Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old French nationalist, died from blows to the head during a clash between ultra-right and ultra-left activists in Lyon on 12 February.

Deranque was involved with several nationalist and far-right groups, and was reportedly providing security for Nemesis, a femonationalist identitarian movement which was protesting against a conference hosted by MEP Rima Hassan of the far-left France Unbowed party at Sciences Po Lyon university.

Seven men have been charged over his death, most from the anti-fascist Jeune Garde movement, founded in Lyon in 2018.

A bourgeois city that sits at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers, and France’s third-largest by population, Lyon is famed for gastronomy and steeped in Roman history. It also has a reputation for far-right violence.

‘Ultra-left’ blamed for youth’s killing that shocked France

Catholic conservatism

“Lyon has historically been an epicentre of the radical right for about a century,” said Isabelle Sommier, a sociologist at the Sorbonne university and co-author of a book on political violence. “It’s the city with the highest concentration of radical right activists.”

As early as 1913, the monarchist, nationalist movement Action Française – now considered foundational to France’s far right – organised a student demonstration in Lyon, giving it a foothold in the city, as well as leading to clashes.

Action Française strengthened its presence in Lyon during the Second World War, and since the 2010s has undergone a revival. According to local media outlet Rue89Lyon, it reopened premises in 2015 and now has around 30 active militants who hold weekly training sessions in the city.

Lyon’s strong tradition of Catholic conservatism has favoured the development of religious identitarian groups. And, Sommier notes, its universities have provided fertile recruitment ground for such movements. 

The Federation of Nationalist Students (FEN) and the neo-fascist Ordre Nouveau (“New Order”) were active in Lyon from the late 1960s, contributing to the founding of the far-right National Front (now National Rally) in 1972.

Lyon III University (founded in 1973) in particular became a centre for far-right ideology and helped foster a generation of militants. From the 1970s to 1990s, there were a number of far-right academics – and one notable Holocaust denier – on its staff, including history professor and former National Front heavyweight Bruno Gollnisch.

A 2004 official report by the government-appointed Commission on Racism and Holocaust Denial noted that the university “tolerated extreme right-wing views and Holocaust denial”. And that while it was “not a fascist campus”, it contained “an extreme right-wing kernel”.

According to Marie Allenou, an investigative journalist with Rue89Lyon, the university “played a role in structuring far-right groups in Lyon in the 1980s and 1990s”.

French ultra-right-wing activists on trial for terror conspiracy

‘Cradle’ of the far right 

The ultranationalist student organisation, the Groupe Union Défense (GUD), dissolved in 2024, was founded in 1968 in Paris and took hold in Lyon in the 2000s. In 2017 it gave rise to Bastion Social – a national-revolutionary group inspired by Italy’s extreme-right youth movement CasaPound.

“In Lyon, we had pretty much all the far-right movements gathering here,” said Allenou, adding on Generation Identitaire, Lyon Populaire and the Parti de l’Oeuvre Française, along with its nationalist youth wing Fraction Jeunesse.

“We also had hooligans; the Blood and Honour group, which was a mixture of fighting and concerts; the anti-Communist rock movement and neo-Nazi metal concerts organised in the Lyon region.”

Several groups set up their headquarters in the historic Vieux Lyon (“Old Lyon”) district. The bar La Traboule and a boxing gym served as premises for Generation Identitaire until it was dissolved in 2019.

The same year, France’s territorial intelligence services described the Lyon region as the “cradle” of the radical far right.

Court allows controversial ultra-nationalist rally in Paris

Far-left riposte

In June 2013, the death of leftist activist Clement Méric during clashes between far-right and anti-fascist militants in Paris galvanised the radical left movement in Lyon.

Gale (Groupe Antifasciste Lyon et Environs), a militant antifascist group, was created, uniting several local anti-fa groups.

Then in 2018, the anti-fascist Jeune Garde was founded by activists linked to the New Anti-Capitalist Party. They included Raphael Arnault – now an MP with the hard-left France Unbowed – whose parliamentary assistant is among those who have been charged over Deranque’s death.

For historian Sylvain Boulouque, the Jeune Garde’s approach differs from the nationalist groups it seeks to combat. “They set themselves the objective of protecting demonstrations and left-wing organisations from the actions of the far right… [acting] like a security service.”

The anti-fascist groups set up shop in the hilltop district of the city known as Croix-Rousse, home to silk weavers in the 19th century and close to the Vieux Lyon area where the far right has based itself.

As a result. Boulouque says there is now “a kind of turf war with each camp trying to control the street”.

The geographical proximity of the right and left factions means that “confrontations are extremely frequent,” he says.

“The signifiant presence of the ultra-right and ultra-left in Lyon has resulted in the two movements nourishing one another through violence,” echoed a parliamentary report in 2023.

However, it’s not an even battle, with fewer than 100 ultra-left militants compared to nearly 400 on the ultra-right.

France to ban far-right Catholic group for ‘legitimising violence’

A report by Rue89Lyon, published in October 2025, listed 102 violent attacks carried out by far-right militants in Lyon between 2010 and 2025 “particularly on progressive activists and marginalised people (racial minorities or LGBTI)”.

The report also found that 70 percent of these violent incidents received no response, whether police intervention or prosecution.

Sommier says both the far right and far left have their own “specialities” when it comes to violence.

