French forces have left Chad after 65 years of almost continuous presence in the West African country.

While the withdrawal was undertaken at Chad’s request, France’s foreign ministry told RFI it is “absolutely not the end” of cooperation on military matters.

The ministry’s spokesperson also outlined France’s position on the crisis in eastern DRC where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels are advancing in North and South Kivu provinces.

On Thursday, the French army handed the Adij Kossei base – its last military compound in Chad – over to Chadian authorities, with President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno welcoming what he called the “definitive and complete departure” of French forces.

The handover marks the end of France’s military presence in its former colony “according to the wishes of the high Chadian authorities” in the capital N’Djaména.

President Déby, in power since 2021, had previously said the cooperation agreements with France had become “completely obsolete” in light of “the political and geostrategic realities of our time”.

French withdrawal across Sahel

French forces have already been forced to withdraw from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in the wake of military coups, marking a decline in French influence in West Africa.

But Christophe Lemoine, spokesperson with France’s Foreign Ministry, insists the closure of the Kossei base was “the natural outcome” of talks with Chad in the context of reconfiguring France’s military presence on the African continent.

He underlined that France and Chad will continue to cooperate in several fields.

“It is absolutely not the end of cooperation with Chad in military terms,” he told RFI, adding that bilateral cooperation – such as public development aid, economic cooperation, cultural cooperation, student exchanges –  would also continue.

On Friday, however, Déby appeared to strike a different tone: “We are not breaking off our relationship with France but we are ending the military dimension of this cooperation,” the leader said at the base, where only the Chadian flag is now flying.

France to reduce military presence in West and Central Africa

Chad ‘not concerned’ by Macron comments

Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments to diplomats that African countries “forgot to say thank you” for France’s decade-long deployment to fight an Islamist insurgency in the Sahel met with irritation among France’s remaining African allies. 

Chad’s foreign affairs minister called the remarks “humiliating and unacceptable”.

Lemoine insists Macron was “expressly referring to the operations that have been deployed in certain Sahel countries at the request of these states”.

“I’m thinking of the Barkhane and Serval missions, especially in Mali,” he added.

French troops were deployed in Mali in 2013 to help in the fight against terrorism, at the request of Malian authorities.

“France lost 58 French soldiers in these operations. And I think that’s what the President of the Republic was referring to. It was not a criticism addressed to the Chadians who were not concerned by these operations. I think we have to be precise about the situation and not mix things up”.

Macron’s Africa ‘reset’ stumbles as leaders call out colonial overtones

Rwanda must withdraw

In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, heavy fighting between Rwandan-backed M23 fighters and Congolese government forces have led to several deaths and forced thousands to flee.

M23 claims to have taken control of Goma in East Kivu province and is advancing in South Kivu. It has vowed to march all the way to Kinshasa.

Lemoine described the situation as “very worrying” and “dramatic” for the civilian population, saying the situation had to end.

“From France’s perspective, the best way to end the situation is to find a diplomatic solution through dialogue between [Congolese] President Tshisekedi and [Rwanda’s] President Kagame, in order to put in place a plan for the full withdrawal of  M23 troops from the Congolese territory.”

France has already called on Rwanda to stop its offensive and Lemoine reiterated its demand that Rwanda withdraw its troops citing the principle of respect for DRC’s territorial sovereignty.

“North Kivu is Congolese territory and foreign troops must leave the Kivu area,” he said.

While Germany has suspended development aid to Rwanda in protest over the DRC crisis, Lemoine said France had “not yet” made a decision on whether to follow suit.

As for sanctions, he insisted that such decisions had to be made “either at the UN or EU level”.

Kalderon, 54, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the 7 October attacks along with his children Erez, 12, and Sahar, 16, who were released in November 2023.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s office confirmed receiving a list of three male hostages to be released Saturday but did not publicly disclose names.

“All hostage families have been informed by military liaison officers,” the office said.

However Hamas named Kalderon, American-Israeli Keith Siegel and Israeli Yarden Bibas as the three to be released, according to the group’s military wing spokesman on Telegram.

Family reacts

The Kalderon family said in a statement: “It’s an immense joy mixed with paralysing fear. We are waiting impatiently to finally reunite with Ofer. Until he is in our arms, we won’t dare to believe it.”

Kalderon’s ex-wife Hadas escaped the October attack by hiding in a shelter with their older children.

“When I first heard about the agreement, I couldn’t believe it. Even if it’s not perfect, it must be accepted – otherwise, we risk bringing back fewer hostages,” she told French daily Le Parisien.

Macron tells Netanyahu to honour Lebanon truce as death toll from Israeli fire rises

The release would leave just one French-Israeli, Ohad Yahalomi, in Hamas captivity.

Yahalomi, 50, was also taken from Nir Oz alongside his 12-year-old son Eitan, who was freed in November.

The hostage-prisoner exchanges continue under the ceasefire agreement brokered between Israel and Hamas. On Thursday, Hamas released eight hostages in exchange for 110 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

While the truce remains in place, tensions persist – with the sight of armed militants escorting hostages through cheering crowds raising objections among Israeli officials.

Faithfull, who inspired the Rolling Stones to compose the iconic “As Tears Go By” in 1964, passed away in London, moved to the French capital in the 1990s.

She was a vocal fan of Édith Piaf and Juliette Gréco.

Faithfull was managed by François Ravard, who later became her partner. He produced her live album “20th Century Blues”, recorded at the New Morning club in Paris in 1997.

By the 2000s, she had settled in the first arrondissement, near the chic rue Saint-Honoré. About 10 years later, she moved to the Left Bank, living in Montparnasse.

‘Music saved my life’

Faithfull endured many health struggles, including alcoholism, drug addiction, hepatitis and breast cancer. In a 2011 interview with RFI’s Imogen Lamb, she reflected on the role of music in her life:

“[Music] really saved my life. I always thought it might. I had great faith in that.”

“I often think that it’s the vibrations in the sound that are so healing […] Certain chords are very healing. I know that.”

Tears gone by as Marianne Faithfull tours again

Speaking about “The Ballad of Lucy Jordan”, the hit from her album “Broken English”, which marked her comeback in 1979, she said: “It’s a song written by Shel Silverstein. He can write beautifully about women and what they’re feeling and thinking and the situation they’re in.”

Faithfull could identify with Lucy Jordan.

“I know I’m not a housewife in a white suburb somewhere, cleaning the house all day… I never was. But I do understand Lucy Jordan and I put my heart into it,” she said.

‘I ended up in this life by mistake’

In 2016, French news agency AFP interviewed Faithfull after she recounted her life in the documentary Marianne Faithfull, Fleur d’âme, directed by French actress Sandrine Bonnaire. The film won awards at the Biarritz Audiovisual Festival in 2018.

“I always tell myself I ended up in this life by mistake because of Andrew [Loog Oldham] and the fascination with the Rolling Stones,” Faithfull said.

In this interview, she also talked about “They Come at Night”, inspired by the 13 November, 2015 Paris attacks: “I was at home, so shocked that I had to write a text immediately.”

Yet, she would perform at the Bataclan on 24 November, 2016.

In 2020, after recovering from a severe case of Covid, Marianne Faithfull crossed the Channel back to London.

The group’s capture of most of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, earlier in the week was a dramatic escalation in a region that has seen decades of conflict involving multiple armed groups.

Rwanda says its primary interest is to eradicate fighters linked to the 1994 genocide but is accused of seeking to profit from the region’s reserves of minerals used in global electronics.

The crisis has rattled the continent and international observers, with a southern African regional bloc holding an emergency summit in Zimbabwe‘s capital Harare on Friday.

M23 fighters are now moving south.

Local sources told AFP on Thursday that fighting was concentrated some 30 kilometres from the city of Kavumu.

The city has a strategic military airfield and is where the Congolese army has laid down its defensive line just 40 km north of South Kivu’s provincial capital Bukavu.

The United Nations warned it was concerned by “credible reports that the M23 is moving rapidly towards the city of Bukavu”.

