The decree, published on Wednesday, prohibits food imports containing traces of the fungicides mancozeb, thiophanate-methyl, carbendazim and benomyl, as well as the herbicide glufosinate.

These substances, used on crops ranging from avocados and mangos to wheat, soybeans and potatoes, are already banned for use within the EU because of health and environmental risks, but were previously tolerated at low residue levels on imported produce.

According to the agriculture ministry, France now considers those maximum residue levels too high and wants to ensure that foods entering its market respect the same safety standards as those applied to domestic production.

Enhanced border checks are expected to follow, with officials stressing that the measure is framed as a public-health and “fair competition” move rather than a targeted strike against any single region.

EU-Mercosur agreement

The announcement comes as EU agriculture ministers meet in Brussels for an extraordinary session where the long-delayed EU–Mercosur agreement is again on the agenda.

More than 25 years in the making, the accord would progressively create what officials describe as the world’s largest free-trade area between the 27-nation EU and Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.​

Mercosur meets in Brazil, EU eyes January 12 trade deal

French farming unions, already mobilised over concerns about income, environmental standards and foreign competition, are urging Paris to block the deal, fearing a surge of cheaper imports produced under looser rules.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has framed the pesticide move as a “first step” to protect consumers and farmers against what Paris sees as unfair competition from producers not bound by EU-level restrictions.​

EU Commission to scrutinise French move

Under EU law, unilateral restrictions on imports must be cleared by the European Commission, which will examine the French measure on 20 January.

Commission officials have signalled they are open to revisiting rules on trace residues of banned pesticides, although they note that such substances currently affect only a small fraction of the bloc’s overall food imports.​

If Brussels approves the French decree, it could set a precedent for other EU states seeking to align trade policy with stricter environmental and health standards at home.

But it may also complicate already fraught talks with Mercosur partners, who have warned against what they view as disguised protectionism dressed up as green or health-based conditionality.

(with newswires)

The animal rights activist and far-right supporter died on 28 December age 91 at her home in southern France. 

Her husband, Bernard d’Ormale, said in an interview with Paris Match magazine on Tuesday that she had died from cancer after undergoing two operations. “She was conscious and concerned about the fate of animals until the very end,” he said.

Residents and admirers applauded the funeral convoy as her coffin, covered in mostly orange and yellow flowers, was carried through the narrow streets of Saint-Tropez and into the town’s Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption church on Wednesday morning, at the start of the funeral service.

Inside the church, a black and white picture of Bardot hugging a baby seal was on display, ‍with the words “Merci Brigitte” (Thank you Brigitte). 

The ceremony was broadcast live on large screens set up at the port of Saint-Tropez and two plazas in the small town, allowing residents and admirers to follow the farewell. 

Bardot: the screen goddess who gave it all up

World’s ‘most beautiful woman’

Known affectionately as B.B. by many in France, Bardot’s roles made her not just a sex symbol, but a pop culture icon ​and a touchstone for changing social attitudes. She became the first celebrity to model for a bust ​of Marianne, the traditional symbol of the French Republic that adorns French town halls.

The service started to the sound of Maria Callas’ Ave Maria in the presence of Bardot’s husband, son and grandchildren, as well as guests invited by the family and the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the protection of animals. 

“Sadness is overwhelming, and pain too,” Max Guazzini, a friend and secretary general of the Foundation, said in a speech.

“For me, Brigitte Bardot is France,” said singer Mireille Mathieu, 79, who was to sing at the funeral. “She was the most beautiful woman in the world,” ‍Mathieu told reporters before walking into the church, praising “that freedom [Bardot] had, that boldness to say what she thought”.

After the church service, Bardot is to be buried in strict privacy in the so-called marine cemetery in Saint-Tropez, where her parents are also interred.

The cemetery is also the final resting place of several cultural figures, including filmmaker Roger Vadim, Bardot’s first husband, who directed her breakout film And God Created Woman – a role that made her a worldwide star.

Controversial public figure

Bardot settled decades ago in her seaside villa, La Madrague, and retired from filmmaking in 1973 at age 39, after making more than two dozen films. 

She later emerged as an animal rights activist, founding and sustaining the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the protection of animals. 

While she withdrew from the film industry, she remained a highly visible and often controversial public figure through her militant animal rights activism and links with far-right politics.

She was convicted multiple times for inciting racial hatred after making incendiary remarks on immigration, Islam and homosexuality.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen was among those attending Wednesday’s funeral. Aurore Berge, President Macron’s minister for equality and a defender of animal rights, was there to represent the government.

Bardot: from defending sheep to flirting with the far right

Bardot had publicly endorsed the late Jean-Marie Le Pen – co-founder of the far-right, xenophobic National Front – and his daughter Marine, ‍whom she once referred to as “the Joan of Arc of the 21st century”.

A tribute open to locals and fans will take ‌place later in the old town quarter called La Ponche, the historic centre of the former fishing village.

(with newswires)

The White House said on Tuesday that Trump was discussing options for acquiring Greenland, ​including potential use of the US military, in a revival of his ambition to control the strategic island, despite European objections.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot ‍said the subject would be raised at a meeting with the foreign ministers of Germany and Poland later on Wednesday.

“We want ​to take action, but we want to do so together with our European partners,” ​he said on France Inter radio on Wednesday morning.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, have requested the meeting with Rubio in the near future, according to a statement posted Tuesday to Greenland’s government website. Previous requests for a sit-down were not successful, the statement said.

However, Barrot suggested a US military operation had been ruled out by a ‌top US official.

“I myself was on the phone yesterday with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (…) who confirmed that this was not the approach taken … he ‍ruled out the possibility of an invasion (of Greenland),” he said.

Trump weighs military option to acquire Greenland

Trump renews Greenland ambitions

Trump has in recent days repeated that he wants to gain control of Greenland – an idea first voiced in 2019 during his first presidency. He has argued it is key for the US military and ‍that Denmark has not done enough to protect it.

A US military seizure of Greenland from a longtime ally, Denmark, would send shock waves through the ​Nato alliance and deepen the divide between Trump and European leaders.

Leaders from major European powers and Canada have rallied behind Greenland, saying the Arctic island belongs to its people.

A US military operation over the weekend that seized the leader of Venezuela had already rekindled concerns that Greenland might face a similar scenario. It has repeatedly said it does not want to be part of the United States.

‘That’s enough’: Greenland PM reacts to Trump threats

The world’s largest island but with a population of just 57,000 people, Greenland is not an independent member of NATO but is covered by Denmark’s ‍membership of the Western alliance.

Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, warned on Monday that any US attack on a NATO ally would be the end of both the military alliance and “post-second world war security“.

Strategically located between Europe and North America, the US has an early warning air base in northwestern Greenland.

The island’s mineral wealth also aligns with Washington’s ambition to reduce reliance on China.

(with newswires)

French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a declaration of intent on Tuesday in Paris at the “coalition of the willing” summit of mainly European nations.

The declaration foresees Britain, France and other European allies deploying troops on Ukrainian territory after any ceasefire with Russia.

The allies also agreed to participate in a proposed US-led ceasefire monitoring and vertification mechanism.

Macron said that Paris could deploy “several thousand” French troops to Ukraine after the war.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff said that President Donald Trump “strongly stands behind security protocols”.

“Those security protocols are meant to … deter any attacks, any further attacks in Ukraine, and … if there are any attacks, they’re meant to defend, and they will do both. They are as strong as anyone has ever seen.”

But a promise that Washington would commit to “support” the European-led multinational force “in case of a new attack” by Russia, which was present in the draft statement, was not in the communique released on Tuesday evening.

US and Ukrainian officials are to continue talks over security guarantees for Kyiv on Wednesday.

 

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

Peace with guarantees

Talks to bring the almost four-year conflict to an end have accelerated since November. However, Moscow has yet to signal willingness to make concessions after Kyiv pushed for changes to a US proposal that initially backed Russia’s main demands.

Until recently, much of the focus was on pledges of military aid for Ukraine’s forces and possible contributions to an international reassurance force.

Attention has now shifted to legally binding guarantees to come to Kyiv’s aid in the event of another attack by Moscow. The possibility of a military response is likely to trigger debate in many European countries, diplomats say.

“These commitments may include the use of military capabilities, intelligence and logistical support, diplomatic initiatives, adoption of additional sanctions,” the leaders’ statement said, adding that they would now “finalise binding commitments”.

“We all want … peace (in Ukraine) to be fair, lasting and clear-eyed… we want this peace to have its guarantees,” Macron told a news conference after the summit.

Macron demands ‘robust security guarantees’ before any Ukraine territorial talks

Renewed unity

European leaders present at the meeting, including Macron, Starmer, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stressed that the statement showed renewed unity between Europe and the United States on helping Ukraine.

The leaders’ statement also pledged a European-led “Multinational Force for Ukraine … to support the rebuilding of Ukraine’s armed forces and support deterrence” with “the proposed support of the US”.

Kyiv has long said it cannot be safe without guarantees that are comparable to the Nato alliance’s mutual defence agreement, to deter Russia from attacking again.

Moscow wants any peace deal to bar Ukraine from military alliances.

(with newswires)

The European Commission said Tuesday it plans to tweak its budget proposal for 2028-2034, which has come under fire from agricultural groups, to allow farmers early access to around 45 billion euros.

The move comes amid a push to ease the qualms of some countries over the Mercosur deal that Brussels hopes to ink on 12 January in Paraguay.

It was welcomed by Italy, which holds the deciding vote on the accord.

“This is a positive and significant step forward in the negotiations that will lead to the new EU budget,” said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

More than 25 years in the making, the Mercosur deal would create the world’s biggest free-trade area, boosting trade between the 27-nation EU and the bloc comprising Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay.

