With no fewer than 10 presidential elections held across the African continent, the political stakes were high in 2025.

In several countries, elections reinforced entrenched leaderships rather than opening the door to political renewal.

One of the most notable cases was in Cameroon, where veteran president Paul Biya, aged 92, secured an eighth consecutive term. While the outcome was widely expected, it nonetheless triggered major protests and renewed questions about political succession and space for opposition voices.

There was similarly little surprise in Côte d’Ivoire, where 83-year-old Alassane Ouattara won a fourth term. The vote was marked by the absence of his main political rivals, many of whom were barred from running.

The most striking, however, was Tanzania, where President Samia Suluhu Hassan claimed an overwhelming 98 percent of the vote.

The landslide came against a backdrop of unprecedented violence. Opposition figures allege that hundreds or even thousands of people died during election protests, a claim the government disputes.

Tanzania accused of hiding bodies of those killed in post-election protests

Military transition becomes lasting power

Beyond disputed civilian elections, 2025 also saw several military-led transitions harden into long-term rule.

In Guinea, General Mamadi Doumbouya claimed political legitimacy by winning a controversial presidential election, four years after taking power in a coup and promising to hand back over to civilian rule.

A similar pattern played out in Gabon, where General Brice Oligui Nguema – who had earlier overthrown the long-ruling Bongo dynasty – won the presidency with close to 95 percent of the vote.

In Guinea-Bissau, the military intervened directly to halt the electoral process, overthrowing the outgoing president and preventing the publication of results.

An attempted coup was reported in Benin, while in Madagascar a president forced out by street protests was replaced by a military officer.

Taken together, at least eight African countries are now governed by leaders with military backgrounds.

Madagascar’s Gen Z uprising, as told by three young protesters

‘Decline in democracy’

For Gilles Yabi, a researcher and president of West Africa-focused think tank Wathi, the common thread running through Africa’s 2025 elections is a growing normalisation of force.

He told RFI that leaders already firmly in power are using “all possible means” to stay there. These range from outright repression – as seen in Tanzania, where the human toll remains unclear but is believed to be extremely high – to mass arrests in countries such as Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire.

In Côte d’Ivoire, he noted, around a thousand people were detained and key opposition candidates excluded through legal and administrative manoeuvres.

In his view, 2025 illustrates “a real decline in democracy and the rule of law”.

Elections entrench the army

Asked whether some elections were designed primarily to keep the army in power, Yabi points to Gabon as a telling example.

Oligui Nguema, he pointed out, carried out his coup in the middle of an electoral process that was widely seen as lacking credibility and likely to cement the rule of Ali Bongo. Many Gabonese initially welcomed the military takeover, hoping it would finally close the chapter on decades of Bongo family rule.

“In the best-case scenario,” Yabi told RFI, “the person who carried out the coup would not have stood for election.” That, however, did not happen. Nguema ran, won, and is now an elected president. The hope, Yabi added, is that incremental steps over the coming years might still steer Gabon towards genuine democracy and respect for the rule of law.

By contrast, the situation in Guinea-Bissau sends what he described as an “extremely negative signal”.

There, the interruption of a presidential election by a military coup amounts to “a real affront” to voters who had turned out to choose a new president and parliament.

Guinea-Bissau general sworn in as transitional president following coup

A year of concern

For Yabi, there is little doubt that 2025 should be seen as a troubling year for democracy, in Africa and beyond.

The world’s major powers, he argues, are hardly setting an inspiring example. In the United States, he points to a weakening of institutions under President Donald Trump, while China continues under a one-party system.

This global backdrop, he believes, feeds into a broader contempt for international law that is increasingly visible at the African level.

“In all cases,” Yabi concludes, “we have the law of the strongest – and perhaps also the most cynical – which now seems to prevail almost everywhere.”

---

This article has been adapted from the original in French by RFI’s Alexandra Brangeon.

Importers of these goods must declare the carbon dioxide emissions embedded in their products. If those emissions exceed EU standards, they must pay a levy.

The policy, known as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), is designed to ensure foreign producers face a carbon cost similar to that already paid by European companies under the EU’s internal emissions trading system.

Some trading partners argue the measure restricts trade and favours European manufacturers. The EU says the system encourages cleaner production because countries can avoid the levy by imposing an equivalent carbon price on their own industries.

“Pricing carbon is something that we need to pursue with as many as possible, as quickly as possible,” the EU’s climate commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra, said at the Cop30 UN climate negotiations in Brazil in November.

For more than 20 years, European producers in highly polluting industries have had to buy pollution permits if they fail to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Until now, foreign producers were not subject to the same costs. European officials and economists have long described this gap as unfair competition that weakened EU industry.

Amazon summit seals climate deal without fossil fuel plan

Climate ambitions

The EU says the aim of the border tax is to incentivise heavy industry to decarbonise and help combat global warming by correcting this imbalance.

Economist Christian Gollier said aligning the treatment of European and foreign producers was essential if the EU was to continue cutting emissions “without collapsing economically”.

The European Union has raised its climate ambitions, setting a target of a 90 percent reduction in emissions by 2040.

“To achieve these objectives, we will have to increase incentives for decarbonisation and therefore we will have to increase the price of carbon,” Gollier told RFI. “If we don’t correct this inequity in the market with these importers who wouldn’t pay this increasingly high price, it won’t be possible.”

Carbon pricing has already pushed European polluting industries to change how they produce goods, said Frédéric Ghersi, a climate policy specialist at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).

“Either foreign producers adapt their production processes and continue to sell as much in Europe, or European production will have to compensate for the reduced imports from these more polluting countries,” he said.

From the perspective of controlling global emissions, the measure “seems effective”, Ghersi added.

He said the overall impact could remain limited because the number of products covered by the border tax is relatively small.

Europe’s climate progress overshadowed by worsening loss of nature

Mixed global response

Aurora D’Aprile, who studied the global response to CBAM for the Swiss-based International Emissions Trading Association, told French news agency AFP there had been “a clear step change in the reaction” over the past 12 months.

“Several key trade partners of the European Union actively expanded their carbon-pricing schemes, for instance China, or launched emissions trading schemes after being in the making for many years, such as Turkey,” she told AFP.

Japan has cited the EU measure in its reasoning for advancing its own climate policies, said Nicolas Berghmans, a climate and energy researcher at the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations in Paris.

The United Kingdom and Canada are also considering similar mechanisms.

Record surge in CO2 puts world on track for more long-term warming

Diplomatic pushback

The CBAM – originally adopted by the EU in 2022 – was not the only influencing factor on other countries, says Marios Tokas, a trade lawyer at the Brussels-based law firm Cassidy Levy Kent.

But given the size of the European market it “sharpened” the urgency of the global policy response.

Russia has argued the policy breaches global trade rules and has taken its complaint to the World Trade Organisation. China and other emerging economies have criticised what they call a “unilateral trade measure” and pushed to place the issue on the agenda at the Cop30 climate talks in November.

But criticism at a global level “doesn’t mean that the action on the compliance or adaptation side” isn’t also being undertaken, said D’Aprile, pointing in particular to China.

Georg Zachmann, a specialist in European energy and climate policy at the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel, said the border tax could be described as “a political success for the EU”.

He told AFP that its long-term impact would depend on how many countries introduce their own carbon pricing schemes and how effective those policies prove to be.

D’Aprile cautioned against declaring victory before the EU finalises and implements the remaining “complex” steps of the system. Berghmans said differing carbon pricing schemes would pose “a big challenge” in the years ahead.

“We will have to support progress with a significant diplomatic effort,” he said.

Some European industrial groups have also raised concerns that foreign producers could under-report the emissions linked to their products, undermining the system’s effectiveness.

Macron’s second and final term expires in 2027, and the search for his successor within the presidential camp remains unresolved.

His party, Renaissance, still dominates the governing alliance Ensemble, but enthusiasm has dwindled.

Macron’s approval ratings are low, hovering in the 20s. It reflects weariness with a presidency marked by pension reform protests, tensions over immigration and a reputation for technocratic detachment.

According to opinion pollster Gallup, based on its annual survey of public faith in institutions, trust in the French government dropped 13 percentage points to 29 percent in 2025, while confidence in the honesty of elections fell by the same margin to 51 percent. Trust in the judicial system and financial institutions was also down.

“No other European Union country has seen a bigger average drop in confidence across these four institutions in 2025 than France,” Gallup notes.

Moving towards a post-Macron era

As the 2027 vote looms, several figures within the centrist bloc are testing their national appeal – among them former prime minister Gabriel Attal, whose youth and communication skills contrast with Macron’s more aloof image.

Yet Attal faces the same structural weakness as his former mentor: the absence of a clearly defined ideological base. The centrist movement created by Macron for the 2017 presidential election was based largely around the leader himself rather than political doctrine.

Ensemble’s hold on parliament is fragile, forcing Macron’s team to rely on precarious alliances or the use of special constitutional powers to pass major legislation.

If 2025 was a year of constrained governance, 2026 looks set to test whether the Macron legacy can endure beyond the man himself. The president faces the delicate task of sustaining authority while preparing France – and his party – for a post-Macron era.

Macron vows to work until ‘last second’ of mandate in NYE address

Far right gathers its forces

Among those looking to replace the Macronistes, the faction mounting the most united opposition is the far right. 

