The new rules, which came into effect at the weekend, prohibit smoking on beaches during bathing season, in public parks, and at bus stops during operating hours.  

Smokers are also barred from lighting up near schools, libraries, swimming pools and sports grounds. Anyone caught breaking the ban faces a fine of €135, which can rise to €750 for serious cases. 

Tonnes of waste 

Each year French smokers toss away up to 25,000 tonnes of cigarette butts – more than twice the weight of the Eiffel Tower. 

The filters are made of plastic, not cotton, and break apart into tiny fibres that leach chemicals into soil and water. 

By stopping cigarette litter at the source, the ban should make a noticeable difference, said Chris Dorsett, vice president of conservation at Ocean Conservancy. 

The US-based non-profit, which works to protect the world’s oceans, has run its International Coastal Cleanup – a global network of volunteers who collect rubbish from beaches and waterways – since 1986. 

Calls for France to follow UK with generational tobacco ban

In that time more than 63 million cigarette butts have been collected worldwide. In Europe alone, more than 320,000 were picked up from coasts and waterways last year. 

“Cigarette butts are unfortunately a problem across the globe in terms of the number we find,” Dorsett said.  

“The two big problems are that they are made up of microplastics that break down into smaller pieces and pose a problem for marine wildlife.  

“Microplastics can interfere with the digestive systems of fish species.”  

The butts also leak nicotine, heavy metals and other toxic chemicals into sand and water. According to the French Ministry of Ecological Transition, a single cigarette butt can contaminate up to 500 litres of water. 

Single-use plastic 

The filters in cigarette butts are classed as single-use plastics under EU rules.  

While the EU has not banned cigarette filters outright, it does make tobacco companies pay for clean-ups under the “polluter pays” rule.  

France was the first EU country to force this cost onto the industry, but local councils still spend about €100 million each year clearing up discarded butts. 

Environmental groups say many smokers still see filters as harmless waste rather than plastic pollution – something Ocean Conservancy wants to change. 

Cigarette butts, the plastic pollution that’s hiding in plain sight

Few people realise that filters are plastic waste, said Anja Brandon, Ocean Conservancy’s director of plastics policy. 

“Many people are surprised to learn that cigarette butts are also single-use plastics. In fact, they are the most common single-use plastic found polluting beaches and waterways worldwide,” Brandon said. 

Brandon said bans can be an effective tool – especially when combined with other awareness measures. 

“When it comes to preventing plastic pollution, we know that bans work. A recent study on plastic bags showed these policies lead to a 25 to 47 percent reduction in plastic bag pollution on beaches and waterways where they are implemented.” 

‘Smoke-free generation’ 

France wants to create a “smoke-free generation” by 2032 – meaning fewer than 5 percent of 18-year-olds smoking daily. The main aim of the ban is to protect children from second-hand smoke, said French Health Minister Catherine Vautrin.  

France has one of the highest smoking rates in Europe, with about 23 percent of adults lighting up every day and around 15 percent of 17-year-olds smoking regularly.  

In Paris alone, about two billion cigarette butts end up on the streets each year. Despite the “polluter pays” rule, clean-up costs remain high and awareness is still lacking.  

French smokers give up on quitting as 12 million people light up daily: study

“It’s easy to toss a cigarette butt on the beach or into the water,” Dorsett explained. “But when people know these generate microplastics, leach chemicals and that children play on the beach, that’s when we see changes in behaviour.” 

Environmental groups, however, want France to go further. Café terraces are not included in the new ban and electronic cigarettes are still allowed. 

Dorsett said he hopes France’s move will push other countries to act too.  

“When countries or municipalities have the courage to take these kinds of measures, you tend to find that others will as well,” he said. 

The small boat had departed France early on 14 December, 2022, carrying people from Afghanistan, Albania, India and Senegal.

Four people died and four went missing after the boat capsized a few kilometres from the English coast with only one of the bodies identified – an Afghan man.

Rescuers saved 39 people from the shipwreck.

At least four migrants die, dozens rescued in latest Channel crossing tragedy

A court in the northern city of Lille sentenced three men to eight years behind bars. They included an Afghan being tried in absentia and thought to be the mastermind of the smuggling operation.

It handed the rest seven-year sentences over the disaster, including two Afghan brothers accused of financing the operation.

Another Afghan admitted to summoning passengers for the crossing, although he claimed he did it after being threatened.

The court ordered all to pay €50,000 to €100,000 in fines, and to leave French territory at the end of their sentences.

A tenth man who is being held in Belgium is to be tried at a later date.

Lucrative illegal trade

A British court has already sentenced a Senegalese minor who drove the boat to nine years in jail, French prosecutors said.

During the trial earlier this month, the prosecutor said the dinghy involved in the accident had been “completely unsuitable for navigation on high seas”.

She said the defendants had been benefitting from a “highly lucrative” illegal trade, with migrants paying on average €3,500 euros ($4,000) for the crossing.

Migrant deaths hit new record in 2024 with at least 8,938 lives lost

According to the investigation, several people heard a loud bang that sounded like the dinghy had been punctured before the departure.

The smugglers told the passengers not to worry and that the boat was the only one available for the crossing.

But the sea was rough and there were not enough life jackets for all the passengers.

Those who died were not wearing any, according to the testimony of survivors.

After one or two hours, the boat filled with water and panicked passengers stood up to get the attention of another ship.

But the hull of the capsizing boat burst under the weight of the water, throwing the passengers into the freezing sea.

Perilous journey

The 2022 accident was one of the deadliest in the Channel in recent years.

In November 2021, another deadly incident killed 27 people off the French coast, in a case that has not yet gone to court.

At least 17 people have died attempting the perilous Channel crossing from France to Britain this year, after a record 78 lost their lives last year.

As part of efforts to stem migrant crossings, French authorities intervene on land to try to prevent boats leaving.

They also intervene at sea but only to rescue passengers if a boat asks for help.

Paris says it is now considering also stopping migrant boats in its shallow coastal waters, though the move raises both safety and legal issues.

(with AFP)

Dozens of world leaders and more than 4,000 representatives from businesses, civil society and financial institutions are gathering in the city of Seville for a four-day conference opening on 30 June, to seek fresh impetus for the crisis-hit aid sector.

But the United States is snubbing the biggest such talks in a decade, underlining the erosion of international cooperation on combating hunger, disease and climate change.

Guterres told delegates at the opening of the conference that two-thirds of United Nations sustainable development goals set for 2030 were “lagging” and more than $4.0 trillion (€3.4 trillion) of annual investment would be needed to achieve them.

US President Donald Trump’s gutting of his country’s development agency, USAID, is the standout example.

Germany, Britain and France are also making cuts while they boost spending in areas such as defence.

International charity Oxfam says the cuts to development aid are the largest since 1960.

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

More than 800 million people live on less than $3.0 a day, according to the World Bank, with rising extreme poverty affecting sub-Saharan Africa in particular.

Disruption to global trade from Trump’s tariffs and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine have dealt further blows to the diplomatic cohesion necessary for concentrating efforts on helping countries escape poverty.

The crisis meant children going unvaccinated, girls dropping out of school and families suffering hunger, said Guterres.

He urged the international community to “change course” and “repair and rev up the engine of development to accelerate investment” in “a world shaken by inequalities, climate chaos and raging conflicts”.

A blistering heatwave that is scorching southern Europe welcomed the delegates to the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, an example of the extreme weather that scientists say human-driven climate change is fuelling.

Reforming international finance

Kenya’s William Ruto, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa, Angolan leader Joao Lourenco and Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan were among prominent Global South leaders in Seville.

Among the key topics up for discussion is reforming international finance to help poorer countries shrug off a growing debt burden that inhibits their capacity to achieve progress in health and education.

The total external debt of the group of least developed countries has more than tripled in 15 years, according to UN data.

Critics have singled out US-based bulwarks of the post-World War II international financial system, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, for reform to improve their representation of the Global South.

World Bank cuts growth forecast on trade tumult

Painstaking talks in New York in June produced a common declaration to be adopted in Seville that only went ahead after the United States walked out.

The document reaffirms commitment to the UN development goals such as eliminating poverty and hunger, promoting gender equality, reforming tax systems and international financial institutions.

The text also calls on development banks to triple their lending capacity, urges lenders to ensure predictable finance for essential social spending and for more cooperation against tax evasion.

‘Rising global inequality’

Coalitions of countries will seek to spearhead initiatives in addition to the so-called “Seville Commitment“, which is not legally binding.

But campaigners have criticised the text for lacking ambition and have rung alarm bells about rising global inequality.

Hundreds of demonstrators braved the sizzling heat in Seville on Sunday to demand change in international tax, debt and aid policies.

“Global South countries will never be able to decide how they want to do development if they are bound to the new colonial debt,” protester Ilan Henzler, 28, told French news agency AFP.

(with AFP)

France, Italy, Portugal and Spain have been sweltering for several days and several regions are on red alert. In Spain, temperatures reached 46C Saturday in El Granado.

The heatwave is driven by a heat dome – a strong anticyclone that traps warm air and prevents cooler systems from entering.

Only a small sliver of the country in the northwest was not sweltering, according to the Météo France weather service, which said the heatwave was due to peak on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“This is unprecedented,” Agnes Pannier-Runacher, France’s ecology transition minister said as a record 84 of the nation’s 96 mainland departments were placed on the second-highest “orange” heat alert.

First heatwave of the summer

The summer’s first major heatwave has seen authorities in the countries along the Mediterranean’s northern coast urging people to seek shelter.

Ambulances stood on standby near tourist hotspots as experts warned that such heatwaves, intensified by climate change, would become more frequent.

 Already last week, Greek firefighters had to battle a forest blaze on the coast south of Athens that forced some evacuations.

Firefighters were on standby after blazes broke out Sunday in France and Turkey, fed by the heat and strong winds.

Wildfires broke out in the Corbieres area of Aude in the southwest, where temperatures topped 40 degrees, forcing the evacuation of a campsite and abbey as a precaution.

The south of the country saw highs of more than 40 degrees Celsius Sunday, with temperatures between 35C and 38C across the region, national weather service Meteo-France said.

It reported 40.1C in the village of Vinsobres in the southeast.

More killer heat and rising seas likely in next five years, UN warns

The crushing temperatures which began in the south of the country on Friday will have spread to nearly all of France by Monday, with highs of 37 to 40 degrees Celsius forecast along the Mediterranean.

The number of departments under orange alert – the second-highest level – will rise to 84 on Monday, with temperatures expected to peak Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing highs of up to 41C.

An interministerial crisis meeting on the heatwave was convened Sunday evening to review health guidelines in particular, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau told BFMTV.

Some cities have already closed schools for the beginning of the week, as a protective measure.

‘Urban heat islands’

Elsewhere in Europe, 21 cities across Italy were also on high alert for extreme heat, including Milan, Naples, Venice, Florence, Rome and Catania.

Two-thirds of Portugal was also on high alert Sunday for extreme heat and forest fires, while several areas in the south, including Lisbon, were under a red warning until Monday night, according to authorities.

Scientists say climate change is stoking hotter and more intense heatwaves, particularly in cities where the so-called “urban heat island” effect amplifies temperatures among tightly packed buildings.

“The heat waves in the Mediterranean region have become more frequent and more intense in recent years,” said Emanuela Piervitali, a researcher at the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA).

“A further increase in temperature and heat extremes is expected in the future, so we will have to get used to temperatures with peaks even higher than those we are experiencing now,” she told French news agency AFP.

(with newswires)

Tehran has accused Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, of “betrayal of his duties” for not condemning the Israeli and US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, and Iranian lawmakers this week voted to suspend cooperation with the agency.

“France, Germany and the United Kingdom condemn threats against the director general of the IAEA Rafael Grossi and reiterate our full support to the agency,” foreign ministers Jean-Noël Barrot, Johann Wadephul and David Lammy said in a joint statement.