But it has alarmed many European farmers who fear they will be undercut by a flow of cheaper goods from agricultural giant Brazil and its neighbours.

Thousands protested in Brussels last month, venting their anger also at EU plans to overhaul its system of farm subsidies, which critics say would result in farmers receiving less money.

Farmers descend on Brussels to protest EU Mercosur trade deal

Extraordinary meeting

In a letter Tuesday, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen unveiled budget changes she said would “provide the farmers and rural communities with an unprecedented level of support”.

The letter was released as EU agriculture ministers are due to gather in Brussels on Wednesday for an extraordinary meeting to try to get the Mercosur deal over the line.

Member states are expected to then vote on the text on Friday, which the commission hopes will clear the way for its signature.

Plans to seal the accord in December ran into a late roadblock as heavyweights Italy and France demanded a postponement over concerns for the farming sector.

Germany and Spain are strongly in favour of the agreement, believing it will provide a welcome boost to their industries, hampered by Chinese competition and tariffs in the United States.

Trump’s tariffs come into force, upending economic ties with Europe

The deal would help the EU export more vehicles, machinery, wines and spirits to Latin America at a time of global trade tensions.

In return, it would facilitate the entry into Europe of South American meat, sugar, rice, honey and soybeans.

(with AFP)

The announcement from Berlin underscores accelerating ocean warming driven by climate change, as confirmed by Tim Kruschke, head of the BSH’s climate team.

The Baltic Sea, meanwhile, came close to its own record, averaging 9.7°C last year – 1.1°C above the 1997-2021 long-term mean and second only to 2020 since monitoring started in 1990.​

Throughout 2025, the North Sea shattered seasonal benchmarks. Spring saw averages of 8.7°C, 0.9°C above normal and the hottest since 1997, with peaks up to 2°C higher off Norway and Denmark.

Summer was even more extreme, reaching 15.7°C on average – edging out 2003 and 2014 for the top spot since 1969, with vast swathes exceeding long-term averages by over 2°C.

The BSH noted prolonged marine heatwaves, including a 55-day event at Kiel Lighthouse from late March to May – the longest on record there since 1989. These events stemmed from reduced cloud cover, enhanced solar heating, and inflows of warm Atlantic water.​

Anomalies

Such anomalies align with global patterns outlined by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC.) Oceans have absorbed over 90 percent of excess atmospheric heat since 1970, with warming rates more than doubling since 1993 – from about 3-4 Zetajoules (ZJ) per year (0-2000m depth) pre-1993 to over 6 ZJ annually thereafter. One Zetajoule equals the energy from exploding 239 million Hiroshima bombs or powering the world for a year at current rates.

Marine heatwaves have doubled in frequency since 1982 and grown more intense worldwide. UNESCO’s 2024 State of the Ocean report echoes this, noting ocean warming doubled over 20 years, fuelling deoxygenation (2 percent loss since 1960s), acidification (up 30 percent since pre-industrial times), and 40 percent of recent sea-level rise from thermal expansion.​

UN Summit advances ocean protection, vows to defend seabed

Warmer seas also threaten North Sea biodiversity, a key European fishery. Heatwaves disrupt plankton, fish distributions, and oxygen levels, creating “dead zones” and stressing cold-adapted species. Zooplankton collapses during 2018-2022 events signal worse ahead, while species shifts could boost some sharks or oysters but risk invasives and ecosystem imbalance.

The Baltic, warming faster long-term (nearly 2°C since 1990), faces amplified risks like seabed hypoxia. Coastal communities brace for fiercer storms and erosion as seas expand and weather intensifies.​

(WIth agencies)

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has so far confirmed the deaths of nine French nationals, including several minors, while 23 French nationals have been injured.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau on Monday expressed her “deepest compassion to them and their families”.

While she said “Swiss authorities remain competent to investigate the sequence of events and determine any liability”, a separate inviestigation is being opened up by the “mass casualty incidents” unit of the Paris prosecutor’s office.

This would “allow the French victims and their families to have a common point of contact in France and to facilitate, if necessary, their communication with the Swiss authorities,” she explained.

The association France Victimes has also been mobilised by the public prosecutor’s office to offer psychological and legal support to victims and their families, she indicated.

All 40 victims of Swiss New Year ski resort blaze identified, including 9 French

The fire in the basement of the “Le Constellation” bar on New Year’s Eve claimed 40 lives, ranging in age from 14 to 39, half of them minors. Among the victims were 22 Swiss citizens, one of whom also held French nationality, and 18 foreign nationals, according to the Valais cantonal police.

The tragedy also left 116 people injured, 83 of whom remain hospitalised. These include 69 Swiss, 23 French, and 12 Italians, some of whom hold dual nationality.

Negligence

The authorities have said they believe the fire started when people celebrating New Year raised champagne bottles with sparklers attached, setting light to sound insulating foam on the ceiling of the bar’s basement.

The bar’s patrons, primarily teenagers and young adults, were trapped by the flames.

The bar belongs to two French nationals, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, who have been under investigation since Saturday for “manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence.”

Jacques Moretti, who was imprisoned in Savoie in 2005, is known for pimping cases dating back some twenty years, a source close to the case confirmed to French news agency AFP, corroborating information published by Le Parisien on Monday.

Swiss launch probe of bar managers after deadly fire in ski resort

Meanwhile, Swiss local authorities admitted Tuesday that fire safety inspections had not been carried out for the past five years at the bar.

“Periodic inspections were not conducted between 2020 and 2025. We bitterly regret this,” Crans-Montana mayor Nicolas Feraud told a press conference.

In a statement issued at the press conference, the Municipality of Crans-Montana said it had gone through all the documents in the file submitted to the Wallis canton public prosecutor’s office following the fire.

It said the documents detail “administrative procedures relating to the establishment’s compliance”.

Memorial ceremony

“Although more than 1,400 fire inspections were carried out in the municipality in 2025 alone, the municipal council deeply regrets discovering that this establishment had failed to undergo periodic inspections between 2020 and 2025.”

The council said it would commission a specialist external agency to inspect all public establishments and would ban pyrotechnic devices indoors.

“The Municipality of Crans-Montana remains fully committed to supporting the victims of this tragedy and their families and loved ones, who are constantly in its thoughts,” the statement said.

“It will continue to do everything in its power to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again.”

A memorial ceremony is planned for Friday in Switzerland. The French government spokesperson announced that President Emmanuel Macron would attend in person.

(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.

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This retrospective was translated from the original version in French

A tear rolls down Jessica’s cheek as she leaves Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Inside, she and her brother had lit a small candle in tribute to their father, who passed away earlier in 2025.

“These are happy tears, because it was a joyful experience. This building is magnificent. The way it was built, the artwork inside, the stained glass windows, the statues, the paintings… everything is incredible. It was one of my dreams, so I’m glad I came,” explains this tourist from California. “It fills me with joy.”

2025 was a record-breaking year for visitors to the cathedral, with more than 11 million worshippers and tourists welcomed – crowning Notre-Dame France’s most visited monument.

Notre-Dame’s dual role

In the queue for entry, every language of the world can be heard. Foreign tourists account for a third of visitors.

Their number has been bolstered by the resumption of guided tours last June. “The slots fill up so quickly that we are forced to turn people away,” said Théo Abramowicz, president of the National Federation of Interpreters and Tour Guides.

He mostly organises tours for foreigners, but says he’s noticed renewed interest among French visitors.

“I’m seeing more and more people coming from other regions of France and setting aside a whole day just to visit Notre-Dame, which is something new.”

Pompidou Centre in Paris closes until 2030 for extensive renovations

Mass at the cathedral attracts up to a thousand worshippers and, according to the diocese, there have never been so many pilgrimages, with more than 600 in 2025.

However, Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, rector-archpriest of Notre-Dame de Paris, seeks to temper this enthusiasm.

“The cathedral is not seeking to attract large numbers,” he says, explaining that high visitor numbers pose a major challenge in terms of managing the flow of people. “The aim is to allow worship to take place amid the flow.”

In order to reconcile the different roles of Notre-Dame – place of worship versus tourist attraction – a few adjustments have had to be made.

“We limit entry during services to 30 people per minute in the cathedral, compared to 50 outside of services,” explains Ribadeau Dumas.

Does Paris’s most picturesque neighbourhood need protecting from overtourism?

A new attraction

Welcoming fewer people in order to provide a better experience was also the choice made for visits to Notre-Dame’s two towers, which almost collapsed in the fire.

The summit of the south tower is at the top of 420 steps, where those who make the climb are rewarded with a 360-degree view of Paris.

The annual visitor limit has been lowered to 400,000, compared to 450,000 before the disaster. The tour has also been completely redesigned to improve the visual and audio experience, explains Julie Schafir, project manager at the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, which is responsible for managing the two towers.

“We offer visitors a more comfortable experience, a chance to marvel even more and the impression of having the monument all to themselves.” 

Microsoft to create digital twin of Notre-Dame ‘to help support maintenance’

The revised tour also offers a new experience: a meeting with Emmanuel, Notre-Dame’s largest bell. The second largest in France, he weighs 13 tonnes.

“Previously, you could only see the bells from a distance, but now we’ve decided to take visitors underneath them,” explains Schafir. “Don’t worry, they’re securely fastened,” she smiles.

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This article was adapted from the original version in French by Baptiste Coulon.

Shot dead at the age of 20 while parking his car in Marseille, Mehdi Kessaci was not involved in trafficking. Investigators believe he was targeted because of his brother Amine’s outspoken anti-drugs activism – a warning, they fear, aimed at silencing opposition.

