The ban had been due to take effect on 1 January. But a decree published in the Official Journal on Tuesday said a review carried out this year raised concerns about the “technical feasibility of eliminating plastic from cups”, prompting the delay.

The ministries for ecological transition and for the economy said a new review will be carried out in 2028 to assess “progress made in replacing single-use plastic cups”.

When the ban comes into force on 1 January, 2030, companies will have 12 months to sell off existing stock.

The decree added that, depending on the outcome of the 2028 review, cups still allowed after 2030 would be those that “do not contain plastic, or only traces”. It said the deadline could still be revised based on those findings.

France has gradually introduced bans on single-use plastic products over the past decade, as environmental groups issue warnings over pollution in rivers and oceans.

A law passed in 2020 set a target of eliminating all single-use plastics by 2040.

The mammoth task of mapping and removing plastic waste from Aldabra atoll

Environmental backlash

The postponement drew criticism from environmental organisations, which accused the government of retreating under pressure.

“This is yet another step backwards in the fight against plastic pollution, under pressure from lobbies,” said Manon Richert, spokesperson for Zero Waste France.

She told French news agency AFP the government’s argument was weak because “solutions like reuse and refill already exist” and “must be rolled out through investment and an appropriate regulatory framework”.

French rules already limit the amount of plastic in disposable cups. Since 2024, the maximum content allowed has been set at 8 percent, down from 15 percent until 2022.

Many cups sold as cardboard rely on a thin plastic film to make them rigid and waterproof. Despite progress, the technology for plastic-free cups “remains generally insufficient” for large-scale use, the Ministry for Ecological Transition said.

UN talks on plastic pollution treaty end without a deal

Rules often ignored

The government’s DGCCRF consumer protection agency said in a report released in 2024 that almost one in five of around 100 companies checked in 2023 were breaching rules on single-use plastic items.

Investigators said some firms marketed products as plastic-free even though they still contained plastic, while others changed product names to get around existing bans.

In early December, France Nature Environnement and the NGO Surfrider formally demanded that several retailers, including Amazon, Métro and La Foir’Fouille, withdraw banned plastic products from sale. Some retailers have since removed the items.

Across all uses, each person in France consumes an average of nearly 70 kilogrammes of plastic per year.

The Independent Electoral Commission said the Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace (RHDP) won 197 of the 255 seats – 34 more than in the outgoing National Assembly.

Ouattara won his fourth mandate in October with nearly 90 percent of the vote – in a presidential election that excluded the two main opposition figures, who were removed from electoral lists.

In power since 2011, Ouattara will now have control over all of the country’s institutions, as his party has an even larger majority in the Senate and leads in 80 percent of regions.

Succession questions loom after Côte d’Ivoire re-elects ageing president

Low turnout

Saturday’s turnout at the parliamentary elections was 35 percent – two points lower than in 2021. Turnout was also low at the presidential elections, with one in two voters abstaining.

As expected, the RHDP party swept the country in the north, its historical stronghold dominated by Ouattara’s Malinke ethnic group, with scores sometimes at 100 percent.

But the party also consolidated its foothold in the southern and western regions, which have historically been favourable to the opposition.

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

Boycott

The main opposition Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire (PDCI-RDA), led by Tidjane Thiam, saw its number of parliamentary seats halved from 66 to 32.

Jean-Claude Agnéro, a member of the Political Bureau for PDCI, said this result stemmed from “a problem of internal leadership” within the party.

“Within our ranks, there is turmoil, dissidents, and this has caused us harm,” he told RFI’s correspondent in Abidjan. As a result, “some PDCI members expressed their discontent by not voting for the party,” he said.

Another deputy, who chose to speak anonymously, told RFI that the party had “a bad strategy”, adding that several influential activists, such as Maurice Kakou Guikahué, were excluded from the party list.

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

The other major opposition party, the African People’s Party – Côte d’Ivoire (PPA-CI) of former president Laurent Gbagbo, had called for a boycott of the election and did not field any candidates.

Twenty-three members of parliament were elected as independents, but many are dissidents from the RHDP who could vote with the majority for the next five years.

The head of the electoral commission, Ibrahime Kuibiert Coulibaly, said the vote was “generally conducted in accordance with the laws and regulations in force, notwithstanding some acts of violence and irregularities which had no bearing on the integrity of the electoral process”.

(with AFP)

Countries at the United Nations raised concerns over whether Israel’s recognition of Somaliland could lead to the future relocation of Palestinians from Gaza or the establishment of military bases there.

Israel announced on Friday that it was officially recognising Somaliland, becoming the first country to do so since the self-proclaimed republic declared in 1991 that it had unilaterally separated from Somalia.

Somaliland, which has for decades pushed for international recognition, holds a strategic position on the Gulf of Aden and has its own money, passport and army.

Israel’s recognition of Somaliland ‘is not an isolated initiative’: expert

Regional backlash

Israel’s move was criticised by the African Union, Egypt, Turkey, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council and the Saudi-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. The European Union said Somalia’s sovereignty should be respected.

Arab League UN Ambassador Maged Abdelfattah Abdelaziz told the UN Security Council on Monday that the 22-member regional organisation rejects “any measures arising from this illegitimate recognition aimed at facilitating forced displacement of the Palestinian people or exploiting northern Somali ports to establish military bases”.

Pakistan’s deputy UN ambassador Muhammad Usman Iqbal Jadoon echoed the criticism, telling the council that the recognition of Somaliland was “unlawful”.

He said Israel’s past references to Somaliland as a possible destination for Palestinians were “deeply troubling”, especially in relation to Gaza.

Somalia holds first local elections in decades, amid tight security

‘Double standards’

The US defended Israel’s right to recognise Somaliland at the meeting, comparing it to the recognition of a Palestinian state by several countries.

“Israel has the same right to conduct diplomatic relations as any other sovereign state,” Tammy Bruce, the deputy US ambassador to the UN, said during the session.

She added that earlier this year several countries had chosen to recognise what she described as a “nonexistent Palestinian state”, accusing council members of applying “double standards”.

Despite defending Israel’s decision, US President Donald Trump has said he opposes recognition of Somaliland. Bruce told the council on Monday that “there has been no change in American policy”.

UN Security Council approves international force for Gaza

Somalia response

As one of the current members of the Security Council, Somalia’s ambassador Abukar Osman condemned Israel’s recognition.

“This act of aggression is aimed at encouraging fragmentation of the territory of Somalia,” he said, urging the UN to reject the move.

He said he spoke for other council members Algeria, Guyana and Sierra Leone who “unequivocally reject any steps aimed at advancing this objective, including any attempt by Israel to relocate the Palestinian population from Gaza to the northwestern region of Somalia”.

Osman said he was speaking on behalf of fellow council members Algeria, Guyana and Sierra Leone, who he said “unequivocally reject any steps aimed at advancing this objective, including any attempt by Israel to relocate the Palestinian population from Gaza to the northwestern region of Somalia”.

Several member states reaffirmed their support for Somalia’s unity without directly naming Israel. UK ambassador James Kariuki said Britain supported “the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence and unity of Somalia”.

Israel‘s coalition government, the most right-wing and religiously conservative in its history, includes far-right politicians who advocate the annexation of both Gaza and the West Bank and encouraging Palestinians to leave their homeland.

But Israel’s Deputy UN Ambassador Jonathan Miller told the council the choice to recognise Somaliland “was not a hostile step towards Somalia, nor does it preclude future dialogue between the parties. Recognition is not an act of defiance. It is an opportunity,” he said.

Israel said last week it would seek immediate cooperation with Somaliland in agriculture, health, technology and the economy. Somaliland hopes the move will encourage other countries to follow, boosting its diplomatic standing and access to global markets.

(with newswires)

An official decree appeared in France’s government gazette dated 27 December. It confirms an ambition Clooney mentioned earlier in December, when he praised French privacy laws that protect his family from paparazzi.

“I love the French culture, your language, even if I’m still bad at it after 400 days of courses,” the 64-year-old actor said on RTL, a commercial radio station, speaking in English.

“Here, they don’t take photos of kids. There aren’t any paparazzi hidden at the school gates. That’s number one for us,” he said.

The now-dual US-French citizen has a long attachment to Europe, which even pre-dates his 2014 marriage to Amal, a British-Lebanese human rights lawyer who speaks fluent French.

Multiple homes

Clooney owns an estate in Italy’s picturesque Lake Como region, purchased in 2002, and he and Amal bought a historic manor in England.

Their property in southern France – a former wine estate called the Domaine du Canadel, near the village of Brignoles – was purchased in 2021.

They also own a New York apartment and a property in Kentucky, but reportedly sold homes in Los Angeles and Mexico over the past decade.

France’s share of foreigners lower than in most EU countries

They are parents to eight-year-old twins.

Clooney said on RTL that although the family travels frequently, their French home “is where we’re happiest”.

Clooney is also a director and producer, and has two Oscars to put on whichever mantlepiece suits: one for best supporting actor in 2006’s Syriana and as a producer on 2012’s Argo.

On top of his cinema pay cheques, he has raked in millions for celebrity endorsements, including for Nespresso, and got a windfall pay-out for selling his stake in a tequila brand.

Clooney is not the only Hollywood luminary to want to go French: US director Jim Jarmusch on Friday told France Inter radio that he plans to apply for French nationality.

“I would like a place that will allow me to escape from the United States,” he said, also saying he was attracted to French culture.

(with AFP)

The agreement seeks to “accelerate the growth” of Trenitalia France and “consolidate its presence in France, the United Kingdom and cross-border markets,” the partners said in a statement.

Trenitalia France, a passenger subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), plans to expand its fleet to at least 19 trains, as well as to open a maintenance facility outside Paris and offer increased service capacity on existing routes, including Paris to Lyon, from a current nine daily services to 14.

Trenitalia France also intends to compete with Eurostar on the latter’s Paris-London route by 2029 and is planning to invest €1 billion in its routes in the UK, as well as France.

FS is scaling up its ambitions at a time when high-speed rail services are expanding amid intensified cross-border competition.

Eurostar named Europe’s worst rail service while Italy’s Trenitalia leads the way

SNCF competition

The Italian operator is also considering moving in on the Paris-Brussels route, the group indicated during a presentation of its strategic plan earlier in December.

