Europe is seeking to boost its defences amid Russia’s war against Ukraine and doubts over US security commitments to Europe under President Donald Trump.

“We will set up a French-German defence and security council to meet regularly to bring operational responses to our common strategic challenges,” Macron said at a joint press conference.

Merz, who became chancellor on Tuesday, is a committed European, transatlanticist and Ukraine supporter who has pledged to restore Germany’s role on the world stage after half a year of paralysis.

“We will take joint measures to further enhance Europe’s security and defence capabilities,” Merz said before heading to Poland later in the day.

France and Britain have been spearheading discussions among a “coalition of the willing” of 30 countries on the potential deployment of troops to secure any Ukraine ceasefire.

Asked on Tuesday how Germany could seek to influence talks on a possible peace deal in the Ukraine war, Merz said there was a “proven format” of Berlin working with France and Britain.

Merz said he would “consult intensively” with France and Britain, adding that “if we can include the Poles, then it will be even better”.

Cornerstone

The Franco-German relationship became the cornerstone of the European Union and was first symbolised by the 1963 Élysée Treaty, signed by then French President Charles de Gaulle and Konrad Adenauer, the German Chancellor.

The document symbolized reconciliation between two European superpowers that were at opposite sides during both world wars, and from then on, the Franco-German axis would shape the EU’s political, economic, and security landscape.

Historically, the partnership was succesful in driving European integration, fostering common markets, and aligning policies on defense and foreign affairs.

But, in recent years, relations were marred by disagreements over defence policy, energy strategy, and fiscal policies.

Notably, Berlin’s unilateral €200 billion energy relief package and differing approaches to European defense have tested the alliance, culminating in diplomatic friction between leaders Emmanuel Macron and Merz’s predecessor, the social-democrat Olaf Scholz.

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The new German leadership under Friedrich Merz, a staunch supporter of the European Union, is set to revitalise the partnership with Paris. 

Both leaders advocate for a stronger, more autonomous Europe that is less dependent on an increasingly unreliant US. Franco-German cooperation is seen as vital for advancing collective European defense initiatives, fiscal integration, and political cohesion.

Macron urges European leaders to ‘write our own history’ at joint summit

The 2019 Aachen Treaty further deepened cooperation in areas such as innovation, energy transition, and cultural exchange.

The success or failure of Franco-German cooperation significantly influences the EU’s capacity to maintain stability, promote economic growth, and ensure security across the continent.

(With newswires)

The conclave will see 133 cardinals from 71 countries – all of them under 80, the upper age limit for voting – gather in the Sistine Chapel to elect the new pope, head of the Catholic Church and leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholic faithful.

In theory any baptised male Catholic can be elected as pope, but the last time a non-cardinal was picked was Pope Urban VI in 1378.

The Vatican does not release a list of candidates and there is no official campaigning allowed, so speculation about who will succeed Pope Francis remains just that – speculation. 

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Francis was a pope of many firsts – the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, and the Southern Hemisphere. Will we see another first – perhaps an African pope? Or will France see its first pope since Pope Gregory XI, who reigned from 1370 to 1378? 

Who are the contenders, the so-called “papabili” – an unofficial term for eligible cardinals coined by Vatican journalists – to succeed Pope Francis?

Europe

Observers – and bookies – see 70-year-old Italian Pietro Parolin as the front runner.

The Vatican’s secretary of state under Pope Francis, effectively the deputy pope, he is known for his diplomacy and a global outlook, as well as his sense of humour.

A polyglot, he also has a fine grasp of the intricacies of the Roman Curia, the Holy See’s central government, and was part of a group of cardinal advisers to Pope Francis.

Other Italians in the frame include the Franciscan Pierbattista Pizzaballa. Ordained aged 25, he has lived in Jerusalem ever since. As the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, he is the highest-ranking Catholic in the Middle East, with an archdiocese encompassing Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Cyprus.

He was made a cardinal in September 2023, shortly before the war broke out between Israel and Hamas and has appealed for peace from both sides. At Christmas in 2024 he led mass in both Gaza and Jerusalem.

At 60, however, his relatively young age could go against him.

Matteo Maria Zuppi, 70, is the Archbishop of Bologna, and is known for riding his bike around the city. Zuppi is a popular figure for his work on behalf of the poor, and he has also advocated for welcoming migrants and gay Catholics into the Church.

Zuppi has acted as a discreet diplomat for the Vatican for more than three decades, including serving as Pope Francis’s special peace envoy for Ukraine.

Claudio Gugerotti, 69, is an academic and multi-lingual diplomat hailing from Verona. An expert on the Eastern Churches, he has served as ambassador of the Holy See in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Ukraine.

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Representing French hopes is Jean-Marc Aveline, the Archbishop of Marseille. 

Born in Algeria, the 66-year-old has spent most of his life in the French port city. Like his close friend Pope Francis, he has been a voice for welcoming migrants and promoting dialogue between faiths, and is known for his people skills. 

The Bishop of Stockholm, Anders Arborelius, is unique among the contenders as a convert to Catholicism. 

Appointed in 2017, he is the first Swedish Catholic bishop since the Protestant Reformation, his predecessors having been named from other countries due to a dearth of home-grown Catholic priests in predominantly Lutheran Sweden. The country is home to around 128,000 Catholics, or about 1.6 percent of the population.

Echoing the views of Pope Francis, Arborelius advocates welcoming migrants to Europe, acknowledging that migrants from Catholic countries have helped the Church to grow and saying in 2018: “The Catholic Church in Sweden is a Church of migrants.”

The 75-year-old has also said that he is “highly unlikely” to be elected as the successor to Pope Francis.

Mario Grech, 68, is Bishop Emeritus of Gozo, Malta. Born in a small village on the tiny Mediterranean archipelago, he is known as a peace broker.

He was secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, which gathers information from local churches on issues for the Church – such as the place of women or remarried divorcees – and passes it on to the pope.

For Grech this required a delicate balancing act, following Pope Francis’s lead on creating an open Church while acknowledging concerns in conservative Malta.

Cassocks competition: whose outfit will new pope wear?

Peter Erdo, the Archbishop of Budapest and Primate of Hungary, was part of the conclave that elected Francis and Pope Benedict before him 

The 72-year-old grew up Catholic under Communism and is known for his enthusiasm for evangelism.

A respected expert in canon law, Erdo speaks seven languages, has published more than 25 books and is recognised for his openness to other religions.

But he has faced criticism for his ties with the government of Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose harsh views on migration clashed with those of the late pope.

A Jesuit like Francis, the Archbishop of Luxembourg Jean-Claude Hollerich, 66, spent more than 20 years in Japan, and is a specialist in European-Asian cultural relations. 

Firm on dogma, Hollerich is still open to the need for the Church to adapt to societal changes. He has advocated for the environment and has pushed for laypeople, especially young people, to have more involvement in the Church.

Africa

Vatican-based Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, 76, was the first Ghanaian cardinal, appointed in 2003, and is being widely talked about as a possible first black pope.

A guitarist who played in a funk band, he opposes the criminalisation of gay relationships seen in some African countries but defends Catholic sexual morality and has denied that homosexuality is a human rights issue.

Turkson, who is multi-lingual, served from 2016 to 2021 as head of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, which deals with human rights and migration, and has been a papal envoy and mediator, including in South Sudan.

Pope Francis’ special, sometimes conflictual, relationship with Africa

Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, a 65-year-old from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was appointed Archbishop of Kinshasa by Francis and is also president of the African bishops’ conference. In a 2023 interview, he proclaimed that: “Africa is the future of the Church, it’s obvious.”

An outspoken conservative, he opposes blessings for those in same-sex marriages (introduced by Francis) and in 2024 led a successful push for an African exemption on allowing these.

Born in 1960, the year of DRC’s independence from Belgium, he has been a strong voice for peace in his conflict-ridden country.

Robert Sarah, 79, from Guinea, is a traditionalist who was opposed to many of Francis’s reforms. An advocate of traditional liturgy and doctrine, he has been championed by conservative Catholics in the French-speaking world as a candidate who will turn the clock back on progressive reforms.

As an ardent opponent of what he in 2015 called “Western ideologies on homosexuality and abortion and Islamic fanaticism”, experts believe his views make him too conservative to win a two-thirds majority at the conclave.

Asia

Filipino Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, 67, is the bookies’ second favourite to win the election – and would become the first Asian pope if he does. 

Known as the “karaoke cardinal” thanks to his penchant for a singalong, he is seen as a candidate who would carry on Francis’s legacy of warmth and openness, and has similarly prioritised migrants, and the poor and marginalised of society.

He has been unafraid to criticise the Church for its shortcomings, including over the sexual abuse of minors, and is active on social media, an outlet for his self-deprecating humour.

Myanmar-born Charles Maung Bo 76, the Archbishop of Yangon, became the Buddhist-majority country’s first and only cardinal in 2015, appointed by Pope Francis.

Bo has called for dialogue and reconciliation in conflict-ridden Myanmar, and after the military coup of 2021 appealed to opposition protesters to remain non-violent.

He has defended the mainly Muslim Rohingya, calling them victims of “ethnic cleansing”, and spoken out against human trafficking and its devastating effect on the lives of many young Burmese.

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The Americas

Timothy Dolan, 75, is the Archbishop of New York, and previously held the post in Milwaukee, where he oversaw the fallout from a major sexual abuse scandal in that diocese.

An extrovert with Irish-American roots, Dolan has reached out to embrace New York’s growing Hispanic population, which is predominantly Catholic, amid shrinking Church membership. 

Two Canadians are also being talked about as candidates: the conservative but forward-looking Marc Ouellet, who was also seen as a potential pope in 2005 and 2013, and Jesuit Michael Czerny, who was appointed by Pope Francis – the two men were close and Czerny is seen as similarly progressive.

Robert Francis Prevost, a native of Chicago, worked as a missionary in Peru for several years and is the Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Chiclayo in the South American country. Made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023, he is also the president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

Known as a reformer, at 69 he is seen by some observers as too young for the papacy. 

(with newswires)

At stake with the election of a new pope is the direction of the Catholic Church, a 2,000-year-old institution with huge global influence but which is battling to adapt to the modern world, and to recover its reputation after the scandal of child sexual abuse by priests.

The process of this election – the conclave – however, is one element not in line for modernisation. Shrouded in secrecy, its name is derived from the Latin cum (with) and clavis (key) – meaning a “room that can be locked”.

This secrecy has seen the conclave enshrined in the popular imagination. The film Conclave, based on the bestselling novel by British author Robert Harris, picked up an Oscar, four BAFTAs and a Golden Globe during this year’s awards season.

‘Princes of the Church’

The 133 cardinals – the so-called “Princes of the Church” – who will vote will gather on Wednesday afternoon under the frescoed splendour of the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican.

A cardinal (from the Latin cardinalis or principal) is a high dignitary of the Catholic Church chosen by the pope to assist him in his government. They form the top echelon of the Catholic Church, with their scarlet robes representing the blood of Christ.

The creation of cardinals reflects the political views of the pontiff, who normally uses this power to shape the selection of his own successor. The current College of Cardinals is a diverse group, thanks to Pope Francis appointing figures from far-flung diocese, some gaining a cardinal for the first time – such as Brunei, Mongolia and South Sudan.

This diversity means some observers are predicting a protracted process. Vatican affairs specialist Marco Politi told French news agency AFP that, given the unknowns, this conclave could be “the most spectacular in 50 years”.

Oath of secrecy

During the conclave, the cardinals are forbidden from contacting the outside world. They will stay at the Santa Marta guesthouse – although prior to 1996 they slept on camp beds in the Apostolic Palace, which is connected to the Sistine Chapel.

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All windows in the conclave zone are darkened to guarantee privacy. Ahead of the vote, technicians deactivate all technological devices installed in recent years in the Sistine Chapel and sweep for secret recording devices.

The day before the conclave they will install “approximately 80 lead seals at all entrances to the perimeter”.

The extreme secrecy required extends to these technicians too, and all support staff – cleaners, cooks, doctors and nurses, drivers and elevator operators. All took an oath of secrecy on Monday. The punishment for breaking it? Automatic ex-communication.

Twelve technicians and maintenance craftspeople will remain inside the Sistine Chapel for the duration of the conclave, maintaining temperature, lighting and electrical systems, and assisting with ceremonial logistics such as operating the famous stove – which is now activated by remote control. 

The vote

On Wednesday, the day the conclave begins, the cardinal electors take part in a morning mass in St Peter’s Basilica. They will then gather in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace at 4:15pm and invoke the assistance of the Holy Spirit in making their choice.

