A court in Vannes, Brittany, found Le Scouarnec guilty of 111 rapes and 189 sexual assaults, committed between 1989 and 2014.

He was sentenced to 20 years in jail – the maximum penalty for rape.

The abuse is considered France’s worst case of pedocriminality to go to trial. Many of his victims were under anaesthesia or waking up from surgery. Of the 299 victims, 256 were under the age of 15.

Le Scouarnec had admitted the charges during a closed-door session in March.

Wednesday’s verdict concludes a three-month trial that has shaken France and highlighted systemic failings in the public health system.

Le Scouarnec stood emotionless in court while judge Aude Burési delivered the sentencing. His lawyers said he would not appeal the verdict.

Burési said the court had taken into account the fact that the former surgeon had sought out unwell, vulnerable and sedated victims.

While he will not be able to ask for parole until two-thirds of his sentence is served, the court rejected a rare demand from prosecutors that he should be held in a centre for treatment and supervision on his release, citing his age and “desire to make amends”.

At the start of the trial in February he said: “I’m aware that the harm I’ve caused is beyond repair. I owe it to all these people and their loved ones to admit my actions and their consequences, which they’ve endured and will keep having to endure all their lives.”

‘They knew’: Victims of paedophile French surgeon blame systemic failure

No lessons drawn

Le Scouarnec is already serving jail time for earlier rape convictions. In 2020, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the rape and sexual assault of a child neighbour, as well as his two nieces and a 4-year-old patient.

Victims and their families have publicly asked why French health authorities allowed Le Scouarnec to get away with the abuse for so long. Despite a conviction for downloading child pornography in 2005, the surgeon continued to treat children in public hospitals.

Victims of the Joel Le Scouarnec Collective were angry that the trial had not drawn much attention from politicians or the public at large.

“No lesson has been drawn from this, neither from the medical world nor from politicians,” the group said in a statement.

Several dozen members of the collective gathered outside the courthouse ahead of the verdict, holding a banner made of hundreds of pieces of white paper with black silhouettes, one for each victim. Some of the papers bore a first name and age, while others referred to the victim as “Anonymous”.

Survivors decry failures exposed in France’s biggest paedophilia trial

Decades of abuse

The extent of Le Scouarnec’s abuse was revealed after his re-arrest in 2017 on suspicion of raping his 6-year-old neighbour.

Police uncovered a cache of sex dolls, wigs, and child pornography at his home, along with electronic diaries in which he had meticulously detailed nearly three decades of alleged rapes and sexual assaults on hundreds of young patients across various hospitals.

“I am a paedophile and a child rapist,” Le Scouarnec said during his final statements to the court last week.

“What I’ve witnessed [in court] is the suffering for which I am responsible,” he said, adding that he neither wanted nor expected to be given any leniency.

In a statement in March, the National Order of Doctors, which has also filed a lawsuit against Le Scouarnec, expressed its “profound regret” that the surgeon had not been “prevented from practicing”.

The local prosecutor has opened a separate investigation to establish if there was any criminal liability by agencies or individuals who could have prevented the abuse.

The trial took place at a time of reckoning around sex crimes in France after the conviction of Dominique Pelicot, who was found guilty in December of drugging his wife unconscious and inviting dozens of men to their home to rape her.

Some victims rights groups expressed frustration that the Le Scouarnec case had not received the same attention or had the same impact as the Pelicot trial.

(with newswires)

For many survivors, the case is not just about one man, but about the institutions that failed to protect them.

“If a trial with 300 victims doesn’t change this blind society, then what will?” said one survivor in April, standing on the courthouse steps in Vannes, Brittany.

The trial has exposed the crimes of France’s most prolific known child sex offender – and the gaps in the systems meant to stop him.

Le Scouarnec, now 74, is already serving a 15-year sentence for abusing four children, including two of his nieces.

This second trial, which began three months ago in Brittany, covers abuse committed between 1989 and 2014.

Most of his victims were children in hospital, either unconscious or sedated. The average age was 11. There were 158 boys and 141 girls.

Prosecutors have called for the maximum sentence of 20 years, describing Le Scouarnec as “a devil in a white coat”.

They are also seeking preventive detention – a rarely used legal measure in France – which could keep him locked up even after his sentence ends.

French surgeon jailed for 15 years in child sex abuse case

‘Failures’ in medical profession

The case has raised serious questions about how both the medical and legal systems responded to warning signs.

In 2005, Le Scouarnec was convicted of possessing child pornography. Yet no one suspended his medical licence. He continued working in hospitals and abusing children until his arrest in 2017.

“More could have been done,” said prosecutor Stéphane Kellenberger in his closing remarks. “Even within the notorious layers of French bureaucracy… that responsibility is lost, and hits innocent lives.”

Marie Grimaud, a lawyer for around 30 of the victims, said “society missed the point”.

She criticised the medical profession’s lack of self-reflection.

“The medical world remains a domain of expertise and authority,” she told RFI. “We’ve tried to dissect and autopsy the failures revealed by this trial. The court has provided some momentum… now it must leave the courtroom. It all depends on the will of the medical profession.”

‘They knew’: Victims of paedophile French surgeon blame systemic failure

‘Didn’t see them as people’

Some of the most disturbing evidence came from Le Scouarnec’s own notebooks, where he described his actions in graphic detail.

Many survivors only found out they had been abused when police discovered their names in the journals. Others connected the dots later by reviewing old medical records. Two victims died by suicide before the trial began.

Le Scouarnec admitted to all the charges, but his behaviour in court has appeared detached.

“I didn’t see them as people,” he told the court. “They were the destination of my fantasies.” He also confessed to raping his five-year-old niece in 1985, and sexually abusing his granddaughter – a statement he made in front of her distraught parents.

Survivors and support groups have criticised the lack of official response.

“This trial, which could have served as an open-air laboratory to expose the serious failings of our institutions, seems to leave no mark on the government, the medical community, or society at large,” a group of victims said in a statement.

“We’re deeply disappointed… we shouldn’t have to be the ones opening people’s eyes, but here we are,” says Manon Lemoine, one of the victims and a member of the newly formed collective pushing for reform.

So much to learn

Lemoine said the group was formed after officials appeared unwilling to act.

On 6 May, a centrist MP asked Health Minister Yannick Neuder what steps he planned to take to stop institutional failures, pointing out that Le Scouarnec kept working in hospitals even after his 2005 conviction.

Lemoine said the minister’s reply was that the question was “off-topic”.

“The minister said that the predator had made numerous appeals, and when there are appeals the conviction is removed from the criminal record.”

However, Le Scouarnec never appealed his 2005 conviction for possession of child pornography.

