French Guiana’s long-held dream of greater self-governance may finally be gathering momentum, as Overseas Minister Manuel Valls promised on Monday to open negotiations on autonomy in the coming weeks – a move that local leaders hope will bring laws better tailored to their region’s unique challenges and opportunities.

Speaking in Cayenne at the headquarters of the French Guiana Territorial Collective (CTG), Valls announced that he would host a delegation of elected officials in early July to lay the groundwork for meaningful talks on statutory change.

A follow-up meeting is also scheduled at the Élysée Palace later that month, where President Emmanuel Macron himself is expected to weigh in on the project.

“I want to meet with you in the first half of July to discuss all the issues facing French Guiana,” Valls told local leaders, acknowledging the community’s growing frustration with rules handed down from Paris and Brussels that often fail to reflect on-the-ground realities in this vast Amazonian territory.

Local media outlet France Guyane posted on X, “the former prime minister [Valls] was welcomed to the CTG as part of his parliamentary mission on statutory developments.”

Push for land reform

French Guiana’s push for autonomy isn’t new, but the latest plan has been carefully refined over several consultations in 2023 and 2024.

The proposal outlines transferring key powers in areas like planning, transport, agriculture, and natural resource management to a future autonomous government.

Security and regional cooperation would, however, remain shared responsibilities with the French State.

Perhaps most pressing for many Guianese is the control of land. Over 90 percent of the territory is still owned by the French State – a situation local leaders argue is a major barrier to sustainable development and local empowerment.

Independent MP Jean-Victor Castor did not mince his words: “We want local regulatory power because the rules from Brussels and Paris are ineffective.”

Macron returns to French Guiana for thorny talks on autonomy and illegal mining

‘Winning over’ French lawmakers

Valls struck a cautiously optimistic tone, praising the depth and coherence of the local proposal but reminding the assembled officials of the significant hurdles ahead.

“I am familiar with your project. It is backed by a well-thought-out plan and economic and social guidelines,” he said. “But it is far from easy to amend the Constitution. We will have to convince the parliamentarians and the President – he alone can truly kick-start a constitutional revision.”

Interim CTG president Jean-Paul Fereira urged his colleagues to prepare thoroughly, saying the territory must present its strongest case if it hopes to win over the President and national lawmakers.

While autonomy remains the headline goal, local leaders hope the process will also reinvigorate the territory’s economy and tackle long-standing social inequalities.

France bans protests in Martinique following riots over soaring prices

Martinique in the spotlight

Meanwhile, in the French Caribbean territory of Martinique, a related sense of empowerment is taking root.

On Friday, the island hosted a popular forum to tackle the crippling high cost of living – an issue that has sparked protests across the French Caribbean in recent years.

Several overseas MPs, experts and community leaders gathered in Rivière-Salée to develop concrete proposals for a new bill that Minister Valls is expected to present to the National Assembly in September.

The Martinique MPs behind the initiative want to ensure that the final legislation has real teeth, addressing price mark-ups that leave basic goods up to 40 percent more expensive than in mainland France.

By pooling expertise from across the overseas territories, they hope to secure fairer prices and stronger economic protection for island communities long burdened by high costs.

Fillon, 71, had been found guilty in 2022 on appeal of embezzlement for providing a fake parliamentary assistant job to his wife, Penelope Fillon, that saw her being paid from public funds.

The court also ordered him to pay a fine of €375,000 ($433,000) and barred him from seeking elected office for five years.

The sentence was milder than the one handed down in 2022,  when Fillon was sentenced to one year behind bars without suspension, the same fine, and 10 years of ineligibility.

France’s highest appeals court – Court of Cassation – subsequently partially overturned this decision, finding that the prison sentence was insufficiently justified.

At the time, his British-born wife Penelope, then a local councillor, eceived a two-year suspended prison sentence, while his former deputy MP for the Sarthe department, Marc Joulaud, was given three years suspended. 

Together, the three were ordered to pay approximately €800,000 in damages to the National Assembly.

Fillon’s lawyer Antonin Lévy said Tuesday’s decision “puts this case back in its proper place” after several years.

“There is no prison sentence, no electronic bracelet, François Fillon is a free man,” Lévy said, adding that he would study the ruling before deciding on a possible new appeal to the Court of Cassation.

‘Penelopegate’

The so-called “Penelopegate” scandal broke in January 2017 following revelations from satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaîné.

Over several articles, the newspaper said it had seen payslips showing that Penelope Fillon had been paid €680,000 as a parliamentary assistant to her husband between 1986 and 2013.

Investigators found little evidence that Penelope Fillon had worked at the National Assembly as her husband claimed and had she no pass card to enter the building.

Fillon, prime minister from 2007 to 2012 under right-winger Nicolas Sarkozy, was the conservative Republicans party candidate in the 2017 presidential election.

The scandal brought an abrupt end to his once-promising bid for the presidency after his campaign was dogged by regular protests marked by chanting of “Give back the money”. 

He was eliminated in the first round, finishing third with 20.01 percent of the vote – behind Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen – an unprecedented defeat for a right-wing candidate since 1958 and the founding of France’s Fifth Republic.

In a separate 2017 case involving the misuse of public funds, Fillon agreed to repay nearly €70,000 linked to the employment of writer and philosopher Maël Renouard, who had helped author one of Fillon’s books.

Following the repayment, prosecutors dropped the investigation.

(with newswires)

With Israel and Iran exchanging fire for a fifth day, and planned talks on Iran’s nuclear programme called off, there is growing concern about the potential impact beyond the Middle East.

