Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau announced on Wednesday that her office was opening two “framework investigations” after the United States government released nearly 3 million documents linked to American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on 30 January.

“We want to stand alongside these victims. We will receive all the statements they wish to make,” Beccuau told FranceInfo radio.

On Saturday, the Paris prosecutor’s office said it was taking up the documents published by US authorities as part of the case.

Epstein files: ‘Releasing documents in their raw state can be counterproductive’

Victims encouraged to testify

Beccuau said the newly released material could prompt victims previously unknown to investigators to come forward.

“These publications will inevitably reactivate the trauma of certain victims, some of whom we believe are not necessarily known,” she said. “Perhaps these new publications will lead them to come forward.”

The two investigations will run in parallel. One concerns alleged sexual offences, while the other examines possible economic and financial matters connected to the case.

Five magistrates will oversee the inquiries, including three assigned to alleged sexual offences and two to financial matters.

“Decisions to conduct interviews will be taken once we have gathered evidence,” Beccuau said.

Investigators will analyse the documents using support from France’s anti-cybercrime office and artificial intelligence tools, while also relying on press reporting, open sources and possible complaints from organisations working to protect minors.

Beccuau said the prosecutor’s office could move quickly if clear evidence emerges.

“If we have fully established facts, nothing will prevent us from initiating initial proceedings,” she said, adding that the two investigations could last “several months, or even several years”.

Former French culture minister’s offices raided in Epstein files fallout

Individuals named

Anyone named in the Epstein files could become the subject of an investigation if French law applies, the Paris prosecutor’s office said on Saturday.

Among those cited in France are former French culture minister Jack Lang and diplomat Fabrice Aidan. Daniel Said, a model recruiter described in the case as a possible associate of Epstein’s in Paris, could also be questioned.

“He is among the people who could be interviewed,” Beccuau said, noting that some alleged incidents could fall under the description of organised human trafficking offences.

Prosecutors are already analysing two complaints linked to the case. One was filed last Wednesday by former model Ebba Karlson, who accuses Said of raping her in France in 1990.

The second case was transferred from prosecutors in Thonon-les-Bains, eastern France, and concerns alleged sexual harassment in 2016 involving conductor Frédéric Chaslin. Prosecutors said the complaint is currently being examined.

Epstein owned an 800-square-metre apartment on Avenue Foch in Paris, where he spent several weeks each year over two decades.

(with newswires)

Nicaraguan farm workers who were left sick or sterilise after exposure to the toxic pesticide Nemagon on banana plantations in the 1960s, 70s and 80s saw their case rejected by a Paris court on Tuesday, over what it called “disproportionate” damages.

In 2006, a Nicaraguan court ordered multinational chemical giants Shell Oil Company, The Dow Chemical Company and Occidental Chemical Corporation, which sold the pesticide, to pay $805 million in compensation to 1,234 former workers.

Nemagon, which contained dibromochloropropane (DBCP), was used to kill pests in the soil. As early as the late 1960s, it was found to be linked to infertility, cancer and severe neurological disorders.

But the companies withdrew their assets from Nicaragua, according to the farmers’ legal team, and insisted Nicaraguan courts lacked jurisdiction. Attempts to collect the compensation in the United States have so far failed. Many of the victims have since died.

In 2018, a collective of Nicaraguan, American and French lawyers turned to France to enforce the judgments, using a procedure called “exequatur”, which allows a foreign court decision to be recognised and enforced in France.

The French courts rejected the lawsuit in May 2022. In its ruling on Tuesday, the appeals court upheld that decision, saying “the sums awarded to each claimant… are manifestly disproportionate”.

It said it could not implement the Nicaraguan sentence on French soil, as it did not conform to “international public order” – one of the conditions that needed to be met.

‘Error of assessment’

The farm workers’ legal team said they believed the criterion of disproportionality is an “error of assessment”.

“It is very likely that an appeal will be lodged against this ruling… at the Court of Cassation,” said lawyer Gonzague d‘Aubigny. 

He emphasised that the court had acknowledged the Nicaraguan judge had been competent after all, contrary to the 2022 ruling in first instance. 

“It’s an error that we managed to get corrected… so on this point it’s a victory,” Aubigny told RFI. 

Nicaraguan plantation workers ‘poisoned’ by pesticides fight for justice

Why France?

Nemagon was banned in the US in 1977 after it was found to cause sterility in men. But chemical multinationals continued to export it and use it across Central America until 1985.

“Farm workers have been contaminated and all are suffering from more or less serious pathologies,” Aubigny says. “Some from infertility, others from cancer or respiratory diseases. And inevitably there are deaths every year.”

But the three multinationals have no assets in Nicaragua, and the US refused to execute the Nicaraguan judgments. 

So in 2018 the claimants turned to France.

Aubigny points to France’s civil law being “quite close” to that of Nicaragua, and added: “France has a certain image in the world as the home of human rights, and a bridgehead for enforcing foreign judgments in Europe.”

In addition, Shell, Dow and Occidental all hold significant assets in France and in the European Union, so enforcement in France “offered real possibilities of seizure to secure payment of the compensation”, the lawyers wrote in an op-ed published on Sunday in the French daily Libération.

Echoes of chlordecone scandal 

The Nemagon case is reminiscent of that of chlordecone – a pesticide used on banana plantations in the French Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe until 1993, despite being officially banned in 1990 in mainland France.

Chlordecone has been classified as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization since 1979 and was banned in the US in 1977.

Chlordecone victims in French West Indies demand justice as state denies liability

Ninety percent of the population of Martinique and Guadeloupe have been contaminated by chlordecone. 

In March 2025, the Paris Administrative Court of Appeal found the French state responsible for allowing its use long after its dangers were known, and ruled it must pay compensation to victims who can demonstrate a “moral anxiety prejudice”.

The French government has lodged an appeal against the decision.

Deranque, 23, died from a severe brain injury after being attacked by at least six people last week in Lyon, on the sidelines of a conference by MEP Rima Hassan, of the hard-left party France Unbowed (LFI), at the university Sciences Po Lyon.

Prosecutors say six of the nine people detained on Tuesday are suspected of taking part in the beating, while three others were present during the arrests but are not suspected of assault.

Among those in custody is Jacques-Elie Favrot, a parliamentary assistant to LFI lawmaker Raphaël Arnault. Favrot was arrested in the Isère region of southeastern France after being named by witnesses.

Arnault said the assistant had “ceased all parliamentary activities” and that procedures to terminate his contract had begun, saying he was “horrified” by the killing.

Parliament backlash

The case dominated questions to the government on Tuesday in the National Assembly, France’s lower house, where lawmakers observed a minute of silence for Deranque.

“No one should die at 23. No one should die for their ideas,” assembly president Yaël Braun-Pivet said. “In all our names, I extend our thoughts to his family and loved ones.”

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu criticised LFI parliamentary leader Mathilde Panot, saying: “It is time for you to clean up your statements, your ideas, and above all your ranks.”

Meanwhile Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin blamed the killing on what he called the “ultra-left”.

Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon called on LFI to suspend Arnault from its parliamentary group “at least temporarily” – citing what she said were links between La Jeune Garde Antifasciste (Anti-Fascist Young Guard), a group co-founded by Arnault in Lyon in 2018 and dissolved by authorities in June.

Killing of far-right activist triggers turmoil across French political spectrum

The Lyon public prosecutor declined to address the political accusations, confirming only that the case is being investigated as voluntary homicide and aggravated assault.

Deranque was beaten on the sidelines of a demonstration organised by Némésis, an identitarian collective close to the far right that says it protects women. The group said Deranque had been acting as security for its members.

Némésis blamed the killing on the Anti-Fascist Young Guard, but the group denied any connection to what it called the “tragic events”.

A video said to show the attack appears to show around a dozen people hitting three individuals lying on the ground, two of whom manage to escape.

‘Wind turning’ on hard left

RFI political correspondent Raphaël Delvolve said criticism now directed at LFI echoed language once used against the far right. Hanane Mansouri, an ally of the far-right National Rally said: “I think the wind is turning.”

She added: “Everyone is starting to see the anti-democratic face of France Unbowed and the methods it uses by normalising violence.”

Her party colleague Philippe Ballard said the far-right party had shown it could act differently. “We have always shown that we work seriously and that we are not driven by emotion or violence.”

LFI lawmaker Alma Dufour rejected the accusations against her party. “There will never be any tolerance in our movement for violent methods like this,” she said.

Paris prosecutor calls for trial over alleged arms trafficking with far-right links

At a press conference on Tuesday, National Rally president Jordan Bardella accused LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon of political and moral responsibility, saying he had “opened the doors of the National Assembly to presumed killers”.

Speaking at a rally Tuesday evening, Mélenchon condemned the killing and denied his party was involved. “Death has no place in political disputes. In violence, whether defensive or offensive, not everything is allowed.”

He also rejected the idea that Deranque had been there by chance. The activist had come with “the deliberate intention of linking his action to that of a militia”, Mélenchon added.

Marine Le Pen, a three-time presidential candidate for the National Rally, condemned those she called the “barbarians responsible for this lynching”.

With President Emmanuel Macron barred from seeking a third term in 2027, Bardella currently leads opinion polls to succeed him.

The quartet of Camille Bened, Lou Jeanmonnot, Océane Michelon and Julia Simon finished the course in Anterselva/Antholz in one hour, 10 minutes and 22.7 seconds.

They were a 51 seconds ahead of Sweden. Norway took the bronze.

The win came after Bened’s jitters on the first leg. 

“We were considered favourites and there was a lot of pressure on us,” Bened told French broadcaster France 2.

“I admit that I felt it especially as Germany set off at such a fast pace. At least we won but I’m disappointed with what I did and I think the victory is more down to the other three.”

Bened handed over to Jeanmonnot nearly a minute off the pace in 16th place.

And she finished her leg in third.

Once Michelon took the lead during the third stage, France never relinquished the advantage and Simon, a winner in the individual and mixed relay events, was handed a French flag to brandish as she coasted down to the finishing line and the embrace of her teammates.

“France hasn’t won this event since 1992,” Simon told French broadcaster France 2. “And so it’s incredible to win it and my third gold.

African athletes have blazed a trail at Winter Olympics for over 60 years

“It’s always been a dream to finish a race waving the flag and I was able to do it. The others gave me the chance to finish in style.”

The biathlon squad has furnished the France delegation with 10 of the 17 medals.

The women’s success came a day after the men’s relay team also endured a tricky first leg before sauntering home to take gold and eclipse the country’s previous high of 15 medals achieved at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi in Russia and four years later in Pyeonchang in South Korea.

French ice hockey chiefs ban player from Winter Olympics after gesture to crowds

Elsewhere on the Day 12 of the Games, Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Hosflot Klaebo burnished his legend as the most successful Winter Olympian with a record-extending 10th gold medal.

He and Einar Hedegart won the team sprint free event. The United States took the silver medal and Italy won bronze.

Klaebo, 29, added his latest prize to golds in the men’s 10 km interval start free, the 10km + 10km skiathlon, the men’s 4 x 7.5km relay and the individual sprint.

The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) said the “large-scale inquiry” concerns possible breaches of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation.

The investigation will examine “the alleged creation and publication on X of potentially harmful, non-consensual intimate or sexualised images involving Europeans, including children,” generated using the tool, the DPC said.

