In a statement issued Sunday, the RSF claimed it had “extended control over the city of El-Fasher from the grip of mercenaries and militias,” referring to the Sudanese army, which it has been fighting since April 2023.

Earlier, the group said it had captured the army’s headquarters in the city, which it has held under seige for the last 10 months.

“After fierce fighting,” the RSF has “liberated the Sixth Division, breaking the army’s power”, said the statement, describing the advance as a “victory”.

RSF videos on Sunday appeared to show army vehicles retreating from its headquarters and fighters celebrating at the Sixth Infantry Division base.

Footage from Nyala, the South Darfur state capital, showed crowds celebrating alongside RSF fighters.

The Sudanese army has yet to comment, but a spokesperson for the Popular Resistance Committee – a movement supporting the army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan – rejected RSF’s version of events.

“Controlling the army’s headquarters does not mean controlling El-Fasher,” the spokesperson said.

The Popular Resistance accuses the RSF of running a “media disinformation campaign” to weaken morale, insisting residents were still “resisting in the face of terrorist militias”. 

Death toll from RSF attack rises to 60 in Sudan’s El-Fasher: activists

Turning point 

War broke out in Sudan in 2023, when the Sudanese army and the RSF, once allies, turned against each other. 

It has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 12 million people.

Since August, the RSF has intensified artillery and drone attacks on El-Fasher, eroding the army’s last defensive lines after more than 18 months of siege. 

According to activists, 60 people were killed in a drone and artillery attack at a displacement camp earlier this month.

Capture of the city, if confirmed, would be a significant political victory for the RSF.

The paramilitary group has described it as a “turning point” in the war.

It would bring all five Darfur state capitals under RSF control, consolidating its recently established parallel administration in Nyala.

Analysts have warned this could hasten a physical split of the country, with the army holding the north, east and centre, and the RSF dominating the vast Darfur region and parts of the south. 

RSF’s announcement comes just two days after the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (the Quad) agreed to form a Joint Operational Committee to coordinate efforts towards peace and stability in Sudan.

Sudan specialist Roland Marchal told RFI the capture of El-Fasher, if confirmed, could provide RSF with political leverage in future Quad talks.

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

Humanitarian disaster

Around 260,000 civilians, half of them children, remain trapped in El-Fasher without aid or food.

Four UN agencies warned on Thursday that thousands of malnourished children are at “imminent risk of death” amid the collapse of health services.

Reports of killings, sexual violence and forced recruitment were mounting daily, they added.

The UN had earlier voiced alarm over potential massacres targeting non-Arab communities in El-Fasher, similar to those reported after the RSF captured the nearby Zamzam camp in April.

Despite repeated international appeals, the two sides, who have both been accused of committing atrocities, have ignored calls for a ceasefire.

(with newswires)

Nearly nine million voters were called to choose among five candidates, including incumbent Alassane Ouattara who’s been in power since 2011.

The election failed to generate much enthusiasm. Turnout was relatively strong in the pro-Ouattara north, but participation was lower in many polling stations in the south and west – strongholds of the opposition.

Cote d’Ivoire goes to the polls: in pictures

The Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) said Saturday evening that it estimated turnout would be around 50 percent, with exact figures expected later on Sunday. If confirmed, that would be lower than the 53 percent in the last elections in 2020.

Four opposition candidates stood against the head of state: former trade minister Jean-Louis Billon a dissident from the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire (PDCI, once the sole ruling party) led by Tidjane Thiam; former first lady Simone Ehivet Gbagbo; Ahoua Don Mello, a sovereigntist close to pro-Russian circles; and Henriette Lagou, a moderate opposition figure.

The final results could be announced as early as Sunday evening, or Monday.

‘A farce’

In the economic capital of Abidjan, the streets were unusually quiet and many polling stations visited by RFI remained almost empty throughout the day.

In Anono, a working-class district of Cocody in the north of Abidjan, two friends in their forties explained why they hadn’t voted. 

“I think leaders should lead by example. If they can’t even keep their word, what’s the point?,” one of the men told RFI. “It’s a waste of time. Politics should bring solutions, with leaders who truly aim to improve people’s lives. In Côte d’Ivoire, there are some, but not among the current candidates.”

His friend said he supported former Ivorian president Laurent Gbagbo and hasn’t voted since 2010.

“For me, this isn’t an election, it’s a farce, really, just a bit of theatre,” he said. “The social climate in Côte d’Ivoire isn’t right. There’s always tension, and cheating. It’s exhausting. And all this North-South divide… it gives you a headache.”

In Bonoua, a town in the south-east of the country, an opposition supporter who identified as left-wing said he’d voted out of civic duty.

“I came to vote to fulfil my duty,” he told RFI. “If I didn’t make my voice heard today, I’d have no right to complain tomorrow. We’re tired of these boycotts.” 

In Bouaké, the country’s second largest city and gateway to the north, turnout was higher, according to France’s AFP. Hundreds of people were still queuing an hour before polling stations closed at 6pm local time (GMT).

Young voters in Côte d’Ivoire want jobs, change – but most of all, peace

200 polling stations disrupted

According to several analysts, the absence of leading opposition figures is behind the voter apathy.

Two of Alassane Ouattara’s main rivals – former president Laurent Gbagbo and international banker Tidjane Thiam – were banned from running by the Constitutional Council, citing Gbagbo’s criminal conviction and Thiam’s nationality issues.

Previous presidential elections in Côte d’Ivoire have resulted in deadly violence – some 3,000 people died at the time of the 2010 polls and 85 in 2020.

On Saturday, incidents were reported in around 10 towns in the south and west, including in Mama, the home village of Laurent Gbagbo, according to observers from the National Human Rights Council (CNDH). Most were thefts of election equipment. 

A 13-year-old boy was killed on Saturday by gunfire from a public transport vehicle in Grégbeu (centre-west), a security source told AFP. He was the fifth person to die since mid-October in incidents linked to the electoral process.

The most serious clashes occurred in the village of Lopou in the south, with confrontations between demonstrators and police.

“We don’t want this fourth term,” shouted a resident of the area, echoing a slogan repeated by opposition supporters in recent weeks.

A total of around 200 polling stations were disrupted, according to a security forces report seen by AFP.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said Sunday that investigators made the arrests on Saturday evening, adding that one of the men was taken into custody as he was preparing to leave the country from Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport.

French media BFM TV and Le Parisien newspaper earlier reported that two suspects had been arrested and taken into custody. One of the suspects was apprehended around 10pm (2000 GMT) on Saturday at the airport, and the second arrested not long after in the Paris region, those sources said.

The two men were taken into police custody on suspicion of organised theft and criminal conspiracy. They could be held up to 96 hours.

Beccuau did not confirm the number of arrests, which were made by investigators from the anti-gang brigade.

She regretted in her statement the premature leak of information, saying it could hinder the work of over 100 investigators “mobilised to recover the stolen jewels and apprehend all of the perpetrators”.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez also called for confidentiality while congratulating the investigators “who have worked tirelessly”, in a post on X.

Heist of the century

Thieves took less than eight minutes last Sunday morning to steal jewels valued at 88 million euros at the world’s most visited museum – a crime that has shocked the world.

French officials described how the intruders used a basket lift to scale the Louvre’s façade in broad daylight, forced open a window, smashed display cases and fled.

They fled down the ladder and sped off on scooters. They dropped a diamond and emerald crown that once belonged to Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, which was damaged and needs to be restored. But they got away with eight pieces.

The museum’s director Laurence des Cars called the incident a “terrible failure“.

The brazen theft has made headlines across the world and sparked a debate in France about the security of cultural institutions.

Des Cars has admitted the robbers had taken advantage of a blind spot in the security surveillance of the museum’s outside walls.

But Beccuau said public and private security cameras elsewhere had allowed detectives to track the thieves “in Paris and in surrounding regions”.

Investigators were also able to find DNA samples and fingerprints at the scene from items left behind by the robbers as they fled. As well as the dropped crown, they include gloves, a high-vis vest, a blowtorch and power tools.

‘Concern for the jewellery’ 

The eight pieces which have not yet been recovered risk being broken apart, their precious metal settings melted down.

Nunez expressed his “concern for the jewellery” in an interview with French weekly La Tribune Dimanche on Sunday, saying the heist appeared to have been carried out by an organised crime group but adding that “thieves are always eventually caught”.

“The loot is unfortunately often stashed abroad. I hope that’s not the case – I remain confident,” he added.

The Louvre theft is the latest in a string of robberies targeting French museums.

Less than 24 hours after the Louvre break-in, a museum in eastern France reported the theft of gold and silver coins after finding a smashed display case.

Last month, criminals broke into Paris’s Natural History Museum, making off with gold nuggets worth more than $1.5 million. A Chinese woman has been detained and charged with involvement in the theft.

Culture Minister Rachida Dati said on X on Friday she had requested findings from an investigation into the Louvre’s security by early next week to “announce concrete measures to secure” the museum.

(with newswires)

The opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which has been more than twenty years in the making, had been slated to open its doors back in 2013.

After countless delays – from the Covid-19 pandemic to regional instability – the grand unveiling is now set for 1 November. 

Located just a stone’s throw from the pyramids of Giza, the museum will be the largest archaeological and antiquities museum in the world dedicated entirely to ancient Egypt.

In October 2024, GEM offered a sneak peek, opening its first 12 galleries to around 4,000 lucky visitors.

Why is France so fascinated by exhibitions on Ancient Egypt?

Monumental design

The final phase, planned for 2025, will unveil the Tutankhamun treasure rooms. Some 5,000 objects from the boy king’s tomb – including his world-famous gold funerary mask – will go on show.

Designed by Irish architect Roisin Heneghan, the building features a facade of translucent alabaster.

Its north and south walls are precisely aligned with two of the Great Pyramids – those of Khufu and Menkaure – creating a direct visual link between past and present.

Extraordinary treasures of Egypt’s Ramses the Great go on display in Paris

100,000 artefacts

“This museum is the largest in the world dedicated to a single civilisation – in this case, ancient Egypt,” Ahmed Ghoneim, director of the Grand Egyptian Museum, told RFI.

“It’s a museum that embraces the latest scientific innovations, using state-of-the-art technology to restore and conserve artefacts.

“It also reflects the most modern museography, with carefully curated displays that bring history to life. We’re proud that Egypt can share this with the world.”

More than 100,000 artefacts from Egypt’s ancient past will be displayed across 22,000 square metres of exhibition space.

King Tut’s treasures come to Paris, record visitors expected

A billion-dollar wonder

Building the museum has cost more than one billion dollars, a investment covered in part by international touring exhibitions of Egypt’s most iconic treasures, including those of King Tutankhamun and Ramses II.

In 2019, the exhibition “Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh” drew nearly 1.5 million visitors to Paris’s Grande Halle de la Villette – a record-breaking success that helped raise funds for the GEM project.

With its grand opening finally approaching, the Grand Egyptian Museum aims to welcome up to five million visitors each year.

This was adapted from an original article by RFI’s Spanish service and lightly edited for clarity.

Guelleh, known as IOG, has held power in the tiny Horn of Africa nation since 1999.

With a population of just one million, it’s one of Africa’s smallest countries but is also a major port that hosts military bases for the United States, France, and China.

Djibouti‘s constitution says the head of state cannot run for office after 75, which prevented Guelleh, 77, from running in the next election in April 2026. 

But an amendment to remove the age limit was backed by all 65 parliamentarians present on Sunday, speaker Dileita Mohamed Dileita told France’s AFP agency.