“For the radical left, the main mode of action is vandalism and confrontations with the police during demonstrations. For the radical right, it’s assaults.” 

Data she gathered from 1986 to 2016 found that seven out of 10 assaults across all groups were carried out by far-right activists. Of those, 70 percent targeted people of colour and three in 10 targeted political opponents.

While violence is mounting, it remains asymmetrical. “Ninety percent is due to the far right, about 10 per cent is on the far left,” says sociologist Erwan Lecoeur. “It’s the far right that kills.”

Ultra-right group disbanded after violent clashes in south of France

Sommier believes the situation in Lyon reflects that in the country as a whole. She notes a surge in assaults since the 2022 presidential campaign, amidst an extremely tense global political climate. “Far-right groups are becoming more and more virulent in a favourable international context.”

Lecoeur argues that political polarisation and the way the media amplifies radical positions is intensifying confrontation across France. “The extremes are taking their place at the centre of political debate,” he said. “Opponents are seen increasingly as adversaries to be defeated rather than persuaded.”

Six men suspected of beating Deranque, 23, to death were charged with deliberate homicide and were in custody.

A seventh man, an assistant to the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) lawmaker Raphaël Arnault, was charged with complicity and also detained.

Deranque died on 14 February from a severe brain injury two days after being attacked by at least six people near the site of a conference held at Sciences Po Lyon by LFI MEP Rima Hassan.

He was at the venue to provide security for activists from the Némésis identity collective, who were demonstrating against Hassan’s visit. Némésis blamed the killing on the La Jeune Garde Antifasciste (Anti-Fascist Young Guard), a group co-founded by Arnault in Lyon in 2018 and dissolved by authorities in June.

The group denied any connection to what it called the “tragic events”.

Security concerns

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed the march, which is expected to attract around 3,000 people, would be allowed to proceed. Local authorities had examined whether to ban the march because of fears of violence before deciding to let it go ahead.

“The forces of law and order will be on the periphery of this procession to avoid any disturbance to public order,” he told French broadcaster RTL. 

“There will be an extremely large police presence. It will be made up of local staff and mobile forces. I have heard Quentin’s parents appeal for calm. 

“Members of the ultra-left are calling to come and disrupt this demonstration. Obviously, we will prevent them.”

Nuñez sanctioned the march despite the misgivings of local police chiefs, Lyon’s mayor Grégory Doucet and several left-wing MPs.

Parliament backlash

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

“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.”

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

Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon urged LFI to suspend Arnault from its parliamentary group “at least temporarily”, saying he had links to the Anti-Fascist Young Guard.

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

‘Wind turning’ on hard left

RFI political correspondent Raphaël Delvolve said criticism directed at LFI echoed language once used against the far right.

“I think the wind is turning,” Hanane Mansouri, an ally of the National Rally, said.

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

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,” he said.

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.

“We deny in the strongest possible terms the involvement of the embassy and its staff in rogue recruitment schemes,” said a spokesperson for the embassy in Nairobi. “We refute any collusion with entities or individuals who would force or entrap Kenyans under false pretences.”

According to a report compiled by Kenyan intelligence officers and presented to the country’s MPs, more than 1,000 Kenyans have travelled to Russia and ended up on the battlefield in the country’s war against Ukraine.

This figure is far higher than the 200 Kenyans cited by the authorities

Russia says it is aware that foreigners are fighting in its ranks, but has always presented them as volunteers.

“We denounce a dangerous and misleading propaganda campaign,” the embassy spokespeson added.

Nairobi sounds alarm over recruiters luring Kenyans into Russian war effort

‘Vast recruitment pool’

The South African government said in November 2025 it had received “distress calls” from 17 men trapped in heavy fighting in Ukraine’s Donbas region, after being tricked into joining mercenary forces.

The group All Eyes on Wagner, an investigative organisation that tracks mercenary activity, published a report this month listing 1,417 fighters from 35 African countries who joined the Russian army between 2023 and mid-2025. It said 316 had died.

It follows a Ukrainian intelligence report published in 2024. The survey said Moscow had recruited foreign nationals from Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo and Uganda as well as Nepal, India and Cuba, while nationals of several more countries have spoken to the media about their ordeal. 

According to the French Institute of International Relations, African countries are fertile ground for Russian recruiters.

Sub-Saharan Africa in particular represents “a vast and easily accessible recruitment pool due to high poverty rates in most countries in the region, combined with a strong desire to emigrate”, the think tank said in a report released in December 2025.

The report said Russia’s recruitment campaigns target “poor urban youth” seeking a better life, and that many realise “that Europe is an increasingly inaccessible destination”.

South Africa seeks return of citizens tricked into fighting in Ukraine

RFI spoke to one Cameroonian who thought he was going to Russia to work as a caretaker and ended up on the Ukrainian front. 

“What I want is to mobilise the Africans who are travelling to Russia, so that they understand that they are being used. I want to tell people what’s going on… so that it stops, so that Africans stop coming here to die,” he said.

“We come here to die in a war that we don’t know where it came from or why it started.”

Kenya’s Foreign Minister, Musalia Mudavadi, says he plans to travel to Moscow in March for talks aimed at “conclusively resolving the matter and identifying sustainable solutions”.

Mudavadi said he would also seek the release of Kenyans held as prisoners of war in Ukraine and verify the condition of those hospitalised.