“The purpose of this investigation is to determine whether X complied with its obligations under the GDPR … with regard to the personal data processed of EU/EEA data subjects,” it said.

French investigators raid X’s Paris HQ, expanding probe into Grok AI chatbot

AI deepfake concerns

Because X’s European headquarters are in Ireland, the DPC acts as the lead regulator in Europe for applying EU rules to the platform.

DPC deputy commissioner Graham Doyle said the authority has “been engaging” with X “since media reports first emerged a number of weeks ago concerning the alleged ability of X users to prompt the Grok account on X to generate sexualised images of real people, including children”.

In January, several countries announced they were launching probes into Grok, increasing regulatory pressure and in some cases blocking the tool.

The European Union also opened a separate investigation into whether X met its obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA), a law designed to regulate large online platforms.

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

Regulatory pressure

Last month, X said it was restricting Grok’s image generation and editing features to paying subscribers.

Regulation of US tech companies, including X, has become a source of tension between the European Union and Washington since Donald Trump returned to power.

The Irish investigation comes despite repeated US threats of retaliation against enforcement of tech rules that Trump’s administration says target American companies and restrict free speech.

The DPC said it notified X on Monday that the investigation had been opened.

Contacted by he French news agency AFP, X had not responded by Monday evening.

The Irish regulator had already opened an investigation in April 2025 into X’s use of certain personal data to train its AI models, particularly Grok.

(with AFP) 

The European Commission announced on Tuesday that it had launched a formal probe into Shein, focusing on the sale of illegal goods and the platform’s recommendation systems.

The investigation is the commission’s first into Shein under the Digital Services Act, known as the DSA.

Regulators said they were investigating the sale of illegal products “including child sexual abuse material,” as well as unsafe or non-compliant goods such as weapons, toys, clothing, cosmetics and electronics.

The commission said it would also examine what it described as a “lack of transparency” in Shein’s recommender systems.

“In the EU, illegal products are banned from sale, whether in a shop or online,” said Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s vice-president for digital policy.

Shein, founded in China in 2012 and now based in Singapore, said it would cooperate with the commission.

“We share the commission’s objective of ensuring a safe and trusted online environment and will continue to engage constructively on this procedure,” the company said in a statement.

Shein opens first store in Paris as scandal and criticism mount

Pressure from France

Shein faced greater scrutiny in November after French authorities condemned the company for featuring sex dolls resembling children.

Following the uproar in France, Shein said it immediately removed the products and banned sex dolls from its site worldwide, regardless of appearance.

Brussels moved towards opening the case in recent weeks under pressure from France after illegal products were discovered on the platform in late October. French ministers for the economy, trade and digital affairs welcomed the EU action.

“The voice of France has been heard,” the ministers said in a joint statement, adding they hoped “this procedure can be carried through to the end and quickly”.

France has also asked the courts to block Shein’s third-party seller section, known as its marketplace. The court is due to rule on that request on 19 March.

In the coming weeks, Shein is set to open in five regional BHV stores owned by SGM, the regional newspaper Ouest-France reported. The stores will located in Dijon, Reims, Grenoble, Angers and Limoges.

Plans to open in Le Mans and Orléans are not expected immediately because of a lack of space to display the retailer’s products.

According to a survey by the French Fashion Institute published Thursday, 38 percent of French consumers bought clothing from ultra-fast-fashion platforms such as Shein, Temu or AliExpress in 2025 – attracted by low prices, product variety and available sizes.

France urges EU to crack down on online seller Shein over illicit products

Addictive by design

“Addictive features could have a negative impact on users’ well-being and consumer protection online,” the European Commission warned.

An EU official said regulators suspected Shein had underestimated the risk in its own assessment.

“We have a suspicion Shein underestimated [this] in the risk assessment and also didn’t put proportionate measures in place to tackle this particular risk,” the official said.

The commission said the opening of formal proceedings did not prejudge the outcome and set no deadline for the probe. Shein can offer commitments to try to satisfy the EU’s concerns.

Shein is among more than 20 “very large” online platforms that must comply with the DSA.

Companies that breach the rules risk fines of up to 6 percent of global turnover or even a ban for serious and repeated violations.

(with newswires)

Interviewed by RFI, the President’s spokesperson, Théophane Nzamé-Nzé-Biyoghe, explained the situation as “the continuation of several months of deliberation, necessary to initiate the debate and send a strong signal.”

The opposition was quick to react. Former Prime Minister and leader of the “Together for Gabon” party, Alain-Claude Bilie-Bi-Nze, spoke of “serious violations of fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.”

Online posts stoking conflict

Gabon‘s media regulator (HAC) on Tuesday announced “the immediate suspension of social media platforms” in the country until further notice, saying that online posts were stoking conflict, in a move branded repressive by the opposition.

“Metrics show multiple online platforms are now restricted in Gabon,” connectivity monitor NetBlocks said on X on Wednesday.

According to the watchdog, Facebook, TikTok and WhatsApp, the most widely used social networks in Gabon, were all affected, along with YouTube and Instagram.

In a televised statement on Tuesday, HAC spokesman Jean-Claude Mendome complained of “inappropriate, defamatory, hateful, and insulting content” on social media.

From TikTok and AI to colonial abuses, film festival highlights African vision

He said it was undermining “human dignity, public morality, the honour of citizens, social cohesion, the stability of the Republic’s institutions, and national security”.

The communications body spokesman also cited the “spread of false information”, “cyberbullying” and “unauthorised disclosure of personal data” as reasons for the decision.

“These actions are likely, in the case of Gabon, to generate social conflict, destabilise the institutions of the Republic, and seriously jeopardise national unity, democratic progress, and achievements,” he added.

The regulator said “freedom of expression, including freedom of comment and criticism”, remained “a fundamental right enshrined in Gabon”.   

In Gabon, WhatsApp, Facebook, and TikTok are the most widely used social media platforms.

‘Climate of fear’

Less than a year after being elected, Gabonese President Brice Oligui Nguema has faced his first wave of social unrest, with teachers on strike and other civil servants threatening to do the same.

School teachers began striking over pay and conditions in December and protests over similar demands have since spread to other public sectors — health, higher education and broadcasting.

Opposition leader Alain-Claude Billie-By-Nze said the social media crackdown imposed “a climate of fear and repression” in the central African state.

In an overnight post on Facebook, he called on civil groups “and all Gabonese people dedicated to freedom to mobilise and block this liberty-destroying excess”.

The last action by teachers took place in 2022 under then president Ali Bongo, whose family ruled the small central African country for 55 years.

Oligui overthrew Bongo in a military coup a few months later and acted on some of the teachers’ concerns, buying calm during the two-year transition period that led up to the presidential election in April 2025.

Gabon military leader Oligui Nguema elected president by huge margin

He won that election with a huge majority, generating high expectations with promises that he would turn the country around and improve living standards.

A wage freeze decided a decade ago by the Bongo government has left teachers struggling to cope with the rising cost of living.

Authorities last month arrested two prominent figures from the teachers’ protest movement, leaving teachers and parents afraid to discuss the strike in public.

 (with AFP)

The report, The Business of Despair, by the investigative collective All Eyes On Wagner, documents recruitment networks operating across Africa and Russia.

Founded in 2014, Wagner is a Russian state-funded private military company that conducts covert military operations outside Russia.

With the war in Ukraine entering its fifth year and recruitment from prisons largely exhausted, Russia has increasingly turned to foreign nationals to sustain its military effort.

Families seeking answers

The investigation lists 1,417 fighters from 35 African countries, who enlisted between 2023 and mid-2025. Some joined voluntarily because of the salaries offered, while others were deceived by false job offers or pressured into signing military contracts.

Compiled through NGOs and the Ukrainian programme “I Want to Live”, the non-exhaustive list shows a death rate exceeding 22 percent, not including those wounded or missing.

The recruits are aged between 18 and 57, with an average age of 31.

Egypt has the highest number of recruits, with 361 recorded. Cameroon has suffered the heaviest losses, with 94 deaths among 335 fighters listed. Among Gambian recruits, 23 of 56 contract soldiers have died.

Nairobi sounds alarm over recruiters luring Kenyans into Russian war effort

Far from being marginal, this recruitment forms “the backbone of a strategy built around fighters to be injected into the waves of assaults used to overwhelm Ukrainian defence lines”, the report said.

All Eyes On Wagner’s Lou Osborne said the publication of the list should “enable families, who have often been without news for months, to find out the fate of their loved ones, to contact their national authorities to request the return of remains and stranded persons, and to take action against these recruitments, which have become increasingly numerous as the invasion of Ukraine drags on”.

The story of Joël and Linda

Joël (not his real name), a 24-year-old, is recorded as having been killed on 24 May, 2025 after going missing 10 months earlier while serving in the 255th Motorised Infantry Regiment.

His wife Linda, also using a pseudonym, told RFI last month she lost contact with him on 26 July, 2024, weeks after he arrived in Russia following promises of a well-paid job that would allow him to support his sick parents and two-month-old baby.

A Cameroonian recruitment agency had promised him travel to Poland, but after a stop in Russia and without enough money to continue the journey, he was forced to enlist in the Russian military.

After two weeks of training, he was sent to the frontline in Donetsk and never contacted his family again. Linda said she now wants to know whether his body was buried and if there is a grave.

Despite requests for comment from RFI, the Cameroonian government has not responded to the reports of its 94 nationals killed in Ukraine, or the testimonies from families of missing citizens.

In March 2025, the country’s defence ministry referred to “clandestine departures” and banned uniformed personnel from leaving the country without ministerial authorisation.

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

Students and migrants recruited

The investigation documents several recruitment pathways, including fake job offers and pressure on foreign students to enlist.

Malick Diop from Senegal travelled to Nizhny Novgorod to study but is now being held prisoner by Ukrainian forces, according to the report.

One 25-year-old Egyptian graduate of a language programme in Russia was forced to sign a military contract in order to renew his visa.

Togo has said young Togolese citizens were misled by promises of work or education. Illegal migrants arrested in Russia have also been offered residency papers in exchange for joining the army.

The presence of fighters from Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic, previously documented, was confirmed by the investigation.

All Eyes On Wagner identified recruitment networks involving travel agencies in Russia and Africa offering “fast-track procedures” to obtain visas within weeks.

Recruiters used social media platforms and messaging services including Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and TikTok to promote life in Russia through images of Moscow skyscrapers and luxury cars.

They promised signing bonuses worth several thousand dollars, monthly salaries of €1,600 or more for specialists, health insurance and simplified access to citizenship.

Several fighters who returned or remain in Russia reported unpaid wages or salaries lower than promised.

A report by French Institute of International Relations researcher Thierry Vircoulon estimated that between 3,000 and 4,000 Africans were among 18,000 to 20,000 foreign fighters in the Russian army.

“These abusive and deceptive recruitment practices are akin to a form of human trafficking, the most tragic consequence of which is sending amateur mercenaries to the front lines as cannon fodder,” the report said.

Another recruitment channel targeted young women aged 18 to 22, particularly from Côte d’Ivoire, according to the investigation.

How Moscow is reinventing its influence machine across Africa

Kenya pushes back

In Kenya, civil society organisations have protested against recruitment networks, while families and fighters have circulated videos calling for repatriation.

On Tuesday, Kenya’s foreign minister announced a visit to Moscow to “curb” the recruitment, while a senior official denounced “a pattern of luring people and killing them”.