Troops ‘vigorously’ countering M23 push, says DRC president Tshisekedi

The second biggest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after Goma, Bukavu has a population believed to be around two million.

The Congolese army has yet to comment on the latest M23 advances but President Felix Tshisekedi said earlier this week that a “vigorous” military response was under way.

Information about the fast-moving offensive has remained unclear, but so far M23 fighters have met limited resistance from the ill-equipped and poorly paid Congolese forces.

In Goma, residents have emerged to count the dead and search for food, as hospitals struggled to cope with the wounded.

“We do not want to live under the thumb of these people,” one person, who asked not to be named, told AFP.

The United Nations, United States, European Union, China, Britain, France and mediator Angola have all called on Rwanda to withdraw its forces.

Britain said Thursday it was considering reviewing aid to Rwanda.

Tshisekedi skips crisis summit as M23 tightens grip on eastern DRC

‘Not Rwandans’

Rwanda has hit back at the criticism, with government spokesperson Yolande Makolo saying the UK did not deliver “a direct warning” about aid.

“The international community has its fair share of the blame in the current situation,” she posted on X.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame also strongly rejected accusations that Kigali is supporting the armed group, saying: “M23 are not Rwandans – they are Congolese.”

On Friday, the 16-nation Southern African Development Community will hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss the “worrying situation”.

Kagame and Angolan President Joao Lourenco, the African Union-appointed mediator between Kigali and Kinshasa on the conflict, will not attend.

The meeting follows soaring tensions between Kagame and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa after the deaths of 13 South African soldiers in DRC’s east.

“We are ready to defend ourselves if we are attacked by a coalition including South African forces,” Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe told South African public broadcaster SABC late Thursday.

Rebels tighten grip on Congo mineral wealth as UN warns of long-term control

‘We will not leave’

The M23 and Rwandan troops entered Goma on Sunday. During days of intense clashes that killed more than 100 people, the group seized control over much of the city as many Congolese soldiers surrendered or fled.

“We are in Goma and we will not leave,” Corneille Nangaa, head of a coalition of groups including the M23, said on Thursday.

“We will continue the march of liberation all the way to Kinshasa,” he added.

The offensive has heightened an already dire humanitarian crisis in the region, causing food and water shortages and forcing half a million people from their homes this month, the UN said.

Africa‘s health agency warned that the “unnecessary war” in eastern DRC – a hotspot for infectious diseases including mpox – raised the risk of pandemic.

The DRC has accused Rwanda of waging an offensive to profit from the region’s mineral wealth.

Rwanda has denied the accusations.

Storm Ivo hit areas already struggling with flooding from storms Eowyn and Herminia. Red weather alerts remain active in three regions of Brittany – Ille-et-Vilaine, Loire-Atlantique and Morbihan.

Their combined impact of the storms was exacerbated by the fact that the ground was already drenched from previous persistent rainfall.

National weather service Météo France warned that the situation could get worse in the coming days and authorities are on high alert.

River levels expected to rise

The town of Redon, surrounded by two rivers, a canal and marshes, has been underwater since Wednesday.The Vilaine river’s level was hovering just below that of historic floods in 2001, but was expected to rise further, official alert body Vigicrues reported.

“It’s highly likely that the peak won’t be reached today, but it will be in the next few days,” Redon‘s Mayor Pascal Duchene told French news agency AFP.

He said an estimated 750 residents could be affected.

The Red Cross had set up an emergency shelter for 50 people at a local gym. A second shelter was being set up at another sports centre for 200 people, a Red Cross official said.

Meanwhile, Ille-et-Vilaine’s administrative centre Rennes experienced its worst flooding in 40 years, with rainfall around the city exceeding 178mm for January.

“Unfortunately we haven’t seen the worst of the flooding,” the mayor of Rennes, Nathalie Appere told AFP on Sunday, after around 400 people were evacuated at the weekend.

“It’s quite catastrophic,” a local resident Juanita told RFI. “I am also thinking of how the clean-up will be difficult for all these people once the waters recede.”

France declares natural disaster zones for nearly 400 towns flooded in October

De-waterproofing

The city of Rennes has already begun looking into ways to manage urban development and prevent flooding.

The city’s energy and climate agency told RFI that the plan is to “de-waterproof” the ground at “all levels” from the courtyards of individual houses to industrial lands and streets.

This means allowing water to gradually infiltrate the ground and prevent overflow.

On top of that, work is also being carried to restore local wetlands, which would be able to store excess water during storms.

Another solution is the restoration of agricultural land by replanting hedges, which naturally retain excess rainfall. These were previously removed to create bigger farming plots.

As residents struggle to clean up and shore up their homes and businesses, the Minister of Ecological Transition Agnes Pannier-Runacher said a “state of natural disaster” would be declared in the coming days.

Scrum-half Antoine Dupont was at the heart of the team that beat Wales, England, Ireland, Scotland and Italy to hoist the crown and achieve the Grand Slam – victories over all five sides.

Ireland repeated that feat in 2023 and retained the title last year.

For the 2025 campaign, they will be vying to become the first country to win three championships on the trot since the inception of the Six Nations in 2000 when Italy joined the Five Nations party.

“The goal is to win a championship and everyone wants to win a Grand Slam, that’s the ultimate goal,” said Ireland forward Tadhg Beirne in the prelude to Saturday evening’s opening game against England in Dublin.

“But there’s a big hurdle in front of us each week. This week it is England and as each week goes by it becomes clear whether we have the possibility of winning a Grand Slam or not.”

Ireland, the world’s second best team after South Africa, are expected to see off England, Scotland and Wales before the crunch against France, who lie fourth in the rankings, on 8 March at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

Return

For Friday night’s match, France coach Fabien Galthié will send out Dupont and his Toulouse teammate Romain Ntamack at fly-half for the first time in nearly two years.

Injuries forced Ntamack to miss the 2023 World Cup and last year’s Six Nations tournament while Dupont skipped the 2024 Six Nations championships to prepare for the 2024 Olympics with the sevens team with whom he won a gold medal.

“They play together regularly for their club and they played together regularly for France before Romain’s injuries,” said Galthié. “So in a way it’s a new old partnership.”

But wryness aside and the feel-good factor of reuniting Dupont and Ntamack, Galthié entered far more controversial waters with the inclusion of the 21-year-olds Oscar Jégou and Hugo Auradou.

The pair were accused of raping a 39-year-old woman in their hotel room in Mendoza, western Argentina,  following a drunken night out during the tour of South America last summer.

The men said the sexual relations were consensual and Argentine judges cleared them in December. However, the defendant has lodged an appeal against the court’s decision which will be heard on 10 February.

Cleared

Galthié has stressed that once the pair were exonerated, he felt that they should be available for selection for the national team. However, powerful voices in the French media have queried such swiftness.

“Fabien Galthié could have waited another two weeks for the appeal verdict,” said an editorial in the French newspaper Le Figaro on 15 January. “That would have been more respectful of Argentine justice.”

The editorial added: “The French rugby federation and Galthié had the opportunity to make their mark, to put ethics back at the heart of the game. And, more cynically, to avoid the headlines and other debates that will inevitably accompany the return to favour of Jégou and Auradou. The coach could have avoided hiding behind the law. Legally, that’s fair. Morally, it remains to be seen.”

On the field, France, though missing star performers such as Gael Fickou and Damian Penaud, should be too powerful for a Wales side that lost all five of their games in 2024 Six Nations to finish bottom of the table and collect the infamous wooden spoon – their first in 21 years.

And they have continued to be abysmal. The Welsh went down to South Africa and twice to Australia last summer. There were also defeats to Fiji, Australia and South Africa in November.

A 13th consecutive loss on Friday night would continue their worst spell in their 144-year history.

Pressure

“Ironically, there is probably more pressure and expectation on France,” said Wales boss Warren Gatland on the eve of the game at the Stade de France.

“Their fans will be expecting their team to throw the ball around and score tries. From experience, teams can try a bit too much early on and throw the ball around and that can give you opportunities.”

