Nicolas Sarkozy was present in the Paris court as the trial got underway Monday. He plans to attend the initial phase of hearings, as a source close to him told French news agency AFP, asking not to be named.

The trial centers on whether the former French president received money from the then Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to finance the campaign that brought him to the Élysée in 2007, with him and eleven other defendants, including three former ministers – Claude Guéant, Brice Hortefeux, and Éric Woerth – standing trial.

Vincent Brengarth, lawyer for the Sherpa association, a civil party, told RFI that he hopes that despite the longevity and complexity of the case, the public’s interest will match the stakes of this trial.

“This case might seem, in some respects, completely fictional if it were not supported by years of thorough investigation,” he said.

The accusations

The first accusations against them came from Libya in 2011, just before the fall of Gaddafi. The Libyan leader had then been cornered by a popular uprising, supported by a Western intervention, particularly France and President Sarkozy himself.

A Libyan news agency announced in March 2011 that the Libyan regime would soon reveal a “secret capable of jeopardizing the political career of the French head of state.”

Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, soon demanded in an interview that Sarkozy “return the money to the Libyan people.” Gaddafi himself soon after stated in an interview with the French daily Le Figaro that it was thanks to them that Sarkozy “became president; it is we who provided him with the funds.”

The French news site Mediapart later published a document, presented as a note written in Arabic and dated 10 December 2006, in which the former head of Libya’s external intelligence services, Moussa Koussa, reportedly mentions a “preliminary agreement” to “support the electoral campaign of candidate” Sarkozy “for an amount worth 50 million euros.”

Sarkozy, then a candidate for re-election in the 2012 presidential race, denounces the following day an infamy and later files a lawsuit against Mediapart, accusing it of producing a forgery.

A long investigation followed, and several judicial decisions. Finally, the Court of Cassation definitively upheld the dismissal ordered in favour of Mediapart and, without confirming that it is a genuine document, dismissed the accusation of forgery repeatedly made by Nicolas Sarkozy.

However, the investigating judges explained that the disputes regarding the authenticity of this note led them not to consider it a central element of the case, even though Koussa confirmed the content of the document.

After ten years of investigation, the magistrates decided in August 2023 that there were sufficient charges to refer 12 men to trial, including Sarkozy and former ministers Guéant, Hortefeux, and Woerth. 

If convicted, Sarkozy faces up to 10 years in prison under the charges of concealing embezzlement of public funds and illegal campaign financing.

The trial is due to last until April 10.

Major corruption

According to the magistrates, the case actually began almost 20 years ago: At the end of 2005, Sarkozy, then Minister of the Interior in Dominique de Villepin’s government but aiming for the 2007 presidential election, met Gaddafi in Tripoli. Officially, the two men met to discuss immigration, but they are accused of signing a “corruption pact” then.

Sarkozy is said to have obtained a financial contribution for his presidential campaign, according to the accusation, which relies on the statements of seven former Libyan dignitaries, on the discrete movements of Guéant and Hortefeux before and after, as well as on the notebooks of the former Libyan Minister of Petroleum, Choukri Ghanem, who was found drowned in the Danube in 2012.

Gaddafi supposedly hoped to obtain international rehabilitation this way.

Sarkozy has always denounced it as a fable, even a conspiracy aimed at harming him, rejecting the accusations entirely.

This new trial is starting barely half a month after France’s top appeals court on 18 December rejected Sarkozy’s appeal against a one-year prison sentence for influence peddling, which he is to serve by wearing an electronic tag rather than in jail.

Ex-president Sarkozy to wear electronic tag as court upholds corruption conviction

Sarkozy’s career has been shadowed by legal troubles since he lost the 2012 presidential election but he is an influential figure and also known to regularly meet President Emmanuel Macron.

Sarkozy braces for high-stakes legal battles in 2025 even after conviction

Libyans between resentment and anger

For Libyans, the question of corruption does not arise. Familiar with the practices of Gaddafi’s regime, which provided funds to foreign heads of state, the Libyans are convinced that their country did indeed finance Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential campaign.

French court rejects ex-president Sarkozy’s appeal to block Libya trial

“For the Libyans, it’s as if it belongs to a bygone era,” researcher Jalal Harchaoui, a Libya specialist at the Royal United Services Institute, told RFI’s Africa service.

“They are well aware that Sarkozy played an important role in Libya’s fate in 2011. But people are not really hanging on to this particular case. They tend to think that there is not much suspense regarding the final outcome. They are rather disillusioned by this story.”

In Libya, many view Sarkozy primarily as the figure responsible for the destruction of the Libyan state and the despair that followed France’s military intervention in 2011.

Since then, their living conditions have continued to deteriorate in Libya, where people face corruption, instability, and the devastation caused by militias and constant foreign interventions.

Some voices have been raised, calling for the former occupant of the Élysée to be brought before the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes committed against the Libyan people.

About 200 farmers and 50 tractors made their way towards Paris on Monday, and others moved on Lyon, though none was able to enter the capital

The members of the Coordination rurale union are protesting against the Mercosur free trade agreement with South American countries, agreed on the European Union last month, despite France’s objections, and they are demanding better compensation.

The country’s second largest farmer’s union believes that 13 January date set for a meeting with Prime Minister François Bayrou is too far off, and they want to make sure their demands are not forgotten, as the new government moves forward with budget negotiations and new legislation.

“Their concerns are perfectly understandable,” Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard said on TF1 television Monday, though insisting that the farmers must not block Paris, and their protest must not be violent.

“One does not block, one does not disrupt,” she said, especially the day that students go back to school after the end-of-the year holiday break.

Around ten tractors and 15 cars forced their way onto the N10 highway before being blocked by police, while another convoy was blocked in the Essonne.

Smaller convoys continued on smaller roads towards Paris, and in the Rhone, near Lyon.

Genevard said that they would not be received by Bayrou sooner than the date planned next week, though she said that the long-awaited agriculture reform bill would be among the first legislation presented to the National Assembly after the budget.