His murder, the 15th drug-related killing in the Marseille region in 2025, was described by Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez as a “turning point” and a “crime of intimidation”. It also reignited a debate about how France should respond to criminal networks whose annual turnover is estimated at between five and six billion euros.

New legislation adopted in June last year expands surveillance powers, makes it easier to seize criminal assets and has created a dedicated national prosecution service against organised crime, due to become operational in January.

But some campaigners argue that citizens themselves also have a role to play – and point to Italy’s long experience of fighting the mafia as a model.

“Italy is the country of mafia, but anti-mafia too,” says Fabrice Rizzoli, an academic specialising in geopolitics and organised crime. 

Repurposing criminal assets

A decade ago, Rizzoli co-founded Crim’HALT, an association that encourages civic engagement against organised crime. Inspired by an Italian law adopted in 1996 to allow property confiscated as part of prosecutions to be reallocated to social projects, it set out to develop a similar system in France.

Following sustained advocacy, a law adopted in France in 2021 made it possible to reuse confiscated assets for public good. Around eight buildings across the country have since been handed over to associations.

Rizzoli points to a house in Marseille, confiscated from a cocaine trafficker, that is now used by an organisation supporting women victims of violence. In the overseas territory of Guadeloupe, another confiscated building is being used to house male perpetrators of domestic violence, allowing women to remain in the family home.

“You can see that we are able to transform criminal power to public interest, to citizen power,” Rizzoli says. “We can say to people, ‘you see, change is possible’.”

Listen to a report on Crim’HALT on the Spotlight on France podcast:

France triples drug user fines during Marseille trafficking crackdown

More recognition for victims

Beyond material assets, campaigners argue that organised crime must also be challenged symbolically – by recognising and honouring its victims. Since 2017, Italy has officially marked 21 March as a Day of Remembrance and Commitment for Innocent Victims of Mafia, reading out the names of more than 1,000 victims nationwide.

“Violence is so efficient for organised crime,” Rizzoli says. “When they killed Mehdi Kessaci, of course, it was a message” – a warning that if people fought back against the traffickers, they would pay the price.

But defending the memory of innocent victims takes the focus away from the criminals, he argues, and strengthens civil society. It also provides much needed support to victims’ families who say they often feel abandoned.

Thanks to funding by the EU’s Erasmus+ programme, Crim’HALT takes groups of French citizens – including bereaved families – to southern Italy each year to witness this culture of remembrance. One of them is Hassna Arabi, whose cousin Sokayna Jean, 24, was killed by a stray bullet in Marseille in September 2023 while studying in her bedroom.

Arabi recalls strong official support in the immediate aftermath. “I remember thinking it was great that everyone is here two weeks after, but what about in a year?” A silent march organised a month later drew fewer than 200 people. “I wondered what we could do to make people feel that everyone was concerned.”

In Italy, she found a very different, and welcome, response. “What struck me is the way the entire society has been involved in standing up to drug trafficking,” she says. “Every day I would call Sokayna’s mum… I wanted her to see that we mustn’t lose hope, because in the end, that’s all we have left.”

Fight against drug crime top of the agenda as Macron visits Marseille

‘Silence kills too’

That sense of collective mobilisation is also what struck Jean-Toussaint Plasenzotti, whose nephew Massimu Susini, an environmental activist, was murdered in Corsica in 2019.

After Mehdi Kessaci’s killing, some in France have said they no longer dare speak out. Plasenzotti understands the fear – but rejects silence.

“You imagine that by keeping quiet you’ll ward off the danger,” he says. “But our analysis shows you don’t ward it off. You have to face the danger head on. You have to name it, understand it, and then find the tools to make it go away.”

In Corsica, the anti-mafia Massimu Susini collective he founded recently organised demonstrations under the slogan: “The mafia kills, silence kills too”. “We gathered 5,000 people in two demonstrations, it was a record,” he says.

Inspired by the trips to Italy, Plasenzotti lobbied alongside Rizzoli for tougher rules on asset confiscation. He’s also managed to get anti-mafia education introduced in high schools in Corsica.

“Education – teaching and informing young people about this criminal system – is essential,” Plasenzotti says, to counter the promises of “money, pleasure, impunity”.

‘Silence kills’: Thousands march against the mafia in Corsica protests

Changing the narrative

Rizzoli is calling for France to formally recognise innocent victims of organised crime, starting with an official commemoration on 21 March, like in Italy. “The police narrative is that [gang members] kill each other… while the public is saying ‘it’s not our problem’,” he says. “But the violence of organised crime can be against us all. It can impact anyone. We have to change the narrative.”

Naming child victims such as 10-year-old Fayed, killed in Nîmes in 2023 by a stray bullet while in the car with his uncle, or 14-year-old Rayanne Begue, shot dead in Marseille in August 2021 after going out to buy a sandwich, challenges that complacency. 

Rizzoli argues that naming a school after innocent victims like Socayna, Fayed or Rayanne would send out a message to drug traffickers that they cannot behave with impunity.

Crim’HALT also advocates for legal reforms, based on Italy’s tried and tested experience. They include extending asset confiscation to civil courts, which would allow authorities to seize assets from drug traffickers’ family members; extending witness protection to murderers so they could denounce their accomplices; and creating a specific legal status for innocent victims and their families, particularly siblings, to help them access education or work.

“We don’t have to be naive,” Rizzoli says. “It’s not only social anti-mafia citizen power that will reduce violence.”

But if politicians, public institutions and citizens work together more closely, “we’ll be our strongest against organised crime”. 

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Listen to a report on the work of Crim’HALT on the Spotlight on France podcast, episode #136.

Ghizlane Sahli’s latest project, called “Les flux qui nous tissent” (The flows that bind us), illustrates this creative collaboration between artists and artisans.

Born in Meknes, Sahli is now based in Marrakesh, where she works with local artisans who use the famous sabra silk thread made from the fibres of desert cactus plants.

Her exquisite wall hangings of three-dimensional organic shapes are made from recycled waste such as plastic bags, caps and bottles, delicately embroidered together with strands of sabra and wool.

Shedding pollution

She finds inspiration in the magical, regenerative capabilities of nature as well as the intricate workings of the female body – capable of giving and sustaining life.

“I always wanted to talk about the pureness and the essence of us as human beings. And for me, it’s talking about nature,” Sahli told RFI in Paris, where she was taking part in the Also Known as Africa contemporary art fair (AKAA) in October.

The rich reds and whites of the shapes in her works are reminiscent of alveoli – the tiny air sacs of the lungs. But from another angle, they look like coral reefs, shells or algae. The works appear to be alive, moving, breathing. 

Paris fair celebrates modern African artists reinventing traditional crafts

Sahli explains that she came to the art scene late in life, after a career as an architect and raising four children. She used to make clothes for them, decorated with embroidery.

As well as a commentary on waste and the need to recycle, there is a secondary layer of meaning in Sahli’s work. It’s a subtle metaphor of humanity that absorbs pollution, albeit of a different kind.

“I really want to talk about universal things, as I always had that idea of a big hand taking our body and shaking it and cleaning it from all the pollution that we have during our life,” she says.

“By pollution, I mean the things that we learn through our education, through culture, through religion.”

Nature the creator

Nature is also at the heart of Zineb Mezzour’s creative universe.

Water in all its forms is a constant inspiration in her work, especially the way it interacts with different materials and transforms them. The 28-year-old artist loves to experiment with fractals, geometric patterns with endless tiny repetitions and variations, like snowflakes.

In her workshop in Marseille, she spends time recreating these natural patterns using ceramic, paper and fabric.

One of the works is a long wall hanging made up of dozens of small ceramic disks, each handmade and woven together. Each one has a pattern in blue made from a drop of cobalt oxide which disperses differently depending on the surface where it lands.

Morocco: bridging Africa and the world through contemporary art

Nearby is a long, flowing curtain in earthy tones that resembles the inside of a cave lined with stalactites and stalagmites, grown over centuries one drop at a time.

Mezzour describes her work as in “symbiosis with nature, arriving at this little moment of magical creation”.

Like Sahli, Mezzour draws parallels with human beings and their life experiences: like snowflakes, no two people are alike.

“Over time, a tiny drop of water will create something majestic,” she says. “I think each of us has our inner world with our stories, our wounds, our successes, which create something quite unique.”

Circle of life

Kinetic energy fills the wooden sculptures of Bouchra el Menjra, an artist from Casablanca who discovered woodwork about five years ago and hasn’t looked back.

Spectators seem intrigued by her pieces that sway, rock or spin gently, unsure if they’re allowed to touch them or not (they are).

Moroccan artist’s fusion of heritage and herbalism provides soft return to earth

The sculptures represents the circular pattern of life and its challenges, el Menjra explained. “The colours are earth colours, colours of fire – precisely to speak of this fire that is within us, that pushes us to create, to rise again, to always remain in motion.”

Their hypnotic movements reflect a philosophy.

“It’s a metaphor to express that in life, to move things forward, we need to get our hands dirty, we need to act so that things can evolve and things can be in motion,” the artist said.

Fun fashion

The lesson is borne out in the playful designs of Sophia Kacimi, who turned to her Moroccan roots for inspiration after a career in the French fashion industry.

Having spent years working in Paris, she was looking for a new project that could incorporate traditional artisanal skills and bring an aspect of her family’s homeland into the limelight.

That’s how Zoubida was formed. It’s a creative, collective platform where she sources fabric traditionally used for upholstery in Morocco.

Kacimi works hand in hand with local artisans to transform this colourful fabric into clothing such as jackets and dresses, as well as home accessories and furniture pieces.