It has been in direct competition with French state rail network SNCF for four years, offering services from Paris to Lyon, Marseille, and Milan – without these as yet being profitable.

Certares’s activities focus on travel and tourism, hospitality, business and consumer services, and Trenitalia France also intends to improve its services distribution through agreements with companies within the Certares portfolio – including business and leisure travel agencies CWT, Ovation, Egencia, Havas Voyages and Selectour.

In the coming year, Trenitalia France plans to focus on consolidating and retaining customers in France, hoping to boost occupancy rates on its TGV trains, its management said.

(with newswires)

Hakimi, 27, had been on the sidelines during Morocco’s first two matches against Cormoros and Mali.

On the eve of their third match in Group A, Morocco coach Walid Regragui said his skipper would be deployed during the game at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat.

And the 50-year-old former Morocco international honoured his word. 

Morocco boss Regragui includes injured PSG star Hakimi in Cup of Nations squad

Hakimi, injured playing for his club Paris Saint-Germain during a Champions League match against Bayern Munich on 4 November, came on as a replacement for Noussair Mazraoui.

At the time of his arrival, Morocco were 3-0 up. Ayoub El Kaabi opened the scoring in the ninth minute and Brahim Diaz doubled the advantage after 27 minutes.

El Kaabi bagged his brace just after the restart to effectively wrap up the match against a willing but limited Zambia side, who could have qualified for the second phase with a win.

Nightmare ending, admits Nigeria boss Chelle after Fez thriller against Tunisia

Mali joined Morocco in the next phase following their 0-0 draw with Comoros in Casablanca.

The Malians dominated the encounter at the Stade Mohamed V but failed to translate possession into goals.

And they nearly paid the price for their lack of precision. Substitute Amadou Haidara was handed a straight red card after a video review in the 87th minute for a hack on Youssouf M’Changama.

But despite the numerical disadvantage, Tom Saintfiet’s players survived to secure second place with three points.

Comoros ended the campaign in third place with two points.

In Group B on Monday afternoon, Oswin Appollis converted a late penalty to give South Africa a 3-2 victory over Zimbabwe in Marrakesh and second place in the pool behind Egypt who played out a goalless draw with Angola in Agadir.

The South Africans took the lead in the seventh minute through Tshepang Moremi.

But Zimbabwe drew level 12 minutes later. Tawanda Maswanhise picked up possession just inside the South Africa half, surged forward past two players and fired the ball past South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.

Just after the restart, Lyle Foster scored his second goal of the tournament to give South Africa the lead.

Uganda coach Put urges squad to take heart from underdog status against Nigeria

But they were unable to consolidate. Zimbabwe equalised 17 minutes from time when Aubrey Modiba conceded an own goal.

Appollis saved Modiba’s blushes with the converted penalty to send Hugo Broos’ players into the last 16 for the second successive tournament.

On Tuesday, the final round of games take place in Group C and Group D.

In Fez, Group C winners Nigeria play Uganda while in Rabat, second-placed Tunisia face Tanzania. 

In Group D, Senegal take on Benin in Tangier and in Rabat, Botswana play the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Put’s players will take to the pitch at the Stade de Fes aiming for a victory that could either take them through to the last 16 knockout stages as runners-up in Group C, or as one of the four best third-placed sides in the 24-team competition.

“We’re facing a very good team,” said Put. “They reached the final at the last Cup of Nations and they’ve won both of their games here in Morocco. We know the quality of the Nigerian players. Many of them are playing in high level competitions in Europe. So we have to be very concentrated.”

“But,” he added: “we know what we’re playing for. It’s going to be hard. It’s going to be difficult. But if we work, everything is possible.”

Morocco boss Regragui includes injured PSG star Hakimi in Cup of Nations squad

Tunisia, who take on Tanzania in Rabat in the pool’s other game on Tuesday night, swept past Uganda 3-1 in the opening game on 23 December.

In their second match, the Ugandans had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Tanzania after Allan Okello fluffed a late penalty.

“We had a big opportunity to win the game,” said Uganda defender Jordan Obita. “But that wasn’t to be. We can’t go into the game against Nigeria with any fear. We will have to go into the game believing that we can do something and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Morocco boss Regragui confirms Hakimi’s return for Cup of Nations pool clash

Uganda reached the last 16 in 2019 in Egypt – the first time the Africa Cup of Nations included 24 teams.

But squads from the country failed to qualify for subsequent competitions in Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire.

In 2027, Uganda will co-host the event with Kenya. Obita said players in the Uganda squad wanted to use the 2025 tournament as a showcase for their mettle.

“Everybody back home in Uganda needs to see that we can compete with the best nations in the world,” said the 32-year-old, who plays for Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership.

“When we played Algeria in the World Cup qualifiers, it showed that we can go toe to toe with top quality nations and players.”

Morocco boss Regragui declares skipper Hakimi fit for Africa Cup of Nations

Nigeria boss Eric Chelle played coy on Monday over the composition of his team on Tuesday night.

“I’m keeping my plans for myself,” said the 48-year-old former Mali international. “A lot of players deserve to play for this team.

“I make difficult choices for every match. I’ve got two or three teams in mind.”

Al-Shabaab (“The Youth”) rose to prominence in Somalia in the early 2000s and aims to establish a “Greater Somalia”, joining ethnic Somalis across East Africa under strict Islamic rule.

It has allegedly become one of al-Qaeda’s strongest and most successful affiliates.

A joint United Nations and African Union peacekeeping force known as the African Union Transitional Mission to Somalia (ATMIS), along with the United States and several East African nations, have been actively trying to combat the movement, but it has proven resilient against numerous counterinsurgency campaigns.

RFI: Why have Shabaab militants been able to regain the ground they lost over the past three years?

Matt Bryden: Three years ago, the offensive against the Shabaab was led by clan militias that wanted to free themselves from Al-Shabaab. They received support from the federal government and from the Americans. But clan militias can only fight on their own clan territory. Once they had liberated their own areas, they could not advance any further. So the offensive was really a series of small, local operations by different clan militias, not a coherent, coordinated campaign.

RFI: And today, have these clan militias allied themselves with the Shabaab against the government?

MB: No. Most of them are still opposed to the Shabaab, especially in the areas where they fought them. But they are not necessarily allied with the government either. That is another major problem for the federal government: it is not just fighting the Shabaab, but also some of the provinces and regions of Somalia, which are themselves fighting Al-Shabaab. In reality, the government in Mogadishu controls at most 15 per cent of Somalia’s territory – and that’s a generous estimate.

RFI: Still, these are the first elections without attacks. Isn’t that a success for President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud?

MB: Absolutely. There were voters at some polling stations, that’s true. But Somalia is a clan-based society. Members of clans that support the government turned out to vote, while other clans – those that support the opposition – did not. So the election risks deepening divisions between Somalia’s clans and regions: those that back the government, who are currently a minority, and those clans and regions that oppose it.

US launches air strikes against Islamic State targets in Somalia

RFI: President Hassan Sheikh Mohammed was beaming on Thursday during the elections. But the next day, Friday, he received very bad news. For the first time, the secessionist state of Somaliland was officially recognised by another country – Israel. Did that surprise you?

MB: For Somalia, certainly. It’s a very unwelcome surprise. Somaliland now risks receiving not only Israel’s recognition, but that of other countries as well. What Israel has done is clearly not an isolated initiative; it was coordinated with other states in Africa, with some Arab countries, and probably with the United States too.

RFI: You say other countries could follow. Two years ago, Ethiopia nearly recognised Somaliland’s independence, but eventually backed down under pressure from Somalia and Turkey.

MB: Yes, but Ethiopia’s move was not coordinated with other states and amounted to a declaration rather than formal recognition. This time, Israel has officially recognised Somaliland. From what I hear from diplomats in the region, Israel and other countries have been coordinating this decision for months, perhaps more than a year, so that Israel would not be alone. There are likely to be further recognitions in the weeks and months ahead.

With a new president, Somaliland seeks international recognition

RFI: The Israelis suggest that this recognition of Somaliland is in the spirit of the [2020] Abraham Accords, under which Israel normalised relations with countries including the United Arab Emirates and Morocco. Are the Americans perhaps behind this?

MB: Yes, absolutely. The Americans, especially since President Trump’s election, have signalled deep frustration with the situation in Somalia. They have spent billions of dollars on the country’s security, yet the situation is worse than before. As a result, the US has begun working directly with the regions of Jubaland and Puntland to fight Al-Shabaab and also Islamic State, which has been very active in north-eastern Puntland.

Relations with Somaliland are also deepening. The head of Africom, General Anderson, visited a few months ago. So it is fairly clear that the Americans see Somaliland as a potential partner, both to secure maritime routes in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, and to combat extremist movements in the Horn of Africa.

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This interview was adapted from the original in French and has been lightly edited for clarity.

Images of the screen diva were splashed across media outlets around the globe following the announcement of her death on Sunday. Many also highlighted her role as a catalyst for social change in France.

Bardot’s libertine attitude in her breakthrough 1956 movie And God Created Woman outraged censors at the time. The French Catholic daily La Croix said she had a “career without much success” which she cut short to devote herself to animals.

The left-leaning Liberation newspaper said, however, that Bardot had a “meteoric career”.

“She was probably the last of that handful of new and free figures in which France liked to recognise itself at the turn of the 60s,” noted Liberation, which called her the “greatest sex symbol of French cinema”.   

The conservative Le Figaro said “this blonde whirlwind burst on to the screens” in a France still suffering from the fallout of the Second World War. “She shook things up, danced the mambo on the tables of Saint-Tropez,” it added, recalling her iconic scene in And God Created Woman.

Bardot: the screen goddess who gave it all up

‘She hid nothing’

International media highlighted the screen sensation and the controversy after Bardot gave up acting to defend animal rights, as well as to become a far-right supporter. She was convicted and fined five times over comments that incited racial hatred.

“She was a French cocktail of kittenish charm and continental sensuality,” said the United Kingdom’s public service broadcaster the BBC.

Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper called her “a diva rebel” who “chose liberty until the very end”.

In Spain, El Pais called Bardot a “controversial activist”, adding: “In her own way, she hid nothing. Neither the wrinkles, nor her increasingly radical character or her ideological convictions, which she evoked with crude euphemisms.”

