After nearly 28 months of siege, the UN’s children agency Unicef and the World Food Programme (WFP) say famine could soon take hold in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.

“The situation in El Fasher is completely catastrophic; the city’s population is on the verge of starvation,” said Leni Kinzli, WFP’s spokesperson in Sudan, speaking to RFI this week

“It is besieged, cut off from the rest of the country, and humanitarian access is extremely difficult.”

WFP says it has not been able to deliver food to the city for over a year. In the meantime, it has carried out cash transfers, but the blockade has made those nearly useless.

“Since the city is under blockade, the prices of basic necessities have skyrocketed, and people cannot even buy enough to make one meal a day,” Kinzli said.

Some residents are reportedly now eating animal feed and rubbish to survive. “And this is despite the fact that we are ready to intervene with food trucks if we are allowed to pass,” Kinzli added.

WFP is again calling for aid convoys to be allowed through.

Two years of devastation: Sudan’s war claims thousands and displaces millions

‘Skin and bones’

The Sudanese army, at war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, recaptured Khartoum state in May, but widespread hunger continues to grip the heart of Africa’s third-largest country.

Many children in Sudan are now “skin and bones”, UN officials said this week, and thousands of families in El-Fasher, more than 1,000 kilometres west of Khartoum, are at risk of starving.

“Everyone in El-Fasher is facing a daily struggle to survive,” said Eric Perdison, WFP’s regional director for eastern and southern Africa, on Tuesday.

RSF forces have surrounded the city since May. It is the last major urban area in Darfur still under army control.

“People’s coping mechanisms have been completely exhausted by over two years of war,” Perdison said in a statement. “Without immediate and sustained access, lives will be lost.”

WFP says food prices in El-Fasher are now 460 percent higher than in the rest of the country. Soup kitchens have shut down, and aid remains blocked.

Unicef’s Sheldon Yett, who recently visited Sudan, warned of growing malnutrition.

“Malnutrition is rife, and many of the children are reduced to just skin and bones,” he said. Around 25 million people across Sudan face severe food insecurity, according to the UN.

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

Acute hunger, limited access

Famine was first declared in the surrounding displacement camps last year, especially in Zamzam. The UN said the crisis would likely spread to the city itself by May.

Only a lack of reliable data has prevented a formal famine declaration for the wider region.

Aid agencies say insecurity is making it nearly impossible to act. In June, five humanitarian workers were killed when their UN convoy to El-Fasher was attacked.

“We have not had access to the horrible situation unfolding in El-Fasher, despite trying for months and months and months,” said Yett. “We have not been able to get supplies there.”

Nearly 40 percent of children under five in the area are acutely malnourished, UN data shows.

Residents often shelter in makeshift bunkers to avoid shelling as the RSF continues its push to take full control of Darfur.

In April, an RSF attack on Zamzam camp killed hundreds and forced hundreds of thousands to flee to el-Fasher and the nearby town of Tawila. A deadly cholera outbreak is now spreading there.

“Every day the conflict continues in Sudan, innocent lives are lost, communities are torn apart, and trauma continues to haunt generations,” said Radhouane Nouicer, the UN’s expert on human rights in Sudan. “The ongoing war has devastated civilian lives and turned daily survival into a constant struggle.”

Children in crisis

Relative calm has returned to Khartoum, but children there still have only “limited, but growing access to safe water, food, healthcare and learning”, according to Unicef’s Yett.

In the two hardest-hit areas of Khartoum state, Jebel Awliya and Khartoum proper, “children and families in the neighbourhood are sheltered often in small, damaged or unfinished buildings”, he added. 

“We are on the verge of irreversible damage to an entire generation of children.”

The war, now in its third year, has killed tens of thousands across Sudan, displaced millions and left the country’s healthcare system in ruins.

The UN describes the conflict as the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis.

(with newswires)

Trump has spent his first months in office trying to broker peace — after boasting he could end the war in 24 hours — but multiple rounds of peace talks, phone calls and diplomatic visits have failed to yield a breakthrough.

Here is what we know about the summit so far:

When and where

On his Truth Social site on Friday, Trump announced that his meeting with Putin would be held in the far-north US state of Alaska on 15 August, which was later confirmed by the Kremlin.

The announcement came after days of both sides indicating the two leaders would hold a summit next week.

The Kremlin confirmed the summit in Alaska on Friday, calling it “quite logical.”

“They would like to meet with me, I’ll do whatever I can to stop the killing,” Trump said on Thursday, speaking of both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

At the White House Friday, Trump said “there’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both” Ukraine and Russia, without providing further details.

Why Alaska?

The meeting will be held in Alaska, which Russia sold to the United States in 1867.

The western tip of the state is not far — just across the Bering Strait — from the easternmost part of Russia.

“Alaska and the Arctic are also where our countries’ economic interests intersect, and there are prospects for large-scale, mutually beneficial projects,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said in a statement on Telegram.

“But, of course, the presidents themselves will undoubtedly focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis,” he added.

Ushakov also expressed hope that next time the two presidents would meet on Russian territory.

“A corresponding invitation has already been sent to the US president,” he added.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for Putin — which obligates members to detain the Russian leader if he visits their country — had been thought to narrow the potential number of venues.

Putin had previously mentioned the United Arab Emirates as a possible host for the talks, while media speculated Turkey, China or India could be possible venues.

Will Zelensky be involved?

Zelensky has been pushing to make it a three-way summit and has frequently said meeting Putin is the only way to make progress towards peace.

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff proposed a trilateral meeting when he held talks with Putin earlier this week, but the Russian leader has appeared to rule out meeting his Ukrainian counterpart.

At talks in Istanbul in June, Russian negotiators said a Putin-Zelensky meeting could only take place at the “final phase” of negotiations, once the two sides had agreed on terms for peace.

Asked if Putin had to meet Zelensky as a prerequisite for their summit, Trump said on Friday: “No, he doesn’t.”

When did they last meet?

Trump and Putin last sat together in 2019 at a G20 summit meeting in Japan during Trump’s first term. They have spoken by telephone several times since January.

Putin previously held a summit with Trump in Helsinki in 2018. Trump raised eyebrows at the time by appearing to side with Putin over the US intelligence community’s finding that Russia had interfered in the US election to support the New York tycoon.

The last time Putin met a US president in the United States was during talks with Barack Obama at a UN General Assembly in 2015.

Negotiating positions

Despite the flurry of diplomacy and multiple rounds of peace talks, Russia and Ukraine appear no closer to agreeing on an end to the fighting.

Putin has rejected calls by the United States, Ukraine and Europe for an immediate ceasefire.

At talks in June, Russia demanded Ukraine pull its forces out of four regions Moscow claims to have annexed, demanded Ukraine commit to being a neutral state, shun Western military support and be excluded from joining NATO.

Kyiv wants an immediate ceasefire and has said it will never recognize Russian control over its sovereign territory — though it acknowledged securing the return of land captured by Russia would have to come through diplomacy, not on the battlefield.

Kyiv is also seeking security guarantees from Western backers, including the deployment of foreign troops as peacekeepers to enforce any ceasefire. 

 (AFP)

The plan runs contrary to the ruling of the International Court of Justice that Israel must bring its occupation to an end as soon as possible, to the realisation of the agreed two-state solution and to the right of Palestinians to self-determination, Turk said in a statement.

Israel‘s political-security cabinet approved a plan early on Friday to take control of Gaza City, as the country expands its military operations despite intensifying criticism at home and abroad over the devastating almost two-year-old war.

Former Israeli ambassador and French historian urge Macron to sanction Israel

Earlier Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel intended to take military control of the entire Gaza Strip.

“On all evidence to date, this further escalation will result in more massive forced displacement, more killing, more unbearable suffering, senseless destruction and atrocity crimes,” Turk said.

“Instead of intensifying this war, the Israeli Government should put all its efforts into saving the lives of Gaza’s civilians by allowing the full, unfettered flow of humanitarian aid.

“The hostages must be immediately and unconditionally released by Palestinian armed groups.”

Moldova’s pro-European leader, President Maia Sandu, has warned that Moscow is orchestrating an “unprecedented” campaign to sway the outcome in its favour.

“The Russian Federation wants to control Moldova from the autumn,” she declared at a press conference on 30 July. “They are preparing massive interference to get their people into the next parliament.”

Sandu, who has been a vocal critic of the Kremlin, particularly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, outlined a broad playbook of alleged interference tactics: vote-buying funded through cryptocurrencies, violent protests, cyberattacks and information manipulation – all coordinated from a “single command point” in Moscow.

France strengthens support for Moldova as Russian destabilisation efforts persist

Diaspora targeted

With the country’s European Union accession talks officially launched in June 2024, the outcome of the parliamentary vote could cement, or derail, Moldova’s Western trajectory.

The ruling centre-right Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), led by Sandu, is currently polling at 39 percent, with the pro-Russian Socialist party trailing at just under 15 percent.

However, a sizable 30 percent of voters remain undecided.

“It’s clear Russia is pulling out all the stops,” said Stanislav Secrieru, Moldova’s national security adviser, in an interview with Politico.

He pointed to a “renewed blitz” targeting Moldovans abroad, with nearly a quarter of a million voters outside the country eligible to cast their vote.

“The campaign is designed to demobilise diaspora voters – encouraging them to stay home – and to manipulate those who do vote into supporting a fake pro-EU force.”

Moldova’s diaspora overwhelmingly supported Sandu in last year’s presidential vote, which was also dogged by accusations of Russian meddling, including a cash-for-votes scheme and staged protests abroad.

Pro-Russian governor imprisoned

In a move that has stirred controversy both at home and abroad this week, a Moldovan court sentenced pro-Russian regional governor Evghenia Gutul to seven years imprisonment for illegal party financing – a ruling the Kremlin quickly condemned as “politically motivated”.

Gutul, the outspoken governor of the autonomous Gagauzia region in southern Moldova, was found guilty on Tuesday of channelling illicit funds to the now-banned Shor party, once led by fugitive businessman Ilan Shor.

Prosecutors say she helped transport undeclared money from Russia to Moldova between 2019 and 2022, while serving as the party’s secretary.

Gutul has denied the charges, calling the ruling a “political reprisal” and accusing the government of trying to silence opposition voices ahead of September’s election. Her lawyer pledged to appeal the verdict, branding the trial “a public execution”.

The sentencing sparked protests in the Moldovan capital, with dozens of Gutul’s supporters chanting “Shame!” and accusing Sandu of stifling dissent.

Gutul, 38, has frequently travelled to Moscow and maintains close ties to Russian officials – even appealing directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this year after she was briefly detained at the capital’s airport.