“We call on Iranian authorities to refrain from any steps to cease cooperation with the IAEA,” they added.

“We urge Iran to immediately resume full cooperation in line with its legally binding obligations, and to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of IAEA personnel.”

Excuse

On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X that Grossi’s insistence on visiting the bombed sites was “meaningless and possibly even malign in intent”.

Iran has said it believes an IAEA resolution on 12 June that accused Iran of ignoring its nuclear obligations served as an “excuse” for the war that Israel launched on 13 June and that ended with a fragile ceasefire last week.

Iran nuclear sites suffered ‘enormous damage’, IAEA chief tells RFI

Argentina, Rafael Grossi’s home country, has also slammed “threats” against him from Iran.

None specified which threats they were referring to, but Iran’s ultra-conservative Kayhan newspaper recently claimed documents showed Grossi was an Israeli spy and should be executed.

Speaking to US broadcaster CBS on Sunday, Iranian ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani denied there was any threat to nuclear inspectors in Iran, insisting they were “in safe conditions” but their work was suspended.

Downplayed damage

Questions remain as to how much damage the US strikes did to Iran’s nuclear programme, with President Donald Trump and his officials insisting it had been “obliterated”.

On Sunday, however, The Washington Post reported that the United States had intercepted calls between Iranian officials who said the damage was less than expected.

That followed an early “low confidence” US military intelligence report that said the nuclear programme had been set back months, not years.

Trump says US attack ‘obliterated’ Iran nuclear sites

Israel has said Iran’s programme was delayed by years, while Tehran has downplayed the damage.

The IAEA said Iran had been enriching uranium to 60 percent, far above the levels needed for civilian nuclear power, although Grossi previously noted there had been no indication before the strikes that Iran was working to build an atomic weapon.

On Saturday, Grossi told CBS Iran likely will be able to begin to produce enriched uranium “in a matter of months,” despite damage.

Israel has maintained ambiguity about its own nuclear arsenal, neither officially confirming nor denying it exists, but the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) has estimated it has 90 nuclear warheads.

(with AFP)

Gleizes, 36, was ordered by the court in Tizi Ouzou, northern Algeria, to be immediately incarcerated, RSF said Sunday.

“He has now been unjustly convicted and imprisoned for simply doing his job,” it said.

France’s AFP news agency reported that Gleizes had been taken to Tizo Ouzou prison straight after his conviction. After filing his appeal, the case would be heard in October at the earliest.

Gleizes, who has co-authored a book about football in Africa, travelled to Algeria in May 2024 to write about the local Tizi Ouzou football club Jeunesse Sportive de Kabylie (JSK) – named after Algeria’s Kabylie region, home to the Berber Kabyle people.

He was arrested on 28 May and placed under judicial control and prevented from leaving the country, RSF said.

He was charged with “glorifying terrorism” and “possessing publications for propaganda purposes harmful to national interests”.

Berbers mark 20 years since Algeria’s ‘Black Spring’ protests

Family and employer ‘in shock’

RSF says the charges alleging terrorism and propaganda are “baseless” and stem from 2015 and 2017 when Gleizes was in contact with a Tizi Ouzou football figure prominent in the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (MAK) – designated a “terrorist” organisation by the Algerian authorities in 2021. 

“The first two interactions between Christophe Gleizes and this individual occurred well before this designation,” it said, adding he had also not concealed contacting the person again in 2024 as part of preparations for the report.

“Christophe Gleizes has been subjected to an absurd judicial control order for over a year,” said Thibaut Bruttin, RSF’s director general.

“His seven-year sentence is nonsensical and demonstrates one thing: today, nothing escapes politics,” he added.

Gleizes’ employer So Foot, said he’d been “imprisoned for doing his job”.

“His loved ones and editorial team are in shock,” it added.

With Franco-Algerian relations at an all-time low, can they get back on track?

The jailing of Gleizes comes as a time of growing tension between France and its former colony Algeria.

Algeria arrested and jailed French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal in November on national security charges and has defied calls from President Emmanuel Macron for his release.

Macron angered Algiers in July 2024 when he backed Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara, where Algeria backs the pro-independence Polisario Front.

(with newswires)

The bilateral commission, the first of its kind since 2019, marks a cautious reopening of dialogue over the Îles Éparses (Scattered Islands) – five islets run by France but claimed by Madagascar since the 1970s.

All the islands are nature preserves with a total land area of just 43km². But they each come with an exclusive economic zone (EEZ), giving the governing country rights to resources in more than 640,000km² of nearby waters full of fish and possible gas reserves.

In the colonial period, all the islands were part of Madagascar, which was under French rule from 1896 to 1960. They were split off just before Madagascar gained independence. Two UN General Assembly votes in 1979 and 1980 said the move was illegal and called for the islands to be returned.

“Madagascar remains attached to a solution respectful of its historical rights and international law,” said Malagasy Foreign Minister Rasata Rafaravavitafika ahead of the talks. “Every step forward is a recognition of the legitimacy of our claim.”

France, Madagascar target sovereignty accord over Scattered islands

Strategic stakes

France keeps only a small presence on the islands – a few military staff, a police officer and visits from state officials. Environmental rules brought in 1975 to protect turtles and seabird nests have also limited any development.

But the islands have clear strategic weight. They are part of what experts call France’s “triangle of power” in the region, along with Mayotte and Réunion island.

“These islands are strategic buffers,” historian Samuel Sanchez told France 24. “They might seem unused now, but their future value is immense. That’s why France won’t just give them up.”

The Mozambique Channel – through which these islands are scattered – is a major transit route for international trade. It is rich in gas and oil and is seen as even more important when other routes like the Suez Canal are blocked.

At home, the islands are also a political issue in Madagascar, where calls for full sovereignty are a source of national pride. “The claim is mostly symbolic,” said Sanchez.

“It wouldn’t change much economically. Madagascar struggles to patrol its own waters – illegal fishing is rampant – but politically, any president who secures the islands would win huge domestic support.”

Macron seeks ‘forgiveness’ for colonialism on visit to Madagascar

Economic cooperation a priority

A joint French-Malagasy commission has been set up to look at future cooperation on the islands. But Macron has ruled out giving up sovereignty and instead wants shared management.

During his recent state visit to Madagascar, France signed deals for new development projects in rice farming, road building and food processing. Extra funding was promised for the long-delayed Volobe hydroelectric dam.

“Helping a country where 80 percent of the population lives below the poverty line to succeed is far more important,” Macron argued, than pursuing a territorial claim.

However opposition figures in Madagascar have denounced France’s refusal to cede sovereignty and are calling for Rajoelina to push for a full handover, similar to the 2024 deal for Britain to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

“We want a clear and firm response from Andry Rajoelina,” said opposition leader Hajo Andrianainarivelo. “Sovereignty is not negotiable.”

Others, like Tamatave MP Roland Ratsiraka, do not want the islands returned under the current government, fearing poor management or land deals.

“We can’t even manage our protected areas or marine resources,” he said.

Every morning, Mama Evans places a plastic chair outside her mabati house in Kayole and waits. It’s the same spot where her 22-year-old son, Evans used to sit before he vanished during last year’s protests driven by Gen Z (generation of people born between 1997 – 2012).

“One year. No answers. No body. Just silence,” she says, gripping a worn photograph of him in a graduation gown. “If he’s gone, let them give me his body. I just want to bury my son.”

The 2024 finance bill was the spark that set off what was already an explosive social situation.

It proposed sweeping tax hikes on essential goods and digital services burdens falling squarely on a young population already grappling with unemployment and rising living costs.

‘Fearless’

By June 2024, thousands of young Kenyans, many in their early 20s, had taken to the streets, organised not by political parties or unions, but by spontaneous online coordination, carried by hashtags and influencers.

“Gen Z did what older generations feared: they called out the system with no apologies,” Dr. Samora Mwaura, a youth policy expert based in Nairobi tells RFI.

“They were the heartbeat of a new kind of politics: raw, informed, and fearless.”

The protests quickly spread from Nairobi to Kisumu, Eldoret, Mombasa, and Nakuru. But what began as peaceful marches soon turned deadly.

A trail of trauma

In Mathare, Kevin Otieno is learning to walk again. A year ago, the 25-year-old boda boda (motorcycle taxi) rider was caught in police crossfire on his way to make a delivery.

“They shot me in the leg. I wasn’t even part of the protest that day,” he says, lifting his jeans to show the metal brace screwed into his thigh. “Since then, I’ve lost my job, my independence, and my peace.”

Kevin’s story is echoed in hospitals, homes, and informal settlements across the country.

According to local human rights groups, at least 39 protesters were killed, hundreds injured, and scores went missing during the police crackdown.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights called for investigations, but prosecutions have been slow or nonexistent.

“We’ve documented arbitrary arrests, disappearances, and excessive force,” says Mary Wanjiku, a legal officer. “Yet accountability remains elusive.”

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

From protests to political power

Despite the pain, the protests ignited something lasting. For the first time in decades, youth particularly Gen Z became a decisive force in shaping national discourse.

Their activism led to the recall of several tax proposals and forced President William Ruto’s administration into dialogue.

Politicians, once dismissive of social media activism, began hosting X (formerly Twitter) Spaces and TikTok forums to engage young voters.

“Something shifted,” explains Lydia Wanjiru, a professor at the University of Nairobi. “Gen Z became both a moral and political voice. They know their power now and the country knows it too.”

Grassroots movements born in the protests have since evolved into civic tech platforms, voter registration drives, and online watchdog groups. A year later, Gen Z’s presence remains visible not just in protests, but in policy.

Can Kenyan youth protests spark real police reform one year on?

Cry for justice

Yet for families like Mama Evans’, the political wins offer little comfort.

“People move on. But for me, every day is July 2024,” she says, brushing a tear from her cheek. Her home is now a shrine of sorts Evans’ clothes folded neatly, his phone untouched, his slippers by the door.

Authorities initially promised DNA testing of unclaimed bodies at City Mortuary. She submitted samples. Months passed. Still nothing.

“Just tell me the truth. I can take it,” she whispers. “This waiting is the hardest part.”

Then, after a pause, her voice hardens: “For years we’ve cried for justice and they’ve given us more coffins.”

What Next?

As Kenya marks the one-year anniversary of the Gen Z uprising, the country stands at a crossroads. The youth movement has cracked open the political conversation but the state’s reluctance to deliver justice threatens to undo the trust it inspired.

“There can be no healing without accountability,” says Dr. Mwaura. “Otherwise, we are just postponing the next eruption.”

One year on, the fire has not gone out. Across Nairobi, Kisumu, and parts of the coast, small pockets of protests have flared again, this time against ongoing extrajudicial killings and police brutality, particularly in connection to the death of teacher Albert Ojwang in custody.

From placards to petitions, Kenya’s youth continue to demand an end to state violence.

Mama Evans agrees. But for now, her revolution is quiet, a candle burning next to Evans’ photo, a prayer whispered every night, a hope that somehow, one day, someone will knock on her gate with the truth.

The exhibition brings together 275 objects and works of art from across the Mediterranean region, loaned by more than 70 French and international institutions such as the Quai Branly Museum in Paris, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Glyptothek in Munich, and the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in Kyiv.

Organised into thematic chapters, the exhibition draws on art history, gender studies, and postcolonial research to explore the Mediterranean’s cultural exchanges.  

RFI talked to Nicolas Misery, curator of the exhibition and director of the museums of Marseille.

RFI: Has tattooing been used in the Mediterranean more than elsewhere?

Nicolas Misery: Actually, it’s mostly about identifying these tattooing practices, which have remained relatively unknown and largely unnoticed among specialists.

