Marc-Olivier Strauss-Kahn was on a high-speed train in November 2022 when his phone rang. The 71-year-old retired economist had no idea he was about to join what he would later describe as “the best social experience of my life”.

The caller invited him to join France’s citizens’ convention on end-of-life care – President Emmanuel Macron’s bid to involve the public in a national conversation about assisted dying.

France’s current 2016 law allows for “deep and continuous sedation” for terminally ill patients, but assisted suicide – where a patient takes a lethal drug themselves – and euthanasia – where a third party administers it – remain illegal.

The convention was asked to answer one question: “Is the way we accompany those approaching the end of life adapted to the different situations which emerge, or do we need to introduce changes?”

Strauss-Kahn was curious to explore a topic that concerns everyone. “We’re all going to die at some stage,” he says.

He was also intrigued by the novel format. “How can you make so many people work together when they don’t know each other and they have so many different backgrounds?”

What followed was an intensive four-month process spanning 27 days of deliberation across nine weekends – backed up by online chats and virtual meetings. The participants – diverse in age, gender, region, and education level – were united by their willingness to engage.

“I met people that I might never have met or talked to before,” the retired economist and senior civil servant explains. He sat alongside people who “had difficulties understanding all the words” and needed help with some concepts.

Rather than creating division, the range of backgrounds became a strength. “The importance, the intimacy of the topic helped us to respect the views of the other, because there is no right or wrong,” he says.

Listen to a conversation with Marc-Olivier Strauss-Kahn in the Spotlight on France podcast

France begins citizens’ debate on end-of-life care

For and against

Another participant was 35-year-old Soline Castel, who runs a day centre for people with mental disabilities in rural Sarthe. Unlike Strauss-Kahn, who came in broadly in favour of assisted dying, Castel’s family background meant she leaned more towards opposing it.

Still, she was determined not to make up her mind in advance. “I let myself be guided by the convention to form an opinion,” she says.

Over the four months, the 184 participants sat through 60 hearings with health professionals, philosophers, lawyers and religious figures. They also heard from terminally ill patients and workers in palliative care.

By the end, their positions had crystallised in opposite directions. Strauss-Kahn became more supportive of assisted dying, calling it “the ultimate freedom”.

His conviction was strengthened by discovering the “many obstacles to be overcome”, including a lack of medicine, knowledge and information, and poor training for healthcare professionals.

“I have to confess that several times I cried,” Strauss-Kahn admits, reflecting on the testimonies he heard.

He remembers a particularly striking moment during a hearing with religious leaders from six different faiths, who all referred to the commandments “you shall not kill” and “you shall not steal”.

“A philosopher said in response: ‘When it’s your own money, you are not robbing yourself; when it’s your own life you’re not killing. It’s your own liberty to decide what you want.’ That helped me understand better the differences of views.”

‘My life, my death’: French woman battles for right to die with dignity

Castel, however, emerged “firmly opposed to any form of active assistance in dying”, believing it would be impossible to guarantee protection for vulnerable people.

“It’s extremely difficult to put sufficient safeguards in place to guarantee the safety of my fellow citizens, especially those who may be vulnerable,” she explains. “I work in the field of disability, and I’m also thinking of the elderly.”

Castel was raised a Catholic, though she does not believe faith should influence a country’s laws. However, she said the testimonies raised serious concerns about subtle pressure on elderly people from their families. They may have been influenced, she says, “but no one will know”.

Despite the 2016 law, palliative care is not widely available in France, with residents in 26 of its 101 administrative departments having no access to palliative care at all. Castel argues that if the existing law were properly applied, most cases would be resolved.

“Studies have shown that people who ask for help dying often do so because they are alone or in pain,” Castel says. These two factors can be resolved, she adds, while conceding there are also rare cases where no pain relief is possible.

Macron’s euthanasia bill prompts anger from health workers, church

Respecting diversity of opinion

The convention’s final recommendations reflected the range of views in the room.

A large majority – 95 percent – backed expanded palliative care. Some 76 percent supported medical assistance in dying, but only as a last resort and in strictly defined cases. Those in the 23 percent minority who opposed any form of assisted dying were given equal time to speak – a courtesy that stood in stark contrast to debates in parliament.

“At the same time, the so-called representative democracy, our elected members in parliament, were shouting and the contrast made us very proud of our respect for each other,” Strauss-Kahn notes.

He says the convention has already had an impact. A 10-year strategy for palliative care is being implemented, with €1 billion to be invested. Arguments from the citizen panel – both for and against assisted dying – are now often cited by MPs and in the media.

Breathing life into death: a filmmaker’s tribute to palliative care

In a country like France, where political compromise is rare, the convention showed that deliberative democracy can handle divisive issues with nuance and respect.

Rather than seeking false consensus, the participants focused on clearly stating the arguments on both sides.

“We realised it was better to clarify any consensus, express the arguments for and against and assess how many were in favour,” Strauss-Kahn says. “We’re living through a crisis of representative democracy and the idea is not to replace representative democracy by deliberative democracy, but just to involve the citizens more as a complementary approach.”

Castel says of her minority stance: “I really felt I’d been heard. The arguments of those who were against were said, reiterated and written down.”

French citizens group in favour of allowing euthanasia, assisted suicide

Life after the assembly

Strauss-Kahn and Castel are now part of a broader group known as “The 184”, created after the convention to promote deliberative democracy and better end-of-life care. Although they disagree on assisted dying, they continue to work together to ensure the convention’s work stays part of the national debate.

The idea was also to ensure a life after the assembly. “I like to say that we thought about end of life but not the end of life of the convention,” Strauss-Kahn says. “For some people it really was a form of social inclusion.”

They are also advising the next citizens’ assembly – which will focus on school hours and children’s wellbeing – on what could be improved.

Strauss-Kahn says they are trying to improve ties with parliament, since some MPs viewed the convention as a threat. He also warns about the need to fight misinformation.

“Some were saying that up to a million people would be able to access assisted dying, this is false. We encourage the new convention to do fact-checking from the very beginning.”

Citizen panels ‘still useful’ despite disappointment after climate convention

Whether France’s lawmakers follow the convention’s recommendations or not remains to be seen, but both Strauss-Kahn and Castel are convinced the process was important.

Strauss-Kahn encourages anyone who can to take part.

“If there’s a phone call that is not clearly a commercial, take it and try to participate because it’s a unique chance in your life,” he says.

“Without them, Gaza would be a black hole of news,” reads a statement signed by associations of journalists of about 20 French media organisations, including RFI.

French news organisations have relied on local journalists and support staff for reporting from Gaza, which has been under bombardment from Israel since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing over 1,200 people and abducting over 250.

Local journalists “keep you informed about the ongoing horror in the territory, while the Israeli government has constantly hindered coverage of the war by the international press by denying access to the Gaza Strip”, the statement continues.

The journalist associations have called on the French government to help evacuate the employees, much like it did for Afghan interpreters and other support staff for the French army.

The journalists are in particular danger now that Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has threatened to take control of Gaza, the journalist associations warn.

“Our colleagues and their families are in mortal danger,” the statement reads.

More than 200 Palestinian journalists have been killed since the start of the war, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Colonial-era German troops massacred tens of thousands of indigenous Herero and Nama people who rebelled against their rule in the southern African country between 1904 and 1908.

Namibia was known from 1884 to 1915 as German South West Africa, or Deutsch-Südwestafrika in German – part of the German empire on the continent and which included Togoland in West Africa, German Kamerun in central Africa, and German East Africa (the area now made up of Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda).

Genocide Remembrance Day will be celebrated on 28 May in the gardens of Namibia’s parliament and feature a candlelight vigil and minute of silence, according to a government programme released Monday.

The day has been declared a national holiday in Namibia and members of the diplomatic community are expected at the event, where President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah will deliver a keynote address.

The commemorations will then be held annually to mark “the beginning of a national journey of healing”, the government said, adding that it “serves as a moment of national reflection and mourning”.

The date of 28 May was chosen as it was the day in 1907 when German authorities ordered the closure of concentration camps following international criticism over the brutal conditions and high death rates.

First genocide of the 20th century

Germany recognised only in 2021 that  its settlers had committed genocide, after discussions started in 2015.

Berlin has not issued a formal apology or offered reparations, but in 2021 pledged more than one billion euros in development aid over 30 years. Namibia rejected the proposal and negotiations are continuing.

Germany officially recognises colonial-era genocide in Namibia

Germany ruled German South West Africa as a colony with settlers taking local women, land and cattle, which led the Herero tribe to launch a revolt in January 1904. More than 100 German civilians were killed over several days. The smaller Nama tribe joined the uprising in 1905.

The settler community was very small, only a few thousand, and Germany feared that it had lost its deterrence vis-à-vis the natives.

The Germans responded ruthlessly, killing an estimated 60,000 Herero and 10,000 Nama people. Hundreds were also beheaded after their deaths and their skulls handed to researchers in Berlin for experiments attempting to prove the racial superiority of whites over blacks.

Germany was forced out of the colony in 1915. Namibia passed to South African rule, and only gained independence in 1990.

The events are now recognised by historians as the first genocide of the twentieth century.

Some historians see the killings as a precursor to the Holocaust during the second world war.

 (with AFP) 

Von der Leyen posted on X that she held a “good call” with Trump, but that “to reach a good deal, we would need the time until July 9”.

The European Commission conducts trade policy for the 27-nation bloc and has been negotiating with the US in a bid to avert an all-out trade war.

Trump, who has repeatedly expressed disdain for the EU and how it trades with the US, told reporters Sunday that he agreed to delay the tariffs, following a “very nice call” with Von der Leyen.

On Friday, after complaining that talks with the EU were “going nowhere”, he threatened a 50 percent tariff on all EU imports to the US starting on 1 June, upending a 90-day window he set for negotiations in early April.

The EU is already facing a 25 percent tariff on steel, aluminium and cars imported to the US and a 20-percent “reciprocal” tariff on all imports, which has been suspended pending the negotiations, though a baseline 10 percent remains in force.

Brussels has said it would impose its own tariffs on US goods if negotiations fail to produce a deal.

Von der Leyen warned that a deal was crucial, as “the EU and US share the world’s most consequential and close trade relationship”.

(with newswires)

In a post on X French Foreign Minister called the awarding of the Cannes Palme d’Or to Panahi “a gesture of resistance against the Iranian regime’s oppression”.

Panahi won for his political revenge drama It Was Just an Accident, a film inspired by his own detention that follows a group of former prisoners grappling with whether to take revenge on their former tormentor.

Several actresses also appear in the film without veils, in violation of Iran’s strict dress code for women.

Iran summoned the French charge d’affairs “following the insulting remarks and unfounded allegations by the French minister”, the state news agency IRNA reported Sunday, adding that Iran condemns “the misuse by the French government” of the Cannes festival “to advance its political agenda against the Islamic Republic”.

The state broadcaster had ignored Panahi’s win, instead focusing on a state-aligned “Resistance” film festival that awards pro-Palestinian works or those about the eight-year Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.

The conservative Fars news agency called the jury’s choice political.

Panahi, who has been banned from filmmaking in Iran since 2010 and imprisoned twice, made a speech at Cannes championing freedom of expression.

He told reporters he was not afraid of returning to Iran, and on Sunday he posted a photo of himself with the film’s crew on Instagram saying: “Travellers return home”.

(with AFP)

Although the Cannes Film Festival has officially wrapped, with a suitably emotional ceremony on Saturday evening, for the festival films it’s just the beginning, as they emerge on screens around the world in the coming months and years. 

Here are a just a few of the highlights from two weeks on the Croisette…

Rose-coloured glasses

The audience at the closing ceremony was treated to a surprise performance when actor John C. Reilly came on stage to present the best screenplay award to the Dardenne brothers for Jeunes Mères (Young Mothers) – and was joined by a guitarist to sing La Vie en Rose, made famous by Edith Piaf.

The American actor paid tribute to the writers who “turn words into love songs” as the song goes, and reminded the audience that, while it’s important to focus on issues, it’s also good to see the world “through rose-coloured glasses” from time to time.

Cannes 2025 ends on a high as director Jafar Panahi claims the Palme d’Or

French veteran filmmaker Claude Lelouche also presented a prize – that of best director, to Brazil’s Kleber Mendonca Filho for The Secret Agent – telling the audience that being a director was “the best job in the world”.