The government is hoping to get a budget passed next month, Budget Minister Amelie de Montchalin said on Monday,

“So that at the very latest by the end of February French people can get out of this uncertainty and deadlock, so that people such as the farmers and others can have more clarity,” Montchalin told France 2 public television.

The farmers’ convoys mark the start of the election campaign for the chambers of agriculture, to be held 15-31 January, and whose results will determine which unions have power in negotiations with the government.

(with AFP)

Voters for the Golden Globes – journalists around the world – named French director Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez best movie musical or comedy, ahead of Wicked, Jon Chu’s movie adaptation of the famous Broadway musical.

The Spanish-language experimental hybrid musical, about a Mexican drug lord who transitions to a woman, which wowed audiences in Cannes this year, led all films with four awards in total, including a supporting actress honour for Zoe Saldana, and best song.

Set in Mexico but filmed entirely in a studio near Paris, the film blends drama, romance, comedy and thriller elements.

“In these troubled times, I hope that Emilia Perez will be a beacon of light for those of us not lucky enough to count among their friends a woman as powerful and passionate as Karla Sofía Gascón,” said Audiard, referring to the film’s star.

He dedicated the prize to those worried about the future and what 2025 is going to look like, urging them to keep fighting for their rights.

Gascón, who was the first transgender woman to be nominated for best actress, lost to Demi Moore.

“I am who I am. Not who you want,” Gascón said, accepting the best musical award for the film.

“You can never take away our soul, or existence or identity,” she added, and gesturing to her orange dress, she reminded the audience that “light always wins over darkness”.

Demi Moore who plays an ageing celebrity who takes an experimental drug to create a younger version of herself in The Substance, said she had once been dismissed as a “popcorn actress” and feared her career was over.

“I’m just in shock right now,” Moore said as she held her trophy on stage. “I’ve been doing this a long time, over 45 years. This is the first time I’ve ever won anything as an actor.”

The best movie drama went to The Brutalist, the story of a Holocaust survivor who chases the American dream, and star Adrien Brody won best drama film actor. The film also landed the best director prize for Brady Corbet.

The Golden Globes kick off the awards season in Hollywood that culminates with the Academy Awards in March, and winning one can help focus attention on movies for the Oscars.

(with Reuters)

Commemorations will include a special edition of Charlie Hebdo, ceremonies led by President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, and tributes across France honouring the victims.

On 7 January 2015, brothers Chérif and Saïd Kouachi stormed the offices of Charlie Hebdo, killing 11 people and injuring 11 others. A 12th victim was killed as the gunmen fled.

The attackers, who claimed allegiance to al-Qaeda in Yemen, said they were taking revenge for the paper’s printing caricatures of the prophet Mohammed.

The following day, their associate Amedy Coulibaly killed a police officer in Montrouge, south of Paris. On 9 January, he attacked a kosher supermarket in eastern Paris, killing four people after taking them hostage.

All three attackers died in shoot-outs with police.

In the aftermath of the attacks, the French art director Joachim Roncin created the slogan “Je Suis Charlie”, which became a logo that was adopted by advocates of freedom of speech, who took to the streets in rallies throughout France to support the concept.

Iran protests cartoons of Khamenei in French satirical weekly

Special events

The magazine will release a special double issue on Tuesday featuring results of a competition asking readers to draw God, alongside a poll on French attitudes towards religious caricatures, blasphemy and free speech.

“They didn’t kill Charlie Hebdo,” said editor-in-chief Gérard Biard in a recent interview with the AFP new agency. “We want it to last for a thousand years.”

The magazine says the competition is intended for everyone who is fed up with living in a society directed by God and religion.

“The idea is not to publish anything, it’s to publish everything that makes people doubt, makes them reflect and to ask questions so they do not end up closed in by ideology,” said Riss, a cartoonist who survived the attack.

French TV channels plan special coverage, with the public France Télévisions hosting an event featuring Charlie Hebdo staff, terrorism experts, teachers and artists at the National Library of France.

In northeastern France, high school students have collaborated on a special edition of Charlie Hebdo Grand Est, a newspaper to be distributed in schools.

The National Audiovisual Institute (INA) is also showcasing archival footage of the events online.

Charlie Hebdo targets ‘new censorship’, five years after terror attacks

Legacy of provocation

Since its founding in 1970, Charlie Hebdo has been known for pushing the boundaries of free speech, often attracting censure for its provocative tone.

Critics accuse the magazine of Islamophobia, pointing to caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed that some argue associate Islam with terrorism.

Free-speech defenders in France regard the ability to criticise and ridicule religion as a fundamental right acquired through centuries of struggle to reduce the influence of the Catholic Church.

In December 2020, 14 people were convicted for helping the Kouachi brothers and Coulibaly plan and carry out the attacks.

“The fact of choosing victims precisely because they were journalists, or a member of the security forces, or of Jewish faith, clearly demonstrates in itself their desire to sow terror in Western countries,” the presiding judge told the court.

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced Sunday that authorities in the southern city of Montpellier detained an Algerian influencer known as Doualemn, who had published a video on Tiktok calling for the death of an Algerian anti-regime protester.

The arrest came after Montpellier mayor, Michaël Delafosse, had reported the man for inciting hatred.

Two days earlier, on Friday, two other Algerian influencers were arrested in Brest and near Grenoble.

Calling for violence in France

Youcef A, known as Zazou Youssef on TikTok, where he has hundreds of thousands of followers, called for attacks on France, according to Retailleau.

In a video published on 31 December on the account, which has since been deleted, the 25-year-old spoke in Arabic with French subtitles, calling for attacks in France and violence in Algeria.

He was arrested early Friday in Brest and has been detained until his trial for advocating terrorism on 24 February.

A fan of his known as Imadtintin was arrested on Friday evening in Echirolles, near Grenoble, after he published a video reacting to Youcef A’s arrest, in which he calling for followers to “burn”, “kill” and “rape” opponents to the Algerian regime in France.

He was put under judicial supervision until his court appearance Monday afternoon.