There have been projects dedicated to tattooing, but they focused more on Oceania, the Americas, sometimes on Russia and Eastern Europe.

In fact, what specifically dealt with the Mediterranean has remained somewhat neglected in research – even though many Mediterranean cultures have been practising tattooing in various forms and with specific characteristics for several millennia. It was time to highlight this for the public.

RFI: What is the link between tattooing and the city of Marseille?

NM: It turns out that Marseille plays a central role in the art of tattooing.

Today, in Marseille – perhaps more than anywhere else – people get tattoos to evoke a person they love, a friend, family, or a romantic attachment. People also get tattoos to celebrate their city. Perhaps also to celebrate their football club.

I believe this is the sign of a unique relationship to the body. It reflects the light and the warmth of Marseille by the sea.

It is also a sign of how cosmopolitan Marseille is, since the bodies in Marseille tell us, through tattooing, about the movement of individuals and communities from antiquity to today. They ultimately come together and engage in a dialogue on the skin of individuals.

RFI: Why is this exhibition being held at the Vieille Charité in Marseille?

NM: The Vieille Charité centre is more than just a museum – it’s a cultural hub where heritage collections come together, notably those of the Museum of Mediterranean Archaeology and the Museum of African, Oceanian, and Amerindian Art.

It’s also a place that, in recent years, has been dedicated to contemporary creation. Right now, we’re presenting an exhibition by Laure Prouvost in the Chapel of the Vieille Charité.

It’s a space where we host concerts, talks, film screenings – and I believe tattooing fits perfectly within this transdisciplinary approach.

RFI: A section of the exhibition is dedicated to the practice of tattooing in North Africa – particularly in the Amazigh culture.

NM: We wanted to discuss these ancient tattooing practices in North Africa, notably among the Amazigh societies and cultures who practised tattooing and still do, especially among women. It was for protection but also for identification, a sign of social status, or the age of an individual for example.

It is an extremely complex practice but one that exists in all countries of the Maghreb and allows for the identification of ancient traditions passed from one generation to the next.

RFI: Is there a particular room in the exhibition that speaks to you personally?

NM: I would like to highlight a section dedicated to creation in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia.

Since the 1960s, following decolonisation, many artists have been inspired by the graphism of tattoos to invent a new art form.

They are fully engaged in the artistic questions of that time, notably with regards to abstraction, while simultaneously breaking away from Western models in favour of the traditional North African practices.

This has resulted in marvellous and original creations by artists such as Choukri Mesli, Baya, Samta Benyahia and Farid Belkahia – artists rarely shown in France.

We were even fortunate to welcome the artist Denis Martinez who created an unprecedented work for this exhibition.

Denis Martinez is one of the founders of the Avant-Garde in Algeria in the 1960s, notably of the group Aouchem, an avant-garde group whose name means “tattoo”.

► “Tattoo – Histories of the Mediterranean” runs until 28 September, 2025 at the Vieille Charité in Marseille.

“The future of the world depends on the United States and Europe being partners in everything,” according to Chris Murphy, a Senator representing the US Democrats from Connecticut, speaking to RFI ahead of a crucial two-day NATO summit held in the Netherlands last Tuesday. 

“Partners in the defence of democracy, partners in trying to stop China from controlling the piping of the international economy, partners in technological development and advancement.”

Murphy, who visited Paris earlier this month, met President Macron’s top national security advisor Emmanuel Bonne.

He also lectured at Paris’ prestigious Sciences-Po and attended the Paris air show before heading to Romania for a meeting with the newly elected, pro-EU president Nicusor Dan. 

‘Picking fights’

Worried that US President Donald Trump is estranging the US’s EU partners, Murphy’s is keen to smooth over any concerns harboured by European policy makers.

“It’s painful to watch President Trump pick fights with Europe, to look to our adversaries like Russia as his closest companions,” he told RFI.

Trump has clearly divided the European, with Hungary’s Viktor Orban and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni both vocally supportive of him – while others are more wary.

“It’s an open secret that Trump’s political infrastructure has been working with Orban,” Murphy says.

“Trump doesn’t want American democracy to persevere. He wants to transition America to some form of quasi-democracy, quasi-autocracy. He’s learned lessons from people like Viktor Orban and [Turkey’s Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, who have engaged in this transition. He’s copying what they have done.”

Meloni positions herself as Europe’s ‘trump card’ on visit to White House

Despite this political shift, and Trump’s threats to pull away from certain partnerships, Murphy says “there are still a lot of folks in Congress, mostly Democrats, but Republicans too, who really want to grow this partnership” with the EU.

He admits that “Europe and the United States aren’t going to agree on everything,” but stressed that there is ” just no way to solve any of the big challenges today that confront the globe without the United States and Europe being partners.”

‘Underlying tensions’

One of the main pillars symbolising the US-EU relationship is the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

The alliance’s summit in The Hague resulted in a historic defense spending pledge, with member countries agreeing to invest 5 percent of GDP annually by 2035 – 3.5 percent for core defense capabilities and 1.5 percent for related infrastructure and innovation.

This marks a significant increase from the previous 2 percent target, aiming to strengthen NATO’s collective defense and support for Ukraine amid ongoing security challenges.

Despite this financial commitment, the summit revealed underlying tensions, notably the alliance’s dependence on US leadership under Trump and differing views on burden-sharing.

NATO backs defence hike as Trump claims victory, but doubts linger

Some members, like Spain, rejected the new spending target, while others sought exemptions, highlighting challenges in maintaining unity.

The summit prioritised economic investment over detailed strategic planning, reflecting a shift in NATO’s approach to security amid evolving geopolitical dynamics.

Looming tariffs deadline

On the economic front, Trump’s administration could extend a 9 July deadline when higher tariffs on imports from dozens of countries are set to kick in, the White House said last week.

While Trump has imposed a sweeping 10 percent tariff on most US trading partners this year, he unveiled – then halted – steeper rates on dozens of economies while negotiations took place.

The EU has put a zero-percent tariff proposal on the table – but it’s widely seen as a non-starter in talks with Washington.

 According to several diplomats, the goal at this point is rather to let Trump claim victory without agreeing a deal that would significantly hurt Europe.

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

One diplomat suggested leaders would be happy with a “Swiss cheese” agreement – with a general US levy on European imports, but enough loopholes to shield key sectors such as steel, automobiles, pharmaceuticals and aeronautics.

This would be less painful than the status quo with European companies currently facing 25-percent tariffs on steel, aluminium and auto goods exported to the United States, and 10 percent on a majority of EU products.

 If no agreement is reached, the default tariff on EU imports is expected to double to 20 percent or even higher – Trump having at one point threatened 50 percent.

Unlike Canada or China, which hit back swiftly at Trump’s tariff hikes, the EU has consistently sought to negotiate with Trump – threatening retaliation only if no agreement is reached.

“We will not allow ourselves to be provoked, we will remain calm,” said Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever last week, urging the EU to avert an all-out trade war with Washington.

“I come from a region that has been deeply affected by war and displacement, but I wanted to use my body, my legs, my bike to send a message of peace across Africa,” said Masaisai, speaking to RFI from the Zambian capital Lusaka, where he arrived after 26 days on the road.

The triathlete, coach and lifeguard left Goma on 17 May and has completed around 2,700km of his journey.

Goma fell to Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in January but Masaisai’s “Pedals for Peace” project was planned in 2023, long before the latest crisis. It aims to showcase a different side of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – the one hidden behind the headlines.

Bringing the overlooked impact of DR Congo’s displacement crisis into focus

“I wanted to show the world that in our region, in our country, there isn’t only war, we also have very strong, very dynamic young people. And I want to say to them, use your talent to look for peace, not for war or violence.”

He hopes to unite youth across Africa, saying: “Everywhere I pass, that’s the message I carry.”

So far Masaisai has travelled through Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia. He’s travelling alone, sporting a jersey in the colours of the DRC, with a backpack weighing around 20kg.

Whenever he sees young people along the route he stops to try and start a conversation. In Tanzania he went to a high school to share his project with the students. “I tried to talk with them, to inspire them. And many, when they hear my story, they’re curious,” he says.

Masaisai was unable to find sponsorship for his project but decided to go ahead regardless – another message he wants to spread. “People say to me, oh we thought you need to have millions or sponsorship to start a project like this, but your project is successful, you inspire us.”

‘Beauty exists everywhere’: Ballet builds hope for future in Nairobi slum

The kindness of strangers

The challenges have been immense. He spoke of dangerous roads shared with massive trucks speeding by with little regard for a cyclist, and the scorching sun in Zambia and Tanzania – a shock compared to the milder climes of his native Goma.

He recalls six hours spent crossing 120km of wildlife park in Tanzania – a long and risky stretch, especially when one of your tyres bursts. “It was very difficult, there was no one to help me, you could meet wild animals or bad people.”

“Tanzania changed me,” he wrote on Instagram. “Its tough roads, long distances and heat taught me perseverance. That country made me stronger.”

What’s kept his spirits up is the goodwill he’s encountered along with way. Without sponsorship, relying entirely on the kindness of strangers, he’s discovered that African hospitality is alive and well.

“I arrive in villages, try to talk to people in Swahili, Lingala, Bemba, French or English. I explain my situation and even if they don’t know me, they give me a place to sleep, food to eat. When I see that, I realise my project is successful. I see there is this unity, this other image of Africa.”

He remembers a particularly joyful moment when, approaching Lusaka, young people who had been following his journey on social media came out to meet him and escort him into the capital.

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

‘I cannot give up’

Pedalling an average of six hours a day can be a lonely business. But he takes heart from all the messages of encouragement he receives on social media. And he keeps in mind the reason he’s on his bike.

“I think of the pain of the place I’m coming from, from Goma. I have all my sweat, my fatigue, but I remember that all my pedalling is for peace, for the displaced mothers and children. It’s for them. I cannot give up.”

As Masaisai continues south into Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, to reach his final destination in around a month’s time, he is seeking support to complete his mission.

For him, every kilometre pedalled is one more toward proving that Africa’s youth can unite, across borders, whatever the language and despite conflicts.

Follow and support Miguel Masaisai and his Pedals for Peace project on Facebook and Instagram.

The result is a growing crisis for West African coastal communities, where fish is both a staple food and a way of life. 

“The ocean is not just about livelihood – it’s part of people’s identity,” Gambian journalist and researcher Mustapha Manneh told RFI at last week’s UN Oceans Conference in Nice. 

Manneh has spent years documenting how industrial fishing – much of it European – is depleting Gambia’s waters and destabilising lives. 

“Fishermen go out and come back with almost nothing,” he said. “They have no other skills. If you take away the fish, you take away their future.” 

Feeding fish, not people 

Each day, Gambian fishermen cast their nets in search of sardines and bonga – small, oily fish that have fed families for generations. Now they return empty-handed, after being forced to venture further out to sea and burn more fuel for ever-dwindling catches. 

“You used to need just 20 litres of gasoline to get a good catch. Now it takes 60 to 80 litres just to find enough fish,” Manneh said. 

Three fishmeal factories in Gambia process hundreds of tonnes of these fish each day, grinding them into powder and oil used to feed farmed fish in Europe and China. 

Manneh has seen the process up close. Inside the factories, he watched fresh, edible fish – still fit for local markets – dumped into grinding machines and transformed into fish feed. He described the experience as deeply confronting. 

Outside the factories, locals often complain about pollution, noise and a powerful stench. 

“The most troubling thing is seeing fresh fish that’s supposed to be on the plate of local people being processed and sent to countries that don’t even know where it’s coming from,” Manneh said. 

“You’re processing raw fish that’s meant for human consumption just to feed another fish.” 

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Depleted stocks 

A report by the advocacy group FoodRise estimates that nearly one million people in west and southern Africa could eat a 200-gram weekly portion of fish using the same catch that is currently diverted to fish farms in Greece alone. 

