More than 2,400 companies from 48 countries are showing off their hardware at the week-long event at Le Bourget airfield on the outskirts of Paris.

The sales rivalry between Airbus and Boeing usually drives the headlines as the world’s top civilian planemakers announce many of their biggest orders at the air show.

But this year’s event “is much more complex”, said Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury, who also chairs the board of the Gifas association of French aerospace firms that organises the biennial event.

The list of challenges is growing.

Russia’s war in Ukraine is stretching into its fourth year and there are fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East after Israel launched strikes on Iran on Friday, disrupting commercial flights across the region.

Europe’s defence vulnerabilities exposed as US shifts on Ukraine

The world economy is expected to slow sharply after US President Donald Trump launched his tariff blitz in April.

And Boeing is facing a new crisis after Thursday’s crash of a 787 Dreamliner operated by Air India in the city of Ahmedabad, which killed at least 265 people on board and on the ground.

Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg cancelled plans to attend the Paris Air Show to focus on the investigation into the crash.

Prior to the tragedy, Boeing had been making progress under a new leadership as the US company sought to restore trust after a series of safety and quality lapses.

Supply chain issues, tariffs

Boeing and its European rival, Airbus, have also been dealing with delays in delivering aircraft due to supply chain issues.

US President Donald Trump’s tariff onslaught has added to the issues facing the industry, which relies on a global supply chain.

Trump imposed 10 percent tariffs on US imports of goods from nearly every country in April, and steeper levies on dozens of countries could kick in next month.

The Trump administration is also mulling whether to impose sector-specific tariffs of between 10 and 20 percent on civil aircraft and parts.

The heads of Airbus and Boeing have both called for tariffs to return to zero as had been the case since a 1979 agreement.

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

“The entire Western aerospace industry considers that would be the best that could happen,” said Faury.

In a recent interview with trade journal Aviation Week, Ortberg warned that that tariffs are an added cost for Boeing, which has been financially weakened in recent years by production problems.

We’re “not in a position to pass those (costs) along to our customers,” he told Aviation Week. “I’m hopeful that, as each of these country-by-country negotiations resolve, those tariffs will go away in the long run.”

The tariff problems come as the industry has yet to fully recover from effects of the Covid pandemic on its supply chain.

Airbus is having trouble getting enough fuel-efficient engines for its top-selling A320 family of single-aisle jets, holding back the delivery of around 40 aircraft.

The main bottleneck is a lack of toilets for widebody aircraft, said Christian Scherer, the head of Airbus’s commercial aircraft division.

Military hardware on display

The Paris Air Show is also about showing off the latest military hardware, at a time of conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

European countries are boosting defence budgets in the face of the Ukraine war and fears about Trump’s commitment to the NATO alliance.

“The geostrategic environment has led us to bolster this aspect which was in the background in previous years,” said Gifas head Frederic Parisot.

Macron says France to ‘increase’ orders for Rafale warplanes

Some 75 companies related to weapons production will be participating at the show, with military jets, helicopters and drones to be displayed.

Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter will be featured, along with the Rafale produced by France’s Dassault Aviation.

Nine Israeli companies — fewer than in the past – are expected to have displays after a French court rejected a bid by NGOs to ban them over their alleged role in the Gaza conflict.

(with AFP)

Earlier this month, Trump signed a proclamation banning the entry of citizens from 12 countries, saying the move was needed to protect the United States against “foreign terrorists” and other national security threats.

In an internal diplomatic cable signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department proposed extending the restrictions to a further 36 countries, including 25 on the African continent.

The cable, first reported in the Washington Post, outlined a dozen concerns about the countries in question and sought corrective action.

“The Department has identified 36 countries of concern that might be recommended for full or partial suspension of entry if they do not meet established benchmarks and requirements within 60 days,” the cable sent out over the weekend said.

Targeted countries

Among the concerns the Trump administration raised was the lack of a competent or cooperative government by some of the countries mentioned to produce reliable identity documents, the cable said. Another was “questionable security” of that country’s passport.

Other concerns related to visa overstays, lack of cooperation over deportations, nationals involved in acts of terrorism in the United States, or antisemitic and anti-American activity.

The cable noted that not all of these concerns pertained to every country listed.

African Union condemns Trump travel ban amid strained Africa-US relations

It instructs US diplomats to give listed countries until 8 a.m. Wednesday to submit initial action plans to meet the new requirements.

The countries that could face a full or a partial ban if they do not address concerns within the next 60 days are: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Côte D’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The ban that came into effect earlier this month applied to Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. The African Union expressed its “deep concern” over that bill. 

(with newswires)

PSG claimed the French Super Cup in January and followed the success up with the Ligue 1 title, the Coupe de France and Champions League.

“It has been a very long season,” Enrique told broadcaster DAZN. “What I see in training is motivation. That’s the objective.”

The game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena kicked off at midday in temperatures of 31C.

“It’s not easy to play in these conditions in this heat,” Enrique added. “We played a very good match. Mobility is important, it’s one of our characteristics but you have to know when to use that mobility.”

PSG took the lead after 19 minutes when midfielder Fabian Luiz finished off a slick move on the edge of the Atletico penalty area with a shot past goalkeeper Jan Oblak.

Vitinha doubled PSG’s advantage on the cusp of half-time.

After the break, Julian Alvarez thought he had halved the deficit but his strike was ruled out because of Koke’s foul on Désiré Doué in the prelude to the goal.

Atletico wilt in heat

Clément Lenglet compounded Atletico’s woes when he was sent off in the 77th minute for a second bookable offence and substitute Senny Mayulu effectively wrapped up the game 10 minutes later when he stabbed home from close range.

Kang-in Lee added the fourth from the penalty spot in stoppage time.

“We’re happy with a difficult match,” Enrique added. “It was difficult to make those efforts but that’s the ambition of the players. It’s great for a coach to see that. Everyone is ready.”

PSG, like Atletico Madrid, qualified for the 32-team tournament on the basis of their performances in the Champions League between 2021 and 2024.

Champions League: PSG boss Enrique targets place in legend with win over Inter

“When we had the ball, we couldn’t always link our lines effectively,” Atletico boss Diego Simeone told Mundo Deportivo.

“In terms of determination and commitment, I saw a team that tried but couldn’t get the job done.

“PSG is a team full of young talent. When Luis [Enrique] needed support on the left flank, PSG simply splashed out 70 million euros to sign Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in January.”

PSG face the Brazilian outfit Botafogo – 2-1 winners over Seattle Sounders – in their second Group B game in Pasadena on Friday a few hours after Atletico play Seattle Sounders.

The top two from the pool move into the last-16 knockout stages.

“We’re working together as a team,” Enrique added. “That’s the right way to grow.”

Fabian Ruiz struck the opener in the Group B clash in the 19th minute at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles. And Luis Enrique’s side, who won the Champions League on 31 May, continued to dominate.

On the cusp of half-time, Antoine Griezmann slashed Atletico’s best chance of the half at PSG goalkeeper Gigi Donnarumma.

Seconds later, it was 2-0. After securing Griezmann’s attempt, Donnarumma rolled the ball out to start a counter-attack.

Once inside Atletico’s half, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia cushioned a pass to Vitinha who surged forward and swept the ball past the Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak.

Atletico effectively conceded the match in the 77th minute when defender Clément Lenglet was sent off for his second bookable offence.

Ten minutes later, substitute Senny Mayulu added PSG’s third.

And in stoppage-time, following a review from the video assistant referees, Robin Le Normand was adjudged to have handled the ball in the penalty area.