“It shocked us to see such a lack of understanding of the case, it was unacceptable to all the victims,” Lemoine said.

French paedophile surgeon’s wife knew and ‘did nothing’, his brother tells court

Calls for reform

Lemoine said the trial has revealed how much there is still to fix.

“This case gives us a wealth of material to make this country fairer to its victims, to protect its children,” she said. “There is so much to be learned from this trial.”

The 50-member collective has sent a letter to several ministries, listing 10 proposals aimed at improving child protection.

Neuder has agreed to meet the group in June.

The report, by the World Meterological Organisation (WMO) in tandem with UK’s Met Office, says global temperatures are likely to keep rising over the next five years – increasing risks for people, economies and ecosystems.

It follows a separate WMO report released in March, which found that 2024 was likely the first calendar year where the global temperature was more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

“We have just experienced the 10 warmest years on record,” WMO deputy secretary-general Ko Barrett said.

France unveils its first ‘positive energy’ neighbourhood, powering local pride

Breach likely

There is an 80 percent chance that at least one year between 2025 and 2029 will be hotter than 2024 – the warmest year ever recorded.

There is also an 86 percent chance that one of those years will go above 1.5C compared to pre-industrial levels.

Across the full five-year period, there is a 70 percent chance that the average warming will exceed 1.5C. That’s up from 47 percent in last year’s forecast.

The 1.5C target in the Paris Agreement refers to a 20-year global average, so it has not yet officially been passed. But the WMO’s earlier report said 2024 saw an annual temperature of 1.55C above the pre-industrial baseline, based on observational records.

For the first time, there is now a one percent chance that a single year before 2029 could exceed 2C of warming. That risk is still low, but scientists say it is growing.

“It is shocking,” UK Met Office climate scientist Adam Scaife said. “That probability is going to rise.”

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

Arctic warming surges

The Arctic is heating much faster than the rest of the world. The report says winter temperatures in the region will rise by about 2.4C compared to the 1991-2020 average – more than three and a half times the global rate.

This is likely to drive further sea ice loss in the Barents, Bering and Okhotsk seas, which could affect weather patterns around the world.

From May to September over the next five years, wetter than average conditions are likely in the African Sahel, northern Europe, Alaska and northern Siberia. The Amazon could face more drought.

South Asia is also expected to stay wetter than normal, though not in every season.

Africans less likely to blame rich nations for climate crisis, survey shows

Key thresholds

The WMO says the 20-year average warming from 2015 to 2034 is likely to be about 1.44C above pre-industrial levels.

The forecasts are based on more than 200 computer simulations from 15 scientific centres and were compiled by the UK’s Met Office.

Every fraction of a degree makes extreme weather more likely – including heatwaves, floods, droughts and rising seas.

The findings come ahead of this year’s COP30 climate summit, where countries are expected to present new action plans to meet the Paris Agreement goals.

The Jakarta stop, following a visit to Vietnam earlier in the week, is the second leg of a broader regional tour designed to promote Macron’s so-called “third way” – a middle path between the growing influence of the United States and China.

As Southeast Asia’s largest economy and the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, Indonesia has become a key partner in this vision.

During Macron’s visit this Wednesday, the two countries signed a series of agreements across defence, trade, agriculture, energy, and disaster management.

Macron champions ‘rules-based order’ as France courts Vietnam

Defence cooperation

Defence cooperation took centre stage in the talks, with Macron confirming a letter of intent that could lead to new Indonesian orders for French Rafale fighter jets, Scorpène submarines, and light frigates – building on a €7 billion deal in 2022 for 42 Rafales.

While France has yet to deliver any Rafales, the planned arrival of the first six in 2026 signals a steady shift in Indonesia’s procurement strategy.

Jakarta, once reliant on Russian military equipment, is now turning increasingly to French suppliers.

President Prabowo Subianto, formerly defence minister, has called France a key partner in Indonesia’s defence modernisation, citing joint production and technology transfer.

Macron heads to Vietnam as France seeks bigger role in Indo-Pacific

Recognition of Palestine

The visit also had a strong diplomatic dimension, particularly on the Israel-Palestine issue.

Macron and Prabowo issued a joint statement calling for progress towards a two-state solution and condemned Israeli plans to take control of Gaza or forcibly displace Palestinians.

In a rare policy shift, Prabowo stated that Indonesia would be prepared to recognise Israel – but only if it first recognised Palestinian statehood.

This conditional offer is a notable departure for a country that has long maintained no diplomatic ties with Israel.

Macron, who has increasingly signalled a willingness to recognise a Palestinian state, is working with Indonesia and Saudi Arabia to co-host a UN conference next month aimed at reviving the peace process.

He described the upcoming event as an opportunity to set out a “credible roadmap” for mutual recognition and a lasting resolution.

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

French business interests

Beyond defence and diplomacy, Macron also looked to secure new trade deals.

Executives from French companies such as Eramet, TotalEnergies, and Danone joined Macron in Jakarta. France is targeting Indonesia – home to the world’s largest nickel reserves – to secure critical minerals for its energy transition technologies.

The Eramet delegation is reportedly pursuing talks around operating permits and investment in battery supply chains, especially following the company’s withdrawal from a previous joint venture with BASF.

Macron’s push for closer economic ties is aimed not just at securing contracts, but at reinforcing long-term French engagement in the region.

Macron continues his Southeast Asian tour with a final stop in Singapore, to underline that France wants to be seen as a reliable, independent partner – not just a counterweight to the US or China. 

Between 1904 and 1908, German troops massacred tens of thousands of indigenous Herero and Nama people who rebelled against Germany’s rule in the southern African country.

Genocide Remembrance Day was declared a national holiday in Namibia earlier this week, however the date of the commemoration – 28 May – chosen by the central government, is a source of dispute, with communities saying they were not consulted and choosing not to attend the official event marking the genocide.

Historians have also questioned the limited recognition by Germany of its crimes, as the former colonial power has not offered to pay official reparations.

‘Colonial amnesia’

A commemorative ceremony held in the gardens of Namibia’s parliament in the capital Windhoek featured a candlelit vigil and a minute of silence. Members of the diplomatic community were expected at the event, where President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah delivered an address.

It is the first event to commemorate the victims of crimes committed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by what was then the German Empire in South West Africa. An estimated 60,000 Herero and 10,000 Nama people were killed.

Germany ruled the country as a colony between 1884 and 1915. It was then declared a mandated territory by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.

French director Cédric Djedje shines light on Germany’s African colonial history

When first the Herero and then the Nama revolted against the colonial administration, the response from Germany was brutal. An extermination order was sent by the Second Reich, and several concentration camps were built across the country.

Between 1904 and 1908, approximately 80 percent of the Herero people and half of the Nama were exterminated by German forces.