Marine Le Pen and the National Rally (RN) enter 2026 with more confidence than ever. After a strong showing in the 2024 European elections and the party’s continued dominance in rural and working-class regions, the RN’s path to the presidency no longer seems impassable.

In February, Le Pen will learn whether she can run in the 2027 presidential election. Convicted last March alongside eight other members of the RN of embezzling EU funds, she was sentenced to a five-year ban on holding office and a four-year prison term.

She is appealing the verdict, with a second trial scheduled from 13 January to 12 February.

Does ‘politically dead’ Marine Le Pen still have a path to power?

If the court upholds her conviction, it could radically reshape the next presidential race. Rather than its veteran leader, the RN’s “plan B” candidate would be Le Pen’s protégé Jordan Bardella.

Bardella, now party president, has helped “normalise” the RN’s image, appealing to younger voters and middle-income professionals frustrated with mainstream politics.

Their message combines economic nationalism with promises to restore social order – a contrast to the perceived elitism of Macron’s centrists.

Left divided

On the other end of the spectrum, the French left remains divided.

The left-wing alliance known as Nupes, which once united Socialists, Greens, Communists and Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s hard-left France Unbowed (LFI), has largely unravelled. A new coalition formed for the 2024 parliamentary elections, compromising roughly the same members, met a similar fate, riven by divisions between centre-leftists and the far left.

Mélenchon’s confrontational style continues to polarise, leaving space for new figures to claim the middle ground – such as the more moderate Socialist leader Olivier Faure, or Green politicians seeking to reframe the debate around environmental justice.

While strong locally, the Greens face a struggle to broaden their appeal beyond urban and educated voters.

Climate policy remains a central concern, particularly amid new EU-level goals for energy transition, but in a country grappling with inflation and anxiety over purchasing power, those themes risk being overshadowed.

Traditional right struggles for relevance 

For France’s traditional right, 2026 could prove a decisive year.

The conservative Les Républicains continue to struggle for relevance. Their local base remains sturdy, but nationally they lack both a clear leader and a message to distinguish them from the far right.

Some within the party, notably former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, are pushing for closer cooperation with Le Pen’s camp. In his newly published memoir, he declared an end to the cordon sanitaire that has traditionally kept mainstream parties from allying with the far right.

The Républicains’ leader Bruno Retailleau, a former interior minister who took a hard line on immigration and policing, has also wooed voters further to the right. 

But others in the party insist on preserving a centrist, pro-European identity – such as former minister Xavier Bertrand, who is one of several other hopefuls challenging Retailleau for the 2027 nomination.

Locked in power struggles and squeezed between the RN and Macron’s centrists, the party risks marginalisation.

Sarkozy prison memoir a bid to ‘control the story’ and protect image for political future

Local elections preview presidential campaign

In March, municipal elections across France will be the final nationwide vote before the 2027 presidential contest. They are expected to serve as a dress rehearsal, testing alliances and strategies and setting the tone for the presidential campaign.

Immigration debates and questions of secularism are likely to again dominate political rhetoric, reflecting divisions that cut across the party spectrum.

Domestic security also looms large, especially after a string of shootings linked to drug trafficking in French cities.

As for foreign policy, France remains influential in Europe, especially amid the EU’s green and defence transitions. But wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, continued tension with Russia, and uncertainty about relations with the United States all weigh heavily on Paris’s diplomatic agenda.

Macron’s call for greater European “strategic autonomy” still resonates, though critics say his vision lacks practical backing.

(with newswires)

The fire broke out at around 1:30am local time Thursday at Le Constellation, a bar popular with young tourists.

About 40 people were killed and around 115 others injured, as many as 80 seriously.

Authorities declined to speculate on the cause, saying only that it was not an attack.

Swiss police warned it could take days or even weeks to identify everyone who died.

The bar, on the ground floor of a residential building, has a capacity of 300. Police said the exact number of people inside when the fire broke out remains unclear and did not specify how many people are still missing.

‘Are they OK?’: desperate search for the missing after Swiss fire

French assistance

Switzerland‘s President Guy Parmelin, who took over on Thursday, called the fire “a calamity of unprecedented, terrifying proportions”, and announced that flags would be flown at half mast for five days.

“Behind these figures are faces, names, families, lives brutally cut short, completely interrupted, or forever changed,” Parmelin said at a press conference.

“Given the international nature of the Crans resort, we can expect foreign nationals to be among the victims,” local police commander Frederic Gisler said.

The French foreign ministry – the Ministère de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères (Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs) – said nine French citizens were among the injured and eight others remained unaccounted for.

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to Parmelin on Thursday to offer assistance.

France is preparing to take in eight more of the injured. “We have reserved 15 adult beds and four paediatric beds in French hospitals, so the capacity is there,” the foreign ministry told FranceInfo public media.

This is in addition to the three injured people who were transferred to French hospitals in Lyon and Paris on Thursday.

13 killed in bar fire in northern France

Ongoing investigation 

Swiss police have yet to establish what caused the blaze.

Several witness accounts broadcast by Swiss, French and Italian media pointed to sparklers mounted on champagne bottles and held aloft by staff as part of a regular show for customers who made special orders.

“There were waitresses with champagne bottles and little sparklers. They got too close to the ceiling, and suddenly it all caught fire,” Axel, a witness, told Italian outlet Local Team.

The canton’s chief prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud, said investigators would examine whether the bar met safety standards and had the required number of exits.

Multiple sources told France’s AFP news agency that the bar owners are French nationals: a couple originally from Corsica who, according to a relative, are safe, but have been unreachable since the tragedy.

(with newswires)

From 1 January, France’s automatic “lifetime” state benefits – including official cars, drivers and permanent police protection – for former prime ministers and interior ministers have been discontinued, with 24 police officers and 24 drivers withdrawn from former office holders.

The move follows an announcement by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu in mid-September 2025 that such automatic benefits would be replaced by fixed-term arrangements.

Under the new rules, former prime ministers will retain a state-funded car and driver for 10 years, while police protection will be limited to three years.

Former interior ministers will receive protection for two years, after which security will only be maintained if a specific threat is identified.

Former prime ministers – including Jean-Marc Ayrault, François Fillon and Jean-Pierre Raffarin – were reportedly notified of the change by a letter from the prime minister’s office.

The Interior Ministry stressed that the reform was not about stripping protection altogether, but about scaling it back to match genuine risk. The objective, it said, was to ensure “consistency, proportionality and good management of public resources”.

Lecornu has framed the decision as a matter of political credibility. In a message posted on social media when the reform was announced, he argued that leaders could not credibly demand sacrifices from the public while retaining privileges that no longer reflected the country’s reality.

Writing on X (formerly Twitter), he said: “While it is normal for the Republic to protect individuals who are subject to threats, it is not acceptable, on the other hand, for them to benefit from lifetime advantages due to a temporary status.”

Lecornu sworn in as prime minister as clashes erupt across France

A deepening divide

The decision comes against a backdrop of growing mistrust between French voters and the political class.

The Fractures françaises poll, a long-running annual survey that tracks social, political and cultural divides within French society, shows confidence in political institutions at persistently low levels, with many respondents saying elected leaders no longer understand their daily lives or concerns.

The 2025 edition of the study found a majority of respondents describing France as “in decline”, while trust in political parties and parliament ranked far below that placed in institutions such as hospitals or local authorities.

Calls for sweeping political change – including the dissolution of the National Assembly – featured prominently in responses in the poll, founded in 2013 by Ipsos and several French academic partners.

This scepticism has repeatedly spilled on to the streets. The autumn 2025 “Block Everything” protests, triggered by proposed budget cuts and rising living costs, drew comparisons with the Yellow Vest movement of 2018–19, which erupted over fuel taxes and broader concerns about social justice.

From deficit to deadlock: why France is borrowing €310bn without a budget

Political turmoil

Behind Lecornu’s reform lies a far tougher economic reality. France’s public debt remains above 110 percent of GDP, while efforts to pass a functioning budget in 2025 exposed deep divisions in parliament and led to months of political instability.

Two prime ministers fell in quick succession, as governments struggled to assemble majorities for spending cuts and tax measures demanded by Brussels.

Unions responded with waves of strikes across transport, education and the public sector, arguing that ordinary workers were being asked to shoulder the burden of fiscal consolidation while political elites appeared insulated from its effects.

In that context, ending lifetime perks carries more symbolic than financial weight. The savings involved are modest in the context of the state budget, but the gesture has been widely interpreted as an attempt to show that political leaders are no longer exempt from belt-tightening.

Joking about how he would manage without a chauffeur, former interior minister Daniel Vaillant told French daily La Dépêche that he had not driven himself for more than two decades.

A third of the non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council change hands each year – and from January 2026, Algeria, South Korea, Guyana, Sierra Leone and Slovenia will be replaced by Bahrain, Latvia, Colombia, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Elected in June 2025 as a non-permanent member for the 2026–2027 term, the DRC won 183 votes out of 187 at the UN headquarters in New York.

DRC‘s seat at the table coincides with Somalia’s rotating presidency and marks its third term on the council, following two mandates in 1982-83 and 1990-91.

“We will carry the voice of the DRC, but also that of Africa,” said the country’s foreign minister Thérèse Wagner.

Its return comes as Kinshasa described the security situation in the east of the country as a “war of aggression waged by Rwanda”.

The DRC authorities aim to keep the crisis high on the United Nations agenda and to secure the implementation of Resolution 2773, adopted in February 2025, which calls for the withdrawal of the AFC/M23 armed group and Rwandan forces.

