Christian Tein, 57, from the indigenous Kanak group, has been held in custody in eastern France since June 2024.  

He was charged over rioting on the Pacific archipelago that left 14 people dead, including two gendarmes, and caused more than two billion euros in damage. 

Tein heads the Field Action Coordination Unit (CCAT), an organisation that prosecutors suspect was behind the unrest that broke out on 13 May 2024.

He has denied any role in organising violence and considers himself a political prisoner. 

Nouméa’s poorest neighbourhoods struggling to rebuild, a year after riots

Insufficient evidence

The investigating judges questioned Tein in late May and on Tuesday ruled he should be released under judicial control.

A source close to the case told the French news agency AFP that the conditions include a ban on returning to New Caledonia and on contacting other individuals involved in the case. 

The judges concluded that, at this stage, there is no evidence Tein was preparing an armed uprising against the French state. They also found no incriminating material during searches of his devices. 

Prosecutors opposed the decision, arguing that Tein played a central role in planning violent action against the government. Prosecutors said he could try to flee with the help of supporters if released. 

A Paris court of appeal is expected to decide within 48 hours whether the release order should be suspended. 

France fails to broker deal on New Caledonia’s future after three-day ‘conclave’

Lawyers welcome decision 

In a statement, Tein’s lawyers welcomed what they called the judges’ “new reading of the case”. They also said the Paris prosecutor’s office was “totally out of touch” with the evidence of the proceedings. 

“The freedom of Mr Tein must now be recovered so that the judicial battle continues to convince of his absolute innocence,” they said. 

Tidjane Thiam, leader of the main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire (PDCI), was struck from the voter roll in April after a court ruling cast doubt on his Ivorian nationality at the time of registration.

Ex-president Laurent Gbagbo, his former right-hand man Charles Ble Goude and exiled former prime minister Guillaume Soro have been barred for years over past convictions and were not reinstated.

None of the four will be able to run in the October 25 presidential race or vote.

President Allassane Ouattara, 83, who has been in power since 2011, is included on the electoral register but has yet to announce if he will seek a fourth term.

In 2015 and 2020, Ouattara won with more than 80 percent of the vote.

Electoral commission head Ibrahime Kuibiert Coulibaly had announced on Monday that no revision of the electoral register would take place before the vote.

“My elimination from the electoral list by the independent electoral commission is a sad but eloquent example of Côte d’Ivoire’s drift towards a total absence of democracy,” Thiam said in a statement on Wednesday.

Côte d’Ivoire opposition figure reclaims party leadership ahead of court ruling

The former international banker, who has been away from Côte d’Ivoire for more than two months, has appealed to the UN Human Rights Committee, his party said.

His lawyer Mathias Chichportich said in a statement sent to French press agency AFP that depriving the opposition leader of “his political rights” was “a serious violation of Côte d’Ivoire’s international commitments”.

For its part, Gbagbo’s African Peoples’ Party – Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI) complained that the authorities “did not choose to listen to the advice, the calls for discussion, for reason”, its secretary general Jean-Gervais Tcheide told AFP.

“It’s a shame they chose to force their way through,” he said, adding: “We’re not going to let them do it.”

‘End all disagreement’

Other opposition figures who have announced they will run for the presidency are featured on the final electoral list.

They include former first lady Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, who, speaking on behalf of an opposition coalition, said that the conditions were not met for a “peaceful, calm election”.

Kuibiert Coulibaly, the electoral commission chief, has called for court decisions to be respected to “put an end to all disagreement” and to make Côte d’Ivoire “a state governed by the rule of law”.

Côte d’Ivoire’s voter roll reaches 8.7 million amid opposition demands for revision

Previously, during the 2020 presidential election, a revision of the electoral list took place in June ahead of the October polling day.

The final electoral register for this year’s ballot includes the names of 8.7 million voters, in a country with a high immigrant population and where nearly half of the 30 million inhabitants are under the age of 18.

Authorities deny any political interference in the electoral process, insisting that they respect decisions made by an independent judiciary.

(With newswires)

Croisille died in Paris on Tuesday night, “following a long illness” her agent Jacques Metges announced on Wednesday.

The unforgettable voice on the film soundtrack of Claude Lelouch’s A Man and a Woman, she won the prize for “most beautiful voice” in 1975.

She was also loved in France for other hits during the 1970s, including Telephone-moi , Parlez-moi de lui and Une femme avec toi .

“I have only sung love songs and I know what I have brought to people,” she told Paris Match in 2017.

“She was the voice of my life, a friend, a confidante, a muse,” Lelouch said on Wednesday. “She was a wonderful woman, behind the microphone and in life. She knew how to do everything! Singing, dancing, bouncing around all the time, an incredible sense of improvisation… I feel widowed.”

Multi-talented

Croisille often said she had achieved everything she ever wanted in her career – hardly surprising given the breadth of her accomplishments.

Born in 1936, she was just eight when she began dancing on stage at the Paris Opera School. She would later join the company’s corps de ballet.

In the mid-1950s, after auditioning for Marcel Marceau’s mime school, she joined him on a tour of the Americas. She discovered a passion for jazz while in Chicago and began singing in local clubs.

On her return to France, she immersed herself in the jazz scene of Paris’s Saint-Germain-des-Prés, performing in the city’s famed cellars.

She continued dancing, performing notably in Paris mes Amours – a revue led by Josephine Baker – and appearing in 1957 alongside Jean Marais in the musical L’Apprenti Fakir.

Chabadabada

Her recording career kicked off in the early 1960s, with a series of jazz-influenced singles and an album featuring a cover of Ray Charles’s Hallelujah I Love Her So.

However, she struggled to compete with the rise of the yé-yé pop movement and while she opened for Jacques Brel at the Olympia in Paris in 1961, she remained relatively unknown to the general public.

Passionate about American musicals, she returned to the United States in 1964 to perform as a lead showgirl, appearing in Broadway numbers adapted from the Folies Bergère.

1966 marked a turning point when she recorded the soundtrack of Un homme et une femme (A man and a woman) with singer-songwriter Pierre Barouh for Claude Lelouch’s eponymous Oscar-winning film. Composed by Francis Lai, the song with its breathy “chabadabada” refrain, became a global hit and was the first French single to be certified gold in the US. 

How France’s songs keep world dreaming of French freedom and glamour

Chart success 

Mainstream success came in the 1970s, after signing with Philips Records.

Collaborations with prominent lyricists like Pierre Delanoë and Claude Lemesle allowed her to develop a more contemporary chanson-pop style. She released a string of successful singles including Parlez-moi de lui, Une femme avec toi, Téléphone-moi and J’ai besoin de toi, j’ai besoin de lui . Her version of Le Blues du businessman, from the musical Starmania, was a radio hit in 1985.

Croisille performed to sold-out audiences at major French venues including the Olympia, the Bataclan and the Casino de Paris.

Despite embracing pop, she continued in jazz. In 1987, she worked alongside violinist Didier Lockwood and saxophonists Manu Dibango and Steve Grossman on the album Jazzille, culminating in a national tour with 180 concerts.

In 2008, she released the album Bossa d’hiver, inspired by her love of Brazilian music.

Jane Birkin, an English chanteuse who left her mark on French pop

‘Time of my life’

Croisille was also an accomplished actress. She appeared in several of Claude Lelouch’s films, including Les Uns et les Autres (1981), Il y a des jours… et des lunes (1990), and Les Misérables (1995), as well in numerous television productions. In 1992, she realised her dream, playing the lead role in the American musical Hello, Dolly!.

In 2006, two years after the death of fellow French artist Claude Nougaro, she paid tribute to him with the stage show and album Nougaro, le jazz et moi.

Croisille remained active on stage into her 80s.

After playing, in her own words, a “wanton old lady” in a play about the porn industry in 2018, she acted the role of ex-mistress of a rich antique dealer in Sacha Guitry’s gritty comedy N’écoutez pas, Mesdames! in 2019.

“I’m having the time of my life! At my age, all I like is a good laugh”, she told AFP just before her 83rd birthday.

Trump signed the order on Tuesday evening, raising the import taxes from the 25 percent rate first introduced in March. The metals sector was the first to face these targeted tariffs, part of Trump’s stated aim to boost domestic investment.

The European Commission said the bloc was ready to respond if needed. A €21 billion package of counter-tariffs, approved earlier this year, remains on standby.

Italy’s PM Meloni hosts Macron in Rome for ‘turning point’ summit

Trade talks in Paris

The move has added pressure to a ministerial meeting underway in Paris, hosted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic is due to meet US trade representative Jamieson Greer on Thursday.

EU officials hope the bloc can still secure an exemption from the higher tariffs. Brussels is not expected to retaliate immediately, to avoid disrupting other ongoing trade discussions with Washington.

“We have to keep our cool and always show that the introduction of these tariffs is in no one’s interest,” said French Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin, speaking on the sidelines of the OECD meeting.

Meanwhile German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche stressed the urgency of reaching a deal. “We need to come up with negotiated solutions as quickly as possible, because time is running out,” she said.

Jobs at risk in Europe

Europe’s steel industry has already been hit by falling demand and cheap imports, especially from China. The sector lost 18,000 jobs in 2024, with producers such as Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Steel cutting staff.

A 50 percent tariff could make European metal exports to the US unviable, putting more jobs at risk.

Industry sources told RFI they would not comment publicly until measures were officially confirmed, citing the unpredictable nature of recent US trade decisions.

In late May, Trump threatened to impose an additional 20 percent tariff on all European imports, before delaying the move after a phone call with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

Canada hit hardest

Canada, the top supplier of steel and aluminium to the US, responded sharply. The office of prime minister Mark Carney called the tariffs “illegal and unjustified”.

“A tariff wall came down at midnight between Canada and the US, and the industry is taking it full force,” steelworkers union representative Nicolas Lapierre told RFI’s Montreal correspondent.

“There are no businesses with profit margins of 25 to 50 percent. That doesn’t exist. We are very impacted.”

Canada exported more than 25 billion dollars in steel and aluminium last year, most of it to the United States.

After talks in Washington on Tuesday, Canada’s minister for US relations, Dominic LeBlanc, said: “We expressed our concerns about the increase, the tariffs are unacceptable. We explained how this will be harmful for Canada and the United States.”

US tariffs on EU goods delayed after Von der Leyen call with Trump

Ripple effects worldwide

Mexico is also seeking an exemption. “It makes no sense,” said Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard, arguing that the US exports more steel to Mexico than it imports.

