When the three military-led states announced their withdrawal in January, Ecowas said their member benefits would continue until the terms of departure were finalised. The bloc called it an act of “regional solidarity”.

So far, the split has had little visible impact on daily life in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. But many practical issues still need to be resolved. 

Malian, Nigerien and Burkinabè officials have been formally dismissed from Ecowas and must leave their posts by 30 September.

Passports and identity cards issued under Ecowas rules remain valid. Free movement and the right to settle still apply. Goods and services continue to move without customs duties. But all of these arrangements are now subject to change.

Three Sahel nations exit West African bloc as regional politics shift

‘Consultations’  

In May, a first round of consultations brought together the foreign ministers of the three countries and ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray.

Both sides said they had discussed “political, diplomatic, administrative and institutional, legal, security and development” issues.

Cooperation on counter-terrorism was also mentioned.

At the end of the meeting, Ecowas and the AES bloc adopted a joint summary outlining next steps for talks.

“The challenge is to protect the people, trade, and what remains of Ecowas,” Malian political analyst Baba Dakono, executive secretary of the Citizen Observatory on Governance and Security (OCGS) in Bamako, told RFI’s Service Afrique.

He said the goal is to avoid undoing decades of regional progress, especially on free movement and trade.

“This withdrawal is a political decision. Now the aim is to ensure that its impact isn’t too severe – whether on the population or on trade between states – so that these exchanges can continue without being dragged back to the level of the 1970s, before Ecowas existed,” Dakono said.

He said the process would take time. All three countries are landlocked, and each is dealing with complex political and security challenges. Protecting civilians must be a priority, he added, along with safeguarding what remains of regional cooperation.

Negotiations are supposed to move to a technical level. But since May, no formal meetings have taken place.

“That doesn’t mean nothing is happening,” a senior official from Ecowas told RFI, without providing further details.

Mali’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is expected to lead talks for the AES. It did not respond to RFI’s requests for comment.

West African group Ecowas turns 50 amid struggle to stay united

Internal reforms

Dakono said the withdrawal also puts pressure on Ecowas itself.

“There’s the issue of internal reform, of democratic transitions, and of course security – especially the spread of jihadist threats toward the coastal countries,” he said.

He said these challenges must be addressed alongside the break with the AES.

The AES countries have said that Ecowas nationals will be allowed to enter their shared territory without a visa. But visa-free access in the other direction has yet to be agreed.

Other rules on the right to settle, do business or trade goods across borders also need to be reviewed.

Ecowas funds and implements a number of programmes in the three countries. These too may now be at risk.

Debt repayments are also on the table. All three states have loans from the Ecowas Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), and repayment terms will need to be renegotiated.

Ecowas has said it wants to avoid punishing the people of the Sahel. But it also wants to make clear that quitting the bloc comes with consequences. A deal seen as too soft could reduce the incentive to remain and lead others to follow.

The bloc itself is undergoing internal reform.

So the political, financial and legal disentangling may take years.

Wagner replaced in Mali by Africa Corps, another Russian military group

Growing insecurity

Security in the region has also shifted.

France once played a major role in supporting West African states, but that chapter is now ending. Paris has handed over control of its last military base in the region.

French troops have now left Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Russia is becoming their main strategic partner.

In Mali, Wagner has been replaced by another Russian military group, Africa Corps.

Over the past three years, France has scaled back its military operations in its former colonies, under pressure from local leaders. For years, it had led efforts to fight jihadist groups and armed criminal networks across the Sahel.

But more than a decade of insurgency has displaced millions, destroyed economies and pushed violence further south toward the coast.

The past two months have seen a sharp rise in jihadist attacks – one of the deadliest periods in recent Sahel history.

(with Reuters)

The savannahs of Isiolo County are home to elephants, giraffes, zebras and lions, attracting thousands of tourists each year.

The region is also used for carbon offset projects, where companies like Netflix and Meta pay to fund conservation efforts that help cancel out their own emissions.

The wildlife reserves are managed by the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT), a network of around 43 to 45 community conservancies across northern and coastal Kenya. NRT says it supports local institutions that are led by and serve indigenous communities.

But in a report published this week, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and Lawyers Without Borders (ASF) accuse NRT of violating the rights of the Borana, Samburu and Rendille peoples.

“Local communities are being restricted from accessing their own lands,” FIDH’s Gaëlle Dusepulchre told RFI.

“The areas are then protected by rangers and police. When communities protest or attempt to access the land, they are often met with repression. Cases of violence committed by both rangers and local police, as well as local government officials, have been documented.”

Tanzanian Maasai lawyers to launch appeal in East African land grab court case

‘Disposessed’ communities

NRT, which was created in 2004, sells carbon credits to Western companies including Meta, Netflix, British Airways and other multinationals.

The Coalition for Human Rights in Development says NRT has received millions of dollars from international donors, including the European Union, USAID, the World Wildlife Fund, the World Bank and the French Development Agency.

The new report adds to earlier claims of abuse and misconduct.

In November 2021, the US-based Oakland Institute accused NRT of links to community violence and extrajudicial killings.

The report said NRT, working with the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) and local authorities, “dispossessed pastoralist communities of their ancestral lands, through corruption, cooptation, and sometimes through intimidation and violence, to create wildlife conservancies for conservation dollars”.

The following year, donors commissioned an independent review to look into the allegations. Kanyinke Sena, director of the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Co-ordinating Committee, said he found “strikingly little evidence” to back the claims.

The Oakland Institute rejected the review, calling it a “sham”. It said Sena failed to meet tribal leaders or find the families of those allegedly harmed, Mongabay News reported.

The environmental media outlet also reported that protests against NRT by indigenous groups were often put down by force. On 8 May 2023, police in Kenya reportedly fired live ammunition and tear gas at unarmed villagers who were protesting the opening of a new NRT office and a conservation project launched without their consent.

Lack of funds in Liberia hampers legal enforcement of rural land rights

Legal recourse

Earlier this year, a court sided with indigenous communities and ruled that two of NRT’s largest conservancies had been created illegally.

The case was brought by 165 people from local communities.

The court also ordered NRT rangers to leave both areas. The rangers have been accused of serious human rights abuses. 

One of the conservancies involved, Biligo Bulesa, provides about one fifth of the carbon credits in NRT’s offset programme, said Survival International.

Despite the court win, Dusepulchre said indigenous groups still struggle to access justice. “Some of them have lodged complaints. They haven’t been processed, nor have they led to investigations. So there is indeed a broader issue around access to justice,” she said.

FIDH is calling on NRT, Kenyan authorities and international donors to respect the rights of local people. “Nature conservation must not happen without the participation of those who live on these lands,” Dusepulchre said.

The Northern Rangelands Trust has not yet responded to RFI’s requests for comment.

The so-called Entry/Exit System (EES) was due to start last November, but was pushed back at the last minute after several countries said they were not ready.

The EES will record a traveller’s date of entry and exit and keep track of people staying in a country longer than agreed. it was also flag up those who have been refused entry.

Travellers will have details and biometric data such as facial images and fingerprints collected.

The system’s introduction has raised fears of queues and longer waiting times for people voyaging to Europe on trains, ferries and planes.

In March, EU member states gave the green light to a phased rollout.

‘Crackdown on identity fraud’

“This will strengthen security by helping us identify overstayers, prevent irregular movements, and reduce document and identity fraud,” said Magnus Brunner, the commissioner for migration.

First agreed on in 2017, the automated system will be used in the EU’s 27 countries from 12 October with the exception of Ireland and Cyprus.

Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, which are not EU members but are part of the Schengen free movement area, will also apply it.

Just before the system is introduced, Brunner said posters would be displaed at airports and train stations to highlight the changes.

“With a six-month rollout, member states, travellers, and businesses will have the time to adjust to the new system,” Brunner added.

Border chiefs say they want EES machines operating at half of crossing points after three months. A full deployment is expected after six months.

“EES may take each passenger a few extra minutes to complete so be prepared to wait longer than usual at the border once the system starts,” Britain’s Foreign Office said in a travel update.

(with newswires)

On Thursday, the Caledonian Union (UC) said it would not support the draft agreement signed on 12 July in Bougival, near Paris.

The deal proposed creating a “State of New Caledonia” that would remain part of France but have new powers written into the French Constitution.

The plan came after 10 days of talks between the French government, pro-independence groups and loyalist leaders who want to stay part of France.

Although the agreement was presented as a possible compromise, it still needed support from political movements in New Caledonia, who were expected to consult their members on the ground.

However, the UC’s leadership, the principal force within the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS), met last weekend and concluded that the draft fell short of fundamental decolonisation principles.

“What’s laid out in the agreement merely reflects the stance of the loyalists and republicans,” UC president Emmanuel Tjibaou told reporters at a press conference in Nouméa.

“The proposals we submitted and discussed weren’t taken into account. So where are our ideas? That question needs to be put to the French State.”

French deal on New Caledonia ‘state’ hits early criticism

Call for ‘constructive’ discussions

Calling for a return to the negotiating table, the UC criticised President Emmanuel Macron’s renewed involvement, warning that it had only deepened the current deadlock.

“You can’t force this through,” said UC Commissioner General Christian Tein, urging the State to engage in “calm and constructive discussions”.

Mickaël Forrest, the party’s vice-president, echoed the sentiment, declaring, “An agreement that excludes the liberation movement holds no meaning.

Just a day earlier, in an interview with Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes, Overseas Minister Manuel Valls had urged both the UC and FLNKS to take part in the drafting committee’s efforts to refine the proposed texts.

He also cautioned against the dangers of an “institutional vacuum” should the agreement be rejected, warning that the absence of a deal could lead to chaos.

Looking ahead, the UC announced plans for an extraordinary FLNKS congress to be held on 9 August in La Conception, near Nouméa.

The gathering is expected to define a unified position and chart the next steps for the independence movement as it navigates the road ahead.

Marchand failed to match his previous night’s heroics but his time of 1min 53.68sec was still the second-fastest of all time.

The 23-year-old was made to work hard for the win, with his University of Texas training mates Shaine Casas and Hubert Kos hot on his heels.

Casas, from the United States, finished second in 1:54.30. Kos, from Hungary, completed the 50m series of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle in 1:55.34.

The triumph gave Marchand, who won four individual golds in front of his home fans at the Paris Olympics a year ago, his first gold in Singapore.

French star Marchand enhances legend with record at world swimming championships

“I’m just so happy to be at my highest level right now, competing in front of this pretty cool crowd,” said Marchand who took an extended break from swimming after his exploits in Paris and only returned to competition in May.

He is focusing on the medley events in Singapore and had said at the outset that he was aiming to break the 200m medley record.

He did that in style in Wednesday’s semi-finals. He registered a new mark of 1min 52.69sec to wipe more than a second off Ryan Lochte’s feat of 1min 54.00 which was set at the world championships in Shanghai in July 2011.

Marchand’s performance in the final could not quite reach Wednesday’s level but it was enough to deliver France‘s second gold of the championships.

Violence erupted on Monday when drivers of candongueiros – blue and white minibus taxis that carry nearly 90 percent of Luanda’s commuters – launched a three-day strike.

Sporadic gunfire was heard across the capital Luanda and several other cities on Monday and Tuesday as people looted shops and clashed with police.

“We regret 22 deaths, including one police officer,” Interior Minister Manuel Homem told reporters on the sidelines of a Council of Ministers meeting chaired by President João Lourenço.

Nearly 200 people were injured in the violence, he said, while more than 1,200 people had been arrested.

A statement issued after after the ministers’ meeting said vandalism and rioting had triggered a climate of widespread insecurity. 

It added: “Elements with criminal intentions have turned the demonstration into a threat to security.”