The New York Times said that Bardot “redefined mid-20th century movie sex symbolism”, highlighting her “unapologetic carnal appetite” on screen.

But, it added: “At best, Ms Bardot was considered eccentric in her later years, prompting observations that this former sex kitten, as she was often called, had turned into a ‘crazy cat lady’.”

Bardot was repeatedly convicted for hate speech – mostly against members of the Islamic faith after migration from France’s former colonies.

French screen legend Brigitte Bardot fined for racial slurs against Reunion islanders

She actively backed far-right presidential contender Marine Le Pen when she ran in 2012 and 2017.

Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said it would be better to “forget, even if it may be difficult, the political Bardot of recent years for the duration of this obituary” and “remember THE Bardot” instead.

Bardot “will be buried in her garden near the sea,” said her long-time friend and journalist Wendy Bouchard on Monday.

“It was her wish and it will be respected,” said Bouchard, referring to the icon’s last wish to “be buried near those she cherished, her animals” with a simple wooden cross to mark her grave.

However, Saint-Tropez, officials said on Monday that Bardot would to be buried in the town’s seaside cemetery.

The Brigitte Bardot Foundation said that the funeral in the Notre-Dame de l’Assomption church of Saint-Tropez would take place on 7 January and would be broadcast on screens across the town.

This would be followed by a “private” burial, but the foundation did not confirm where in Saint-Tropez she would be inhumed.

(with newswires)

The first thing you notice about Mary is her laughter – warm, loud, and quite unexpected from one who has faced death twice.

Inside a tiny tailoring shop in the town of Thika, near the Kenyan capital Nairobi, rolls of fabric spill off the shelves and sewing machines hum. Mary sits in one corner, yarn in hand, looping stitch after stitch with meditative focus.

Knitting was not always her livelihood, it was once just a childhood hobby, forgotten somewhere between raising three children and building a business. It only resurfaced in 2017, when her body forced her to slow down.

‘I felt like the world had slapped me’

That year, Mary was diagnosed with spinal cancer and was bedridden for 11 months. She remembers the silence in her house, the long days and the longer nights, and a mind restless with fear. In an attempt to escape it all, she reached for her knitting needles.

“I just needed something to keep my mind from sinking,” she says, her fingers absently tracing the rim of a basket full of yarn.

She began knitting hats and donating them to cancer patients at Kenyatta National Hospital.

WHO launches plan for free child cancer medicines in low-income countries

A year later, her cancer was back – this time, stage three breast cancer. Mary remembers the doctor’s voice fading into a blur as she was told the news.

“I felt like the world had slapped me,” she says. She turned off her phone and withdrew from her friends, telling her husband she didn’t want to speak to anyone. “Everything felt violent. Even the air.”

Her treatment was gruelling – a mastectomy, 33 rounds of radiotherapy, endless visits to the hospital. Her hair disappeared. Her savings vanished. The loan of $10,000 she had taken out to expand her small tailoring shop was swallowed up by medical bills.

‘A common wound’

But what cut deepest for Mary was the stigma around losing her breasts.

“People whispered. They called me ‘the woman whose breasts were cut’. Losing them, and your sense of dignity and womanhood… it’s not something you can prepare for,” she says.

When Mary was well enough to walk around the cancer ward, she saw other women draped in scarves and oversized jumpers, disguising the area where a breast used to be.

“The conversations revealed a common wound: stigma and silence,” she says.

Silicone prosthetic breasts cost far more than most of these women can afford. So Mary turned again to the thing that had got her through her illness – her knitting, But this time she had a different purpose in mind. 

She learned how to make soft yarn breast prostheses, mastered the technique with YouTube videos and long nights of trial and error.

“Knitting saved me mentally,” she says. “It pulled me from fear into purpose.”

The karate grannies of Korogocho, fighting back at any age

Small shop, big dreams

Today, Mary’s tailoring shop is more than a business, it’s a sanctuary.

As the staff work the machines, Mary sits by the window knitting prosthesis after prosthesis – round, soft and colourful. She sells them for 1,500 shillings each, and organisations buy them in bulk to donate to cancer survivors.

She has now made more than 600 prostheses and more than 450 hats, and the orders just keep coming.

Every week, Mary also holds classes teaching women – many of whom are fellow survivors – how to knit the prostheses, in order to earn an income.

The Moroccan women artists harnessing the creative power of crafts

Hannah Nungari Mugo is a former vegetable seller, who says she felt her identity fade away after her 2019 mastectomy.

“People treated me like a broken thing,” she says. Knitting gave her something to hold on to, and she now makes around even prostheses a week.

Mary Patricia Karobia, who had a liver transplant, says she too knows what that stigma feels like. “I heard people whisper about my liver being removed.” For her, knitting is about healing, and showing others her strength.

Mary hopes one day to be able to train women throughout Kenya, but space and finances are standing in her way for now.

“Cancer took a lot from me,” she says, looking down at the colourful prostheses on her table. “But it also gave me purpose. And I want to pass that purpose on.”

In 2020, journalist Arnaud Wust wrote a children’s story during a Covid-19 lockdown. What began as a family project has since blossomed into Xam Xam – an organisation teaching school children in Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire about environmental protection through storytelling and tree planting.

“Everybody told me: ‘You’ve have been working to protect the environment in Senegal for 20 years, so why not make it into a project?’ And that’s how the story began,” Wust told RFI.

Planting knowledge

Named for a Wolof phrase meaning “knowledge sharing”, Xam Xam uses the children’s story Esther and Madiba Save Their Forest to teach children about the environment.

Volunteers spend 10 days at a time visiting schools, sharing the story, giving out books, playing games and planting trees with the children.

The organisation has planted nearly 800 trees since it started. Sana Sabaly from Senegal, who manages a tree nursery and joined the project in 2022, adds practical skills to the storytelling.

“Sana teaches children to make compost and to sow trees, and they leave with a tree seed to plant at home,” Wust said.

Sabaly comes from Tambacounda in eastern Senegal, a region once known for its lush forests but which has now been stripped bare by logging. “We are witnessing a lot of logging, which has killed the greenery in this region that was home to many plant species,” Sabaly explained.

Madagascar and Congo-Brazzaville team up to protect vanishing forests

Taking books to villages

The group focuses on reaching remote communities where children rarely learn about the environment, and books and libraries are often scarce.

In Côte d’Ivoire, the huge cocoa, rubber and palm oil industries drive deforestation, yet many children don’t see the dangers of growing just one type of crop.

“Nobody ever explained to people in remote villages that if trees were cut down massively without replanting them, there would be a vicious cycle of deforestation,” Wust said. “But today, children understand.”

Growing impact

In four years, the organisation has visited more than 100 schools and reached nearly 30,000 children.

“I am always moved because I did not expect such an impact,” Wust said. “We have left a beautiful footprint.

“I once returned to a school and all the children had the story in their schoolbag. They all remembered the story, the characters, the song we sing together. A teacher recently told me that children fight over watering the trees we planted with them.”

Sister Marie-Madeleine Diémé, headmistress of Saint-Charbel-Makhlouf primary school located 20 kilometres east of Mbour, in western Senegal, recounts the children’s joy in taking “responsibility for caring for their tree each day”.

“For the moment, the responsibility for watering the trees falls to the school caretaker,” Marie-Madeleine said.

But water shortages make things tough. Some schools have no water at all. “Some children must bring water from their homes on their way to class in the morning,” Wust explained.

Guadeloupe to fell ‘exotic’ coconut trees to stem coastal erosion

Grassroots funding

Despite growing word of mouth – schools now often get in touch directly – Xam Xam remains a small organisation that relies on donations from individuals, businesses and other supporters.

“Since 2024, donors can deduct it from their taxes since we are a public interest association under the 1901 law. Often, it’s really the funding that drives the project. We would like to do more, but we are still somewhat limited today by funding,” Wust said.

All money raised goes straight to the project, with no overhead costs.

“We don’t receive any royalties. It’s a story that we publish, that we self-finance and that we give away,” said the journalist, who hopes to eventually team up with other countries to keep growing what he calls the tree of hope.

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This story was adapted from the original version in French by RFI’s Timéo Guillon.

They are called “repats”, short for “repatriates” – young people who left their African homes, be they in Gabon, Cameroon, Congo or Côte d’Ivoire, to chase a better education or business opportunities in Europe and are now choosing to head home to put those gains to good use.

They speak of reuniting with their families, and contributing to the African continent’s development.

In 2019, a survey supported by the French Development Agency revealed that 40 percent of members of the African diaspora were ready to return. Since then, the continent’s economic appeal has only grown. 

The study polled 800 people to identify the motivations, and the obstacles, for graduates and professionals in the diaspora who are considering working in Africa.

France sees immigration shift as more educated Africans arrive than Europeans

The key finding was the sheer number who aspire to return. Almost 71 percent were considering going back to work on the continent, with 38 percent saying they were ready to return immediately.

In terms of location, West Africa was the most popular region among respondents, at 32 percent.  

However, with many African economies still largely informal and labour markets tight, returning can be a challenge.

According to the United Nations, the number of people born to African immigrant parents in the diaspora could represent almost 20 million people worldwide. Many African countries are seeking to attract them, with return assistance programmes to support projects and business ventures.

‘You can have a life here’

Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire are attracting a large number of investors and businesses. And the latter has seen a clear economic boom in the last decade.

In Abidjan, one man has made it his business to support repats coming back from Europe to Côte d’Ivoire. Pierre Djemis, a lawyer born in France, settled in his father’s country a few decades ago, and has since seen many more people express the desire to do the same.

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

To support them, he organises forums for repats twice a year, one in Abidjan, another in Paris, with the next to be held in the French capital on 24 January.

“Today, people between 28 and 35 years old are excited when they see Abidjan,” Djemis told RFI.

“It is a pleasant city to live in, a modern city where you have all the comforts you find in Paris. You have the bakeries you find in Paris, the clothing stores you see in Paris. You have beaches, a comfortable lifestyle, cars in Abidjan that you don’t even find in the 16th or 15th arrondissements.”

He added: “You can have a life here, a vibrant life, a dynamic life similar to the life that one can find in Asia, in Shanghai, Hong Kong and so on. So, these young people also want to be part of that movement; it’s the economic movement of the future.”