Deportation orders

In France since the end of 2021, Imadtinin had received a deportation order after an unsuccessful application for a residence permit in 2023, following his marriage to a French woman.

Zazou Youssef was also ordered to leave France, after his residence permit was not renewed in March.

The prefecture of Herault told the AFP news agency that it was considering withdrawing Doualemn’s permit and to issue a deportation order.

Diplomatic tensions

The arrests come as relations between France and Algeria, already complicated for decades because of their colonial past, have worsened.

In July 2024 France recognised Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, whose independence movement is backed by Algeria.

In November Algeria detained Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, which nearly caused a break in diplomatic ties.

(with newswires)

Esther (not her real name) looks despondent as she engages in a subdued conversation with other women in a queue that winds its way towards humanitarian workers seated at desks.

Conflict in Mozambique

The 25-year-old, with her three-year-old child strapped to her back, appeared visibly distressed. An adhesive bandage on her cheek served as a stark reminder of an ordeal that she said left her traumatised by what she had witnessed just a few days earlier.

She is one of the thousands of people who have travelled hundreds of kilometres to flee the violent conflict in Mozambique, which erupted following the recent disputed election.

Mozambique post-election violence kills 125 in three days, NGO says

“I was at the borehole when people suddenly appeared and set my house ablaze,” Esther told RFI outside a school building, where other people were either frantically queuing to register or gathered in small groups.

“I immediately dropped the bucket and fled into the bush, where I joined my neighbours.”

Esther is one of the 2,500 families – approximately 13,000 people, including children – who are being housed in various camps in the Nsanje district of southern Malawi as of 26 December, according to the district council’s figures. This follows the tension that escalated into violent protests and clashes after the 11 October elections.

Daniel Chapo, the candidate for the ruling party, the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frelimo), was declared the winner against the opposition’s Venâncio Mondlane of the Optimist Party for the Development of Mozambique. Mondlane was backed by another opposition party. A recent decision by Mozambique’s Constitutional Council to uphold the earlier ruling, following an appeal from Mondlane, has sparked fresh protests.

Mozambique’s highest court confirms Frelimo election victory

Contested election

The disputed election, which has claimed hundreds of lives and led to widespread chaos, including prisoners being freed from custody, comes after weeks of unrest in Mozambique, a gateway nation to the sea and ports.

The opposition claims it won the polls. Landlocked Malawi relies on Mozambique for access to the sea to import and transport essentials, including fuel.

The Constitutional Council’s decision to reaffirm the earlier ruling has exacerbated the violence, with reports of people burning and looting property, even in rural areas. According to testimonies from those in the camps, for Esther and thousands of others, the burning and looting of their homes meant fleeing without knowing the whereabouts of their loved ones.

How Portugal’s Carnation Revolution changed the fate of its colonies in Africa

“I never returned home, and I have no idea where my husband is,” said Esther, who is seeking further treatment at the camp. “I was carrying my baby on my back when I fell, and something pierced my cheek. It left a deep wound, and I’m in pain.”

Among the young caught up in the conflict is José (not his real name). The 23-year-old fled with his wife after vigilantes attacked their neighbourhood and began burning houses. He expressed gratitude to well-wishers who helped him cross into Malawi via a deep river that separates the two countries. Pointing to his younger wife, who also has a child, José indicated their clothes.

“Even these clothes were given to me by well-wishers. We don’t have food and are surviving on water. We need clothes, household items, and somewhere to sleep like normal people. Mozambique is my home. If peace returns, we will go back, but what we saw terrified us. I’ve never seen anything like it. Our hope is for peace, but the fear remains.”

Meanwhile, officials from the Malawian government, including the refugee agency, the Department of Disaster Management, and organisations like the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), are registering those seeking refuge and working to establish a formal refugee camp.

Vilnius was named two years ago by the European Commission as the European Green Capital for 2025.

The jury praised the Lithuanian capital “for its strong commitment to sustainability while having a realistic and down to earth approach.”

It recognised its efforts in various areas, such as air quality, climate change adaptation, and biodiversity preservation.

Green city

Vilnius is a green city, with green areas covering 61 percent of its territory and a forest located right in the city center.

“Vilnius has its green crown, plantations that surround the city and can be seen from many places,” Lithuanian researcher Jekaterina Lavrinec told RFI.

“At the beginning of the 20th century, people still planted tree-lined avenues in Vilnius, which encouraged walking through the city,” she says.

“We are working to protect wildlife and plants in different areas, and our decision not to mow all the green spaces, as is commonly done, has been widely noticed,” adds Jurga Mikutiene, head of the green capital project in Vilnius.

Eco-friendly transport

The city has also narrowed some streets to make room for pedestrians and cyclists as one of the major concerns is improving urban mobility.

“Five years ago, the city limited car traffic in the city center. For me, this helped people realise that driving everywhere isn’t necessarily the best option,” says Silvestras Dikcius, a sustainable development trainer.

More than 100 kilometres of bicycle lanes now connect the various districts of Vilnius.

Urban greening could prevent hundreds of deaths a year, French study finds

Public transportation is also becoming increasingly eco-friendly.

“Trolleybuses are buses connected to an electrical grid via antennas. Now we have vehicles that charge their batteries while driving connected to the grid,” explains Jurga Mikutiene.  

“They can be autonomous for a while, and as such, there are no CO2 emissions.”

Less green spaces

However, the growing demand for new neighborhoods has led to the gradual loss of green spaces.

“[Buildings and constructions] are increasing in the city. This is due to the economic model. Mortgage rates are low, and demand is high,” says Jekaterina Lavrinec.

This year, as Vilnius holds the title of European Green Capital, the focus will be on communication and raising awareness about ecology.

And by 2030, Vilnius aims to become climate neutral by 2030, which means achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions.

(With AFP)

On Sunday night at the 974 Stadium in Doha, PSG beat Monaco to claim the 2025 Tropheé des Champions. It was a record-extending 13th success for PSG in a competition that has been played in various guises since 1949 between the first division champions and the winners of the Coupe de France.