The UK will keep its current 25 percent rate for now while trade pact talks with Washington continue. A government readout said both sides aim to implement agreed terms “as soon as possible”.

The OECD has lowered its global growth forecast, citing the impact of US trade measures.

Chief economist Alvaro Pereira told the French news agency AFP that trade, investment and consumption have already slowed, with the US economy likely to be hit hardest.

(with newswires)

The 72-year-old was chosen by more than 10,000 voters from 84 countries for her stand against the normalisation of rape and sexual abuse. Her younger son, Florian, accepted the award on her behalf at a ceremony in Caen, Normandy, on Tuesday. 

“Seeing today’s youth, through this prize, make my mother’s fight their own, associating freedom with consent, gives even more meaning to this battle,” Florian Pélicot said. 

‘Home is the most dangerous place for women and girls’: UN report

Years of abuse 

Between 2011 and 2020, Gisèle Pélicot was drugged without her knowledge by her then-husband, Dominique Pélicot, who invited at least 50 men to rape her in their home in Mazan, in southern France. 

When the case went to trial in 2024, she refused both anonymity and a closed-door hearing – saying she wanted to shift “the shame” away from victims. 

“That the youth, through this prize, associates freedom with respect for others, attention to consent and dialogue fills me with joy and confidence in the future. Thank you!” Gisèle Pélicot said in a written message shared by organisers. 

All 51 men were convicted in December by a criminal court in Avignon. One of them has appealed. A retrial is set to begin on 7 October in Nîmes. Pélicot is observing strict media silence until the case concludes. 

Mass rape trial sparks demonstrations across France

Support for victims 

The Freedom Prize comes with €25,000, which Pélicot said she would donate entirely to AMAV, a victims’ support group in Avignon that assisted her during the trial. 

At the awards ceremony, Florian Pélicot ended his speech with “Mum, I love you!”, drawing long applause from the crowd of 4,000 young people and 26 World War II veterans.  

Gisèle Pélicot was recently named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2025 and is also a finalist for the Council of Europe’s Vigdis Prize. 

“Through Gisèle Pélicot, the world’s youth honours those who defend human dignity against violence and forgetting,” said Ouissem Belgacem, president of the Freedom Prize jury. 

The prize was created in 2019 by the Normandy region to honour recent and exemplary fights for liberty, peace and human rights.  

Past recipients include climate activist Greta Thunberg and Palestinian journalist Motaz Azaïza. 

The 22-year-old from Dijon, south-eastern France, saw off the sixth seed Mirra Andreeva 7-6, 6-3 on Wednesday afternoon to become only the fifth woman since tennis became a professional game in 1968 to reach the semi-finals on her debut at one of the four Grand Slam tournaments in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York

Boisson, who was given an invitation to appear in the main draw, will take on the second seed Coco Gauff on Thursday afternoon for a chance to vie for one of the most prestigious prizes in her sport.

“I am not really thinking about what will be next,” Boisson said. “I am just trying to stay in this tournament.

“I’m staying in my zone,” she added. “I don’t really watch the social media and everything. I just stay focused and I will look at all this kind of thing after the tournament.

“I am really enjoying everything that I am experiencing on the court and outside the court.”

Boisson came into the second Grand Slam tournament of the season as an unknown at 361 in the WTA rankings and has gained notoriety as she progressed through the field on the clay courts at the Roland Garros Stadium in Paris.

Frenchwoman in week two

Her third round showdown with compatriot Elsa Jacquemot assured local tennis bosses of a Frenchwoman in the second week of the championships.

However, Boisson’s voyage was expected to end on Monday against the third seed Jessica Pegula.

But unleashing heavy top spin forehands reminiscent of her idol Rafael Nadal and low bouncing slices, Boisson beguiled Pegula to win in three sets to become the first Frenchwoman to reach the last eight at the French Open since Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic in 2017.

On Wednesday, she emulated the feats of Marion Bartoli who advanced to the last four in Paris in 2011.

Pride in play

“All the matches have been really tough,” added Boisson. “So I’m just proud about how they have all been ending. 

“I am just proud of myself because it was really tough for me to go into the semi-final.”

In the match against Andreeva, Boisson saved a set point as she came back to level at 5-5 in the first set.

She then blew three of her own when she was leading 6-5 and then had to fight off another during a nail-biting tiebreak which she eventually claimed eight points to six.

In the second set, after losing the first three games, Boisson won six on the trot to the delight of the centre court crowd to clinch it 6-3 and the match.

Andreeva was munificent in defeat. “Lois has a great serve and she has a great forehand, she said.

“She also played solid and consistent throughout the whole match. She managed the situation better than me.”

Though only 18, Andreeva went into the clash on centre court boasting more top tournament experience with nine appearances at the Grand Slam tournaments including a semi-final last year in Paris.

Earlier in the season, the Russian arrived at Indian Wells in the United States with the crown from the Dubai Open – one of the most coveted on the circuit.

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

Rise up rankings

While Andreeva was cutting a swathe through the draws in the elite competitions on the senior tour, Boisson was toiling away in third tier tournaments as she sought fitness and form after a cruciate ligament injury in her left knee that deprived her of a chance to feature at last year’s French Open.

Her surge to the semis at the French Open will propel her 300 places up the WTA rankings.

“When I started playing tennis, I was quite nervous on the court,” Boisson revealed.

“I was very emotional, too emotional and it was undermining my game. I eventually understood that I wouldn’t go far if I continued this way.

“When I sustained my injury, I had some time to think things over and it’s helping me now to handle my emotions.”

Andreeva conceded she had wilted under the barracking from the partisan crowd. Gauff said she would be prepared for the challenge.

“Either, A, just pretend they’re cheering for you, and B, just use it and not let that get to you,” said the 21-year-old American who is attempting to reach the final for the second time.

“I have been in crowds where they are 99 percent for me, so I don’t have an issue with it.

“I hope everyone will be respectful. If not, it’s cool. It makes sports exciting, and I can’t get irritated at the fact that someone is rooting for their hometown hero, because I would do the same.”

Instead of videos, users in France now see a message explaining the new rules. Parent company Aylo began the suspension on Wednesday afternoon.

The move comes ahead of a 7 June deadline. From that date, all porn sites available in France must prove they are keeping underage users out.

“We’re not stigmatising adults who want to consume this content, but we mustn’t do so at the expense of protecting our children,” France’s deputy minister for digital technology, Clara Chappaz, told Europe 1.

Privacy dispute

Until now, users could access explicit content by simply clicking a box saying they were over 18. Under the new rules, that will no longer be enough.

Instead, users must verify their age using a credit card or a government-issued ID. This check must be carried out by an external service, not the porn site itself.

This system, referred to as “double anonymity”, means the porn site receives only a yes-or-no confirmation that the user is of legal age. The age-check provider knows who the user is, but not which sites they visit.

France’s losing battle to stop children accessing porn online

Aylo says it supports age verification in principle, but argues it should happen on users’ devices rather than on individual websites.

Solomon Friedman, a partner at Ethical Capital Partners, which owns Aylo, told reporters on Tuesday that the French law was “dangerous”, “potentially privacy infringing” and “ineffective”.

He said: “It’s a matter of putting our values first, and that means communicating directly with the French people to tell them what their government is refusing to tell them.”

Government pushback

In a post on X on Tuesday, Chappaz accused Aylo of spreading false claims about the new system.

“Lying when one does not want to comply with the law and holding others hostage is unacceptable,” she wrote. “If Aylo would rather leave France than apply our law, they are free to do so.”

She said other adult sites were already working to comply.

Pornhub’s internal data from 2024 shows France is its second-largest market after the United States.

France’s media and digital regulator Arcom estimates that 2.3 million minors visit porn sites in the country each month – about 12 percent of all users.

Aylo has not said how long the suspension will last but said it hopes to find a solution to restore access soon.

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.

For more than 10 years, Lucia has been the closest thing to a doctor many here have seen.

She is a Community Health Worker, or CHW – part of a vast but often overlooked network of women who quietly sustain Kenya’s rural healthcare system.

Every day before sunrise, she walks up to 20 kilometres on dusty paths and rocky hills to visit people in their homes – checking on pregnant mothers, tending to sick children and referring emergency cases to distant health centres.

Women in rural Kenya urged to shun old ways and use antiseptic on umbilical cord

In places where clinics are scarce and roads barely exist, CHWs like Lucia are a lifeline. People know her, and they trust her – some owe their lives to her.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time,” Lucia says. “I’m not paid much, but I do it because these are my people. They have no one else to rely on.”

A life-changing gift

Lucia used to spend hours walking between homes, which meant fewer visits and longer days. Then she received a gift that changed everything: a bicycle.

It was given to her by World Bicycle Relief, a global charity working to empower remote communities through mobility. It has distributed more than 24,000 bicycles across Kenya to support health workers, schoolchildren and displaced individuals.

With her new bike, the time Lucia once spent trekking between appointments could now be spent reaching more patients, and getting to them faster.

“This bike is a lifesaver,” she says. “Before, I could visit maybe five homes a day. Now I can reach 15, sometimes 20. Every minute counts.”

“A good quality bicycle means a health worker can serve more patients, and it requires almost no maintenance,” Maureen Kolenyo, regional director of World Bicycle Relief in  East Africa, told RFI.

Goats for healthcare –  an initiative for pastoralists in Kenya

Government support in Kenya is often lacking, leaving organisations such as World Bicycle Relief to step in and fill the gaps.

Esther Mwangi, a county health official, knows how crucial such interventions are. “People often underestimate how transformative a bicycle can be, especially in developing regions where the infrastructure supports it,” she said.

“We’re working closely with Kenya’s Ministry of Health to identify high-need areas. The pressing question now is: who will invest, and help scale up the solution?” Kolenyo added.

‘I carry my people’

Lucia’s relationship with her community is intimate, born of countless hours spent listening, checking and comforting.

“We can always count on her. She saved my baby,” Nthenya, a mother of four, said

An elderly man who receives weekly check-ups calls her “more reliable than the dispensary”, while one young woman in her final trimester of pregnancy said she sees Lucia as “a second mother”.

US grant cuts could affect two million worldwide, disrupt HIV aid in Kenya

At the end of another long day, she mounts her bicycle and begins the steep, uneven ride home. The light is fading and the road is rough, but she is still smiling.