Djemis says he witnessed a first wave of parents who studied abroad in France, Germany, Switzerland or the United States and who returned to Africa in the 1990s as doctors, lawyers and civil servants.

Since then a second wave of repats who were born in Europe, grew up there and only know Africa through their cultural upbringing, but feel the desire to “return” to their parents’ homelands, has emerged. 

“Often, they believe there’s what’s called ‘the glass ceiling’, well known in Europe and elsewhere. At a certain level, they feel they can no longer access certain positions because of their background. And they believe they can be useful elsewhere, especially back home.”

Integration challenges

According to a study published in 2023 in the Revue Akofena journal, graduates’ motivations for returning to Côte d’Ivoire include the search for professional opportunities, attachment to their country of origin, a desire to contribute to the country’s development, and a sense of belonging to the Ivorian community.

However, they face significant challenges when it comes to professional and economic integration.

African graduates know that salaries are potentially higher in Europe. Many also struggle to adapt to professional environments that are different from the ones they studied or began their careers in. It can take months, if not years, to gain the trust of local partners. Others, meanwhile, face difficulties accessing financing for their investment.

Advisers like Djemis encourage these repats to lean on their networks gained through work or at university.

The study however notes that return migration is vital in terms of its contribution to the development of the countries to which these young people are returning.

It added that ultimately “their potential contribution… will depend on the ability of development policies to encourage return migration, facilitate the transition and create opportunities for their contribution”.

French authorities officially inaugurated the C1 cable car line on 13 December in Limeil-Brévannes, a suburb south of Paris.

Stretching 4.5 kilometres and serving five stations, it is now the longest urban cable car system in Europe.

France already has seven urban cable cars fully integrated into public transport networks, including in cities such as Brest, Saint-Denis de La Réunion and Toulouse. Planners of the C1 drew inspiration both from projects in France and from international examples, particularly in South America, where cable cars are widely used in urban settings.

 

The system operates with 105 cabins. During peak hours, a cabin arrives every 23 to 24 seconds, each able to carry up to 10 passengers.

“We estimate that around 11,000 people will use the cable car on a weekday, but we have a boarding capacity of 1,600 people per hour in each direction,” Arnaud Crolais, technical director at Ile-de-France Mobilités, told RFI.

‘Environmentally friendly’

“It is 100 percent accessible, with universal accessibility and a distinctive design for the cabins, pylons and stations.

“And it is extremely environmentally friendly. The propulsion is 100 percent electric,” he adds.

The new line links Créteil to Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, passing through Limeil-Brevannes and Valenton. The full journey takes 18 minutes, including stops, compared with roughly 40 minutes by bus or car.

Connecting isolated areas

Cable car systems like this are increasingly chosen to connect neighbourhoods that are difficult to reach using traditional transport infrastructure.

“We decided on a cable car as a way to serve this isolated area,” explains Crolais.

“We are in an area with quite a few urban dividing lines. You have to cross railway tracks over 100 metres wide, a lot of road infrastructure, both national and regional. There is also a high-speed line that runs right nearby. Behind us, there is a wooded area to get over. This is a plateau and therefore somewhere there weren’t many roads big enough for a tram or bus.”

The line now connects previously isolated neighbourhoods to Line 8 of the Paris metro.

“I had to drive to avoid taking the bus. It was easier for me, as I was going to Maisons-Alfort. And now, to get to Paris, I walk to the cable car. It’s more convenient,” says Raoul, a resident of Limeil-Brévannes, told RFI.

“I don’t know yet if it’s faster, as this is my first trip. Otherwise, I think it’s good.”

Françoise, a passenger, agreed: “Very practical. There’s less traffic already and it saves time, so no stress. It’s brilliant!”

The sum represents a fraction of previous US contributions but is presented as a generous commitment designed to preserve America’s position as the world’s largest humanitarian donor.

The money will be placed in a central fund and distributed to UN agencies under a new system of stricter oversight, a key condition of Washington’s push for sweeping reform that has alarmed aid groups and forced deep cuts to services.

In recent years, total US humanitarian funding for UN-backed programmes has reached as much as €14.4 billion annually, according to UN data, of which €7– 9 billion came as voluntary contributions. Critics argue the drastic cut risks worsening hunger, displacement and disease and undermines US soft power overseas. 

“We are watching the lifeline for millions of people disintegrate before our eyes,” according to Cindy McCain, executive director of the World Food Program.

Turbulent year

The announcement caps a turbulent year for UN bodies such as the WFP, the refugee agency UNHCR and the International Organisation for Migration, all of which have faced severe budget strain following massive US aid reductions.

Other western donors, including Britain and Germany, have also reduced contributions.

The new pledge forms part of a preliminary agreement with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), headed by former British diplomat Tom Fletcher.

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Despite global needs soaring – with famine declared in parts of Sudan and Gaza and extreme weather disasters displacing thousands – OCHA has been forced to lower its fundraising targets.

The US seeks what officials describe as “more consolidated leadership authority” in how aid is delivered.

Under the plan, OCHA will act as a central conduit for funding rather than separate US allocations to individual agencies.

“This humanitarian reset should deliver more aid with fewer tax dollars,” said US ambassador to the UN, Michael Waltz.

Reduce bureaucratic overhead

According to the State Department, “the agreement requires the UN to consolidate humanitarian functions to reduce bureaucratic overhead, unnecessary duplication, and ideological creep”.

“Individual UN agencies will need to adapt, shrink, or die,” the statement said.

It called the arrangement “a critical step” in reforming how humanitarian operations are funded and monitored.

UN food agency warns aid cuts risk pushing 13.7 million people into extreme hunger

Initially, the funds will focus on 17 countries, including Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Syria and Ukraine. Afghanistan and the Palestinian territories are not on the list, with US officials saying they will be addressed under Trump’s proposed Gaza peace plan.

The United Nations estimates that some 240 million people – in conflict zones, suffering from epidemics, or victims of natural disasters and climate change – are in need of emergency aid.

In 2025, the UN’s appeal for more than €38 billion was only funded to the €10 billion mark, the lowest in a decade.

That only allowed it to help 98 million people, 25 million fewer than the year before.

(With newswires)

The 25-year-old man was arrested on Friday, suspected of stabbing three women in the Paris metro.

In a statement issued on Friday evening, the Interior Ministry said the alleged attacker was a Malian citizen imprisoned in January 2024 for aggravated theft and sexual assault.

He had been issued with an order (known as a OQTF) to leave France after being released in July.

The man had been placed in an administrative detention centre but failure to obtain a consular travel document required for his deportation had meant he was released after 90 days, as required by law, the statement said.

Legal resident

However, investigators since discovered that the suspect was in possession of a French passport, the Interior Ministry said on Monday, confirming reports by RTL radio.

The suspect obtained French nationality in 2018, a source close to the enquiry told French news agency AFP.

“At no point did he mention this nationality in the various proceedings he has faced over the past three years – trials, appearances before the judge for liberties and detention,” the ministry added.

“At this stage of the checks, there is nothing to call into question the fact that he is French,” the same source said, stressing that “the verifications are currently under way”.

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Mentally unstable

The suspect was released from custody on Saturday evening for psychiatric reasons, according to the Paris public prosecutor’s office, after his state of health was “considered incompatible” with police custody. 

He was taken to a psychiatric hospital, prosecutors said.

The man is suspected of having lightly injured the three women on Friday afternoon on line 3 of the Paris metro before fleeing the scene.

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He was identified thanks to CCTV footage and later arrested in Val-d’Oise, north of Paris, using the geolocation of his mobile phone, the prosecutor’s office said.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez last week called for “maximum vigilance” during the festive season in a message to senior officials due to what he said was a “very high level of the terrorist threat” and “the risk of public disorder”.

Nunez specifically asked for particular attention to be paid to security on public transport.

(with newswires)

El-Fasher, the capital of the North Darfur State, fell to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in October after more than 500 days of siege.

For the first time in nearly two years, a small UN humanitarian team was able to make a short visit last Friday.

The capture of the city was reportedly accompanied by mass atrocities, including massacres, torture and sexual violence. Satellite pictures reviewed by French news agency AFP show what appear to be mass graves.

Brown described the city as a “crime scene”, but said investigations would be carried out by human rights experts while her office focuses on restoring aid to the survivors.

“We weren’t able to see any of the detainees, and we believe there are detainees,” she said in an interview with AFP.

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

‘Ghost of its former self’

From a humanitarian point of view, she said, El-Fasher remains Sudan‘s “epicentre of human suffering” and the city – which once held more than a million people – is still facing a famine.

“El-Fasher is a ghost of its former self,” Brown said.

“We don’t have enough information yet to conclude how many people remain there, but we know large parts of the city are destroyed. The people who remain, their homes have been destroyed.”

“These people are living in very precarious situations,” warned Brown, a Canadian diplomat and the United Nations‘ humanitarian coordinator in Sudan.  

“Some of them in abandoned buildings. Some of them… in very rudimentary conditions, plastic sheeting, no sanitation, no water. So these are very undignified, unsafe conditions for people.” 

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

‘Nothing good’ 

Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by a conflict between the regular army and its former allies the RSF that has triggered a humanitarian catastrophe.

Brown said that the team “negotiated hard with the RSF” to obtain access, and managed to look around and visit a hard-pressed hospital and some abandoned UN premises – but only for a few hours.

Their movements were also limited by fears of unexploded ordnance and mines left behind from nearly two years of fighting.

The Saudi hospital was still standing, with some medical staff present, but has run out of supplies.

UN human rights council orders investigation into atrocities in Sudan

“There was one small market operating, mostly with produce that comes from surrounding areas, so tomatoes, onions, potatoes,” she said.

“Very small quantities, very small bags, which tells you that people can’t afford to buy more.”

“There is a declared famine in El-Fasher. We’ve been blocked from going in. So there’s nothing good about what’s happened in El-Fasher.

The war in Sudan has killed tens of thousands of people, driven 11 million from their homes and has caused what the UN has declared “the world’s worst humanitarian disaster“.

(with AFP)

The Interior Ministry recorded 538 cases in 2025, an 11 percent rise from the previous year.

The thefts often involve small churches that are easy to access and poorly protected. Higher gold prices have also increased the value of some of the objects being stolen.