All Eyes On Wagner said two Kenyan companies, Global Face Human Resources Ltd and Ecopillars Manpower, had been dismantled.

According to the investigation, victims signed payment agreements, worth between €10,000 and €15,000, with a foreign company responsible for visas and travel arrangements. The companies’ manager was arrested and a Russian entrepreneur based in Nairobi was deported.

The published list identifies 45 Kenyan recruits. Hundreds more are believed to have passed through Russia, according to reporting cited in the investigation.

Ukraine has also stepped up online campaigns aimed at discouraging Africans from joining the war, including videos showing drone strikes and Russian footage containing racist content.

The All Eyes on Wagner investigation can be read here. This article has been adapted from the original version in French by François Mazet.

Some of the Greenland sharks swimming today were alive during the French Revolution, and a few may even date back to the time of Shakespeare. Yet despite their age, scientists still know remarkably little about them. Where they reproduce, for example, remains a mystery. So does their number, and how their populations are changing.

For decades, these sharks were believed to be almost blind. Their eyes, often cloudy and covered in parasites, helped reinforce that view. Along with their slow movements and life far below the surface, this fed the idea of a sluggish scavenger drifting through the darkness.

That assumption has now been turned on its head. In research published in January, scientists examining Greenland sharks estimated to be 100 to 134 years old discovered that their eyes showed no signs of the damage normally associated with ageing.

“Usually tissue just kind of degrades over time. But we found evidence that there is a functional visual system in the Greenland shark, and it seems to be really well adapted for life in dim light,” Lily Fogg, a marine biologist at the University of Basel, who led the research, told RFI.

“With ageing, the DNA in the cell usually starts to break. So we did a test and we couldn’t find any evidence for it. This suggests there’s no ongoing cell death in the eye, which is quite incredible for an animal that’s over a century old.”

Stronger protection for marine life as landmark law takes hold on high seas

Hidden lives

Despite their name, Greenland sharks are not geographically confined to Greenland. They roam both the Arctic and Atlantic oceans in waters that remain near freezing. Their presence has been observed from the surface down to depths of more than 2 kilometres.

Fully grown, the sharks can reach up to 7 metres in length and weigh more than a tonne. Much of what scientists know comes from animals caught accidentally in fishing gear.

Studying them under controlled scientific conditions, however, is challenging. Their habitat is remote, research expeditions are expensive and handling animals of such size is a daunting task in itself.

However, the research on their eyes offers a clue as to why these animals remain so mysterious: a visual system that works for more than a century doesn’t evolve quickly, and neither does anything else about them. Greenland sharks are fine-tuned for stability.

French scientists map plankton, the ocean’s mysterious oxygen factories

The cost of longevity

Greenland sharks grow extremely slowly, and scientists believe their gestation period may last between eight and 18 years, although firm data is lacking. The last pregnant Greenland shark documented was caught back in 1950, and more than 70 years later scientists have yet to discover where they breed.

They do know, however, that they produce very few offspring.

“They live a very, very long life. But this life is also linked to a very, very late sexual maturity – about the age of 150 years,” explained Alessandro Cellerino, an evolutionary biologist at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Italy.

He’s part of the team that sequenced the Greenland shark’s genome in an effort to better understand how an animal can live for centuries. 

While living for so long may sound like an advantage, it also comes with risks.

Cellerino says the sharks likely inhabit the entire bottom of the ocean, an icy abyss where temperatures remain more or less constant – meaning they could simply retreat to deeper waters as surface conditions change.

“It is very difficult for us to foresee what the effect of climate change could be on this specific species,” he told RFI. “Unless their reproduction grounds are in regions that are getting warmer, which we don’t know.”

Their slow biology also means the species may take generations to recover from population losses. A shark caught before it reaches maturity never reproduces. Even small losses can echo for generations.

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

A fast-changing world

When an animal’s environment shifts in the space of decades, that kind of biology can become a weakness – and the pressure on Greenland sharks is growing.

As Arctic sea ice contracts, previously inaccessible waters are opening to commercial fishing, exposing the sharks to greater bycatch risk. Around 3,500 are caught each year in nets set to catch cod and halibut.

Scientists do not know how many survive after being released.

“For any species, the rapid human-caused changes to the planet are going to present nearly unprecedented challenges,” Catherine Macdonald, a marine ecologist at the University of Miami, told RFI.

“But for Greenland sharks that have such long generation times, those challenges are going to be even greater because the timescales on which evolutionary processes can act are so much longer.”

Even low levels of mortality can have serious effects on a population that replaces itself so slowly. “It takes so long for adults to mature that the loss of reproductive adults is going to be really harmful,” Macdonald said. In 2020, the Greenland shark was listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Scientists encounter Greenland sharks in Arctic waters partly because shrinking sea ice changes where both animals and researchers can operate.

With researchers studying the places that are easiest to access rather than those where animals may actually spend most of their lives, Macdonald compares deep-sea research to “looking for lost keys under a street lamp, because it’s light there”.

A white stoat sniffs the wind and frolics with its brown companion amid a blizzard, in animated scenes introducing Tina and Milo, the mascots for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

But this charming spectacle in the Italian Alps is becoming increasingly unrealistic, due to irregular snow cover from year to year – according to biologist Marco Granata.

“Around November, the stoat’s brown fur turns white for camouflage,” he explained to RFI.

“The problem is that with climate change, snowfall is becoming increasingly rare and irregular. More and more often, the stoat is white in a world that is no longer white, making it an easy target for predators.”

According to Granata, the stoat population’s winter survival rate is currently estimated at 10 percent.

Moving to higher ground

Granata – a doctoral student at the University of Turin – is testing innovative methods to study small mustelids such as the stoat, ermine, weasel and polecat in the Alps, as part of his Ermlin Project research programme.

At the headquarters of the Maritime Alps Natural Park in Entracque, northwestern Italy, he has set up a camera trap – which automatically films when triggered by movement – to monitor the small animals in their natural habitat.

While artificial snow may be suitable for skiers, this is not the case for stoats – so they are moving to higher altitudes in search of snow cover.

“The problem with moving up is that the stoat won’t find enough food,” said Granata.

“It eats almost exclusively, and exclusively in winter, rodents.” The stoat’s prey doesn’t benefit from venturing to higher ground, because it has learned to live at lower altitudes.

Shrub studies show Alps suffering disastrous decline in snow cover

Elsewhere in Europe, some stoats remain brown all year round. But Granata believes it unlikely that in Italy, the stoat will stop shedding its coat in winter. Molting is a genetic trait, he explains.

He said that if stoats that do not molt, or only partially molt, are favoured by external factors, then the species could gradually adapt to a higher survival rate.

However, at this stage he says he is unaware of any non-molting species in the Italian Alps, and it is therefore difficult to hypothesise that this development will happen any time soon.

Preserving the planet’s glaciers is a ‘matter of survival’ says UN

Lack of data

In 2015, the International Union for Conservation of Nature listed the stoat, once prized for its fur, as a species of “low concern”.

Granata contests this classification, which he says is based primarily on a lack of data.

“According to our models, since the stoat is expected to lose nearly 40 percent of its suitable habitat by 2100, it should be classified as a vulnerable species.”

Researchers from the University of Turin asked the Milano-Cortina 2026 Foundation, which funds projects tied to the Games, for funding to study and protect this elusive animal – but their bid was unsuccessful.

It seems that while Milo and Tina take centre stage at the Games, their real-life counterparts will not be receiving the same attention for now.

This article was adapted from the original version in French by Pauline Gleize.

Known for carved wooden homes and woodcraft recognised by Unesco as intangible cultural heritage in 2008, the Zafimaniry are being forced to adapt to survive.

For generations, forests shaped Zafimaniry homes, beliefs and daily life. Much of that environment has now disappeared, changing how communities live and work.

These questions were at the centre of a public debate organised in Antananarivo last month by the French Institute of Madagascar – a cultural organisation that promotes debate and the arts – on Zafimaniry identity in the face of globalisation.

Johnny Andriamahefarivo, the only magistrate from the Zafimaniry community and a former justice minister, remembers growing up surrounded by carved wood in his village.

“We are a people of the forest. We live from the forest, so you see wooden buildings everywhere,” he told RFI. “The door, the shutters, the windows, the chairs – everything is carved, and every carving has a particular meaning.”

These carvings express spiritual beliefs as well as knowledge and faith within the community, he explained.

Madagascar’s youth revive ancestral rites in search of identity

Forest under pressure

Deforestation is forcing the community to rethink ways of living that once depended entirely on nearby woodland.

“Even though we stayed deep in the bush, today that bush has been cleared by deforestation,” Andriamahefarivo said. “We have to leave and try other ways of making a living.”

For this minority community living in relative isolation on the island, adaptation has become essential. Forest engineer and photographer TangalaMamy has worked alongside the Zafimaniry for more than 10 years, documenting their culture through photography.

“Thirteen years ago, there was no mobile network – you had to climb a mountain to get a signal,” he said. “Now everyone has a smartphone, everyone has a satellite dish. It’s a normal transformation. The world is changing and they are adapting.”

Practical realities are also changing housing. “They are not going to live permanently in wooden huts when wood now requires travelling kilometres to find,” TangalaMamy added.

A photographer’s journey into Malagasy ancestral rituals

Traditions endure

Despite these changes, TangalaMamy said many customs continue.

“Even in brick houses today, the ancestors’ corner is still there,” he said. “Offerings are made there. When a child is born, the name is only given after the umbilical cord falls off.”

The Zafimaniry are also known for distinctive cultural practices such as hair braiding, a silent form of communication. Seventeen types of braids have been identified, each carrying a meaning understood by the entire village.

The question now is how much of this heritage can survive as lifestyles evolve.

Some traditions are already disappearing, raising concerns about how to pass them on to future generations.

“We must safeguard part of this identity that is disappearing without us being able to pass its memory on to our children,” said Malagasy writer and newspaper columnist Vanf – calling on Madagascar’s culture ministry to support preservation efforts.

“We should create a visible space – even a ‘marketing’ space, and it’s not a problem to use that word – where one or more traditional houses can be restored and set apart,” he added.

“That way both Malagasy people and foreigners can help pass on this memory culture.” 

This story was adapted from the original version in French by Sarah Tétaud.

“This isn’t just a heist: it’s a rescue mission,” the trailer for Relooted tells its audience.

Developed by the South African studio Nyamakop, it was released on 10 February on several platforms.

Relooted is set in the late 21st century, in a context where political powers have signed a treaty promising to return genuine African artefacts held in museums.

When these museums learn that only the works on public display will be returned, they gradually remove them from exhibitions in order to avoid having to hand them over.

But they haven’t banked on the game’s heroes – a group of people from different African countries, ready to discreetly re-loot 70 artefacts, including a Yehoti mask from Burkina Faso, Congolese ishango sticks and a Ngadji drum from Kenya.

Reflecting diversity

On paper, Relooted incorporates all the classic elements of the heist video game: a motley crew of thieves, a bit of strategy, plenty of acrobatics and, above all, the thrill of the robbery.

“But is it really theft if it was already stolen?” asks one of the characters, summing up the game’s premise.

French bill clears path to return artefacts looted during colonisation

Beyond Relooted‘s political themes, the game’s creators say they went to great lengths to ensure that African and Afro-descendant players felt represented, in an industry that remains predominantly white.