It is a chapter of African history that is still little known worldwide, while German historians specialising in the period have referred to a “colonial amnesia” around it.

A controversial date

The decision to designate a date for a commemoration came after years of difficult negotiations between the German and Namibian governments concluded in December 2024, with the release of a joint declaration recognising the genocide.

The date of 28 May was chosen to mark the closure of the concentration camps by German authorities, following international criticism over barbaric conditions and high death rates – although historians dispute whether this occurred in 1907 or 1908.

Historian Henning Melber of the Nordic Africa Institute, who is affiliated to the University of Pretoria and the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein in South Africa, says that while the announcement of an official Namibian Genocide Memorial Day has been long overdue, the chosen date of 28 May remains controversial.

Roma push France to recognise Holocaust-era genocide

“It shows a little bit of competition among the descendants of victim communities, because from a Nama perspective, they would have preferred another date, while the Herero perspective would also have suggested another date,” he told RFI.

“The 28th of May was selected because this was the day in 1908 when the last concentration camps were closed by the German colonial regime. So, to that extent, it’s a unifying date, but it does not really reflect the desires and the traumatic experiences of the individual descendants of the victim groups, which also include the Damara.”

Organisations representing the Nama, the Herero (also called the Ovaherero) and the Damara communities announced that they would not participate in the official event at the parliament.

“Part of that is due to the fact that they have not been involved, not been consulted,” said Melber. “Some of them even claim they have never been informed. Some [also] point out that during the 45 minutes put aside for the event, there are speakers [but] only two represent the affected communities.”

“So [from] their perspective,” he added, “this is another centralised government event which does not give the due respect and voice to the descendants of the main victim communities.”

‘Not good enough’

Controversy also surrounds Germany’s recognition of the massacres, as this has not included official reparations.

Germany agreed to pay Namibia €1.1 billion when it officially recognised the Herero-Nama genocide in 2021, in what Angela Merkel’s government said was a gesture of reconciliation.

According to the BBC, this is to be paid in development aid over 30 years, with no mention of the terms “reparations” or “compensation” in the agreement.

France faces pressure at home to admit 1945 colonial massacre of Algerians

Melber believes that in Germany’s opinion, Namibia’s acceptance of its apology effectively “freed” the former from any obligation to pay official reparations. 

“The document signed between the two countries declares that with the signing of the declaration, the issue is settled once and for all, meaning you close the chapter of the trauma,” he told RFI.

Furthermore, Melber added, while the document says “that the German government apologises for the atrocities committed, and the Namibian people accept the apology,” it does not state which Namibian people are being referred to. 

“Neither the Ovaherero nor the Nama nor the Damara have been asked if they accept any apology,” he said. “It’s simply not good enough for the communities.”

The National Assembly voted 305 in favour and 199 against the bill late on Tuesday. It is the start of a long legislative process that could eventually make France one of the few European countries to allow assisted dying.

President Emmanuel Macron called the vote “an important moment”. Writing on X, he said the result showed that “a path is gradually beginning to open – one that respects dignity, humanity and different beliefs”.

The bill now moves to the Senate, where changes are expected.

Health Minister Catherine Vautrin said she hopes senators will begin debating the proposal later this year and return it to the lower house in early 2026.

“I want this bill to get a final vote by 2027, which is still possible,” she said.

How 184 random citizens helped shape France’s debate on assisted dying

How the law would work

Patients would have to be French or live in France, be over 18, and have a grave and incurable illness at an advanced or terminal stage. They must be suffering pain that cannot be eased and which affects their quality of life.

A medical team would confirm that the person is making the request freely and is mentally capable of doing so. People with severe psychiatric conditions or illnesses such as Alzheimer’s would not qualify.

Once approved, patients would be prescribed a lethal substance. They could take it themselves or, if physically unable, have it administered by a doctor or nurse.

The bill, brought by Macron ally Olivier Falorni, would allow medical staff to help “a person gain access to a lethal substance when they have expressed such a wish”. It avoids the term “euthanasia”, using instead “aid in dying” or “assisted suicide”.

Vautrin said the French model would be “strict and closely supervised”.

A separate bill aimed at improving access to palliative care was also passed on Tuesday without opposition. It is designed to expand pain relief options and support for people nearing the end of life.

France already allows passive euthanasia – such as ending treatment or using deep sedation for terminally ill patients – but active euthanasia and assisted suicide remain illegal.

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

Ethical concerns

The issue remains divisive in a country with strong Catholic roots and mixed political views.

Prime Minister François Bayrou, a practising Catholic, said he would have abstained if he were an MP. “I have questions,” he said.

A joint statement from the Conference of Religious Leaders in France warned the bill could create pressure on older people or those with disabilities.

The group – which includes Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist communities – said the law risked causing an “anthropological rupture”.

Some in the medical profession have also voiced concern, while others say the law does not go far enough.

Dominique Pelletier, 83, from Roubaix, has terminal cancer. She told FranceInfo she has already begun the process of seeking euthanasia in Belgium, where it is legal.

“Do you think the patient will want to press the syringe?” she said. “That’s not help to die.”

Pelletier said she has seen her husband, daughter and sister suffer, and does not want the same for herself. “I’m not going to wait for that,” she said.

She is now working with Belgian doctors and a support group. “The day I can no longer manage on my own, I’ll know it’s time.”

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

Public backing

A 2023 report found that most French citizens support legal end-of-life options in cases of extreme suffering. Polls show that support has grown steadily over the past 20 years.

Speaking in the Assembly on Tuesday, Falorni said, “I’m thinking of all the patients and their loved ones that I’ve met over more than a decade. Many are no longer here, and they always told me: Keep fighting”.

Jonathan Denis, president of the Association for the Right to Die With Dignity, told the Associated Press: “I cannot accept that French men and women have to go to Switzerland – if they can afford it – or to Belgium to be supported in their choice.”

If eventually passed, the law would bring France in line with countries such as Spain, Austria and Switzerland, where assisted dying is legal under strict conditions. 

Macron has said he could call a referendum if parliament fails to reach agreement. 

(with newswires)

Comic book author Bastien Vivès is accused by several associations of producing pornographic drawings of minors in two of his albums.

The 41-year-old illustrator appeared in a court in Nanterre, in the Hauts-de-Seine department northwest of Paris, on Tuesday morning to face charges of “fixation and transmission with a view to the distribution of child pornographic images”.

The publishers Les Requins Marteaux and Glénat, who released the two albums, are also being tried for disseminating pornographic depictions of minors.

However, proceedings ground to a halt in the afternoon after the court declared it could not hear the case.