Written with newswires and adapted from this article in French by Anissa El Jabri.

The draft law was adopted by the Council of Ministers on Wednesday and introduces harsher penalties for so-called “unnatural acts” while broadening existing legislation. It is not yet in force and must still be approved by parliament before becoming law.

The measure fulfils an election pledge by the ruling Pastef party, led by Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, which had promised to reinforce existing restrictions.

Backed by the government, the bill proposes stricter sanctions under Article 319 of Senegal’s Penal Code. Prison sentences for those found guilty of acts deemed “unnatural” could be doubled to up to 10 years, while fines may rise to 10 million CFA francs, compared with 1.5 million at present.

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Tougher penalties and wider scope

Beyond higher penalties, the bill also seeks to redefine what constitutes such acts and explicitly ban their promotion.

The extension is one of the most striking aspects of the proposed law, as it targets not only individuals but also organisations accused of encouraging homosexual relationships.

Amadou Ba, Senegal’s Minister of Culture, said any group promoting what he described as “LGBT philosophy” through films, television, writing or other means would fall within the scope of the legislation.

He said authorities view such ideas as outside Senegalese customs, traditions and culture.

At the same time, the text includes penalties aimed at preventing abuse. Anyone who denounces another person as homosexual without proof could face 2 to 3 years in prison and a fine ranging from 200,000 to 500,000 CFA francs (roughly between €300 and €760).

Demonstrators in Senegal call for tougher laws against homosexuals

Recent arrests

The announcement came 10 days after the arrest of several men accused of “unnatural acts” and of deliberately transmitting HIV, adding to concerns among rights groups and some members of the public.

Critics say the proposed law risks intensifying pressure on LGBTQ people in Senegal. A young man from Dakar, now living in exile in France after his sexuality was revealed, described a climate of fear.

“Some people are afraid because they tell themselves every day that they are at risk of being arrested,” he said. He added that the law could encourage individuals to report others to the police. “I’m afraid for my friends and for several people I know in the country.”

Human Rights Watch has also raised concerns about the bill’s potential impact. Alex Müller, the organisation’s director of LGBTQ issues, warned that provisions targeting the “promotion” or financing of homosexuality are broadly defined and could lead to serious infringements of fundamental freedoms.

According to Müller, such wording could restrict freedom of expression and association and hamper access to healthcare. She said organisations working to combat HIV and AIDS might be affected, particularly those providing services to men who have sex with men, who face a higher risk of infection.

She described the development as an example of “political homophobia” and called on the Senegalese authorities to repeal what she called discriminatory laws and honour international commitments.

This has been adapted from an original article by RFI’s French service 

France’s embassy in Kinshasa confirmed that French soldiers are carrying out a training mission in Kisangani, a city on the River Congo in north-eastern DRC, until the end of March.

According to the embassy, the operation forms part of a military cooperation agreement between France and DRC established in 2021, and comes at the request of the Congolese government.

Officials issued the clarification after a Congolese journalist posted photographs of soldiers in Kisangani, the French flag visible on their uniforms – prompting speculation about a possible military deployment.

UN mulls new mandate for DR Congo peacekeepers at critical moment for conflict

Jungle battalions

According to the embassy, French soldiers are primarily helping to develop specialised battalions within DRC’s armed forces, trained to operate in the country’s vast tropical forests.

Four units, each numbering around 800 soldiers, have been trained so far. The programme covers skills including defensive and offensive combat, countering improvised explosive devices and first aid. 

These battalions were heavily engaged in fighting in the east of the country over the past two years, according to security sources. 

DRC’s army has been battling armed groups near the Rwandan border since the 1990s, with clashes escalating in early 2025. The conflict has continued despite a peace agreement signed in December between DRC and Rwanda, which is accused of backing the largest militia, M23.

The challenges of protecting wildlife from war in eastern DRC

Separate EU training

French officers are also involved in teaching at the military academy in Kinshasa as part of France’s cooperation with DRC. 

Its training missions are separate from an EU scheme, the European Peace Facility, that has seen the European Union fund training and equipment for troops in eastern DRC.

The EU’s support is being delivered by Belgian soldiers, working with a rapid reaction brigade in the city of Kindu.

In December, the UN Security Council voted to extend its peacekeeping mission in DRC for another year due to renewed fighting in the east.

This article has been adapted from the original in French by RFI correspondent Paulina Zidi in Kinshasa.

The 33-year-old overcame a poor performance in the shooting sections to finish the 15km course at the Antholz-Anterselva Arena in 39 minutes and 42.7 seconds. 

Johannes Dale-Skjevdal and ​Sturla Holm Laegreid claimed gold and silver respectively for Norway.

Until now, French fencers Roger Ducret and Philippe Cattiau held the record for most Olympic medals when they won eight apiece in the 1920s and ’30s. 

Three days ago, Fillon Maillet equalled their haul when he won gold in the men’s 4 x 7.5km relay.

France claim women’s biathlon relay to extend record haul at Winter Olympics

From Beijing to French Alps

After coming home from the 2018 Pyeongchang Games empty-handed, Fillon Maillet began building his treasure trove four years ago in Beijing, with silver in the mixed relay.

He added the first piece of gold from the men’s individual event. Another silver came in the men’s sprint. He snaffled another gold in the men’s pursuit and another silver followed in the men’s team relay.

