Europe’s leaders worry that if Russia is allowed to absorb parts of Ukraine, it could become more aggressive toward Nato allies such as Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.

Trump agreed to the summit last week – a change in course after weeks of criticising Putin for resisting his peace proposals.

While Trump has recently taken a tougher tone, he has a history of trying to placate the Russian leader. It is unclear if he will keep a hard line or be swayed by Putin’s argument that Russia has a right to dominate Ukraine.

Trump has described the Alaska talks – at the Joint Base Elmendorf‑Richardson military base near Anchorage – as “setting the table” for a quick follow-up meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

EU says Ukraine must ‘decide its own future’ ahead of Trump-Putin summit

Land swap idea

Trump has threatened “severe consequences” if Putin refuses a peace deal, without saying what those consequences would be.

He has suggested the agreement could involve a land swap. Russia controls about a fifth of Ukraine, and such a deal would cement those gains.

Zelensky has rejected any plan that gives up territory. European allies share his fear that such an arrangement would encourage Putin to expand further into Europe.

Security guarantees

For Europe, any deal must include security guarantees for Ukraine. During a virtual meeting with European leaders and Zelenskiy on Wednesday, Trump reportedly signalled support, but gave no details and made no public mention of it afterwards.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who hosted the meeting, said Trump “said he is on board” with guarantees.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump insisted Nato should not be part of the guarantees, which he called “an important clarification”.

Macron, Zelensky reaffirm anti-corruption drive amid Kyiv legislation outcry

Russia’s position

Russia is unlikely to accept European demands or to give up any territory it holds.

A Kremlin aide said the Alaska summit will also discuss the “huge untapped potential” of US–Russia economic ties, along with ways to end the war.

In televised remarks on Thursday after meeting his ministers and security officials, Putin said nuclear arms control would be raised as part of wider security talks.-

While Trump told reporters on Monday that he was “going to Russia on Friday” to meet with Putin, Alaska has been part of the United States since 1867 – when Russia sold it for $7.2 million.

The US state lies just 53 miles from Russia across the Bering Strait at its narrowest point, between Russia’s Chukchi Peninsula and Alaska’s Seward Peninsula. There is a 21-hour time difference because the International Date Line runs through the strait.

The talks will mark the first visit by a Russian leader to Alaska and Putin’s first trip to the US since 2015. The location avoids legal and logistical obstacles.

The US is not a member of the International Criminal Court, which in 2023 issued a warrant for Putin on accusations of war crimes. This means Washington has no legal obligation to arrest him. Putin can also travel to Alaska without crossing other nations’ airspace.

EU says Ukraine must ‘decide its own future’ ahead of Trump-Putin summit

From colony to cooperation

The choice of Alaska also recalls the long history between the two countries.

Working for Russia, 18th century Danish explorer Vitus Bering discovered the strait separating Asia from the Americas that now bears his name.

Russian merchants capitalised on Alaska’s fur trade, reselling furs bought from indigenous hunters at vast profit through the Russian-American Company, which ran a trading colony on the territory.

However, in 1867, Tsar Alexander II sold the territory to Washington for $7.2 million, following Russia’s defeat in the Crimean War, which had left it with enormous debts. 

The deal was criticised in both countries: Americans saw it as a useless frozen wasteland, while some Russians said the price was too low – especially when Alaska was subsequently found to contain vast deposits of gold, copper and other valuable minerals.

Alaska became important in military cooperation after both the US and the Soviet Union entered the Second World War in 1941, serving as a route for US-built aircraft and supplies to Russia.

The territory played a vital role in military cooperation after both the US and the Soviet Union entered World War II in 1941, serving as a route for the transfer of US-built aircraft and other supplies to Russian territory.

During the Cold War its proximity to Russia made it a strategic frontline. Locals nicknamed the closed border the “Ice Curtain”.

US summit in Alaska a ‘personal victory’ for Putin, Zelensky says

Traces of Russian culture

Alaska officially became the 49th US state in January 1959, but traces of its Russian history remain – most visibly in the Russian Orthodox churches that dot the territory.

While, according to the US census, only 1.4 percent of Alaska’s population of just over 740,000 – amounting to around 10,360 people – have Russian heritage, the state’s Russian Orthodox diocese had around 30,000 members as of 2006, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The community is served by 35 churches, with their distinctive domes, established during the Russian-American Company era, as well as a seminary on Kodiak Island. The religion remains the main legacy of the Russian colonial period. 

Although most Russians returned to Russia after Alaska was sold, the church had by then become a way of life in the region, integrated into local traditions.

As Richard Dauenhauer, a professor of native languages and culture at the University of Alaska Southeast told the Los Angeles Times: “It’s very easy to stereotype missionaries as having imposed a completely foreign religion on natives here. But there was actually a lot of synthesis of orthodoxy with the Aleutian [indigenous] culture. A lot of what happened in the native tradition was baptised into the church.”

One congregant, Eleanor Tomaganuk, told the American daily: “We were brought up this way. There’s very much a feeling that this is our church.”

Russian surnames too are common, even among those with no Russian ancestry – another legacy of the period of colonialism, during which names were assigned to Alaskan natives – and a Russian dialect is still spoken in some communities.

Alaskan Russian has two distinct varieties, both influenced by local Alaskan languages – Kodiak Russian and Ninilchik Russian – although today it is on the verge of extinction, with most speakers over the age of 75.

‘Alaska is ours!’

After the collapse of the USSR, Alaska was the subject of nostalgia for Russians. A 1992 song by the band Lyube included the line: “Don’t play the fool, America… give back our dear little Alaska.”

The band has reportedly begun performing the song again recently, as some pro-Putin nationalists call for Alaska’s return.

United 24, the Ukrainian government’s media and fundraising platform, highlighted recent Russian propaganda around ownership of the territory in a social media post.

Examples include a billboard proclaiming “Alaska is ours!”, a military patch that shows Alaska as part of Russian territory, the music video for Lyube’s song (which features images of Alaska being detached from the American continent by cannon fire), and a children’s choir performing a song saying “we’ll return Alaska to the motherland’s harbour”.

In December 2024, Newsweek reported that Russian TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov, a close ally of Putin, had said on a Russian state media programme that Finland, Warsaw, the Baltics, Moldova and Alaska should be “returned to the Russian empire”.

Commenting on the setting for Friday’s talks, former US ambassador to Russia and professor of political science at Stanford University, Michael McFaul, posted on X: “Trump has chosen to host Putin in a part of the former Russian empire. Wonder if he knows that Russian nationalists claim that losing Alaska, like Ukraine, was a raw deal for Moscow that needs to be corrected.”

Macron says he is in Greenland to express ‘France and EU’s solidarity’

Sam Greene, a professor of Russian politics at King’s College London, posted on the same platform: “The symbolism of holding the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska is horrendous – as though designed to demonstrate that borders can change, land can be bought and sold.

Two days later, Trump said at Monday’s press conference: “There’ll be some land swapping going on. I know that through Russia and through conversations with everybody. To the good, for the good of Ukraine. Good stuff, not bad stuff. Also, some bad stuff for both.”

He went on to describe the summit as a “feel-out meeting” to hear what Putin “has in mind” about ending the war in Ukraine, adding: “I may say – lots of luck, keep fighting. Or I may say, we can make a deal.”

This article was partially adapted from this article by RFI’s French service.

Negotiators from 185 countries thrashed out suggestions throughout the night in an effort to try and find common ground between nations wanting measures to curb production of plastics and oil-producing states that wanted any treaty to focus more narrowly on waste management.

Talks chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso issued his revised draft text after countries from all corners brutally shredded his previous version issued Wednesday, plunging the talks into disarray.

The Ecuadoran diplomat spent Thursday in frantic negotiation with multiple regional groups, resulting in a new text that went some way towards appeasing both major blocs.

 But the talks at the United Nations in Geneva, which began on 5 August ended without a deal despite running past Thursday’s deadline.

After a session held behind closed doors broke up, delegates from several countries gathered in the main assembly hall of the UN Palais des Nations to reflect on the impasse and consider the next step.

“We will not have a treaty to end plastic pollution here in Geneva,” said Norway’s negotiator said.

‘Missed an opportunity’

“We have missed a historic opportunity but we have to keep going and act urgently. The planet and present and future generations need this treaty,” said Cuba’s delegate.

Palau’s representative, speaking for 39 small island developing states (SIDS), voiced frustration. “We repeatedly invest resources and personnel in such talks and we repeatedly return home with insufficient progress to show our people.

“It is unjust for SIDS to face the brunt of yet another global environmental crisis we contribute minimally to.”

The High Ambition Coalition, which includes the European Union, Britain and Canada, and many African and Latin American countries, wants to see language on reducing plastic production and the phasing out of toxic chemicals used in plastics.

Microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peaks, in the deepest ocean trench and scattered throughout almost every part of the human body.

On current trends, annual production of fossil-fuel-based plastics will nearly triple by 2060 to 1.2 billion tonnes, while waste will exceed one billion tonnes, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

With 15 million tonnes of plastic dumped in the ocean every minute, French President Emmanuel Macron asked: “What are we waiting for to act?”

Oil states push recycling over cuts as plastic treaty talks enter crunch phase

“I urge all states gathered in Geneva to adopt an agreement that truly meets the scale of this environmental and public health emergency,” he posted on X.

But the plea was not heeded.

A cluster of mostly oil-producing states calling themselves the Like-Minded Group – including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Russia, Iran, and Malaysia – wanted the treaty to have a much narrower remit.

“Our views were not reflected … without an agreed scope, this process cannot remain on the right track and risks sliding down a slippery slope,” said Kuwait.

More than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally each year, half of which is for single-use items.

Although 15 percent of plastic waste is collected for recycling, only nine percent is actually recycled.

Nearly half ends up in landfills, while 17 percent is incinerated and 22 percent is mismanaged and becomes litter.

A joint letter – signed by organisations including Médecins Sans Frontières and Oxfam – urges Israel to drop rules they say are stopping the entry of medicine, food and water.

“Israeli authorities have rejected requests from dozens of NGOs to bring in life-saving goods, citing that these organisations are ‘not authorised to deliver aid’,” the groups said in a statement.

The appeal comes as Israel prepares to take control of Gaza City – a move France and the United Nations have warned could have devastating humanitarian consequences.

The registration requirements, introduced in March, allow Israel to reject a group’s request to work in Gaza if it “promotes delegitimisation campaigns” against the state of Israel.

Macron warns Israel that Gaza occupation plan risks ‘war without end’

The NGOs say some groups are being pressured to halt operations if they do not give detailed information about their Palestinian staff. Israel says the information is needed for security checks.

“Despite claims by Israeli authorities that there is no limit on humanitarian aid entering Gaza, most major international NGOs have been unable to deliver a single truck of life-saving supplies since 2 March,” the groups said.