“No evidence in the case file allows us to determine that the alleged acts took place in the Hauts-de-Seine,” noted presiding judge Céline Ballerini. The Nanterre court, acting on a request from the defence, therefore declared itself “incompetent” to hear the case and “referred the matter back to the public prosecutor’s office,” the judge added.

If found guilty Vivès faces a maximum five-year prison sentence and a €75,000 fine.

‘Unquestionably’ pornographic

In January 2023, an investigation was opened following complaints from two child protection groups relating to La Décharge mentale (2018), and Petit Paul (2018). 

Petit Paul depicts a child with an oversized penis engaging in sexual acts with adult women, while La Décharge mentale features a man having sexual relations with underage girls.

In its complaint, the child protection group Foundation for Childhood said the cartoons “depict minors in sexually explicit scenes that that unquestionably have a pornographic character”.

The foundation’s lawyer Cécile Astolfe said the case rests on a “strict application” of Article 227-23 the French penal code.

“The depiction of a minor under 15 years of age with a pornographic character is prohibited,” she stated.

This includes fictional representations such as drawings.

Defending freedom of expression

The defence denies Vivès sought to promote pornography.

“There has never been any incitement to or glorification of pedophilia in Bastien Vivès’ work,” his lawyer, Richard Malka, told the French news agency AFP.

“A crime novelist isn’t responsible for the murders committed by their characters,” he argued in court, criticising what he sees as child protection groups defending “ink-and-paper children” instead of “real ones”.

“What’s at stake here is the possibility for artists to continue creating as they wish,” he told France Info. “If we’re banning his comics because they allegedly promote child pornography – which we completely refute – then we might as well take down many paintings in museums, purge literature of crime novels about psychopaths, and remove The Iliad, The Odyssey, the Bible, and the Qur’an.”

Around ten witnesses are expected to take the stand, including former culture minister Françoise Nyssen (2017–2018) and Riss – the director of Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly. Both are appearing for the defence.

Following Petit Paul’s publication in 2018, Glénat said the book “was never intended to trivialise, promote, or legitimise child abuse in any form”.

Glénat’s director Marion Glénat-Corveler recently said she would defend freedom of expression in court, calling it “a fundamental value of my work as a publisher”.

France publishes long-lost novel by Nazi collaborator Céline

Drawing a crime?

Vivès, who has long courted controversy with explicit and provocative content, denies any wrongdoing.

He has previously denied any pornographic intent in his work saying it was part of a “burlesque, humoristic genre”.

“Drawing can therefore be a crime,” he told AFP news agency in February. “I’m not here to heal society’s wounds or to uphold morality, but simply to provoke thought.”

Other works by Vivès – such as Les Melons de la colère, a loose parody of The Grapes of Wrath in which a group of men rape a teenage farm girl – have also drawn protests from associations and activists.

In 2023 the annual Angoulême International Comics Festival cancelled a planned Vivès exhibition after he received threats.

French fest drops cartoonist amid threats after incest row

In June 2024, five individuals were given suspended sentences in Paris for death threats or violent acts against him.

(with AFP)

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, 19 of France’s 101 administrative departments still do not have palliative care units, according to a health ministry report. 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, bringing total investment in the sector to around €6 billion by 2034. 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.

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)

The annual Prix Angénieux prize, now in its 12th year, was established to bring image experts – without whom cinema would not exist – into focus. 

Many films released recently have benefited from the high-quality lenses made by the French company, named after Pierre Angénieux, who founded it 90 years ago. 

These include the 2024 Palme d’Or winner Anora by Sean Baker, and Jury Prize Emilia Perez by Jacques Audiard, among many others.

The 2025 recipients are Australia’s Dion Beebe, who won the Prix Angénieux tribute award and South Korea’s Eunsoo Cho, who won the Prix Angénieux Encouragement Award. 

They were invited to the Cannes Film Festival to attend an award ceremony and a gala dinner on Friday.

Known for stylised, highly saturated colour palettes and an experimental approach to high-speed digital video, Beebe has collaborated with top names in Hollywood from Jane Campion (Holy Smoke) to Michael Mann (Collateral and Miami Vice). 

One of his key artistic partnerships over the years has been with American director Rob Marshall, who he credits with having “taught” him so much about camera work and the “language of movement”.  

Postcard from Cannes #4: Call for music prize as Desplat and del Toro talk synergy

Their first project together was the film musical Chicago, released in 2002.

It was the first musical in 34 years to win the Academy Award for Best Movie, along with awards for Best Supporting Actress (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and four technical Academy awards. 

“Rob is an amazing storyteller and has a wonderful sense showmanship and spectacle,” Beebe tells RFI in Cannes. 

Language of movement

“Every time an actor walks in a room and the camera is in the room with them, there’s choreography. The movement for him is crucial. When actors pick something up, he looks at the height of that table they pick it up from, because that affects movement.”

When asked about how he works with actors, he said that is an important part of the cinematographer’s work. 

“Protecting and looking after the actors is really such an important part of the cinematographer’s role. There really has to be a lot of trust,” Beebe told RFI. 

He recounts the rumours about working with a “difficult” Christian Bale, with whom he worked on Equilibrium by Kurt Wimmer (2002). 

Compassion

He says that more compassion is needed on set to help the actor get to “a vulnerable place” in order to be convincing in their role. 

“The truth is for an actor in a role, it’s incredibly tough to create this sort of belief that you’re in their world. Everything we see, of course, as the viewer, as the cinematographer is the perfect view of this movie, but what the actor sees is just a mess. It’s not as immersive as we might think for the actor.”

Tom Cruise returns to Cannes with Mission Impossible finale

Winner of numerous awards over the past thirty years; he received the Academy Award for Best Cinematography and a BAFTA in the same category for his work on Rob Marshall’s Memoirs of a Geisha in 2006. 

He is currently finishing a film with Antoine Fuqua, Michael, a biopic about Michael Jackson. 

Eunsoo Cho is a graduate of the Korean National University of Arts and the University Of Southern California School Of Cinematic Arts.

She has shot numerous fiction and documentary shorts in Africa, Asia, and North America. 

Inspired by Tim Burton growing up – she says she decided to be a cinematographer because she wanted to “have the director’s ear”.  

“I didn’t know what they really did besides standing behind the cameras. Later on, I gradually learned what it is and it was even more fascinating,” she told RFI. 

Postcard from Cannes #5: Indian cinematographer bags coveted prize

Although animal documentaries were her first preference, she has loved filming people and helping them tell their stories, such as her most recent project – The Last of the Sea Women – by Sue Kim (2024). It profiles the Haenyeo, a community of female divers on South Korea’s Jeju Island who have harvested seafood without oxygen tanks for centuries. 