Boys recount ‘torment’ at hands of armed rebels in DR Congo

DRC’s agenda

The non-permanent seat is a timely win for Congolese diplomacy. Kinshasa will sit alongside Liberia and Somalia, as part of the so-called African three or “A3” caucus.

In previous sessions, the A3 has acted as a swing bloc capable of bridging positions between permanent and elected members.

Since the conflict in eastern DRC broke out between the Congolese army and rebel forces in 2022, securing decisive action from the UN has “proved difficult for Kinshasa”,  a source close to the presidency said.

Rwanda and DR Congo begin complex peace process after signing US-brokered deal

By joining the “A3” group in its own right, Kinshasa now hopes to reverse that trend and “keep the Congolese issue on the Security Council’s agenda”, says Christian Moleka, coordinator of the DRC Political Scientists’ Network (Dypolrdc).

“There is currently a dynamic of mediation and conflict resolution in [DRC] that continues to attract international attention, even if other priorities are taking precedence, with tensions today in Venezuela and probably tensions in the Middle East,” he told RFI.

“The Congolese issue could disappear overnight, given the evolution of global security challenges. So for [DRC], the aim is to keep the Congolese agenda on the Security Council table so that Resolution 2773, which was adopted unanimously, can be implemented and allow a return to peace.”

On 1 January, Bulgaria became the 21st European Union country to adopt the single currency. The outgoing government of the Balkan nation of 6.4 million people presents the move as a milestone that should strengthen the economy and help curb corruption.

On the streets of the capital Sofia, however, optimism is mixed with unease. While some Bulgarians see the euro as a logical step in the country’s European integration, others worry about its impact on everyday life.

In a shop in central Sofia, women’s fashion designer Mirella Bratova told RFI adopting the euro will simplify her business.

“I have customers in the European Union, but also in the United States. Most of them shop online or in our stores here in Sofia, in the United Kingdom and in the Czech Republic. In our dealings with these customers, but also with our European suppliers, there will be fewer exchange rate-related expenses. Everything will be more straightforward,” she said.

A committed European, the 60-year-old sees the change as long overdue. For her, “the adoption of the euro is the final piece in the puzzle of Bulgaria’s integration into Europe”.

Europeans invited to pick theme for new, ‘more relatable’ euro banknotes

Nostalgia for the lev

Not everyone shares her enthusiasm. Georgi, a 47-year-old business owner who asked not to give his surname, regrets the abandonment of the lev, Bulgaria’s national currency.

“Our currency represents our national identity, our Bulgarian soul,” he said. “But everything was decided behind closed doors. The government decided to switch to the euro without consulting the nation. People are completely unprepared for this.”

His concerns also echo a broader unease. Like many Bulgarians, Georgi fears that the arrival of the euro will push prices higher. Economists note that food prices were already up 5 percent year on year in November, even before the changeover.

Eurozone rocked by record inflation as prices soar 10 percent

Between concern and optimism

At Sofia’s Zhenski Pazar – the capital’s oldest and usually liveliest market – the mood is subdued. Cold weather and grey skies add to the sense of uncertainty.

On the stalls, prices are displayed in both leva – the plural of lev – and euros. Trying to make sense of the figures, Mrs Dimitrova, 50, clutches a handful of crumpled lev notes and sighs: “We want to keep our national currency, the euro means poverty. Bulgaria has always had its own currency. That’s real money!”

Nearby, a chilli pepper seller looks on with raised eyebrows. “People aren’t used to it yet,” he says. “Sometimes they get confused because they think the cheaper price is in leva when it’s just been converted into euros. They mix everything up.”

He is adamant, however, that prices are climbing, particularly in supermarkets – and that the switch to the euro has only added to the pressure.

Others strike a more hopeful note. In her wine shop, 47-year-old merchant Anita Koleva remains confident despite the initial disruption. “The chaos will last for a while, that’s for sure,” she says. “But everything will be back to normal by February.”

For now, Bulgaria is in a transition period. For one month, the lev and the euro will circulate side by side, while prices will continue to be displayed in both currencies until next summer. 

---

This has been adapted from the original article in French by RFI’s Agnieszka Kumor in Sofia

Africa: power and protest

‘We come here to die’: African recruits sent to fight Russia’s war in Ukraine

Following the trail from Africa to the Ukrainian frontlines, this investigation asks who profits, who pays the price, and how distant wars pull in people with few choices and even fewer protections.

Madagascar’s Gen Z uprising, as told by three young protesters

Young activists trace the anger, frustration and hope driving a new generation of Madagascans into the streets – and challenging the political status quo.

How football mega tournaments became a lightning rod for Morocco protesters

From stadiums to the streets, football emerges as a proxy battleground for identity, power and politics, revealing how sport can amplify wider tensions.

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

As Côte d’Ivoire went to the polls, young Ivorians told us about joblessness, political dead ends and memories of past violence – and why peace mattered most.

South Africa closes G20 year framed as ‘presidency for all of Africa’

As South Africa wrapped up its G20 presidency, this story follows Pretoria’s push to put African priorities on the global agenda – from debt relief to inequality – amid boycotts, diplomatic tensions and questions over how much influence the continent can really wield.

The karate grannies of Korogocho, fighting back at any age

In one of Nairobi’s toughest neighbourhoods, older women turn to karate not for sport, but for safety, confidence and control over their own space, finding strength – and joy – along the way.

---

Ukraine and Russia: war, identity and closed worlds

How the Russian invasion has sparked a renaissance of Ukrainian culture

This piece explores how war has accelerated cultural change. It shows how language, art and identity can shift fast when a country is fighting to exist on its own terms.

Returning to Ukraine: ‘If everyone leaves, what will become of this country?’

For Ukrainians living abroad, the question of return is fraught. This story explores the pull of home, the fear of going back, and the emotional cost of waiting.

---

Europe: democracy, disinformation and shifting ground

Europe’s ‘Truman Show’ moment: is it time to walk off Trump’s set?

As politics blurs into performance, this analysis probes a growing sense of democratic unease and the feeling that institutions are no longer speaking to voters.

How deepfakes and cloned voices are distorting Europe’s elections

With fake audio and video becoming harder to spot, voters face a new challenge – deciding what is real in an election landscape increasingly shaped by synthetic media.

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

A tour of political ideas crossing borders, tracing how US-style rhetoric and tactics are being adapted by movements across Europe.

Secret oaths and blacked-out windows: what happens inside the papal conclave?

Behind closed doors, rituals, rules and secrecy shape one of the world’s most watched decisions, offering a rare glimpse into a process designed to resist scrutiny.

---

France: citizens, culture and disappearing worlds

Changing France’s approach to volunteering, one hour at a time

Can civic engagement fit into busy modern lives? This piece looks at efforts to lower the threshold for volunteering and bring more people into public life.

How 184 random citizens helped shape France’s debate on assisted dying

By handing a deeply sensitive issue to ordinary citizens, France tested a different model of democracy – and learned something about public trust along the way.

Did French media silence enable Brigitte Macron fake news story to go viral?

When mainstream outlets hold back, false claims can fill the gap. This story examines how hesitation may have helped a conspiracy theory gain traction.

Crying the news with Ali Akbar, the last paperboy of Paris

As habits change and print fades, one man keeps calling out the headlines, holding on to a disappearing rhythm of city life.

France Antarctique: the lost French outpost on the coast of Brazil

Before France became a global colonial power, it stumbled. This story uncovers a failed colonial experiment in Brazil, and the traces it quietly left behind.

France’s Republican calendar and the doomed battle to revolutionise time

Revolutionary France didn’t just try to overthrow a regime – it sought to reinvent time itself. This story revisits the radical calendar experiment, and why it ultimately failed.

---

Environment and technology: new pressure, old knowledge

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

Niue, a small island nation in the South Pacific, is experimenting with a novel approach to conservation, selling sponsorships for pieces of ocean in order to fund long-term protection.

How Europe’s appetite for farmed fish is gutting Gambia’s coastline

What ends up on European plates is changing life on the West African coast, as industrial fishmeal plants drain local waters of fish.

Indigenous knowledge steers new protections for the high seas

Once sidelined in global policy, indigenous ocean knowledge is now reshaping how marine protection is designed and defended.

Is AI sexist? How artificial images are perpetuating gender bias in reality

The images produced by AI systems often reflect old stereotypes, raising uncomfortable questions about who designs these tools – and whose biases they carry.

How weird fossils created by human garbage may baffle future civilisations

What will today’s plastic bottles, smartphones and chicken bones leave behind for the distant future? Scientists say our rubbish may become “technofossils” – a distinctly human geological layer that could puzzle future explorers about the age of mass consumption and waste.

---

Culture and memory: bearing witness

How exiled photographer Ernest Cole captured apartheid’s human toll

Through stark, unflinching images, Cole documented the everyday violence of South African apartheid, producing work that remains as unsettling as it is necessary.

‘Collective heroism’: French film recounts evacuation amid Taliban takeover

Set against the evacuation from Afghanistan, the French film foregrounds solidarity, capturing how ordinary people respond when institutions falter and danger closes in.

As a result of the parliament’s failure to vote the 2026 budget, France’s government was forced to invoke a special emergency budget law that rolls over the previous year’s budget to keep the state funded when a new finance bill has not been adopted.