Benjamin Augé, a researcher with the Africa and Climate programme at the French Institute for International Relations spoke to RFI about the practical and diplomatic consequences for Africa.

Benjamin Augé: I think it’s important to recall the historical context of Israel’s and Iran’s relationships with Africa. Israel had extremely strong ties with many African countries during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s – until the Yom Kippur War, when most of them severed diplomatic relations with Israel.

Since [Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in 2009, his objective has been to rebuild those relationships. Currently, more than 40 African countries have diplomatic ties with Israel. But that doesn’t necessarily mean Israel wields significant influence in Africa.

Since the 7 October, 2023 attacks [by Hamas on Israel] and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza, many of its normally pro-Israel partners – Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Rwanda – have kept their distance. Rwanda even began delivering aid to Gaza as early as 20 October, 2023. So we’re already seeing Israel’s diplomatic position in Africa under significant strain.

The conflict in Gaza further weakens these already fragile ties – which are, in many cases, quite weak or practically non-existent in political and economic terms. So I think the conflict with Iran is not going to have a dramatic impact, given that Israel’s relationships with Africa are already weak and its exchanges with the continent are extremely limited.

Iran hails African countries’ resistance to ‘colonialism’

RFI: What about Iran?

BA: Iran’s relationships with Africa are also extremely weak. The most significant recent development was Niger opening an embassy in Tehran [in January 2024] after its coup against President Bazoum, and negotiations related to uranium – a move that raised alarm in the United States.

But aside from a few embassies with limited diplomatic staffing, mainly in predominantly Sunni areas in East Africa or the Sahel, Iran’s influence is very weak.

Tehran’s main objective in these areas is often related to spreading Shiism, for instance in Nigeria with Imam Zakzaky – a politically controvesial Shiite cleric. Apart from that, Iran, much like Israel, is not putting many resources into its Africa policy or even developing a policy for the continent. So whatever happens in the Middle East, its effects on Africa will be limited due to this weak diplomatic presence.

Nigerian cleric held since 2015 regains freedom

RFI: Are we likely to see any African governments responding to the escalating conflict with policy statements?

BA: It’s not impossible that some governments may view Israel’s actions against Iran as aggression and may speak up – framing their criticism in terms of international law. Iran didn’t attack, Israel did, and that’s a violation of international law. But I don’t think they’ll go much further than that, because there’s nothing for these countries to gain by strongly taking sides.

This is a peripheral conflict for them, and Israel’s image in Africa is already quite poor – not just in predominantly Sunni or Muslim countries, but more broadly. So if there’s a response, it’s likely to be a diplomatic note from the foreign ministry, emphasising international law, and that’s it. Some may align with Iran, but it would be a small and marginal number.

RFI: What about oil and gas? Could the continent be impacted economically?

BA: Yes, there might be a ripple effect for the continent, just as there will be for the rest of the world. The price of oil might increase temporarily due to the conflict. But we shouldn’t forget that the price per barrel is currently quite low and the market is well-stocked. So I think the impact will be limited and short-lived. The main consequence for Africa might be a slight increase in petrol prices in the months ahead – but it would be a small variation, especially when we compare it to periods when tensions were much greater.

Oil prices drop, stocks climb as Iran-Israel war fears ease

Q: What happens if the conflict persists?

BA: If it continues, there might be some upward pressure on prices. But the reality is that the market is well-stocked and geopolitical tensions are not affecting production or delivery. Iran, in particular, is a small oil producer. Because of longstanding sanctions, it produces about 3 million barrels per day and exports roughly 2 million. The global market is currently at 100 million barrels per day. So the conflict’s long-term impact, both in price and in volume, is likely to be limited.

This interview, adapted from the original in French, has been lightly edited for clarity. 

“We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza,” said the joint statement released by Canada on Monday evening.

The statement said Israel “has a right to defend itself” and stressed “the importance of the protection of civilians,” as the growing attacks kill civilians on both sides.

The leaders of the club of industrial democracies – Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States –  stated their conviction that Iran “can never have a nuclear weapon.”

Since Friday, Israel has struck major nuclear and military sites and killed leading commanders and nuclear scientists in Iran, which has responded with its own volley of drones and missiles on Israel.

G7 leaders gather in Canada for a summit overshadowed by Israel-Iran crisis and trade wars

US President Donald Trump, who hesitated to back the joint G7 statement, relented during dinner.

However, he chose to leave the gathering in the Canadian Rockies a day early, without giving a clear reason.

At a group photo with fellow G7 leaders Trump simply said: “I have to be back as soon as I can. I wish I could stay for tomorrow, but they understand, this is big stuff.”

The US leader will miss a day of meetings that was expected to include discussions with the leaders of Ukraine and Mexico.

Talk before it’s too late

Trump for weeks said he favored diplomacy, and his envoy Steve Witkoff met five times with Iranian envoys, but he quickly backed Israel’s strikes and said Tehran’s clerical state should have agreed to his terms.

“It’s painful for both parties, but I’d say Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk, and they should talk immediately, before it’s too late,” Trump told reporters earlier as he met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Trump said his early departure had “nothing to do” with working on ceasefire between Israel and Iran, adding France’s leader, Emmanuel Macron, was “wrong” in how he described the exit.

Macron had told reporters that the United States was ready to make a diplomatic overture.

“There was an offer made for a meeting and an exchange,” Macron said.

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

“If the United States can obtain a ceasefire, it is a very good thing,” he added.