Three men were convicted on Friday for around 30 thefts from churches in northern and eastern France.

They received prison sentences, some of them suspended, after stealing cultural objects with the help of a second-hand dealer.

Hadrien Lacoste, vice president of France’s Observatory for Religious Heritage, told RFI the thefts cover different types of crime.

“The theft of collection boxes and donations is what we would call petty larceny,” he said. “Then there is a second type of theft, involving art objects that are often made from precious materials and often signed by major goldsmiths.”

These objects are works of art rather than everyday religious items, Lacoste added.

Louvre museum closed as staff continue strike over working conditions

Objects sought from abroad

Stolen religious objects are resold at flea markets or through antique dealers in France. Some are also sold outside the country.

“The Catholic Church, for example in Asia, is very dynamic, with patrons who are willing to support these communities by buying high-quality religious objects,” Lacoste said. “That’s why these objects today are closely watched from abroad.”

Because churches built after 1905 fall under the responsibility of mayors, Lacoste is calling for greater awareness of the value of what he described as shared and local heritage.

“There needs to be a real awareness of the value of this shared and local heritage, which must be preserved, showcased and secured,” he said.

Proposed measures to tackle the problem include drawing up detailed inventories for each church and installing protective display cases for valuable objects.

Chelle’s charges enter the tie against Uganda at the Stade de Fes as pool winners, following victories over Tanzania and Tunisia. 

Nigeria laboured to the 2-1 win over Tanzania – a side 74 places below them in the Fifa world rankings – and they clung on to beat Tunisia 3-2 after leading 3-0 going into the final 15 minutes.

“When I was the coach of Mali, it was very difficult because it was my country and I had a lot of pressure,” Chelle said on the eve of the fixture at the Stade de Fes. “But when I took this job for Nigeria, the pressure went up another level. At every moment in the day, I feel the pressure. I feel the expectation of this country.”

Nigeria and Tunisia bosses ignore World Cup fortunes for Cup of Nations clash

He added: “And whenever this is over, I don’t know if I will ever feel something like that again. It’s like you are on a mountain and at every moment you can fall down.”

Chelle, after two years with Mali, had been three months in the job at MC Oran in the Algerian top flight when he was drafted in to lead Nigeria in January.

“I feel good. I do what I want. I do what I feel,” Chelle added. “Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s not good. But this is, for sure, 100 percent, the best job for me. I’m very happy with that.”

Five things we learned on Day 6: Nigeria find danger in dominance

Second-placed Tunisia, Tanzania, who lie third, and Uganda are vying for the runners-up spot behind Nigeria and an automatic place in the last 16 at the 24-team tournament. Failing that, the trio can also put themselves in the running to advance as one of the four best third-placed teams.

Chelle said he might deploy players who had not featured in the first two games.

“I try every time to do my best, like the players on the pitch,” he added. “I’m very proud of them. I’m very proud to work for Nigeria and to work to bring some prizes.”

Nigeria’s coach Eric Chelle

Since arriving in Morocco, the Nigerian coach has brushed off suggestions that the  team needs to lift the Cup of Nations trophy to redeem themselves after botching a 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, in which they finished second behind South Africa, and then fluffed their reprieve at an African play-off for a place at an intercontinental tournament leading to two spots at next year’s competition.

Chelle merely urged his squad to surpass the feats of the 2023 vintage, who reached the final in Cote d’Ivoire before going down to the hosts who had eliminated his Mali side in the quarter-finals.

“A lot of the players are with me,” said Chelle. “They feel the same. They want to die for Nigeria. They want to die. And we are ready for that. So at every training session, everything I say to them I give with my heart. I’m just very happy and I’m trying to live this period like it’s the best of my life.”

In Group D on Tuesday night, Benin, fresh from their first victory at a Cup of Nations tournament, take on Senegal in Tangier and Democratic Republic of Congo face Botswana in Rabat.

On Monday evening, Morocco skipper Achraf Hakimi returned from a seven-week injury lay-off during his team’s 3-0 stroll past Zambia to claim top spot in Group A.

Mali joined them in the last 16 as runners-up, following a 0-0 draw with Comoros.

In Group B, Egypt and South Africa advanced. Egypt drew 0-0 with Angola in Agadir, while South Africa twice squandered the lead in Marrakesh before Oswin Appollis converted an 82nd-minute penalty to give them a a 3-2 victory over Zimbabwe.

“Once again we fell asleep after a good start,” said South Africa boss Hugo Broos.

“Our passing was bad at times and we should have concentrated on retaining possession in the closing minutes instead of seeking a fourth goal. We have to work on controlling games.”

Waiting for Achraf

His was an arrival eagerly anticipated. And it came in the 64th minute at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat. Achraf Hakimi, golden boy of Moroccan football, stepped on to the pitch to raucous cheers from the stands.

Hakimi was injured on 4 November while playing for his club Paris Saint-Germain against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Luis Diaz struck him down just before half time, leaving Hakimi – who was celebrating his 27th birthday – in tears. But his smile was back after the 3-0 victory over Zambia to take Morocco into the last 16.

Birthday boy

As Nigeria finalised their preparations for their Day 9 game against Uganda, star striker Victor Osimhen too celebrated his 27th birthday. Prickly as relations are between Nigeria’s sports reporters and Osimhen’s boss, Eric Chelle, the chance to unite was clear and present. And one of the assembled hacks offered Chelle a sitter. Even though a defender in his playing days, Chelle did not miss the target.

“I wish a lot of of good things for my striker … my favourite striker,” gushed Chelle. Praise continued as unbounded as Osimhen’s appetite to humiliate defenders and goalkeepers. “For me, he is the best striker in the world. He’s focused and I hope that this Africa Cup of Nations will be a great one for him.”

‘You want the clean sheet?’

A good Africa Cup of Nations for Victor James Osimhen will, by extension, yield rewards for Eric Sékou Chelle. The 48-year-old former Mali international took over Nigeria in January. And promptly failed to steer the team to the 2026 World Cup.

“This is football,” Chelle said as he broached the third Group C game against Uganda and Tunisia’s comeback from 3-0 down to 3-2 in the second pool match on 27 December. “If we can talk about the bad things, we can talk about the good things too. The fact is we won 3-2. For sure we let Tunisia come back. But the reality? We want the reality. In two games we have scored five goals.”

Looking intently at one journalist who questioned the side’s defensive resolve, Chelle added: “You want the clean sheet? But me, I see the goals that we can score. Maybe in the last four games of the tournament, we score maybe between 10 and 12 goals.”

Dreamer

But there’s nothing wrong with flights of fancy. Uganda boss Paul Put can attest to that. Back in 2013 at the Cup of Nations in South Africa, his Burkina Faso side were in the same group as Nigeria in Nelspruit. Burkina Faso drew with the Nigerians and enjoyed a dreamy run to the final in Johannesburg where they lost 1-0 to the Nigerians – incidentally their last continental crown.

Put says he’s not after revenge, as Uganda seek victory over Nigeria on Day 9 to secure a place in the last 16. “I cannot go to my players and say: ‘Because I lost in the final with Burkina Faso, now you have to do me a favour.’ No. They are playing for their homeland. They know only one result is possible to progress.”

With a twinkle in his eye, Put added mischievously: “But for me personally, it would be very nice if we could beat Nigeria. I would be very happy and I would invite all the players to dance with me.” That would be a dream of a story.

Control freak-out

Paul Put’s fellow Belgian, Hugo Broos, is having a fair old time of it at the helm of South Africa. He took them to third place at the last Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire and after leading them to a berth at the 2026 World Cup, he has steered the side to second in Group B behind Egypt. They reached the last 16 at the 2025 extravaganza following a 3-2 win over Zimbabwe.

But after the success over their southern African neighbours, Broos cut loose. “Once again we fell asleep after a good start,” he fumed. “We continuously lost possession,” added the 73-year-old. Broos took an unheralded Cameroon side to the 2017 title in Gabon. That conquest, he said, was based on a squad camaraderie he had never witnessed in his 30-odd years of coaching.

Of his new charges, he complained: “Our passing was bad at times and we should have concentrated on retaining possession in the closing minutes instead of seeking a fourth goal. We have to work on controlling games.” Will they heed his words?

President Trump, who had promised to finish the war on day one of his presidency, said he was embarking on a year-end diplomatic sprint as he welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Sunday.

At a joint news conference after the meeting, both leaders reported progress on two of the most contentious issues in peace talks – security guarantees for Ukraine and the division of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region that Russia has sought to capture.

Both Trump and Zelensky offered few details and did not provide a deadline for completing a peace deal. Trump said it will be clear “in a few weeks” whether negotiations to end the war will succeed. He said a few “thorny issues” around territory must be resolved.

Zelensky said an agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine has been reached. Trump was slightly more cautious, saying that they were 95 percent of the way to such an agreement, and that he expected European countries to “take over a big part” of that effort with US backing.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday that Kyiv’s allies would meet in Paris next month to discuss security guarantees as part of the peace agreement.

“We will bring together the countries of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris in early January to finalise each one’s concrete contributions,” Macron said on X after speaking with Zelensky and Trump.

Zelensky reveals US-Ukraine plan to end Russian war, key questions remain

Donbas unresolved 

Zelensky has said previously that he hopes to soften a US proposal for Ukrainian forces to withdraw completely from Donbas, a Russian demand that would mean ceding some territory held by Ukrainian forces. While Moscow insists on getting all of Donbas, Kyiv wants the map frozen at current battle lines.

Both Trump and Zelensky said on Sunday the future of the Donbas had not been settled, though the US president said discussions are “moving in the right direction”. The United States, seeking a compromise, has proposed a free economic zone if Ukraine leaves the area, although it remains unclear how that zone would function in practical terms.

“It’s unresolved, but it’s getting a lot closer. That’s a very tough issue,” Trump said.

Nor did the leaders offer much insight into what agreements they had reached on providing security for Ukraine after the war ends, something Zelensky described Sunday as “the key milestone in achieving a lasting peace”.

Russia has said any foreign troop deployment in Ukraine is unacceptable.

Zelensky said any peace agreement would have to be approved by Ukraine’s parliament, or by a referendum. Trump said he would be willing to speak to parliament if that would secure the deal.