Israel questions ‘true intentions’

France, which has contributed to an effort organised by Jordan and other international partners to send 1,000 tonnes of aid to Gaza, has seen some of its supplies “blocked in Egypt and Jordan, because of the Israeli blockade,” a diplomatic source told the AFP news agency on Wednesday.

The source said that France was planning on airdropping another 36 tonnes of supplies, including medicine, medical equipment and first aid material, before 20 August.

The Israeli military unit in charge of security and civilian policy in the occupied West Bank and Gaza – Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (Cogat) – said Israel allows and facilitates the entry of aid into Gaza, and that the registration requirements are “designed to ensure that aid reaches the population directly and not Hamas”.

Hunger, disease and no escape: Gaza aid worker’s account of life under siege

It questioned the motivation of the organisations criticising the registration process, saying: “The refusal of some international organisations to provide the information and cooperate with the registration process raises serious concerns about their true intentions and the possibility of ties between the organisation or its employees and Hamas.”

According to Cogat, 20 organisations have completed the registration process and have been bringing around 300 lorries of supplies a day into Gaza.

The UN says 600 lorries per day are needed, while humanitarian groups say their inability to deliver aid has “left hospitals without basic supplies [and] children, people with disabilities and older people dying from hunger and preventable illnesses”.

From Jerusalem, Route 60 heads north through a landscape that tells the story of more than half a century of occupation of the West Bank – with its Israeli military presence and smooth roads for Israeli settlers, dotted with checkpoints on the roads serving Palestinian localities.

The hills are gradually being covered with “outposts” – prefabricated structures set up on the outskirts of Israeli settlements to gradually expand their boundaries.

While settlements are recognised by the Israeli government, outposts are illegal under Israeli law. Both the settlements and the outposts are illegal under international law.

Arriving at a yellow metal barrier, we are in Itamar, where small houses with light-coloured walls line the streets that wind their way along the hillside.

In Itamar, as in most Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, the majority of residents identify with the religious nationalist movement – and in particular with the Religious Zionist Party of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, whose portrait is seen on posters lining the roads in the region.

Residents refer to it as Judea and Samaria, the biblical name for this region and the one used for the West Bank by Israeli authorities. According to these settlers, this land belongs to Israel, even though United Nations resolutions say otherwise.

France leads global appeal to recognise Palestinian state after UN talks

‘Reaching an agreement won’t work’

In recent days, the streets of Israel have echoed with cries of anger over the government’s plan to take control of densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had approved the framework for a new offensive in Gaza, as Hamas condemned what it called “aggressive” Israeli ground incursions in Gaza City. The approval for the expanded offensive comes days after Israel’s security cabinet called for the seizure of Gaza’s largest city.

The families of the remaining 50 hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza – 22 of whom are currently presumed to be alive – have called for a nationwide general strike on Sunday, in protest at the expansion of the Gaza offensive.

They are urging Israelis not to go to work that day, in order to pressurise the government into prioritising the rescue of the hostages. “We are shutting down the country to save the soldiers and the hostages,” they said in a statement. 

But there is no such dissent in Itamar, and the desire to continue the war prevails.

“What happened on 7 October [2023] must not happen again,” explains Yaacov Cohen, a rabbi and religious teacher who has lived in Itamar for four decades.

“That is the most important thing, more important than the fate of our unfortunate hostages. On the other side, we have the terrorists of Hamas, who have no faith and no law. Stopping the war and reaching an agreement will not work.”

This rhetoric highlights a profound division within Israeli society, contrasting sharply with the slogans seen at weekly rallies, from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, calling for an end to the war to allow for the release of the hostages.

Hunger, disease and no escape: Gaza aid worker’s account of life under siege

Netanyahu insists the aim of his plan is to “put an end to Hamas”. Ultra-nationalist ministers Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir say this plan is insufficient to achieve that.

“I agree with Bezalel Smotrich,” says Moshe Goldschmidt, a former mayor of the Itamar settlement, who believes that his country is still exercising too much restraint in its war on Gaza, particularly the army.

“Some officers exercise command with old ideas: fearing international pressure, being cautious,” he says. “But there is a new mindset in Israel. We will no longer be sheep going to the slaughterhouse. We must be strong, fight for good, defeat evil and when that is done, there will be peace and the world will be a much better place.”

Goldschmidt categorically rejects the idea that there is a genocide taking place in the Gaza Strip, even though Israeli human rights organisations have recently joined the list of NGOs now using this term.

Macron warns Israel that Gaza occupation plan risks ‘war without end’

Recognition of the State of Palestine

On Monday, Australia became the latest country to announce that it would recognise the State of Palestine – joining France, the United Kingdom and Canada, among others.

While this diplomatic gesture will have no impact on the ground, the settlers of Itamar are outraged.

“Gaza was a sample of a Palestinian state, with Hamas at its head,” says Goldschmidt. “This is what happens when you create a Palestinian state. Their goal is to eliminate Israel. There is no difference between Hamas and Mahmoud Abbas‘s Palestinian Authority, if you listen to them – they have the same mindset, that of radical Islam.”

Leaders who are preparing to recognise a Palestinian state “should be ashamed”, he added.

In Itamar, the settlers are convinced that Western countries are beholden to the Muslim communities living in them, and that this explains why they are recognising Palestinian statehood.

As for Israel’s growing isolation on the world stage: “yes, it’s a problem,” admits Cohen. “But we have the Americans with us, which helps a lot.”

This article was adapted from the original version in French by RFI’s correspondent in Itamar.

Montpellier prosecutor’s office said in a statement that, given the circumstances surrounding the outbreak of the fire, it may have been caused intentionally.

The statement, released on Wednesday, added that this must be confirmed “by numerous additional investigations” without specifying how long they could take.

The blaze swept through the hills of the Corbières mountain range in the Aude department in just 48 hours. It took five days to bring under control.

One woman was killed, two other people were injured, and about 2,000 people were evacuated from 16 villages directly affected. The fire destroyed 36 houses, 21 farm buildings and burned 17,000 hectares, 2,200 of them crops, including large numbers of vineyards.

During a visit to the Aude department on Thursday, the Minister of Agriculture Annie Genevard announced the release of an emergency fund of €8 million.

This “will be used to compensate for crop losses, financial losses (…) and the destruction of buildings and agricultural equipment,” she said.

An investigation was launched on 6 August, the day after the fire started on 5 August at 4.15pm along a departmental road in the town of Ribaute, halfway between Narbonne and Carcassonne.

Firefighters arrived within minutes, but high heat, dry air and strong winds made it impossible to stop the fire immediately.

Some 2,000 firefighters fought to contain the blaze by 10 August. Colonel Christophe Magny, head of the Aude fire and rescue service, said the rugged terrain of the Corbières means it will not be extinguished “for several weeks”.

Hundreds of firefighters remain on site to monitor flare-ups – some using drones – and carry out clean-up operations.

Before this fire, by the end of July and midway through the summer season, France had recorded 15,000 hectares burned in 9,000 fires, mainly along the Mediterranean coast.

He will take on the top seed Jannik Sinner on Saturday after the Italian breezed through his quarter-final against Félix Auger-Aliassime 6-0, 6-2.

“I don’t have the words to describe what’s happened to me,” said Atmane whose surge to the last four will propel him nearly 70 places up the ATP world rankings to 70th and guarantee him prize money of €300,000.

“It is going to help me a lot with my career. It’s very important,” added Atmane.

After coming through the qualifiers, Atmane beat the world number 22 Flavio Cobolli and the rising star Joao Fonseca.

He shocked the local hero Taylor Fritz in the last-16 and proved the victory over the fourth seed was no fluke with a convincing victory over Rune.

“I didn’t sleep well on Wednesday night after my win over Taylor,” said Atmane.

“In the match against Holger, I tried to be myself on the court, I’ve got nothing to lose, that’s my strength.

“The courts in Cincinnati seem to suit me very well,” he added. “And that’s going to give me a lot of confidence for the rest of the year and the rest of my career in general.

Atmane is the first Frenchman to reach the Cincinnati men’s semi-finals since Richard Gasquet in 2019.

In the women’s draw, France’s Varvara Gracheva advanced to the quarter-final of the tournament.

The 25-year-old beat Ella Seidel from Germany 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals for the first time at one of the most prestigious tournaments on the circuit after the four Grand Slam events in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York.

Earlier this month, the leaders of Italy, Turkey and Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) met in a tripartite summit – the latest sign of growing cooperation between the three Mediterranean nations.

“Turkey and Italy have both differing interests, but interests in Libya,” explains international relations professor Huseyin Bagcı of Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.

“Particularly, the migration issue and illegal human trafficking are big problems for Italy, and most of the people are coming from there [Libya], so they try to prevent the flow of migrants.

“But for Turkey, it’s more economic. And Libya is very much interested in keeping the relations with both countries.”

Turkey and Italy consider teaming up to seek new influence in Africa

Migration, legitimacy concerns

Turkey is the main backer of Libya’s GNA and still provides military assistance, which was decisive in defeating the rival eastern-based forces led by strongman Khalifa Haftar. An uneasy ceasefire holds between the two sides.

Libya security analyst Aya Burweilla said Turkey is seeking Italy’s support to legitimise the Tripoli government, as questions grow over its democratic record.

“What it means for the Tripoli regime is very positive. This is a regime that has dodged elections for years,” she says.

“Their job was to have democratic elections, and one of their ways to make sure they stay in power was to get foreign sponsors, like Turkey… Now, with this rubber stamp from Meloni in Italy, they can keep the status quo going at the expense of Libyans.”

Years of civil war and political chaos have turned Libya into a major hub for people smugglers. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, elected on a pledge to curb irregular migration, sees stability in Libya as key to that goal.

“The migration issue has become very, very urgent in general for Europe, but of course for Italy too,” says Alessia Chiriatti of the Institute of International Affairs, a think tank in Rome.

Trump and Erdogan grow closer as cooperation on Syria deepens

Mediterranean ambitions

Chiriatti said Meloni’s partnership with Turkey in Libya also reflects broader foreign policy goals.

“There is another dimension – I think it’s directly related to the fact that Italy and Meloni’s government want to play a different role in foreign policy in the Mediterranean space,” she says.

“Italy is starting to see Africa as a possible partner to invest in … But what is important is that Italy is starting to see itself as a new player, both in the Mediterranean space and in Africa, so in this sense, it could have important cooperation with Turkey.”

She points out that both Italy and Turkey share a colonial past in Libya. That legacy, combined with the lure of Libya’s vast energy reserves, continues to shape their diplomacy.

Ending the split between Libya’s rival governments is seen as vital for stability. Moscow’s reduced military support for Haftar, as it focuses on its war in Ukraine, is viewed in Ankara as an opening.

“Russia is nearly out, and what remains are Turkey and Italy,” says Bagcı.

He added that Ankara is making overtures to the eastern authorities through Haftar’s son Saddam, a senior figure in the Libyan military.