The president can choose to approve the decision or call a referendum. 

If approved, parliament will confirm the decision with a second vote, expected on 2 November.

Five things to know about Djibouti

No surprise

Guelleh left the door open to another five-year term in an interview this May with The Africa Report.

“All I can tell you is that I love my country too much to embark on an irresponsible adventure and be the cause of divisions,” he said. 

This vote is “not a surprise,” said Sonia le Gouriellec, a Horn of Africa specialist at the Catholic University of Lille.

“There are protests on social media, but I fear that the opposition will not have the space to express itself in Djibouti,” she said. 

The state has a poor record of freedom of expression and the press. 

Dileita told AFP the constitutional change was necessary to ensure “the stability of the small country, in a troubled region, the Horn of Africa, with Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea“. 

“I think more than 80 percent of the population supports this,” he said.

Macron champions France’s military role in Djibouti as key to Indo-Pacific strategy

Landslide victory

In April 2021, Guelleh was re-elected with more than 97 percent of the vote. 

His party, the Union for the Presidential Majority, holds the majority of parliamentary seats.

Guelleh succeeded Hassan Gouled Aptidon, the father of Djibouti’s independence, in 1999 after serving as his chief of staff for 22 years.

One of the least populated countries on the continent, Djibouti plays an outsized strategic role in the region.

It lies opposite Yemen at the mouth of the Red Sea, in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, through which passes a large part of global trade between Asia and the West.

Djibouti is also home to the only permanent US military base in Africa, with some 4,000 soldiers supporting anti-terrorist operations on the continent, notably in Somalia.

(with AFP)

A French teenager called Emma (not her real name) told RFI she was quickly drawn into toxic content.

Two years ago, the now 18-year-old installed the app on her phone for the first time. At first, the videos matched the interests she had selected. But after a few minutes, a music video caught her attention.

“The song talked about the struggles the singer faced with mental distress. Since I stayed on the video for quite a while, I was shown more like it. That is when I started falling into that spiral. And it kept getting worse and worse”, Emma remembers.

Within a week – and without having actively looked for it – she was being exposed to content that “normalised death, that encouraged self-harm, all kinds of dangerous and harmful behaviors”.

Emma’s mental health deteriorated. Visits to a psychologist were no longer enough. She became depressed and was hospitalised six times.

What the rise of ChatGPT mastermind Sam Altman reveals about AI, tech and power

Self-harm and suicide

Her testimony echoes an Amnesty International report released this week. The NGO spent months looking into how TikTok affects the mental health of young users.

It created three fake accounts of 13-year-olds and found that dangerous content appeared very quickly, even before users expressed any interest.

“When we created the three fake teenage accounts, we did not like anything, share anything, comment or even search,” says Katia Roux, advocacy officer at Amnesty International France.

“We only watched two videos related to mental health. And yet, that was enough to see the feeds of those accounts filled, almost flooded, with this kind of content. And after 45 minutes, we had the first content related to self-harm and suicide on two of these three accounts.”

French parliament to probe psychological effects of TikTok on children

Legal Action

Amnesty says TikTok’s moderation policies remain inadequate. It wants the platform to rethink its business model, which keeps users on the app as long as possible, in order to protect them better.

That is also the view of Stéphanie, whose daughter died by suicide five years ago after watching toxic content on TikTok.

“We could have shown her more friendly content or sport programmes or told her: go for a walk,” she says.

“But the problem is, if you show her that, she will not stay on the platform. And in fact, TikTok’s model is to maximise time on the social network. They do not care about childhood.”

TikTok says it has moderation systems, parental controls and mental health resources in place.

Together with 10 other families, Stéphanie has filed a complaint in France for incitement to suicide. The case is still being investigated.

As for Emma, progress has been slow.

“I saw those videos, and some of them remain burned in my retina. I will have those contents for a very long time,” she says.

Now, however, she reports all toxic content she comes across on social media.

Political scrutiny

In March 2025, a French parliamentary inquiry opened to examine TikTok’s impact on young people. It will not investigate ongoing cases but has looked at whether the app shows more dangerous content to vulnerable groups.

On a broader European level, the Digital Services Act now requires stronger oversight of online platforms.

This article was adapted from the original version in French and edited for clarity.

Anicet Ekane, leader of the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM), and Djeukam Tchameni of the Movement for Democracy and Interdependence (MDI) were detained in their homes in Douala on Friday, the Union for Change 2025 opposition grouping said in a statement.

They were held by “hooded and armed” members of an elite military force and taken to “an unknown destination”, the statement added.

MANIDEM and MDI are members of the Union for Change 2025 coalition that endorsed Tchiroma Bakary for the 12 October election and his claim to have defeated President Biya. 

Although official results are not expected until Monday, Tchiroma said earlier this week that he’d won 54.8 percent of the votes against Biya’s 31.3 percent. 

Biya’s RDPC party has slammed Tchiroma’s victory claim as “a grotesque hoax” and an “unacceptable fraud in a state of law”, saying in a statement they were “calmly awaiting the official results”.

MANIDEM said its treasurer and other members were also “kidnapped” by local security forces.

The coalition denounced the “abusive arrests, whose clear aim is to intimidate (Cameroonians) who are waiting for the election results to be respected”.

Meanwhile, the MDI in a separate statement accused the government of “gross manipulation” and “political intimidation”.

It criticised the spread of “false information… suggesting that weapons or fake electoral records had been found at Tchameni’s home”.

Cameroon’s 92-year-old president poised for eighth term

Calls for mobilisation 

Biya, the world’s oldest serving head of state aged 92, has been in power since 1982 and has won every election in the past 20 years with more than 70 percent of the vote. But former employment minister Tchiroma generated unexpected enthusiasm among voters.  

The arrests have sparked speculation that Issa Tchiroma Bakary could be next in line.

In a Facebook post on Friday, he hinted at attempts to arrest him, saying that such a move would constitute “an assault against the entire Cameroonian people”.

On Wednesday, Tchiroma called on Cameroonians to protest if the Constitutional Council – the only body authorised to proclaim the outcome of the elections – announces “falsified and distorted results” on Monday.

He has also called for peaceful march across Cameroon on Sunday at 3 p.m. “to show the world that it is the people who choose their leader”.

The government has denounced his statement as incitement to insurrection. In a press briefing, Communication Minister and government spokesperson René Emmanuel Sadi urged journalists to act responsibly and avoid “fanning the flames”.

“The media play a structuring role in shaping public opinion in any democratic society,” Sadi said. “Acting in this way is neither a denial nor a dilution of the sacred principle of press freedom, which is central to democracy and the rule of law.” 

Rather than “pouring oil on the fire and fanning the flames”, he said the role of the media “should be that of an extinguisher – one that calms and strengthens democracy” in Cameroon.

Cameroon: Amnesty calls for release of 36 activists, five years after crackdown

On Wednesday, officials banned public gatherings and the movement of motorcycle taxis in several cities after opposition supporters staged protests warning against an attempt to rig the vote.

Protests were held Saturday in Bafoussam, the capital of the West Region, as motorcyclists flooded major roads, calling for a credible election process.

Protesters clashed with security forces in other cities earlier in the week. Some were arrested and one person, who was not among the protestors, was killed in the northern city of Garoua, authorities said.

Internet monitor NetBlocks has recorded significant disruptions to internet access in Cameroon in recent days, which it said “could limit coverage of events on the ground amid calls to annul the presidential election results”. 

(with newswires)

The presidential campaign officially began on Friday 10 October.

President Alassane Ouattara has led the country since April 2011, and is seeking a fourth term. 

He managed to establish himself as a heavyweight in Ivorian politics over the past thirty years, and is credited with keeping Côte d’Ivoire prosperous and economically dynamic. But Ouattara’s Côte d’Ivoire is also seen as “France’s last bastion”.

Now 83, he can run after changing the constitution in 2016 to remove presidential term limits, which has angered most of the opposition in Côte d’Ivoire.

Four candidates are standing against the incumbent president, the only ones having been ruled eligible by the country’s constitutional court: former ministers Jean-Louis Billon, Ahoua Don Mello and Henriette Lagou, and Simone Gbagbo, ex-wife of president Laurent Gbagbo and therefore a former first lady.

But neither of the main opposition parties – PDCI and PPA-CI – have been able to secure a candidate, as the court disqualified many, including former president Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, a businessman and former minister of development.

Why Côte d’Ivoire’s election could be more complex than it seems

The election campaign will end on 23 October, two days before voting begins.

Provisional results will be published at the national level by the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) between Sunday 26 October and Thursday 30 October 2025.

To be elected in the first round, a candidate must obtain an absolute majority of the votes cast. If none does, a second round of the presidential election could take place on Saturday 29 November.

Our guest this week is Paul Melly, researcher on West Africa and consulting fellow with the Chatham House think tank in London, UK.

Episode mixed by Melissa Chemam and Erwan Rome.

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

Ivorians go to the polls on Saturday to choose their next president. Incumbent leader Alassane Ouattara, 83, is seeking a fourth term and faces four challengers. Two of those challengers are women.

On both the president’s side and in the opposition, women have become a driving force. Some attend every meeting. Others help run campaign offices. MPs, mayors and other elected women are also involved.

Even candidates’ wives, such as Henriette Gomis Billon – married to main challenger Jean-Louis Billon – are busy trying to win support.

Female contenders

Two women are standing for president: Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, a former first lady and ex-wife of Laurent Gbagbo (who was excluded from the race along Tidjane Thiam), and Henriette Lagou.

Lagou told the media she hopes to embody a female alternative in a competition dominated by the traditional male figures of Ivorian political life. A former minister for women, she also founded the movement Two Million Girls for Gbagbo to support young Ivorian women and girls.

They are seen mainly as symbols of female involvement rather than likely winners. Still, their presence on the ballot shows how many women want a greater role in decisions that shape the country.

To appeal to female voters, both Ouattara and Billon have recruited dozens of women organisers and supporters.

Martine Vléon, national campaign director of the women working for Billon, said: “This page in our country’s political history will be written by women who stand tall, dignified and determined – women who know that Côte d’Ivoire’s future will not be built without them.”

She added that women have always had a strong role in Ivorian politics.

Voices on the ground

“We want peace in Côte d’Ivoire,” a Billon supporter told RFI. “Someone who will give us peace. We want to live in tranquility, in joy, in love. That’s what we’re looking for. We don’t want someone who will come and create problems, no… We want to work.” 

For Ouattara’s women supporters, what matters is the legacy of the president.

“I’m here to support my Papa ADO (Alassane Dramane Ouattara), the father of orphans, the one who built today’s great Côte d’Ivoire, which now looks like Paris. I don’t need to go to Paris anymore; I stay in my country, thanks to ADO. My country is the most beautiful country in the world. Papa ADO, I adore you.”

Another woman praised what she sees as progress.

“He’s a good president. Thanks to him, there are so many markets today, and jobs,” she told RFI. “We don’t struggle to sell anymore, you know what I mean?”

She said school and childbirth are free and added: “There are evening classes for adults. And today we no longer suffer to give birth like before, you see? That’s why we women come out today to say thank you. May God give him a long life. You don’t change a winning team!”

Representation gap

Women are often seen as those who hold families, businesses and society together.

Their political activism has deep roots too, including the Women’s March on Grand-Bassam in December 1949, when women travelled from Abidjan to Grand-Bassam to demand the release of political leaders held by the French colonial authorities.