The same type of emergency legislation was used ahead of the 2025 budget, which was only finalised in February after being forced through parliament, a delay that cost the government €12 billion.

Bank of France governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau has cautioned that carrying over the 2025 framework into 2026 would lead to “a deficit far higher than desired” – a warning that temporary fixes risk worsening France’s financial situation.

Why €310 billion more?

According to the budget bill the Treasury presented to the government in October, France needs to raise just over €305 billion in 2026 – slightly more than in 2025 – to keep the state running and pay back part of its existing debt.

Under a funding plan unveiled earlier this week, that will be done by selling about €310 billion in government bonds – in other words, by borrowing money on the financial markets for several years at a time.

The extra borrowing is mainly because more old loans are coming due. Repayments on past borrowing will increase from €168 billion in 2025 to nearly €176 billion in 2026, while the annual shortfall between what the state spends and what it takes in – the budget deficit – is still expected to total some €124 billion.

On top of that, the cost of servicing the debt is rising as higher interest rates feed through, partly as a result of France’s credit rating sliding downwards. 

Lower credit ratings

Paris is starting to feel the effects of downgrades and negative outlooks from the big credit‑rating agencies, which act as referees for investors when they judge a country’s debt.

In recent years, Moody’s, S&P and Fitch have all warned that high and rising debt, political tensions over reforms and repeated budget slippages make France a riskier bet than before, even if it remains firmly in investment‑grade territory.

Overseas investors hold more than half of France’s tradeable government debt, leaving the country more exposed if confidence wobbles and markets start demanding higher rates.

The amount the state pays just in interest is set to jump from €52 billion in 2025 to more than €59 billion in 2026 – money that cannot be used for schools, hospitals or investment, and still does nothing to shrink the overall debt.

France faces credit downgrade as Moody’s readies verdict on €3.2 trillion debt

In the EU’s bad books

Meanwhile, with a staggering €3.2 trillion, France’s public debt has risen from around 97.4 percent of GDP in 2019 to more than 112 percent in 2023, placing it among the most indebted countries in the euro area and well above the 60-percent ceiling in the EU’s Stability and Growth Pact.

Germany‘s debt, by contrast, stands at around 62 percent of GDP, roughly half the French level, while the euro‑area average is below 90 percent.​

Deficits have also widened. France moved from a government deficit of 2.1 percent of GDP in 2019 to about 4.9 percent in 2023 and remains in primary deficit, meaning it still borrows even before interest payments – unlike Germany, which has moved much closer to balance.

France is now the EU’s third most indebted member, behind Greece and Italy, and faces renewed EU pressure as fiscal rules are phased back in.​

France braces for economic judgment amid political turmoil and record debt

High public spending, low growth

Several factors push France into repeated large‑scale borrowing.

The country has a tradition of high structural public spending, notably on social protection, health and pensions, which successive governments have struggled to trim without triggering protests.​

Covid‑19 and energy‑price crises have also left a costly legacy. President Emmanuel Macron vowed to do “whatever it takes” to shield households and businesses, leaving a permanently higher debt burden.​

Meanwhile economic growth remains weak, held back by low consumer spending and investment, as well as lingering political uncertainty.

Slower economic growth means France must cut €10bn in public spending

Eyes on 2027 presidential election

France’s budget impasse comes after an exceptionally turbulent political period that has seen Macron cycle through five prime ministers in his second term. It reflects the difficulties of governing with a parliament deadlocked between rival blocs, none of which has a clear majority.

Current Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu remains under intense pressure from the president to secure the 2026 budget while navigating threats of no‑confidence votes from both left and right.​

Political challengers are likely to exploit the fiscal crisis and Macron’s lame-duck status ahead of the 2027 presidential elections by framing the debt and budget situation as a failure of the president’s centrist movement.

The far-right National Rally may blame what they see as excessive spending as well as ties with Brussels, while vowing to cut immigration and welfare programmes but protect pensions at the same time.

Meanwhile the left-wing New Popular Front is poised to attack austerity and push for new wealth taxes to fund social spending.

Insurance boss breaks ranks with French business elite over taxing the rich

And Macron’s centre-right allies such as Édouard Philippe are likely to demand discipline via pension tweaks and caps, as all sides leverage Macron’s PM carousel and institutional distrust to boost their ratings in the opinion polls.

The lower house of parliament will resume examining a full budget bill in the coming weeks, with debates expected to reopen on 13 January. Both houses must agree on the text before it becomes final.

(with newswires)

Trump rebooted

Returning to the White House in January, Donald Trump launched his protectionist second term agenda at breakneck speed, ordering mass deportations of undocumented migrants, imposing sweeping budget cuts and dismantling large parts of the United States’ federal government.

Trump also deployed the National Guard in Democrat-led cities, sought to intimidate the media and freely threatened his opponents with legal action.

‘Ceasefire’ in Gaza

Under pressure from Washington, a ceasefire was agreed between Israel and Hamas, two years after the start of the war in Gaza following the 7 October, 2023 attacks. It allowed the return to Israel of the last living hostages and most of the bodies of those killed, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

But the truce remains fragile. Negotiations on the second phase of the peace plan have stalled, with both sides accusing each other almost daily of violating the agreement.

Ukraine peace efforts at a standstill

Trump’s return to the White House revived efforts to end the war in Ukraine, but talks have failed to deliver a breakthrough. The US president made repeated reversals before putting forward a draft plan widely seen as favourable to Moscow.

International discussions continue on that basis, while Russia appears unwilling to compromise and continues its slow and costly advances on the ground.

Tariffs trigger global showdown

Trump imposed tariffs on imports and on entire sectors deemed strategic, triggering a trade conflict that shook the global economy. Difficult negotiations led to numerous agreements, with uneven consequences depending on the country in question.

Talks with neighbouring Mexico and Canada continue to drag on while relations with China, above all, are extremely tense.

AI’s explosive rise

Technology giants and investors spent vast sums to fuel the rapid growth of artificial intelligence. Markets fear a speculative bubble and concerns are mounting, with AI accused of driving disinformation and copyright violations.

Many companies cited it to justify mass lay-offs too. As the technology expands rapidly, the full consequences are difficult to assess.

Gen Z in revolt

Nepal, Indonesia, Peru, Madagascar, Morocco, Bulgaria… across the world, mass movements led by people under 30 emerged in protest at poor living conditions, social media censorship and elite corruption.

They adopted the pirate flag from the manga comic One Piece as a symbol, both on the streets and online, and while their success and impact varied from country to country, together they reflected the anger of a generation.

Climate warnings fall flat

It was another bleak year for the climate. Deadly floods struck Vietnam, while hurricanes and typhoons devastated the Caribbean and the Philippines. Across Europe, temperatures surged and forest fires intensified.

Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, more deadly and more destructive because of climate change. Despite this, Cop30 – held in Belém, in the Amazon – resulted in only a minimalist agreement.

Former leaders behind bars

The year was also marked by the imprisonment of several former presidents. In Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro began serving a 27-year sentence for an attempted coup. In France, Nicolas Sarkozy was jailed for 20 days after his conviction for criminal conspiracy.

In South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol is in detention and on trial for insurrection and abuse of power. In the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte was arrested and transferred to The Hague under a warrant from the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

---

This retrospective was translated from the original version in French

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)

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.

---

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

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.”

‘Climate whiplash’: East Africa caught between floods and drought

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.

Jane Goodall, pioneering primatologist and voice for wildlife, dies aged 91

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 decision, announced on Thursday, requires the affected NGOs to cease their activities by 1 March.

Among those targeted are some of the most prominent humanitarian organisations working in Gaza, including Médecins Sans Frontières, Médecins du Monde, Handicap International, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam and World Vision International.

According to Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, the organisations failed to meet new “security and transparency standards”, particularly the requirement to provide full and verifiable information about their Palestinian staff.

“The primary failure identified was the refusal to provide complete and verifiable information regarding their employees, a critical requirement designed to prevent the infiltration of terrorist operatives into humanitarian structures,” the ministry said in a statement.

Minister Amichai Chikli insisted that “humanitarian assistance is welcome – the exploitation of humanitarian frameworks for terrorism is not”.

‘Post-apocalyptic wasteland’: aid worker describes enduring horror in Gaza

Rules on disclosure

The ban follows legislation passed by the Israeli parliament in March 2025 that overhauled the registration and visa process for international NGOs. Under the new rules, organisations were given 10 months to disclose details of their personnel, funding sources and operational structures. The deadline expired at midnight on 31 December.

Several humanitarian groups argue that the demands undermine their independence and could put staff at risk. Médecins Sans Frontières has said that it had not submitted a list of employees because it had not received sufficient “guarantees and clarifications” about how the information would be used.

The organisation said the request “may be in violation of Israel’s obligations under international humanitarian law” and stressed that it would “never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity”.

Israel, however, has accused MSF of employing two staff members who it says belonged to Hamas and Islamic Jihad – allegations the organisation strongly disputes.

Speaking to RFI, Jean-François Corty, president of Médecins du Monde, warned that the ban “jeopardises international humanitarian law” and risks setting a troubling precedent for aid operations worldwide.

International and domestic backlash

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk described the decision as “outrageous”, saying that “such arbitrary suspensions make an already intolerable situation even worse for the people of Gaza”. He urged states to press Israel to reverse course.

The head of UNRWA, the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, called the move a “dangerous precedent”. Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X: “Failing to push back against attempts to control the work of aid organisations will further undermine the basic humanitarian principles of neutrality, independence, impartiality and humanity underpinning aid work across the world.”