They proceed at 4:30pm to the Sistine Chapel, where the election will be held, and take an oath vowing secrecy and promising that, if elected, they will conduct the role faithfully.

The master of ceremonies gives the order extra omnes (“everybody out”) and all those not permitted to vote leave the chapel.

The masters of ceremonies then distribute ballots to the electors. Lots are drawn to select three to serve as “scrutineers”, three infirmarii to collect the votes of cardinals who fall ill and three “revisers” who check the ballot counting by the scrutineers.

Cardinals are given rectangular ballots inscribed with the words Eligo in Summum Pontificem (“I elect as supreme pontiff”), with a blank space underneath. They write down the name of their choice for future pope, preferably in handwriting which cannot be identified, and fold the ballot paper twice.

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Each cardinal takes turns to walk to the altar, carrying his vote in the air so that it can be clearly seen, and says aloud the following oath: “I call as my witness Christ the Lord, who will be my judge, that my vote is given to the one who before God I think should be elected.”

The electors place their folded paper on a plate, which is used to tip the ballots into a silver urn on the altar, in front of scrutineers. They then bow and return to their seats.

Once all ballots are collected, scrutineers shake the urn to mix the votes up, transfer them into a second container to check there are the same number of ballots as electors and begin counting them.

Two scrutineers note down the names while a third reads them aloud, piercing the ballots with a needle through the word Eligo and stringing them together. The revisers then double-check that the scrutineers have not made any mistakes.

If no one has secured two-thirds of the votes, there is no winner and the electors move straight on to a second round. There are two pairs of votes per day, morning and afternoon, until a new pope has been elected.

The ballots and any handwritten notes made by the cardinals are then destroyed, burnt in a stove in the chapel. It emits black smoke if no pope has been elected and white smoke if there is a new pontiff.

The smoke is turned black or white through the addition of chemicals – potassium perchlorate, anthracene (a component of coal tar) and sulfur to produce black smoke, or potassium chlorate, lactose and chloroform resin to produce the white smoke.

If voting continues for three days without a winner, there is a day of prayer, reflection and dialogue. If after another seven ballots there is no winner, there is another day of pause.

If the cardinals reach a fourth pause with no result, they can agree to vote only on the two most popular candidates, with the winner requiring a clear majority.

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In 2013, the conclave lasted 27 hours, and in 2005 it was 26 hours. The shortest on record took place in 1503, when it took cardinals just 10 hours to elect Pope Pius III.

As for the longest, in the 13th century it took almost three years, beginning n 1268 – 1,006 days to be exact – to choose Pope Clement IV’s successor.

From late 1269 the cardinals allowed themselves to be locked in to try to reach a decision.

When they still hadn’t managed this by June 1270, frustrated locals tore the roof off in a bid to speed things along – inspired by a quip by an English cardinal that without the roof, the Holy Spirit could descend unhindered.

When a cardinal is elected pope, the masters of ceremonies and other non-electors are brought back into the Sistine Chapel and the cardinal dean asks the winner: “Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?”

As soon as he gives his consent, he becomes pope – and is free to celebrate, as John Paul II did in 1978, reportedly walking around pouring Champagne for the cardinals and singing Polish folk songs.

Controversies 

Conclaves have seen their share of controversy over the centuries. This year, United States President Donald Trump last week posted an AI-generated image of himself dressed as the pope on his Truth Social platform, after joking that he would be his own first choice for the next pontiff, drawing the ire of the Church. 

The New York State Catholic Conference wrote in a post on X: “There is nothing clever or funny about this image, Mr President. We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St Peter. Do not mock us.”

Last week, France’s President Emmanuel Macron was accused by Italian media of attempted interference in the conclave, after he held a series of meetings with cardinals and Church officials while in Rome for Pope Francis’s funeral. 

Wait for Vatican white smoke fires up social media

In 2013, so convinced were they of his success, upon sight of the famous white smoke signal the Italian bishops’ conference sent out a press release congratulating Italian Cardinal Angelo Scola – when Pope Francis had just been elected.

In the days leading up to the conclave, Italian newspapers openly promoted Scola as the next pope, appearing to have missed the warning contained in a traditional Italian saying that front-runners at a papal conclave are often disappointed: “He who enters a conclave as a pope, leaves it as a cardinal.”

In 1241, when the conclave was dragging on, the head of Rome’s government locked the cardinals into a dilapidated building and refused to clean the lavatories or provide doctors for those who fell ill.

According to Frederic Baumgartner in his Behind Locked Doors: A History of the Papal Elections, the cardinals only reached a decision – electing Celestine IV – after one of them died and the Romans threatened to exhume his corpse and have it make decisions.

(with newswires)

“They are at the end of their strength. Jacques’s face is more and more marked by the detention – you can feel he is dying slowly in that cell,” Noémie Kohler told RFI. “Cécile and Jacques are increasingly desperate and are less and less optimistic.”

Kohler, 40, and Paris, who is in his seventies, were arrested on 7 May 2022 at the end of a tourist trip to Iran. They are accused of spying – charges they strongly deny.

They are being held in section 209 of Tehran’s Evin Prison, an area reserved for political prisoners. They are the last known French citizens still detained in Iran and are considered “state hostages” by the French government.

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Conditions ‘equivalent to torture’

France’s foreign ministry says the couple are being held in conditions that “amount to torture under international law”.

They have no furniture and continue to sleep on the floor. The lights remain on 24 hours a day and they are allowed outdoors just two or three times a week, for no more than 30 minutes at a time.

Whether they are allowed out depends on prison guards and weather. Phone calls are rare, short and tightly monitored. The most recent, on 5 May, lasted just eight minutes.

“She told us she writes poems in her head,” Noémie said. “She repeats them every night so she doesn’t forget them, because after three years, she still has nothing to write with.”

Noémie also described the mental pressure her sister and Jacques are under.

“For several months they have been told that a verdict is imminent, that it will be extremely severe. They are given deadlines each time and nothing ever happens,” she said. “It’s psychological torture.”

A few months after their arrest, Iranian state television broadcast “confessions” by the pair, which France said were forced.

Their lawyers have still not been granted access to their case files. “Their right to a defence has been completely denied,” Noémie said. “We have no reliable information about the legal process.”

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Campaign for freedom

French President Emmanuel Macron marked the anniversary with a message on social media, saying France was working “tirelessly” to free them.

“I assure their families that our support is unwavering,” Macron posted on X.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also posted a video message describing Kohler and Paris as “hostages” and “victims of the Iranian regime”.

“They are kept in inhumane conditions that amount to torture,” Barrot added. He also urged French nationals not to travel to Iran.

France has said it will file a formal complaint against Iran at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. While the move has been welcomed by the families, it is not expected to lead to a breakthrough in the short term.

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Diplomatic tensions

The case comes amid worsening ties between Paris and Tehran.

In February, an Iranian woman was arrested in France on terrorism-related charges. A Franco-Iranian influencer is also due to go on trial on similar accusations. France has threatened new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.

The couple are among several Europeans held by Iran. Some European governments say these detentions are politically motivated.

One of the others still in prison is Swedish-Iranian academic Ahmadreza Djalali, who was sentenced to death in 2017 on spying charges his family says are false.

Dozens of rallies were planned across France on Wednesday to draw attention to Kohler and Paris’s case.

“They’ve become pawns in something far bigger than them,” Noémie said. “We just want them home.”

Since the fall of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December following fourteen years of devastating war, the international community has been pressing the new authorities, who have roots in the Al-Qaeda jihadist network, to respect personal freedoms, protect minorities and include all components of society in the country’s transition.

Many countries say they will monitor the new authorities’ conduct before fully lifting Assad-era sanctions.

“This meeting is part of France’s historic commitment to the Syrian people who aspire to peace and democracy,” the Elysee Palace said on Tuesday.

Macron will “reiterate France’s support for the construction of a new Syria, a free, stable, sovereign Syria that respects all components of Syrian society”, it added.

Influence

During the meeting, Macron will emphasise “his demands on the Syrian government, primarily the stabilisation of the region, including Lebanon, and the fight against terrorism,” the presidency said.

President Sharaa is still subject to a UN travel ban. France most likely had to request an exemption from the United Nations, as was the case for his recent trips to Turkey and Saudi Arabia, according to a source familiar with the matter.

France, a former colonial ruler of Syria, is eyeing an opportunity to increase its influence in the country after years of Russian presence.

In February, France organised a conference in Paris on the reconstruction of Syria, in the hope of steering the fragile transition. The country has been devastated by years of civil war, with over 90 percent of the population living below the poverty line.

Macron had first invited Syria’s new interim leader to visit France in February after Islamist-led forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year.

Macron calls Syrian leader to discuss transition, terrorism, sanctions

In March, he repeated the invitation but made it conditional on the formation of an inclusive Syrian government representing “all components of civil society”, describing his initial negotiations with the interim leaders as “positive”.

Far-right critical of visit

The French far right criticised the upcoming talks on Wednesday.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen accused Macron of hosting talks with “a jihadist” who has been involved with the Islamic State group and Al-Qaeda, adding such a meeting would be “provocative and irresponsible”.

“Shock and dismay,” Le Pen said on X.

“Once again, Emmanuel Macron is damaging France’s image and discrediting its commitment, particularly among its allies, in the fight against Islamism.”

Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who met with the Syrian leader on a visit to Damascus in January, defended the talks.

“The safety of French people is at stake in Syria,” Barrot told broadcaster RTL, adding it was important to fight terrorism and drug trafficking in the conflict-riven country as well as control migration.

Not engaging the leaders of Syria and Lebanon would amount to “rolling out the red carpet for Daesh,” he said, referring to the Islamic State jihadists.

French companies are meanwhile eyeing a role in Syria’s reconstruction.

Last week, French logistics giant CMA CGM signed a 30-year contract to develop and operate the port of Latakia, at an event attended by Sharaa.

Sectarian clashes

Syria‘s new Islamist authorities have vowed inclusive rule in the multi-confessional, multi-ethnic country.

But sectarian clashes in March in which more than 1,700 people, mostly Alawites, were killed in coastal areas sparked widespread condemnation.

More recent clashes involving Druze fighters, as well as reports of abuses from NGOs, have also raised doubts about the interim government’s ability to control extremists in its ranks.

French and German Foreign Ministers call for ‘an inclusive Syria’

Since Assad’s overthrow, Israel has also launched hundreds of strikes on Syria, including one near the presidential palace in Damascus on Friday.

Israel has repeatedly said its forces stand ready to protect the Druze minority and said the strike near the presidential palace was intended to send a “clear message” to Syria’s new rulers.

But the interim government described the strike as a “dangerous escalation”, while the United Nations on Saturday urged Israel to halt its attacks on Syria “at once”.

Israeli foe Iran, which propped up the now ousted Assad government, condemned the strikes, accusing Israel of seeking to “destroy and annihilate the defence, economic and infrastructure capabilities of Syria as an independent country”.

Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group, also an Assad ally, said that the attacks were “a clear attempt to undermine” and weaken Syria.

(with AFP)

Another drone strike targeted Port Sudan on Wednesday morning, according to an army source, marking the fourth straight day the seat of the army-backed government has come under attack.

The drones “were met with anti-aircraft missiles,” the source said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

A series of explosions were heard in the city, near the Flamingo base, just north of the city, the country’s largest naval base in the wartime capital Port Sudan, followed by a cloud of smoke.

War has raged since April 2023 between Sudan’s regular armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which the government has called a “proxy” of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Nationwide, the war has already killed tens of thousands of people in two years and uprooted 13 million.

Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast had until this week been a safe haven for civilians, hosting hundreds of thousands of displaced people and United Nations offices. But on Sunday a first drone strike began, blamed on the RSF.

New front

Drones struck Port Sudan all day on Tuesday, hitting the main port, the city’s power station and the country’s last functioning international airport.

Witnesses also told AFP they heard explosions from anti-aircraft missiles west of the city, which has also come under repeated attack this week.

The city on the Red Sea coast had become the base for the army-aligned government after the RSF swept through much of the capital Khartoum at the start of the conflict.

These drone strikes on Port Sudan opened a new front, targeting the army’s main stronghold in eastern Sudan after it drove the RSF back westwards across much of central Sudan, including Khartoum, in March.

Sudan’s RSF, pushed out of Khartoum, says war is not over

Rupture with the UAE

This Wednesday’s attack comes a day after the Sudanese authorities cut ties with the UAE, accusing it of supplying weapons used by the RSF to strike Port Sudan and declaring the Gulf country an “aggressor” state.

The UAE has long denied supporting the RSF, despite reports from UN experts, US politicians and international organisations.