“I feel as an artist, we have a duty to engage and to bring something to the world that is positive,” she told RFI. “I think it’s an extension of who I am in the end. I’m a very adult child, and I like to see people playing with my pieces and not be serious with it.”

She agrees that a new generation of artists is emerging, with women like herself at the forefront: unafraid to experiment, to fuse cultural backgrounds and turn traditions in the art world on their head.

Yahia, 17, Algeria fan

“The Africa Cup of Nations in Barbès is a celebration of football, especially when you are supporting Algeria, Morocco or Tunisia. In fact, these are my three favourite teams,” said 17-year-old Yahia, a student who was watching Algeria play against Equatorial Guinea in Barbès, a predominantly north-African neighbourhood in the north of Paris.

“My parents are Algerian and Tunisian, I was born in France but my heart is with the Maghreb countries for this football competition. I come to Barbès for the crowd, the party atmosphere. And it will be even more fun as we near the finals.”

Riad, 29, Algeria fan

“I am an Algerian from Algiers and I am a die-hard fan of the Algerian team. So much so that I am wearing the Algerian jersey underneath my shirt. I even went to work like this,” said 29-year-old Riad, who teaches German in Paris.

He came to Barbès to watch the match but couldn’t find anywhere indoors, so he and his friends resorted to standing in the cold watching on a big TV screen behind the window of a closed United Youth International cultural centre.

But, he said: “Even if it means standing in minus 10 degrees, it does not matter, we have to support our country.”

He added: “Watching the Africa Cup of Nations in Algiers is something else. Very different from here in Paris. Back home it’s bombastic. There are wide TV screens to watch the matches, everybody is on the streets when Algeria is playing – old people, kids, families.

“Everybody is out to have a good time, eating, drinking and have fun. When we are nearing the semi-finals, people will even stop work to watch the matches. This year, I believe the odds are in favour of Algeria.”

Oumar, 56, Senegal fan

“The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations so far has been interesting with good games to watch. I am Senegalese and support Senegal, but Côte d’Ivoire is next and then Mali. They’re my top three sides,” said 56-year-old Oumar, who stays in an African workers’ social residence. He shares a studio there with a friend.

For Oumar, there is no comparison between watching the tournament in Paris and watching it back home in Senegal.

“I have much more freedom to express myself at home. While watching a match I can shout, jump around, eat, drink, have lots of my friends over. Here in this small studio, I am very much restricted. There is such an ambiance back home – the music, the food, the people, old and young, all rooting for Senegal. I miss that a lot.”

Oumar said that the matches are shown on big screens in towns across Senegal, making it easy for people to watch together.

“We argue a lot too. In Senegal, everybody is a coach, they all know better. We are as passionate about football as we are about politics.”

He added: “I’m convinced Senegal will win the Africa Cup of Nations 2025. We have great players like Sadio Mané, Ibrahim Mbaye, Lamine Camara, Krépin Diatta. And the best player trophy will go to 17-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye.”

Elise, 40s, Côte d’Ivoire fan

“I am a football fanatic who is closely following the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. I am from Côte d’Ivoire and obviously a die-hard fan of the Côte d’Ivoire team,” said Elise, who is in her forties and was watching the Côte d’Ivoire versus Gabon match with friends at an African restaurant.

“This Africa Cup of Nations gave us quite a few surprises. Who could have predicted that the Democratic Republic of Congo would play so well and score up. I thought Cameroon would have been a tougher side.

“I am thoroughly enjoying the matches even though we were on tenterhooks during this match. That’s Côte d’Ivoire, the capacity to change the odds, fight back and grab victory at the last minute.”

Elise too says watching the tournament in France is not the same, as she feels constrained.

However, when the match ended in a Côte d’Ivoire victory and the Ivorian restaurant owner began blasting coupé-décalé music, she didn’t hesitate to break out some dance moves among the tables with her fellow supporters.

RFI: Bardot was very young when she started her film career. It was ultimately quite short but very intense, and left its mark. In what way do you think she embodied an era?

Antoine de Baecque: Brigitte Bardot represents a little piece of France that is disappearing. She embodied several moments in cinema, several eras – between her appearance in the late 1950s, which coincided with the emergence of a new style of cinema, the New Wave, and then on to films that were huge successes, both in the United States and in France. Then she said goodbye to it all very young – she ended her film career at the age of 40, in the early 1970s.

Bardot was always a kind of reflection, a mirror… that reflected the developments of the moment. And that’s what’s so powerful about Bardot in cinema, it’s that way she has of signifying something – like a phenomenon, like an apparition.

Remembering Bardot: ‘sex symbol’, ‘crazy cat lady’ and far-right supporter

RFI: Her appearance in Roger Vadim’s And God Created Woman in 1956 caused a sensation in the film industry and she was elevated to the status of a symbol, a sex symbol.

ADB: It’s a paradoxical story, that God created Roger Vadim’s woman, because for Vadim [this film] was first and foremost his way of creating a woman: here is the Nouvelle Vague girl. This young woman who is going to be a bit of a model for her era.

And it wasn’t necessarily very well received. And God Created Woman was not a huge success when it was first released in France. In fact, it was when it reached the United States that the Bardot phenomenon took off in 1958.

RFI: Two years later…

ADB: Exactly, the film is French and is received [in France] with very mixed reviews. It is considered very shocking for its nude scenes, for its very transgressive nature compared to the young leading ladies of French cinema in the 1950s, which was still a fairly restrictive, very moralistic cinema.

And then the film is released in the US where it became a real phenomenon, in the sense that American youth elected Bardot as the sex symbol of her time.

RFI: The British press said Bardot in the film was the biggest shock since the French Revolution in 1789. It immediately took on a global dimension, it wasn’t just France.

ADB: Of course, [this shock] was seen in the US and the UK and even Italy. And it was this international [reaction] that, in a sort of boomerang effect, came back [to France] and on its second French release, it was a huge success.

Bardot… was truly a new [type of woman] in cinema, with this very frank, very free way of showing her body, this completely new way of choosing her men, compared to the customs of the time. She was no longer the prey, she was the predator, in a way. And that was something completely new.

Bardot: the screen goddess who gave it all up

RFI: She became an international megastar. And yet it wasn’t until 1963 that she starred in a true masterpiece, Le Mépris (Contempt).

ADB: Bardot can only be herself. That’s her greatness – she can only play herself, she can only speak in her own way, she can only appear in her own way. And so she will always struggle with cinema which wants to give her characters to play.

In Le Mépris, Jean-Luc Godard really uses her as a plant, as he says – she is a beautiful plant and there is something almost objective about it. Particularly, of course, in the famous scene that opens the film, which was actually shot later on, when Godard, in response to his producers who wanted Bardot, said: “Well, here you go, I’ll give you Bardot.” So we get a nude scene that would become a legendary scene in world cinema.

RFI: Was she a great actress, in your opinion?

ADB: No, I don’t think she was an actress. She didn’t really like cinema herself. You know, she was there, but she didn’t consider herself an actress. What she liked was being with her friends, partying or relaxing at home, in her refuges at La Madrague, [her beach house] in Saint-Tropez or [her home in] Bazoches [near Paris].

But Bardot knew very well that cinema was necessary. It was the means to become famous, the means to conquer the world. And she did it. But not as an actress. She wasn’t an actress, she was a phenomenon.

She loved to sing. She had passions. She always loved animals. That was an instinctive [thing] she always had – that is, taking in animals and defending them, and attacking very vehemently those who mistreated animals. And singing was something she did a lot, with people who wrote songs for her. La Madrague is a song that was written for her in the early 1960s. And then, of course, there was the meeting with Serge Gainsbourg…

First and foremost, it’s a love story. A passionate story of three months of mad love in the autumn of 1967, which resulted in these masterpieces of French chanson: Harley Davidson, Comic Strip, Bonnie and Clyde. And then, of course, Je t’aime… moi non plus, the legendary song recorded on 10 December 1967 – which was about Bardot at a time when she was involved in a love affair [with Gainsbourg]. [The record was shelved because Bardot didn’t want her husband at the time, Gunter Sachs, to find out.] It [was then] covered by Jane Birkin [Gainsbourg’s subsequent love interest] before we even got to hear Bardot’s version.

Jane Birkin, an English chanteuse who left her mark on French pop

RFI: Bardot said that Initials BB, a song Gainsbourg wrote about her, was the most beautiful declaration of love she ever received.

ADB: Yes, that’s absolutely right. I think that between Bardot and Gainsbourg, it’s both mythology and at the same time something that they shared intimately. No one can ever take that away from them. It’s truly a love story that became songs.

And that’s something that is also Bardot’s strength: that she chooses. At one point, she wanted to choose Gainsbourg because she loved the way he looked at her, the way he desired her, and she chose Gainsbourg over everyone else, over everything – her husband, convention, social norms, what people might say.

And the song Je t’aime… moi non plus is the embodiment of this passion. Bardot may have had a passion for certain men but, in a way, passion itself her true love – this way of loving that was very shocking for the times she lived in, being free to love and then to throw that love away. I think that’s the very essence of Bardot, that choice.

---

This article has been adapted from an interview in French by RFI’s Charlotte Idrac and edited for clarity.

Public weather forecaster Metéo-France has placed 38 French departments on orange alert for Wednesday.

Although followed by a thaw, the phenomenon “will bring snow and, locally, freezing rain to a large part of the north of the country,” it said.

At Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport – the main airport for long-haul services – 40 percent of scheduled flights between 9.00 am (08.00 GMT) and 2:00 pm will be cancelled to allow staff time to remove snow from runways and de-ice planes, France’s transport minister Philippe Tabarot said Tuesday in a press conference.

At Orly airport, 25 percent of flights will be cancelled between 6:00 am and 1:00 pm for similar reasons, he added.