“The son of Haftar is coming very often to Ankara, making talks. It’s an indication of potential changes… But how the deal will look like I don’t know, we will see later. But it’s an indication of potential cooperation, definitely.”

Turkey steps into EU defence plans as bloc eyes independence from US

Shifting alliances

Libya was discussed when Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo on Saturday.

Sisi backs Haftar’s eastern government. Libya had been a source of tension between Turkey and Egypt, but with relations thawing, both say they will work together on the country’s future.

Turkey’s position in Libya is strengthening, says Burweilla.

“Saddam is pro-Turkey – there is a huge difference between son and father – and the younger generation is pro-Turkey,” she says.

Such support, Burweilla said, stems from Ankara allowing Libyans to seek sanctuary in Turkey from fighting in 2011, when NATO forces led by France and the United Kingdom militarily intervened against Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.

“I think the Europeans underestimated the political capital that gave Turkey. Turkey is winning the game in Libya,” Burweilla says.

She adds that Ankara’s rising influence is also due to a shift in tactics towards the east.

“What they [Ankara] realised was that you can’t conquer the east of Libya by force; they tried and they failed. And the Turkish regime is very much motivated by business… They don’t care about anything else, and they’ve realised they want to make a business,” Burweilla says.

They’ve reached out more to the east, and the east, in turn, has realised that if they don’t want to be attacked by Turkey and its mercenaries, they need to make peace with Turkey as well.”

The catastrophe in Gaza shows no sign of ending. Under relentless bombardment and gripped by hunger, the territory is close to collapse. Amid the devastation, humanitarian workers – most of them ordinary civilians – fight each day to stay alive.

RFI spoke with Riyad, a Palestinian from Gaza City and a member of the NGO Secours Islamique France (SIF), which provides emergency aid and long-term support in crisis zones.

RFI: What is the situation in Gaza City since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he was taking control?

Riyad: The little aid entering Gaza is nowhere near enough. Gaza City has nearly one million residents, most displaced to the west – crammed into just 10 to 15 percent of the city’s territory. The rest has been emptied, declared red zones, and is now under Israeli army control.

Since Netanyahu’s announcement, we have been bracing for a new evacuation order and another complete cut-off. We are looking for safe places, but even the Mawasi area (a narrow coastal strip in southern Gaza designated as a humanitarian zone) is already overcrowded. There is no more space. We hope for a solution, but we must prepare for the worst.

Macron warns Israel that Gaza occupation plan risks ‘war without end’

RFI: Tell us about the shortages of medicine, food and water?

Riyad: It is now harder to find medicine than food. Nothing reaches the hospitals, many of which have been destroyed. Medical centres are overwhelmed with the wounded and malnourished, from north to south. Doctors and nurses cannot treat everyone – there are shortages of medicines, equipment and even staff.

Food is also scarce since the closure of the truck crossings. The media talk about aid entering Gaza, but it is desperately insufficient. This is the worst humanitarian crisis in our history. Sometimes we go two days or more without eating. When aid does arrive, more than 90 percent is seized by desperate, hungry people. Many risk their lives to reach these deliveries, knowing they may never return.

My own family has never received aid. Food in markets is exorbitantly priced. Two weeks ago, I paid €50 for a kilo of flour. Sometimes we find tins of chickpeas – expensive, but better than nothing. People are dying from hunger and malnutrition: more than 200 so far, half of them children. There is no milk for babies, no vitamins, nothing that could save Gaza’s children.

Water is no better. The main supply line was bombed a month ago. Those with solar panels keep some neighbourhood wells running, but drinking water still comes from tanker trucks. Every day, we queue for over an hour with small tanks. This is our daily routine.

Israeli plan for Gaza takeover must be halted immediately: UN rights chief

RFI: Can SIF work on the ground in such conditions?

Riyad: Despite closures and soaring prices, our duty at SIF is to support the most vulnerable in Gaza, including the displaced. Fresh vegetables are scarce, but we try to harvest and distribute what we can. Two weeks ago, we managed to deliver nearly 5,000 parcels of vegetables and hot meals, plus a little rice – despite its high price. If more aid could enter, we would expand our work. We also sponsor almost 6,000 orphaned children across the Gaza Strip.

RFI: Are you free to do your work?

Riyad: The problems are constant – logistical, security and those imposed by the Israeli army. Some media do not report the reality. In the past two weeks, only 112 trucks entered Gaza, compared to 8,400 that were supposed to. Ninety percent of those were attacked and looted. None reached the official UNRWA or World Food Programme warehouses.

RFI: Do the people still have hope?

Riyad: Everyone here feels desperate because of the international silence. We appreciate speeches, but words are not enough. We need real pressure to end this war and this catastrophe. We are waiting for the international community to say stop to the massacre.  

Netanyahu’s decision shows he does not want to stop. People will be pushed further south, then expelled to other countries. This will destroy the Palestinian cause – and the population.

I feel destroyed inside, but I try not to show it. We have to be strong for our families and our community. We are fighting against suffering and death. It is a fight for life.

(Adaped from this interview in French by RFI’s Anne Bernas)

For the past three weeks, Epping – a market town of 11,000, north-east of London – has found itself at the heart of Britain’s simmering immigration debate.

What began with the arrest of a 38-year-old Ethiopian asylum seeker, accused of attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl, has spiralled into protests across England, far-right mobilisation and mounting fears of wider unrest.

The man was reportedly charged with three counts of sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, and harassment without violence, sparking immediate local backlash.

Within hours, far-right activists surrounded the hotel where the man was being housed, demanding an end to migrant accommodation in the area.

Since then, similar protests have erupted at other hotels across England, and at least 18 people having been arrested and eight police officers injured in clashes between anti-immigration protesters and anti-racist groups.

The Labour government, wary of a repeat of the violent scenes of the summer of 2024, put 3,000 riot police on standby last weekend.

Far-right, anti-immigration protests and riots broke out across England and Northern Ireland following a mass stabbing at a Southport dance class on 29 July, 2024, in which three children were killed.

Is identity-based rhetoric fuelling anti-immigrant violence in Europe?

Policy under fire

Local frustration is fuelled by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s asylum housing policy, which places arrivals in hotels for months, sometimes years, at a cost of £8.5 million a day (just under €10 million).

“Enough is enough,” said Holly Whitbread, Conservative regional councillor for Epping, speaking to RFI. “We don’t know who these people are being housed here, and many residents don’t feel safe or protected. It’s frankly irresponsible of the government to continue to ignore us.”

Several councils are now demanding the closure of such hotels, while the Home Office has begun relocating some asylum seekers.

UK says first migrants held under return deal with France

UK-France migrant returns pact

The unrest comes as the UK has implemented a new “one in, one out” migrant returns deal with France, aimed at curbing small boat crossings on the English Channel.

Under the pilot scheme, ratified last week, undocumented arrivals will be sent back to France, in exchange for Britain accepting the same number of legitimate asylum seekers with family ties in the UK.

Starmer says the plan will help “smash the gangs” of people smugglers, with French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau echoing this, saying the “clear objective” is to dismantle trafficking networks. 

“Today’s Romania is the creation of Ion Iliescu,” said Ioan Stanomir, a professor of political science at the University of Bucharest, speaking to RFI’s Romanian service, following the former president’s death.

An engineer by training and a committed Communist, Iliescu was at the centre of the Romanian Revolution of December 1989.

He took power during the uprising, which many later described as a coup. Iliescu then oversaw the summary trial and execution of the country’s former leader – “whose protégé he was before becoming his executioner”, according to historian Traian Sandu in his biography of Nicolae Ceausescu.

Iliescu founded the National Salvation Front (FSN) during the revolution, alongside other former members of the Communist Party. The FSN later became the Social Democratic Party (PSD).

After serving as acting president for five months, Iliescu was elected head of state in May 1990 in Romania’s first free elections in 50 years. He was re-elected in 1992 after a new constitution was adopted.

Defeated in 1996 by his Christian Democrat opponent Emil Constantinescu, Iliescu went on to win a third and final four-year term as president of Romania in 2000.

During that final term, Romania joined NATO in March 2004 and completed its negotiations to join the European Union. The country became a member on 1 January 2007.

From inner circle to sidelines

Born on 3 March, 1930 in the city of Oltenita, on the southern border of the country across the Danube from Bulgaria, Iliescu was raised by his stepmother, grandparents and latterly an aunt, after his mother abandoned the family when he was a baby. His father, a staunch Communist at a time when the party was illegal in Romania, spent several years in Moscow and was imprisoned on his return.

Iliescu studied engineering at the Bucharest Polytechnic Institute, and was then awarded a scholarship to study at the Faculty of Energy in Moscow.

While there, he reportedly befriended Mikhail Gorbachev, the future Soviet leader – a connection that later led some to suspect Soviet influence in the fall of Romania’s dictatorship. Critics called Iliescu “Gorbachev’s man in Romania”.

He joined the Romanian Communist Party in 1953, at the age of 23, and quickly climbed the ranks. He led the Young Communists, became minister for youth in 1967, and joined the Central Committee the following year, where he handled propaganda.

In the 1970s, Iliescu fell out of favour with the leadership due to his reformist views. He remained on the Central Committee until 1984 but was pushed to the margins of political power.

Romania at a crossroads: confronting communist nostalgia on election day

Speaking to Radio Free Europe in 1999 about these ideological differences, Iliescu said: “In [19]71 [Ceausescu] saw in the [North] Korean model, a possible model for him to introduce the same control in the country. And we had some discussion about this matter.

“I asked him: what are the elements which could inspire any confidence in such a system, in such a model, which is an anti-human model of organising the state? Afterwards, I was thrown out of my political position, from the leadership of the country.”

Between 1972 and 1979, he held local council roles, before moving to a government publishing house in the 1980s. The Securitate, Romania’s secret police, kept him under constant surveillance.

A televised revolution

From that obscure position, Iliescu returned to public life on 22 December 1989 as one of the orchestrators of the revolution, which had begun with anti-government protests that spread across the country. 

However, this did not surprise many viewers, as by the late 1980s rumours abounded that he was to become Ceausescu’s replacement, backed by Gorbachev. His exile from the dictator’s inner circle had positioned him as a palatable alternative when the regime eventually crumbled.

Iliescu later said the first sign of change came when the secret police who followed him “night and day” suddenly disappeared at 11am on 22 December.

He described how friends told him crowds were gathering at the country’s television studio and people were meeting there, so he joined them.

“I was in this studio of the television, addressing the country. There was a… presence of different people expressing their enthusiasm with this movement, which was taking place in our country,” Iliescu said.

“Some hours of general enthusiasm, of general solidarity, of general hope for better things… But I felt that something had to be put in order because such enthusiasm and general sentiment of liberation can lead to… anarchy and dissolution of the country.”

A group of about 20 people met to draft a proclamation and propose a plan.

“When we started to discuss this proclamation, it was already after [6pm], some shooting was provoked by somebody. We didn’t know what had happened and who was provoking it, but a panic began and a military confrontation started in the dark of the evening of the 22nd.”