“Before, my legs would be shaking by now,” she says. “But this bicycle – it’s like my partner. It carries me, and I carry my people.”

The French buy an average of 48 items of new clothing per year per person, but two thirds of those garments remain in the wardrobe, while others are thrown away and pollute the environment. Thirty-five garments are thrown away every second, according to Ademe – France’s environmental agency. 

On Monday, lawmakers in the upper house begin debating a proposed law to “reduce the environmental impact of the textile industry” – estimated to be responsible for 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide

In March 2024, MPs voted unanimously to define and regulate imports of low-cost, high-turnover clothing – known as ultra-fast fashion – embodied by Chinese online retailers like Shein and Temu. 

“Today, these giants of ultra-disposable fashion are invading the market without any oversight. We need to set rules and hit them as effectively and as hard as possible,” said Sylvie Valente Le Hir, a senator with the conservative Republicans and rapporteur of the bill.

Under the legislation, the legal definition of “fast fashion” would be based on factors such as production volume, product lifespan and repairability.

Companies falling under this definition would face new obligations, including environmental transparency and potential penalties through a bonus-malus system indexed to environmental labelling. It would reward virtuous production methods and penalise companies that adopt wasteful, fast-fashion practices.

Advertising for fast fashion would also be limited. 

French parliament votes to slow down fast fashion

Weakened proposals

However, following amendments by a Senate commission in February, the text put before senators is weaker than the original.

The proposed ban on advertising will now apply only to influencers, after senators argued it could infringe on economic freedom. 

Environmental labelling as the basis for the bonus-malus system has also been dropped. 

For Impact France, an NGO that spearheaded advocacy efforts for the law, the latest version is no longer aligned with France’s ecological transition goals.

“What made the first version of the text so strong was that it contained two measures that worked well. The first was a ban on advertising, and the second was a bonus-malus system based on the environmental impact of clothing,” said Impact’s co-president Julia Faure.

“The combination of these two measures made it possible to change the paradigm of the textile industry. If you take away half of the measures, you halve the effectiveness of such a text,” she told RFI.

Fashion and climate: why the greenest garment is the one you already own

Protecting France-based business

The amendments follow Shein’s intense lobbying of the French parliament. The Chinese giant hired former minister Christophe Castaner as a consultant. French media reported that Castaner had presented himself to MPs as a defender of low-income consumers.

The bill now targets mainly Asian ultra fast-fashion giants such as Shein and Temu. Critics such as the Stop Fast Fashion coalition fear this could turn the legislation into “an empty shell with no deterrent effect” by letting large European and French fast fashion platforms off the hook.

However, senator Sylvie Vallin, of the conservative Republicans party, defends the idea of excluding European fast fashion chains.

“Ephemeral fashion brands such as Zara, H&M and Kiabi are found in our shopping centres and city centres. And these brands and shops pay their taxes and employ people,” she told RFI. “I’m not going to green the entire textile industry with a bill like this one. However, we are seizing this opportunity to have an impact on the biggest Chinese giants, and then we are working at European level.”

The European Commission is considering introducing a tax on small parcels entering the EU – most of which come from China. In late May it urged Shein to respect EU consumer protection laws and warned it could face fines if it failed to address the EU’s concerns over the sale of unsafe and dangerous products sold on the sites of both Shein and Temu.

Donated clothes an environmental disaster in disguise for developing world

Impact France is calling for four key provisions to be reinstated in the fast fashion legislation – environmental labelling, inclusion of multi-brand platforms, a comprehensive ad ban, and extending producer responsibility on an international level.

“The fashion industry needs rules that reflect the scale of its impact,” Faure said. “We have an opportunity to set a global standard, France shouldn’t miss it.”

While the Senate opposes a blanket ban on fast fashion advertising, the government has said it will try and reintroduce it into the bill, with backing from the left.

“Demat!” Greetings echo through the corridors of the Diwan secondary school in Vannes. In the entrance hall, Gabriella and her classmates are filling a whiteboard with words of farewell and thanks – “kenavo” and “trugarez” – for someone who is leaving.

Here, with the exception of French and the foreign languages taught, the 145 secondary school pupils and 45 high school students take all their lessons in Breton, and the use of the language is strongly encouraged during breaks, at lunch and in activities.

Diwan – meaning “seed” in Breton, which is a Celtic language – is a network of Breton language immersion schools, founded in 1977.

Gabriella, who is in her last year of middle school, is looking forward to continuing her studies in the high school here next year. “I’m so happy, it’s a big family,” she says.

She loves the fact that she can “talk in the street with her friends without others being able to understand” – although her parents do speak Breton.

Alsatian dialect taught in French state schools for the first time

But while the mood in school on the eve of the spring holidays may be light, the atmosphere in the wider Breton-speaking community is a little heavier.

According to the results of a survey by the TMO research institute, published on 20 January, there are now just 107,000 Breton speakers left – or 2.7 percent of the population of the five départements concerned. The last survey in 2018 put the figure at 200,000.

“It’s a culture, an identity that’s in danger of disappearing,” said Mathilde Lahogue, director of the Diwan network.

Fulup Jakez, director of the Public Office for the Breton Language (OPLB), responsible for developing and promoting the use of the language, agreed, and added that the results were not surprising. “It’s demographics – the last generations raised in the Breton language until after the Second World War are dying out.”

A very French linguistic history

Like half of France’s regional languages, Breton is considered to be “seriously endangered” by the United Nations’ cultural arm Unesco.

Rozenn Milin, a historian and journalist, and author of La honte et le châtiment – Imposer le français: Bretagne, France, Afrique et autres territoires (“Shame and Punishment – Imposing French: Brittany, France, Africa and other territories”) says this is the result of the country consistently encouraging the use of French as the sole language, to the detriment of local languages.

“At the time of the Reign of Terror [a period of violence and repression during the French Revolution in which those perceived as enemies of the revolution were arrested and executed en masse, from September 1793 to July 1794] it was decided that everyone had to learn French and that dialects and idioms – as they were called – which were considered to be linked to the clergy and counter-revolutionary ideas, had to be wiped out,” she explained.

With the arrival of compulsory education in 1882, French became the language of schools, and the use of local languages was banned.

The last word: why half of the world’s languages could vanish this century

“In Brittany, children who used Breton words were given a sabot [a wooden clog] to wear around their necks. At the end of the day, the last one to be wearing the sabot was punished,” Milin explained.

“So even though it was still the family language, they were gradually made to feel ashamed of speaking Breton. As a result, in the 1950s and 1960s, Breton stopped being passed down.”

It wasn’t until a handful of activists set up the Diwan network in 1977, followed by bilingual courses in state and Catholic education, that Breton began to be reclaimed. But the break had caused irreparable damage, and today, the Breton-speaking population is shrinking.

But it is also getting younger. The number of speakers is rising in the 25-39 age group. “This shows that long-term teaching policies are bearing fruit,” said Jakez.

The future of Breton today indeed depends essentially on education, with only 16 percent of current speakers having learnt the language at home, while 78 percent have learnt it at school.

But for the time being, this trend is far from offsetting the decline.

At the start of the school year in September 2024, 20,280 pupils were enrolled in Breton-French bilingual streams (across public, private Catholic and private Diwan schools), according to figures from the OPLB – representing less than 7 percent of children in the Rennes education authority.

‘Diwan is not a factory for political activists’

“We’re developing media, there are texts and books published in Breton, we’re working on voice recognition, but we need to develop teaching more generally,” said Paul Molac, MP for Morbihan, a department of Brittany.

Molac proposed the law that was passed in 2021 to allow instruction in France’s regional languages in the country’s state schools. It was passed by 247 votes to 76, however the provision on immersive learning included in the law was censured by the Constitutional Council, on the grounds that the Republic is one and indivisible and that this could be seen as calling into question the teaching of French.

France allows immersive teaching of regional languages in schools

This decision has prevented the consolidation of the teaching method offered by Diwan, which is now “financially and legally fragile” according to the director of the network, even though it has proved its worth.

“The State is much more opposed to regional languages than it is in other European countries,’ points out Milin, citing the examples of Switzerland and the United Kingdom: “[In France] they confuse a common language with a single language.”

“Diwan is not a factory for political activists,” insists Diwan president Marc-Yver Le Duic, adding that Breton education is “secular, free and open to all” and comparing the Diwan schools to French lycées abroad, a network of French secondary schools around the world which adhere to the French national curriculum, where French is the primary teaching language.

Responding to another oft-cited fear, he added: “Breton does not make our pupils bad French speakers. This is borne out by the good overall results achieved by our students in national exams.”

Florian Voyenne, headmaster of the Vannes Diwan school and a former classics teacher who grew up learning Breton, points to the success of the education system in Wales.

The teaching of Welsh has been made compulsory from the first to the fourth year of secondary school – a model that has helped to increase the number of Welsh speakers. According to the 2021 census, there are 538,300 in the country, almost 18 per cent of the population.

‘We don’t force it’

“I think that in the next 10 to 20 years, we’ll hit rock bottom at around 50,000 speakers,” predicted Milin. Jakez, however, remains optimistic: he sees the future of the language revolving around “a minority of speakers but who, unlike their ancestors who were not literate, will have access to reading and writing in the Breton language”.

Senegal launches English lessons in nursery and primary schools

Elouan is in his final year of secondary school, having done all his schooling at Diwan. His parents don’t speak Breton, although they did try a few lessons.

For Elouan, who wants to study history, “speaking a language from our regions is important, to know where we come from and who we are”. He would like to “link his future to Breton, to keep Breton alive” – maybe as a teacher.

According to the latest research, 19 percent of Breton-speakers are aged between 15 and 39 – amounting to around 20,000 people. How many of them will pass on the language?

“We just want them to enjoy speaking Breton. We don’t force it,” says David Le Gal, who teaches Breton and music, and whose wife and five children are all Breton speakers too. He’s part of the generation that reappropriated the language later in life, when his parents had written it off.

“If two out of 10 of them pass on the language, that’ll be good. For me, Breton opens doors to the world. It’s just one more way of enjoying life.”

This piece has been adapted from the original version in French. 

The move, led by President Brice Oligui Nguema, was announced at the weekend as part of a broader national strategy to industrialise Gabon’s economy and add more value to its abundant natural resources.

Eramet, the main shareholder in Comilog – Gabon’s leading manganese mining firm – said it has acknowledged the government’s decision and will continue to engage with officials “in a spirit of constructive partnership and mutual respect”.

