The French reaction came after Iran announced it was constructing a new enrichment site and significantly increasing its production of enriched uranium in response to the rap from the International Atomic energy Agency (IAEA).

Oman talks

“Paris denounces Iran‘s deliberate pursuit of nuclear escalation,” said a French foreign ministry spokesperson. “We urge Iran to return to the negotiating table.” 

The French plea preceded a concerted EU attempt to calm tensions as Iranian and American negotiating teams prepare for talks in the Omani capital Mascate on Sunday.

Iran summons French envoy, calling minister’s Cannes comments ‘insulting’

The Iranian foreign affairs minister, Abbas Araghchi, conceded that the IAEA’s decision added a layer of complexity to the impending discussions with the US. 

EU foreign policy chiefs warned of exacerbating regional conflict.

“We call on Iran to restore full cooperation with the IAEA and fully implement its obligations,” said EU foreign policy spokesman Anouar El Anouni.

“We call on Iran to show restraint and avoid any step that would further escalate the situation,” he added.

Following the Iranian move, Israel called for a decisive response.

The United States, Israel and other Western countries have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, an accusation Tehran has denied.

France warns of sanctions on Iran if nuclear deal not reached

Main sticking point

Uranium enrichment remains the main sticking point in the talks aimed at placing limits on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting the heavy sanctions imposed on the country.

The US wants Iran to fully abandon uranium enrichment. Tehran refuses to comply.

According to the IAEA, Iran is the only non-nuclear-armed state enriching uranium to the high level of 60 percent. To build a nuclear bomb, enrichment must reach 90 percent.

A spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran said Iran had honoured its commitments to the IAEA, but had withdrawn from certain obligations tied to the 2015 nuclear deal with major powers, following the unilateral withdrawal of the United States in 2018.

France warns of military conflict if nuclear talks with Iran collapse

On Wednesday, Iran threatened to strike American military bases in the Middle East if a conflict were to follow a potential breakdown in negotiations.

Subsequently, a US official announced a reduction in staff at the US embassy in Baghdad for security reasons. Washington also restricted travel to Israel for US government employees and their families.

UN nuclear agency ‘regrets’ lack of Iranian cooperation

Since April, Washington and Tehran — which have had no diplomatic relations since 1980 — have been trying to reach a new agreement following the American withdrawal from the 2015 deal during Donald Trump’s first term and the reinstatement of US sanctions.

“Over 200 participants were detained at Cairo airport or questioned at hotels across Cairo,” the march’s spokesperson, Saif Abukeshek, told France’s AFP news agency on Thursday.

The detainees included people from  Algeria, Australia, France, Morocco, the Netherlands, Spain and the United States, he said.

Plainclothes officers entered Cairo hotels on Wednesday with lists of names, questioning activists, and in some cases, confiscating phones and searching personal belongings, Abukeshek said.

“After interrogations, some were arrested and others were released.”

More than 20 French activists who had planned to join [Friday’s] march were held at Cairo airport for 18 hours, he said.

“What happened was completely unexpected,” Abukeshek said.

Security concerns 

Egyptian authorities said the measures were the result of failure to follow proper procedures, including obtaining prior consent from embassies and securing visas.

Cairo maintains that the march towards Rafah constitutes a threat to both its own security and that of the participants.

After 21 months of war, Israel is facing mounting international pressure to allow more aid into Gaza, which the United Nations has dubbed “the hungriest place on Earth“.

In a statement, the organising collective said: “We hope we can work with the Egyptian authorities … Our priorities are the same – calling for an end to the Palestinian genocide.”

France pressures Israel to resume full humanitarian aid to Gaza

Humanitarian convoy blocked

Egyptian authorities have also deployed reinforcements at its border with Libya to block a convoy of around 1,500 people that set out from Tunisia on Monday.

The caravan, dubbed Soumoud meaning “resiliance” in Arabic, left Tunis with the aim of reaching Gaza to symbolically “break the Israeli blockade”.

Around 1,500 people, including Algerian and Tunisian medics, activists and supporters, are travelling in a dozen buses and a hundred cars.

The convoy arrived in the Libyan capital Tripoli on Wednesday, but is currently blocked in Sirte in the centre-north of the country, which is under the control of forces led by Marshal Khalifa Hafta.

Gaza-bound activist convoy reaches Libyan capital

“The caravan was prevented from proceeding at the entrance to the city of Sirte,” said one of the organisers, Wael Naouar, in a video on Facebook.

“So far we do not know whether we will be able to continue or not,” Naouar added, while insisting they would not turn back.    

The Global March to Gaza, which is coordinating with Soumoud, said around 4,000 participants from more than 40 countries are expected to take part in Friday’s event.

According to the plan, participants are set to travel by bus to the city of El-Arish in the heavily secured Sinai Peninsula before walking 50 kilometres towards the border with Gaza.

Israel has called on Egyptian authorities “to prevent the arrival of jihadist protesters at the Egypt-Israel border”.

Egypt’s foreign ministry said that while it backs efforts to put “pressure on Israel”, any foreign delegations visiting the border area must receive approval through official channels.

The Israeli army said on Wednesday that it had allowed 56 trucks carrying World Food Programme humanitarian aid to enter the north of Gaza, but experts warn the measures fall far short.

Madleen activists return 

Earlier this week, Israel intercepted a ship carrying Western pro-Palestinian activists and aid for Gaza.

The twelve activists aboard, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, were deported.

Rima Hassan, a French MEP from the hard-left France Unbowed  (LFI) party who is of Palestinian descent, returned to France on Thursday evening having been held in solitary confinement in Israel.

Israel’s “Operation Rising Lion” involved the use of more than 200 fighter jets and more than 100 drones to strike more than 100 targets across Iran on Friday morning, the Israeli military said.

Calling it a “decisive moment in Israel’s history”, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country was also targeting Iranian nuclear scientists in an operation that would “continue as many days as it takes”.

Iran, which vowed to retaliate, has long maintained that its nuclear-related activity is for peaceful purposes.

Israel declared a state of emergency in anticipation of retaliatory missile and drone strikes by Tehran.

“It’s not a war, it’s a decapitation operation and an operation to stop the nuclear programme… which has been progressing in a very dangerous way recently,” Joshua Zarka, Israel’s ambassador to France told French radio on Friday. “We were obliged to stop this dangerous programme.

Israel did not warn France ahead of its attack on Iran because it is no longer as close an ally as it was before, the ambassador said, adding that the strikes would last days, but not weeks or months.

“The French state …is not as close as it was before,” Zarka, who was previously in charge of the Iran dossier at the Israeli foreign ministry, told RTL radio.

“It’s an ally but not to the point to be pre-warned of such an operation.”

France blasts Iran for fueling nuclear tensions citing UN watchdog report

Here are some reactions from top officials and governments around the world.

Iran

Iranian state media have confirmed the deaths of top Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders and senior nuclear scientists. Iranian media also reported 50 people, including women and children, had been injured.

“The Zionist regime has committed a crime in our dear country today at dawn with its satanic, bloodstained hands,” Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said.

“That regime should anticipate a severe punishment. By God’s grace, the powerful arm of the Islamic Republic’s Armed Forces won’t let them go unpunished.”

“With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared for itself a bitter, painful fate, which it will definitely see.”

Iran’s nuclear programme: the key sites

United States

US President Donald Trump told Fox News he was aware Israel was going to conduct strikes on Iran before they happened and stressed that Tehran “cannot have a nuclear bomb”, according to the US broadcaster. 

“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel.”

Trump warns Israeli attack on Iran ‘could very well happen’

France

France has called on all parties to show restraint, but has noted that Israel has the right to defend itself and that Paris had repeatedly expressed its concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme.

“France is closely monitoring developments in the Middle East, in close coordination with its partners. We call on all parties to show restraint and avoid any escalation that could jeopardise regional stability,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on X, adding that Paris’ priority was for the security of its citizens.

“We have repeatedly expressed our serious concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear programme, notably in the resolution recently adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). We reaffirm Israel’s right to defend itself against any attack,” he added.

France blasts Iran for fueling nuclear tensions citing UN watchdog report

United Kingdom

“The reports of these strikes are concerning and we urge all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently. Escalation serves no one in the region,” said UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“Stability in the Middle East must be the priority and we are engaging partners to de-escalate. Now is the time for restraint, calm and a return to diplomacy.”

United Nations

“The Secretary-General condemns any military escalation in the Middle East,” said a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General  Antonio Guterres. “He is particularly concerned by Israeli attacks on nuclear installations in Iran while talks between Iran and the United States on the status of Iran’s nuclear programme are underway.

“The Secretary-General asks both sides to show maximum restraint, avoiding at all costs a descent into deeper conflict, a situation that the region can hardly afford.”

Will US-Iran nuclear talks break the deadlock or fan the flames?

Oman

Oman is mediating Iran-US talks over Tehran’s nuclear programme, the sixth round of which is due to begin on Sunday in Muscat.

“Oman considers this act a dangerous, reckless escalation, representing a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, the principles of international law. Such aggressive, persistent behavior is unacceptable and further destabilizes the regional peace and security.”

“The Sultanate of Oman holds Israel responsible for this escalation and its consequences, and calls upon the international community to adopt a firm and unequivocal stance to halt this dangerous course of action.”

Trump said after the strikes he was “still hoping” for talks.

Saudi Arabia

“Saudi Arabia expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the blatant Israeli aggressions against the brotherly Islamic Republic of Iran, which undermine its sovereignty and security and constitute a clear violation of international laws and norms.”