But Sudan’s army continues to accuse the UAE of supplying both makeshift and highly advanced drones to the RSF. 

Sudan’s army-aligned information minister, Khalid al-Aiser, on Tuesday pointed the finger at the UAE again, saying it was supplying “its proxy” the RSF.

The International Court of Justice on Monday threw out a case brought by Sudan against the UAE, accusing it of complicity in genocide by supporting the RSF.

The army-aligned foreign ministry said it “respected” the ruling based on the ICJ’s lack of jurisdiction, adding that it “cannot legally be interpreted as a denial of the violations”.

International Court of Justice throws out Sudan genocide case against UAE

Disruption

The strikes on Port Sudan have raised fears of disruption to humanitarian aid across Sudan, where famine has already been declared in some areas and nearly 25 million people are suffering dire food insecurity.

The city had until last week provided “a haven for artists: musicians, actors, directors, and so on,” Mohammed Hassan told RFI’s special reporter in Port Sudan, from the Al Shourta School, next to Port Sudan’s central market.

UN relief chief Tom Fletcher said he was “very concerned by ongoing drone strikes on Port Sudan, a hub for our humanitarian operations and key entry point for aid”.

Nearly all aid into Sudan flows through the port city, which the United Nations has called “a lifeline for humanitarian operations”. It has warned of more “human suffering in what is already the world’s largest humanitarian crisis”.

Podcast: Two years of devastation: Sudan’s war claims thousands and displaces millions

The United States on Tuesday condemned the drone attacks “on critical infrastructure and other civilian targets in Port Sudan and throughout the country”. These attacks represent “a dangerous escalation in the Sudan conflict,” the State Department said.

Spain also condemned the attacks, calling them a “violation of international law and a threat to peace efforts”.  

The war has effectively split Sudan in two, with the army controlling the centre, north and east while the RSF holds nearly all of Darfur in the west and parts of the south.

 (with newswires)

Traoré, known as “the King”, leads the Alternatives for Mali party and is part of the opposition coalition Jigiya Koura. He was arrested on 24 April and transferred to Dioïla prison, 160km from the capital. His trial is set for 12 June.

Traoré is charged with “undermining the credit of the state” and “spreading knowingly false news likely to disturb public order”.

The charges stem from an interview posted online on 22 April in which Traoré accused members of the National Transition Council – appointed by the junta – of enriching themselves at public expense.

He claimed they were receiving “billions” in salaries intended for elected MPs, while working “for their personal interest and not for the homeland”.

Traoré also questioned the legitimacy of the 2023 constitutional referendum and condemned the council’s silence over threats to ban political parties. “Not keeping your word is an insult to the honour of Malians,” he said during the interview.

Mali forum backs five-year presidency for junta leader Assimi Goïta

Widening crackdown

This is not Traoré’s first run-in with the authorities. Last year, he was jailed for more than five months along with 10 other political leaders after holding a meeting during a nationwide suspension of political activity.

In April, another member of his party was sentenced to one year in prison and fined 650,000 CFA francs after calling Mali’s military rulers “juntas” and urging resistance to what he called the “anarchic regime of Assimi Goïta”.

Goïta seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021. Last month, a government-backed national dialogue recommended naming him president for a renewable five-year term. The same forum also proposed dissolving all political parties – a move that has fuelled anger among opposition groups.

First major rally 

On Saturday, hundreds of activists defied threats and gathered in Bamako in the first major pro-democracy demonstration since the 2020 coup. Protesters met outside the Palais de la Culture after police blocked access to the venue, which had been occupied earlier by pro-military supporters.

“Any attempt to limit, suspend or dissolve political parties is a direct attack on the constitution and the sovereignty of the Malian people,” protest organisers said in a statement.

The following day, civic and political leaders held a press conference demanding a “rapid and credible return to constitutional order through the organisation of transparent, inclusive and peaceful elections”, said organiser Cheick Oumar Doumbia.

Police forced them to leave, citing risks of confrontation with junta supporters.

Opposition parties are now planning another rally in Bamako on 9 May. “We are taking it up a notch to demonstrate our capacity for mobilisation,” one party leader told local media.

Sahel ministers in Russia for talks after breaking with western allies

Rising alarm

Last week, Mali’s transitional government issued a decree in the Council of Ministers to repeal the law governing political parties. The move followed the conclusions of the national dialogue and has drawn warnings from rights groups.

“There is a real risk of increased tensions if political parties continue to face pressure,” Mamouni Soumano, a political analyst at Kurukanfuga University in Bamako, told the Associated Press.

The opposition coalition has called for the release of all political prisoners and a return to civilian rule by 31 December 2025.

Human rights organisations including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) have condemned what they describe as repeated attacks on basic freedoms during the transition period.

They say arrests, censorship and legal pressure are being used to silence dissent.

Mali’s military-led government has also cut ties with traditional Western partners and forged closer relations with Russia.

The three-year expedition will take Plastic Odyssey around Africa, South East Asia and South America. 

Its current four-month mission in the Indian Ocean is part of a partnership programme led by the Indian Ocean Commission (COI) – an intergovernmental project involving France, Madagascar, the Seychelles, Comoros and Mauritius, with support from France’s development agency, the AFD.

“The main goal is to empower more local entrepreneurs and accelerate their plastic waste recycling programme,” Alaric de Beaudrap, stopover coordinator for Plastic Odyssey, told RFI.

For this, the Plastic Odyssey crew – mostly made up of engineers – holds an intensive three-day training session called “On-board laboratory”.

More than 25 Malagasy entrepreneurs have already applied for the programme, beginning on 30 April in the Tamatave harbour, 300 kilometres away from the capital Antananarivo.

Local engagement

One company Plastic Odyssey is in touch with is Andao, which makes school tables from recycled plastic bottle caps. 

“There is a huge problem of school furniture in Madagascar. They’re doing it locally at their own level. They would love to produce more of those recycled plastic tables for schools,” explains de Beaudrap.

Plastic Odyssey is a 40-metre vessel equipped with low-tech machines used to recycle plastic waste.

Once collected and processed, this recycled plastic can be used for building structures, irrigation for agriculture, flooring and furniture. 

The idea is to create local jobs with machines that can be built on-site. “All those machines are easy to operate and to maintain, and can be easily replicated,” explains de Beaudrap.

“We have been in more than 30 countries so far, where we stopped with the boat and we can exchange knowledge and good practices.”

Plastic Odyssey sets off on round-the-world mission to fight marine pollution

Plastic Odyssey also runs an education programme, with children aged between eight and 15 invited on board for a lesson on plastic pollution. “The main goal is to promote a plastic-free world to young people,” says de Beaudrap.

Waste mismanagement

According to a report published in 2020 by the COI, “it seems that 92 percent of waste is mismanaged in Madagascar,” says de Beaudrap, “and less than half of this plastic waste is collected”.

There are several illegal dumping sites on the Indian Ocean island, most of them near residential areas.

“We are not yet talking about recycling in Madagascar, only collecting,” he added. “There is an urgent need to prevent this waste from reaching the rivers and the sea because, in the end, this waste will pollute the Malagasy coastlines and ecosystems.”

Global plastic recycling rates ‘stagnant’ at under 10%: study

The second major component of the stopover in Madagascar is a five-day mission around the Sainte-Marie coastal area, during which the vessel will be made available to scientists from the oceanographic institution Ifremer and the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development, as well as universities of the Comoros and Madagascar.

“Our vessel will allow them to carry out surveys and observations of micro and macro plastics off the coast, and also to study the drift of these plastics, and what we call the link between plastics and megafauna,” explained de Beaudrap.

“This scientific approach will provide a foundation for policymakers and research centres to better identify and understand the role of plastic pollution on ecosystems – as well as its sources.”

After Madagascar, Plastic Odyssey will sail to Seychelles and the Comoro Islands, reaching Kenya in August, before its expected return to France in April 2026.

The talks, which opened on Monday and will run until 9 May, are being held under the Basel Convention, which controls the movement and disposal of hazardous waste. They will also cover chemical pollution under the Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions.

Africa, one of the regions hardest hit by toxic dumping, is expected to feature prominently.

In 2022, the world produced 62 million tonnes of electronic waste – enough to fill a line of trucks around the equator. That figure is expected to rise to 82 million tonnes by 2030. Yet only 22 percent is properly recycled, according to the United Nations Global E-waste Monitor.

Most of the rest ends up dumped or burned, releasing dangerous toxins into soil, water and air.

Africa bears the brunt

A large share of this waste is sent to Africa, with shipments often labelled as second-hand goods – even when the equipment is broken or near the end of its life.

In many cases, this discarded equipment ends up being recycled informally, using dangerous methods such as open burning or acid baths that release toxic chemicals into the environment.

“Many Western countries continue to export hazardous waste by presenting defective equipment as second-hand appliances,” Edem d’Almeida, founder of the Togo-based Africa Global Recycling, told RFI.

These exports have been banned since the Basel Convention came into force in 1992, yet the practice continues through loopholes and lack of enforcement.

D’Almeida warned that the true volume of waste on the continent is “largely underestimated” because much of it moves through informal channels. “It’s up to states to monitor what enters their territories, so that Africa doesn’t become the planet’s dumping ground,” he said.

AI boom risks flooding planet with ‘millions of tonnes of e-waste’

Children, mothers most exposed

The impact of informal recycling is especially dangerous for vulnerable groups.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says children and pregnant women face the greatest risks. Toxins such as lead, mercury and dioxins are released when waste is burned, stripped or soaked in acid baths. These chemicals can damage the brain, lungs and nervous system.

“E-waste recycling activities may release up to 1,000 different chemical substances,” the WHO warned in a 2021 report on e-waste and child health. Children, it said, are often directly involved in dismantling electronics at dumpsites, exposing them to serious health risks.

The damage from e-waste does not stop at human health. It can pollute water sources, harm crops and put extra strain on land in regions that are already vulnerable.

“Hazardous materials in electronic scrap can contaminate soil and water, affecting the environment and food security,” said Oleg Zaitsev, who runs an e-waste recycling company in Kazakhstan that works on projects supported by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

‘Forever chemicals’ and plastic

In Geneva, delegates are debating whether to restrict several long-lasting chemicals under the Stockholm Convention, including PFAS – or “forever chemicals” – found in food packaging and cosmetics.

Listing PFAS would be “a useful first step”, said Giulia Carlini, a lawyer with the Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL), an NGO participating as an observer in the Geneva talks.

“But what’s really needed is full prohibition,” she told RFI. 

She added that many of the same delegates will soon return to Geneva to negotiate a global plastics treaty, making these discussions a chance to examine wider links between different forms of waste.

Progress could be slow, with every country holding an effective veto under the rules and strong lobbying from industry groups.

Obsolete electronics pile up as e-waste outstrips recycling efforts, UN warns

Strengthening African defences

Several African nations are introducing measures to address the growing burden of e-waste.

Nigeria has set up a system where electronics importers and manufacturers contribute to recycling costs. Ghana has imposed a levy on imports of used and end-of-life electronics. Rwanda has partnered with private companies to build a national e-waste recycling centre.

UN experts say that if global collection and recycling rates reached 60 percent by 2030, the benefits would outweigh the costs by more than $38 billion – improving health, protecting ecosystems and creating jobs.

But today, less than 1 percent of Africa’s e-waste is formally recycled.

“Chemicals are an integral part of the modern world,” said Jacqueline Alvarez, head of chemicals and health at UNEP. “But too often, exposure to harmful chemicals through food, consumer products, and the environment can have severe consequences for people and the planet.”

On 30 April, 1975, the fall of Saigon – the capital of Southern Vietnam – to the Communist-controlled North brought an end to the Vietnam War. A crushing defeat for the United States, it sealed the country’s reunification with a Communist regime that remains in power to this day.

In the late 1970s, many Vietnamese people fled this new regime by sea. Around 120,000 of these so-called “boat people” found refuge in France. There are now an estimated 400,000 people either born in Vietnam or with Vietnamese heritage living in the country.

A large number settled in the town of Bussy-Saint-Georges, east of Paris, where French Vietnamese people from three generations spoke to RFI.

“April 30, 1975 is a day I will never forget,” says Anh Linh Tran, a former officer in the South Vietnamese army, now in his seventies. Faced with dwindling food and ammuntion supplies, he and the 100 men under his command had no choice but to surrender.

“We were very sad, but there was nothing else we could do,” he said. He spent the next three years in prison. 

Vietnam marks 70th anniversary of Dien Bien Phu victory over France

Telling ‘almost’ everything

In 1979, he fled Vietnam by boat, carrying the trauma of war with him. He reached Malaysia, then France, where his children were born and raised.

