With the imminent threat of fines amounting to €15 billion, manufacturers are now compelled to accelerate the shift towards electric vehicles – or EVs – in the midst of a sluggish market.

Under the new regulations, at least 20 percent of vehicles sold must be electric to avoid penalties. This target presents significant challenges, with EVs making up just over 13 percent of total sales in Europe during 2024.

The drop comes after a strong 2023, when EVs represented nearly 23 percent of new registrations across the EU.

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) accountied for 15 percent of the market, with 2.4 million electric cars registered that year – a 20 percent increase from 2022.

With EU targets aiming for a drastic reduction in vehicle emissions in 2025 – in tandem with a zero-CO2 goal by 2035 – a continuous rise in the adoption of zero-emission vehicles will prove essential for Europe to achieve its climate objectives.

France to pour €200m into more charging stations for electric cars

Fear of losses

However, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) has raised concerns over the financial implications of these new standards.

According to the ACEA lobby group, financial penalties could severely impact investment, potentially leading to a total of €16 billion in losses.

This strain on the purse-strings could also be compounded by external market pressures including the reduction in ecological incentives – like the cut in France’s ecological bonus effective from 1 January – further impeding growth in EV sales. 

European automakers have been coping with emissions regulations through adopting advances in technology – such as improvements in combustion engines and the adoption of electric powertrains – falling into line with Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.

Record number of electric, hybrid cars sold in France in 2023

Euro 7 challenges ahead

Along with the latest set of emissions standards this new year, stringent Euro 7 rules being implemented between now and 2029 will pose further challenges for the motor industry when it comes to compliance.

These include managing non-exhaust emissions – such as brake dust and tire particles – along with tough requirements for the management of vehicle emissions over their lifecycle.

In particular, Euro 7 mandates the durability of battery performance for EVs, that aims to standardise the battery’s longevity and efficiency. 

So as of 2025, manufacturers must now significantly scale up their infrastructure and innovate their vehicles to align with this new set of regulations.

The rescued and dead passengers, who were found off the Kerkennah Islands, aimed to reach Europe and were all from sub-Saharan African countries, said Zied Sdiri, head of civil defence in the nearby city of Sfax.

Tunisia, as well as neighbouring Libya, is a key departure point for irregular migrants seeking to reach Europe for a better life. Italy‘s island of Lampedusa is only 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Tunisia.

Totalling 110, the migrants were on board two makeshift boats that set sail off “the coast near Sfax on the night of 31 December to 1 January,” a National Guard official said on condition of anonymity.

Searches were still underway for other possible missing passengers, said the official.

Sdiri said 15 out of the 83 rescued were taken to a hospital, without providing further details.

Worst year for migrant deaths on Spanish maritime routes, NGO warns

The National Guard, which oversees the coast guard, later confirmed the death toll in a statement, adding that a baby was among the dead.

It was the latest such tragedy off Tunisia over the past month.

On December 31, the National Guard said two Tunisian migrants, one of them a five-year-old, died after their boat broke down off Tunisia’s northern coast.

Days earlier on December 18, the National Guard said at least 20 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa died in a shipwreck off Sfax, with five rescued.

And on December 12, the coast guard rescued 27 African migrants near Jebeniana, north of Sfax, but 15 were reported dead or missing.

‘Hundreds of children’

Each year, the perilous Mediterranean crossing is attempted by tens of thousands of people.

Among them are also thousands of Tunisians seeking to leave their country which is grappling with economic woes marked by high inflation, unemployment, and sluggish growth.

Under a 2023 agreement, Brussels has given 105 million euros ($108 million) to debt-ridden Tunisia to help it curb irregular migration, in addition to 150 million euros in budgetary support.

The deal, strongly supported by Italy’s hard-right government, aimed to bolster Tunisia’s capacity to prevent boats leaving its shore, with some money also going to United Nations agencies assisting migrants.

Supporters of Tunisia’s Saied celebrate his landslide election win

It has contributed to an increase in irregular migration interceptions off the North African country’s shores and a marked drop in arrivals in Europe.

The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) had counted “between 600 and 700” migrants killed or missing in shipwrecks off Tunisia in 2024, compared with more than 1,300 in 2023.