(with newswires)

The move, announced at a China-Africa co-operation meeting (FOCAC) in Changsha, central China, comes as the continent faces the possibility of increased tariffs on its products entering the US.

The Asian economic giant already offers duty- and quota-free market access to least developed countries (LDCs), including 53 countries in Africa, but the new initiative will level the playing field by also offering middle-income countries similar market access.

Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) is the only African country excluded from the zero-tariff deal. It maintains diplomatic ties with Taiwan, whereas China regards it as a breakaway province.

The timing of Beijing’s decision is significant. In April, President Donald Trump announced high tariffs on its imports from many countries, including a 50 percent rate for Lesotho, 30 percent for South Africa and 14 percent for Nigeria. 

While the implementation of the tariff hikes has been paused until next month, they’ve caused consternation nonetheless.

“Faced with an international situation marked by changes and turmoil, China and Africa should uphold solidarity and self-reliance more than ever,”  said Foreign Minister Wang Yi, calling on both sides to respond to uncertainties in the world with a stable and resilient China-Africa relationship.

China pledges to give Africa $51bn in fresh funding over next three years

Reducing China’s trade surplus

China is Africa’s largest trading partner, its main investor and its largest creditor.  In 2023, Africa exported goods to the Asian nation worth around $170bn.

A key objective for Beijing is to provide major industrial powers within Africa – such as Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, and Morocco – with greater market access in order to boost their export capacity. 

Beijing also hopes the initiative will help ease its own structural trade surplus with Africa, which currently stands at $62 billion.

As part of President Xi Jinping’s broader diplomatic strategy to foster South-South solidarity and “build a community with a shared future”  Tanzania and Mali were also promised technical and commercial assistance in the form of training, marketing and logistical support.

China’s new strategy in Africa: is the continent getting a fair deal?

Limited impact 

It is still not clear, however, which sectors will be affected by the tariff changes, reports RFI’s Beijing correspondant Clea Broadhurst.

Currently, most African exports to China are raw materials, ores and oil, all of which have limited added value.

Some question whether Beijing will apply its exemption policy to South Africa’s car exports, and if there is sufficient demand for them in the Chinese market,

There are also concerns that the policy might keep many African countries locked into their role as raw material producers, rather than helping them move up the value chain.

Since 2005, the 27 least developed countries in Africa have been eligible for exemption from nearly all custom duties on their exports, with limited measurable effects. The new policy could inadvertently prolong their dependency on extractive industries, instead of fostering transformation.

Christian Tein, who is an indigenous Kanak, was charged and incarcerated over the rioting on the Pacific archipelago in May last year that left more than a dozen dead.

Political prisoner?

He has been held in custody in eastern France since June 2024 but has always denied accusations of instigating the violence and sees himself as a political prisoner.

The Paris Appeals Court ordered the release of Tein after a video call with him in which he promised to respond to future judicial summons and to live with his partner in eastern France.

French judges order release of New Caledonian independence leader

Investigating magistrates who questioned Tein in late May concluded there was no proof that he was preparing an armed uprising against the government, a source close to the case said last week, asking not to be named.

Release under judicial control

They ordered his release under judicial control on condition he does not return to New Caledonia nor enter into contact with other suspects in the case, the source said.

But prosecutors lodged an appeal.

One of Tein’s lawyers, François Roux, on Thursday hailed what he called “a first victory”.

“This is a decolonisation case that is being followed by the United Nations,” he said, adding it was regrettable to see “pro-independence activists being treated like terrorists”.

New Caledonia, nearly 17,000 kilometres distant from mainland France, in the Pacific Ocean, is one of several overseas territories that remain an integral part of France.

(with AFP)

At the UN Ocean Conference in Nice this week, 37 countries led by Canada and Panama signed the first global declaration devoted solely to reducing human-caused ocean noise.

The effort targets the growing din from ships and industrial activity that is disturbing marine life around the world.

“We’re aware of about 130 different marine animals that are negatively impacted by underwater noise,” Mollie Anderson, senior campaign strategist at Canadian NGO Oceans North, told RFI in Nice.

“In some instances, they’re leaving areas altogether where noise is sustained and consistent.”

Sound travels more than four times faster in saltwater than in air, reaching vast distances and interfering with how marine animals communicate, hunt and navigate.

The big blue blindspot: why the ocean floor is still an unmapped mystery

Arctic under pressure

The problem is especially acute in the Arctic, where melting sea ice is opening new shipping lanes in waters that were once among the quietest in the world.

“In the Northwest Passage alone, there’s been a 30 percent increase in ship traffic since 2016,” Anderson explained. “That is having a significant impact on the marine ecosystem in the Arctic.”

Species like belugas and narwhals, which rely on sound to survive, are already changing their behaviour.

“These specied are having a hard time communicating with each other, performing bottom dives and other essential functions to feed themselves and to take care of their babies,” she said.

The disruption is not only ecological – it’s also affecting people. As noise drives marine mammals away from their usual habitats, indigenous communities are finding it harder to hunt the animals they have long depended on.

“Many of our Indigenous people, particularly Inuit in the Canadian Arctic, are reliant on marine mammals for food security and cultural continuity,” Anderson said.

Niue, the tiny island selling the sea to save it from destruction

Simple steps, urgent need

The new declaration – known as the High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean – is voluntary, but calls for quieter ship design, noise limits in marine protected areas and shared access to sound-monitoring technology.

It also aims to help countries with fewer resources to monitor and manage ocean noise.

Some of the most effective changes are also the simplest, Anderson said. “Even a reduction in speed of a few knots can make a big decibel difference.”

Other measures include re-routing ships away from sensitive zones, using more efficient propellers and switching to electric or hybrid engines.

In a recent pilot project, Oceans North measured the sound of an electric vessel using hydrophones – underwater microphones – and found it was significantly quieter than a conventional ship.

Ocean’s survival hinges on finding the billions needed to save it

From promises to policy

While some ports have introduced voluntary guidelines, regulation is needed. “There’s lots of voluntary measures that procurement and ports can adopt, but there’s no real regulation right now,” Anderson said.

“We regulate the roads that we drive on. I don’t see why it should be different for ships in certain areas. They should go faster or slower … That just seems like practical and good public policy to me.”

Panama Environment Minister Juan Carlos Navarro said the issue has been “sidelined in global environmental discourse” for too long.

The coalition, he said, signals a commitment to “act decisively” to protect marine biodiversity from what he called an “invisible yet powerful threat”.

The secondary school pupil was arrested Tuesday after allegedly killing with a knife a school monitor — a 31-year-old mother of a young boy during a bag search in the eastern town of Nogent.

The latest school attack caused widespread shock in France, with President Emmanuel Macron denouncing a rise in violence.

As the legal proceedings progressed, schools across France observed a minute of silence in tribute to the victim. The gesture, led by the Ministry of Education, served as a national mark of mourning and solidarity.

The alleged attacker, whose identity has been withheld due to his age, is expected to appear before a juvenile judge. Prosecutors have requested that he be placed under formal investigation for murder, the most serious charge under French criminal law.

The case has reignited urgent calls for improved mental health support and tighter security in schools. Education Minister Nicole Belloubet has pledged a full review of school safety protocols.

France to deploy police at schools for spot bag searches in wake of stabbings

‘Intended to kill’

The attack has sent shockwaves throughout France, prompting President Emmanuel Macron to denounce what he described as a disturbing rise in violence.

According to prosecutors, the pupil had told investigators that he intended to attack “any” supervisor after being reprimanded several days earlier for kissing his girlfriend on school grounds.

On Thursday, prosecutors formally requested that the teenager be charged with the “murder of a person carrying out a public service mission” as well as with “intentional violence” against a police officer who was injured during the arrest.

The prosecutor’s office has also applied for the suspect to be held in pre-trial detention, confirmed Dijon prosecutor Olivier Caracotch in a statement reported by AFP.

Regional prosecutor Denis Devallois told reporters on Wednesday that the teenager had admitted to carrying out the fatal stabbing and said he “intended to kill”. As a minor, he faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, rather than life imprisonment.

France rolls out school bag searches to combat knife violence

Shock and mourning at Françoise Dolto school

At midday, a minute’s silence was observed in schools across France in honour of the victim, identified by authorities only as Melanie.

France has witnessed several violent incidents in recent years involving students attacking teachers and other pupils. During a cabinet meeting on Thursday, President Macron expressed his concern over what he called a growing normalisation of violence.

“He spoke… of a rise, a disinhibition around violence in our country, for which solutions will clearly need to be found,” said government spokeswoman Sophie Primas, quoting the French president.

In March, police began carrying out random searches for concealed weapons in and around schools.

Classes resumed on Thursday at the Françoise Dolto school where the incident took place. Pupils began arriving shortly after 8am in silence, escorted by members of staff, according to AFP.

“It’s going to be strange not seeing the monitor anymore,” said Jade, 15.

“I told my daughters to go to the counselling room to talk,” said Danièle Quentin, 52, the mother of three pupils at the school. “It’s going to be hard for the girls, who really liked her,” she added, referring to the victim.

The victim, a former hairdresser, had retrained and begun working at the school in September. She was also a mother to a four-year-old son and served as a local councillor in a village near Nogent. Her family has called for a silent march in her memory to be held in Nogent on Friday.

French PM calls for tighter security in schools after deadly knife attack

Prosecutor Devallois said the suspect admitted that “there was perhaps a link with the fact he was told off by a monitor on Friday,  6 June, as he was kissing his girlfriend on school grounds”, though the person he attacked was not the one who had reprimanded him.