“From the beginning, it was clear to us that the characters had to be Black, African… because they are searching for the heritage of Black Africa,” Ben Myres, co-founder of the Nyamakop studio, told RFI.

“We also thought it was a great opportunity to work on the design of characters from all over the continent. For example, we have a Cameroonian character with a francophone African accent, and another character from Angola with an English-African accent. It’s very important for us to create truly interesting and deeply authentic characters, based on a very specific region and ethnicity.”

Myres also stressed that special attention was also paid to the musical elements of the game.

“We excluded Western instruments or the symphonies and orchestras that are often heard in video games,” he said.

“Here, there are only traditional African instruments and modern synthesizers. The idea is that African culture is magnificent, incredible and profoundly interesting. Most people in the world don’t know enough about it, and this game is really an entry point to learn more about the continent and its cultures.”

How could countries finance reparations for historical injustices?

Restitution on the radar

For the game’s producer, Sithe Ncube, simply telling a story written by Africans for a global audience already constitutes activism.

“As someone who has worked in the video game industry for years, I know that our stories, experiences and art are not authentically represented in games. And it is very difficult for African developers to compete with large Western studios in the same markets,” she said.

Despite Relooted‘s message of empowerment, the game has sparked debate among players since the free trial version was released in September, with some accusing the developers of racism. They claim making African characters thieves is counterproductive. 

‘Titanic’ task of finding plundered African art in French museums

Ncube says if nothing else, the game offers an excellent opportunity to discover or rediscover the history of real artefacts now on display at places like the British Museum or the Quai Branly Museum in Paris.

Globally, more than 85 percent of African heritage is located outside the continent. An estimated 90,000 objects from sub-Saharan Africa are housed in museums in France alone.

The restitution of cultural items has been on the political radar for some time now in France and other European countries.

During a visit to Burkina Faso in 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to return “African heritage to Africa” within five years, pushing other former colonial powers, including Belgium and Germany, to launch similar initiatives.

This article was adapted from this article by Léa Boutin-Rivière and this article by Jennifer Lufau, from RFI’s French service.

The United States Justice Department on 30 January published nearly 3 million government documents related to Epstein, who was convicted in 2008 for soliciting a minor and died by suicide in custody in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.

The mention of a name in the files does not, in itself, imply wrongdoing by that individual. However, the material has shown how Epstein embedded himself in elite international circles – through introductions, group emails and investment activity.

While some of the public figures named have stepped down from their positions, others have downplayed or denied ties to Epstein.

For Frédérique Sandretto, a professor of American civilisation at Sciences Po university in Paris, the release of such a large number of documents could do more harm than good without proper analysis.

Members of France’s political and cultural elite named in Epstein files

RFI: How has the publication of these documents by the US administration been received by the public?

Frédérique Sandretto: It was eagerly awaited. It was something [US President Donald] Trump had announced, but he had always backed down, fuelling conspiracy theories that there was something to hide. Finally, the Transparency Act was passed in 2025, with unprecedented consensus between Republicans and Democrats. When you see the documents, there are more than 3 million of them. And you don’t know where to start. You feel like you have access to declassified data, which is true. So the gesture is good, but the question is: what do we do with this material? 

RFI: How has their publication reignited conspiracy theories surrounding the Epstein case? 

FS: It’s very visible on social media. We are seeing a resurgence of old conspiracy theories, such as “Pizzagate”, which claimed that the campaign manager of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had organised child sex trafficking in a pizzeria.

On platforms such as Reddit, if you type in the word “pizza” you’ll see all sorts of conspiracy theories pop up based on the idea of a network of elites working together against the people and a paedophile ring.

Why? Because in the files leaked in recent days, the word “pizza” appears 911 times. It is indeed strange. Some see it as a code word. And that’s enough to revive “pizzagate”, a conspiracy theory that emerged nearly 10 years ago, leading some to say, ‘we told you so, that’s what it was’.

France uncovers Russian disinformation campaign falsely linking Macron to Epstein

RFI: What are the particulars of the Epstein case that fuel such conspiracy theories?

FS: Conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein really began after his death. Many people said to themselves: this man knew too much, he could have blown up the planet, he couldn’t have committed suicide, it must have been a disguised suicide…

Added to this are his connections with powerful figures in Silicon Valley, Bill Gates, [the former] Prince Andrew and politicians in Europe. This fuels the idea of a transnational conspiracy, led by powerful elites against the people – especially since the victims were often young girls from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Here we see classic conspiracy theory patterns: the idea of a deep state, a radical opposition between elites and the people, and an anti-Semitic narrative superimposed on top of it all. This has led to theories claiming that Epstein was a Mossad agent.

Finally, the mass declassification of documents gives the impression of a vast web of connections, with new names emerging every day, further fuelling the conspiracy sphere. 

RFI: Has the release of the documents, without full context, fuelled conspiracy theories, even if it was intended as a move towards transparency?

FS: There is a very strong desire for transparency, with the declassification of 3 million documents, which is a first in the United States. But what we are seeing is that releasing documents like this, in their raw state, can be counterproductive. It has also reignited all the conspiracy theories.

At the same time, everyone wanted these files and it is very good that the US Department of Justice has published them. They should have been sorted through. Now, anyone can log on and do a search. There are photos that may be shocking, and people whose names are mentioned who are not necessarily connected to Epstein. This can create an association between the name referenced and Epstein. And that can quickly turn into a witch hunt.

The fact that certain passages have been redacted also fuels the conspiracy theory: we are being given information, but not all of it. So we are really on the borderline between the US Congress’s desire for transparency and the conspiracy theorists who say, ‘see, these documents prove we were right’. It’s all very well to have a right to information, but we also have a right to be cautious. The question remains: what do we do with all this? 

Former French diplomat faces inquiry over Jeffrey Epstein links

RFI: Is it still possible to dispel the climate of suspicion surrounding the Epstein case?

FS: Trump said that now that he has given everything he had, he hoped we could turn the page. I don’t think that’s the case.

On the contrary, I think this is the beginning of something much bigger. Everyone wants to find out, to tell themselves that it’s not possible that all this has been published without there being something to discover.

I just think that what we’re seeing is the tip of the iceberg, and that there will be many more names that will be [thrown about], much more evidence that will come out. It’s just a matter of time. All these documents need to be analysed. 

This article was adapted from the original version in French by Aurore Lartigue.

The death of medical student Abdoulaye Ba in unclear circumstances on 9 February – as police intervened on his university campus in the capital Dakar following several days of student demonstrations – has shaken the west African nation.

His autopsy report lists several injuries to the chest and skull “complicated by massive internal bleeding”, which the coroner said ruled out “an isolated natural cause”.

The students’ collective at the Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) insisted last week that Ba was “brutally tortured to death by the police”.

Hundreds protest in Senegal to demand elections before president’s term ends

But the Dakar court’s prosecutor on Tuesday rejected that account, insisting that Ba “had not been beaten”.

The student “jumped from the fourth floor of Pavilion F and unfortunately landed on the asphalt. This explains the injuries and other damage observed by the forensic doctor on his body”, Ibrahima Ndoye told the press.

According to Ndoye, Ba was attempting to flee from a fire that had broken out in his dormitory, resulting in “flames and smoke that were causing them to suffocate”.

The prosecutor did not give details about the cause of the alleged fire, which took place during the police intervention on campus.

His previous insistence on Saturday that Ba had not been tortured prompted the UCAD students’ association to accuse the prosecutor of “stirring up confusion”.

‘Police misconduct’

The government has described the student’s death as a “tragedy” and admitted to “police misconduct”.

But Interior Minister Mouhamadou Bamba Cisse also justified the intervention by accusing students of attempting to destroy university campus infrastructure, citing video evidence.

Footage filmed by students and shared on social media showed the violence between the security forces and students.

Concern, anger mount as internet and television signal cut in Senegal

In some of the images, officers are seen entering university grounds and firing tear gas into buildings, while students retaliated by throwing stones.

In one video authenticated by French news agency AFP, police officers are seen striking a screaming man with blunt instruments.

(with newswires)

The visit came during a regional tour that also took the Turkish president to Saudi Arabia and Egypt. In Ethiopia, the trip marked the 100th anniversary of the establishment of official diplomatic relations between Ankara and Addis Ababa.

Erdogan was welcomed on Tuesday with cavalry, a brass band, a military parade and a reception at the newly renovated National Palace, the former imperial residence of Haile Selassie, Ethiopia’s last emperor.

The ceremony underlined the importance Ethiopia places on the visit, the first by the Turkish president in more than a decade.

Abiy said the two leaders held in-depth discussions to relaunch economic and security cooperation between their countries, as tensions remain high between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Writing on his X account, Abiy described the relationship as “lasting friendship” and “solid cooperation”.

Somalia becomes a flashpoint in Turkey’s rivalry with Israel

Energy push

The two leaders signed two major economic agreements, particularly in the energy sector.

“Turkey is trying to position itself as a strategic partner for Ethiopia, particularly in hydroelectric energy, where Ankara emphasises its expertise and know-how,” Federico Donelli, professor of international relations at the University of Trieste, told RFI.

The opportunity is greater because Ethiopia wants to develop the sector beyond the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, he added.

With nearly two and a half billion dollars invested in Ethiopia in 2025, Turkey is the second-largest foreign investor in the country after China.

Ethiopia demands Eritrea ‘immediately withdraw’ troops from its territory

Drones question

The visit took place as tensions are rising again between Ethiopia and Eritrea, raising questions about the security side of cooperation.

During the 2021 war in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia, which pitted federal forces against Tigrayan fighters, the Ethiopian government acquired Turkish drones.

“Since the war in Tigray, the Turkish government has been providing manpower as well as drone accessories to the Ethiopian government,” independent researcher Esayas Bamlack Bishaw, a specialist in Turkish-Ethiopian relations, said.

Ethiopia is facing a conflict in Oromia, another in the Amhara region and a separate, latent one with Tigrayan forces.

“It is clear that the Ethiopian government is trying to obtain weapons from Turkey,” Bishaw added.

According to Erdogan, countries in the region should resolve their problems among themselves so they do not become “an arena for foreign powers”.

The Turkish president also criticised Israel’s recognition of Somaliland in December, saying the move “would benefit neither Somaliland nor the Horn of Africa”.

His remarks came as Ethiopia maintains close relations with the breakaway Somali region.

French President Emmanuel Macron began his three-day state visit in Mumbai by honouring the victims of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and meeting Bollywood stars, before kicking off talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“In today’s turbulent world, this is a partnership for global stability,” Prime Minister Modi said after their meeting, with both heads of state referring to each other as their “dear friend” in statements on social media.

President Macron praised what he called a “remarkable acceleration” in bilateral ties in response to the “changing international order”, adding that both countries did not want to be subjected to “any form of hegemony”.

Macron in India to expand defence, trade ties beyond US and China

This is Macron’s fourth trip to India since taking office in 2017. He is accompanied by his wife Brigitte Macron.

‘Contract of the century’

Defence remains at the heart of the relationship. Indian authorities recently cleared the proposed purchase of 114 additional Rafale fighter jets from French manufacturer Dassault Aviation in a deal estimated at around €30 billion. 

Christophe Jaffrelot, an India specialist at Sciences Po Center for International Studies in Paris, has described the potential deal as the “contract of the century”.

However, negotiations over technical and commercial “details” are ongoing, particularly surrounding domestic production.