It often takes several kilograms of wild fish to produce one kilogram of farmed fish because the farmed fish aren’t efficient at converting the fishmeal into body mass. 

FoodRise found that, globally, if wild fish were eaten directly by people instead of fed to farmed fish, more than 300,000 tonnes could be kept in the ocean to support ecosystems.  

Those extra fish stocks would then go on to feed a quarter more people. 

A poisoned coast 

Fishmeal factories in Gambia release untreated wastewater and fish processing waste directly into the Atlantic Ocean. This pollution has turned once-pristine coastal waters toxic, damaging marine ecosystems that local fishers depend on.  

“The sea used to treat skin conditions. Now people are getting rashes. Even the fish porters are affected,” Manneh said. 

But the pollution is only one threat among many. With local fish stocks plummeting, fishermen must venture further offshore, risking dangerous encounters with industrial trawlers.

Their nets and boats are often damaged or lost in these clashes – gear they cannot afford to replace. For some, the struggle is too much and they give up fishing altogether.  

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Fishers forced into smuggling 

As fishing incomes collapse, an increasing number of fishermen are using their boats for human smuggling – a risky but more profitable alternative.  

Manneh has spoken with young fishers who say a single smuggling trip can bring in more money than years spent struggling at sea. 

One man told him: “Mustapha, my one trip is more than my entire life of fishing.” 

Weathered wooden fishing boats are being packed with hundreds of migrants – mostly young men risking everything for a chance at a better life – who embark on a perilous journey across the Atlantic toward uncertain futures.

Migrants pay between €600 and €1,000 each for the trip, Manneh said – adding that more than 200 people can be packed into a single vessel. 

This means one smuggling trip can generate roughly €200,000. 

Women pushed aside 

The crisis is hitting women hard too. Across West Africa, women are at the heart of fish processing – smoking, drying and selling fish at local markets. It’s gritty, hands-on work that puts food on tables and money in pockets. 

But with more and more fish going to industrial fishmeal factories, women’s stalls and ovens are sitting empty. Losing this catch doesn’t just cost jobs – it breaks long-standing traditions. 

Fish-smoking centres built with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organisation now sit abandoned.  

“The fish women used to smoke is now diverted to the fishmeal factories,” Manneh said. “They [commercial companies] promote their farmed fish as sustainable but never say where the feed comes from.” 

The rise of fishmeal factories has left many women without work – making life even harder for coastal communities.  

Plastic-eating mealworms found in Kenya offer hope for waste crisis

Communities fight back 

But the pressure is also fuelling resistance. Young Gambians are now challenging the traditional power structures that have allowed the fishing industry to expand unchecked. 

“Young people are demanding change,” Manneh said. 

In some places, frustration has boiled over and fishmeal factories have been set on fire. Others are calling for Gambia to cancel its fisheries agreement with the EU. 

“It may line the pockets of a few, but it does nothing for the country as a whole,” Manneh said.  

‘Time for transparency’ 

Fish farming in the EU – especially in Greece – has surged in recent decades, turning quaint Mediterranean coastal towns into hubs for industrial-scale aquaculture. 

FoodRise reports that seabass and seabream production in Greece has increased by 141 percent since 2000.  

But this growth, the group warns, is far from the sustainable solution it is often presented as – particularly since it depends on wild fish taken from communities thousands of kilometres away, like those in Gambia, which are already struggling with food insecurity. 

“People believe they’re eating sustainable salmon or seabass,” Manneh said. “But they don’t know what it really costs.”  

He’s calling for full transparency in global seafood supply chains – with a sharp focus on the origins of fish feed. 

“If you stole my job, you stole my future,” Manneh said. “The only option I have is to struggle – even if it costs me my life.”  

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”.

French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed France’s solidarity in support of Armenia’s democracy on Sunday, as the country grapples with growing tensions between its government and the influential Apostolic Church.

In a message shared on X, Macron revealed he had spoken with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan just days after the arrest of around 15 individuals – including two archbishops from the Apostolic Church – accused of plotting a coup.

On Wednesday, Pashinyan strongly criticised what he described as a “criminal, oligarchic clergy” allegedly aiming to destabilise the Armenian state and seize power.

France pushes for peace in the Caucasus amid heat over Iran detainees

Macron used the call to express his firm backing for Pashinyan’s “courageous efforts” to pursue peace with Azerbaijan and to normalise ties with Turkey.

“Peace and the opening of borders would mark a significant breakthrough for the entire region – and could serve as an inspiring example to others,” he said.

France ups military ties with Armenia with first ever visit by a defence minister

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

In a notable diplomatic step, Pashinyan visited Turkey on 20 June to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, continuing discussions on regional normalisation.

Turkey has long been a staunch supporter of its close ally Azerbaijan in the decades-long dispute with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Baku regained control of parts of the enclave during a conflict in autumn 2020 and launched a swift offensive in September 2023, which led to over 100,000 Armenians fleeing the region.

Miami hoped the Argentine superstar’s magic could help them produce an unlikely result against his former club, but the Major League Soccer side were dismantled in Atlanta by Luis Enrique’s rampant team. 

Messi and his former Barcelona team-mates Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba had done well to reach the last 16 but the gulf in quality between the teams was laid bare over the 90 minutes. 

Joao Neves netted twice for PSG, who benefitted from a Tomas Aviles own goal, while Achraf Hakimi was also on target. 

After Neves opened the scoring early on Miami resisted until PSG hit three goals in 10 minutes towards the end of the first half. 

“We had to play a serious game, the competition is really starting and I think we played well,” PSG winger Ousmane Dembele told reporters on his return from injury.

PSG dominate

Messi was the main draw, as fans chanted his name and most of the 66,000 crowd were clad in Miami’s hot pink interspersed with Argentina shirts. 

PSG dominated from the start, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia floating into the box and teeing up Bradley Barcola, but Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari thwarted him with an outstretched leg. 

However shortly afterwards over-run Miami right-back Marcelo Weigandt fouled Desire Doue and it led to PSG’s opener. 

Vitinha whipped a free-kick to the back post where Portuguese midfielder Neves ran in completely unmarked, stooping to nod past Ustari after six minutes. 

With the Ligue 1 champions pressing high and keeping possession Javier Mascherano’s Miami found it hard to get Messi involved. 

The 38-year-old’s intermittent interventions were not enough to hold back the Parisian tide. 

PSG and Botafogo move into last-16 at Club World Cup

PSG doubled their lead in the 39th minute when veteran holding midfielder Busquets got his footwork wrong in front of his own box. 

Spanish compatriot Ruiz rapidly relieved him of the ball and combined with Barcola to set up Neves to tap home his second. 

PSG grabbed their third when Aviles deflected Doue’s cross into his own net, and Hakimi netted the fourth before half-time to put PSG out of sight. 

The Morocco international’s first effort was deflected onto the crossbar but he stayed alert at the air-conditioned Mercedes-Benz Stadium to fire home the rebound. 

Eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi lost his cool with a swipe aimed at Vitinha as the Argentine raged against the midfielder, Miami’s impotence and PSG’s swagger. 

Champions League victors PSG set to strut their stuff at Club World Cup

Determined Messi 

Messi produced a brilliant pass for Suarez early in the second half, chipping a ball over the PSG defence, but the Uruguayan could not finish to offer Miami a lifeline. 

Despite the impossibility of a comeback – there was to be no ‘remontada’ like the one Luis Enrique’s Barcelona managed in 2017 against PSG from four goals down in which Messi and Suarez scored  – the Argentine was determined to bow out with a bang. 

Messi drew a first save from PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma after the hour mark with a low effort. 

Luis Enrique sent on Dembele for his first appearance at the tournament after a hamstring injury, but the Frenchman was rusty and imprecise. 

When Suarez was fouled by Lucas Beraldo on the edge of the box Messi had the chance to repeat his free-kick winner against Porto in the group stage, but his effort hit the wall. 

It was not to be for Messi or Miami, but their second-half performance was respectable and the defeat was by a lesser margin than the French side’s 5-0 Champions League final thrashing of Inter Milan. 

“I think we were above the expectations people had for us [at the tournament], we were the best team in our group, obviously we were facing the best team in the world playing football right now, so it was difficult,” said Alba. 

“Despite that in the first half we competed and above all we did in the second, we had more control of the game, more chances, and created more problems for PSG.” 

PSG will face Bayern Munich or Flamengo in the quarter-finals in Atlanta on Saturday. 

The Kremlin has warned that the more severe the European sanctions on Russia become, the greater the economic blowback for Europe itself – as Russia claims it has become increasingly resilient to what it continues to describe as “illegal” measures.

French President Emmanuel Macron has been among the most vocal Western leaders urging tougher sanctions, suggesting they could compel Moscow to come to the negotiating table over the war in Ukraine.

The European Commission echoed that stance earlier this month, unveiling a new round of proposed sanctions on 10 June. These are aimed at curbing Moscow’s energy income, targeting its banking sector, and squeezing its military-industrial base.

France leads EU push for tougher Russia sanctions amid ceasefire stalemate

Despite such efforts, Russia remains defiant. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state television that only “logic and arguments” could persuade Russia to engage in peace talks – not economic pressure.

“The harsher the sanctions package – which we still regard as illegal – the stronger the recoil, like a gun kicking back against the shoulder. It’s a double-edged sword,” Peskov said in comments aired on Sunday.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered an unprecedented wave of Western sanctions, making it the most heavily sanctioned major economy in the world.

Europe tightens sanctions on Russia as pressure builds on Washington

Economic growth, despite sanctions

While Russia’s economy did contract in 2022, it rebounded strongly, growing faster than the European Union in both 2023 and 2024.

President Vladimir Putin pointed out on Friday that Russia’s economy grew by 4.3 percent in 2024, significantly outpacing the euro zone’s 0.9 percent expansion.

Although Brussels is pushing ahead with tougher measures, the United States has so far held off on strengthening its own sanctions package.

Peskov acknowledged that more EU sanctions were likely, but insisted Russia had developed considerable “resistance” to Western economic pressure.

More than 200 people die each day in France from tobacco-related illness, Health Minister Catherine Vautrin said on Saturday – a stark figure that underlines the government’s latest push to clear the air.

A new decree, published at the weekend, will see smoking banned in all public parks, beaches, sports grounds and at bus stops from this Sunday.

The rules will also apply near schools and in other public areas where children might gather.

The move is part of a wider effort to reduce smoking-related harm, with Vautrin describing tobacco use as a major public health challenge.

France currently sees around 75,000 tobacco-related deaths each year.

Posting on X, Vautrin stated: “Starting this Sunday, new tobacco-free zones will be officially established throughout France … This is a decisive step in our commitment to protecting our children and building a tobacco-free generation.”

Calls for France to follow UK with generational tobacco ban

Tackling the sterotype

The new rules come as part of a broader campaign to curb smoking in a country where tobacco has long been culturally embedded – glorified in cinema and often associated with a certain French flair.

Despite existing bans in bars, restaurants and public buildings since 2007–2008, smoking remains common, with over 30 percent of adults still lighting up regularly – among the highest rates in Europe.

The Health Ministry is particularly concerned about young people. Around 15 percent of 17-year-olds still smoke, and black-market sales of cigarettes continue to be a problem.

Philippe Bergerot, president of the French League Against Cancer, said the aim is not to punish smokers, but to “denormalise” the habit. “In people’s minds, smoking is normal,” he said. “We’re not banning smoking altogether – just in certain places where it could affect people’s health or influence young people.”

French cinema still addicted to on-screen smoking, survey shows

Mixed reactions

Still, reactions to the new measures have been mixed. In a Paris park, Natacha Uzan said she supported the ban in restaurants but felt the move outdoors might be going too far. “Now outside, in parks, I find it becoming a bit repressive.”