Security forces on patrol

Security forces patrolled the streets of Luanda on Wednesday as public transport slowly resumed after a two-day standstill.

The strike was the latest in a series of protests after the price of fuel was raised from 300 to 400 kwanzas (€0.29 to €0.38) a litre on 1 July.

The government’s move to lower its heavy fuel subsidies reportedly followed calls from the International Monetary Fund for more public money to be spent on health and education.

But it has angered many in the country of 36 million people, already under pressure from inflation of around 20 percent and an unemployment rate of nearly 30 percent.

“The government seems to ignore its population,” Luanda resident Daniel Pedro, 32, told the French news agency AFP.

“They say that youth is the future of tomorrow, yet today it is unemployed. I have a deep feeling of insecurity,” the teacher said.

Inflation and limited growth are likely to keep poverty rates high, around 36 percent by 2026, underscoring the need for a stronger social safety net and more development spending”, according to the World Bank.

Oil wealth, rising anger

Angola is the second-largest oil producer in Africa, behind Nigeria. But many people say they are not seeing any benefit from Angola’s oil wealth.

“This is a paradox we’ve lived with since independence,” activist Laura Macedo told RFI’s Portuguese service.

She criticised Lourenço for promoting Angola’s 50th independence anniversary while much of the population continues to suffer.

“He cannot be a happy man. How can you accept that there are still children on the streets, and that the drought in southern Angola continues to kill people?” she asked.

The ANATA taxi drivers’ union, which called the strike, has distanced itself from the unrest.

Its leader, Geraldo Wanga, condemned the violence and said his members were not involved in the destruction. He hit out at  what he called the arbitrary arrest of drivers wrongly accused of inciting violence.

The protests reflect growing frustration with Angola’s economic struggles and political leadership. The MPLA has ruled since the country gained independence from Portugal in 1975.

In a joint statement, the opposition UNITA and Bloco Democratico parties said: “Angola is in a severe economic and social crisis that is a result of government policies that are disconnected from the country’s reality.”

The Elysée said President Emmanuel Macron discussed the move with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier in the day and looked forward to working “in concert with Canada to revive a prospect for peace in the region”.

Carney’s declaration makes Canada the latest Western country – after France and the UK – to back Palestinian statehood as part of a push to preserve the two-state solution.

“The worsening suffering of civilians in Gaza leaves no room for delay in coordinated international action to support peace,” Carney said.

Last Thursday, France became the first major Western power to change tack over Israel. Macron said that recognising a Palestinian state was part of France’s historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

On 30 July, Starmer said Britain will formally recognise the state of Palestine this September unless Israel abides by a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and commits to a two-state solution in the Middle East.

Carney’s move came under fire from Israeli and American authorities.

“Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine,” wrote President Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform. “That will make it very hard for us to make a trade deal with them.”

Israel said Canada’s announcement was part of a distorted campaign of international pressure.

“It recognises a Palestinian state in the absence of accountable government, functioning institutions, or benevolent leadership, rewards and legitimises the monstrous barbarity of Hamas on October 7, 2023,” said the Israeli embassy in Ottawa.

Conditions for support

Carney stressed that the Palestinian Authority (PA) – which has civil authority in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank – had to agree to certain conditions as part of the recognition.

He said the PA’s leader, President Mahmoud Abbas, had to honour his pledge to hold general elections in 2026. Carney said Hamas could  play no part in the polls and had to give up its arms.

“Canada has been an unwavering member of the group of nations that hoped a two-state solution would be achieved as part of a peace process built around a negotiated settlement between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority,” Carney said.

“Regrettably, this approach is no longer tenable,” he said, citing Hamas terrorism and the group’s longstanding violent rejection of Israel’s right to exist.

The peace process had also been eroded by the expansion of Israeli settlements across the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, Carney said.

“Any path to lasting peace for Israel also requires a viable and stable Palestinian state, and one that recognises Israel’s inalienable right to security and peace,” Carney added.

In what has been a politically charged week, European Union negotiators have come out swinging in defence of the new trade framework struck with the United States, arguing that the controversial deal was the only alternative to a catastrophic trade war.

Framed as a necessary compromise, the agreement imposes 15 percent tariffs on most European exports to the US, while unlocking promises of €685 billion in energy purchases – including over €200 billion in liquefied natural gas on an annual basis – and €510 billion in EU-based investments by 2028.

For Brussels, Sunday’s deal is a pragmatic move, not a celebratory one.

“A trade war may seem appealing to some, but it comes with serious consequences,” said EU chief trade negotiator Maros Sefcovic. “We’ve safeguarded five million European jobs that depend on transatlantic trade.”

EU-US trade deal averts tariff hikes, but sparks unease in Europe

France remains critical and sceptical

Yet the mood in Paris has been far from triumphant. French Prime Minister François Bayrou branded the deal a “dark day” for Europe, accusing the bloc of “resigning itself to submission”.

His language was echoed by key ministers and business leaders who contend that the EU has failed to wield its economic strength effectively in negotiations.

“This agreement is not complete. The work continues,” said Economy Minister Eric Lombard, highlighting unresolved issues in pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, chemicals and agricultural goods.

Foreign Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin was even more direct: “If this is the final word, we have weakened ourselves”.

While criticism in France has been fierce, some observers emphasise the need to understand how trade agreements are negotiated at an EU level in the first place.

“The European Commission negotiates trade agreements for all EU countries. That is its job,” said Olivier Costa, political scientist and researcher with Sciences-Po.

Speaking to RFI, he added: “Ursula von der Leyen was entirely within her remit.”

Costa did, however, express concern about the EU’s energy investment commitments, noting that “states don’t buy gas or oil – private operators do. There’s a form of legal creativity at work”.

He also pushed back on the idea that France speaks for everyone.

“Those favouring a hard line against Trump are in the minority. The deal aligns with the preferences of major exporters like Germany.”

For many, a predictable 15 percent tariff is preferable to chaotic, escalating duties. In Brussels, officials admit the agreement is suboptimal – but say the alternatives were worse.

Trump says EU, Mexico to face 30 percent tariff from 1 August

French businesses sound the alarm

Meanwhile, business leaders in France have voiced their deep concern.

“If things are as we’ve been told, this is unacceptable,” said Patrick Martin, president of Medef – France’s largest employers’ federation.

Small and medium enterprises in particular are bracing for fallout, with the CPME small business association predicting “disastrous repercussions”.

However, reactions across different sectors have been varied. The Federation of Beauty Companies (FEBEA) noted that duties on cosmetics exports to the US would now rise from 0 to 15 percent – a bitter pill for an industry previously shielded from tariffs.

The agrifood sector was equally dismayed. “Clearly unfair,” said Ania, the food industry employers’ group, noting that French wine and spirits – already facing market challenges – would be especially hard-hit.

The only exceptions came from sectors that secured exemptions. The aeronautics industry welcomed the deal. “This protects skilled jobs and maintains balance in transatlantic industrial cooperation,” said the French Aerospace Industries Association.

Europe-wide balancing act

Reactions across the EU have ranged from tepid acceptance to cautious optimism.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the deal as “better than escalation”, but lamented its asymmetric burden on Germany’s export-heavy economy.

Italy’s Giorgia Meloni called the agreement “positive” in averting a trade war but acknowledged many uncertainties remain, particularly around agriculture and gas purchases.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, never one to shy away from controversy, dismissed the deal outright. “This is not an agreement. Donald Trump ate Ursula von der Leyen for breakfast,” he quipped, accusing the European Commission of weakness.

Even economic analysts were sceptical. “This is appeasement, not strategy,” said Julian Hinz of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

Trump escalates trade tensions with 200 percent tariff on EU wine, champagne

Strategic products, strategic risks

The road to implementation of Sunday’s deal remains is fraught with challenges, especially regarding so-called “strategic products”.

While talks are ongoing to exempt certain categories – like some generic pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and aviation equipment – the lack of clarity is sowing confusion.

Steel and aluminium face the full 15 percent tariff burden for now, despite their strategic significance to EU industrial policy.

The wine and spirits sector, symbolic of European cultural exports, remains in limbo.

France’s Federation of Wine and Spirits Exporters said “the next few days will be decisive” and warned of retaliatory measures if negotiations don’t yield a fairer outcome.

Negotiators are now focusing on fine-tuning the so-called “strategic carve-outs”, with a particular eye on pharmaceuticals, where transnational collaboration is vital for public health.

But perhaps the thorniest issue of all is the LNG commitment.

As part of the deal, the EU has agreed to import hundreds of billions of dollars worth of American liquefied natural gas – mostly fracked – over the next several years.

Environmentalists and green policymakers are alarmed, seeing this as a betrayal of the EU’s Green Deal and its pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

EU races to strike trade deal with Washington as Macron slams tariff ‘blackmail’

Will the deal ever be fully implemented?

As it stands the EU-US trade framework is, by most expert accounts, little more than a sketch.

Crucially, it’s not legally binding. As Italy’s Meloni observed, “there is still room to fight”.

Any final approval will follow detailed sector-by-sector talks and votes in the European Parliament and Council.

Technical negotiations on exemptions, enforcement mechanisms, and sustainability criteria are likely to continue for months – if not years. Whether all elements, including the politically toxic LNG component, will ever materialise remains highly uncertain.

“This deal is a holding pattern, not a destination,” summarised Jack Allen-Reynolds of Capital Economics. “It buys time, but doesn’t guarantee peace.”

For now, the EU’s gamble is clear – preserve economic stability today, while leaving the door open for renegotiation tomorrow.

As communities worldwide worry about boys being exposed to toxic and misogynistic influences on social media, French magistrates say they are looking into what draws young teens into “terrorism”. 

“Just a few years ago, there were just a handful of minors charged with terror offences,” France’s National Anti-Terror Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) said. 

“But we had 15 in 2013, 18 in 2024 and we already had 11 by 1 July” this year. 

They are aged 13 to 18 and hail from all over France, the PNAT said. 

Lawyers and magistrates said these teens are usually boys with no delinquent past, many of whom are introverts or have had family trouble. 

The PNAT opened a special branch in May to better examine the profiles of minors drawn into “terrorism”, but it said it has already noticed they are all “great users of social media”. 

“Most are fans of ultra-violent, war or pornographic content,” it said. 

In France, “terrorism” is largely synonymous with extremist Islamist ideas such as those of the Islamic State jihadist group. 

Only in recent months has the PNAT taken on cases different in nature –  in one case an adult suspected of a racist far-right killing, and the other an 18-year-old charged with developing a misogynist plot to kill women. 

In one recent case, the 14-year-old schoolboy who stabbed a teaching assistant to death in June was a fan of “violent video games”, although his case was not deemed “terrorist” in nature. 

Teenage pupil faces murder charge after school stabbing that shook France

‘Proving themselves…’

In the case of France’s youngest “terror” suspects, a judicial source told French news agency AFP, social media provides them with a flow of violent videos that are “not necessarily linked to terrorism”, such as from Latin American cartels. 

“They think they’re proving themselves as men by watching them,” the source said. 

Sociologist Farhad Khosrokhavar said the teens were “neither children nor adults”. 

This “leads them to violence in order to be recognised as adults – even if it’s a negative adult,” he said. 

Laurene Renaut, a researcher looking into jihadist circles online, said social media algorithms could suck adolescents in fast. 

“In less that three hours on TikTok, you can find yourself in an algorithm bubble dedicated to the Islamic State” group, she said. 

You can be bathing in “war chants, decapitations, AI reconstructions of glorious (according to IS) past actions or even simulations of actions to come,” she said. 

The algorithms feed users “melancholic” content to boost their “feeling of loneliness, with ravaged landscapes, supposed to reflect the soul,” she said.