European leaders meet in Moldova in show of unity against Russia

‘Strategy of chaos’

Experts say the Kremlin’s interference has aims far beyond the coming elections. Speaking to RFI, Christine Dugoin-Clément, a researcher at IAE Paris-Sorbonne, described Moscow’s approach as a calculated “strategy of chaos”.

“Russian operations exploit the weaknesses of democracies and the echo chamber of social media to destabilise, confuse and polarise,” she said. “It’s not just about winning elections – it’s about undermining democratic processes over the long term.”

At the centre of the alleged interference is the Social Design Agency (SDA), a Kremlin-linked firm whose internal workings were exposed in a major data leak.

The SDA has been implicated in several influence operations, including “Doppelgänger” – an effort to impersonate reputable European media outlets to spread disinformation.

“SDA evolved from a small provincial consultancy into a key service provider for the Kremlin’s digital interference operations,” said Kevin Limonier, an expert in Russian cyberspace.

Speaking to RFI, Limonier said: “The leak shows how deeply integrated these firms are into Moscow’s political warfare strategies, but also how vulnerable they can be to exposure.”

Moldova’s vote on EU membership in deadlock as president cites ‘foreign interference’

Over recent months, Moldovan police have arrested dozens of paid demonstrators and shut down scores of pro-Russian Telegram channels – which Sandu has criticised for ignoring reports of electoral manipulation.

Police have also released videos warning voters about apps such as Taito, allegedly used to facilitate vote buying. Moldovan media outlet NewsMaker reported earlier this week that police alerted the public to a scheme involving illegal financing and paying for votes, allegedly coordinated from Russia via the Taito app, which runs on the Telegram platform.

Moldova’s General Police Inspectorate has also advised citizens to avoid using the app and to refrain from sharing any personal information.

AI-generated content too is playing a role, with Moldova becoming a testing ground for new forms of hybrid warfare – from synthetic media to cyber sabotage and even Russian missile overflights designed to stoke fear and instability.

Synthetic media is content generated or manipulated by AI to appear convincingly real. This includes fabricated news videos, deepfake social media profiles, and digitally altered images that mimic credible outlets or public figures to spread false narratives.

Authorities have flagged examples of AI-generated reports designed to look like European media outlets, pushing anti-EU disinformation to confuse voters and suppress turnout, particularly among the diaspora.

At the same time, Russia continues to deploy intimidation tactics in the physical realm. On Thursday, several Russian cruise missiles reportedly flew through Moldova’s airspace en route to targets in Ukraine – a violation that has become symbolic of the Kremlin’s disregard for Moldova’s sovereignty. Though no physical damage was done, officials warned that the incursions were intended to create a climate of fear and uncertainty ahead of the elections.

Moldova hosts first EU summit as leaders tackle Russia’s interference threat

Wider European concern

There are fears too that what happens in Moldova won’t stay in Moldova. “This election is no longer just about our country,” said Secrieru. “It’s a European election by proxy.”

The EUvsDisinfo project – the EU’s counter-disinformation arm – has labelled Russia’s campaign as a “coordinated effort” to discredit Sandu, manipulate public discourse and weaken Moldova’s democratic resilience.

The July arrest of fugitive oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc in Athens has added another twist to the tale.

Suspected of working with Kremlin power broker Dmitry Kozak – the architect of a 2003 federalisation plan that would have split Moldova – Plahotniuc is alleged to be plotting a return to power by reactivating his old political networks.

The former lawmaker is one of the chief suspects in Moldova’s “theft of the century” – the disappearance in 2014 of $1 billion from the Moldovan banking system, the equivalent at the time of 12 percent of the country’s GDP.

For now, the PAS government is hoping that transparency, security and international support will counter the Kremlin’s plans. But with disinformation swirling and digital attacks intensifying, the road to 28 September promises to be anything but smooth.

Plastic pollution isn’t just a problem for beaches and marine wildlife – it’s a growing global health crisis.

From the food we eat to the air we breathe, plastics and their tiny by-products – known as microplastics – are showing up everywhere.

As representatives of nearly 180 countries meet in Geneva this week, scientists are sounding the alarm: plastic is harming human health at every stage of the former’s life cycle.

Global plastic treaty talks open in Geneva amid urgent calls for action

Simultaneously, in a new report published in British medical journal The Lancet this week, authored by an international team of researchers, the Lancet Countdown on Health and Plastics was launched.

Described as “an independent, indicator-based global monitoring system”, the  project will monitor the health impact of plastics and track progress on international action, similarly to the existing Lancet Countdown on Climate Change.

Plastics and the human body

According to the peer-reviewed report, plastic harms human health throughout its entire life cycle – during production, use and disposal.

Workers in plastic manufacturing plants are exposed to harmful chemicals and airborne pollutants, including sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. These emissions contribute not only to local respiratory illness but also to the wider climate crisis. Plastic production now releases more greenhouse gases annually than the entire nation of Brazil.

Post-production, plastics also release a cocktail of chemicals – many of them untested for safety – into consumer products and the environment.

The issue is particularly concerning for vulnerable groups. “Infants in the womb and young children are especially susceptible,” explains Philip Landrigan of Boston College, one of the authors of The Lancet report, noting that 75 percent of plastic-related chemicals have never undergone proper toxicity testing.

One of the most insidious aspects of plastic pollution is its transformation into microplastics – particles less than five millimetres in size and often invisible to the naked eye.

First identified by scientists in 2004, microplastics have since been found everywhere from the deepest oceans to remote mountaintops – and inside the human body. They have been detected in human lungs, blood, placenta and breast milk.

While scientists are still uncovering the full effects of these particles, early studies have linked microplastics to cardiovascular disease, inflammation and hormonal disruption. One study has suggested possible associations between microplastics and increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Petrochemical industry joins global talks to agree plastic pollution treaty

Fossil fuel crisis

Plastics are a fossil fuel product made from oil and gas. From annual production of 2 million tonnes in 1950, the world now produces around 475 million tonnes annually year.

Without major policy shifts, that figure is projected to triple by 2060.

Less than 10 percent of plastic is currently recycled. Instead, much of it ends up in landfills or the ocean, or is burned – frequently in low and middle-income countries – releasing toxic emissions that endanger health. In some regions, plastic waste creates breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

While plastic pollution worsens climate change, climate change in turn exacerbates the health risks associated with plastics. 

“There is no understating the magnitude of both crises,” said Landrigan. “They are both causing disease, death and disability today in tens of thousands of people.”

France leads charge in UN talks to tackle global plastic pollution crisis

‘We need to use plastic wisely’

The goal of the talks being held in Geneva, from 5 to 14 August, is ambitious: to mitigate the health and environmental impact of plastic across its full life cycle, by agreeing on terms for a legally binding international treaty to curb plastic pollution.

But political obstacles remain. A previous round of negotiations in Busan, South Korea, in December 2024, ended without consensus, largely due to pushback from oil-producing countries and industry lobby groups.

These actors have sought to limit the treaty’s scope, arguing against restrictions on virgin plastic production and pushing instead for voluntary recycling targets.

At UN ocean summit, 95 countries back ‘wake-up call’ to cap plastic production

Advocates argue that nothing less than a robust, enforceable treaty can change the trajectory. The Lancet Countdown project aims to serve as a watchdog for such a treaty’s effectiveness.

Led by institutions including Boston College, Heidelberg University and Australian charity the Minderoo Foundation, it will track key indicators – from chemical exposure levels to policy implementation – giving governments and the public the tools to demand real accountability.

According to Landrigan: “This isn’t about banning all plastic. Plastics have undeniable benefits, especially in medicine, hygiene and food safety. But we need to use them wisely, transparently and safely.”

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will meet with Trump at the White House on Friday for a summit aimed at ending decades of conflict in the South Caucasus.

The trilateral meeting, confirmed by the Armenian government earlier this week, will focus on finalising a peace framework between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and establishing a new US-backed transit corridor through Armenian territory.

US officials say the summit could pave the way for a “concrete pathway to peace”, following years of failed negotiations and sporadic violence.

The leaders are expected to sign a preliminary peace framework and unveil plans for the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity – a proposed 32-kilometre corridor linking mainland Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave, which borders Turkey.

The corridor would run through southern Armenia and, under the proposed agreement, would be developed by the US, which would hold exclusive rights to its construction and management.

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

“This agreement, if signed, will be a game-changer,” one senior US official told reporters. “It’s a strategic and economic solution that benefits all parties and reduces the risk of future conflict.”

In addition to the corridor, the two leaders are expected to jointly request the formal dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group, the defunct international mediation mechanism that includes the US, France and Russia.

Decades of conflict

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in hostilities since the late Soviet era, primarily over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but previously home to a majority-Armenian population.

The First Karabakh War from 1988 to 1994 left more than 30,000 people dead and more than a million displaced.

A second war in 2020 saw Azerbaijan reclaim much of the territory it had lost, and in 2023 a swift Azerbaijani offensive led to the full recapture of Karabakh, prompting the exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians.

Although both sides agreed on the draft text of a peace deal earlier this year, progress has since stalled.

Baku is demanding constitutional changes in Armenia that would remove references to Karabakh, while Yerevan remains cautious, particularly ahead of parliamentary elections in 2026.

Another sticking point has been the status and control of the proposed transit corridor. While Azerbaijan wants guaranteed access, Armenia has been wary of ceding too much control – a concern the US aims to address by overseeing the project.

Nagorno-Karabakh almost empty as most of population flees to Armenia

Friday’s summit follows months of diplomacy led by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and his team, who have travelled across the region to lay the groundwork for the meeting.

US officials have suggested that a successful deal could open the door for Azerbaijan to join the Abraham Accords – Trump’s initiative to normalise relations between Israel and Muslim-majority nations from his first presidential mandate.

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday. This week, you’ll hear musical requests from your fellow listeners Hossen Abed Ali from Rangpur, Bangladesh and a composition written by SB Leprof from Winneba, Ghana.

Be sure you send in your music requests! Write to me at thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Epitaph” by Robert Fripp, Ian McDonald, Greg Lake and Michael Giles, to lyrics by Peter Sinfield, performed by King Crimson, and “Ginger Milk” by SB Leprof.

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 a 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!

The historian and author used his swearing-in speech to parliament to make his position clear: “No to illegal immigration, no to the euro.”

Nawrocki’s election campaign was marked by a rise in nationalist rhetoric and repeated criticism of Ukrainian refugees living in Poland. His victory has unsettled many at home and abroad.

His rhetoric is making it easier for people to express anti-Ukrainian views, warned Oleksandr Pestrykov of the Ukrainian House Foundation in Warsaw – calling it a form of social segregation.

“Seeing Nawrocki speak in this way, someone who doesn’t like Ukrainians but would have been ashamed to say so, can now say it openly,” Pestrykov said.