Still, their seats at the table remain limited. In 2023, women represented only 13 percent of members of parliament. They were 7 percent of mayors and barely 6 percent of regional elected officials.

A 2019 law set a 30 percent quota for women in list elections and it has encouraged more women to stand. But real parity is still far off.

“Ivorian women have always carried the country on their shoulders,” Vléon said at a meeting in Abidjan.

“They feed our families, educate our children, care for our sick and participate in economic and social life with courage and selflessness.”

Many hope that after this campaign women will not only be visible – they will finally be heard.

President Ilham Aliyev announced the change during a visit to Kazakhstan, pointing to a shipment of Kazakh grain travelling through Azerbaijan to Armenia – the first such transit since cargo limits were imposed in the late Soviet era.

“It’s not a huge game changer in terms of Armenia’s ability to import and export,” said Joshua Kucera, a Caucasus analyst with the International Crisis Group (ICG).

But he added that the move was symbolically important, showing Azerbaijan was “willing to do things that they haven’t been willing to do before”.

Armenians caught between hope and distrust after accord with Azerbaijan

The lifting of cargo restrictions follows a series of agreements signed in Washington on 8 August between Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

These agreements are aimed at ending decades of hostility centred on the Nagorno-Karabakh region – a mountainous territory internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but historically inhabited primarily by ethnic Armenians.

The accords – and a 17-point peace deal that is yet to be officially signed and ratified – envisage the opening of transport routes to enhance trade, connectivity and mutual trust between the two countries, as well as the cessation of conflict.

The restoration of trade transits through Azerbaijani territory effectively reconnects Armenia to regional markets, following years of isolation due to prior hostilities and blockades.

Armenian constitution

However, significant hurdles remain. The biggest sticking point, according to Kucera, could be language used in the Armenian constitution which stipulates reunification between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Both sides now [effectively] acknowledge that this is Azerbaijani territory,” he said.

Azerbaijan thus views this as an unacceptable “territorial claim” in Armenia’s constitution, which stands in the way of a final peace agreement.

Armenia is now proposing a referendum on the constitution, to take place in 2027.

But according to Kucera, many Armenians perceive this as “bullying” from Azerbaijan.

“They don’t think it’s a legitimate demand from Azerbaijan. And so nobody knows if this referendum is going to pass.”

He added that many Armenians may simply boycott it. “If the referendum fails, the peace process will get a big hit.”

Spectre of 1915 Armenian genocide looms over Nagorno-Karabakh

Regional peacemaker

Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump claims that agreements between the two countries will be cemented by the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (Tripp).

This transport corridor through southern Armenia would link Azerbaijan to its exclave Nakhchivan, bypassing Iran and cutting transit times significantly.

Azerbaijan flexes its muscles amid rising tensions with Russia

With this initiative, the White House appears to be assuming the regional peacekeeper role that was traditionally Moscow’s, but Kucera is sceptical about a lasting US role in the area.

“Traditionally, the Caucasus has not been a very high priority of the US,” he told RFI. “Long before Donald Trump, you [had] an occasional attempt to get involved. [But] the attention never lasts for very long.”

He added: “I don’t think you can expect that this Russian absence from the Caucasus is going to last forever.”

The report, released on Wednesday, looked at four widely used AI assistants: OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot, Google’s Gemini and Perplexity.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) conducted the study in partnership with British public service broadcaster the BBC, building on the results of an earlier BBC in-house study.

Between late May and early June, 22 public service media outlets from 18 countries posed the same 30 news-related questions to the free versions of the four AI assistants.

Journalists working in the participant media organisations – including Radio France, Germany’s Deutsche Welle and NPR in the United States – were asked to check and rate the answers provided by the AI asisstants.

The five criteria used to evaluate the responses were accuracy, sourcing, distinguishing opinion from fact, editorialisation and context.

Overall, 45 percent of all AI answers had “at least one significant issue”, regardless of language or country of origin, the report said.

Hallucinated details

One out of every five answers “contained major accuracy issues, including hallucinated details and outdated information”, it found.

Common mistakes included confusing real news with parody, getting dates wrong or simply inventing events.

Sourcing – missing, misleading, or incorrect attributions – was the biggest cause of problems, at 31 percent, the report found. This was followed by accuracy, which caused 20 percent of the problems, and providing sufficient context, at 14 percent.

Of the four assistants, “Gemini performed worst with significant issues in 76 percent of responses, more than double the other assistants, largely due to its poor sourcing performance”, the report said.

EU begins rollout of new AI rules with tech giants split on compliance

In one example, Radio France asked Gemini about Elon Musk’s alleged Nazi salute at United States President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.

Gemini responded that the billionaire had “an erection in his right arm”, having apparently taken a satirical radio programme by a comedian at face value.

Gemini gave Radio France and Wikipedia as sources for this information, but did not provide links to the content mentioned.

“The chatbot therefore conveys false information using the name of Radio France, without mentioning that this information comes from a humorous source,” the Radio France evaluator wrote.

Outdated information was another of the most common issues in the 3,000 responses.

When asked “Who is the Pope?” ChatGPT told Finnish public broadcaster YLE that it was “Francis”, as did Copilot and Gemini when asked by Dutch media outlets NOS and NPO, even though by this time Pope Francis had died and been replaced by Leo XIV.

‘Endangering public trust’

Fast-moving news stories proved to be particular stumbling blocks for the AI assistants, as did direct quotes, which were found to sometimes have been made up or modified.

“Like all the summaries, the AI fails to answer the question with a simple and accurate ‘we don’t know’. It tries to fill the gap with explanation rather than doing what a good journalist would do, which is explain the limits of what we know to be true,” one BBC evaluator said, when referring to a question for Gemini.

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

For Jean Philip De Tender, deputy director general at the EBU: “AI assistants are still not a reliable way to access and consume news.”

He added: “This research conclusively shows that these failings are not isolated incidents. They are systemic, cross-border and multilingual, and we believe this endangers public trust. When people don’t know what to trust, they end up trusting nothing at all, and that can deter democratic participation.”

AI assistants are increasingly being used to search for information, particularly by young people. According to a global report published in June by the Reuters Institute, 15 percent of people under 25 use them every week to get news summaries.

(with AFP)

The robbery has also reignited the debate over museum security in France. Shortcomings have been previously pointed out on numerous occasions, and the Louvre heist, carried out in broad daylight at the world’s most visited museum, is just the latest in a series of incidents.

Among the stolen items were a tiara belonging to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, which features nearly 2,000 diamonds. The thieves also took a sapphire necklace belonging to Marie-Amélie, wife of Louis-Philippe I and the last queen of France, and Queen Hortense, the mother of Napoleon III which is composed of eight sapphires and 631 diamonds, according to the Louvre’s website.

Experts have said it would be impossible to resell these jewels in their current state, as they are listed in royal and imperial inventories, as well as in museum inventories.

They say the most likely scenario is that the jewellery will be resold once it has been dismantled.

Louvre remains shut for a second day as police hunt jewel heist gang

Magali Teisseire, a jewellery expert for the auction house Sotheby’s said: “An old-cut diamond can be recut into another shape and resold. Unfortunately, if they are recut, it is impossible to determine their origin as they are no longer stones with recognisable cuts, facets and inclusions.”

For auctioneer Olivier Valmier, the investigation into the heists is also a race against time to prevent the destruction of the pieces, whose gold could be quickly melted down.

“This week, [gold] reached a record price of €120,000 per kilo. But the value of gold is less than that of precious stones per unit,” he added.

Experts capable of cutting diamonds of this size optimally are rare, and the work could take several months.

Missing works

Around 60 investigators from the Paris judicial police’s banditry squad (BRB) and the Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Property (OCBC) have been mobilised.

On Sunday evening, French President Emmanuel Macron promised: “We will recover the works and the perpetrators will be brought to justice. Everything is being done, everywhere, to achieve this.”

However, many priceless objects stolen from global cultural institutions have never been recovered.

In 1990, two men dressed in police uniforms robbed Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum by setting off the fire alarm in the middle of the night.

They removed 13 paintings and drawings by Rembrandt, Vermeer and Manet from their frames. The museum is still offering $10 million dollars for any information on their whereabouts.

In 2002, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam was targeted by the Neapolitan mafia. The thieves climbed on to the roof with a ladder, broke a window and descended into the exhibition hall using a rope.

The two Van Gogh paintings they took were discovered in 2016 during a raid on the home of one of the Camorra mafia bosses.

In 2018, a Berlin gang stole 21 pieces of jewellery from a museum in Dresden, Germany, three of which are still missing.

This is not the first time the Louvre has been targeted. In 1911 its most famous exhibit, The Mona Lisa, was stolen – by a glazier who worked for the museum. The painting was returned two years later.

The Paris museum was last targeted in 1998, when a painting by French painter Camille Corot was stolen and has still not been recovered.

Louvre plagued by leaks and crumbling infrastructure, museum boss warns

Questions over security

“We have failed,” said French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin on Monday, the day after the Louvre theft.

The museum “has failed to keep up in the deployment of equipment designed to protect the works”, according to a previous report by the Court of Auditors consulted by French news agency AFP.

The Court, which examined the period between 2019 and 2024, noted a “persistent delay” in this area.

It found that many rooms in the museum are not protected by video surveillance, and the that obsolescence of much of the equipment has accelerated “at a much faster rate than the pace of investment by the institution to remedy the situation”.

In January, the president of the Louvre, Laurence Des Cars, alerted Culture Minister Rachida Dati to flaws in the museum’s security.

Trade unions have denounced a lack of security staff at the museum. On 16 June, the Louvre was closed for several hours due to a strike by employees, carried out as a warning over the shortage of security personnel.

“The Louvre Museum is short of several hundred reception and security staff,” Alexis Fritche, secretary-general of the CFDT Culture union, told RFI’s Laurence Théault. “When the theft took place, there were four staff members on duty instead of the six scheduled. There was a glaring shortage of staff.”

“We believe that there needs to be an audit of security and prevention measures. It is often the staff who are best placed to talk about the difficulties and weaknesses that may exist, particularly in a security system,” Fritche added. 

Christian Galani, a representative of union CGT Culture, told AFP that the Louvre’s security team had seen “200 jobs cut in 15 years, while visitor numbers have increased 1.5 times”.

“You can walk through several areas without seeing a single security guard, and several rooms are systematically closed due to a lack of available staff,” he said.

Series of recent thefts

The theft at the Louvre is only the latest in a series of incidents. In September, a thief removed 6 kilograms of gold nuggets from the Natural History Museum in Paris.

The museum’s alarm and video surveillance systems had been “inoperative” since a cyberattack on 25 July, AFP learned from police sources – which the museum has neither confirmed nor denied.

Also in September, two Chinese platters and a vase – classified as “national treasures” and worth several million euros – were stolen from the Adrien Dubouché National Museum in Limoges.

Chinese woman arrested following September gold theft at Paris museum

“We are well aware that French museums are highly vulnerable,” Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez acknowledged on Sunday when asked about possible flaws in the Louvre’s security system.

On Monday, he sent instructions to all prefects to strengthen security measures around cultural institutions where necessary.

Des Cars is due to be heard by the Senate on Wednesday. Laurent Lafon, chairman of the Cultural Affairs Committee, told AFP that she must provide “her explanations following Sunday’s theft”.

A commission of inquiry into the security of museums across the country will also be proposed to the National Assembly.

The Louvre, which remained closed on Tuesday, is set to undergo major renovations. At the beginning of the year, Macron announced works estimated to cost up to €800 million over a period of 10 years.