Dazzling debuts

The 2025 list of prizewinners included debutants across the categories, bringing a mix of themes and styles to the table.

The moving Nigerian film My Father’s Shadow (in the Un Certain Regard category) by Akinola Davies Jr got a special mention from the jury of the Caméra D’Or debut film prize category.

The film brings the city of Lagos into sharp focus in the midst of the political crisis of the 1993 elections. But the real action is the interaction between a father and his two sons, who he must protect at any cost.

Jury president Alice Rohrwacher praised its sensitivity in bringing a personal story to the screen.

Postcard from Cannes #2: A tender tale of women surviving migration in Tunis

Also remarkable was Nadia Melliti, who won best actress for her debut role in La Petite Dernière (Little Sister).

Her star turn as Fatima, the youngest in a family of Algerian immigrants in France who balances her duty to her family with discovering her homosexuality won the jury’s hearts. 

Melliti, who is studying for a sports degree and had never acted before, was visibly moved as she received her award from the hands of veteran star Daniel Auteuil. 

She thanked her mum – and her “film mum” director Hafsia Herzi. “Thank you Hafsia for this audacious film, for the courage, for your confidence in me,” she said. 

The power to unite

It was satisfying to see Sirat – the thrilling desert road movie by Oliver Laxe – awarded the shared Jury Prize with The Sound of Falling by German director Mascha Schilinski. 

Sirat packs a punch from the start, with its opening notes of techno reverberating off the rock walls of the Moroccan desert – enough to wake the gods, as indeed it does.

Postcard from Cannes #5: Zooming in on talented cinematographers

The film is a shock to the system (in a good way), leaving you on the edge of your seat and unable to look away, as the story unfolds of people facing moments of truth in a crisis, against a backdrop of unseen threats. 

The French-Spanish director credited cinema with the power to unite people across cultural and religious divides.  

“We made you from different tribes so that you would go out and get to know each other,” he said, quoting a line from the Koran. 

“The Cannes Festival is all about that – bringing together different cultures in a game of mirrors which is all about looking at each other as if it were for the first time.” 

In a surprise move, the jury awarded a special prize to futuristic Chinese film Resurrection (Kuang Ye Shi Dai) by Bi Gan – “a marvel”, according to jury president Juliette Binoche. With breathtaking visuals, the film brings together monsters and dreams in an unusual love story spanning the 20th century. 

Blackout

Cannes was plunged into “darkness” (albeit on a bright sunny day) by a power outage or five hours on Saturday, disrupting the running of essential espresso machines – and some competition re-run projections. But the Palais des Festivals cranked up the generators, allowing people to squeeze in three more screenings before the closing ceremony bonanza.

Don’t tell anyone but some journalists were seen sneaking off for swim at the beach, before order was restored at 3pm and fridges and phone chargers rumbled back to life.

Cannes power outage won’t dim the glamour of film festival finale

At the annual Palme Dog, which rewards canines on the silver screen, a record five awards were handed out in the event’s 25th year.

The top prize went to Panda, the Icelandic sheep dog from The Love that Remains (Cannes Première section), for a truly heartwarming performance.

“It is never easy to play the first match at the tournament,” Swiatek told on-court interviewer Alizé Cornet.

“Rebecca was playing with a lot of freedom and attacking well with her forehand.

“I had to stay focused and use my weapons and wait for my moment.”

Swiatek, the winner of four of the past five singles titles at the Roland Garros Stadium, has failed to lift another trophy since brandishing the the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen last June on centre court in Paris.

Following her elimination in the third round at the Italian Open in Rome in May, she dismissed her chances of adding another French Open crown.

Signs of such diffidence were evident in the first half an hour of her encounter with the world number 42. She appeared coiled and reluctant to dominate exchanges.

Surge for first set

But from 3-3, a three-game surge brought her the first set after 43 minutes.

The Swiatek of old would have continued the roll against lesser opposition.

But she lost her serve at the start of the second set and Sramkova dug in to suggest a battle.

But the 28-year-old Slovakian faltered in the middle of the set as Swiatek reeled off five consecutive games to take the set and match after 75 minutes.

Elsewhere in the women’s draw, there was a surprise as the world number 68 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro walloped the ninth seeded American Emma Navarro 6-0, 6-1.

Twelfth seed Elena Rybakina averted a similar shock with a three-set victory over the Argentine qualifer Julia Riera.

Insee, France’s national statistics agency, examined migration trends between 2006 and 2023. The number of people moving to France rose steadily in that period – from 234,000 in 2006 to 347,000 in 2023.

The research also found that for the first time, Africa has overtaken Europe as the main region of origin for people immigrating to France – with 45 percent of new arrivals in 2023 coming from African countries.

Half of those were from the Maghreb – North African countries such as Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. The rest were mostly from the Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal.

European immigration, once dominant, has fallen sharply.

Insee data shows that in 2006, 44 percent of immigrants came from Europe. By 2023, that number had dropped to 28 percent.

There has also been a slight shift in the gender balance, with Insee finding that women made up 53 percent of new arrivals in 2006. In 2023, they made up 51 percent.

France accused of failing migrant teens trapped in legal limbo

More diplomas

The biggest change observed was in education levels. Among immigrants aged 25 and over, 52 percent had a diploma in 2023 – up from 41 percent in 2006.

The share of those arriving without any qualifications also fell, dropping from 30 percent in 2003 to 22 percent in 2023. Insee included the 2003 figure to provide a longer-term comparison beyond the 2006 baseline used elsewhere in the study.

The strongest gains were seen among African immigrants.

In 2006, fewer than one in three held a higher education diploma. By 2023, that figure had risen to one in two.

One in three immigrants was able to find work within a year of arriving in France. Europeans were the most likely to enter the workforce quickly, with more than half employed within 12 months of arrival.

This article was adapted from the original version in French.

There aren’t many 136-year-old metal cylinders tucked away in Paris basements that can claim global fame.

Yet “Prototype 35” – a shimmering iridium-platinum artefact – quietly changed the course of modern life.

At just 39 millimetres high and wide, this unassuming 1 kilogram weight helped anchor the world’s understanding of mass – and with it, the uniformity of measurement that underpins everything from baking a cake to building a bridge.

This week marked the 150th anniversary of the Metre Convention, signed in Paris on 20 May, 1875 by 17 nations eager to bring order to a chaotic patchwork of global measurements.

The treaty established a universal system of units – ushering in consistency, accuracy, and international cooperation in science, industry and daily life.

As the French national metrology institute posted in celebration on X: “This international convention laid the foundations for scientific cooperation to harmonise measurements across the world”.

Revolutionary beginnings

Before the Convention, the world was a confusing place.

A pound of wheat in Marseille didn’t weigh the same as one in Brest, and a yard in one city might be a foot in another.

The French Revolution, with its rallying cry for equality, prompted scientists to invent the metric system, based not on arbitrary traditions but on nature itself, with the metre originally defined as a fraction of Earth’s meridian.

Louis de Broglie’s quantum leap that changed physics forever

What began as a revolutionary idea soon gained traction beyond France. The 1875 Convention established the International Bureau of Weights and Measures and marked the beginning of a truly global system.

Today, more than 150 countries use the International System of Units, which comprises seven base measurements: the metre, kilogram, second, kelvin, candela, ampere and mole.

Far from being stuck in the past, this system is constantly evolving.

Gone are the days of relying on physical objects such as Prototype 35 as ultimate standards. Instead, modern definitions rest on fundamental constants of nature. The metre, for example, is now linked to the speed of light and the kilogram to Planck’s constant, a cornerstone of quantum physics.

International cooperation

These definitions require practical application, and that’s where national metrology institutes such as France’s LNE come in.

At its laboratory in Paris, scientists including Florian Beaudoux meticulously calibrate masses, lasers and gauge blocks, ensuring precision across industries. “Even a microscopic miscalculation can affect everything from engineering to medicine,” he explained to French news agency AFP.

Their work ensures that a litre of petrol in Lyon matches one in Lagos, that an aircraft part built in Toulouse fits seamlessly with another from Hamburg, and that a blood test result is identical whether processed in Tokyo or Toronto.

Towering Scientists: Foucault’s pendulum and Earth’s rotation

International cooperation is at the heart of what they do. As Maguelonne Chambon, director of research at LNE, said: “We need to compare ourselves, understand differences and agree on how to resolve them.”

With climate, altitude and even gravity varying across the globe, collaboration is not a luxury but a necessity.

(with newswires)

Diminished by foot and abdominal injuries, Nadal retired from the ATP circuit last November, boasting 22 trophies from the four Grand Slam tournament venues in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York.

To honour his exploits, most notably in Paris, French Open organisers will allot him pride of place at the end of the first day of play on centre court on Sunday.

“Rafa made history at Roland Garros,” said tournament director Amélie Mauresmo. “And his 14 titles will perhaps remain unequalled at any Grand Slam tournament.”

“We want to have a vision for the future. But we want to celebrate those who have thrilled us in the past. For Rafa, we want the celebration to be exceptional and special.” 

‘I don’t miss tennis’ says Nadal

‘A love story’

In May 2005, aged 18 and sporting pirate shorts, a gilet and a bandana, Nadal fought his way through a field that included the world number one Roger Federer.

Two days after turning 19, he came back from a set down in the final to overpower the Argentine Mariano Puerto and claim the crown.

His 2006 showdown against Federer followed the same pattern. Nadal beat the Swiss in four sets in 2007 and crushed him in the 2008 final 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 to notch up his fourth title.

Robin Soderling from Sweden ended his winning streak in the last-16 in 2009.

But Nadal came back in 2010 to rekindle his supremacy. And there were four more successes to take him to nine. A run of four from 2017 propelled him to 13.

Tennis star Djokovic ends coaching partnership with Murray as French Open looms

His 14th title in 2022 was the stuff of legend.

In the quarter-final, he saw off the top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic in an epic four-hour battle.

Clearly under the cosh against Alexander Zverev in the semi-final, he advanced to his 14th final when the German twisted his ankle chasing a shot and was forced to retire.

An expected storm which would have forced the closure of the centre court roof and given a slight advantage to Casper Ruud in the final failed to materialise. Nadal wrapped up proceedings an hour or so before the heavens opened.

“It’s difficult to describe the feeling,” Nadal said afterwards. “At 36, playing in the most important court of my career and still competitive. I just want to say thank you to everyone here in Paris.”

Gratitude too perhaps to the weather gods who held off the conditions that neutralise Nadal’s arsenal of wicked spins that force the ball to rear up high after bouncing on the clay. 

“Rafael Nadal and Roland Garros is a love story,” said Gilles Moretton, president of the French Tennis Federation, which organises the only Grand Slam tournament on clay courts.

“I think it is important to put it in terms like that because he has a profound respect for the surface of clay and we have the same respect for the player.”

Other tributes will follow during the French Open fortnight. Mary Pierce – the last French player to win a singles title at the tournament – will be hailed for her achievement in 2000.

There will also be an adieu to the French veteran Richard Gasquet, who will retire from the circuit after his last match at the tournament. The 38-year-old reached a career high of seventh in the world in July 2007 and claimed 16 titles during his 23 years on the ATP tour.

The closest he came to emulating Yannick Noah – the last Frenchman to lift the 1983 French Open – was a quarter-final appearance in 2016.

French hopes

None of his younger compatriots figure among the favourites to succeed the 2024 champion Carlos Alcaraz, who will launch the defence of his singles title against the Japanese veteran Kei Nishikori.

Top seed Jannik Sinner will start against the Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech and third seed Zverev, who lost in the 2024 final, will play Lerner Tien from the United States.

Tien’s fellow American, Taylor Fritz, seeded fourth, will play Daniel Altmaier from Germany.

Fourteenth seed Arthur Fils will experience the 2025 tournament for the first time as France’s top player following a solid campaign in the warm-up tournaments.

He lost to Alcaraz in the last eight in Monte Carlo and the semis in Barcelona. Zverev saw him off in the last 16 at the Italian Open.

However, Ugo Humbert, the French number two, has fared less favourably. The 26-year-old injured his right hand in a freak accident in his hotel room during a tournament in Nimes, southern France, and has staggered through events.