EU countries push for stricter rules to keep children off social media

‘Injustice’

In one such case, a teenager claimed he was driven by a sense of “injustice” after watching a video online of a brutal attack on a mosque in New Zealand.

The footage depicted the massacre carried out by white supremacist Brenton Tarrant, who, in March 2019, embarked on a deadly rampage through mosques in Christchurch in New Zealand killing 51 worshippers in what remains the deadliest mass shooting in New Zealand’s modern history.

“Someone sent me Tarrant’s video,” the teenager recalled. “It felt deeply unjust to watch men, women and children being slaughtered.”

Ultimately, he was convicted of plotting terrorist attacks targeting far-right bars.

He told investigators that his path towards extremism began at the age of 13, while playing the video game Minecraft and engaging with others on the gaming platform Discord.

Porn sites go dark in France over new age verification rules

In July 2024, a French appeals court sentenced him to four years in prison, with two of those years suspended, after he attempted to contact an undercover officer to inquire about acquiring weapons.

The court acknowledged the serious nature of his planned actions but also noted the absence of any deeply rooted ideological radicalisation.

Rather, it concluded that he was the product of a violent upbringing, the child of warring parents in a troubled neighbourhood, significantly deprived of affection and desperate to fit in with online communities.

His lawyer, Jean-Baptiste Riolacci, told the French news agency AFP that his client was “a fundamentally lonely, sad and kind boy, whose only pastime beyond his computer was riding around aimlessly on his scooter.”

‘Guesswork’

The judicial source, who spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the issue, said the French system favours early intervention through charging youth for associating with “terrorist” criminals, and then adapting their punishment according to the severity of the accusations. 

But attorney Pierre-Henri Baert, who defended another teenager, said the system did not work. 

His client was handed three years behind bars in May for sharing an IS propaganda post calling for attacks against Jewish people as a 16-year-old. 

“It’s a very harsh sentence considering his very young age, the fact he had no (criminal) record, and was really in the end just accused of statements online,” he said. 

Another lawyer, who worked on similar cases but asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue, agreed. 

“When the judiciary goes after people for terrorist criminal association, it’s basically doing guesswork,” she said, adding that the “terrorist” label could be very stigmatising. 

“There’s no differentiation between a kid who sent aggressive messages and a suspect who actually bought weapons,” she added. 

‘Fantasising about jihadism’

Two judicial sources said teens prosecuted for alleged “terrorism” are usually only spotted through their behaviour on social media. 

They are then charged over other actions, such as moving to an encrypted messaging app, sharing recipes to make explosives or looking for funding, the sources said. 

A Paris court will try three teenagers in September, aged 14 and 15, for allegedly planning to blow up a truck outside the Israeli embassy in Belgium. 

They had been spotted at high school for their “radical remarks”, but were then found in a park with “bottles of hydrochloric acid” containing “aluminium foil”, a homemade type of explosive, the PNAT said. 

Their telephones showed they had watched videos of massacres. 

Jennifer Cambla, a lawyer who represents one of the defendants, said accusations against her client were disproportionate. 

“My client may have had the behaviour of a radicalised person by consulting jihadist websites, which is forbidden. But he is far from having plotted an attack,” she said. 

But another lawyer, speaking anonymously, said arresting teenagers “fantasizing about jihadism” could be an opportunity to turn their lives around – even if it involved “a monstruous shock”. 

“The arrests are tough,” with specialised forces in ski masks pulling sacks over the suspect’s head, they said. 

But “as minors, they are followed closely, they see therapists. They are not allowed on social media, and they do sport again,” the lawyer said. 

One of the judicial sources warned it was not clear that this worked. 

It “makes it look like they are being rapidly deradicalised, but we do not know if these youth could again be drawn in by extremist ideas,” they said. 

(AFP)

In a letter sent to Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas Thursday, Macron confirmed France’s intention to press ahead with recognition and work to convince other partners to do the same. 

To date, about 144 of the 193 UN member states have recognised a Palestinian state, including most of the global south as well as Russia, China and India. Only a handful of the 27 EU countries do so, mostly former Communist countries as well as Sweden and Cyprus.

Spain, Ireland, Norway and Slovenia did so last year.

If Macron keeps his promise, France – a permanent member of the UN Security Council – will become the largest Western power and the first G7 country to recognise Palestinian statehood. 

The decision is mostly symbolic, with Israel occupying the territories where the Palestinians have long sought to establish such a state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

But it makes Israel appear more isolated on the international stage over the war in Gaza, where Israel has been fighting Hamas militants since the 7 October 2023 terror attack.

Why now?

Macron’s announcement on Thursday has been fuelled by the rising global outcry over starvation and devastation in Gaza.

According to the World Health Organization and a number of international aid organisations, Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid delivery have led to mass starvation in the enclave, though Israel blames Hamas for the suffering.

Macron had been leaning towards recognising Palestine for months as part of a bid to keep the idea of a two-state solution – traditionally defended by France – alive. But he has speeded up the timetable.

“Emmanuel Macron has realised that, in reality, he cannot, unfortunately, expect French diplomacy to have a knock-on effect,” says Middle East specialist Frédéric Encel. “A few months ago, he had hoped that Saudi Arabia, or at least one Arab state, would recognise Israel as a price for France’s recognition of Palestine. That’s obviously not the case,” he told RFI.

Faced with Washington’s huge influence in the region and France’s diminishing influence there, Macron “decided to take the bull by the horns closer to the date of the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly at the beginning of September”. 

As co-host alongside Saudi Arabia of next week’s UN conference in New York aimed at promoting the two-state solution, France was also under pressure to clarify its stance.

“It’s difficult for France to chair a coalition in favour of a two-state solution if France itself does not recognise one of the two states,” says Hasni Abidi, director of the Geneva-based Centre for Studies and Research on the Arab and Mediterranean World (CERMAM).

Israel’s war and settlements a strategy to block Palestinian state: legal expert

France still counts

Palestinian authorities in both Gaza and the occupied West Bank have largely welcomed France’s decision.

“At last, France is aligning itself with international law – a system that was invented and built in Europe,” says Anwar Abu Eisheh, the PA’s former culture minister.

“France, like Germany and the United Kingdom, is a major global player with considerable influence,” Eisheh told RFI. “And France is also a permanent member of the UN Security Council – that carries weight. This could help accelerate a genuine state-building process.”

Given that Palestinians have lost faith in the West, after lots of talk about values and human rights but little evidence on the ground, “this could at least help limit the damage”, he argues.

“More than 148 states have recognised a Palestinian state,” Abidi notes. “France can only be part of this march of history. What is happening today in Gaza is the result of international resignation and the lack of interest in the Palestinian question and the Palestinian state. And that, in my opinion, is an important factor that led President Macron to anticipate this decision.”

Jean-Paul Chagnollaud, a Middle East expert and co-author of the Atlas du Moyen-Orient, agrees. “It’s a crucial move. It reasserts the principles of international law and the UN Security Council resolutions calling for a two-state solution. France’s recognition of Palestine is a step in that direction.”

Going it alone

Encel, however, plays down the importance of Macron’s contribution.

“It won’t be a decisive contribution. Firstly, because it will change absolutely nothing on the ground. Secondly, because without the knock-on effect France will lose credibility.”

Macron’s announcement has indeed opened the door for other major G7 nations such as Britain, Germany and Canada to possibly jump on board.

Chagnollaud says that the announcement was initially scheduled to coincide with a conference in New York in June, which was postponed due to hostilities between Israel and Iran. “At that time, French diplomacy was actively seeking support from other players – Canada and the UK in particular. It was clear that France hoped to bring others on board, not just within Europe, but globally.”

In the immediate term, Malta and Belgium have indicated they could be the next EU countries to recognise a Palestinian state but whether bigger international players will follow is far from sure.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday that his government would recognise a Palestinian state only as part of a negotiated peace deal, disappointing many in his Labour Party who want him to follow France.

After discussing with Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ways to pressure Israel to end its war in Gaza, Starmer said he was focused on the “practical solutions” that he thought would make a real difference to ending the war.

Earlier on Friday, a German government spokesperson said it was not planning to recognise a Palestinian state in the short term and that its priority was to make “long-overdue progress” towards a two-state solution.

Chagnollaud says Germany “remains paralysed by the historical weight of its responsibility for the Holocaust. 

And without Germany, Encel insists EU pressure on Israel will be minimal.

“As long as Germany, which is Israel’s economic heavyweight and main economic partner within the European Union, does not take this kind of step, the Israeli government will not take the French position into account.”

Does Macron’s pledge on Palestine signal a return to France’s ‘Arab policy’?

‘Rewarding terrorism’

“Despite the announcement, many Palestinians criticise France for remaining close to Israel, so I wouldn’t call it a breath of fresh air,” Encel says. “As for the Israeli government, it will make little difference –  they’re a far-right coalition that couldn’t care less what France or most European states do.”

Israel has reacted angrily, accusing France of “rewarding terrorism” in reference to Hamas.

In a statement, Hamas welcomed Macron’s decision as a “positive step” towards justice and self-determination for the Palestinian people.

Israel argues French recognition of Palestine will encourage Hamas to hold a harder line in ceasefire negotiations but France insists the announcement – which also called for Hamas to be demilitarised – was not about rewarding Hamas but rather “proving it wrong”.

“Hamas has always rejected the two-state solution. By recognising Palestine, France is proving this terrorist movement wrong. It is proving the peace camp right against the war camp,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot wrote on X.

Israel slams French plan to recognise Palestinian state as a ‘prize for terror’

Domestic differences

France is home to Europe’s largest Jewish and Muslim populations so any decisions relating to Israel and the Palestinians can have an impact on the domestic front.

Announcing his decision, Macron said “the French people want peace in the Middle East”.

However, a poll last month found that only 22 per cent were in favour of immediate and unconditional recognition while 47 per cent would accept recognition once Hamas had laid down its arms and released all the Israeli hostages.

Opinion among France’s political class is also divided. Jean-Luc Mélénchon, figurehead of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, which has long defended Palestinian rights, described Macron’s decision as a “moral victory”. Socialist MP Arthur Delaporte said that faced with famine and ongoing massacres “the priority is to stop the violence,” adding that recognition of Palestine, while not enough, is a step in the right direction.

The conservative Republicans party (LR) said that while it had “always been favourable” to recognising a Palestinian state, the conditions were not met.

“At present it would give victory to Hamas – a terrorist organisation – while the [Israeli] hostages have still not been freed”, it wrote in a statement. 

The far-right National Rally (RN) party, closely aligned to Israel’s right-wing Likud, said Macron’s decision was “precipitated”.  RN lawmaker Julien Odoul went further saying it legitimised Hamas.

“Be as violent as possible and you’ll be handed a state on a silver platter. The signal this sends to the world, especially from France, is appalling.”

Macron’s supporters within the government back the move as both a principled and strategic step.

On 17 July, the UK government announced a major overhaul of the country’s electorate.

“Today we’re delivering on our promise to give 16 and 17-year-olds the right to vote,” Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner posted on X, adding: “Young people already contribute to society by working, paying taxes and serving in the military. It’s only right they can have a say on the issues that affect them.”

Once ratified by parliament – which is expected to pass it easily – the measure will allow those aged 16 and 17 to vote in all elections, including the next general election scheduled for 2029. Official data estimates this will result in an additional 1.6 million voters. 

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that lowering the voting age from 18 – a measure which was promised in Labour’s manifesto prior to their election in 2024 – will make elections and their results fairer for young people. 

“I think it’s really important that 16 and 17-year-olds have the vote, because they are old enough to go out to work, they are old enough to pay taxes,” he told ITV News. “And I think if you pay in, you should have the opportunity to say what you want your money spent on.”

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The move will see the UK join a small but growing group of countries.