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

On a dusty field in Sherikat, a suburb in the south-east of South Sudan’s capital Juba, children and teenagers practice dribbling balls and weaving between cones. They take turns playing against each other, different coloured jerseys dividing them into teams.

“This is Young Dream Football Academy,” says Alaak Akuei, who everyone calls Kuku. “We are working with young people. Most of them come from the street and some are in gangs.” 

Akuei, 24, used to belong to a gang himself. He joined when he was 13 and newly arrived in Juba from a smaller town in the south.

Five years later, after several stints in prison, he set up Young Dream. 

“The young men, they don’t have anything to do. That’s why many of them are on the streets and end up in gangs,” he says. “We need to offer them activities to keep them busy and so that they don’t drop out of school. Football can be very powerful to fight this issue of gangs.” 

‘Sense of belonging’

Gang crime has become a major concern in Juba and other cities in South Sudan. In one internal displacement camp in the capital alone, the NGO Nonviolent Peaceforce estimates that nearly 1,200 people belonged to gangs in 2021, more than 90 percent of them aged under 18.

Members were accused of crimes including theft, drug dealing, rape and assault.

While many victims are members of rival gangs, outside “civilians” can be caught up too: between 2018 and 2023, the charity says, gang violence reportedly killed 39 people in the camp – 11 of them non-members – and severely injured more than 600.

From civil war to economic chaos: Ten years of independence for South Sudan

Years of insecurity in the country have killed or displaced millions, breaking up communities and disrupting schooling and livelihoods.

Now, the peace deal that ended the 2013-18 civil war looks close to collapse, threatening to tip the country back into conflict. 

Meanwhile, widespread corruption and power struggles between political factions have left much of the country struggling to secure food, healthcare, education and other basic services, according to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan.

In the absence of the state, gangs have stepped in. They offer not only a path to profits, but a community. 

“Children and youth are looking for a sense of belonging, to be loved. That is the main reason why they join gangs,” believes Sakaya Peter, who works for community empowerment NGO Gredo.

“In these groups, they don’t just fight or steal. They love each other deeply and care for one another.”

For the same reason, he says, initiatives such as the football academy can offer an effective alternative.

“By bringing them together regularly to do sports, we can offer them that same feeling that they have people they can get support from.”

South Sudan’s returnee farmers yearn for peace to revive food production

Second chances

Today Young Dream trains more than 900 young footballers, as well as running other sports programmes, academic support sessions and leadership workshops. 

Its six coaches are all former gang members. Emmanuel Aman Malual, 21, sees it as a second chance.

“Back when we were in the gang, we slept on the streets, drank, smoked. We did a lot of bad things. But it is possible to change,” he says. “I am a different person now, and I can’t imagine going back. Now all I want is to help these children, because they are the future of this nation.”

By the side of the pitch, a group of boys stand in the shade of a tin veranda. They were recruited from the streets by Akuei, who is also trying to get them back in touch with their families. 

John, 17, left home in 2017. His mother, an alcoholic, could be violent. His ambitions are simple: “I want to play football and go to school, and stay in a nice place where I can sleep, change my clothes and live normally.”

This article was adapted from the original version in French by RFI’s Florence Miettaux.

Voters are choosing between incumbent Alassane Ouattara, Jean-Louis Billon, Simone Ehivet, former wife of Laurent Gbagbo, Ahoua Don Mello and Henriette Lagou.

The two main opposition leaders, Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, are absent from the race after their candidacies were rejected.

Their exclusion has fuelled tensions across the country. A protest called by the Front commun – a platform bringing together the Democratic Party of Cote d’Ivoire (PDCI) and the African Peoples’ Party-Ivory Coast (PPA-CI) – was banned and dispersed by security forces.

According to the Interior Ministry, more than 700 people have been arrested and over 30 protesters handed prison sentences in recent weeks.

Turnout will be a key factor. In 2020, participation stood at 53.9 percent.

Roads were cut off in some parts of the country’s south and west but no disturbances had been reported at polling stations by mid afternoon. 

Women march into the fray but power still lags in Côte d’Ivoire

Slow start in Bonoua

Reporting from the traditional opposition stronghold of Bonoua, some 60 kilometres east of Abidjan, RFI’s correspondents found several polling stations slow to open.

At the MPP Benoît I polling centre, early voters were surprised to find empty rooms at the scheduled start of voting, no ballot boxes, booths or papers in sight.

“I have to go to work after voting,” one man said. “That’s why I came early, but they haven’t even set up the materials yet.”

Delays in the delivery of voting materials caused disruptions of up to 90 minutes, notably at the Christ-Roi College at the entrance to the town.

“It’s my first time voting,” said a young woman. “We talked about it a bit at school. It’s important – it’s part of life. You have to fulfil your duty calmly. I’ve done mine, but turnout isn’t great so far.”

Bonoua was rocked by violent protests on 13 October that left one young man dead after police dispersed opposition demonstrators. While calm has since returned, many residents of the Nouveau Goudron district say they have no intention of voting.

“We don’t trust the elections. We don’t feel represented,”  one resident said.

Security forces are stationed at key junctions across the town, helmets and shields within reach. At midday, however, the situation remained calm.

Côte d’Ivoire elections 2025 – Ouattara’s call to youth

Voting in Abidjan 

In Abidjan, voting began smoothly in most polling stations visited by RFI’s correspondent Bineta Diagne. In the working class distrcit of Yopougon, turnout was initially low but the process ran smoothly.

One school polling station used a biometric system whereby voters place their finger on a tablet to generate facial recognition.

“The system reassures me,” said young entrepreneur Modeste.

Each voter receives a single ballot paper featuring photos of all five candidates, marks their choice and places it in a sealed box. Civil society observers reported only minor incidents in the Goh region and near Alépé – none serious enough to disrupt the vote.

At the Abobo school in Abidjan, where around 3,200 voters are registered, polling opened on time. Small queues formed gradually. Some voters were also able to collect new voter cards on site by presenting ID.

“I came to exercise my civic right,” said Kadidida, smiling as she left the polling station.

Tight security 

According to our Abidjan correspondent, 44,000 police and gendarmes have been deployed to secure the country’s 25,000 polling stations and prevent unrest.

The exclusion of Gbagbo and Thiam have triggered protests, banned by authorities and met with force. More than 700 arrests have been reported, and at least four people – including a gendarme – have died during recent demonstrations.

Human rights organisations condemned the protest bans in a joint statement on Friday, calling them a violation of fundamental freedoms.

In the political capital Yamoussoukro, a night-time curfew (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) remains in place until Sunday morning after disturbances earlier in the week – including the ransacking of a local electoral commission office on Monday.

The curfew was lifted at dawn on Saturday and RFI’s reporters said the city was subdued.

Turnout the main test

With the two largest parties – the PPA-CI and PDCI – excluded from the contest and refusing to give voting instructions, observers say the main issue is whether Ivorians turn out to vote.

“Voter participation remains relatively low,” a member of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) told RFI. “It peaked at 81 percent in 2010, but fell to 52 percent in 2015 and 53 percent in 2020.”

Sociologist Séverin Kouamé notes “a sense of fatigue and disillusionment among voters”.

All five candidates have called on their supporters to come out and fulfil their civic duty.

Dahbia Benkired was handed an “irreducible life sentence” for killing 12-year-old Lola Daviet in Paris in 2022.

The case caused outrage and sparked anti-immigration fervour in France because the woman did not have the right to be in the country.

The sentence is the harshest under the French penal code and does not allow for parole or a reduction in sentence.

“We believed in justice and we got it,” said Lola’s mother, Delphine Daviet following the verdict.

Heaviest possible sentence

Benkired, now aged 27, was detained after Daviet went missing in the northeast of Paris.

Her body was then found in a trunk in the lobby of the building where her father and mother worked as caretakers.

In the verdict, the presiding judge cited the “extreme cruelty of the criminal acts”, describing them as “true torture” and “total dehumanisation”.

“In determining the appropriate sentence, the court took into account the unspeakable psychological damage to the victim and her family in such violent and almost unspeakable circumstances,” he said.

The public prosecutor had argued earlier in the day that Benkired should be handed an “irreducible life sentence”, saying it reflected the “extreme gravity” of the crimes and “the suffering” they caused her family.

Lola’s brother Thibault Daviet thanked the justice system after the ruling.

“We have restored the memory of my sister, we have restored the truth,” he said.

Since its introduction in 1994, only four men have received the same maximum sentence.

Those given it may in theory, after 30 years, ask a judge to review the ban on seeking parole.

France tries Algerian woman for rape and murder of 12-year-old girl

‘Psychopathic’ tendancies

Residents in the building saw Benkired in the lobby of the apartment block in the 19th district on 14 October, 2022, carrying suitcases and a heavy trunk covered in a blanket, the investigation showed.

An hour and a half earlier, security footage showed Benkired approaching the girl as she returned from school, then leading her into the flat her sister occupied in the building.

Benkired raped and hit the schoolgirl with scissors and a box cutter, then bound her up in duct tape, including around her face. An autopsy found she had died from asphyxiation.

Benkired apologised for her “horrible” actions when her trial opened last week.

She had undergone a psychological evaluation ahead of the trial. Three psychiatric experts said they had noted “psychopathic” tendencies in the defendant, and did not think she suffered from any mental health condition that could be cured.

She was found competent to stand trial.

During the trial, Benkired described growing up in a dysfunctional family, a childhood spent between Algeria and France, unloving aunts and a violent father.

She settled in France in 2013 but had no stable job or residence.

Conservative and far-right politicians seized on the case to call for better immigration law enforcement, after Benkired was found to have overstayed a student visa and failed to comply with a notice to leave France.

The far right organised demonstrations against what they said was the government’s poor management of illegal immigration.

The victim’s mother has urged politicians to stop exploiting her daughter’s death. 

(with newswires)

A decree published Friday in the official gazette said Rajoelina‘s Malagasy nationality was revoked because he had acquired French nationality in 2014, local media reported, as photographs of the document were shared online. 

RFI has confirmed the decree with the entourage of the new prime minister, Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo, who signed the order.

The decree means that Rajoelina – who was impeached on 14 October after fleeing the island nation in the wake of weeks of protests – will not be able to contest future elections.

The decree cited Madagascar’s nationality code, in force since 1960, which stipulates that any Malagasy who voluntarily acquires a foreign nationality automatically loses their Malagasy nationality. 

French nationality scandal

Rajoelina’s French nationality caused a scandal when it was revealed just months ahead of the November 2023 elections, nearly 10 years after it was granted. 

At the time, Rajoelina justified applying for French nationality to make it easier for his children to settle in France and continue their studies there. “But this piece of paper does nothing to change the blood that runs in my veins,” he insisted.

It triggered calls for him to be disqualified but he went on to win the contested polls, which were boycotted by opposition parties.

The 51-year-old politician fled Madagascar after army Colonel Michael Randrianirina said on 11 October that his CAPSAT unit would refuse orders to put down the youth-led protest movement, which security forces had attempted to suppress with violence.

Rajoelina said later he was in hiding for his safety, but did not say where.

Randrianirina was sworn in as president on 14 October, pledging elections within two years.

How Madagascar’s new leader Randrianirina rose from prison to presidency

Associate arrested

Meanwhile, the authorities in Mauritius have arrested Mamy Ravatomanga – one of Madagascar’s richest men and a close associate of Rajoelina.

Ravatomanga was wanted on money-laundering charges relating to to the transfer of Boeing aircraft to Iran in violation of US sanctions, a source told AFP.