EU greenlights €90bn loan for Ukraine, without frozen Russian assets   

Kremlin ‘support’ for negotiations

Shortly before Zelensky and his delegation arrived at Trump’s Florida residence, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke in a call described as “productive” by the US president and “friendly” by Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov.

Ushakov, in Moscow, said Putin told Trump a 60-day ceasefire proposed by the European Union and Ukraine would prolong the war. The Kremlin aide also said Ukraine needs to make a decision regarding the Donbas “without further delay”.

Trump said he and Putin spoke for more than two hours. He said the Russian president pledged to help rebuild Ukraine, including by supplying cheap energy. “Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed,” Trump said. “It sounds a little strange.”

As Trump praised Putin, Zelensky tilted his head and smiled.

Trump said he would call Putin again following the meeting with Zelensky.

The Kremlin expressed support for Trump’s negotiations.

“The whole world appreciates President Trump and his team’s peace efforts,” Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s special envoy, posted on X early on Monday.   

(with newswires)

Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders) said most of the 3,090 deaths recorded until 15 December took place on the Atlantic migration route from Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands, considered one of the world’s most dangerous.

While there has been a “significant” decrease in migrant arrivals in the Canaries, “a new, more distant and more dangerous” route to the archipelago has emerged with departures from Guinea, it said.

The group compiles its figures from families of migrants and official statistics of those rescued. It included 437 children and 192 women among the dead.

Caminando Fronteras also noted there had been a rise in the number of boats leaving from Algeria, mainly to the holiday islands of Ibiza and Formentera in the Mediterranean.

Record number of deaths

Traditionally used by Algerians, the route is seeing a surge of migrants from Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan in 2025, the group said.

The number of deaths on this route had doubled this year to 1,037 when compared to 2024, it added.

Spain adopts plan to relocate unaccompanied minors from Canaries

At least 10,457 migrants died or disappeared while trying to reach Spain by sea in 2024, according to Caminando Fronteras, the highest number recorded since it began tracking data in 2007.

Spain’s interior ministry says 35,935 migrants reached Spain until 15 December this year, a 40-percent decrease from the same period last year.

Nearly half of them came through the Atlantic migration route from the coast of West Africa to the Canary Islands.

(with AFP)

At dawn, when the mist is still clinging to the grass, Nasieku Kipeke’s hands are already moving through beads. Red, blue, white… she threads them with the same rhythm her mother taught her.

The beaded bracelets she makes will end up in the hands of tourists who come to the Maasai Mara to witness the Great Migration – the epic annual journey made by 2 million zebras, wildebeest and gazelles from Tanzania to Kenya, following the path of the seasonal rains.

The money Nasieku earns from her beads pays for her children’s porridge and books and, when she can manage it, clinic visits – which she often puts off.

But this morning, her fingers are slow. Word has spread about the new luxury hotel rising near Sand River, one of the most important wildlife corridors in the reserve. For her, the development feels like a storm cloud settling over land she depends on but has no power to protect.

“When they block the animals, they block us,” she says in a low voice. “We survive because the world comes to see what lives here.”

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Opportunities out of reach

Down the road, 20-year-old Lemayian leans on a crooked fence post. His ambition is to be a wildlife guide – one who can speak about lions, migration cycles and Maasai history in the same breath.

But jobs are thin on the ground now. Conservancies are tightening rules. The land for grazing is shrinking.

“They tell us tourism will give us opportunities. But sometimes I feel like the opportunity is fenced away from us, something we can see but not reach.”

For people like Lemayian, the pace of development can be a double-edged sword, promising prosperity while encroaching on and eventually closing off spaces that his family has depended on for generations.

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Ole Nkaputie, a herder in his seventies, drives his cattle toward a water point. Each step is deliberate, steady, shaped by a lifetime of reading the land. To him, the world-famous Maasai Mara National Reserve is not a tourist attraction – it’s memory, livelihood, identity.

“The animals move like we move,” he says, as he watches his cows drink. “When you block their path, you block ours too.”

He remembers when people would assemble under a tree to debate the changes, when the elders spoke and everyone had their say.

‘Fear cannot guide us’

Dr. Meitamei Ole Dapash is a conservationist. His small office is cluttered with maps of wildlife routes and folders full of petitions and legal papers. The weight of responsibility hangs heavily over him.

“This isn’t about stopping tourism,” he says, tapping a map where the Sand River flows. “It’s about stopping harmful tourism – development that ignores the people and the wildlife it claims to celebrate.”

It was Dapash who took the fight to court, challenging the construction of the Ritz-Carlton luxury Masai Mara Safari Camp on the grounds of poor community consultation and suspect environmental review.

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

He has put himself squarely in the crosshairs of powerful interests. The threats have followed – late-night calls, anonymous warnings, intimidation.

“But fear cannot guide us,” he says. “If we lose this land, what will my grandchildren inherit? Photographs of animals that used to roam here?”

When he speaks with communities, he listens more than talks. Women like Nasieku speak of incomes drying up with bad tourist seasons. Young people like Lemayian ask who will hire them when the land they depend on is parcelled off. Elders like Nkaputie warn of a day when cultural erosion will creep in, long before anyone notices it happening.

He walks one afternoon with a group of women to the edge of the river. A herd of zebra hesitates nearby, unsure of the new noise. One woman sucks her teeth in frustration. “This place was for the animals,” she says. “Now it is for the rich.”

The winter rains have made an already precarious life worse for people like Sharafi, who is among the hundreds of thousands in the Palestinian territory displaced by the war, many of whom now survive on aid provided by humanitarian organisations.

“My children are shivering from cold and fear… The tent was completely flooded within minutes,” Sharafi, 47, said on Sunday.

“We lost our blankets, and all the food is soaked,” added the father of six, who lives in a makeshift shelter with his children in the coastal area of Al-Mawasi.

A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has been in place since 10 October, following two years of devastating fighting.

Thousands of displaced Gazans return home as Israel-Hamas ceasefire takes effect

But despite the truce, Gazans still face a severe humanitarian crisis, and most of those displaced by the war have been left with little or nothing.

Families are crowded into camps of tents hastily erected from tarpaulins, which are often surrounded by mud and standing water when it rains.

“As an elderly woman, I cannot live in tents. Living in tents means we die from the cold in the rain and from the heat in the summer,” said Umm Rami Bulbul.

“We don’t want reconstruction right now, just provide us and our children with mobile homes.”

Nighttime temperatures in Gaza have ranged between eight and 12 degrees Celsius in recent days.

French unions take Israel to court for restricting media access to Gaza

Insufficient aid

Nearly 80 percent of buildings in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or damaged by the war, according to United Nations data.

And about 1.5 million of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents have lost their homes, said Amjad Al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO Network in Gaza.

Of more than 300,000 tents requested to shelter displaced people, “we have received only 60,000”, Shawa told AFP, pointing to Israeli restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid into the territory.

‘Recognition brings obligation’: How declaring genocide could reshape war in Gaza

The UN refugee agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, said the harsh weather had compounded the misery of Gazans.

“People in Gaza are surviving in flimsy, waterlogged tents & among ruins,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X.

“There is nothing inevitable about this. Aid supplies are not being allowed in at the scale required.”

COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, said in mid-December that “close to 310,000 tents and tarpaulins entered the Gaza Strip recently” as part of an increase in aid under the ceasefire.

Earlier this month, Gaza experienced a similar spell of heavy rain and cold.

The weather caused at least 18 deaths due to the collapse of war-damaged buildings or exposure to cold, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency, which operates under Hamas authority.

On 18 December, the UN’s humanitarian office said that 17 buildings collapsed during the storm, while 42,000 tents and makeshift shelters were fully or partially damaged.”Look at the state of my children and the tent,” said Samia Abu Jabba.

“I sleep in the cold, and water floods us and my children’s clothes. I have no clothes for them to wear. They are freezing,” she said.

“What did the people of Gaza and their children do to deserve this?”

 (AFP)

Alongside their president, Centrafricains are set to elect national, regional and municipal lawmakers.

Touadéra, who oversaw a referendum in July 2023 that scrapped the presidential term limit, allowing him to seek a third term, is the favourite to win of the seven candidates running.

The 68-year-old, a mathematician with an academic background and a former prime minister, came to power in 2016 during a civil war.

Analysts say his lead was aided by civil servants campaigning for him and the significant advantage in terms of resources he enjoys over his opponents.

“The president will win because he has much more financial capacity than the opponents,” said Charles Bouessel of International Crisis Group.

Central African Republic (CAR) has endured repeated cycles of unrest since gaining its independence from France in 1960, leaving most of its 5.5 million people in poverty.

Russian ties

Touadéra’s government has been repeatedly accused of turning to Russia for security in exchange for access to gold and other resources.

In 2018, CAR became the first country in West and Central Africa to bring in Russia’s Wagner mercenaries, a move later mirrored by Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

But Russian security has come at a cost. In 2023, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies think tank said Russia had made more than $2.5 billion in African gold through its mercenary missions in CAR, Mali and Sudan.

Touadéra has also launched two cryptocurrency ventures to attract investors, which the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) warned could expose state assets to foreign criminal networks.

He is also seeking investors for a long-discussed railway project linking CAR to Cameroon and Sudan, and has vowed to boost revenue from mining under a new code adopted in 2024. However, illegal mining and criminality remain rampant in CAR. China last month issued a rare warning to its citizens on the risks of kidnapping, extortion and slavery in the sector.

Touadéra’s economic initiatives have brought little relief to a country where two-thirds of people live in extreme poverty, according to 2023 World Bank data.

“We are always promised jobs and schools, but many young people remain unemployed,” said Clarisse, a university student in Bangui.

CAR in talks with US security firm as West eyes Wagner’s ground in Africa

Fragile gains  

In 2022, CAR became the first African nation – and second globally, after El Salvador – to adopt bitcoin as legal tender.

The president has also been touting his infrastructure investment, including the signing of a deal last week to launch Starlink, Elon Musk’s company SpaceX’s satellite-based internet service, in CAR.

He claims too to have improved security across the country.

“When I came to power in 2016, you couldn’t travel 10km without being harassed. There was no security, no roads, nothing. We have worked so hard to achieve this result today,” he told supporters this month at a rally in Bangui.