Wales’ dirty dozen suggests they will be unable to exploit the chances but Gatland said he and the squad remained upbeat.

“The players are well aware of the task ahead of them and that they’re up against it. We want to do some things that France won’t be expecting us to do.

“We know how good they are as a side but if we can go out there and be accurate and disciplined, then we’ve got a good chance to be in the game.”

Around 80,000 fans are due to watch the opening game of Les Bleus – the nickname for the national team. A similar crowd is expected at the arena to the north of Paris for the final game of the campaign against Scotland on 15 March.

Four games over the next six weeks will determine whether that clash will be a joyous coronation or a lament for what could have been.

The Elysée Palace reaffirmed France’s commitment to supporting Haiti’s security efforts and mobilising international partners, particularly within the European Union.

“The Haitian people can count on the solidarity of France, which has always been present in Port-au-Prince,” the Elysée said, adding that restoring security was an absolute priority.

Escalating gang violence in Haiti claimed over 5,600 lives last year.

France has been helping the Haitian police both bilaterally and as part of the Kenya-led multinational security support mission.

But with only around 800 police officers deployed – far fewer than the 2,500 originally planned – the force remains too small to counter the growing dominance of armed gangs, which the UN estimates control 85 percent of the capital.

Despite worsening violence, Voltaire said long-delayed general elections are set for around 15 November 2025.

Haiti has been without elected representatives since January 2023, and no elections have taken place since 2016 due to spiralling violence.

Speaking to French-language channel TV5 Monde, Voltaire stressed the urgency of the vote. “We must pass on power to a legitimate, elected government on 7 February 2026,” he said.

However, with more than one million Haitians internally displaced and over five million facing severe food shortages due to gang activity, doubts remain about whether the country can establish the necessary conditions for a free and fair vote.

Gangs could overrun Haiti capital if aid falls short, UN chief warns

‘Horrific brutality’

The violence is not limited to Port-au-Prince.

In Kenscoff – a mountainous commune once considered a refuge from the capital’s chaos – armed gangs launched a brutal attack earlier this week, killing several residents, including 12 members of the same family.

Reporting from the scene, RFI documented harrowing accounts from survivors.

One resident, a father of three, described the brutality of the attackers. “They kidnapped the father of a young man called Léger, killed him, and then burnt him near my home.

Haiti witness recounts gang massacre driven by witchcraft claims

“Another citizen who was trying to flee was captured and beheaded. Madame Jacques, a sister from my church, was also beheaded, and the bandits took her head with them.”Another witness, Naïca, voiced her despair after losing contact with her family following the attack.

“Members of my family saw their house and shop taken by the bandits. They’ve moved into the house now. But I don’t see them anymore, I don’t know where they are.”

Voltaire said the UN-backed mission in Haiti is insufficient and warned of worsening conditions if the United States cuts humanitarian aid and escalates the deportation of Haitian migrants.

“It is unprecedented. It shows you the level of engagement of the officers and the amount of violence in society,” Hubert Bonneau, head of the National Gendarmerie, told television station BFM.

“There is no such thing as a harmless patrol. You never know who you’re going to run into during an operation.”

Of the 10,000 injuries recorded in 2024, 5,300 occurred while gendarmes were on duty. The rest happened while travelling to work or during training exercises.

Official data shows that between 35 and 50 percent of all injuries took place in France’s overseas territories.

Attacks on officers

Bonneau, who took charge of the 130,000-strong force last October, said 63 gendarmes were shot at last year, while 1,000 were attacked with weapons ranging from guns and knives to blunt instruments.

“People are driving vehicles at them,” he added.

His comments came a day after L’Essor, the gendarmerie’s in-house newspaper, reported that an officer had suffered multiple injuries when a car driving the wrong way struck him at a motorway toll booth between Nantua and Oyonnax in south-eastern France.

“Every 20 minutes, a gendarme is confronted by someone who just refuses to obey a request to stop,” Bonneau said. “It’s just the everyday reality of the men and women serving as gendarmes.”

Prosecutor seeks trial for French police over delivery man’s death in chokehold

In a wide-ranging interview, Bonneau also spoke about the fight against drug networks, terrorism and rising violence in society – including the potential for social unrest.

Commenting on an internal memo instructing commanders to prepare for possible conflict, he said: “We’re in a violent society and we’re in a difficult international context.

“We’ve seen fighting for three years in Ukraine, which is important in the national framework for preparing an armed force such as the gendarmerie. Our mission is not only to do everyday policing but also – as an armed force – we must be ready to take on other eventualities such as aggression on mainland France.”

Dior’s Spring-Summer 2025 collection drew on “the creativity of past centuries” and aimed “to disrupt the order of time,” according to show notes.

Models with Mohawk-inspired hairstyles, their braids woven with feathers, walked the runway in draped skirts, short crinolines, lace, long fringes and capes resembling flower petals.

Trapeze dresses and coats were also featured, inspired by the silhouette designed by Yves Saint Laurent for Dior in 1958.

The show in the gardens of the Rodin Museum was attended by a star-studded audience, including former model and singer Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, American actors Pamela Anderson and Anya Taylor-Joy and French actress Camille Cottin.

Rumours have been swirling for months that British designer Jonathan Anderson might leave Loewe to take the reins at Dior, with both brands owned by French powerhouse LVMH.

The speculation has been fuelled by Anderson’s absence from recent Fashion Weeks in Milan, Paris, and London.

Luxury slowdown

LVMH is set to announce its annual results on Tuesday, figures the industry and analysts will pore over for evidence of how much a global slowdown in the luxury sector has hurt the business.

While Dior’s revenues have nearly quadrupled under Chiuri – from 2.7 billion euros in 2018 to more than nine billion euros in 2023 – some critics have charged the famed French house risks going stale and is ripe for a shake-up.

Meanwhile on Monday, British designer Stella McCartney announced that she had bought the 49 percent stake in her firm held by LVMH since 2019, for an undisclosed amount.

In a statement, the daughter of Beatles singer Paul McCartney said it was time for a “new page”.

But she said she would continue to advise LVMH chief Bernard Arnault on the environmental issues she has long championed, including avoidance of leather, fur and feathers in her collections.

Star designer McCartney slams killing of ‘billions of birds’ in the name of fashion

Haute Couture Week began on Monday with Schiaparelli’s traditional show, titled “Icarus”, which was also inspired by the past.

Corseted models with structured necklines and wide hips, including Kendall Jenner, paraded beneath the gilded ceilings of the Petit Palais.

Haute Couture Week showcases one-of-a-kind, entirely handmade pieces which are primarily intended for red carpets, high-profile events, and galas.

A total of 28 houses will present their collections over the next four days, including Chanel, Armani, Jean Paul Gaultier and Valentino.

The latter will show its first Haute Couture collection under Alessandro Michele, creative director since early 2024.

(with AFP)

Pelicot, 72, who was sentenced in December to 20 years for aggravated rape, is being questioned over a rape and murder in Paris in 1991 and an attempted rape in the Seine-et-Marne region outside the capital in 1999, his lawyer Beatrice Zavarro said.

She said the investigation, being handled by a unit in the Paris suburb of Nanterre dedicated to “cold cases”, had been going on since October 2022 and Dominique Pelicot had already been interrogated in October 2023.

He has denied involvement in the 1991 rape and murder case but has admitted to the 1999 attempted rape after he was identified by his DNA.

These dates are well before the near decade from 2011 to 2020 during which Pelicot invited dozens of strangers, whom he had recruited online, to the family home in the town of Mazan in southern France to rape his heavily sedated wife Gisele.

The 20-year gap between these crimes has sparked fears that Pelicot could have committed other acts in the interim that have not yet come to light.

His ex-wife Gisele Pelicot has been hailed as a hero for her courage and dignity in the over-three-month trial that ended in December with all 51 defendants, including her ex-husband and the men he enlisted to rape her, being convicted.