The French firm also committed to preserving the 10,460 local jobs sustained by Comilog and its transport arm, Setrag.

Gabon military leader Oligui Nguema elected president by huge margin

‘Upskilling’ Gabon’s workforce

President Oligui, who took power following a 2023 coup and was elected in April 2025 with nearly 95 percent of the vote, is seeking to reshape Gabon’s economic model.

Manganese – a key ingredient in steelmaking and increasingly in electric vehicle batteries – is one of Gabon’s top export earners alongside oil and timber.

The export ban on unprocessed manganese, which will take effect from 1 January 2029, is designed to encourage local processing, upskill the workforce, and boost tax revenues.

“Gabon is giving the mining sector three years to prepare,” the government said in a statement on Saturday, outlining plans to support the transition with a new public-private investment fund.

Push for domestic refining

The policy shift echoes a growing trend across Africa, with countries such as Guinea, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania also moving to retain more value from their mineral wealth by restricting raw material exports and encouraging domestic refining and processing.

Eramet – which operates the world’s largest manganese mine at Moanda – processes some ore locally in Gabon but still relies heavily on exports to international markets including China, Europe, and the United States.

The company had temporarily suspended operations in Gabon during the 2023 coup and scaled back production targets in 2024 amid market headwinds.

What’s at stake for French businesses after the coup in Gabon?

Stock market turbulence

Shares in Eramet fell by over five percent in Paris on Monday following news of the ban, before recovering slightly to trade 4 percent lower by mid-morning.

Analysts say the impact of the export restrictions will depend on how quickly Gabon and its partners can develop local processing capacity.

Despite its natural wealth, around one-third of Gabon’s 2.3 million people live in poverty.

The government hopes that keeping more of the value chain within the country will change that.

While the path ahead presents challenges, there are signs of optimism, as  Eramet has already shown its willingness to adapt in Indonesia, where it recently signed a memorandum of understanding to invest in local nickel processing – a similar transition, after Jakarta banned raw nickel exports.

On Wednesday, a suburb of Istanbul witnessed the latest demonstration in support of the city’s detained mayor. Despite the protest taking place in a traditional electoral stronghold of President Erdoğan, tens of thousands attended.

İmamoğlu masks

In a recent attempt to quell the unrest, Istanbul’s governor’s office issued a decree ordering the removal of all images, videos, and audio recordings of İmamoğlu from state buildings and public transport across the city. Within hours, social media was flooded with footage of people wearing İmamoğlu masks while riding public transport.

Turkey’s youth rise up over mayor’s jailing and worsening economy

“Up to 75% are against İmamoğlu’s arrest, as the aversion to Erdoğan’s attempt to sideline his opponent with foul play was widely distributed by all parties,” claimed political analyst Atilla Yeşilada of Global Source Partners, citing recent opinion polls.

Yeşilada argues that the poll’s findings underscore the opposition’s success in winning over public opinion.

“There is a strong reaction. This is not a temporary thing. It’s a grievance that will be held and may impact the next election whenever they are held,” he added.

Recent opinion polls also show İmamoğlu enjoying a double-digit lead over Erdoğan in a prospective presidential race, with a majority of respondents believing the corruption charges against the mayor are politically motivated—a claim the government denies.

Erdogan’s jailed rivals

Political analyst Sezin Öney of the independent Turkish news portal Politikyol suggests Erdoğan may have expected İmamoğlu to follow the same fate as other jailed rivals, whose influence faded once imprisoned. “The government is counting on the possibility that İmamoğlu is jailed, is out of sight, out of mind, and the presidency will have his ways,” explained Öney.

Further arrests as Turkey cracks down on protests over jailed Istanbul mayor

Turkish authorities have persistently sought to curtail İmamoğlu’s presence on social media. His accounts on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky have been frozen following court rulings.

The fate of opposition journalists

Similar actions have been taken against opposition journalists and their supporters. “The operation goes deeper and deeper in recent months; it’s just a very concerted policy to create a blackout in this vibrant society,” claimed Erol Önderoğlu, Istanbul representative of the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders.

The legal crackdown on the Istanbul municipality continues, with further waves of arrests extending even to İmamoğlu’s personal bodyguard. His party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), is also under investigation for alleged irregularities at its party congress.

Analyst Öney predicts that further crackdowns are likely, given the potential implications for Erdoğan’s political future. “I am sure this is being calculated and recalculated every day—whether it’s beneficial to throw more cases at him (İmamoğlu), by weakening his party, the Republican People’s Party, weakening him personally, or whatever is convenient. But the sky is the limit,” explained Öney.

Nevertheless, each new crackdown appears only to fuel the momentum behind opposition protests, which continue to attract large crowds across the country—including in Erdoğan’s own political bastions.

Protest movement

The leader of the main opposition CHP, Özgür Özel, has earned praise for his energetic performances and has won over many former sceptics. However, analyst Yeşilada questions whether Özel can sustain the protest movement.

“I feel in the summer months, it’s very difficult to keep the momentum; the colleges are closed, and people are shuffling through the country, so if that (protests) is the only means of piling the pressure on Erdoğan, it’s not going to work,” warned Yeşilada.

Istanbul’s mayorial elections mean more than just running the city

Yeşilada believes the opposition leader must elevate his strategy. “Özel needs to find new tricks. It will take two things: A) hearing what the grassroots are saying, in particular the younger generation, and B) being able to reshuffle the party rank and file so true activists are promoted—so they can energise the base,” he added.

In 2013, Erdoğan weathered a wave of mass protests which largely dissipated with the closing of universities and the arrival of the summer holidays. This year, he may again be relying on summer to quieten dissent. For the opposition, the challenge is to ensure that Erdoğan’s summer is anything but peaceful.

Just 26.1 percent of the global seafloor – including both shallow and deep areas – has been mapped using modern sonar, according to the Seabed 2030 project, which aims to chart the entire ocean floor by the end of the decade. 

But mapping from above is not the same as seeing it up close. Scientists estimate that humans have directly observed less than 0.001 percent of the deep seafloor – defined as depths below 200 metres. That’s an area roughly one-tenth the size of Belgium. 

That figure comes from a study published this month in Science Advances led by explorer and scientist Katy Croff Bell who, along with colleagues, compiled data from more than 43,000 deep-sea dives carried out since the 1950s.  

The results show how lopsided ocean exploration has become. Nearly two-thirds of all observations happened within 200 nautical miles of just three countries: the United States, Japan and New Zealand. Five nations conducted 97 percent of all dives. 

This leaves entire regions of the ocean floor completely undocumented – particularly in waters around poorer countries that lack the tools and funding for deep-sea research. 

“As we face accelerated threats to the deep ocean – from climate change to potential mining and resource exploitation – this limited exploration of such a vast region becomes a critical problem for both science and policy,” Bell, founder of the non-profit Ocean Discovery League, told Scientific American. 

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

Charting the unknown 

Some of those gaps are starting to close thanks to new tools. 

NASA’s SWOT satellite – short for Surface Water and Ocean Topography – was launched in December 2022 to track changes in water height across oceans, rivers and lakes.

By measuring tiny shifts in sea surface elevation – sometimes just a few centimetres – it helps scientists detect what lies below, including underwater mountains, ridges and deep-sea trenches. 

A study published in the journal Science last December found that SWOT delivered clearer images of the seafloor in a single year than earlier satellites achieved in three decades. 

“In this gravity map made from merely one year of SWOT data, we can see individual abyssal hills, along with thousands of small uncharted seamounts and previously hidden tectonic structures buried underneath sediments and ice,” said Yao Yu, a postdoctoral researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. 

“This map will help us to answer some fundamental questions in tectonics and deep ocean mixing.” 

Climate-driven changes to ocean colour fuel urgency ahead of UN summit

Why mapping matters 

But maps like these do more than fill scientific gaps. They help pinpoint safe sites for offshore wind farms, guide where to lay submarine cables and flag areas at risk from tsunamis or underwater landslides. 

These kinds of insights are becoming central to marine policy – especially as countries look to balance economic development with protecting the ocean. 

Still, many scientists say there’s no substitute for a direct look. Visual dives don’t just show topography – they reveal entire ecosystems, offering clues about what species live there, how they interact and how fragile they may be. 

“Being able to explore, or at least accelerate, the exploration of the other 99.999 percent of the deep ocean is really going to give us an amazing opportunity to ask new questions we’d never even thought of before,” said Bell. 

New Caledonia bans ‘dangerous’ seabed mining for half a century

Eyes on the deep 

New expeditions are already pushing into the deep.  

This year, the research vessel Nautilus, operated by the Ocean Exploration Trust, is exploring the Mariana Islands – a region dotted with more than 60 underwater volcanoes.

Scientists are using remotely operated vehicles to study hydrothermal vents and collect biological and geological samples from depths of up to 6,000 metres. 

Further north, teams led by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are surveying the Aleutian Arc off Alaska, where only 38 percent of the seafloor has been mapped. They’re studying deep-sea coral habitats, volcanic formations and possible mineral deposits.

These missions are part of a growing global effort to unlock the secrets of the deep – an environment that helps regulate climate, store carbon and sustain biodiversity. 

Plastic Odyssey on sea-faring mission to target plastic waste in Madagascar

High-stakes summit 

The ocean feeds 3.2 billion people and generates an estimated $2.6 trillion in economic value each year. Yet just 8 percent is formally protected – and only a fraction of that is off-limits to damaging activities. 

That disconnect will be centre stage in Nice, where world leaders, scientists and campaigners are meeting for the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) from 9 to 13 June.  

Co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, the summit follows a string of high-level events already under way. 

More than 2,000 scientists are taking part in the One Ocean Science Congress this week, while the Blue Economy and Finance Forum in Monaco this weekend will bring together investors and policymakers to address the multi-billion-dollar funding gap in marine protection. 

A public exhibition area called La Baleine has been open since Monday at Nice’s Palais des Expositions, while the Ocean Rise and Coastal Resilience Coalition summit on Saturday will focus on coastal communities affected by rising seas. 

The goal in Nice is to secure new voluntary commitments under the Nice Ocean Action Plan – pledges from governments, businesses and civil society to protect marine life and support the sustainable use of the seas. 

But for many researchers, it starts with something more basic: actually knowing what’s down there. 

The trial of the officer, who has been charged with the murder of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk, could take place in the second or third quarter of 2026, the court and prosecutor in the Paris suburb of Nanterre where the killing took place said in a joint statement.