Kang-in Lee converted the spot kick to underline PSG’s dominance and avenge their defeat to Atletico during the league stage of the Champions League campaign.

Before beating Inter Milan 5-0 to lift their Champions League crown, PSG won a domestic triple of French Super Cup, Ligue 1 championship and the Coupe de France.

Bayern annihilate Auckland

Earlier in Group C, second-half substitute Jamal Musiala scored a hat trick and there were braces for Thomas Muller, Michael Olise and Kingsley Coman as Bayern Munich walloped FC Auckland City 10-0 at the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati.

“It is an unbelievable challenge to play against one of the world’s best teams,” said Auckland City forward Angus Kilkolly.

“I think as the goals went in, obviously you get down on yourself and that gets more challenging. We did try our very hardest to keep them out. ” 

Israel’s strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation, which appeared to catch many world leaders off guard, are the latest sign of a more volatile world as Trump seeks to withdraw the US from its traditional role as global policeman.

Speaking on a flight to Canada for the summit, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had discussed efforts to de-escalate the crisis with Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and other world leaders.

Britain is sending fighter jets and other military reinforcements to the Middle East.

“We do have longstanding concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme. We recognise Israel’s right to self-defence, but I am absolutely clear that this needs to de-escalate. There is a huge risk of escalation for the region and beyond,” Starmer said, adding that he expected “intense discussions” at the summit.

Trump is the summit’s wild card

As summit host, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has decided to abandon the annual practice of issuing a joint statement, or communique, at the end of the meeting.

With other leaders seeking to persuade Trump not to impose tariffs, the summit risks becoming a series of bilateral conversations rather than a show of unity.

Trump is the summit wild card. Looming over the meeting are his inflammatory threats to make Canada the 51st state and take over Greenland. French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Greenland on Sunday for a highly symbolic stop en route to Canada, meeting the Arctic territory’s leader and Denmark’s prime minister aboard a Danish helicopter carrier.

Macron’s office said the trip to Greenland is a reminder that Paris supports the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of borders as enshrined in the UN charter.

France’s Macron to visit Greenland to stop US ‘preying’ on it

Macron, one of the few leaders to have known Trump during his first term, was the first European leader to visit the White House after Trump took office, emerging unscathed from the Oval Office encounter.

However, despite their occasional rapport, Macron’s approach to Trump has failed to yield major results, with France caught up in the president’s planned tariffs on the European Union.

Nor did it bring any US security guarantees for Ukraine, despite Macron’s efforts, together with Starmer, to build a coalition of nations that could deploy forces after any ceasefire with Russia, in the hope of convincing the Trump administration to provide backup.

Trump is due to arrive late Sunday in Kananaskis, Alberta. Bilateral meetings between other leaders are possible on Sunday, but the summit programme does not begin until Monday.

Peter Boehm, Canada’s sherpa for the 2018 G7 summit in Quebec and a veteran of six G7 summits, expects the heads of state to pivot discussion to devote more time to the war.

“Leaders can accommodate a discussion, perhaps even a statement,” Boehm said. “The foreign policy agenda has become much larger with this.”

‘He tends to be a bully’

Leaders who are not part of the G7 but have been invited by Carney include the heads of state of India, Ukraine, Brazil, South Africa, South Korea, Australia, Mexico, and the UAE. Avoiding tariffs will remain a priority.

“Leaders, and there are some new ones attending, will want to meet Donald Trump,” Boehm said. “Trump doesn’t like the big round table as much as he likes the one-to-one.”

Bilateral meetings with the American president can be fraught, as Trump has used them to try to intimidate the leaders of Ukraine and South Africa.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien told a panel this week that if Trump does act out, leaders should ignore him and remain calm, as Carney did in his recent Oval Office meeting.

“He tends to be a bully,” Chrétien said. “If Trump has decided to make a show to be in the news, he will do something outrageous. Let him do it and keep talking normally.”

Starmer had a warm Oval Office meeting with the president in February, wooing Trump with an invitation for a state visit from King Charles III. Trump has praised the British prime minister, despite their political differences.

Zelensky expected to meet Trump

Last month, Britain and the US announced a trade deal that will slash American tariffs on UK cars, steel and aluminium. It has yet to take effect, but British officials say they are not concerned the Trump administration might renege.

Starmer’s attempts to woo Trump have left him in an awkward position with Canada, the UK’s former colony, close ally, and fellow Commonwealth member. Starmer has also drawn criticism — especially from Canadians — for failing to address Trump’s stated desire to make Canada the 51st state.

Asked if he has told Trump to stop the 51st state threats, Starmer told The Associated Press: “I’m not going to get into the precise conversations I’ve had, but let me be absolutely clear: Canada is an independent, sovereign country and a much-valued member of the Commonwealth.”

The war in Ukraine will be on the agenda. President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to attend the summit and is expected to meet with Trump, a reunion coming just months after their bruising Oval Office encounter which laid bare the risks of a meeting with the US president.

Starmer met with Carney in Ottawa before the summit for talks focused on security and trade, in the first visit to Canada by a British prime minister for eight years.

German officials were keen to counter the suggestion that the summit would be a “six against one” event, noting that the G7 countries have plenty of differences of emphasis among themselves on various issues.

“The only problem you cannot forecast is what the president of the United States will do depending on the mood, the need to be in the news,” said Chrétien.

(With newswires)

Macron reiterated his criticism of Trump’s intention to take control of the territory.

“I don’t think that’s something that should be done between allies,” he said as he was greeted at Nuuk airport by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen.

“It’s important to show that Denmark and Europe are committed to this territory, which has very high strategic importance and whose territorial integrity must be respected,” Macron said. He was making a stop on his way to a summit of the Group of Seven leading industrialised nations in Canada, which will also be attended by Trump.

Macron, who is visiting Greenland for the first time, said, “It means a lot to me to convey a message of friendship and solidarity from France and the European Union to help this territory face its various challenges: economic development, education, as well as the consequences of climate change.”

In a speech last week at the UN Ocean Conference, Macron also mentioned Greenland and the deep seas, saying they are not “up for grabs” in remarks that appeared largely directed at Trump.

Macron’s role in Europe

In recent months, Macron has sought to reinvigorate France’s role as the diplomatic and economic heavyweight of the 27-nation European Union.

The French president has positioned himself as a leader in Europe amid Trump’s threats to withdraw support from Ukraine as it fights against Russia’s invasion. Macron hosted a summit in Paris with other European heads of state to discuss Kyiv, as well as security issues across the continent.

Macron hosts summit on Ukraine, pledges €2bn in military aid to Kyiv

Sunday’s visit was also be an occasion to discuss how to further enhance relations between the EU and Greenland on matters such as economic development, the low-carbon energy transition, and critical minerals. The leaders will also exchange views on efforts to curb global warming, according to Macron’s office.

Later on Sunday, Macron, Frederiksen, and Nielsen held a meeting on a Danish helicopter carrier, underlining France’s concerns over security issues in the region.

Trump and Greenland

Last week, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to acknowledge that the Pentagon has developed plans to take over Greenland and Panama by force if necessary, but refused to answer repeated questions during a heated congressional hearing on Thursday about his use of Signal chats to discuss military operations.

Hegseth’s comments were the latest controversial remarks made by a member of the Trump administration about the Arctic island. The president himself has said he will not rule out military force to take over Greenland, which he considers vital to American security in the high north.

The Wall Street Journal reported last month that several high-ranking officials under the US Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, had instructed intelligence agency heads to learn more about Greenland’s independence movement and attitudes towards US resource extraction there.