In the European Union, Belgium lowered its voting age to 16 for last year’s European election, as did Germany, where 16-year-olds have been able to vote in municipal elections in some states since the mid 1990s – although on the national level the voting age remains 18.

In Austria, the voting age for all elections – local, national and European – has been set at 16 since 2007, as it has in Malta since 2018.

Greece split the difference and lowered its voting age to 17 in 2016. Cyprus lowered its voting age for all elections to 17 in May this year, ahead of its 2028 presidential election.

Elsewhere in the world, 16-year-olds can vote in Cuba, Nicaragua, Argentina, Ecuador and Brazil. Seventeen-year-olds can head to the polls in East Timor, Indonesia, Israel and North Korea. 

Who stands to gain?

In the UK, as in several other countries where the issue is being debated, the idea behind the reform is to combat abstention. At last year’s UK general election, turnout was 59.7 percent – the lowest since 2001.

“There is also an unspoken belief among many in [the left-wing] Labour [party] that the change may benefit the left, given that younger people have historically tended to be more left wing,” the UK’s Guardian newspaper reports.

This is far from a given, however, as the paper reports, citing a poll conducted for ITV News of 500 16 and 17-year-olds, which showed that while Labour did indeed have the highest support among them, at 33 percent, the second most popular party was the right-wing populist Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage – on 20 percent. 

Farage, nonetheless, says he is against the move “even though we get lots of [young people’s] votes”. He told ITV News that people should not be able to vote in an election unless they can stand as a candidate – the minimum age for which is 18 in the UK.

Professor of politics at Glasgow’s Strathclyde University and polling expert Sir John Curtice told the BBC he believes the Green Party is the most likely to benefit from the lowering of the voting age.

He added that young people are least likely to vote for the Conservative Party and Reform UK, and most likely to vote for the Greens, the Scottish National Party (SNP) or Labour – although the change has “maybe come too late for Labour to benefit from”.

AI chatbots and TikTok reshape how young people get their daily news

However, the election of far-right presidents Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil in 2018 and Javier Milei in Argentina in 2023, as well as the historic victory of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria in the country’s 2024 general election, suggest the correlation of young voters with liberal politics is not necessarily an automatic one. 

Regardless of their voting intentions, a report published by the Council of Europe in 2022 supports the idea that lowering the voting age can breathe new life into the democratic process – in part by increasing turnout.

“Results from Austria show that the turnout of 16 and 17-year-olds is in fact higher than the turnout of older first time voters, and it is nearly as high as the overall turnout,” the report notes. The abstention rate in Austria’s parliamentary elections last September was just 25.1 percent.

In comparison, in France 33.3 percent of voters failed to go to the polls following the dissolution of the National Assembly by Emmanuel Macron in the aftermath of the European elections last year.

Scotland’s 2014 independence referendum, the first vote in the country in which 16-year-olds were eligible to participate, had the highest turnout of any referendum or election in UK history – at 84.6 percent.

Lessons from Scotland

The expansion of the electorate would put all four of the nations that make up the UK on an equal footing, given that 16 and 17-year-olds in Scotland and Wales already have the right to vote in elections to their devolved national parliaments.

Unlike in the rest of the UK, in Scotland – which has a separate legal system – 16 is the age of majority. Scots of that age are able to marry, enter into contracts and legal agreements and can be tried in adult courts. 

In March 2013, 18 months before the independence referendum when the SNP proposed the legislation to lower the participation age for the vote, then-Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “No one has a bigger stake in the future of our country than today’s young people.”

A new study by the University of Edinburgh and the University of Sheffield would suggest that young people in Scotland were equally enthusiastic about their enfranchisement. it found that 16 and 17-year-olds were more likely to vote in the referendum than Scots aged between 18 and 24.

The Council of Europe’s examination of the 2014 referendum in its 2022 report backs this up, with its authors noting the “high levels of enthusiasm” among Scots aged 16-17, as demonstrated by figures showing that “109,593 of under-18s registered and 75 percent claimed to have voted”.

One citizen, one vote: meet Scotland’s new electors on the eve of a telling test

It also noted another significant statistic – that “97 percent of those 16-17-year olds who reported having voted said that they would vote again in future elections and referendums”.

These positive longer-term outcomes have been cited by campaigners in favour of lowering voter ages, and are borne out by the joint Edinburgh and Sheffield study.

It found that people who take part in their first election aged 16 or 17 are indeed more likely to turn out to vote in future elections than those who first voted at the age of 18.

The study used data collected from 863 young people in Scotland to investigate the effects of voting for the first time at 16 or 17 on the political behaviour of young people aged up to 24, examining turnouts for the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections.

“Scotland has maintained a boost in electoral engagement among first-time voters enfranchised at 16 or 17. Seven years after the initial lowering of the voting age in Scotland, we observe that young people who benefitted from [this] were more likely to turn out to vote in the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections than young people who were first eligible to vote in an election aged 18 or older,” it found.

Almost 80 percent of those who were able to vote aged 16 or 17 voted in the 2021 Scottish elections, compared with around 50 percent of those who cast their first vote at 18.

“This suggests a lasting positive effect of being allowed to vote from 16 on young people’s voter turnout as they grow up,” the study concluded.

Or, as the Council of Europe report phrased it: “Those who start as a voter, stay a voter.”

This article was partially adapted from the original version in French.

French prosecutors have asked magistrates to issue a new arrest warrant for Syria’s former president Bashar al-Assad over a deadly 2013 chemical attack, following the annulment of a previous warrant due to presidential immunity.

The move comes after France’s top court, the Court of Cassation, last Friday quashed a 2023 warrant targeting Assad while he was still in power. The court ruled that heads of state are protected by personal immunity – even in cases involving alleged war crimes or crimes against humanity.

However, the court’s president, Christophe Soulard, said that since Assad was toppled by Islamist-led fighters in December 2024, fresh arrest warrants may now be issued, and the investigation can proceed.

France’s highest court to rule on arrest warrant for ex-Syrian president Assad

French authorities have been investigating the sarin gas attacks on Adra and Douma, near Damascus, which took place on 4 to 5 August 2013.

More than 1,000 people were killed, according to US intelligence. Assad is accused of complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the command structure behind the attack.

On Friday, the National Anti-Terror Prosecutor’s Office confirmed it had requested “the issuing and international dissemination” of a new warrant against Assad.

Assad and his family fled to Russia following his ouster, according to Russian officials.

Setback for accountability

The Court of Cassation’s ruling on Friday has drawn criticism from human rights advocates who had hoped the court would set a precedent by lifting immunity in the face of grave international crimes.

“This ruling represents a setback for the global fight against impunity for the most serious crimes under international law,” said Mazen Darwish, head of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression, which is a civil party in the case.

Still, the court did uphold indictments in related cases under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows French courts to prosecute serious international crimes committed abroad.

In particular, the court backed legal action against former Syrian central bank governor Adib Mayaleh, accused of funding the Assad regime during the conflict.

Mayaleh, a naturalised French citizen, is charged with complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Darwish welcomed this element of the ruling as a “great victory,” stating it reinforces that no foreign official can hide behind immunity in cases of international crimes.

France’s top court annuls arrest warrant against Syria’s Assad

Broader legal efforts

The French inquiry into the 2013 attack is based on testimonies from survivors, defectors, and extensive photographic and video evidence.

Arrest warrants have previously been issued for Assad, his brother Maher – commander of an elite military unit – and two generals.

In January, French magistrates issued a separate arrest warrant against Assad over a 2017 bombing in Deraa that killed a French-Syrian civilian.

Syria’s civil war, triggered by a brutal crackdown on anti-Assad protests in 2011, has left over half a million people dead and displaced millions.

Assad’s fall marked the end of his family’s five-decade rule.

Conservative think tanks, whose influence was once limited to Washington’s corridors of power, are now establishing connections with political actors and organisations in countries such as Poland and Hungary, working to shape Europe’s future.

This report delves into the activities of the Heritage Foundation and its burgeoning alliances with groups including Ordo Iuris in Poland and the Mathias Corvinus Collegium in Hungary.

These organisations advocate for conservative cultural and economic reforms, sparking heated debate over national identity, the structure of the European Union and the future of liberal democracy across the region.

Can Europe withstand the ripple effect of the MAGA political wave?

As alliances form and agendas clash, a crucial question looms: are these movements charting a course toward genuine European reform, or steering the continent toward greater division? 

Voices from both sides share their perspectives, revealing the complexity behind this transatlantic ideological exchange.

Our guests: 

Chris Murphy, Senator (D, Connecticut)

Kenneth Haar, researcher at Corporate Europe Observatory 

Zbigniew Przybylowski, development director at Ordo Iuris

Rodrigo Ballester, head of the Centre for European Studies at Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC)

After one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded rattled Russia’s sparsely populated Far East, more than a dozen nations – from Japan to the United States to Ecuador – warned citizens to stay away from coastal regions.

Storm surges of up to four metres (12 feet) were predicted for some parts of the Pacific, after the 8.8 quake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula.

The tsunami warnings caused widespread disruption. Peru closed 65 of its 121 Pacific ports and authorities on Maui cancelled flights to and from the Hawaiian island.

But fears of a catastrophe were not realised, with country after country lifting or downgrading warnings and telling coastal residents they could return.

In Japan, almost two million people had been ordered to higher ground, before the warnings were downgraded to an advisory for large stretches of its Pacific coast, with waves up to 0.7 metres still being observed on Thursday.

“We urge the public not to go in coastal waters and please stay away from coasts,” a seismologist at Japan’s meteorological agency said.

The only reported fatality was a woman killed when her car fell off a cliff in Japan as she tried to escape on Wednesday, local media reported.

In Chile, authorities conducted what the Interior Ministry said was “perhaps the most massive evacuation ever carried out in our country” – with 1.4 million people ordered to high ground.

Chilean authorities reported no damage or victims and registered waves of just 60 centimeters (two feet) on the country’s north coast.

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In the Galapagos Islands, where waves of up to three meters were expected, there was relief as the Ecuadoran navy’s oceanographic institute said the danger had passed.

Locals reported the sea level falling and then rising suddenly, a phenomenon which is commonly seen with the arrival of a tsunami.

But only a surge of just over a meter was reported, causing no damage.

“Everything is calm, I’m going back to work. The restaurants are reopening and the places tourists visit are also open again,” said 38-year-old Santa Cruz resident Isabel Grijalva.

Earlier, national parks were closed, schools were shuttered, loudspeakers blared warnings and tourists were spirited off sightseeing boats and onto the safety of land.

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

The worst damage was seen in Russia, where a tsunami crashed through the port of Severo-Kurilsk and submerged the local fishing plant, officials said.

Russian state television footage showed buildings and debris swept into the sea.

The surge of water reached as far as the town’s World War II monument about 400 meters from the shoreline, said Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov.

The initial quake also caused limited damage and only light injuries, despite being the strongest since 2011, when 15,000 people were killed in Japan.

Russian scientists reported that the Klyuchevskoy volcano erupted shortly after the earthquake.

“Red-hot lava is observed flowing down the western slope. There is a powerful glow above the volcano and explosions,” said Russia’s Geophysical Survey.

Pacific alerts

Wednesday’s quake was the strongest in the Kamchatka region since 1952, the regional seismic monitoring service said, warning of aftershocks of up to 7.5 magnitude.

The US Geological Survey said the quake was one of the 10 strongest tremors recorded since 1900.

It was followed by dozens of aftershocks that further shook the Russian Far East, including one of 6.9 magnitude.

The USGS said there was a 59 percent chance of an aftershock of more than 7.0 magnitude in the next week.