That total allowed him to enter Winter Olympic legend as the first man to win five medals at the same Games.

In Milan Cortina, his glory has continued. He won the mixed relay and individual sprint, and ran the penultimate leg in France’s victorious men’s 4 x 75km relay.

The bronze on Friday burnished the legend: Fillon Maillet is the first man to win a medal in all six Olympic biathlon races.

“Bronze obviously doesn’t have the same value and weight as gold,” Fillon Maillet told French broadcaster France 2 just after the race.

“But I’ll take it anyway. I am delighted with these Olympics. Four medals isn’t the five we won in Beijing, but we did win one more gold, so it’s almost as successful as Beijing,” he added, before hinting that he might try to compete at the next Winter Olympics in the French Alps in 2030.

“I’m thinking about it more and more because this is what I love. And if everything falls into place, why not?” 

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Back from behind

Due to four misses in the shooting on Friday, Fillon Maillet had to complete four penalty loops of 150m each.

As he approached the final 3km, he was six seconds behind Germany’s Philipp Horn who was in third place. He closed in and overtook him on the final climb.

Fillon Maillet’s exploits on Friday increased the French delegation’s medal count to 20 – five more than the previous record haul from the 2014 Games in Sochi and in Pyeongchang in 2018.

On Saturday, France’s triple gold medallist Julia Simon will be among the favourites for a medal when she competes in the women’s 12.5km mass start.

The figure was 2 million higher than in 2024. The visitors brought in 77.5 billion euros, said Atout France, the national tourism development agency.

Many of the European tourists who visited sites such as Notre Dame, the Louvre and Chartres Cathedral came from Germany and Belgium.

Nearly 15 million visitors travelled from those two countries. Just over 13 million came from Britain and 9 million from Switzerland.

Most tourists from outside Europe came from the United States and Canada.

“Tourism is a winning bet,” said Serge Papin, the minister responsible for small and medium-sized businesses, craft trades and tourism.

“It is a sector that is performing well and continues to contribute to national wealth.”

France should be proud of its position as the world’s leading destination, “which many envy us for”, Papin added.

“Tourism is a competitive sector like any other sector of the economy, and one in which we have to fight. And we are going to fight. We are a great tourism nation, and this must benefit everyone, in all regions.”

Louvre staff continue strike over conditions, leaving museum partially open

Push for 2030 target

Papin said industry leaders must not relax as they work towards a government target of 100 billion euros in revenue from foreign tourists by 2030.

“We need to diversify our sectors,” Papin said. “We need to develop tourism based on our expertise in areas such as memorial tourism, wine tourism, and agritourism.”

He said France was “full of tourist gems” and that “every corner of France – even the least known – is Instagram-worthy”.

It was “this local tourism, rooted in the regions, connected to producers, artisans, and our roots”, that France could “develop even further”, he added.

Although France remains the most visited country, Spain records longer stays. Tourists spend seven days on average in Spain, compared with five days in France.

“In Spain, tourists are better received than in France,” Richard Vainopoulos, chairman of the Tourcom tourism agency, said.

“There are a lot more hotels of a good category and also village clubs. In France, there’s a huge shortage. You have everything you need in Paris and on the Côte d’Azur, but as soon as you leave these two regions, you have a hotel problem.”

Since fighting erupted in 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the UAE has faced growing scrutiny over its alleged ties to the RSF.

Sudan’s government and armed forces have accused the UAE of providing support to the RSF in the civil war, while European officials say they have raised concerns with Abu Dhabi over reported backing for the militia – allegations the Emirates deny.

This week, a UN fact-finding mission said atrocities committed by the RSF in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur and one of the last major cities in the region outside RSF control, bore the “hallmarks of genocide”.

Against that backdrop, attention has increasingly turned to the RSF’s sources of funding.

In a statement to RFI, the UAE foreign ministry said recent UN reports “make no reference to the UAE” and found no evidence implicating it in violations of international law in Sudan – dismissing such claims as “baseless”.

It condemned atrocities committed by the RSF as well as by Sudanese authorities in Port Sudan, the army’s de facto seat of government, and said Sudan’s future should be secured through an independent civilian-led transition, free of both warring parties and extremist groups.

Following the money

At the heart of the controversy lies gold – a resource that has become central to both Sudan’s war economy and Dubai’s status as a global trading hub.

For Abu Dhabi, engagement in Africa blends business interests with geopolitical ambition. For Sudan, it has become entangled in a wider regional contest for power, resources and influence.

Marc Lavergne, emeritus research director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, spoke to RFI about the economic and political links binding the Emirates to Sudan and the broader sub region.

RFI: How central is Sudan to the UAE’s broader strategy in Africa?

Marc Lavergne: At the outset, everything comes down to gold – and to Dubai [one of the seven emirates that constitute the UAE]. Dubai is the world’s largest gold market, and Sudan has immense reserves. It has become Africa’s leading gold producer, ahead of South Africa. Gold is found across the vast territory of Sudan – you could almost say that you just have to bend down to pick it up.

There are tens of thousands of artisanal miners, most of them not professionals, who come from all over Africa and the Sahel to scrape the soil. These miners are controlled by the RSF, who collect the gold and bypass the central bank and official channels. The gold is then flown directly to Dubai to be refined.