“He stated that he had, as early as the next day, Saturday, mulled over a plan to kill a monitor,” the prosecutor added. “He grabbed the largest knife in his home to, in his words, ‘cause the most damage’.”

Devallois said the teenager showed no signs of suffering from a mental disorder, but appeared “detached” and expressed “no regret” for the killing.

Government responds to knife crime and youth violence

In the wake of the attack, authorities have pledged new measures to tackle knife crime among young people. President Macron announced on Tuesday a proposal to ban social media access for children under 15.

Greece has led a proposal – supported by France and Spain – for the European Union to introduce restrictions on children’s use of online platforms. Macron warned that France would move forward with its own national ban if EU-wide progress is not made.

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 leader of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) Jean-Luc Mélenchon seems inclined, at the moment, to stand for a fourth time – having taken third place behind National Rally (RN) leader Marine Le Pen in the 2022 ballot.

On the left, a broad church

The 2022 result, alongside the collective memory of the relatively short-lived Nupes left-wing alliance, as well as the divisions that arose in the New Popular Front (NFP) alliance in the wake of their victory in the 2024 legislative elections, will have certainly pre-armed Mélenchon with knowledge of the contention he arouses in some sections of the electorate, and on his side of the political spectrum.

Over at the Socialist Party (PS), the internal ballot currently under way to elect a new leader raises the crucial question of whether the party will field its own presidential candidate for 2027, or take part in a wider primary within the left.

President Macron set to unfurl two-year plan amid prospect of referendums

The latter is the line taken by the current First Secretary Olivier Faure – “a primary from Ruffin to Glucksmann”. 

François Ruffin was a key organiser of the rapidly formed NFP leftist alliance during the 2024 elections, and is now a member of the Ecologist Group in the National Assembly, having parted ways with LFI and Mélenchon during the campaign. 

MEP Raphaël Glucksmann, a member of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group in the European Parliament, was named one of 20 “Rising Stars” at The Parliament Magazine’s annual MEP awards last year.

Known for his campaigning on forced labour in China and the plight of Uyghurs held in the Xinjiang internment camps, he was one of five MEPs under sanction by China until April this year, lifted following negotiations with the European Parliament.

This kaleidoscopic primary could also include feminist activist Clémentine Autain, one of a group of MPs who founded the L’Après (“The Aftermath”) party in the wake of a split from LFI, as well as Fabien Roussel, leader of the French Communist Party and their candidate for the 2022 election – in which he came eighth. 

While Ruffin is in favour of this wider primary, Glucksmann is not, and the other candidates in the PS internal ballot – Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol and Boris Vallaud – would also like to see the party set out its own stall for the election.

In the centre, the great reshuffle

Former PM Gabriel Attal, now the leader of Macron’s Renaissance party in the National Assembly, may not have declared his intentions, but is considered to be taking his first steps towards the Elysée Palace – having been greeted with chants of “Attal president!” at a rally on 6 April in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis, as reported by Le Monde.

Meanwhile, his fellow former PM Édouard Philippe has announced that he will run, as widely expected. 

“I’m preparing to propose things to the French. What I propose will be massive. The French will decide,” Philippe told Le Point magazine on 3 September last year, adding that he would prioritise education, public order and the budget.

A right-winger who was Macron’s first prime minister has remained a popular figure since resigning in July 2020, after which he returned to his job as mayor of Le Havre and formed his own centre-right party, Horizons.

Former French PM Edouard Philippe announces 2027 presidential bid

At Renaissance, although Élisabeth Borne has not ruled out a candidacy, she will have heard those chants of “Attal president” coming loud and clear from Saint-Denis

Yaël Braun-Pivet, the current president of the National Assembly, has not made any announcements about the 2027 elections – but she has published a book. À ma place (“In My Place”) was published on 10 April. In an interview on that day when asked whether she was considering running in 2027, she said: “I’m not thinking about it. My focus today is having a country that functions democratically.”

Nor does the book contain any mention of a potential candidacy, although she does write that “women need to take the lead”.

On the right, a new order emerges

After the melodrama of Éric Ciotti’s departure from the Republicans (LR) – following his calls for an alliance with the far-right RN ahead of last summer’s snap legislative elections – the centre-right party has finally settled the question of its leadership, with Bruno Retailleau elected as president last month.

Retailleau wins leadership of Les Républicains party, paving way for 2027 presidential bid

While Interior Minister Retailleau will be making the most of his dual role, many believe he will also be focusing on his candidacy for the presidency. But does this mean the choice of candidate is a done deal for the Republicans? 

Xavier Bertrand, who played a key role in Nicolas Sarkozy’s 2007 presidential campaign; Mayor of Cannes David Lisnard (notable as one of the mayors who in 2016 attempted to ban the burkini); Laurent Wauquiez, who was defeated by Retailleau in the leadership contest, and even former prime minister Michel Barnier, may beg to differ 

For the time being, there is no general consensus emerging from the conservative end of the political spectrum. 

To their (far) right, Le Pen’s previous election defeats loom large, as does her conviction for embezzling EU funds, which rules her out of the 2027 election thanks to a five-year ban on running for office – although she has said she will appeal this decision.

Does ‘politically dead’ Marine Le Pen still have a path to power?

Pending this ruling, inevitably the question of whether Le Pen’s dauphin and RN president Jordan Bardella will take her place in the running arises – although this could bring with it electoral uncertainty.

Meanwhile, despite Éric Zemmour’s far-right Reconquest party currently holding no seats in the National Assembly or the Senate, and having one MEP in the European Parliament – his partner, Sarah Knafo – Zemmour himself has not disappeared from view, and Knafo is increasingly visible.

The 32-year-old is known to be a fan of both Donald Trump and Elon Musk, and the couple were guests at Trump’s January inauguration – among the few French politicians to receive invitations.

(With newswires, and partially adapted from this article from RFI’s French service.)

Since its founding in 1975, ESA has contributed to a broad range of scientific and technological areas. One of its most notable moments came in 2014 with the Rosetta mission, when the Philae lander became the first human-made object to land on a comet. The event drew global attention and is considered a major milestone in robotic space exploration.

Copernicus and Galileo

ESA has also developed long-running programmes such as Copernicus and Galileo, which continue to serve scientific, environmental, and practical purposes. Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth observation programme, uses satellite data to monitor environmental changes. According to ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, “Without those satellites that we have built – and Europe has built many of those – we would not understand the extent of climate change.”

Ariane 6 rocket debuts successfully restoring Europe’s space independence

Meanwhile, Galileo, ESA’s satellite navigation system, now in its 30th year, has become a key infrastructure for location and timing services. Aschbacher described it as “the most accurate navigation system in the world,” with wide applications across transport, telecommunications, and emergency services.

Over the years, ESA has also expanded its international cooperation. It works with agencies in the United States, Japan, India, the UAE, and Australia, among others, across a range of missions and projects. “Partners want to work with us. We have something interesting to offer,” Aschbacher said, referring to ESA’s role in collaborative initiatives.

 New objectives?

Looking to the months ahead, a major point of focus is the ESA Ministerial Council, to be held in November. Occurring every three years, the council allows ESA’s 22 member states to allocate funding to various programmes. Unlike some international agencies, ESA operates on a voluntary contribution model. “I have to make proposals that are very attractive that member states want to participate and want to put money in. Otherwise, I’m not succeeding,” said Aschbacher.

The funding proposals being prepared for the Council span a wide range of domains, including Earth observation, satellite navigation, telecommunication, astronaut missions, launch systems, and planetary exploration, including the Moon and Mars.

First commercial launch of Europe’s Ariane 6 carrying French military satellite

ESA also has a busy launch schedule for 2025, with over ten missions planned. These include new Sentinel satellites under the Copernicus programme, further Galileo satellites, as well as the April launch of Biomass Earth Explorer mission, which will measure tropical forest biomass as part of broader efforts to monitor carbon cycles.

Several smaller missions based on CubeSats and micro-satellites are also in development, incorporating onboard artificial intelligence to process data in orbit more efficiently.

ESA is placing increased emphasis on the role of space-based technologies across different sectors. In Aschbacher’s view, their relevance is likely to expand significantly in coming decades.

“Space today already has many applications… but in 20 years from today, you cannot live without space technology,” he said, comparing the trajectory of space tech to the early development of the internet.

As ESA reaches the 50-year mark, attention is focused not just on past achievements but also on how space technologies might be integrated more deeply into scientific research, infrastructure, environmental monitoring, and industry in the years ahead.

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.

Despite hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced people, the situation in the country has received limited international attention, insufficient humanitarian funding and minimal political engagement, according to the NGO.

“It’s a case study in global neglect,” Laila Matar, NRC’s director of communications, told RFI. “There’s little media coverage, no meaningful diplomatic engagement and chronic underfunding. People are really struggling to survive.”

Cameroon is grappling with humanitarian emergencies driven by three distinct situations – violence in the far north, ongoing conflict in the anglophone regions, and an influx of refugees from neighbouring Central African Republic.

These crises have left the country’s services overwhelmed and under-resourced.

Uprooted and forgotten, Cameroon’s climate refugees living in despair

According to the NRC’s report, covering 2024, 11 percent of Cameroon’s population now faces acute food insecurity.

“1.4 million children are crammed into poorly maintained and overcrowded classrooms,” said Matar. “There’s simply no meaningful investment coming in from the global community.”

Cameroon’s 2024 humanitarian response plan was only 45 percent funded, leaving a gap of more than $202 million (almost €178m).

Alongside Cameroon, the NRC’s report highlights nine other displacement crises suffering from similar neglect and lack of aid funding, including those in Ethiopia, Mozambique and Burkina Faso, each grappling with ongoing conflict.