The police officer, identified only as Florian M., was released from custody in November 2023 after five months in detention.

Protests over Nahel shooting

Mobile footage of him shooting Nahel inside a car during a traffic control on a busy street went viral. The anger sparked protests that degenerated into rioting and led to scenes of devastation nationwide.

The police initially maintained that Nahel had driven his car at the officer but this was contradicted by the video, which showed two officers standing outside a stationary car, with one pointing a weapon at its driver.

“Nothing shows Florian M. was authorised in the circumstances to use his weapon, in violation of the principles of proportionality and absolute necessity,” according to the written order issued by two investigating magistrates for the trial.

However legal proceedings were dropped against the accused officer’s colleague who was present during the incident. He had been investigated as an “assisted witness”, which in the French system is one step before being charged.

“This order for a trial is both disappointing and not surprising,” said Laurent-Franck Lienard, the officer’s lawyer.

“The investigating judge would have had to be courageous to take a different position than that of the prosecution” which pushed for the trial, the lawyer said, adding that he would lodge an appeal against the order.

“We maintain that the shooting was legitimate,” he said.

Prosecutors demand trial of police officer over teenager’s killing

Frank Berton, the lawyer for Nahel’s mother, expressed his “satisfaction” over the move.

“We are just seeing the law being applied… Now all that remains is to convince the court,” he said.

Racial tensions in France

The move to try the officer over the death of Nahel, who was of north African origin, comes against the background of new tensions in France over racism and security.

A man who had posted racist videos shot dead his Tunisian neighbour and badly wounded a Turkish man in the south of France at the weekend, and a Malian man was stabbed to death in a mosque in April.

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has faced accusations of not taking a strong enough stance against such crimes and even fuelling a racist climate.

But he said Monday that “every racist act is an anti-French act”.

Tunisian’s murder probed as hate crime amid concerns of France’s racist climate

(with AFP)

“She has a very good backhand and she’s very solid on both sides,” Boisson said of the sixth seed. “So I believe I will have to expect a lot of difficult rallies,” added the 22-year-old.

“But it will not change my game plan. I might adapt a few details, but I’m not going to change.”

With good reason, the fierce forehands reminiscent of her idol Rafael Nadal and low bouncing slices bedazzled the world number three Jessica Pegula during an enthralling tussle on centre court on Monday.

The 31-year-old American took the first set 6-3 but Boisson, playing for the first time on centre court, levelled the fourth round tie and then stayed with the American throughout the final set.

Boisson clinched the decider 6-4 after a match lasting two hours and 40 minutes to become the first Frenchwoman to reach the last eight on the clay courts at the French Open since Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic in 2017.

“I tried to stay rather cool and focused on what I had to do to relieve the pressure, because I did feel the pressure,” she said.

“And I tried every time to think about what I had to do for the next point. If I missed a point, I tried to think why I had missed it and how I could improve for the next one.

Process

“So I did what I had to do, and sometimes when my ball didn’t go through, well, I understood what I had to do, and I did it.”

Boisson will have to infuse her wiry frame with similar sang froid and problem-solving nous on Wednesday afternoon.

The stands in the centre court were sparsely populated when she and Pegula began their battle. By the end, the roars of the partisans could be heard throughout the Roland Garros Stadium in Paris.

The seats are likely to be filled from the outset of the quarter-final and the locals will need to be vocal.

Though only 18, Andreeva boasts the experience. The 2024 French Open semi-finalist is participating for the ninth time at one of the four Grand Slam tournaments in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York.

Wins

Earlier in the season, the Russian arrived at Indian Wells in the United States with the crown from the Dubai Open – one of the most coveted on the circuit.

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

While Andreeva was cutting a swathe through the draws in the elite competitions on the senior tour, Boisson was toiling away in third tier tournaments as she sought fitness and form after a cruciate ligament injury in her left knee that deprived her of a chance to feature at last year’s French Open.

At Sabadell and Terrassa in Spain in March, she reached the quarter-final and final respectively. There was also a semi-final appearance at Bellinzona in Switzerland in April.

Boisson’s return to the main tour at the Rouen Open came with a bizarre twist. During her first round match against Harriet Dart, court-side microphones picked up the Briton asking the umpire to tell Boisson to wear deodorant.

Unaware of the comments, Boisson dispatched the 28-year-old 6-0, 6-3 before she was eliminated in the second round.

A first round loss at the Saint Malo Open in April to compatriot Léolia Jeanjean was followed by a title at the lower division Saint-Gaudens Open in southern France.

Rewards

That victory brought her a purse of a couple of thousand euros and a few ranking points to take her to 361 in the world.

The wins which have propelled her to the last eight at one of the four most prestigious tournaments in the sport will catapult her into the top 120 and boost her bank account with 440,000 euros.

And the successes in her first Grand Slam tournament have not only produced a redemption story par excellence but also allowed French tennis federation (FFT) bosses a modicum of respite from the questions about the paucity of French female talent in the upper echelons of the sport.

Varvara Gracheva, ranked at 64 in the world, went into the 2025 French Open as the country’s top female player and lost in the first round to the 2020 finalist Sofia Kenin. 

Diane Parry, the French number two, was also eliminated in the first round along with Jeanjean and Garcia.

The FFT’s decision to give Boisson an invitation to compete in the main draw has paid off handsomely for a player who says she feels at home in the dirt – as it is affectionately nicknamed.

“I started playing tennis when I was eight,” Boisson said. “And when I was young, I played a lot on clay courts so that’s why I think I love this surface and why my game is like it is.”

The girl from Dijon will have to be at the top of that game on Wednesday against Andreeva if she wants to cut the mustard.

The huge celebrations following Paris Saint-Germain‘s 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in Germany on Saturday were marred by numerous incidents and acts of vandalism in Paris and the rest of France.

Police arrested 563 people on Saturday night, the interior ministry said, after more than 200 cars were torched and police clashed with youths.

In the southwest town of Dax, a 17-year-old boy died after being stabbed in the chest.

A 23-year-old man riding a scooter in central Paris also died after a vehicle hit him.

Dozens of police officers and firefighters were injured in the unrest. 

France faces steep cost of victory after PSG post-match violence, vandalism

Authorities detained 79 others on Sunday night, including for allegedly firing fireworks at security forces, trying to vandalise shops and blocking traffic.

Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin wrote on social media platform X on Tuesday that magistrates needed better legal tools to deal with the fallout of such events.

Some of those arrested appeared in court on Monday, with three hearings resulting in suspended sentences of two to eight months, along with a 500-euro ($570) fine, the Paris prosecutor’s office said.

Around 20 more suspects were set to be tried on Tuesday.

Radical change needed

Darmanin, who has expressed interest in standing in the 2027 presidential election, argued the first court sentences were not tough enough.

“Some of the sentences for violence – including against law enforcement officers and for destruction of property – are not proportional to the level of violence our country is experiencing,” the former interior minister said.

“The law needs to radically change,” he added.

Record 10,000 French gendarmes injured in the line of duty, says chief

Darmanin called for an end to obligatory adjustments for jail terms of fewer than six months, which for example allow detainees to serve time at home with an electronic bracelet.

He called for an end to suspended sentences in such cases and a law to set up a “systematic minimum sentence” for those found guilty.

He suggested “a minimum of three months in jail for any assault against a representative of the state or a very steep fine for any destruction”.

‘Ruin the party’

While the weekend’s excesses sparked a controversy over security among MPs on the far-right and far-left, Darmanin’s statement also sparked a reaction in political circles.

“Clearly, the French want exemplary sanctions and an end to sentence reductions for the rioters who ruined the party on Saturday. The only hope is that this violence, this vandalism, WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN in the future,” wrote Valérie Pécresse, President of the Île-de-France region, on X.

Olivier Faure, First Secretary of the Socialist Party, told TF1 television warned against getting carried away.

“The justice system’s role is to examine each case and not to manage it based on collective emotion,” he commented.

“It’s about ensuring that justice is fair and that it seeks to understand the circumstances.”

Receiving the triumphant team at the Elysee palace on Sunday, President Emmanuel Macron condemned what he called “unacceptable” violence during the celebrations.

(with AFP)

The man who killed Hichem Iraoui Saturday in the Var department in southern France “posted two videos on his social networking account with racist and hateful content before and after his murder”, the public prosecutor of Draguignan, Pierre Couttenier, told the AFP news agency Sunday.

The suspect, who was apprehended in his car full of weapons, was being interviewed Monday by the national anti-terrorist police, which took over the investigation and are considering a race-based motive.

The man, who is French, is suspected of shooting dead Miraoui and injuring another man, of Turkish nationality.

‘Racist crime’

Retailleau said Monday that this was a “racist crime, given the evidence we currently have”, adding that “racism in France and elsewhere is a poison, and a poison that kills. Every racist act is an anti-French act”.

He was meeting the Tunisian ambassador Tuesday morning.

In a phone call with Retailleau, Tunisian Interior Minister Khaled Nouri insisted on ‘the need to ensure the protection of the Tunisian community on French territory”, according to a statement posted on the ministry’s Facebook page.

He also called on the French Interior Minister to “adopt a proactive approach to prevent such crimes and ensure that they do not happen again’.

Muslim worshipper’s murder in mosque raises concern over Islamophobia in France

Critics point to racist atmosphere

The anti-racism advocacy organisation SOS Racisme denounced an atmosphere in France that has legitimised racism, and resulted in hate crimes like Iraoui’s death.

“These crimes are flourishing in a poisonous climate: racist rhetoric has become commonplace, the media are complacent towards the far right, and there are worrying institutional signals,” the group said on X.

The lawyer representing Iraoui’s family, Mourad Battikh, said on France Info that the murder is “the result of an atmosphere that has existed in the country for several months now, even years, which is becoming a bit harsher by the day”.

Many on the left regularly accuse Retailleau of racism for targeting immigrants and Muslims.

The Secretary of the Socialist Party Olivier Faure on Monday told TF1 that while Retailleau did denounce this murder as a racist crime, “he is taking part in the public debate with those on the far right who are trying to trivialise racism, to show that there is some kind of threat created by our fellow citizens of foreign origin”.

Pyromaniacs putting out the fire

This weekend Retailleau used the word “barbarians” to describe those who took part in the violence on the fringes of the celebrations of PSG’s Champions League victory – a word the left denounced, saying it targets foreigners.