After retiring from his second round match at the Italian Open, Umbert announced he would skip the Hamburg Open to rest his wrist before his home Grand Slam, where as 22nd seed he will face Chris O’Connell from Australia in the opening round.

The current crop of Frenchwomen appear light years away from eclipsing Pierce’s feats. 

At 65 in the WTA rankings, Varvara Gracheva leads the pack. The 24-year-old will play the 2020 runner-up Sofia Kenin in the first round.

Diane Parry, the French number two, will take on the unseeded American Robin Montgomery and Léolia Jeanjean, the French number three, will begin against the experienced Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu.

French tennis chiefs seek new skipper for women’s team to replace Benneteau

Caroline Garcia, who won the WTA end-of-season championships in 2022 to rise to number four in the world, has slumped to 145 in the rankings.

A day after she was drawn to play Bernarda Pera in the first round, the 31-year-old Frenchwoman announced on social media that the 2025 French Open would be her last.

“That said, it’s not quite over yet,” Garcia added. “I still have a few tournaments to play. After 15 years competing at the highest level and more than 25 years devoting almost every second of my life to this sport, I feel ready to turn the page and open a new chapter.”

Garcia will be remembered for a bold attacking game that brought her 11 singles titles and two French Open doubles crowns.

‘Every year is different’

The Russian 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva is expected to eclipse such exploits.

Earlier in the season, she arrived at Indian Wells in the United States with the crown from the Dubai Open – one of the most prestigious on the tour.

In the Californian desert, she outwitted the world number two and number one – Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka respectively – to add that title to her burgeoning trophy cabinet.

“Winning Dubai and Indian Wells, that was progress,” said Andreeva’s coach Conchita Martinez. “She’s getting stronger and now I feel like she can compete with the top girls.”

Jasmine Paolini beat Andreeva in last year’s semi-finals before going down to Swiatek in the final. A year on, Paolini, who claimed the 2025 Italian Open singles and doubles crown, appears far more likely than the Pole to feature in the women’s singles final on the last Saturday of the tournament.

Since raising the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen on centre court last June, Swiatek has not brandished any trophies and fallen to number five in the rankings.

After her third round elimination at the Italian Open, the 23-year-old dismissed her chances of a fifth French Open title in six years.

‘People don’t know me’, says defiant Swiatek ahead of French Open defence

“It would be stupid to expect too much because right now, I’m not able to play my game,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what I achieved in Paris before — every year is different,” she added.

Coco Gauff, who lost to Swiatek in the 2022 French Open final, discounted Swiatek’s pessimism as she surged to the runners-up spot at the Italian Open.

“I think for sure it changes some things when you see someone who won the French Open that many times not having the best results.”

“But you also have to respect that she’s a four-time champion. I always think if someone wins a tournament that many times, regardless of what shape they’re in, they can definitely figure out a way to win again.”

Swiatek’s hero, Nadal, wrote the book on that.

Despite the thousands of languages, just 20 or so dominate the global linguistic landscape. Mandarin, Spanish, English, Hindi, Arabic, Portuguese, Bengali, Russian, Japanese, Javanese, German, Wu, Korean, French, Telugu, Marathi, Turkish, Tamil, Vietnamese and Urdu are the mother tongues of more than 3 billion people.

The vast majority of languages on Earth – 95 percent – are actually spoken by just 5 percent of the world’s population. And these are the ones that are in danger – threatened with extinction because they are often based solely on oral tradition and struggle to spread or survive beyond their region or ethnic group of origin.

The most alarming studies say that a language disappears every fortnight, while others, more measured, estimate it to be one every three months.

Unesco, the UN agency for culture and education, estimates that if nothing is done, half of all languages could vanish by 2100.

This warning comes from its World Atlas of Languages. The atlas is based on data from national governments, universities and language communities. It shows the type, structure, situation and usage of every known language.

The scale of the problem

Unesco considers a language to be “endangered” when it is “no longer taught to children as a mother tongue at home” and the youngest speakers are their parents.

It is “seriously endangered” when it is only spoken by grandparents, and parents understand it “but no longer use it with their children or among themselves”.

The last stage before extinction – what Unesco calls the “critical situation” stage – is when “the last speakers are from the great-grandparents’ generation” and the language is “not used in everyday life”.

The research centre for linguistic intelligence, Ethnologue, uses another tool in its research – the Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale, which uses 13 stages to determine the status of a language.

But its conclusions are similar to those of Unesco: 3,170 languages (44 percent of those in use) are currently endangered. It says a language is under threat as soon as “users begin to transmit a more dominant language to the children of the community”.

The Asia-Pacific region is the most affected, with Indonesian and New Guinean languages at the top of the list, followed by Aboriginal languages in Australia. The Americas too rank high, with many indigenous languages in danger of extinction in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Brazil.

Africa is the third most affected continent, particularly Nigeria and Cameroon. But Europe is not immune to the phenomenon, with Russia notably affected.

Hundreds take to the streets to protest in support of French regional languages

Linguistic domination

European colonisation is one of the major factors that explains the trend, having “led to the deaths of millions of indigenous people, disrupting the transmission of languages from one generation to the next,” says linguist Evangelia Adamou, senior researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).

Massacres and epidemics led to the disappearance of entire peoples, and colonial policies added insult to injury by “devaluing indigenous languages” and “forcing children to move away from their families”, she continued.

The residential schools set up by colonisers – such as those in Canada, the United States and Australia – were designed to separate indigenous children from their parents and cut them off from their mother tongue.

Local languages found it very difficult to withstand the pressure from colonial languages and racist and discriminatory policies.

The formation of nation states has also contributed significantly to these disappearances. The idea of a single people speaking the same language, united under the same flag and the same values, has led in many countries “to monolingual mass education, usually in the national language,” said Adamou, leading to “the linguistic displacement of minority languages towards the dominant languages”.

This is how Breton, Basque and many of the languages of New Caledonia and French Guiana have come close to disappearing.

In France and elsewhere, the lack of recognition of traditional languages has led and continues to lead to their abandonment in favour of languages considered more “prestigious” – synonymous with academic and professional success.

Climate change

The other major factor, according to Adamou, is any period of crisis which “profoundly disrupts the use and transmission of languages”. During conflicts, pandemics and natural disasters, “people are fighting for their survival, so the traditional organisation of their society suffers greatly”, she explained. 

Climate change is having a major impact in this regard. Untenable living conditions are pushing people to leave their home regions, often to move to urban areas where they are forced to integrate, losing their traditions and language in the process.

The issue of climate change is all the more important because its consequences are felt most acutely in the regions of the world where there is the greatest linguistic diversity.

Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are under threat from rising sea levels. The Amazon is increasingly affected by deforestation. Nigeria, with its 500 languages, is facing rising temperatures, pollution and coastal erosion. All of these factors are leading to the displacement of populations and threatening the survival of local languages.

Senegal launches English lessons in nursery and primary schools

‘A major impact on health’

This loss has far-reaching consequences. With every language that disappears, cultural identity and traditional knowledge are extinguished.

“A language, through its words, etymology and syntax, conveys a philosophy. Toponyms [place names derived from a topographical feature] carry the characteristics of the region. And cosmology – how the universe was conceived – is conveyed through myths in the ancestral language,” said Adamou.

The extinction of a language takes this heritage with it, impoverishing the heritage of humanity. But it also has very real consequences for the speakers.

Being cut off from one’s language means a reorientation of one’s relationship with the world, losing one’s bearings. This can lead to difficulties functioning in mainstream society, isolation, depression and alcoholism, often compounded by racism and social pressure.

“Studies show that not speaking one’s own language has a major impact on health. People need this traditional framework to be healthy, both physically and mentally,” Adamou explained.

Alsatian dialect taught in French state schools for the first time

Reclaiming identity

Several initiatives are attempting to preserve languages in danger of disappearing, as awareness of the issue and its consequences grows. Unesco has proclaimed 2022-2032 the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, in order to promote preservation and rehabilitation programmes.

Institutions are making available archives of information on endangered languages – such as the CNRS’s Pangloss website and the catalogue of the Endangered Language Project. This is material that is invaluable for local communities embarking on language revitalisation projects.

“There is currently a real movement to reclaim one’s culture and identity, often driven by young indigenous people, who are stepping up their efforts and attempts to revitalise their language all over the world,” said Adamou. These young people, she says, are railing against the pessimism engendered by statistics and the use of expressions such as “the last speakers”.

“We can act before it’s too late and, even when a language is no longer spoken, there is always hope,” Amadou insists. She feels it is more accurate to talk about “dormant” languages rather than “dead” ones  – after all, languages can be revived. 

This phenomenon has been witnessed, for example with Wampanoag in the United States and Livonian in Latvia. But the most striking example is undoubtedly Hebrew. After disappearing for centuries, it is now the official language of a state and the mother tongue of several million people. We haven’t necessarily heard the last of those languages in danger now. 

This article was adapted from the original version in French.

With global plastic production doubling in less than 10 years, reducing it is key for protecting the ocean, according to findings at the Reducing Plastics: A Vital Issue for the Ocean conference, held in Marseille on Monday.

French and European scientists and policymakers gathered at the Mucem museum in Marseille for the summit – organised by the Tara Ocean Foundation and the French branch of the Interparliamentary Coalition to End Plastic Pollution.

“Today, we are facing a plastic crisis, which is a major crisis affecting the oceans and the environment in all its dimensions – climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss,” Henri Bourgois-Costa, head of public affairs for the Tara Ocean Foundation, told RFI. 

French schooner Tara charts a course for change ahead of UN oceans summit

Recycling not (the only) solution 

Today, at a global level, 50 percent of plastics are landfilled, 14 percent are recycled, 17 percent incinerated and 19 percent are poorly managed, explained Fabienne Lagarde, an environmental chemist at Le Mans university.

“Recycling is the tree that hides the forest, because the end of life of plastic is also polluting,” she said.

Moreover, 98 percent of plastics today are not biodegradable, and two-thirds are not recyclable, Lagarde pointed out.

France pushes for action as high seas treaty hangs in the balance

“Most of our waste is either buried or incinerated, leading to a major environmental leak that originates primarily from land,” explained Jean-François Ghiglione, a researcher from the French National Centre for Scientific Research and the scientific director of the Tara Microplastics mission 2019, whose initial results were published in April. 

“And more than 80 percent of plastics that end up in the sea come from the land,” he added.

The study published last month, which focused on nine major European rivers, showed that 100 percent of these rivers were polluted by microplastics arriving directly from land.

“Microplastics come from the breakdown of large waste. A large piece of waste – through abrasion, friction and UV exposure – breaks into smaller and smaller pieces, almost infinitely,” explained Ghiglione. 

These microplastics measure between 0.025mm and 5mm, and are invisible to the naked eye.

Digital boom makes Marseille a global data hub – but at what cost?

The study also showed that 85 percent of plastics in the sea are in microplastic form. 

These microplastics are also found throughout the food chain, affecting 1.4 million birds and 14,000 mammals every year. Doctors are now investigating the consequences for human health.

“We absolutely must reach a global plastics treaty that reduces the quantity of plastics, because we have scientifically shown that the more plastic is produced, the more pollution there is. The relationship is linear,” concluded Ghiglione. 

Earlier this week, France urged countries around the world to ratify the landmark High Seas Treaty before the UN Ocean Conference, which opens in Nice on 9 June.

The treaty was adopted in June 2023 by 193 countries but cannot take effect until it is ratified by 60 countries. So far, only 21 have done so.

“Trade, not aid, is now the pillar of our policy in Africa,” said United States ambassador Troy Fitrell, from the Bureau of African Affairs, in a speech on 14 May at business summit in Abidjan.

The declaration settles any doubts over the Trump administration’s position on aid towards Africa. The US – the world single largest aid donor in the world, according to the United Nations – no longer wants to disburse billions in foreign aid, despite the fact that it represents a small percentage of its entire budget.

In 2023, the US spent $71.9 billion in foreign aid, which amounts to 1.2 percent of its entire budget for that fiscal year.

President Donald Trump repeatedly stated that aid is a waste. For years, Africa has been the region receiving more funding from the United States than any other.

Across the African continent, Trump’s executive orders were initially met with shock, anger, and despair — but also with a renewed determination to change course and place African resources at the heart of African healthcare.