This ensures the prosperity of the RSF and, at the same time, that of Dubai. That is precisely why the regular Sudanese army sought to regain control of these resources. It ordered the RSF to fall into line – to wear uniforms, adopt ranks and submit to the authority of the generals who have ruled in Khartoum since independence in 1956, almost without interruption.

Those generals, backed by Egypt and other militarised regimes, also need resources – not so much to develop the country, but to serve the interests of the army, the military institutions and its officers.

Seizure of Sudan’s El Fasher a ‘political and moral defeat’ for RSF militia: expert

RFI: In this context, how does the UAE position itself in relation to its partners and other powers in the sub-region?

ML: The United Arab Emirates is a federation, with Abu Dhabi as its political centre. Business is largely concentrated in Dubai, while administration is more firmly anchored in Abu Dhabi. There is also a form of rivalry with Saudi Arabia.

The UAE is a small country, with around 10 million inhabitants, of whom only about 20 percent are Emirati citizens – the rest are migrant workers. Saudi Arabia, by contrast, has a population of around 40 million, most of them Saudis.

These two countries are pursuing competing visions for 2030, embodied by Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia and Mohammed bin Zayed in the Emirates. Both are seeking a form of regional leadership, alongside other Gulf actors that may be rivals or allies depending on the moment – Qatar, Kuwait and the other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

RFI: This competition seems to be playing out in Africa too. The Emirates appear to be expanding their influence across multiple fronts – security and defence, as we’ve discussed, but also ports, logistics and diplomacy. When did this strategy really take shape?

ML: We should remember that the Emirates were once known as the “pirate coast” during the British period. These societies have very old ties with Africa. For centuries, there were networks stretching from East Africa deep into the continent, involving the trade in ivory, slaves and other commodities – long before European colonisation.

Ethiopia has traditionally remained outside this sphere of influence, but neighbouring countries such as Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan have long been connected to the Gulf world. In that sense, the Emirates’ current engagement in Africa is less a novelty than a continuation, albeit in a modernised and far more assertive form.

Race to save Sudan’s plundered heritage as museums fall victim to war

RFI: The accusations against the Emirates are extremely serious – notably claims that they are providing armed support to the RSF, whose atrocities are now reported almost daily. There are also allegations of mercenaries being transported to Sudan, including some from South America. How do you explain the apparent impunity enjoyed by the UAE, particularly with regard to its major partners in Europe and the United States?

ML: The UAE does not submit to diktats from Washington or elsewhere. When it intervenes to support marginalised groups like the RSF in Sudan – or similar players in other parts of Africa – it is operating in failed states that are overflowing with exploitable resources.

International legality is not a decisive factor. No one is really in a position to oppose the Emirates, because they now play what many see as an irreplaceable role on the global stage. The United States is no longer acting as the guarantor of world order – quite the opposite. It is opening the door to a form of global disorder.

In that environment, small but powerful countries like the UAE do not hesitate to act outside international law, whether by supporting rebel movements or, in some cases, groups that others would label as terrorists.

This article is an adaptation of an interview in French by Sidy Yansané. It has been updated since publication to include a response from the United Arab Emirates foreign ministry.

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 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

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.

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

Just after sunrise, Miriam Otieno lifts her two-year-old son on to her back and locks the door of her one-room house in Nairobi’s Eastlands. By 7am she will be at a stall in the market, carefully arranging pyramids of tomatoes.

For years, Miriam’s son would go to work with her, tied to her back while she sold on the stall. Some days, she paid a neighbour to watch him. Some days neither was an option and she would stay at home with him, losing a day’s income.

Across Kenya’s cities, informal markets keep the economy moving – and women make up the majority of traders.

Yet the system around them rarely addresses childcare. Markets are built for business, not children. Workdays are long, profits are small and childcare, when it exists, is often unsafe or too expensive.

Stigma and sisterhood: how one Kenyan woman knitted a healthcare revolution

Dr. Mercy Wanjiku, an early childhood development specialist, explains: “Childcare has been seen as a private family matter. But in urban, low-income areas that assumption falls apart. When care fails, children face risks and mothers bear the economic and emotional burden.”

But in recent years, childcare spaces have begun to appear at Nairobi’s markets, formed through partnerships between traders, caregivers and organisations such as Wow Mom Kenya.

The small rooms with their low tables, plastic chairs and mats on the floor may not look like anything special but for mothers like Miriam, they are life-changing.

She now leaves her son in a childcare room a few minutes from her stall. “I still check on him,” she says. “But my mind is not divided anymore.”

Kenya: The accidental librarian keeping Kibera’s kids in books

Impact on development

“We separate work and care as if they exist in different worlds,” says Professor David Ochieng, an urban planning scholar. “But for informal workers, especially women, those worlds overlap constantly. Planning that ignores this reality creates inequality.”

Kenya’s cities have grown rapidly, outpacing social support structures. Public childcare is limited and private options are beyond the reach of most informal workers. In the resulting gap, care arrangements become dependent on informal networks that can fail unexpectedly.

The consequences of this lack of childcare go beyond the effect on family incomes. Research in early childhood development shows that inconsistent care affects nutrition, safety and cognitive growth during a key stage of development.

“The first five years are crucial,” says Wanjiku. “When children spend long days in unsafe or unstimulating places, the effects can last a lifetime.”