Battikh, however, insists he is not singling out individuals.

The lawyer who also represented the family of Aboubakar Cissé, the Malian man who was stabbed to death while praying in a mosque in April , pointed to “the political context and climate that prevail in France today”, which he says is like watching “pyromaniac firemen who have come to put out a fire that they themselves started”.

(with newswires)

In a press release on Tuesday, the consumer association announced that it had filed a complaint with the Court of Justice of the Republic against several ministers including the current Minister for Ecological Transition and former Minister Delegate for Industry, Agnès Pannier-Runacher.

Roland Lescure (Industry), Aurélien Rousseau (Health), and Agnès Firmin-le-Bodo (Health) have also been named in the complaint.

UFC-Que Choisir says it wants “the role of the state”, and in particular the executive branch, to be “fully analysed” in what has become known as the Nestlé mineral water scandal.

Water safety

The association indicates that it has also filed a criminal complaint against Nestlé Waters for “acts likely to constitute deceptive commercial practices, aggravated falsification, and aggravated deception.”

According to a joint investigation by the newspaper Le Monde and the Investigation Unit of Radio France, the scandal of water treatment dates back to 2020 when an employee of Nestlé competitor Sources Alma factory, reported the use of illegal water treatments.

In January 2024, Nestlé Waters admitted to using illegal “food safety” treatments on its products that infringe French law.

Nestlé under fire as Perrier sales collapse amid water scandal

Confirming an initial report from business daily Les Echos, the Swiss food group said it had passed some waters, such as Perrier and Vittel through ultraviolet light and active carbon filters “to guarantee food safety”.

However, natural mineral water cannot be subjected to any disinfection or treatment that could alter its characteristics.

Nestlé Waters paid a two-million-euro fine in September 2024 to avoid legal action over the use of illegal water sources and filtering. It says the filters it uses now are allowed by the government and that its water is “pure”.

Legal proceedings are already underway in Paris following complaints from consumer protection associations for “deception” targeting Nestlé Waters and Sources Alma brands like Cristaline, St-Yorre, Vichy Célestins.

State concealment

However, the French government has also come under fire, accused of covering up its knowledge of Nestlé’s actions.

In February, investigative journalists from Le Monde and Radio France revealed that the services of former prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, and the French presidency allowed Nestlé to continue marketing these waters, despite the health authorities’ recommendations for a ban from 2023.

A six-month-long Senate inquiry which wrapped up mid-May concluded that these treatments were indeed the subject of “concealment by the state.”

“In addition to Nestle Waters’ lack of transparency, it is important to highlight the state’s lack of transparency, both towards local and European authorities and towards the French people,” the report was quoted as saying.

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

The report authors said the concealment was part of a “deliberate strategy”, that was addressed at the first interministerial meeting on natural mineral waters on 14 October, 2021″.

UFC-Que Choisir also claims to have filed an application with the Nanterre District Court for an expedited procedure that allows for summons to appear within a very short timeframe.

This would allow for interim measures such as “product withdrawals and recalls,” “a marketing ban,” and “an end to the deception surrounding these Perrier waters presented as ‘natural minerals’,” the group said.

The hearing is scheduled for early July.

(with AFP)

The far-right Italian prime minister will host a one-on-one meeting on Tuesday evening with the French president, in what Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper called a “turning point summit”.

“Meloni reconciles with Macron,” added the Il Messaggero daily, describing the meeting as a “thaw”.

It was Macron who proposed the visit, according to his team, “because it is his role to bring Europeans together and he is also keen to work with her.”

The meeting comes just weeks after the tense relations between the pair were exposed at a summit of European leaders in Albania on 16 May.

Meloni was in Tirana but was notably absent from a meeting between Macron and the leaders of Germany, Britain and Poland with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, that was followed by a joint call to US President Donald Trump.

Meloni said she did not join them because she opposes the idea of sending Italian troops to Ukraine to enforce any eventual peace in the war with Russia.

Macron later said the Italian was operating under a “misunderstanding”.

“The discussion we were having was a discussion to achieve a ceasefire,” he said, adding that there was no mention of sending troops in the call to Trump.

Unity of the West

During a joint press conference in Rome the next day with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Meloni called on her European counterparts to “abandon selfishness” and focus on “the unity of the West”.

There have been tensions between Paris and Rome since Meloni took over in October 2022, including an early spat over migration and another at the G7 summit in Italy last year over abortion rights.

Macron, Meloni meet in Rome amid tensions over migration

But the European Union’s second and third-largest economies are both facing similar challenges in the Ukraine war and Trump’s sweeping tariffs against the bloc.

Commentators note that both Macron and Meloni have different strengths that could prove useful to the other – making reconciliation advantageous.

Italy has less influence on the diplomatic stage than France, which has nuclear weapons and a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

But Meloni has a significant asset in her favour in her privileged relationship with Trump and US Vice President JD Vance, both of whom have referred to her as a “friend” who shares their conservative values and hostility to immigrants.

‘Bridgebuilder’

On 18 May, Meloni hosted talks in Rome between Vance and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the first at such a high level since Trump began imposing tariffs.

Italy’s Meloni heads to White House seeking EU tariff deal

Opening the meeting, which came after the inauguration mass for new Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, Vance hailed Meloni’s role as a “bridge-builder between Europe and the United States”.

That will not have escaped Macron, who at home is unpopular and faces a hostile parliament, and for whom diplomacy has become one of the only areas where he can still hope to exert influence before the end of his term in 2027.

As for Meloni – whose approval ratings are at more than 45 percent percent even after two and a half years in power – she too has an interest in reconciling with Macron, whose verbal sparring undermines the international stature she has worked hard to project.

(with newswires)

The lower-house National Assembly unanimously approved the legislation, which is seen as a symbolic step in the fight against antisemitism in modern France.

The draft law was put forward by former prime minister Gabriel Attal, who leads President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Renaissance party.

For the promotion to take effect, it still has to be approved by the upper house Senate at a date that has yet to be fixed.

All 197 deputies present voted in favour in the lower house.

The rapporteur of the proposed law, Renaissance lawmaker Charles Sitzenstuhl, said the vote “will go down in history” and called on senators “to quickly adopt the text”.

The symbolic promotion of Dreyfus, whose condemnation came amid rampant antisemitism in the French army and wider society in the late 19th century, comes at a time of growing alarm over hate crimes targeting Jews in the country.

Recognition of merits

“Promoting Alfred Dreyfus to the rank of brigadier general would constitute an act of reparation, a recognition of his merits, and a tribute to his commitment to the Republic,” said Attal, who was France’s youngest prime minister during a spell in office that lasted less than eight months last year.

 “The anti-Semitism that hit Alfred Dreyfus is not a thing of the past,” said Attal, whose father was Jewish, adding that France must reaffirm its “absolute commitment against all forms of discrimination”.

France urges collective EU response to ‘explosion’ in anti-Semitism

Dreyfus, a 36-year-old army captain from the Alsace region of eastern France, was accused in October 1894 of passing secret information on new artillery equipment to a German military attache.

The accusation was based on a comparison of handwriting on a document found in the German’s wastepaper basket in Paris.

Dreyfus was put on trial amid a virulent anti-Semitic press campaign. But novelist Emile Zola then penned his famous “J’accuse” (“I accuse…”) pamphlet in support of the captain in 1898.

Despite a lack of evidence, Dreyfus was convicted of treason, sentenced to life imprisonment in the infamous Devil’s Island penal colony in French Guiana and publicly stripped of his rank.

But Lieutenant Colonel Georges Picquart, head of the intelligence services, reinvestigated the case in secret and discovered the handwriting on the incriminating message was that of another officer, Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy.

When Picquart presented the evidence to the general staff of the French army, he himself was driven out of the military and jailed for a year, while Esterhazy was acquitted.

In June 1899, Dreyfus was brought back to France for a second trial. He was initially found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in prison, before being officially pardoned – though not cleared of the charges.

Only in 1906, after many twists, did the high court of appeal overturn the original verdict, exonerating Dreyfus.

He was reinstated with the rank of major. He served during World War I and died in 1935, aged 76.

Call for place in Pantheon

The backers of the bill believe that had Dreyfus been able to pursue his career under normal circumstances, he would have risen to the top of the French army.

Sitzenstuhl had also suggested while the bill was being debated at parliament’s defence committee — where it won overwhelming approval – that Dreyfus could be entombed in the Pantheon, the Paris mausoleum reserved for France’s greatest heroes.

Tracing the history of France’s hallowed Panthéon temple for national heroes

Such a decision rests with Macron but a source close to him, asking not to be named, told AFP that his priority “at this stage is to bring to life the values of Dreyfusism, a fight that is still relevant today for truth and justice, against antisemitism and arbitrariness”.

Macron opened a museum dedicated to the Dreyfus story in October 2021.

France is home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel and the United States, as well as one of the largest Muslim communities in the European Union.

There has been a rise in reported attacks against members of France’s Jewish community since Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, 2023 and the Israeli military responded with a devastating military offensive on the Gaza Strip.

France’s Holocaust memorial, three Paris synagogues and a restaurant were vandalised with paint overnight at the weekend, in what the Israeli embassy denounced as a “coordinated antisemitic attack”.

(with AFP)

European far-right leaders welcomed the election of the 42-year-old Nawrocki, a fan of US President Donald Trump who has said he will oppose the government’s progressive agenda on abortion and LGBTQ rights.

He won Sunday’s runoff in the highly polarised EU and NATO member state with 51 percent of the vote to 49 percent for Tusk’s liberal ally Rafal Trzaskowski.

In a televised address, former EU chief Tusk said on Monday he wanted the confidence vote “soon” and vowed to stay on, adding that the election “will not change anything”.

His comments came shortly after opposition leader Jaroslaw Kacynski of the populist Law and Justice (PiS) party said that Poles had shown him the “red card”.

Kacynski called for a “technical” government of experts to replace the current one.

Nawrocki said that he wanted Poland to be “a state that matters in international, European and transatlantic relations”.

“I will represent you with dignity on the international state, ensuring Poland is treated as an equal,” he wrote on social media.

Nawrocki could revive tensions with Brussels over rule-of-law issues and complicate ties with Ukraine as he opposes NATO membership for the war-torn country and wants to cut benefits for Ukrainian refugees.

“Nawrocki’s presidency will be a rough ride for the Tusk government,” said analyst Piotr Buras, adding that the president-elect “wants to overthrow” Tusk.