In the 2024 final against Toulouse at the Parc des Princes, Kang-in Lee and Kylian Mbappé were on target for PSG, the Ligue 1 champions. A year later and some 6,000 kilometres away from western Paris, Ousmane Dembélé scored PSG’s winner in stoppage time.

“It was a very difficult match, against an opponent with some very high quality players,” PSG boss Luis Enrique told the club’s TV station after the game in Doha.

“Winning a trophy is always a source of joy,” Enrique added. “Starting 2025 in this way gives us a boost and confidence, so we have to take advantage of it and think about the future.”

Indeed. The coming weeks will be action packed. Next Sunday, PSG will host Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1 aiming to maintain their seven-point advantage over second placed Marseille who thrashed Le Havre 5-1 on Sunday night.

On 15 January, PSG will continue the defence of their Coupe de France crown in the last 32 at fifth tier Espaly. Three days later, they travel to Lens for a Ligue 1 clash and on 22 January, Enrique will steer his men through their penultimate game in the group stages of the 2024/25 Champions League tournament.

Last season PSG reached the semi-finals but they have struggled in the new format of this year’s campaign. Gone are the eight pools of four teams with the top two advancing to the last-16.

This year, the sides in a 36-team division play eight games. The top eight qualify automatically for the last-16 knockout stages and the 16 teams finishing ninth to 24th advance to a two-match play-off for the remaining eight slots.

Chance

With only seven points from their six games, PSG lie in 25th place and a defeat to Manchester City could jeopardise their chances of obtaining one of those play-off berths.

Whatever the result of the game with City, the Ligue 1 match against Reims on 25 January will be overshadowed by the trip to Stuttgart for the final game in the Champions League on 29 January.

Before the victory in Doha, Enrique claimed the schedule was a symbol of his side’s success. “It is marvellous that we will play so many games,” the 54-year-old Spaniard told PSG TV. “The more matches the better. That means we are alive in many competitions.” 

His Monaco counterpart, Adi Hütter, received a boost before the Doha showdown by signing a new deal that will keep him with the club until 30 June 2027.

“AS Monaco are delighted to announce the extension of Adi Hütter’s contract for a further two seasons,” beamed a club statement on Saturday.

Success

The 54-year-old Austrian arrived at the Stade Louis II in July 2023 after leading RB Salzburg to the title in Austria in 2015 and then three years later guiding Young Boys Bern to the Swiss crown.

A runners-up slot behind PSG at the end of the 2023/24 season furnished Monaco with a place in the Champions League where, in contrast to PSG, they have flourished.

Monaco boast 10 points from their six games and after a trip to Nantes in Ligue 1 on 10 January, they take on Reims in the last 32 of the Coupe de France and Montpellier in Ligue 1 on 17 January.

They host Premier League Aston Villa in their crunch Champions League tie on 21 January before entertaining Rennes in Ligue 1 on 25 January and then turning out at Inter Milan on 29 January for their final game in the Champions League.

“When you lose a match in the last minutes, the feeling that dominates is always disappointment,” lamented Hütter after the defeat in Doha. “I’m happy with what the players did during the the match because we fought until the end.

“When you look at the whole match, Paris Saint-Germain deserved the victory because they had many more chances than us.

“But now we must raise our heads and think about the next match against Nantes.”

The 27-year-old Frenchman prevailed 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 to earn himself 100,00 euros in prize money and a spot on an exclusive list in ATP Tour history.

He became only the third man since tennis was opened up to professional players in 1968 to win a title having lost the opening set in every match he played.

“Thank you everyone for the support,” Müller told spectators at the Victoria Park Tennis Stadium. “It’s been an amazing week for me, losing the first set in all the matches.”

Müller, ranked 67th on the ATP lists, started the final poorly. Nishikori, a former world number four, reeled off four consecutive games from 2-2 to take the opener.

But the 35-year-old from Japan, who has struggled with injuries over the past three years, was equally overwhelmed in the second set.

In the decider, Müller claimed Nishikori’s service to lead 4-3 and took the next two games to complete the triumph in one hour and 43 minutes.

“In all the matches I tried to be calm between points and keep my energy, because it was a tough week for me,” said Müller who overturned deficits against Marc-Andrea Huesler, Miomir Kecmanovic, fellow Frenchman Arthur Fils in the quarter-finals and Jaume Munar in the semis.

“I want to thank Kei, because he is an amazing player,” Müller added. “I’m so happy for him that he can play without injuries, so good luck to him for the rest of the season.”

As a result of the victory, Muller will move from 67 to 56 when the new ATP rankings are released on Monday. Nishikori will rise 32 spots to number 74, the first time he has been inside the Top 100 since June 2022.

Speaking shortly after stepping off a military aircraft in Mayotte, Le Pen said: “The promises made to the people of Mayotte, who are suffering like mad, must not be forgotten.”

During a visit to Mayotte last month, French Prime Minister François Bayrou unveiled a package of measures in which electricity would be restored to homes by the end of January.

He also said 200 satellite link systems would be set up to ensure emergency communications and that state- guaranteed loans would be offered at special rates. He also warned against the reconstruction of informal settlements. There were also offers to educate children in mainland France and promises to deploy more police officers.

“The government’s plan does not go far enough because I think it lacks an important component, which is a diplomatic component, without which many of the things that have been promised will not be delivered’,” Le Pen said on Sunday.

“If necessary, of course we’ll be there to remind the government of any promises that may have been made.”

Tour

Le Pen last visited Mayotte in April 2024 to drum up for support for her party’s candidates at the European elections and speak out against illegal immigration from neighbouring Comoros and Madagascar.

So far, 39 people have been confirmed dead in Mayotte following the cyclone but the identities of all the victims may never be known.

Though Mayotte, the poorest department in France, has an official population of just over 330,000 people, it is wealthy compared to its neighbours and estimated to house up to 100,000 unregistered migrants.

“The issue is not one of reconstruction, but of construction,” Le Pen added. “Since everything has been abandoned for so many years that it is actually necessary to build. Today, we are still faced with an emergency.”