But for Anabelle Cermell, mother to a 3-month-old baby, the change is welcome. “I tell myself, oh, it’s really not ideal for him,” she said. “But there’s not much I can do about it, unless I avoid the bus or parks altogether.”

The government had initially announced the new rules would take effect on 1 July, but Saturday’s decree makes it official ahead of that date, with further guidance on the specific zones to follow shortly.

Importantly, electronic cigarettes will not be covered by the new restrictions.

Elsewhere in Europe, some countries have gone further still.

The UK and Sweden have already tightened public smoking rules, while Spain is planning to ban smoking on café and restaurant terraces – areas not included in France’s latest measures.

(With Wires)

As a child, Ka dreamed of being an interior designer, an architect or a flight attendant. But the world of fashion stole her heart.

She took her first steps on the catwalk at the age of 14, modelling designs by the likes of Niger’s Alphadi – nicknamed the “magician of the desert” and founder of FIMA, the International Festival of African Fashion.

“He was a family friend and treated me like a daughter,” she tells RFI’s Maria Afonso. She became his brand’s muse and travelled Africa and the world; an experience that sowed creative seeds.

Ka later studied business and marketing, which led her to combine creativity with entrepreneurship.

During the Covid crisis in 2020, Ka was stuck in Paris – one of the world’s fashion capitals. She grew frustrated that African fashion lacked its own Fashion Week, even though she could see the continent was oozing talent.

She felt that African designers and entrepreneurs needed a place to meet experienced business leaders who could spot opportunities.

That’s how Share Africa was born – a platform to strengthen relations between France and Africa and support creation and innovation in all forms.

Moving on up

One of the first off-shoots of this wide-reaching platform is Africa Fashion Up – a name Ka chose because she felt it would highlight “the best of the best” in Africa fashion moving forward and upwards.

The project has several parts, including a fashion show in Paris. This year’s show took place on 26 June at Bridge (Alexandre III, Paris) to present established designers alongside winners of the young designer contest. It lined up with Paris Fashion Week.

Ka is proud that in its fifth year, the young talent award drew more than 300 candidates. Five were chosen to travel to Paris for a special programme.

Coming from South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroon and Ethiopia, they took part in three mentoring workshops. They got style advice from Balenciaga designers, business tips from HEC business school and sales guidance from Galeries Lafayette experts.

“Even if African designers are well known in their own countries, they are not well known internationally,” Ka said.

Nigerian designer Femi Ajose brings original Lagos looks to Paris

“Sometimes their designs are worn by celebrities like the singer Beyoncé or the Princess of Monaco, but the public doesn’t know who is behind them.”

Ka wants to change that. Her bigger goal is to build an African version of LVMH – the luxury group run by Bernard Arnault – covering fashion, accessories and other luxury goods.

She knows how important it is to work on the communication and image of a brand in a highly competitive environment. She points to one label – Cute Saint – that had two designs copied by Chinese brand Shein, right down to the fabrics.

Business mindset

Ka said unlike Nigeria and South Africa, which have strong business models, French-speaking African countries are behind. She links this to both lack of investment and mindset.

Some French-speaking countries see fashion shows as frivolous entertainment, she said, while English-speaking countries understand they are vital to help designers get noticed.

This is why working with big French partners is a big part of Ka’s plan. With their skills and contacts, she hopes to push young African designers to the next level.

This year, for the first time, Ka has negotiated for three established designers, as well as the young talents, to have a pop-up store on the third floor of Galeries Lafayette in Paris, next to cult brands such as Chanel and Dior.

Chanel and the art of Modernity: Paris museum captures a century of style

Getting African designers into these spots is tough due to strict rules, high standards and the money needed. But Ka said money is not the real problem. Many African designers sell well at home and have turnover above one million dollars.

While the going might be slow at times, Ka has seen the African market jump ahead in leaps and bounds. She said even Chinese firms now come to her for advice on the rising industry.

For Ka, it’s about breaking down barriers and bringing investors and business leaders to the same table so that everyone can share their know-how.

With determination and hard work, Ka is convinced that African fashion can and will measure up to Western fashion.

The Africa Fashion Up designer pop-up store at Galeries Lafayette until 8 July, 2025

Petanque, the bowling game also known as boules, is more readily associated with French village squares where locals launch metal balls at a jack while enjoying an afternoon drink.

But for decades, it has also been a beloved pastime for members of a club near the iconic Meskel Square in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

It was founded in the early 20th century to cater to French railway workers, who built a line connecting Addis Ababa to the French colony of Djibouti.

With around 150 members, it still bears the name Le Club des Cheminots (The Railway Club), though the line stopped operating in 2008.

A French pastime in Addis Ababa

But a new threat has emerged from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed‘s vast demolition and construction programme in the city.

“We’re worried because we’ve been told the area will be demolished and the whole neighbourhood will be relocated,” said Daniel Bewektu, 38, who has played daily for nearly seven years.

“I don’t think anyone will preserve the place,” he added.

The players gather daily under the club’s corrugated metal roof, playing in sand imported from Dire Dawa, a city about 350 kilometres (220 miles) east of the capital.

On a recent Saturday, speakers blared local music while men sat around plastic tables, reading, playing dominoes and drinking beer.

On the courts, familiar scenes played out: minor arguments over disputed points, the sound of metal balls clinking and shouts of “gobez” (“well played” in Amharic).

Assefaw Geremew retrieved his boules from an old locker, an almost daily ritual for the 68-year-old, a retired railway worker like many of his fellow members.

“I started playing petanque when the French were in charge. When they completed the railway work and left Ethiopia, we Ethiopians took over and continued the game,” he said.

France returns ancient artefacts to Ethiopia

A gathering place at risk

He has witnessed many changes in the neighbourhood, including the demolition of the nearby Buffet de la Gare, a famous hotel and restaurant dating back to 1924 that was replaced by an apartment block in 2019.

“If this place didn’t exist, the workers and retired people wouldn’t have anywhere to go,” Geremew said.

“Here, you can stay as long as you want. You meet your old friends, and you meet new people,” he added, highlighting the extremely modest membership fee of just 6 birrs (five US cents) per month for retirees.

Club president Alemneh Abebe hopes the authorities will come to their rescue.

“If possible, with government support, we’d like to be given another space,” he said.

But Bewektu is worried: “If this place is taken away, petanque will disappear.”

Henderson Kopoland, 45, mainly works from his grocery shop at a small trading centre in Konzaalendo Village in Thyolo District, southern Malawi.

Visitors to this remote spot may not realise where his wealth comes from or that he runs another business far away.

About one hundred kilometres from the tarmac road lies a large plot of land about 6.5 hectares wide where green vegetation gives way to thick banana plants heavy with large bunches.

Locals often talk about how hard it used to be to reach this area.

The road, which snakes through hilly terrain, was almost impossible to pass during the rainy season, turning to mud before it was recently upgraded.

Despite its isolation, this patch of land is known across Malawi as one of the few main sources of bananas.

Before 2017, and before the new crops were planted, Kopoland’s bananas were wiped out by the banana bunchy top virus. This viral disease stunts banana plants’ growth and makes their leaves narrow and bunched.

The virus spread from the north to the rest of the country, destroying the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of farmers.

Impact on farmers

In Thyolo District alone, about 4,031 hectares were used for banana farming, all of which were lost to the disease, the district’s agriculture office said.

When the government and its partners stepped in to help revive the industry, farmers got clean suckers – young offshoots used for growing new plants – to replace the infected crops.

“I was given six suckers and they multiplied to this level,” said Kopoland, pointing at his orchard. “I now have about 7,002 banana trees.

“The weather is good, as you can see. The rain is coming, and if you look at our soil, it is fine and doesn’t have sand, so it keeps moisture even when it rains lightly – to the extent that we don’t need to irrigate.”

From his banana profits, Kopoland has built a grocery shop, pays school fees for his two daughters who are in secondary school and has bought a car to help run his businesses.

He mainly grows the Williams banana variety, which was brought in after the infected plants were cleared. This variety is known for high yields and disease resistance. From a single bunch, he can earn up to MK22,000 (about €11).

“The banana production is easier compared to maize and other crops, because with maize you need fertiliser,” Kopoland said.

“Yet when we plant bananas we just wait for it to grow and then we manage it, but not with much effort like maize. The future looks bright, but I have already achieved many things.”

Banana supply shortfall

A recent trade dispute between Malawi and Tanzania, which led to a ban on farm imports, exposed Malawi’s banana shortage.

The country depends on banana imports to meet demand, and the import ban left markets and shoppers struggling, bringing fresh focus to efforts to rebuild local production. A high-level meeting settled the trade row.

After that, the minister of trade and industry met with banana growers to discuss the problems they face and how the industry could bounce back.

Government, NGO support 

Meanwhile, Nani Lazaro, Crop Protection Officer at the Thyolo District Council, told RFI that farmers still manage their crops using the training they were given.

Using what we taught them, that whenever you see that the banana is affected, you should immediately uproot those infected plants.”

He added: “For the government side, we had a programme or a project known as ASWAp (Agricultural Sector-Wide Approach). This programme contributed a lot, whereby the programme sourced the clean planting materials and distributed it to the farmers, as well as on the side of capacity building.”

More farmers have now been trained on how to grow and care for bananas. NGOs like Self Help Africa also handed out clean planting material to farmers, he said.

Lazaro said many banana farmers in Thyolo have built decent houses using the money earned from their crops. More than 100,000 farmers are now growing bananas in the district.

For Kopoland, the future seems even brighter. As one of the first banana farmers in the area – and someone who pushed through the worst of the virus – he has inspired others to follow his path.

“I know almost a hundred people who joined after my success.”

At 20, Ousmane’s future should be unfolding. Instead, he spends his days at a drug point in Grey Bush – a ghetto in the capital Freetown – hunting for money for his next dose of kush.

“This drug, honestly, it makes me angry at my country,” he tells RFI. “Look at how it destroys young people like us. It makes us eat rotten food. A young person like me, in another country, I’d already have a car and a roof. But here, I’m just running around, looking for money to smoke.”

Young people, looking dazed, gather at these so-called “cartels”, exchanging crumpled notes. They smoke, then collapse.

“I lost my whole family since I started smoking in 2018,” said 23-year-old Ramadam. “Back then we bought two doses for 5,000 leones [€0.19]. Now it’s 20,000 for one. Jagaban is the strongest kind, it knocks you out. Even I can’t stay on my feet.”

‘Now we’re trapped’

A synthetic cocktail, kush is usually made from marshmallow leaves soaked in industrial chemicals. It is increasingly mixed with nitazenes – opioids up to 25 times stronger than fentanyl, according to a recent report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime.

Kush first appeared in Sierra Leone in the early 2020s and quickly spread across Liberia, Guinea, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal. The report said kush is likely behind thousands of deaths in West Africa.

Cheap to produce and highly addictive, the Sierra Leonean government declared kush a public health emergency in April 2024, but the drug keeps spreading – overwhelming families, police and the fragile healthcare system.

Its hold goes beyond physical craving. “If I don’t smoke for two or three hours,” Ousmane said, “my bones hurt, I can’t sit, I can’t stand. But if I smoke, I get energy to hustle and then all I want is another dose.”

The young men describe a cycle of hunger, addiction and poverty. “We didn’t ask for this drug,” Ousmane adds. “We were just smoking marijuana. Then they came into the ghetto and said: ‘Try this, it’s better.’ So we tried it just once, and now we’re trapped.”

Opioid crisis explodes in Ghana as young people fall victim to ‘Red’

Detox treatment  

Calling the crisis a national emergency in April 2024, President Julius Maada Bio promised centres in every district with trained professionals to offer “care and support to people with drug addiction”.

The government recently opened its second official detox centre on a military base in the southern city of Bo, where 50 young men, most under 25, are undergoing four weeks of treatment.