An Indian defence ministry statement indicated that the “majority” of the aircraft would be manufactured in India. If finalised, the agreement would add to the 62 Rafales already acquired by India.

India signs multi-billion-dollar deal with France for 26 Rafale jets

India, the world’s largest arms importer, also announced a 15 percent increase in military spending to €71 billion earlier this month, reinforcing its position as a key market for French defence firms.

The two leaders also inaugurated, via videoconference, a helicopter assembly line in Vemagal, in the southern state of Karnataka near tech hub of Bengaluru. The joint venture between India’s Tata Group and Airbus will manufacture the Airbus H125, the company’s best-selling single-engine helicopter. 

Among sensitive geopolitical issues discussed was Ukraine. India has not condemned Russia’s 2022 invasion and has continued buying oil from Moscow. Macron urged Indian support for “an immediate and lasting moratorium on attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure”, as Russian and Ukrainian negotiators opened US-brokered talks in Geneva on Tuesday 

President Macron will be in New Delhi on Wednesday and Thursday for an artificial intelligence summit hosted by PM Modi.

(with newswires)

“The values promoted by Reverend Jackson are universal and are those of the Republic,” read the statement from the Elysée Palace on the occasion of Jackson receiving the honour, on 19 July, 2021. 

It added that Jackson had inspired generations of activists and leaders around the world with his message rejecting “all forms of racism and exclusion”.

President Emmanuel Macron told Jackson: “From your earliest years, you were hungry for knowledge and justice, and you are a special friend of France, a brother for us.”

Jesse Jackson to be awarded France’s Legion of Honour

Political bids

Born Jesse Louis Burns on 8 October, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, to an unwed teenaged mother and a former professional boxer, he later adopted the surname of his stepfather Charles Jackson.

He excelled at school – a segregated high school – and earned a football scholarship to the University of Illinois, but later transferred to the predominantly black Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina, where he received a degree in sociology.

In 1960, he participated in his first sit-in, in Greenville, and then joined the Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches in 1965, where he caught Martin Luther King’s attention.

Working closely with King in the 1960s at his Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organisation fighting for civil rights in a spirit of non-violence, Jackson was with King in Memphis when he was assassinated in 1968.

Civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson urges people to vote

Jackson launched two social justice and activism organisations of his own: Operation PUSH in 1971, and the National Rainbow Coalition a dozen years later. The two groups merged in 1996 to become the Rainbow Push Coalition, which campaigns for minority rights, particularly voting rights.

After running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988, he was appointed by Bill Clinton as his envoy to Africa. He was a prominent advocate for ending apartheid in South Africa.

His runs at the nomination, although unsuccessful, brought him to greater prominence. A 1988 speech he made urging Americans to find “common ground” made a particularly strong impression, with Jackson saying: “The left wing, the right wing… you need two wings to fly.”

Observers also say his bids ensured that African American issues became fundamental to the Democratic Party platform and helped lay the groundwork for the election of Barack Obama, America’s first black president, two decades later. Jackson openly wept in the crowd as Obama celebrated his win in 2008.

Dinner with Le Pen

In 2016, Jackson inadvertently dined with French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen in Paris – unaware of who Le Pen was. Once it was revealed to him, Jackson voiced his “disgust” at Le Pen’s political ideas.

Jackson was visiting France to attend events commemorating the abolition of slavery, and attended a dinner at a restaurant with his wife, to which Le Pen had also been invited by a third party.

When Le Pen posted a photo of the two sitting together to Twitter, Jackson responded: “Did not know you were coming to dinner. Never met you before. Do not share your beliefs.”

He later said: “If I had known he was who he is, I would have left out of my disgust with some of his policies… I find the ideas of xenophobia and anti-Semitism repugnant and very unhelpful to making a peaceful world.”

Jackson had previously been accused of anti-Semitism himself, when in 1984 he described New York as “Hymietown” – using a pejorative term for Jews. He apologised for this remark in a speech before national Jewish leaders.

He was also criticised in the early 1980s for his ties to black nationalist leader Louis Farrakhan, known for his anti-Jewish rhetoric.

Jesse Jackson ‘didn’t know’ who J-M Le Pen is

Jackson’s family statement read: “His unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and human rights helped shape a global movement for freedom and dignity. A tireless change agent, he elevated the voices of the voiceless from his Presidential campaigns in the 1980s to mobilising millions to register to vote – leaving an indelible mark on history.

“His unwavering belief in justice, equality and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honour his memory by continuing the fight for the values he lived by.”

No cause of death was given, but Jackson revealed in 2017 that he was suffering from Parkinson’s disease. He is survived by his wife and six children.

(with newswires)

Fabien Claude, Emilien Jacquelin, Quentin Fillon-Maillet and Eric Perrot combined to win the delegation’s fifth gold medal and the 16th overall.

They came in ahead of the Norwegians at the course in Antholz-Anterselva to notch up a ninth prize for the biathlon squad. Sweden finished with the bronze.

It was a third gold at the 2026 Games for Fillon-Maillet who has claimed top honours in the sprint as well as the mixed relay.

The latest success made him France’s most decorated Winter Olympian with eight medals – five golds and three silvers from Games in Pyeonchang in South Korea in 2018 and Beijing four years ago. Martin Fourcade remains the most successful with six golds between 2010 and 2018.

Meet the Winter Olympics mascots: cute, cuddly and under threat from climate change

“The relay gold has always escaped the team,” Jacquelin told Eurosport. “Since 2006 there have only been two siler medals. A page of history has been turned. Even if there have been athletes on the podium in other events, we haven’t been at the top in this one.”

As the biathletes revelled in their feats, the French men’s ice hockey team slumped out of the tournament following a fourth defeat in four games.

Meet the Winter Olympics mascots: cute, cuddly and under threat from climate change

Germany beat them 5-1 in the play-off for a place in the last eight.

The game took place hours after French ice hockey federation and Olympic committee chiefs expelled defender Pierre Crinon from the Winter Olympics for provocative behaviour following his dismissal for fighting during Sunday night’s game against Canada.

Crinon, who raised his hands to his ears as he left the rink on Sunday night, met top executives from the delegation on Monday.

“The purpose of the meeting was also to remind Crinon of the personal commitments he made when he was selected for the French Olympic team,” said an FFHG spokesperson.

“The FFHG wishes to reiterate the values of any player wearing the French national team jersey and their duty to set an example, particularly during the Olympic Games.”

Pelicot became a global icon in the fight against sexual violence in 2024 during the trial of her ex-husband Dominique and dozens of strangers who raped her while she was unconscious. 

Entitled A Hymn to Life (Et la Joie de Vivre), it was written with French author Judith Perrignon and translated into 22 languages, a testament to the impact her story had on audiences around the world.

It spans Pelicot’s 50-year relationship – which she stresses was not a nightmarish ordeal, but life with someone she considered a “great guy”.

“Like every couple, we had difficult moments, but we loved each other, I’m sure of that, and we had three children,” Pelicot told French magazine Telerama in the first of a series of promotional interviews about the book last week.

She reveals her shock when first called by police in 2020 to talk about her ex-husband and recounts her horror as she examines photographs of herself being raped under the influence of sedatives he administered to her.

“I didn’t recognise the men. Or this woman. Her cheek was so flabby. Her mouth so limp. She was like a rag doll,” writes the 73-year-old, according to the French-language version.

A woman of her generation

A Hymn to Life allows Gisèle to speak about herself and her upbringing. Born in Germany into a modest family in 1952, Gisèle Guillou spent her childhood in the Indre region, marked by the death of her mother from cancer when she was only 9 years old.

Her father, a soldier devastated by the death of his wife, remarried but Gisèle grew up in the presence of a nasty and controlling step-mother.

Her way of breaking free was to get married – and she found a soulmate in Dominique, who had also had a difficult childhood.

But she admits she was clearly a “woman of her generation,” a woman born after the war, whose lifestyle seems very far removed from today’s society.

“I was that woman who puts a man’s satisfaction before her own,” she writes in the book.

‘A very difficult ordeal’: Gisèle Pelicot’s statement after mass rape trial

She also describes the choice she made to have an open trial, rather than one behind closed doors – a courageous step, but one she felt was necessary.

“When I think back to the moment I made my decision, I realise that if I had been 20 years younger, I might not have dared to refuse a closed session,” she wrote, according to an extract.

“I would have been afraid of the stares, those damned stares that a woman of my generation has always had to deal with,” she added.

She puts her personal strength down to female role models like her grandmother and mother and writing the book was her way of bearing witness and “addressing all those who supported me.”

“It seems to me that we do not suspect the strength we have inside us until we are forced to draw on it, and that is also what I would like to say to victims,” she says.

Believe in a brighter future

Gisèle says she hopes to inspire other rape victims to believe in a brighter future – and to change attitudes along the way.

Her ordeal has even lead to a change in French rape laws and a public reckoning with the problem of drugging women. 

As for Dominique Pelicot – Gisèle says in the book that she would like to organise to visit her ex-husband in prison where he will stay for the next 20 years. 

“That visit would be a stage in my reconstruction, an opportunity to confront him face to face,” she told French news agency AFP.

Gisele Pelicot’s daughter files sex abuse case against father

“How could he have put our entire family through hell? He may not answer my questions, but I need to ask them.”

A Hymn to Life is the indeed the new chapter in Gisèle’s life in which she describes herself as a “happy woman”, having found love again in a new relationship and settling on the French Atlantic island of Ile de Re.

“Despite all these ordeals, even in the darkest periods, I have always sought flashes of joy; I am looking towards the future, towards joy. I know this may surprise some who expect to see me in tatters, but I am determined to remain standing and dignified,” she told AFP.

(with newswires)

The United States’ newly appointed ambassador to South Africa, conservative media critic Brent Bozell, has arrived in Pretoria to take up his post, the US embassy confirmed on Tuesday, offering a fresh chapter in a relationship that has been under growing strain.

Bozell’s arrival comes at a delicate moment, as ties between Washington and Pretoria have been increasingly tense since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, with diplomatic disagreements and policy divergences testing what has long been an important partnership.

The Trump administration has also accused South Africa of perpetrating genocide against white South Africans – a claim that Pretoria has strongly rejected.

Trump first announced Bozell’s nomination in March, shortly after expelling South Africa’s ambassador to Washington over allegations he had been critical of US policy. Pretoria has yet to name a replacement, leaving a noticeable diplomatic gap between the two nations.

The ambassador-designate must still present his credentials to President Cyril Ramaphosa before formally assuming his duties. Neither the US embassy nor South Africa’s foreign ministry has indicated when that ceremony might take place.

Why the new US ambassador to South Africa could strain relations even further

Conservative voice on the diplomatic stage

At 70, Bozell brings decades of experience from the world of media advocacy. He is the founder of the Media Research Center, a non-profit organisation that positions itself as a watchdog against what it describes as left-leaning bias in US news coverage.

Trump has praised Bozell’s credentials, saying he “brings fearless tenacity, extraordinary experience, and vast knowledge to a nation that desperately needs it”. Supporters see his appointment as a signal that Washington intends to take a more assertive stance in its dealings with Pretoria.

While Bozell has not yet outlined his diplomatic priorities publicly, his background and known positions suggest he could play a prominent role in shaping US messaging on key international issues – particularly those where Washington and Pretoria diverge.