“When they were young, I promised to take them to Vietnam, where I was born,” he recalled. “I said it without thinking much, but they remembered and brought it up years later. As the trip approached, I told them I still wasn’t ready. I can’t stand the regime in place.”

He eventually returned to Vietnam in 2019, 40 years after leaving. That visit inspired his book Goodbye Vietnam, written for his children.

“I describe my time in the army, in prison, and our arrival in France. I tell them almost everything,” he said, admitting that some memories are too painful to share.

French court blocks activist’s quest to sue companies over Agent Orange

Children ‘think like the French’

Fifty-something Tran Phung Vu Nguyen was a child when he arrived in France, and has told his own children less than Anh Linh Tran.

“I don’t tell them about the sadness I experienced,” he said. “I don’t want to impose it on them. It’s not their story.”

He was only nine years old when he left Vietnam. “We escaped on a small boat with about 20 people. A pirate vessel sank us.”

They were eventually rescued by Malaysian sailors and brought to shore. Like many others, he ended up in France, and is now president of the local Vietnamese association.

His children know little about his past, but then “they don’t ask much” either.

“They were born in France, they think like the French,” he says. “Vietnamis more of a tourist destination for them. When I take them to Vietnam, it’s mainly for the scenery.”

As for the memories: “We talk about them here, in France, among ourselves.”

Writing their own story

Eighteen-year-old Minh Quan Vo, a law student in Paris who is second-generation French-Vietnamese, confirms this generational shift. He rarely questions his elders – partly out of fear of reopening old wounds, but also through a desire to write his own story.

“I studied geopolitics in high school, so I understand the importance of memory,” he notes. “But I try not to define myself by my past or my origins. I define myself by my actions.”

War, peace and progress: why 2025 will be a standout year of remembrance

While acknowledging that the past is important, he insists it shouldn’t dictate the future. 

Vo says he will nonetheless take part in commemorations on 4 May in Bussy-Saint-Georges, where a monument pays homage to Vietnamese immigrants.

This article was adapted from the original in French

Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk by Iranian director Sepideh Farsi is to be shown at ACID Cannes, which runs parallel to the main competition, at this year’s festival from 13 to 24 May.

The film features conversations between Farsi and Hassouna, as the 25-year-old photographer documented the impact of the devastating war between Israel and Hamas on the Palestinian territory.

Hassouna was killed along with 10 of her relatives in an air strike on her family home in northern Gaza last Wednesday, the day after the documentary was announced as part of the ACID Cannes selection.

The Israeli military, which media freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has accused of carrying out a “massacre” of Palestinian journalists, claimed it had targeted a Hamas member.

“The Cannes Film Festival wishes to express its horror and deep sorrow at this tragedy, which has moved and shocked the entire world,” the festival said, in a statement on Hassouna’s death sent to French news agency AFP.

“While a film is little in the face of such a tragedy, its screening at the ACID section in Cannes on 15 May will be, in addition to the message of the film itself, a way of honouring the memory of the young woman, a victim like so many others of the war,” it added.

French journalists’ collective appeals for solidarity with colleagues in Gaza

‘She was such a light’

Just before her death, Hassouna wrote on social media: “If I die, I want a loud death. I don’t want to be just breaking news, or a number in a group.”

“She was such a light, so talented. When you see the film you’ll understand,” Farsi told Hollywood news website Deadline after her death. “I had talked to her a few hours before to tell her that the film was in Cannes and to invite her.”

The ACID festival said her “life force seemed like a miracle” in a statement released after her death.

RSF also denounced her death. “Her name joins those of nearly 200 journalists killed in 18 months. This carnage must stop,” it wrote on the Bluesky social media platform.

Also at Cannes, Palestinian twins Tarzan and Arab Nasser will showcase their latest film Once Upon a Time In Gaza, a tale of murder and friendship set in the war-torn territory, in the secondary Un Certain Regard section.

The Gaza Project: The Palestinian journalist paralysed by a bullet to the neck

Late additions

Cannes Festival organisers also this week announced two new films in its main competition that will compete for its coveted Palme d’Or award.

American filmmaker Lynne Ramsay (We Need To Talk About Kevin) has been selected for the main competition with her thriller Die My Love, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson.

Of the 21 films in the main competition this year, seven have been made by women directors, the joint highest total.

Cannes Film Festival unveils diverse line-up of veteran stars and fresh talent

Iran’s Saeed Roustaee is also set to compete for the main prize with his latest feature, Mother and Child, three years after showing Leila’s Brothers in Cannes – which led to him being sentenced to six months in prison in Iran.

The festival has also secured the world premiere of the first film directed by former Twilight star Kristen Stewart – The Chronology of Water – which will screen in the Un Certain Regard competition.

She will be up against fellow American actress-turned-director Scarlett Johansson whose director debut Eleanor the Great has been selected in the same section.

(with AFP)

When Donald Trump was inaugurated for his second term on 20 January, he returned to the helm of the world’s most powerful nation pledging to Make America Great Again – again.

He vowed to shake things up with lightning speed and, on that front, he has delivered in spades, turning the political status quo on its head, at home and abroad.

For his detractors, Trump has been a whirlwind of destruction: eroding civil liberties, disregarding court authority, censoring university libraries accused of leftist bias, empowering tech oligarchs, disenfranchising minorities and throwing global markets into uproar with harsh new tariffs.

For his supporters, he’s a force of nature: fulfilling promises, unpicking the entrenched “deep state”, challenging intellectual elites and forging a path towards peace.

EU readies response to new US tariffs, France braces for fallout

‘He’s not wasting time’

Speaking to Nicolas Conquer, the president of Republicans Overseas France, it is clear that Trump’s dynamism has thrilled his supporters.

“I’ve seen it first-hand,” Conquer said. “He campaigned on a platform, and promises made are promises kept. Ever since day one, and now as we reach the 100-day mark, he’s been literally flooding the zone – making fast decisions and driving through much-needed reforms. Whether it’s government efficiency or the culture wars, he’s not wasting time.”

Trump’s flurry of executive orders – from immigration reforms to tariffs – has left no doubt about his intention to move fast and make changes.

Conquer suggests that Trump’s second-term energy stems from knowing he has just four years left to leave his mark: “He knows it’s now or never.”

However, criticism has been fierce – particularly of what many see as an authoritarian drift. Trump is accused of trampling on the courts, cracking down on dissent in education and bolstering oligarchic power structures.

Conquer, however, does not agree. “Looking at the political lawfare in the States,” he said, “there’s been massive obstruction by district judges interfering in executive branch policies. Historically, over the last 100 years, about 200 presidential decisions have been blocked by judges. Half of them concern Donald Trump. That’s a staggering number.”

He points to cases such as Harvard University’s reluctance to implement Trump’s executive orders targeting “wokeism” and anti-Semitism on campus, while still receiving considerable federal funding.

“You can’t have it both ways,” Conquer argued. “You can’t demand taxpayer money without adhering to government policies.”

French scientists join US protests in face of Trump administration’s ‘sabotage’

Legal resistance

Bob Valier of Democrats Abroad France paints a very different picture. For him, Trump’s victory was less about a failure of Democratic Party messaging and more about a broader systemic problem: voter apathy.

“We had the second highest turnout of my lifetime,” Valier said, “but we still lost. Not because our message wasn’t right, but because about 38 percent of eligible voters stayed home. If we bear any responsibility, it’s that we couldn’t motivate them to get out and vote.”

Valier acknowledges that Trump’s “shock and awe” approach has made coherent Democratic opposition harder. “It’s exhausting trying to fight back,” he admitted. “But that doesn’t mean we’re not doing it.”

Valier highlights the quiet, but significant, legal battles being waged. “From day one, lawsuits have been filed against executive orders. Courts move slowly, but many are finding in favour of the Democrats and placing restraining orders on Trump’s initiatives.”

Valier concedes that the Democrats have struggled to adapt to the new media landscape, where traditional platforms such as television no longer dominate.

“Young people are getting their news from podcasts, Discord servers and niche platforms,” he said. “The Democrats have largely been absent from these spaces. Kamala Harris, for example, turned down an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast – the most listened-to podcast in the country at the time. That was a huge missed opportunity.”

However, figures such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are drawing mammoth crowds with their focus on working-class issues – healthcare, housing and the soaring cost of basics such as eggs.

‘Free Le Pen’: US conservatives rally behind French far-right leader

Trumpism abroad

When it comes to the potential for Trump-esque politics to reshape European politics, Conquer believes this is entirely possible, but with a caveat.

“It’s not about copy-pasting Trumpism into Europe. Each country has its own institutions, cultures and political dynamics. We need to localise it. What works in America might not work as quickly or in the same way elsewhere.”

In France, for example, while anti-elitist sentiment and nationalism are on the rise, the political landscape is distinct enough that any Trump-style movement would need a tailored approach.

Bardella ready to lead National Rally if Le Pen barred from 2027 elections

Looking ahead to 2028, according to Valier the next Democratic star will likely come from the party’s left wing.

“The message Bernie Sanders is delivering – about the working class, about economic inequality – that’s the message the party must embrace. People are hurting, and they want leaders who recognise that. It’s not just about identity politics anymore. It’s about whether ordinary Americans can afford eggs, healthcare, housing.”

Whether the Democrats can unite under the banner of addressing these issues remains to be seen. But if Trump’s first 100 days have demonstrated anything, it’s to expect the unexpected.

Women in France secured the right to vote on 21 April 1944 through a wartime decree issued by the provisional government under General de Gaulle. 

“Women are voters and eligible [for election] under the same conditions as men,” it read.

But it took another year for women to be able to fully exercise that right for the first time, during municipal elections on 29 April and 13 May.

“I was happy and proud to vote,” recalls Marcelle Abadie, now 105 years old. “For the first time, people were asking for my opinion. It really stayed with me,” she told France’s AFP news agency.

At polling stations, however, some men “looked at us as if we didn’t belong there. At that time, women were still seen primarily as housekeepers,” she said.

The long road towards gender equality

“The right to vote was the result of a very long struggle,” said historian Françoise Thébaud, a specialist in feminist movements.

The fight began with the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen, written by Olympe de Gouges in 1791. Women demanded suffrage again during the revolutions of 1830 and 1848, though these were “individual demands or those of small groups,” Thébaud notes.

Women such as Eugénie Niboyet, who founded France’s first feminist daily newspaper, La Voix des Femmes (“The Women’s Voice”)  and fellow campaigner Jeanne Deroin – who became the first woman to run for parliament in France – were key figures in moving things forward. In 1876 Hubertine Auclert founded the first French group dedicated to campaigning for women’s suffrage.

“In France, as elsewhere, the organised suffragist movement only truly emerged in the 20th century,” Thébaud notes.

New Zealand was the pioneer, granting women the right to vote in 1893, followed by Australia (1901), Finland (1906), Denmark (1915), Uruguay (1917), Germany (1918), the United States (1920), and the United Kingdom (1928).

Women’s long battle to vote in France and the generations who fought it

Calm and serious

Before the municipal elections of April 1945, there was no national public campaign aimed at women, though the press provided practical advice on how to register on electoral rolls and how to vote, explains historian Anne-Sarah Bouglé-Moalic.

“Everything took place calmly and very seriously.”

Turnout was high with around 9 million of the 13 million registered voters going to the polls. Many women saw the vote as a civic duty, even if they were not particularly interested in politics, Moalic adds.

Some, however, were already active and a few even ran for office and became mayors in towns like Les Sables-d’Olonne, Ouessant, Villetaneuse and Saint-Omer.

Studies show women’s voting patterns were based more on social background than religious beliefs and that most couples voted for the same party. “Voting patterns were quite homogeneous within families, largely determined by social class, and this remains true to some extent today,” notes Moalic. 

Marcelle Abadie, then 25, married and working for an insurance company, was determined to form her own opinion. “I did my homework. I asked friends and listened to the radio,” she said.

France’s foreign ministry unveils two-year gender equality strategy

Fundamental but not revolutionary

Women’s suffrage was a landmark moment in French politics, but didn’t usher in a revolution. 

While election data wasn’t officially collected until 1959, “several women” were elected mayors during those 1945 municipal elections and in 1947 there were 250 (the equivalent of less than 1 percent) according to the Senate website. Currently, just over 40 percent of local officials are women, but they make up only 20 percent of mayors.

In legislative elections held on 21 October, 1945, just 33 of the 586 lawmakers elected to the National Assembly were women. In 1958 there were eight. Now, just over 36 percent of MPs are women.