Road travel

Tabarot “strongly” advised avoiding all road travel Wednesday in the Ile-de-France region due to this heavy snowfall forecast.

Heavy goods vehicles will be banned in western France and the Paris region, where the speed limit for light vehicles will be reduced to 70 km/h.

Six people dead in road accidents as France manages heavy snow and ice

On Tuesday, five airports were closed in western and northern France: Nantes, Vatry, La Rochelle, Albert-Bray (near Amiens), and Saint-Nazaire.

And heavy snowfall and icy conditions have killed at least six people on roads across France and caused major disruptions.

(with newswires)

Three people died in two separate accidents caused by black ice in southwestern France, while a rideshare driver died after falling into the Marne River near Paris.

The two tragedies come after the deaths on Monday of a van driver in a collision with a truck, also in the Paris region and a motorcyclist in the western region of Brittany.

Snow caused over 1,000 km of traffic jams in the Île-de-France region on Monday evening, a record level, according to the traffic information website Sytadin.

French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said that the scale of the weather event was “somewhat underestimated” by the national weather bureau Météo-France, particularly around the French capital, adding that “the response plan had to be revised.”

He nevertheless judged that Monday night had “gone rather well” in the Paris region, where measures had been taken, such as the early sanding of roads, to allow people to return home and avoid “stranded motorists” like in 2018.

A total of 26 departments in western France had been placed under an orange alert for snow and ice by Météo-France. This alert was lifted at 10:00 AM on Tuesday.

Six airports have been closed in the west and north, but no flights have been cancelled at Parisian airports, where some 250 snowploughs were on standby, the Transport ministry said on Tuesday.

An ice rink

“It’s like an ice rink,” Christophe Canut, a 43-year-old caregiver, told French news agency AFP after being completely stranded since 6:40 a.m. GMT on the a motorway in southwestern France.

Temperatures went down to -3 and -8°C and in some case below -10°C, which caused black ice, the weather service stated.

For Wednesday, a new disturbance is expected to bring “snow and locally freezing rain over a large part of the northern part of the country”, according to Météo-France, which said a further increase in the level of vigilance could be issued on Wednesday.

Paris launches winter emergency plan as homeless man dies from cold

School transport was disrupted on Tuesday in several regions, including Brittany, which is unaccustomed to such conditions, and Vendée, where the snowfall was also exceptional.

Traffic restrictions for heavy goods vehicles remain in force in several departments.

The SNCF rail services reported Tuesday morning service disruptions on several lines in western France due to snow, as well as speed restrictions on certain sections of high-speed rail lines (TGV). 

It recommended that its customers “postpone their travel as much as possible”.

Electricity provider Enedis said around 8,000 homes were still without electricity in the central Pays de la Loire region (mainly in Loire-Atlantique and Vendée) and 5,000 in the Charente-Maritime area.

In Paris, the situation was improving Tuesday morning. Around thirty bus lines were restored after being disrupted on Monday due to snowfall in the capital.

(with newswires)

The summit of the group of Ukraine supporters is the latest of several meetings planned for the new year as diplomatic efforts to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II have gained pace in recent weeks.

It comes as overnight Russian strikes triggered a fire at a private medical clinic in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, killing one person and wounding three others, the authorities said.

The pre-dawn attack also killed one man in his 70s in the neighbouring city of Fastiv, the Kyiv regional governor said.

Representatives of 35 countries, including 27 heads of state, will gather in Paris, with the French presidency saying the meeting aims to show the “alignment” between Washington, Kyiv and European allies on security guarantees for Ukraine.

US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will attend the meeting of the coalition, launched in the spring by France and the United Kingdom.

Macron demands ‘robust security guarantees’ before any Ukraine territorial talks

An adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron said the new meeting is the culmination of efforts launched after Donald Trump’s arrival at the White House to prevent “the United States from abandoning Ukraine”.

“We have succeeded in this exercise of realignment between Ukraine, Europe and America,” the adviser told journalists on Monday.

According to diplomatic sources, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also expected to attend, along with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Canada’s Mark Carney.

Reassurance

The leaders are set to commit in particular to their shared vision of what a ceasefire would look like between Ukraine and Russia, and their response in case of violations.

They will also discuss the deployment of a multinational force to “reassure Ukraine” as part of a possible political agreement, the French presidency said, with decisions still being “finalised” on Monday.

To lay the groundwork, security advisers from 15 countries, including Britain, France and Germany as well as representatives from NATO and the European Union, gathered in Kyiv over the weekend, with Witkoff joining virtually.

Zelensky in Berlin as Ukraine weighs NATO compromise and EU funding fight

Kyiv said in recent days a deal was “90 percent” ready, though both Moscow and Kyiv remain at odds over the key issue of territory in any post-war settlement.

Russia, which occupies around 20 percent of Ukraine, is pushing for full control of the country’s eastern Donbas region as part of a deal.

But Kyiv has warned ceding ground will embolden Moscow and said it will not sign a peace deal that fails to deter Russia from invading again.

(with AFP)

The 22-year-old had been on the pitch for four minutes when he received the ball along the left wing from fellow substitue Ramiz Zerrouki.

Boulbina drove towards the penalty area, cut inside defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka onto his right foot and unleashed a shot that rasped over the bedazzled DRC goalkeeper Lionel Nzau Mpasi and dipped under the bar into the net.

The 117th minute thunderbolt furnished the striker, who plays his club football with the Qatari outfit Al-Duhail, with the man-of-the-match accolade.

It was also ample recompense for an Algeria side that displayed more craft and composure throughout the encounter at the Stade Moulay Hassan in Rabat.

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

“It was an incredible scenario at the end,” Algeria defender Aissa Mandi told broadcaster Bein Sport.

“It was an emotional victory,” added the 34-year-old. “All the players said at the beginning of the competition that we must stay united whatever happens and that those who come on as substitutes even for five minutes have a part to play.”

Algeria, who won the first Cup of Nations tournament to parade 24 teams in 2019, went into the last-16 tie as one of the two sides boasting a 100 per cent record during the group stages. DRC had emerged from their pool second behind Senegal.

The DRC coach Sébastien Desabre and his Algeria counterpart, Vladimir Petkovic, had forecast a rugged encounter. And their charges proved the predictions correct.

Injured Morocco skipper Hakimi at risk of missing Africa Cup of Nations

Algeria’s victory in extremis advances them to a quarter-final showdown on Saturday in Marrakesh against Nigeria – the other side to have won all three ties during the group stages.

The DRC, who took fourth place at the 2023 Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire, will lick their wounds and prepare for a tilt at a place at the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

They will take on New Caledonia or Jamaica for the one-off match in March that could send them to the men’s World Cup for the first time in more than 50 years.

Attempting to become the first outfit to win back-to-back titles since Egypt’s run of three Cup of Nations crowns between 2006 and 2010, the Ivorians took the lead in the 20th minute.

Manchester United striker Amad Diallo hit his third goal of the tournament when he prodded the ball over the Burkinabe goalkeeper Hervé Koffi.

Five minutes later, Diallo turned from predator to provider. The 23-year-old laid on a slick pass for Yan Diomandé to steer the ball past Koffi and put his side in control.

Cote d’Ivoire coach Faé tells players to be relentless against Burkina Faso

 

In the prelude to the clash at the Stade de Marrakech, Cote d’Ivoire boss Emerse Faé urged his players not to underestimate Burkina Faso and be totally focused during the tie.

After following his advice to the letter during the opening period, their intensity dropped allowing Burkina Faso more possession.

Belief growing, Dango Outtara brought a sharp save from the Ivorian goalkeeper Yahia Fofana on the hour mark.

Fifteen minutes later, Koffi kept his team in the match when he stuck out a boot to deflect Diallo’s goal-bound chip away from the net.

South Africa boss urges beaten squad to seek solace in 2026 World Cup trip

But as Burkina Faso plotted a late revival, defender Bazoumana Touré broke up an attack just outside his penalty area and set off down the left wing.

With opponents in his wake, he advanced on Koffi’s goal and instead of squaring to an array of teammates, he slotted the ball coolly past the right hand of the exposed goalkeeper.

“Obviously, it was a match we had to win in order to move on in the competition,” said Diallo who was deemed man-of-the-match for the second time in the competition.

“We stayed compact and we showed our quality and respected our opponent,” he told broadcaster beIN Sports. “We did not underestimate Burkina Faso.”

Cote d’Ivoire will take on Egypt on 10 January in Agadir for a place in the semi-final on 14 January in Tangier.

“Next up it will be Egypt,” added Diallo. “That will be a difficult match.”

The Irish leader’s five-day trip is sandwiched between Emmanuel Macron’s December visit and Friedrich Merz’s in February, and illustrate the fine line European leaders are taling in their approach to Beijing as transatlantic relations grow increasingly uncertain under Donald Trump’s unpredictable policies.

Martin’s visit comes as the European Union grapples with an unprecedented €305.8 billion trade deficit with China in 2024 and mounting anxieties about economic dependencies that could prove strategically risky.

But while Brussels talks tough on “de-risking” and “strategic autonomy,” individual member states are pursuing their own pragmatic, bilateral engagement with Beijing – showing deep divisions over how Europe should position itself between an unreliable America and an assertive China.

For Macron, December’s trip to Chengdu represented a continuation of his distinctive approach to China relations.

The French president, accompanied by nearly 40 chief executives, focused on securing market access for French companies whilst urging Beijing to pressure Moscow over Ukraine.

His delegation signed agreements in nuclear energy cooperation between Électricité de France and China National Nuclear Corporation, but kept on pressing Xi Jinping to address what Macron termed “global imbalances” stemming from Chinese overcapacity and export dependency.