The contraceptives – including intrauterine devices (IUDs), implants and pills – were bought under public health programmes run by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Since January, the supplies have been sitting in a warehouse in Geel, Belgium, after the Trump administration froze and then cancelled funding for reproductive health projects.

The products, which were meant for use in low- and middle-income countries, were being stored as part of USAID’s supply chain, managed by its logistics contractor Chemonics.

Several media outlets have reported that the material may soon be transferred and incinerated in France, though no final decision has been confirmed.

A diplomatic source told RFI that France “firmly supports the Belgian authorities’ desire to find a solution to avoid the destruction of the contraceptives” and is “following the situation closely”.

The source added that France had “no information about any transfers that have taken place”.

A US State Department spokesperson told the French news agency AFP that a preliminary decision had been made to destroy certain “abortifacient contraceptives” from USAID contracts, adding that no HIV medication or condoms would be affected.

The destruction is expected to cost $167,000. The stock is valued at $9.7 million.

French left urges Macron not to be complicit in US plan to bin contraceptives

Redistribution offers rejected

Several global organisations say they offered to collect and redistribute the supplies free of charge, but were turned down by US authorities.

The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) said it proposed to recover the products in Brussels, transport them to its Dutch warehouse for repackaging, and then send them to countries in need.

MSI Reproductive Choices, a UK-based group, told RFI it had offered to cover all the costs involved, including rebranding.

“We would have removed the stars from the USAID logo. It would have cost the US taxpayer nothing, nor the government,” said Sarah Shaw, MSI’s advocacy director.

“We were told the US government would only sell the supplies at their purchase price. This is a situation we have never seen before.”

Shaw estimated the stock would have covered Senegal’s contraception needs for three years.

The UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, also offered to buy the contraceptives but was turned down.

“This suggests the problem is not legal, but ideological,” Shaw said. “It is a clear refusal to allow these contraceptives to be given to women in need. This US administration simply does not recognise their right to contraception.”

The US State Department has described the items as “abortifacient” – a term commonly used by anti-abortion activists to describe IUDs and other hormonal contraceptives.

Since January, the Trump administration has banned any US funding to NGOs that support or promote access to abortion, even indirectly.

What’s stopping more men in France from getting vasectomies?

French firm denies involvement

Media reports have identified Veolia, a French waste management firm, as a possible contractor for the incineration. But the company told RFI it only has a framework agreement with Chemonics to handle expired products.

“The stock mentioned in Belgium is not part of this agreement,” Veolia’s press office said. “We are not responsible for its management.”

Activist Danièle Gaudry, from the coalition Abortion in Europe – Women Decide, told RFI the timing of any transfer from Belgium to France remains unknown. “We still don’t know the date it will happen, and we’re still trying to identify the company,” she said.

France’s parliament approves free contraception to be extended to women up to the age of 25

Lawmakers urge action

On Saturday, French Greens leader Marine Tondelier and a group of female MPs urged President Emmanuel Macron to intervene, calling the plan “an affront to the fundamental principles of solidarity, public health and sexual and reproductive rights that France is committed to defending”.

They asked him not to become “complicit, even indirectly, in retrograde policies” and to support NGOs ready to redistribute the contraceptives.

Sarah Durocher, president of the French Family Planning association, said France had a responsibility to act.

“A government that proudly enshrines the right to abortion in its constitution must also defend access to contraception beyond its borders,” she said, in a statement issued by IPPF.

The Elysée has yet to comment on the case.

The agency has called for urgent reform to end what it described as a “double punishment” of vulnerable minors caught up in criminal networks. The report, published on Wednesday to mark World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, highlighted the systematic failure to recognise children forced into crime as victims rather than perpetrators.

“Children who are victims of criminal exploitation are insufficiently recognised and protected as victims,” Unicef France stated. “They are too often prosecuted and criminally sanctioned for offences committed as a consequence of their exploitation.”

Majority from the Africa continent

The report reveals the huge scale of the problem. Data from France’s inter-ministerial mission for protecting women against violence and combatting human trafficking (Miprof) shows that more than two-thirds of people involved in criminal exploitation – including prostitution, drug trafficking, pickpocketing, burglary, charity scams and document fraud – are under 18.

The vast majority of identified minors – 92 per cent – are unaccompanied, with 81 per cent originating from Africa, particularly Algeria and Morocco. A further 19 per cent come from Europe, mainly Eastern and Southern European countries including Romania and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Boys and young men account for 89 per cent of victims.

“The people who exploit them use different strategies: addiction, blackmail, threats, psychological pressure, violence,” said Corentin Bailleul, Unicef France’s advocacy coordinator. “Young people who are exploited are often recruited under false promises or forced to act to survive or repay a debt.”

However, on the ground “their exploitation is little recognised, with few exceptions,” Bailleul added. He cited the January 2024 trial of the so-called “little thieves of Trocadéro” as a rare example of appropriate justice. In that particular case, six Algerian nationals were convicted for supplying isolated teenagers with psychotropic drugs, “initially free of charge”, to control them and force them to steal from tourists. Child protection associations have described the case as exemplary.

French child welfare service accused of allowing kids to fall into prostitution

Legal reform needed

Unicef insists that France’s lack of mechanisms for identifying and referring victims of trafficking makes it impossible to assess the true scale of the phenomenon, and that currently available data is therefore underestimated. In 2022, only 352 victims – both adults and children – were identified by NGOs. This figure dropped to 236 in 2023.

By comparison, in the United Kingdom, where such a mechanism is in place, criminal exploitation is currently the most frequently reported form of child exploitation, with 2,891 children identified as victims in 2024.

Unicef argues that international and European law (UN Convention on the rights of the child, 2005 Warsaw Convention, Palermo Protocol against transnational organised crime) requires these children be recognised and protected as trafficking victims, not criminalised for offences they were compelled to commit.

The organisation call for legal reform, urging France to inscribe in its penal code that “a person who is a victim of exploitation cannot be criminally responsible when the offence committed is a consequence of trafficking“.

Unicef sounds alarm over child poverty in French overseas departments

Unicef also wants amendments to France’s civil code, specifying that “any minor who is exploited, even occasionally, is deemed to be in danger and falls under the protection of the children’s judge”.

(with newswires)

After the second day of racing on 27 July, the AG Insurance-Soudal Team cyclist became the first African to wear the yellow jersey of the race leader.

She lost the honour after stage three to the Dutch rider Marianne Vos who held onto the vest until Wednesday’s 168.km run between between Chasseneuil-du-Poitou Futuroscope and Guéret in central France.

Le Court Pienaar completed the course in three hours, 54 minutes and seven seconds. Anna Van der Breggen was third.

Four other cyclists, including France’s Olympic cross-country champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and the 2024 champion Katarzyna Niewiadoma-Phinney, were attributed the same time as Le Court Pienaar.

“We came in with a clear plan, first to stay safe,” Le Court Pienaar told Eurosport. “It was difficult because it was flat and fast, a lot of big crashes … then the big goal was to take the bonus sprint, which I managed to do, then try for the victory.

“It was difficult in the finish, I went around the corner in front and it was a bit further than I expected, but my kick was the best in the group.”

Le Court Pienaar will start the sixth stage between Clermont Ferrand and Amebert 18 seconds ahead of Ferrand-Prévot and 23 seconds ahead of third-placed Vollering who underwent two tests for concussion after falling in a crash during Monday’s third stage.

“It was a very punchy stage,” Ferrand-Prévot told Eurosport. “Maybe a bit too much for me. I was happy to finish at the front.

“In the end it’s a pretty good day for us. We didn’t lose time on general classification so it’s perfect. I am feeling good and am looking forward to the uphill stages.”

Niewiadoma-Phinney lies 24 seconds adrift of Le Court Pienaar in fourth.

The race culminates on 3 August with a 124.1km hike through the mountains between Praz-sur-Arly and Châtel.

Ouattara, 83, made the announcement in a televised speech on Tuesday evening. He has led Côte d’Ivoire since 2011 and is seen as the frontrunner to win.

“I am a candidate because the constitution of our country allows me to run for another term and my health permits it,” he said. He added that Côte d’Ivoire, the world’s top cocoa producer, was “facing unprecedented security, economic, and monetary challenges, the management of which requires experience”.

The ruling RHDP party had already nominated him, but Ouattara waited until this week to formally confirm his candidacy.

For the past 10 years, he has brought relative stability to a country in a region rocked by military coups. But critics say he has tightened his grip on power and overstayed his welcome.

The opposition argues a fourth term is unconstitutional.

Key opposition figures barred

Two of the main opposition parties have had their candidates blocked by the courts and say the process is unfair. They have launched a joint campaign demanding their reinstatement.

The government insists the judiciary is independent.

The African People’s Party of Ivory Coast (PPACI), led by former president Laurent Gbagbo, and the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire (PDCI), led by ex-banker Tidjane Thiam, have formed an alliance.

Gbagbo, along with his former ally Charles Ble Goude and former prime minister Guillaume Soro, has been removed from the electoral register because of criminal convictions.

Soro, who is living abroad, has said he is ready to return and “end his exile”.

Thiam was barred from running over nationality issues.

“The announcement made today by Mr Ouattara constitutes a violation of our constitution and a new attack on democracy,” said Thiam in a statement.

Pascal Affi N’Guessan, who will run against Ouattara for the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), called it “a candidacy as illegal as his third”.

Ouattara’s third term also faced legal challenges. The law originally limited presidents to two terms, but a new constitution adopted in 2016 reset the counter.

The opposition boycotted the 2020 election. Ouattara won by a wide margin, but at least 85 people were killed in the unrest that followed.

From technocrat to president

Ouattara began his political career when Côte d’Ivoire’s first president, Felix Houphouet-Boigny, asked him to lead the country’s economic recovery during a crisis. As Houphouet-Boigny’s health failed, Ouattara took on more responsibilities.

After the president died in 1993, Ouattara briefly clashed with Henri Konan Bédié, then speaker of parliament. He later left for a top job at the International Monetary Fund.

Ouattara joined the Rally of the Republicans (RDR) party in 1995 and planned to run for president, but was barred by a law requiring both parents of a candidate to be Ivorian by birth, and for the candidate to have lived continuously in the country.

He was disqualified again in 2000.

A failed coup in 2002 sparked a civil war that split the country in two. Rebels held the largely Muslim north, where Ouattara had most of his support. The south, majority Christian, stayed under government control.

Ouattara left the country during the fighting but returned to run in the 2010 election, which he won.

Then-president Gbagbo refused to concede defeat, sparking another wave of violence. More than 3,000 people were killed before Ouattara finally took power in 2011.

Gbagbo was later acquitted of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, but he still has a conviction in Côte d’Ivoire related to the post-election violence.

(with AFP) 

The RSF announced the creation of a 15-member “government of peace and unity” on Saturday, naming Mohamed Hassan al-Ta’ayshi as prime minister and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, as head of a new presidential council.

The announcement was made at a press conference in Nyala, in the Darfur region. Hemedti’s deputy will be the head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, one of Sudan’s largest rebel groups.

In a statement on Wednesday, the African Union’s Peace and Security Council urged member states and the international community “not [to] recognise the so-called ‘parallel government’ which has serious consequences on the peace efforts and the existential future of the country”.

The council said the move risked the “fragmentation of Sudan” and called on all sides to “cease hostilities immediately and unconditionally”. It reaffirmed support for the transitional government formed in May in Port Sudan, led by former UN official Kamil Idris.

Civilians in Sudanese city El Fasher ‘at risk of mass killings and starvation’

Risk of ‘warring cantons’

The Arab League said the RSF’s declaration was “an attempt to impose a de facto reality by military force” that could divide Sudan into “warring cantons”.

The Saudi foreign ministry said Sudanese parties should “avoid the risks of division and chaos”.