South Africa hits back at US over ‘flawed’ rights report and land grab claims

Room for engagement

Among the most prominent sticking points is South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide – a move that has drawn sharp criticism from Washington. Bozell is widely reported to be a strong supporter of Israel, placing him at odds with Pretoria’s recent diplomatic posture, including its expulsion of Israel’s top diplomat over what it described as a “series of violations”.

Relations have also been strained at the multilateral level. The Trump administration boycotted South Africa’s G20 summit in Johannesburg last year and has not invited Pretoria to its own hosting of the forum this year – an unusual departure from established cooperation among major economies.

Yet, despite these frictions, the underlying economic relationship remains significant. The United States is South Africa’s second-largest trading partner by country, after China, underscoring the mutual interest in maintaining constructive ties.

Bozell’s arrival therefore presents both a challenge and an opportunity – a chance to reset dialogue, even as differences persist. With diplomatic channels now being reactivated, attention will turn to how effectively both sides can navigate their disagreements while preserving areas of cooperation.

The previous US ambassador, Reuben Brigety, stepped down in November 2024, shortly before Trump took office. 

(With newswires)

Anne-Claire Legendre, a 46-year-old diplomat who advises President Emmanuel Macron on North Africa and the Middle East, was put forward on Tuesday by Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot to become the first woman to head the institute. She would replace Lang, 86, a former culture minister who had led the organisation for 13 years.

The institute’s board of directors – made up equally of Arab ambassadors and figures chosen by the French foreign ministry – was expected to confirm the appointment.

Founded in 1980 through an agreement between France and the 22 member states of the Arab League, the IMA serves as both a museum and a cultural centre dedicated to Arab history, art and language.

“The aim was to present the Arab world to a French public that did not know it well enough,” Gilles Gauthier, a former French ambassador and adviser to Lang, told RFI, adding that the IMA reflects France’s long-standing cultural and diplomatic ties with the region.

“France exists in the Middle East through its culture, through its language, and so that was the basis for a policy on the Arab world.”

The institute stands on the banks of the Seine in central Paris, near Notre-Dame cathedral. Its modern facade of glass and metal is covered with geometric moucharabieh patterns – delicate designs inspired by traditional Arab screens used to filter sunlight.

Gaza’s ancient past revealed as artefacts survive destruction and exile

A front-line diplomat

Legendre has worked in the diplomatic unit of the Élysée Palace as an adviser to Macron since 2023. She previously served as France’s ambassador to Kuwait and as spokesperson for the foreign ministry.

In 2016 Legendre became the first woman to serve as France’s consul in New York, a post she held for four years. Fluent in Arabic, she studied the language at Inalco, the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilisations, and holds degrees from Sciences Po and the Sorbonne.

An ambassador who sits on the IMA‘s board of directors told the French news agency AFP that Legendre was “competent, substantial and committed, with a sharp knowledge of every country in the Arab world, whether in the Maghreb or the Middle East”.

Her diplomatic work has included responding to Russian disinformation campaigns while serving as foreign ministry spokesperson. She also travelled to Algiers in March 2025 to meet Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in an attempt to ease tensions between France and Algeria.

More than a museum

For the French state, the IMA occupies a special place among cultural institutions because its funding comes from the foreign ministry rather than the culture ministry. It hosts exhibitions, concerts, debates and educational programmes focused on the Arab world.

“It is becoming a centre for reflection, creation and intellectual relations between the Arab world and France, and even beyond, Europe,” Gauthier explained. “It is the only institution of this kind in Europe.”

The institute, he added, plays a role in long-term cultural diplomacy rather than day-to-day foreign policy. “It is not about resolving crises or daily diplomatic action. It is about participating in this strong cultural and human relationship. It is a tool for dialogue.”

Despite its ambitions, the institute faces financial challenges.

A 2024 report by the Court of Auditors, France’s public spending watchdog, found that Arab countries expected to contribute 40 percent of the operating budget had stopped paying – leaving the French state subsidy as the main source of funding.

“There was a misunderstanding at the start,” Gauthier told RFI, explaining that some Gulf countries were more familiar with a model where a single large contribution is invested and generates annual income. “But it did not work that way.”

However Arab countries still support the institute through specific projects and exhibitions. Saudi Arabia helped finance an exhibition on Al-Ula, while Kuwait funded the renovation of the institute’s library.

Under Lang, the number of exhibitions “increased considerably”, Gauthier said, adding that the institute expanded work on Arabic language learning and organised more conferences requiring simultaneous translation.

Revolution and the arts: how Picasso inspired the Arab world

‘Identity of millions’

Hakim El Karoui, founder of the Action Committee for the Mediterranean think tank, wrote in a column published in the daily Le Monde that the institute should become “not just an outward-facing showcase, but the beating heart of Franco-Arab culture in France”.

The issue, he said, was no longer only France’s view of the Arab world but also the identity of millions of French people whose history and culture are linked to it.

Gauthier agreed the IMA should also engage with France’s communities with roots in the Arab world, while maintaining its original mission.

“We must make the most of the existence of these significant minorities from the Arab world in our dialogue with the Arab world,” he said, warning against shifting the focus too far inward.

“The Institut du Monde Arabe must not focus mainly on France. That is not the objective.”

This article used material from this version in French

France issued humanitarian visas to Alexei Ishimov, 31, and his 29-year-old wife Nadezhda to avoid them being deported to Russia from the United States.

Alexei Ishimov arrived in Paris from Seattle on Monday morning, correspondents from the French agency AFP said.

Nadezhda, a former volunteer for the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was expected to arrive on a separate flight from Miami, also on Monday morning.

But she did not show up at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport as planned.

“I am in shock,” a visibly distressed Alexei, who had not seen his wife for more than 20 months, told AFP at the airport.

Olga Prokopieva, head of the Paris-based association Russie-Libertés, which has been assisting the young couple, said Nadezhda was not allowed on the flight because she had a temporary travel document called a laissez-passer instead of a passport.

Russie-Libertes and the Russian Antiwar Committee hope that Nadezhda will be allowed to travel to France soon.

French company Capgemini to sell US subsidiary amid controversy over ICE links

The couple left Russia in 2022 as the Kremlin ramped up a crackdown on opponents following the invasion of Ukraine.

The couple eventually flew to Mexico and entered the United States in 2024. They were detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and sent to different detention centres as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Alexei had spent nine months in detention in California and later in the state of Washington. In January 2025, he was released with an ankle bracelet.

Nadezhda has been kept at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center for around 21 months.

To avoid deportation to Russia, Alexei had contacted numerous countries.

“Starting from May 2025, I wrote letters to more than a hundred countries asking for help, and essentially no one responded except France,” he said.

Gratitude to France

He said that French diplomats were “constantly in touch.”

They “worked very closely with ICE representatives, contacted me regularly, and did everything possible to help us obtain a lawful path to safety and reunification,” he said.

“It is hard for me to find the words to express the gratitude we feel,” he added.

Tens of thousands of Russians have applied for political asylum in the United States since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Many detainees have been subjected to arbitrary detention and not given a fair chance to defend themselves in court.

Russian journalist exiled in Paris has ‘no regrets’ over criticising Ukraine war

About 1,000 Russians, many of them asylum seekers, have been deported back to Russia from the United States since 2022. Some deportees were arrested on arrival.

Dmitry Valuev, head of the Russian America for Democracy in Russia (RADR) group which has followed the couple’s case, said that a US judge had ordered that Nadezhda be deported to Russia. But activists hope she’ll be allowed to fly to France.

Alexei said he would feel at ease only when he sees his wife.

“We are very tired: it has been almost two years of constant stress and pain, and separation is especially hard when you have no idea when it will end.”

 (with AFP)

French officials announced Tuesday that 100 bales of cocaine were seized last Thursday during a joint operation with the United States.

According to the High Commission in French Polynesia, the vessel was intercepted at sea but allowed to resume its voyage, in line with international law. No details were provided regarding the ship’s flag, origin, or destination.

Third haul in a month

The 2.4-tonne seizure is the third major interception in Polynesian waters since the beginning of the year.

Record drug seizure in French Polynesia as overseas minister makes official visit

On  2 February, the French navy seized 4.24 tonnes of cocaine after intercepting a suspect vessel identified by customs authorities. In mid-January, another Australia-bound ship was found carrying 4.87 tonnes. Combined, authorities have intercepted nearly 12 tonnes of cocaine worth $2.4 billion near French Polynesia since the start of 2026.

The United Nations has previously warned that organised criminal groups trafficking cocaine and methamphetamine are expanding across the Pacific, using the region as a transit route between the Americas and markets in Australia and New Zealand.

Police smash Europe-wide synthetic drug ring in biggest bust yet

Cocaine seizures 2025

The latest Pacific haul comes against the backdrop of a serious rise in cocaine seizures by the French.

In 2025, French authorities seized a record 81 tonnes of cocaine, a 50 percent increase compared with 2024 and nearly four times the amount seized in 2023, according to figures from the French Interior Ministry. More than half of last year’s seized cocaine was intercepted in the Caribbean.

How the Caribbean became a front line in France’s fight against the cocaine trade

Domestic demand has also reached historic levels. According to France’s Observatory for Drugs and Addictive Trends (OFDT),  1.1 million people consumed cocaine at least once in 2023. The average price per gram on the street has fallen from 66 euros in 2023 to 58 euros in 2024, according to the French anti-narcotics agency, intensifying competition among criminal networks.

Global cocaine production is currently estimated at around 4,000 tonnes per year.

(with newswires)

The visit, from Tuesday to Thursday, is Macron’s fourth since France launched its Indo-Pacific strategy in 2018. The strategy is designed to reinforce alliances in the region to counter China’s growing influence.

Macron is leading delegation that includes the heads of major French companies in the energy, nuclear and defence sectors, as well as founders of artificial intelligence start-ups.

A highlight of the visit is expected to be the signing of a contract for the sale of 114 Rafale fighter jets built by Dassault Aviation, after India’s Defence Ministry approved the purchase on Thursday.

Valued at €33 billion, it would be the largest contract in the company’s history.

The French presidency has described the agreement as “historic”.

Since 2016, India has bought 36 Rafale jets for its air force and 26 for its navy.

The deal consolidates Dassault’s presence in one of the world’s most fastest-growing defence markets.

How Trump’s trade threats have reshaped Europe’s global strategy

For France, which is seeking to diversify partnerships away from the United States and China, the deal reinforces trade ties with India, which is set to become the world’s fourth-largest economy.

According to the French presidency, trade between the two countries currently stands at €15 billion, but there is room for growth.

Macron’s visit follows the conclusion of a landmark free trade agreement between the European Union and India at the end of January.

EU and India seal ‘mother of all trade deals’ as leaders meet in New Delhi

The final part of the visit will focus on artificial intelligence. Macron will attend the AI Impact Summit organised by Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi, who was the guest of honour at France’s own AI summit in Paris at the start of 2025.

The objective is to support alternatives to AI models dominated by the US or China.

The French presidency says France is advocating a vision of AI that serves the public interest, with particular attention to child protection.

France’s Minister for Digital Affairs, Anne Le Hénanff, will host an event to promote a laboratory dedicated to online child safety, and to discuss measures such as age verification for access to certain online content.

(with newswires)

Crinon, 30, was sanctioned for smashing his left forearm into the jaw of Canada’s Nathan MacKinnon.