Just ahead of her arrival, an article was published in the French newspaper Le Figaro on Sunday in which the Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau joined forces with Manuel Valls, the Overseas Territories Minister and the Armed Forces Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, to explain that a tougher approach was needed on migration in the region to ensure solid reconstruction.

“To rebuild the French territory damaged by cyclone Chido on a lasting basis, the mobilisation of public authorities must be combined with an effective fight against illegal immigration and a significant increase in resources for action,” they wrote.

“We’ve been saying that for years and years,” said Le Pen of their stance.

On Sunday night, Le Pen is expected to meet rescue crews and local residents before touring Mayotte on Monday to assess the damage in the remote parts of the island.

In France, Green MP Sandrine Rousseau condemned Le Pen’s visit as a political show.

“The two scourges of Mayotte are poverty and the lack of public services,” Rousseau told the weekly political discussion BFM Politique/ La Tribune Dimanche.

“Why did Cyclone Chido do so much damage? Because Mayotte is an extremely poor territory.

“Before we talk about immigration, let’s start by talking about people’s conditions, their safety, their health and their access to school.”

“Stress kills your neurons,” said the message scrawled in room 13, one of just 20 beds available for psychiatric patients in the African country of five million people, which sits between the Atlantic and the Sahara.

Sidi’s father, Mohamed Lemine, traced his son’s mental health troubles to a frustrated attempt to emigrate to the United States.

“His friends got him into these problems. They put the idea in his head of leaving the country, but the bank turned down his loan application,” Lemine said.

“After that, he became sad and started taking drugs.”

At a loss on how to handle Sidi’s increasingly violent psychotic episodes, Lemine finally brought him three days previously to the Nouakchott Centre for Specialised Medicine, home to the country’s only psychiatric ward, where he was admitted with a diagnosis of psychosis.

Lemine, a retired army officer with a neatly trimmed white beard, had installed a mat in his son’s room to keep watch over him.

Like most patients, Sidi was expected to remain in the centre only a few days. Beds and staff are too scarce for longer stays.

“We need to increase the number of beds. Lots of patients travel long distances to come here, and there’s no other psychiatric care infrastructure,” said one of the centre’s doctors, Mohamed Lemine Abeidi.

Mauritania’s Ghazouani wins presidential vote despite claims of fraud

Family affair

The centre’s 20 rooms line a wide, turquoise-and-cream-coloured corridor that is filled with constant bustle: women bringing their children meals; a man visiting his brother; a worried uncle trying to calm his paranoiac nephew.

Non-violent patients are also allowed to stroll the hall, accompanied by relatives.

They greet the head nurse, joke with the security chief, and talk to anyone who will listen about their concerns of the day, from politics and erectile problems to Satanic visions.

“Almost all the patients are accompanied by their families,” said Abeidi, calling it a “cultural specificity” of Mauritania.

Outside the door to the ward, dozens of people were gathered, making tea as they waited.

Like all Mauritania’s mental health professionals, Abeidi, a psychiatrist, studied abroad, given the lack of training programmes in the country.

“We’re still quite limited, but there’s been an improvement” in psychiatric care since the 1970s, he said with a smile, leaving his office after yet another day packed with appointments.

The 1970s is the decade when doctor Dia Al Housseynou first brought mental health care to Mauritania, an arid, predominantly Muslim country deeply attached to the Sahara, both geographically and culturally.

Protesting takes mental toll on Sudan’s young revolutionaries

Doctors in tents

Now 83, Housseynou lives in a bougainvillea-covered house in the centre of the capital, Nouakchott.

As a young man, he studied abroad in Senegal, completed internships in several European countries and wrote his thesis on family therapy before returning to Mauritania in 1975 and convincing authorities of the importance of mental health care.

He set up the traditional desert tents known as “khaimas” in the courtyard of the national hospital, where families could bring their loved ones for doctor’s appointments.

Three years later, the hospital opened a dedicated psychiatric service. The Centre for Specialised Medicine was inaugurated in 1990.

But Housseynou said he was nostalgic for the days of tents.

“Architecture is key in caring for the ill. When we build closed wards, everyone in their own room, it becomes a prison,” he said, adding that Mauritania did not need “Western-style psychiatry”.

Training, openness needed in tackling mental health issues in Malawi

Inside the psychiatric ward, many patients deemed violent are chained to their beds.

“It’s not hospital policy, but it’s up to families whether to restrain their loved one or not,” said chief security officer Ramadan Mohamed.

Sidi had a chain attached to his left foot.

Hospitalisation is often the last resort for families, Abeidi said.

“Most patients undergo traditional treatments before turning to psychiatry,” he said.

“The patient sees a ‘marabout’ (traditional religious figure), and if the family and the marabout see that’s not working, they refer them to the hospital.”

“I remember the first photos. it was a long time ago in Berlin when I was studying,” Haitian film director Raoul Peck told RFI.

“The anti-apartheid struggle was beginning, and Ernest Cole’s photos were circulating a lot because it was the first time we discovered the horrors of apartheid at a human level, from the perspective of men and women.”

Born in 1940, Cole fled South Africa in 1966 to escape the apartheid regime. He lived in exile in the United States, where he captured striking images of life in New York City and the American south.

His seminal work, House of Bondage – banned in South Africa – exposed the brutal realities of apartheid and earned Cole international acclaim at just 27 years old.

“He was seen, perceived as a black photographer, whereas he wanted to be a photographer like one of his idols, Cartier-Bresson,” Peck explains.

“Ernest Cole’s ambition was also to photograph, as he says, ‘the human condition’.”

Peck’s film also tells the story of the wandering of Cole after his exile in 1966.

“He is an angry man, but he is also a man, like many men and women I’ve known in exile, who are disturbed, torn, and broken by being away from their country, who often suffer. So, he is also isolated in this society,” Peck says.

Cole’s later years were marked by hardship and obscurity, but his story took a surprising turn in 2017 when 60,000 of his negatives and photographs were discovered in a Stockholm bank.