Opposition also emerged from within Israel. At least 17 Israeli left-wing organisations issued a joint statement condemning the ban, arguing that the new registration framework “violates core humanitarian principles of independence and neutrality”. They warned that the “weaponisation of bureaucracy institutionalises barriers to aid, endangers staff and communities, and forces vital organisations to suspend operations”.

Europe seeks role in Gaza as pressure grows on Israel over fragile ceasefire

European officials have also raised concerns. In April, members of the European Parliament cautioned that the NGO registration law risked “hindering the delivery of humanitarian aid and social services to Palestinians”. European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib said on 31 December that “the EU has been clear: the NGO registration law cannot be applied in its current form”.

The controversy comes against the backdrop of a fragile ceasefire that has been in place since October, following the war triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.

Conditions in Gaza remain dire, with UN figures suggesting that nearly 80 percent of buildings have been damaged or destroyed, while around 1.5 million of the territory’s more than two million residents have been displaced.

Earlier this week, the foreign ministers of 10 countries – including France and the United Kingdom – urged Israel to guarantee access to humanitarian aid, describing the situation in Gaza as “catastrophic”.

(with newswires)

With Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer increasingly under pressure over the issue, his Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has proposed a drastic reduction in protections for refugees and the ending of automatic benefits for asylum seekers.

Home Office data showed that a total of 41,472 migrants landed on England’s southern coast in 2025 after making the Channel crossing from northern France.

The record of 45,774 arrivals was reached in 2022 under the last Conservative government.

Former Tory prime minister Rishi Sunak vowed to “stop the boats” when he was in power. Ousted by Starmer in July 2024, he later said he regretted the slogan because it was too “binary” and lacked sufficient context “for exactly how challenging” the goal was.

Adopting his own “smash the gangs” slogan, Starmer pledged to tackle the problem by dismantling the people-smuggling networks running the crossings, but has so far had no more success than his predecessor.

Surge in Channel crossings puts UK-France migrant deal under pressure

‘Landmark’ French deal

Mahmood has said irregular migration is “tearing our country apart”.

In early December, an interior ministry spokesperson called the number of small boat crossings “shameful” and said Mahmood’s “sweeping reforms” would remove the incentives driving the arrivals.

A returns deal with France had so far resulted in 153 people being removed from the UK to France and 134 being brought to the UK from France, border security and asylum minister Alex Norris said.

“Our landmark one-in, one-out scheme means we can now send those who arrive on small boats back to France,” he said.

Signed in July, it entered into force on 12 August but has been criticised by human rights groups and politicians in France.

Guy Allemand, mayor of Sangatte near Calais, told RFI the deal was “purely political” and “hypocritical”.

In October, 17 NGOs filed a complaint with France’s highest administrative court calling for the annulment of the scheme, arguing that its principles were inhumane.

French aid groups complain of harassment by British anti-immigration vigilantes

The groups also argued that the agreement should have been submitted to Parliament for ratification prior to publication.

But at the end of December, the court threw out the complaint and said the agreement should stand. 

The past year has seen multiple protests in the UK over the housing of migrants in hotels and other issues. Amid growing anti-immigrant sentiment, in September up to 150,000 massed in central London for one of the country’s largest ever far-right protests.

Asylum claims in the UK are at a record high, with around 111,000 applications made in the year to June 2025, according to official figures as of mid-November.

(with AFP)

The initiative is backed by President Emmanuel Macron, who said in his end-of-year address on Wednesday that there was a need to “protect our children and teenagers from social networks and screens.”

Earlier this month, Macron said parliament would begin debating the proposal in January.

“Many studies and reports now confirm the various risks caused by excessive use of digital screens by adolescents,” the draft law says.

Children with unrestricted online access can be exposed to “inappropriate content” and may face cyber-harassment or changes to their sleep patterns, the government said.

Macron mulls social media ban as mother challenges platforms over son’s suicide

Digital protection

The draft law has two articles. One would make illegal “the provision by an online platform of an online social media service to a minor under 15.” The second calls for a ban on mobile phone use in secondary schools.

Macron has said protecting minors online is a priority for his government, but enforcement and compliance with international law have raised problems in the past.

France breached European Union rules with a law setting a “digital legal age” of 15 passed in 2023, which has since been blocked.

An ban on mobile phone use in pre-schools and middle-schools came into force in 2018, but is rarely enforced.

In September 2024, some middle schools across France trialled a “digital pause,” banning mobile phone use for the entire school day rather than simply requiring phones to be switched off.

The Senate, France’s upper house, this month backed a separate initiative to protect teenagers from excessive screen time and social media use. It includes a requirement for parental authorisation for children aged 13 to 16 to register on social media platforms.

The Senate proposal has been submitted to the National Assembly, which would need to approve the text before it can become law.

France struggles to decide what place screens should have in schools

Harmful content

The debate comes amid growing international concern over the impact of social media on young people’s mental health.

In September, a French parliamentary commission investigating the psychological effects of TikTok recommended banning social media for children under 15 and introducing a “digital curfew” for 15- to 18-year-olds.

The commission was launched in March after seven families sued TikTok in late 2024, accusing the platform of exposing their children to content that could encourage suicide.

Last month, Australia became the first country to ban under-16s from social media entirely, saying it was time to “take back control” from powerful technology companies, a move criticised by YouTube, Meta and other industry groups.

(with AFP)

“The laposte.fr website and all of La Poste’s information systems are currently facing a cyber attack,” a message on the postal service’s homepage stated on Thursday.

The website and app of La Banque Postale, the post office’s banking arm, were also largely inaccessible.

The previous denial-of-service attack, which involves overloading servers to prevent or slow down access to an online service, was claimed by a pro-Russian hacker group NoName057(16).

Its duration was unusually long for this type of attack: it began on 22 December, and disruptions continued until 26 December. It severely disrupted customer tracking of parcels, but delivery proceeded normally.

La Poste filed a complaint and asserted that no data had been stolen, as a denial-of-service attack is not considered an intrusion into information systems.

French police arrest suspect over interior ministry cyber attack

Pro-Russian hacktivists

The Paris prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation, which has been entrusted to the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) and the national cyber unit. It confirmed that NoName057(16) had claimed responsibility for the attack.

The hacker group emerged in 2022, the year that Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. 

It has previously targeted Ukrainian media websites and government and corporate websites in countries including Poland, Sweden and Germany.

Experts say that its activities appear to be designed to support pro-Russian information warfare. They say the group appears to be a loose organisation of hacktivists.

When contacted by French news agency AFP, La Poste was not immediately available for comment.

(with AFP)

Minimum wage and pensions

The gross monthly minimum wage for full-time work will rise by 1.18 percent on 1 January – up from €1,801.80 to €1,823.03. A full-time employee on the minimum wage will earn just under €17 net more per month. The increase is mechanical and partly linked to inflation.

The salary of around 356,000 civil servants – out of France’s 5.8 million public-sector employees – will be slightly adjusted to prevent them from falling below the minimum wage, according to the Ministry for Public Accounts. Their minimum pay, previously set at €1,801.74 gross, will rise by €21.23 through a “differential allowance”, paid as a bonus rather than through an increase in basic salary.

Basic state pensions and minimum benefits will also rise by 0.9 percent, due to the implementation of the social security part of the 2026 budget that was voted through parliament. 

Ban on ‘forever chemicals’

The manufacture, import and sale of a range of products containing PFAS (“forever chemicals”) will be banned from 1 January. The list includes cosmetics, ski waxes, most clothing and shoes, and their waterproofing products, except specific protective gear.

France cracks down on ‘forever chemicals’ in cosmetics, clothing

Birth leave

Parents of babies born or adopted from 1 January onwards will be eligible for up to two months of birth leave provided for in the social security budget. However, the scheme will only take effect from 1 July.

The new leave supplements existing maternity leave (16 weeks) and paternity leave (28 days), while parental leave will remain in place. Birth leave will last for one or two months, at the employee’s discretion, and may be split into two one-month periods. The level of compensation will be set by decree, but during parliamentary debates, the government said it should be 70 percent of net salary for the first month and 60 percent for the second.

Health insurance

The cost of supplementary health insurance – known as a mutuelle – could increase after the government passed a special 2.05 percent “health tax” on insurance companies.

The French Mutual Insurance Federation has already announced that mutuelle insurance rates are set to increase by an average 4.7 percent for group contracts, and 4.3 percent for individual deals in 2026.

Sick leave 

Conditions for accessing sick leave will become stricter from 1 January, with doctors able to issue sick notes for a maximum of one month in the first instance. In the event of a renewal, the maximum period is set at two months. 

Civics exams 

Foreign nationals applying for a multi-year residence permit, a long-term residence card or French nationality will have to pass a written civics test, consisting of 40 multiple choice questions to be answered in 45 minutes. Candidates must score at least 32. The exam is designed to assess knowledge of the Republic’s principles and values, as well as the rights and duties of people living in France.

George and Amal Clooney granted French citizenship along with children

Fuel prices

While the price per kilowatt-hour will fall slightly, the annual gas standing charge will increase by €13.10 in 2026, according to the Energy Regulatory Commission. 

Arenh – the system requiring state energy company EDF to sell around a quarter of its nuclear output to competitors at a fixed, low price – ended on 31 December, 2025. It has been replaced by a new mechanism allowing EDF to sell more of its production at market prices, within set limits.