Nielsen said in April that US statements about the island have been disrespectful and that Greenland “will never, ever be a piece of property that can be bought by just anyone.”

(With newswires)

Strikes in both countries persisted throughout the day, as the death rose following Israel’s large-scale attacks on Friday aimed at crippling Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure, sparking retaliation.

The intensity of the exchanges between the two adversaries has reached new heights, fuel;ing concerns of a drawn-out conflict that could engulf the Middle East, even as world leaders call for restraint and a halt to the violence.

After decades of enmity and conflict by proxy, it is the first time the arch-enemies have traded fire with such intensity, triggering fears of a prolonged conflict that could engulf the Middle East.

Tehran-Washington nuclear talks on Sunday cancelled after Israel strikes targets in Iran

Israel’s operation, which began early Friday, has targeted Iranian nuclear and military sites, killing dozens of people including top army commanders and atomic scientists, according to Tehran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to hit “every target of the ayatollah regime”, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned further strikes would draw “a more severe and powerful response”.

In Bat Yam, outside of Tel Aviv, Israeli first responders wearing helmets and headlamps combed through the rubble of a building as dawn broke.

Two women, aged 69 and 80, a girl and a 10-year-old boy were killed, while about 100 others were wounded, according to a spokesperson for Magen David Adom (MDA).

In Shfela region, west of Jerusalem, another 37 people were wounded, the MDA spokesperson added.

In the north of Israel, in the Western Galilee, rescuers said a strike late Saturday destroyed a three-storey building, killing three women.

A woman in her 20s also died after an Iranian missile hit a home in the Haifa region, leaving about a dozen people wounded, MDA said.

An MDA spokesman told Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 that around 200 people were wounded in the overnight missile strikes fired by Iran.

Iran’s UN ambassador said 78 people were killed and 320 wounded in Friday’s first wave of Israeli strikes. Iranian authorities have not provided an updated toll as of early Sunday.

‘Nuclear project’ sites struck

Israel’s military said it had struck Iran’s defence ministry headquarters, “nuclear weapons project” infrastructure sites and other targets, including fuel tankers, just before 2:40 am on Sunday.

The targeted sites, including the “headquarters of the SPND (Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research) nuclear project”, advanced Iran’s efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon, according to Israel.

Iranian news agency Tasnim earlier reported that an Israeli strike had targeted the defence ministry headquarters in Tehran and damaged one of its buildings. The ministry did not comment.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Sunday that the country had struck sites used by Israeli warplanes for refuelling, in retaliation for the strikes carried out by Israel.

“The Iranian armed forces’ offensive operations will continue more fiercely and more broadly if the depravity and attacks (against Iran) continue,” the Guards said in a statement.

Overnight, Israel stuck two fuel depots in Tehran, the Iranian oil ministry said Sunday.

According to the ministry, the oil depots at Shahran northwest of Tehran and another reservoir south of the city were hit.

An AFP journalist saw a depot at Shahran on fire

Foreign concern

Netanyahu maintained Israel’s operation had the “clear support” of US President Donald Trump.

Trump said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed in a phone call on Saturday that the conflict between Iran and Israel “should end”.

According to a statement from his office, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned Washington’s “dishonesty” for supporting Israel while engaged in nuclear talks with Iran — which mediator Oman said would no longer take place on Sunday.

Western governments have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, which it denies.

Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, said the Israeli attacks undermined negotiations and were pushing the region into a “dangerous cycle of violence”.

Israeli strikes have hit Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment plant and killed its highest-ranking military officer, Mohammad Bagheri, as well as the head of the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami.

The Israeli military said its strikes had killed more than 20 Iranian commanders.

Iranian media reported five Guards killed Saturday in Israeli strikes, while authorities in one northwestern province said 30 military personnel had been killed there since Friday.

Iran’s Red Crescent said an ambulance was hit Saturday in Urmia city, killing two.

Iran called on its citizens to unite in the country’s defence, while Netanyahu urged them to rise up against the government.

Highlighting the global unease, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned against a “devastating war” with regional consequences, in a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Ankara said.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Saturday that his country was deploying fighter jets and other “assets” to the Middle East “for contingency support”, while he also urged de-escalation.

(With newswires)

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.”

In June 2024, protests erupted across Kenya against a new bill that would mean a sharp rise in taxes – with 40 percent of people in the country living in poverty and the government regularly embroiled in corruption scandals.

“It was spontaneous, leaderless and unlike anything our country had ever seen,” said Hanifa Adan of the movement. The 28-year-old emerged as one of the most high-profile figures in what became known as the “Gen Z protests”.

The demonstrations reached a climax on 25 June, when thousands stormed the parliament where lawmakers were debating the bill – ultimately forcing President William Ruto to withdraw it.

In the course of the protests, 60 people died amid a violent police response, and dozens were arbitrarily detained.

Following this brutal response, in the weeks that followed the protests dwindled.

“State violence was brutal and traumatising, and it was meant to intimidate and silence us. But instead, it exposed the desperation of a system clinging to power,” said Adan.

Kenya probes deadly violence that erupted during tax hike protests

Fractured movement

Kenya has rarely seen protests of this kind, which observers have called a new form of political uprising in the country – in which young people cast off the ethnic and geographic divides which had long defined their politics, to focus instead on policies.

But divides began to emerge within the movement. While some continued to engage in street protests, notably over women’s rights and against police brutality, others took a different path – like Kasmuel McOure, 27.

He had gained notoriety during the protests with his fiery statements, but he subsequently joined the establishment, allying with veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga, who recently forged an alliance with the government.

McOure now calls himself “a party man through and through” – a move perceived by many protesters as a betrayal.

“If you’re going to play politics then let’s play it properly,” he told French news agency AFP.

Some observers say he may intend to run for parliament at the next election in 2027. He has said that young people “must take political power” and that the Gen Z movement was too disorganised to foster real change.

“I thought the majority of the people who were calling themselves leaders were agitating for the sake of agitating,” he said.  

Death in custody

With the death of the blogger Albert Ojwang in custody last weekend, new protests have erupted this week. 

The first march began in the capital, Nairobi, on Monday, near the Central Police Station where Ojwang died. Some protesters clashed with the police after officers used tear gas on the crowd.

Kenya protests erupt after activist Albert Ojwang dies in police custody

For Amnesty International in Kenya, Ojwang’s death highlights major concerns about Kenya’s police – which are not new.

“Why would the Directorate of Criminal Investigations use so much public taxes to arrest Albert Ojwang in Homa Bay and drive 350km past several police stations and courts to Central Police Station, Nairobi? Why would a suspect commit suicide after peacefully complying with an arrest and actively calling for family and friends to raise bail for him?” the organisation wrote in a statement, co-signed by groups working on police reforms.

Amnesty is calling on Kenyan authorities to admit a UN fact-finding team to independently investigate the cases of deaths and abductions by the police.

“Without independent and external investigation, these practices shall remain a threat to Kenyan lives, the rule of law, national security and the public interest,” the statement concluded.

 (with AFP)

It was the largest ever relocation of rhinos, which can weigh up to two tonnes, Rwandan officials said.

Once abundant across sub-Saharan Africa, rhino numbers have dramatically fallen due to hunting by European colonisers and large-scale poaching.

The animals were transported in two loads of 35 – first aboard a Boeing 747, then by road – from South Africa’s Munywana Conservancy to Akagera National Park in Rwanda, according to the Rwanda Development Board.

“A dedicated veterinary team will closely monitor their health and behaviour for several weeks to ensure proper adaptation to their new environment and management of any stress associated with the move,” it added in a statement.