The visit produced little concrete progress on Europe’s core concerns about trade asymmetries or China’s support for Russia’s war machine.

The trade imbalance remains Europe’s most pressing economic challenge with China. EU imports from China reached €519 billion in 2024, whilst exports totalled just €213.3 billion.

Manufactured goods – machinery, vehicles, electronics – account for nearly 97 percent of Chinese imports, flooding European markets with products often subsidised by Beijing’s industrial policy.

The automotive sector exemplifies Europe’s predicament: despite Brussels imposing tariffs of up to 35.3 percent on Chinese electric vehicles in October 2024, Chinese EV sales in Europe nearly doubled.

Chinese manufacturers have simply pivoted to plugin hybrids, which face no additional tariffs, while simultaneously establishing production facilities inside the EU to circumvent trade barriers altogether.

BYD is building a €4.6 billion factory in Hungary; Chery has established operations in Spain; others are negotiating sites in Italy and Poland.

How the EU’s reliance on China has exposed carmakers to trade shocks

 

Meanwhile, in semiconductors, China has captured approximately 30 percent of the global market for legacy chips – the mature-node semiconductors essential for automotive, medical, aerospace, and defence applications.

Whilst American export controls have largely succeeded in restricting China’s access to cutting-edge chip technology, Beijing has responded by flooding the market with older-generation semiconductors at artificially depressed prices.

European chipmakers, accounting for just 13 percent of global production, find themselves squeezed between subsidised Chinese competitors and American protectionism.

The EU Chips Act aims to double Europe’s semiconductor production capacity by 2030, but observers question whether the bloc can move swiftly enough to avoid dangerous dependencies.

Human rights 

The human rights dimension of EU-China relations, once a consistent irritant in bilateral ties, has notably receded from prominence. Official statements still routinely express “deep concerns” about Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong, but  these critiques increasingly resemble diplomatic ritual.

Human Rights Watch has criticised what it terms the EU’s “failure to meaningfully address Beijing’s repression,” noting that the annual human rights dialogue has been demoted to a lower-level, private affair. 

Trade surplus

But even without stressing human rights so as to avoid the ire of Beijing, for Ireland, navigating between Brussels, Washington, and Beijing requires particular dexterity. China is Ireland’s largest trading partner in Asia and its fifth-largest globally, with bilateral trade reaching approximately $23.4 billion in 2024.

Crucially, Ireland is one of the few EU countries running a trade surplus with China – a statistical quirk largely attributable to American pharmaceutical and technology companies using Irish subsidiaries to export to Asian markets. This same arrangement makes Ireland extremely vulnerable to American policy shifts.

The Trump administration has threatened to end the tax arrangements that make Ireland attractive to American multinationals.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick singled out companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Pfizer for storing intellectual property in Ireland to reduce their effective corporate tax rates, stating that: “those things got to end.”

Over 180,000 Irish workers are employed by American tech companies, and corporate tax receipts – overwhelmingly paid by American multinationals – accounted for over a quarter of all Irish tax revenue in 2024. The windfall from these arrangements has allowed Dublin to avoid difficult decisions about broadening its tax base.

This creates a delicate balancing act. When the European Commission proposed a digital services tax on American tech giants as potential retaliation for Trump’s tariffs, Martin quickly declared Ireland would “resist that,” arguing it would damage “a significant sector” in Ireland.

Dublin finds itself uncomfortably positioned: economically dependent on American companies that could relocate if pressured either by Washington or Brussels, yet increasingly recognising that diversifying trade relationships—including with China—may be prudent insurance against American unpredictability.

(With newswires)

Sherifa Riahi, the former director of the French NGO Terre d’Asile, and several members of her staff had already spent more than 20 months in jail by the time of their final hearing on Monday.

Hours after the hearing, Riahi’s support committee posted a video of her leaving prison overnight, announcing her colleagues had also been freed.

Mahmoud Daoud Yaacoub, a member of Riahi’s defence team, told French news agency AFP that the court had handed down a two-year suspended sentence to the defendants who were in pre-trial detention.

“Tomorrow we will learn the rest of the judgment regarding the defendants who are out on bail,” he said.

The NGO employees were accused alongside 17 municipal workers from the eastern city of Sousse who were implicated for having lent premises to the organisation.

Driven from camp to camp, Tunisia’s migrants still dream of Europe

The 23 defendants, who were also charged with “conspiracy with the aim of housing or hiding people who entered clandestinely”, had faced up to 10 years in prison.

Other charges, including ones alleging financial misdeeds, were previously dropped.

The defendants’ lawyers had argued they were simply carrying out humanitarian work under a state-approved programme, in coordination with the government.

On the last day of the trial on Monday, a handful of people gathered outside the courthouse in support of the defendants. The final hearing lasted all day and as night fell, the court retired to consider the verdict.

Sensitive issue

The UN special rapporteur for human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, had on Sunday urged “the authorities to release her (Riahi) instead of trying her on dubious charges related to her defence of migrant rights”.

Migration is a sensitive issue in Tunisia, a key transit point for tens of thousands of people seeking to reach Europe each year.

The defendants were arrested in May 2024 along with about a dozen humanitarian workers, including anti-racism pioneer Saadia Mosbah, whose trial is to start later this month.

Human Rights Watch slams Tunisia’s ‘repressive’ use of arbitrary detention

In February 2023, President Kais Saied said “hordes of illegal migrants”, many from sub-Saharan Africa, posed a demographic threat to the Arab-majority country.

His speech triggered a series of racially motivated attacks as thousands of sub-Saharan African migrants in Tunisia were pushed out of their homes and jobs.

Thousands were repatriated or attempted to cross the Mediterranean, while others were expelled to the desert borders with Algeria and Libya, where at least a hundred died that summer.

This came as the European Union boosted efforts to curb arrivals on its southern shores, including a 255-million-euro ($290 million) deal with Tunis.

“This is the battle we want to fight [at Unesco] because our cafés […] and bistros are also the ones that sell lots of croissants, lots of baguettes, traditional products, and are also at the forefront of this French expertise,” said the French president during the traditional Epiphany cake ceremony at the Elysée palace on Monday.

In 2024, the Association of French Bistros and Cafés launched an initiative to have these places of social life listed as Unesco heritage sites.

“French bistros and cafés are guardians of time. They span centuries and generations,” says Unesco on its website.

The baguette, an emblem of everyday life in France, was inscribed on the Intangible cultural heritage list in 2022.

This heritage includes oral traditions, performing arts, knowledge and skills related to nature or craftsmanship, and social practices.

Trusty, crusty French baguette gains world cultural heritage status

Food shops to open on May May?

Macron also called for the adoption of a law allowing “food shops, particularly our bakeries”, to open on 1 May if they wish so, “by having their employees work, with their agreement, of course” and on condition that they are “better paid.”

This issue sparked heated debate at the end of April 2025. Some bakers spoke out, condemning the labour inspectorate’s checks on several artisans.

Although they are allowed to work, they were criticized for making their employees work on this public holiday in France.

“Even those who defend May Day are often happy to be able to buy lily of the valley from some or baguettes from others and go to a restaurant that is open to perhaps share a meal with their family,” explained Macron.

“We need to provide legal certainty. I don’t want us to remain in a situation with inspections and adjustments,” he insisted.

In July, the Senate passed a bill allowing bakers and florists, among others, to have their employees work on May Day, an initiative critisized by French unions and the Left.

Macron hopes that this bill will be voted at the National Assembly so that it could be adopted by 1 May this year.

(with AFP)

Faustin-Archange Touadéra was declared the winner with 76.15 percent of the vote in the first round by the National Elections Authority (ANE). Opponents Anicet-Georges Dologuélé received 14.6 percent of the vote, and Henri-Marie Dondra 3.19 percent.

A few other candidates share the remainder: Marcelin Yalemende with 2.13 percent, Serge Djorie 1.87, Eddy Kparekouti 1.04, Aristide Briand Reboas 0.95.

Voter turnout was 52.42 percent, according to the ANE.

The final results will be announced by the Constitutional Council on January 20.

Touadéra, a 68-year-old mathematician, took power a decade ago and was seeking a third term after a constitutional referendum in 2023 scrapped the presidential term limit.

He campaigned on his security record in the chronically unstable nation after enlisting help from Russian mercenaries and Rwandan soldiers. He also signed peace deals with several rebel groups this year.

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

Call for election annulment

Before the announcement of these provisional results, two opposition candidates denounced fraud. And the main opposition coalition, known by its French acronym BRDC, boycotted the election, saying it would not be fair.

A few hours before the results were announced, Dondra reiterated his grievances and called for the “outright” annulment of the election and the dissolution of the ANE, which he deemed incapable of organising “free and inclusive” elections.

“Numerous irregularities that could undermine the integrity of the results have been identified, and this cannot be ignored. Moreover, the results announced today reflect the inability of the party to organise free and inclusive elections, a failure we have repeatedly denounced,” he said at his press conference.

“Therefore, while remaining committed to the rule of law and the values ​​of the Republic, the UNIR party calls for the outright annulment of these elections.” The party is actively preparing to appeal to the Constitutional Council to challenge the irregularities thus identified and recommends that the ANE, which has proven its incompetence, be dissolved.

Dologuele, the runner-up in the 2020 election and a former prime minister, also told a press conference on Friday that there had been “a methodical attempt to manipulate” the outcome.

“The Central African people spoke on 28 December,” Dologuele said. “They expressed a clear desire for change.”

Opposition groups also said the 2023 referendum that allowed him to extend his rule into a second decade was proof he wants to be president for life.