This could mean higher fuel bills for customers not on regulated tariffs, but the government says it expects electricity prices to remain “stable at least in 2026 and 2027”.

Housing renovation grant suspended

The application portal for the MaPrimeRénov’ housing renovation grant has been suspended, due to the absence of a budget for 2026. The special law passed in lieu of a full finance law allows the state’s operations to continue, but “blocks any non-contractual spending”, the Housing Minister Vincent Jeanbrun said.

France unveils its first ‘positive energy’ neighbourhood, powering local pride

Stamps  

Postage prices for letters and parcels will rise by an average of 7.4 percent. The economy rate stamp goes up to €1.52 from €1.39. The red e-letter, used for urgent next-day deliveries, will go from €1.49 to €1.60. A 20g registered letter will cost €6.11, up from €5.74. Prices for Colissimo parcels sent by private individuals will increase by an average of 3.4 percent.

La Poste justifies the increases “to ensure the sustainability of the universal postal service with a high level of quality”, as the steady decline in letter volumes continues to eat into revenue.

Gifts between individuals

Online declaration of cash gifts and valuable donations to relatives becomes compulsory for taxpayers. Only “significant” gifts are concerned, including cash gifts of several thousand euros, valuables and shares.

Roadworthiness tests tightened 

Mandatory roadworthiness tests (contrôle technique) become stricter, including automatic re-inspection rules for vehicles equipped with Takata airbags, following difficulties encountered with these during recall campaigns.

Around 1.3 million vehicles affected are still in circulation. Similar procedures already apply to the most serious defects, such as the absence of braking systems or rearview mirrors.

Pink car plates 

Vehicles awaiting final registration and those registered abroad pending French registration (WW), along with vehicles used by professionals for road testing (W), will have to display plates with a pink background as of 1 January. 

The aim is to make these vehicles easier to identify and monitor. The new plates will display the month and year of expiry instead of the regional identifier and department number.

Reimbursement of drink-spiking tests

Medical tests to detect drink spiking will be reimbursed by the health insurance system, even without a prior complaint. A doctor’s prescription will still be required. If a test is positive, a dedicated “patient pathway” will allow a complaint to be lodged.

Tested in three regions – Île-de-France, Hauts-de-France and Pays de la Loire – an evaluation report will determine whether the scheme should be rolled out nationwide.

Senior French civil servant accused of mass drinks spiking to humiliate women

Energy performance rules revised 

The calculation method for the energy performance certificate (EPC) is being revised in favour of small, electrically heated properties. These were previously penalised compared with homes fitted with gas boilers. According to the government, the reform should allow 700,000 of the 5.4 million homes currently rated F or G to exit the category of energy sieves.

Homeowners will not need a new inspection to benefit from the change. An attestation can be downloaded directly from the Ademe website.

Cigarette prices 

A €0.10 to €0.50 increase per pack of 20 cigarettes is planned for 1 January, depending on the brand. The average price per pack will therefore rise to between €12.50 and €13. While a national anti-smoking programme had planned for a minimum pack price of €13 during 2026, this threshold is now expected to be reached in 2027.

An official decree seen by AFP on Monday showed that 64-year-old Oscar winner Clooney, his wife Amal Alamuddin Clooney and their two children had become French citizens.

Trump, whose administration has backed anti-immigration parties in Europe, said that Paris was welcome to the “Ocean’s Eleven” star, a long-term Democratic supporter, fundraiser and a vocal critic of the president.

“Good News! George and Amal Clooney, two of the worst political prognosticators of all time, have officially become citizens of France which is, sadly, in the midst of a major crime problem because of their absolutely horrendous handling of immigration,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.

The news of Clooney and his family becoming French comes ahead of language requirements for citizenship being toughened for everyone else under new immigration rules from January 1.

A junior member of President Emmanuel Macron‘s government had also criticised the decision to award passports despite Clooney speaking poor French.

“Personally, I understand the feeling of some French people of a double standard,” Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, a junior interior minister, told the France Info radio station.

“We need to be careful about the message we’re sending.”

Her boss, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, and the foreign ministry however defended the decision.

From pensions to pay packets, sick leave to stamps, what changes in France in 2026?

The civil code states that “French nationality may be conferred by naturalisation, upon the proposal of the minister of foreign affairs, to any French-speaking foreigner who applies for it and who contributes through their distinguished service to France’s influence and the prosperity of its international economic relations.”

But Clooney has admitted that his French remains poor despite hundreds of lessons.

Under the new immigration rules from Thursday, applicants will need a certificate showing they have a level of French that could get them into a French university. They will also have to pass a civic knowledge test.

Clooney has a property in southern France and said he has hailed French privacy laws that keep his family largely protected from international media intrusion.

“I love the French culture, your language, even if I’m still bad at it after 400 days of courses,” the actor told RTL radio – in English – in December.

His wife, an international human rights lawyer and dual UK-Lebanese national, speaks fluent French.

‘Meets the conditions’

Clooney bought the Domaine du Canadel, a former wine estate, near the Provence town of Brignoles, in 2021. He said it is where his family is “happiest”.

Nunez, the interior minister, said he was “very happy” with the actor and his family becoming French, saying the country was lucky to have them.

The French foreign ministry said the passport allocation for the Clooneys “meets the conditions set by law” for naturalisation.

The family “followed a rigorous procedure including security investigations, regulatory naturalisation interviews at the prefecture, and the payment of tax stamps,” the ministry added.

It highlighted the Clooneys had a French home and they “contribute through their distinguished service to France’s international influence and cultural prestige” through the actor’s role in the film industry.

This “can only contribute to maintaining and promoting France’s position in this essential economic sector”, it said.

Amal Clooney is “a renowned lawyer” who “regularly collaborates with academic institutions and international organisations based in France”, the ministry added.

Around 48,800 people acquired French nationality by decree in 2024, according to interior ministry figures.

Clooney is not alone in wanting a French passport.

Hollywood director Jim Jarmusch announced on Friday that he was also applying, telling French radio that he wanted “a place to where I can escape the United States“.

“I will be at work until the very last second, striving each day to live up to the mandate you entrusted to me,” he said in a televised New Year’s Eve address.

The president spoke as his poll ratings were at an all-time low since he first became head of state in 2017.

Political deadlock has gripped France ever since Macron took the gamble of calling snap polls in 2024, leading to him losing his majority and the far right gaining ground in parliament.

The new year is to be Macron’s last full one in office before the 2027 presidential elections, for which pollsters have predicted a victory for the far right.

“I will do everything I can to ensure the presidential election proceeds as calmly as possible — in particular without any foreign interference,” said Macron, who cannot take part in the vote after serving two consecutive terms in office.

Armed forces

He also said that “we must continue to invest in our armed forces, in our security services, in our public services and our economy, despite our financial difficulties,” urging the defence of France’s and Europe’s “independence” and “freedoms.”

“We are witnessing the return of empires, the questioning of the international order (…) The law of the strongest is attempting to prevail in world affairs, and our Europe is being assailed on all sides,” he said.

Macron kept a high international profile in 2025, including as part of efforts to stem the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

But at home, he has faced criticism even from former allies.

Macron’s third new prime minister since the snap polls, Sebastien Lecornu, has struggled to push a much-needed austerity budget through the hung parliament.

It had to adopt an emergency law last week to keep the government afloat.

“From the very first weeks of the year now starting, government and parliament will have to come to agreements to provide the nation with a budget,” Macron said. “It is essential.”

Macron’s former prime minister Edouard Philippe — a 2027 candidate — in October urged early presidential elections.

Three-time far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen called on the president to again dissolve parliament as a way to find a way out of the political deadlock, adding it would be “wise” for Macron to resign.

(with newswires)

The Ivorians and the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon came into their last Group F matches with identical records, leaving open the possibility that a drawing of lots would be required to determine their final positions.

But in the end the Ivorians finished in first place in Group F on goals scored after coming from two goals down to beat already-eliminated Gabon 3-2 while Cameroon defeated Mozambique 2-1.

Both sides finished on seven points with Mozambique on three points and Gabon on one. Mozambique go through as one of the four best third-placed sides.

Tanzania reach Africa Cup of Nations knockout stages for first time

Côte d’Ivoire found themselves two goals behind after just 21 minutes in Marrakesh, with Guelor Kanga pouncing on a handling error by goalkeeper Alban Lafont to put Gabon in front.

Los Angeles FC marksman Denis Bouanga then fired in Gabon’s second, leaving Emerse Fae’s team up against it.

However, Wilfried Zaha squared for Jean-Philippe Krasso to pull one back just before the interval and Aston Villa’s Evann Guessand headed in an 84th-minute equaliser.

The stage was then set for youngster Bazoumana Toure to get the winner for the Elephants in injury time.

Looking to become the first nation since Egypt in 2010 to retain the AFCON title, they will now play Burkina Faso in the last 16 in Marrakesh next Tuesday.

In Agadir, a great strike by Geny Catamo gave Mozambique the lead midway through the first half but Cameroon were level before the half-hour mark.

Nene somehow turned the ball into his own net after initially managing to deflect Frank Magri’s shot onto the post.

A superb 55th-minute strike by the young Bayer Leverkusen forward Christian Kofane then gave Cameroon the win.

Finishing second in the section means five-time champions Cameroon will play South Africa in the last 16 in Rabat on Sunday.