Despite his close ties with Russia, Touadéra has also signalled a renewed interest in Western partnerships, telling the Financial Times in September that he would welcome any country willing to develop CAR’s lithium, uranium and gold reserves.

His supporters see him as a peacemaker, after he struck a controversial 2019 peace accord with 14 armed groups involved in the civil war, essentially bringing warlords into the government in return for the disarming of their militias.

This reduced violence in some regions and helped economic growth rise to around 3 percent, up from 1.9 percent in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund data.

Touadéra says peace deals are proof of progress as CAR readies for election

But analysts warn the gains are fragile: rebels have not fully disarmed, reintegration is incomplete and incursions by combatants from neighbouring Sudan fuel insecurity in the east.

Human Rights Watch has also accused Russian mercenaries of executions and torture. In November, the United Nations Security Council extended the mandate of its peacekeeping mission. 

“There are a lot of ingredients that could lead to a renewed cycle of violence,” said Nathalia Dukhan, Central Africa analyst for GI-TOC. Government and allied forces “have been using fear and terror” to maintain control, she added.

Security remains a top concern for voters. Jean-Claude Kolego, a trader in Bangui, said: “What we want are roads and peace.”

(with Reuters)

The former special forces commander, believed to be in his early 40s, faces eight other candidates in a fragmented field with no strong challenger.

Ousted president Alpha Conde and longtime opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo remain in exile.

Guinea holds the world’s largest bauxite reserves and the richest untapped iron ore deposit at Simandou, officially launched last month after years of delay.

Doumbouya has claimed credit for pushing the project forward and ensuring Guinea benefits from its output.

His government this year also revoked EGA subsidiary Guinea Alumina Corporation‘s license after a refinery dispute, transferring its assets to a state-owned firm.

The turn toward resource nationalism – echoed in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger – has boosted his popularity, as has his youth in a country where the median age is about 19.

“For us young people, Doumbouya represents the opportunity to send the old political class into retirement,” said Mohamed Kaba, a mechanic in Conakry. “There is a lot of corruption right now, but I hope these things will be sorted out.”

Guinea voters back new constitution clearing path for junta leader

Doumbouya expected to entrench power

If elected, Doumbouya “will likely utilise his position to further entrench his power and that of the military over Guinea,” said Benedict Manzin, lead Middle East and Africa analyst at risk consultancy Sibylline.

“In particular he is likely to position his allies and associates to benefit from the expected economic boom associated with the launch of production” at Simandou, Manzin added.

A transition charter adopted after the coup barred junta members from contesting elections. But in September, Guineans overwhelmingly backed a new constitution removing that clause, extending presidential terms to seven years and creating a Senate.

Provisional results showed turnout at 86.42 percent, though opposition figures disputed that.

Opposition activity restricted during the campaign 

Political debate has been muted under Doumbouya. Civil society groups accuse his government of banning protests, curbing press freedom and restricting opposition activity.

The campaign period “has been severely restricted, marked by intimidation of opposition actors, apparently politically motivated enforced disappearances, and constraints on media freedom,” UN rights chief Volker Turk said Friday. These conditions “risk undermining the credibility of the electoral process,” he added.

The government did not respond to a request for comment.

Doumbouya kept a low profile during the campaign, leaving surrogates to make his case.

At a closing rally on Thursday in Conakry, he skipped a speech although he danced with his wife while Congolese star Koffi Olomide performed.

He wore a white baseball cap and track jacket emblazoned with the name of his movement: “Generation for Modernity and Development.”

About 6.7 million people are registered to vote, with provisional results expected within 48 to 72 hours of polls closing.

 (Reuters)

The vote is the second this year in Kosovo after Kurti’s Vetevendosje party fell short of a majority in February. Months of failed coalition talks prompted President Vjosa Osmani to dissolve parliament in November and call an early election.

Failure to form a government and reopen parliament would prolong the crisis at a critical time. Lawmakers must elect a new president in April and ratify 1 billion euros in loan agreements from the European Union and World Bank that expire in the coming months.

The Balkan country’s opposition parties have refused to govern with Kurti, criticising his handling of ties with Western allies and his approach to Kosovo’s ethnically divided north, where a Serb minority lives. Kurti blames the opposition for the impasse.

To woo voters, Kurti has pledged an additional month of salary per year for public sector workers, one billion euros per year in capital investment and a new prosecution unit to fight organised crime.

Opposition parties have also focused on improving living standards.

“We want the next government to create conditions for the youth to stay here and not leave,” one voter, 58-year-old Rexhep Karakashi, told Reuters in the capital Pristina.

Opinion polls are not published in Kosovo, leaving the outcome uncertain. Many voters say they are disillusioned.

“There wouldn’t be great joy if Kurti wins, nor would there be if the opposition wins. This country needs drastic changes, and I don’t see that change coming,” said Edi Krasiqi, a doctor.

Polls opened at 7am (0600 GMT) and close at 7pm. Exit polls are expected soon after voting ends.

Political crisis hits funding  

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 with U.S. backing, including a 1999 NATO bombing campaign against Serbian forces trying to crush an uprising by the 90% ethnic Albanian majority.

Despite international support, the country of 1.6 million has struggled with poverty, instability and organised crime. Kurti’s tenure, which began in 2021, was the first time a Pristina government completed a full term.

Tensions with Serbia flared in 2023, prompting the EU to impose sanctions on Kosovo. The bloc said this month it would lift them after ethnic Serb mayors were elected in northern municipalities, but the measures likely cost Kosovo hundreds of millions of euros.

 (Reuters)

Hello everyone!

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear a “My Ordinary Hero” essay by listener Rasheed Naz from Faisal Abad, Pakistan.  I hope you’ll be inspired to write an essay for us, too!

If your essay goes on the air, you’ll find a package in the mail from The Sound Kitchen. Write in about your “ordinary” heroes – the people in your community who are doing extraordinarily good work, quietly working to make the world a better place, in whatever way they can. As listener Pramod Maheshwari said: “Just as small drops of water can fill a pitcher, small drops of kindness can change the world.”

I am still looking for your “This I Believe” essays, too. Tell us about the principles that guide your life … what you have found to be true from your very own personal experience. Or write about a book that changed your perspective on life, a person who you admire, festivals in your community, your most memorable moment, and/or your proudest achievement. If your essay is chosen to go on-the-air – read by you – you’ll win a special prize!

Send your essays to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

Or by postal mail, to:

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Here’s Rashid Naz’s essay:

Heroes are not always found in stories or movies. Sometimes they live among us, quietly working to make our world a better place. My “ordinary” hero is a community leader in our town, someone who has taught me that real heroism comes from serving others with kindness and courage.

Our community leader, Mr. Ahmed, is not rich or powerful, but he has a heart full of compassion. He organizes clean up drives, helps poor families, and encourages young people to stay in school. Whenever there is a problem – a sick neighbor, a broken road, or a family in need – he is the first to step forward. His actions remind us that small efforts can bring big changes.

What I admire most about him is his humility. He never seeks fame or reward. When people thank him, he simply says, “We are all responsible for our community.” Those words inspire me. He believes that leadership means service, not authority, and he proves it every day through his actions.

To many people, he might seem like an ordinary man. But to me, he is a true hero – a symbol of dedication, honesty, and hope. Because of him, I’ve learned that anyone can be a hero, not by wearing a cape, but by using their heart to make a difference.

That is why my “ordinary” hero is our community leader Mr Ahmed, a man whose quiet strength and selfless service continue to inspire us all.

 

 

Be sure and tune in next week for our annual New Year’s Resolutions program! Talk to you then!

Trump is due to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 29 December in Florida.

The meeting is the latest attempt to revive the Gaza plan, which aims to move from a ceasefire towards the creation of a new governing arrangement in Gaza, the deployment of an international force and the disarmament of Hamas.

On Friday, Turkish and Egyptian officials met their US counterparts in Miami.

With a ceasefire in place in Gaza, Washington is pushing the next phase of its plan, which would include Turkish troops in an International Stabilisation Force.

From Washington’s perspective, Turkey’s involvement is considered essential to the plan, said Asli Aydintasbas of the Brookings Institution.

Turkey and Iran unite against Israel as regional power dynamics shift

Israeli objections

Hamas disarmament depends on the creation of a new Palestinian governing entity and the presence of international peacekeepers, with Turkey acting as a guarantor, Aydintasbas said.

“Without Turkey in this process, decommissioning Hamas weapons would not occur. That is implicit in the agreement.”

Turkey’s close ties with Hamas are well known, with senior Hamas figures reportedly hosted in Turkey. While Turkey’s Western allies label Hamas a terrorist group, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said its members are liberation fighters.

Trump has publicly thanked Ankara for using its influence to encourage Hamas to accept the peace plan.

Israel opposes any Turkish military presence in Gaza, fearing Turkey would support Hamas rather than disarm it.

Israel is also concerned about cyber attacks attributed to Hamas operating from Turkish territory and doubts Turkey would act in Israel’s interests, said Gallia Lindenstrauss, a Turkey analyst at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.

“There’s a risk of an accident between Israeli and Turkish forces, given the already high tensions and suspicions. It’s hard to see a positive outcome,” she said.

Israel has struggled to persuade Trump to back its position. “The US has its own priorities, and is receptive to Ankara due to strong Trump-Erdogan relations,” Lindenstrauss added.

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

Turkey’s position

Erdogan, who has cultivated close ties with Trump, has said Turkey is ready to send soldiers to Gaza. Reports have claimed Turkey has a brigade on standby for deployment.

Turkey’s relationship with Hamas is a “double-edged sword”, said Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, head of the German Marshall Fund office in Ankara. From Israel’s point of view, Turkey is too close to Hamas, but “if you want to contribute to disarming them, dialogue is needed”.

Any Gaza mission would be risky, but the Turkish army has decades of experience, Unluhisarcikli said. “It has a proven track record in terms of post-conflict stabilisation from the Balkans to Afghanistan. They have proven they can operate in such environments.”

Despite strained diplomatic ties, the Turkish and Israeli militaries still maintain open communication. The two countries operate a hotline to avoid clashes between their air forces over Syria, demonstrating continued military coordination despite political tensions.