Drop in the number of female MPs shows ongoing battle for gender parity in French politics

“Of course, it was a fundamental reform, but it didn’t immediately make women equal to men,” Thébaud points out. Civil rights inequalities persisted – it wasn’t until 1965 that a law allowed married women to work and open a bank account without their husband’s consent.

Women’s emancipation came gradually. “The 1970s marked a major turning point with the emergence of a new feminist wave that secured women’s control over reproduction – a true revolution,” says Thébaud.

Contraception was legalised in 1967, abortion was decriminalised in 1975, and in 2024, the right to abortion was enshrined in the French Constitution.

(with AFP)

The deal is the latest step in an ambitious bid by the Trump administration in the US to end a decades-long conflict in the central Africa region, rich in minerals including tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper and lithium.

The two countries’ foreign ministers had agreed last month, at a ceremony in Washington alongside US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to submit the draft proposal by 2 May.

Rwanda and DR Congo hopeful for peace talks this week under US mediation

Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said on RFI’s sister television channel, France 24, on Monday evening that the peace agreement talks are moving forward smoothly and on time, as the Congolese authorities are now fully involved in the discussions.

US strategy

Trump’s new senior adviser for Africa and the Middle East, Massad Boulos, said on social media on Monday that he welcomed “the draft text on a peace proposal received from both the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda,” describing it as “an important step” towards peace.

Boulos told news agencies last week that Washington wants to move quickly, and that the plan was for Rubio to meet again with his Rwandan and Congolese counterparts in mid-May in Washington, to agree on a final draft peace accord.

But Rwanda and Congo must finalise bilateral economic agreements with Washington before the accord can be signed, Boulos added.

The US and Western companies thus plan to invest billions of dollars in Congolese mines and infrastructure projects to support mining in both countries, including the processing of minerals in Rwanda.

The hope is that all three agreements can be signed in about two months, and on the same day, at a ceremony attended by Trump, according to Boulos.

Rwanda in ‘initial’ talks to receive migrants deported from the US

Continuous fighting  

Meanwhile, on the ground, the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels are still advancing in eastern Congo, with fighting killing thousands and displacing hundreds of thousands more.

Congo’s army on Saturday accused M23 of seizing the town of Lunyasenge on Lake Edward, according to Mak Hazukay, a spokesperson, who added that DRC “reserves the right to retaliate”.

The United Nations and Western governments say Rwanda has provided arms and troops to M23, which Rwanda denies. Kigali says its military has acted in self-defence against Congo’s army and a militia founded by perpetrators of the 1994 genocide.

Last month the DRC and the rebels had agreed to work towards peace, but sources in the two delegations have expressed frustration with the pace of negotiations.

Congo M23 rebels say they will withdraw from seized town to support peace push

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi’s government is also engaged in separate talks with M23 facilitated by Qatar. Both parties have restarted these peace talks, sources said on Tuesday.

M23 is involved in these peace talks but not in the ones in Washington, though the spokesperson for the rebel alliance that includes M23, Lawrence Kanyuka, told Reuters last week that the group encourages “any peace initiative.”

 (with newswires)

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has launched an unprecedented crackdown on media freedoms, making it illegal to criticise the army and its war against Ukraine.

Journalist and film critic Ekaterina Barabash was arrested in February on allegations of spreading “false information” about the Russian armed forces in several posts she made on social media.

She was detained soon after attending the Berlin film festival in February and fled house arrest in April.

Speaking in an interview with French news agency AFP at the media watchdog’s headquarters in Paris on Monday, Barabash, 64, said she even considered suicide to avoid going to prison.

“I began looking for some poison,” said Barabash, who faces up to 10 years in prison for criticising Moscow’s military action in Ukraine.

“Russian prison, it’s not a life. It is worse than death.”

Speaking to reporters at the news conference, Barabash said her journey to France was “difficult” and took around two-and-a-half weeks.

Reporters Without Borders, known by its French acronym RSF, helped bring her to safety.

Resilience

The journalist, whose only son lives in Ukraine, had written for several news outlets, including the Russian service of Radio France Internationale (RFI).

Her 96-year-old mother stayed behind in Moscow.

Barabash said “many” people were involved in her escape, including Leonid Nevzlin, an ally of self-exiled Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who “financed” her evacuation.

“I crossed all borders by myself,” said Barabash, who was born in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv when it was still part of the Soviet Union.

France demands release of Russian journalists jailed after covering Navalny case

RSF earlier helped the escape of former Russian state television journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who protested against the Ukraine conflict during a live broadcast in 2022.

Barabash said she removed her electronic bracelet when she fled house arrest.

“It’s somewhere in the Russian forest,” she said.

She said she hid “for two weeks” during her escape and crossed the border on her birthday on 26 April.

RSF director Thibaut Bruttin praised her resilience.

“Several times, we thought she had been arrested or was in danger of being arrested. Several times, the plan changed. Once, we thought she was dead.”

Bruttin said it had become more difficult to help journalists escape Russia after the media watchdog smuggled out Ovsyannikova.

‘We became more Russian than we were,’ says Moscow-born artist in Paris

Message of hope

He also said Barabash’s escape was a “message of hope” for Russian reporters.

“There are forces that are willing to help you in your difficult situation,” he said.

“There is no despair, there is no inevitability and RSF stands with all those who embody independent journalism.”

Both RSF and Barabash said they could not disclose all the details of her escape.

RSF said Barabash’s stay in France is being “monitored” by the French authorities, “using “a protocol that allows us to ensure her safety,” Bruttin said.

Reporters Without Borders launches news platform to counter Russian propaganda

“I am going to ask for political asylum,” Barabash said, adding that she hoped to continue working for RFI.

Barabash has been an outspoken critic of Moscow’s military offensive against Ukraine.

In 2022, she wrote on Facebook that Russia had “bombed the country” and “razed whole cities to the ground”.

Days before her arrest, she wrote of her “hatred, hatred, hatred for those who started all this”.

“So many lives have been destroyed, so many families torn apart,” she said on Facebook.

Barabash said on Monday she was optimistic, even though she would have to start a new life in a foreign country from scratch.

“I don’t know a single person who has died of starvation in exile,” she said.

(with AFP)

PSG go into the second leg at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night leading 1-0.

“The objective is to win the second game,” Enrique added. “I think we have to show the confidence that our supporters have shown us, in terms of effort and emotional intelligence.

“I don’t believe that any one area of the team is superior to the others.” Enrique added. “That has been one of PSG’s strengths this season. We’re not a team that takes chances. It doesn’t matter who the opponents are, the players have to follow very clear principles.”

Enrique’s squad is seeking an unprecedented sweep of four trophies. In January, they won the French Super Cup and wrapped up the Ligue 1 title last month.

They are in the final of Coupe de France on 24 May and a draw in front of their fans would send them into a Champions League showdown at the Allianz Arena in Munich against Inter who saw off Barcelona 7-6 on aggregate on Tuesday night in a thrilling mach at the San Siro in Milan.

“We’ve got here thanks to all the work that’s been done,” said Enrique. “We’re here because we deserve to be.”

Champions League: PSG survive thriller at The Villa

Trophy

France international Ousmane Dembélé scored the winner at the Emirates Stadium in north London on 29 April before suffering a hamstring injury.

The 27-year-old sat out last weekend’s defeat in Ligue 1 in Strasbourg due to the problem but Enrique confirmed the striker will be available for the match against Arsenal.

“He really wants to play,” added PSG defender Achraf Hakimi. “Ousmane is a different kind of player. He makes you want to go and watch the game in the stadium, he can change the course of a match at any moment, he’s a genius with the ball.”

Both PSG and Arsenal are seeking to hoist European club football’s most prestigious trophy for the first time.

PSG signs new Visit Rwanda deal despite backlash over DRC links

Arsenal lost to Barcelona in the 2006 final and PSG, boasting a side containing Kylian Mbappé and Neymar,  went down to Bayern Munich in 2020.

“We are here to make history and we have a big opportunity,” said Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta whose side overwhelmed defending champions Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.

“In the run-up to the second leg against Madrid, all the players and the press were talking about all the comebacks they had done and their history in the Champions League,” Arteta added.

“But we went to Madrid and proved something very different to what was expected and we want to do the same against PSG.”

The survey shows that 67 percent of women have personally experienced a discriminatory or sexist situation within their company, reveals the survey led by the #StOpE collective (Stop Ordinary Sexism in the Workplace), supported by the AFDM. 

Women paid less

The results also show that more than one in two women say they are paid less than their male colleagues for work of equal value. And more than six in ten feel they have to do more to be recognised for their work. 

Sexism in the workplace also seems to manifest through “humor”: over seven in ten women say they have heard “jokes about women” at work.

And 73 percent of respondents believe being a mother is an obstacle to career advancement.

France struggles to shake off everyday sexism, particularly among young men

Faced with a sexist work environment, the women surveyed report adopting avoidance strategies, such as not wearing certain clothing (31%), avoiding being alone with some people (25%), or not speaking in public (18%). 

Only half believe that companies are doing enough to reduce these inequalities. 

The survey also highlights resistance among men: 40 percent believe they are discriminated against due to efforts promoting gender equality.

(with newswires)

The CDU politician received 325 yes votes in the second round of voting, nine more than he needed for election. 289 MPs voted against him. He needed a minimum of 316 votes in the 630 strong parliament.

According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ,) there was one abstention and three invalid votes.

Compared to the first round, 15 more parliamentarians supported Merz, but he still fell three votes short of the result that would have been expected if all members of the CDU/CSU and SPD had voted for him.

During the first vote on Tuesday, Merz obtained just 310 yes-votes, while 307 parliamentarians voted against him. 

Reacting to the initial defeat, Alternative for Germany (AfD) co-leader Alice Weidel said that “Merz should step aside and the way should be cleared for a general election,” but after recess the AfD agreed to a second vote.

Embarrassment

The second round became possible after the coalition between Merz’s CDU/CSU and the Social Demcrat SPD came to an agreement with the Greens and Die Linke, creating a two-thirds majority needed for a follow-up vote. 

Merz’s initial failure to win backing at the first attempt is a first for post-war Germany and an embarrassment for a man who has promised to restore German leadership on the world stage.

The two parties have vowed to revive growth in an economy facing its third year of downturn amid a global trade war sparked by US President Donald Trump’s sweeping import tariffs.

They have also promised to dramatically boost defence spending as the US commitment to the NATO alliance weakens.

But both have lost support since their already dismal performances in February – especially the conservatives, due in part to frustration with Merz’s decision to loosen borrowing limits, despite campaign promises of fiscal rectitude.

(With Newswires)

Romania’s pro-EU Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu stepped down on Monday after a far-right candidate topped the first round of a tense presidential vote rerun.

With over 40 percent of the votes, far-right EU critic George Simion topped Sunday’s election first round, while the ruling coalition’s candidate narrowly lost out to Bucharest’s mayor for the second spot.

Ciolacu’s resignation comes just two weeks ahead of the presidential vote runoff on May 18 in the EU and NATO member, which has gained in strategic importance since Russia invaded Ukraine, neighbouring Romania.

Far right candidate takes the lead in Romania’s presidential race

Ciolacu said his Social Democrats (PSD) party would leave the ruling coalition but they are expected to remain in the government on an interim basis until after the election run-off.

Predoiu, 56, is a former justice minister who already served as interim premier in 2012.

Predoiu, who practiced as a lawyer in the past, is also the current interim president of the liberals (PNL.)

Predoiu told reporters on Monday that the liberals have “sworn-in ministers in the government, they will carry out their duties”.

“As long as these mandates are in office, the PNL does its duty,” he said.

Closely watched rerun 

In Sunday’s first round, Simion, who leads the nationalist AUR party, got twice as much votes as the pro-EU Mayor Nicusor Dan, an independent.

A far-right victory in the second round, closely watched by Brussels and Washington, could mark a shift in the country’s foreign policy.

The president represents Romania at EU and NATO summits and can veto EU votes. He also appoints the premier and other government posts.

Campaigning on a vow to “put Romania first,” Simion, a fan of US President Donald Trump, has criticised “Brussels’ unelected bureaucrats”, accusing them of having “meddled in the Romanian elections,” a claim repeated by US Vice-President JD Vance during his speech at the Munich Security Conference. 

In December, Romania’s constitutional court in a shock move scrapped the presidential ballot after far-right politician Calin Georgescu unexpectedly won the first round.

The annulment followed allegations of Russian interference and a massive TikTok campaign that emerged in favour of Georgescu.

Simion has called the annulment “a coup d’etat”. Georgescu was barred from the rerun but two major far-right parties decided to back Simion instead.