Trump took to his Truth Social platform to suggest Macron had been seeking “publicity”.

“Wrong! He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that. Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong. Stay tuned!”

Trump has repeatedly declined to say if the United States would participate in Israeli military action, although he has said Washington was not involved in initial strikes and the White House said US forces remained in a defensive posture.

Trump had taken office seeking diplomacy both on Iran and Ukraine, which Russia invaded in 2022.

He has since voiced frustration that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not accepted a US proposal for a ceasefire.

Agreements on tariffs

The summit comes after months of tumult on the global stage since Trump’s return to the White House.

Seeking to shatter a decades-old US-led global economic order, Trump has vowed sweeping tariffs on friends and foes alike although he has postponed implementation until 9 July.

Trump’s first 100 days: Trade, diplomacy and walking the transatlantic tightrope

But Trump voiced optimism about a resolution with Canada and signed documents with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to confirm an agreement with Britain.

Other world leaders have called on Trump to back away from his punishing trade war that poses a risk to global economic stability.

Most countries represented at the G7 are already subject to a 10 percent baseline tariff imposed by Trump, under a temporary easing of higher rates, with European countries and Japan also slapped with additional levies on cars and steel and aluminum.

(with AFP)

One person was killed in the Kenyan capital on Tuesday during protests, according to a  witness,cited in Reuters news agency, who reported seeing the body of a man lying on the ground with a bleeding head wound. The cause of the fatal injury was not immediately clear.

Kenyan police were seen firing tear gas at protesters.

A police spokesperson later confirmed that a Kenyan police officer had been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of an unarmed civilian during the unrest.

In central Nairobi — the epicentre of last year’s demonstrations — small groups of protesters gathered peacefully, calling for an end to police brutality and demanding the resignation of a senior officer they hold responsible for the death of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang earlier this month.

Shortly after, a group of men on motorbikes — known locally as “goons” — arrived at the scene, armed with whips and clubs, according to AFP journalists.

Tensions have been escalating across the country as the first anniversary of last year’s so-called ‘Gen Z’ protests approaches.

The government has been keen to prevent a repeat of last year’s unrest. However, Kenyans returned to the streets this week following the death of 31-year-old Ojwang, who died in police custody on 8 June 2025.

Last week, hundreds protested in Nairobi over the blogger’s death, setting vehicles ablaze as police responded with tear gas.

Kenya protests reignited by custody death, but ‘Gen Z’ movement remains divided

‘Shocked’

“The goons attacked us. They overwhelmed us at first,” Hanifa Adan, one of the leading voices from last year’s demonstrations, told the news agency AFP. “They cornered us and beat us with whips, and the police were just watching them do it.”

Shop owners hastily shut their businesses as police officers fired tear gas into the crowds, and at least one motorbike was set alight.

“We are turning into a lawless country,” said Ndungi Githuku of the civil rights group Kongamano La Mapinduzi. “We see hundreds of paid goons, with whips and crude weapons, coming to brutalise our people,” he told the press.

“We are shocked to see the politicians in Kenya, led by the president, relying on goons to come with the whips,” he added.

A helicopter was also seen hovering over the central business district.

“There are many people on boda bodas [motorbikes] who have infiltrated the peaceful demonstrations,” said Rashid, a motorbike driver who asked not to give his full name, in comments to teh French news agency AFP.

One armed man told AFP he had been hired by the Nairobi governor’s office, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“They told us that we were coming to protect the shops. I didn’t know it would turn out like this,” said the man, who was carrying a club. He added that he was paid 1,000 shillings (around $8) and “just wanted the money”.

Kenyan broadcaster Citizen TV reported that demonstrations also broke out in Kenya’s second-largest city, Mombasa, on Tuesday, showing protesters chanting slogans and holding placards reading “Stop killing us” and “Ruto must stop killing us.”

Acknowledged police violence

Last year’s protests started mid-June and peaked when thousands stormed parliament on 25 June.

Rights groups say at least 60 people were killed during the protests in June and July 2024, and dozens more were illegally detained by security forces in the aftermath.

The death of Ojwang clearly added fuel to the fire. He died earlier this month after he was arrested over social media posts accusing Kenya’s deputy inspector general Eliud Kipkoech Lagat of corruption.

While police initially said he died in his cell after hitting his own head against the wall, a government pathologist said the injuries were “unlikely to be self-inflicted”. And the results of the autopsy, revealed on 10 June, confirmed the injuries observed on Ojwang were inflicted “by an external force”.

As a consequence, Lagat announced in an official statement on Monday that he would “step aside” as investigations begin into a death in custody that has provoked protests and widespread outrage.

“I have today opted to step aside from the office of the Deputy Inspector General – Kenya Police Service pending completion of investigations,” he wrote.

“I undertake to provide any support that may be required of me during the investigations of the unfortunate incident,” he added. But he did not give any indication over how long the investigation, and his leave of absence, would be.

Rights groups told RFI’s correspondent in Nairobi that the move is not enough and that Lagat should quit his position.

Two police officers and a civilian have been arrested in connection with Ojwang’s death so far.

President William Ruto recognised on 11 June that Ojwang had died “at the hands of the police”. He also urged investigators to act swiftly and pledged that the government would “protect citizens from rogue police officers”.

And last Wednesday, Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja apologised for the police having previously implied that Ojwang died by suicide.

 (with newswires) 

Mali’s military government has stepped up its efforts to reclaim control of its lucrative gold industry, moving decisively this week to seize operational reins of the Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex from Canadian mining giant Barrick Gold and launching construction of a new Russian-backed refinery.