The rocket builder sending Kenyan kids’ imaginations into orbit

‘Care work is undervalued’

At the childcare centre at Gikomba Market, the staff start the day by making porridge. Most are women from the local community, trained but still earning modest wages.

They know how much trust is placed in them. “These children are someone’s everything,” one worker says.

The work is challenging, with space limited and resources scarce, and demand often outstrips capacity.

For Asha Abdalla, a clothes seller and single mother, this childcare space allows her to work without leaving her daughter alone. “People think we are strong because we survive,” she says. “But surviving is not the same as being supported.”

Wow Mom Kenya argues that childcare should be viewed as vital urban infrastructure, as essential as water or transport. Their research and pilot projects are beginning to influence policy discussions, although the pace of change is slow.

“What’s lacking is not evidence – it’s political priority,” Ochieng says. “Care work remains undervalued because it is seen as feminine and invisible.”

As evening comes, Miriam picks up her son and weaves through the crowd towards home. Tomorrow, she’ll be back at her stall and he’ll be back at the childcare space.

While the city around her hasn’t changed, this small oasis of support allows her to get on with her working day.

Secours Catholique-Caritas France and its international partners gathered testimonies from 119 people around the world who have been directly affected by climate disasters and have received support from the charitable network in their wake.

“Beyond alerts and scientific findings we have been receiving for a long time, it seemed important to focus on the words of people, to show that the impacts of climate change are not only real, but are long-term,” said Daphné Chamard-Teirlinck, co-author of the report.

The stories were gathered between March and June 2025, from France – including its overseas territories Mayotte, Réunion Island and French Guiana – and Brazil, Tunisia, and Madagascar.

Scorched vines and shrinking incomes drive French winegrowers to the streets

Farmers on the brink

In southern France, Eric, 44, was forced to close his family farm after 20 years of work after exceptional rainfall destroyed his land and he didn’t have the €300,000 needed to rebuild.

Across the Mediterranean in rural Tunisia, Hnia, a widowed mother of four, struggles to maintain her small herd of dairy cows in the face of recurring drought.

Unable to grow enough fodder for her cows, she now has to buy feed. Extreme heat has also lowered milk production in her herd and increased veterinary care costs, forcing her to sell off some of her cows to pay off debts.

Tunisia women herb harvesters struggle with drought and heat

In northwestern Madagascar – where 75 percent of the population lives in poverty – coffee, vanilla, and cocoa farmer Soalehy laments a lack of solidarity from buyers following the havoc wreaked by torrential rains.

“There have been big changes because of the flooding. Harvests have become irregular and buyers no longer agree to negotiate prices,” he said. “They impose their rates and the farmers, lacking means, are forced to accept.”

Urban impact

In urban areas, Secours Catholique describes a “spiral of vulnerability” which sees those who are already living precarious lives – people in poverty, homeless people and those living in the most polluted parts of cities – unable to recover from climate disasters.

In December 2024, Cyclone Chido tore through the French Indian ocean department of Mayotte and destroyed thousands of corrugated iron shacks, in which a third of the population were living.

Ravaged forest threatens Mayotte’s biodiversity, economy and food security

Marie-France, a resident of Saint-Martin-Vésubie in south-eastern France which was devastated by floods after Storm Alex in 2020, said the elderly and infirm cannot easily get back on track following such disasters.

“Single women, single people and retirees are much more vulnerable than young people, who bounce back faster,” she said. “For some people, it takes a long time. You don’t recover as quickly at 70 as you do at 20.”

The report also warns that climate change is pushing previously stable households into poverty. One family in northern France was left homeless after two floods in late 2023 and early 2024 made their house uninhabitable.

After living in various temporary shelters – including a gymnasium and a hotel room – they returned to a damp, unheated house and became trapped in a cycle of debt trying to rectify this.

Psychological effects

Some of the testimonies collected point to the psychological impact of climate change.

Bernard, a community leader on France’s Réunion Island, describes a chain reaction to extreme heat.

“When it’s hot, you sleep badly. That means the next day you’re tired, and you have to go to work tired. That’s going to be difficult, and you’ll be less productive,” he said, adding that someone who is sleep deprived could become irritable at work and as a result could lose their job, which then causes tensions at home.

“This might also create domestic violence. All because of the climate.”

France’s summer of heatwaves exposes hidden mental health cost

The climate crisis “establishes a vicious cycle that exhausts bodies and minds” said Secours Catholique, which also reports seeing more requests for help from people who previously would not have approached charities like theirs. 

Recommendations

While many countries have adaptation plans to tackle the effects of climate change, they “struggle to meet the scale of the challenges,” Secours Catholique says.

While it says this is due in part to a lack of resources, it also believes there is “a lack of will and political commitment to fully integrate climate and social issues into regional planning and management”.

In its report, the NGO puts forward a dozen recommendations, including a call to cap profit margins for food. This would involve the obligation to sell around 100 targeted products at cost price.

It highlights that agroecology – a sustainable approach to farming that applies ecological principles to agricultural systems – is “an essential practice to guarantee the right to food”.

It also advocates for cross-referencing social needs against a map of areas vulnerable to climate disasters. “When a storm or flood arrives, it’s about knowing which people will not be able to leave their homes alone,” explains Chamard-Teirlinck. “It’s basic, but necessary.”