Breeding stronghold

The move was part of the African Parks rhino rewilding initiative, supported by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, which aims to support population growth and secure a new breeding stronghold in Rwanda.

According to the International Rhino Foundation, rhino poaching in Africa rose by 4 percent from 2022 to 2023, with at least 586 rhinos poached in 2023.

South Africa is home to most of the world’s rhinos, including the critically endangered black rhino, and is a hotspot for poaching – driven by demand in Asia, where the horns are used in traditional medicine.

Rhino horn is highly sought after on the black market, where the price by weight rivals that of gold and cocaine.

African rhino numbers rise for first time in decade despite poaching

The southern white rhino, one of two subspecies, is now listed as “near threatened”, with roughly 17,000 individuals remaining, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The northern white rhino has all but vanished, with just two females left alive, in Kenya.

At least 34 rhinos were killed each month, the South African environment minister said in May.

Dehorning to ward off poachers

In a bid to tackle the problem of poaching, conservationists in South Africa have turned to the procedure of “dehorning” rhinos.

The practice resulted in a nearly 80-percent reduction in the poaching of the animals during a seven-year study in a major South African conservation area, according to a report published in the journal Science last week.

Sawing off the sought-after horns also comes at a fraction of the cost of other counter-poaching measures such as deploying rangers or tracking dogs, according to the study.

Can science save the last two white rhinos left on the planet?

The study was carried out between 2017 and 2023 in 11 reserves around South Africa’s famed Kruger National Park.

During this period, some 1,985 rhinos were poached in the reserves, despite €64 million being spent – mostly on reactive law enforcement measures which netted around 700 poachers.

In contrast, dehorning 2,284 rhinos cut poaching by 78 percent at just 1.2 percent of that cost.

(with AFP)

For a long time, the story of football in Suriname has been that of how this small country transformed a team 7,000 kilometres away.

After the Netherlands’ success in the 1970s, when they rose from the semi-professional doldrums to reach World Cup finals in Germany ’74 and Argentina ’78, and national hero Johann Cruyff won the Ballon d’Or in 1971, 1973 and 1974, in the decade that followed the country’s run of luck seemed to be over.

The Netherlands failed to qualify for the 1982 World Cup in Spain or for Mexico ’86, nor for the Euros in France in 1984.

Then came a reprieve – a win at the 1988 Euros in Germany, thanks in large part to the Surinamese-born trio of Frank Rijkaard, Aron Winter and team captain Ruud Gullit.

Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, all born in Suriname, went on to make the Dutch national team shine in the 1990s, with the Netherlands reaching the semi-finals of the France ’98 World Cup.

Their heirs today are Virgil van Dijk, Xavi Simons, Georginio Wijnaldum and Denzel Dumfries – all born in the Netherlands to Surinamese parents.

Across the Atlantic, Suriname – an impoverished country of 600,000 people – watched its children and grandchildren help its former coloniser excel. Seedorf did attempt to develop football in his motherland, but despite significant personal investment, the training centre he planned never came to fruition.

Suriname poised for cash inflow from newly discovered oil

Stars aligning

Today, however, with the 2026 World Cup – hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada – on the horizon, Suriname is hoping to turn the tables.

After years of refusing to do so, since November 2019 the country’s football authorities have allowed footballers from its diaspora – most of whom were born in the Netherlands – to play for the national team.

Furthermore, Suriname, despite being located in South America, takes part in the Concacaf World Cup qualifiers – for national teams which are members of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football – thanks to its cultural and historical ties to the Caribbean.

And with the three traditionally dominant countries – the US, Mexico and Canada – automatically qualifying as hosts, and the expansion of the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams, it seems the stars could be aligning to give Suriname its best chance to date of qualifying.

‘It’s going to happen’

“We’ve made a lot of progress. We’re in the Concacaf Nations League A, among the top 14,” Soerin Mathoera, president of the Surinamese Football Association, told French news agency AFP. “We’re hoping to qualify for this World Cup and we’re making the necessary efforts to bring players of Surinamese origin into the national team.”

He added: “It’s a journey for them, [some of them] don’t know Suriname and have never been here.”

Roberto Gödeken, assistant manager of the national team and manager of Suriname’s most successful club SV Robinhood, echoed this: “Compared to previous years, the path is much more accessible. We have a good chance of qualifying.”

Dutch sports journalist Diederik Samwel, author of the book “Suriname on the Road to the World Cup”, says: “There’s so much talent here – in the country, in the Netherlands and in the rest of Europe – that it’s going to happen at some point. And there’s a great opportunity here.”

Mixed reactions as Dutch leader apologises for 250 years of slavery

First steps

Renske Adipi, midfielder for SV Robinhood and the national team, is currently the only player at the club able to make a living from football and is awaiting a transfer abroad.

Samwel calls him an example of a “technically excellent Creole player with great stamina”, adding: “Foreign observers are immediately impressed by the talent and skills of these amateur players, [even if] there are sometimes shortcomings at a tactical level.”

Suriname took the first step to glory on Friday by beating Puerto Rico 1-0 in their Concacaf World Cup qualifier.

Their main rivals include Costa Rica, who have taken part in every World Cup since Brazil 2014; Honduras (with three appearances, in 1982, 2010 and 2014) and Panama, who last qualified in 2018 for the tournament held in Russia. 

If they qualify, says Gödeken: “It would be historic, it would put Suriname on the world map.”

This article was adapted from the original version in French (with AFP).

The right-wing ex-president ruled France from 2007-2012 and has been beset by legal problems since leaving office following a bruising presidential election defeat.

An appeals court last year upheld his conviction for illegal attempts to secure favours from a judge and ordered him to wear an electronic ankle bracelet instead of serving a one-year jail sentence.

The decision to revoke his award had since been expected, according to the rules of the order, despite current French President Emmanuel Macron saying he was opposed to the move.

Sarkozy corruption trial wraps up over Libya campaign fund allegations

Sarkozy becomes the second former head of state to be stripped of the award after Nazi collaborator Philippe Petain, who was convicted in August 1945 for high treason and conspiring with the enemy.

Sarkozy, whose electronic tag was removed this month, is using his last remaining legal avenue, an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, to defend himself against the conviction.

He is currently on trial in a separate case on charges of accepting illegal campaign financing in an alleged pact with late Libyan dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

.

The court is to give a verdict in September with prosecutors asking for a seven-year prison term for Sarkozy, who denies the charges.

Despite his legal problems, Sarkozy remains an influential figure on the right and is known to regularly meet with Macron.

(With newswires)

The Republican president, on his 79th birthday, sat on a special viewing stand south of the White House to watch the display of American military might, which began early and moved swiftly as light rain fell and clouds shrouded the Washington Monument.

The procession, with more than 6,000 soldiers and 128 army tanks, was one Trump had tried to organise in his first term after seeing such an event in Paris in 2017, but the plans never came together until the parade was added to an event marking the army’s 250th anniversary.

“Every other country celebrates their victories. It’s about time America did too,” Trump declared in brief remarks at the end of the parade.

The president praised the strength of the military’s fighting forces and said US soldiers “fight, fight, fight and they win, win, win” — putting a new twist on a line that Trump regularly delivered during his 2024 campaign rallies after he survived an assassination attempt.

Early in the evening’s pageantry, the army’s Golden Knights parachute team descended from overcast skies towards the reviewing stand. The team had been scheduled to appear at the end of the parade, but jumped earlier than planned in the drizzly skies above the National Mall.