On Monday, a Malian court ordered that Barrick’s flagship gold mine – Africa’s largest by output – be placed under provisional administration for six months amid an escalating tax dispute.

Zoumana Makadji, a former health minister and accountant, has been appointed to manage the mine’s operations within a fortnight, according to Judge Issa Aguibou Diallo.

This latest move follows months of mounting tension between the country’s military rulers and Barrick, which has operated in Mali for three decades.

Australian mining company to pay Mali junta $160m for release of CEO

Disputed contracts 

The dispute erupted publicly last December when an arrest warrant was issued for Barrick CEO Mark Bristow over alleged unpaid taxes and disputed contracts.

Barrick insists its subsidiaries remain the legal owners of the mine but admits operational control now lies with the state-appointed administrator.

In a statement, Barrick criticised the ongoing detention of some of its local employees, calling it “deeply concerning” and an obstacle to a “genuine long-term partnership”.

The company is pursuing arbitration at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes while simultaneously negotiating with Mali’s authorities in the hope of a resolution.

Mali is Africa’s third-largest gold producer, yet decades of foreign extraction have left the country struggling with poverty, instability and limited industrial benefits from its vast mineral wealth.

Since seizing power in 2020, Mali’s military government has pledged to reverse that trend by exerting greater sovereignty over its resources.

Sahel ministers in Russia for talks after breaking with western allies

Russian-backed gold mine under construction

Reinforcing the junta’s ambition, Mali this week also broke ground on a major new gold refinery on the outskirts of the capital, Bamako.

The facility, built in partnership with Russia’s Yadran Group and a Swiss investment firm, will have the capacity to process up to 200 tonnes of gold a year – almost four times Mali’s current annual output.

Speaking at the ceremony, interim president Colonel Assimi Goita hailed the refinery as a crucial step in ending the country’s dependence on foreign refineries in places like the UAE, South Africa and Switzerland.

“This deprives our country of substantial revenues that could be used for the development of its economy,” Goita declared.

The new plant is part of a wider wave of mining reforms sweeping across the Sahel, with neighbours such as Guinea, Niger and Burkina Faso also revising mining codes to boost local processing and value addition.

Mali’s revised code will soon require all gold mined domestically to be refined within its borders.

At the inauguration of the mine’s construction, Yadran President Irek Salikhov said the refinery could become a regional hub for processing gold from neighbouring nations too.

Though no completion date has been set, the project underlines Mali’s shift towards new partnerships, having cooled ties with traditional Western backers in favour of closer links with Russia and other non-Western allies.

“This measure follows repeated failings, already reported and formally recalled, in matters of impartiality, rigour, and fact-checking,” according to a statement from Togo’s High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HAAC).

“Several recent broadcasts have relayed inaccurate, biased, and even contrary to established facts, undermining the stability of republican institutions and the country’s image,” it said in the statement.

“Freedom of the press cannot be synonymous with disinformation or interference.”

The agency didn’t provide any details on what reporting by the French networks led to the decision.

‘Serious attack’ on press freedom

In a statement, the management of RFI and France 24 stated that they were “surprised to learn of the suspension of their broadcasts without notice”.

RFI and France 24 “reaffirm their unwavering commitment to the ethical principles of journalism, as well as their support for their teams who deliver rigorous, independent, verified, impartial, and balanced information every day, in compliance with the provisions of the agreement signed between the HAAC and France Médias Monde,” the statement concluded.

Camille Montagu, from the independent organisation Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Sub-Saharan Africa Desk told RFI that tje decision by the Togo authorities “constitutes a serious attack on press freedom and the right to information”.

“Suspending these two international media outlets, which have only professionally covered the country’s recent political developments, will not erase the turmoil facing Togo,” she says.

The move to censor foreign media outlets comes as President Faure Gnassingbé faces increasing pressure from critics over recent changes in the constitution that could effectively keep him in power indefinitely. Critics have called the changes a constitutional coup.

Rising tensions

Fabrice Petchez, chair of the Togolese Media Observatory told The Associated Press that while he understood the ruling, they did not support the decision. “We hope steps will be taken to quickly restore these media operations in the country.

“But since early June, tensions have been rising, particularly on social media,” he continued. “I do hope, however, that a dialogue can be opened between the media concerned and the authorities.”

Mali suspends French news channel LCI for two months

The broadcasting ban comes against a tense political backdrop, with anti-government protests scheduled for next week following a crackdown on protests earlier this month.

Dozens of people were arrested in the capital, Lomé, after police dispersed protesters with tear gas on the night of 5-6 June in several districts, including near the presidential palace.

The government swiftly said it had released more than 50 people but several remain in police custody.

Civil disobedience campaign

The state prosecutor slammed the demonstrations as “clearly part of a revolt against the institutions of the republic”.

Togolese opposition parties and civil society groups on Thursday demanded Gnassingbé step down.

Togo opposition cries foul as election vote count favours government

He “must return power to the Togolese people to whom national sovereignty belongs”, the National Alliance for Change (ANC), Democratic Forces for the Republic (FDR) and civil society groups said in a statement.

The groups urged citizens to launch acts of civil disobedience from 23 June to thwart the “illegitimate” regime.

Protests have been banned in Togo since 2022, following a deadly attack at Lomé’s main market, though public meetings are still allowed.

(with newswires)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Arctic under pressure

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Simple steps, urgent need

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

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

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

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

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

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

From promises to policy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Identity and survival

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

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

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

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

Longevity blueprint

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Generational wisdom

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.”