France urged to place consent at centre of rape law reform

‘Little bottle of ether’

During his trial, Dominique Pelicot confessed to the 1999 attempted rape.

“It was indeed me,” he said. “I took off her T-shirt, her shoes and her trousers but I didn’t do anything.”

But he denied having played a role in the murder and rape of Sophie Narme, a real estate agent killed in Paris in 1991.

“I have nothing to do with that case,” he said, despite the similarities in the two cases, with both the victims young real estate agents aged 23, who were visited by a man under a false name to view an apartment.

The two women were undressed from below in the same way.

A strong smell of ether — an anaesthetic historically used in surgery — was also noted at the crime scene around Sophie Narme, and the substance had been used to attack the young woman in 1999.

“I had a little bottle of ether in the car and a piece of string,” he said of the attempted rape case during his trial.

Asked why he fled, he said: “I had a mental block, thinking it could have been my daughter,” he said.

Pelicot’s daughter, Caroline Darian, would have been in her early twenties at the time.

Darian, now 46, believes she was also drugged and raped by Pelicot after seeing pictures of her unconscious body, wearing underwear she did not recognise, were found among the detailed records her father kept of his crimes.

She told the BBC this month that he “should die in prison” as he was “a dangerous man”.

Among the 50 others sentenced in December, 14 have appealed.

Dominique Pelicot could thus again appear in court, but as a witness, during an appeals trial later this year in front of a jury, according to a prosecutor in the southern city of Nimes.

“This is one of the most misinterpreted elections in our last 75 years,” said Charlie Cook, founder of the Cook Political Report. A well-known Washington analyst, Cook has provided independent commentary for decades and is widely followed by major US news outlets.

“Yes, Democrats are extremely disappointed that they lost the presidential election,” he said, but pointed out that the party “picked up seats in the House of Representatives”.

The Republicans still control the House after the 2022 midterms, holding 220 seats to the Democrats’ 215. But while a majority requires 218 seats, the Republicans lost ground – dropping from 222 seats in 2022 – while the Democrats gained two.

“Democrats lost four seats in the Senate,” Cook acknowledged. “But three of them were states that they probably shouldn’t have had anymore. They were very, very red conservative Republican states, West Virginia, Ohio, and Montana.”

Republicans now control the Senate with a 53-47 majority. But the election results were not a wipe-out. “Not a single governorship in the country changed parties. The state legislatures: very little happened. Same thing on Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State,” he said.

The elections, Cook argued, were split into two different worlds. “One for president and one for everything else. And the everything else wasn’t that bad at all for Democrats,” he said.

Biden’s loss was a “very focused, very targeted repudiation” of his presidency and the Biden-Harris administration.

“It was purely about the cost of living (which, under Biden, went up with a staggering 20 percent) and the border, but it did not contaminate or damage Democrats down ballot. It really didn’t,” Cook said.

Push to ‘drain the swamp’

Trump has vowed to “drain the swamp” – his term for cutting back what he sees as a bloated and corrupt bureaucracy that slows down Washington politics.

“Eight years ago he had to find the swamp,” said Cook. “He didn’t know much about Washington at all, knew little about government.

“Today he knows more and has more loyal people surrounding him,” he said, adding that Trump’s attempts to overhaul the system could be more effective this time around.

But Trump faces a tight timeline. Midterm elections in November 2026 are just 20 months away.

“He only has a window of about two years to get things through Congress” because of the Republican Party’s extremely narrow majority, Cook said.

“In 90 percent of midterm elections, the president’s party loses seats. So the executive authority is really where he’s going to have the biggest impact.”

A multi-party system?

A recent study in The New York Times proposed an alternative to the current two-party system, which dominates US politics. A Pew Research Centre poll found that “nearly half of younger adults say they wish there were more parties to choose from”.

The newspaper suggested a six-party system, with a “Progressive Party” representing Bernie Sanders supporters, a “New Liberal Party” for market-friendly but socially liberal Democrats, and a “New Populist Party” for those between the Democratic and Republican mainstream.

On the Republican side, the proposal imagined a “Growth and Opportunity Party” for traditional market-friendly conservatives, a “Patriot Party” for Trump’s MAGA movement, and a “Christian Conservative Party” for fundamentalist Christians.  

Cook, however, is doubtful.

“There are lots of ways you could divide up the American people. But there are very few true independents out there,” he said. “The Republican side has become more populist with scorning any kind of elitism, expertise.

“You can agree or disagree with a lot of what Trump does, but it’s more populist than conservative. And absolutely different from the tradition that you saw with any previous Republican president or presidential nominee that we’ve had.”

Cook added that the US “has never been as bitterly divided since the Civil War as it is today”, making a shift to a multi-party system unlikely.

What lessons did the Democrats learn from the presidential defeat?

“I haven’t seen many signs that Democrats have learned any lessons at all,” Cook said. “In 2020, Joe Biden won the Democratic nomination because he wasn’t Bernie Sanders. And he won the general election because he wasn’t Donald Trump.

“Biden thought he had won a landslide and took it as an authorisation to do a very ambitious legislative agenda. People described it as historic, transformational, compared it to Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society and Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, when he had the authorisation to not be Donald Trump.”

But Cook said the same dynamic is now at play with Trump.

“Whenever a party wins a narrow victory, but pretends they won by a landslide and governs as if they had won by a landslide, that party is in grave danger,” he said.

“Biden did that in 2020, and Trump is doing that right now. And there’s very likely to be a political price paid.”

The move follows what Algeria called “consistent testimonies” about discriminatory practices by border police at Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports.

The Algerian Foreign Ministry expressed “deep concern” over reports from travellers alleging “provocative, degrading and discriminatory” treatment by French authorities.

Secretary of State for the National Community Abroad Sofiane Chaib summoned French Ambassador Stéphane Romatet on Tuesday to lodge a “firm protest by the Algerian government against such totally unacceptable acts”, according to an official statement.

Chaib demanded France take all necessary measures to end “unacceptable practices that dishonour the French government”.

With Franco-Algerian relations at an all-time low, can they get back on track?

Border delays

State newspaper El Moudjahid reported that Algerian travellers faced extensive delays at Paris airports on Monday.

The paper claimed border authorities “intentionally closed all visa windows upon the arrival of Algerian passengers, leaving only one open for them”, forcing passengers to wait “longer than the duration of their flight” to have their passports stamped.

The newspaper accused French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau of orchestrating “a policy of humiliation directly targeting Algerians”.

France and Algeria revisit painful past in battle to mend colonial wounds

Historical tensions

Relations between the two nations, shaped by 132 years of French colonisation and a war of independence that ended in 1962, have deteriorated further since France announced support for Morocco‘s autonomy plan for Western Sahara in July.

The territory’s status remains undefined at the UN after five decades of conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front independence movement, which Algeria backs.

The diplomatic rift widened after Franco-Algerian author Boualem Sansal was detained in Algeria in November, followed by French authorities arresting several Algerian social media personalities this month for allegedly promoting violence.

Algeria has urged France to ensure its citizens are treated with “respect and dignity” when travelling.

France has yet to respond publicly to the accusations.

Lille walloped Feyenoord 6-1 in the final game of the group stages to finish seventh in the 36-team division and gain automatic qualification to the last-16 knockout round.

The other three sides – PSG, Monaco and Brest – completed their campaigns in 15th, 17th and 18th respectively. They will contest a two-leg play-off for a place in the last-16.

Dembélé scored his first at the MHPArena in Stuttugart in the 17th minute to double his side’s advantage in a game they had to win in order to be assured of advancing to the play-off places.

He slotted in his second just before half-time to put PSG in control.

The 27-year-old completed his hit a hat trick nine minutes into the second-half to give PSG a 4-0 lead.

William Pacho put through his own net 12 minutes from time to gift the Gerrmans a consolation goal. PSG’s 15th place finish means they will be one of the eight seeded teams for the play-offs where they could play Brest or Monaco.

Other unseeded teams include Feyenoord, Juventus, Celtic, Manchester City, Sporting Lisbon and Club Brugge.