Overall, the United Nations children‘s fund, Unicef, said in a statement on Wednesday that, “The death toll and number of missing persons in the Mediterranean in 2024 have now surpassed 2,200, with nearly 1,700 lives lost on the central Mediterranean route alone.”

It added that the tally included “hundreds of children, who make up one in five of all people migrating through the Mediterranean. The majority are fleeing violent conflict and poverty.”

Frontex, the EU’s border agency, has said that irregular border crossings were down 64 percent last year through September for the central Mediterranean route.

Scurvy is caused by a severe deficiency in vitamin C – most commonly found in citrus fruits and leafy green vegetables. The disease causes bone pain, fatigue and bleeding gums and, in very rare cases, death.

It was known as “sailor’s disease” as it was rife on board ships in the 16th to 19th centuries, when sailors were deprived of fresh fruit and vegetables for months on end.

While improved nutrition has made scurvy virtually extinct in high-income countries, new research has shown a resurgence in France, particularly among young children from low-income families.

Hospital doctors and researchers from France’s public health research body (Inserm) and Université Paris Cité analysed trends among nearly 900 children hospitalised with scurvy in France over a nine-year period, until November 2023.

The study, published in the medical journal The Lancet, found the biggest increase in cases was among children aged four to 10, and largely those from low-income families.

“There would seem to be a link with poverty,” said Ulrich Meinzer, the study’s coordinator and a paediatrician at Robert-Debré Hospital in Paris.

He underlined that 32.9 percent of the hospitalised children came from families receiving universal medical cover – an indicator of very low income. 

“Nurses noted that some of the infected children had not eaten for several days,” Meinzer told French news magazine Le Nouvel Obs.

Iftar for All: Ramadan handouts highlight food insecurity in Paris

Post-pandemic inflation

While the increase in the number of cases remained relatively slow until 2019, researchers noted a “significant” increase – 34.5 percent – in hospital admissions since March 2020, coinciding with the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The post-pandemic period has intensified vulnerabilities in food security, driven by lasting effects of Covid-19 and major socio-geopolitical conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine,” the report reads. “In France, this led to increased reliance on public and voluntary food aid.”

The study noted that food inflation in France had reached 15 percent in January 2023, more than double the overall inflation rate, and found that the “significant increase in scurvy and severe malnutrition among children [is] linked to the escalation of food prices”.

The recent increase in cases also reflects the challenges in accessing nutritious food and an increase in cheaper, highly processed foods.

“Poorer families cannot, or can no longer, afford to buy products that provide enough vitamin C, such as vegetables or fruit,” Meinzer said.

More French people turn to food banks as inflation bites

‘Public health issue’

Combatting the resurgence of scurvy means ensuring that children have a balanced diet “starting with fresh food and cooking it gently,” Meinzer noted. 

The report said its findings underscored a “critical need to intensify food and social assistance programmes” to reduce malnutrition and food insecurity.

It recommended conducting similar studies in other high-income countries to provide a better overview of the problem, improved clinical training to ensure early detection of scurvy, and proactive screening of at-risk populations. 

“It’s [unthinkable] that children in France don’t have enough to eat, it’s a public health issue,” Meinzer said, adding that he was hopeful health professionals, social workers and politicians could work together on finding solutions since “there is a consensus in our society where children are concerned”. 

This article was adapted from the original in French

In 2022, Brussels began “conditionality” proceedings against Hungary, seeking to block disbursements because of alleged infringements linked to public procurement as well as a lack of control and transparency.

Budapest did undertake reforms that allowed some funds to be unblocked, but a total of €19 billion remain frozen. 

Under timelines laid out in the EU’s conditionality regulation, “the first tranche of suspended commitments” – which amounted to €1.04 billion – expired at the end of 2024 without the suspension being lifted, the commission said this week.

This means Hungary has now lost that funding.

Poland takes helm of EU with pledge to counter Russian influence

Democratic ‘backsliding’

Since his return to power in 2010, nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has strengthened his grip on power, allowing some of his allies to become very wealthy. 