“The British don’t do anything like anybody else,” La Gacilly Photo Festival’s curator Cyril Drouhet told journalists at a press conference in Paris, as he unveiled the So British theme of this year’s programme.

“They drive on the left, they have their own currency, they play darts, they believe in ghosts and still have a monarchy. And that’s probably why we love them.”

Beyond the quirky humour and eccentricity seen in many of the photographs selected for the festival, there is also a keen observation of contemporary society with all its contradictions.

For Drouhet, the British “know how to cleverly capture a soul: the soul of an era, the soul of a country, the human soul.”

So near, yet so far

In a thousand-year history made up of “misunderstandings” (read: wars), “hostility” (rivalry), “admiration” (marriages) and “respect” (alliances), Drouhet says that despite all this, France and the United Kingdom have an unbreakable bond.

The British ambassador to Paris Menna Rawlings told journalists: “British photography has always pushed the limits. Photographs are more than just technical images – they are a reflection of global issues, social issues [and] have the power to tell stories.”

Sebastião Salgado’s 40-year journey in photographs celebrated in Deauville exhibition

Among the exhibits is a poignant link to photographic history, with a tribute to Anna Atkins (1799-1871), a pioneer in the technique of “cyanotypes” used by botanists.

In 1843, Atkins published Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, considered the first book of its kind and a major reference for scientists as well as an inspiration for contemporary photographers and artists.

The award-winning war reporter Don McCullin has been invited as one of the big names at the festival, with an exhibition entitled “Life and Death, and what’s left behind”.

Putting aside his images from war zones, the veteran photographer, born in 1935, has since turned his lens to the landscapes of Somerset, where he now lives.

A British perspective 

For Mélina Le Blaye, the festival’s director, photography “invites us to open our horizons, and transform ourselves”.

“In this world where images are omnipresent but often ephemeral, we want to take the time to contemplate and to put things into perspective,” she said.

From Martin Parr’s beachside snapshots to Mary Turner’s unassuming portraits of quiet, run-down mining towns and marginalised communities, it is clear there is no one, single Britain. The social and environmental terrain is uneven and complex, both beautiful and gritty.

Beauty and the blight: a photographer’s quest to expose an ecological disaster

The UK is also synonymous with music that defined generations. The exhibition of work by Terry O’Neill (1938-2019) takes the viewer behind the scenes of the music business with surprising portraits of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie and Elton John, to name a few.

The Year of the Sea

Organisers have also reserved a major part of the festival for nine exhibitions on environmental themes, with a particular focus on what France has designated “The Year of the Sea”.

The opening of the festival on 1 June comes a week ahead of a key United Nations Oceans Conference, to be held in Nice from 9 to 13 June.

Stunning images of sea life mix with those from coastal locations facing the effects of climate change, by photographers including France’s Laurent Ballesta and India’s Supratim Bhattacharjee.

Guided tours of Africa

The environment-themed exhibits also include photo reports from Africa, such as those from French photographer Frédéric Noy, who takes viewers to Tanzania to discover nature sanctuaries in need of protection – such as Udzungwa Mountains National Park, where monkey populations are threatened by urbanisation.

His work explores the difficult choices of local people, aware of the need for preservation, but under pressure to survive – the park’s forest being a source of food and firewood.

Noy says it is difficult for locals to accept outsiders when they are distrustful of the West’s discourse of “saving the planet”, given these same wealthy countries profit from Africa’s resources.

By photographing their plight, Noy is asking the public to see both sides of the story, with “humility and patience”.

How exiled photographer Ernest Cole captured apartheid’s human toll

Françoise Huguier’s work offers a guided tour of her years spent on the African continent – including in Burkina Faso, South Africa, Benin and Ethiopia – as seen in the “Africa and Me” collection.

She became particularly attached to Mali, where she founded the Photographic Encounters of Bamako event in 1994, helping discover artists such as Seydou Keïta and Malik Sidibé – now known around the world.

La Gacilly Photo Festival is outdoors and free to the public from 1 June to 5 October, 2025.

The United Nations has announced it is drastically scaling back its global humanitarian operations due to what it describes as the most severe funding shortfall in its history – a move that could leave tens of millions without crucial support.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) revealed on Monday that it now seeks $29 billion (€25 billion) in funding for 2025, a significant drop from the $44 billion originally requested in December.

The pared-down appeal is described as “hyper-prioritised”, focusing only on the most life-threatening crises.

The funding squeeze comes at a time when global needs are soaring.

The return of Donald Trump to the White House in January has seen the United States – historically the world’s largest donor – slash its foreign aid budget dramatically, sending shockwaves through the humanitarian sector.

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

‘Brutal cuts’

Other major donor countries have followed suit, tightening their purses amid economic uncertainty.

“Brutal funding cuts leave us with brutal choices,” said OCHA chief Tom Fletcher in a statement.

“We’re asking for just one percent of what the world spent last year on war. But more than money, this is an appeal for humanity, for global responsibility and solidarity to prevent needless suffering.”

While visiting a hospital in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province earlier this year, Fletcher warned that cutting support to those most in need is not something to celebrate.

“The impact of aid cuts is that millions die,” he said plainly.

UN brands record 110 million displaced people an ‘indictment’ of the state of the world

‘Difficult decisions’

So far this year, the UN has received only $5.6 billion of the $44 billion initially requested – just 13 percent of what it needs to help the world’s most vulnerable communities.