Similarly, the report recommends providing more localised information to inform residents of their rights following a climate disaster, including on compensation claims, access to emergency aid and the right to repairs.

This article was adapted from the original version in French by Géraud Bosman-Delzons.

Nine were sentenced to one year in prison and fined 5,000 dirhams (around €464), six received six months and a fine of 2,000 dirhams (€185), and three got three months with a fine of 1,000 dirhams (€93).

The group had been held in pre-trial detention since their arrests on 18 January at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah during the showdown between Morocco and Senegal.

The final descended into chaos after referee Jean-Jacques Ngambo disallowed Ismaila Sarr’s goal for Senegal in second-half stoppage time over a foul in the build-up, without referring to the video assistant referees.

He then awarded the home team a controversial penalty after Senegal’s Malick Diouf collided with Morocco striker Brahim Diaz.

Incensed, Senegal fans started smashing seats in the stadium amid clashes with the police, as Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw ordered his players off the field.

Veteran striker Sadio Mané pleaded with teammates to return during a 15-minute pause before the penalty was taken.

Diaz fluffed the chance to give his country only their second Cup of Nations triumph since the inception of the tournament in 1957.

In extra time, Pape Gueye struck the winner to furnish Senegal with their second Cup of Nations trophy.

Senegal football federation boss hits out at Moroccan influence on African game

‘Unsporting behaviour’

Moroccan prosecutors wanted the two-year maximum penalty for some fans, telling the court supporters had deliberately sought to disrupt the proper conduct of the match. “They committed acts of violence broadcast live on television,” they said.

After the final, the Confederation of African Football (Caf), which organises the tournament, fined the Senegalese and Moroccan federations for unsporting behaviour and breaches of fair play.

Thiaw was banned for five games and fined €85,000. Senegal forwards Sarr and Iliman Ndiaye also received two-match bans for “unsporting behaviour towards the referee”.

The Senegalese Football Federation was fined a total of €522,000 for various offences during the final. A fine of €12,000 was imposed for “disciplinary misconduct by the national team”, €255,000 for criticism of the Caf by its president Abdoulaye Fall, and a further €255,000 for “inappropriate behaviour of its supporters”.

Match bans and fines handed down after chaotic scenes at CAN final

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation was fined €170,000 for inappropriate behaviour by the stadium ball boys.

Moroccan forward Ismael Saibari was handed a three-match ban and a fine of €85,000, while the team’s skipper Achraf Hakimi was suspended for two matches.

The bans on Thiaw and the four players relate only to Caf matches and will not affect Senegal and Morocco’s preparations for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Morocco will play in Group C against Brazil, Scotland and Haiti.

Senegal will feature in Group I with France, Norway and a team that emerges from the intercontinental playoff in March.

Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot signed a decree authorising the use of the devices. Often referred to by the brand name Taser, the weapons are intended to provide a non-lethal option in tense situations.

Rollout will begin on a trial basis, with around 10 percent of railway police – roughly 300 to 400 officers – permitted to carry stun guns in the coming weeks.

Speaking on the TF1 television channel on Thursday, Tabarot said the measure could offer “an appropriate response” to acts of violence on public transport, adding that authorities must ensure officers are equipped both to protect themselves and passengers.

France’s two main transport operators maintain sizeable security forces. SNCF’s internal railway police force has around 3,000 officers, while RATP’s Network Protection and Security Group counts approximately 1,000. All are authorised to detain suspects and carry firearms.

Under Thursday’s decree, the use of stun guns will be tested over a three-year period. The government says the aim is to improve control over high-risk situations, reduce reliance on firearms and limit the risk of injury to both officers and the public.

Tabarot noted that similar devices have been used effectively in other countries. In the United Kingdom, transport police used a Taser to detain a man suspected of stabbing passengers on a train near Cambridge in November.

Police arrest suspect after man stabs 3 women in Paris metro

Sexual violence

According to preliminary figures from France’s interior ministry, police recorded 104,700 victims of crime on public transport in 2025, the lowest number in a decade. Non-violent thefts made up the majority of incidents.

Some 5,000 people reported being the victims of thefts involving violence last year, around 3,000 of them in the Île-de-France region that includes Paris.

Nationwide, almost 9,600 reported violent incidents involving strangers, and nearly 3,500 said they were subjected to sexual violence. Those figures increased by around 2 percent from 2024.

An internal RATP study from 2022, later published by the National Observatory on Violence Against Women, found that seven in 10 women in the Paris region have experienced sexist or sexual violence on public transport at some point in their lives. The figure rises to eight in 10 among 15- to 18-year-olds and nine in 10 among women aged 19 to 25.

Sexual harassment in French public transport on the rise: report

Both RATP and SNCF have welcomed the government’s decision. RATP said it would implement the new powers “as soon as possible”.

SNCF said the trial would “improve the operational capabilities” of its officers, highlighting the deterrent effect of a device that can be used from a distance of up to 10 metres.

Before deployment begins, a further decree will set out detailed conditions for use, including mandatory training for officers. Authorities have stressed that the experiment will be closely monitored, with a full evaluation planned at the end of the trial period.

The initiative was originally included in the Transport Safety Act of April 2025 – proposed by Tabarot at the time in his role as a senator – but was struck down by France’s Constitutional Council on procedural grounds.