The African Union said it “unequivocally condemned all forms of external interference, which is fuelling the Sudanese conflict”. The UN has issued repeated warnings on the same point.

The United Arab Emirates has been widely accused of arming the RSF in violation of a UN arms embargo in Darfur. Abu Dhabi denies this, despite multiple reports from UN experts, diplomats and international organisations.

Sudan’s army-aligned government has also criticised Kenya for allowing a series of meetings between RSF leaders and allied groups in Nairobi earlier this year.

The talks took place at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre and were attended by Hemedti’s brother and deputy, Abdul Rahim Dagalo. Sudanese authorities say the Nairobi meetings helped pave the way for the formation of the rival government. Kenya denies this.

International Court of Justice throws out Sudan genocide case against UAE

Power struggle

The RSF has been at war with Sudan’s army since April 2023. The army now controls Khartoum and much of the country’s north, east and centre, while the RSF holds most of Darfur and parts of Kordofan, where recent attacks have killed hundreds, according to local rights groups.

The conflict began with a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Dagalo. The two were once allies, working together to remove longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in 2019. They later led a 2021 coup that ended Sudan’s transition to civilian rule.

The war has since killed tens of thousands and triggered the world’s largest hunger and displacement crisis, the UN said.

The AU said it continues to back peace efforts, including the 2023 Jeddah Declaration and UN Security Council calls for the RSF to lift its siege of El Fasher and allow aid deliveries.

(with newswires)

Merz’s announcement came a few hours after a collective of United Nations agencies and non-governmental monitors issued a food insecurity and malnutrition alert for the Gaza Strip.

“We will probably ask the three foreign ministers … to travel to Israel together next Thursday to present the position of the three governments,” Merz told a press conference in Berlin alongside Jordan’s King Abdullah II.

On Monday, just before the king’s arrival in Germany, Merz said the two countries would work together to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Why is France recognising Palestinian statehood and will it change anything?

German air drops

Following talks in Berlin with the king, Merz said German aircraft could fly aid airdrop missions from Jordan to Gaza from Wednesday.

“This work may only make a small contribution to humanitarian aid, but it sends an important signal: We are here, we are in the region,” Merz said.

On Tuesday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which also includes the World Health Organization, said a worst-case scenario of famine was unfolding in Gaza amid the Israeli offensive against the militant group Hamas.

EU brokers deal with Israel to allow ‘substantial’ humanitarian aid into Gaza

“Amid relentless conflict, mass displacement, severely restricted humanitarian access, and the collapse of essential services, including healthcare, the crisis has reached an alarming and deadly turning point,” the IPC said.

Last week, the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said he would talk with his French and German counterparts  about what they could do to stop the killing and get food into Gaza.

“The suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible,” Starmer said in a statement.

“While the situation has been grave for some time, it has reached new depths and continues to worsen.  “We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe.”

On Tuesday, he recalled top British politicians from their summer holidays for an emergency meeting to discuss delivering emergency aid to Gaza and a proposed peace plan.

More than 110 aid and human rights groups denounce Gaza ‘mass starvation’

‘Two state solution’

Last Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced he will officially recognise Palestinian statehood before the UN General Assembly in September. Israel and the United States denounced the move but it was hailed by Palestinians and Arab countries.

In a letter sent to Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday, Macron confirmed France’s intention to press ahead with recognition and work to convince other partners to follow suit.

To date, about 144 of the 193 UN member states have recognised a Palestinian state, including most of the global south as well as Russia, China and India. Only a handful of the 27 EU countries do so, mostly former Communist countries as well as Sweden and Cyprus.

France says ‘no alternative’ to two-state solution for Israel, Palestinians

Spain, Ireland, Norway and Slovenia did so last year.

If Macron were to maintain his resolve, France – a permanent member of the UN Security Council – will become the largest Western power and the first G7 country to recognise Palestinian statehood. 

(With newswires)

Concern has escalated in the past week about hunger in Gaza after more than 21 months of war.

“France will carry out air drops in the coming days to meet the most essential and urgent needs of the civilian population in Gaza,” a diplomatic source said, adding the “greatest care” would be taken to protect Gazans during the operations.

But the airborne operations were not intended as substitutes for more efficient deliveries by road, the source added, urging “the immediate opening by Israel of land crossing points”.

“France is also working on deliveries by land, by far the most effective solution to enable the massive and unhindered delivery of humanitarian goods that the population desperately needs,” the source said.

Aid groups have warned that “mass starvation” is spreading among the territory’s more than two million residents.

More than 110 aid and human rights groups denounce Gaza ‘mass starvation’

Israel has in recent days allowed more aid trucks into Gaza but aid agencies say Israeli authorities could still do more to speed security checks and open more border posts.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that Germany would work with Jordan to airlift humanitarian aid to Gaza, coordinating this “very closely with France and the United Kingdom”.

(with AFP)

The 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) survey reveals a modest improvement in global hunger levels, with the share of people facing hunger declining from 8.5 percent in 2023 to 8.2 percent in 2024. 

While Asia and Latin America show signs of progress, the report from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says hunger continues to worsen in Africa where 307 million people – equivalent to 20 percent of the population – experience problems getting food.

Projections indicate that by 2030, almost 60 percent of those at risk of chronic hunger will be in Africa.

“Recovery must be inclusive,” said FAO chief Dongyu Qu. “We cannot accept a future where entire regions are left behind.”

The FAO’s report was launched in Addis Ababa as the Ethiopian and Italian governments co-hosted the UN ‘s Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) which was scheduled to finish on Tuesday.

The UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Jane Mohammed, who was a keynote speaker at the UNFSS, said: “Knowledge is power. The SOFI report delivers sobering insights and the power to act.

“Overlapping crises, such as conflict, climate shocks, inflation and displacement are exposing the deep fragility of our food systems, meaning the message is clear: cooperation must replace conflict.”

US warns Gaza facing ‘acute food insecurity’ as UN declares famine ‘imminent’

‘Famine thresholds reached’

Mohammed’s comments came hours before a UN-backed body said on Tuesday that famine thresholds had been reached in most of Gaza as Israeli forces continued their conflict with Hamas fighters.

“The worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in Gaza,” the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said.

The umbrella group comprising charities, governments, UN agencies and NGOs to determine the severity of food insecurity worldwide, warned that widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease were driving deaths.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) claimed on Monday that malnutrition in the occupied Palestinian territory had reached alarming levels since Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza on 2 March.

In late May, Israel began allowing a trickle of aid to resume. Last week more than 100 NGOs warned that mass starvation was spreading in the besieged territory.

The IPC said that the latest data indicated famine thresholds had been reached for food consumption in most of the enclave. However, it stopped short of a formal famine declaration.

UN urges action on Sudan’s ‘forgotton war’ as humanitarian crisis takes hold

The SOFI report, jointly produced by the FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the UN’s agencies for children and food as well as the WHO, says 90 million more people are facing hunger than in 2020 – and 100 million more than in 2015, when the Sustainable Development Goals were launched with the aim of eradicating hunger on Earth by 2030.

Four African billionaires richer than 750 million people living on the continent

Meanwhile, around 2.3 billion people experienced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2024.

“In the face of global disruptions, protectionist or inward-looking policies are counterproductive,” Qu added.

“What we need is coordinated global action—based on shared responsibility, solidarity, and sound evidence. 

“The path forward demands urgency, inclusiveness, and action.

“We must reach all communities – rural and urban, women and men, children and elders – with solutions that are timely, fair, and effective.”

Cleaner cooking could save 4.7 million lives in Africa by 2040, IEA says

‘Action required on food insecurity’

On Monday, Mohamed told the UNFSS that not enough was being done to stop the problem of food insecurity.

“Food systems are still under pressure, there is an urgent need for transformation, and investments in food are still falling short of expectations,” she said.

She added she was particularly concerned about the situation in Gaza and Sudan.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been torn apart by a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, commander of the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Fighting has left tenis of thousands dead and more than seven million people displaced.

“The UN has already spoken out several times on access to food for residents. For Gaza and Sudan, this is a matter of international humanitarian law, it’s as basic as that,” Mohammed added.

“The only thing we can do is continue to raise our voices and, in Sudan, to speak to leaders, with the commitment of the African Union (AU). Famine must not be the reason that pushes us towards peace.”

UN chief Antonio Guterres told the summit via a video link that food must not be used as a weapon of war.

“Hunger fuels instability and undermines peace. Climate change is disrupting harvests, supply chains and humanitarian aid,” he added.

Food prices rise worldwide due to climate extremes, according to new report

His concerns were echoed during an appeal for aid from Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, the chairperson of the AU Commission.

Acknowledging he was more generally concerned about the plight of Africans, Youssouf said: “At this crucial moment, how many children and mothers on the continent are sleeping hungry? Millions, certainly. The urgency of the situation is beyond doubt.”

Youssouf urged AU member states to devote 10 percent of their gross domestic product to agriculture to help foster nutritional resilience.

“But we cannot do this alone,” he added. “We call on our partners to honour their commitments to finance and support African solutions.”

 (with newswires)

French prosecutors have asked magistrates to issue a new arrest warrant for Syria’s former president Bashar al-Assad over a deadly 2013 chemical attack, following the annulment of a previous warrant due to presidential immunity.

The move comes after France’s top court, the Court of Cassation, last Friday quashed a 2023 warrant targeting Assad while he was still in power. The court ruled that heads of state are protected by personal immunity – even in cases involving alleged war crimes or crimes against humanity.

However, the court’s president, Christophe Soulard, said that since Assad was toppled by Islamist-led fighters in December 2024, fresh arrest warrants may now be issued, and the investigation can proceed.

France’s highest court to rule on arrest warrant for ex-Syrian president Assad

French authorities have been investigating the sarin gas attacks on Adra and Douma, near Damascus, which took place on 4 to 5 August 2013.

More than 1,000 people were killed, according to US intelligence. Assad is accused of complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the command structure behind the attack.

On Friday, the National Anti-Terror Prosecutor’s Office confirmed it had requested “the issuing and international dissemination” of a new warrant against Assad.

Assad and his family fled to Russia following his ouster, according to Russian officials.

Setback for accountability

The Court of Cassation’s ruling on Friday has drawn criticism from human rights advocates who had hoped the court would set a precedent by lifting immunity in the face of grave international crimes.

“This ruling represents a setback for the global fight against impunity for the most serious crimes under international law,” said Mazen Darwish, head of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression, which is a civil party in the case.

Still, the court did uphold indictments in related cases under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows French courts to prosecute serious international crimes committed abroad.

In particular, the court backed legal action against former Syrian central bank governor Adib Mayaleh, accused of funding the Assad regime during the conflict.

Mayaleh, a naturalised French citizen, is charged with complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Darwish welcomed this element of the ruling as a “great victory,” stating it reinforces that no foreign official can hide behind immunity in cases of international crimes.

France’s top court annuls arrest warrant against Syria’s Assad

Broader legal efforts

The French inquiry into the 2013 attack is based on testimonies from survivors, defectors, and extensive photographic and video evidence.

Arrest warrants have previously been issued for Assad, his brother Maher – commander of an elite military unit – and two generals.

In January, French magistrates issued a separate arrest warrant against Assad over a 2017 bombing in Deraa that killed a French-Syrian civilian.

Syria’s civil war, triggered by a brutal crackdown on anti-Assad protests in 2011, has left over half a million people dead and displaced millions.

Assad’s fall marked the end of his family’s five-decade rule.

Police said eight people with mental disabilities, four carers and the two owners of the property were in the converted farmhouse when the fire broke out on Monday.

Three residents and one of the owners were among the dead. A fifth person is still missing.

Mathieu Auriol, deputy prosecutor at the Angoulême public prosecutor’s office, said autopsies would be carried out to establish the causes of death.