In July, the European Commission concluded in a report that Hungary did not meet EU democratic standards – notably on corruption, political financing, conflicts of interest and media independence.

Orban has promised to fight to protect money “that is ours”. 

In December, Orban threatened to veto the EU’s budget to pressure it into relenting, saying: “They constantly try to take the money of Hungarians by a variety of means and a variety of methods.” 

EU launches punitive measures against Hungary over ‘anti-democratic’ laws

Opposition on the rise

With Orban under pressure amid an economic downturn, his new political rival Peter Magyar called for early legislative elections on Wednesday, with several opinion polls showing his party in the lead.

The vote is currently scheduled for the spring of 2026.

“Time is running out. Let’s bring forward the election date so that the country does not unnecessarily lose another year,” Orban said in his new year wishes for 2025. 

“We will bring home the billions that the European Union owes us.”

Since 2018, Hungary has also been targeted by an Article 7 procedure, which sanctions member states for “serious violations” of the rule of law and can in theory result in the suspension of a country’s voting rights in the EU Council.

The driver, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, a US citizen and Army veteran from Texas, sped through crowds in the French Quarter early on New Year’s Day.

Authorities said he steered around a police blockade before driving into revellers on Bourbon Street at around 3.15am.

Jabbar was killed in a shootout with police after the attack. Two officers injured in the exchange are in stable condition, police said.

French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X, posting in both French and English: “New Orleans, so dear to the hearts of the French, has been struck by terrorism.

“New Orleans was initially founded by colonists from France and the attack took place in the Louisiana city’s famed French Quarter.

“Our thoughts are with the families of the victims and the injured, as well as with the American people, whose sorrow we share.”

‘Full solidarity’

The leaders of the UK, Germany, Israel, China, Turkey and Ukraine have all passed on their condolences, while the European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, posted on X: “I am deeply saddened by the deliberate attack on those celebrating New Year’s in New Orleans.

“There is no excuse for such violence… We stand in full solidarity with the victims and their families during this tragic time.”

Meanwhile, Christian Estrosi – mayor of the southern French city of Nice – which suffered a car-ramming attack in 2016 that killed 86 people, also sent condolences.

“The tragedy in New Orleans, a sister city of Nice, very painfully recalls our own… Our thoughts go out to the families and the lives mowed down in mid-New Year’s celebrations,” he said on social media.

French court convicts all 8 suspects in 2016 Nice terror attack trial

Act of terrorism?

The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism and said it does not believe the driver acted alone.

It unfolded on Bourbon Street – known worldwide as one of the largest destinations for New Year’s Eve parties.

Large crowds also gathered in the city ahead of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl that had been scheduled for later Wednesday at the nearby Superdome.

The game was postponed until Thursday afternoon following the attack.

Police say the driver steered around a police blockade and raced through a crowd along Bourbon Street around 3:15am Wednesday as revellers gathered to celebrate the New Year.

Two police officers who were wounded in the shootout with the suspect are believed to be in stable condition.

Suspected Christmas market attacker charged with murder, attempted murder by German court

Suspect explosive devices 

Authorities also found potential explosive devices in the French Quarter.

According to a Louisiana State Police intelligence bulletin, surveillance footage has shown three men and a woman placing one of multiple improvised explosive devices. 

The FBI say the driver was 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, a US citizen and Army veteran from Texas.

A flag representing the Islamic State group was reportedly found on the vehicle’s trailer hitch.

The bureau is trying to determine if Jabbar was associated with any terrorist organisations.

The decision follows through on a promise made by Akufo-Addo at the Africa Prosperity Dialogues a year ago to enhance regional integration and ease movement across the continent.

Previously, Ghana provided visa-free access to citizens of 26 African nations and visas on arrival for travellers from 25 others. Only visitors from two African countries required a visa before entering Ghana.

“This is about building stronger ties across Africa,” Akufo-Addo said in a statement, adding that “Ghana’s future is tied to a united continent”.

Ghana joins Rwanda, Seychelles, Gambia and Benin in offering visa-free entry to all African passport holders.