Before entering the centre, residents say goodbye to their families. “I want him to change, to have a goal,” said one mother. “Please, let him become a new man.”

Kneeling down, her son said: “I want to reassure her that after this cure, I’ll be the man she expected me to be.”

Kush addiction is tearing families apart.

“I’m exhausted. I’ve suffered so much. And he’s suffering too,” said Sidora, a single mother and police officer, as she dropped off her 20-year-old son.

She described how he has lived on the streets, disappeared for days and stolen from her to feed his addiction.

As a family support officer with the Sierra Leonean police, she sees similar stories every day. “We get parents who come to report their kids. They’re being robbed by their own children for drug money. We investigate and we take them to court.”

Despite the pain, she refuses to give up on her son. “I know I’m not the only one. This is a national problem,” she said.

Synthetic drug ‘kush’ ravages Sierra Leone’s young

Community support

“Over the last four years, I’ve seen a drastic rise [in kush use]; it’s often due to stress, depression, no jobs,” said Joseph Santigie Bangoura, Dropping Center Manager of Social Linkages for Youth Development and Child Link (SLYDCL).

He puts the number of young kush addicts at between 6,000 and 7,000, meaning there are “far too few detox centres”.

Faced with the inadequate care, communities are filling the gaps. In Grey Bush, locals have built an informal detox shelter next to a known kush spot.

“See that sign? ‘No smoking’ – that’s our number one rule. No fighting either,” said Nabiu Musa Samuel, who runs the shelter’s community kitchen.

“We talk to them, give them encouragement, share what food we can. This community used to have bright students, now our youth is washing away. Businesses are closing. We’d like to do more, but it’s all we can do.”

Nearby, Souleymane cares for a man with kush-induced lesions. He shows a photo of an open wound exposing the young man’s bones. “That’s from jagaban – the stronger kind of kush. They can’t even walk,” the careworker says.

“Some people say we’re crazy for helping, that we must be users too,” said Ali, another volunteer. “But these are our brothers. We can’t pretend they don’t exist.”

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‘Drug is everywhere’

The Global Initiative report said kush is part of a well-organised supply chain. Chemicals, often ordered from China or Europe on sites like Alibaba, are smuggled into Sierra Leone hidden in food containers or sent by courier.

Local “cooks” prepare the drug, which is sold at hundreds of “cartels”.

“We make kush from marshmallow leaves, add products that come through the port. Some make it milder, some stronger,” said Michael, who runs a kush point near an abandoned construction site at funkia fishing port.

“We have problems with police, sometimes we pay them off, sometimes we run, sometimes they take our drugs.”

Despite police raids, the trade not only survives but spreads.

“The drug is everywhere, even in the police and army… soldiers, students, teachers, they’re all using it,” said Isata Bridget Kallon, one of Sierra Leone’s few social workers focusing on addiction.

“Kush is destroying everything we rebuilt after the war.”

The country still bears the scars of its 10-year civil war. Average annual income was just €423 in 2022, said the World Bank, and its 8.4 million population faces high prices and mass unemployment.

Unless young people find better opportunities the fight against kush will be lost, Bangoura warns.

“After rehab, their bodies are clean. But then what? Many have no home so they go back on the streets. And they relapse. That’s the problem.”

This article was based on an audio report in French by Liza Fabbian, adapted by Alison Hird.

The result is a growing crisis for West African coastal communities, where fish is both a staple food and a way of life. 

“The ocean is not just about livelihood – it’s part of people’s identity,” Gambian journalist and researcher Mustapha Manneh told RFI at last week’s UN Oceans Conference in Nice. 

Manneh has spent years documenting how industrial fishing – much of it European – is depleting Gambia’s waters and destabilising lives. 

“Fishermen go out and come back with almost nothing,” he said. “They have no other skills. If you take away the fish, you take away their future.” 

Feeding fish, not people 

Each day, Gambian fishermen cast their nets in search of sardines and bonga – small, oily fish that have fed families for generations. Now they return empty-handed, after being forced to venture further out to sea and burn more fuel for ever-dwindling catches. 

“You used to need just 20 litres of gasoline to get a good catch. Now it takes 60 to 80 litres just to find enough fish,” Manneh said. 

Three fishmeal factories in Gambia process hundreds of tonnes of these fish each day, grinding them into powder and oil used to feed farmed fish in Europe and China. 

Manneh has seen the process up close. Inside the factories, he watched fresh, edible fish – still fit for local markets – dumped into grinding machines and transformed into fish feed. He described the experience as deeply confronting. 

Outside the factories, locals often complain about pollution, noise and a powerful stench. 

“The most troubling thing is seeing fresh fish that’s supposed to be on the plate of local people being processed and sent to countries that don’t even know where it’s coming from,” Manneh said. 

“You’re processing raw fish that’s meant for human consumption just to feed another fish.” 

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Depleted stocks 

A report by the advocacy group FoodRise estimates that nearly one million people in west and southern Africa could eat a 200-gram weekly portion of fish using the same catch that is currently diverted to fish farms in Greece alone. 

It often takes several kilograms of wild fish to produce one kilogram of farmed fish because the farmed fish aren’t efficient at converting the fishmeal into body mass. 

FoodRise found that, globally, if wild fish were eaten directly by people instead of fed to farmed fish, more than 300,000 tonnes could be kept in the ocean to support ecosystems.  

Those extra fish stocks would then go on to feed a quarter more people. 

A poisoned coast 

Fishmeal factories in Gambia release untreated wastewater and fish processing waste directly into the Atlantic Ocean. This pollution has turned once-pristine coastal waters toxic, damaging marine ecosystems that local fishers depend on.  

“The sea used to treat skin conditions. Now people are getting rashes. Even the fish porters are affected,” Manneh said. 

But the pollution is only one threat among many. With local fish stocks plummeting, fishermen must venture further offshore, risking dangerous encounters with industrial trawlers.

Their nets and boats are often damaged or lost in these clashes – gear they cannot afford to replace. For some, the struggle is too much and they give up fishing altogether.  

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Fishers forced into smuggling 

As fishing incomes collapse, an increasing number of fishermen are using their boats for human smuggling – a risky but more profitable alternative.  

Manneh has spoken with young fishers who say a single smuggling trip can bring in more money than years spent struggling at sea. 

One man told him: “Mustapha, my one trip is more than my entire life of fishing.” 

Weathered wooden fishing boats are being packed with hundreds of migrants – mostly young men risking everything for a chance at a better life – who embark on a perilous journey across the Atlantic toward uncertain futures.

Migrants pay between €600 and €1,000 each for the trip, Manneh said – adding that more than 200 people can be packed into a single vessel. 

This means one smuggling trip can generate roughly €200,000. 

Women pushed aside 

The crisis is hitting women hard too. Across West Africa, women are at the heart of fish processing – smoking, drying and selling fish at local markets. It’s gritty, hands-on work that puts food on tables and money in pockets. 

But with more and more fish going to industrial fishmeal factories, women’s stalls and ovens are sitting empty. Losing this catch doesn’t just cost jobs – it breaks long-standing traditions. 

Fish-smoking centres built with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organisation now sit abandoned.  

“The fish women used to smoke is now diverted to the fishmeal factories,” Manneh said. “They [commercial companies] promote their farmed fish as sustainable but never say where the feed comes from.” 

The rise of fishmeal factories has left many women without work – making life even harder for coastal communities.  

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Communities fight back 

But the pressure is also fuelling resistance. Young Gambians are now challenging the traditional power structures that have allowed the fishing industry to expand unchecked. 

“Young people are demanding change,” Manneh said. 

In some places, frustration has boiled over and fishmeal factories have been set on fire. Others are calling for Gambia to cancel its fisheries agreement with the EU. 

“It may line the pockets of a few, but it does nothing for the country as a whole,” Manneh said.  

‘Time for transparency’ 

Fish farming in the EU – especially in Greece – has surged in recent decades, turning quaint Mediterranean coastal towns into hubs for industrial-scale aquaculture. 

FoodRise reports that seabass and seabream production in Greece has increased by 141 percent since 2000.  

But this growth, the group warns, is far from the sustainable solution it is often presented as – particularly since it depends on wild fish taken from communities thousands of kilometres away, like those in Gambia, which are already struggling with food insecurity. 

“People believe they’re eating sustainable salmon or seabass,” Manneh said. “But they don’t know what it really costs.”  

He’s calling for full transparency in global seafood supply chains – with a sharp focus on the origins of fish feed. 

“If you stole my job, you stole my future,” Manneh said. “The only option I have is to struggle – even if it costs me my life.”  

French MPs from seven political parties want to fix the problem. They plan to submit a bill to the National Assembly to tackle what the Foundation calls a “social, ecological and health emergency”.

In the northern suburbs of Paris, Yasmine and her husband live on the 13th floor of an 18-storey building. Their flat is like a “boiler” because it is badly insulated.

“It’s very hot in here. We sweat a lot, so we take at least five showers a day,” Yasmine told told RFI.

“The sun comes directly into the apartment and we don’t have shutters, so we’re forced to put up blackout curtains to get a bit of shade inside,” she said.

She added that the air is very stifling. “Right now it’s 30C. But if it’s 40C outside, it’ll be 42C or even 43C inside.”

A heatwave in Europe last year killed nearly 50,000 people, the study found.

The foundation says it has warned for three years about homes that become uninhabitable for weeks each year because of extreme heat.

Heat caused nearly 50,000 deaths in Europe last year, study finds

New bill

Maïda Olivier, who works on climate and housing policy at the foundation, said many buildings do not have proper shutters.

“The building is part of the 40 percent of housing in France that doesn’t have proper shutters,” Olivier said.

“With this law, this woman, if she is a tenant, will be able to demand that her landlord install sun protection, whether it’s a private or public landlord.”

“And the law will also provide financial assistance to encourage landlords to implement these types of solutions,” she said.

People living in low-income neighbourhoods are among the most exposed to overheating homes.

The proposed law includes a year-round ban on cutting off electricity so no one is left unable to use a fan. It will also require the “summer comfort” score from the energy performance certificate to be shown in all housing ads.

Iran held an emotional and patriotic state funeral in central Tehran this Saturday for around 60 people, including high‑ranking military commanders, scientists and several civilians killed during the recent 12‑day conflict with Israel.

The ceremony, which began at 08:00 local time, was marked by public mourning and speeches.

Government offices and businesses observed closures for the occasion, as mourners clad in black lined the streets, some waving Iranian flags and holding portraits of the deceased.

Among the attendees were President Masoud Pezeshkian, Quds Force chief Esmail Qaani and senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Shamkhani – who appeared using a walking cane, a visible reminder of the conflict’s toll.

Relatives of slain figures, including Major General Mohammad Bagheri – second‑in‑command of Iran’s armed forces – and nuclear scientist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, walked in the procession alongside decorated coffins draped in national flags.

The funeral also remembered those less often honoured at such events: among the interred were four women and four children. 

France says ‘spiral of chaos must end’ amid fragile Israel-Iran ceasefire

Tehran defiant

Despite the sombre atmosphere, the tone of the ceremony reportedly felt unified and optimistic.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei himself had described US strikes on three Iranian nuclear installations as having “achieved nothing significant” – underscoring Tehran’s defiant stance.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump’s recent claims about Iran seeking sanctions relief were sharply rebuffed by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

He condemned the tone of Trump’s remarks about Khamenei as “disrespectful and unacceptable,” suggesting that attempts at diplomacy would falter so long as Iran’s Supreme Leader remained insulted.

Iran nuclear sites suffered ‘enormous damage’, IAEA chief tells RFI

Diplomacy takes centre stage

Meanwhile, Paris has continued to voice concern over the broader regional tensions.