Romania’s top court annuls presidential vote amid Russia interference fears

(With newswires)

The seven accused, of whom only one was present in court, were found guilty of sending hate messages, and even a death threat, to Thomas Jolly, 43, over a controversial scene in the ceremony.

Jolly filed a legal complaint over the cyberbullying shortly after the open-air spectacular on the Seine that drew mostly praise.

However, some Christians and far-right groups took offence at one of its scenes incorporating LGBTQ performers that they claimed mocked Christian values.

In his complaint Jolly, who is openly gay, said he was being targeted “by threatening and insulting messages” that he said criticised his sexual orientation and “wrongly assumed Israeli origins”, according to prosecutors.

Paris Olympic opening creator rebuffs anti-Christian criticism

Ceremony organisers said they were portraying feasting Olympian gods in a nod to classical paintings, with a blue-painted French pop star and actor, Philippe Katerine, playing Dionysus (also referred to as Bacchus), the father of Sequana, the goddess of the River Seine.

But some interpreted it as a disrespectful parody of the Last Supper, the final meal between Jesus and his apostles.

US President Donald Trump called the ceremony “a disgrace”.

Proud moment

But Jolly received the full support of French President Emmanuel Macron who said he was “outraged” by the cyberbullying, adding that “the French were very proud of this ceremony”.

Jolly went on to win an honorary Molière trophy for his contribution to the Paris Olympics ceremonies, at the 36th annual theatre awards on 28 April.

The fines in Monday’s sentencing went up to €3,000 and the suspended sentences up to four months.

France recorded significant rise in cyberattacks linked to Paris Olympics

All seven of those found guilty were also ordered to pay a symbolic euro to Jolly, and undergo a five-day civic training programme.

Investigators have also been looking into similar complaints from Barbara Butch, a French DJ and lesbian activist who starred in the controversial scene.

Her lawyer said she had been “threatened with death, torture and rape”.

Five people are to stand trial in that case in September, prosecutors told French news agency AFP in March.

(with AFP)

Known in Turkmenistan as “Arkadag” (“protector”) and president since 2006, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov remains the number one in the ex-Soviet Caspian nation despite handing over the presidency to his son Serdar in 2022.

The trip to Paris is a highly unusual visit abroad by Berdymukhamedov, who is the subject of a cult of personality at home and has penned numerous books including, most recently, one honouring his own achievements.

New York-based Human Rights Watch says in its 2024 World Report that Turkmenistan “made no improvements to its dire human rights record…authorities continue to suppress fundamental rights and freedoms, including freedoms of religion, movement, expression, and association. Recent political reforms have only deepened authoritarian rule.”

The French media watchdog Reporters Without Borders ranks Turkmenistan as the third least press-friendly country in the world, just ahead of North Korea and Eritrea. 

Gas reserves

France and the EU are eyeing gas reserves in the region as Europe moves to end its reliance on Russian gas in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Turkmenistan, meanwhile, is seeking to shift more of its exports westwards and reduce its dependence on China as its main export partner.

The landlocked state has the fourth-largest gas reserves in the world but is vulnerable to fluctuations in Beijing’s economy.

How to deliver any gas to Europe from Turkmenistan, which has borders with Iran and Afghanistan, remains a logistical issue.

‘Open a new page’

The official Turkmenistans TDH News Agency reported that “our heroic friend” Berdymukhamedov had a “conversation with the representative of France,” hoping that his visit will “give a powerful impetus to the development of bilateral cooperation” and “open a new page in the history of relations” between Ashgabat and Paris. 

Several agreements were signed at the Elysee but they did not mention cooperation on energy.

France’s Thales Alenia Space Group signed a framework agreement for the supply of a second telecommunications satellite to the former Soviet republic.

The two governments also agreed to cooperate in the field of sustainable urban development while concluding a roadmap for educational and academic cooperation and the extension of a joint archaeological mission in Turkmenistan.

Berdymukhamedov, who emphasises neutrality as the cornerstone of Turkmenistan’s foreign policy, last visited France in 2010, when Nicolas Sarkozy was president. He also met with German chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin in 2016.

(With newswires)

On Monday Israel’s security cabinet approved the military’s plan for expanded operations, which an Israeli official said would entail “the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories”. 

“It’s unacceptable,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said in an interview with RTL radio, adding the Israeli government was “in violation of humanitarian law.”

Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin said the planned offensive will include “moving most of the population of the Gaza Strip… to protect them”.

The decision by the security cabinet, which includes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several ministers, came after the army called up tens of thousands of reservists.

Israel’s decision comes as the United Nations and aid organisations have repeatedly warned of the humanitarian catastrophe on the ground, with famine again looming after more than two months of a total Israeli blockade.

UN spokesman said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “alarmed” by the Israeli plan that “will inevitably lead to countless more civilians killed and the further destruction of Gaza”.

The European Union also voiced concern and urged restraint from Israel.

French medics continue hunger strike as Gaza humanitarian crisis worsens

Nearly all of the Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million people have been displaced at least once during the war, sparked by Hamas militants’ October 2023 attack on Israel.

Israel resumed major operations across Gaza on 18 March amid deadlock over how to proceed with a two-month ceasefire that had largely halted the war with Hamas.

Israeli officials have said that the renewed fighting was aimed at defeating Hamas and securing the return of hostages held by militants since the 2023 attack.

‘Hunger war’

But a senior Hamas official said Tuesday the group was no longer interested in truce talks with Israel and urged the international community to halt Israel’s “hunger war” against Gaza.

“There is no sense in engaging in talks or considering new ceasefire proposals as long as the hunger war and extermination war continue in the Gaza Strip,” Basem Naim told French news agency AFP.

He said the world must pressure the Netanyahu government to end the “crimes of hunger, thirst, and killings” in Gaza.

Israeli officials said that the security cabinet had approved the “possibility of humanitarian distribution, if necessary” in Gaza, “to prevent Hamas from taking control of the supplies and to destroy its governance capabilities”.

Israel has accused Hamas of diverting humanitarian aid – which Hamas denies – and said its blockade was necessary to pressure the militant group to release Israeli hostages.

Macron slams Trump’s Gaza relocation plan as ‘unviable and unlawful’

A grouping of UN agencies and aid groups in the Palestinian territory has said Israel sought to “shut down the existing aid distribution system… and have us agree to deliver supplies through Israeli hubs under conditions set by the Israeli military”.

The plan “contravenes fundamental humanitarian principles and appears designed to reinforce control over life-sustaining items as a pressure tactic”, the bodies said in a statement.

“Humanitarian aid should not be politicised. The level of need among civilians in Gaza right now is overwhelming, and aid needs to be let in immediately,” International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) spokesman Christian Cardon told AFP in Geneva.

“Our deliveries into Gaza are conducted in full transparency with all relevant authorities. We recognise safety concerns but given the immense need for humanitarian assistance we urgently insist that the authorities speed up the process to deliver life-saving aid to the people in Gaza and help facilitate a safe environment for delivery.”

Hamas said the proposed aid framework amounted to “political blackmail”.

(with AFP)

Over 1,000 researchers, doctors, and healthcare professionals published an open letter on Monday addressed to France’s Ministers of Health, Agriculture, Labour, and the Environment — the four government bodies overseeing the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (Anses). 

The letter, according to French public broadcaster France Inter, strongly criticises a proposed law by Senator Laurent Duplomb. The signatories warn that the bill could significantly weaken Anses’ authority and jeopardise public health by paving the way for the reintroduction of long-banned pesticides. 

Supported by organisations such as Médecins du Monde and Alerte des Médecins sur les Pesticides, the letter is being circulated as lawmakers begin debating Duplomb’s bill.  

The legislation, which is scheduled for review by the National Assembly on Tuesday, includes controversial measures such as the creation of an agricultural advisory board with powers to prioritise certain pesticides — even without safer alternatives. 

Under the bill, the Agriculture Ministry could bypass Anses’ evaluations, effectively sidelining the agency’s independent scientific oversight. This has raised alarm bells among public health experts.  

Anses Director General Benoît Vallet warned during a parliamentary hearing on 25 March that he would resign if the law passes in its current form.

‘Step backward for public health’

The signatories argue this represents “a fundamental threat to the role of scientific expertise in pesticide approval processes” and stress that since 2015, it has been Anses — not the Agriculture Ministry — charged with overseeing these assessments under strict ethical and scientific standards.

They say that establishing this new advisory body would be “a step backward for public health,” particularly if it leads to the reintroduction of harmful substances such as neonicotinoids — insecticides banned in France since 2016 due to their devastating impact on bee populations and broader ecological risks. 

“We oppose the creation of an agricultural advisory council that would strip Anses of part of its scientific oversight and responsibility,” the letter states. 

The bill is expected to be debated at the end of May.

(with newswires)

Sudan had taken the UAE to the International Court of Justice, saying its alleged support for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was contributing to a genocide – accusations strongly denied by the Emiratis.

But the ICJ said it “manifestly lacked” jurisdiction to rule on the case and threw out it out.

A UAE official hailed the judges’ ruling.

“This decision is a clear and decisive affirmation of the fact that this case was utterly baseless,” Reem Ketait, Deputy Assistant Minister for Political Affairs at the UAE foreign ministry, said in a statement sent to French news agency AFP.

Before the ruling, Ketait had accused Sudan of lodging the case in a “cynical attempt to divert attention from their own brutal record of atrocities against Sudanese civilians”.

Sudan files case against UAE at UN court over ‘complicity in genocide’

When the UAE signed up to the UN’s Genocide Convention in 2005, it entered a “reservation” to a key clause that allows countries to sue others at the ICJ over disputes.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been torn apart by a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

The war has triggered what aid agencies describe as the world’s largest displacement, and hunger crises. Famine has officially hit five areas across Sudan, according to a UN-backed assessment.

Human tragedy

The North Darfur region has been a particular battleground, with at least 542 civilians killed in the past three weeks, according to the United Nations.

The ICJ said it was “deeply concerned about the unfolding human tragedy in Sudan that forms the backdrop to the present dispute”.

“The violent conflict has a devastating effect, resulting in untold loss of life and suffering, in particular in West Darfur,” the court added.

Sudan war is world’s ‘worst humanitarian crisis’, the African Union says

As the court found that it lacked jurisdiction to go forward with Sudan’s legal action, it did not rule on the fundamental merits of the case.

The court noted that: “Whether or not states have accepted the jurisdiction of the court… they are required to comply with their obligations (to the Genocide Convention).”

Countries also “remain responsible for acts attributable to them which are contrary to their international obligations”.

A handful of pro-Sudan protesters staged a demonstration outside the Peace Palace, the seat of the ICJ in The Hague, shouting and brandishing banners including one that read “UAE kills Sudan”;

“We feel completely disappointed…. We only ask for justice,” said one protester, Hisham Fadl Akasha, a 57-year-old engineer.

Demand for reparations

During hearings on the case last month, Sudan’s acting justice minister Muawia Osman told the court the “ongoing genocide would not be possible without UAE complicity, including the shipment of arms to the RSF”.

“The direct logistical and other support that the UAE has provided and continues to provide to the RSF has been and continues to be the primary driving force behind the genocide now taking place, including killing, rape, forced displacement and looting,” said Osman.

Khartoum had urged the ICJ judges to force the UAE to stop its alleged support for the RSF and make “full reparations”, including compensation to victims of the war.

While the ICJ has rejected Sudan’s case, the bloody conflict in Sudan shows no sign of easing.

On Sunday, the RSF struck Port Sudan, the army said, in the first attack on the seat of the army-aligned government during the country’s two-year war.

(with AFP)

“We are in discussions with the United States,” Nduhungirehe said in an interview with the state broadcaster Rwanda TV, late on Sunday.

“It has not yet reached a stage where we can say exactly how things will proceed, but the talks are ongoing…still in the early stages.”

US President Donald Trump launched a sweeping crackdown on immigration and attempted to freeze the US refugee resettlement program after the start of his second term in January.

Rwanda has in recent years positioned itself as a destination country for migrants that Western countries would like to remove, despite concerns by rights groups that Kigali does not respect some of the most fundamental human rights.

Kigali notably signed an agreement with Britain in 2022 to take in thousands of asylum seekers from the UK before the deal was scrapped last year by then newly-elected Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

UK uses funds from scrapped Rwanda deportation plan to boost border security

US plans for migrants

During his electoral campaign, Trump had promised to carry out the “largest deportation operation” in US history.

His administration has now pushed aggressively to deport immigrants who are in the country illegally and other non-citizens since coming to power in January. 

Many have already been deported to El Salvador and elsewhere, with ongoing legal action questioning the legality of some ICE arrests, detentions and removals.