Adventure

Brest lost their final game of the group stages 3-0 at home to Real Madrid. Rodrygo opened the scoring for the defending champions mid-way through the first-half. England international Jude Bellingham doubled the advantage shortly after the pause. And Rodrygo completed his brace 12 minutes from time.

“We want to keep going and make even more history than we have already,” said Brest goalkepper Marco Bizot. “And if we can continue to get results, why not.”

Monaco, who were reduced to 10 men following Christian Mawissa’s expulsion in the 13th minute, went down 3-0 at Inter Milan. Lauro Martinez was the star for the hosts with all three goals.

“We knew it would be a difficult match,” Monaco midfielder Caio Henrique told the club’s website. “Playing against Inter at the San Siro is always tough. We made mistakes right from the start.

“But we’re leaving with our heads held high despite everything, and now we have to think about the next stage. The important thing is that we qualified and now we have to correct our mistakes for the next phase.”

The government’s budget for 2025, if passed, will see public spending slashed by €32 billion. While most ministries are impacted, funding for public development assistance (PDA) is facing cuts of more than €2 billion – 35 percent of its budget. Coordination Sud, an umbrella group for 180 French non-profit organisations working internationally, say they’re being disproportionately hit at a time when international solidarity efforts are needed more than ever. Elodie Barralon, the group’s advocacy officer, talks about the impact of such cuts and concerns that civil society is being rolled back in France. (Listen @0′)

As a three-year experiment with medical marijuana comes to an end, instead of generalising its use, as intended, authorisation has been stalled. Nadine Attal, head of the pain centre at the Ambroise-Paré hospital in Boulogne near Paris addresses the sticking points, which include France’s current government chaos and the lack of political will to move forward. She sounds the alarm over the hundreds of patients enrolled in the experiment who have benefited from medical cannabis but whose health is now being ignored. (Listen @20’20”).

French humourist Pierre Dac came to fame in the 1930s with a winning brand of absurdist humour that managed to get everyone laughing while ridiculing no one. When WWII broke out he turned his talents to fighting anti-semitism, Hitler, and the collaborationist Vichy regime, joining Free France’s Radio Londres in 1943. He also founded a political party that defended the place of laughter and flabbiness in politics.  Fifty years after his death, on 9 February 1975, he remains one of France’s most popular, and humanist of humourists. (Listen @14’20”)

Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani. 

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).

However the reforms reduce discussion of gender identity and delay it until high school following backlash that gathered more than 80,000 petition signatures.

The latest version of the curriculum will be presented on Wednesday to the Higher Education Council (CSE), which includes representatives from teachers’ unions and parent associations.

Though French law has required schools to provide three sex education sessions annually since 2001, this requirement has rarely been enforced.

Age-adapted programme

“Education about love, about relationships and sexuality is absolutely essential,” Education Minister Elisabeth Borne told France Inter. “The programme is very careful to provide quality information that is adapted to a pupil’s age.”

The curriculum takes a staged approach. Primary school lessons will focus on emotions, body awareness and family structures, while middle and high school students will cover topics such as puberty, consent and sexual health.

For young children in primary school, lessons will focus on emotions and the basics of consent. Students will learn about personal boundaries through everyday scenarios, such as asking permission before sitting next to someone.

French PM Bayrou saves 4,000 teaching jobs in budget cuts reversal

Family structures – including single-parent, same-sex parent and blended families – will also be discussed.

In middle school, students will learn about puberty, gender stereotypes and the risks of online pornography. Older students will discuss topics such as sexual violence, relationships and personal identity.

In high school, topics will include consent, gender identity and self-image. Students will explore how biological sex and gender identity are addressed in society. The programme also aims to combat discrimination.

Conservative opposition

The proposed changes have sparked resistance, particularly over the inclusion of gender identity.

“Sex education is not in the best interest of children,” said SOS Education, a conservative group linked to the Catholic Church, which has gathered more than 80,000 signatures against the reform.

“Schools should start by teaching each child to read, write, reflect, respect authority and to accept that others may think differently, and be different, from them,” the group said.

In response to criticism, Borne’s team has revised the syllabus, reducing references to gender identity from 15 mentions in an earlier draft to seven.

The new guidelines state that gender identity discussions will now only take place in high school.

France struggles to decide what place screens should have in schools

Political division

The programme has already caused divisions within French politics.

Former minister delegate for academic success, Alexandre Portier, publicly rejected an earlier draft last year, though his position was later disavowed by senior officials.

The final version acknowledges parental concerns, explicitly stating that sex education “does not aim to take the place of pupils’ parents and families”.

“This programme is indispensable,” said Borne.

The guidelines are set to take effect in September across all French schools, including private institutions.

Prime Minister François Bayrou is facing a political challenge after his recent comments on immigration stirred controversy across the political spectrum.

His remarks about France being “flooded” with immigrants have put his delicate parliamentary support at risk, particularly from the Socialists who had previously helped him survive a no-confidence vote.

Bayrou, who has been working to maintain a fragile coalition, stated on Monday that while immigration is “a positive” factor, it should be “proportionate” to the country’s population.

French PM survives first no-confidence vote in parliament

However, his follow-up comment about the perceived “flooding” of France triggered strong reactions.

While some hardliners in the government and the far right supported his statement, centrist allies and the opposition condemned it.

Boris Vallaud, leader of the Socialist parliamentary group in the national assembly, slammed Bayrou’s comments saying: “If you govern with the prejudices of the extreme right, we will end up governed by the extreme right and you will have been an accomplice!”

Socialist disapproval

The Socialists – whom Bayrou has been carefully courting to ensure his minority government stays afloat – were particularly vocal in their disapproval.

Just weeks ago, their decision to abstain from an opposition-led no-confidence vote allowed Bayrou to hold onto power.

Now, however, they are reconsidering their stance after his controversial remarks.

With a crucial budget vote on the horizon, Bayrou needs all the support he can get.

His government’s long-overdue budget proposal is a significant milestone, especially after the previous cabinet was ousted over austerity measures.

The Socialists have been engaging in discussions with the government about the budget, but in a sign of their frustration, they abruptly canceled a scheduled meeting in response to Bayrou’s remarks.

Socialist deputy Philippe Brun urged Bayrou to reconsider his words, emphasising the need to avoid unnecessary division.

French PM Bayrou saves 4,000 teaching jobs in budget cuts reversal

‘Battle of words’

Meanwhile, Johanna Rolland – a prominent Socialist and mayor of Nantes – suggested that her party should seriously weigh the option of supporting a no-confidence motion against Bayrou’s government.

Despite the tension, government spokesperson Sophie Primas called for unity, urging all sides to focus on the budget rather than engaging in a “battle of words.”.

The coming days will be critical for Bayrou, as he navigates the political fallout and attempts to rebuild trust with his wavering allies.

As the prime minister fights to keep his government intact, all eyes are on whether he can mend fences and rally the support needed to push his budget through parliament. 

Human-driven climate change set the stage for the devastating Los Angeles wildfires by reducing rainfall, parching vegetation, and extending the dangerous overlap between flammable drought conditions and powerful Santa Ana winds, according to an analysis published Tuesday.

The study, conducted by dozens of researchers, concluded that the fire-prone conditions fueling the blazes were approximately 35 percent more likely due to global warming caused by burning fossil fuels.

“Climate change increased the risk of the devastating LA wildfires,” said Clair Barnes of Imperial College London, the lead author of the study by World Weather Attribution, an international academic collaboration.

“Drought conditions are increasingly pushing into winter, raising the likelihood of fires breaking out during strong Santa Ana winds that can transform small ignitions into deadly infernos.

“Without a faster transition away from planet-heating fossil fuels, California will continue to get hotter, drier, and more flammable.”

Fossil fuel rise drives planet closer to critical climate safety limit

Windy conditions increasing

The study does not address the direct causes of the wildfires, which erupted around Los Angeles on 7 January, killing at least 29 people and destroying more than 10,000 homes, the most destructive in the city’s history. 