On the campaign trail, Nawrocki described Ukrainian refugees as “ungrateful” and a “burden on society”. His slogan “Poland First, Poles First” came with pledges to give citizens priority in healthcare and education, cut pensions for Ukrainians and restrict benefits to Poles only.

Supreme Court confirms validity of Poland’s presidential election

Calls for unity mask deep divides

Despite his hardline message, Nawrocki has also tried to appear as a unifier. In a video released before the inauguration, he urged Poles to “unite” and spoke of “a new chapter in the history of our beloved Poland”.

He said he would be an “active president” from the outset, ready to propose laws and push government action.

But cooperation with Tusk’s government may prove difficult. The prime minister has already expressed doubts about Nawrocki’s intentions. “I have no doubt that Mr Nawrocki will do everything to annoy us,” Tusk said. He also warned that he would not let the president “demolish” his government.

Nawrocki, who has no prior experience in elected office, narrowly defeated liberal candidate Rafal Trzaskowski in the 1 June election. The close result revealed deep divisions in Polish politics.

Although the president does not run the government, the role comes with real power – including veto rights and a say in foreign and defence policy.

Nawrocki had the backing of former US president Donald Trump during his campaign. But analysts say he lacks international experience. With Ukraine a key issue, this could become a source of friction.

From Washington to Warsaw: how MAGA influence is reshaping Europe’s far right

Foreign policy split

Nawrocki’s support for Ukraine appears conditional, said Jean-Yves Potel, a historian and political scientist. “Nawrocki seems to want to impose conditions on the Ukrainians, particularly regarding Ukraine’s entry into NATO and the European Union. He wants to exert pressure on this issue,” Potel told RFI.

Still, he said Tusk remains Poland’s key foreign policy actor. “He is not going to follow Nawrocki,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Nawrocki after his win and expressed hope for continued cooperation.

Following a phone call between the two, Zelensky said they had agreed to exchange visits and work together on practical matters. He said he was “thankful for the readiness to work together”.

Even so, Nawrocki’s remarks about Kyiv’s “lack of gratitude” and his opposition to NATO membership for Ukraine suggest a cooler relationship than under former president Andrzej Duda. The shift could affect Poland’s role in the regional response to Russia’s war.

Polish nationalists stage anti-immigration demonstration ahead of polls

Abortion deadlock 

Tensions are also expected to continue in the lead-up to Poland’s next parliamentary elections in 2027. Nawrocki has openly attacked the Tusk government, calling it “the worst in the history of democratic Poland”.

One major fault line is abortion. In predominantly Catholic Poland, the procedure is only allowed in cases of severe foetal abnormalities or when the mother’s life is at risk. Tusk wants to relax the law. Nawrocki has said he will block any such move.

“He promises to block any law in this direction,” said Potel. “But on the other hand, within Tusk’s coalition, there are Christian Democratic currents that refuse to liberalise abortion.” As a result, no major change may be possible, despite public pressure.

Not all observers think the situation will spiral into open conflict. Piotr Trudnowski, from the Klub Jagiellonski think tank, said “both parties should realise that engaging in intense confrontation is obviously not the way forward.”

The months ahead will show whether compromise is possible – or whether Poland’s political divide grows deeper under Nawrocki’s presidency.

Refusing to support the repressive regime of Syria’s former president Bashar al-Assad, Amjaad and her husband Firas decided they had no choice but to flee it. 

Having studied in France between 2005 and 2011, in 2014 the couple – he an IT specialist, she a maths teacher – settled in north-west France and quickly obtained French citizenship.

From their adopted city of Rouen, the Abou Latif family – Amjaad, Firas and their two children – witnessed the fall of Assad’s regime in December 2024. As for most Syrians, this was cause for celebration – and time to plan a return trip.

Amjaad and Firas, who are both part of the Druze community, a branch of the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam. They decided to go back to their native Sweida, a Druze-majority province in the south of Syria, for the summer holidays. 

For the couple, this would be a reunion with their families, while for their children, aged five and 15, it would be a discovery of their homeland. 

New legal action launched against Syria’s Assad after French court ruling

Stranded in Swedia

“We left on 5 June,” says Amjaad. “We arrived in Damascus and then went to Sweida, where we had planned to stay for two months to spend the holidays there. We had a great first month with the family. Then, in the space of two days, it all came crashing down.”

On 13 July, Amjaad recalls that there were clashes between Bedouin tribes and local fighters in Sweida which left 37 people dead.

Similarly deadly clashes had already occurred in April and May, pitting Syrian security forces against Druze fighters. At that time, local and religious leaders concluded agreements aimed at containing the escalation and better integrating the Druze fighters into the country’s new post-Assad power structures.

Amjaad, her husband and children found themselves stranded with her parents-in-law in the centre of Sweida.

“The children started to get very scared and my husband told me to leave the city with them, to go to my parents who were in a village a long way from Sweida.”

Amjaad and the children arrived in Qanaouat, seven kilometres to the north, with the plan being that they would stay there until the situation calmed down in the provincial capital.

France condemns reported atrocities against civilians in Syria’s Sweida

But the fighting continued and her husband Firas could not find a way to leave Sweida. Tanks rolled into the town centre, and regime men entered houses and looted everything in sight.

Firas and his brother-in-law took refuge in one of the rooms in the family’s house. “On Wednesday, 16 July, before 9am, my husband sent me a text message to say that the tanks had entered the neighbourhood, but that everything was fine with him. At 10am, he sent a text message to the neighbourhood group saying: ‘We’re trapped here, help, help.” From 10.30am onwards, communication was interrupted.”

Firas and his brother-in-law were both shot dead. Then five rocket-propelled grenades hit the house, before it was burnt down.

‘There were corpses all over the town’

Amjaad was told what had happened by neighbours who had managed to hide. On 17 July, the remains of her brother-in-law’s head were found, along with Firas’s watch.

With the security situation in the town becoming increasingly catastrophic, Amjaad and her children had to wait a week before they could return and take refuge in an uncle’s house.

They were stuck there for almost two weeks, unable to return to Damascus from where they could take a flight to France. The town was surrounded by jihadists, recalls Amjaad. “There was no drinking water, food or medicine left. There were corpses all over the town, especially around the hospital.”

A ceasefire put an end to a week of deadly clashes on 20 July, but the situation remains tense and access to the province is difficult. Government troops have set up roadblocks on the access roads, and will only let authorised vehicles through.

Amjaad’s brother, who also lives in France, called the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the family’s behalf. The French embassy in Lebanon then told him to contact the Syrian White Helmets – the country’s humanitarian and civil defence volunteer organisation – who offered to collect the family from outside the town.

“I said no, it was impossible,” Amjaad says. “We couldn’t do it. Because to get to the meeting point they had given me, we had to go through villages that were in the hands of jihadists. What’s more, we had no petrol. I said we’d have to find another solution and they told me: ‘It’s the embassy, that’s the way it is, there’s no other way.'”

Syria’s interim president vows justice for Druze after deadly clashes

‘We don’t want jihadists’

In the end, Amjaad and her children managed to leave with the help of a family friend. On 30 July, thanks to their foreign passports, the Syrian Red Crescent took charge of them and transferred them out of the town.

With them were many other foreign Druze, including a large number of Venezuelans, all of whom had also come to Syria to be with their loved ones for the summer holidays, taking their first chance to come back to the country for years. 

“We, the Druze, had always refused to fight alongside Assad, we were part of the opposition, and now [Ahmed al-Sharaa, the country’s new president] comes along and imposes Islamism on us,” Amjaad said, angrily.

“In Sweida, we didn’t accept the jihadists taking power. We saw what they did against the Alawites in March,” she added, referring to the killing of members of the country’s Alawite religious minority, followers of an offshoot of Shia Islam, to which former president Assad belongs.

On Thursday, 31 July, Amjaad and her two children left for Paris, travelling via Istanbul.

She’s in shock over what has happened, but she’s also angry. “I’m trying to find the strength to respond to what’s happened, here in France – to file complaints, to speak out about the reality in Syria today. So that the government that replaced Assad leaves, like he did. We don’t want jihadists.”

On the same day Amjaad returned to France, the Syrian Ministry of Justice announced the formation of a commission to investigate the deadly inter-communal violence in the Sweida province.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), the violence has left more than 1,400 people dead, including by summary execution – the majority of whom were Druze.

The OSDH claims that “the authorities are imposing a blockade on the province of Sweida to make its inhabitants comply”.

Several aid convoys have entered the province since the ceasefire, including one sent on 31 July by the United Nations, which has warned the humanitarian situation is “critical”.

This article was adapted from the original version in French.

In England, the memory of last summer’s riots in Southport still lingers. The unrest began after three young girls were stabbed to death at a dance class in the seaside town on 19 July 2024.

The attack sparked violent protests that quickly spread to Northern Ireland, with riots breaking out in over a dozen towns and cities across the two nations of the United Kingdom.

Far-right activists were blamed for fuelling tensions by spreading false claims that the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker.

The unrest, which lasted several days, saw far-right rioters attack police, shops, hotels housing asylum seekers and mosques, with hundreds of participants subsequently arrested and charged.

A year later, the same pattern is repeating. On Sunday 3 August, clashes broke out at protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers in Epping, Manchester, Newcastle and London. Far-right demonstrators clashed with anti-racism groups and local residents. Fifteen people were arrested.

In one such incident in Epping, a London suburb, anti-racism and refugee aid groups and residents opposed to the accommodation of asylum seekers in a local hotel had called for simultaneous rallies on Sunday, 3 August. Hundreds gathered from both sides under heavy police surveillance, following tensions at the site of the hotel the previous week.

On Saturday, a rally was held outside another hotel in Bowthorpe, near Norwich, according to UK media reports. On 21 July, several dozen people had demonstrated in Diss, in the east of England, to demand the closure of another hotel also housing asylum seekers.

UK fears new summer of unrest, year after Southport riots

A few weeks prior, on 9 June, the town of Ballymena in Northern Ireland erupted when two teenagers of Romanian origin were arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a young girl.

Foreign residents of the town were forced to hide in wardrobes and attics to escape the rioters, with some hanging signs outside their homes declaring that they were Filipino, not Eastern European. Some housing associations warned residents to leave their homes and secure their property. 

A month later, on 9 July, similar scenes played out in Spain after a 68-year-old man was attacked in the town of Torre Pacheco in Murcia, in the southwest.

Rallies held on 19 July in more than 80 towns and cities in Poland on 19 July remained peaceful, but saw protesters marching under “Stop immigration” banners in protest at Europe-wide policies.