‘Inward-looking policies’

To explain this reduced support and lack of engagement, Matar says: “Donor fatigue is certainly a factor. But more worrying is the shift we’re seeing from international solidarity to more inward-looking, security-focused policies in countries that used to be generous donors.”

Several developed countries have made significant cuts to their overseas aid budgets.

France announced it would reduce public development assistance by more than €2 billion – nearly 40 percent of its annual allocation.

The United Kingdom has cut its overseas development assistance from 0.5 percent to 0.3 percent of gross national income, while Germany and the Netherlands are amongst others to have announced substantial reductions in foreign aid.

France’s proposed budget cuts set to slash overseas development aid

This comes as the United States – formerly the worlds largest contributor to overseas relief funding – has shut down or drastically reduced several aid programmes, including USAID, amid accusations of inefficiency from the Trump administration. 

These decisions carry serious consequences for the humanitarian work of NGOs such as the NRC.

“We’re layering compromise upon compromise,” Matar told RFI. “And those compromises are deadly.”

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

The NRC report also makes an impassioned plea for a shift in priorities, with the organisation’s secretary-general Jan Egeland saying: “Displacement isn’t a distant crisis. It’s a shared responsibility. We must stand up and demand a reversal of brutal aid cuts which are costing more lives by the day.”

While governments and institutions must lead the charge, Matar stressed that ordinary people also have a role to play.

“Humanitarian aid works. It helps people start to dream of a future again,” she said. “We can write to our MPs, speak out, and demand that our governments stop cutting aid in our name. We don’t need these crises to come to our borders to care about them.”

Since arriving in Mali in 2021, Russian Wagner mercenaries have arrested, imprisoned and tortured hundreds of civilians in former United Nations bases and military camps shared with the Malian army, according to the Forbidden Stories investigation published on Thursday.

Forbidden Stories and its partners (including IStories, Le Monde and France 24) identified six military bases where Malian civilians were detained and tortured by Wagner paramilitaries between 2022 and 2024 – Bapho and Nampala in the Ségou centre-south of the country, Sévaré and Sofara in the central Mopti region and Kidal and Niafunké in the Kidal and Timbuktu regions in the north.

A Malian aid worker tortured on 5 August, 2024 in the Nampala camp recounts that his torturers played Russian music at every interrogation, and the waterboarding he and two others were subjected to.

“They did it to me three times, until I couldn’t breathe anymore,” he said. The guards alternated waterboarding with beatings, sometimes with batons or electric cables. “It was like they were killing dogs.”

The aid worker had been arrested with other men from his village when Malian soldiers and Wagner operatives came looking for a walkie-talkie used by members of the al Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (Jnim).

Another civilian victim, a Tuareg care assistant, was also apprehended during a raid on the market in Kita, near Dioura – an area of major Jnim activity. He remembers the arrival of the helicopters, the deadly gunfire and the looting of shops.

Taken with a group of men to the Sévaré camp, he escaped torture – but a less fortunate prisoner who welcomed him told him: “Pray to God that you don’t suffer the same thing as us.”

Russian Wagner group battles French ‘zombies’ in Africa propaganda campaign

Civilians viewed as collaborators

Mali’s ruling junta enlisted the services of Wagner fighters following two coups led by Colonel Assimi Goïta in 2020 and 2021.

The group has supported Malian military operations against jihadists and Tuareg separatists.

Their deployment was made easier by France’s military withdrawal, finalised in 2022, after nine years of military operations against terror groups in Mali, and the end of the UN peacekeeping mission (Minusma) in December 2023. 

The Wagner Group has been repeatedly accused of committing crimes against civilians while operating alongside the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) in central and northern Mali.

“Civilians have been deliberately targeted since Wagner’s arrival,” said Yvan Guichaoua, a researcher at the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies. “Security forces tend to view populations living in jihadist-influenced areas as collaborators,” he told the investigation.

Earlier this month, Malian diplomatic and security sources said Wagner had left Mali and its units had been taken over by the Africa Corps, a Russian paramilitary group managed by the Russian government.

Wagner mercenaries and Mali army accused of killing civilians near Gao

‘FAMa has no say’

The Wagner Group is also known for its bloody track record in Ukraine, Syria and the Central African Republic (CAR).

The investigation showed that Wagner mercenaries duplicated methods it used in occupied Ukraine and in Russia – kidnappings, arbitrary arrests, cutting off contact with the outside world and systematic torture, sometimes to the point of death.

The civilians abducted and detained outside any legal framework in the Mali camps included shepherds, shopkeepers and truck drivers.

In Kidal and Niafunké, prisoners were crammed into containers once used to hold equipment belonging to Minusma. In addition to beatings and lack of food, the prisoners suffered from the heat and overcrowding. 

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

A Malian officer, who asked to remain anonymous, said that FAMa was unable to rein in its Russian partners.

“Wagner arrests people independently. FAMa has no say,” the officer told Le Monde, a member of the investigative consortium. 

Mali’s Ministry of Defence, Russia’s Defence Ministry, the Russian Embassy in Mali and Wagner mercenaries have not responded to requests for comment, Forbidden Stories said.

Tennis legend Roger Federer will have the honour of acting as the celebrity starter, waving the French tricolour at 16:00 CEST  on Saturday, 14 June, to send the grid roaring into action. Over the following 24 hours, the world’s top endurance racers will contest more than 300 laps (over 4,000km) of the iconic Circuit de la Sarthe, through dusk, darkness, and dawn, cheered on by a sell-out crowd of 320,000 passionate fans fuelled by coffee, adrenaline—and a fair share of beer.

History and risk

The 2025 race also marks the 70th anniversary of the 1955 Le Mans disaster, the darkest day in motorsport history, when a crash involving Pierre Levegh’s Mercedes caused debris to fly into the crowd, killing 81 spectators. The exact death toll remains uncertain, but the tragedy reshaped the future of racing safety.

Over the weekend186 drivers will take to the legendary circuit, which includes the Mulsanne Straight, where speeds can exceed 400 km/h – a reminder of both the glory and peril of Le Mans.

Fortunately, weather conditions are expected to be favourable this year, with Metéo France forecasting dry and mild conditions throughout the weekend. The action kicks off with qualifying for pole position on Thursday night.

Ferrari and Toyota

Ferrari’s return to Le Mans in 2023, after a 50-year absence, was nothing short of triumphant. That year, they won the centenary edition of the race, before repeating the feat in 2024—ending Toyota’s five-year dominance (2018–2022). Now, in 2025, Ferrari are determined to make it three in a row.

Their campaign has started strongly, with wins in the opening rounds of the World Endurance Championship in Qatar, Imola, and Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium). The Ferrari #50 Hypercar, driven by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen, remains a top contender.

Yet, despite recent successes, Fuoco is cautious. “Compared to last year, the field is much closer. It’s going to be a tough battle,” said the 29-year-old Italian. Team manager Batti Pregliasco also highlighted the ever-present threat from Toyota. “The idea of winning a third Le Mans in a row would be magnificent,” he said. “But the Toyotas are very strong here – they have the experience, the ability, and the means to win.”

Renewed rivalries

The 2023 regulation overhaul has reinvigorated the top-tier Hypercar class, attracting manufacturers old and new. This year’s 21-car Hypercar entry includes Ferrari, Toyota, Porsche, Peugeot, Alpine, BMW, Aston Martin, and Cadillac—a true golden era of factory-backed competition.

Among the Toyota ranks is Nyck de Vries, the 30-year-old Dutch driver who was part of the second-place team in 2024, and is back again this year in the Toyota #7 alongside Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi.

“Finishing second was a great result,” he said. “But after such a long race, it felt bitter-sweet. We want to put that right this year.”

De Vries is one of several former Formula One drivers embracing Le Mans, including Jenson Button (driving for Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA #38), Robert Kubica (Ferrari #83), Mick Schumacher (Alpine #36), and Stoffel Vandoorne (Peugeot #94). They all hope to emulate Fernando Alonso’s back-to-back Le Mans wins with Toyota in 2018 and 2019. The Spanish F1 great followed in the footsteps of legends such as Graham Hill, Phil Hill, and Jochen Rindt.

Beyond hypercars

In addition to the 21 Hypercar entries, this year’s grid features 17 LMP2 cars and 24 in the LMGT3 class. Among them is the inspiring Iron Dames team – an all-female crew composed of Sarah Bovy, Rahel Frey, and Célia Martin – competing in the LMGT3 category.

As the world watches the lights go out in Le Mans this weekend, the stage is set for a thrilling battle of speed, endurance, and history. Will Ferrari claim a historic hat-trick—or will a new name rise to the top of the endurance racing pantheon?

“Nationally, the CNDD-FDD came first, with 96.51 percent of the vote,” election commission chief Prosper Ntahorwamiye said in a live televised ceremony.

“As none of the other parties obtained 2 percent of the vote, the constitutionally stipulated threshold for taking seats in the National Assembly, a total of 100 seats go to the CNDD-FDD party,” he added.

The Constitutional Council is due to announce the final results on 20 June.

Olivier Nkurunziza, secretary-general of the Uprona party, which officially obtained 1.38 percent of the vote, told French news agency AFP: “Democracy has been killed. Uprona denounces rigged elections.”

In some constituencies, claimed Nkurunziza, the CNDD-FDD won 100 percent of the votes – with no invalid votes, no abstentions and no absentees. “Even though in all the communes there were at least 50 candidate members,” he added.