Ghana’s president faces tough start as economic crisis drives people to leave

Economic integration

The policy aligns with the African Union’s vision of greater economic integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area, based in Ghana.

Experts have long cited visa restrictions as a significant barrier to trade, tourism and cultural exchange.

The African Development Bank has noted that restrictive visa policies in countries like Libya, Equatorial Guinea and Sudan continue to hinder free movement on the continent.

Meanwhile, some foreign nations enjoy visa-free access to various African countries, creating what the bank called a “paradox of unity”.

Ghana’s former president Mahama wins election after ruling party concedes defeat

Diaspora ties

Ghana’s Tourism Authority is also promoting regional and global engagement through the “Beyond the Return” initiative, which aims to strengthen ties with the African diaspora.

The initiative includes a Non-Pre-Approval Visa policy, available from 1 December 2024 to 15 January 2025, to encourage tourism and economic connections.

The new visa-free policy is expected to boost Ghana’s standing as a hub for African travel, trade, and tourism.

As of 2023, Ghana ranked fifth in the Visa Openness Index, trailing only Rwanda, the Seychelles, Gambia and Benin.

President Akufo-Addo’s approval comes just weeks before the end of his tenure on 7 January, when President-elect John Mahama will assume office.

Immigration, both irregular and regular, was a major issue at July’s general election, which brought Labour to power but also saw a breakthrough for Nigel Farage‘s hard-right Reform UK party.

Some 36,816 people were detected in the Channel last year, a 25 percent increase from the 29,437 who arrived in 2023, provisional figures from the interior ministry showed.

The 2024 total, however, was still well below the record 45,774 undocumented migrants who arrived on the UK’s shores in flimsy inflatable boats in 2022.

At least 76 deaths were recorded in about 20 accidents last year, making it the deadliest year for migrants who are taking ever greater risks to evade Britain‘s border control.

According to French officials, at least 5,800 people were rescued at sea last year and authorities prevented more than 870 attempted crossings.

Worst year for migrant deaths on Spanish maritime routes, NGO warns

Crackdown pledge

Starmer has pledged to crack down on the crossings after his election win returned Labour to government after 14 years in opposition.

Upon entering office, he scrapped the previous Conservative government’s controversial scheme to send irregular migrants to Rwanda, branding it a “gimmick”.

Instead, he has promised to “smash the gangs” of people traffickers running the crossings and has signed a number of agreements with foreign countries to co-operate on law enforcement.

He has described the smuggling networks as a “global security threat similar to terrorism”.

The latest figures mean last year had the second highest number of annual arrivals since data on the crossings began to be collected in 2018. More than 150,000 people have arrived by boat in the last seven years in total.

In the first nine months of last year, Afghan migrants accounted for the single largest group of arrivals, making up 17 percent of the total. People from Vietnam, Iran and Syria were the next largest groups.

Vietnamese migrants appeared to fuel the surge in crossings in 2024. They made up just 5 percent of arrivals in 2023, well below the January-September 2024 figure of 13 percent.

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

New border command

“It’s often not possible to pin down a specific reason,” for why the numbers fluctuate, Madeleine Sumption, director of the Migration Observatory at Oxford University told AFP.

“The reason that brought numbers a bit higher this year is partly there was some increase in the first half of the year, and then we’ve seen this kind of sustained increase from October, November, December, which is usually when the numbers start to settle down because the weather’s not as good”.

More than 3,200 arrived in December alone, including several hundred over Christmas.

Starmer has also set up a new Border Security Command and strengthened cooperation with European partners, including Europol.

Britain has signed joint action plans with Germany and Iraq aimed at tackling the smuggling gangs. They build on earlier agreements signed under the previous Conservative government, including with France and Albania.

Starmer’s government also points to an increase in the return of irregular migrants to their countries of origin.

Some 29,000 people were returned between January and early December, a quarter more than in 2023, and a level not seen since 2017, according to the Migration Observatory.

“In terms of what the current government is doing, it’s too early to tell you know whether their approach is having an impact on the numbers,” said Sumption.

Starmer is also under pressure to reduce legal migration as he tries to fend off growing support for arch-Eurosceptic Farage’s hard-right Reform UK, which won roughly four million votes during the July 4 poll – an unprecedented haul for a far-right party.