In February, at an African Union summit, Rwandan President Paul Kagame announced that the AU’s health institutions, including the Centres for Disease Control, would take the lead in seeking alternatives to US funding.

“Africa now finds itself at a crossroads. The health financing landscape has shifted dramatically.

“I propose that, over the next year, we work together to define new mechanisms for concrete collaboration on healthcare among governments, businesses, and philanthropies,” he told African leaders.

“The work of building our continent, including our healthcare systems, cannot be outsourced to anyone else.”

To untangle what is going on, for this edition of Interntional Report, RFI interviewed Eric Olander, editor-in-chief of the China-Global South Project; Chris Milligan, former foreign service officer at USAID, in Washington; Mark Heywood, human rights and social justice activist in South Africa, co-founder of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC); Onikepe Owolabi, vice president of International research at the Guttmacher institute in New York; Monica Oguttu, founding executive director of KMET, Kisumu Medical and Education Trust, in Kenya.

The pledge was made during a meeting of the US-Turkey Working Group in Washington, where diplomats committed to “increasing cooperation and coordination on the security and stability of Syria”.

Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, who heads the German Marshall Fund office in Ankara, said this signals progress.

“I think it shows us that Turkey and the US can get on the same page when it comes to Syria,” he said. “Disagreements in Syria were part of the problem between Turkey and the United States. There are other issues, but this one was one of the core issues.”

Unluhisarcikli believes the good chemistry between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Donald Trump is playing a role.

“I think it’s significant President Erdogan is one of the leaders that President Trump likes working with and trusts. But of course, this is the case until it’s not,” he said.

Macron urges Syrian leader to protect minorities after deadly clashes

Israeli pushback

The move comes despite a warning from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who told Trump during his February visit to Washington that Turkey was a security threat in Syria.

Both countries have troops in Syria and see each other as rivals.

Trump appeared to dismiss Netanyahu’s concerns, speaking to the international media from the Oval Office with the Israeli leader at his side.

“I told the Prime Minister: Bibi, if you have a problem with Turkey, I really think I can be able to work it out,” Trump said. “I have a really great relationship with Turkey and its leader.”

Erdogan, along with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is credited with helping persuade Trump to lift sanctions on Syria. Israeli foreign policy analyst Gallia Lindenstrauss said the decision went against Israel’s position.

She explained that Israel wanted any easing of sanctions to be linked to concessions by Damascus.

“I think the fact the US ambassador to Turkey has been appointed as the envoy to Syria also means the Turkish position will get more attention from the US side,” Lindenstrauss said.

“That in itself makes some concern in Israel. Because here Israel has its priorities with regards to Syria, it wants someone pushing Turkey to be more flexible and not, of course, to build bases throughout Syria. That would be a very threatening scenario regarding Israel.”

Turkey’s rivalry with Iran shifts as US threats create unlikely common ground

Turkish airbases

Israeli warplanes recently destroyed a Syrian airbase that Turkish forces were preparing to take over. Turkey says its growing military presence, including control of airbases, is aimed at helping Syria’s new rulers fight insurgent groups like the Islamic State.

“For Turkey, Syria’s security and stability are of the utmost importance, and Turkey is devoting resources to keep Syria stable because Syria’s stability is so important for Turkey’s security, and that’s what Israel should understand,” Unluhisarcikli said.

But Turkish airbases equipped with missile defences would restrict Israel’s freedom to operate in Syrian airspace.

“Israel has just found an opportunity, an air corridor towards Iran (via Syrian airspace), which it can use without asking for permission from any third party,” Unluhisarcikli said. “If Turkey takes over the bases, then Israel would need to get permission from Turkey, which it doesn’t want to, and I think that’s understandable.”

Azerbaijan has been mediating talks between Israel and Turkey to reduce tensions. The two sides have reportedly set up deconfliction systems, including a hotline.

“There has been progress between Israel and Turkey over Syria. There have been at least three announced talks in Azerbaijan which is positive,” Lindenstrauss said.

PKK ends 40-year fight but doubts remain about the next steps

Iran and the F-35s

Iran’s nuclear programme is another source of friction between Israel and Turkey.

Unluhisarcikli said Trump seems to be leaning more towards Erdogan’s view than Netanyahu’s.

“For Turkey, military conflict with Iran is a very bad scenario. I am not entirely sure that’s how Trump feels, but for him, any conflict should be just a second choice because conflict is not good for business,” Unluhisarcikli said.

“It seems Israel has made the judgment that it is time for military action, the time for talking is over. There should be military action. Trump disagrees. He thinks he does have a chance of negotiating.”

US and Iranian negotiators met in Rome on Friday for the fifth round of talks. Erdogan supports the talks and has also claimed that Trump is open to lifting the US embargo on selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. That would remove Israel’s technical advantage in the air.

Trump’s increasingly close relationship with Erdogan comes amid reports that he is uneasy about Israel’s war in Gaza. But Lindenstrauss warned that Israel is counting on Trump’s unpredictability.

“We know that Trump has a basic favourable view towards Erdogan. This was already in his first term, and it is continuing now. But we also know that Trump can be tough towards Turkey, and he did implement sanctions against Turkey in his first term,” she said.

“So this good relationship depends on whether Turkey is in line with US interests. But of course, Israel is watching.”

However, with Israel’s war in Gaza showing little signs of ending, threatening further diplomatic isolation, Erdogan for now appears to have Trump’s ear, with the two leaders sharing similar agendas.

Dressed in a black suit, black shoes and a dark shirt, the 38-year-old Spaniard soaked up the applause from the 15,000 spectators in the stands during a 45-minute ceremony at the end of the daytime matches.

A four-minute video splicing images of Nadal unleashing his trademark shots and fist pumps from over the years at the Roland Garros Stadium brought cheers and chants of “Rafa! Rafa!”

“I played here for 20 years,” Nadal said. “I suffered. I won and I lost. I have lived many emotions on this court.”

From his first appearance in May 2005 until his departure in 2024, Nadal contested 116 matches. He was outwitted on the court four times.

He had pocketed four crowns when Robin Soderling was the first to beat him in 2009. Novak Djokovic saw him off in the 2015 quarter-finals and Nadal withdrew before his third round match against Marcel Granollers in 2016.

Djokovic vanquished him in the semis in 2021 and Alexander Zverev dispatched him last year in the first round.

In the prelude to the 2025 competition – the first since his retirement from the ATP circuit in November – French Open directors announced they wanted to celebrate the 124-year-old tournament’s greatest champion.

“Thank you to Roland Garros for giving me the opportunity to be again on the most important court of my tennis career,” said Nadal who was forced to withdraw from the 2004 tournament due to injury.

Dressed in pirate shorts, bandana and a bicep-revealing gilet, the fist-pumping 18-year-old blazed through a field that included the world number one Roger Federer.

“I’ve had incredible rivals,” Nadal added. “Roger, Novak and others who pushed me to my physical and mental limits.”

After thanking tournament administrators, his friends and family, Djokovic, Federer and Andy Murray – the other members of what tennis writers dubbed “the Big Four” came out to share the stage.

“After all these years fighting for biggest things in our sport, we showed that we can fight in a good way,” Nadal told his old foes.

“Thank you. We respected each other and it is important that you are here. I appreciated pushing myself to the limit because of you all. You mean everything to me and that we can be good friends sends a message to the world.

“I hope we continue to do positive things together.”

After French Open bosses Gilles Moretton and Amelie Mauresmo presented him with a trophy with his signature and a list of all his victories, they ushered him over to a plaque in the ground bearing his footprint and the number 14.

More cheers and more tears.

In a dramatic and emotional close to the 78th Cannes Film Festival, Iranian director Jafar Panahi was awarded the prestigious Palme d’Or for his powerful revenge thriller It Was Just an Accident.

The moment was both triumphant and poignant, marking a major victory for a filmmaker who has long worked under extreme political pressure.

Panahi, who has been banned from leaving Iran for over 15 years, was presented the award by Cate Blanchett to a roaring standing ovation.

The filmmaker, visibly stunned, threw his arms up in disbelief before rising to applaud the crowd.

In a heartfelt speech, he championed freedom of expression, declaring: “No one should dare tell us what kind of clothes we should wear, what we should do or what we should not do. The cinema is a society”.

Story of revenge

Panahi’s win marks a sixth consecutive Palme d’Or for the indie distributor Neon, continuing a remarkable streak that includes Parasite, Titane, Triangle of Sadness, Anatomy of a Fall, and Anora.

With North American rights already secured, It Was Just an Accident seems poised to follow in the footsteps of its award-winning predecessors.

The film, inspired by Panahi’s own imprisonment, follows a group of ex-prisoners grappling with whether to take revenge on their former tormentor.

Panahi, jailed in 2022 after seeking information on fellow filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, was freed in 2023 after a hunger strike.

Despite years of surveillance, censorship, and a travel ban, he continued to make films in secret, often smuggling them to festivals on USB drives.

Festival jury president Juliette Binoche, a long-time supporter of Panahi, praised the film’s spirit of “resistance and survival.” She added, “Art will always win. What is human will always win”.

Cannes surprises US actor Denzel Washington with honorary Palme d’Or

‘Contemplation and empathy’

The Grand Prix – Cannes’ second-highest honour – went to Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, a moving Norwegian family drama that reunites the director with actress Renate Reinsve.

Trier used the moment to reflect on the power of cinema in a world oversaturated with images, praising Cannes for honouring films that invite contemplation and empathy.

Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho scooped up Best Director for his political thriller The Secret Agent, while Wagner Moura won Best Actor for the same film.

Juror Jeremy Strong noted simply, “That was our wish”.

The wins follow Brazil’s recent Oscar success with I’m Still Here, adding to a celebratory year for the country’s cinema.

Cannes power outage won’t dim the glamour of film festival finale

Cannes accolades

The Jury Prize was shared by Óliver Laxe’s Sirât and Mascha Schilinski’s German generational drama Sound of Falling.

Nadia Melliti took home Best Actress for her role in The Little Sister, and Cannes regulars Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne added yet another accolade – Best Screenplay for Young Mothers.

Iraq also celebrated an historic first, with Hasan Hadi’s The President’s Cake winning the Camera d’Or.

Despite a day rocked by a major power outage – suspected to be arson –Cannes carried on.

As actor John C. Reilly put it, “The films gave us all the electricity we needed”.

For his first feature-length film, Ratchapoom Bookbunchachoke relies on ghosts who contact humans to comment on several societal and environmental issues – such as deadly air pollution in Bangkok. 

The film is full of dark, mischievous humour and operates on several levels, surprising the audience with its unusual twists and turns. 

On the surface, it’s a story about a young man, March, who is struggling with grief after the death of his wife, who died due to an air-pollution related illness.

She is reincarnated in the form of a vacuum cleaner, which lends itself to some hilarious scenes. 

The couple are able to resume a relationship, but one that is considered “bizarre” and “unnatural” by March’s family.  

In order for the ghost to stay among the living, she must accept to help “chase away” the various lost souls who haunt her husband’s family’s electric appliances company in the form of angry fridges and epileptic ventilators. 

Nat becomes a kind of “ghostbuster” of the afterlife – in other words, a “useful ghost”. 

• Find out about the winners of the Critics’ Week Prizes here

Alert over pollution

“Ghosts are very common in Thailand,” Boonbunchachoke told RFI from the Cannes Film Festival, admitting that he himself hasn’t been personally haunted, but he has heard many stories. 

He explains that ghosts are in integral part of Thai society and accepted.

Unlike in Western cultures, they are not always seen as malevolent – sometimes they simply want to comfort the living, like in the case of Nat and March. 

For Boonbunchachoke, the vacuum cleaner as a lead character is a key, as it represents dust, allowing him to address the very serious problem of air pollution in Bangkok, which has reached “shockingly high” levels, he says.

Opposition in Thailand accuses junta of rigging elections

Dust as powerful metaphor

But on another level, dust has a social and political connotation. 

“When you say you are dust, you are people without power, without voice … You cannot control your life. You are easily swept away, cleaned up, wiped away – wiped out by the ruling class,” he explains. 

In the film there are entire residential areas being razed to make way for modern highrise buildings and business districts, sweeping the ordinary folks away. 