They went to the Ministry of the Army to restore order and then returned to the TV station.

“We presented our proclamation to the country, with 10 points… It became the main programme of the Romanian Revolution and the setting up of the first provisional body, with the responsibility to rule the country – the National Salvation Front,” Iliescu said.

His role in the events of December 1989 remains controversial. He was accused of heightening a national atmosphere of confusion which led to violence, and alleged to have called for armed intervention by the Soviet Union.

The revolution lasted from 16 to 25 December, the day on which Ceausescu and his wife Elena were executed by firing squad after a two-hour trial, and saw more than 1,000 people killed – 862 of them after Iliescu had taken power.

Iliescu became Romania’s interim president and oversaw the rapid dismantling of the Ceausescu regime. In May 1990, he and his party won the elections with 85 percent of the vote. At the height of his popularity, Romanians were known to chant: “The sun shines, Iliescu appears.”

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Miners vs students

But this election victory was swiftly followed, in June 1990, by what came to be known as the Mineriads – a moment that would overshadow the rest of Iliescu’s political career.

When student protests against his leadership broke out in Bucharest, Iliescu called on the country’s coal miners – then politically influential – to come to the capital and put an end to the peaceful demonstrations by force. 

Armed with bats, shovels and pickaxes, 20,000 of them answered his call.

From June 13 to 15, the city was engulfed in violence. Reports on the number of people killed vary between four, six and 100, while estimates of those injured reach more than 1,300.

The Mineriads are now seen as an attempt to destroy the democratic opposition by turning social groups against each other. Some say the divide between working-class and educated Romanians remains visible today.

Stagnation and loss of support 

Between 1990 and 1996, Iliescu served two presidential terms marked by stagnation and a refusal to implement economic reforms. He opposed privatisation and the restitution of property confiscated by the Communist regime.

Miners’ riots throughout the decade also hampered Romania’s transition to a market economy and deterred badly needed foreign investment for years.

Iliescu was criticised for surrounding himself with corrupt figures, former Communist Party decision-makers and members of the Securitate, as well as people suspected of having ties to the Soviet and Russian secret services.

After years of rampant inflation, economic stagnation and lack of prospects, by the election of 1996 Iliescu had lost much of his popular support, and lost the presidency to university professor Emil Constantinescu.

He returned to office in 2000, amid disappointment with the centre-right government. His second term was marked by less political acrimony and a critical stance towards corruption surrounding then-prime minister Adrian Năstase.

This final term also contained two bright spots in Iliescu’s career – the Snagov consensus of 1995, which saw all parliamentary parties support Romania’s application to join the European Union, and the historic reconciliation with Hungary, which paved the way for both countries to join the EU and NATO.

Romania’s joining of the latter was marked by a historic visit from United States president George W Bush to Bucharest.

Crimes against humanity

Iliescu left the presidency in 2004 and served in the Senate until 2008. But he was later brought to court.

In 2018 he was formally indicted over his role in the 1989 revolution and charged with crimes against humanity for his alleged role in the killing of 862 people, with prosecutors alleging that he failed to prevent “numerous situations” in which people were killed and accusing him of spreading misinformation through the media, causing a panic. 

The trial was suspended and postponed, initially due to the Covid-19 pandemic and then because of procedural issues, and was eventually dropped.

In a separate case, he was also charged over allegedly bussing in miners to Bucharest to crush peaceful student protests in June 1990.

After launching the legal proceedings in 2017, the Court of Cassation decided in 2020 to start the investigation from scratch, but this case too failed to reach a resolution.

Contested legacy

In a statement on its website following his death, Iliescu’s former party, the PSD, said: “Mr President Ion Iliescu will remain for all of us a symbol of the politician and statesman. He had the courage to confront Ceausescu and his dictatorship, and directed Romania irreversibly on the Euro-Atlantic path.”

“He was a strong leader, loved by most, contested by others, as happens in democracy,” it added.

Sorin Grindeanu, the party’s current leader, said: “Regardless of divergent views, his contribution to Romania’s transition to democracy remains part of our collective memory.”

According to Sergiu Miscoiu, a political science professor at Babes-Bolyai University: “Ion Iliescu must be understood in the context of his time. He stirred anti-totalitarian sentiments in the 1990s, rightly so, but he was also the object of adulation by a large part of the population.

“While he called miners to Bucharest [in the Mineriad] and sealed the slow and uncertain transition, he also pushed Romania on a Euro-atlantic path.”

Divided Romania faces uncertain future despite rejecting the far right

The Romanian government declared Thursday, 7 August a day of national mourning, and held a two-day state funeral for the former president on Thursday and Friday.

When asked by RFI’s Romanian service whether he agreed that Iliescu should receive such an honour, political scientist Ioan Stanomir said: “This is a rather delicate moment, because Ion Iliescu’s posterity also includes the memory of the victims. There are the victims of the Revolution, in particular those after December 22, 1989, and there are also the victims of the Mineriad.

‘He cannot be separated from the composition of a political system that has left a legacy of corruption, patronage, nepotism and clientelism in Romania.”

Following current President Nicusor Dan’s election victory in May this year, Iliescu congratulated him saying: “Romania needs coherence, dialogue and a firm commitment to strengthening democratic institutions and its European path. I am convinced that you will exercise this responsibility with dignity and a sense of duty to the nation.”

Following Iliescu’s death, Dan, a pro-Western centrist, called him “the main figure of the 1990s transition” and said: “History will judge Ion Iliescu.”

(with newswires and partially adapted from this article in French and this article in Romanian)

Since 2022, Mission Bougainville has been turning French Navy ships into floating science labs.

Recent graduates from the Sorbonne are stationed on board as biodiversity cadets. They work alongside the crew, collecting and studying plankton as the ships patrol thousands of kilometres of open sea.

One of those ships, the Champlain, sailed in June to the Scattered Islands near Madagascar – a remote string of French territories the Navy supplies and protects. The vessel usually patrols for illegal fishing and drug trafficking. Now, it also carries young scientists and plankton-sampling gear.

These minuscule organisms may be invisible to the naked eye, yet their role is immense. They absorb carbon dioxide, produce around 50 percent of the oxygen we breathe, and form the base of the marine food chain. Yet much remains unknown, especially how plankton responds to environmental change.

Mission Bougainville focuses on France’s vast Exclusive Economic Zones in the Indo-Pacific – a maritime area that spans from the Indian Ocean to the South Pacific and gives France one of the largest ocean territories in the world.

The project also has researchers aboard other Navy ships operating between French Polynesia and New Caledonia, territories that offer access to far-flung waters still largely unstudied.

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

Charting life on the move

The mission builds on work by the Tara Ocean Foundation, which changed how scientists understand plankton. But Bougainville takes it further by using the Navy’s existing routes to access under-researched zones and collect data over time.

“The big difficulty with plankton is that you have to study it everywhere. It moves fast, adapts fast and you cannot understand it without worldwide study. It’s all interconnected,” said Colomban de Vargas, a marine biologist with France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and co-founder of the mission.

Scientists have studied plankton for more than a century. But Bougainville’s scale and regularity are what set it apart.

Multiple Navy ships are now involved, including the Champlain and vessels operating in the South Pacific. The mission aims to gather around 100 samples per ship each year through to 2030 – enough to build a global database covering millions of square kilometres.

A major focus is what researchers call the “island effect”. The Indo-Pacific is dotted with islands and underwater mountains. In many parts of the ocean, nutrients are scarce. But land masses release material that acts like fertiliser – triggering blooms of phytoplankton.

These blooms can float for weeks and are large enough to be seen from space.

“Islands change the composition of plankton over tens, hundreds of kilometres. They create an ecosystem that moves through the ocean for weeks before disappearing, then being created again. They’re like moving forests,” said de Vargas.

These ecosystems move across the ocean, then vanish and reappear elsewhere. Scientists are now trying to understand how they form, whether they follow patterns, and how they change over time.

Plankton don’t choose where they go – they drift with the currents. That makes each island a kind of natural lab. “Each of these islands is a test tube, ideal terrain for science,” said de Vargas.

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

Climate and geopolitics

By taking repeated samples across different seasons and locations, researchers can learn how plankton adapt to changing conditions – from rising temperatures to shifts in ocean chemistry.

“Differences in plankton composition will affect the entire ecosystem, consequently affecting the economy of different territories and therefore global geopolitics,” said de Vargas.

But researchers stress that this work is still in its early stages. It will take years of sampling and analysis before the full picture becomes clear.

“You have to understand the basic functional aspects of plankton before talking about its evolution or adaptation,” de Vargas added.

Mission Bougainville is set to continue through to 2030.

This article was adapted from the original version in French by RFI’s Titouan Allain

Firefighters and local officials remain on high alert after France’s largest wildfire in decades was brought under control this weekend in the south of the country.

With scorching temperatures still in the forecast, there are fears that the flames could reignite.

Over the course of three days last week, the blaze swept through more than 160 square kilometres of the Aude wine region, claiming one life and forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate.

Record-breaking heat, ferocious wildfires, devastating floods… August has only just begun, yet extreme weather events are already cropping up across the northern hemisphere.

According to the European Copernicus programme, this July was among the hottest on record. 

French wildfire ‘under control’, but wine region faces long road to recovery

1.5C climate goals ‘beyond reach’

It’s becoming a familiar pattern as each summer brings with it a fresh batch of worrying climate milestones.

Early August 2025 is no exception, with Canada grappling with exceptional drought and fires; Pakistan and Hong Kong battling torrential rain; and Finland and Sweden sweltering under Mediterranean-style heatwaves.

Globally, the outlook isn’t much more reassuring. The Copernicus climate service, which monitors the state of the planet year-round, has confirmed that July 2025 was the third hottest month on record – just behind July 2024 and July 2023, which still hold the all-time high.

Over the past 12 months, the average global temperature has been 1.53C above pre-industrial levels – surpassing the 1.5C target set by the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.

While this figure alone doesn’t confirm a long-term climate shift, the trend has experts worried.

In June, a group of leading French scientists – formerly with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – publicly agreed for the first time that the Paris target is now out of reach as countries have failed to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

UN court rules countries must treat climate change as an ‘existential threat’

Vietnam swelters under unprecedented heat

In Hanoi, locals are doing their best to keep cool – seeking shade, avoiding the midday sun, and adjusting to the sweltering conditions.

Northern Vietnam has been scorched by record-breaking August temperatures, with highs of over 40C on Sunday 3 and Monday 4 August – unheard of for this time of year.

According to RFI’s correspondent in Hanoi, Jean-Pierre Fage, the temperature on the city’s main roads feels several degrees hotter, with the dense traffic adding to the oppressive heat.

The Red River Delta – normally a humid, fertile hub for agriculture – saw humidity levels plunge to just 52 percent last Monday, intensifying drought conditions and prompting concerns among farmers.