Hosts Morocco or outsiders Tanzania will face the winners of that tie in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile Mozambique, who are through to the knockout stage for the first time, will take on Nigeria next.

Sudan beaten by Burkina Faso

Two-time former champions Algeria completed the group stage with a perfect record as they beat Equatorial Guinea 3-1 in Rabat to finish with nine points from three games in Group E.

With Algeria already through as group winners and Equatorial Guinea eliminated, nothing was riding on the game in Morocco’s capital.

A much-changed Algeria team were three goals to the good by half-time, with Zineddine Belaid, Fares Chaibi and Ibrahim Maza all on target.

Emilio Nsue, top scorer at the last Cup of Nations, pulled one back for Equatorial Guinea early in the second half.

While Algeria play the Democratic Republic of Congo next, Cameroon will play South Africa in the last 16 in Rabat on Sunday after finishing second in Group F.

Lassina Traore’s early strike put Burkina Faso ahead at the Mohammed V Stadium before Algozoli Nooh missed a penalty for Sudan.

Arsene Kouassi, of French Ligue 1 side Lorient, sealed Burkina Faso’s win late on.

Sudan finish third and have reached the AFCON knockout stages for just the second time since winning the trophy in 1970, despite the backdrop of a devastating war in the country between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

They will play much-fancied Senegal in the last 16 in Tangier on Saturday.

“It is good for everyone in Sudan and it is also good for the players as it is up to them to prove that they can play against a team like Senegal,” said Sudan coach Kwesi Appiah.

“Senegal is a big football country and we will be sure to play a very good game.”

Thursday and Friday are rest days at the Cup of Nations in Morocco before the knockout phase begins on Saturday.

Tens of thousands of people gathered across Somalia on Tuesday to protest Israel’s decision to recognise the breakaway region of Somaliland, a move condemned by more than 20 countries as an attack on Somalia’s sovereignty.

The demonstrations took place as Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud travelled to Turkey for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, following Israel’s announcement last week.

Somalia also raised the issue at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Monday, warning that Israel’s recognition could pose serious regional security risks.

Israel’s representative rejected the criticism, calling it a double standard and pointing to the recognition of Palestine by other states. The United States said its position on Somalia remains unchanged.

Israel became the first country to recognise Somaliland last week, drawing condemnation from Turkey, Somalia and other nations. Turkey has been openly critical of Israel over the war in Gaza.

Somaliland, a territory of more than three million people in the Horn of Africa, declared independence from Somalia in 1991 during a period of conflict that left the country fragile.

Despite having its own government and currency, it had not been recognised by any country until Friday.

Nationwide protests

In the Somali capital Mogadishu, crowds gathered at the main stadium for a rally led by prominent religious figures, who condemned Israel’s decision and called for unity to defend Somalia’s territorial integrity.

Similar protests were reported across the country, with demonstrators chanting slogans rejecting the recognition and waving Somali flags, residents said. Video footage shared online showed large crowds in several cities.

The demonstrations marked the largest protests since Israel announced its recognition of Somaliland.

At the Mogadishu rally, traditional leader Mohamed Hassan Haad urged Somalis to oppose the move and warned against any attempt to claim Somali territory. He called on people in Somaliland to reject the recognition.

Religious scholar Sheikh Mohamud Sheikh Abulbari also condemned Israel’s decision, calling it unacceptable and saying it was wrong to welcome Israel into any part of Somalia. He cited Israel’s actions towards Palestinians and Muslims at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque.

UN ambassadors condemn Israel’s recognition of Somaliland

Diplomatic push at UN

Somalia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Abukar Dahir Osman, told the Security Council that Israel’s action “not only sets a dangerous precedent but also poses a serious threat to regional and international peace and security.”

Speaking in Istanbul on Tuesday, Mohamud thanked regional and international institutions that have opposed Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, calling it a violation of international law, the UN Charter, the African Union’s principles and established diplomatic norms.

“This sets a dangerous precedent that is contrary to the principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity, and non-interference that underpins all international systems,” he said.

Mohamud added that the move risked creating conditions that could embolden violent extremist groups, leading to wider insecurity in Somalia and the Horn of Africa, which is already under strain from armed violence, humanitarian pressures and political fragility.

Erdogan voiced strong support for Somalia’s unity and territorial integrity, condemning Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as “illegitimate and unacceptable.” He accused Israel of attempting to drag the Horn of Africa into instability.

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

Turkey’s role

Turkey has become one of Somalia’s closest allies over the past decade, providing military training and supporting infrastructure projects. It operates a military base in Mogadishu where Somali forces are trained.

Turkey has also sent a seismic research vessel, escorted by naval ships, to survey Somalia’s coastline for potential oil and gas reserves. Erdogan said Turkey plans to begin drilling operations in Somalia in 2026.

Ankara has described Israel’s move as unlawful and warned it could destabilise the fragile balance in the Horn of Africa. The reasons behind Israel’s decision remain unclear.

Earlier in 2025, Turkey hosted talks between Ethiopia and Somalia aimed at easing tensions triggered by a deal between Ethiopia and Somaliland.

In January 2024, Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland to lease land along its coastline for a naval base. In return, Ethiopia pledged to recognise Somaliland’s independence, a step Somalia says violates its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

(with newswires)

The Élysée Palace said on Tuesday it had been in contact with Bardot’s family following the announcement of her death on Sunday, and that a national tribute had been proposed but not accepted.

The presidency said the proposal followed “republican custom”, adding that such tributes are “systematically decided by mutual agreement with the deceased’s relatives”.

No agreement was reached in this case.

Right-left divide

The question of whether France should honour one of its most famous film stars in an official capacity has nonetheless divided the political class.

Since Bardot’s death was announced, debate has largely followed right-left lines.

Eric Ciotti, president of the UDR, a right-wing party allied with the National Rally, launched a petition calling for a national tribute. Bardot had long-standing ties to the far right and was openly close to the party.

On the left, the response was more cautious. Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist Party, described Bardot as “an iconic actress” but said national honours were reserved for those who had rendered “exceptional services to the nation”.

French legend Brigitte Bardot dead at 91: foundation

He also referred to her repeated convictions for racist and homophobic remarks, saying she had ultimately “turned her back on republican values”.

In any case, Macron will not attend the funeral, scheduled for 7 January in Saint-Tropez, which will be held in private.

Relations between Bardot and the president had long been strained. In 2023, she sent him an open letter accusing him of failing to act on animal welfare. “I am angry at your inaction, your cowardice, your contempt for the French people, who, it is true, treat you well in return,” she wrote.

Personal ties

Relations were far warmer with Marine Le Pen, who has been invited to the funeral and will attend “in a personal and friendly capacity”, according to her entourage.

Bardot had been close to Le Pen’s father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, and was married for three decades to a former adviser to the founder of the National Front.

She shared many of the movement’s views, including her opposition to what she once described as “the terrifying rise of immigration”.

Her support was not limited to private sympathy. In 2012, she publicly urged mayors to sponsor Marine Le Pen’s first presidential bid.

After Bardot’s death was announced on Sunday, the National Rally leader responded by praising an “exceptional woman” who was “incredibly French – free, indomitable, wholehearted”.

Bardot backs far-right leader Le Pen’s attempt to stand for president

Funeral arrangements

Beyond politics, the two women were also linked by a shared commitment to animal welfare. Bardot devoted herself to the cause through the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, while Marine Le Pen is known to have studied cat breeding.

The foundation said the funeral ceremony at the Notre-Dame de l’Assomption church would be broadcast on large screens outside.

This will be followed by a private burial at the marine cemetery, ahead of a “tribute open to all the residents of Saint-Tropez and her admirers”.

Speaking to the local daily Var-Matin on Tuesday, the town’s mayor Sylvie Siri said: “Come that time, everyone will talk about her and share their fondest memories of her.”

“It will be a great moment of communion – simple, just like her,” she added.

(with newswires)

Nearly 157 million tickets were sold in French cinemas this year, according to figures released on Wednesday by the National Centre for Cinema and Moving Images (CNC) – well below the 181 million tickets sold last year.

“It’s a mixed year for cinema, with a declining market, due to the lack of enough crowd-pleasers and surprise hits like those in 2024,” Gaëtan Bruel, president of the CNC, said.

The organisation attributes this in part to a lack of French blockbusters, unlike in 2024 which boasted two films with 10 million tickets sold: Le Compte de Monte Cristo (The Count of Monte Cristo) and Un p’tit truc en plus (Something Extra).

It also pointed to American films that underperformed, such as Tom Cruise’s long awaited finale of the Mission: Impossible franchise, which saw only 2.5 million tickets sold in France.

Art-house surprises

For Marc-Olivier Sebbag of the National Federation of French Cinemas (FNCF), audiences are more selective and rally on a “film by film” basis.

He highlighted the success of several art-house films released in the latter part of the year such as L’étranger (The Outsider) by François Ozon, or La Femme la plus riche du Monde (The Richest Woman in the World) starring Isabelle Huppert. Directed by Thierry Klifa, the latter was released out of competition during the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and attracted more than a million viewers to theatres.

According to the CNC, attendance figures for 2025 are comparable to those of the early 2000s – lower than the 200+ million annual viewers of the 2010s, but well ahead of the slump of the 1980s and its 120 million cinema-goers per year.