Funding insufficient to tackle air pollution, world’s biggest health threat, study shows

He goes on to show that these same people have been seen over the years as “subhuman” and therefore expendable in political terms. 

To address this, Boonbunchachoke introduces another ghost – a political activist – who falls in love with the man whose house he is haunting.

He pleads with his human host to remember the dissidents of the past who were killed by a zealous regime.

Former Thai leader Thaksin jailed after return from exile

Red Shirt crackdown

Without referring to it specifically, it is understood that Boonbunchachoke is talking about the crackdown on the the Red Shirt movement in 2010. 

At least 90 people were killed when the army brutally broke up protesters who were demanding new elections after former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a coup. 

The ghost of Nat is also recruited by a shady government minister who brings her in to find and terminate the dissident ghosts and civilians that are haunting his home. 

Boonbunchachoke recalls seeing “a lot of debris, mess on the street” after the demonstrations, when the Thai authorities quickly launched a campaign to clean up the city. 

People with water and brooms appeared out of nowhere “to cleanse the blood, the dirt … all the evidence, and I found it pretty weird,” he says. 

“In Thailand, the state always tries to erase something they don’t like”.

Telling queer stories

In terms of tackling other forms of discrimination in society, the film also openly embraces queer culture, with several homosexual relationships built into the story. 

“In Thailand LGBTQ love or coming-out stories are common,” Ratchapoom says, adding that despite a law since January for same-sex marriages, there’s still a way to go. 

His film draws a comparison between a “bizarre” or “unnatural” relationship between ghosts and humans and homosexual or non binary relationships considered by society as “taboo”. 

“We need more diverse queer stories to be told,” he maintains. 

Farewell Caroline

Just before the start of the 2025 French Open, the French star Caroline Garcia announced she would retire from the WTA circuit sometime before the end of the year thus making this year’s tournament her last. The former world number four, who has been plagued by myriad injuries over the past few years, lost in straight sets to the American Bernarda Pera but stayed on centre court after her defeat to lap up the love and reciprocate. “I’ve always played with my emotions,” she said to the roars of the crowd. Choking back the tears, she added: “I’ve been coming here for 16 years trying to win but I never did it.” Laments aside, she did claim 11 singles titles during her career including the prestigious WTA end-of-season championships in 2022. She was a dab hand in the doubles too, lifting two French Open crowns with Kristina Mladenovic. “I’ve always been happy to play in front of the French crowds here at Roland Garros,” she added. “And it will be engraved in my heart.” 

One more time

With such touchy-feely swirling around the grounds, it’s just as well that Richard Gasquet from France beat compatriot Terence Atmane in four sets to reach the second round. The 38-year-old will retire when he loses and a big farewell has been programmed for centre court for a player who was tipped for the very top of the game before interlopers such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray rewrote the tale.

Writing on the wall

Richard Gasquet’s second round opponent? World number one Jannik Sinner who dispatched the Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in straight sets in the night session match. “Obviously if I can play the world number one, it would be a fabulous thing,” said Gasquet just before Sinner and Rinderknech went into battle. “It would be a beautiful draw for me. At the end of your career for your last match, you couldn’t dream better than playing the world number one.” Hang on, what about kinship and supporting the home boys and girls. “I’ll be happy to play against Arthur,” Gasquet added. “Because it would mean he won.” Noblesse oblige. Diplomatic corps for Gasquet, then.

So what do you think about that Rafael Nadal?

After their first round matches, both Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz were quizzed about their feelings for a certain 14-time champion. Really? These are Rafael Nadal fan boy and fan girl incarnate. Just after moving into the second round at the expense of Rebecca Sramkova, Swiatek, who was in the centre court stands during the Day 1 homage to Nadal, said: “I just tried to keep it together. I knew the cameras would be on Carlos who was just behind me. When I saw Rafa cry, it showed us he is human.” Alcaraz was just as gushing. “Well, Rafa has been my idol since the beginning of my career, for my interest in tennis,” the 22-year-old Spaniard enthused. “For me, to be able to watch his last match here in Roland Garros last year and be able to be there for that farewell … it was a really special day for everyone. It was a special moment for me. It was emotional.”

Sinner hijacked

Pity poor Jannik Sinner. There he was politely answering Alex Corretja’s questions on court after dispatching the local hero Arthur Rinderknech when Corretja goes rogue and ushers the Italian from the centre of the court over to the side to look at the plaque hailing Rafael Nadal’s achievements. Summarily urged to talk, Sinner could have gone nominative determinist. But Jannik didn’t panic and unfurled a slickness that will surely stand him in good stead for the rest of the tournament. “Rafa is a very special person,” he asserted. “He has a great family and a new chapter is opening for him. The plaque is the least this court can do. We’re lucky to still share the court with him. He is a role model.” 

Despite the thousands of languages, just 20 or so dominate the global linguistic landscape. Mandarin, Spanish, English, Hindi, Arabic, Portuguese, Bengali, Russian, Japanese, Javanese, German, Wu, Korean, French, Telugu, Marathi, Turkish, Tamil, Vietnamese and Urdu are the mother tongues of more than 3 billion people.

The vast majority of languages on Earth – 95 percent – are actually spoken by just 5 percent of the world’s population. And these are the ones that are in danger – threatened with extinction because they are often based solely on oral tradition and struggle to spread or survive beyond their region or ethnic group of origin.

The most alarming studies say that a language disappears every fortnight, while others, more measured, estimate it to be one every three months.

Unesco, the UN agency for culture and education, estimates that if nothing is done, half of all languages could vanish by 2100.

This warning comes from its World Atlas of Languages. The atlas is based on data from national governments, universities and language communities. It shows the type, structure, situation and usage of every known language.

The scale of the problem

Unesco considers a language to be “endangered” when it is “no longer taught to children as a mother tongue at home” and the youngest speakers are their parents.

It is “seriously endangered” when it is only spoken by grandparents, and parents understand it “but no longer use it with their children or among themselves”.

The last stage before extinction – what Unesco calls the “critical situation” stage – is when “the last speakers are from the great-grandparents’ generation” and the language is “not used in everyday life”.

The research centre for linguistic intelligence, Ethnologue, uses another tool in its research – the Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale, which uses 13 stages to determine the status of a language.

But its conclusions are similar to those of Unesco: 3,170 languages (44 percent of those in use) are currently endangered. It says a language is under threat as soon as “users begin to transmit a more dominant language to the children of the community”.

The Asia-Pacific region is the most affected, with Indonesian and New Guinean languages at the top of the list, followed by Aboriginal languages in Australia. The Americas too rank high, with many indigenous languages in danger of extinction in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Brazil.

Africa is the third most affected continent, particularly Nigeria and Cameroon. But Europe is not immune to the phenomenon, with Russia notably affected.

Hundreds take to the streets to protest in support of French regional languages

Linguistic domination

European colonisation is one of the major factors that explains the trend, having “led to the deaths of millions of indigenous people, disrupting the transmission of languages from one generation to the next,” says linguist Evangelia Adamou, senior researcher at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).

Massacres and epidemics led to the disappearance of entire peoples, and colonial policies added insult to injury by “devaluing indigenous languages” and “forcing children to move away from their families”, she continued.

The residential schools set up by colonisers – such as those in Canada, the United States and Australia – were designed to separate indigenous children from their parents and cut them off from their mother tongue.

Local languages found it very difficult to withstand the pressure from colonial languages and racist and discriminatory policies.

The formation of nation states has also contributed significantly to these disappearances. The idea of a single people speaking the same language, united under the same flag and the same values, has led in many countries “to monolingual mass education, usually in the national language,” said Adamou, leading to “the linguistic displacement of minority languages towards the dominant languages”.

This is how Breton, Basque and many of the languages of New Caledonia and French Guiana have come close to disappearing.

In France and elsewhere, the lack of recognition of traditional languages has led and continues to lead to their abandonment in favour of languages considered more “prestigious” – synonymous with academic and professional success.

Climate change

The other major factor, according to Adamou, is any period of crisis which “profoundly disrupts the use and transmission of languages”. During conflicts, pandemics and natural disasters, “people are fighting for their survival, so the traditional organisation of their society suffers greatly”, she explained. 

Climate change is having a major impact in this regard. Untenable living conditions are pushing people to leave their home regions, often to move to urban areas where they are forced to integrate, losing their traditions and language in the process.

The issue of climate change is all the more important because its consequences are felt most acutely in the regions of the world where there is the greatest linguistic diversity.

Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are under threat from rising sea levels. The Amazon is increasingly affected by deforestation. Nigeria, with its 500 languages, is facing rising temperatures, pollution and coastal erosion. All of these factors are leading to the displacement of populations and threatening the survival of local languages.

Senegal launches English lessons in nursery and primary schools

‘A major impact on health’

This loss has far-reaching consequences. With every language that disappears, cultural identity and traditional knowledge are extinguished.

“A language, through its words, etymology and syntax, conveys a philosophy. Toponyms [place names derived from a topographical feature] carry the characteristics of the region. And cosmology – how the universe was conceived – is conveyed through myths in the ancestral language,” said Adamou.

The extinction of a language takes this heritage with it, impoverishing the heritage of humanity. But it also has very real consequences for the speakers.

Being cut off from one’s language means a reorientation of one’s relationship with the world, losing one’s bearings. This can lead to difficulties functioning in mainstream society, isolation, depression and alcoholism, often compounded by racism and social pressure.

“Studies show that not speaking one’s own language has a major impact on health. People need this traditional framework to be healthy, both physically and mentally,” Adamou explained.

Alsatian dialect taught in French state schools for the first time

Reclaiming identity

Several initiatives are attempting to preserve languages in danger of disappearing, as awareness of the issue and its consequences grows. Unesco has proclaimed 2022-2032 the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, in order to promote preservation and rehabilitation programmes.

Institutions are making available archives of information on endangered languages – such as the CNRS’s Pangloss website and the catalogue of the Endangered Language Project. This is material that is invaluable for local communities embarking on language revitalisation projects.

“There is currently a real movement to reclaim one’s culture and identity, often driven by young indigenous people, who are stepping up their efforts and attempts to revitalise their language all over the world,” said Adamou. These young people, she says, are railing against the pessimism engendered by statistics and the use of expressions such as “the last speakers”.

“We can act before it’s too late and, even when a language is no longer spoken, there is always hope,” Amadou insists. She feels it is more accurate to talk about “dormant” languages rather than “dead” ones  – after all, languages can be revived. 

This phenomenon has been witnessed, for example with Wampanoag in the United States and Livonian in Latvia. But the most striking example is undoubtedly Hebrew. After disappearing for centuries, it is now the official language of a state and the mother tongue of several million people. We haven’t necessarily heard the last of those languages in danger now. 

This article was adapted from the original version in French.

The victory advanced him to a second round match on Thursday against another home favourite Richard Gasquet who will retire from the ATP circuit once he is defeated at the French Open.

“I know the next match is going to be special,” said Sinner. “It doesn’t get better. Richard gave so much to our sport and gave so much to French tennis.

“I will be happy to play this match. I know the crowd will support him. That’s OK. I’m happy to share this match with him.”

Gasquet progressed earlier in the day following a four-set victory over compatriot Terence Atmane.

When asked about his second round opponent, the 38-year-old was as stylish as his backhand.

“At the end of your career for your last match, you couldn’t dream better than playing the world number one,” he said.

“I’ll be happy to play against Arthur, because it would mean he won.”

Match

For the first 80 minutes of the night session match, that prospect appeared unlikely.

Rinderknech, ranked 75 in the world, started boldly against the 23-year-old Italian who returned to competition at the Italian Open in Rome a fortnight ago after serving a three-month ban for a doping offence.

But the local hero failed to exploit three break points midway through the opener and eventually cracked at the end of the set to hand it to Sinner 6-4.

Without much ado, Sinner took the second 6-3 to seize control.

But a lapse of concentration at the start of the third allowed Rinderknech to open up a 2-0 lead. He held his own service and snaffled Sinner’s again to extend the advantage to 4-0. 

Chance

But he botched the chance to go 5-0 ahead and from 4-1, Sinner reeled him in.

Rinderknech served for the third set at 5-3 but the 29-year-old fluffed his lines.

Sinner eventually levelled at 5-5 and it was Rinderknech’s time to go walkabout when serving to take a 6-5 lead.