Yet, there were no reports of major disturbances during the voting, a far cry from the last election in 2020, when rebel groups prevented hundreds of polling stations from opening.

Touadera’s government has denied any fraud took place.

The Constitutional Court has until 20 January to adjudicate any challenges and declare definitive results.

Allied to Russia

If confirmed, Touadera’s victory will likely further the interests of Russia, which has traded security assistance for access to resources including gold and diamonds.

Touadera has also signalled a renewed interest in Western partnerships, saying he would welcome any country willing to develop CAR’s lithium, uranium and gold reserves.

Former Wagner media operative lifts the lid on Russian disinformation in CAR

But analysts warn Touadera’s security gains remain fragile.

“Armed groups have not disappeared; they have just been incorporated into the system,” said Nathalia Dukhan, Central Africa analyst for the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

Some leaders of armed groups have received government jobs after signing peace deals with Touadera, according to Dukhan.

“But if they see that the system is not serving their interest, things could take a dramatic turn,” she added.

 (with Reuters)

RFI: Is France emerging from a kind of collective denial around alcohol?

Mickaël Naassila: Yes, although it is not only denial. There is also a lack of knowledge. But something is happening. We are seeing more talk around not drinking and more and more people, particularly young people, are experimenting with not drinking.

We are much better informed today about the risks, and the message that any alcohol consumption carries a health risk is really starting to get through. We now hear young people saying ‘alcohol is not good for your health, you have to be careful’, which you did not hear as much before.

RFI: Is this cultural shift?

MN: Yes, clearly. The belief that alcohol is somehow ‘protective’ is receding. Even if refusing a drink can sometimes still be difficult, people are speaking out, including patients and public figures. There is a real awareness, and per capita consumption of pure alcohol is falling.

This is a trend that can be seen across Europe, but alcohol remains a special case in France. There is no “alcohol plan”, unlike for tobacco. And despite an overall decline, certain risky behaviours persist, such as binge drinking, particularly among women.

Binge drinking still a worry in France despite drop in daily consumption

RFI: Culturally, attitudes are changing. But how do you explain the different treatment of tobacco and alcohol, given that the harms of alcohol are well documented?

MN: Above all, it’s a political blockage. The President [Emmanuel Macron] has publicly said that he does not want to ‘annoy the French’ about their alcohol consumption, that the [alcohol and tobacco policy] Évin law should not be tightened, and that he sees no problem with drinking wine as long as you do not drive.

The message is clear, and we felt it very concretely, when the January Challenge was launched in 2020 there was a direct blockage from the presidency, and other campaigns were subsequently slowed down.

Political figures, such as the Minister for tourism, openly take on a lobbying role. This has fuelled a caricatured opposition between ‘health puritans’ and ‘Epicureans’, even though the issue is not prohibition but enabling normal prevention.

Even when alcohol is discussed with health authorities, there is a sense that consumption in general should not be targeted, only excess or dependency. But this hinders prevention, to prevent people from sliding into risky consumption in the first place.

Nevertheless, our work is starting to pay off. The January campaign works, and opponents are running out of arguments against it.

Dilemma for French winemakers as alcohol content rises while consumption falls

RFI:  Do you feel like public opinion is changing?

MN: Yes, something is happening. We see more discussion around not drinking, growing demand for alternatives, and young people partying differently. Since 2020, the January Challenge has played an important role: it prompts reflection and allows positive communication about what people gain by reducing their consumption.

The January Challenge helps people develop strategies to avoid drinking, feel more competent and more confident in refusing alcohol.

RFI: Is the association between alcohol, sociability and being ‘cool’ also starting to fade?

MN: As with tobacco, which has become unfashionable, I think we will get there with alcohol, too. People are more aware of the negative impact, that when you have drunk too much, you don’t really enjoy the evening, you can lose control or experience memory loss.

What has changed a lot, particularly among young women, is lower tolerance for this loss of control. Socially, drunkenness is less accepted, and more and more young people say they are fed up with having to deal with friends who have drunk too much.

We also hear more people saying: ‘I don’t drink and I still have fun’. People are speaking out.

We are also seeing new strategies emerge: planning ahead, setting limits, slowing down, alternating with water. These behaviours need to be promoted, because prevention also involves developing psychosocial skills, such as knowing how to say no or analyse a situation.

---

This article has been adapted from an interview in French by RFI’s Aurore Lartigue and edited for length and clarity.

The African Union said in a statement it would be “following with grave concern the recent developments in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, including reports of the abduction of the President of the Republic, Nicolas Maduro, and military attacks on Venezuelan institutions.”

It also reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to the fundamental principles of international law, including respect for the sovereignty of States, their territorial integrity, and the right of peoples to self-determination, as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.

In a statement released Sunday evening, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) denounced the situation without directly attacking the United States.

It wrote that it “recognises the right of states to combat international crimes, including terrorism and drug trafficking,” arguments invoked by US President Donald Trump to justify the kidnapping of the Venezuelan president, but reminded “the international community of its obligation to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each member state”.

Ecowas echoed the African Union‘s call for “inclusive political dialogue among Venezuelans themselves.”

The UN Security Council has said it will hold an emergency session on Monday at Venezuela’s request. 

Individually, heads of states and foreign ministers also reacted to show support to Venezuelans and their right to sovereignty.

Clear violation of the UN Charter

South Africa took a firm stance, with Pretoria pointing to a clear violation of the UN Charter.

“History has repeatedly demonstrated that military invasions against sovereign states only produce instability and exacerbate crises,” the government said, adding that “the illegal and unilateral use of force […] undermines the stability of the international order.”

South Africa has reiterated that international law does not authorise external military intervention in the internal affairs of a sovereign state. It calls on the Security Council to convene urgently alongside Venezuela.

Namibia took a similarly firm line, expressing its “deep shock” at the “violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty and international law,” and reaffirming its “solidarity” with Venezuela, based on “a shared history of anti-colonial struggle for self-determination and independence.” Namibia added it supports all multilateral initiatives to ensure respect for international law and the sovereignty of nations.

How has France reacted to the toppling of Venezuela’s Maduro by the US?

Ghana expressed its “strong reservations against the unilateral use of force” and condemned the statements by Trump, after he announced that the United States intended to govern Venezuela and exploit its oil during a transitional period.

These statements are reminiscent of “the colonial and imperialist era,” Accra declared. “They set a dangerous precedent for the world order. Such colonial ambitions have no place in the post-World War II era.” Ghana advocates for “immediate de-escalation and the release of President Maduro and his wife.”

Chad’s Foreign Minister indicated that he had spoken with his Venezuelan counterpart on Saturday, before expressing “Chad’s commitment to respecting international law, on which the existence of a just world order depends” and “the importance of preserving the peace, stability and territorial integrity of Venezuela”.

Rejection of foreign interference

Meanwhile, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister Ivan Gilles said he has held numerous discussions with African leaders, and had received messages of solidarity from Namibia, Burkina Faso and Liberia, whose foreign minister assured that her country, a non-permanent member of the Security Council, will demand action and condemnation of the 3 January attacks.

Caracas also said it has spoken with the foreign ministers of Chad, Angola, Niger, and The Gambia, who are committed to respecting the UN Charter and rejecting any foreign interference.

So far there hav been no official statement  from the Sahel authorities of Mali, Niger, or Burkina Faso. The Malian, Nigerien and Burkinabe juntas maintain excellent relations with the regime of Nicolas Maduro.

When questioned by RFI’s regional correspondent Serge Daniel, a Nigerien official responded: “We are consulting with each other because, in matters of foreign policy, the AES countries speak with one voice.”

Daniel added that observers believe that the three countries are currently playing it safe in the face of this new situation, since Trump recently stated: “What happened to Maduro could happen to others.”

Desabre’s squad reached the last four at the 2023 Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire and since then the Frenchman has steered the team to a place at an intercontinental play-off for a berth at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

In Rabat, they take on an Algeria outfit that won all three of its games during the pool stages.

“Algeria has players who can make a difference at any moment,” said the 49-year-old on the eve of the game.

“But the DRC also has the players who can rise to the challenge. We know our strengths and it is up to us to show them. The most important thing is to play well, as we have done so far.”

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

DRC finished Group D second behind Senegal on goal difference. “It’s a match with high stakes,” added Desabre.

“It’s a game which can show how far we’ve come as a team and also take us into the last eight.”

The Algerians are attempting to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2019 when they surged to the Cup of Nations title in Egypt.

Since those glory days, they have botched successive Cup of Nations campaigns.

Defending their crown in Cameroon, the Algerians went out in the group stages.

And seeking redemption in Cote d’Ivoire, they suffered the same fate.

To rid himself of that backstory, the Algeria boss Vladimir Petkovic, has drafted in a crop of youngsters operating under the aegis of veteran skipper Riyad Mahrez.

The 34-year-old, who won Premier League titles at Leicester City and Manchester City before moving to Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia, has netted three times en route to the last-16.

“The DRC are used to facing strong opponents,” said Petkovic as his team underwent their final preparations for the clash at the Stade Moulay Hassan in Rabat.

“We need to be careful,” added the 62-year-old. “The DRC are a consistent side with players who support each other. “

Five things we learned on Day 4: The Zidanes come to support their man

Petkovic is likely to recall goalkeeper Luca Zidane for the game.

The 27-year-old was in the starting line-up for the first two matches of the pool phase.

But with top spot secured, Petkovic rested the son of France’s former captain Zinedine Zidane for the final group stage game against Equatorial Guinea.

Zidane senior was in Rabat with other members of the family to see his son play in Algeria’s opening 3-0 victory over Sudan and again for the 1-0 win over Burkina Faso.