In the span of just three weeks, more than two dozen fires have broken out across the region, cumulatively burning more than 57,000 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, as of Monday.

That’s an area nearly equivalent to Washington, D.C. and Manhattan, New York City combined.

Researchers from WWA analysed weather data and climate models to assess how such events have evolved under today’s climate, which has warmed approximately 1.3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Using peer-reviewed methods, they found that the hot, dry, and windy conditions were 1.35 times more likely due to climate change.

Looking ahead, the study warns that under current scenarios, where global warming reaches 2.6C by 2100, similar fire-weather events in January will become a further 35 percent more likely.

Historically, October through December rainfall has marked the end of wildfire season.

However, these rains have decreased in recent decades.

Trump withdraws US from Paris climate agreement for second time

‘Precipitation whiplash’

The study found that low rainfall across these months is now 2.4 times more likely during neutral El Nino conditions, leading to drier, flammable conditions persisting into the peak of the Santa Ana wind season in December and January.

The relationship between climate change and Santa Ana winds – which form in western deserts, then heat up and dry out as they flow down California’s mountains – remains unclear.

While most studies predict a decline in these winds as the climate warms, some suggest hot Santa Ana wind events and particularly strong years will persist.

This year’s fires followed two wet winters in 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, which spurred the growth of grass and brush. However, almost no rain this winter left the vegetation dry and highly flammable.

Globally, extreme shifts between very wet and very dry conditions, known as “precipitation whiplash,” are becoming more common. These swings are driven by a warmer atmosphere that can hold and release greater amounts of moisture, exacerbating weather extremes.

(with AFP)

Dubbed “Sahelexit” by some commentators, the decision was first announced a year ago by the countries’ military leaders and is now taking legal effect.

The three nations are strengthening their cooperation through the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), announcing plans to create a joint military force of 5,000 troops to fight terrorism.

They will also introduce a shared passport system to allow free movement between their territories.

Foreign ministers from the three countries met in Ouagadougou on Sunday to finalise the terms of their withdrawal from Ecowas. They stressed a “comprehensive approach” to negotiations in line with the AES framework.

The ministers said they were determined to complete their exit swiftly while exploring practical solutions for future ties with neighbouring nations.

“We are ready to engage in dialogue with Ecowas to provide solutions to the concerns of the populations and their states,” said Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop.

He added that the three leaders remained “fully committed” to Pan-Africanism, advocating “friendship, fraternity and solidarity” within AES, across West Africa and the African diaspora.

Firm decision

For Komi Amewunou, sociologist, policy analyst and editor of Afrobarometer – a pan-African research network – the exit is not only final but logical for the three states

“It is legitimate for Sahel states to exit because they feel like Ecowas is not autonomous … like foreign powers are influencing its decisions,” he said.

“That’s what citizens are thinking … that it is not safe for them to keep a relationship with a regional organisation that is not completely autonomous.”

Amewunou said the security crisis in the Sahel, particularly in francophone West Africa, played a major role in the split, as did the influence of foreign powers like France.

He added that AES may now seek bilateral alliances with other Ecowas states, including Togo, where he is based.

“Togo is close to AES, but we can’t determine its position in terms of a potential Ecowas exit. Yet, Togo could be favourable to an exit and to enter AES in the near future,” Amewunou said.

“Togo has historically maintained a quieter and more pragmatic relationship with France – the key actor in the situation – but it has expressed sympathy for the AES, which could suggest a potential shift.”

Macron’s Africa ‘reset’ stumbles as leaders call out colonial overtones

Trading losses

The three military leaders cut ties with Ecowas after staging coups between 2020 and 2023. In response, Ecowas imposed tough economic sanctions, pushing the juntas to seek alternative trade routes.

But leaving the bloc comes with logistical and economic challenges. Before relations broke down, 80 percent of Niger’s freight passed through Benin’s port of Cotonou, the closest to the capital Niamey.

Togo was also an important point of access to the sea.

Despite Ecowas lifting its sanctions, Niger has refused to reopen its border with Benin, accusing it of harbouring jihadist groups trying to destabilise the country.

Fears for the future in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso over Ecowas withdrawal

In Côte d’Ivoire, Abidjan’s port also saw a drop in road freight in the first half of 2024 for similar reasons.

Meanwhile, Togo and Guinea enjoy smoother relations with AES countries, making the ports of Lomé and Conakry key transit points.

The split is also a blow to Ecowas. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, the departure of these three founding members cuts the bloc’s population of 424 million by 16 percent and its GDP by 7 percent.

(with AFP)

It is estimated that over 1.1 million people are engaged in illegal mining across Ghana, with youth unemployment being a key driver. Foreign nationals from Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, and China are also involved in these activities.

The country’s cocoa industry is under severe threat as illegal mining devastates cocoa farms. As the world’s second-largest cocoa producer – responsible for around 20% of global supply – Ghana is losing vast tracts of farmland to mining operations.

Who were the winners and losers of African democracy in 2024?

Devastating impact 

The environmental destruction caused by illegal miners is immense, with major water bodies such as the Pra, Offin, Densu, and Ayensu rivers heavily polluted. These rivers serve as critical water sources for communities, but due to contamination, many water treatment plants have been forced to shut down, as the high turbidity damages machinery.

There are growing concerns over the long-term health effects of mercury used in mining, which could severely impact residents in affected communities.

According to Ghana’s Forestry Commission, an alarming 4,726 hectares of forest land have been destroyed due to illegal mining, affecting 34 of the country’s 288 forest reserves.

Yaw Owusu, a cocoa farmer from Mankraso in the Ashanti Region, shared his story with RFI:

“The illegal miners have destroyed my 20-acre cocoa farm. I was afraid to confront them because they were armed. I am not the only one – many farms in the area have been wiped out.”

Apart from environmental destruction, illegal mining has resulted in numerous fatalities. On 11 January 2025, two young men lost their lives when an illegal mining pit collapsed in Osino, Eastern Region. Violent clashes between illegal miners and security forces have also claimed lives.

John Mahama takes oath as Ghana’s president amid severe economic crisis

A recent confrontation at AngloGold Ashanti Mines in Obuasi, Ashanti Region, left nine illegal miners dead and many others injured.

Brigadier Emmanuel Aggrey-Quashie, Ghana Armed Forces’ Public Relations Director, outlined what happened.

“The miners, armed with locally made rifles, pump-action guns, knives, axes, gas cylinders, and other tools, opened fire on military personnel when confronted. In self-defence, the soldiers returned fire, resulting in the fatalities and leaving one illegal miner seriously injured. The remaining individuals fled the scene.”

Illegal mining in Obuasi has long posed serious safety risks and operational challenges. In response, the Ghana Armed Forces launched ‘Operation Halt II’ to curb illegal mining and protect mining concessions.

Government Efforts to Curb Illegal Mining

Over the years, Ghana has introduced several measures to combat illegal mining including:

• Formalisation of small-scale mining: The government has encouraged illegal miners to register and form cooperatives to enhance efficiency, reduce environmental damage, and minimise conflict.
• Community Mining Programme (2019): This initiative aims to legalise small-scale mining, improve working conditions, and create employment opportunities for local communities. However, progress has been slow.
• Operation Vanguard: A joint military-police task force regularly raids illegal mining sites to deter unauthorised activities.

Despite these efforts, illegal mining remains rampant, with little progress in eliminating the problem.

Africa is battling plastic pollution and waste crisis, activists say

Urgent Action

Michael Kwadwo Peprah, President of the National Concerned Small-Scale Miners Association of Ghana, condemned the violent incidents:

“We denounce the shooting of individuals who were simply trying to make a living. These actions are unacceptable. No one should lose their life in such circumstances, and we demand thorough investigations to ensure accountability and justice for the victims.”

Peprah proposed a new approach: “The government must ensure that mining concessions are fairly allocated to indigenous miners to promote inclusivity and local economic growth. There must be clear policies to regulate mining while creating legitimate opportunities for small-scale miners.”

The Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey is urging President John Dramani Mahama to take decisive action.

Kenneth Ashigbey, the coalition’s convener, stressed the need for immediate intervention:

“The president must declare a state of emergency on all water bodies and deploy the military to remove illegal miners. All active and planned mining concessions overlapping with river buffers must be revoked, and mining should be prohibited within 100 metres of rivers and streams.”

Presidential Response

In response to the recent clashes, President John Dramani Mahama has ordered an immediate investigation into the violence at AngloGold Ashanti Mines.

In an official statement, he expressed regret over the loss of life and called for accountability:

“The government deeply regrets the tragic loss of up to nine lives, reportedly illegal miners, following a violent clash at a mining site in Obuasi. Those found to have acted unlawfully will be held accountable.”

Standing in front of the Mona Lisa, Macron said plans included a “special space” for Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece that would be “independently accessible compared to the rest of the museum”, with its own access pass”.

The Louvre museum would also have a “new grand entrance” to help ease congestion at its glass-and-metal pyramid entry point and be financed entirely using the institution’s “own resources”.

As part of the so-called “New Renaissance” project, France would, over the next few months, launch an “international architecture competition” and select winners by the end of the year to transform its buildings by 2031 at the latest, Macron said.

Macron’s announcement comes after Louvre President Laurence des Cars warned that the centuries-old building was in a dire state, and raised the alarm over water leaks, failing infrastructures and temperature swings which endanger the conservation of works of art.

Louvre plagued by leaks and crumbling infrastructure, museum boss warns

‘Higher fee’ for non-EU visitors

The Louvre management estimates the renovation work could cost between 700 and 800 millions euros over the course of ten years.

Macron said “a different, higher fee for foreign visitors from countries outside the European Union” starting next year would help cover the costs.

A government source said earlier that authorities were also considering ways to “mobilise resources elsewhere” and get private donors and major companies involved.

France relied on donations from billionaires and the public to restore Notre Dame cathedral, which was ravaged by fire in 2019 and reopened last month.

The museum was originally designed to receive 4 million annual visitors but now handles more than double that number, recording 8.7 million guests in 2024.

In the future, the renovated Louvre Museum aims to attract twelve million visitors per year, according to the French president.

(with agencies)

The proposed bill provides for the creation of a giant new company called France Médias, with a budget of €4 billion.

The so-called holding company would be made up of four subsidiaries: France Télévisions, Radio France, France Médias Monde (FMM) as well as the National Audiovisual Institute (INA).

It was due to be examined by lawmakers in December but was delayed after the fall of former prime minister Michel Barnier’s government.

Dati had openly pushed for the bill when she joined the culture ministry. last year and even called for a merger of public broadcasting companies.

The suggestion was met by angry strikes by journalists who slammed the project as “demagogic, ineffective and dangerous”. 

RFI staff carry on strike over merger of French public media

The project was then suspended for the first time by the dissolution of the National Assembly in June.

Dati, who gave her new year policy speech in Paris on Monday, said it was “essential to have a framework that allows better pooling of resources when it comes to managing investments that can be made jointly”.

The idea of ​​a joint holding company appears to be better accepted, both in the National Assembly and within the media concerned.

 Prime Minister François Bayrou, in his policy speech on 14 January, also insisted that changes needed to be made to the public media services.

“The reform of public broadcasting, for the common good of the French, must be completed,” he said.

Finding a balance

Faced with expected budget cuts in culture and audiovisual sectors, Dati is confident that her ministry will find “a balance…and make the efforts asked of us.”

However, in an open letter published on Monday, 15 performing arts organisations and unions accused Dati of “giving up” on them, and called a meeting to discuss their concerns.

House of Press Cartoons coming in 2027, says French culture chief Dati

They criticised the minister for having supported a government amendment that would see a total drop of €130 million for cultural projects and a further €80 million taken from the public broadcasting budget, as voted on by senators earlier in January.

A joint committee meeting to find a compromise on the 2025 draft budget is set for Thursday.

In a separate announcement, Dati also indicated that the government would provide a new legal framework based on the results of a long consultative audit on the media sector, carried out by professionals last year.

The group came up with fifteen proposals such as large-scale awareness of disinformation, reinforced protection of journalists’ sources, and further strengthening of the independence of the editorial staff.

(with AFP)

The government’s budget for 2025, if passed, will see public spending slashed by €32 billion. While most ministries are impacted, funding for public development assistance (PDA) is facing cuts of more than €2 billion – 35 percent of its budget. Coordination Sud, an umbrella group for 180 French non-profit organisations working internationally, say they’re being disproportionately hit at a time when international solidarity efforts are needed more than ever. Elodie Barralon, the group’s advocacy officer, talks about the impact of such cuts and concerns that civil society is being rolled back in France. (Listen @0′)

As a three-year experiment with medical marijuana comes to an end, instead of generalising its use, as intended, authorisation has been stalled. Nadine Attal, head of the pain centre at the Ambroise-Paré hospital in Boulogne near Paris addresses the sticking points, which include France’s current government chaos and the lack of political will to move forward. She sounds the alarm over the hundreds of patients enrolled in the experiment who have benefited from medical cannabis but whose health is now being ignored. (Listen @20’20”).

French humourist Pierre Dac came to fame in the 1930s with a winning brand of absurdist humour that managed to get everyone laughing while ridiculing no one. When WWII broke out he turned his talents to fighting anti-semitism, Hitler, and the collaborationist Vichy regime, joining Free France’s Radio Londres in 1943. He also founded a political party that defended the place of laughter and flabbiness in politics.  Fifty years after his death, on 9 February 1975, he remains one of France’s most popular, and humanist of humourists. (Listen @14’20”)

Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani. 

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).

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.

WORLD RADIO DAY is coming up – it’s on 13 February. As we do every year, we’ll have a feast in The Sound Kitchen, filled with your voices.

Send your SHORT recorded WRD greetings to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr by 1 February. This year’s theme is “Radio and Climate Change”, but you don’t have to talk about the theme – if you just want to say “hello!”, that’s fine, too.

Be sure you include your name and where you live in your message.

Most importantly, get under a blanket to record. This will make your recording broadcast quality.

Bombard me with your greetings !!!!

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!

This week’s quiz: On 14 December, I asked you a question about Syria and the end of Bashir al-Assad’s dictatorship. Rebel forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, seized Damascus on 8 December; Assad fled to Russia, ending his family’s six-decade- rule.

You were to re-read our article “France’s support for Syrian transition hinges on respect for minority rights” and send in the answer to this question:  France’s outgoing Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot was quoted in the article. He noted that “Assad’s fall is a ‘clear defeat for Moscow’”. Why? Why does Jean-Noel Barrot think that Assad’s fall is a “clear defeat for Moscow”?

The answer is, to quote our article: “… Russia now could lose access to military bases in Syria which allowed it to conduct operations in the Magreb and elsewhere on the African continent.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by Debashis Gope from West Bengal, India: “How can we have peace amongst all people?”  

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

The winners are: RFI English listener Dia Zanib from Muzaffargarh, Pakistan. Dia is also this week’s bonus question winner. Congratulations on your double win, Dia!

Also on the list of lucky winners this week is Omar Faruk, a member of the Shetu RFI Listeners Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh, and Alok Bain, a member of the RFI Pariwer Bandhu SWL Club in Chhattisgarh, India. There’s RFI Listeners Club member Abdul Mannan Teacher from Sirajganj, Bangladesh, and last but not least, RFI English listener Nargis Akter from Dhaka, Bangladesh. 

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Vivace” from the Piano Concerto No. 11 in D major for fortepiano and orchestra by Franz Joseph Haydn, performed by Ronald Brautigam and the Concerto Copenhagen; the first movement from the Suite for Oud Quartet by Mohammad Osman, performed by the Syrian Oud Quartet; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Kudzi Malaissane” by José Pires and Roberto Isaias, performed by Kapa Dêch.