Many have begun working earlier or later in the day to avoid peak heat and are ramping up irrigation efforts, according to national media.

July already brought three heatwaves to the region, with temperatures sitting 0.5 to 1.5C above seasonal norms.

A brief respite may be on the horizon, with the mercury expected to fall and storms brewing in the mountains.

But meteorologists are warning that another widespread heatwave could hit as early as this week, affecting the entire north.

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

Iran faces blackouts and water shortages

Meanwhile, the situation in Iran continues to deteriorate. In provincial towns and parts of Tehran, residents are now experiencing two two-hour power cuts each day.

Water shortages are becoming increasingly severe, as reported by RFI’s correspondent in Tehran, Siavosh Ghazi.

A drought – worse than anything seen in the past five years – has tightened its grip, crippling power generation and industrial output in some regions.

Electricity in key industrial zones has been cut for days at a time, severely affecting productivity.

Authorities have now issued a stark warning: Tehran and neighbouring Alborz province – home to more than 20 million people, or a quarter of Iran’s population – could run out of drinking water within six weeks.

Protests have already erupted in several cities, and unless conditions improve, the coming weeks could see further unrest.

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said on Wednesday that Spain has called on the EU’s assistance mechanism to help battle at least 14 fires across the country.

Spain has requested two Canadair firefighting aircraft and is ready to seek more help, including extra firefighters, if needed.

The EU assistance system, set up in 2001, allows the 27 member states and 10 other countries to support each other during emergencies.

Fires, fuelled by extreme temperatures and strong winds, have destroyed thousands of hectares in several regions of Spain, as they have elsewhere in Europe, notably in France and Portugal.

A person fighting the fire in Castile and León was killed on Thursday, bringing the death toll to three. Seven people were taken to hospital on Wednesday.

More than 8,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in Spain’s León and Zamora provinces.

Galicia’s regional president Alfonso Rueda said 30 fires are being extinguished every day.

In Ourense province, firefighters have been unable to contain a large blaze in Chandrexa de Queixa. About 11,500 hectares have been burned there.

The medical charity said the vast western region, which has been a major battleground over more than two years of fighting between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, had been hardest hit by the year-old outbreak.

“On top of an all-out war, people in Sudan are now experiencing the worst cholera outbreak the country has seen in years,” MSF said in a statement.

“In the Darfur region alone, MSF teams treated over 2,300 patients and recorded 40 deaths in the past week.”

The NGO said 2,470 cholera-related deaths had been reported in the year to August 11, out of 99,700 suspected cases.

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that spreads through food and water contaminated with bacteria, often from faeces.

Starvation spreads from camps to besieged Sudanese city of El-Fasher

It causes severe diarrhoea, vomiting and muscle cramps.

Cholera can kill within hours when not attended to, though it can be treated with simple oral rehydration, and antibiotics for more severe cases.

There has been a global increase in cholera cases, which have also spread geographically, since 2021.

MSF said mass displacements of civilians sparked by the war in Sudan had aggravated the outbreak by denying people access to clean water for essential hygiene measures, such as washing dishes and food.

“The situation is most extreme in Tawila, North Darfur state, where 380,000 people have fled to escape ongoing fighting around the city of El-Fasher, according to the United Nations,” MSF said.

“In Tawila, people survive with an average of just three litres of water per day, which is less than half the emergency minimum threshold of 7.5 litres needed per person per day for drinking, cooking, and hygiene.”

Investigation uncovers RSF military base hidden in Libyan desert

Contaminated water

Since forces loyal to the regular army recaptured the capital Khartoum in March, fighting has again focused on Darfur, where the paramilitaries have been attempting to take El-Fasher.

The besieged pocket is the last major city in the western region still under the army’s control and UN agencies have spoken of appalling conditions for the remaining civilians trapped inside.

“In displacement and refugee camps, families often have no choice but to drink from contaminated sources and many contract cholera,” said Sylvain Penicaud, MSF project coordinator in Tawila.

“Just two weeks ago, a body was found in a well inside one of the camps. It was removed, but within two days, people were forced to drink from that same water again.”

MSF said that heavy rains were worsening the crisis by contaminating water and damaging sewage systems, while the exodus of civilians seeking refuge was spreading the disease.

“As people move around to flee fighting, cholera is spreading further, in Sudan and into neighbouring Chad and South Sudan,” it said.

MSF’s head of mission in Sudan, Tuna Turkmen, said the situation was “beyond urgent”.

“The outbreak is spreading well beyond displacement camps now, into multiple localities across Darfur states and beyond,” he said.

“Survivors of war must not be left to die from a preventable disease.”

Trailing to Micky van de Ven’s 39th minute opener and a strike from skipper Cristian Romero just after the pause, Luis Enrique’s side appeared impotent, imprecise and light years away from the outfit that had annihilated Inter Milan 5-0 to claim the Champions League trophy in Munich in May.

On the hour mark at the Stadio Friuli in Udine, Enrique sent on Fabian Ruiz for Khvicha Kvaratskelia and the PSG midfield began to bite with purpose in the final.

The introduction of Kang-in Lee and Ibrahim Mbaye injected further zest as Gonçalo Ramos added guile and muscle to the front line.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank responded to the PSG changes with striker Dominik Solanke and midfielder Archie Gray replacing Richarlison and Joao Palhinha.

But Tottenham’s fresh legs provided neither menace in the penalty area nor the nous to arrest PSG’s forward thrust.

Lee starts comeback 

Lee halved the deficit after 85 minutes with a shot from just outside the penalty area across the Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and into the right hand corner.

The equaliser with two minutes of stoppage-time remaining was refreshingly old school.

Achraf Hakimi released Ousmane Dembélé down the right wing and the France international whipped in the ball which Ramos met with a flying header to power the ball past Vicario and into the net.

“If I have to say one important thing for us, which was important last season, it’s our faith,” said Enrique. “We believe we can win all the time.”

In the penalty shoot-out, Solanke and Rodrigo Betancur scored for Tottenham either side of Vitinha’s slapstick run-up and miss for PSG.

Chevalier finds shoot-out redemption

Lucas Chevalier, at fault for Tottenham’s second goal, atoned for his sins on his PSG debut parrying away Van de Ven’s shot low down to his right and Dembélé levelled the shoot-out at 2-2.

Mathys Tel sent Tottenham’s fourth penalty wide of the left hand post allowing Lee to nudge PSG ahead 3-2.

Though Pedro Porrro thundered Tottenham’s final penalty home, Nuno Mendes slotted in PSG’s fifth kick to seal a double comeback and PSG’s fifth trophy of 2025 after the French Super Cup, Ligue 1 title, Coupe de France and the Champions League.

“We played a very good game against one of the best teams in the world, maybe the best at this moment in time,” Frank told broadcaster TNT Sports.

“We had them exactly where we wanted them for 80-something minutes then it shifted momentum.

“But there are so many positives,” he said. “I am so proud of the team, the players, the club and the fans.

“There is a lot to be happy with,” added the 51-year-old Dane who joined Tottenham from Brentford following the departure of Ange Postecoglou.

PSG will travel back to Paris overnight to continue preparations for the Ligue 1 season which kicks off on Friday night with the game between Rennes and last season’s runners-up Marseille. PSG, who finished 19 points ahead of Marseille to collect a record 13th top flight crown, play at Nantes on Sunday night.

“Tottenham played a great match,” said Enrique. “They were stronger than us. I don’t know if it’s a fair result, but that’s football.

“We had the ability to fight until the end but we can still improve. Lucas Chevalier was incredible and I’m very happy for him.”

The claim was made in the latest annual human rights report from the US State Department, which has faced criticism for softening language on the abuses of Washington’s allies while targeting governments it clashes with.

In its section on South Africa, the report said the government had taken “a substantially worrying step towards land expropriation of Afrikaners and further abuses against racial minorities”, describing the situation as worsening.

This was a marked shift from last year’s assessment, which found no significant change in the country’s human rights record.

“We find the report to be an inaccurate and deeply flawed account that fails to reflect the reality of our constitutional democracy,” Pretoria’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday, adding its “profound disappointment” at the claims.

The statement also reminded Washington that it had quit the UN Human Rights Council – “therefore no longer seeing itself accountable in a multilateral peer review system” – while issuing “one-sided fact-free reports without any due process or engagement”.

South Africa criticises US plan to resettle white Afrikaners as refugees

Trade tensions

The report’s release comes days after Washington imposed 30 percent tariffs on a range of South African exports – the highest for any sub-Saharan country.

Trade ties are already under strain, with Pretoria keen to preserve access to the US market for agricultural, automotive and textile goods that support tens of thousands of jobs at home.

President Donald Trump has criticised South African land and employment laws aimed at tackling racial inequality decades after apartheid ended.

Earlier this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed legislation allowing land expropriation without compensation in certain cases. It is part of a long-running effort to address the racial imbalance in land ownership.

Most farmland is still in white hands despite years of reform. While the law is described as a targeted, last-resort measure, it has faced strong criticism abroad – especially in the US, where Trump has echoed far-right claims of “violence against racially disfavoured landowners” and issued an executive order for the US to resettle Afrikaners.

Trump ambushes South Africa’s Ramaphosa over ‘genocide’ accusation

Accusations of selective reporting

This year’s Human Rights Report has itself drawn scrutiny. Officials say it was delayed for months while Trump appointees revised it to fit “America First” priorities. The final version reduced criticism of governments such as El Salvador and Israel and removed most references to abuses against LGBTQI communities.

Rights groups and former officials say the changes reflect political convenience rather than impartial assessment.

“The report demonstrates what happens when political agendas take priority over the facts,” said Josh Paul, a former State Department official, likening the final product to a “Soviet propaganda release”.

The section on Israel left out any mention of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, despite local health officials reporting more than 61,000 deaths there since October 2023. By contrast, countries such as Brazil and South Africa – both in dispute with Washington on several issues – faced stronger criticism.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce defended the revisions as making the report “more readable” and trimming what she described as “politically biased demands and assertions”.

She declined to explain the removal of El Salvador’s extensive abuses from the document.

Africans accuse Trump of chasing minerals and mocking their presidents

Pretoria stays defiant

South African officials say the government remains committed to constitutional protections and that land reform is being carried out within the law to promote equality.

Pretoria is seeking to counter the US criticism while maintaining its trade ties with Washington.

The US is its third-largest trading partner, but South Africa has been expanding links with other major economies such as China to the EU.

That gives it some room – at least in theory – to push back against what it sees as biased portrayals from the United States.

(with newswires)

Health authorities say 21 people have been infected and two have died, with tests pointing to a well-known cheese producer in central France.

The Chavegrand dairy, based in the Creuse department in central France and famed for its Camembert, creamy cheeses and goat’s cheese, has recalled more than 40 batches of pasteurised cheese after tests suggested a link to the contamination.