The transfer of the planes was allegedly made possible through registration certificates issued by Madagascar’s Civil Aviation Authority (ACM).

Ravatomanga fled Madagascar to the neighbouring island of Mauritius on 12 October, days before the coup .

The 56-year-old businessman was arrested on Friday and his assets have been frozen. 

(with newswires)

Nearly 8.7 million voters are expected to elect the next president of Côte d’Ivoire, a country of 32 million and the region’s most dynamic economy. 

Ouattara, 83, has been in power since 2011. Facing him are four challengers, mostly political outsiders – apart from Simone Gbagbo, ex-wife of former president Laurent Gbagbo.

Commerce minister and businessman Jean-Louis Billon is the youngest candidate at 60. Two women are competing to become the country’s first female president: former first lady Gbagbo, 76, and Henriette Lagou, 66, a women’s rights campaigner who stood unsuccessfully in 2015.

Civil engineer and former minister Ahoua Don Mello, 67, is the fifth candidate, running as an independent.

Women march into the fray but power still lags in Côte d’Ivoire

Opposition candidates excluded

Côte d’Ivoire’s most prominent opposition politicians, however, are not in the race. Former president Laurent Gbagbo was barred from standing, as was former international banker Tidjane Thiam, the candidate of one of the country’s main political parties, the PDCI-RDA.

The constitutional council eliminated them on the grounds they had been removed from the electoral roll – Thiam because of nationality-related legal issues stemming from him acquiring French citizenship, and Gbagbo for a criminal conviction.

Their absence added to a tense political climate, with their supporters calling for protests and the authorities banning rallies on the grounds of public safety.

None of the remaining four candidates seeking to unseat Ouattara represents an established party – unlike the president, who heads the ruling RHDP. 

Major security deployment

Some 44,000 security forces have been deployed nationwide in the run-up to the vote.

Three people died over the past few weeks and more than 700 were arrested as marches were quashed. Around 30 people were sentenced to three years in prison for disturbing public order.

The authorities said they did not want to see a repeat of the election unrest of 2020, when 85 people died.

Ouattara himself came to power after a violent crisis followed the 2010 contest. More than 3,000 people were killed in clashes between his supporters and those of Gbagbo, who ruled for a decade before him.

Why Côte d’Ivoire’s election could be more complex than it seems

Regional loyalties

Turnout is a crucial issue, with analysts saying it could follow regional lines.

Ouattara’s traditional stronghold is in the north, while southern and western regions are home to groups that historically supported Gbagbo or the PDCI.

“Since the end of one-party rule in 1990 and the rise of multipartyism, the political debate in Côte d’Ivoire has begun to tribalise,” says historian Hyacinthe Bley of Félix Houphouët-Boigny University in Abidjan.

This has led to tensions, even a coup in 1999 and a civil war after the 2010 election.

“The country is still divided between the north and the south,” Bley told RFI, “and no one has forgotten the violence of the war of 2010 to 2011. The presidential election of 2015 was more peaceful, but the reconciliation is still not complete.”

Young voters in Côte d’Ivoire want jobs, change – but most of all, peace

According to Bley, people in Côte d’Ivoire still vote for a person rather than a party, which makes the absence of opposition heavyweights significant.

“The absence of the two main opponents will demobilise a significant portion of the electorate, and so far we haven’t seen a significant shift behind a candidate,” William Assanvo, a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, told AFP news agency.

If no one wins a majority in Saturday’s vote, the election will go to a second round between the two top candidates.

(with AFP)

In his role as AKAA’s new artistic director, Sitor Senghor believes it is important to “get back to basics” and restore the value of artisanal skills.

“I want to bring the creative process back to the centre, so that collectors and the public can see the artist working with their hands,” he told journalists gathered ahead of the opening on Friday.

These crafts have often been marginalised, he says, seen as “secondary” or “minor” when compared to fine arts like painting and drawing.

This is something Senghor has set out to change – as well as seeking to “honour the women” typically associated with handicrafts, passing know-how and traditions on for generations.

That’s why the exhibition spotlights material works: ceramics, sculpture, pottery, weaving, fabric and more.

Morocco: bridging Africa and the world through contemporary art

Cultural crossover

Dressed in a long, white, Japanese kimono, Senghor also noted the surprising parallels that can be found between African arts and crafts and other cultures across the globe.

“We think that Africa and Asia are very separate, but actually it’s not the case. When you look at Chinese archives, you can see a relationship between Asia and Africa that dates back to the 16th century,” he says.

“Some names in Africa sound like Asian names. There is also the tradition of statues and masks.”

A case in point is the specially commissioned installation that welcomes visitors as they enter the AKAA hall in Paris’s Marais district.

The Third Aesthetic, a four-part sculpture designed by Cameroonian artist Serge Mouangue, captures a visual universe suspended between Asia and Africa.

“When I arrived in Japan in 2006, I realised that there were many similarities between where I came from and where I lived in Japan,” says Mouangue, who moved to Tokyo for work. He spent 17 years designing cars before moving over to textiles and artistic design.

Paris exhibition explores kimono, from Japanese icon to global trend

He points to the blue and white cylinders suspended in the air, made of bamboo and decorated with red and white feathers. He worked with Japanese artisans in Tokushima to colour the cloth according to an ancient indigo dyeing technique, a method also used in West Africa.

Nearby are “mamorigami” guardians – a series of kendo masks that stand imposingly attached to sacred “shimenawa” ropes used in Japanese religious ceremonies. The masks, used by real fighters from Japan, are “covered with beads from my mother’s village in the Bamileke country” in Cameroon, Mouangue explains.

In the Seven Sisters, figures clad in robes and masks process across the hall. Although they could be mistaken for Noh theatre masks, Mouangue explains that they are actually Punu tribal masks from Gabon.

Contemporary African culture centre to open in Paris after four-year delay

Clothes reimagined

Moroccan designer Sophia Kacimi is exhibiting at AKAA for the first time with her project Zoubida – a collection of dresses and jackets made from woven jacquard fabric.

Combining her experience in fashion with her cultural heritage, she met with local artisans in Fez and Rabat to reinvent this colourful cloth, traditionally associated with Moroccan upholstery.

“I want to bring craftsmanship into an arena where we are not used to seeing it,” Kacimi told RFI, adding that she sees playfulness as part of her DNA.

Nearby is Emmanuel Aggrey Tieku from Ghana, who is also interested in clothes – but from an entirely different perspective. He has embarked on a “45-year long project” of recycling old clothing in different countries to make beautiful installations.

Winner of the Ellipse prize for young artists, Tieku says his art is chance to open a dialogue about the monumental waste that stems from the clothing industry, much of which ends up in his homeland.

Ghana grapples with crisis caused by world’s throwaway fashion

AKAA is hosting 47 galleries this year, representing 95 artists from 24 African countries, as well as members of the diaspora in the United States, Puerto Rico and Europe.

Also Known as Africa is at the Carreau du Temple in Paris until 26 October, 2025.

The new Fondation Cartier is located in a striking glass building offering 6,500 square metres of exhibition space.

Housed within an historic Haussmann-era complex that once hosted an antiques market, the modern art centre faces the Louvre and hopes to benefit from footfall to the world’s most visited museum to reach a new audience.

Pompidou Centre in Paris closes until 2030 for extensive renovations

Established by luxury jeweller Cartier in 1984, the foundation previously housed its collection of more than 4,500 artworks at a much smaller site in southern Paris, also designed by Nouvel.

The new-look premises were conceived as “a journey into the future” and “a museum of the 21st century”, Nouvel said when he unveiled the plans last year.

With five mobile steel platforms allowing for the modulation of space and light, its design borrows as much from “aircraft carriers as it does from the theatre”, according to the award-winning architect.

The foundation’s new home – within a “mythical” cultural hub comprising the Louvre, the Comédie Française theatre, the Museum of Decorative Arts and the Bourse de Commerce, which houses the art collection of French businessman François Pinault – is “worthy of the scale of the collection and its history”, said its director, Chris Dercon.

A trailblazing Paris show for indigenous Australian artist Sally Gabori

The institution plans to showcase some 600 works on rotation from its collection of works by 500 contemporary artists including Damien Hirst, David Lynch, Joan Mitchell, Patti Smith, Chéri Samba, Raymond Depardon and Malick Sidibé.

Its inaugural show, General Exhibition, highlights key works and moments from the foundation’s 41-year history.

The move cost an estimated €230 million in total, according to Fondation Cartier’s president, Alain Dominique Perrin.

(with AFP)

Securing 63 percent of the vote, Tufan Erhurman’s victory in last weekend’s election took Erdogan by surprise.

“The defeat was so big, 63 percent was such a landslide, Ankara was really shocked,” said former Erdogan advisor Ilnur Cevik.

Erhurman’s Republican Turkish Party backs a united island. Erdogan supported incumbent Ersin Tatar, whose National Unity Party wants two separate states.

“Ankara had amassed all its political clout on the island,” Cevik added. “It had sent its vice president five times to the island; it had sent numerous delegations led by deputies and mayors.”

It failed to win Turkish Cypriots over because “the essence of it was Turkey’s interference, which created huge resentment among the Turkish Cypriots”, Cevik said.

Cyprus has been split since Turkey invaded in 1974. Erdogan had pushed for international recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognised only by Ankara.

Turkey ready to help rebuild Gaza, but tensions with Israel could be a barrier

Shift away from partition

Analysts say Erhurman’s win has dealt a final blow to Erdogan’s two state strategy for Cyprus.

“The two independent states idea was dead on arrival, and now it’s officially dead,” said Soli Ozel, of Kadir Has University’s International Relations Department.

He said Erdogan’s reaction to the election points to a change in approach.

“President Erdogan’s message of congratulations to [Erhurman] suggests at least for the moment he’s ready to turn the page on that.”

Erdogan’s stance is very different to that of his coalition partner Devlet Bahceli, who called for the result to be overturned and for the north of the island to be integrated with Turkey.

Former Turkish ambassador Selim Kuneralp said the election gives Erdogan a chance to drop a policy that has become a growing obstacle to improving EU defence relations.

Turkey and Egypt’s joint naval drill signals shifting Eastern Med alliances

EU ties on the line

Cyprus has long blocked Turkey’s hopes of deeper EU defence cooperation and access to a 150 billion euro arms programme known as SAFE.

“So far, everything has been blocked by the Cyprus problem,” said Kuneralp, adding that the election result offers a rare opening.

“Now you’ve got these election results that open a small window. So that’s why the present situation might not be so bad for Erdogan.”

European governments see Turkey as an important partner in defending themselves against Russia.

A shift to unification talks could suit both sides, analyst Soli Ozel said.

“Given Russia’s proclivities, it makes sense for [Turkey] to be part of SAFE. And it doesn’t make sense for the Europeans because of the Greek and Greek Cypriot opposition to leaving Turkey out,” he said.

Erdogan’s Washington visit exposes limits of his rapport with Trump

Changing priorities

EU leaders have new priorities that could help clear a path.

“The European Union is no longer the European Union of our grandmothers; the issues of human rights and rule of law no longer count for anything,” Ozel said. 

“That’s a relation that is cleared of its thorns.”

Turkey’s backsliding on democracy has long held back cooperation with Brussels. Human rights is not expected to feature much during German Chancellor Frederick Mertz’s visit to Ankara later this month.

Deepening defence ties is set to top the agenda, but how far Erdogan supports unification could decide his next steps with the EU.