His teammate, Tom Wilson, retaliated and referees Daniel Hynek and Ryan Daisy had to wrestle Wilson and the Frenchman apart.

As he skated off the ice at the Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, Crinon used his hands to cup his ears at the spectators.

The French ice hockey federation – FFHG – and the French Olympic committee met on Monday to thrash out the player’s fate.

Former skiing champion Grospiron takes on role as face of 2030 Winter Olympics

An immediate ban was confirmed as the France team underwent its final preparations for Tuesday afternoon’s play-off against Germany for a place in the last eight in the men’s tournament.

“Pierre Crinon’s provocative behaviour as he left the ice, even though he had just been sent off for fighting, constitutes a clear violation of the Olympic spirit and also undermines the values of our sport,” said a communique issued by the FFHG.

“The decision has therefore been taken, in full agreement with the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, not to allow him to participate in the next match or matches of the Olympic tournament.”

Crinon’s expulsion – along with Wilson – brought them each a one-match ban.

US immigration force ICE to help with security at Winter Olympics in Italy

 “The purpose of the meeting was also to remind Crinon of the personal commitments he made when he was selected for the French Olympic team,” said an FFHG spokesperson.

“The FFHG wishes to reiterate the values of any player wearing the French national team jersey and their duty to set an example, particularly during the Olympic Games.”

While Wilson will miss Canada’s last eight game on Wednesday, Germany ended France’s interest in the tournament with a 5-1 victory to advance to a last eight clash against Slovakia.

With Canada and the United States favourites for gold and silver, France’s most plausible hopes had been of a bronze medal.

But they endured an abject campaign. Switzerland beat them 4-0 in the opening game in Group A on 12 February. And they lost to the Czech Republic 6-3 on 13 February before the Canada thrashing.

The African continent is rich in resources that are critical to the energy transition, as well as to the electronics and high-tech industries. Africa holds vast reserves of coltan, gallium, cobalt, tantalum, lithium, nickel, and many other strategic minerals that sit at the heart of this global competition.

The Trump administration is seeking to counter China‘s growing dominance over the continent’s metals and mining sectors.

DR Congo weighs price of security in minerals deal with US

For the moment, Trump is focused on a  US – DRC agreement, which would prioritise American interests in the central African country’s supply chain. The DRC sits on vast mineral wealth and is currently engaged in a peace process with Rwanda, brokered by the United States.

DRC takes on Apple: can conflict mineral mining be stopped?

To help us analyse the context of these deals, we are joined today by three guests.

First, Clionadh Raleigh, head of ACLED – the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. We also have Akin Adegoke, Chief Digital Officer at Lotus Bank, who brings experience in driving technology-led, inclusive banking.

And finally, Frédéric Mousseau, Policy Director at the California-based Oakland Institute, who argues that, that under the guise of peace and development, the US–DRC Strategic Partnership Agreement rewrote Congo’s laws to favour American mining interests.”

Delegates also gathered at the Cape Town International Convention Centre for the 32nd edition of the African Mining Indaba, the continent’s largest conference on the sector.

You’ll also hear reactions from people on the ground in the DRC, as well as from leaders in South Africa and Zambia, on what has already been dubbed the new scramble for Africa.

Episode edited by Melissa Chemam and mixed by Erwan Rome.

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

The prototype, known as the EuroSuit, is designed to protect astronauts inside spacecraft while making suits faster and easier to put on.

The project brings together the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), start-up Spartan Space, the space medicine institute Medes and sporting goods company Decathlon, which developed the textile and ergonomic elements.

Adenot reached the ISS on Saturday after a roughly 34-hour journey from Cape Canaveral in Florida aboard a SpaceX spacecraft. The capsule docked with the station, orbits about 400 kilometres above Earth, at 9:15pm Paris time.

“I am proud to bring France and Europe along on this incredible adventure that transcends borders. Count on me to share every step with you and bring a sparkle to the eyes of the French people,” Adenot said shortly afterwards.

Meet French astronaut Sophie Adenot

Two-minute challenge

The 43-year-old – the second French woman to reach space – will test the EuroSuit prototype in microgravity by putting it on alone against the clock in less than 120 seconds.

She will then handle small objects while wearing it, use a touchscreen tablet to assess grip and dexterity, then remove the suit before providing feedback.

Adenot did not wear the EuroSuit for launch because SpaceX provides the suit astronauts wear for take-off. Instead, the prototype will be tested in microgravity aboard the station during the mission.

The CNES is coordinating the microgravity testing for the European Space Agency (ESA) and Spartan Space is leading the work as prime contractor, while Medes is developing real-time monitoring equipment.

Alongside the suit work, Adenot will also test a system that uses artificial intelligence and augmented reality to help astronauts carry out their own medical ultrasounds.

From sportswear to spacesuits

For Decathlon, founded in 1976 and based in Villeneuve-d’Ascq in northern France, the project marks a step beyond sports and leisure equipment into astronaut clothing.

The company was a partner of the Paris Olympic Games, but this time it is working on equipment with far tighter technical constraints.

The teams focused in particular on helmets adapted to each astronaut’s body shape and on ways to adjust the suit’s length to match the way the human body stretches in microgravity.

“About 40 people worked on it,” Sébastien Haquet, head of Decathlon’s advanced innovation division and the project lead, told RFI.

“Engineers, designers, textile specialists, 3D printing experts and mechanical engineers. Passion took hold of everyone. When the project arrived on our desks, it was quite easy to recruit people. We even had to select a ‘dream team’.”

France’s Sophie Adenot to spend nine months on ISS after medical evacuation

Europe’s future missions

The partnership took shape from the end of 2023, Haquet said, when Spartan Space approached Decathlon. They then spent 2024 learning how to work together with CNES before moving into a more intensive design phase.

“From the end of January 2025, we launched a creative sprint, brought the talent together around a table and started designing. We are taking on space standards. We met that challenge by designing a suit in 10 months,” Haquet said.

He added that ESA does not have a design charter for astronaut suits, only a graphic charter, and that defining the aesthetic spirit of the suit was part of Decathlon’s mandate.

ESA is also working with Pierre Cardin on other projects, and NASA is working with Prada.

“It’s interesting to see Decathlon measure itself against long-established luxury brands, when it comes to the strength of its in-house designers,” Haquet said.

Under the suit, Adenot will wear a base layer described as a kind of “layer zero” pyjama made with a seamless process, using a single thread knitted from trousers to top. “You don’t give off any sweat smell with this garment as it absorbs them,” Haquet said.

Being able to suit up independently and shape a suit in under two minutes “does not exist today in the space sector”, he added. “Our suit isn’t yet functional.”

The wider question is how far ESA wants to go on autonomous human spaceflight.

European space giants plan new satellite powerhouse to take on Starlink

“By relying on the exceptional expertise of our partners, we are preparing them, when the time comes, to provide this type of suit,” said Sébastien Barde, deputy head of human spaceflight exploration at CNES.

A joint statement from the project partners said the aim is “to imagine the protective and comfort equipment for the European astronauts of tomorrow”.

The suit is designed to improve comfort and speed, and above all to protect the astronaut during “critical phases”. Ground tests are planned through next year and for now the goal is to validate the design and ergonomics.

This article has been adapted from the original version in French by Igor Gauquelin

The African continent is rich in resources that are critical to the energy transition, as well as to the electronics and high-tech industries. Africa holds vast reserves of coltan, gallium, cobalt, tantalum, lithium, nickel, and many other strategic minerals that sit at the heart of this global competition.

The Trump administration is seeking to counter China‘s growing dominance over the continent’s metals and mining sectors.

DR Congo weighs price of security in minerals deal with US

For the moment, Trump is focused on a  US – DRC agreement, which would prioritise American interests in the central African country’s supply chain. The DRC sits on vast mineral wealth and is currently engaged in a peace process with Rwanda, brokered by the United States.

DRC takes on Apple: can conflict mineral mining be stopped?

To help us analyse the context of these deals, we are joined today by three guests.

First, Clionadh Raleigh, head of ACLED – the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. We also have Akin Adegoke, Chief Digital Officer at Lotus Bank, who brings experience in driving technology-led, inclusive banking.

And finally, Frédéric Mousseau, Policy Director at the California-based Oakland Institute, who argues that, that under the guise of peace and development, the US–DRC Strategic Partnership Agreement rewrote Congo’s laws to favour American mining interests.”

Delegates also gathered at the Cape Town International Convention Centre for the 32nd edition of the African Mining Indaba, the continent’s largest conference on the sector.

You’ll also hear reactions from people on the ground in the DRC, as well as from leaders in South Africa and Zambia, on what has already been dubbed the new scramble for Africa.

Episode edited by Melissa Chemam and mixed by Erwan Rome.

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

In a conspicuous display of military strength, Turkish F-16 fighter jets roared over the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in late January.

According to Turkish officials, the deployment was aimed at protecting Turkish interests and supporting Somali efforts to counter an insurgency by the radical Islamist group al-Shabaab. 

It follows Israel’s recognition of Somaliland in December, which Ankara condemned as a threat to Somalia’s territorial integrity.

Turkish international relations expert Soli Ozel said the jets send a message to Israel: “Don’t mess with our interests here.”

Somalia is poised to become the latest point of tension between the countries, he predicts. “I don’t think they will fight, but they are both showing their colours. Israel’s recognition of Somaliland and the Turks sending F-16s and drones are attempts to set limits to what the other party can do,” he said.

“Could it get out of hand? I don’t know. It may.”

The risky calculations behind Israel’s recognition of Somaliland

Mutual suspicion

The episode reflects broader strains in Israeli-Turkish relations, which remain fraught over Ankara’s support of Hamas and Israel’s war in Gaza.

“It’s a new chapter in the competition between the two countries, which are now the dominant military powers in the Middle East,” said Norman Ricklefs, CEO of geopolitical consultancy Namea Group.

According to Gallia Lindenstrauss, an Israeli foreign policy specialist at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, Israel is not seeking to challenge the interests of Turkey or Somalia.

Instead, she argues Israel’s recognition of Somaliland and its commitment to deepening cooperation are motivated by the breakaway’s state strategic location facing Yemen, where Houthi rebels launched attacks against Israeli cities last year.

“The Houthis were the last ones who were still launching missiles against Israel, from the Iranian proxies. This is the most major threat for Israel,” she said. 

However, Lindenstrauss acknowledges that both sides increasingly view each other’s actions with suspicion. “What Israel sees as defence, Turkey sees as something against Ankara.”

Rival blocs

Turkey’s suspicions could grow if Israel deploys military hardware in Somaliland to counter threats from Yemen, a move an anonymous Israeli expert suggested is Israel’s aim.

Ricklefs warns Israel needs to tread carefully, given the significant investments Turkey had made in Somalia over the past 15 years. Turkey has its largest overseas military base and embassy in Somalia, while Ankara has signed agreements with Mogadishu to explore potential energy reserves, as well as a naval accord.

“Turkey is running the [Mogadishu] port, counterterrorism training, charities, NGOs, and all that kind of stuff. So it appears very important to Turkey’s regional strategic ambitions,” said Ricklefs. He noted that Somalia’s location on the Horn of Africa, with coastlines in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, makes it “key for regional influence”.

With Somalia naval deal, Turkey steers into strategic but volatile region

Lindenstrauss observed that the Turkish-Israeli rivalry over Somalia is further complicated by the emergence of two competing axes: “On the one hand, you see Greece, Cyprus, Israel, the UAE. On the other hand, you see Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt and Qatar,” she explained.  