According to national health agency Santé Publique France and the Ministry of Agriculture, epidemiological and microbiological investigations carried out in early August revealed “converging evidence” linking the outbreak to Chavegrand’s pasteurised milk cheeses.

Of the 21 confirmed cases, 18 have been reported since June, with patients aged between 34 and 95.

The affected cheeses were sold nationwide until 9 August, particularly through supermarkets, and even reached international markets.

From The Lab: Is Camembert in trouble?

What is listeriosis?

Anyone who has consumed these cheeses and develops a fever – with or without headaches and muscle aches – has been urged to seek medical advice immediately.

Pregnant women, older people and those with weakened immune systems are being told to remain especially vigilant.

Listeriosis, caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, is a serious infection and the second leading cause of death from food poisoning in France, killing several dozen people each year. Its long incubation period – sometimes up to eight weeks – makes tracing the source challenging.

Chavegrand expressed its shock at the findings, offering condolences to the victims’ families.

The company said the recalled cheeses had been made on an older production line, shut down in early June and replaced with a new one, which has since undergone “very rigorous” testing without finding traces of listeria.

“We have increased the number of tests on products and equipment a hundredfold to ensure there are no contaminants,” a spokesperson said, describing the case as “extremely rare” in the business’s 73-year history.

French child’s death probed over feared cheese contamination

Consumer group slams recall delays

But consumer rights group Foodwatch says the reaction has come far too late. “We wait until people get sick before issuing recalls – it’s always too late,” said Camille Dorioz, the group’s campaign director.

Foodwatch points out that Chavegrand had already recalled certain products in June after a suspected contamination, and argues the dairy should have acted sooner to prevent further harm.

The association is calling for a full investigation to establish when listeria was first detected, how long it persisted, and on which products. It warns that delayed action risks eroding public trust between manufacturers and consumers.

Foodwatch also says France’s recall system leaves too much responsibility to producers to monitor themselves and notify authorities.

While consumers can check the government’s Rappel Conso website, Dorioz says recalls should be communicated more proactively and backed up by stronger penalties for slow reporting.

The scale of the Chavegrand recall has already prompted questions about whether coordinated action could be needed to prevent further cases beyond French borders.

(with newswires)

In a letter to Cameroonian President Paul Biya, published on Tuesday but sent last month, Macron described the conflict as a “war” and accepted France’s “role and responsibility” in events that left tens of thousands dead and hundreds of thousands displaced.

The statement follows a landmark report in January by a joint historical commission, which found that France’s counter-insurgency campaign included mass forced displacement, internment camps and support for violent militias.

The violence continued after Cameroon’s formal independence on 1 January 1960.

Macron launched the commission during a 2022 visit to Yaoundé, tasking 14 French and Cameroonian historians with reviewing the period between 1945 and 1971.

Drawing on declassified archives, witness testimonies and field research, the group painted a stark picture of France’s efforts to suppress the growing independence movement after World War II.

While most of Cameroon came under French control in 1918, following Germany’s defeat in World War I, nationalist demands intensified after 1945.

Macron begins first Africa trip of new term with visit to Cameroon

Forgotten conflict

According to the report, between 1956 and 1961 France’s military campaign claimed “tens of thousands” of lives.

For many in France, the conflict barely registered at the time. Unlike Algeria’s 1954-1962 independence war, it involved mostly African troops and remained largely out of public view.

But Paris maintained close ties with Cameroon’s first post-independence leader, Ahmadou Ahidjo, whose authoritarian rule lasted until 1982.

Biya – now 92 and the world’s oldest head of state – has been in power ever since.

He is seeking an eighth term in October’s presidential election, though opposition hopes have been dealt a blow – last week the constitutional court rejected the candidacy of Maurice Kamto, his main challenger.

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

Colonial reckoning

Reaction to Macron’s letter in Cameroon has been mixed. Mathieu Njassep, head of the Association of Cameroonian Veterans, welcomed the acknowledgement but said France must “go further” and consider reparations.

Macron did not address compensation in his letter, but pledged to open France’s archives to researchers and proposed a new bilateral working group to monitor progress in research and education.

The move fits into Macron’s broader – and often contentious – approach to confronting France’s colonial past. In recent years he has backed reports on France’s actions during Algeria’s war of independence and the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

These studies have acknowledged “overwhelming responsibilities” but stopped short of formal apologies, something Macron has ruled out in the Algerian case.

At a press conference in Nouméa on Wednesday, Dominique Fochi, secretary-general of the Caledonian Union and a senior figure within the FLNKS, said the movement’s extraordinary congress had voted on Saturday to reject the deal outright.

“The FLNKS formally rejects the Bougival draft agreement because it is incompatible with the foundations and achievements of our struggle,” Mr Fochi declared.

Signed on 12 July under the guidance of Overseas Minister Manuel Valls, the Bougival text outlines the transfer of some sovereign powers such as currency, justice and policing.

The absence of a new independence referendum – a core demand for many Kanak activists – has proved a deal-breaker.

Independence party walks away from French deal on New Caledonia

“This is a blanket rejection,” said Marie-Pierre Goyetche of the Labour Party, also on the FLNKS political bureau. “We will not take part in the drafting committee proposed by the Minister for Overseas Territories.”

Goyetche urged supporters to resist any attempt by Paris to push the deal through. “We are launching a peaceful appeal to our supporters to say stop to the State if it intends to force this through.”

Tensions over the issue are still fresh. In May 2024, protests against electoral changes and independence delays spiralled into violence, leaving 14 dead and causing damage worth several billion euros.

Overseas minister Valls plans visit

Manuel Valls said on Sunday he would travel to New Caledonia during the week of 18 August in an effort to salvage what he has called “a historic compromise, the result of months of work … with all delegations, including the FLNKS”.

In a video link from prison in Mulhouse, where he has been held for nearly a year, FLNKS president Christian Tein accused President Emmanuel Macron of forcing through a flawed deal.

“No lessons have been learned from what the country has endured,” he said. “You can’t build a country like this, pushing us into a corner. It’s humiliating for the Kanak people.”

Although released from prison in June, Tein remains barred from returning to New Caledonia while under investigation over last year’s unrest. He denies any role in inciting violence.

French deal on New Caledonia ‘state’ hits early criticism

A new path to sovereignty

The FLNKS is now calling for an alternative roadmap – a “Kanaky agreement” to be signed on 24 September 2025, leading to full sovereignty for New Caledonia before the French presidential election in 2027.

Any such talks, Mr Fochi insisted, should be held under Mr Tein’s supervision.

Despite rejecting Bougival, the FLNKS says it will still meet Mr Valls during his trip. Sylvain Pabouty of Dynamik Unitaire Sud stressed the need for provincial elections – postponed since May 2024 – to go ahead in November 2025.

“We want elections to determine the true legitimacy of all political forces,” Mr Pabouty said. “We remain open to dialogue with those legitimised by the ballot box.”

Can New Caledonia’s first female congress president bridge the divide amid civil unrest?

Key provincial vote in limbo

Provincial assemblies wield most of New Caledonia’s political power, making their composition crucial. But the Bougival agreement proposes delaying the vote yet again – this time to mid-2026 – a move fiercely opposed by the FLNKS.

The July accord has the backing of the entire non-independence bloc, as well as the “Eveil Océanien” (Oceanian Awakening) party, which takes a neutral stance on the independence question.

It is also supported by two moderate pro-independence parties – Palika and the Progressive Union of Melanesia – which quit the FLNKS in August 2024.

In Lagos, the African Digital Economy and Inclusion Conference is bringing together policymakers, business leaders, academics and other stakeholders to explore how AI can drive growth while making sure no one is left behind.

The two-day event will examine ways to combine private innovation with public policy.

With the theme AI and the African Digital Economy: Leaving No One Behind, organisers say they want to “address systemic inequalities” in digital access, participation and adopting new technologies across the continent.

Discussions include using AI and big data for economic growth, digital identity systems for cross-border trade, and gender and youth inclusion in the digital workforce.

Why the African continent has a role to play in developing AI

Infrastructure gaps

Both public and private sectors are joining the race for AI on the African continent, whose digital economy is estimated at €155 billion and expected to reach almost €700 by 2050.

Adedayo Oketola, head of the AFDEIC organising committee, said despite rapid fintech, e-commerce, and AI-driven advancements, Africa still faces significant digital infrastructure gaps.

He said many rural Africans lack internet access, with millions still unable to benefit from digital financial services and e-learning platforms.

Other challenges include poor access to electricity and a lack of experts in this field.

“This disparity hinders the equitable distribution of opportunities associated with the digital economy and draws attention to the urgency for targeted interventions,” Oketola said.

Last year, the African Union initiated a “Continental Strategy on AI” for 2030, initially developing regulatory frameworks and creating governance bodies, followed by a launch of projects.

Then, in February, some forty states joined forces to create the African AI Council, aimed at promoting the use of new technologies on the continent.

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Lack of political will

Professor Seydina Ndiaye, an AI specialist in Africa, delays – particularly in subsaharan Africa –stem from a lack of government investment.

“We have quite a few communities starting to use AI, but without government support,” he told RFI.

“The necessary resources are already available: with what we have, we can do quite a lot. It’s just a lack of real will. In speeches, everyone talks about AI, but in reality, structurally, we see very few concrete actions that allow us to move forward in this sector.”

He explains that Africa has fallen behind because of a reliance on the use of foreign technologies.

“This creates a huge gap because we are dependent. The companies that produce in this sector are very behind in relation to what is happening internationally,” he says.

The Kenyan teacher using laptop batteries to power motorbikes

Home-grown innovations

Despite this, some examples of home-grown technology are emerging.

At the private level, there are numerous initiatives around health, education and agriculture, such as DoctorIA algorithms in Rwanda which facilitate medical diagnoses in the absence of specialists.

Generative AI such as AWA in Senegal, speaks Wolof and can even be integrated into WhatsApp.

A pioneer of artificial intelligence in Côte d’Ivoire, Sah Analytics has developed an application that helps Ivorian authorities combat inflation.

“We support the Ivorian Ministry of Commerce with everything related to high-cost-of-living alerts,” its CEO and founder, Yaya Sylla told RFI’s Claire Fages.

“Citizens take photos via an application. The location is automatically geolocated. This helps the Ministry of Commerce staff respond quickly.”

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Facial recognition for cows

Fit For Purpose, based in Belgium, has created a subsidiary in Africa, Neotex.ai, to meet a very specific need in Kenya, where authorities required farmers to identify their cows.

Meshia Cédric Oveneke, Belgian-Congolese co-founder of the company told RFI that it took almost a year of research and development to create custom models.

“Now, with a photo, we can register a cow and recognise it at any time, just like with humans. And banks are now much more certain about who they are granting loans to and why, and this is an anti-fraud fight, an assurance to be able to collect the right data and be able to offer the right financial product.”

For Paulin Melatagia, a lecturer and researcher at the University of Yaoundé I in Cameroon, “Africa has a role to play in the development of artificial intelligence to solve African societal problems.”