It began in Moldova. In late December 2023, a video purportedly showing President Maia Sandu disowning her government and mocking the country’s European ambitions went viral on Telegram.

The Moldovan government swiftly dismissed the clip as fake, but the damage was done.

According to Balkan Insight, an investigative news website, and Bot Blocker, a fake-news watchdog, the Kremlin-linked bot network “Matryoshka” generated the clip using the Luma AI video platform.

The footage, voiced in Russian, caricatured Sandu as ineffective and corrupt, recycling earlier disinformation tied to fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor.

French cybersecurity agency Viginum later described how AI-generated deepfake videos, including the one mimicking President Sandu, were distributed through Telegram and TikTok by a pro-Russian propaganda network affiliated with the Russian media outlet Komsomolskaya Pravda.

Viginum said websites like moldova-news.com were backed by what it called a “structured and coordinated pro-Russian propaganda network.”

Troll factories and cloning

Saman Nazari, a researcher with Alliance4Europe, a Europe-wide pro-democracy platform, told RFI the use of AI to influence elections is massively increasing.

In the past, he said people who wanted to influence elections would copy-paste the same text over and over again.

“They just have AI rewrite them, publish them across different accounts, different pages, with small variations aimed at specific target audiences,” Nazari said.

Nazari also said AI tools are now used to make disinformation operations look legitimate.

France’s Foreign Ministry said Storm 1516, a cyber-attack group, had launched 77 Russian disinformation campaigns targeting France, Ukraine and other Western countries since 2023.

According to Nazari, the operations were run by the successor to the Saint-Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency [founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2013 and dissolved in 2023], the Russian Foundation for Battling Injustice – which created websites that look exactly like well-known media outlets.

The groups running these websites clone news sites, fill them with stolen articles that are rewritten or translated and then re-publish them to appear credible, Nazari said.

Alliance4Europe has counted hundreds of such websites during European elections.

“In the past, it was quite a big job to create a website and fill it with content, but now it’s being done almost automatically,” Nazari said. 

Personal targets

The threat is spreading into Western Europe. Professor Dominique Frizon de Lamotte of CY Cergy Paris University was targeted by an AI-generated video that faked his image and voice and attempted to link him to pro-Russian groups in Moldova.

“I have no connection with Moldova; I don’t even use Telegram,” he told France 3 television. The video was flagged by EUvsDisinfo, an EU misinformation monitoring group, and French media as an attempt to undermine trust in academics.

The 2024 presidential election in Romania brought further evidence of AI-linked interference.

Officials said the interference, widely attributed by European governments to Russian-backed actors, led to the annulment of the election results by Romania’s Constitutional Court, an unprecedented move in Europe.

During the rerun in mid-2025, far-right narratives and fabricated content circulating on TikTok and Telegram sought to influence public opinion. Pro-European candidate Nicusor Dan ultimately won the repeat vote.

All eyes on Hungary

Hungary is preparing for a flood of AI-influenced content ahead of its 2026 elections.

Pro-government groups, including the National Resistance Movement, have already spent over €1.5 million promoting unlabelled AI videos attacking opposition leader Peter Magyar.

Some clips show fabricated scenes of Hungarian soldiers dying in Ukraine to provoke nationalist sentiment. Magyar has called the videos “pathetic” and “election fraud”.

Analysts say that even when viewers think content might be fake, emotional impact still shapes opinions.

Within a larger legal framework, the European Union has rules forcing platforms to show who is behind political adverts.

Within a wider framework, the European Union has already introduced the Digital Services Act in 2022 to strengthen platform rules on transparent political advertising.

The commission also operates a Rapid Alert System and an AI Integrity Taskforce to detect and counter manipulative content across languages and borders.

French cyber agency warns TikTok manipulation could hit Romania’s vote, again

Voters at risk

Nazari said young people are used to seeing altered images and deepfakes online.

“Young people have grown up with memes, with people making deep fakes. Edited images and videos and so on. [They] are familiar with the concept.”

But older voters, he told RFI, are more likely to be misled.

“They might not be able to distinguish between a real video and a deep fake video,” Nazari said, adding they are especially vulnerable in countries where digital literacy is not very high.

In a statement released on Friday, the European Commission said Meta’s Facebook and Instagram platforms, along with TikTok, had violated the Digital Services Act (DSA) – the EU’s flagship legislation on online transparency and accountability, which came into force last year.

The DSA demands that major online platforms do more to tackle illegal content, open up their algorithms to scrutiny, and ensure researchers can study how their systems affect users – particularly children.

According to the Commission, both Meta and TikTok have failed to give researchers “adequate access to public data”, a key requirement meant to allow independent experts to track everything from the spread of misinformation to children’s exposure to harmful content.

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

Regulators also accused Facebook and Instagram of making it too hard for users to flag illegal content or challenge moderation decisions.

The EU said the Meta platforms had adopted deceptive interface designs, also known as “dark patterns”, that make it confusing or discouraging for users to take action when they wish to report harmful material, such as child sexual abuse or terrorist content. “Such practices can be confusing and dissuading,” the Commission warned.

Meanwhile users who have their content removed or accounts suspended by the platforms lack a way to make a detailed appeal, it said.

Potential penalties

Meta and TikTok will now have the chance to review the Commission’s evidence and submit commitments to address its concerns. If the EU finds those responses inadequate, it can impose fines of up to 6 percent of a company’s global annual turnover – a potentially massive penalty for the two social media giants.

Meta insisted that it had already made changes to meet EU requirements. “We disagree with any suggestion that we have breached the DSA,” the company said, pointing to updates it has made to content reporting tools, appeals processes and data access systems since the law took effect.

TikTok, owned by Chinese parent company ByteDance, said it remained “committed to transparency” but warned that DSA rules on sharing data with researchers could clash with the EU’s own General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

“We are reviewing the European Commission’s findings, but requirements to ease data safeguards place the DSA and GDPR in direct tension,” a TikTok spokesperson said. “If it is not possible to fully comply with both, we urge regulators to provide clarity on how these obligations should be reconciled.”

Tiktok ‘fails’ political disinformation test ahead of EU elections

Free speech and Big Tech

Meta and TikTok are already facing several EU investigations – including probes into how addictive their platforms are for children and whether their algorithms amplify harmful content.

The latest accusations against Meta threaten to rile United States President Donald Trump, who has threatened to slap tariffs on countries that he believes unfairly target American tech companies.

Brussels denies its social media rules are overly restrictive. “When accused of censorship, we prove that the DSA is doing the opposite,” said EU digital spokesman Thomas Regnier on Friday. “It is protecting free speech, allowing citizens in the EU to fight back against unilateral content moderation decisions taken by Big Tech.”

(with newswires)

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 winner’s 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.

It sounds early, but it’s not. 2026 is right around the corner, and I know you want to be a part of our annual New Year celebration, where, with special guests, we read your New Year’s resolutions. So start thinking now, and get your resolutions to me by 15 December. You don’t want to miss out! Send your New Year’s resolutions to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

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!

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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 counseled on the best-suited activities for your level according to your score.

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 breaking 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 excellent staff of 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.

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Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in all 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 27 September, I asked you a question about Paul Myers’ article “Dembélé and Bonmati win Ballon d’Or as PSG take team and coach prizes”. The French Ballon d’Or award is awarded every year to the top football players in Europe, both men and women.

You were to send in the answer to these three questions: What is the name of the football prize for strikers, who won the men’s, and for which teams does he play?

The answer is, to quote Paul’s article: “In other awards, Viktor Gyokeres received the Gerd Müller Trophy to honour the striker of the year. Playing for Sporting Lisbon and Sweden, he netted 54 goals in 52 matches to top the scoring charts across the continent.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?”, which was suggested by Rafiq Khondaker, the chairman of the Source of Knowledge Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh.

Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to us!

The winners are: RFI English listener Rafiq Khondaker, the chairman of the Source of Knowledge Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh. Rafiq is also the winner of this week’s bonus question – and the listener who asked the question!

Congratulations on your double win, Rafiq, and thanks for all the bonus question ideas you regularly send to us.  

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Nafisa Khatun, the president of the RFI Mahila Shrota Sangha Club in West Bengal, India, and Ras Franz Manko Ngogo, the president of the Kemogemba RFI Club in Tarime, Mara, Tanzania.

There are RFI Listeners Club members Zenon Teles, who’s also the president of the Christian – Marxist – Leninist – Maoist Association of Listening DX-ers in Goa, India, and last but assuredly not least, Shaira Hosen Mo from Kishoreganj in Bangladesh.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Mathar”, mixed by Brendan Lynch and performed by the Indian Vibes Ensemble; “Carnival De Paris” by Dario G, performed by the Dario G Ensemble; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Hurt” by Trent Reznor, sung by Johnny Cash.

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 “Paris police hunt Louvre thieves after priceless jewels vanish in daring heist”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 17 November to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 22 November 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

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After months of negotiations, the three European aerospace giants signed a preliminary memorandum of understanding on Thursday to create a jointly owned satellite company that could be fully operational by 2027.

The move marks one of the most ambitious industrial mergers yet in Europe’s space sector.

French Economy Minister Roland Lescure hailed the announcement as “excellent news”, saying the deal would “strengthen our European sovereignty”.

Under the agreement, the new venture will be jointly controlled by the three companies – with Airbus holding a 35 percent stake and Leonardo and Thales each owning 32.5 percent.

Governance will be shared evenly among the partners, according to a joint statement.

If approved by regulators, the project – provisionally called Bromo – would be operational in 2027. The new group is expected to employ around 25,000 people across Europe, with annual revenues of about €6.5 billion and an order book worth more than three years of sales.

At a press conference on Thursday morning, a Thales executive confirmed that the company’s headquarters would be based in Toulouse. The south-western French city is already home to Airbus and hosts production and R&D facilities for both Thales and Leonardo.

Negotiations over governance and structure are still at an early stage, Airbus executives told journalists.

They added that there would be no rotating leadership and no management roles reserved for specific shareholders or nationalities.

EU launches flagship satellite project to rival US networks by 2030

Strategic ambition

Talks with governments, trade unions and the European Commission could take up to two years, as the partners hammer out the details of a deal that will affect operations in France, Italy, Germany and the UK.

The creation of a European satellite powerhouse is designed to help the continent compete more effectively with US and Chinese rivals – and especially with Musk’s fast-expanding Starlink network, which has revolutionised satellite internet.

Unlike Musk’s SpaceX, which deploys its reusable launchers to carry Starlink satellites, the new European venture will not include space launchers.

World’s first reprogrammable satellite launched into space from French Guiana

The three firms had recently renewed efforts to combine their satellite operations after earlier talks collapsed over governance and valuation issues. Previous merger attempts in the sector have also faltered amid concerns over competition and national rivalries.

However, the rapid rise of Starlink – which now boasts more than 8,000 satellites in orbit – has put Europe under mounting pressure to consolidate its resources or risk being squeezed out of the market altogether.

Investors welcomed the announcement, with shares in all three companies rising in early trading on Friday.

“The initiative is undoubtedly positive,” said Italian investment bank Equita in a note, “as it creates a European champion able to compete globally and improve the profitability of activities that have struggled in recent years.”

(with newswires)

President Alassane Ouattara has been in power since 2011, having changed the constitution in 2016 to remove presidential term limits. 

While the former International Monetary Fund economist has been credited with keeping Côte d’Ivoire prosperous during his time in office, and the country’s economy is the healthiest in West Africa, its wealth is still held in the hands of the few.