UN rights chief deeply worried about ‘fundamental shift’ in direction in US

The Great Lakes nation in Africa is often viewed as an island of stability in a turbulent region, but the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) warned there was a risk some migrants sent to Rwanda could be returned to countries from which they had fled. Kigali accused UNHCR of lying, denying the allegations.

Last month, the US already deported to Rwanda a resettled Iraqi refugee whom it had long tried to extradite in response to Iraqi government claims that he worked for the Islamic State, according to a US official and an internal email.

The US Supreme Court in April temporarily blocked Trump’s administration – which has invoked a rarely used wartime law – from deporting a group of Venezuelan migrants it accused of being gang members.

Unfinished deal

Rwanda’s Foreign minister Nduhungirehe confirmed that the two nations were engaged in “ongoing” talks, he said “they are not yet conclusive to determine the direction this will take”.

“I would say the discussions are in their initial stages, but we continue to talk about this problem of migrants,” he said, without giving further details.

Global aid in chaos as Trump proposes to slash funds and dismantle USAID

When contacted by news agencies about the talks he said: “You will be informed when the discussions will be finalised.”

The African nation of roughly 13 million people has been criticised by rights groups over its human rights record and increasingly diminished freedom of speech.

Rwanda has also faced mounting pressure over its involvement in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as the east of the country has been re-engulfed in conflict after a lightning strike by the Rwandan-backed military group M23.

 (with newswires)

Paris’s Sorbonne university hosted the conference, called “Choose Europe for Science“, bringing together EU commissioners, scientists and ministers for research from member countries to discuss, among other things, financial incentives at the gathering to lure disgruntled American scientists across the Atlantic. 

In her remarks, von der Leyen announced a multi-million EU package.

“Science is an investment – and we need to offer the right incentives. This is why I can announce that we will put forward a new €500 million package for 2025-2027 to make Europe a magnet for researchers,” she said in her speech.

“We are choosing to put research and innovation, science and technology, at the heart of our economy. We are choosing to be the continent where universities are pillars of our societies and our way of life,” she added.

She also said she wanted EU-member states to invest 3 percent of gross domestic product in research and development by 2030.

‘Diktat’

When Macron took to the podium, he doubled up on the European message: “If you love freedom, come and do you research here.”

He announced that the French state will invest an “additional” €100 million to attract foreign researchers to France, specifying that this amount would be financed by the France 2030 public investment program.

Macron referred to the Trump administration’s US science policy a “diktat” and an “error”.

“Nobody could have imagined that this great global democracy whose economic model depends so heavily on free science… was going to commit such an error,” he said. “We refuse a diktat consisting of any government being able to say you cannot research this or that,” he said.

Federal funding cuts

Under Trump, universities and research facilities in the United States have come under increasing political and financial pressure, including from threats of massive federal funding cuts. 

Research programmes face closure, tens of thousands of federal workers have been fired, while foreign students fear possible deportation for their political views. 

The European Union hopes to offer an alternative for researchers and, by the same token, “defend our strategic interests and promote a universalist vision”, an official in Macron’s office told French news agency AFP. 

The French president had already last month appealed to foreign, notably US, researchers to “choose France” and unveiled plans for a funding programme to help universities and other research bodies cover the cost of bringing foreign scientists to France. 

French university opens doors to US scientists fleeing Trump’s research cuts

Shortly before, Aix Marseille University in the south of the country said its “Safe Place for Science” scheme received a flood of applicants after announcing in March it would open its doors to US scientists threatened by cuts.

Last week, France’s flagship scientific research centre CNRS launched a new initiative aimed at attracting foreign researchers whose work is threatened and French researchers working abroad, some of whom “don’t want to live and raise their children in Trump’s United States”, according to CNRS President Antoine Petit. 

An official in Macron’s office said Monday’s conference comes “at a time when academic freedoms are retreating and under threat in a number of cases and Europe is a continent of attractiveness”. 

Pay gap

Experts say, however, that while EU countries can offer competitive research infrastructure and a high quality of life, research funding and researchers’ remuneration both lag far behind US levels. 

But CNRS’s Petit said last week he hoped that the pay gap will seem less significant once the lower cost of education and health, and more generous social benefits are taken into account. 

Macron’s office said France and the EU are targeting researchers in a number of specific sectors, including health, climate, biodiversity, artificial intelligence and space.

(with AFP)

Uganda is set to hold a general election in January, with President Yoweri Museveni looking to extend his 40-year rule.

The last election in 2021 was marred by widespread reports of irregularities and severe violence from the security forces, which Museveni blamed on “indiscipline” and “laziness”.

The US-based Holocaust Memorial Museum recently warned of possible “mass atrocities” around the 2026 election.

Last Friday, Bobi Wine, leader of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) said the army had raided his party’s headquarters in the capital Kampala.

The opposition was planning to use the HQ to launch a campaign to urge Ugandans to vote against the government in the general election and demonstrate to protect their democratic rights.

Wine said his bodgyguard Edward Sebuufu (also referred to as Mutwe) had been “violently abducted” by armed men wearing uniforms associated with the Special Forces Command, an elite unit of Uganda’s army.

‘Rogue regime’

The NUP’s secretary-general David Lewis Rubongoya told RFI that the police at first denied any responsibility for Sebuufu’s abduction.

However, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda’s military chief and the son of the President confirmed later on Friday that Sebuufu was indeed in his custody.

In a series of posts on social media late on Thursday, Kainerugaba said Sebuufu had been captured “like a grasshopper”, next to a photo of the bodyguard, shirtless with a shaved head.

“He is in my basement… You are next,” Kainerugaba, known for his notorious posts on X, warned Wine.

News agencies were not immediately able to independently verify the photograph, but the NUP party later re-used it on their X handle in a post seeking support for Sebuufu.

Wine told French news agency AFP it was “a reminder to the world as to how law and order has broken down in Uganda”.

“For Muhoozi to confirm the abduction and illegal detention of Eddie Mutwe and sharing his photos half naked signals to the level of impunity the rogue regime has reached,” he added.

Military courts

NGOs and opposition politicians have long accused the Museveni government of using the military courts to prosecute opposition leaders and supporters on politically motivated charges – accusations the government denies.

Museveni, 80, has been president of the Republic of Uganda since 1986. Under his regime, opponents have suffered repression for decades, including the former presidential candidates Kizza Besigye, and Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi.

Wine was arrested several times after campaigning for the presidency, first in 2021 then in 2023 and 2024.

Besigye, a veteran political rival of Museveni’s, has been in detention for nearly five months on treason charges – which his lawyers say are politically motivated.

The opposition has denounced a series of kidnappings in the country, more than 2,000 activists since 2021 – 18 of whom remain unaccounted for, according to the NUP.

Uganda: the quiet power in the eastern DRC conflict

Self-kidnappings?

But the Ugandan authorities take a different view, citing NUP gatherings as “illegal” as they pose a threat to public safety.

Enoch Barata, a senior member of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) says the government has to support the police intervention.

For him, “the NUP has become accustomed to provoking violence, blocking roads, and sowing chaos among the population,” he told RFI. “At some point, a distinction must be made between civil and political rights and pure criminality.”

The government has accused the NUP of exploiting the situation to portray itself as the victim.

“Once again, we see the NUP denouncing kidnappings, only to later find out that they were self-kidnappings for political gain,” Barata said. “This case must be resolved.”

NUP’s Rubongoya told RFI that his party’s activities “are always peaceful until the police arrive and start shooting to block our political actions”.

Uganda plans law to bring back military trials for civilians

The ruling NRM is holding its internal elections this spring. More than two million officials are to be elected on 6 May, ahead of the candidate selection process for next year’s general election.

The country is also due to hold Youth Council elections across the country on 12 June, part of the broader roadmap for the 2025–2026 general elections as outlined by the Electoral Commission of Uganda.

These are designed to elect representatives at various administrative levels, providing young Ugandans with a platform to participate in governance.

Reporting by RFI’s Christina Okello with Reuters

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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 3 April I asked you a question about Marine Le Pen, the president of the far-right French party the National Rally (RN). She, along with eight other RN Parliament members, was judged guilty of embezzling 4.4 million euros in European Union funds to pay France-based RN party staff who worked only for the RN and not on EU issues.

Le Pen and her fellow lawmakers have been banned from running for office for five years. This ban, which had previously been a rare sentence, has become commonplace since the Sapin 2 law was adopted in 2016, which made it the standard sentence for cases involving the embezzlement of public funds and was roundly supported by RN lawmakers – until now.

You were to re-read our article “RN leader Le Pen battles for political future after embezzlement conviction”, and send in the answer to this question: Aside from the ban on running for office, what else was included in Le Pen’s sentence?

The answer is, to quote our article: “Le Pen was also sentenced to four years’ imprisonment, two of which will be served under an electronic bracelet, and a fine of 100,000 euros.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by the late Muhammad Shamim who lived in Kerala State, India: “Would you rather be rich but not famous, or famous but not rich?”   

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

The winners are: RFI English listener Lata Akhter Jahan, the co-president of the Sonali Badhan Female Listeners Club in Bogura, Bangladesh. Lata is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations, Lata, on your double win.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are RFI Listeners Club members Shaira Hosen Mo from Kishoreganj, Bangladesh; Nasyr Muhammad from Katsina State, Nigeria; John Yemi Sanday Turay from Freetown, Sierra Leone, and last but not least, Saleha, who is also a member of the International Radio Fan and Youth Club in Khanewal, Pakistan.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme:  “Les Jardins de L’Alhambra” by Gérard Torikian; “Stacatto” by René Aubry; “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 “Aýa döndi” by Nuri Halmamedov and Mahtumkuli, performed by baritone Atageldi Garýagdyýew.

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 “How French women won, and used, their right to vote in 1945”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 2 June to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 5 June 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.   

In the last three months, Trump has presented the world with “a ding-dong of measures and counter-measures,” as Nigerian finance analyst Gbolahan Olojede put it.

With such measures including increased tariffs on US imports from African nations (as elsewhere), this new regime has effectively called into question the future validity of preferential trade agreements with African states – such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which allows duty-free access, under strict conditions, to the US market for African goods.

“The reciprocal tariffs effectively nullify the preferences that sub-Saharan Africa countries enjoy under AGOA,” South Africa’s foreign and trade ministers said in a joint statement on 4 April.

Jon Marks, editorial director of energy consultancy and news service African Energy, echoed this climate of uncertainty: “With the Trump presidency lurching from policy to policy, no one knows where they are. And it’s very difficult to actually see order within this chaos.”

Africa braces for economic hit as Trump’s tariffs end US trade perks

He told RFI he expects long periods of stasis, in which nothing actually happens, when people have been expecting immediate action.

“That’s going to be, I think, devastating for markets, devastating for investment. The outlook really is grim,” he added.

Commodities

In 2024, US exports to Africa were worth $32.1 billion. The US imported $39.5 billion worth of goods from Africa, the bulk of these being commodities such as oil and gas, as well as rare minerals including lithium, copper and cobalt.

“The focus of the Trump administration is on critical minerals now, particularly in the [Democratic Republic of Congo], which is the Saudi Arabia of cobalt,” said Eric Olander, editor-in-chief of the China Global South Project news site.

The US is aiming to build non-Chinese supply chains for its military technology.

“The F-35s, supersonic fighter jets, need cobalt. When they look at critical minerals, they’re not looking at that for renewable energy. They’re looking at it specifically for weapons and for their defence infrastructure,” Olander explained.

Collateral damage

On 2 April, President Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs on US imports worldwide, declaring that the US “has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far” and calling this date a “Liberation Day” which will make “America wealthy again”.

Stock markets immediately plummeted as a result of his announcement.

On 9 April, Trump announced a 90-day pause – until mid-July – on these tariffs. Instead, a flat 10 percent rate will be applied on exports to the US.

The exception was China, whose goods face even higher tariffs – 145 percent on most Chinese goods. Beijing retaliated with 125 percent levies on US imports.

According to Olander, most African nations have so far been “insulated from the harsh impact of these tariffs” and from the consequences of what is, in effect, a trade war between two economic giants – China and the US.

“South Africa, which accounts for a considerable amount of Africa’s trade with the United States, is much more exposed to the effects of these tariffs than the rest of the continent,” he said.

Africa First

But what if Trump’s “America First” agenda was to be copied, asks Kelvin Lewis, editor of the Awoko newspaper in Sierra Leone.

“Just like Trump is saying America First, we should think Sierra Leone First,” he told RFI. “He is teaching everyone how to be patriotic. We have no reason to depend on other people, to go cap in hand begging, because we have enough natural resources to feed and house all 9 million of us Sierra Leoneans.”