The collection, which includes thousands of images shot in the US, had long been thought lost. The mystery of who deposited the photos remains unsolved.

Ernest Cole: Lost and Found was released in France on 25 December, 2024.

Dembélé, deployed in the centre rather than his usual free-wheeling role along the right wing, slotted in from close range after Fabian Ruiz’s cross from the left.

With only two minutes of the encounter remaining, the 27-year-old was mobbed by delirious teammates as Monaco players lay on the ground.

 “After 10 days off, it was difficult to come back,” Dembélé told broadcaster DAZN after the match at the 974 Stadium in Doha.

“But we put in a lot of intensity. We had a lot of chances, even though it could have gone either way. I’m happy to have scored that goal.”

Chance

Monaco’s best chance during the match came just after half-time when a shot from Vanderson hit the post. 

Known as the Super Cup in several other European leagues, the Trophée des Champions has been played in France in various guises since 1949 and features the winners of the first division against the holders of the Coupe de France.

PSG, who won both of those titles in 2024, were pitted against Ligue 1 runners-up Monaco for the 2025 showdown.

The success in front of 40,000 spectators furnished the PSG boss Luis Enrique with a fourth trophy since taking over at the Parc des Princes in July 2023.

Both teams will return to France on Monday to prepare for a packed month of fixtures.

PSG and Monaco will play six games in Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and the Champions League in 17 and 19 days respectively.

In a historic year for democracy – with elections taking place in more than 50 countries around the world in 2024, bringing more than 1.5 billion people to the polls – the African continent was no exception. 

With 18 elections taking place, including Senegal’s in March, South Africa’s in May, Algeria’s and Tunisia’s in September and October respectively, and Ghana’s in December, some regions, particularly in West Africa, saw significant progress through democracy, while others still face significant challenges.

Lessons from West Africa

Political scientist Mathias Hounkpe is the co-author of a comparative analysis of electoral commissions in West Africa, which saw elections in Senegal and Ghana this year. 

According to Hounkpe, both set examples of well-run and effective polls. 

“In Senegal, the results reflect the ability of the institutions in the countries concerned to perform their roles properly, as well as the citizens’ ability to organise themselves to protect democracy and safeguard the elections,” he told RFI.

Having been delayed by former president Macky Sall, the presidential election held in March saw Bassirou Diomaye Faye elected with 54 percent of the vote. The ruling Pastef party then managed a landslide majority in snap parliamentary elections in November.

Senegal ruling party wins parliamentary majority, paving way for reforms

In Ghana in December, the presidential election marked the return to power of former president John Mahama.

“I believe that Ghana could be an example for the entire sub-region,” Hounkpe said. “It is the country where the electoral commission makes significant efforts to earn the trust of the citizens.”

He added: “The loser conceded victory based on the results collected by the party itself. They didn’t even wait for the provisional results to be announced by the commission. It was based on the results they gathered themselves. So, for me, it’s a lesson for political parties in the sub-region.”

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

Alternance in South Africa and Botswana

As in Ghana and Senegal, in November Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi peacefully conceded defeat after preliminary results showed his ruling Botswana Democratic Party had lost its parliamentary majority, having been in power since the country’s independence in 1966.

The opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change party garnered more than half of the parliamentary seats, with its leader Duma Boko becoming the new president.

Masisi concedes defeat in Botswana’s presidential election

Its neighbour to the south saw the African National Congress lose its majority for the first time since the end of apartheid 30 years ago, in South Africa’s 29 May vote.

While it remains the country’s largest party, controlling 159 of the 400 seats in the new National Assembly, it agreed to form a coalition with its main opposition, the Democratic Alliance – all achieved peacefully.

Ramaphosa re-elected as South African leader after historic coalition deal

South Africa also took over the rotating presidency of the G20 and will host its summit in November 2025 before handing over to the United States – the first time an African nation has held the role.

Somaliland’s success

While the Horn of Africa region continues to grapple with insecurity and the conflict in Ethiopia and Somalia, a presidential election was held in November in Somaliland, the breakaway region of Somalia, following weeks of uncertainty.

The results saw the leader of the opposition, Mohamed Abdullahi of the Waddani party, also known as “Cirro”, secure the presidency with 64 percent of the vote, defeating the incumbent candidate, Muse Bihi.

Somaliland, on the northwest point of Somalia, unilaterally declared independence in 1991 and has been notably more stable than the rest of the country since then.

Its latest election result represented peaceful political alternance for the sixth time in a row, attracting praise from political analysts and renewing hope for international recognition.

With a new president, Somaliland seeks international recognition

Human rights in North Africa

However, other parts of the continent saw less success in terms of democracy.

In Algeria and Tunisia, re-elected Presidents Tebboune and Saied received 95 and 89 percent of the votes respectively – amid low turnout in both countries.

If Algeria has enjoyed economic and social stability over the past decade, human rights organisations including Amnesty have warned of a decrease in freedom of expression, assembly and religion, and women’s, workers’ and LGBT people’s rights.

In Tunisia, both the economy and the democracy have been weakened, and the country has cracked down on citizens’ rights to dissent, free speech and peaceful protest.

Algeria heads to polls: Tebboune favoured amid rights concerns

Mozambique’s deadlock

The highest court in Mozambique on 23 December confirmed the disputed election results of 9 October that extended the Frelimo party’s 50-year grip on power, and have thrown the country in chaos.

For the three months since the poll, the country has seen unprecedented protests and violent clashes. Frelimo leader Daniel Chapo’s main challenger, exiled opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, maintains that the election was rigged.

Mozambique post-election violence kills 125 in three days, NGO says

Postponed polls

Malians were due to vote in February 2024, in an election that had been postponed from July 2022, but the country’s military junta, which seized power in a coup in 2021, postponed the vote again “for technical reasons”.

Alexandre Didier Amani, from the NGO Tournons La Page, says the Sahel region has seen widespread regression since the coups that ousted the governments of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso – now united in a confederation under the label the Alliance of Sahel States.