He told French press agency AFP that the election result could lead to “early parliamentary elections, maybe not this year, but next” year.

EU welcomes Poland back into the fold by unfreezing billions in funds

Reforms planned by Tusk, who came to power in 2023, have been held up by a deadlock with the current president, who endorsed Nawrocki.

There have also been divisions in his governing coalition, which analysts said could be exacerbated by the election result.

Polish presidents hold a crucial veto power over legislation.

(With newswires)

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) found a “profound deterioration” in workers’ rights in its annual rights index published on Monday, based on 97 indicators laid out by the United Nations and international treaties.

Workers’ rights, which the report measured in 151 countries, particularly declined in Europe and the Americas – with the worst results for the two regions since the index was launched in 2014.

In total, 87 percent of countries violated the right to strike and 80 percent violated the right to collective bargaining, the ITUC said.

“The right to collective bargaining was restricted in 80 percent of countries (121),” the ITUC said.

Paris violence against Socialist MPs mars huge May Day rallies in France

In France, for example, “nearly four in every 10 collective agreements were imposed unilaterally by employers, without union representation”.

The report also said outlined “persecution” against union leaders.

“In France, more than 1,000 union leaders and members of the Confederation generale du travail (CGT) were facing criminal charges and disciplinary measures for their roles in mass protests against pension reforms,” it said.

Europe face sharpest decline

The ITUC gives each country a maximum score of one and a minimum score of five for their respect for workers’ rights, such as the right to strike, demonstrate and participate in negotiations.

Only seven countries – including Germany, Sweden and Norway – were awarded the maximum score, compared to 18 a decade ago. Italy and Argentina saw their scores drop in 2025.

“If this pace of decline continues, in ten years there will be no country left in the world with the highest rating for its respect for workers’ rights,” ITUC head Luc Triangle said in a statement.

In 2025, Europe experienced the sharpest decline of any region in the world over the past 10 years.

The summer France got its first paid leave and learned to holiday

The ITUC also said trade unionists or workers were killed in five countries in 2025: South Africa, Cameroon, Colombia, Guatemala and Peru.

And Nigeria joined the list of the 10 worst countries for workers’ rights for the first time.

Only a handful of countries saw an improvement in workers’ rights.

Reforms strengthened trade union rights in Australia, while in Mexico, labour law changes improved access to justice for workers.

(with AFP)

The NATO summit in Vilnius on 2 June brought together the alliance’s eastern flank members – the Bucharest Nine –along with Nordic countries.

The one-day summit focused on strengthening security and defense amid ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine. The meeting comes ahead of the full NATO summit later this month in The Hague.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who attended the Vilnius summit, reiterated his demand to be invited to the June NATO summit, warning that excluding Ukraine would be “a victory for Putin, not over Ukraine, but over NATO.”

The NATO summit coincided with the second round of direct peace talks between representatives from Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul, Turkey.

“The key to lasting peace is clear, the aggressor must not receive any reward for war. Putin must get nothing that would justify his aggression,” Zelensky told a press conference in Vilnius.

No breakthrough

Ukraine wants concrete Western-backed security guarantees – like NATO protections or troops on the ground – that have been ruled out by Russia.

Moscow has made sweeping demands such as calling for Ukraine to cede territory it still controls, a ban on Kyiv joining NATO, limiting Ukraine’s military and ending Western military support.

Zelensky on Monday again rejected those demands, with Kyiv and the West casting Russia’s assault as nothing but an “imperialist land grab”.

Russia and Ukraine hold first peace talks since 2022

While Ukraine and Russia agreed another large-scale prisoner exchange at talks in Istanbul on Monday, their representatives failed to make a breakthrough on an immediate halt to the fighting.

Ukraine said Moscow had rejected its call for an unconditional ceasefire, offering instead a partial truce of two to three days in some areas of the frontline.

Sharing the burden

Since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, NATO has bolstered its eastern defences, with Finland and Sweden overhauling their security policies to join the alliance. Eastern members like Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia – former Soviet republics now in the EU – remain particularly concerned about Russian threats.

France and UK rally allies for potential security force in Ukraine

The push for increased defence spending reflects growing concerns for regional security, but has also fuelled debates within NATO about burden-sharing and the pace of military modernisation.

While 22 of NATO’s 32 members currently meet the existing 2 per cent GDP defence spending target, none meet the proposed 5 per cent goal, which would include both direct military costs and broader security infrastructure such as cybersecurity and logistics.

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned Monday that NATO’s target to boost defence spending by 2032 would come “too late,” as countries in the region rapidly increase their military budgets in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Frederiksen addressed the proposal to raise defence and security spending to 5 per cent of GDP by 2032 – a goal pushed by former US President Donald Trump but not currently met by any NATO member, including the United States.

“I hope that during the NATO summit in the Hague from 24 to 26 June, we will agree on 3.5 per cent for the armed forces and 1.5 per cent on broader defence-related spending,” Frederiksen told Danish broadcaster DR. “The question now is whether we will accomplish this before 2032. In my opinion, this is too late.”

As Europe pours money into defence, reliance on US remains a sticking point

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has proposed this phased target of 3.5 percent of GDP on direct military spending plus 1.5 per cent on wider security-related expenditures, aiming to finalise the agreement at the upcoming summit in June.

Since taking office in 2019, Frederiksen has significantly increased Denmark’s defence budget – from 1.3 percent of GDP at the start of her term to over three per cent today – but she stressed that more investment is necessary. “That’s not enough. We need to increase defence spending in the years to come,” she said.

‘Unpredictable threats’

Meanwhile, on Monday the UK published its “Strategic Defence Review” announcing that Britain will build 12 new attack submarines to move the country to “war-fighting readiness” in the face of “Russian aggression” and the changing nature of conflict.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that “the threat we now face is more serious, more immediate and more unpredictable than at any time since the Cold War,” as he launched the review in Glasgow, insisting that UK defence policy will “always be NATO first,”  and that the UK “will innovate and accelerate innovation at a wartime pace so we can meet the threats of today and of tomorrow.”

(with newswires)

The French buy an average of 48 items of new clothing per year per person, but two thirds of those garments remain in the wardrobe, while others are thrown away and pollute the environment. Thirty-five garments are thrown away every second, according to Ademe – France’s environmental agency. 

On Monday, lawmakers in the upper house begin debating a proposed law to “reduce the environmental impact of the textile industry” – estimated to be responsible for 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide

In March 2024, MPs voted unanimously to define and regulate imports of low-cost, high-turnover clothing – known as ultra-fast fashion – embodied by Chinese online retailers like Shein and Temu. 

“Today, these giants of ultra-disposable fashion are invading the market without any oversight. We need to set rules and hit them as effectively and as hard as possible,” said Sylvie Valente Le Hir, a senator with the conservative Republicans and rapporteur of the bill.

Under the legislation, the legal definition of “fast fashion” would be based on factors such as production volume, product lifespan and repairability.

Companies falling under this definition would face new obligations, including environmental transparency and potential penalties through a bonus-malus system indexed to environmental labelling. It would reward virtuous production methods and penalise companies that adopt wasteful, fast-fashion practices.

Advertising for fast fashion would also be limited. 

French parliament votes to slow down fast fashion

Weakened proposals

However, following amendments by a Senate commission in February, the text put before senators is weaker than the original.

The proposed ban on advertising will now apply only to influencers, after senators argued it could infringe on economic freedom. 

Environmental labelling as the basis for the bonus-malus system has also been dropped. 

For Impact France, an NGO that spearheaded advocacy efforts for the law, the latest version is no longer aligned with France’s ecological transition goals.

“What made the first version of the text so strong was that it contained two measures that worked well. The first was a ban on advertising, and the second was a bonus-malus system based on the environmental impact of clothing,” said Impact’s co-president Julia Faure.

“The combination of these two measures made it possible to change the paradigm of the textile industry. If you take away half of the measures, you halve the effectiveness of such a text,” she told RFI.

Fashion and climate: why the greenest garment is the one you already own

Protecting France-based business

The amendments follow Shein’s intense lobbying of the French parliament. The Chinese giant hired former minister Christophe Castaner as a consultant. French media reported that Castaner had presented himself to MPs as a defender of low-income consumers.

The bill now targets mainly Asian ultra fast-fashion giants such as Shein and Temu. Critics such as the Stop Fast Fashion coalition fear this could turn the legislation into “an empty shell with no deterrent effect” by letting large European and French fast fashion platforms off the hook.

However, senator Sylvie Vallin, of the conservative Republicans party, defends the idea of excluding European fast fashion chains.

“Ephemeral fashion brands such as Zara, H&M and Kiabi are found in our shopping centres and city centres. And these brands and shops pay their taxes and employ people,” she told RFI. “I’m not going to green the entire textile industry with a bill like this one. However, we are seizing this opportunity to have an impact on the biggest Chinese giants, and then we are working at European level.”

The European Commission is considering introducing a tax on small parcels entering the EU – most of which come from China. In late May it urged Shein to respect EU consumer protection laws and warned it could face fines if it failed to address the EU’s concerns over the sale of unsafe and dangerous products sold on the sites of both Shein and Temu.

Donated clothes an environmental disaster in disguise for developing world

Impact France is calling for four key provisions to be reinstated in the fast fashion legislation – environmental labelling, inclusion of multi-brand platforms, a comprehensive ad ban, and extending producer responsibility on an international level.

“The fashion industry needs rules that reflect the scale of its impact,” Faure said. “We have an opportunity to set a global standard, France shouldn’t miss it.”

While the Senate opposes a blanket ban on fast fashion advertising, the government has said it will try and reintroduce it into the bill, with backing from the left.

“The time has come for me to say goodbye to this club after a run of four years during which I gave everything,” Inzaghi wrote in a letter to Inter fans on the club website.

The loss to PSG on Saturday night at the Allianz Arena marked the most lopsided defeat in a final in the 70-year history of European club football’s most prestigious tournament.

Achraf Hakimi and Désiré Doué scored within the first 20 minutes. Doué added the third after 63 minutes and Ousmane Dembélé set up Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for the fourth 10 minutes later.  Senny Mayulu inflicted further agony on Inter with the fifth in the 86th minute.

Inzaghi coached Inter to the Serie A title in 2024. But they endured a nightmare end to this season.

In April, they lost in the semi-final of the Coppa Italia to city rivals AC Milan and a week before the Champions League final, Napoli pipped them to the title by one point.