At times, Trump stood and saluted as troops marched past the reviewing stand. However, attendance appeared to fall far short of early predictions that as many as 200,000 people would attend the festival and parade. There were large gaps between viewers near the Washington Monument on a day when humid weather and the threat of thunderstorms may have dampened turnout.

Hours before the parade started, demonstrators gathered in streets and parks around the country to voice opposition to the Republican president. They criticised Trump for using the military to respond to people protesting his deportation efforts and for the muscular military show in the US capital.

Displays of military might

The day-long display of America’s army came as Trump has shown his willingness to use the country’s military power in ways other US presidents have typically avoided. In the last week, he has activated the California National Guard over the governor’s objections and dispatched the US Marines to provide security during Los Angeles protests related to immigration raids, prompting a state lawsuit to stop the deployments.

As armoured vehicles rolled down the street in front of the president, on the other side of the country, the marines deployed by Trump to Los Angeles appeared at a demonstration for the first time, standing guard outside a federal building. Dozens of marines stood shoulder to shoulder in full combat gear beside the National Guard, Homeland Security officers and other law enforcement. Hundreds of protesters facing them jeered in English and Spanish, telling the troops to go home.

A previously calm demonstration in downtown Los Angeles turned chaotic when police on horseback charged at the crowd, striking some with batons as they cleared the street in front of the federal building and fired tear gas and crowd control projectiles.

In Washington, hundreds protesting Trump carried signs with messages such as “Where’s the due process?” and “No to Trump’s fascist military parade” as they marched towards the White House.

A larger-than-life puppet of Trump was wheeled through the crowd, a caricature of the president wearing a crown and sitting on a golden toilet.

Other protesters waved pride flags and hoisted signs, some with pointed messages such as “I prefer crushed ICE,” referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Other messages included “The invasion was HERE 6 January, NOT in L.A.” and “Flip me off if you’re a FASCIST.”

“No Kings” rallies unfolded in hundreds of cities, designed to counter what organisers said were Trump’s plans to feed his ego on his 79th birthday and Flag Day. Organisers said they picked the name to support democracy and speak out against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration.

Veterans, supporters and protesters

Meanwhile, on the National Mall, a display of armoured vehicles, helicopters and military-grade equipment was set up to commemorate the army’s birthday. Vendors outside the army festival sold gear marking the military milestone. Others sold Trump-themed merchandise.

Larry Stallard, a retired American Airlines pilot, said he travelled to Washington from Kansas City for the weekend “to see the military and see Trump”.

Stallard, who voted for Trump, said it was “hard to believe” people were upset about the cost of the event when “they blow that in 10 seconds on things that we do not even need”.

Doug Haynes, a navy veteran who voted for Trump, attended the day-long festival to celebrate the army’s 250th birthday, but said the parade “was a little over the top”.

Pointing at a nearby tank, Haynes said that having them roll down the street is a “very bold statement to the world, perhaps”.

The parade was added just two months ago to the long-planned celebration of the army’s birthday and has drawn criticism for its price tag of up to $45 million and the possibility that the heavy tanks could damage city streets. The army has taken a variety of steps to protect the streets, including laying metal plates along the route.

Lawmakers shot as US cities brace for large crowds at nationwide anti-Trump rallies

About six in ten Americans said Saturday’s parade was “not a good use” of government money. The vast majority of people, 78%, said they neither approve nor disapprove of the parade overall, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research.

Kathy Straus travelled from Richmond, Virginia, to attend the parade, carrying a sign criticising its cost and arguing the money could have been used to feed veterans.

“I thought that it would be more effective to come here than go to a protest with people that think similar to me,” said Straus.

The parade wound down Constitution Avenue, lined with security fencing and barriers. A flypast of military aircraft included Second World War-era planes, including a B-25 Mitchell bomber, and army helicopters flew low over the crowd, below the top of the Washington Monument. Mounted soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division made an appearance — horses once played a crucial role in warfare, but today they are mostly used in ceremonial events like today’s parade.

Trump swore in 250 new recruits and returning soldiers into service, with soldiers repeating an oath after him.

“Welcome to the United States Army! And have a great life,” Trump said to them afterwards.

Country music singer Warren Zeiders performed, as did “God Bless the USA” singer Lee Greenwood. The event was capped off by a fireworks display.

It appeared that plans to have US Air Force fighter jets fly over were scrapped because of the weather.

(With newsagencies)

Archaeologists believe the ship was sailing from northern Italy loaded with ceramics and metal bars before it sunk.

Despite modern household waste dotting its sunken cargo at 2,567 metres below sea level, the team says they are excited about the potential of an archaeological site largely preserved intact.

“It’s the deepest shipwreck ever found in French territorial waters,” Arnaud Schaumasse, head of the culture ministry’s underwater archaeology department, said on Wednesday.

Drone discovery

An underwater drone found the sunken ship by chance in early March in waters near Saint Tropez, deputy maritime police chief Thierry de la Burgade said.

“The sonar detected something quite big, so we went back with the device’s camera, then again with an underwater robot to snap high-quality images,” he said.

The drone was patrolling the seabed as part of a government project to explore and monitor France’s deep-sea resources, from minerals to internet cables.

France to relaunch search for 16th-century shipwrecks

Archaeologist Marine Sadania said experts discovered 200 jugs with pinched spouts among the wreckage, at the site they have dubbed “Camarat 4”.

Some of these jugs were marked with the monogram “IHS” – the first three letters of the Greek spelling of Jesus – or covered with plant-inspired or geometric patterns.

Those details may indicate that the jugs hailed from the Liguria region in what is now northern Italy, Sadania said.

Experts also identified piles of around 100 yellow plates, two cauldrons, an anchor and six cannons.

‘As if time froze’

“The site – thanks to its depth, which prevented any recovery or looting – has remained intact, as if time froze, which is exceptional,” Sadania added.

Outrage as 2,200-year-old shipwreck looted off French Riviera

Over the coming two years, she and her colleagues plan to draw up a 3D digital version of the ship, as well as extracting samples from the site to study them before returning them to the public domain.

Until now, the lowest depth at which French authorities had found a sunken vessel was 2.3 kilometres below sea level, off the southern city of Toulon in 2019.

That wreckage belonged to La Minerve, a French submarine that sunk to its demise in 1968 with 52 navy crew on board.

(with AFP)

“The Iran US-talks scheduled to be held in Muscat this Sunday will not now take place,” Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said in a post on X, adding that “diplomacy and dialogue remain the only pathway to lasting peace”.

Earlier on, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had confirmed to Qatari-owned television station Al Jazeera that the negotiations were cancelled.

Asked on Saturday, “Can we have a clear confirmation that Sunday’s talks are cancelled?”, Araghchi responded, “Yes”.

Tehran called discussions about its nuclear programme with the Washington as “meaningless” after Israel launched its biggest-ever military strike against Iran, which Tehran accuses the US of supporting.

(With newsagencies)

In a telegram sent on Friday and seen by French press agency AFP, Mr Retailleau said that “particular vigilance must be exercised at all sites that could be targeted by acts of terrorism or malicious intent by a foreign power,” as Israel and Iran continued their deadly exchange of strikes on Saturday.

Hostilities were triggered by a massive Israeli attack on Iranian military and nuclear sites, to which Tehran responded with ballistic missile strikes.

Against this backdrop, Mr Retailleau called on prefects to pay “special attention” to the security of places of worship, schools, public and institutional buildings, and high-traffic sites, with a visible security presence especially at entry and exit times. This also includes “festive, cultural, or religious gatherings”.

Iran retaliates after Israeli strikes targeting its nuclear programme and military

These enhanced protection measures also apply to “Israeli and American interests as well as establishments belonging to the Jewish community”.

