist government. But equally, the US could not stand by and allow another Soviet-backed Cuban victory in Africa.

In a memorandum on southern Africa signed just a week after taking office, the Carter administration stated that in terms of urgency the Rhodesian problem was “highest priority”.

The Americans spearheaded negotiations that led to the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement in London, resulting in the first free elections in 1980 and black majority rule in an independent state of Zimbabwe led by Robert Mugabe.

Despite this, Mitchell insists Carter has not received “the credit his administration deserves” for the Zimbabwe settlement.

First American president in sub-Saharan Africa

Having grown up in the segregated southern state of Georgia in the 1920s and 1930s, Carter also had personal reasons for getting involved in the African continent.

While Mitchell says he “didn’t question the racist strictures of the Jim Crow South” as a youngster, his world view was broadened by his time in the US Navy and as an elected governor of Georgia.

He was also influenced by Andrew Young, a former close aide to Martin Luther King, and came to see parallels between the struggles of the African continent and those of the US civil rights movement that helped liberate the South from its segregationist past.

“I felt a sense of responsibility and some degree of guilt that we had spent an entire century after the Civil War still persecuting blacks, and to me the situation in Africa was inseparable from the fact of deprivation or persecution or oppression of Black people in the South,” Mitchell quotes him as saying.

Is Martin Luther King a hero in Africa?

In 1978, Carter became the first US president to set foot on sub-Saharan soil when he visited Liberia – a country colonised in 1822 by the American Colonization Society.

During the war in the Horn of Africa, he resisted strong pressure to offer the Somali government full US support in its war of aggression against leftist Ethiopia. The Carter administration condemned apartheid in South Africa and also tried, and failed, to negotiate a settlement in Namibia.

The late president’s Africa policy was at its weakest in Angola, according to historian Piero Gleijese, whose ground-breaking research has laid bear the US’ conflicting missions in Cuba and Africa.  Notably, Mitchell points to US insistence that full relations with Angola could only be restored once Cuban troops had left, even though they’d been invited by the Angolan government.

In later years, Carter returned to Liberia and toured other African countries as part of the Carter Center foundation that monitors elections and works in the fields of human rights and health around the world.

The Center has facilitated the almost total eradication of Guinea worm, saving an estimated 80 million Africans from the disease. “Eradicating Guinea worm will be my most gratifying experience,” Carter said in 2016.

“We continue to call on China to share data and access so we can understand the origins of Covid-19. This is a moral and scientific imperative,” the World Health Organisation (WHO) reiterated, in a statement published Tuesday on the anniversary of the first reports of the virus in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

“Without transparency, sharing, and cooperation among countries, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics.”

Covid-19 has killed millions of people around the world, disrupted economies and crippled health systems.

Origins of the virus

The first cases were detected in Wuhan, but there have been disputes over whether the virus was leaked from a lab or if it people caught it from an infected wild animal being sold at a local market.

The WHO recalled how on 31 December 2019 its country office in China saw a media statement from the health authorities in Wuhan about cases of “viral pneumonia”.

“As we mark this milestone, let’s take a moment to honour the lives changed and lost, recognise those who are suffering from Covid-19 and Long Covid, express gratitude to the health workers who sacrificed so much to care for us, and commit to learning from Covid-19 to build a healthier tomorrow,” the organisation said.

Prepared for next pandemic

Earlier this month, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the world was addressed the issue of whether the world was better prepared for the next pandemic than it was for Covid-19.

“The answer is yes, and no,” he told journalists.

The world “would still face some of the same weaknesses and vulnerabilities” as it did five years ago, but it has also “learnt many of the painful lessons… and has taken significant steps to strengthen its defences against future epidemics and pandemics.”

The WHO’s 194 member states have until May 2025 to conclude a global pandemic prevention, preparedness and response accord, which has been on the table since December 2021.

There is broad consensus on what the treaty should include, but there are sticking points, on the practicalities, notably on the obligation to quickly share emerging pathogens.

(with AFP)

The Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR) opened an investigation in July 2020, a few months into the pandemic, after receiving complaints about a lack of protective gear for healthcare workers and unclear government instructions about the spread of the virus.

“A notice of the end of the inquiry was issued on 28 November,” Remy Heitz, prosecutor at the Court of cassation, who acts as the public prosecutor for the CJR, told the AFP news agency Monday, confirming a report by Franceinfo.

“Furthermore, nobody to date has been indicted.”

The CJR, the only court that can investigate acts committed by members of the government while they were in office, received an increase in complaints during the Covid pandemic, which caused more than 116,000 deaths in France in 2020 and 2021.

Former Health Minister Agnès Buzyn, who left the government soon after the start of the pandemic to run for mayor of Paris, was indicted in 2021 for “endangering the lives of others”, by downplaying the gravity of the Covid-19 virus.

The Court of cassation dismissed the charges in 2023, saying there was no legal provision to hold her directly responsible.

She and Philippe, who was Prime Minister until July 2020, were involved in the disastrous mismanagement of France’s FFP and surgical mask stocks at the start of the pandemic.

Philippe was also accused of putting the population in danger for allowing municipal elections to be held as scheduled.

The end of the CJR’s investigation with no indictments paves the way for a dismissal of the charges in the coming months.

(with AFP)

Monday’s announcement from IGAD’s special envoy Lawrence Korbandy comes a year after the government in Sudan froze relations with the regional bloc and suspended its membership of the body.

Since April last year, Sudan has been mired in a brutal conflict, with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces under Mohamed Hamdan Daglo fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

IGAD – in parallel with the United States and Saudi Arabia – has repeatedly attempted to mediate between the two warring generals, but to no avail.

In January, the bloc invited Daglo to a summit in Uganda, prompting a furious response from the Sudanese foreign ministry in the army-aligned government.

It accused IGAD of “violating Sudan’s sovereignty” and setting a “dangerous precedent“, saying it would suspend its membership of the bloc.

Sudan war sparks ‘biggest humanitarian crisis ever recorded’ – IRC

New year visit

Speaking to journalists on Monday, special envoy Korbandy confirmed that a visit to Port Sudan was planned in the new year.

“I’m visiting them to talk to them about issues related to peace in that country,” he said from Nairobi, declining to give details over who he might meet.

Korbandy said the visit had been scheduled for December before being postponed to January.

He referred to Sudan’s suspension from IGAD as a “minor problem” – noting that Sudan was a founding member of the regional body – and said the proposed visit was “absolutely” a positive step.

Sudan rejects UN’s call for ‘impartial’ force to protect civilians

“I’m looking for constructive dialogue regarding the peace in Sudan, and most importantly is the return of Sudan’s activities in IGAD,” he added.

“My mandate is to bring peace to the Sudanese people, and there is no other way, only to talk to all the parties in this conflict.”

Since January, the situation in Sudan has continued to deteriorate, with tens of thousands killed and over 13 million forced from their homes.

Both sides have faced accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

(With AFP)

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday. This week, you’ll hear what Helmut Matt, your fellow RFI English listener, has found to be true in his life. Don’t miss it!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Butterfly Lovers” by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang, performed by the National Cinema Symphony Orchestra.

Next week, be sure and tune in for a special program featuring your New Year Resolutions and Wishes for 2025.

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. 

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.