Originally, the plan was to reach 190 million people across more than 70 countries.

Even then, the UN acknowledged it would still leave 115 million people beyond its reach.

With the funding gap widening, aid officials are now forced to make difficult decisions.

“We have been forced into a triage of human survival,” Fletcher admitted. “Too many people will not get the support they desperately need, but we will save as many lives as we can with the resources at hand.”

In practical terms, this means aid will now target the most severe emergencies first, prioritising those in “extreme or catastrophic conditions”.

Fletcher emphasised that every dollar must go where it can save the most lives, as swiftly as possible.

Macron calls malnutrition a ‘fight for peace’ as donors pledge €25bn

‘Catastrophic hunger’

Monday’s announcement came alongside a stark joint report by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Programme, which highlighted worsening hunger in 13 global hotspots.

Five countries – Sudan, the Palestinian territories, South Sudan, Haiti and Mali – are on the brink of famine, with millions at risk of starvation.

“This report is a red alert,” said WFP chief Cindy McCain. “Without urgent funding and safe access, we simply cannot save lives. The window to prevent catastrophic hunger is closing fast.”

The WFP itself is grappling with a 40 percent cut to its budget for 2025, threatening critical food assistance for 58 million people worldwide.

Despite the scale of the challenge, Fletcher insists the world must not lose hope.

“Human solidarity can still turn this tide,” he said. “With swift, united action, we can prevent the worst and protect the most vulnerable among us.”

(With newswires)

Black walls were installed on Monday around the stands of five Israeli defence firms – Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Rafael, Uvision, Elbit and Aeronautics.

Rafael, Elbit and IAI produce guided bombs and missiles, while Uvision and Aeronautics produce drones.

The booths displayed “offensive weapons” that could be used in Gaza – in violation of agreements with Israeli authorities, a French government source told France’s  AFP news agency.

“From the outset, we provided a clear framework, which was shared with the Israelis, namely a ban on the display of offensive weapons at the Paris Air Show. The Israeli embassy at Paris has agreed to this”, said the prime minister’s office.

‘Outrageous closure’

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was shocked by the “outrageous” closure of the pavilions and said the situation should be “immediately corrected”.

“Israeli companies have signed contracts with the organisers… it’s like creating an Israeli ghetto,” he said on French television channel LCI.

The Israeli defence ministry said in a statement that the “outrageous and unprecedented decision reeks of policy-driven and commercial considerations”.

“The French are hiding behind supposedly political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from an international exhibition – weapons that compete with French industries,” it said.

“This is particularly striking given Israeli technologies’ impressive and precise performance in Iran.”

Israel launched surprise strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites on Friday, killing top commanders and scientists, prompting Tehran to hit back with a barrage of missiles.

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

Downsized Israeli participation

IAI’s president and CEO, Boaz Levy, said the black partition walls were reminiscent of “the dark days of when Jews were segmented from European society”.

Some 75 companies related to weapons production were set to participate at the show which opened on Monday, with military jets, helicopters and drones on display.

Four of the nine Israeli stands remained open, but the Israeli presence is smaller than in the past.

Last week a French court rejected a bid by NGOs to ban all Israeli companies from Le Bourget air shows over concerns about international crimes in Gaza.

Local lawmakers from the Seine-Saint-Denis department hosting the event were absent during French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou‘s visit to the opening of the air show in protest over the Israeli presence.

“Never has the world been so disrupted and destabilised,” Bayrou said at the opening, urging nations to tackle challenges “together, not against each other”.

More than 2,400 companies from 48 countries are showing off their hardware at the weeklong event at the Le Bourget airfield, north of Paris.

(with newswires)

The political temperature is rising in Côte d’Ivoire as President Ouattara’s ruling party prepares to confirm his likely bid for a fourth term.

For their part, opposition groups continue to protest the exclusion of their key candidates from the upcoming presidential election.

On Sunday, thousands of supporters of the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) gathered in Yopougon, a densely populated neighbourhood of Abidjan, to show support for Ouattara – widely known by his initials, ADO.

The weekend rally followed weeks of local meetings and set the stage for the party’s official congress next weekend, where his candidacy is expected to be endorsed.

Posting on social media platform X, the ruling party called on supporters to join in a rally on 21 and 22 June with the message “Together, let’s build a peaceful Côte d’Ivoire.”

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

Ruling party congress

A large banner behind the stage declared “In Yopougon our champion is ADO” as senior party figures called on supporters to back the long-serving leader once more. “There is only one road – the road of President Alassane Ouattara,” former prime minister Patrick Achi told the crowd.

He added that under Ouattara, Côte d’Ivoire would continue to develop and provide more opportunities for young people.

Ouattara, now 83, has not yet publicly confirmed whether he will stand for re-election, although in January he said he was “eager to continue serving his country”.

His supporters expect a formal announcement at the RHDP congress on 21 – 22 June, which will end with a rally at Ebimpe Stadium, where the national football team recently celebrated its Africa Cup of Nations victory.

Opposition protest candidates’ ban

Meanwhile, frustration is growing among opposition parties after four prominent figures were disqualified from the upcoming October poll.

Just a day before the pro-Ouattara rally, thousands of opposition supporters marched through Abidjan in the rain, demanding that the banned candidates be reinstated.

The main focus of the protests is Tidjane Thiam, leader of the Democratic Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI) – the country’s largest opposition group.

Thiam, a well-known figure internationally, was removed from the voter register in April after a court raised questions about his nationality status at the time of registration.