The minister called for the mobilisation of “intelligence services, internal security forces, municipal police and local elected officials”, as well as the “Sentinelle” security operation.

President Emmanuel Macron announced on Friday evening a “reinforcement” of the Sentinelle operation, which deploys military personnel across France, “to deal with all potential threats on national territory”.

On Friday, Israel launched unprecedented massive strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites, claiming to have intelligence proving that Iran was nearing the “point of no return” towards developing a nuclear bomb.

Iran, which denies producing nuclear weapons, fired dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for what it described as a “declaration of war”.

(With newsagencies)

Walking into Senne prison, 200 kilometres east of Cologne in western Germany, things look a little different from what you might expect.

Aside from the fact that the prison hall opens directly on to the grounds, if you look closer you’ll notice a lot of grey and white hair.

Just as in the outside world, the prison population in Germany is ageing.

According to a study published in 2022, on Social Care for Older People in German Prisons, “in Germany, the number of prisoners over 60 years of age has quadrupled since the 1990s” – reflecting a wider demographic trend which has seen the percentage of people over 60 in the country’s general population rise from almost 25 percent in 2003 to more than 28 percent in 2018.

France’s ageing population is having fewer babies and living longer than ever

As the study notes: “Prisons were designed with a much younger population in mind and as a result are ill-equipped and ill-prepared to deal with the often complex needs of older people,” citing “victimisation in a system where strength and physical fitness are valued and a ‘macho culture’ prevails” as one such factor.

Senne prison is one of several in the country with a unit reserved for seniors – with 87 current occupants. In total, German prisons currently provide 331 age-segregated places for older inmates, who have specific needs.

Lifts and accessible showers

The health challenges that come with age are one major challenge these specialist units are tasked with addressing.

Meike Mönikes, head of the senior unit at Senne, said: “We have people with various forms of dementia, people with cancer, people who have difficulty getting around, people who need a walker.”

The unit is accessible by two lifts and other modifications have been made. 

“There’s a balustrade running the length of the corridor along the walls, and a bathroom with showers. And in each shower, there are handles to hold on to and a stool on which you can sit to wash yourself,” explained Mönikes.

She added: “We see a lot of people with premature ageing here, compared with the rest of the population.”

It’s an observation borne out by the study, which notes: “The health of older prisoners is considerably poorer than that of their community-dwelling peers, with the accelerated ageing process making a difference of up to 15 years.”

Conditions with higher rates among prisoners include gastric ulcers, chronic lung diseases, circulatory disorders, reduced mobility and depression, with the study also reporting evidence that incarceration leads to cognitive decline.

France to build supermax prison to isolate drug lords and Islamists in Amazon

Retirement and rehabilitation 

An inmate assigned to library duty at Senne cheerfully shows us around his room, saying: “For years, I was in another closed prison. But here, I’m a human being again.”

Rehabilitation is the credo of the prison’s director Kerstin Höltkemeyer-Schwick. “In a closed prison, you can’t prepare people for freedom. A closed prison is like learning to swim out of the water. To do that, you have to give them more freedom, little by little, outside prison too,” she said.

Here, reintegration into the labour market is no longer the goal, and furthermore inmates past retirement age are not required to work in prison – which in regular prisons means they can remain locked in their cells for up to 23 hours a day.

At Senne and other similar senior units, rehabilitation takes the form of age-appropriate activities. 

At the age-segregated Schwalmstadt-Kornhaus prison in Hesse, these include cognitive training, a fitness programme for older people, dietary advice and cookery courses, vegetable growing, and a programme to increase social skills.

For older adults to be considered for places in these specialist units, they must be considered a low security risk – and according to the 2022 study, recidivism rates are low among older inmates and they are less likely than young offenders to have committed violent crimes. 

Young offenders drive repeat crime rates in France, study shows

In age-segregated housing units, cells are generally left open during the day so that prisoners can organise their day together and socialise.

At Senne, the staff are convinced that the open prison concept works well for this older population. They say the rate of those allowed weekend leave who fail to return is between 0.1 and 0.3 percent.

One challenge, however, remains: how to deal with the end of life in prison.

Palliative care is not integrated in the German prison system, with some states using external hospices and others transferring inmates to prison hospitals, which the 2022 study notes “suggests that the emphasis lies on meeting medical needs rather than on providing a holistic service”.

For some long-term prisoners, on-site palliative care would allow them to end their days in, for better or worse, the only environment they know.

This article was adapted from the original version in French.

At dawn in Busia County, western Kenya, 10-year-old Angela Wanjiru lies motionless on a wooden bench in front of a rural dispensary. Her fever is high, and her mother anxiously fans her with a creased piece of cardboard. This is Angela’s third malaria attack in three months, a deadly cycle that is well known to families in this mosquito-infested region.

Kenya sees more than 5 million malaria cases per year – and 12,000 deaths from the disease. Malaria continues to be one of the biggest obstacles to child survival and economic productivity in sub-Saharan Africa.

But in some parts of the region, a quiet revolution is in the air – quite literally.

In Ghana and Sierra Leone, drone technology is being used to identify and eliminate mosquito breeding grounds before outbreaks erupt.

These drones, powered by artificial intelligence-enabled cameras, patrol fields, wetlands and riverbanks. They scan for standing water where mosquitoes lay eggs.

When an infestation location is found, the drones deposit larvicide at the infestation point before the insects even hatch.

Malaria fight under threat as US funding cuts raise fears in Africa

‘We could end the cycle’

This initiative, introduced by governments and local partners with support from Japanese start-up SORA Technology, is already showing good results.

SORA Technology co-founder and CEO Yosuke Kaneko says the idea came out of his own experiences in Africa. “I was shocked at how many children still die from malaria, which can be prevented and cured. We thought that if we could add AI and aerial monitoring to the mix, we could end the cycle.”

He added: “Drones allow us to access areas that health personnel often have difficulty reaching in a timely manner, safely and with accuracy that does make a real difference.”

Kaneko says his team works in close proximity with ministries of health, community leadership and local drone pilots. “The technology only works if the people it’s supposed to help trust it. That’s why training locals and building capacity in-country is at the core of what we do.”

The women carrying the burden of Kenya’s rural healthcare on their backs

Prevention rather than cure

Dr. Margaret Njeri, an epidemiologist in Nairobi, sees this initiative as a breakthrough. “We’ve relied on bed nets and medication for decades. Those are still important, but they’re not enough. This kind technology is what we’ve been seeking.”

Africa accounts for more than 90 percent of global malaria deaths, with young children the most vulnerable. Despite progress in reducing transmission over the past two decades, rising resistance to drugs and insecticides is forcing a rethink in strategy.

Malaria policy advisor Dr. Peter Okeke, who is based in Abuja, believes the drone model can be replicated across the African continent. “It’s smart prevention – cheaper than treatment, more humane than reacting to outbreaks and, ultimately, more sustainable.”

Faith Atieno, a community health volunteer in Homa Bay County, western Kenya, has witnessed the devastating impact of malaria on children in her community – like Angela.

“We’ve heard how valuable these drones are proving in other African countries. If we had them here, I am sure that we could save many lives,” she says. “It’s not just about technology. It’s about giving our children a better chance.”

According to Isreali defence minister Israel Katz, Iran’s leader Ayatollah Ali Khemnei “is turning the citizens of Iran into hostages and bringing about a reality in which they — especially the residents of Tehran — will pay a heavy price because of the criminal harm to Israeli civilians,” Katz was quoted as saying in a statement.