“Every day, my first and last thought was always about Inter,” Inzaghi added.

“It was then reciprocated with professionalism and passion by the players, leaders, and every single one of the club’s employees. The six trophies we won, including the Second-Star Scudetto, together with our Champions League journeys in 2023, and just a few days ago, are living proof of how much my work was supported by a shared understanding with my staff and every part of the club.”

The 49-year-old’s heartfelt message added: “I want to dedicate one last word to the millions of Nerazzurri fans who cheered me on, those who cried and suffered during the lows, and then laughed and celebrated in the six triumphs that we experienced together. I will never forget you. Forza Inter.”

Change

With his departure, it is unclear who will coach the squad at the Club World Cup in the United States which starts on 14 June. Inter open their campaign against Monterrey on 17 June.

As Inzaghi was preparing for his departure, Inter’s conquerors went on a victory parade with their first Champions League trophy on Sunday afternoon along the Champs-Elysées in central Paris before a reception with the French president Emmanuel Macron.

The squad went on to present the prize to fans inside their  home ground at the Parc des Princes during a son-et lumière celebration of an unprecedented sweep of four titles.

In January, Luis Enrique’s side won the French Super Cup. In April, they claimed the Ligue 1 championship for a record 13th time and on 24 May, they waltzed past Reims to lift the Coupe de France for a record 16th occasion.

PSG begin their Club World Cup campaign on 15 June against Atletico Madrid in Los Angeles.

On Wednesday, a suburb of Istanbul witnessed the latest demonstration in support of the city’s detained mayor. Despite the protest taking place in a traditional electoral stronghold of President Erdoğan, tens of thousands attended.

İmamoğlu masks

In a recent attempt to quell the unrest, Istanbul’s governor’s office issued a decree ordering the removal of all images, videos, and audio recordings of İmamoğlu from state buildings and public transport across the city. Within hours, social media was flooded with footage of people wearing İmamoğlu masks while riding public transport.

Turkey’s youth rise up over mayor’s jailing and worsening economy

“Up to 75% are against İmamoğlu’s arrest, as the aversion to Erdoğan’s attempt to sideline his opponent with foul play was widely distributed by all parties,” claimed political analyst Atilla Yeşilada of Global Source Partners, citing recent opinion polls.

Yeşilada argues that the poll’s findings underscore the opposition’s success in winning over public opinion.

“There is a strong reaction. This is not a temporary thing. It’s a grievance that will be held and may impact the next election whenever they are held,” he added.

Recent opinion polls also show İmamoğlu enjoying a double-digit lead over Erdoğan in a prospective presidential race, with a majority of respondents believing the corruption charges against the mayor are politically motivated—a claim the government denies.

Erdogan’s jailed rivals

Political analyst Sezin Öney of the independent Turkish news portal Politikyol suggests Erdoğan may have expected İmamoğlu to follow the same fate as other jailed rivals, whose influence faded once imprisoned. “The government is counting on the possibility that İmamoğlu is jailed, is out of sight, out of mind, and the presidency will have his ways,” explained Öney.

Further arrests as Turkey cracks down on protests over jailed Istanbul mayor

Turkish authorities have persistently sought to curtail İmamoğlu’s presence on social media. His accounts on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky have been frozen following court rulings.

The fate of opposition journalists

Similar actions have been taken against opposition journalists and their supporters. “The operation goes deeper and deeper in recent months; it’s just a very concerted policy to create a blackout in this vibrant society,” claimed Erol Önderoğlu, Istanbul representative of the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders.

The legal crackdown on the Istanbul municipality continues, with further waves of arrests extending even to İmamoğlu’s personal bodyguard. His party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), is also under investigation for alleged irregularities at its party congress.

Analyst Öney predicts that further crackdowns are likely, given the potential implications for Erdoğan’s political future. “I am sure this is being calculated and recalculated every day—whether it’s beneficial to throw more cases at him (İmamoğlu), by weakening his party, the Republican People’s Party, weakening him personally, or whatever is convenient. But the sky is the limit,” explained Öney.

Nevertheless, each new crackdown appears only to fuel the momentum behind opposition protests, which continue to attract large crowds across the country—including in Erdoğan’s own political bastions.

Protest movement

The leader of the main opposition CHP, Özgür Özel, has earned praise for his energetic performances and has won over many former sceptics. However, analyst Yeşilada questions whether Özel can sustain the protest movement.

“I feel in the summer months, it’s very difficult to keep the momentum; the colleges are closed, and people are shuffling through the country, so if that (protests) is the only means of piling the pressure on Erdoğan, it’s not going to work,” warned Yeşilada.

Istanbul’s mayorial elections mean more than just running the city

Yeşilada believes the opposition leader must elevate his strategy. “Özel needs to find new tricks. It will take two things: A) hearing what the grassroots are saying, in particular the younger generation, and B) being able to reshuffle the party rank and file so true activists are promoted—so they can energise the base,” he added.

In 2013, Erdoğan weathered a wave of mass protests which largely dissipated with the closing of universities and the arrival of the summer holidays. This year, he may again be relying on summer to quieten dissent. For the opposition, the challenge is to ensure that Erdoğan’s summer is anything but peaceful.

On Wednesday, a suburb of Istanbul witnessed the latest demonstration in support of the city’s detained mayor. Despite the protest taking place in a traditional electoral stronghold of President Erdoğan, tens of thousands attended.

İmamoğlu masks

In a recent attempt to quell the unrest, Istanbul’s governor’s office issued a decree ordering the removal of all images, videos, and audio recordings of İmamoğlu from state buildings and public transport across the city. Within hours, social media was flooded with footage of people wearing İmamoğlu masks while riding public transport.

Turkey’s youth rise up over mayor’s jailing and worsening economy

“Up to 75% are against İmamoğlu’s arrest, as the aversion to Erdoğan’s attempt to sideline his opponent with foul play was widely distributed by all parties,” claimed political analyst Atilla Yeşilada of Global Source Partners, citing recent opinion polls.

Yeşilada argues that the poll’s findings underscore the opposition’s success in winning over public opinion.

“There is a strong reaction. This is not a temporary thing. It’s a grievance that will be held and may impact the next election whenever they are held,” he added.

Recent opinion polls also show İmamoğlu enjoying a double-digit lead over Erdoğan in a prospective presidential race, with a majority of respondents believing the corruption charges against the mayor are politically motivated—a claim the government denies.

Erdogan’s jailed rivals

Political analyst Sezin Öney of the independent Turkish news portal Politikyol suggests Erdoğan may have expected İmamoğlu to follow the same fate as other jailed rivals, whose influence faded once imprisoned. “The government is counting on the possibility that İmamoğlu is jailed, is out of sight, out of mind, and the presidency will have his ways,” explained Öney.

Further arrests as Turkey cracks down on protests over jailed Istanbul mayor

Turkish authorities have persistently sought to curtail İmamoğlu’s presence on social media. His accounts on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky have been frozen following court rulings.

The fate of opposition journalists

Similar actions have been taken against opposition journalists and their supporters. “The operation goes deeper and deeper in recent months; it’s just a very concerted policy to create a blackout in this vibrant society,” claimed Erol Önderoğlu, Istanbul representative of the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders.

The legal crackdown on the Istanbul municipality continues, with further waves of arrests extending even to İmamoğlu’s personal bodyguard. His party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), is also under investigation for alleged irregularities at its party congress.

Analyst Öney predicts that further crackdowns are likely, given the potential implications for Erdoğan’s political future. “I am sure this is being calculated and recalculated every day—whether it’s beneficial to throw more cases at him (İmamoğlu), by weakening his party, the Republican People’s Party, weakening him personally, or whatever is convenient. But the sky is the limit,” explained Öney.

Nevertheless, each new crackdown appears only to fuel the momentum behind opposition protests, which continue to attract large crowds across the country—including in Erdoğan’s own political bastions.

Protest movement

The leader of the main opposition CHP, Özgür Özel, has earned praise for his energetic performances and has won over many former sceptics. However, analyst Yeşilada questions whether Özel can sustain the protest movement.

“I feel in the summer months, it’s very difficult to keep the momentum; the colleges are closed, and people are shuffling through the country, so if that (protests) is the only means of piling the pressure on Erdoğan, it’s not going to work,” warned Yeşilada.

Istanbul’s mayorial elections mean more than just running the city

Yeşilada believes the opposition leader must elevate his strategy. “Özel needs to find new tricks. It will take two things: A) hearing what the grassroots are saying, in particular the younger generation, and B) being able to reshuffle the party rank and file so true activists are promoted—so they can energise the base,” he added.

In 2013, Erdoğan weathered a wave of mass protests which largely dissipated with the closing of universities and the arrival of the summer holidays. This year, he may again be relying on summer to quieten dissent. For the opposition, the challenge is to ensure that Erdoğan’s summer is anything but peaceful.

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday. This week, you’ll hear musical requests from your fellow listeners Jayanta Chakrabarty from New Delhi, India, Alan Holder from Isle of Wight, England, and Karuna Kanta Pal from West Bengal, India.

Be sure you send in your music requests! Write to me at thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all.  

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme:  “A Million Roses” by Raymond Pauls and Leon Briedis, performed by L’Orchestre Dominique Moisan; “Anak” by Freddie Aguilar, performed by Aguilar and his orchestra, and “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira, Wyclef Jean and Archie Pena, performed by Shakira and Wyclef Jean.

The quiz will be back next Saturday, 7 June. Be sure and tune in! 

On 26 May, pro-EU centrist Nicușor Dan was sworn in as President of Romania, having vowed to oppose “isolationism and Russian influence.”

Earlier, Dan had emerged victorious in a closely contested election rerun, widely viewed as pivotal for the future direction of the NATO and EU member state of 19 million people, which shares a border with war-torn Ukraine.

The vote followed a dramatic decision by Romania’s Constitutional Court five months prior to annul a presidential election, citing allegations of Russian interference and the extensive social media promotion of the far-right frontrunner—who was subsequently barred from standing again.

Although nationalist and EU-sceptic George Simion had secured a commanding lead in the first round, Dan ultimately prevailed in the second-round run-off.

RFI speaks with Claudiu Năsui, former Minister of Economy and member of the Save Romania Union, about the pressing challenges facing the country—from economic reform and political polarisation to the broader implications of the election for Romania’s future, including its critical role in supporting Ukraine amid ongoing regional tensions.

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.

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.