PDCI activists marched to the gates of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), chanting “Titi for president” – using Thiam’s nickname  – and accusing the electoral body and courts of political interference.

Four Côte d’Ivoire opposition figures barred from October presidential election

Need for change

“Things need to change,” 64-year-old protester Agnero Gnagne told the French news agency AFP, who claimed the country was being run in an increasingly authoritarian manner.

Thiam, who has spent recent months abroad, addressed supporters in a video message, urging them to stay mobilised. “This is not just about me – this is about democracy in our country,” he said, promising to return to Abidjan soon.

Others barred from standing include former president Laurent Gbagbo, ex-youth leader Charles Blé Goudé and exiled former prime minister Guillaume Soro – all excluded on the basis of past convictions.

Opposition figures argue that these bans are politically motivated and undermine the credibility of the election.

Despite the high tensions, Saturday’s protest remained peaceful, with demonstrators blocked by police a short distance from the electoral commission’s offices.

Party officials were allowed inside briefly to submit a formal complaint.

Wearing a shirt emblazoned with the words “No Reforms, No Election,” the Tanzanian politician Tundu Lissu told the judge that, despite not being sentenced yet, he has been placed in the prison’s death row section.

“I am under constant surveillance by day and night,” Lissu said, adding he has also been “denied the freedom to worship”.

Lissu has been detained since April, a move denounced by international rights groups and monitors who have called for his release. He was charged with treason, but his trial has been adjourned several times.

Lissu has been arrested several times in the past, but this is the first time he has faced such a serious charge, including a potential death sentence.

This comes as authorities in the east African country increasingly crack down on Lissu’s opposition Chadema party ahead of presidential and parliamentary polls in October.

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

Denial of justice

Lissu told the packed courtroom on Monday morning that he had been denied confidential access to his lawyers since his detention.

“All the 68 days they have not been allowed to see me or speak to me,” he said.

“It is time to step aside and let me do what I must do. From now on I will be my own lawyer,” he said.

Chadema was disqualified from the upcoming elections after it refused to sign an electoral code of conduct.

Lissu has led a forceful charge against the Tanazanian government, vowing his party would not participate in polls without significant electoral reforms.

Kenyan politician, lawyer for Tanzania opposition leader arrested

UN request

Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have called for Lissu’s unconditional release.

A week ago, on RFI’s Spotlight on Africa, Tundu Lissu’s international lawyer, Robert Amsterdam, said he had lodged a complaint with the UN Working Group as part of a broader campaign of pressure.

Lissu’s party has also accused President Samia Suluhu Hassan of returning to the repressive tactics of her predecessor, John Magufuli.

In May, two activists from Kenya and Uganda were also detained after travelling to Tanzania in solidarity with the opposition leader, both alleging torture and sexual abuse by the officers who detained them.

Chadema is Tanzania’s main opposition party but was disqualified from running in this year’s general election in April, after it refused to sign an electoral code of conduct, just a few days after its leader was charged with treason.

 (with AFP)

Several Tuareg community organisations filed a complaint with the office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Sunday, according to RFI‘s correspondent.

The complaint targets the Malian Armed Forces (FAMA), the Burkinabe Forces, and Russian mercenaries from the Africa Corps, which recently replaced the Wagner group in Africa.

The charities Imouhagh International, Kel Akal, Diaspora of the United States, and the Azawad Solidarity Association accuse them of crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Wagner gets replaced in Mali by Africa Corp, another Russian military group

Serious crimes

The groups say the crimes against humanity and war crimes reported to the prosecutor of the ICC have been committed in Mali and Burkina Faso since 2022.

They include murders, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, looting, and torture, including the discovery in April in Kwala, Mali, of 60 bodies of civilians, visibly tortured, according to these organisations.

They point to the use of mercenaries from Africa Corps – the former Wagner – in the repressive operations carried out by the armies of both countries.

International investigation reveals Wagner Group’s secret prisons in Mali

Mali’s first case

The ICC had already opened an investigation into crimes committed in Mali, following the occupation of Timbuktu in 2012, at the time at the government’s own request.

But the departure of French and UN forces – in 2022 and 2024 – has made the court’s operations on the ground very difficult.

To investigate the crimes committed in Burkina Faso, the prosecutor would need to secure approval from the ICC judges, unless the Burkinabe government decides to refer the case itself.

With this complaint lodged in The Hague, the four plaintiff organisations say they intend to make “a major political and legal statement” to enable Sahelian victims to obtain “recognition, justice and reparation.”

Félix, 34, a former executive of French waste management firm Veolia, was arrested in early August 2023 on the island resort of Langkawi, where he was hoping to open a restaurant.

Police found several hundred grams of cannabis in a common area of the house he shared with his Malaysian business partner, who was also arrested.

Félix’s lawyer Collin Andrew said the hearing began Monday at the Alor Setar High Court in northwestern Malaysia and was then ajourned until Tuesday after the first witness had not brought all the necessary documents to court.

The trial was scheduled to end on Thursday, but it was not known whether sentencing would take place immediately afterwards.

Félix faces the death penalty, or “104 years of cumulative imprisonment, 54 strokes with a cane and a 27,000 euro fine,” his mother Sylvie Félix told France’s AFP news agency.

Drug possession and trafficking are serious crimes in Malaysia that can still carry the death sentence if the amounts are above a certain threshold.

Death sentences, however, are no longer mandatory and no executions have taken place since 2018.

Frenchman on death row in Indonesia leaves jail ahead of transfer home

‘Terrible’ conditions in prison

Felix’s parents spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron about his case during a recent state visit to neighbouring Singapore, where they live.