Poland’s border clampdown highlights EU tensions as leaders gather in London

“We are witnessing a deliberate erosion of the fundamental principles of democratic coexistence,” according to Gemma Pinyol Jiménez, a professor at the faculty of political science and sociology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

To continue to regard these demonstrations as isolated events would be “to run the risk of missing the crux of the problem” – namely “the growing normalisation of hate speech and xenophobia,” she said.

The chicken or the egg?

Identity-based rhetoric, generally promoted by the far right, has been present in Europe since the beginning of the twentieth century. But the return of frequent, large-scale and often violent demonstrations signals a resurgence in the popularity of these ideas. But are they the root cause of the riots, or a catalyst for pre-existing tensions? 

According to Pinyol Jiménez, “growing inequality, economic anxiety and social fragmentation” are among the reasons why those affected see identity-based discourse as the answer to their situation.

She added that although they are not the only reason for the re-emergence of xenophobic violence, these positions “foster fear, advocate exclusion and give legitimacy to violent action”. The migrant takes on the role of scapegoat and becomes “a danger rather than a human being”.

“High housing prices, unemployment or precarious working conditions” make it easy to “blame immigrants for all the ills of society”, says Zenia Hellgren, a sociologist at Barcelona’s public university and a member of an interdisciplinary research group on immigration.

In the UK, the youth unemployment rate is around 14 percent, while in Spain it is higher than 24 percent. Both countries are also experiencing a major housing crisis.

From Washington to Warsaw: how MAGA influence is reshaping Europe’s far right

In the UK, successive governments have kept the idea of a migratory crisis smouldering for years, with far-right figures fanning the flames by playing on collective fears.

Islamophobic influencer Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – known as Tommy Robinson – has regularly used his X (formerly Twitter) account, with its 1.3 million followers, to declare his support for those demonstrating outside what he calls “migrant hotels” – although he is yet to make an appearance at the protests. 

Nigel Farage, leader of the far-right Reform UK party, made his voice heard in the Epping protests by reposting misinformation about the police busing in counter-demonstrators.

The role of sectarianism

In Northern Ireland, the sectarianism that is an integral party of the country’s history has a significant part to play in anti-immigration rhetoric, according to Jack Crangle, professor of modern history at Queen’s University Belfast.

The hostility between Catholics and Protestants – republicans who identify as Irish and want to see Northern Ireland reunited with the Republic of Ireland, and loyalists who identify as British and support Northern Ireland remaining part of the UK, respectively – manifested as the 30-year ethno-religious conflict known as the Troubles, between the late 1960s and 1998. 

While tensions between the two communities remain, this hostility “has gradually been directed towards a new ‘Other’ as immigration to Northern Ireland has increased” Crangle observed in an article entitled: Northern Ireland has a long history of immigration and diversity. And of racism.

The increase in anti-immigration and xenophobic rhetoric and activity on the part of certain loyalist movements, for whom Britishness is integral to their identity, has been documented for several years now.

On 10 July, a bonfire erected in the village of Moygashel as part of the annual loyalist celebrations of 12 July (commemorating the 1690 Battle of the Boyne in which Protestant King William of Orange defeated Catholic King James II) featured a boat full of black-skinned mannequins at the top of the pyre, accompanied by a sign reading “stop the boats”.

Historical imagery

In Spain too, history is invoked to support the arguments of those opposed to immigration.

Since its rise to prominence in 2019, the country’s far-right Vox party has drawn on “the imagery of the Reconquista,” according to Carole Viñals, senior lecturer at the University of Lille and a specialist in contemporary Spain – referring to the period from 718-1492 in which Christian kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula fought to reclaim territories previously conquered by Muslim forces.

“They reject any attack on Spain’s territorial unity,” Viñals continued, “which [they say] is jeopardised by the influx of immigrants.”

In the 2023 regional elections, Vox doubled its national score of 12.3 percent in the province of Murcia, reaching 26 percent in the municipality of Torre Pacheco – scene of July’s unrest. The president of Vox in the region, José Ángel Antelo, is currently under investigation for inciting racial hatred in connection with the riots.

Pinyol Jiménez believes the violence observed in various parts of Europe since last summer needs to be viewed as a whole.

While she stresses the need to clamp down on hate speech, she says that above all European governments need to strengthen the welfare state, to respond to “the real needs of the population”, if they want to see the “national preference” rhetoric brandished by the far right extinguished once and for all.

This article has been adapted from the original version in French.

President Félix Tshisekedi used the occasion to call on parliament to adopt a resolution recognising the violence in eastern Congo as genocide.

“I solemnly call upon both houses of parliament to examine as soon as possible the adoption of an official resolution proclaiming the recognition of genocide committed on our territory,” Tshisekedi said on Saturday.

He said the deaths of thousands of civilians in the east of the country meet the legal definition of genocide under the 1948 UN convention. He also promised to take the campaign for recognition to international forums.

The annual Genocost commemoration takes place every 2 August. It was first held three years ago. This year, a new memorial was opened near the National Museum in Kinshasa.

From 1960 to present day, 11 dates that explain the conflict in the DRC

Repeated conflict

Eastern Congo, rich in minerals and bordering Rwanda, has faced repeated conflict since the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Violence has escalated again since early 2025.

The term “Genocost” was first used in London in 2013 by a member of the Congolese Action Youth Platform (CAYP). It followed the UN’s Mapping Report, which documented large-scale crimes in eastern Congo dating back to 1996. The report said several neighbouring countries, including Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi, shared responsibility.

For CAYP France, the creation of a national remembrance day is a major step. Gloria Menayame, a legal expert with the NGO, told RFI it was a “victory” but said more needs to be done.

But, she also said that it “feels unfinished”.

“The adoption of the Genocost campaign is something we welcome,” she said. “What we didn’t want was this partial appropriation that only takes what suits the authorities. There’s a lot of talk about international responsibility or the creation of an international tribunal. But they forget to put in place mechanisms to address crimes at the national level. We believe our government has the means, but lacks the will.”

DRC conflict coltan entering EU via Rwandan smuggling routes, report finds

Long road to recognition

The idea of the Genocost began gaining support after 2013, as calls for reparations grew. Civil society groups pointed to a long history of resource-driven violence going back to colonial times.

Supporters of the campaign renamed a square in Kinshasa “Genocost Square” and began holding events there every 2 August. The date marks the start of the Second Congo War in 1998.

But the government only adopted the term officially in late 2022, after the M23 rebel group returned to action and tensions with Rwanda increased.

One key aim of the campaign is the creation of an international criminal tribunal for the DRC.

Tshisekedi also said he would raise the issue at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

DR Congo extends cobalt export ban by three months

Theoretical issues

Some legal experts say the Genocost concept remains controversial. Ithiel Batumike, a researcher at the Congolese think tank Ebuteli, told RFI the term is based on real anger and frustration over decades of violence, but it still needs to be defined more clearly in legal terms.

“All Congolese believe it is time to stop this spiral of violence,” he said.

“The big questions all Congolese are asking themselves: ‘Until when?’ and ‘Why does the international community act as if it doesn’t see everything that is happening in Congo, when it is paying sustained attention to other crises where it has actually intervened to stop the massacres?'”

Another issue is the role of Congolese leaders and military officials in the conflict.

Menayame said some members of the Congolese government have been named in UN reports as being involved in crimes committed in the country.

These include several generals active in conflict zones. She said their actions should not be ignored.

In early August 1995, the Croatian army recatured the breakaway region of Krajina in just 84 hours. Most of the ethnic Serb population fled.

To mark the 30th anniversary of the operation, authorities in the Croatian capital Zagreb held the largest military parade in the country’s history.

On Thursday, 3,500 soldiers, police and war veterans marched along Vukovar Avenue in the capital. They were marking the events of 4 to 7 August 1995, when Operation Oluja – Storm in Serbo-Croatian – crushed the self-declared Serbian Republic of Krajina and restored control over 14 percent of Croatia’s territory.

Tens of thousands of people watched the parade.

They saw some of the army’s newest equipment, including Turkish Bayraktar drones, German-made Leopard tanks and 12 second-hand French Rafale fighter jets. This was only the fourth military parade in Croatia since independence in 1991.

“Today, everyone will have seen the strength of the Croatian state,” Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on public TV.

President Zoran Milanovic said once again that Operation Oluja was key to changing the course of the 1991–1995 war.

‘Victory for Croatia’

“We are fully aware – and I want those who succeed us to be aware too – that this is a victory for Croatian soldiers, the Croatian people and the Croatian leaders of the time,” said Milanović, who is also head of the armed forces, before the parade began.

More commemorations are planned for Monday 5 August – a key date in the operation and a national holiday in Croatia called Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day.

But the war left deep scars.

The Croatian Helsinki Committee said 677 civilians were killed during Operation Oluja and over 22,000 homes destroyed. Some Serbian sources say around 2,000 people died.

The offensive forced almost the entire Serbian population of Krajina – about 200,000 people – to flee. The Republic of Krajina had been set up in late 1990 by Serb leaders who rejected Croatia’s independence.

Croatian airstrikes and artillery then hit convoys of tractors, buses and cars carrying people to safety in Serbia.

It was not until 2020 – 25 years later – that Croatia officially expressed regret for the crimes committed against Serbs. Milanović said at the time, “We celebrate victory; we hate no one.”

Serbia denounces ‘ethnic cleansing’

Few Serbs have not returned to Krajina. Their families had lived there since the 1600s, when the Habsburg Empire gave them land in exchange for guarding the border with Ottoman-controlled Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Today, there are just over 120,000 Serbs in Croatia – five times fewer than in 1991, just before the war.

In Serbia, Operation Oluja is viewed as a large-scale act of ethnic cleansing. A memorial event is held each year on 3 August, the day before the 1995 offensive began.

This year’s ceremony was called “Oluja is a pogrom, we will remember it forever”. It was attended by President Aleksandar Vucic, Prime Minister Duro Macut and the Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Porfirije.

The Serbian government has also advised citizens not to travel through Croatia between 1 and 10 August.

In both countries, commemorations are marked by nationalism. Each side blames the other and there has been little effort to reconcile.

Attempts at dialogue have often been attacked.

In 2020, Boris Milosevic – a Serb political leader in Croatia – joined official Croatian commemorations. Several ministers in Belgrade called it “shameful” and “humiliating for the entire Serbian nation”.

But some Croatians are also questioning how the event is remembered.

“The Croatian government has decided to celebrate the end of the war by celebrating the war industry,” said the Centre for Peace Studies.

“Tanks do not feed people, weapons do not heal.”

France has been loading aid into its military transport aircraft at a base in Jordan before dropping it off over the Gaza strip. 

The Jordanian army has been assisting France with flight plans and drop locations to avoid accidents when the pallets land. 