He told RFI: “The closure of civic spaces, silencing of voices and also abductions. We can see that there is a real regression in democracy.”

Ecowas bloc extends six-month grace period for departing Sahel states

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.

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Be Our Guest” by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman; “Auld Lang Syne”, performed by the Glenn Miller Orch, and “New Year Resolution” by M. Cross, R. Catron, and W. Parker, performed by Otis Redding and Carla Thomas.

The quiz will be back next Saturday, 11 January, with the answer to the question about the legislative elections in Senegal. Be sure and tune in! 

Harris, who lost to Trump in November’s election, has the ungrateful task of supervising the Electoral College count that confirms her rival’s win with 312 electors to her 226.

The certification process comes exactly four years after the Capitol was stormed by a violent pro-Trump mob who threatened lawmakers, leading to widespread arrests and accusations that Trump condoned the insurrection.

Trump and his supporters claimed that Joe Biden had stolen the election from him, that there was widespread ballot box fraud and that he was victim of a sinister plot by the Democratic party.

Trump never accepted his 2020 defeat. 

Following elections last November, the roles are now reversed. Harris, who took over the Democratic candidacy from Biden in August, lost against Trump.

• What is the Electoral College?

‘Insurrection’ debate

In an op-ed for The Hill on 26 December, legal scholars Evan Davis and David Schulte suggested Harris could still prevent Trump taking office by invoking section three of the 14th Amendment.

The provision bars anyone who has engaged in insurrection from holding office.

“The evidence of [Trump’s] engaging in such insurrection is overwhelming,” Davis and Schulte wrote – pointing to the events of 6 January 2021, when rioters disrupted the last election certification.

A group called Courage for America, made up of former law enforcement officers, military personnel and educators, has echoed this call.

“Congress has a responsibility to stand up for our democracy,” the group says on its website, urging lawmakers to block Trump’s certification.

“Instead, MAGA (“Make America Great Again,” Donald Trump’s election slogan) extremists have chosen to undermine our democracy at every juncture.”

Trump’s reaction

Trump has dismissed these efforts, calling them a desperate attempt by Democrats to undermine his presidency. Writing on his Truth Central platform last week, Trump said: “We just won a historic landslide and mandate from the American people.”

He accused Senate Democrats of planning to stall and delay the confirmation of Republican nominees, adding: “REPUBLICANS, BE SMART AND TOUGH!!!”

Trump’s allies in Congress, buoyed by a Republican majority in the House and an increased presence in the Senate, are unlikely to entertain any move to invoke the 14th Amendment.

Blocking his certification would require a two-thirds majority in both chambers, a scenario deemed highly improbable.

• No sign of extremists as eerie silence descends on Washington DC

Increased security

Ahead of Monday’s session, Washington, DC, is on high alert. Security at the Capitol has been significantly upgraded since the 2021 riot, when inadequate preparations allowed a mob to breach the building.

“We cannot be taken by surprise again,” said Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger, speaking to WTOP News. “New equipment, staffing, resources and training” have bolstered the force’s capabilities, he added, promising “layers of security” around the Capitol.

“We have just trained and trained and trained over the last four years.”

Over the past four years, more than 1,500 people have been charged for crimes related to the 6 January riot.

More than 1,000 have been convicted, with 650 sentenced to prison terms ranging from a few days to 22 years.

Trump has vowed to pardon his supporters involved in the attack.

At the picture-perfect beach of La Perle, in the north of the French overseas region of Guadeloupe, authorities have a two-year plan to remove some of the palm trees that fringe its turquoise waters – and replace them with native species with roots that will better stem coastal erosion.

“The coconut palm is an exotic species,” explained Julien Lorthios, from the French Office of Biodiversity (OFB).

It does not have the same capacity as some endemic species to put down deep roots, as even tall palms have a tiny root system, spreading less than one square metre from the base of the trunk. This means they cannot fix sand in place to stop it being washing away by powerful waves, according to Guadeloupe’s department of the environment.

Lorthios recommends, along with other experts, replanting more endemic species in order to slow down coastal erosion – a natural phenomenon which is accelerating with climate change.

Coral threatened by chemicals, including several in sunscreen, French study confirms

Palm disease

Native species may also be more resilient to a disease called lethal yellowing, which is ravaging the exotic coconut palm.

“The disease is spread by a tiny insect that looks like a cicada,” explains Fabian Pilet of the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD).

Lethal yellowing is highly contagious and requires the immediate removal of the palm tree to prevent contamination. “It’s curtains for the palm the minute the first symptoms appear,” added Pilet.

French overseas territory Guadeloupe declares dengue epidemic

Coconut palms in other countries have also been decimated by the disease, including in the Caribbean island of Jamaica in the 1980s.

So far, nine cases have been identified in Guadeloupe, in various parts of the archipelago and on several types of palm trees.

Role in tourism 

“We don’t know how to cure or control the disease, but we can mitigate its effects by replanting, for every tree that is cut down,” said Pilet.

The effects of the disease on Guadeloupe’s coconut palms has not yet raised major concerns among French authorities. The coconut industry in the region remains entirely informal, although it plays a role in attracting tourism, with vendors selling fresh coconut water by the roadside.

Maison Gaston, the virtual art gallery promoting Caribbean creativity

(with newswires)

The pair – the first ministers from the EU to travel to the Syrian capital since al-Sharaa’s forces seized control on 8 December – held talks with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) chief at the People’s Palace in Damascus on Friday.

Baerbock said she and Barrot had made clear that Europe would support a new Syria. “But Europe will not be a financier of Islamist structures,” she added.

HTS remains for many western governments part of the international terrorist network even though it has tried to renounce its affiliations with al-Qaida.

Baerbock said all Syrians — regardless of ethnic or religious group — must have a place in the political process as well as rights and protection.

“I have heard from Syrians often that women’s rights are a yardstick for the future for everyone in a free society,” Baerbock said. “Not only us but many Syrians will therefore judge the new rulers by their actions.