“He heard us and said that this situation is indeed unacceptable and that he would do everything possible to ensure Tom’s release,” Félix’s mother said.

His family insists that, during the investigation, Tom was “exonerated” by his partner, but that the Malaysian police did not take this into account.

Since his arrest 22 months ago, Félix has been held in Perlis prison in “terrible” conditions, according to his lawyer and family.

In footage taken from a documentary broadcast on M6’s 66 Minutes in December 2024, the detainee appears emaciated and refers to his “total despair”.

“It’s not always easy to keep him fighting,” his mother told Le Parisien daily in December 2024.

Global executions at highest level in almost a decade, says Amnesty

“He also has suicidal thoughts; he told me he felt like swallowing a box of sleeping pills and never waking up again.”

Serge Atlaoui, a Frenchman who was held on death row in Indonesia for drug offences was released in February and returned to France.

Jakarta left it to the French government to grant Atlaoui – the only Frenchman on death row in Indonesia – “clemency, amnesty or a reduced sentence”.

 (with newswires)

Lenny Martinez from France won the final stage on Sunday between Val-d’Arc to Plateau du Mont-Cenis.

The 21-year-old Team Bahrain Victorious cyclist finished the 133.3km stage in three hours, 34 minutes and 18 seconds.

Jonas Vingegaard from Team Visma–Lease a Bike was second – 34 seconds later – and Pogacar finished third to take the overall prize.

The 26-year-old UAE Team Emirates XRG won three of the stages and completed the 1199.6km course in 29 hours, 19 minutes and 46 seconds. Vingegaard was 59 seconds behind. Florian Lipowitz was third.

“It’s been a really amazing week,” Pogacar said. “Once again, the team did a great job. We managed to defend the [yellow] jersey and we can go home happy and prepare for the Tour de France.”

During the final stage, Pogacar reacted with ease to Vingegaard’s last-ditch attack for glory on the final climb to Col du Mont-Cenis.

Attack in mountains

After winning the opening stage by outsprinting Vingegaard and Mathieu van der Poel, Pogacar made his move in the mountains.

He took charge by winning the sixth stage on Friday when he climbed to the finish line alone to beat Vingegaard by 61 seconds and take an overall lead of 43 seconds over the 28-year-old Dane.

Pogacar captured the seventh stage on Saturday between Grand-Aigueblanche and Valmeinier 1800 in similar fashion. He finished the 131.6km stretch in four hours and 10 minutes.

Tour de France ‘comes home’ as 2025 route unveiled

“There’s a lot of positives from this week and we turned all the negatives into positives, so it’s all good,” said Pogacar, who claimed a 99th career victory in the 77th edition of the competition.

“There’s not much to do ahead of the Tour de France,” he added. “I will rest a bit, maybe do some extra work for the time trial, and then I’m ready.”

The 2025 Tour de France runs from 5-27 July. It starts with a 184.9km race around Lille and culminates three weeks later with a 132.3km surge from Mantes-la-Ville to the Champs-Elysées in Paris.

Pogacar will attempt to become only the sixth man to win four or more Tours in the 123-year history of the race.

Alcaraz saved three match points during the final in Paris before overcoming Sinner after five hours and 29 minutes.

The 22-year-old Spaniard will begin his tilt for a third consecutive Wimbledon title at the Queen’s Club championships in west London.

Sinner, 23, will defend his crown in Halle, central Germany.

“I’ve had a few sleepless nights since the final in Paris,” Sinner said after a practice session on the grass courts at Halle.

“It’s not easy to get over that. But it has got better with every day that has passed. You then have to focus on what tasks lie ahead.

“The best way to get rid of the negative thoughts is to play another tournament,” the Italian added.

“Then, quite simply, you have to perform at your best on the court again. I’m definitely mentally ready again for every match here in Halle. The first training session was still a bit difficult. But here too, the feeling gets better with every shot.”

Sinner won his first tournament in Halle shortly after he rose to number one in the ATP world rankings.

Year as number one

Just over a year after his first rise to pole position he remains the top dog – a feat only Jimmy Connors, Lleyton Hewitt, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have achieved since the current rankings system was established in August 1973.

“It’s an honour for me to be part of such a group,” Sinner said. “On the other hand, you write your own story all quite apart from these statistics.”

Sinner will feature in the first round of the doubles on Monday with compatriot Lorenzo Sonego against Karen Khachanov and Alex Michelsen before playing in the singles on Tuesday against Yannick Hanfmann from Germany.

“It’s obviously a very special moment to come back to Halle, where I won my first tournament as number one,” Sinner added. 

“That was simply a big milestone, something that will always have a special place in my career.”

Roland Garros: Five things we learned on Day 15: no new name on the cup

Alcaraz, who spent three days in Ibiza celebrating his epic victory in Paris, kicks off his bid for a second Queen’s trophy on Tuesday against compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

“I went out on the first day, and the other two I didn’t go out at night,” said Alcaraz of his trip to the Spanish island with his friends.

“I went to bed at midnight on both of those occasions although I did go out in the early evening. I’m getting older and my body can’t take it any more.”

At Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024, Alcaraz beat Djokovic to hoist one of the most prestigious prizes in sport.

Should Alcaraz triumph on 13 July, he will join Federer, Djokovic, Pete Sampras and Bjorn Borg as the only men to have won three consecutive crowns since tennis was opened up to professional players in 1968.

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.”

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)

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)

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.