His second double fault of the match offered Sinner a break point and a wayward forehand volley gave him the break and the opportunity to serve for the match.

The world number one, who lost in last year’s semi-final to the eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz, capitalised on the reprieve to terminate proceedings after two hours and 15 minutes.

“First round matches are never easy,” said Sinner. “I missed a couple of shots in the third set and Arthur played very well but I tried to keep a good mindset.”

The Dutch museum has removed 113 Benin bronzes from display and is restoring them, ahead of shipping them back to Lagos in June. 

The bronzes were looted from the ancient Kingdom of Benin, in modern-day Nigeria, more than 120 years ago by British colonisers.

The Netherlands agreed to return 119 Benin bronze statues to Nigeria in February.

“These don’t belong here. They were violently taken, so they need to go back,” museum director Marieke van Bommel told French news agency AFP. “This is a typical example of looted art.”

Netherlands agrees to return 119 Benin statues to Nigeria

Setting an example

While the majority of these 19th-century African sculptures remain in France and the UK, van Bommel hopes the Dutch example will be noted around the world.

“I think we all agree that this collection doesn’t belong in European museums. We do hope that other countries will follow this example,” she said.

According to her, the collection is priceless: “It’s a cultural value, so we never put a price on it.”

The museum in Leiden has also restored hundreds of pieces of colonial loot to Indonesia (a former Dutch colony), Mexico and the United States.

It is currently showing an exhibition entitled Our Colonial Inheritance, which examines Dutch colonial history in Indonesia, Suriname, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, among other countries.

“Colonialism is not a thing of the past,” the exhibition text reads. “It has shaped the world: our physical, mental and personal world. Colonialism lives on to this day.”

Van Bommel said they had struck a deal with Nigeria to retain four of the bronzes on loan, so visitors can continue to learn from their story.

“We want to talk about the expedition, but also about the whole subject of restitution,” she explained.

Former Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari declared in 2023 that the returned works would be given to the Oba, the traditional ruler of the kingdom, and not to the Nigerian state.

Plans are taking shape to build a museum in Benin City, Nigeria, where the bronzes will take pride of place.

A violent history

The story of the theft of the Benin bronzes began in 1897, when nine British military officers were killed on a trade mission to the Kingdom of Benin, in the south of present-day Nigeria.

The UK deployed a military expedition to avenge the death of its officers, with British troops killing several thousand locals and torching Benin’s capital city. They also looted the royal palace, stealing hundreds of artworks – including the Benin bronzes.

Most were auctioned off or sold to finance the expedition, to museums across Europe and the US.

Now, 128 years later, Nigeria is negotiating their return, with mixed degrees of success.

The Netherlands has agreed to return 119 bronzes in total (with six coming from Rotterdam in addition to the 113 from Leiden) and Germany has also begun restitution.

Beyond Nigeria, a growing number of African countries have called for works of art and priceless artefacts to be returned, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Egypt, Ghana, Ethiopia and Benin – to which France agreed to return 127 treasures this year.

How an RFI investigation helped return an ancient treasure to Benin

Belgium has also agreed to hand over an inventory of 84,000 Congolese artefacts dating from the colonial period to the government of the DRC – but their return has not taken place yet.

However, the British Museum in London continues to refuse to return any of its famed collection, due to a law passed in 1963 which technically prevents the museum from giving back the treasures in its possession.

 (with AFP)

A 29-year-old man was shot dead overnight in the eastern French city of Dijon, with investigators treating the case as a likely gang-related killing, according to the local prosecutor.

The incident took place in the southern Chenôve district, an area known for drug trafficking, prosecutor Olivier Caracotch confirmed in a statement on Sunday.

Police recovered “a dozen shell casings from an automatic weapon” at the scene, which took place on a residential street.

Some bullets struck nearby cars and even reached a third-floor flat, but fortunately, no one else was injured.

Youth dies from gunshot wounds sustained during drugs gang violence in Poitiers

No prior convictions

According to the criminal investigation unit, the gunman approached a group including the victim around midnight, opened fire, and fled the scene by car.

The man who was killed was a local resident and had no prior convictions related to drug offences, Caracotch added.

A formal investigation has been launched into murder by an organised gang and criminal conspiracy.

(With AFP)

France is seeking to expand its €5.3 billion trade relationship with Vietnam, focusing on energy, infrastructure and technology.

More than 30 agreements are expected to be signed during the visit, including collaborations in nuclear energy and satellite development.

According to the latest EU figures, Vietnam is France’s 17th biggest trade partner outside the EU, while French exports to Vietnam value €1.6 billion against €3.7 billion of imports from Vietnam. More than 2,000 French companies currently export to Vietnam.

Vietnam’s efforts to diversify foreign investment – particularly in transport and renewable energy – align with France’s ambitions to counterbalance China’s growing influence in the region.

Although France ranks only 16th among Vietnam’s foreign investors, Macron’s delegation aims to position French firms as credible alternatives to Chinese infrastructure financing.

‘Bamboo Diplomacy’

Meanwhile, Vietnam is actively strengthening its own multilateral partnerships to hedge against Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea and economic coercion.

China asserts control over vast areas beyond internationally recognised maritime boundaries, militarising the region by establishing bases on shoals and atolls, sometimes claimed by other countries such as the Philippines, and frequently encroaching on waters claimed by Vietnam.

France’s Indo-Pacific strategy sees Vietnam as critical for securing maritime routes and ensuring supply chain resilience.

In October 2024, France became the first EU country to upgrade ties with Vietnam to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” after more than 50 years of diplomatic relations.

This approach aligns closely with Hanoi’s so-called “bamboo diplomacy”, which has recently seen Vietnam upgrade its relations with the US, Japan, and now France.

Macron’s subsequent visits to Indonesia and Singapore underscore broader European efforts to re-engage with ASEAN amid ongoing US-China tensions.

Macron outlines France’s vision for Asia-Pacific relations, rejects confrontation

The show goes on

Following his stop in Vietnam, Macron will travel to Indonesia from 27 to 29 May, where he is set to meet President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta and Yogyakarta.

On the program: defence cooperation, nuclear energy and economic ties. Macron will then proceed to Singapore, where he will participate in a series of official meetings and investor roundtables before delivering a keynote address at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defence summit. 

His message will highlight France and Europe as trustworthy partners offering cooperation “with no strings attached”, as Southeast Asia navigates intensifying US-China rivalry and seeks to diversify its economic and security partnerships

Macron urges trade cooperation with China ahead of South East Asia tour

Shadows of the past

The legacy of France’s colonial past looms over the Vietnam visit. Between 1858 and 1885, France conquered Vietnam through a series of military campaigns, establishing Indochina as a colony.

The 1954 Battle of Dien Bien Phu, where Viet Minh forces defeated French troops after a 56-day siege, brought an end to colonial rule but left enduring cultural ties.

The French withdrawal was followed by an increasing US presence, culminating in the Vietnam War, which claimed the lives of around two million people.

France played a significant diplomatic role in ending the Vietnam War in 1973 by hosting the peace negotiations that led to the Paris Peace Accords, signed at the Majestic Hotel on Paris’ Champs-Elysées.

Macron is unlikely to address France’s colonial history and its aftermath directly, but Vietnam’s enduring French architectural influences and the presence of some 30,000 francophone residents reflect the complex postcolonial relationship.

Human rights

Macron also faces pressure to address Vietnam’s deteriorating human rights record.

“Vietnam is waging an unprecedented and really brutal crackdown on civil society,” said Penelope Faulkner, president of the Paris-based Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR).

In a press release signed by four human rights organisations – including the FIDH, the VCHR and Global Witness – activists called on Macron to press for the release of human rights defenders during his visit to Vietnam.

The organisations addressed an open letter to Macron, attaching a list of 40 individuals currently serving prison sentences of up to 20 years.

“Most of them are bloggers, independent journalists, environmental activists, people who are really not calling for the regime change, but wanting a better life for the people of Vietnam,” Faulkner told RFI.

The list includes independent journalist Pham Doan Trang, serving nine years for writing critical articles on environmental issues, environmental lawyer Dang Dinh Bach, who is serving a five-year sentence on charges of tax evasion, and Pham Thi Nhung, who received a 15-year sentence after calling on the European Parliament to postpone ratification of an EU-Vietnam trade agreement pending “concrete human rights progress” in Vietnam.

Faulkner said the current US–China trade dispute and tensions between China and the EU have shifted Western focus to Vietnam, with governments now less inclined to criticise Hanoi’s rights record.

“Vietnam is one of the countries which is receiving most of foreign direct investment” in Asia, said Faulkner, pointing out that Western companies are keen to move operations to the country because of its low wages, which are “at least one third lower than other countries in Southeast Asia”.

She added: “Vietnam is becoming known as a cheap labour destination. And that’s very detrimental to the people’s lives.”

Meanwhile, UN experts have condemned Vietnam’s use of torture and arbitrary detention ahead of its 2025 bid for re-election to the Human Rights Council.

A few days before the trip that took him to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Trump reportedly floated the idea of renaming the Persian Gulf the “Arabian Gulf”.

It echoed an earlier decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America” in an executive order signed hours after he took office in January.

In the end, Trump gave up on the idea during his week in the Middle East, resorting to realpolitik – perhaps wary of upsetting the Iranians even if it meant disappointing his Arab partners.

The sea – bordered by Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and the Musandam Peninsula (an exclave of Oman) on one side, and Iran on the other – has been at the centre of a naming dispute for decades.

Centuries of use

The 251,000 km² gulf in the Indian Ocean has been known as the Persian Gulf since at least the time of Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. The name refers to the Achaemenid Empire, the first Persian empire in history.

Greek and Roman geographers, including Ptolemy in the 2nd century, later referred to the Persian Gulf or the Persian Sea. Renowned Arab historians such as Ibn Al-Athir and Ibn Khaldun used this toponymy in their history books in the 12th and 15th centuries AD.

By the 18th and 19th centuries, the name Persian Gulf appeared in treaties signed by regional leaders and the British, who dominated the area at the time.

France sues Iran at top UN court over citizens detained in Tehran

Arab nationalism in the 20th century gave rise to the term Arabian Gulf – even though when the Egyptian Gamal Abdel Nasser came to power in the early 1950s, the slogan “One nation from the Atlantic Ocean to the Persian Gulf” was all the rage.

The term Arabian Gulf also appeared earlier in history. The Greek historian Strabo used it in the 1st century AD, but he was referring to what is now known as the Red Sea, on the western side of the Arabian Peninsula.

In today’s Arab press, the Persian Gulf is usually referred to as Al-Khaleej, which means simply “the Gulf”. The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council – Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman – all use the term Arabian Gulf.

Today, Google Maps uses the term Persian Gulf, with Arabian Gulf in brackets. For years, the US military has unilaterally referred to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf in its statements and images.

‘A denial of history’

The body of water is linked to the Indian Ocean by the Strait of Hormuz and holds around 60 percent of the world’s oil reserves and 40 percent of its gas. The area is a vital shipping route and has seen many disputes between Arab states and Iran.

In 1970, a journalist from the French monthly newspaper Le Monde Diplomatique wrote an article in which he used the term Arabian Gulf when reporting on the latest clashes in the region between “traditionalist elements and revolutionary forces”.

The Iranian embassy in France responded with a letter calling the term “a denial of history”.

The letter said: “The gulf in question has been called the Persian Gulf for over 2,000 years… All the geographers and historians of antiquity knew the Gulf only as the Persian Gulf… From the 16th century onwards, in the great atlases… it was referred to exclusively as the ‘Sinus Persicus’ [Persian Gulf in Greek]. 

The statement noted that until around 1960, even Arab schoolbooks used the Farsi name Kha-Lidj Al Farsi – Persian Gulf. It ended with the question: “So why the change in terminology?”

Back at Cannes, Iran filmmaker Panahi defies repression

Iran has taken strong action against publications and organisations using the term Arabian Gulf. In 2004, National Geographic was banned after placing “Arabian Gulf” in brackets next to “Persian Gulf”. The Economist faced a similar ban in 2006.

In 2010, Iran cancelled the Islamic Solidarity Games – a Saudi-led initiative – after it emerged that the medals and logos would say Persian Gulf. That same year, Iran warned that foreign airlines using the term Arabian Gulf could be banned from its airspace.