“I’m happy they’re here and that they’re supporting me,” said Luca Zidane who qualified to play for Algeria via his paternal grandfather.

“For the players, everyone knows when their family comes, it’s special,” he told broadcaster SNTV.

Zidane, who plays his club football at the Spanish second-division side Granada, added: “I try to be myself and to build my career on my own terms.”

A Paris court on Monday sentenced 10 people accused of cyber-bullying President Emmanuel Macron’s wife Brigitte by spreading false information about her gender and insinuations related to the age difference between France’s first couple.

The relationship between Emmanuel Macron, 48, and Brigitte, 72, who met while she was a drama teacher at his school, has been the subject of intense interest since he became president in 2017.

Eight defendants were handed suspended sentences of four to eight months in prison while a ninth man was sentenced to six months in prison over his absence from the hearing.

Presiding judge Thierry Donard described the claims of the French first lady’s “alleged paedophilia” as “malicious, degrading and insulting”, saying the defendants had received sentences for “intentionally harming the complainant”.

They and a tenth person were ordered to follow a course against hate speech online, to be paid at their own expense.

Three individuals considered to be the key instigators online also had their social media accounts suspended for six months.

Harm to health

“The most important things are the prevention courses and the suspension of some of the accounts” of the perpetrators, said Jean Ennochi, Brigitte Macron’s lawyer, after the verdict was handed down.

Brigitte Macron herself did not appear at the trial hearings in October but told investigators after filing her complaint that the claim she is a transgender woman has “strongly affected” her and her loved ones.

In recent years, scrutiny of the couple’s relationship has extended to the widespread publication of false information that they have resolved not to ignore and instead combat in court.

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

The couple filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States against right-wing US podcaster Candace Owens, who falsely claimed Brigitte Macron used to be a man.

Tiphaine Auziere, 41, Brigitte Macron‘s younger daughter from her first marriage, told the trial in rare public comments that the unsubstantiated claims had harmed her mother’s health.

“She’s constantly having to pay attention to what she wears, how she holds herself because she knows that her image can be distorted,” she said.

Prosecutors sought the heaviest sentence against Aurelien Poirson-Atlan, 41, a commentator known on social media as “Zoe Sagan” and often linked to conspiracy theory circles.

He was handed an eight-month suspended sentence and a six-month suspension of his social media accounts.

In court in October, he defended his right to what he called “satire”.

Another of the most prominent defendants, gallery owner Bertrand Scholler, 56, said that the trial was targeting his “freedom to think” faced with the “media deep state”.

The court sentenced Scholler to a six-month suspended sentence and an immediate suspension of his social media accounts for six months.

Conspiracy circles

Also on trial was a woman already the subject of a libel complaint filed by Brigitte Macron in 2022: Delphine Jegousse, 51, a self-proclaimed spiritual medium who goes by the pseudonym Amandine Roy.

The court sentenced Jegousse to a six-month suspended jail term and the suspension of her online accounts, also for half a year.

‘Centuries of patriarchal history’: why trans rumours are wielded against women

While these three defendants are regarded as the main instigators of spreading the false information, the other seven were presented by prosecutors as “followers” who had “let themselves go” from “their sofa”, some having simply shared or liked a few posts.

Emerging as early as Macron’s election in 2017, the claims have been amplified by far-right and conspiracy theorist circles in France and in the United States, where transgender rights have become a hot-button issue at the heart of US culture wars.

In the case against Candace Owens, who produced a series titled “Becoming Brigitte”, the Macrons are planning to offer “scientific” evidence and photos proving that the first lady is not transgender, according to their US lawyer.

Several of those on trial in Paris shared posts from the US influencer.

(with AFP)

Staff at the Louvre voted for another day of strike action on Monday, union representatives told French news agency AFP in Paris, causing fresh disruption at the world’s most-visited museum.

Disgruntled staff stopped work for three days last month, causing a complete shutdown on one day and partial closures on two others.

Management told AFP that the tourist hotspot would partially open on Monday, with visitors able to view rooms containing masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa or the Venus de Milo.

Other parts of the 400-room institution would be closed to the public.

More than two months after an embarrassing daylight heist which has heaped pressure on Louvre bosses, staff are calling for more recruitment and better maintenance of the vast complex of buildings.

“Around 350 people from various professions — operations, conservation, support staff — voted unanimously” to resume strike action on Monday morning, Valerie Baud from the CFDT union told AFP.

The CGT union confirmed the vote on its Instagram account.

The Louvre workforce totals over 2,000 people.

French auditors slam Louvre bosses over lavish spending, weak security

Questions continue to swirl since the 19 October break-in over whether it was avoidable and why thieves were able to steal crown jewels worth more than $100 million.

Two intruders used a truck-mounted extendable platform to access a gallery containing the jewels, slicing through a glass door with disk-cutters in front of startled visitors before stealing eight priceless items.

As well as the robbery, two other recent incidents have highlighted maintenance problems inside the building which chief architect Francois Chatillon has described as “not in a good state”.

A water leak in November damaged hundreds of books and manuscripts in the Egyptian department, while management had to shut a gallery housing ancient Greek ceramics in October because ceiling beams above it risk giving way.

(with AFP)

“We’re thinking about it very seriously,” Trump said when asked by a reporter about the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey during a visit this week by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The sale has been blocked for years due to Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile system. A recent Bloomberg report suggested Ankara may be prepared to return the missiles, though Turkish officials have denied this.

Political commentator Asli Aydintasbas, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, says that the strengthening relationship between Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan means both sides are working to resolve the impasse.

“He [Trump] himself is working with Turkey through his very effective ambassador, Tom Barrack, to find a solution,” said Aydintasbas. “There will be stiff opposition from the Greek lobby, Israelis and other regional players. But we’ve seen Trump skirt such opposition when it came to the Saudi Arabia F-35 sale.”

Military edge

Israeli security experts warn that Turkey’s acquisition of F-35 jets poses a greater security risk to Israel than the Saudi deal due to the Turkish military’s expertise, which threatens to challenge Israel’s technological advantage.

Currently, Israel maintains a significant edge as the Turkish air force operates decade-old jets, a factor that is increasingly important amid rising regional tensions.

“There was definitely a concern in the spring that there might be a confrontation in the skies of Syria between Israel and Turkey,” said Gallia Lindenstrauss of the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.

Syria in crossfire as Turkish-Israeli rivalry heats up over Assad’s successors

She stresses the risk of confrontation has significantly diminished thanks to “de-confliction talks”, brokered by Azerbaijan. A Syria “hotline” now exists between Israel and Turkey to prevent what Lindenstrauss describes as “accidents between the Israeli Air Force and the Turkish Air Force”.

Yet the need for such measures underscores how strained ties are. “The fact that it exists, of course, does point to the fact that things are not necessarily calm,” Lindenstrauss acknowledged.

Provocative alliances

Israel’s conflict in Gaza has heightened tensions with Turkey. On New Year’s Day, hundreds of thousands protested in Istanbul in support of Palestinians.

Tensions escalated further as Israel increased military cooperation last month with Greece and Cyprus. Both Greece and Cyprus have unresolved territorial disputes with Turkey in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas.

“Israelis are provoking especially Greeks and Greek Cypriots,” said Murat Aslan of Seta, a Turkish pro-government think tank. “The Israeli pilots are educating and training Greek pilots. They are operating [drones] across the Aegean Sea. And they sold many complex missile systems. So that means Israelis are provoking Greece just to challenge Turkey here in the Aegean Sea.”

In his New Year’s address, Erdogan said he was closely monitoring what he describes as threats and provocations against Turkey and Turkish Cypriots. Aslan predicts Ankara will not remain passive. “If there is a pattern in the west of Turkey that Greeks and Israelis are cooperating, for the sake of Turkish security interests, for sure there will be a reaction,” he warned.

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

Greece, which is also acquiring the F-35, has joined Israel in opposing Turkey’s purchase of the jet, warning it would alter the balance of power.

While Trump has expressed support for the Turkish sale, analyst Aydintasbas notes the US president is learning the limitations of his power when it comes to Israel.

“Trump is going through what a lot of US presidents have experienced: frustration, and a question – ‘wait a minute, who’s the superpower here?’” she said. “Because of the power dynamic in the US-Israeli relationship, it sometimes does point to a situation in which Israelis, though the weaker side technically, end up having the upper hand because of their enormous influence in the public space.”

Aydintasbas predicts that, despite Trump’s friendship with and admiration for Erdogan, the US president will be unwilling to pay the political price of securing the Turkish jet sale. “This is an issue on which Trump is not willing to fight the US Congress… and essentially ignore the US law,” she said.

For the self-described master dealmaker, it may prove a deal too far.

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 and bonus questions, 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.

There’s no quiz this week – check in next week, 10 January, for the answer to the question about the gallery in the Louvre Museum that had to be closed.

Thanks to everyone who sent in their Resolutions – may you make good progress in keeping them! And many thanks to this week’s co-host, my daughter Mathilde Daguzan-Owensby, and for the contributions to the show from Olivia Morrow and Evan Coffey. And of course, hats off to the Magic Mixer Erwan Rome, who made this show sing! 

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Be Our Guest” by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman; the traditional “Auld Lang Syne” performed by the Glenn Miller Orchestra; “A House with Love in It” by Sid Lippman and Sylvia Dee, sung by Nat King Cole; “Winter Wonderland” by Felix Smith, performed by the Chet Baker Quartet; “Let it Snow” by Sammy Cahn, sung by Leon Redbone; “Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson, performed by the Sam Bush Ensemble, and “We Wish you the Merriest” by Les Brown, sung by June Christie.

From the entire RFI English service, we wish you a Happy 2026!

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 Veiga 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).

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.