Her work beside acclaimed documentary cinematographer Iris Ng for this film won the Best Cinematography award at the 9th Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards. 

‘Art of emptiness’

For her, cinematographers are the “shadows that complete the existence” of a film – always present but never seen. 

She says that her Korean cultural heritage has guided her in her filmmaking approach, particularly when it comes to using space. 

“I’m not sure I can speak for Koreans or Korean culture in general but I think we naturally try to do less. We don’t try to fill every corner and every space,” Cho says, adding this is concept comes from Korean paintings. 

“I try to do less. I try not to use many lights. I try not to use many objects in the frame. I try to concentrate on a few and emphasise them.”

Cho’s encouragement prize includes a special endowment allowing her to use optimal Angénieux technologies to capture the images of her next project, which is about to be signed off – but for now – Mum’s the word.

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.

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.

More than 10,000 square metres of solar panels have been installed across the area. Along with energy upgrades and new technologies, the project has turned this working-class part of central France into a model for sustainable living.

Around 8,000 people live in Fontaine d’Ouche, with some 1,100 residents in the main renovation zone where social housing units are now fitted with solar panels.

The energy produced is shared and partly owned by the community.

“We produce 118 percent of our energy needs,” says Massar N’Diaye, deputy mayor in charge of social economy and jobs, who grew up and still lives in the neighbourhood. “So we’re producing more than we consume and the rest can be sold on.”

Low-tech living in Paris: A four-month journey to suburban self-sufficiency

Officially inaugurated on Friday, Fontaine d’Ouche is France’s first positive energy neighbourhood (PED).

The pilot project is being co-led by Dijon and the Finnish city of Turku. It forms part of the European Union’s Green Deal and long-term goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

“We’re proving that a human-scale city can be at the forefront of ecological innovation,” said François Rebsamen, head of Dijon Métropole and the city’s former mayor.

“This is not just about technology, it’s about giving every neighborhood a stake in the energy transition,” he told FranceInfo.

A €36m green investment

The overhaul of Fontaine d’Ouche cost €36 million. This includes €6.2 million in EU subsidies, €13.8 million in public investment and €16.7 million from social housing providers.

In total, 4,500 solar panels have been added to rooftops – not only on social housing, but also on schools and sports centres. These generate 2 megawatts of power, N’Diaye told RFI.

Buildings have been retrofitted to be more energy efficient and homes equipped with smart thermostats, sensors and automated heating systems. This has cut energy use by up to 38 percent  improving comfort all year round.

Hemp, the ‘green gold’ that France hopes will help cut carbon emissions

Local residents are already feeling tangible benefits.

“The increase in purchasing power exists. Residents live in homes that have been renovated and that gives them better protection from the cold,” said N’Diaye, whose mother lives in one of the renovated buildings. 

The innovation goes far beyond solar panels. The neighbourhood now boasts a district heating system fuelled by 83 percent renewable energy. Surplus electricity is stored in recycled EV batteries and hot water tanks. 

“Residents can control their energy consumption remotely via applications and people are teaching them how to use these new tools,” he adds. “When a project like this finally becomes concrete, you say to yourself ‘I’m the pilot of what  may affect others tomorrow’.”

Macron revives climate council as French emissions targets fall short

Positive energy all round

N’Diaye says there’s a sense of local pride that a working-class community like theirs is at the forefront of the ecological transition.

“When you live in a priority urban district, you are often stigmatised but now we’re being watched by Europe as an example of positive energy production.”

He continued: “In the end we also produce positive energy in the community and we’re showing that we too, as residents of the city’s priority zones, are at the heart of the fight against global warming and respect for our planet.”

Altogether, 30,000 square metres of buildings in Fontaine d’Ouche are energy positive, resulting in a 75 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, making Dijon a pioneer in France’s climate transition.

The EU is aiming for 100 positive energy districts by 2025. 

Night slots

A few years back, the French Tennis Federation cut a deal with Amazon Prime to broadcast a 9pm night match from the French Open. That fans could not get home following matches finishing after the metros had closed led to a few tweaks – it starts at 8pm now.

There were raised eyebrows too from the outset about the paucity of women’s matches in the slot. Federation chiefs have maintained throughout that they place the “clash of the day” in the night time berth. Ons Jabeur, a two-time quarter-finalist, has consistently criticised the stance.

The 30-year-old Tunisian won’t be involved in the night slot this year after losing her first round match to the 25th seed Magdalena Frech. “It’s a bit ironic,” Jabeur lamented. “They don’t show women’s sport, they don’t show women’s tennis, and then they say: ‘Yeah, but mostly they watch men.’ Of course they watch men more because you show men more. Everything goes together. It’s a shame from the federation, a shame from Prime. A lot of great players, they deserve to be there.” So far, all three night matches have involved men, two of them French. 

Teen titans

Big things are expected of the Russian 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva who reached the semis last year and Joao Fonseca. Andreeva overcame a tentative start to get past Cristina Bucsa from Spain. Fonseca faced the experienced Pole Hubert Hurkacz for his first ever match at the French Open and essentially blitzed the 30th seed The 18-year-old won 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 to set up a second round meeting with Pierre-Hugues Herbert from France. Wonder where that will be scheduled.

Introspection for glory

Third seed Alexander Zverev was in contemplative mood just after a straight sets first round win over Learner Tien.  Zverev lost last year’s French Open final to Carlos Alcaraz a couple of weeks after winning the Italian Open.

“A year ago before Rome I didn’t win anything. I have ups-and-downs. I’m not a Novak Djokovic. I’m not a Rafa Nadal who are going to win or make finals of every tournament. My highs are very high but my lows are lower than other players and other top guys. I have come to terms with that. That’s just how my tennis is. You know, that’s maybe who I am, in a way.”

Zverev has won 24 titles including two ATP end-of-season championships as well and seven Masters 1000 tournaments which are considered just below the Grand Slam competitions in terms of prestige. “I’m just hoping that my highs will be higher than anyone else’s over the next two weeks,” he added hopefully.

Underdog day afternoon

Cameron Norrie had appalling statistics in his games against Daniil Medvedev. Played four. Lost four. No sets won with an average of three games a set. That all changed in their first round match when Medvedev lost eight consecutive games to offer Norrie the first set 7-5 and a 4-0 lead in the second.

Medvedev served for the match at 5-4 up n the fifth set but failed to hold his nerve and Norrie, who has plummeted down the ATP rankings to 81 from a high of eight, roared back to claim the decider 7-5.

“Obviously you fight to be in the top 10, try to stay there,” said the 29-year-old Briton. “It was difficult for me to try to get a lot of momentum last year with some injuries. I was really pushing at the beginning of the year to play well but it was not coming. The moment you kind of accept where you are in terms of ranking and actual level it’s fun again and nice to be the underdog.”