On polling day, members of the National Council for Freedom (CNL), the ruling party’s main opponent, denounced multiple voting and forced voting. It claimed its observers had been hunted down and arbitrarily imprisoned.

Anicet Niyonkuru, a legislative candidate and president of the Conseil des Patriotes, a small opposition party, told AFP that voters placed ballot papers that had already been filled in. “It was a major form of cheating that was observed everywhere.”

US slams Burundi’s president over ‘public stoning of gay couples’ comment

‘A farce’

President Evariste Ndayishimiye took power in Burundi in June 2020 after the death of his predecessor Pierre Nkurunziza (no relation to Olivier Nkurunziza), who had ruled the country for 15 years.

Since taking office, he has swung between gestures of openness and a firm grip on power, with rights abuses denounced by NGOs and the United Nations.

His party, the CNDD-FDD, is accused of obstructing its main opponent, the CNL, which came second in the last elections in 2020. At the time, the CNL described the elections as “a farce”.

In 2023, the Burundian Ministry of the Interior suspended the CNL, citing “irregularities” in the way it organised its meetings.

In 2024, Agathon Rwasa – a former Hutu rebel leader who fought against the army, which was then dominated by the Tutsi minority, during the civil war that claimed some 300,000 lives between 1993 and 2005 – was ousted as head of the CNL and replaced by Nestor Girukwishaka, who is reputed to be close to the ruling party.

Burundi is the poorest country in the world in terms of GDP per capita, according to a 2023 World Bank ranking. Nine million of its 12 million inhabitants live below the poverty line, and the country has been paralysed by a petrol shortage for almost three years. 

One Burundian analyst, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, told AFP the country is facing “a very deep socio-economic crisis marked by all sorts of shortages, galloping inflation of more than 40 percent a month and increasing public discontent”.

(with AFP)

“I would like to thank our agents for their admirable mobilisation, which enabled this rapid outcome, despite the harassment and defamation to which they were subjected,” said Barrot on social media on Thursday.

On Wednesday, France’s Prime Minister François Bayrou accused French activists of capitalising on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for political attention.

The activists – who hoped to raise awareness about the humanitarian situation in war-torn Gaza – included Rima Hassan, a member of European Parliament from the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party who is of Palestinian descent.

She was among the four French activists who were detained in Israel, after Israeli forces intercepted the Madleen sailboat operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and its 12 crew members in international waters off the besieged Palestinian territory on Monday.

Another four, who are not French, were also taken into custody.

“These activists obtained the effect they wanted, but it’s a form of instrumentalisation to which we should not lend ourselves,” Bayrou said in the National Assembly on Wednesday.

“It’s through diplomatic action, and efforts to bring together several states to pressure the Israeli government, that we can obtain the only possible solution to the conflict,” he added.

The remaining four activists, including two French citizens and Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, agreed to be deported immediately after being banned from Israel for 100 years.

French left demonstrates in support of Gaza-bound aid boat

‘Kidnapped’

On arrival at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, 22-year-old Thunberg accused Israel of “kidnapping us in international waters and taking us against our will to Israel”.

“This is yet another intentional violation of rights that is added to the list of countless other violations that Israel is committing,” she said.

The LFI leader in parliament, Mathilde Panot, accused Bayrou of failing to condemn Israel’s actions.

France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting a UN meeting later this month in New York on steps towards recognising a Palestinian state and reaching a so-called two-state solution to the conflict.

Palestinian leader pledges ‘unprecedented’ reforms ahead of Paris conference

Barrot told parliament: “The priority in Gaza should be an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas, as well as immediate, unimpeded and massive humanitarian aid access to abridge the suffering of civilian populations.

“In no way whatsoever do the gesticulations of Ms Rima Hassan, her instrumentalisation of the suffering of Gazans, help to achieve these goals,” he added.

Crime against humanity

Israel is facing mounting pressure to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, whose entire population the United Nations has warned is at risk of famine.

On 7 October, 2023, the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

French dockers refuse to load cargo of machine gun parts bound for Israel

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says the retaliatory Israeli military offensive has killed at least 54,981 people, the majority civilians. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.

Out of 251 taken hostage during the Hamas attack, 54 are still held in Gaza including 32 the Israeli military says are dead.

An independent United Nations commission said on Tuesday that Israeli attacks on schools, religious and cultural sites in Gaza amount to war crimes and the crime against humanity of seeking to exterminate Palestinians.

“In killing civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites, Israeli security forces committed the crime against humanity of extermination,” the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory said in a report.

(with AFP)

Pelicot’s lawyer Emilie Sudre said late on Tuesday that “an amicable settlement” had been reached between Pelicot and the weekly magazine Paris Match. The case was due to go to court on Wednesday.

In April, Paris Match published seven pictures of Pelicot accompanied by a man it described as being her new companion, walking in the streets of her new hometown.

Her lawyer at the time, Antoine Camus, said it was “disappointing” that Paris Match would secretly take pictures of Pelicot “whose ordeal was the subject of 3,000 pictures and videos”.

Mass rape trial revives question of consent within French law

He accused the magazine of “having learned nothing from the four-month trial” last year that saw her former husband and 50 other men convicted.

Sudre said Pelicot had not requested any personal compensation in the settlement. Her client instead agreed that the magazine should “pay €40,000 to two associations supporting victims of violence, including within families,” especially women and children.

The two organisations fund a women’s shelter and a riding centre which helps survivors recover – the latter based in the town of Mazan where much of the abuse Pelicot suffered took place.

Christophe Bigot, a lawyer for Paris Match, said the magazine was “delighted with the solution, which would help victims of violence”.

Gisèle Pélicot wins top human rights award for fight against rape culture

Turning the tables on shame

Pelicot – who has since changed her name – gained international acclaim after she demanded her trial be open to the public, forgoing her anonymity, and insisting it was rapists, not their victims, who should feel ashamed.

Dominique Pelicot, her former husband, drugged her for nearly a decade so he and dozens of strangers he recruited online could rape her in her own bed. He meticulously documented the abuse in files on his computer.

France announces new measures to combat violence against women

A French court in December sentenced him to 20 years in prison. Fifty other men were also convicted in a trial that saw no acquittals.

Seventeen of the other defendants initially lodged an appeal, but sixteen have since withdrawn their claim. The single remaining appellant, Husamettin D, has the right to drop his appeal right up until the opening of his hearing, scheduled for 6 October.

(with AFP)

The Pacific island nation is asking the International Court of Justice to clarify what countries are legally required to do to tackle climate change – and what the consequences should be when they fail.

“We want a 1.5 aligned world… because the science tells us that’s what we need to stay within the livable bounds for our people,” said Regenvanu.

The ICJ opinion, expected as early as next month, was requested by the UN General Assembly and backed by more than 130 countries.

While not legally binding, it stands to carry significant weight and set a precedent for future legal action, including in national courts.

Legal pressure, not pledges

Julian Aguon, Vanuatu’s legal counsel for the case, said it would be a mistake to dismiss the opinion simply because it is not enforceable.

“Even if it’s not a binding judgment, the right way to think about it is that it’s authoritative legal guidance for all countries,” Aguon said.

“Unlike a ruling that only applies to two parties, this opinion will clarify the obligations of every state under international law.”

Vanuatu is one of the world’s most climate-exposed nations. Sea levels in parts of the Pacific are rising faster than the global average of 4.3 centimetres per decade, and warming oceans are causing widespread coral bleaching, acidification and biodiversity loss.

Niue, the tiny island selling the sea to save it from destruction

“The single greatest cause of the destruction that’s happening in the oceans… is the heating of the ocean, which is caused by greenhouse gas emissions,” Regenvanu said.

“So it’s the single greatest threat to the ocean right now.”

The ICJ case builds on long-standing frustration with slow progress at climate summits.

“We’ve been involved in the UNFCCC process, the COPs, for like 30 years. And we’re not seeing the right ambition and change in the international community,” Regenvanu said.

“We are looking to speed that up, to raise that ambition, to get things to happen faster.”

Defining the consequences

At issue is whether countries have violated existing international laws – not just climate treaties, but also human rights law, the law of the sea and key environmental principles such as the duty to prevent harm and act with due diligence.

“Climate change is not occurring in a legal vacuum,” Aguon explained. “It is governed by a wide body of international law.”

The court has been asked not only to clarify those obligations, but also to outline the consequences when they’re breached.

“This case does, in fact, represent a watershed moment in legal accountability for climate change,” Aguon said.

“We can move into a new era of binding obligations and the consequences for failure to take those obligations seriously.”

The big blue blindspot: why the ocean floor is still an unmapped mystery

Asked whether Vanuatu is seeking “reparations” for the damage already done, Regenvanu emphasised that the case is about climate justice – holding those who caused the crisis responsible for fixing it.

“Justice means if you cause a problem, you are responsible for dealing with it and making up for it,” Regenvanu said. “And I think reparations is a word you could use. It is to do with fixing the problem you created.”

A strong opinion delivered by the ICJ could open the door to a new wave of legal challenges and lay the groundwork for countries like Vanuatu to pursue compensation through national or regional courts.

“It becomes a legal precedent that can be used in any court. So even a municipal court, a city court… we can expect to see greater climate action being achieved through cases that are won on the back of what this court says,” Regenvanu explained.

The ICJ heard arguments on the case in December, with 99 countries and more than a dozen organisations taking part – the largest number ever.

Talks on the treaty held in Busan, South Korea, in late 2024 collapsed, with countries unable to agree on how to stop millions of tonnes of plastic waste from entering the environment each year.