Reflecting on the fallout from an Israeli airstrike on Tehran’s Evin prison on X earlier this week, France’s Foreign Minister Jean‑Noël Barrot described it as “unacceptable”, especially as it endangered two French nationals detained there, although fortunately they were unharmed.

Earlier in the conflict, France also confirmed it intercepted several Iranian drones destined for Israel, a move orchestrated in coordination with regional allies.

Moreover, France’s diplomatic tone has remained firm yet hopeful.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently called on all sides to “refrain from any action that could destabilise the wider region” and emphasised that diplomacy should be the first port of call.

President Macron has further urged “maximum restraint,” underscoring Israel’s right to self‑defence – and insisting strikes on civilian or non‑nuclear targets must cease immediately.

Sources close to the talks said the agreement, due to be signed by the Rwandan and Congolese foreign ministers, covers the two main pillars of security and economic cooperation.

This is the most ambitious plan yet to end an ongoing crisis that has killed millions and forced many more from their homes.

At the heart of the deal lies a pledge by Kinshasa and Kigali to cease all hostilities – direct or indirect – and to resolve disputes through peaceful means.

Both sides also commit to ending support for armed groups, with particular reference to the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and the March 23 Movement (AFC/M23).

The deal builds on an earlier agreement signed in Luanda in October 2024. It sets out steps to find and disarm FDLR fighters. Options include voluntary returns or joint operations by Congolese and Rwandan troops.

While the AFC/M23 is not included in the main text, officials emphasise that its fate will be handled through a parallel political dialogue already under way in Doha, Qatar.

A joint monitoring team with members from the DRC, Rwanda and the mediators will track whether both sides stick to the deal.

Thousands without lifesaving aid in DRC, says UN agency

Economic integration and US interests

On top of the security plan, the draft deal lays out a three-part economic strategy to help stabilise the region and tie it closer to US interests.

First, it calls for more cooperation between Kinshasa and Kigali on hydro power, national parks and the legal trade of minerals. The aim is to build clear supply chains “from the mine to the refined metal”.

Second, the deal pushes for stronger regional links through groups like the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, the East African Community and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa.

These bodies should help boost trade, draw in investors and stop smuggling. Audits will check that things stay transparent.

Third, the United States is expected to step up its role to secure access to critical minerals for green and tech industries. This includes resources not just in North Kivu and South Kivu but also other provinces.

Peace deal between DR Congo and Rwanda in progress, US says

‘Fundamentally an economic war’

Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi welcomed the American role in an interview this week and praised the involvement of President Donald Trump..

“There’s nothing magical about this agreement,” Tshisekedi said. “It is the result of a realisation within the American administration about a conflict that has lasted for nearly 30 years and caused millions of deaths.”

He underscored the dual nature of the conflict: “First, we must end the war and obtain the unconditional withdrawal of armed groups. But beyond that, this is fundamentally an economic war.”

Tshisekedi also acknowledged Trump’s direct role, including the appointment of Dr Massad Boulos as lead envoy and the backing of both Qatar and the African Union.

Qatar offers proposal in stalled peace talks between DRC and M23

Fragile steps forward

Despite the hopeful tone, Professor Tshibangu Kalala, an expert in international law at the University of Kinshasa, doubts Rwanda’s commitment.

“Rwanda does not respect its own signature,” he said, recalling a failed 2004 agreement. “Today, Rwanda is doing exactly the opposite of its commitments from 2004.”

He further criticised the agreement’s failure to address justice for past atrocities, pointing to the unresolved issue of reparations for victims of Rwandan military operations in Kisangani and other parts of eastern DRC.

“A peace agreement is being sought. But we are not talking about massacres, about the destruction of human lives, of material goods caused by Rwanda,” he told RFI.

“Do these victims have the right to reparation, to compensation or not? We are not talking about it. There is no peace without justice.”

Political analyst Christian Moleka said US involvement gives the deal more weight.

“The particularity is the involvement of the United States and its capacity to impose this roundtable, which African solutions couldn’t achieve,” he said.

He pointed to the diplomatic and economic clout of the US and Qatar, which succeeded where African-led talks failed.

“Previous solutions did not emphasise the economic elements. We know that the US is interested in securing the supply of critical materials and so this economic interest dimension gives weight to American diplomacy,” he said.

This article was adapted from the original version in French.

“We welcome the news that an agreement has been reached on the establishment of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, which came late last night,” Erdogan said before departing for the NATO summit in The Hague.

Israel’s war on Iran had put Erdogan in a tricky spot – maintaining his hostility towards Israel without damaging his ties with Trump.

On Saturday, Erdogan slammed Israel, calling it a “terrorist state”, while warning that the war on Iran threatened to plunge the region into chaos. The speech, delivered in Istanbul at a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, was just the latest in what has become an almost daily verbal assault on Israel.

But the United States bombing of Iran just a few hours after Erdogan spoke drew little reaction from Ankara beyond a short statement expressing its “concern” over the attack.

Turkey’s rivalry with Iran shifts as US threats create unlikely common ground

Words versus actions

Erdogan’s actions have also not always matched his rhetoric.The Turkish leader resisted opposition calls to close the US-operated NATO Kurecik radar base near the Iranian border.

“Turkey is not interested once again in going into conflict with America because, if you close Kurecik, then it is a NATO issue, and Israel has close relations also with NATO,” said international relations professor Huseyin Bagci of Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.

The Kurecik radar station, Bagci said, is important to Israeli security.

“Turkey signed the acceptance (agreement) that Israel should take information from Kurecik,” Bagci added. “There is no in an article in the case of war that Turkey would not provide the information. So, this is why Erdogan, based on this fact, is not undertaking any steps against Israel.”

Earlier this month, Erdogan lobbied Baghdad not to follow Tehran’s calls to intercept Israeli warplanes using Iraqi airspace to strike Iran. All moves that are likely to play well with Trump. Erdogan values what Trump has called a “great friendship”.

The two leaders are expected to meet for the first time since Trump’s re-election on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, where Erdogan will likely be seeking an invitation to Washington.

With Turkey and Iran long-time regional rivals, competing for influence from the Caucasus to Central Asia and the Middle East, Ankara also shares the West’s concerns over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

“Turkey definitely doesn’t want a nuclear-armed Iran, because that is going to trigger a proliferation process in the Middle East,” said Serhan Afacan, head of the Center for Iranian Studies, a research organisation in Ankara.

Interim president Sharaa weighs up Ankara and Riyadh in power struggle for Syria

Refugee fears and regional risks

The United States bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities – which Washington claims has ended Tehran’s atomic programme – drew no condemnation from Ankara. But the risk of a wider conflict has raised fears of growing instability and the possibility of a refugee wave into Turkey from Iran.

Trump’s surprise move to broker a ceasefire between Iran and Israel will come as a relief to Ankara, said regional expert Professor Zaur Gasimov of the German Academic Exchange Service in Istanbul. He warned the ceasefire came just as signs were emerging of a refugee exodus.

“What we see now is already now is the mobility of people within Iran, leaving Tehran and other bigger cities, going to different directions, that is a challenge for the entire region. And maybe Turkey is a country that is about to observe a refugee influx coming from Iran by the border,” said Gasimov.

He warned Ankara is likely not prepared for such an exodus.

“That is a challenge. So, Turkey is currently observing the situation with great attention, and certain answers to this challenge is not ready yet,” said Gasimov.

Azerbaijan and Turkey build bridges amid declining influence of Iran

Economic toll

Turkey, which borders Iraq and Syria, has struggled for decades with chaos on its southern frontier. It currently hosts as many as five million refugees and has paid a heavy economic price through the loss of valuable regional markets.

Ankara will likely be eyeing the potential rewards of a weakened Tehran in the long-running competition for regional influence.

“A weak Iran is good for Turkey always, but not a dead Iran,” said Bagci.

“Iran is important for connectivity. They [Iran] have many neighbours like Turkey. They are close to Russia, Central Asian republics, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, you name it. And the destabilisation of the region is in nobody’s interest.

“That is why China and Russia are very careful in their statements, and everybody is trying now for a diplomatic solution.”

How long Trump’s brokered ceasefire will last remains to be seen. But for Ankara, the hope is that wider regional chaos has been avoided – and that it has managed, at least for now, to balance its competing interests.

The European Union has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and claims to have already reduced emissions by 37 percent compared to 1990, the reference year for its climate targets.

Last year, the European Commission announced its intention to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent relative to 1990 levels by 2040.

Brussels must now reach agreement on interim targets for the period between 2030 and 2040, with proposals expected to be unveiled on 2 July. However, striking the right balance will prove a significant challenge.

Finding a compromise on this will be an important step ahead of this year’s global Cop30 climate conference in Belem, Brazil in November.

France falling short of climate targets as emissions dip slows

The gathering comes as average global temperatures in the past two years exceeded the 1.5 degrees Celsius benchmark set under the Paris climate accord a decade ago.

Nations are currently divided between keeping the bloc’s ambitious emission targets. Some want to separate the 2035 and 2040 goals, scale them down or have more flexibility to meet them.

Even Brussels has come under pressure to switch focus to boosting European industry confronted by fierce competition from the United States and China.

Unrealistic goals?

For countries like Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Italy, the 90 percent target of cutting emissions by 2040 is unrealistic.

Denmark, which will take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU from Poland next week, insists in its program that it will push for a “2035 target derived from the EU’s 2040 target.”

But France has warned that Brussels should refrain from setting overly ambitious targets without detailing how to meet them.

Speaking after a one-day EU summit on Thursday evening, Macron said he was “in favour of having these targets by 2040,” but warned that “we must give ourselves the means to do so and make them compatible with our competitiveness.”

Macron takes stock of France’s nuclear projects with focus on energy transition

In his view, this implies validating the concept of “technological neutrality,” meaning including renewable energies such as nuclear power, which France favours, in the effort.

Prior to the summit the French Ecological Transition Ministry denied that it wants to decouple the two targets. But five officials speaking under anonymity told Politico website that France has been raising that position behind closed doors.

The 2035 goals, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are required under the Paris Agreement and must be submitted to the United Nations by the end of September.

The Commission has suggested a 55 percent emissions reduction in 2030 and 72.5 per cent in 2035, which would be a midpoint between the 2030 and 2040 targets.

But France appears to be pushing for a lower target for 2035 in line with the longer-term objectives of achieving climate neutrality by 2050.

Democratic debate

Prior to the summit, one of Macron’s advisors told journalists that another important aspect is “the fight against carbon leakage”, referring to the situation where climate rules in one region result in lower emissions there but a spike elsewhere, as companies seek out less stringent jurisdiction.

Macron has also rejected the adoption of a target “on the sly” with only a short technical debate. “It must be a democratic debate among the 27 [members],” he argued.

He also insisted that the EU should not impose itself on setting this target before Cop30, as it is not an international obligation. “If it’s going to take longer, let’s take more time to do it right!” he said.

‘Building trust’ key to solving climate crisis, Cop30 president tells RFI

The commission is considering greater flexibility in its calculations for 2040, including through the purchase of carbon credits on international markets.

But the move is opposed by green groups that say it would allow the EU to outsource part of its climate effort, and worry about a lowering of the bloc’s mid-term goals.

“President Macron risks derailing Europe’s climate ambition,” Sven Harmeling, head of climate at Climate Action Network Europe (CAN), an environmental organisation told French news agency AFP.

Setbacks at home

French branch of the CAN network, Réseau Action Climat criticised French politicians in particular for not defending climate change goals closer to home.

It accused MPs of procrastinating and even contributing to setbacks – with 43 measures suspended in the space of the last six months. These include suspending subsidies for climate-related home renovation and electric vehicles and allowing industrial farming methods.

According to surveys the NGO carried out, these choices are at odds with the expectations of the French public.