Tools of the trade

Slight glitch in the Coco Gauff global supremacy machine before the match against Olivia Gadecki from New Zealand. The second seed forgot to bring her equipment onto centre court. A ball boy was dispatched to retrieve the goods. “Yeah, well, the most important thing is to play with a racquet so I was getting through the first step,” said the 21-year-old American of her blip.

“After that, maybe it probably relaxed me going into the match, because it was just such a funny thing.” Gauff required 71 minutes to overcome her 23-year-old opponent 6-2, 6-2. “Yeah, so I’m just happy to get through and I will remember my racquets for next time.”

Perrier, once the sparkling jewel in Nestlé’s bottled water crown, is feeling the sting of a major consumer backlash.

Following revelations of environmental misconduct by Nestlé Waters, sales of Perrier have taken a sharp dive – down 14 percent since January and a staggering 23 percent compared to this time last year.

The slump follows investigative reports by Le Monde newspaper and Radio France, which uncovered serious breaches in Nestlé’s water bottling operations.

The fallout has been swift. While the bottled water sector overall is seeing a modest rebound – up 2.5 percent in early 2025 thanks to a milder spring – Perrier’s decline is notably out of step with the rest of the market.

Troubled waters: French government under pressure over Nestlé revelations

Consumers switching brands

“This isn’t a sector-wide crisis,” said Christophe Lekieffre, general delegate of the Syndicate of Spring and Natural Mineral Waters – SESEMN. “The market is growing again, and clearly consumers are simply switching to other brands”.

While still and sparkling water sales dipped slightly in 2024, the broader market hasn’t suffered nearly as much as Perrier.

The drop in Perrier sales – once a household staple – signals that brand loyalty is no match for environmental concerns in today’s market.

Nestlé court case post-poned

The backlash comes amid a growing legal headache for Nestlé.

A high-profile trial, where Nestlé Waters faces charges for illegal waste dumping in the Vosges region, was due to begin this week.

However, a court in Nancy has postponed proceedings to November due to late summons and an unexpectedly large list of witnesses.

Nestlé is accused of maintaining four massive illegal dumps, containing over 470,000 cubic metres of waste – roughly equivalent to 126 Olympic swimming pools.

French government accused of top-level cover-up in Nestlé water scandal

The waste includes everything from plastic and demolition debris to vehicle parts and glass.

Prosecutors say the environmental damage is serious, with reports of microplastics contaminating surface and groundwater, harming ecosystems and potentially human health.

The company maintains that the waste predates its ownership and claims to have cleaned up most of the affected sites.

The court proceedings are expected to delve deeper into the practices highlighted in a recent Senate report, which also accused state bodies of a cover-up.

The arrests are part of an investigation by France’s organised crime office into several abudctions, one on 1 May (abduction of the father of a crypto-millionaire, who was later rescued by French police), another on 13 May (attempted kidnapping of a French cryptocurrency entrepreneur’s daughter and grandson), and a new plot that was foiled Monday near the western city of Nantes.

The incidents have raised concerns about the security of wealthy crypto-tycoons who have notched up immense fortunes from the booming business.

The arrests of groups of suspects were made on different occasions over the last month and not simultaneously. The two Paris plots were revealed at the time but this is the first time details of the incident outside Nantes have emerged.

France vows to boost security for crypto executives after spate of kidnappings

Multiple adbuctions

According to the reports, six people have been charged in connection with the 1 May kidnapping in Paris of the father of a man who made his fortune in cryptocurrency.

The victim, for whom a ransom of several million euros was demanded by his captors, was freed during a raid on 3 May by the security forces on a house in the Essonne region outside Paris where he was being held.

The victim was abducted in front of witnesses by four hooded men who bundled him into a delivery van and injured him.

A few days later, on 13 May, the daughter and grandson of the chief executive of a cryptocurrency company escaped a street kidnapping in Paris, an incident that received wide coverage as dramatic images were posted on social media.

The entire team of aggressors involved in that plot were arrested, said the source, without giving further details on the number of people involved.

The two targeted were the family of Pierre Noizat, the CEO and co-founder of Paymium, a French cryptocurrency exchange platform.

In an interview with BFM television, Noizat praised their “heroic” behaviour as well as that of the man who used a fire extinguisher against the attackers, saying he was “exemplary”.

On Monday, a new kidnapping attempt was foiled in the Nantes region just before it was carried out, the source said, without providing further details on the events or the victims.

These plots followed the abduction on 21 January of French crypto boss David Balland, who co-founded a crypto firm, Ledger, valued at the time at more than $1 billion, and his partner.

Ballard’s finger was cut off by his kidnappers, who had demanded a hefty ransom. He was freed the next day, and his girlfriend was found tied up in the boot of a car in Essonne.

 (AFP) 

French President Emmanuel Macron kicked off a high-profile tour of Southeast Asia on Monday with a strong call to uphold a global order “based on law”, as tensions mount between the United States and China in the region.

Speaking in Hanoi alongside Vietnamese counterpart Luong Cuong, Macron stressed the importance of a rules-based international framework during what he described as “a time of great imbalance and a resurgence of power-driven rhetoric and intimidation”.

His visit comes as Vietnam finds itself navigating choppy diplomatic waters. While sharing strong economic ties with both the US and China, Vietnam is also grappling with Washington’s threats of steep tariffs – potentially up to 46 percent – while locked in territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea.

Posting on X, Macron wrote: “Vietnam naturally emerged as the first stop on my trip to Southeast Asia. This is a new page being written between our two countries, in all areas: economic, scientific, technological, industrial, military, strategic, cultural, academic”.

French contracts, ‘booming’ economy

Macron – looking to position France as a trustworthy partner – offered Hanoi a compelling alternative.

“With France, you have a familiar, safe, and reliable friend,” he told To Lam, the secretary general of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party.

“In the period we are living in, this alone has great value.”

The French leader brought more than just warm words.

Nearly €9 billion worth of contracts were signed during his visit, highlighting France’s eagerness to tap into Vietnam’s booming economy.

Among the headline deals was budget airline Vietjet’s purchase of 20 Airbus A330-900 aircraft, doubling its fleet of the widebody model.

In addition, France and Vietnam signed an agreement on nuclear energy – a nod to Hanoi’s ambitions to meet rising energy demand while cutting carbon emissions.

Macron heads to Vietnam as France seeks bigger role in Indo-Pacific

Message on transatlantic relations

Macron’s message was also aimed westward. He addressed recent deadly Russian strikes on Ukraine, urging US President Donald Trump to back up tough talk with concrete action.