Do you have a music request? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

This week’s question … you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read our article “French NGOs to quit social media platform X following Trump inauguration”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 17 February to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 22 February podcast. When you enter be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

Click here to learn how to win a special Sound Kitchen prize.

Click here to find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or form your own official RFI Club.   

How will 2025 shape up for African nations and their global partnerships? Will Africa secure a more central role in the global diplomatic landscape?

To understand what’s at stake on the continent, the Spotlight on Africa podcast consulted three experts in African politics and diplomacy.

Cameron Hudson from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CISC) in Washington DC discusses priorities for South Africa as it takes on the rotating presidency of the G20 group, and in particular its relationship to the United States. 

Michael Dillon from King’s College, London, UK, looks at China’s new strategy that aims to deepen its influence in Africa.

Thierry Vircoulon from IFRI in France analyses the legacy of France in Africa, notably in the Sahel where French troops have been pushed out by military juntas of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

These countries have since established their own Alliance of Sahel States and made the decision to withdraw from the West African bloc Ecowas. Set to take effect on 29 January, security experts and members of the diaspora have voiced concern over what lies ahead.

Episode mixed by Erwan Rome.

Spotlight on Africa is produced by Radio France Internationale’s English language service.

Erdogan was quick to congratulate Trump on his election victory, making clear his desire to work with him again.

“Donald Trump is a man who acts with his instincts, and Erdogan is too,” explains Huseyin Bagci, a professor of international relations with Ankara’s Middle East Technical University. 

“They are not intellectuals as we used to have, big political leaders after World War II. They are tradespeople. They are very pragmatic ones, and they are political animals. In this sense, they like transactional policies, not value-based policies.”

Syria a key focus

Erdogan’s top priority is expected to be securing the withdrawal of US forces from Syria, where they support the Kurdish militia YPG in the fight against the Islamic State.

Ankara views the YPG as a terrorist group linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency in Turkey for decades.

During his first presidency, Trump promised to pull US forces out of Syria, though this move faced strong resistance from American officials.

Sezin Oney, a commentator with Turkey’s independent Politikyol news portal, said new challenges in Syria make an early withdrawal unlikely.

“Not to have the ISIS resurgence again or this HTS presenting a threat to the United States, the Trump administration would be interested in protecting the YPG and the Kurds, their alliance with the Kurds,” said Oney.

“We already have the (US) vice president, JD Vance, pointing out the ISIS resurgence.”

Turkey steps up military action against Kurds in Syria as power shifts

Israel and Iran

The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel could ease another potential point of tension between Erdogan and Trump, as Erdogan has been a strong supporter of Hamas.

Meanwhile, both Ankara and Washington share concerns over Iran’s regional influence, which could encourage cooperation between the two leaders.

“Trump administration is coming in with a desire to stabilise relations with Turkey,” said Asli Aydintasbas, an analyst with the Brookings Institution.

“We are likely to see more and more of a personal rapport, personal relationship, which had been missing during the Biden administration,” she added. “President Erdogan and President Trump will get along famously. But it does not mean Turkey gets all of its policy options.”

Success of rebel groups in Syria advances Turkish agenda

Fighter jets and Ukraine

Erdogan is also hoping the Trump administration will lift a Congressional embargo on advanced fighter jet sales. Experts suggest Turkey could play a key role in any Trump-led efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in the Ukraine war, given Erdogan’s ties with both Russia and Ukraine.

“If Trump is pushing for a ceasefire in Ukraine between Russia and Ukraine, in this case Turkey could be very helpful as a potential mediator,” said Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, head of the German Marshall Fund’s Ankara office.

But Unluhisarcikli warned of potential challenges.

“What happens in Syria could be a test for the US-Turkey relationship very early on. Turkey is actually preparing for a new intervention in northeast Syria against what Turkey sees as a terrorist organisation, and what the United States sees as a partner on the ground.”

Economic risks

Trump’s previous presidency saw tensions with Erdogan peak after Trump threatened to destroy Turkey’s economy over its plans to attack US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces. This move triggered a sharp drop in the Turkish lira.

With Turkey’s economy now weaker than before, analysts say Erdogan will need to proceed cautiously in his dealings with the new Trump administration.

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.

WORLD RADIO DAY is coming up – it’s on 13 February. As we do every year, we’ll have a feast in The Sound Kitchen, filled with your voices.

Send your SHORT recorded WRD greetings to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr by 1 February. This year’s theme is “Radio and Climate Change”, but you don’t have to talk about the theme – if you just want to say “hello!”, that’s fine, too.

Be sure you include your name and where you live in your message.

Most importantly, get under a blanket to record. This will make your recording broadcast quality.

Bombard me with your greetings !!!!

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!

This week’s quiz: On 7 December, I asked you a question about the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which had just begun to hear evidence from 98 countries and 12 organizations about climate change, and how to establish rules for rich nations to support poorer ones, who are on the frontlines of climate change.

It’s a landmark case: brought by students in 2019 from the University of Vanuatu – the Pacific Island nation heavily impacted by climate change – led to a UN General Assembly resolution in 2023, asking the ICJ for a formal opinion on the legal obligations of states to protect the climate system. The court will also consider whether large polluting nations can be held liable for damages to vulnerable countries like small island states.

You were to re-read Paul Myer’s article “Small island nations lead fight for climate justice at UN’s top court”, and send in the answer to this question: In addition to the small island states and developing countries, who else will the ICJ hear from?

The answer is, to quote Paul’s article: “The court will also hear from the United States and China – the world’s top two emitters of greenhouse gases. The oil producer group OPEC will also give its views.

The 15 judges at the ICJ will hear submissions until 13 December and deliver their decision next year.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by Liton Ahamed Mia from Naogaon, Bangladesh: What do you remember about your first boat journey, and how did you feel when you were back on land?

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

The winners are: Fatematuj Zahra, the co-secretary of the Shetu RFI Listeners Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh. Fatematuj is also this week’s bonus question winner

Congratulations on your double win, Fatematju!

Also on the list of lucky winners this week is A. K. M. Nuruzzaman, the president of the RFI Amour Fan Club in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, and two RFI Listeners Club members from India: Babby Noor al Haya Hussen from Baripada, and Radhakrishna Pillai from Kerala State.

Rounding out the list of this week’s winners is RFI English listener Liton Islam Khondaker from Naogaon, Bangladesh.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: Hungarian Folk Dances by Bela Bartok, performed by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra; “Dance With Pennons” from Three Japanese Dances by Bernard Rogers, performed by the Eastman Wind Ensemble conducted by Frederick Fennell; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and “The Intrepid Fox” by Freddie Hubbard, performed by Hubbard and the Freddie Hubbard Quintet.

Do you have a music request? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

This week’s question … you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read our article “’Exhausted’ Frenchman held in Iran since 2022 reveals identity in plea for help”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 10 February to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 15 February podcast. When you enter be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

Click here to learn how to win a special Sound Kitchen prize.

Click here to find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or form your own official RFI Club.   

The often fraught relations between France and its former colony Algeria have hit an all-time low after a series of disagreements over Western Sahara, the detention of a French-Algerian writer and an Algerian blogger accused of inciting violence. Both countries have spoken of “humiliation” and “dishonour”. Arab world specialist  Adlene Mohammedi talks about bilateral relations being polluted by internal affairs – notably Algiers’ lack of democratic legitimacy and the increasing influence of the far right in France. And while the sorely needed level-headed diplomacy  is more needed than ever, it’s been run down in both countries.   (Listen @2’05”)

France’s remarkable geological diversity means the country is prime dinosaur territory – home to fossils from all three periods of the dinosaur age.  The first dinosaurs were discovered in France in the 19th century, but as paleontologist Eric Buffetaut explains, many of the major finds have been in the last 40 years, thanks to amateur paleontologists around the country. (Listen @21’25”)

France enacted a law decriminalising abortion on 17 January 1975. Ollia Horton talks about the legacy of that right and how despite being  enshrined in the constitution, access 50 years later is still not guaranteed. (Listen @14’40”)

Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani. 

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).

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.