“They are loose axes, but you do see that on many issues, these two axes think differently. And that’s also a cause of the rising tensions.”

Ricklefs noted that tensions have already spilled over into confrontation elsewhere. “We’ve already seen the pretty strong competition leading to violence in Libya, between blocs aligned with the Emirates and, on the other side, blocs aligned with Turkey in Libya,” he said.

As for whether the same could happen in Somalia, Ricklefs said he doesn’t believe the situation has yet reached that point. 

“I don’t think we’re there just yet with Somaliland and Somalia,” he said. “And frankly, the only party that can play a mediating role, a conflict-reducing role, in this situation is the United States.”

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winner’s names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all

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

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

More tech news: Did you know we have a YouTube channel? Just go to YouTube and write RFI English in the search bar, and there we are! Be sure to subscribe to see all our videos.

Would you like to learn French? RFI is here to help you!

Our website “Le Français facile avec rfi” has news broadcasts in slow, simple French, as well as bilingual radio dramas (with real actors!) and exercises to practice what you have heard.

Go to our website and get started! At the top of the page, click on “Test level”, and you’ll be counselled on the best-suited activities for your level according to your score.

Do not give up! As Lidwien van Dixhoorn, the head of “Le Français facile” service, told me: “Bathe your ears in the sound of the language, and eventually, you’ll get it”. She should know – Lidwien is Dutch and came to France hardly able to say “bonjour” and now she heads this key RFI department – so stick with it!

Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!

In addition to the breaking news articles on our site, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts that will leave you hungry for more.

There’s Spotlight on France, Spotlight on Africa, the International Report, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We also have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis.

Remember, podcasts are radio, too! As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service. Please keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our excellent staff of journalists. You never know what we’ll surprise you with!

To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you’ll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone.

To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show.  

Teachers take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is english.service@rfi.fr  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below. 

Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in all your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. NB: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!

This week’s quiz: On 17 January, I asked you a question about our article “France launches recruitment for 10-month voluntary national military service”. You were to send in the answer to these two questions: How many volunteers will be accepted into the 2026 program, and what will their jobs be? 

The answer is, to quote our article: “From September, around 3,000 volunteers will join the army, navy, or air and space force for missions carried out exclusively on French soil.

Tasks will range from helping out during natural disasters and providing support for counter-terrorism surveillance, to more specialized jobs such as drone operation, mechanics, electrical work, baking, or medical support.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: What is the most romantic thing that has ever been said to you? Or the most romantic action? Or the most romantic gift?

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

The winners are: RFI English listener Murshida Parveen Lata, who is the Co-Chairman of the Source of Knowledge Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh. Murshida is also the winner of this week’s bonus question Congratulations on your double win, Murshida.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Ashraf Ali, a member of the International RFI DX Radio Listeners Club in West Bengal, India; Sumara Sabri, a member of the RFI Online Visitors Club in Sahiwal, Pakistan; Sameen Riaz – also from Pakistan, this time from Sheikupura city – Sameen is a member of the RFI Listeners Club in that fair city, and last but not least, RFI Listeners Club member Sami Mossad from Giza, Egypt.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Fast Bob” by Romane and Stochelo Rosenberg, played by the Rosenberg Ensemble; “La Marseillaise” by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, arranged by Claude Bolling and performed by the Claude Bolling Big Band; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “You’re the Top” by Cole Porter, sung by Ella Fitzgerald.  

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

This week’s question … you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read our article “Cambridge University Museum set to return Benin bronzes to Nigeria”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 9 March to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 14 March podcast. When you enter, be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

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France

Click here to find out how you can win a special Sound Kitchen prize.

Click here to find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or form your own official RFI Club. 

Recent data shows one in two university students in France are skipping a meal each day and relying on food handouts. In response, the government is extending a 1-euro meal scheme – introduced during Covid for those on bursaries – to all university students as of May. Student union rep Marian Bloquet outlines why the problems go far beyond food. We also report from the Cop1ne community kitchen in Paris. Run by students for students, it provides cheap, home-cooked food, but also company and solidarity.  (Listen @3’20”)

As France prepares to ban children from social media, kids weigh in on their use of the platforms and how they would like to see them regulated. Cybersecurity expert Olivier Blazy considers the technical challenges and privacy issues raised by such a ban. (Listen @20’20”)

The adventurous life of the French explorer Alexandra David-Néel, who in the winter of 1924 became the first European woman to reach Lhasa, Tibet’s “forbidden city”. (Listen @14’10”)

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).

Wednesday’s meeting in Ankara between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the latest in a series aimed at improving relations.

It stems from the 2023 Athens Declaration, a formal statement of friendship that led to better economic cooperation and a cooling of military tensions over the disputed Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean Seas.

Mitsotakis’s visit comes at a critical time for the process. “I think it’s very important, the meeting has been postponed twice in the past,” says former Greek foreign ministry advisor Panayotis Ioakimidis, who now teaches at the University of Athens.

“There are some people within the [Greek] governing party, and outside it, who have serious reservations about improving or even talking about relations with Turkey,” he notes. “So it’s very important for the meeting to happen, to keep cooperation going; otherwise, relations risk sliding into conflict.”

Claims on the Aegean

The talks come as tensions over the Aegean Sea – believed to have vast untapped energy reserves – are on the rise.

In January, the Greek foreign minister, George Gerapetritis, announced Greece’s intent to exercise its right under international law to extend its territorial waters in the Aegean from six to 12 nautical miles, to create a marine park.

Erdogan is expected to remind his Greek counterpart that any extension of territorial waters is a red line for Turkey. “Mitsotakis will get some lectures in Ankara,” predicts international relations professor Huseyin Bagci of Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.

In 1995, the Turkish parliament passed a motion declaring that Greece unilaterally extending its waters beyond six miles was a casus belli – cause for war. “Twelve miles [of] territorial waters for Greece means the Turkish ships cannot go one kilometre outside of Turkish territory. Turkey cannot accept this,” says Bagci.

In response, Athens is using Greece’s European Union veto to prevent Turkey from joining the EU’s SAFE defence procurement programme until Turkey withdraws its threat of war.

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

Alliance with Israel

Adding to tensions, last December Greece and Cyprus signed a series of defence agreements with one of Turkey’s fiercest rivals – Israel.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Israel of seeking to encircle Turkey, while Turkish media dubbed it an “axis of evil”.

Mitsotakis is expected to try to allay such concerns during his visit to Ankara. “The Greek side thinks it can separate these issues and keep them quite separate from the bilateral issues between Greece and Turkey,” says Ioakimidis. “But it’s a very likely scenario to take the countries into very dangerous waters.”

Israel’s military support of Greece is to blame for Athens’ more assertive stance in the Aegean, argues Murat Aslan of the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, a Turkish pro-government think tank. He says that Greece acts more boldly when backed by others: “Once they enjoy the support of another, material or narrative, they are much more courageous to challenge.”

If Greece maintains this approach, Aslan suggests, Turkey will likely go back to increasing its military activity.

Prior to recent attempts at rapprochement, Turkish and Greek warplanes often challenged each another in mock dogfights in the disputed airspace over the Aegean.

Turkey flexes naval muscles as neighbours fear escalating arms race

Trump effect

However, Trump could provide an impetus to contain tensions.

With the American ambassador to Greece announcing this week that the US president will visit Athens, both Erdogan and Mitsotakis will be wary of Trump’s involvement in their bilateral affairs.

“I think both countries are concerned about this destabilisation to the international order that the Trump administration has brought,” says Ioannis Grigoriadis of Ankara’s Bilkent University, a specialist in Greek-Turkish relations.

“It may be a strong incentive for both sides to declare that things are OK, so let’s keep Trump’s intervention away from Turkish-Greek relations. I don’t think that any side would like that to happen, given the circumstances and the unpredictability of such an intervention.”

Wednesday’s meeting is set to emphasise the economic benefits of rapprochement and regional cooperation. However, amid persistent Aegean tensions and Turkey’s concerns over Israel’s role, expectations for progress remain low.

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winner’s names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all

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

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

More tech news: Did you know we have a YouTube channel? Just go to YouTube and write RFI English in the search bar, and there we are! Be sure to subscribe to see all our videos.

Would you like to learn French? RFI is here to help you!

Our website “Le Français facile avec rfi” has news broadcasts in slow, simple French, as well as bilingual radio dramas (with real actors!) and exercises to practice what you have heard.

Go to our website and get started! At the top of the page, click on “Test level”, and you’ll be counselled on the best-suited activities for your level according to your score.

Do not give up! As Lidwien van Dixhoorn, the head of “Le Français facile” service, told me: “Bathe your ears in the sound of the language, and eventually, you’ll get it”. She should know – Lidwien is Dutch and came to France hardly able to say “bonjour” and now she heads this key RFI department – so stick with it!

Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!

In addition to the breaking news articles on our site, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts that will leave you hungry for more.

There’s Spotlight on France, Spotlight on Africa, the International Report, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We also have an award-winning bilingual series – an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis.

Remember, podcasts are radio, too! As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service. Please keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our excellent staff of journalists. You never know what we’ll surprise you with!

To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you’ll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone.

To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show.  

Teachers take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is english.service@rfi.fr  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below. 

Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in all your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. NB: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!

This week’s quiz: On 13 December, I asked you a question about Paul Myers’ article “Nigeria power past Mozambique into quarterfinals at Africa Cup of Nations”.

Nigeria had just beaten Mozambique 4 to 0. Paul noted in his article that the win was the biggest winning margin in a Cup of Nations knockout tie since the Africa Cup in 2010. And that was one of your questions: you were to tell me which countries played in the Africa Cup semi-finals in 2010, and who won that knockout tie by 4 to 0.

The second question was: In the Nigeria/Mozambique match, what is the name of the Nigerian player who scored the fourth goal?

The answer is, to quote Paul’s article: “Akor Adams, fed by Lookman, thrashed in Nigeria’s fourth goal 15 minutes from time to notch up the biggest winning margin in a Cup of Nations knockout tie since Egypt battered Algeria 4-0 in the semi-finals at the 2010 tournament in Angola.” So, Egypt/Algeria, and Akor Adams are the correct answers.

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by RFI Listeners Club member Pradip Basak from West Bengal, India: “How do you deal with jealousy when your friend achieves something you secretly wished for?”

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

The winners are: Amir Jameel, the president of the RFI Online Visitors Club in Sahiwal, Pakistan.  Amir is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations on your double win, Amir.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Sharifun Islam Nitu, a member of the RFI Amour Fan Club in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, and Faheem Noor, the president of the WULO RFI Club in Nankana Sahib, Pakistan. There are also two RFI Listeners Club members: Hans Verner Lollike from Hedehusene, Denmark, and S. J. Agboola from Ekiti State, Nigeria.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Heer on Sarangi”, traditional music from Pakistan performed by Ustad Sultan Khan; “Water No Get Enemy” by Fela Kuti, performed by Fela Ransome Kuti & Africa 70; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and the traditional Andalucian “La Saeta del Larios”, sung by Diana Navarro.

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

This week’s question … you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read our article “French DJ wins Grammy for Lady Gaga remix”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 2 March to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 7 March podcast. When you enter, be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

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France

Click here to find out how you can win a special Sound Kitchen prize.

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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.