“I believe President Trump realises that when President Putin says he’s ready for peace, he’s not being truthful,” Macron said, calling for stronger US resolve.

On transatlantic ties, Macron struck a hopeful note. He expressed confidence that trade talks between the European Union and the United States would bear fruit, with an eye towards significantly reducing tariffs.

Vietnam invites France to remember Dien Bien Phu defeat after 70 years

Human rights and ‘domestic spat’

Yet, the visit wasn’t without its complexities. Human Rights Watch had called on Macron to speak out against Vietnam’s harsh record on political dissent.

The one-party state currently holds over 170 political prisoners under laws that critics say criminalise peaceful activism.

However, in line with his usual diplomatic style, Macron opted to address human rights concerns privately rather than publicly.

The visit was briefly overshadowed by a viral video showing Brigitte Macron appearing to push her husband’s face as they landed in Hanoi.

Macron laughed off suggestions of a spat, saying they were “joking” and the moment was taken out of context. “Everyone needs to calm down,” he said, blaming online disinformation – particularly from Russian and extremist sources – for distorting harmless footage.

During his time in Hanoi, Macron paid respects at a war memorial and lunched with Vietnamese leaders at the historic Temple of Literature, where he also enjoyed a traditional music and dance performance.

His Southeast Asia tour will continue with stops in Indonesia and Singapore.

The 29-year-old Briton won 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 7-5 in just under four hours on Court Simonne Matthieu to register his first victory over the Russian in five encounters.

In their previous meetings, Norrie had failed to win a set, averaging three games a set.

And it appeared to be business as usual when Medvedev stepped up to serve for the opener at 5-3.

But the 29-year-old imploded. He lost eight consecutive games to give Norrie the first set 7-5 and a 4-0 lead in the second.

Though he reeled him in, Norrie held on to seize control of the match.

After edging the third set 6-4, Medvedev romped through the fourth 6-1 in 22 minutes to level proceedings.

He served for the match at 5-4 in the decider but failed to exploit his advantage.

“My main regret is that I didn’t manage to serve it out,” Medvedev lamented.

“I mean, kind of close match. Great fight and I’m disappointed to lose. He played well. I didn’t play good enough. So that’s why I lost.”

Spirit

Norrie reached number eight in the ATP world rankings in September 2022 but has since slipped to 81 on the back of injuries and a loss of form. But he reached the last four at the Geneva Open in the week before the French Open.

“I’ve been getting better week by week on clay,” said Norrie.

“It was a great atmosphere on the court. I felt a lot of energy. It was a crazy match. I deserve a diploma for beating him since he beat me the last four times.”

Elsewhere in the men’s draw, last year’s runner-up Alexander Zverev cruised past the rising American Learner Tien.

The German booked a berth in the second round with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 victory over the 19-year-old in one hour and 53 minutes.

Three-time champion Novak Djokovic opened his campaign for a record 25th singles title at a Grand Slam tournament with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 stroll past the American Mackenzie McDonald.

Djokovic, 38, claimed his 100th ATP title last Saturday at the Geneva Open and was too wily for the world number 98.

“I don’t know how many Grand Slam tournaments I have left in me,” Djokovic told on-court interviewer Lucas Pouille.

“But I am trying to make the most of them. I played a solid match – one break per set. I know I can play at a higher level but I am happy with what I have done.”

Ninth seed Alex de Minaur moved into the second round following a straight sets victory over Laslo Djere.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met with Donald Trump in Washington last Wednesday.

The meeting took place amid tensions over several issues, including the United States’ resettlement of white Afrikaners – whom President Trump has controversially described as victims of “genocide” – and South Africa’s ongoing land reform.

South Africa’s Ramaphosa to meet Trump on high-stakes White House visit

However, the US President defied all expectations of diplomacy by repeating allegations against Ramaphosa and accusing South Africa of the alleged killing of white farmers.

President Ramaphosa remained composed, however, and the visit continued the following day with further discussions on bilateral relations and trade.

To discuss, the recent evolution of the relations between the two countries, Spotlight on Africa has two guests this week:

• Cameron Hudson, senior fellow at the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in Washington DC
• Ivor Ichikowitz, founding director of the Ichikowitz Family Foundation and keen observer of South Africa’s foreign affairs.

We also visit the Paris Noir exhibition, currently on display at the Pompidou Centre  in central Paris. It showcases the largest collection ever assembled of works by Black artists who created art in the French capital from the 1950s onwards.

Paris Noir is at the Pompidou Centre in Paris until 30 June, 2025.

‘Paris Noir’ exhibition showcases work made in French capital by black artists

Finally, we go on a tour with the black British photographer, writer and broadcaster Johny Pitts, who has himself documented the black and Afropean communities all over Europe for over ten years. 

Episode mixed by Erwan Rome.

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

According to Peer de Jong, a naval colonel who now heads Themiis, a security, defence, and services company (ESSD) operating in Mauritania, former French soldiers are highly valued for their deep knowledge of African war zones, where they have often been deployed. And, in West and Central Africa, the French language remains a key advantage.

“It’s a small world!” he told told RFI’s defence correspondent, Franck Alexandre. “French ex-military personnel have an excellent reputation. And then, Anglo-Saxons don’t speak French, and that’s essential for operating in Africa. The number two at the private security group Bancroft is Frenchman Richard Rouget.”

Rouget is a former paratrooper. If Bancroft wants to work in the Central African Republic, according to de Jong, they’ll hire French personnel.

For France, military emergencies and priorities have shifted due to the war in Ukraine. While European armies must now prepare for a potential high-intensity conflict, the fight against jihadism in the Sahel has become a lower priority.

After Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, the historic bases in Chad, and then in Côte d’Ivoire were handed over at the start of 2025.

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

Private defence

The reduction in French personnel has left a vacuum in Africa, increasingly filled by private military companies offering their services to states seeking to outsource a wide range of missions — from logistical support and site security to training and even the protection of public figures.

The Alliance of Sahel States, originally established as a mutual defence pact between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso in September 2023, employs the services of Russian proxy forces — initially the Wagner Group, and later Africa Corps.

Many other nations have turned to different private military firms, including the Chinese company Beijing DeWe, which is securing the construction of the Mombasa–Naivasha railway line in Kenya. Meanwhile, mercenaries from Sadat, an international Turkish defence consultancy, are playing an increasingly prominent role in Libya.

In West Africa, private military companies are securing a growing number of contracts. British and American firms, with their extensive expertise in the field, are enjoying notable success.

Recruitment of French personnel is on the rise. Companies such as Bancroft Global Development (USA), G4S (UK, specialising in the management of sensitive installations and secure transport), the Development Initiative (UK, based in Bermuda and specialising in mine clearance), Relyant Global LLC (USA, based in Tennessee, offering logistics and mine clearance services), and Erinys (UK, specialising in risk management and security provision in conflict zones) have all hired former French military staff for operations in Africa.