Officers from the National Gendarmerie Criminal Research Institute will also comb through the building. “They will intervene both on the forensic side and on the fire investigation side,” added Auriol.

Nearly 90 firefighters tackled the blaze which left four people injured.

Charlotte Parmentier-Lecocq, France’s Minister for Disabilities, who visited the scene of the fire, said: “Obviously I’d like to send my condolences to the families of the victims. I would also like to praise the work of the rescue services. They came swiftly and got people out.”

Podcast: AI ‘à la française’, immigration fact vs feeling, disability law

Manslaughter investigation?

While the precise causes of the fire are being investigated, the public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into manslaughter or unintentional injury.

“We don’t know what caused the fire, whether the smoke detectors worked properly, nor do we know how people became aware of the fire,” added Parmentier-Lecocq.

“We’ll need to take time to carry out the investigation and not make guesses or speculate.

(With newswires)

“One person is dead, two police officers are injured,” the Department of Refugee Services (DRS) told news agencies, warning that pressure was mounting over the struggling aid system.

The refugees also fought with the police.

“They have burned the world food station,” he added, referring to the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP). 

Humanitarian groups have grappled for months with rising tensions in the Kakuma refugee camp as rations have been reduced following massive cuts to aid from the United States and other donors.

The camp in northern Kenya is the east African nation’s second-largest after Dadaab, hosting roughly 300,000 people, mostly from South Sudan, Somalia, Uganda and Burundi.

Police spokesperson Michael Muchiri confirmed that officers were present after “some disturbances”. He also said that the protests were due to the lack of access to resources.

“The recent decision by the US Government to cut down on programmes related to USAID for instance is starting to have an effect on the refugee situation,” he added.

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

Escalation

One man, who works near the camp and asked for anonymity, told AFP that roughly 100 people had gathered to protest over the changes and that there had been multiple casualties.

He added that many were upset over Kenya’s plans to turn the camp into a permanent settlement that refugees fear may lead to them losing some of their benefits.

John Thomas Muyumba, founder of a Kakuma youth group, told AFP that many were also concerned about changes to rationing. He explained that a new system was being implemented in which only the worst-off would receive assistance.

Many refugees “felt discriminated against”, he said, adding that they were telling him: “‘Aren’t we all refugees? Don’t we all deserve the same support?'”

Muyumba said a protest over the changes had escalated.

“Stones were thrown, and one store was set on fire. Police intervened and opened fire,” he said, with one man killed.

The WFP confirmed that “a fire broke out at its storage facility” in the Kakuma camp’s Kalobeyei Settlement.

“WFP and the local authorities are looking into the circumstances surrounding this incident and assessing any damage or losses,” it added, without giving further details.

Lack of funds

The United States has slashed billions of dollars from global relief efforts since the beginning of the year. The contributions once made up to half of all public humanitarian funding and over a fifth of the UN’s budget. 

Other donors have been cutting aid as well, like the United Kingdom.

‘Brutal’ funding cuts push UN to slash humanitarian operations

A recent study on Kakuma refugee camps, led by a research team from the University of Oxford and the University of Antwerp, showed what happened when aid was previously cut and observed the impact of a 20 percent aid cut that occurred in 2023.

The study reveals that cuts to humanitarian assistance had dramatic impacts on hunger and psychological distress, with cascading effects on local credit systems and prices of goods.

The 20 percent cut in humanitarian aid had cascading effects, affecting not hunger, but local credit systems, prices, and well-being, the study reveals.

Hunger got worse, psychological distress increased. 

 (with AFP)

Weighing 750 kilograms, Mona Luna is an autonomous, battery-powered rover capable of carrying a variety of payloads across the lunar surface.

France and space

It has a top speed of 20 km/h and is powered by solar-rechargeable batteries, enabling extended missions during the Moon’s long daylight periods.

The rover was presented by Xavier Chevrin, director of Venturi Space France, who emphasised the cross-border collaboration behind the project.

ESA at 50: five decades of space innovation and cosmic achievements

While its components are spread across three countries, much of the leadership and coordination are being handled in France, reflecting the country’s expanding role in European space initiatives.

One of the rover’s most distinctive features is its hyper-deformable wheels, designed to adapt to the Moon’s irregular and dusty terrain.

This technology, also featured on three other Venturi rovers unveiled at the event, is aimed at addressing mobility challenges that have plagued earlier lunar missions.

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

Mona Luna and the ESA

Though the Mona Luna project is not part of a specific national space program, it aligns with broader European Space Agency (ESA) objectives, particularly those focusing on infrastructure and exploration around the lunar south pole – a key area of interest for future missions due to the potential presence of water ice.

France, through both public investment in CNES and growing private-sector involvement, has been increasingly active in lunar and planetary exploration efforts.

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

Projects like Mona Luna suggest that European countries are preparing to play a more autonomous role in space, beyond supporting missions led by NASA or other agencies.

As the 2030 timeframe approaches, Mona Luna could contribute not only to scientific research but also to the logistical groundwork for long-term human activity on the Moon.

While many technical and programmatic details remain to be finalized, the unveiling marks a clear signal of intent from Europe – and particularly France – to take a more active role in the next phase of lunar exploration.

Public opposition is surging in France, as a petition against the controversial Duplomb law – which allows the conditional return of a pesticide banned since 2018 – soared past two million signatures on the National Assembly website by Monday morning.

Launched by 23-year-old student Éléonore Pattery on 10 July, the appeal has struck a chord nationwide.

The petition reached a record-breaking 500,000 signatures by last weekend – the first to do so on the public platform, which automatically triggered a parliamentary debate.

However, the debate will be largely symbolic. While political groups will have the opportunity to express their stance, the petition alone isn’t sufficient to overturn an already adopted law.

French health experts oppose bill that could reintroduce banned pesticides

Pressure on government

Still, pressure is mounting. Left-wing parties, environmental groups, and now a significant share of the public are urging the government to reconsider.

A recent poll conducted for the Génération Écologie party revealed that 61 percent oppose the law, with nearly half ‘strongly’ against it. An even larger share – 64 percent – want President Emmanuel Macron to hold off on enacting the law and reopen discussions in Parliament.

The EELV French Green party called the petition “historic” on X, demanding the public not be ignored and urging MPs to revisit the issue.

Petition for repeal of new French farming law passes 1 million signatures

The petition has been widely circulated by environmental NGOs, political groups, and public figures calling for the immediate repeal of the law, a democratic review of how it was passed –citing the lack of debate – and a citizen consultation involving health, agriculture, ecology, and legal experts.

“The success of this petition proves that collective intelligence exists – and it will win, eventually,” commented Pattery on LinkedIn. She has declined interviews, preferring to let the petition speak for itself.

‘Frustration’ with environmental policies

Meanwhile, government officials are beginning to acknowledge the growing unrest.

“This is no longer a niche issue – it’s a social concern,” said Clément Beaune, France’s junior minister for ecological transition, speaking to FranceInfo television.

He added that discontent isn’t just about this law, but reflects deeper frustrations with France’s recent environmental policies.

At the heart of the debate is the pesticide acetamiprid, reintroduced under the so-called Duplomb-Menonville law.

Though banned in France since 2018, it remains authorised in the EU. Farmers – especially beet and hazelnut producers – argue that without it, they face crop losses and unfair competition from European rivals.

EU proposes 10-year extension for glyphosate herbicide linked to cancer

But beekeepers warn of a “bee killer,” and concerns linger about its impact on human health, though large-scale studies are lacking.

With France’s Constitutional Council set to rule on 7 August, President Macron has remained silent, saying he’ll wait for the verdict before deciding whether to enact the law or return it for a second reading.

He has called for a “balance between science and fair competition,” according to government spokesperson Sophie Primas.

Meanwhile, the government remains split. Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard insists the law will be enacted, warning that another debate would be “extremely dangerous.”

Others, like Renaissance party leader Gabriel Attal and Environment Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher, are open to involving France’s national health agency, Anses.

Les Républicains Senator Laurent Duplomb has accused the left and green parties of politicising the petition.

In a highly publicised move, Azerbaijani security forces in Baku recently paraded seven arrested Russian journalists – working for the Russian state-funded Sputnik news agency – in front of the media. Their detentions followed the deaths last month of two Azerbaijani nationals in Russian custody, which sparked public outrage in Baku.

“That was quite shocking for Baku, for Azerbaijani society – the cruelty of the behaviour and the large-scale violence,” Zaur Gasimov of the German Academic Exchange Service, a professor and expert on Azerbaijani-Russian relations told RFI.

“And the Russian-wide persecution of the leaders of Azerbaijani diasporic organisations took place (this month),” he added.

Tit-for-tat tactics

Tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan have been simmering since December, when Russian air defences accidentally downed an Azerbaijani passenger aircraft. Baku strongly condemned Moscow’s lack of an official apology.

The deaths in custody, which Moscow insisted were from natural causes, and the broader crackdown on Azerbaijan’s diaspora are being interpreted in Baku as deliberate signals.

“This kind of news had to frighten Azerbaijani society, which is aware of the fact that around two million ethnic Azeris with Azerbaijani and Russian passports are living in the Russian Federation,” explained Gasimov. “So the signal is that we can oust them, and they would come to Azerbaijan. That should be an economic threat.”

Gasimov noted that while Baku may have previously backed down in the face of Russian pressure, this time appears different. “The reaction of Azerbaijan was just to react, with tit-for-tat tactics,” he said.

Shifting power in Caucasus

Baku’s self-confidence is partly attributed to its military success in 2020, when it regained control over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region and adjacent territories from Armenian forces after a six-week war.

“The South Caucasus is changing,” noted Farid Shafiyev, Chairman of the Baku-based Centre for Analysis of International Relations.

Shafiyev argues that the era of Moscow treating the region as its backyard is over. “Russia cannot just grasp and accept this change because of its imperial arrogance; it demands subordination, and that has changed for a number of reasons. First of all, due to the Russian-Ukrainian war, and second, due to the trajectory of events following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The third very important factor is Turkey,” added Shafiyev.

Turkey, a long-standing ally of Azerbaijan, has significantly increased military cooperation and arms sales in recent years.

Turkish-made drones played a key role in Azerbaijan’s 2020 military campaign. In 2021, the Shusha Declaration was signed, committing both nations to mutual military support in the event of aggression. Turkey also plans to establish one of its largest overseas military bases in Azerbaijan.

“A very strong relationship with Ankara, marked by strong cooperation in the economic and military fields for decades, as also outlined in the Shusha Declaration several years ago, is an asset and one of the elements of Azerbaijan’s growing self-confidence,” said Gasimov.

Azerbaijan and Turkey build bridges amid declining influence of Iran

Strategic rivalries 

Turkey’s expanding influence in the South Caucasus – at Russia’s expense – is the latest in a series of regional rivalries between the two powers. Turkish-backed forces countered a Russian-aligned warlord in Libya, and Turkey-supported factions have contested Russian influence in Syria.

These confrontations have strained the once-close ties between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“No doubt that the Putin-Erdogan relationship is not as good as it used to be because we’ve either instigated or become participants in events in the South Caucasus and Syria,” said analyst Atilla Yeşilada of Global Source Partners.

Growing military buildup in Azerbaijan and Armenia a concern for peace talks

Nevertheless, Yesilada believes pragmatism will prevail – for now – given Turkey’s dependence on Russian energy and trade.

“The economic interests are so huge, there is a huge chasm between not being too friendly and being antagonistic. I don’t think we’ve got to that point. If we did, there would be serious provocations in Turkey,” he warned.

Until now, Turkish and Russian leaders have largely managed to compartmentalise their differences.