The first airdrop took place on Friday, followed by one on Saturday without any hitches, the French army told Franceinfo.

There are still 28 tons of products to be delivered out of the total 40 promised by France.

Concern has escalated in the past week about hunger in the Gaza Strip after more than 21 months of war, which started after Palestinian militant group Hamas carried out a deadly attack against Israel in October 2023.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 60,430 people, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, deemed reliable by the UN.

Defining famine: the complex process behind Gaza’s hunger crisis

Israel has also heavily restricted the entry of aid into Gaza, already under blockade for 15 years before the ongoing war.

According to the United Nations, the Palestinian territory is threatened with “widespread famine,” and would need “more than 62,000 tons of vital aid each month “to cover the most basic humanitarian needs for food and nutrition.”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Saturday underlined France’s intention to step up aid delivieries. “We will continue. Without respite. But only the immediate opening of land crossings will allow for massive and unhindered delivery,” he wrote on the social network X.

More than 50 tons of French humanitarian cargo are stuck in Egypt, a few kilometres from the border with Gaza.

Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron thanked Jordanian, Emirati, and German partners for their support.

But he insisted that “airdrops are not enough. Israel must grant full humanitarian access to address the risk of famine.”

International organisations have for months condemned the restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities on aid distribution in Gaza, including refusing to issue border crossing permits, slow customs clearance, limited access points, and imposing dangerous routes.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) – supported by Israel and the United States and opposed by NGOs – has since May become the main channel for distributing food but only has four main sites.

The UN has said that 6,000 trucks are awaiting permission from Israel to enter the occupied Palestinian territory.

Insufficient deliveries

Other European nations such as Germany, Britain, Spain and Italy have also begun delivering aid by air.

Germany staged its first food airdrops into Gaza on Thursday and Friday, which coincided with a visit by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who warned that “the humanitarian disaster in Gaza is beyond imagination.”

At a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wadephul, Wadephul urged Israel “to provide humanitarian and medical aid to prevent mass starvation from becoming a reality”.

UN says hundreds killed in recent weeks while seeking aid in Gaza

Italy said Friday it would begin air drops over Gaza, becoming the latest European countries to do so. 

“I have given the green light to a mission involving Army and Air Force assets for the transport and airdrop of basic necessities to civilians in Gaza, who have been severely affected by the ongoing conflict,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a statement.

Italy’s air force will work with Jordan’s military to air drop special containers containing essential goods, with the first drops on 9 August, he said.

Spain on Friday said it had already air-dropped 12 tonnes of food into Gaza.

Meanwhile, the United States special envoy Steve Witkoff promised a plan to deliver more food to Gaza after inspecting a US-backed GHF distribution centre on Friday.

The visit was intended to give “a clear understanding of the humanitarian situation and help craft a plan to deliver food and medical aid to the people of Gaza,” Witkoff said.

(with newswires)

The agreement, which came into force on Wednesday, seeks to curb record levels of irregular Channel crossings, which are causing discontent in Britain and helping fuel the rise of the hard-right Reform UK party.

“Detentions began for those who arrived in the UK on a small boat yesterday lunchtime (Wednesday). They will be held in immigration removal centres pending their removal,” the interior ministry said in a statement.

The detained individuals are expected to be removed to France in the “coming weeks”, it added.

Under the arrangement – for now a pilot scheme set to run until June 2026 – irregular migrants arriving on UK shores can be detained and then returned to France if they are deemed ineligible for asylum.

This would include those who have passed through a “safe country” to reach the UK, according to a Home Office fact sheet.

In exchange, London will accept an equal number of migrants from France who can apply for a visa to enter the UK via an online platform, giving priority to nationalities most vulnerable to smugglers and people with ties in Britain.

If approved, they will have a three-month period in which they can enter the UK and apply for asylum.

Rwanda agrees to take migrants from US in deal that includes cash grant

‘Important step’

“If you break the law to enter this country, you will face being sent back. When I say I will stop at nothing to secure our borders, I mean it,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on X after the announcement of the detentions.

His government will refer the detainees’ cases to France within three days, and the French authorities will be expected to respond within 14 days.

The whole process of returning someone could take three months and the UK will cover all the costs until the migrant is handed over, according to the treaty.

Unaccompanied minors will not be eligible for deportation under the scheme.

The reciprocal process to allow migrants to submit an expression of interest to come the UK also began on Thursday.

Applicants must upload a passport or other identity documents as well as a recent photograph and will have to pass further security checks and biometric controls.

Interior Minister Yvette Cooper said that the detentions “send a message to every migrant currently thinking of paying organised crime gangs to go to the UK that they will be risking their lives and throwing away their money if they get into a small boat.

“Criminal gangs have spent seven years embedding themselves along our border and it will take time to unravel them, but these detentions are an important step towards undermining their business model and unravelling the false promises they make,” she added.

Refugee charities have criticised the deal, urging the British government to provide more safe and legal routes for asylum seekers instead.

The number of migrants making the dangerous journey in flimsy dinghies this year crossed 25,000 at the end of July, the highest tally ever at this point in the year.

In recent weeks, anti-immigration demonstrators and counter-protesters have clashed outside hotels housing asylum seekers in Britain, with some marches turning violent.

French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed support for a ceasefire and peace talks after what he called a “long discussion” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders.

“I reiterated to the Ukrainian President France’s full support for establishing a ceasefire and launching discussions toward a solid and lasting solution that preserves Ukraine’s legitimate rights and guarantees its security and that of Europeans,” Macron said on social media.

His statement comes amid growing diplomatic manoeuvres over the conflict, with reports of a possible summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But any progress remains uncertain, as Moscow continues to resist the idea of direct talks with Ukraine.

Putin’s reaction to Ukraine ceasefire proposals deepen G7 rifts over US strategy

Kyiv demands direct role in talks

The Kremlin said Putin was willing to attend a summit with Trump “in the coming days” but dismissed the possibility of Zelensky joining.

Zelensky pushed back in his nightly address on Thursday.

“It is only fair that Ukraine should be a participant in the negotiations,” he said. “Ukraine is an integral part of Europe – we are already in negotiations on EU accession. Therefore, Europe must be a participant in the relevant processes.”

Trump appeared to move away from earlier suggestions that a summit would require a meeting between Putin and Zelensky first.

When asked directly if such a meeting was needed, he replied: “No, he doesn’t.”

US special envoy Steve Witkoff travelled to Moscow this week, but there has been no breakthrough on a ceasefire deal.

Previous talks between Ukraine and Russia have stalled. Moscow has demanded that Ukraine give up remaining territory and renounce Western backing.

Though the flames are not yet fully extinguished, firefighters have successfully contained the blaze after it tore through more than 17,000 hectares – an area greater than the size of Paris.

Fire crews remain on high alert, with strong winds and dry ground continuing to fuel hotspots.

Nearly 2,000 residents and holidaymakers have been forced to flee since the fire began in Tuesday, and dozens of homes have been lost.

One woman died after refusing to evacuate her home, and 18 others were injured – 16 of them firefighters.

“There is still a lot of work to be done,” said Aude police prefect Christian Pouget. “The fire’s progression has slowed, but flare-ups remain a real risk.”

Residents have not yet been allowed to return, with roads still blocked by fallen power lines and other hazards. Temporary shelters remain open in schools and community centres for those displaced.

At its height, the blaze consumed land at an astonishing rate of 1,000 hectares per hour, driven by powerful winds and parched vegetation after months of drought.

Authorities say land-use changes have made the area more vulnerable to fires. Nearly 5,000 hectares of vineyards were uprooted in the past year, removing natural firebreaks that once helped slow the spread of flames.

Biggest French wildfire since 1949 a ‘catastrophe on an unprecedented scale’

Ravaged landscape

The wildfire swept through 15 communes in the Corbières mountains, leaving behind a patchwork of blackened hills and ruined homes. In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, the hardest-hit village, residents described the scene as apocalyptic.

“We saved the house, but we had to fight the whole night, for two days,” said local farmer Alain Reneau told the French news agency AFP. He is still without electricity or running water.

In total, 36 homes were destroyed and 20 others damaged, while thousands of households lost power.

While investigations continue into the exact cause of the blaze, officials are drawing a direct line to climate change.

“This is clearly a consequence of global warming and drought,” said Environment Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher, calling it the worst wildfire since 1949.

Wildfire in southern France kills woman and forces mass evacuations

Vines reduced to ash

Beyond the physical destruction, the fire has also dealt a heavy blow to the region’s economy – particularly its proud winemaking tradition.

Up to 9 square kilometres of vineyards have burned, with officials estimating that as much as 80 percent of the local crop has been destroyed or tainted by smoke.

For winemakers already grappling with years of drought and extreme weather, the fire is yet another setback.

“The vineyards are burnt, and the landscape is gone,” said Batiste Caval, a seventh-generation vintner near Saint-Laurent told the Associated Press.

Some vines, acting as natural firebreaks, were spared – leaving behind eerie islands of green in a sea of ash. But for many, recovery will take years.

“New vines take three years before they produce fruit,” said Xavier de Volontat, the village mayor. “It’s heartbreaking to see our region like this.”

Still, there’s defiance too. “We’re at war, but we will win the war,” said local vineyard owner Xavier Guille, who fought the flames alongside firefighters.

His vineyard survived, though his in-laws lost their home.

(with newswires)

To make his case, Bayrou has launched a weekly YouTube show. The series, called FB Direct, opened with an eight-minute video in which the 74-year-old addressed the camera in a white shirt and black tie.

During the episode, Bayrou covered the challenges of the 2026 budget and the dangers of shying away from action.

“The 2026 budget is the last chance to control the debt before it becomes unmanageable,” Bayrou said.

“We need to make the efforts from right now. We cannot push it off until tomorrow,” he added.

The monologues to the nation are expected to continue until early September. They aim to explain not just the debt problem, but also other government reforms Bayrou wants to introduce.

On 15 July, Bayrou presented the 2026 budget to parliament.

Measures in 2026 budget

Among the most controversial proposals is the removal of two public holidays. Bayrou named Easter Monday and 8 May – which marks the end of World War II in Europe – as possible candidates.

He said May was “riddled” with holidays and that cutting two of them could bring in several billion euros. He added that he was open to other ideas.

France’s public deficit reached 5.8 percent of GDP in 2024. Its public debt climbed to almost 114 percent – the third-highest in the eurozone, behind Greece and Italy.

“I am trying to look at you directly in the eyes,” Bayrou said during the first episode of FB Direct. “This all depends on each and everyone of you.”

Bayrou leads a minority government and may struggle to get his proposals through parliament. Leaders from across the political spectrum have said they are unlikely to support them.