“If Khamenei continues to fire missiles toward the Israeli home front — Tehran will burn.”

Israel’s assault used warplanes — as well as drones smuggled into the country in advance, according to officials — to attack key facilities and kill top generals and scientists. Iran’s UN ambassador said 78 people were killed and more than 320 wounded in the attacks.

Israel asserted the barrage was necessary before Iran got any closer to building a nuclear weapon, although experts and the US government have assessed that Tehran was not actively working on such a weapon before the strikes.

Iran retaliated by launching waves of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel, where explosions lit the night skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and shook the buildings below. The Israeli military urged civilians, already rattled by 20 months of war sparked by Hamas’ 7 October attack, to head to shelter for hours.

Strikes could derail nuclear talks

Israel’s strikes also put further talks between the United States and Iran over a nuclear accord into doubt before they were set to meet Sunday in Oman. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman called further nuclear talks with the United States “meaningless” after Israeli strikes on the country, state television said.

World reacts to Israeli strike on Iran over nuclear activity

“The US did a job that made the talks become meaningless,” Esmail Baghaei was quoted as saying. He added that Israel had passed all Iran’s red lines by committing a “criminal act” through its strikes.

However, he stopped short of saying the talks were cancelled. The Mizan news agency, which is run by Iran’s judiciary, quoted him as saying: “It is still not clear what we decide about Sunday’s talks.”

Iranian missiles strike Israel

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a recorded message Friday: “We will not allow them to escape safely from this great crime they committed.”

Iran launched waves of missiles at Israel late Friday and early Saturday. Iranians awoke Saturday to state television airing repeated clips of strikes on Israel, as well as videos of people cheering and handing out sweets. Israel’s military said more drones were intercepted near the Dead Sea early Saturday.

A hospital in Tel Aviv treated seven people wounded in the second Iranian barrage; all but one of them had light injuries. Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services said they were wounded when a projectile hit a building in the city. A spokesperson for Beilinson Hospital said one woman was killed.

Hours later, an Iranian missile struck near homes in the central Israeli city of Rishon Lezion, killing two more people and wounding 19, according to Israel’s paramedic service Magen David Adom. Israel’s Fire and Rescue Service said four homes were severely damaged.

Meanwhile, the sound of explosions and Iranian air defence systems firing at targets echoed across central Tehran shortly after midnight on Saturday. An Associated Press journalist could hear air raid sirens near their home.

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported a fire at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport. A video posted on X showed a column of smoke and flames rising from what the outlet said was the airport.

Israel’s paramedic services said 34 people were wounded in the barrage on the Tel Aviv area, including a woman who was critically injured after being trapped under rubble. In Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv, an AP journalist saw burnt-out cars and at least three damaged houses, including one where the front was nearly entirely torn away.

US ground-based air defence systems in the region were helping to shoot down Iranian missiles, said a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the measures.

Strikes raise fears of all-out war

Israel’s ongoing airstrikes and Iran’s retaliation raised concerns about all-out war between the countries and propelled the region, already on edge, into even greater upheaval.

Countries in the region condemned Israel’s attack, while leaders around the globe called for immediate de-escalation from both sides.

Israel had long threatened such a strike, and successive American administrations sought to prevent it, fearing it would ignite a wider conflict across the Middle East and possibly be ineffective at destroying Iran’s dispersed and hardened nuclear programme.

But a confluence of developments triggered by Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attack — plus the re-election of US President Donald Trump — created the conditions that allowed Israel to finally follow through on its threats. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the US was informed in advance of the attack.

On Thursday, Iran was censured by the UN’s atomic watchdog for not complying with obligations meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.

The crossfire between Israel and Iran disrupted East-West travel through the Middle East, a key global aviation route, but Jordan’s state-run Petra news agency said the country would reopen its airspace to civilian aircraft at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, signalling it believes there is no immediate danger.

Above-ground section of Natanz facility destroyed

Among the key sites Israel attacked was Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz, where black smoke could be seen rising into the air. It also appeared to strike a second, smaller nuclear enrichment facility in Fordo, about 100 kilometres southeast of Tehran, according to an Iranian news outlet close to the government that reported hearing explosions nearby.

Israel said it also struck a nuclear research facility in Isfahan, and said it destroyed dozens of radar installations and surface-to-air missile launchers in western Iran. Iran confirmed the strike at Isfahan.

UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that the above-ground section of the Natanz facility was destroyed. He said all the electrical infrastructure and emergency power generators were destroyed, as well as a section of the facility where uranium was enriched up to 60%, which is a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

The main centrifuge facility underground did not appear to have been hit, but the loss of power could have damaged the infrastructure there, he said.

Netanyahu said the attack had been months in the making and was planned for April before being postponed.

Israel’s Mossad spy agency positioned explosive drones and precision weapons inside Iran ahead of time, and used them to target Iranian air defences and missile launchers near Tehran, according to two security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

It was not possible to independently corroborate those claims.

Over the past year, Israel has been targeting Iran’s air defences, hitting a radar system for a Russian-made air defence battery in April 2024 and surface-to-air missile sites and missile manufacturing facilities in October.

The first wave of strikes gave Israel “significant freedom of movement” in Iran’s skies, clearing the way for further attacks, according to an Israeli military official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss details of the attack with the media.

The official said Israel is prepared for an operation that could last up to two weeks, but that there was no firm timeline.

Among those killed were three of Iran’s top military leaders: one who oversaw the entire armed forces, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri; one who led the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami; and the head of the Guard’s ballistic missile programme, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

Trump urged Iran on Friday to reach a deal with the US on its nuclear programme, warning on his Truth Social platform that Israel’s attacks “will only get worse”

(With newswires)

Ireland’s prestigious Trinity College Dublin said on Wednesday, 4 June that it would cut all ties with Israel in protest at “ongoing violations of international and humanitarian law” – the first first Western university to make such a move.

The university’s board informed students by email that it had accepted the recommendations of a taskforce to sever “institutional links with the State of Israel, Israeli universities and companies headquartered in Israel”.

The recommendations would be “enacted for the duration of the ongoing violations of international and humanitarian law,” said the email, sent by the board’s chairman Paul Farrell and seen by French news agency AFP.

The taskforce was set up after part of the university’s campus in central Dublin was blockaded by students for five days last year in protest at Israel’s actions in Gaza.

US slams sanctions by UK, allies on far-right Israeli ministers

Jenny Maguire, president of Trinity’s student union, told RFI’s Dublin correspondent Clémence Pénard: “Last year, the university threatened to fine the union €250,000 for our protests. But today, we are gathered here, in a better Trinity, a Trinity free of apartheid.”

Among the taskforce’s recommendations approved by the board were pledges to divest “from all companies headquartered in Israel” and to “enter into no future supply contracts with Israeli firms” and “no new commercial relationships with Israeli entities”.

The university also said that it would “enter into no further mobility agreements with Israeli universities”.

Trinity has current Erasmus+ exchange agreements with two Israeli universities: one with Bar Ilan University, which ends in July 2026, and one with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, which ends in July 2025, the university told AFP.

The board said that the university “should seek to align itself with like-minded universities and bodies in an effort to influence EU policy concerning Israel’s participation in such collaborations”.

Eoghan, a student at the university, said: “Not so long ago, under British colonisation, we too experienced oppression that we recognise in what the Palestinian people are suffering. In Ireland, we cannot remain silent in the face of this. Maybe others can, but not us. And we will make sure that our voices are heard.”

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

Import ban

In the previous week, on 27 May, the Irish government introduced a bill to ban the import of goods from Israeli settlements considered illegal under international law – an unprecedented move for a European Union member.