However, that approach may soon face its toughest test yet, as Azerbaijan remains a strategic priority for Turkey, while Russia has long considered the Caucasus to be within its traditional sphere of influence.

“We don’t know what will be Russia’s next target. We cannot exclude that Russia might be quite assertive in the South Caucasus in the future,” warned Shafiyev.

“I think the easiest way is to build friendly relationships and economic partnerships with the countries of the South Caucasus. Unfortunately, Moscow looks like it’s not ready for a partnership. But if it’s ready, we would welcome it,” he added.

Conservative think tanks, whose influence was once limited to Washington’s corridors of power, are now establishing connections with political actors and organisations in countries such as Poland and Hungary, working to shape Europe’s future.

This report delves into the activities of the Heritage Foundation and its burgeoning alliances with groups including Ordo Iuris in Poland and the Mathias Corvinus Collegium in Hungary.

These organisations advocate for conservative cultural and economic reforms, sparking heated debate over national identity, the structure of the European Union and the future of liberal democracy across the region.

Can Europe withstand the ripple effect of the MAGA political wave?

As alliances form and agendas clash, a crucial question looms: are these movements charting a course toward genuine European reform, or steering the continent toward greater division? 

Voices from both sides share their perspectives, revealing the complexity behind this transatlantic ideological exchange.

Our guests: 

Chris Murphy, Senator (D, Connecticut)

Kenneth Haar, researcher at Corporate Europe Observatory 

Zbigniew Przybylowski, development director at Ordo Iuris

Rodrigo Ballester, head of the Centre for European Studies at Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC)

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.

The ePOP video competition is open!

The ePOP video competition is sponsored by the RFI department “Planète Radio”, whose mission is to give a voice to the voiceless. ePOP focuses on the environment and how climate change has affected “ordinary” people.

The ePOP contest is your space to ensure these voices are heard. 

How do you do it?

With a three-minute ePOP video. It should be pure testimony, captured by your lens: the spoken word reigns supreme. No tricks, no music, no text on the screen. Just the raw authenticity of an encounter, in horizontal format (16:9). An ePOP film is a razor-sharp look at humanity that challenges, moves, and enlightens.

From June 12 to September 12, 2025, ePOP invites you to reach out, open your eyes, and create that unique bridge between a person and the world.

Join the ePOP community and make reality vibrate!

Click here for all the information you need. 

We expect to be overwhelmed with entries from the English speakers!

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 28 June, I asked you a question about an article written earlier that week by RFI English journalist Alison Hird. She profiled Miguel Masaisai, a young athlete from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who’s riding his bike across several countries in Africa.  Masaisai has a message: peace.

You were to re-read Alison’s article “From Goma to Cape Town, the young Congolese athlete pedalling for peace”, and send in the answers to these two questions: At the time of publication, which countries had Masaisai cycled across, and which countries are still ahead of him?

The answers are: At the time of publication, Masaisai had ridden across the DRC, Zambia, Rwanda, and Tanzania; ahead of him were Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.

Since publication, Masaisai has pedaled through Botswana and is in South Africa. Bravo Masaisai!

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by Liton Hossain Khondaker from Naogaon, Bangladesh: What is your favorite festival, religious or otherwise?

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Helmut Matt from Herbolzheim, Germany, who is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations on your double win, Helmut.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Alomgir Hossen, a member of the Shetu RFI Listeners Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh, and RFI English listeners Shohel Rana Redoy from Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Noor, a member of the International Radio Fan and Youth Club in Khanewal, Pakistan. Last but not least, there’s Sadman Al Shihab, the co-chairman of the Source of Knowledge Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Cuckoo” from The Birds by Ottorino Respighi, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Istvan Kertesz; an anonymous cycling playlist; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and traditional music from the Kaiabi indigenous people of Brazil, recorded in 1954 by Edward M. Weyer Jr.

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 Paul Myers’ article “Petition seeking repeal of new French farming law passes one million signatures,” which will help you with the answer.

You have until 29 September to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 4 October 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.   

At a ceremony in northern Iraq, PKK commander Bese Hozart announced that the disarmament by 30 fighters – 15 men and 15 women – was undertaken freely and in line with the group’s commitment to pursue a democratic socialist society through peaceful means. The fighters’ weapons were burned as part of the symbolic event.

The move came just days after the release of a video message from imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, who reiterated his call for an end to the armed struggle and the formal dissolution of the group. It was the first time the Turkish public had heard Öcalan’s voice since his incarceration in 1999.

PKK ends 40-year fight but doubts remain about the next steps

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan responded by telling supporters that the country had reached a historic moment. Ankara now expects a complete disarmament of the remaining PKK fighters by autumn.

Since the beginning of the peace process last year, Erdoğan has ruled out making concessions, insisting the rebels are unilaterally surrendering. However, the high-profile nature of the disarmament ceremony is increasing pressure on the government to respond in kind.

“This is a historic moment; this is a conflict that has been going on for nearly half a century. Now it’s the government’s turn to actually open up the political space,” said Aslı Aydıntaşbaş of the Brookings Institution in Washington.

“Both the Kurdish side and the Turkish side are telling their own constituencies that they’re not giving up much—trying to convince their bases, which, in both cases, seem unprepared for such a radical shift,” she added.

Kurdish leader Ocalan calls for PKK disarmament, paving way for peace

Opaque negotiations, rising distrust

As a gesture of goodwill, the government has reportedly improved Öcalan’s prison conditions and allowed communication through a so-called “secretariat.”

However, the PKK continues to press for broader concessions, including an amnesty for its members and the right for ex-fighters to return to Turkey. There have also been calls for Öcalan’s release, alongside the release of tens of thousands of individuals jailed under Turkey’s broad anti-terror laws.

Yet concerns are mounting over the transparency of the peace negotiations. “It’s really difficult even to assess it because we don’t really know what’s going on,” said Zeynep Ardıç, an expert on conflict resolution at Istanbul’s Medeniyet University. “Some negotiations don’t need to be public, but the public should still be informed,” she said.

Ardıç warned that the current polarization in Turkish politics and a legacy of mistrust built over decades of conflict make transparency essential. “There should be a bit of transparency, because people don’t trust state institutions, people don’t trust each other, people don’t trust the government or the judiciary.

So, it’s not easy to succeed under these circumstances. The government needs to reinstall trust – not just among Kurdish people, but among Turkish people as well.”

Politics could undermine fragile progress

Following the disarmament ceremony, Erdoğan announced the formation of a parliamentary commission to oversee the process, including members from his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), his coalition partner the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), and the pro-Kurdish People’s Equality and Democracy Party (DEM). Notably absent was the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), whose exclusion is fueling fears that Erdoğan is politicizing the peace process.

Erdoğan requires the support of Kurdish parliamentarians to amend the constitution and potentially remove presidential term limits—allowing him to remain in power indefinitely.

Turkey’s Saturday Mothers keep up vigil for lost relatives

“Erdoğan is trying to juggle two conflicting priorities,” noted analyst Atilla Yeşilada of U.S.-based consultancy Global Source Partners. “A: give the Kurds the least of what they want in return for a constitution that allows him to run again, and B: broaden his war against the CHP. I don’t know how he can finesse that.”

While Erdoğan speaks of a new era of unity between Turks, Arabs, and Kurds, he is simultaneously escalating a legal crackdown on the CHP, even going so far as to label the party a terror threat. This is a risky move, given that the pro-Kurdish DEM party has previously supported CHP candidates in both presidential and mayoral elections.

Kurdish analyst Mesut Yeğen, of the Center for Social Impact Research in Istanbul, warned that Erdoğan may be overplaying his hand. “If Erdoğan’s pressure on the CHP continues, then it’s likely that DEM’s electorate, members, and cadres could grow discontent,” Yeğen predicted.

“They’ll think that if Erdoğan succeeds against CHP, he’ll start a similar campaign against the DEM. So I think they will strike a kind of balance.”

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

Despite the uncertainty, powerful incentives remain on both sides to pursue peace. With the PKK largely pushed out of Turkish territory and facing military defeat, and Erdoğan in dire need of parliamentary support, momentum for a resolution is strong.

But with negotiations shrouded in secrecy, many remain skeptical about what kind of peace this process will ultimately deliver.

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.

The ePOP video competition is open!

The ePOP video competition is sponsored by the RFI department “Planète Radio”, whose mission is to give a voice to the voiceless. ePOP focuses on the environment and how climate change has affected “ordinary” people.

The ePOP contest is your space to ensure these voices are heard. 

How do you do it?

With a three-minute ePOP video. It should be pure testimony, captured by your lens: the spoken word reigns supreme. No tricks, no music, no text on the screen. Just the raw authenticity of an encounter, in horizontal format (16:9). An ePOP film is a razor-sharp look at humanity that challenges, moves, and enlightens.

From June 12 to September 12, 2025, ePOP invites you to reach out, open your eyes, and create that unique bridge between a person and the world.

Join the ePOP community and make reality vibrate!

Click here for all the information you need. 

We expect to be overwhelmed with entries from the English speakers!

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 21 June, I asked you a question about our article “Togo suspends French broadcasters RFI, France 24 for three months”. We were informed on June 16th.

Togo has accused us of biased and inaccurate reporting.

The shutdown followed protests in the country’s capital, Lomé, in early June.

You were to send in the answers to these two questions: What is the name of Togo’s president, and what is the reason for the protests?

The answers are: The name of Togo’s president is Faure Gnassingbé. The reason for the protests is due to, to quote the RFI English article:  “… increasing pressure from critics over recent changes in the constitution that could effectively keep Gnassingbé in power indefinitely. Critics have called the changes a constitutional coup.”

Faure Gnassingbé was elected in 2005. He’s the son of Gnassingbé Eyadéma, who was president for 38 years. At the time of his death, Gnassingbé Eyadéma was the longest-serving leader in modern African history.

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “Have you ever made a mistake that ended up saving you?” It was suggested by Jayanta Chakrabarty from New Delhi, India.

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

The winners are: Sultan Mahmud Sarker, the president of the Shetu RFI Fan Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh. Sultan is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations, Sultan, on your double win.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Ferhat Bezazel, the president of the RFI Butterflies Club Ain Kechara in West Skikda, Algeria, and RFI Listeners Club members Rubi Saikia from Assam, India, as well as Nasyr Muhammad from Katsina State, Nigeria. Last but not least, there’s RFI English listener Kalyani Basak from Kerala State, India.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Raga Charu Keshi” played by Ravi Shankar; traditional music from Togo performed by the Flutistes Kotokoli; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and the Quartet in F major by Maurice Ravel, performed by the  Alban Berg Quartet.  

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, watch the video and re-read Dhananjay Khadilikar’s article “Swiss exoplanet pioneer reflects on Earth’s place in the cosmos”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 22 September to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 27 September 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.   

Christensen, who was 13 years old at the time of the sinking, remembers being inspired by the courage of the crew, who sailed into danger to protest French nuclear testing in the Pacific.

The bombing, which killed photographer Fernando Pereira, revealed the extreme lengths to which governments were willing to go to protect their interests – and the power of peaceful resistance in the face of aggression.

You still can’t sink a rainbow, Greenpeace boss says 40 years after bombing

The slogan “you can’t sink a rainbow” became a symbol of defiance and resilience for Greenpeace.

Christensen argues that the bombing ultimately gave the movement greater momentum and visibility, proving that when governments attempt to crush protest they often strengthen it instead.

Today, Greenpeace faces new threats – from SLAPP suits to fossil fuel giants using legal action to intimidate activists. But just as in 1985, Christensen says Greenpeace will not be silenced.

The Rainbow Warrior’s legacy lives on in every campaign, every act of mobilisation and every young activist who refuses to look the other way.

Forty years after the Rainbow Warrior bombing, activists still under attack

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.