Ahead of the next round of negotiations to be held in Geneva in August, ministers from 95 countries have now issued a symbolic call for a binding treaty that caps plastic production and phases out harmful chemicals.

“This declaration sends a clear and strong message: we will not give up,” France’s environment minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said. “We must reduce our production and consumption of plastics.”

The London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), which investigates and campaigns against environmental crime and abuse, was among 234 civil society and rightsholder groups to welcome the renewed commitment.

EIA Ocean Campaign lead Christina Dixon said: “EIA enthusiastically supports the governments sending this clear political signal… ahead of the critical last round of negotiations in August. With the future health of the planet, its oceans and inhabitants at stake, this is not just a wake-up call, it’s an emergency siren.”

French Polynesia unveils world’s largest marine protected zone

Caps on plastic production

So-called “high-ambition” nations have long pushed for the accord to include caps on the manufacture of new plastic, which is largely made from chemicals derived from fossil fuels.

An opposing group of countries – mostly oil and petrochemical giants – have rejected calls for production limits, and pushed instead for a treaty that prioritises waste management.

Mexico’s environment minister Alicia Barcena said caps on plastic were critical “to send a message on the root of the plastic crisis” and recycling and waste management alone would not solve the problem.

Land pollution is drowning the oceans in plastic, French experts warn

In 2019, the world produced around 460 million tonnes of plastic, a figure that has doubled since 2000, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Plastic production is expected to triple by 2060.

Just 9 percent of plastic is recycled globally, and every day the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks worth of plastic waste is dumped into oceans, rivers and lakes.

Greenpeace stressed the need for a cap on production, with its head of delegation to the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, Graham Forbes, saying: “Governments are finally saying the quiet part out loud: we cannot end plastic pollution without cutting plastic production. Full stop.

“We welcome the call for a legally binding global cap on plastic production, and real rules to phase out the most toxic plastic products and chemicals. For too long, treaty talks have been stuck in circular conversations, while plastic pollution chokes our oceans, poisons our bodies and fuels the climate crisis.”

‘Beyond vague promises’

“We are heartened to see this demonstration of ambition from the majority of countries, who are showing a united front against the small number of petro-chemical states trying to prevent a strong treaty,” said Ana Rocha from GAIA, an alliance of activist groups.

The declaration also called for the elimination of “chemicals of concern” in plastics, which are harmful to human health and the environment. Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found atop Mount Everest, in the deepest ocean trench, and in human blood and breastmilk.

Niue, the tiny island selling the sea to save it from destruction

Andres del Castillo, senior attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law, welcomed the declaration, but warned that more must be done to achieve a truly ambitious treaty.

“For the Global Plastics Treaty to succeed, member states must move beyond vague promises and define how they are going to deliver, including through clear, legally binding measures and a human rights-based approach,” he said.

“Come August in Geneva, political statements will not be enough. We must see member states stand up to petrostate and fossil fuel interests on the floor of the negotiations. Their actions will speak louder than words.”

(with AFP)

As cities are increasingly recognised as both contributors to and potential mitigators of climate change, Harare’s efforts reflect a growing awareness that urban areas must act locally to address global environmental issues.

The world continues to experience the effects of climate change and weather pattern disruptions that are severely impacting livelihoods, particularly in vulnerable nations. This has led to increased international scrutiny of environmental policies and practices, with emphasis on developing sustainable, inclusive responses that begin at the community level.

Despite being a city in a developing country, Harare’s actions underscore the importance of involving all sectors of society – from municipal authorities to grassroots organisations – in transforming harmful behaviours and practices into climate-positive solutions.

Transforming waste into opportunity

One of Harare’s most pressing challenges has long been waste management. Piles of uncollected rubbish, illegal dumping, and encroachment on protected wetlands have plagued the city for years. However, in recent times, Zimbabwe’s Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has taken major steps to reform this situation through targeted initiatives.

Leon Mutungamiri, Harare provincial manager for EMA, explains: “We’re actively promoting integrated resource recovery through the establishment of waste drop-off and transfer centres across the city. Currently, we have transfer centres in Mabvuku-Tafara, Showgrounds, Budiriro, and Highfields. A new centre is also being planned for Epworth.”

Beyond these measures, EMA is also tackling ecosystem degradation by restoring wetlands—natural assets that are essential for biodiversity and water management.

“As we speak, Monavale Vlei is now protected,” Mutungamiri adds. “We’re working closely with communities to ensure these areas are preserved for future generations.”

Harare has also become the testing ground for one of Zimbabwe’s most ambitious waste management projects: Geo Pomona. Situated on the site of the former Pomona dumpsite, the project involves the construction of a recycling facility and a waste-to-energy plant, designed to reduce landfill dependency and generate renewable energy from urban waste.

Cliff Chivanga, chief operations officer of the Zimbabwe Sunshine Group – an organisation of environmental activists – describes the group’s involvement:

“We provide real, community-based solutions such as the creation of community waste transfer stations. These are designed to serve as first points of contact for waste generated at the household level.”

He stresses that the group’s initiatives are tailored to empower disadvantaged communities:

“When households separate their waste, recyclable materials are sent to local recyclers, and non-recyclables are directed to national projects like Geo Pomona. This way, every piece of waste is given a purpose.”

Greening Harare: buildings, compost, and youth involvement

In line with Zimbabwe’s national green policy, Harare is also exploring environmentally sustainable architecture. The city’s Eastgate Building stands as a pioneering example of climate-responsive design that uses natural ventilation to reduce energy use.

Harare city architect, Tobias Chombe, highlights ongoing collaboration with the Green Building Council of Zimbabwe:

“We are working to ensure that all building plans submitted to the city include green considerations from the start – this includes energy efficiency, sustainable materials, and site impact. It’s part of a wider effort to green Harare through compliant, environmentally friendly construction.”

Meanwhile, grassroots efforts are continuing to flourish. The Sunshine Group, for instance, supports local beneficiation under Zimbabwe’s national ‘Zero Waste Movement’, launched  in 2024. This includes turning organic waste into compost for climate-smart agriculture like Pfumvudza – a zero-tillage programme aimed at increasing food security while preserving soil health.

Zimbabwe to cull elephants to tackle drought, food shortages

Chivanga elaborates: “There was previously little local value addition with plastic waste – it was often exported in raw form. Now, we’re working to change that by creating value chains that keep resources and benefits within our communities.”

Harare resident Shylen Chikwava, a 59-year-old widow, shares her experience of the new system: “I used to throw all my waste into the bin and wait for the municipal truck to collect it. Now I sort it, and I’ve seen how the recyclable materials are put to good use. It feels good to be part of something that helps the environment.”

Young people are also getting involved. Melissa Takudzwa Murwira, executive director of Young Volunteers for the Environment, says that empowering youth is a crucial part of the city’s environmental mission: “We’re working with young people in various communities to raise awareness and mobilise action. Young people are not just the future – they are key decision-makers of the present.”

The largely unsung role of US former president Carter in southern Africa

Planning for a resilient urban future

Urban planning in Harare is being re-evaluated to include green buffers, open spaces, and the protection of sensitive ecological zones. Town planner Laison Mukarwi believes that safeguarding the city’s environmental future requires firm standards:

“When planning any urban settlement, we should ensure that at least 5% of the land is allocated for breathing spaces – areas with vegetation that provide ecological balance.”

He also calls for designated green spaces along roads and mandatory buffer zones around rivers:

“These features are not luxuries – they are necessities. Communities also need to play their part in protecting these spaces, and we must educate them on their value.”

Focus on Africa: Zimbabwe villagers face China’s growing appetite for minerals

Harare has seen some areas fall prey to illegal sand mining and land barons, with authorities stepping in to reverse damage in some cases. While these issues reflect the pressures facing the city, they also highlight the urgency and importance of a cohesive, well-enforced urban environmental strategy.

As part of its commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement, Zimbabwe – including Harare as its capital – has adopted policies to promote both climate mitigation and adaptation. These include localised action plans that aim to make cities like Harare more liveable, more resilient, and more sustainable.

Harare’s efforts show that while global climate solutions require international cooperation, it is at the local level – through the combined work of residents, authorities, and activists—that meaningful change often begins.

Under a marine spatial plan adopted in 2022, Niue’s entire economic zone is divided into five areas – balancing strict conservation with sustainable fishing and tourism.  

“We are the astronauts of the Pacific,” says Coral Pasisi, president of the local nonprofit Tofia Niue and one of the architects of the move to sell 20-year conservation pledges for individual square kilometres of ocean.  

“Our culture is shaped by the ocean around us.” 

Pasisi is in Nice this week in her capacity as a scientist and regional leader. She is also director of climate change and sustainability at the Pacific Community (SPC), where she works with island governments on long-term strategies to manage the impacts of climate change and protect ocean resources. 

The big blue blindspot: why the ocean floor is still an unmapped mystery

Identity and survival

Niueans depend on the sea not just for food – which supplies more than 70 percent of their protein – but for stories, identity and survival.  

“We are surrounded by the ocean. We live off the ocean,” Pasisi told RFI. 

When a scientific expedition with National Geographic’s Pristine Seas team filmed the abundance of life beneath their waters in 2016, it brought many residents face to face with their marine heritage for the first time.  

The result was a groundswell of support to protect the island’s 127,000 square kilometre exclusive economic zone. 

Longevity blueprint

Niue’s conservation model is designed not just to protect the ocean, but to fund its guardianship for a generation.

It centres on Ocean Conservation Commitments, which are 20‑year sponsorships that help cover the costs of monitoring, enforcement and local stewardship. 