Net legal migration is running at historically high levels, and was estimated at 728,000 for the year to June 2024.

The surge has come despite Britons being told during the 2016 Brexit referendum that leaving the European Union would allow the country to “take back control” of its borders.

Justice Ministry data for December 2024 puts the overall prison occupancy rate at 129.5 percent.

Conditions are particularly severe in about 15 prisons or prison units, where occupancy exceeds or equals 200 percent.

More than 4,000 inmates are forced to sleep on mattresses placed directly on the floor.

“This means that three to four people can be crammed into 9m² cells designed for one person,” Jean-Claude Mas, president of the International Prison Observatory, told RFI.

“This overcrowding accentuates the dilapidation and filth associated with prisons.”

French prison crisis deepens with cells holding four times capacity

State failures

France has introduced measures to reduce overcrowding, including banning prison sentences of less than one month, adjusting sentences and expanding community service.

Despite these efforts, France ranks third in Europe for prison overcrowding, behind Cyprus and Romania, according to a June report by the Council of Europe.

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

Former justice minister Didier Migaud recently warned that France would miss its goal of adding 15,000 prison spaces by 2027, a commitment made by President Emmanuel Macron in 2017.

Migaud said the delays were not due to funding issues but to resistance from local officials and residents.

Calls for reform

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

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

Mas criticised the lack of progress, saying: “For two years now, we have been experiencing record after record levels. And there’s no sign of any progress in this area.”

Warsaw, which took over the presidency from Hungary on 1 January, says it wants to “strengthen its position as one of the most important” EU states by addressing key issues like the economy, energy and food security.

Poland’s tenure as president of the European Council is expected to bring a more conciliatory approach than its predecessor to a role that – although lacking in real power – is seen as a key driver of actions taken by the bloc.  

The six-month role shifts leadership from Hungary – one of Moscow‘s closest EU allies – to one of its strongest critics.

Long bound together by strong cultural and diplomatic ties, Poland and Hungary have seen their European fortunes diverge dramatically in recent years. 

Hungary’s controversial term

Under Hungary’s ultra-nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orban, Budapest regularly found itself at loggerheads with Brussels. 

Orban used the role to advance his own agenda, including a “peace mission” involving direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kyiv, and Beijing.

Although the EU likens the role of the presidency to “hosting a dinner” among the bloc’s members, the job is not without punch.

The country in charge gets to chair meetings of the European Council, which comprises the governments of the 27 EU states, steer the agenda and steward negotiations.

Hungary managed most EU internal matters in conventional fashion, but it stalled the bloc’s action on foreign policy – especially loans and military assistance for Ukraine.

While each EU country fights tooth-and-nail for its own interests, when they assume the EU presidency they are meant to take on a more neutral role.

Hungary’s Orban clashes with EU leaders over Ukraine, migration policies

Poland’s priorities

During Poland’s tenure, Prime Minister Donald Tusk is likely to oversee a return to the more traditional tasks of consensus building and compromise brokering.

The former EU chief has ended the fraught relationship between Brussels and Poland’s previous nationalist government – boosting the country’s already growing clout. 

Since it joined the EU in 2004, Poland’s economy has almost tripled, according to the Danish Institute for International Studies.

Russia threatens response as NATO partners send fighter jets to Ukraine

A staunch ally of Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion, Poland has pledged to focus on defence and security during its term.

Warsaw currently spends over 4 percent of its GDP on defence – the highest in NATO – and plans to use its presidency to boost Europe’s defence industry, enhance sanctions on Russia and strengthen support for Ukraine.

Apart from security, no major decisions are expected over the next six months and a new European Commission – which plays a central role in preparing EU legislation – has only just been appointed.

The EU’s security and foreign policy decisions require unanimity among all 27 states – and Hungary and Slovakia are unlikely to back stronger sanctions or increased military aid.

Despite its ambitions, Poland’s presidency may face domestic hurdles, with a presidential election scheduled for May.

There are concerns that internal politics could interfere with Poland’s neutrality on the EU stage.

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. 

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.

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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.