The bill would affect only a handful of products – including oranges, dates and olives – and is largely a symbolic measure, but one that would make Ireland the first European country to restrict trade with Israeli settlements.

The move comes after the International Court of Justice last year said Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip was illegal under international law – an advisory opinion which the Irish government said guided its decision.

“The government has agreed to advance legislation prohibiting trade in goods with illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory. It is the government’s view that this is an obligation under international law,” a foreign ministry spokesperson told AFP.

Foreign Minister Simon Harris told reporters he hoped other EU countries would follow Ireland’s lead.

Palestinian leader pledges ‘unprecedented’ reforms ahead of Paris conference

Scars of colonisation

Ireland has long been at the forefront of the fight for Palestinian rights. The country has often compared its own past, marked by British colonisation, to that of the Palestinian people. The sense of a shared history with Palestine is widespread, and there is a political consensus across all Irish political parties to defend the rights of the Palestinian people.

As far back as 1980, Ireland affirmed its support for the principle of a Palestinian State and last May, alongside Spain and Norway, it officially recognised the State of Palestine.

For many, this formal recognition was an essential first step towards a two-state solution. Some even hope that the island of Ireland, split in two between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which remains part of the United Kingdom, could serve as a model for peace in the Middle East.

Ireland has been among the most outspoken critics of Israel’s response to the 7 October, 2023 attacks on southern Israel by Hamas militants, which sparked the war in Gaza. Polls since the start of the war have consistently shown overwhelming pro-Palestinian sympathy in Ireland.

French left demonstrates in support of Gaza-bound aid boat

Ireland has also joined South Africa in bringing a case before the International Court of Justice in The Hague accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza – charges angrily denied by Israeli leaders.

In December, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar ordered the closure of the country’s embassy in Dublin, citing what he called Ireland’s “extreme anti-Israel policies”.

The Irish President, Michael D. Higgins, has been described as anti-Semitic by Israeli officials. He responded: “When the government of Israel resorts to such a defamatory insult, it undermines and devalues the very meaning of anti-Semitism.”

(With AFP, and partially adapted from this article and this article by RFI’s French service)

But as a cacophony of ship foghorns sounded the close of the UN Ocean Conference in France, a lack of funding pledges and the total omission of fossil fuels disappointed some observers.

The summit was just the third — and largest yet — dedicated entirely to what the United Nations calls an “emergency” in the world’s oceans.

More than 60 heads of state and government joined thousands of business leaders, scientists and environmental campaigners over five days in the southern city of Nice.

Nations vow to cut shipping noise as sea life struggles to be heard

Treaty tide

There was unanimous praise for efforts to ratify the high seas treaty designed to protect marine life in the 60 percent of oceans that lie beyond national waters.

Some 19 countries formally ratified the pact at Nice, taking the overall tally to 50 — but 60 nations are needed to bring the treaty into force.

France’s oceans envoy, Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, said the numbers would be reached by September and the treaty should take effect by January, 2026.

Rebecca Hubbard, director of the High Seas Alliance, welcomed the “incredible progress” but urged “all remaining nations to ratify without delay”.

The summit sought a collective lift for oceans even as countries brace for tough talks over deep-sea mining in July and a plastic pollution treaty in August.

More than 90 ministers called in Nice for the treaty to enshrine limits on plastic production — something fiercely opposed by oil-producing nations.

The summit also rallied behind a defence of science and rules-based oversight of common resources — most notably the unknown depths of the oceans — in a direct rebuke of US President Donald Trump.

Trump was not present in Nice and rarely mentioned by name, but his shadow loomed as leaders thundered against his unilateral push to mine the ocean floor for nickel and minerals.

Seabed row

France and like-minded countries vowed to block any effort to permit deep-sea exploration at negotiations over a mining code at the International Seabed Authority next month, said Poivre d’Arvor.

“Nobody knows what is there in the deep sea… you cannot launch recklessly down this path,” he said in a closing address.

Macron rallies nations to protect oceans as UN sounds alarm on marine crisis

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged caution, warning against turning the deep sea into “the wild west”.

Leaders “made it unmistakably clear: deep-sea mining is one of the biggest threats facing our ocean, and the world is saying no”, said Sofia Tsenikli from the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition.

But for all the rhetoric, a global alliance opposed to deep-sea mining only attracted four new members at Nice, rising to 37 nations.

Missing billions

Greece, Samoa and Colombia were among 14 nations who unveiled plans for vast new marine protected areas, taking the share of the world’s oceans under conservation to more than 10 percent.

Some also announced restrictions on bottom trawling, a destructive fishing method captured in grisly detail in a new David Attenborough documentary.

Activists had pushed for a total ban on this kind of trawling, which uses heavy weighted nets dragged across the ocean floor.

Developing nations hoping their larger and wealthier counterparts would open the chequebook in Nice were disappointed.

Small island nations in particular have long complained they lack the finances required to build seawalls against rising tides and protect their waters from illegal fishers.

While private donors pledged around 8.7 billion euros ($10 billion) over the next five years, the UN says $175 billion a year is needed for sustainable ocean development.

Fossil fuels — the main driver of climate change, ocean warming and the acidification of the seas — were notably absent for a summit dedicated to marine protection.

“Ignoring the imperative of phasing out offshore oil and gas is not just an injustice: it is inadmissible,” said Bruna Campos from the Center for International Environmental Law.

The summit closed with the unanimous adoption of a political statement, negotiated over many months, that contained no mention of coal, oil and gas.

“We must all reckon with the reality that you cannot protect the ocean without confronting the biggest root cause bringing it to the breaking point,” former US special climate envoy John Kerry said in a statement.

(With newswires)

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.

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 10 May, I asked you about a scientific summit held earlier that week here in Paris. It was about bringing to Europe US scientists whose research funds were being threatened – and now, many have been canceled – by US President Donald Trump.

The summit, called “Choose Europe for Science”, was attended by EU commissioners, scientists, and ministers for research from member countries, and hosted by Paris’s Sorbonne University. It closed with speeches by French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. 

You were to re-read our article “France hosts summit to lure scientists threatened by US budget cuts” and send in the answer to this question: Which specific research specialties are the Europeans hoping to attract? Amongst possible others, which specific sectors of research are the Europeans targeting?

The answer is, to quote our article: “Macron’s office said France and the EU are targeting researchers in a number of specific sectors, including health, climate, biodiversity, artificial intelligence and space.”

The first “refugee scientists”, as they’re being called, are on their way here.

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “How do you greet friends and relatives? How do you greet people you are being introduced to for the first time? What do these forms of greeting mean to you?” The question was suggested by Jocelyne D’Errico from New Zealand.

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Radhakrishna Pillai from Kerala State in India, who is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations on your double win, Radhakrishna.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Ferhat Bezazel, the president of the RFI Butterflies Club Ain Kechera in West Skikda, Algeria, as well as RFI Listeners Club members Rubi Saikia from Assam, India and Sahadot Hossain Khoka from Sunamganj, Bangladesh. Last but assuredly not least, RFI English listener Rajesh Dhakal from Mechi, Nepal.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme:  “Peaceful Journey” by Imade Suputra; the “Gigue” from the French Suite no. 2 by Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by Andras Schiff; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and Quatre Bergerettes, four 18th-century French folksongs arranged by Siegfried Behrend and Sharon Isbin, performed by mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer and guitarist Sharon Isbin.

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

This week’s question … you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read our article “French Polynesia unveils world’s largest marine protected zone”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 7 July to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 12 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.   

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.

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.