He added: “If Africa says we close shop and we use our own resources for our benefit like Trump is telling Americans, I think the rest of the world would stand up and take notice.”

Meanwhile, Trump believes his imposition of these increased tariffs has succeeded in bringing countries to the negotiating table.

“I’m telling you, these countries are calling us up, kissing my ass. They are dying to make a deal. Please, please sir, make a deal. I’ll do anything. I’ll do anything, sir,” Trump said on 8 April at a Republican Congress committee dinner in Washington.

New markets

Olander believes that the trade war instigated by Trump has resulted in more risks than opportunities for Africa’s vulnerable countries.

“But, there is a lot more activity now diplomatically between African countries and other non-US countries,” he added.

“Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed from Ethiopia was in Vietnam, as was Burundi’s president. There’s more engagement between Uganda and Indonesia, more trade activity and discussions between Brazil and Africa.”

Foreign ministers from the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) met in Rio de Janeiro on 28 April to coordinate their response to Trump’s trade policy.

However, securing markets for non-US exports is a challenging task. It took Kenya 10 years “of steady diplomacy” to get China to fund the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway to the Ugandan border, according to Olander.

Kenyan president visits China as country pivots away from the US

“Whether it’s in China, Indonesia, Brazil or elsewhere, it takes time. Exporting into developed G7 markets means facing an enormous number of hurdles, like agricultural restrictions,” he continued. “Then, in the global south, Angola is not going to sell bananas to Brazil, right?”

“Trump’s trade policies have actually been to depress the oil price,” said Marks. “The price has been under the psychologically low threshold of $70 a barrel.

He explains it is because of the demand destruction Trump’s policies have placed on global trading.

Demand destruction means that people are not investing, “ Marks said. “It’s really a period of wait-and-see.”

“This will affect prices very profoundly. One of the ironies is that although a lower dollar means that African economies should be able to export their goods for more money, a declining dollar amidst market uncertainties means that investors are not going to be rushing to come into Africa.”

With Trump’s administration wasting no time in rekindling the “America First” doctrine, this time with fewer diplomatic niceties, tensions over trade, diplomacy and the long-term stability of the transatlantic alliance quickly arose. 

From the imposition of sweeping tariffs on EU goods – 20 percent across the board, covering all exports from France and other member states – to a reduction in support for Ukraine, Trump’s early moves have sent a clear message: Washington’s priorities have shifted – and not in Europe’s favour.

Brussels’ response, while restrained, has been firm, and the sense that Europe can no longer rely fully on Washington is taking root.

Trump’s tariffs come into force, upending economic ties with Europe

Retreat, rather than reform

One of the most striking aspects of Trump’s second term so far is his rapid dismantling of traditional US diplomatic structures.

Former US diplomat William Jordan warns that the institutional capacity of American diplomacy is being hollowed out. “The notion of America First risks turning into America Alone,” he said.

“Everything that’s been happening since 20 January has largely demoralised and damaged the State Department.”

There has been an exodus of seasoned diplomats, alongside a wave of politically motivated “loyalty tests” handed out to charities, NGOs and United Nations agencies as part of the State Department’s review of foreign aid – asking them to declare whether they have worked with “entities associated with communist, socialist, or totalitarian parties, or any parties that espouses anti-American beliefs”.

European allies rally behind Ukraine after White House clash

The cumulative effect of this threat to the impartiality of America’s foreign service, Jordan notes, is a profound erosion of trust – not just within US institutions but among global partners.

“There are worries in the intelligence community that longstanding partners can no longer share sensitive information with the United States,” he added, raising concerns about the durability of intelligence alliances such as Five Eyes, comprising the US, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Trump’s decision to scale back overseas missions and USAID funding has also left vast vacuums of influence – particularly in Africa, where both China and Russia are stepping in to fill the void.

“It’s not just that it’s being done – it’s how it’s being done. Brutally. Recklessly. Slashing and burning institutions that have taken decades to build,” Jordan told RFI.

Amid this weakening of America’s traditional soft power influence, however, Jordan also cautions that the country’s soft power strategies have not always been effective, pointing to congressional inertia and overlapping funding mandates which have dulled strategic impact.

Still, he maintains, a haphazard retreat does more harm than reform.

A dressing-down in Munich

Europe’s discomfort was visible in February at the Munich Security Conference, where US Vice President JD Vance delivered a remarkable rebuke to European leaders, accusing them of wavering on democratic values.

The message was harsh, and the delivery even more so – an unprecedented public dressing-down in a diplomatic forum. The reaction in Munich embodied Europe’s growing unease.

European fears mount at Munich conference as US signals shift on Ukraine

“Certainly the language was something that you wouldn’t expect,” Mairéad McGuinness, the former EU Commissioner for Financial Stability told RFI.

“This is somebody coming to our house and telling us they don’t like how we run it. It’s not what you expect between friends and allies. Was it a surprise? Maybe not,” she added. “But it’s not normal.”

The incident underscored an increasingly assertive US posture under Trump 2.0, and the deepening fissures within the Western alliance, reflected in the new administration’s willingness to publicly challenge long-standing relationships.

European allies rally behind Ukraine after White House clash

‘Confidence in the US is eroding’

The EU has responded with a measured approach – “how the European Union tends to do its business,” according to McGuinness.

“What is problematic is trying to understand exactly what the US side wants,” she continued. “We’re hearing not just about tariffs, but also about food safety, financial regulation – areas where Europe leads globally.”

Rather than caving to pressure, the EU is showing signs of a more confident and coordinated strategic posture – in a similar vein to its response during the Covid-19 crisis and its rapid support for Ukraine following Russia’s 2022 invasion.

One consequence of these shifting diplomatic sands has been a rise in investment in European defence, following the US decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine.

EU Commission chief calls for defence ‘surge’ in address to EU parliament

With EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announcing that, under the Rearm Europe plan announced by  on 6 March, EU member states can boost defence spending, European arms manufacturers are seizing the opportunity to compete against their US rivals.

While not a wholesale pivot away from the US, it signals a broader awareness that over-reliance on any single partner carries risks.

William Jordan put it bluntly: “Confidence in the US as a reliable partner is eroding, and not just in Europe.”

For him, this moment could present an opportunity for Europe to build a more independent and robust security architecture – one less vulnerable to the whims of any one American president.

Praised by supporters for his pledges to “restore faith in government” and “secure borders,” his tenure has also provoked widespread concern among Democrats and political analysts, who criticise his erratic style and sweeping executive orders that have disrupted established institutions and international alliances.

Trump’s first 100 days: Revolution or destruction? The view from France

The Trump administration has issued over 130 executive orders, including mass dismissals, aggressive immigration enforcement, and withdrawal from climate accords—measures that have had profound social and economic consequences.

Critics warn that such actions erode democratic norms and due process, while grassroots protests and public demonstrations have surged across the country in response to policies widely viewed as damaging to communities and public services.

Trump’s first 100 days: Grassroots pick up Democratic slack as ‘chaos’ unfolds

In this international report, we look ahead to the 2026 midterm elections, with experts suggesting that Trump’s confrontational approach and divisive policies could ultimately backfire on the Republican Party—potentially costing it crucial support.

When Donald Trump was inaugurated for his second term on 20 January, he returned to the helm of the world’s most powerful nation pledging to Make America Great Again – again.

He vowed to shake things up with lightning speed and, on that front, he has delivered in spades, turning the political status quo on its head, at home and abroad.

For his detractors, Trump has been a whirlwind of destruction: eroding civil liberties, disregarding court authority, censoring university libraries accused of leftist bias, empowering tech oligarchs, disenfranchising minorities and throwing global markets into uproar with harsh new tariffs.

For his supporters, he’s a force of nature: fulfilling promises, unpicking the entrenched “deep state”, challenging intellectual elites and forging a path towards peace.

EU readies response to new US tariffs, France braces for fallout

‘He’s not wasting time’

Speaking to Nicolas Conquer, the president of Republicans Overseas France, it is clear that Trump’s dynamism has thrilled his supporters.

“I’ve seen it first-hand,” Conquer said. “He campaigned on a platform, and promises made are promises kept. Ever since day one, and now as we reach the 100-day mark, he’s been literally flooding the zone – making fast decisions and driving through much-needed reforms. Whether it’s government efficiency or the culture wars, he’s not wasting time.”

Trump’s flurry of executive orders – from immigration reforms to tariffs – has left no doubt about his intention to move fast and make changes.

Conquer suggests that Trump’s second-term energy stems from knowing he has just four years left to leave his mark: “He knows it’s now or never.”

However, criticism has been fierce – particularly of what many see as an authoritarian drift. Trump is accused of trampling on the courts, cracking down on dissent in education and bolstering oligarchic power structures.

Conquer, however, does not agree. “Looking at the political lawfare in the States,” he said, “there’s been massive obstruction by district judges interfering in executive branch policies. Historically, over the last 100 years, about 200 presidential decisions have been blocked by judges. Half of them concern Donald Trump. That’s a staggering number.”

He points to cases such as Harvard University’s reluctance to implement Trump’s executive orders targeting “wokeism” and anti-Semitism on campus, while still receiving considerable federal funding.

“You can’t have it both ways,” Conquer argued. “You can’t demand taxpayer money without adhering to government policies.”

French scientists join US protests in face of Trump administration’s ‘sabotage’

Legal resistance

Bob Valier of Democrats Abroad France paints a very different picture. For him, Trump’s victory was less about a failure of Democratic Party messaging and more about a broader systemic problem: voter apathy.

“We had the second highest turnout of my lifetime,” Valier said, “but we still lost. Not because our message wasn’t right, but because about 38 percent of eligible voters stayed home. If we bear any responsibility, it’s that we couldn’t motivate them to get out and vote.”

Valier acknowledges that Trump’s “shock and awe” approach has made coherent Democratic opposition harder. “It’s exhausting trying to fight back,” he admitted. “But that doesn’t mean we’re not doing it.”

Valier highlights the quiet, but significant, legal battles being waged. “From day one, lawsuits have been filed against executive orders. Courts move slowly, but many are finding in favour of the Democrats and placing restraining orders on Trump’s initiatives.”

Valier concedes that the Democrats have struggled to adapt to the new media landscape, where traditional platforms such as television no longer dominate.

“Young people are getting their news from podcasts, Discord servers and niche platforms,” he said. “The Democrats have largely been absent from these spaces. Kamala Harris, for example, turned down an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast – the most listened-to podcast in the country at the time. That was a huge missed opportunity.”

However, figures such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are drawing mammoth crowds with their focus on working-class issues – healthcare, housing and the soaring cost of basics such as eggs.

‘Free Le Pen’: US conservatives rally behind French far-right leader

Trumpism abroad

When it comes to the potential for Trump-esque politics to reshape European politics, Conquer believes this is entirely possible, but with a caveat.

“It’s not about copy-pasting Trumpism into Europe. Each country has its own institutions, cultures and political dynamics. We need to localise it. What works in America might not work as quickly or in the same way elsewhere.”

In France, for example, while anti-elitist sentiment and nationalism are on the rise, the political landscape is distinct enough that any Trump-style movement would need a tailored approach.

Bardella ready to lead National Rally if Le Pen barred from 2027 elections

Looking ahead to 2028, according to Valier the next Democratic star will likely come from the party’s left wing.

“The message Bernie Sanders is delivering – about the working class, about economic inequality – that’s the message the party must embrace. People are hurting, and they want leaders who recognise that. It’s not just about identity politics anymore. It’s about whether ordinary Americans can afford eggs, healthcare, housing.”

Whether the Democrats can unite under the banner of addressing these issues remains to be seen. But if Trump’s first 100 days have demonstrated anything, it’s to expect the unexpected.

The two rivals were once allies, having jointly overthrown Sudan’s long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir in 2019 after nearly 30 years in power. However, their alliance fractured in 2021 amid growing tensions over how to transition the country towards civilian-led democratic rule.

Most recently, on 25 March, the Sudanese armed forces announced the recapture of the capital, Khartoum. But fighting continues south and west of the capital, where pockets dominated by the RSF remain.

‘No one else will’: Sudan’s journalists risk all to report the war

This week, Spotlight on Africa’s first guest is Assadullah Nasrullah, spokesperson and communications officer for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in Sudan. He had been working in the country for two years prior to the outbreak of war and now focuses on supporting those displaced within Sudan by the ongoing conflict.

Meanwhile, Philippe Dam, European Union director at Human Rights Watch, outlines for Spotlight on Africa how the EU could exert influence on multiple levels in the conflict — and why it must act.

Episode mixed by Erwan Rome.

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

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.