For example, 84 percent of French people are in favour of adopting measures aimed at limiting the presence of highly industrialised farms and 84 percent have a positive image of renewable energies, a figure that rises to 94 percent among those living nearest the installations.

(with AFP, newswires)

“We welcome the news that an agreement has been reached on the establishment of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, which came late last night,” Erdogan said before departing for the NATO summit in The Hague.

Israel’s war on Iran had put Erdogan in a tricky spot – maintaining his hostility towards Israel without damaging his ties with Trump.

On Saturday, Erdogan slammed Israel, calling it a “terrorist state”, while warning that the war on Iran threatened to plunge the region into chaos. The speech, delivered in Istanbul at a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, was just the latest in what has become an almost daily verbal assault on Israel.

But the United States bombing of Iran just a few hours after Erdogan spoke drew little reaction from Ankara beyond a short statement expressing its “concern” over the attack.

Turkey’s rivalry with Iran shifts as US threats create unlikely common ground

Words versus actions

Erdogan’s actions have also not always matched his rhetoric.The Turkish leader resisted opposition calls to close the US-operated NATO Kurecik radar base near the Iranian border.

“Turkey is not interested once again in going into conflict with America because, if you close Kurecik, then it is a NATO issue, and Israel has close relations also with NATO,” said international relations professor Huseyin Bagci of Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.

The Kurecik radar station, Bagci said, is important to Israeli security.

“Turkey signed the acceptance (agreement) that Israel should take information from Kurecik,” Bagci added. “There is no in an article in the case of war that Turkey would not provide the information. So, this is why Erdogan, based on this fact, is not undertaking any steps against Israel.”

Earlier this month, Erdogan lobbied Baghdad not to follow Tehran’s calls to intercept Israeli warplanes using Iraqi airspace to strike Iran. All moves that are likely to play well with Trump. Erdogan values what Trump has called a “great friendship”.

The two leaders are expected to meet for the first time since Trump’s re-election on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, where Erdogan will likely be seeking an invitation to Washington.

With Turkey and Iran long-time regional rivals, competing for influence from the Caucasus to Central Asia and the Middle East, Ankara also shares the West’s concerns over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

“Turkey definitely doesn’t want a nuclear-armed Iran, because that is going to trigger a proliferation process in the Middle East,” said Serhan Afacan, head of the Center for Iranian Studies, a research organisation in Ankara.

Interim president Sharaa weighs up Ankara and Riyadh in power struggle for Syria

Refugee fears and regional risks

The United States bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities – which Washington claims has ended Tehran’s atomic programme – drew no condemnation from Ankara. But the risk of a wider conflict has raised fears of growing instability and the possibility of a refugee wave into Turkey from Iran.

Trump’s surprise move to broker a ceasefire between Iran and Israel will come as a relief to Ankara, said regional expert Professor Zaur Gasimov of the German Academic Exchange Service in Istanbul. He warned the ceasefire came just as signs were emerging of a refugee exodus.

“What we see now is already now is the mobility of people within Iran, leaving Tehran and other bigger cities, going to different directions, that is a challenge for the entire region. And maybe Turkey is a country that is about to observe a refugee influx coming from Iran by the border,” said Gasimov.

He warned Ankara is likely not prepared for such an exodus.

“That is a challenge. So, Turkey is currently observing the situation with great attention, and certain answers to this challenge is not ready yet,” said Gasimov.

Azerbaijan and Turkey build bridges amid declining influence of Iran

Economic toll

Turkey, which borders Iraq and Syria, has struggled for decades with chaos on its southern frontier. It currently hosts as many as five million refugees and has paid a heavy economic price through the loss of valuable regional markets.

Ankara will likely be eyeing the potential rewards of a weakened Tehran in the long-running competition for regional influence.

“A weak Iran is good for Turkey always, but not a dead Iran,” said Bagci.

“Iran is important for connectivity. They [Iran] have many neighbours like Turkey. They are close to Russia, Central Asian republics, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, you name it. And the destabilisation of the region is in nobody’s interest.

“That is why China and Russia are very careful in their statements, and everybody is trying now for a diplomatic solution.”

How long Trump’s brokered ceasefire will last remains to be seen. But for Ankara, the hope is that wider regional chaos has been avoided – and that it has managed, at least for now, to balance its competing interests.

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. 

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 24 May, I asked you a question about our article “EU and UK reunite in London for talks on diplomacy and defence” – that week, talks were held between France’s President Emmanuel Macron and the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer – after five years of rather tense relations between the two countries, following Britain’s exit from the EU in 2020.

I asked you to send in the answer to this question:  Which three issues – aside from defense and security partnerships – were also discussed – issues which are still quite politically sensitive?

The answer is: Fishing rights, food checks, and youth mobility.

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by Rafiq Khondaker: “What is your favorite animal, and why?”

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Nasyr Muhammad from Katsina State in Nigeria, who is also this week’s bonus question winner. Congratulations on your double win, Nasyr.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Debakamal Hazarika, the president of the United RFI Listeners Club in Assam, India, as well as RFI Listeners Club members Sharifa Akter Panna from Kishoreganj, Bangladesh; Zenon Teles, the president of the Christian – Marxist – Leninist – Maoist Association of Listening DX-ers in Goa, India, and last but assuredly not least, RFI English listener Rodrigo Hunrichse from Ciudad de Concepción, Chile.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: The overture to L’Italiana in Algerie by Giacchino Rossini, performed by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic; “Round Midnight” by Thelonius Monk, performed by the Thelonius Monk Quartet; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and the Act I finale of L’Italiana in Algerie by Giacchino Rossini, sung by Marilyn Horne and Paolo Montarsolo with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra conducted by James Levine.

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 Alison’s article “From Goma to Cape Town, the young Congolese athlete pedalling for peace”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 21 July to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 26 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.   

This week, we go to East Africa where Kenyans are protesting to denounce police brutality, exactly a year after a wave of protests organised against an unjust tax, that led to police violence.

This year’s protests were triggered by the killing by the police of a teacher and blogger in his cell. Albert Ojwang, 31, had been arrested for criticising a policeman online.

On Monday (23 June), Kenyan prosecutors said they were charging six people, including three police officers, with murder over his death.

To better understand the issues surrounding this incident, Spotlight on Africa podcast spoke to Douglas Lucas Kivoi, Principal Policy Analyst, Governance Department, Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA).

Africa Basel 

We also head to Switzerland for a new artistic event known as Africa Basel.

This first edition of a contemporary African art fair was created to coincide with the largest fair in the world, Art Basel, in Switzerland. It was held from 17 to 22 June, with over 30 galleries and dozens of artists.

Spotlight on Africa spoke with the two co-founders of the event, as they opened the first days of the event in Basel: Benjamin Füglister, artist and cultural entrepreneur born in Switzerland, and now the director of the Africa Basel and Sarah Hachi-Duchêne, curator at unx.art.

Episode mixed by Melissa Chemam and Cecile Pompeani.

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

Earlier this month, EU and Turkish officials met under the bloc’s Common Security and Defence Policy for the first time in three years.

The talks are part of a push to develop a more independent European defence system, amid concerns that a second Donald Trump presidency might weaken NATO’s guarantee to protect Europe.

Many see Turkey as well-placed to help meet the EU’s defence goals.

“We have huge potential for cooperation with Turkey,” said Federico Donelli, an international relations expert at Trieste University.

He pointed out that Turkey has the second-largest army in NATO, and that “many European defence systems are in some way compatible with Turkish military hardware because the majority of EU members are NATO members”.

Donelli said Turkey’s fast-growing defence sector could help the EU’s efforts to rearm.

“Turkey is one of the emerging players in the security market. One of Turkey’s key assets is producing efficiently at a lower cost compared with American or Israeli companies.”

Ankara’s expanding military

Turkey was recently admitted to the EU’s €150 billion Safety Assistance for Europe arms procurement programme.

While Turkey is not yet one of the top 10 global weapons producers, it has made major advances in certain areas. It is one of the world’s biggest producers of military drones and has developed a fifth-generation stealth fighter jet.

Last year, Turkish company Repkon built a munitions factory in the United States using technology designed to speed up production.

And this month, Turkey’s drone maker Baykar signed a deal with Italy’s Leonardo to develop drones together. The deal is expected to help Baykar meet EU rules that require 65 percent of the value of any arms contract to go to an EU firm.

Sinan Ciddi, of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, said Turkey brings valuable assets to the table.

“Turkey has a vast ability not only to procure and manufacture but also to supply these, that’s readily available. So, on the physical side, it’s great,” said Ciddi.

Concerns over Turkish politics

But Turkey’s position on the war in Ukraine has raised eyebrows. Ankara has kept ties with both Kyiv and Moscow, and Ciddi said this creates a dilemma for the EU.

“On the political side, it puts the EU in a rather precarious position of having to rely on a country like Turkey simply because, you know, Turkey has been playing both sides of this conflict, so it’s a double-edged sword,” he said.

Greece and Cyprus are also worried about closer defence ties between the EU and Turkey. Both have territorial disputes with Ankara.

While relations between Athens and Ankara have improved, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis insists that any defence deal with Turkey must include a clear promise to drop threats of war.

Turkey has said for 30 years it might use force if Greece extends its territorial waters in the Aegean Sea. Athens says it has a legal right to do so under a UN maritime convention.

Turkey has rejected the demand, saying the issue should be resolved through talks. Mitsotakis is due to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of this month’s NATO summit.

Greek, Cypriot objections sidelined

Greece and Cyprus still have veto powers in the EU and have used them against Turkey in the past. But Federico Donelli said Russia’s actions have changed the mood in Europe.

“Nowadays, I think the priority of European countries – and the European Union as a whole – is more important than any concerns from Cyprus and Greece,” said Donelli.

“I don’t think they will be able to halt this process,” he added. “Honestly, the priority for European countries is security: to increase production and to cooperate with all actors who can help in the defence sector.”

In a move widely seen as a way to get around Greek and Cypriot opposition, the EU has now made decisions on arms procurement subject to majority voting.

Even so, Greece and Cyprus could still slow things down diplomatically. But with France and Germany pushing hard to boost Europe’s defences, deeper ties with Turkey are likely to move ahead.

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 17 May, I asked you about the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival, which opened that week.  RFI English journalist Ollia Horton was there, and I asked you a question about her article “Ukraine, Gaza and #MeToo in the spotlight as Cannes Film Festival opens”. You were to send in the names of the three documentaries about the Ukraine conflict – as well as the names of the filmmakers – that were screened on the opening day.

The answer is: Zelensky, made by Yves Jeuland, Lisa Vapné, and Ariane Chemin; Notre Guerre (“Our War”) by Bernard-Henri Lévy and co-director Marc Roussel, and 2,000 metres to Andriivka by Mstyslav Chernov and Alex Babenko.

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by Khondaker Rafiq Ul from Naogaon, Bangladesh: “What was your happiest moment in your radio – or your DXing – history?”

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

The winners are: RFI English listener Hijab Abid, a member of the Sungat Radio Listeners Club in Muzaffargarh, Pakistan. Hijab is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations, Hijab!

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Paresh Hazarika, a member of the United RFI Listeners Club in Assam, India, and RFI Listeners Club members Ataur Rahman Ranju, the president of the Alokito Manush Cai International Radio Listeners Club in Rangpur, Bangladesh, and Samir Mukhopadhyay from West Bengal, India. Last but not least, there’s RFI English listener Rabiul Awal from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme:  “Gente Humile” by Garota, played by Baden Powell; “Stairway to Heaven” by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, played by Tetiana Mazur and Serhii Shamra; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Cities in Dust” by Susan Ballion, Peter Edward Clarke and Steven Severin, performed by Siouxsie and the Banshees.

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 “Togo suspends French broadcasters RFI, France 24 for three months”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 14 July to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 19 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.   

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.   

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.