National pride

In 2006, a commission of UN experts, geographers, geologists, archaeologists and historians concluded, after analysing more than 6,000 maps of the area, that the term Persian Gulf was historically the most widely used designation.

It remains the term officially recognised by the UN, the International Hydrographic Organisation and the International Maritime Organisation.

For Iran, it is not just about history – it is a matter of national pride.

“Politically motivated attempts to alter the historically established name of the Persian Gulf are indicative of hostile intent toward Iran and its people, and are firmly condemned,” foreign minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X after Trump’s intentions were revealed.

He added: “I am confident that @realdonaldtrump is aware that the name PERSIAN Gulf is centuries old and recognised by all cartographers and international bodies… any short-sighted step in this connection will have no validity or legal or geographical effect. It will only bring the wrath of all Iranians from all walks of life and political persuasion in Iran, the US and across the world.”

Iran mulls moving capital to ‘lost paradise’ on southern coast

Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi also weighed in on X. “The Persian Gulf is not just a name but a historical reality… The reported decision by President Trump to abrogate history, should it be true, is an affront to the people of Iran and our great civilisation.”

With nuclear negotiations under way between Tehran and Washington, Trump’s decision to back down on renaming the Gulf has been seen in Iran as a sign of restraint.

This article was adapted from the original version in French.

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winners’ names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you’ve grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week.

Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your music requests, so get them in! Send your music requests to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all!

Facebook: Be sure to send your photos to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr for the RFI English Listeners Forum banner!

More tech news: Did you know we have a YouTube channel? Just go to YouTube and write “RFI English” in the search bar, and there we are! Be sure to subscribe to see all our videos.

Would you like to learn French? RFI is here to help you!

Our website “Le Français facile avec RFI” has news broadcasts in slow, simple French, as well as bilingual radio dramas (with real actors!) and exercises to practice what you have heard.

Go to our website and get started! At the top of the page, click on “Test level” and you’ll be counselled to the best-suited activities for your level.

Do not give up! As Lidwien van Dixhoorn, the head of “Le Français facile” service, told me: “Bathe your ears in the sound of the language, and eventually, you’ll get it.” She should know – Lidwien is Dutch and came to France hardly able to say “bonjour” and now she heads this key RFI department – so stick with it!

Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!

In addition to the news articles on our site, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts that will leave you hungry for more.

There’s Spotlight on France, Spotlight on Africa, The International Report, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We also have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. 

Remember, podcasts are radio, too! As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service. Please keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our journalists. You never know what we’ll surprise you with!

To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you’ll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone.

To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show. 

Teachers take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is english.service@rfi.fr  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below. 

Another idea for your students: Brother 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 Brother 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 26 April, I asked you a question about the late Pope Francis, who’d died earlier that week. As the Vatican prepared to elect a new pope, we published an article about the men who were responsible for electing the next head of the Roman Catholic Church.

You were to re-read our article “What happens now after the death of Pope Francis?” and send in the answer to this question: What are the nationalities of the 135 cardinal electors who will elect the next pope?

The answer is, to quote our article: “Currently there are 135 so-called cardinal electors, 108 of whom were appointed by Francis. Of these, 53 are from Europe, 20 are from North America, 18 are from Africa, 23 from Asia, four from Oceania, and 17 from South America.”

As you know, the cardinals elected Robert Francis Prevost, the first American to hold the post. He took the name Leo XIV as his papal name, and he was formally inaugurated to serve the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics on 18 May.

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, which was inspired by the long-running BBC program “Desert Island Discs”. You were to write in with the names of the three records, or audio recordings, that you would take with you to an uninhabited island.

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Christian Ghibaudo from Tende, France. Christian is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations, Christian,on your double win.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are A. K. M. Nuruzzaman, the president of the RFI Amour Fan Club in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, and Paresh Hazarika, a member of the United RFI Listeners Club in Assam, India, as well as RFI Listeners Club members Shadman Hosen Ayon from Kishoreganj, Bangladesh, and Hans Verner Lollike from Hedehusen, Denmark.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme:  “Mother” by Roger Waters, performed by Pink Floyd; “A Mighty Fortress is our God” by Martin Luther, played by Kaleb Brasee; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and Buenos Aires Symphony in Three Movements by Astor Piazolla, performed by the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Leonardo Garcia Alarcon.

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 “EU and UK reunite in London for talks on diplomacy and defence”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 23 June to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 28 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.   

A widespread power outage plunged much of Cannes and the surrounding area into darkness on Saturday, cutting electricity to 160,000 homes.

But despite the disruption, the much-anticipated closing ceremony of the 78th Cannes Film Festival will go ahead as planned, organisers have confirmed.

The blackout, which struck the western Alpes-Maritimes region, was first reported on social media by local authorities and electricity grid operator RTE.

The cause appears to be a two-pronged blow to the power network: a suspected arson attack at a high-voltage substation in Tanneron during the night, followed by the collapse of a pylon on a major transmission line later in the morning.

Emergency crews were quick to respond, with seven fire engines and 20 firefighters tackling the blaze, which was brought under control by 7 am.

Unfortunately, the damage had already destabilised the network, leading to a cascading failure just hours later.

Postcard from Cannes #5: Zooming in on talented cinematographers

The show must go on

In Cannes, the effects were immediate. Traffic lights went dark, shops shuttered, and telecommunications became patchy.

Even the iconic Palais des Festivals – the heart of the festival – experienced a brief interruption to screenings around 10 a.m.

However, the show must go on – and it will. Festival organisers reassured the public that the venue had switched to a dedicated generator system, ensuring all scheduled screenings and the closing ceremony – including the prestigious Palme d’Or presentation – will proceed without a hitch from 6:40 pm local time.

The pledge was made during a meeting of the US-Turkey Working Group in Washington, where diplomats committed to “increasing cooperation and coordination on the security and stability of Syria”.

Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, who heads the German Marshall Fund office in Ankara, said this signals progress.

“I think it shows us that Turkey and the US can get on the same page when it comes to Syria,” he said. “Disagreements in Syria were part of the problem between Turkey and the United States. There are other issues, but this one was one of the core issues.”

Unluhisarcikli believes the good chemistry between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Donald Trump is playing a role.

“I think it’s significant President Erdogan is one of the leaders that President Trump likes working with and trusts. But of course, this is the case until it’s not,” he said.

Macron urges Syrian leader to protect minorities after deadly clashes

Israeli pushback

The move comes despite a warning from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who told Trump during his February visit to Washington that Turkey was a security threat in Syria.

Both countries have troops in Syria and see each other as rivals.

Trump appeared to dismiss Netanyahu’s concerns, speaking to the international media from the Oval Office with the Israeli leader at his side.

“I told the Prime Minister: Bibi, if you have a problem with Turkey, I really think I can be able to work it out,” Trump said. “I have a really great relationship with Turkey and its leader.”

Erdogan, along with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is credited with helping persuade Trump to lift sanctions on Syria. Israeli foreign policy analyst Gallia Lindenstrauss said the decision went against Israel’s position.

She explained that Israel wanted any easing of sanctions to be linked to concessions by Damascus.

“I think the fact the US ambassador to Turkey has been appointed as the envoy to Syria also means the Turkish position will get more attention from the US side,” Lindenstrauss said.

“That in itself makes some concern in Israel. Because here Israel has its priorities with regards to Syria, it wants someone pushing Turkey to be more flexible and not, of course, to build bases throughout Syria. That would be a very threatening scenario regarding Israel.”

Turkey’s rivalry with Iran shifts as US threats create unlikely common ground

Turkish airbases

Israeli warplanes recently destroyed a Syrian airbase that Turkish forces were preparing to take over. Turkey says its growing military presence, including control of airbases, is aimed at helping Syria’s new rulers fight insurgent groups like the Islamic State.

“For Turkey, Syria’s security and stability are of the utmost importance, and Turkey is devoting resources to keep Syria stable because Syria’s stability is so important for Turkey’s security, and that’s what Israel should understand,” Unluhisarcikli said.

But Turkish airbases equipped with missile defences would restrict Israel’s freedom to operate in Syrian airspace.

“Israel has just found an opportunity, an air corridor towards Iran (via Syrian airspace), which it can use without asking for permission from any third party,” Unluhisarcikli said. “If Turkey takes over the bases, then Israel would need to get permission from Turkey, which it doesn’t want to, and I think that’s understandable.”

Azerbaijan has been mediating talks between Israel and Turkey to reduce tensions. The two sides have reportedly set up deconfliction systems, including a hotline.

“There has been progress between Israel and Turkey over Syria. There have been at least three announced talks in Azerbaijan which is positive,” Lindenstrauss said.

PKK ends 40-year fight but doubts remain about the next steps

Iran and the F-35s

Iran’s nuclear programme is another source of friction between Israel and Turkey.

Unluhisarcikli said Trump seems to be leaning more towards Erdogan’s view than Netanyahu’s.

“For Turkey, military conflict with Iran is a very bad scenario. I am not entirely sure that’s how Trump feels, but for him, any conflict should be just a second choice because conflict is not good for business,” Unluhisarcikli said.

“It seems Israel has made the judgment that it is time for military action, the time for talking is over. There should be military action. Trump disagrees. He thinks he does have a chance of negotiating.”

US and Iranian negotiators met in Rome on Friday for the fifth round of talks. Erdogan supports the talks and has also claimed that Trump is open to lifting the US embargo on selling F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. That would remove Israel’s technical advantage in the air.

Trump’s increasingly close relationship with Erdogan comes amid reports that he is uneasy about Israel’s war in Gaza. But Lindenstrauss warned that Israel is counting on Trump’s unpredictability.

“We know that Trump has a basic favourable view towards Erdogan. This was already in his first term, and it is continuing now. But we also know that Trump can be tough towards Turkey, and he did implement sanctions against Turkey in his first term,” she said.

“So this good relationship depends on whether Turkey is in line with US interests. But of course, Israel is watching.”

However, with Israel’s war in Gaza showing little signs of ending, threatening further diplomatic isolation, Erdogan for now appears to have Trump’s ear, with the two leaders sharing similar agendas.

“Trade, not aid, is now the pillar of our policy in Africa,” said United States ambassador Troy Fitrell, from the Bureau of African Affairs, in a speech on 14 May at business summit in Abidjan.

The declaration settles any doubts over the Trump administration’s position on aid towards Africa. The US – the world single largest aid donor in the world, according to the United Nations – no longer wants to disburse billions in foreign aid, despite the fact that it represents a small percentage of its entire budget.

In 2023, the US spent $71.9 billion in foreign aid, which amounts to 1.2 percent of its entire budget for that fiscal year.

President Donald Trump repeatedly stated that aid is a waste. For years, Africa has been the region receiving more funding from the United States than any other.

Across the African continent, Trump’s executive orders were initially met with shock, anger, and despair — but also with a renewed determination to change course and place African resources at the heart of African healthcare.

In February, at an African Union summit, Rwandan President Paul Kagame announced that the AU’s health institutions, including the Centres for Disease Control, would take the lead in seeking alternatives to US funding.

“Africa now finds itself at a crossroads. The health financing landscape has shifted dramatically.

“I propose that, over the next year, we work together to define new mechanisms for concrete collaboration on healthcare among governments, businesses, and philanthropies,” he told African leaders.

“The work of building our continent, including our healthcare systems, cannot be outsourced to anyone else.”

To untangle what is going on, for this edition of Interntional Report, RFI interviewed Eric Olander, editor-in-chief of the China-Global South Project; Chris Milligan, former foreign service officer at USAID, in Washington; Mark Heywood, human rights and social justice activist in South Africa, co-founder of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC); Onikepe Owolabi, vice president of International research at the Guttmacher institute in New York; Monica Oguttu, founding executive director of KMET, Kisumu Medical and Education Trust, in Kenya.

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winners’ names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you’ve grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week.

Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your music requests, so get them in! Send your music requests to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all!

Facebook: Be sure to send your photos to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr for the RFI English Listeners Forum banner!

More tech news: Did you know we have a YouTube channel? Just go to YouTube and write “RFI English” in the search bar, and there we are! Be sure to subscribe to see all our videos.

Would you like to learn French? RFI is here to help you!