He says artificial intelligence and its related tools is already helping in agriculture, particularly for predicting locust invasions and floods, using satellite images, for example.

“We can also use artificial intelligence for detecting plant diseases,” he told RFI. “Today, with certain applications deployed on mobile phones, it is enough to scan leaves, and from these images, to detect a certain number of plant diseases.”

He says artificial intelligence can help with “smart watering” for crops, which makes it possible to measure humidity, temperature and light in a field and then trigger the watering system.

Melatagia also insists that Africa’s contribution will be not only beneficial to Africa, but to the world at large, “to develop new concepts, to develop new knowledge so that AI, from a global perspective, can advance.”

Known as the Duplomb law, the legislation has been at the centre of a heated debate and fuelled a student-led petition that gathered more than two million signatures.

The law was published in the government’s official journal on Tuesday after the Constitutional Council, the country’s highest court, struck down the contested provision about the reintroduction of acetamiprid.

Judges said the family of pesticides known as neonicotinoids posed “risks to human health” and “have an impact on biodiversity, particularly for pollinating insects and birds”.

They said the measure was unconstitutional because it undermined the right to live in a balanced and healthy environment, guaranteed in the environmental charter signed in 2005.

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

Banned in France since 2018, acetamiprid remains legal in the European Union. Some beet and hazelnut producers had called for its return to combat pests and stay competitive.

The main farmers union (FNSEA) has railed against the court ruling calling it “unacceptable and incomprehensible”.

Laurent Duplomb, the conservative senator who introduced the law, warned it would mean more imports of products containing acetamiprid and reduced French production. He said he may submit a new bill that meets the Constitutional Council’s criteria.

‘Severe consequences’

The General Confederation of Beet Growers said in a statement the ban would have “severe” consequences and “weaken” industrial sugar processing facilities.

French Health Minister Yannick Neuder has called for a European reassessment of the impact of acetamiprid on human health with a view to “banning this product” if risks are proven.

“This is about putting France on the same level of precautionary principle as other European countries,” he stressed, noting “ongoing studies, in particular, on its potential endocrine disruptor or neurotoxic role.”

French health experts oppose bill that could reintroduce banned pesticides

Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard, who supported the reintroduction of acetamiprid, said on social media platform X that the government would not leave the sectors affected “without a solution”.

The issue has galvanised the protest against the Duplomb law among members of the public and the scientific community.

A petition calling for its repeal gathered more than 2.1 million signatures on the National Assembly’s website, an unprecedented number, opening the possibility of a future parliamentary debate, even if it would be essentially symbolic.

Commentators suggest the petition is a sign of exasperation with deadlock in a hung parliament and a desire to have a greater say in political matters.

Adopted by parliament in early July with the support of Macron’s supporters and the far right, the bill was criticised by the Left who said their amendments had not been taken into account.

No new debate

Far-left France Unbowed (LFI) MP Antoine Léaument said the council’s decision was a “battle won” but regretted that Macron had promulgated the bill “rather than requesting a new vote” in parliament.

Léaument also called for “strong measures to prevent the entry of products that use this pesticide into French territory.”

As for the Green Party group in the National Assembly, it has announced its intention to submit a bill to attempt to obtain “a total repeal” of the law.

While the pesticide clause has been struck out, the rest of the Duplomb law remains in place.

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.

France’s early summer heatwave, between 19 June and 6 July, saw 86 deaths by drowning recorded by Santé Publique France (SPF) – compared to 36 between the same dates in 2024. 

The public health agency noted that the high temperatures had “led to an influx of people to swimming areas to cool off” – often unsupervised – and is warning that this is a pattern likely to be repeated, as the effects of climate change grow.

“As authorised swimming areas were likely to be crowded, some people may have sought to swim in areas that are not designated or supervised for swimming, in natural environments,” explained Aymeric Ung, an epidemiologist at SPF, speaking to RFI.

Climate change pushed temperatures in latest European heatwave up by 4C

The dangers of wild swimming

Earlier this month, health authorities called for compliance with swimming bans, pointing to the risks associated with unsupervised sites, as almost 200 people lost their lives by drowning in less than two months in France.

Between 1 June and 23 July, 193 deaths by drowning were reported in mainland France and the overseas territories, according to SPF. The agency said this represents a 45 percent increase compared to the same period last year, when 133 deaths were recorded.

With the highest number of these recorded at sea, followed by rivers then lakes, the SPF stressed the elevated risk of drowning when swimming in natural environments, where sites are neither equipped nor supervised.

Axel Lamotte of the French Lifeguard Association said this pattern is likely to continue in the future due to unseasonal heatwaves, leading to an extended period in which swimming in unsafe bodies of water is tempting.

“In the future, we may have swimming seasons that start in mid-April or mid-May and last until the All Saints’ Day holidays, for example. We will have to adapt to this change in climate,” he said.

Seine swimming sites attract tens of thousands despite weather closures

Extending the period of supervision of beaches, lakes and rivers would require more lifeguards being trained, as there is currently a shortage of 5,000, he said.

There are other risks particular to swimming in natural bodies of water. 

“In alpine lakes, we know that the water temperature can be cold, while the air temperature is warm – conditions that can cause hypothermia,” said fire brigade captain Julien Costanzo, deputy chief of the Aix-les-Bains company in the Savoie department, eastern France.

In natural environments, underwater visibility is limited, the seabed can sometimes be dangerous and currents can form.

He added another risk factor: “We have people who sometimes swim in rivers, in prohibited areas where dams are being released. People get trapped or swept away because the water rises quite violently.”

In the neighbouring Haute-Savoie department, four people have drowned in Lake Annecy since the start of the summer, including a man who was on a boat with friends and sank after jumping into the water. According to local press reports, he was not a strong swimmer.

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Olympic legacy

While adults often overestimate their ability to swim long distances, Costanzo highlighted that many children lack swimming skills entirely, saying: “More and more children lack confidence in the water.”

So far this year, 27 children and teenagers have lost their lives by drowning, compared to 15 in 2024.

“In natural environments it’s much deeper, it’s not the same – there are currents and waves. It’s easier to swallow water,” said Anne-Sophie Portefaix, a tourist from Auvergne returning from a pedalo trip on Lake Bourget in Savoie with friends and her eight-year-old daughter, who she said “can manage in a swimming pool”.

At the Maurice Thorez aquatic centre in Montreuil, east of Paris, which was renovated last summer to host Olympic water polo training sessions, six-year-old Iliam, sporting a shark-head swimming cap, is delighted to show that he is “no longer afraid” of drowning.

This is since he started attending the pool’s free “Learn to Swim”, an initiative tied to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

This summer, 11 swimming pools managed by the Est Ensemble public authority are offering free intensive courses for five to 12-year-olds in nine towns in the Paris suburbs. The programme, partly subsidised by the National Sports Agency, is a continuation of the “1,2,3 swim with Paris 2024” initiative launched in 2021.

As France’s sports budget faces cuts, are Olympic promises being broken?

A year on from the Games, at which French superstar Léon Marchand took four gold medals, breaking four Olympic records, and with the Seine opening to bathers in July, swimming has continued to capture the public imagination.

“The Olympics inspire dreams, but beyond performance, it is also a national cause to teach all children to swim,” said Fabien Asquoët, head of the sports policy division at Est Ensemble. These courses are “a truly necessary public service in an area affected by poverty,” in addition to lessons at school, he added.

“The longer we wait [to start lessons], the more obstacles there are and the more shame,” noted Benoît Montagna, director of the aquatic centre. “People become too embarrassed to tell their friends that they can’t swim. And among teenagers and adults, trying to imitate others can put them in danger.”

The Montreuil pool’s lifeguard Lion Seller added that: “Sometimes parents themselves are afraid of water, and this parental fear, which is passed on, plays a huge role.”

Social divide

There is a clear social divide when it comes to swimming lessons. The children of unskilled workers are six times more likely than children of white collar workers to not to know how to swim, according to a 2021 study by the National Institute for Youth and Popular Education.

Those who work in the sector have observed that children from more affluent social backgrounds are often better at swimming thanks to travelling on their summer holidays.

Asquoët said: “When we ran a trial in June with 130 children aged nine and 10 at Noisy-le-Sec to introduce them to swimming in a natural environment, for many of them it was the only week of the holidays that they went away anywhere.”

In 2026, he hopes to see an increase in the number of children in their last year of primary school who will obtain their “safe swimming” certificate – across Est Ensemble, only 53 percent passed last year.

Iliam, who thought he was “drowning” on holiday last summer, is now happily practising the freestyle and has been learning how to be safe in the water if he were to get into difficulty.

“I really like it,” he said. “When I fall into the water I either swim or float on my back, do the starfish… my body saves me [by floating].”

(with AFP and partially adapted from this article in French)

Around 30 officers from France’s elite CRS police force have been deployed in and around the Gulf of Saint-Tropez on the French Riviera after a string of armed thefts since the summer season began.

The Var department’s police prefecture said Tuesday: “Since mid-June, three armed robberies have been carried out in the municipalities, targeting both homeowners and holiday renters. In each case, losses ran into several hundred thousand euros.”

Over the same period, there have been 23 luxury watch thefts – some during break-ins, others through street snatches – again involving valuables worth a small fortune.

Police given extended powers as Nice fights spiralling crime and drug trafficking

The local gendarmerie, which already has more than a hundred officers in the region plus around thirty seasonal reinforcements, will now receive an exceptional boost from the CRS.

“Normally, our two CRS units for the summer are based in Fréjus, Saint-Raphaël and Toulon,” Var Prefect Simon Babre said. “This year, we’re redeploying some of them to ensure a stronger presence in the Gulf.”

The operation will see stepped-up patrols and a higher profile in town centres, particularly in Saint-Tropez and Sainte-Maxime.

Escape routes – which are relatively few in the region – will also be closely monitored to allow police to act swiftly when needed, aided by surveillance cameras and local municipal police.

(with newswires)

The automatic shutdowns of four units “had no impact on the safety of the facilities, the safety of personnel, or the environment”, EDF said on its website.

“These shutdowns are the result of the massive and unpredictable presence of jellyfish in the filter drums of the pumping stations,” the Gravelines plant operator said.

The site was fully shut after the incident, with its two other units already offline for maintenance.

Teams were carrying out inspections to restart the production units “in complete safety”, EDF said, adding the units were expected to restart on Thursday.

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

“There is no risk of a power shortage,” the company added, saying other energy sources, including solar power, were operational.

Gravelines is Western Europe’s largest nuclear power plant with six reactors, each with the capacity to produce 900 megawatts.

The site is due to open two next-generation reactors, each with a capacity of 1,600 megawatts, by 2040.

This is not the first time jellyfish have shut down a nuclear facility, though EDF said such incidents were “quite rare”, adding the last impact on its operations was in the 1990s.