Cut debt while boosting production

Bayrou wants to reduce debt while growing the economy. But even as spending is frozen in most areas, defence funding will increase by €6.7 billion in 2026, due to rising international tensions.

His goal is to bring the deficit down to 2.9 percent of GDP by 2029. To get there, he says France must not spend more in 2026 than it did in 2025.

“Through FB Direct, the Prime Minister wishes to demonstrate his willingness to communicate directly with the French people to explain his choices and approach,” said a government spokesperson.

But political journalist François Beaudonnet said Bayrou’s message was repetitive.

“He provides no new information, and merely elaborates on France’s financial situation, dramatising it even further, as he had already done at length in his speech on 15 July,” Beaudonnet said on FranceInfo.

Statistics showed that 44,000 people watched the first video. Almost 4,000 left comments.

“‘Great initiative, François, really,” wrote one viewer. “We needed a podcast so that a guy who’s been sitting in power since 1993 could explain to us why it’s still up to us to ‘make an effort.’”

Bayrou has promised to start responding to viewer questions and ideas next week.

“This call for dialogue is intended to be transparent, constructive, and respectful of everyone’s sensibilities,” the government spokesperson said.

“The objective is to involve the French people in the search for realistic and sustainable solutions.”

The court struck down the most contested part of the Duplomb law, ruling it violated France’s Environmental Charter, which has constitutional status.

President Emmanuel Macron said he had “taken note of the Constitutional Council’s decision” and would “promulgate the text as it results from this decision as soon as possible”, the Élysée Palace said.

The council allowed other parts of the law to stand. It approved measures simplifying paperwork for large livestock operations and the construction of water storage facilities for agriculture – though with some reservations for the latter.

It also ruled that the law had been adopted in line with constitutional rules, despite being rejected by its own backers at one point in the National Assembly.

French court to rule on agriculture law that poses threat to bees and nature

Unions welcome ruling

The Confédération Paysanne, France’s third-largest agricultural union, welcomed what it called a “step victory” and urged continued pressure “to obtain a reorientation of agricultural policies”.

“We hope that the mobilisation will not die out,” said Stéphane Galais, the union’s spokesperson, speaking to AFP outside the Constitutional Council in Paris. The group promotes a “real” agroecological transition.

The Duplomb law was passed in early July with government support, despite opposition from scientists, environmental groups and much of the public.

The proposal to bring back acetamiprid – part of the neonicotinoid family of pesticides – became the focus of protest.

The chemical is still allowed in other parts of Europe, but France banned it in 2018. Its return was pushed by the powerful FNSEA farming union to help beetroot and hazelnut growers. Senator Laurent Duplomb, a member of Les Républicains and a former FNSEA leader, sponsored the bill.

The council said it had to rule under pressure from both public opinion and farming interests. It found that “lacking sufficient oversight”, the measure was incompatible with the “framework defined by its jurisprudence, stemming from the Environmental Charter”.

Grassroots campaign against controversial French pesticide bill gathers momentum

‘Risk to human health’

In their ruling, the judges stressed that neonicotinoids “have impacts on biodiversity, particularly for pollinating insects and birds” and “induce risks for human health”.

A previous exemption had been granted in 2020, limited to sugar beet crops and restricted to seed coatings. But the new clause was broader. It was not limited in time or to a specific crop, and it also permitted spraying – which raises the risk of the substance spreading into surrounding environments.

“By introducing such a derogation, the legislature deprived of legal guarantees the right to live in a balanced environment respectful of health guaranteed by article 1 of the Environmental Charter,” the judges wrote.

The ruling represents a setback for farming interests seeking more flexibility in pesticide use. For environmental campaigners, it is a clear win that reaffirms constitutional protections.

While the pesticide clause has been struck out, the rest of the Duplomb law remains in place – including rules that simplify procedures for large farms. The Élysée said the revised version would be published “as soon as possible”.

In a letter to Prime Minister François Bayrou, published by Le Figaro newspaper on Wednesday, Macron said the growing difficulties that France is encountering in terms of migration and security with Algeria required a tougher stance against the former French colony.

Macron requested that Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot officially notify Algeria of the suspension of a 2013 agreement that exempted diplomatic and official passport holders from visa requirements.

He also requested that France’s interior minister ask countries in the Schengen zone – which allow passport-free travel between their borders – to help France apply the tighter visa policy, notably by consulting France on the issue of short-stay visas for the Algerian officials in question and the passports covered by the 2013 agreement.

“France must be strong and command respect. It can only receive this from its partners if it shows them the respect it demands from them. This basic rule also applies to Algeria,” Macron wrote.

Paris and Algiers have been embroiled for more than a year in an unprecedented diplomatic crisis that has resulted in the expulsion of officials on both sides, the recall of ambassadors from both countries and restrictions on holders of diplomatic visas.

France to clamp down on Algerian dignitaries’ travel amid deportation dispute

Tensions grew last July when France recognised Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara, which Rabat wants the international community to recognise as Moroccan.

Relations deteriorated further in February this year when an Algerian citizen whom France had long unsuccessfully tried to repatriate was arrested as the suspect in a knife attack in the eastern French city of Mulhouse, which killed one person and injured three.

Sensitive bilateral issues

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has repeatedly called for the review of Franco-Algerian migration and visa arrangements, following Algerian authorities’ refusal to take back its citizens who have been ordered to leave France under the “OQTF” (obligation to leave French territory) deportation regime.

In July, the government indicated that France was “in the process” of restricting the conditions of travel to France for a “certain number of Algerian dignitaries” after Algiers’ refusal to take back 120 of its nationals under this scheme.

Algeria court upholds writer Boualem Sansal’s five-year jail term

In his letter, Macron also cited concerns for the French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who was sentenced to five years in prison in Algeria for “undermining national unity,” and French journalist Christophe Gleizes, sentenced to seven years in prison in the country for “apology for terrorism.”    

Paris considers their sentences arbitrary and has called for their release.    

“The response of the Algerian authorities to our demands regarding migration and consular cooperation will determine our next steps,” Macron wrote.

“Once dialogue has been reestablished, we will also have to address other sensitive bilateral issues,” he continued, citing “hospital debt,” “the actions of certain Algerian state services on national territory, and also outstanding memorial issues”.

Despite his firm tone, Macron promised that his “objective remains to restore effective and ambitious relations with Algeria“.

(with newswires)

The 18-year-old, who was given an invitation into the main draw by the organisers, won 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 and joins Faye Urban and Bianca Andreescu as the only home-town players to take the crown at the 133-year-old tournament since tennis became open to professional players in 1968.

To the roars and cheers of the partisans watching on centre court, Mboko dropped to her knees after Osaka fired a shot into the net.

Mboko then ran to hug her family and coaches in the court-side box.

“Seeing so many people standing up and cheering for me, it was kind of a surreal experience,” said Mboko whose parents fled the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1999 for the United States before settling in Canada.

“I would have never thought something like this would have come so suddenly. It just proves that your dreams are closer than they seem.

“It’s been an incredible week here in Montreal.”

In her run to the title, Mboko overcame four players who had won titles at the four Grand Slam tournaments in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York.

In the first round on 30 July, Mboko ousted the 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.

In the last-16 three days later, she saw off the 2025 French Open champion Coco Gauff.

In the semis, Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, was dispatched. Osaka, who has won two US and two Australian Opens, was dismantled in two hours and five minutes.

“I don’t really want to take up too much time,” said Osaka. “So I will just say thank you to everyone. Thank you to my team, the ball kids, the organisers and the volunteers.”

On Wednesday, in the final set of the match against Rybakina, Mboko fell heavily and on Thursday went to hospital for X-rays and an MRI scan on her wrist.

She was given the all-clear to play just before the final.

“There’s some moments where my wrist was aggravating me a lot and it was hard to move, but I feel like it was the final. I just kept saying to myself: ‘You have one more to go.’”

Following the victory, Mboko will rise 60 places to 25th in the WTA world rankings and feature for the first time among the seeded players at the US Open in New York, which starts on 24 August.  

PSG striker Ousmane Dembélé was among 30 men nominated for the prize as best player of the year for his part in PSG’s march to a first Champions League crown.

Dembélé, who will compete with seven teammates as well as France skipper Kylian Mbappé for the honour, scored eight times and set up six goals in 15 matches during a campaign that culminated in a 5-0 annihilation of Inter Milan in the final in Munich on 31 May.

The 28-year-old France international also played a starring role in PSG’s second successive domestic treble – French Super Cup, Ligue 1 title and Coupe de France.

Enrique was listed for the coach of the year award for steering the team to four trophies. The entire squad was also in the running for the team of the year accolade.

The only blip in the club’s rampage for honours came at the end of July, when PSG went down 3-0 to Chelsea in the final at the Club World Cup in the United States. 

PSG striker Désiré Doué, who bagged a brace in the Champions League final, and midfielder Joao Neves will vie not only for the main men’s prize but also for the Kopa Trophy presented to the best male player under 21.

The PSG duo will compete with last year’s winner Lamine Yamal as well as his Barcelona and Spain teammate Pau Cubarsi. Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi is also on the list. 

PSG goalkeeper Gigi Donnarumma, who won the trophy as best goalkeeper in 2021, made the shortlist for the 2025 category along with the 2024 winner Emi Martinez from Aston Villa,  Lille’s Lucas Chevalier and Liverpool’s Alisson Becker. Donnarumma also features among the men seeking the player of the year award. 

Bonmati going for third trophy

Aitana Bonmati, the winner in the women’s category in 2023 and 2024, was among the 30 nominees for this year’s prize.

A fortnight ago, the Barcelona and Spain midfielder was hailed as the player of the women’s European Championships despite the loss to England in a penalty shoot-out in the final.

Her club will go up against the French outfit OL Lyonnes as well as the Champions League winners Arsenal for the team of the year medal.

England’s European championships super-sub Michelle Agyemang features in the female category. The 19-year-old striker scored last-gasp equalisers in the quarter-finals against Sweden and in the semi-finals against Italy as her team gritted its way to retaining the title. The nomination comes a few weeks after she collected the award for best player under 21 at the tournament in Switzerland.

The men’s prize in the Ballon d’Or was first awarded in 1956 to English player Stanley Matthews. Nearly 70 years later, Dembelé is attempting to become only the fifth French male player to hoist the award.

In 1983, Michel Platini became the first Frenchman to lift the prize. He won it again the following year ahead of his France teammate Jean Tigana and again in 1985.

Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema are the only other French players to have been singled out by a panel of football journalists who select their top 10 players.

Under the current voting criteria, the favourite player receives 15 points, the second 12 points and the third 10 points.

Fourth choice pockets eight points, fifth 7 points and the sixth 5 points.

Picks seven to nine get four, three and two points respectively.

The final choice picks up one point.