Our website “Le Français facile avec RFI” has news broadcasts in slow, simple French, as well as bilingual radio dramas (with real actors!) and exercises to practice what you have heard.

Go to our website and get started! At the top of the page, click on “Test level” and you’ll be counselled to the best-suited activities for your level.

Do not give up! As Lidwien van Dixhoorn, the head of “Le Français facile” service, told me: “Bathe your ears in the sound of the language, and eventually, you’ll get it.” She should know – Lidwien is Dutch and came to France hardly able to say “bonjour” and now she heads this key RFI department – so stick with it!

Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!

In addition to the news articles on our site, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts that will leave you hungry for more.

There’s Spotlight on France, Spotlight on Africa, The International Report, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We also have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. 

Remember, podcasts are radio, too! As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service. Please keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our journalists. You never know what we’ll surprise you with!

To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you’ll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone.

To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show. 

Teachers take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is english.service@rfi.fr  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below. 

Another idea for your students: Brother 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 Brother 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 26 April, I asked you a question about the late Pope Francis, who’d died earlier that week. As the Vatican prepared to elect a new pope, we published an article about the men who were responsible for electing the next head of the Roman Catholic Church.

You were to re-read our article “What happens now after the death of Pope Francis?” and send in the answer to this question: What are the nationalities of the 135 cardinal electors who will elect the next pope?

The answer is, to quote our article: “Currently there are 135 so-called cardinal electors, 108 of whom were appointed by Francis. Of these, 53 are from Europe, 20 are from North America, 18 are from Africa, 23 from Asia, four from Oceania, and 17 from South America.”

As you know, the cardinals elected Robert Francis Prevost, the first American to hold the post. He took the name Leo XIV as his papal name, and he was formally inaugurated to serve the world’s 1.4 billion Roman Catholics on 18 May.

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, which was inspired by the long-running BBC program “Desert Island Discs”. You were to write in with the names of the three records, or audio recordings, that you would take with you to an uninhabited island.

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Christian Ghibaudo from Tende, France. Christian is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations, Christian,on your double win.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are A. K. M. Nuruzzaman, the president of the RFI Amour Fan Club in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, and Paresh Hazarika, a member of the United RFI Listeners Club in Assam, India, as well as RFI Listeners Club members Shadman Hosen Ayon from Kishoreganj, Bangladesh, and Hans Verner Lollike from Hedehusen, Denmark.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme:  “Mother” by Roger Waters, performed by Pink Floyd; “A Mighty Fortress is our God” by Martin Luther, played by Kaleb Brasee; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and Buenos Aires Symphony in Three Movements by Astor Piazolla, performed by the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Leonardo Garcia Alarcon.

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 “EU and UK reunite in London for talks on diplomacy and defence”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 23 June to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 28 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.   

French MPs are shortly to vote on whether or not to legalise assisted suicide and euthanasia. The draft legislation draws heavily on the work of the Citizens’ Convention on end-of-life care – a group of 184 people, randomly selected in late 2022 to reflect France’s diverse population. Though strangers to each other and to the subject, they spent four months in thoughtful debate, building a spirit of mutual respect despite deep differences of opinion. Economist Marc-Olivier Strauss-Kahn, one of the participants, talks about why this exercise in deliberative democracy was so enriching and valuable to society. Along with others, he’s helped launch an association to ensure the dialogue, and the social inclusion it fostered, continues beyond the convention itself. (Listen @0′)

This year’s Cannes film festival is taking the issue of sexual harassment in the movie industry more seriously than ever, just weeks after actor Gerard Depardiee was convicted for sexual assault. Ollia Horton talks about what’s changing. She also introduces a film about the life of Marcel Pagnol – one of France’s most cherished writers and a former Cannes jury president. (Listen @20’15”)

The annual fête des voisins, held on the last Friday of May, is an opportunity for neighbours to get to know each other. Launched 25 years ago in Paris by local councillor Atanase Périfan, it was aimed at bringing more solidarity into everyday life and it seems to be working. (Listen @14’10”)

Episode mixed by Cécile Pompeani

Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

Upon hearing the news that the PKK was ending its war and disarming, Kurds danced in the streets of the predominantly Kurdish southeast of Turkey. The region bore the brunt of the brutal conflict, with the overwhelming majority of those killed being civilians, and millions more displaced.

From armed struggle to political arena

“It is a historic moment. This conflict has been going on for almost half a century,” declared Aslı Aydıntaşbaş of the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank.

“And for them [the PKK] to say that the period of armed struggle is over and that they are going to transition to a major political struggle is very important.”

The PKK, designated as a terrorist organisation by the European Union and most of Turkey’s Western allies, launched its armed struggle in 1984 for Kurdish rights and independence. At the time, Turkey was ruled by the military, which did not even acknowledge the existence of Kurds, referring to them as “Mountain Turks.”

Nearly fifty years later, however, Turkey is a different place. The third-largest parliamentary party is the pro-Kurdish Dem Party. In its declaration ending its armed struggle and announcing its dissolution, the PKK stated that there is now space in Turkey to pursue its goals through political means.

However, military realities are thought to be behind the PKK’s decision to end its campaign. “From a technical and military point of view, the PKK lost,” observed Aydın Selcan, a former senior Turkish diplomat who served in the region.

“For almost ten years, there have been no armed attacks by the PKK inside Turkey because they are no longer capable of doing so. And in the northern half of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, there is now almost no PKK presence,” added Selcan.

Selcan also claims the PKK could be seeking to consolidate its military gains in Syria. “For the first time in history, the PKK’s Syrian offshoot, the YPG, has begun administering a region. So it’s important for the organisation to preserve that administration.

“They’ve rebranded themselves as a political organisation.” Turkish forces have repeatedly launched military operations in Syria against the YPG. However, the Syrian Kurdish forces have reached a tentative agreement with Damascus’s new rulers—whom Ankara supports.

Kurdish leader Ocalan calls for PKK disarmament, paving way for peace

 Erdoğan’s high-stakes gamble

For Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is trailing in opinion polls and facing growing protests over the arrest of his main political rival, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, on alleged corruption charges, this could be a golden opportunity. “This is a win for Erdoğan, no doubt,” claimed analyst Aydıntaşbaş.

Along with favourable headlines, the PKK’s peace announcement offers a solution to a major political headache for Erdoğan. The Turkish president wants to amend the constitution to remove term limits, allowing him to run again for the presidency.

The pro-Kurdish Dem Party holds the parliamentary votes Erdoğan needs. “Yes, Erdoğan, of course, will be negotiating with Kurds for constitutional changes,” said Aydıntaşbaş.

“Now we are entering a very transactional period in Turkish politics. Instead of repressing Kurds, it’s going to be about negotiating with them. And it may persuade the pro-Kurdish faction—which forms the third-largest bloc in Turkish politics—to peel away from the opposition camp,” added Aydıntaşbaş.

However, Aydıntaşbaş warns that Erdoğan will need to convince his voter base, which remains sceptical of any peace process with the PKK. According to a recent opinion poll, three out of four respondents opposed the peace process, with a majority of Erdoğan’s AK Party supporters against it.

For decades, the PKK has been portrayed in Turkey as a brutal terrorist organisation, and its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, is routinely referred to by politicians and much of the media as “the baby killer.” Critics argue the government has failed to adequately prepare the public for peace.

“In peace processes around the world, we see a strong emphasis on convincing society,” observed Sezin Öney, a political commentator at Turkey’s PolitikYol news portal. “There are reconciliation processes, truth commissions, etc., all designed to gain public support. But in our case, it’s like surgery without anaesthesia—an operation begun without any sedatives,” added Öney.

Turkey looks for regional help in its battle against Kurdish rebels in Iraq

Political concessions?

Public pressure on Erdoğan is expected to grow, as the PKK and Kurdish political leaders demand concessions to facilitate the peace and disarmament process.

“In the next few months, the government is, first of all, expected to change the prison conditions of Öcalan,” explained Professor Mesut Yeğen of the Istanbul-based Reform Institute.

“The second expectation is the release of those in poor health who are currently in jail. And for the disarmament process to proceed smoothly, there should be an amnesty or a reduction in sentences, allowing PKK convicts in Turkish prisons to be freed and ensuring that returning PKK militants are not imprisoned,” Yeğen added.

Yeğen claimed that tens of thousands of political prisoners may need to be released, along with the reinstatement of Dem Party mayors who were removed from office under anti-terrorism legislation.

Turkey’s Saturday Mothers keep up vigil for lost relatives

Erdoğan has ruled out any concessions until the PKK disarms, but has said that “good things” will follow disarmament. Meanwhile, the main opposition CHP Party, while welcoming the peace initiative, insists that any democratic reforms directed at the Kurdish minority must be extended to wider society—starting with the release of İmamoğlu, Erdoğan’s chief political rival.

While the peace process is widely seen as a political victory for Erdoğan, it could yet become a liability for the president, who risks being caught between a sceptical voter base and an impatient Kurdish population demanding concessions.

The impact of Donald Trump’s second term in the White House is being felt far beyond US borders. Observers say this ripple effect can be seen across Europe, not just in policy but in the continent’s political culture itself.

For Dr Célia Belin of the European Council on Foreign Relations, the stakes are nothing less than the future of European liberal democracy.

In her latest ECFR report, MAGA Goes Global: Trump’s Plan for Europe, Belin warns that what might appear to be chaotic decisions from the Oval Office are, in fact, part of an ideological project.

“There’s actually a strong direction, a clear destination,” Belin told RFI. “Trump, surrounded by loyalists and MAGA Republicans, is ready to implement his plan – to push back on liberal democracy, and to push back on Europe.”

According to her, he sees Europe as “an extension of his political enemies – liberals and progressives” and views its institutions as bureaucratic hurdles rather than allies in global leadership.

Culture wars without borders

Trump’s administration – bolstered by figures including Vice President JD Vance and media mogul Elon Musk – has also made overtures to Europe’s far right.

They have voiced support for Germany’s far-right AfD party and France’s Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, including on Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter) – helping to disseminate nationalist and populist rhetoric across the continent.

“We’re seeing a systematic attack on the liberal model that Europe represents,” said Belin. “This ‘Trumpian wave’ has fired up nationalist opposition in Europe, even if it hasn’t created a united front.”

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

Non merci to MAGA

However, some of the European political parties that share Trump’s scepticism of liberal institutions are treading carefully when it comes to embracing his brand of politics.

While leaders such as Viktor Orbán in Hungary openly welcome MAGA-style backing, others see it as a double-edged sword.

Following her recent legal conviction, Le Pen received support from MAGA-aligned figures. But her party responded with conspicuous silence.

“They don’t want or need this Trumpian support,” Belin noted. “Their political strategy is not about aligning with MAGA America – it’s more French, more sovereignist.”

Embracing Trump too openly could risk undermining years of effort to mainstream the National Rally’s image. “Nationalists are realising that now – it brings fuel to the fire, yes, but it also complicates their own domestic positioning,” said Belin.

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

Europe responds

French President Emmanuel Macron was among the first European leaders to sound the alarm on the changing nature of the US-European alliance. 

“I want to believe that the United States will stay by our side but we have to be prepared for that not to be the case,” he said in a televised address to the nation in March.

I January, in a speech to French ambassadors, he said: “Ten years ago, who could have imagined it if we had been told that the owner of one of the largest social networks in the world would support a new international reactionary movement and intervene directly in elections, including in Germany.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz followed suit, criticising Musk’s decision to give the AfD a platform just weeks before Germany’s federal elections.

However, Belin points out that the European response is still taking shape. “It’s brand new as a phenomenon,” she said. “Europeans were prepared to be challenged on trade, on security – even on Ukraine. But this cultural challenge is unprecedented.”

Meloni positions herself as Europe’s ‘trump card’ on visit to White House

Still, as Belin notes, Trumpism is not a winning formula everywhere. “Turning fully Trumpist would derail Marine Le Pen’s strategy. It’s not a winning strategy in France,” she said. “But in more insurgent political systems, it might be.”

And there is concern too that Trumpism could outlive Trump himself.

“There’s been a transformation in the perception of America’s global role,” Belin said. “And that will stick around. It will be pushed by some of the nationalist parties in our countries. That is the Trumpist legacy”.

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.