Within its waters lies the Moana Mahu Marine Protected Area – a zone covering 40 percent of Niue’s waters, where all fishing and extractive activity is banned. 

Ocean’s survival hinges on finding the billions needed to save it

At its heart is Beveridge Reef, a submerged coral atoll teeming with life: schools of grey reef sharks, singing humpback whales and the katuali – a rare venomous sea snake found nowhere else on Earth. 

“On every dive at Beveridge Reef, we saw sharks – up to 80 grey reef sharks at a time,” said Alan Friedlander, chief scientist at Pristine Seas. 

According to the organisation, the reef has “some of the highest densities of this species found anywhere in the world”. 

Generational wisdom

The conservation sponsorships treat the Moana Mahu sanctuary as a shared global asset, absorbing carbon dioxide and preserving biodiversity. 

“What we basically did was democratise that area into square kilometres … to help make sure that this is not a paper park – that we can actually protect it robustly,” Pasisi says.  

Behind Niue’s ocean strategy is a deeper legacy – one rooted in lived experience and generational wisdom.  

“When I take my children out to fish and spearfish, when I teach them what to shoot and what not to shoot, what to take and what not to take, it’s not my Western system of education and learning that taught me that,” Pasisi explains.  

“It is the knowledge that was passed down to me from my father, my mother and their parents. And that’s 4,000 years of knowledge. 

“The ocean made us who we are. Now we’re making sure it’s there for those who come after us.” 

Drawing inspiration from a successful 2024 clean-up on Henderson Island in the South Pacific – during which 9.3 tonnes of plastic waste were removed – the organisations plan to replicate the operation at 50 Unesco-listed marine sites worldwide, in an agreement signed on Tuesday, 10 June.

“Thanks to this new partnership, Plastic Odyssey and Unesco will act together to reduce plastic pollution in marine World Heritage sites,” said Audrey Azoulay, director general of Unesco, during her address in the Whale Hall at the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice.

Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, also took part in the signing ceremony, underlining France’s commitment to the initiative.

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

Community impact

Each mission will focus on a four-pronged approach: waste removal, scientific research, education and the development of sustainable, income-generating recycling systems.

The initiative aims to address both environmental degradation and local socio-economic challenges, with Azoulay saying: “These expeditions will also help create recycling systems that benefit local and indigenous communities.”

French Polynesia unveils world’s largest marine protected zone

The next field mission is scheduled for October at the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles. A team from Plastic Odyssey and Unesco will carry out a scouting operation to map plastic waste, test extraction methods and establish monitoring protocols – setting the stage for full-scale operations starting in 2026.

“This marks a turning point in the fight against ocean plastic,” said Simon Bernard, co-founder and president of Plastic Odyssey. “These sites are ecological treasures, and plastic traps. It’s time to bring global attention and resources to places the world can’t afford to ignore.”

The Plastic Odyssey expedition left France more than two years ago with the objective of finding ways to reduce marine plastic pollution in the 30 countries most affected.

The NGO is now seeking €50 million to fund this new initiative with Unesco over the next decade.

In a bid to tackle what President Emmanuel Macron described as “a senseless surge of violence,” the French government will issue a decree “within 15 days” banning the sale of knives to minors.

Bayrou said Tuesday’s tragedy showed “a breakdown of the society in which we live.” adding: “This is not just an isolated incident.”

French lawmakers observed a minute’s silence in parliament, hours after the fatal attack by a 14-year-old boy on a teaching assistant.

The 31-year-old mother of one, who worked at the Françoise Dolto school in Nogent, northeastern France, was stabbed several times as pupils were arriving to have their bags inspected in the presence of police, education officials said.

A police officer assisting with the bag checks was also slightly injured during the arrest, according to the gendarme service.

Pupil stabs teaching assistant to death at French school during bag check

Classmates ‘shocked’

Education Minister Elisabeth Borne has called for a minute of silence at midday in all schools across France on Thursday.

During her visit to Nogent after the attack, Borne attested to the “shock” of the young people there.

“They are also very shocked to see that one of their classmates could commit such a horrific act. And this classmate was very well integrated in the school.”

She described the suspect as “a young man from a family where both parents work, who does not present any particular difficulties”.

Speaking on television channel TF1 on Tuesday evening, Bayrou indicated that the ban on the sale of “any knife that can be used as a weapon” to minors would come into effect “immediately”.

He also called for a trial of metal detectors in schools – a proposition that has been met with scepticism from politicians, even within Macron’s camp.

When asked about the installation of metal detectors, Borne said she was “open to anything that can prevent weapons from being brought into schools,” but added: “Everyone knows that security gates aren’t the ultimate solution, because we also have ceramic knives that won’t be detected.”

She insisted: “[We must] work together with local authorities to ensure maximum security on school grounds, to ensure they remain sanctuaries [without] turning them into bunkers.”

French PM calls for tighter security in schools after deadly knife attack

Knife attacks on the rise

France has been shocked by a series of attacks on teachers and pupils by other schoolchildren, amidst a general rise in youth crime.

In April, a student killed a girl and wounded several other pupils in a stabbing spree in the western city of Nantes. Reports of bladed weapons in schools have jumped by 15 percent in the last year, according to government figures released in February.

The education ministry said 6,000 checks in schools resulted in the seizure of 186 knives between 26 March and 23 May.

In May, the deputy speaker of the National Assembly, Naima Moutchou, said the carrying of knives had become “a phenomenon” affecting the whole country.

“That’s 3,000 young people a year who are arrested with a bladed weapon,” Moutchou said.

Mandated by the prime minister to come up with concrete solutions to the problem of youth violence, Moutchou recommended mandatory video surveillance at the entrances and within the grounds of educational establishments.

Requests for protection

France’s education ministry reported in April that they had received nearly 5,000 requests for protection, filed on behalf of education staff.

Sophie Venetitay, general secretary of the SNES-FSU teachers’ union, said the teaching assistant killed in Nogent on Tuesday had been left “exposed”.

“Teaching assistants have an educational role and are not security guards outside schools,” she added.

Marjorie, a 38-year-old teaching assistant and member of the SE Unsa union, who works 31 hours a week at a middle school in Chambéry, told French news agency AFP that she has seen students “who come with broken windows or throw firecrackers from the third floor”.

“At the gate, students push us, step on us and jostle us. Last year, a student arrived in front of the school with a knife.”

Tuesday’s attack “shows that nothing can ever be completely secure and that it is prevention that needs to be focused on,” said Elisabeth Allain-Moreno, secretary-general of the SE-UNSA teachers’ union.

Rémy Reynaud, of the CGT Educ’action union, believes the government’s implementation of bag checks in front of schools since March has “significantly worsened” the situation.

“They are increasing tensions,” he said. “Management is pressuring teaching assistants to participate in the searches, which is not part of their role.”

France to show ‘Adolescence’ mini-series as part of school curriculum

Laurent Zameczkowski, spokesperson for the PEEP parents’ association, said “the real problem is the mental health of our young people, which has deteriorated since Covid.”

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the far-left France Unbowed party, agreed with the need to raise awareness of this issue. He said authorities must better look after the mental health of young people – especially boys.

To this end, Macron said he would push for a ban on social media for those under 15, warning: “I’m giving us a few months to achieve European mobilisation. Otherwise, we’ll start doing it in France. We can’t wait.”

(with newswires)

The Senate on Tuesday passed the bill with 337 votes in favour and only one against.

The legislation, which was voted unanimously by France’s lower house in March 2024, still has to be approved by a joint commission in the autumn.

The French Minister for ecological transition, Agnes Pannier-Runacher,, called it “a major step in the fight against the economic and environmental impact of fast fashion”. 

Key provisions

The bill introduces an “eco-score” system that will impose penalties on companies with poor environmental performance. Those receiving the lowest scores face taxes of up to five euros per product in 2025, rising to 10 euros by 2030, with a cap of 50 percent of the product’s original price.

Additionally, the legislation would ban fast fashion advertising and impose sanctions on influencers who promote such products.

Companies will be required to inform customers about the environmental impact of their purchases.

It will also introduce a special tax on packages imported from outside the EU and ban free returns.

The Senate‘s version distinguishes between “ultra” fast fashion and traditional fast fashion, effectively targeting Asian platforms while providing for European brands like Zara, H&M and Kiabi to be treated more leniently.

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

Needing to remain vigilant

The modification to the final text has drawn criticism from some environmental groups who argued the original bill was too watered down.

But Jean-François Longeot, chair of the Senate’s Committee on regional planning and sustainable development, defended the amendment.

“The clarifications make it possible to target players who ignore environmental, social, and economic realities, notably Shein and Temu, without penalising the European ready-to-wear sector,” he said.

France’s Textiles Industry Union has called it “a first step” toward comprehensive regulation.

Victoire Satto, founder of The Good Goods – a company that helps the fashion industry to be more sustainable  – agrees that it’s just a first step, but described the Senate vote as “an historic and very significant moment”. 

“Of course we have to remain vigilant and make sure that this text is applied and that everything that needs to be controlled is actually controlled,” she told RFI. “And we’ll have to pay attention to the semantics – about how ‘fast fashion’ will or will not be impacted by the law.

“We know that this law will not solve everything.  Nevertheless, it’s already a fabulous door that’s been opened,” she explained. “I’ve been working on this issue for over two and a half years now, and I didn’t think it would be possible to achieve such momentum so quickly. It’s very French not to know how to celebrate. So we have to adopt an optimistic stance.”