Western military sources told RFI that the American company Amentum is currently deploying several former French soldiers across Benin, Mali, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Guinea, and even Somalia.

These personnel include at least two former legionnaires and a former telecommunications technician who previously worked at the French Ministry of the Armed Forces. They are serving as part of the US State Department’s AfriCap programme.

Private companies and NGOs are increasingly turning to such security expertise, according to a senior French officer who closely monitors the evolving risk landscape in Africa.

“In French-speaking regions, where former French military personnel are recognised and respected, where they’ve previously served, know the terrain, and maintain their networks… Naturally, this appeals to American and British companies,” he explained.

A well-informed source within the armed forces questioned whether this situation should be considered normal.

“These former soldiers remain loyal to France and carry out their duties on the ground,” he told RFI’s Franck Alexandre. “But should we not have French private military companies operating under the control of local authorities? As it stands, French law does not permit this.”

France missing out

The growing presence of private military companies in Africa comes as no surprise to Peer de Jong. “In France, we don’t have this tool. We have never privatised the military, so we are lagging behind. Today, the Russians, the Chinese, the Turks, and the Americans dominate this expanding market.”

He also emphasises the strong desire for sovereignty among African states.

“They no longer want a French army; they want service providers—men in civilian clothing,” de Jong adds.

French law, however, prohibits and penalises mercenary activity involving the use of force and weapons.

“For people in Africa, a white man who speaks French and carries a weapon, even in civilian clothes, is still seen as a French soldier or an agent of the DGSE [foreign intelligence service],” a member of staff at army headquarters in Paris told RFI.

But de Jong believes France is simply missing out on a growing market.

“The Directorate of Defence Intelligence and Security [DRDS, a French intelligence agency] constantly expresses concern over former French soldiers joining private military companies. They argue it damages the image of the armed forces. However, private military companies are a highly effective tool of influence and, what’s more, they are inexpensive, as they are funded by donors such as the European Union.”

The French army is also contending with major disinformation campaigns in Africa, orchestrated by Moscow and its proxies in the Wagner Group. These campaigns have significantly altered both France’s military posture and its communications strategy on the continent.

For over a decade, people have accused French soldiers of committing crimes or seeking to revive “Françafrique“. These narratives continue to fuel widespread belief in the existence of secret French bases in Benin and Nigeria..

“This false information circulates widely and even influences discussions within circles of power,” a French soldier recently returned from West Africa told RFI. “It’s pure misinformation with no foundation, but proving that something doesn’t exist is extremely difficult.”

For now, all these experts agree that France is not prepared to officially deploy soldiers—whether from the regular army or private security firms—to Africa again.

Amadou Mansour Faye, an ex-minister of community development has been accused of embezzling more than $4.6 million in public funds in Senegal, according to a parliamentary report.

Mansour Faye is the current mayor of the city of Saint-Louis. He categorically rejects the charges against him, as well as his lawyers, who say they believe that the charges against him are the result of political harassment.

“If, today, [Amadou Mansour Fall] is being held for this offense, there is absolutely no doubt that it is a political commission, because he is in no way involved [in this case] and he has demonstrated it,” states, one of his lawyer, Amadou Sall, told reporters in Dakar.

His defence added that the former government minister cannot be held responsible for any possible overcharging of rice prices, as he was not part of the commission that chose the company from which the rice in question was purchased.

The High Court of Justice’s investigating commission on Monday rejected Mansour Faye’s bail, proposed by his lawyers. It must now complete its investigation to decide whether or not he will be prosecuted.

Multiplied cases

Mansour Faye is the fifth member of former president Macky Sall‘s government to be indicted by the High Court of Justice, a special court, which refused bail.

Faye is the third of the five to be detained following their indictment by the court, which is empowered to try former government members for crimes committed in the exercise of their duties.

Former Senegal government ministers charged over Covid fund fraud

Faye’s colleague, former minister for industrial development Moustapha Diop, was detained on 22 May for alleged embezzlement of some four million dollars in funds from the West African nation’s fund for combating the Covid-19 pandemic.

Former mines minister Aissatou Sophie Gladima, was also remanded in custody last week by the same court, charged with embezzlement of $330,000 from a fund for miners affected by Covid-19.

The High Court’s investigating commission charged and detained Faye, also brother-in-law of the former president, Sall, told reporters.

A sixth former minister is in the justice system’s crosshairs for another case.

Political tensions

Relations between the ruling Pastef party and the former president’s APR party are at their worst this year, after years of political confrontation and repression during the Macky Sall era.

Macky Sall’s close circle accuses the government of persecuting their political enemies, while President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and his Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko insist it is a matter assuring the independence of the justice system.

The Senegalese political scientist Mamadou Lamine Sarr told RFI that this Covid fund scandal has already become “one of the biggest in Senegal’s political history.”

“Terrible things happened in Senegal during the Covid crisis,” he said, while hospitals were lacking all the basic necessities to treat people, and now people discover that their politicians misused public funds, then and over two decades.

“We have to wait for the conclusions of the investigation, but I would not be surprised if other people were investigated soon,” he added.

“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 Jean-Noël Barrot 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”.

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

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.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met with Donald Trump in Washington last Wednesday.

The meeting took place amid tensions over several issues, including the United States’ resettlement of white Afrikaners – whom President Trump has controversially described as victims of “genocide” – and South Africa’s ongoing land reform.

South Africa’s Ramaphosa to meet Trump on high-stakes White House visit

However, the US President defied all expectations of diplomacy by repeating allegations against Ramaphosa and accusing South Africa of the alleged killing of white farmers.

President Ramaphosa remained composed, however, and the visit continued the following day with further discussions on bilateral relations and trade.

To discuss, the recent evolution of the relations between the two countries, Spotlight on Africa has two guests this week:

• Cameron Hudson, senior fellow at the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in Washington DC
• Ivor Ichikowitz, founding director of the Ichikowitz Family Foundation and keen observer of South Africa’s foreign affairs.

We also visit the Paris Noir exhibition, currently on display at the Pompidou Centre  in central Paris. It showcases the largest collection ever assembled of works by Black artists who created art in the French capital from the 1950s onwards.

Paris Noir is at the Pompidou Centre in Paris until 30 June, 2025.

‘Paris Noir’ exhibition showcases work made in French capital by black artists

Finally, we go on a tour with the black British photographer, writer and broadcaster Johny Pitts, who has himself documented the black and Afropean communities all over Europe for over ten years. 

Episode mixed by Erwan Rome.

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

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.

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.