Businessman and former trade minister Jean-Louis Billon, 60, is seen as Ouattara’s main opponent, following the disqualification of political powerhouses Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam.

“We believe Jean-Louis Billon will provide jobs for young people here, for us in Côte d’Ivoire,” one young man told RFI at a rally in support of Billon in the country’s economic capital, Abidjan.

“Right now, as young people, we want to work so we can feed our families.”

Côte d’Ivoire presidential race begins amid rising tensions

Youth unemployment

Around 40 percent of Côte d’Ivoire’s 38 million citizens are under 15, 75 percent under 35, and youth unemployment is one of the main issues at stake in these elections. 

Billon’s promise of more jobs has drawn in many young voters. 

His supporters also see him as an agent of change, and his election as a chance for healthy political alternance.

“We would like a little change,” one supporter told RFI at the Abidjan rally.

“Honestly, we recognise that the current president has done the best he could for us. Anyone who says that Ouattara hasn’t worked [would] be [speaking] in bad faith. Because he’s done everything: infrastructure, schools, universities. Currently, everything is good, everything is fine. But we would like a little change, to appease the hearts of other politicians.”

‘Peace, not politics’

Flavio Cunha is a 21-year-old economics student at Félix Houphouët-Boigny University, in Abidjan, who is worried about his future prospects, in a country where opportunities could be plentiful.

“I wouldn’t say that I feel hopeful, it’s kind of complicated,” he told RFI.

“The job opportunities are really super limited. So you have to be super competitive in the job market, because we have a lot of new graduates and experienced graduates on the job market. You don’t get jobs easily.”

He believes politics can get in the way of progress in the country. 

“African politics make things worse because of our leaders, especially here. The politics that they’re applying doesn’t actually suit us. We feel a little bit worried about what’s going to happen [with the election], because of the way that the politicians speak and the way they do politics. It doesn’t make us [feel] secure about our future.”

Fake news flourishes as Côte d’Ivoire heads into presidential election

Flavio remembers the country’s civil war of 2010-2011 and doesn’t want a repeat of this.

“I do have memories, lots of difficult memories, a lot of bad things. I lived in Adjamé at the time [in Abidjan]. I was seven. I saw a lot of dead bodies on the streets, that was horrible.”  

He added: “We just need peace, that’s it. That’s why we young people are not that into politics. Because in Cote d’Ivoire, in Africa, politics means war – fighting and stuff. We don’t have democratic politics in Cote d’Ivoire. That’s unfortunate, as that’s super important.”

Flavio says he would like to go abroad to set up a business after his degree, and wok in English.

Silenced voices

Many in Abidjan say that life remains hard for the average Ivorian.

Although the city’s economy is booming and infrastructures are growing, with the first urban train currently under construction along with flyovers which have radically improved traffic, some say they still cannot get better jobs. 

“I don’t want to be a taxi driver here in Abidjan, away from my family,” one young driver told RFI. “I hope we can have a president that creates good jobs for young people like us.”

Another criticised the lack of political alternatives. “Thiam and Gbagbo should have been able to run,” they told RFI. “And it is a shame that a president can change the constitution to prolong his mandate, and that he can ban any form of opposition’s protest.” 

Côte d’Ivoire bans protests after opposition leaders barred from vote

Excluded candidates have called on their supporters to protest, but such demonstrations have been banned by the authorities. 

This has caused justifiable anger and risks voter apathy or even a boycott of the election, says Hyacinthe Bley, a historian at Félix Houphouët-Boigny University.

“The authorities should let them express their anger, or else they will think that the current government just uses all means for repression to their advantage,” he told RFI. “That cannot be good for a peaceful election.”

Seeking stability

After holding a rally in the centre of the country, Ouattara returned to Abidjan to host two further rallies at the city’s main stadium in Le Plateau, a business district in which skyscrapers loom over the laguna.

One of these was dedicated to young people – many of whom recognise his economic achievements for the country.

“After President Houphouet-Boigny, only President Ouattara has worked, practically speaking. So, people realise that he is the one able to move the country forward,” one supporter told RFI.

Côte d’Ivoire elections 2025 – Ouattara’s call to youth

Pascal Kobena said he based his support for the current president on the future of his children.

“Ouattara does everything so the country can move forward in terms of development, in terms of peace, and to guarantee the security of Ivorians, property and the people who live here,” he told RFI.

Referring to the civil war, some say they have bitter memories of how political divisions brought only violence and a divided society and that they are not willing to risk peace for the sake of politicians’ careers.

They see Ouattara as the solution for stability, among them the groups of “ADO girls” and “Mums for Ouattara” at the stadium rallies.

“We don’t change a team that wins!” one woman told RFI.

Some 8.7 million people are eligible to vote in Saturday’s first round. Most political observers expect Ouattara to be reelected on the straight of this first ballot, without a second round.

Migrants still set off daily from the beaches of northern France, where hundreds of people gather and wait for a chance to reach Britain.

The deal signed in July was meant to discourage crossings through a “one-for-one” system – for every migrant returned to France, another would be legally accepted into Britain.

Yet the flow has continued to rise, prompting doubts about whether the plan can deliver the results ministers expected.

Deal a failure?

Only 42 migrants have been sent back to France under the deal, while 23 have received visas to move legally to the UK. Nigel Farage, leader of far-right Reform UK, has called the plan a total failure.

One Iranian migrant who was returned to France managed to cross the Channel again a few days later.

Criticism is rising in northern France as well. Guy Allemand, mayor of Sangatte near Calais, told RFI the deal was “purely political” and “hypocritical”.

“This bilateral agreement does nothing to ensure the safety of migrants or to dismantle the smugglers’ networks,” he said. “It’s simply a political response to Nigel Farage – an agreement of appearances.

“When you look at the numbers returned compared with the tens of thousands of successful crossings, it’s insignificant. Migrants are not at all deterred.”

Humanitarian groups challenge UK-France migration deal in French court

Court ruling 

France’s Conseil d’État, the country’s highest administrative court, is expected to rule soon on whether the agreement should stand. Around 17 NGOs have challenged the deal, saying that its principles are inhumane.

At least 27 people have reportedly died attempting the crossing since 1 January.

The deal’s troubles are playing out against the backdrop of camp clearances around Calais – scenes that have become part of the region’s daily life.

The pressures around the deal coincide with continued camp clearances near Calais. At the end of September, French authorities evacuated a camp in a disused warehouse on the city’s outskirts.

Known as Cheers, the site had housed up to 600 people in what officials described as degrading and dangerous conditions.

The Pas-de-Calais prefecture said the operation was calm and without incident, arguing the warehouse had become a hub for smuggling networks exploiting vulnerable migrants.

Aid groups and journalists who visited earlier this year reported dark, damp and overcrowded spaces, with piles of waste and makeshift bedding.

Around 170 residents accepted accommodation in regional reception centres, while others left for nearby woods and roadside camps.

The London gathering of the so-called “coalition of the willing” comes as Ukraine’s Western allies ramp up pressure on Moscow, with both the United States and the European Union announcing fresh sanctions this week targeting Russian energy exports in a bid to cripple its war economy.

EU leaders have also moved closer to securing funds for Ukraine’s defence over the next two years, though they stopped short of approving a vast “reparations loan” backed by frozen Russian assets.

“On Friday, the Prime Minister will call on allies to step up the gifting of long-range capabilities to ensure Ukraine can build on its success of this week,” Downing Street said in a statement ahead of the summit.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and the Netherlands’ Prime Minister Dick Schoof are expected to attend the meeting in person, while other leaders – including French President Emmanuel Macron – will join by videolink.

Zelensky pushes EU to unlock €140bn in frozen Russian assets

Missiles and momentum

Starmer’s push for more missile deliveries comes after Zelensky’s recent visit to Washington failed to secure the long-range Tomahawk missiles he has been pleading for. The Ukrainian leader argues such weapons are essential to strike Russian targets deep behind enemy lines.

The nearly four-year conflict continues to grind on despite Western efforts to push Russian President Vladimir Putin towards negotiations.

In recent days, Moscow has launched a new wave of deadly drone and missile attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, signalling its determination to wear Kyiv down as winter approaches.

According to Downing Street, Starmer will also urge European leaders to “finish the job on Russian sovereign assets to unlock billions of pounds to fund Ukraine’s defences.”

His appeal follows Thursday’s EU summit in Brussels, where leaders instructed the European Commission to explore options for supporting Ukraine financially over the next two years.

On the table is a potential €140 billion “reparations loan” using profits generated by some €200 billion in frozen Russian central bank assets.

The European Commission has proposed channelling the windfall from those assets into a loan for Kyiv – without seizing the funds outright – but the plan has met stiff resistance from Belgium, where most of the frozen assets are held.

While Thursday’s summit conclusions avoided direct mention of the proposed loan, the statement – endorsed by all member states except Hungary – invited the Commission to present “as soon as possible” its options for future financial support.

Zelensky welcomed the outcome as a clear sign of “political support” for the idea of using Russian assets to sustain Ukraine’s war effort.

European Council President Antonio Costa said the bloc had “committed to ensure that Ukraine’s financial needs will be covered for the next two years”.

“Russia should take good note of this,” he told reporters. “Ukraine will have the financial resources it needs to defend itself.”

Shadow fleet targeted as EU advances frozen assets plan for Ukraine

Building Ukraine’s defences

Zelensky has been pressing for additional long-range weapons for weeks, hoping to seize on what he views as shifting dynamics in Washington.

His latest appeal follows US President Donald Trump’s apparent frustration with Putin after an inconclusive summit in Alaska earlier this month.

Although the UK and France already supply Ukraine with Storm Shadow and Scalp cruise missiles – and Ukraine produces its own Flamingo and Neptune systems – Kyiv remains eager to obtain Germany’s Taurus missiles, a move Berlin has long resisted over fears of escalating tensions with Moscow.

At the London summit, Starmer is also set to announce the acceleration of a British programme to manufacture air defence missiles, which aims to provide Ukraine with more than 5,000 weapons in the coming months.

Around 140 lightweight multirole missiles are expected to be delivered to Ukraine this winter, reinforcing the message that Britain intends to keep Kyiv’s defences strong well into 2026.

(With AFP)

Securing 63 percent of the vote, Tufan Erhurman’s victory in last weekend’s election took Erdogan by surprise.

“The defeat was so big, 63 percent was such a landslide, Ankara was really shocked,” said former Erdogan advisor Ilnur Cevik.

Erhurman’s Republican Turkish Party backs a united island. Erdogan supported incumbent Ersin Tatar, whose National Unity Party wants two separate states.

“Ankara had amassed all its political clout on the island,” Cevik added. “It had sent its vice president five times to the island; it had sent numerous delegations led by deputies and mayors.”

It failed to win Turkish Cypriots over because “the essence of it was Turkey’s interference, which created huge resentment among the Turkish Cypriots”, Cevik said.

Cyprus has been split since Turkey invaded in 1974. Erdogan had pushed for international recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognised only by Ankara.

Turkey ready to help rebuild Gaza, but tensions with Israel could be a barrier

Shift away from partition

Analysts say Erhurman’s win has dealt a final blow to Erdogan’s two state strategy for Cyprus.

“The two independent states idea was dead on arrival, and now it’s officially dead,” said Soli Ozel, of Kadir Has University’s International Relations Department.

He said Erdogan’s reaction to the election points to a change in approach.

“President Erdogan’s message of congratulations to [Erhurman] suggests at least for the moment he’s ready to turn the page on that.”