Journalists are asked to allocate points on the basis of individual performance, decisiveness and impact as well as players’ team performance and trophies won. They are also to assess class and fair play.

The tariff hike, ordered by US President Donald Trump, is part of a wider effort to reset global trade on terms more favourable to Washington.

South Africa’s reliance on exports like cars, steel and citrus – combined with an already fragile economy – leaves it particularly exposed.

The South African government had spent months trying to negotiate a deal to avoid the penalty. It offered to buy US liquefied natural gas and invest $3.3 billion (€2.8 billion) in US industries in exchange for lower tariffs. The offer was rejected – even after a last-minute effort to improve it.

Trade and Industry Minister Parks Tau said the talks had been unusually difficult.

“These are very complex negotiations, certainly unprecedented,” he said. “At this stage, we must focus on the task at hand and not on finding those responsible.”

Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola called for unity. “We’re talking about our economy. This is not the time for political calculations, whether in the opposition or within the national unity government,” he said.

“We must all speak with one voice. And we can’t just blame South Africa; this is a global phenomenon.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa said last week that the government would act to ease the impact of the tariff.

Emergency support measures

Pretoria has launched a producer support programme to help exporters find new markets. Willem van der Spuy, head of exports at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC), said the aim is to reduce dependence on a few major partners.

“Through this support office, we will connect producers with embassies and potential buyers to penetrate new markets. But also, in general, to help the country diversify its exports,” he said on Tuesday.

The DTIC has also set up an Export Support Desk to advise affected companies. Tau described the move as part of a broader effort to help the country through “a trying moment”.

He said the new tariff is a direct threat to jobs in key industries, including automotive, agro-processing, steel and chemicals.

“We are working with urgency and resolve to implement real, practical interventions that defend jobs and position South Africa competitively in a shifting global landscape,” Tau said in a statement.

Trump’s executive order, signed on 31 July, set tariff rates ranging from 10 to 41 percent on dozens of countries. African states face duties between 15 and 30 percent.

Africa braces for fallout as US tariff deadline is pushed back a week

Almost 100,000 jobs at risk 

Lesetja Kganyago, governor of South Africa’s central bank, said the tariff could cost up to 100,000 jobs. The country already has an unemployment rate of nearly 33 percent.

The United States is South Africa’s second-largest trading partner after China. Top exports to the US include cars, iron and steel, and citrus fruits.

Speaking on 702 Radio, Kganyago said farming would take a major hit. “Here the impact is on citrus fruit, table grapes and wines,” he said.

About 6 to 8 percent of South Africa’s citrus crop is exported to the US. For farmers in Citrusdal, 200 kilometres north of Cape Town, that trade is vital.

“At the moment it’s about 25 to 30 percent of our business,” said Gerrit van der Merwe, speaking from his 1,000-hectare orange farm.

Until now, South Africa’s exports to the US had been tariff-free under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). That status now appears to be ending.

More than 70 percent of arable land in South Africa remains in the hands of the white minority, based on the latest figures from 2017. Many commercial farmers are among those most exposed to the impact of the new tariffs.

South Africa criticises US plan to resettle white Afrikaners as refugees

Diplomatic tensions

Officials in Pretoria say the tariff is not just about trade. It also reflects growing tensions with Washington over domestic and foreign policy.

Trump has falsely claimed that white farmers are having their land seized and has voiced strong opposition to South Africa’s land reform and affirmative action laws.

The White House is also angry over South Africa’s decision to file a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

South Africa currently holds the G20 Presidency and will host the first G20 leaders’ summit in Africa in November 2025. Officials had hoped Trump would attend, but he said late last month he might skip the event, citing frustration with South Africa’s foreign policy.

“Since the last 30 years, there have been disagreements with the US administration on a number of issues, but the diplomatic lines of engagement have always been open,” Lamola told French news agency AFP on Tuesday. He said relations had “reached a low”.

(with newswires)

The crash happened in a forested area in the south of the country. The helicopter was carrying three crew and five passengers. All eight people on board died.

Flags are flying at half-mast across Ghana.

Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed were among the dead. They were flying from Accra to the southern town of Obuasi when the crash happened, the presidency said.

“The president and government extend our condolences and sympathies to the families of our comrades and the servicemen who died in service to the country,” said President John Mahama’s chief of staff, Julius Debrah.

Mahama is said to be feeling “down emotionally”.

Messages of condolence have also come from the African Union and the West African bloc Ecowas.

The Ghanaian Armed Forces said an investigation is underway to find out what caused the crash.

Few details

Local television station Joy News showed mobile phone footage of burning wreckage in thick forest.

The military said earlier on Wednesday that an air force Z9 helicopter had gone missing from radar. It had taken off from Accra just after 9:00 am local time and was heading northwest to Obuasi.

Media reports said the flight was linked to an event on illegal gold mining, a major environmental problem in Ghana.

Muhammed, 50, was due to attend UN talks in Geneva this week on a global treaty to tackle plastic pollution.

He was serving as Minister for Environment, Science and Technology.

Boamah had been appointed as Defence Minister in January, shortly after Mahama took office.

Sahel countries navigate uncertainty following split from Ecowas bloc

Environment challenges   

Muhammed had been leading efforts to fight illegal gold mining. The practice has destroyed farmland and polluted rivers, and is threatening cocoa crops.

The issue featured heavily in last year’s election, which brought Mahama to power.

This year, the new government created the Ghana Gold Board and banned foreigners from the local gold trade. Both moves were seen as key parts of its crackdown.

The head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Inger Andersen, said Muhammed was a “committed environmentalist” and “deeply respected” across Africa and beyond.

She said he had recently been elected to the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in Nairobi.

Ghana’s illegal mining crisis: environmental destruction, clashes, and calls for action   

Regional tensions 

The crash is a blow for Ghana’s security at a time of rising tension near its northern border.

Also among the dead were Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, Ghana’s deputy national security coordinator and former agriculture minister, and Samuel Sarpong, a senior figure in Mahama’s National Democratic Congress party.

Boamah had been leading Ghana’s defence efforts at a time of growing violence in Burkina Faso.

Ghana has so far avoided jihadist attacks, unlike neighbours Togo and Benin. But some experts have warned of weapons smuggling and fighters crossing the border from Burkina Faso.

In May, Boamah travelled to Ouagadougou to boost ties with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger – three military-led countries that recently quit Ecowas.

President Mahama has cancelled all official events for the rest of the week. The mourning period began on Thursday.

(with newswires)

Pacific microstate Nauru, one of the world’s smallest nations, has a novel plan to fund its fight against climate change by selling so-called “golden passports”.

Selling for US$105,000 each, Nauru plans to drum up more than US$5 million in the first year of the “climate resilience citizenship” programme.

Almost six months after the scheme opened in February, Nauru has so far approved just six applications – covering two families and four individuals.

Despite the slow start – Nauru hopes to sell 66 passports in the scheme’s first year – President David Adeang remained upbeat.

“We welcome our new citizens, whose investment will assist Nauru to secure a sustainable and prosperous future for generations to come,” he told AFP on Thursday.

‘Survival’ at stake as Vanuatu uses ocean summit to press ICJ climate case

Nauru believes the passport programme could eventually generate $43 million – or about 500 successful applicants – which would account for almost 20 percent of total government revenue.

But there are fears the scheme could be ripe for exploitation.

Edward Clark, who runs Nauru’s climate passport programme, said one application has already been withdrawn after officials flagged “adverse findings” during background checks.

“The application would have been rejected had it not been withdrawn,” he told AFP.

A previous Nauru attempt to sell passports ended in disaster.

In 2003, Nauru officials sold citizenship to Al-Qaeda members who were later arrested in Asia.

Among the first batch of climate passports approved was an unnamed German family of four living in Dubai, said Clark, touting the “major milestone”.

‘Political volatility’

“They were looking for a second citizenship to provide them with a Plan B given the current global political volatility,” he said.

The Nauru passport provides visa-free entry into more than 80 countries or territories.

More than 60 different nations offer some form of migration for investment schemes, Australia‘s Lowy Institute has found.

Pacific nations such as Vanuatu, Samoa and Tonga have all dabbled in selling passports.

The island republic of Nauru sits on a small plateau of phosphate rock in the sparsely populated South Pacific.

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

With a total landmass of just 21 square kilometres (eight square miles), it is one of the world’s smallest nations.

Unusually pure phosphate deposits – a key ingredient in fertiliser – once made Nauru one of the wealthiest places, per capita, on the planet.

But these supplies have long since dried up, and researchers today estimate 80 percent of Nauru has been rendered uninhabitable by mining.

What little land Nauru has left is threatened by encroaching tides. Scientists have measured sea levels rising 1.5 times faster than global averages.

Nauru will eventually need to relocate 90 percent of its population as creeping seas start to eat away at its coastal fringe.

The first phase of this mass relocation is estimated to cost more than $60 million.

Last year’s champions – Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka – were each handed a cheque for $3.6 million for coming through seven matches on the hard courts at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre at Flushing Meadows in New York.

The increase comes as part of a total purse of $85 million to the world’s top players in singles, doubles and wheelchair events and pushes the US Open well ahead of the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon which host the three other Grand Slam tournaments.

Last month on the grass courts of the All England Lawn Tennis Club at Wimbledon, Sinner and Iga Swiatek respectively lifted the gentlemen’s and ladies’ singles trophies for the first time. They also pocketed a cheque for £3 million.

At the French Open in Paris in June, Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff collected €2.55 million for their endeavours on the clay courts at the Roland Garros Stadium.

In January at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Sinner took away $AUS3.5 million after sweeping past Alexander Zverev in straight sets. Madison Keys won the same amount for beating Sabalenka to claim her first trophy at a Grand Slam event.

The US Open singles competitions start on 24 August and culminate on 6 September with the women’s final and the men’s showdown on 7 September.

The championships will begin with a new format mixed doubles event on 19 and 20 August.

The overcrowded boat, carrying mostly Ethiopian nationals, sank on Sunday while en route to Abyan governorate in southern Yemen – a regular landing site for people-smuggling operations headed for Gulf countries.

Yemeni officials and a source from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said two more bodies had been found by Tuesday. Local fishermen had initially buried the bodies after they washed ashore, before the IOM confirmed them as victims.

Earlier, a Yemeni security source and a local official had reported 94 bodies recovered, with many already buried. The official added that more corpses continued to wash up in the days after the sinking.

Migrants fleeing Ethiopia killed in shipwreck off Yemen coast

Dismantling migrant camps

An AFP journalist who visited the site reported seeing at least two bodies on the beach. Makeshift tents were scattered along the shore, and groups of African migrants were being moved out of the remote coastal area.