“Germany wants to help Syria become a safe home for all its people and a functioning state, with full control over its territory.”

Before meeting al-Sharaa, Barrot called for the destruction of the chemical weapons stockpiles built up by Assad’s regime. He also urged a political solution with the Kurds in the north of the country.

Despite the list of suggestions, Baerbock and Barrot were at pains to highlight what Baerbock hailed as a political new beginning for Syria and Europe after insurgents swept through the country to topple Assad.

Opening

On Saturday, the Syrian news agency SANA reported the reopening of Damascus airport.

Quoting Achhad Al-Salibi, head of Syria’s Civil Aviation and Air Transport Authority, it said international flights to and from Damascus would resume on Tuesday.

Commercial services were suspended following the HTS takeover of power following 13 years of civil war.

More than 500,000 people are estimated to have died during the conflict which aslso left millions displaced.

The new authorities have asked for sanctions imposed on Syria under Assad to be lifted so that reconstruction can begin. That request is likely to be agreed as diplomatic missions return to the capital.

Syrian asylum seekers in limbo as European countries suspend claims

On Friday, Barrot said the French government would start the process for the formal return of the French embassy in Damascus.

“In the coming weeks, depending on how security conditions evolve, we will gradually prepare the arrangements for re-establishing the French presence here in Damascus,” he said.

A fragile transition

Speaking at the French embassy compound, Barrot added: “A little less than a month ago, new hope was born thanks to the mobilisation of Syrians. It was the hope of a sovereign, stable and peaceful Syria

 “It is a real hope, but it is a fragile hope.”

(with newswires)

President Emmanuel Macron announced plans in 2020 for a House of Press Cartoons during his New Year’s address to the nation.

But the proposals to open the collection in 2022 were held up due to the coronavirus pandemic.

And as France prepares to mark 10 years since terror attacks targeting satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket left 17 people dead in Paris, Dati said on social media that the idea proposed by one of the victims in the slaughter would see the light of day in 2027.

“Press cartoons are an elaborate and precious form of democratic impertinence that we must defend,” Dati added. “In 2025, the commitment made by the President of the Republic will be kept.”

Georges Wolinski, who had been advocating a similar museum since 2007, was among the 11 people who were murdered when brothers Chérif and Saïd Kouachi attacked the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris on 7 January 2015.

A 12th person was killed as the duo made their getaway. A day later, Amedy Coulibaly killed a policewoman in Montrouge to the south of Paris and on 9 January shot dead four hostages at a Jewish supermarket in Porte de Vincennes, eastern Paris. The three men, who died in shoot-outs with police, claimed allegiance to terrorist organisations. 

The Kouachis said they carried out a revenge assault after the magazine published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. 

In September 2021, a few months before her death, Wolinski’s widow, Maryse, and six other cartoonists including survivors of the attack, called on Macron to honour his promise.

Dati said on Saturday she would submit architectural plans to her officials. “Work will then begin,” she added. “Under my authority, the Ministry of Culture will oversee the project and its financing. The aim is to open to the public in 2027.

“This house of press cartoons will be a place of remembrance for those who fell in the service of freedom of expression, freedom to draw, freedom to caricature. It’s up to us not to forget them.”

As part of the events to commemorate the attacks, Charlie Hebdo will release a special double issue on Tuesday featuring results of a competition asking readers to draw God, alongside a poll on French attitudes to religious caricatures, blasphemy and free speech.

The National Audiovisual Institute (INA) is also showcasing archival footage of the events online.

Legacy of provocation

Since its founding in 1970, Charlie Hebdo has been known for pushing the boundaries of free speech, often attracting censure for its provocative tone.

Critics accuse the magazine of Islamophobia, pointing to caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed that some argue associate Islam with terrorism.

Free speech defenders in France regard the ability to criticise and ridicule religion as a fundamental right acquired through centuries of struggle to reduce the influence of the Catholic Church.

In December 2020, 14 people were convicted for helping the Kouachi brothers and Coulibaly plan and carry out the attacks.

Since 1980, tropical cyclones – also commonly known as hurricanes and typhoons – have been occurring at an average of 47 per year, according to global data coordinated by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and recognised by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

But while the frequency of these storms has remained relatively steady, new findings show that their intensity is increasing.

Data comparing the period from 1981 to 2010 with the last decade reveals a rise in the average maximum wind speed of cyclones, from 182kph to 192kph – a 5 percent increase.

Previously, around one in 10 tropical cyclones surpassed 250kph, but that figure has increased to 1.4 in 10 over the past decade – representing a 40 percent rise in the number of category five cyclones on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

Storms, floods and fires: Have planetary conditions really become more extreme?

Climate change

These figures support the conclusions of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which has warned that climate change is likely to increase the frequency of the most destructive cyclones, particularly categories four and five.

“If one can assume climate change is responsible for these trends, make no mistake, the humanitarian catastrophes generated by cyclones are largely due to poverty, vulnerability and a lack of protection for the affected populations,” Robert Vautard, climatologist and IPCC official, told French news agency AFP.

‘Dangerous new era’: climate change spurs disaster in 2024

In 2024, up to 15 December, there were 42 tropical cyclones, including 19 that made landfall.

The most powerful of the year was Hurricane Milton, which hit the US coast on 10 October, with wind speeds reaching 278kph.

The West Pacific was the hardest-hit region, enduring 15 typhoons – six in the Philippines alone.

On 16 December, Cyclone Chido hit the French territory of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean.

The latest official death toll – given by authorities on 24 December – was 39, with 124 people seriously injured and more than 4,000 slightly injured.

Cyclone-hit Mayotte reopens airport but displaced families remain in limbo

(with AFP)

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.

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Be Our Guest” by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman; “Auld Lang Syne”, performed by the Glenn Miller Orch, and “New Year Resolution” by M. Cross, R. Catron, and W. Parker, performed by Otis Redding and Carla Thomas.

The quiz will be back next Saturday, 11 January, with the answer to the question about the legislative elections in Senegal. Be sure and tune in! 

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

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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.

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.