Turkey warns Kurdish-led fighters in Syria to join new regime or face attack

Regional doubts

Egypt and Saudi Arabia distrust Turkey’s ties with Hamas and question its intentions in Gaza, Unluhisarcikli said, with concerns that echo memories of Ottoman-era rule.

On Monday, US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack met Netanyahu in an effort to ease Israeli concerns. However, prospects for a breakthrough are likely to depend on this month’s meeting between Netanyahu and Trump.

Incentives may be offered to encourage Israel to accept Turkey’s role, but the issue is unlikely to be resolved that way, said Asli Aydintasbas of the Brookings Institution.

“Because this is such a fundamental and existential issue for Israel, I don’t think incentives will work,” she said.

“As to whether or not Trump would go so far as to withhold military or financial aid, it would be very unlikely. Rather, it may just let this situation sort of fester. I don’t think the Americans have a clear plan to push forward if the answer from Netanyahu is to say no.”

Hello everyone! Merry Christmas!

This is Alberto Rios’ poem, which you heard him read on the programme.

Christmas on the Border, 1929

1929, the early days of the Great Depression.

The desert air was biting, but the spirit of the season was alive.

Despite hard times, the town of Nogales, Arizona, determined

They would host a grand Christmas party

For the children in the area—a celebration that would defy

The gloom of the year, the headlines in the paper, and winter itself.

In the heart of town, a towering Christmas tree stood,

A pine in the desert.

Its branches, they promised, would be adorned

With over 3,000 gifts. 3,000.

The thought at first was to illuminate the tree like at home,

With candles, but it was already a little dry.

Needles were beginning to contemplate jumping.

A finger along a branch made them all fall off.

People brought candles anyway. The church sent over

Some used ones, too. The grocery store sent

Some paper bags, which settled things.

Everyone knew what to do.

They filled the bags with sand from the fire station,

Put the candles in them, making a big pool of lighted luminarias.

From a distance the tree was floating in a lake of light—

Fire so normally a terror in the desert, but here so close to miracle.

For the tree itself, people brought garlands from home, garlands

Made of everything, walnuts and small gourds and flowers,

Chilies, too—the chilies themselves looking

A little like flames.

The townspeople strung them all over the beast—

It kept getting bigger, after all, with each new addition,

This curious donkey whose burden was joy.

At the end, the final touch was tinsel, tinsel everywhere, more tinsel.

Children from nearby communities were invited, and so were those

From across the border, in Nogales, Sonora, a stone’s throw away.

But there was a problem. The border.

As the festive day approached, it became painfully clear—

The children in Nogales, Sonora, would not be able to cross over.

They were, quite literally, on the wrong side of Christmas.

Determined to find a solution, the people of Nogales, Arizona,

Collaborated with Mexican authorities on the other side.

In a gesture as generous as it was bold, as happy as it was cold:

On Christmas Eve, 1929,

For a few transcendent hours,

The border moved.

Officials shifted it north, past city hall, in this way bringing

The Christmas tree within reach of children from both towns.

On Christmas Day, thousands of children—

American and Mexican, Indigenous and orphaned—

Gathered around the tree, hands outstretched,

Eyes wide, with shouting and singing both.

Gifts were passed out, candy canes were licked,

And for one day, there was no border.

When the last present had been handed out,

When the last child returned home,

The border resumed its usual place,

Separating the two towns once again.

For those few hours, however, the line in the sand disappeared.

The only thing that mattered was Christmas.

Newspapers reported no incidents that day, nothing beyond

The running of children, their pockets stuffed with candy and toys,

Milling people on both sides,

The music of so many peppermint candies being unwrapped.

On that chilly December day, the people of Nogales

Gathered and did what seemed impossible:

However quietly regarding the outside world,

They simply redrew the border.

In doing so, they brought a little more warmth to the desert winter.

On the border, on this day, they had a problem and they solved it.

 

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: The traditional “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” sung by the Gracias Choir conducted by Eunsook Park, and “Santa Claus Llego A La Ciudad” by J.Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, sung by Luis Miguel.

Be sure and tune in next week, 27 December, for a “My Ordinary Hero” essay by your fellow listener Rasheed Naz.     

As France marks 200 years since Louis Braille invented his system of raised dots allowing blind people to read by touch, we visit the country’s only remaining Braille printing house. At the CTEB in Toulouse, a team of 12 staff and mainly blind volunteers transcribe more than 200 books each year for both adults and children, along with bank statements, brochures and other documents. Despite extremely high production costs, the centre sells its books at the same price as the originals to ensure equal access. Now deeply in debt, it’s calling for state aid to survive – arguing that, even in the age of digital Braille and audio books, turning a page is important in learning to read. (Listen @3’15”)

Scientists are increasingly convinced that the trillions of bacteria living in the human digestive system also contribute to health and wellbeing. Le French Gut is a large-scale study intended to track the connection between the microbiome and disease. Launched in 2023, it aims to recruit 100,000 French participants, to contribute samples and fill out health and diet questionnaires. Now the scientists are looking to get more children on board. Project director Patrick Vega shows the lab and biobank where the bacteria are being analysed, and talks about the discoveries in the gut that could help predict or even cure diseases. (Listen @21’20”)

Seventeenth-century French midwife Louise Bourgeois, the first woman in Europe to publish a medical book, was a pioneer in women’s health at a time when only men were allowed to be doctors and women delivered babies according to tradition, not science. (Listen @14’45”)

Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani.

Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts (link here), Spotify (link here) or your favourite podcast app (pod.link/1573769878).

Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan, hosted in Tehran by his Iranian counterpart Abbad Aragchi, declared that both countries see “Israel as the biggest threat to stability in the Middle East”, because of its “expansionist policies”.

Ankara is increasingly angry over Israel’s military operations in Syria, which it considers a threat to security. Syria‘s new regime is a close Turkish ally.

With the Iranian-backed Syrian regime overthrown and Iran’s diminishing influence in the Caucasus, another region of competition with Turkey, Tehran is viewed by Ankara as less of a threat

“Ankara sees that Tehran’s wings are clipped, and I’m sure that it is also very happy that Tehran’s wings are clipped”, international relations expert Soli Ozel told RFI.

Ozel predicts that diminished Iranian power is opening the door for more cooperation with Turkey.

Cooperation

“Competition and cooperation really define the relations. Now that Iran is weaker, the relationship is more balanced. But there are limits, driven by America’s approach to Iran”, said Ozel.

Murat Aslan of SETA, the Foundation for Political, Economic, and Social Research, a Turkish pro-government think tank, points out that changing dynamics inside Iran also give an impetus to Turkish diplomatic efforts towards Tehran.

Israel talks defence with Greece and Cyprus, as Turkey issues Netanyahu warrant

“Iran is trying to build a new landscape in which they can communicate with the West, but under the conditions they have identified”, observes Aslan.

“In this sense, Turkey may contribute. So that’s why Turkey is negotiating or communicating with Iran just to find the terms of a probable common consensus.”

However, warming relations between Turkey and Iran are not viewed in a favourable light by Israel, whose ministers have in turn accused Turkey of being Israel’s biggest threat.

Tensions are rising over Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s strong support of Hamas, which Ankara’s Western allies have designated as a terrorist organisation.

“Obviously, Israel does not want to see Iranian and Turkish relations warm as Israel sees Iran as an existential threat and hence anything that helps Iran is problematic from Israel’s perspective”, warns Turkey analyst Gallia Lindenstrauss at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.

Turkey warns Kurdish-led fighters in Syria to join new regime or face attack

This month, Israeli security forces accused Hamas of operating a major financial operation in Turkey under Iranian supervision. Many of Hamas’ senior members are believed to reside in Istanbul.

American ally

Israeli concerns over Turkey’s improving Iranian ties will likely be exacerbated with Turkish officials confirming that a visit by President Erdogan to Iran has been “agreed in principle”.

Ankara also has a delicate balancing act to make sure its Iranian dealings don’t risk antagonising its American ally, given ongoing tensions between Tehran and Washington.

Good relations with Washington are vital to Ankara as it looks to US President Donald Trump to help ease tensions with Israel. “For Israel, the United States shapes the environment right now”, observes Aslan.

“The Turkish preference is to have an intelligence diplomacy with Israelis, not to have an emerging conflict, but rely on the American mediation and facilitation to calm down the situation”, added Aslan.

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 counselled 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 8 November, I asked you a question about an article sent to us by RFI English correspondent Michael Sarpong Mfum, who reports for us from Ghana. His article, “Invasive water hyacinths choke wildlife and livelihoods in southern Ghana”, is about the water hyacinth, a free-floating aquatic plant native to the Amazon River basin in South America. It’s also one of the world’s most invasive species.

The water hyacinth has found its way to Ghana, notably Lake Volta, a vast reservoir behind a hydroelectric dam that generates much of the country’s power.

Your question was: What are the consequences for Ghana’s Eastern and Volta regions from this hyacinth invasion? What did Jewel Kudjawu, the director of the EPA’s Intersectoral Network Department, warn about?

The answer is, to quote Michael’s article: “Jewel Kudjawu, director of the EPA’s Intersectoral Network Department, warned that the weed’s uncontrolled growth has dire consequences for aquatic life, fishing communities and hydropower production.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: What was the best week of your life?

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Radhakrishna Pillai from Kerala State, India. Radhakrishna is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations on your double win, Radhakrishna.

Be sure and look at The Sound Kitchen and the RFI English Listeners Forum Facebook pages to see the stamps from Bhutan with Radhakrishna’s picture!

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Debjani Biswas, a member of the RFI Pariwar Bandhu SWL Club in Chhattisgarh, India, and RFI Listeners Club member Mahfuzur Rahman from Cumilla, Bangladesh. Rounding out the list are RFI English listeners Shihabur Rahaman Sadman from Naogaon, Bangladesh, and Bashir Ahmad, a member of the International Radio Fan and Youth Club in Khanewal, Pakistan.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: Music for the Royal Fireworks by George Frederick Handel, performed by Le Concert des Nations conducted by Jordi Savall; “Igbo Highlife”, produced by Mr. Zion; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Lança Perfume” by Roberto de Carvalho and Rita Lee, sung by Rita Lee.

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 Jan van der Made’s article “EU Council president rejects political influence in US security plan”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 26 January to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 31 January 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. 

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.