There have been cases of plants in other countries shutting down due to jellyfish invasions, notably a three-day closure in Sweden in 2013 and a 1999 incident in Japan that caused a major drop in output.

Experts say overfishing, plastic pollution and climate change have created conditions allowing jellyfish to thrive and reproduce.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Monday condemned “with force and anger” the “acknowledged murder by the Israeli army” of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif in Gaza, who the armed forces admitted they had targeted.

The Paris-based press freedom group referred to al-Sharif was “one of the most famous journalists from the Gaza Strip (and) the voice of the suffering Israel has imposed on Palestinians in Gaza”.

The organisation has urged the UN Security Council to convene under Resolution 2222 on the protection of journalists and pressed for “strong action” to halt such attacks.

RSF said the Israeli army’s allegations that al-Sharif was a Hamas operative were made “without evidence”, accusing it of repeating a “well-known tactic” against Al Jazeera staff.

RSF says Israel responsible for one-third of journalist deaths in 2024

28-year-old al-Sharif – hailed by colleagues as “one of Gaza’s bravest journalists” – was killed alongside four colleagues, when a tent near Shifa Hospital in eastern Gaza City was struck on Sunday.

Gaza officials and Al Jazeera reported that the four other staff members killed were Mohammed Qreiqeh, also a correspondent, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa. 

A sixth journalist, Mohammed Al-Khaldi who worked as a freelance reporter, was also killed in the strike that targeted the Al Jazeera team, according to the director of Al-Shifa Hospital, Dr Mohammed Abu Salmiya.

Israel’s military claimed al-Sharif was the head of a Hamas cell and had been involved in launching rockets at Israeli targets. Al Jazeera firmly rejected the allegation, as did al-Sharif himself before his death.

The broadcaster described the strike as a “desperate attempt to silence voices in anticipation of the occupation of Gaza.”

France’s top diplomat calls for foreign press access to Gaza

Pulitzer-prize winner journalist

Al-Sharif’s career had been marked by courage and international recognition. As part of a Reuters team, he contributed to Pulitzer Prize-winning photography covering the Israel-Hamas war in 2024. 

Known for his sharp reporting and compelling images, he built a following of over half a million on X, where he shared updates from the front lines until minutes before the fatal strike. 

His final post described intense bombardment of Gaza City lasting more than two hours. 

Journalist and human rights organisations condemned the killings. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which had warned in July that Al Sharif’s life was at risk, said Israel had failed to produce credible evidence to substantiate its claims. 

CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa director, Sara Qudah, accused Israel of a “pattern of labelling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence” and raised “serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom.” 

The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, Irene Khan, had previously said Israel’s accusations against al-Sharif were unsubstantiated. 

Al Jazeera also revealed that he had prepared a message for posthumous publication: “I never hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or misrepresentation, hoping that God would witness those who remained silent.”

International investigation reveals ‘attack on press freedom’ in Gaza conflict

Allegations of militant affiliation dismissed

This is not the first time al-Sharif’s name has been linked to such allegations. 

Last October, Israel’s military claimed he was one of six Gaza journalists affiliated with Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, citing what it said were training and salary records. 

Al Jazeera dismissed the evidence as fabricated at the time. 

Hamas condemned the latest strike, claiming it was part of an Israeli plan to launch a major new offensive in Gaza City. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to dismantle remaining Hamas strongholds in the enclave, where hunger is spreading after 22 months of war. 

According to Gaza’s government media office, 237 journalists have been killed since the war began on 7 October 2023. 

The CPJ records at least 186 deaths among journalists during the conflict. 

“Anas al-Sharif and his colleagues were among the last remaining voices in Gaza conveying the tragic reality to the world,” Al Jazeera said in its statement. 

Expanding the war

International reporters are prevented from travelling to Gaza by Israel, except on occasional tightly controlled trips with the military.

The strike on the journalists came with criticism mounting over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to expand the war in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli plan for Gaza takeover must be halted immediately: UN rights chief

The security cabinet voted last week to conquer the remaining quarter or so of the territory not yet controlled by Israeli troops, including much of Gaza City and Al-Mawasi, the area designated a safe zone by Israel where huge numbers of Palestinians have sought refuge.

The plan, which Israeli media reported had triggered bitter disagreement between the government and military leadership, drew condemnation from protesters in Israel and numerous countries, including Israeli allies.

(with newswires)

France’s bottled-water controversy has resurfaced, with new findings linking “exorbitant” levels of microplastic pollution to long-standing illegal waste dumps operated by Nestlé Waters.

According to a joint investigation by the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) and the Central Office for the Fight against Environmental and Public Health Offences (Oclaesp), water from Nestlé’s Contrex and Hépar brands contains microplastic concentrations so extreme that scientists say they shatter environmental baselines.

The findings, revealed by Mediapart, are based on a confidential report submitted to prosecutors in January.

Bottles to blame

Investigators have little doubt about the culprit as they point to four sprawling, unauthorised dumps in the Vosges – in Contrexéville, They-sous-Montfort, Saint-Ouen-les-Parey and Crainvilliers – containing an estimated 473,700 cubic metres of plastic waste, much of it from discarded Nestlé bottles.

That’s the equivalent of 126 Olympic swimming pools filled not with water, but plastic detritus.

These sites, some in use for decades, sit alarmingly close to the wells supplying the mineral water sold worldwide under the two luxury-health brands.

Tests carried out on the bottled waters found contamination levels up to 1.3 million times higher than those measured in surface waters such as rivers and lakes, and between five and nearly 3,000 times above the average found in groundwater worldwide.

For Hépar, the OFB detected around 2,096 microplastic particles per litre; for Contrex, about 515 particles per litre.

By comparison, many unpolluted water bodies contain only a handful of particles per cubic metre.

Troubled waters: French government under pressure over Nestlé revelations

Health concerns, legal loopholes

While the investigators warn of “harmful effects on human health”, Europe has yet to set binding limits for microplastics in drinking water.

Scientists say the tiny particles can enter the bloodstream, organs and even the brain, but the full extent of long-term health risks remains under study.

Nestlé Waters rejects the accusations, insisting that “no pollution has been proven” and that its products remain “safe to drink.”

The company points to independent laboratory analyses which, it says, show no contamination, and claims most of the dumps have been cleaned up. Nestlé also argues that some of the illegal sites pre-date its ownership of the land.

Consumer group files complaint against French ministers over Nestlé scandal

From boardroom to courtroom

The stakes are now more than reputational. Nestlé Waters is due to stand trial in Épinal from 24 to 28 November 2025, facing charges related to illegal waste disposal.

Environmental campaigners hope the case will force stronger French and EU rules on microplastics, particularly in bottled water.

The revelations come amid a wider reckoning for the bottled-water industry, already under fire for over-extraction, packaging waste and carbon emissions.

For many French consumers, Contrex and Hépar have long been marketed as health-boosting mineral waters; the idea that they could be delivering a microplastic cocktail instead is a bitter pill to swallow.

Still, environmentalists say the scandal could have a silver lining. Public outrage may accelerate long-overdue regulation – and encourage consumers to rethink single-use plastic altogether. 

Earlier this month, the leaders of Italy, Turkey and Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) met in a tripartite summit – the latest sign of growing cooperation between the three Mediterranean nations.

“Turkey and Italy have both differing interests, but interests in Libya,” explains international relations professor Huseyin Bagcı of Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.

“Particularly, the migration issue and illegal human trafficking are big problems for Italy, and most of the people are coming from there [Libya], so they try to prevent the flow of migrants.

“But for Turkey, it’s more economic. And Libya is very much interested in keeping the relations with both countries.”

Turkey and Italy consider teaming up to seek new influence in Africa

Migration, legitimacy concerns

Turkey is the main backer of Libya’s GNA and still provides military assistance, which was decisive in defeating the rival eastern-based forces led by strongman Khalifa Haftar. An uneasy ceasefire holds between the two sides.

Libya security analyst Aya Burweilla said Turkey is seeking Italy’s support to legitimise the Tripoli government, as questions grow over its democratic record.

“What it means for the Tripoli regime is very positive. This is a regime that has dodged elections for years,” she says.

“Their job was to have democratic elections, and one of their ways to make sure they stay in power was to get foreign sponsors, like Turkey… Now, with this rubber stamp from Meloni in Italy, they can keep the status quo going at the expense of Libyans.”

Years of civil war and political chaos have turned Libya into a major hub for people smugglers. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, elected on a pledge to curb irregular migration, sees stability in Libya as key to that goal.

“The migration issue has become very, very urgent in general for Europe, but of course for Italy too,” says Alessia Chiriatti of the Institute of International Affairs, a think tank in Rome.

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Mediterranean ambitions

Chiriatti said Meloni’s partnership with Turkey in Libya also reflects broader foreign policy goals.

“There is another dimension – I think it’s directly related to the fact that Italy and Meloni’s government want to play a different role in foreign policy in the Mediterranean space,” she says.

“Italy is starting to see Africa as a possible partner to invest in … But what is important is that Italy is starting to see itself as a new player, both in the Mediterranean space and in Africa, so in this sense, it could have important cooperation with Turkey.”

She points out that both Italy and Turkey share a colonial past in Libya. That legacy, combined with the lure of Libya’s vast energy reserves, continues to shape their diplomacy.

Ending the split between Libya’s rival governments is seen as vital for stability. Moscow’s reduced military support for Haftar, as it focuses on its war in Ukraine, is viewed in Ankara as an opening.

“Russia is nearly out, and what remains are Turkey and Italy,” says Bagcı.

He added that Ankara is making overtures to the eastern authorities through Haftar’s son Saddam, a senior figure in the Libyan military.

“The son of Haftar is coming very often to Ankara, making talks. It’s an indication of potential changes… But how the deal will look like I don’t know, we will see later. But it’s an indication of potential cooperation, definitely.”

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Shifting alliances

Libya was discussed when Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo on Saturday.

Sisi backs Haftar’s eastern government. Libya had been a source of tension between Turkey and Egypt, but with relations thawing, both say they will work together on the country’s future.

Turkey’s position in Libya is strengthening, says Burweilla.

“Saddam is pro-Turkey – there is a huge difference between son and father – and the younger generation is pro-Turkey,” she says.

Such support, Burweilla said, stems from Ankara allowing Libyans to seek sanctuary in Turkey from fighting in 2011, when NATO forces led by France and the United Kingdom militarily intervened against Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.

“I think the Europeans underestimated the political capital that gave Turkey. Turkey is winning the game in Libya,” Burweilla says.

She adds that Ankara’s rising influence is also due to a shift in tactics towards the east.

“What they [Ankara] realised was that you can’t conquer the east of Libya by force; they tried and they failed. And the Turkish regime is very much motivated by business… They don’t care about anything else, and they’ve realised they want to make a business,” Burweilla says.

They’ve reached out more to the east, and the east, in turn, has realised that if they don’t want to be attacked by Turkey and its mercenaries, they need to make peace with Turkey as well.”

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)

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.