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

‘Triple threat’ 

The fast fashion market has grown significantly in France, with advertised product values increasing from 2.3 billion euros in 2010 to 3.2 billion euros in 2023. According to France’s environmental agency Ademe, approximately 48 clothing items per person enter the French market annually, while 35 items are thrown away every second.

Pannier-Runacher has characterised fast fashion as a “triple threat” – promoting overconsumption, causing ecological damage and threatening the French clothing sector. Several French brands, including Jennyfer and NafNaf, have faced major financial difficulties amid competition from ultra-low-priced imports.

The bill still faces legislative hurdles before being enacted into law. A joint committee of senators and MPs will meet from September to approve a joint text, and the European Commission must also be notified to ensure compliance with EU law.

They feel they suffered “direct and concrete” damage from the way Teslas are now associated with “Elon Musk’s actions”, the GKA law firm said.

They are demanding the Paris commercial court order their lease contracts be terminated and legal costs reimbursed, it said in a statement, signed by lawyers Patrick Klugman and Ivan Terel.

The lawsuit comes as Tesla sales in the European Union have almost halved since the beginning of the year, a slump attributed to Musk‘s political activities.

Those activities include him – until a public spat last week – standing firmly with US President Donald Trump, and overseeing efforts to cut down US departments and agencies.

He has also lent public support to Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, and came under criticism for making a repeated gesture with an out-thrust arm interpreted by many historians to be a Nazi salute.

“Because of Elon Musk’s actions… Tesla branded vehicles have become strong political symbols and now appear to be veritable extreme-right ‘totems’, to the dismay of those who acquired them with the sole aim of possessing an innovative and ecological vehicle,” GKA said in a statement.

‘Swasti-car’

The perception of the Teslas they leased “prevents them from fully enjoying their car”, it said.

Most of the leases run for four years, with an option at the end to buy the vehicle.

Tesla cars in Europe and elsewhere have been targeted by vandals, with some drivers reporting they have been insulted for using what is sometimes called on social media a “swasti-car”.

Several owners have taken to putting stickers on their Teslas reading “I bought this before Elon went crazy”.

“The situation is both unexpected and impossible for French Tesla owners,” Klugman told AFP.

“Musk’s political positions have interrupted enjoyment” of the vehicles, and “we believe that Mr Musk owes these buyers the peaceful possession of the thing sold”, he said.

Tesla sales plummet in France amid Musk’s support for European far-right parties

Contacted by AFP for comment, Tesla did not immediately respond.

Tesla, which is the major source of Musk’s wealth, has suffered significant brand damage due to his connection with Trump, to whom he donated a whopping $280 million during the presidential election campaign.

Musk’s hard-right political pivot appears to be alienating the environmentally conscious and liberal-leaning buyers who once saw the brand as aligned with their values.

Since Trump took office, Tesla dealerships have become scenes of protest and vandalism in the United States and in Europe.

In Europe, while overall electric vehicle sales climbed in April, Tesla’s market share crashed 50 percent.

(with AFP)

McFall lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident at age 19 and now uses a prosthetic limb. His journey from that life-changing moment to the cusp of spaceflight has been anything but ordinary.

“When I heard that I was medically certified to fly on a long-duration mission, I was relieved, but I was hugely proud. It meant all the hard work we’d done as part of the feasibility study had actually paid off.”

Astronauts and disability

That study—the Fly! Feasibility Project, launched in 2023—set out to determine whether an astronaut with a physical disability could safely and effectively live and work aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The process was exhaustive, evaluating five key domains: training, spacecraft operations, ISS operations, medical safety, and crew support.

ESA at 50: looking back and launching forward

“Ultimately we concluded that there was no technical showstopper for someone with a disability like mine flying to the International Space Station for a long-duration mission,” McFall explained.

The study included unique assessments—such as how microgravity might affect the volume of his residual limb—and put McFall through rigorous survival training scenarios. For him, some of those experiences were highlights.

“I really enjoyed the winter survival training—being in the mountains felt like home. But the real reward has been working as a team. This isn’t just about me; I’m so proud of the quality of the work we’ve done together.”

McFall’s potential mission would not take place before 2027, assuming it is greenlit at ESA’s Ministerial Council in 2025. If approved, he would then undergo at least 18 months of intense training. But the implications of his selection are already clear.

“This is more than just about certifying me to go to space. For me, this is a cultural shift… recognizing that with the right understanding and effort, we can allow people with a wider range of abilities to fly to space.”

Inside Europe’s simulated lunar surface: preparing for the moon in Cologne

The final frontier?

McFall’s journey comes at a symbolic moment in ESA’s history. As the agency prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025, his selection represents more than a technological achievement—it reflects a vision for a more inclusive and forward-thinking era in European space exploration.

“ESA turning 50 isn’t just about looking back at five decades of space milestones,” McFall said. “It’s about what we want the next 50 years to look like—and who we want to take with us.”

From the track at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, to the operating room, and now to the edge of space, McFall says the path has been anything but planned.

First commercial launch of Europe’s Ariane 6 carrying French military satellite

“All I’ve really done is try to create the conditions where I want to get out of bed each day to do something I enjoy. It’s been an organic journey—one that’s brought me here to this chapter of my life.”

For aspiring astronauts around the world—especially those with disabilities—John McFall’s story is a powerful reminder: the final frontier is becoming more inclusive, one determined step at a time.

Tundu Lissu is the leader of Tanzania’s main opposition Party for Democracy and Progress (Chadema). He was arrested on 9 April.

Treason charges were brought against him on 10 April, and he could receive the death penalty.

Amnesty International’s regional director for east and southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, reacted by saying that the Tanzanian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Tundu Lissu, whose arbitrary arrest and detention comes amid a growing crackdown on opposition leaders ahead of the October 2025 general election.

He added, “The authorities’ campaign of repression saw four government critics forcibly disappeared and one unlawfully killed in 2024. The police have also prevented opposition members from holding meetings and other political gatherings, subjecting them to mass arrest, arbitrary detention, and unlawful use of force.”

Tanzanian politician’s lawyers ask UN to declare his detention arbitrary

However, the opposition leader has not been released, nor have the charges been dropped. On the contrary, other members of his party have since been arrested and even subjected to torture.

Boniface Mwangi and Agather Atuhaire were detained in Tanzania’s economic capital, Dar es Salaam, between 19 and 23 May, after attempting to attend the trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu.

The crisis extends beyond Tanzania to neighbouring Uganda and Kenya, where activists from a rights coalition in Kenya also accused police officers of sexually torturing Kenyan and Ugandan activists last month.

In this context, this week on Spotlight on Africa, RFI speaks to Tundu Lissu’s international lawyer, Robert Amsterdam, who has lodged a complaint with the UN Working Group as part of a broader campaign of pressure.

This month, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning Lissu’s arrest as politically motivated. Amsterdam also stated that he intends to petition the US State Department to impose sanctions.

Meanwhile, in Namibia, the first national commemoration was held on 28 May for the victims of mass killings by colonial-era German troops, in what is widely recognised as the first genocide of the 20th century.

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

Namibia holds controversial first commemoration of German colonial-era genocide

Some organisations representing victims’ descendants have declined to take part.

To discuss what is at stake with this commemoration, for Namibia but also for other former African colonies, we talk to the German historian Henning Melber, of the Nordic Africa Institute, who is also affiliated to the University of Pretoria and the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein in South Africa.

He says that while the announcement of an official Namibian Genocide Memorial Day has been long overdue, the chosen date of 28 May remains controversial, and that communities of descendants were excluded.

Episode mixed by Erwan Rome.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Another idea for your students: Brother Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English – that’s how I worked on my French, reading books that were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it’s a good method for improving your language skills. To get Brother Gerald’s free books, click here.

Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!

This week’s quiz: On 3 May, I asked you a question about women’s right to vote. Frenchwomen were granted the right to vote in 1944; the first election they voted in was in 1945. This is long after many of their sisters in other countries.

You were to re-read our article “How French women won, and used, their right to vote in 1945”, and send in the answer to this question: Which country was the first to grant women the right to vote, and in which year? I also asked you to send in the names and dates of the countries that followed the ground-breaker.

The answer is, to quote our article: “New Zealand was the pioneer, granting women the right to vote in 1893, followed by Australia in 1901, Finland in 1906, Denmark in 1915, Uruguay in 1917, Germany in 1918, the United States in 1920, and the United Kingdom in 1928.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, which was suggested by Father Stephen Wara from Bamenda, Cameroon. Father Steve wanted to know: What big anniversary do you have coming up? A birthday? A wedding? Something else? How will you celebrate it? How many guests will you invite?

Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Mr. M. Ganesan from Goa, India, who is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations on your double win, Mr. Ganesan.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week – all women, to celebrate our big sister suffragettes who opened the door for us – are Hasina Zaman Hasi, a member of the RFI Amour Fan Club in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, and RFI Listeners Club members Jocelyne D’Errico from New Zealand; Jahan Ara Hussain from Odisha, India, and Shaira Hosen Mo from Kishoreganj in Bangladesh.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme:  “Eid Al-Adha Mubarak” by Babu and Shahnawaz, sung by Nawal Khan; Duet for Viola and Violoncello and Obligato Eyeglasses WoO 32 by Ludwig van Beethoven, performed by Keith Hamm and Julie Hereish; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and “Oi! Altas undas que venetz sus la mar” by Raimbaut de Vaqueiras, performed by the Eduardo Paniagua Spanish-French-Moroccan Ensemble.

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

This week’s question … you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read Amanda Morrow’s article “The big blue blindspot: why the ocean floor is still an unmapped mystery”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 30 June to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 5 July podcast. When you enter, be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

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

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

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.

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.