Postcard from Cannes #3: Surfing a wave of French cinematic nostalgia

On top of surviving the Covid-19 pandemic, cinema’s business model has also been revolutionised by the rise of streaming platforms such as Netflix, Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video , which have invested millions in projects comparable to blockbuster films and attracted a slew of younger viewers.

“The consumer segment that has disappeared is seniors,” the CNC told French news agency AFP. “They are the ones most receptive to the variety of films on offer. For younger people, they tend to wait for ‘a special event’ to go to the cinema.”

This was confirmed by the phenomenal year-end successes of Disney films Zootopia 2 and Avatar 3.

With 6.2 million tickets sold as of 29 December, the second instalment of the Zootopia adventures of rabbit Judy Hopps and fox Nick Wilde became the biggest hit of the year in France in just four weeks.

As for James Cameron’s epic 3D Avatar 3, it has already attracted more than 4.6 million viewers – a level similar to the two previous Avatar films, both historic successes at the global box office.

Optimism for 2026

Sebbag says he is “very optimistic” about 2026, given the momentum at the end of the year.

During the week of 17 to 24 December, “we were at +30 percent attendance compared to 2024 and +20 percent compared to the pre-Covid era,” he said.

He is also pleased to say that selection of upcoming films is wider, with major French films expected for the February school holidays, including Marsupilami, based on a popular comic book creature, as well as the animated film Les Légendaires (The Legendaries) based on a comic book series with more than 10 million copies sold.

2021 was a bumper year for French cinema, according to national film board

On the international scene, there are high hopes for the adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel Wuthering Heights, starring Margot Robbie.

Film buffs are also anticipating another clash of the titans in December 2026, with the release of the behemoths Dune: Part 3 and Avengers: Doomsday expected on the same day and already dubbed “Dunesday”.

In terms of the difficulties of keeping cinemas up and running, the CNC granted cash advances in September to 70 establishments out of approximately 2,200. But it said there were no more cinema closures in 2025 than in 2024.

(with newswires)

Doumbouya, 41, secured just under 87 percent of the vote in the first round, comfortably above the threshold required to avoid a run-off, the General Directorate of Elections said on Tuesday.

Turnout was put at almost 81 percent, a figure that suggests strong participation despite calls from parts of the opposition to stay away from the polls.

The general faced eight rivals in the weekend vote, but Guinea’s most prominent opposition leaders were barred from standing under new constitutional rules and had urged supporters to boycott what they described as a foregone conclusion.

Early results showed Doumbouya winning decisively across much of the country. In some districts of the capital, Conakry, he took more than 80 percent of the vote, according to partial tallies read out by election chief Djenabou Touré on state broadcaster RTG.

However, the scale of the victory was swiftly challenged by critics. The National Front for the Defence of the Constitution, a citizens’ movement campaigning for a return to civilian rule, said a “huge majority of Guineans chose to boycott the electoral charade”.

Doumbouya came to power in September 2021 after leading a coup that ousted Alpha Condé, Guinea’s first freely elected president.

At the time, he promised a swift transition back to civilian rule and said he would not run for office himself.

Since the coup, the junta has tightened its grip on power. Protests have been banned, civil liberties curtailed and a number of opponents arrested, prosecuted or pushed into exile.

Guinea votes in presidential election expected to cement Doumbouya’s rule

‘Electoral banditry’

Several of Doumbouya’s rivals also questioned the conduct of the vote. Candidate Abdoulaye Yero Balde cited “serious irregularities”, including the refusal to allow his representatives into vote-counting centres and allegations of ballot stuffing in some areas.

Another contender, Faya Millimono, complained of “electoral banditry”, which he said involved undue influence being exerted on voters.

The election follows a constitutional referendum held in late September, in which Guineans approved a new basic law allowing members of the ruling junta to run for office.

The revised constitution also extended presidential terms from five to seven years, renewable once – changes that cleared the path for Doumbouya to run.

Guinea’s presidential candidates hold final rallies before vote

The same rules excluded several heavyweight opposition figures. Former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo was barred because he lives in exile and has his main residence outside Guinea.

Condé and another former prime minister, Sidya Touré, were ruled ineligible on age grounds, as both are over the newly imposed age limit of 80.

(with newswires)

Travellers trying to cross between London and mainland Europe in the run-up to the New Year were left scrambling on Tuesday after all Eurostar services linking the UK capital with Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels were postponed.

Eurostar said services had restarted but warned that problems could continue.

“Services have resumed today following a power issue in the Channel Tunnel yesterday and some further issues with rail infrastructure overnight,” the operator said.

“We plan to run all of our services today, however due to knock-on impacts there may still be some delays and possible last-minute cancellations.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Eurostar advised customers to postpone their journeys, warning of severe delays and the risk of last-minute cancellations.

Eurostar trains cancelled after World War II bomb found near Paris Gare du Nord

Crowds stranded

Eurostar’s booking site showed that some services on the continent not using the Channel Tunnel, including trains between Paris and Brussels, were also cancelled during the day.

Alongside the power supply problem, a failed LeShuttle train in the tunnel added to the disruption. The tunnel is the 50-kilometre undersea rail link between Folkestone in southeast England and Coquelles in northern France.

As the scale of the disruption became clear, crowds of stranded passengers, many hauling suitcases, built up at St Pancras International in London and at Gare du Nord in Paris. For many, end-of-year holiday plans were thrown into doubt.

“I’m disappointed. We were going to do New Year’s Eve in Paris,” said Jessica, a 21-year-old business coordinator travelling with three friends. “We are going to see if we can find another ticket. Otherwise we will stay in London.”

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

Rising pressure

The disruption comes at a time of high demand for Eurostar. A record 19.5 million passengers travelled with the operator last year, up nearly 5 percent on 2023, boosted by visitors attending the Olympics and Paralympics in Paris.

Eurostar has held a monopoly on passenger services through the Channel Tunnel since it opened in 1994, but competition could be coming.

British entrepreneur Richard Branson has vowed to launch a rival service, while Italy’s Trenitalia has said it plans to compete on the Paris–London route by 2029.

Tuesday’s disruption is the latest in a series of incidents that have focused attention on Eurostar’s reliability and pricing, particularly on the Paris-London line.

An electrical fault forced widespread cancellations and delays in August, while cable thefts on tracks in northern France caused two days of disruption in June.

LeShuttle, which operates vehicle-carrying trains between Folkestone and Calais, said its services were also affected by the tunnel incident.

(with newswires)

Ismael Gharbi gave Tunisia the lead from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time. But Feisal Salum levelled just after the restart in the Group C match at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah Annex. 

And Miguel Gamondi’s men hung on for the stalemate that carried them through as one of the four best third-placed sides to the next phase, where they will play the hosts Morocco.

Tunisia finished as runners-up and will take on Mali for a place in the quarter-finals.

“We did not have enough time to prepare the team, but worked together with the federation,” said Gamondi.

“I feel very proud, not just for myself, but for the country. I wanted to change this mentality of Tanzania always being underdogs. To qualify is great for Tanzania. I hope this success will be a reminder to these players and the next generation of players of the potential of Tanzanian football.”

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

Uganda also had the chance to reach the last 16, but they fluffed their lines with a ragged display during a 3-1 defeat to Nigeria at the Stade de Fes.

After Paul Onuachu slotted in the opener in the 28th minute for the Nigerians, Uganda imploded.

Omar Salim, who had come on for the injured goalkeeper Denis Onyango midway through the first half, was dismissed for handling the ball outside the penalty area in the 57th minute.

Raphael Onyedika hit Nigeria’s second soon after, and the midfielder bagged his brace midway through the second half to earn himself a man of the match award.

Hakimi returns as Morocco stroll into last 16 at Africa Cup of Nations

“This is the kind of thing I’ve been working all my life for and it has finally come true,” said the 24-year-old, who plays at Club Brugge in Belgium’s top flight.

Uganda coach Paul Put hailed his players despite the loss. “As soon as we went down to 10 men it made things even harder,” said the 69-year-old Belgian, who led Burkina Faso to the Africa Cup of Nations final in 2013. “It is not that we didn’t want to win but you could see the quality of the Nigerians in the duels.”

Morocco launch 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with victory over doughty Comoros

“That was the big difference,” he added. “And we have a young team and very few of them have played at the Cup of Nations so we are lacking in maturity.”

Nigeria finished top, with nine points from three wins. “It was a game where we tried to change some things and tried to do some other things,” said their coach Eric Chelle.

“I’m happy with how it went but we have to improve again. If we want to be ambitious and go far, we have to improve again.”

Senegal claimed Group D following a 3-0 waltz past Benin. Abdoulaye Seck and Habib Diallo were on the mark either side of the break to give the 2021 champions control at the Stade Ibn-Batouta in Tangier.

But Senegal went down to 10 men after skipper Kalidou Koulibaly was sent off for a tackle on Aiyegun Tosin.

Despite the numerical advantage, Benin could not mount a recovery and Senegal substitute Cherif Ndiaye completed the romp with a penalty in second-half stoppage time.

Veteran midfielder Gael Kakuta bagged a brace as the Democratic Republic of Congo took second spot in the pool, with a 3-0 victory over Botswana.

Nathanael Mbuku struck just after the half-hour mark at the Stade Al Barid in Rabat and Kakuta added the second from the penalty spot just before half time.

He added his side’s third after 60 minutes to send the 2023 semi-finalists into a last-16 clash with the Group E winners Algeria.

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.