Security forces in Abyan province, backed by local authorities, launched a sweep of the shoreline to dismantle migrant camps run by trafficking networks.

Brigadier General Ali Nasser Buzaid, the top security official in Abyan, said the dead included both men and women.

The IOM and local officials estimate that the boat was carrying around 200 people.

On Monday, two Yemeni security sources reported that 32 individuals had been rescued, though dozens remain unaccounted for.

A year after the ceasefire in Tigray, Ethiopia is little closer to peace

Ethiopia’s migrant exodus

Despite the ongoing civil war that has gripped Yemen since 2014, the country continues to serve as a major transit route for irregular migration, particularly from Ethiopia, where many face limited opportunities and instability.

The situation in Ethiopia’s Tigray region has added further urgency to the migrant exodus.

The recent resurgence of conflict in the north – marked by reports of violence, displacement, and humanitarian challenges – has pushed more people to seek refuge elsewhere and embark on the perilous journey across the Red Sea.

(with AFP)

The ruling upholds a decision made last month by the country’s electoral board, Elecam, to exclude Kamto from the race.

Kamto, 71, had appealed the decision within the two-day deadline.

However, the President of the Constitutional Council, Clement Atangana, confirmed the ruling on Tuesday in a decision that cannot be appealed.

Last month, Cameroon’s electoral commission barred Kamto because he was running under the banner of the MANIDEM party, which also supported a second candidate.

MANIDEM president Anicet Ekane called it “a political decision. We take note of it.

“For the time being, we will not make a statement. We are reflecting on the decision and will decide,” said Ekane.

After the ruling, Kamto did not comment.

Kamto – a high-profile critic of longtime President Paul Biya – came second in the 2018 presidential election as a member of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC).

Outspoken critic of Cameroon president excluded from October election

Disappointment and anger

Speaking to RFI, Emmanuel Simh, vice-president of the MRC – one of the main parties supporting Kamto – called the move a “massacre of Cameroonian law and democracy.”

“The Constitutional Council of Cameroon has made a purely political decision,” he said. “There is nothing legal about it. These advisers have failed in their oath. And I have the feeling that they decided to take instructions … instead of taking their courage in hand and giving the Cameroonian people the decision that needed to be made, and the feeling we have is that this decision was written in advance.”

Philippe Nanga, coordinator of Un Monde Avenir – a Cameroonian NGO which focuses on democracy and human rights – spoke to RFI from Douala via an online interview and described the situation as an attempt to “strangle democracy in our country”.

“I agree with the view of those who believe that this is a more political decision than a legal one,” he added.

Cameroon’s President Biya, 92, announces bid for eighth term in office

Lack of credibility

This comes as Human Rights Watch said in a statement last week that the electoral board’s decision to exclude Kamto raised concerns about the credibility of the electoral process.

“Excluding the most popular opponent from the electoral process will leave a shadow over whatever results are eventually announced,” warned Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Africa researcher at the international NGO.

This comes as dozens of protesters gathered at the entrance of the Constitutional Council on Monday in a show of support for Kamto but were dispersed by police firing tear gas.

Several people were detained and remain in custody, according to the police.

In the last election in 2018, current President Biya won by a landslide amid allegations of fraud, which he rejected.

Biya, now aged 92, has been in power for 43 years and is the world’s oldest serving head of state. He announced last month his intention to seek re-election.

So far, Cameroon‘s Election Commission has approved 13 out of 83 prospective candidates, including Biya and former government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary.

The council must examine 36 requests before publishing the final list of presidential candidates.

(with newswires)

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday. This week, you’ll hear musical requests from your fellow listeners Hossen Abed Ali from Rangpur, Bangladesh and a composition written by SB Leprof from Winneba, Ghana.

Be sure you send in your music requests! Write to me at thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Epitaph” by Robert Fripp, Ian McDonald, Greg Lake and Michael Giles, to lyrics by Peter Sinfield, performed by King Crimson, and “Ginger Milk” by SB Leprof.

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 a 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!

“I am going to make a new deadline of about 10 or 12 days from today,” Trump declared at a press conference on 28 July during his visit to Scotland.

“There is no reason to wait 50 days. I wanted to be generous, but we don’t see any progress being made.” 

The American president admitted his efforts to end the Ukraine war had failed and that his patience with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, was at an end.

Turkish President Erdogan ready to rekindle friendship with Trump

Trump later confirmed 8 August as the date for the new measures. With US-Russian trade down 90 percent since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Trump warned that other countries importing Russian goods would also be hit by secondary sanctions.

“If you take his [Trump] promises at face value, then he should look at all countries that import any Russian commodities that is of primary importance to the Russian budget – this includes, of course, crude oil, and here you have China and India mostly,” explained George Voloshin of Acams, a global organisation dedicated to anti-financial crime, training and education.

Voloshin also claims that Turkey could be a target as well. “In terms of petroleum products, Turkey is one of the big importers. It also refines Russian petroleum in its own refineries,” Voloshin added.

“Turkey imports lots of Russian gas through the TurkStream pipeline. Turkey is very much dependent on Russian gas and Russian petroleum products.”

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

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ankara insists it is only bound by United Nations sanctions.

Last year, Turkey was Russia’s third-largest export market, with Russian natural gas accounting for more than  40 percent of its energy needs.

Putin has used Turkey’s lack of meaningful domestic energy reserves and dependence on Russian gas to develop a close relationship with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

“Putin knows that no matter what Trump wants, Turkey is not going to act in any military or sanctions capacity against Russia and Iran. You know, these are Turkey’s red lines. We can’t do it,” said analyst Atilla Yeşilada of Global Source Partners.

“Trump is 10,000 miles away. These people are our neighbours,” added Yeşilada. “So Putin doesn’t think of Turkey as a threat, but as an economic opportunity, and perhaps as a way to do things with the West that he doesn’t want to do directly.”

Ankara is performing a delicate balancing act. While maintaining trading ties with Russia, Erdoğan remains a strong supporter of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Turkey is a major arms seller to Ukraine, while at the same time, Erdoğan continues to try and broker peace between the warring parties.

Last month, Istanbul was the venue for Russian–Ukrainian talks for the second time in as many months. Such efforts drew the praise of Trump.

Trump and Erdogan grow closer as cooperation on Syria deepens

Trump’s pressure mounts on energy and trade

The American president has made no secret of his liking for Erdoğan, even calling him a friend. Such close ties, along with Turkey’s regional importance to Washington, analysts say, is a factor in Ankara’s Western allies turning a blind eye to its ongoing trade with Russia.

“I think Turkey has got a pass on several levels from Russian sanctions,” observed regional expert Sinan Ciddi of the Washington-based think tank the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

However, Ciddi cautions that Trump remains unpredictable and that previous actions are no guarantee for the future.

“Past experience is not an indicator of future happenings. We just don’t know what Trump will demand. This is not a fully predictive administration in Washington,” Ciddi said.

“We do know right now that he [Trump] is very unhappy with Putin. He blames Putin for prolonging the Ukraine war,” added Ciddi.

Change of stance

“And if he feels sufficiently upset, there is a possibility that no waivers will be granted to any country. Turkey will be up against a very, very unappetising and unenviable set of choices to make.”

Trump has successfully lobbied the European Union to increase its purchases of American liquefied natural gas (LNG), replacing Russian imports. Similar demands could put Ankara in a difficult position.

“If Trump pressures Turkey not to buy Russian natural gas, that would definitely be a huge shock,” warned Yeşilada.

“Trump might say, for instance: ‘Buy energy from me or whatever.’ But I don’t think we’re there yet. There is no way Turkey can replace Russian gas.”

However, Trump could point to Turkey’s recent expansion of its LNG facilities, which now include five terminals and have excess capacity to cover Russian imports, although storage facilities remain a challenge.

Turkey’s energy infrastructure is also built around receiving Russian energy, and any shift to American energy would likely be hugely disruptive and expensive, at a time when the Turkish economy is in crisis.

Putin retains another energy card over Erdoğan. A Russian company is building a huge nuclear power plant in Turkey, which could account for 20 percent of the country’s energy needs.

Ciddi argues Erdoğan is now paying the price of over-relying on Russia.

Turkey’s Erdogan sees new Trump presidency as opportunity

“There is no need to have resorted to making Ankara this dependent on natural gas, nuclear energy, or for that matter bilateral trade. This was a choice by Erdoğan,” said Ciddi.

“The fact it is so dependent on so many levels in an almost unique way is something that Turkey will have to rethink.”

But for now, Erdoğan will likely be relying on his expertise in diplomatic balancing acts, along with his close ties to Trump and Turkey’s importance to Washington’s regional goals, to once again escape the worst of any sanctions over Russian trade – although Trump may yet extract a price for such a concession.

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 5 July, I asked you a question about an article written by RFI English journalist Amanda Morrow: “Ocean campaigners hail French move to snuff out cigarette butt pollution”. In her article, we learned that cigarette ends, or butts, are filled with microplastics and that when they break apart, they leach chemicals into soil and water.

France has banned smoking on beaches, in public parks, and at bus stops, as well as near schools, libraries, swimming pools, and sports grounds.

You were to re-read Amanda’s article and send in the answer to this question: How many liters of water can a single cigarette butt contaminate?

The answer is, to quote Amanda’s article: “According to the French Ministry of Ecological Transition, a single cigarette butt can contaminate up to 500 liters of water.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by long-time RFI Listeners Club member Nasyr Muhammad from Katsina State, Nigeria: “What is your favorite prize you’ve received from RFI, and why?”

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Kanwar Sandhu from British Columbia in Canada, who is also this week’s bonus question winner. Congratulations on your double win, Kanwar.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Karobi Hazarika, a member of the United RFI Listeners Club in Assam, India, and RFI Listeners Club member Mahfuzur Rahman from Cumilla, Bangladesh. Last but not least, there are two RFI English listeners from Bangladesh: Laila Shantu Akhter from Naogaon and Labanna Lata from Munshiganj.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: The piano sonata in B flat, K.529, by Domenico Scarlatti, played by Ivo Pogorelich; the “Trout” Quintet in A major, D. 667, by Franz Schubert, performed by the Endes Quartet with pianist Rolf Reinhardt; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and a medley in honor of Ozzy Osbourne, arranged by Vincent Pora Dallongeville:

“Paranoid”, by Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward;

“Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne, Randy Rhoads, and Bob Daisley;

“No More Tears” by Ozzy Osbourne, Zak Wylde, Randy Castillo, Mike Inez, and John Purdell;

“Bark at the Moon” by Ozzy Osbourne, Jake E. Lee, and Bob Daisley.

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

This week’s question … you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read our article “UN gathers to advance two-state solution to Israel-Palestine conflict”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 6 October to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 11 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.   

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.   

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.