Erdogan’s stance is very different to that of his coalition partner Devlet Bahceli, who called for the result to be overturned and for the north of the island to be integrated with Turkey.

Former Turkish ambassador Selim Kuneralp said the election gives Erdogan a chance to drop a policy that has become a growing obstacle to improving EU defence relations.

Turkey and Egypt’s joint naval drill signals shifting Eastern Med alliances

EU ties on the line

Cyprus has long blocked Turkey’s hopes of deeper EU defence cooperation and access to a 150 billion euro arms programme known as SAFE.

“So far, everything has been blocked by the Cyprus problem,” said Kuneralp, adding that the election result offers a rare opening.

“Now you’ve got these election results that open a small window. So that’s why the present situation might not be so bad for Erdogan.”

European governments see Turkey as an important partner in defending themselves against Russia.

A shift to unification talks could suit both sides, analyst Soli Ozel said.

“Given Russia’s proclivities, it makes sense for [Turkey] to be part of SAFE. And it doesn’t make sense for the Europeans because of the Greek and Greek Cypriot opposition to leaving Turkey out,” he said.

Erdogan’s Washington visit exposes limits of his rapport with Trump

Changing priorities

EU leaders have new priorities that could help clear a path.

“The European Union is no longer the European Union of our grandmothers; the issues of human rights and rule of law no longer count for anything,” Ozel said. 

“That’s a relation that is cleared of its thorns.”

Turkey’s backsliding on democracy has long held back cooperation with Brussels. Human rights is not expected to feature much during German Chancellor Frederick Mertz’s visit to Ankara later this month.

Deepening defence ties is set to top the agenda, but how far Erdogan supports unification could decide his next steps with the EU.

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 winner’s 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.

It sounds early, but it’s not. 2026 is right around the corner, and I know you want to be a part of our annual New Year celebration, where, with special guests, we read your New Year’s resolutions. So start thinking now, and get your resolutions to me by 15 December. You don’t want to miss out! Send your New Year’s resolutions to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

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 for the RFI English Listeners Forum banner to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

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 counseled on the best-suited activities for your level according to your score.

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 breaking 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 excellent staff of 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 all 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 27 September, I asked you a question about Paul Myers’ article “Dembélé and Bonmati win Ballon d’Or as PSG take team and coach prizes”. The French Ballon d’Or award is awarded every year to the top football players in Europe, both men and women.

You were to send in the answer to these three questions: What is the name of the football prize for strikers, who won the men’s, and for which teams does he play?

The answer is, to quote Paul’s article: “In other awards, Viktor Gyokeres received the Gerd Müller Trophy to honour the striker of the year. Playing for Sporting Lisbon and Sweden, he netted 54 goals in 52 matches to top the scoring charts across the continent.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?”, which was suggested by Rafiq Khondaker, the chairman of the Source of Knowledge Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh.

Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to us!

The winners are: RFI English listener Rafiq Khondaker, the chairman of the Source of Knowledge Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh. Rafiq is also the winner of this week’s bonus question – and the listener who asked the question!

Congratulations on your double win, Rafiq, and thanks for all the bonus question ideas you regularly send to us.  

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Nafisa Khatun, the president of the RFI Mahila Shrota Sangha Club in West Bengal, India, and Ras Franz Manko Ngogo, the president of the Kemogemba RFI Club in Tarime, Mara, Tanzania.

There are RFI Listeners Club members Zenon Teles, who’s also the president of the Christian – Marxist – Leninist – Maoist Association of Listening DX-ers in Goa, India, and last but assuredly not least, Shaira Hosen Mo from Kishoreganj in Bangladesh.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Mathar”, mixed by Brendan Lynch and performed by the Indian Vibes Ensemble; “Carnival De Paris” by Dario G, performed by the Dario G Ensemble; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Hurt” by Trent Reznor, sung by Johnny Cash.

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 “Paris police hunt Louvre thieves after priceless jewels vanish in daring heist”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 17 November to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 22 November 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 find out how you can 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. 

Turkey responded to a call from Hamas for assistance with locating the bodies of Israeli hostages still unaccounted for in the ruins of Gaza, sending specialists to help in the search.

Ankara maintains close ties with Hamas, which some analysts say could make it a useful mediator – although strained relations with Israel could stand in the way of any peacekeeping or reconstruction mission, despite Turkey’s experience in these areas.

“Turkey does have expertise for this – it has a doctrine,” said Murat Aslan of the SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, a pro-government think tank.

“In Afghanistan, Bosnia, some African countries like Somalia or Sudan, and in Kosovo, Turkey contributed either through its Tika aid agency, responsible for reconstruction, or through its armed forces.”

Aslan believes Turkey’s approach would be similar in Gaza. “Turkey will send soldiers for sure, for the protection of the civilian units,” he said.

Hamas says committed to Gaza truce and returning hostage remains

High risk

However, others warn the mission would not be easy.

“Turkey can become part of this protection force, but it will not be easy. At the moment it seems more problematic than many people assume,” said Huseyin Bagci, an international relations professor at Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.

Bagci fears Gaza could slide into chaos as rival groups fight for control.

“There are fights between Hamas and the clans,” he said. “It will not be easy because Hamas has to give up its weapons, which is the primary condition. Hamas is not 100 percent trusting Turkey – if not, Israel will probably act.”

Turkey and Egypt’s joint naval drill signals shifting Eastern Med alliances

Deep mistrust

Any Turkish deployment would also require Israel’s consent, which appears unlikely given the collapse in relations between the country’s leaders.

Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have regularly traded insults since the start of the current conflict in Gaza, and Ankara’s vocal support for Hamas has further deepened mistrust.

Israeli analysts say the government is hesitant to allow Turkish troops in Gaza, citing deep tensions and mistrust between the two countries.

Gallia Lindenstrauss of the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv said there is little enthusiasm for involving a Muslim peacekeeping force, as any casualties could inflame anger across the Muslim world and worsen relations.

“This conflict in Gaza has heightened tensions between Turkey and Israel, particularly between the two leaders,” she added.

Counting on Washington

Any Turkish role in Gaza would likely need US backing to move forward, given Israel’s resistance, observers warn.

Aslan believes Washington could help bridge the divide. “Erdogan does have a charming power over Hamas,” he said.

“So it’s on Turkey to urge Hamas to accept some things, and it’s on the United States to push Israel to accept the terms of a long-term peace. I believe that Trump is well aware of it, because there is no trust of Israel. That’s a fact, not only for Gazans or Palestinians or Turks, but [across the world] overall.”

Aslan says trust would be essential to persuading Hamas to disarm. “I believe Hamas will lay down their arms when they feel safe, and they have to see friendly faces in Gaza to be persuaded.”

Erdogan’s Washington visit exposes limits of his rapport with Trump

Road to normalisation

Turkish involvement in Gaza could also help pave the way for a reset in relations between Ankara and Tel Aviv.

Bagci believes Erdogan is hoping for political change in Israel to make that possible. “There will be elections,” he said. “Erdogan [is counting on] Netanyahu losing. But if he wins, then he has to deal with him because both sides have to be pragmatic and realistic.”

Bagci said much of the fiery rhetoric from both men is aimed at domestic audiences, with both having reputations as political survivors and pragmatists.

If peace efforts gain ground, observers say cooperation in Gaza could offer a path towards rebuilding trust – and serve both countries as they compete for regional influence.

(with AFP)

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winner’s names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you’ve grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week.

Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your music requests, so get them in! Send your music requests to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr  Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all!

Facebook: Be sure to send your photos for the RFI English Listeners Forum banner to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

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 counseled on the best-suited activities for your level according to your score.

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 breaking 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 excellent staff of 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 all 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 30 August, I asked you a question about France’s budget problems … since I asked that question, two governments have been dissolved: that of François Bayrou, and that of the next in line, Sébastien Lecornu, who quit after just a few days, but now he’s back. It’s a high-level game of musical chairs, and we still are not anywhere near coming up with a budget.

You were to read our article “French PM puts government on line with call for confidence vote” and send in the answers to these two questions: What is France’s budget deficit, and what is the official European Union limit for a country’s budget deficit?  

The answer is, to quote our article: “After years of overspending, France is on notice to tame a budget deficit that hit 5.8 percent of gross domestic product last year, nearly double the official EU limit of 3 percent.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “What is your favorite memory of your mother?” The question was suggested by Liton Rahaman Mia from Naogaon, Bangladesh.

Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to us!

The winners are: RFI English listener Debashis Gope from West Bengal, India. Debashis is also this week’s bonus question winner. Congratulations on your double win, Debashis.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Paresh Hazarika, a member of the United RFI Listeners Club in Assam, India, and RFI Listeners Club members Shadman Hosen Ayon from Kishoreganj, Bangladesh, as well as Arne Timm from Harjumaa in Estonia. Last but certainly not least, RFI English listener Rowshan Ara Labone from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Les Feuilles Mortes” by Jacques Prévert, set to music by Joseph Kosma and sung by Yves Montand; “Twelfth Street Rag” by Euday L. Bowman; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Serenade to a Cuckoo” by Roland Kirk, performed by Kirk and the Roland Kirk Quartet.

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

This week’s question … you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read our article “Morocco Gen Z protesters call for ‘peaceful sit-ins’ to demand reforms”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 10 November to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 15 November 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 find out how you can 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. 

Populist billionaire Andrej Babiš has swept back into power after voters, frustrated by unfulfilled promises and a stagnant quality of life, turned their backs on the centre-right government.

According to Ondračka, Babiš’s resurgence reflects deep public disillusionment with the political establishment – alongside his skill as a pragmatist who “tells people whatever they want to hear.”

While Brussels voices unease over his return, Ondračka argues that Babiš is neither aligned with Moscow nor guided by ideology.

Instead, he describes him as a tycoon whose loyalties lie squarely “where the money is” – inside the European Union.

Czech populist’s comeback a win for politics of pragmatism in shifting Europe

As the Czech Republic enters coalition talks and joins Hungary, Slovakia and Poland in navigating a shifting political landscape, Ondračka warns that Europe’s populist wave is far from receding, continuing to test the strength of the liberal centre.

The presidential campaign officially began on Friday 10 October.

President Alassane Ouattara has led the country since April 2011, and is seeking a fourth term. 

He managed to establish himself as a heavyweight in Ivorian politics over the past thirty years, and is credited with keeping Côte d’Ivoire prosperous and economically dynamic. But Ouattara’s Côte d’Ivoire is also seen as “France’s last bastion”.

Now 83, he can run after changing the constitution in 2016 to remove presidential term limits, which has angered most of the opposition in Côte d’Ivoire.

Four candidates are standing against the incumbent president, the only ones having been ruled eligible by the country’s constitutional court: former ministers Jean-Louis Billon, Ahoua Don Mello and Henriette Lagou, and Simone Gbagbo, ex-wife of president Laurent Gbagbo and therefore a former first lady.

But neither of the main opposition parties – PDCI and PPA-CI – have been able to secure a candidate, as the court disqualified many, including former president Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, a businessman and former minister of development.

Why Côte d’Ivoire’s election could be more complex than it seems

The election campaign will end on 23 October, two days before voting begins.

Provisional results will be published at the national level by the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) between Sunday 26 October and Thursday 30 October 2025.

To be elected in the first round, a candidate must obtain an absolute majority of the votes cast. If none does, a second round of the presidential election could take place on Saturday 29 November.

Our guest this week is Paul Melly, researcher on West Africa and consulting fellow with the Chatham House think tank in London, UK.

Episode mixed by Melissa Chemam and Erwan Rome.

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

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.