(with newswires)

Foreign ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said as far as Paris was concerned, the Board of Peace needed to recentre to focus on Gaza in line with a United Nations Security Council resolution and that until that ambiguity was lifted, France would not take part.

“Regarding the European Commission and its participation, in reality we are surprised because it does not have a mandate from the Council to go and participate,” he told reporters, referring to the Council of the European Union‘s members.

Trump presided over the first meeting of his Board of Peace on Thursday.

UN hits out at Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ ahead of inaugural meeting in Washington

EU divisions

Most European governments opted to not send top-level representatives to the gathering, but the European Commission sent its commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Suica.

“Our objective is clear: coordinated action, accountable governance, and tangible results for the Palestinian people,” Suica wrote on social media platform X on Thursday ahead of the meeting.

While Suica attended as an observer, several EU member states have raised concerns about an EU commissioner participating in a meeting of a body many EU governments see as undermining international law.

Some diplomats have also questioned whether the European Commission has a mandate to decide on sending a representative without approval from capitals.

What is Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’?

Mandate concerns

“It is surprising that the commission has decided to be represented at the event, given that numerous countries have expressed concerns about its potential instrumentalisation and have questioned the credibility of an initiative that appears to seek to supplant the United Nations,” a Belgian diplomat said.

Europeans have also been divided on how to approach the US-led gathering, with some sending officials in an observer capacity. The United Kingdom and Germany have sent ambassadors to the event, while France has opted not to be represented.

The commission has defended Suica’s attendance as in line with its commitment to the implementation of a ceasefire and part of the institution’s efforts to support Gaza‘s recovery and reconstruction.

In 2025, there were more than 120,000 vacant restaurant jobs, according to state employment agency France Travail. And since the Covid-19 pandemic, staff turnover has exceeded 50 percent.

It’s a picture recognised by Valentina Costantino, who owns an Italian restaurant in Paris’s 15th arrondissement, in the southwest of the city. She says she struggles to keep new employees.

“They come for a trial day, but in the end they’re too tired. Luckily, I manage to find a few extras who are studying and therefore need to work. But sometimes I’m on my own, I have no choice.”

For one 23-year-old former waitress who prefers to remain anonymous, working conditions explain the high turnover in the sector. She says she finally had enough of the job, after working in several restaurants in her hometown.

“I started working in restaurants at the age of 15, completely illegally, which is very common. I was paid under the table. You work 12 hours but only get paid for eight, you don’t see your friends or family, you go to bed at 3am and the next day you have to get up at 8 or 9am to be at work at 10.”

Workers’ rights in free fall as unions face unprecedented attacks, report warns

‘How do we reward versatility?’

When she sees her former colleagues accepting this, alongside abuse from managers, she still feels angry.   

“My manager told me, you’re a poison for the company, nobody wants you, we’re just waiting for one thing – for you to leave.”

For the CFDT hotel, tourism and catering union, pressure on employees stems from increasingly limited staffing levels since the Covid crisis.

Top French chef wants to legalise clandestine workers to beat staff shortages

The way work is organised in restaurants also requires employees to be versatile.  

“This means that there are no specific, qualified skills involved,” explains Zineb Belambri, CFDT general secretary. “Anyone can do it, so it’s undervalued. People need to be trained, and this training justifies proper remuneration. How do we reward versatility?”

However, he adds, employee training is difficult to implement because staffing levels fluctuate greatly.   

Half of all contracts in restaurants are part-time, representing around 500,000 jobs.

This article has been adapted from the original version in French by Antoine Ellis.

Speaking at the opening of a global AI summit, Macron rejected criticism often voiced in the United States that Europe focuses too much on regulation. He said stability and trust are key to long-term success.

“Contrary to what some poorly informed friends say, Europe is not blindly centred on regulation,” he said. He described Europe as a place where innovation and investment can thrive.

Macron also said Europe wants to help shape the “rules of the game” for AI with partners such as India. He cited shared commitments to science, the rule of law and effective multilateralism.

His comments come as Washington has criticised European Union rules on major tech platforms as overly restrictive and even a form of “extraterritorial censorship”. Posting on X, Macron wrote: “The future of AI will be built by those who know how to combine innovation and responsibility, technology and humanity.”

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

A push for inclusive AI

Other leaders at the summit also called for AI to benefit everyone. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said the technology should not be controlled by a small group.

“AI must belong to everyone,” he said. He warned against leaving its future “to the whims of a few billionaires”.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said AI should be “accessible and inclusive”, as India seeks to play a central role in the sector.

Leaders are expected to sign a declaration by the end of the week to guide the development and use of AI. The aim is to balance innovation with safeguards as the technology spreads across healthcare, agriculture, education and public services.

Macron said AI could speed up progress in energy, mobility and medicine. He also called for systems that use less energy, noting the growing demands of large data centres.

He said child protection would be a priority for France’s presidency of the G7 this year. Children should not be exposed to content online that would be illegal offline, he said. France is moving towards banning social media access for under-15s.

France and India deepen strategic ties on first day of Macron’s official visit

Investment boom

The summit also showed the economic scale of AI and the questions it raises.

India, which has around one billion internet users, is the first developing country to host the gathering. The government hopes to attract 200 billion dollars in tech investment within two years, including major AI infrastructure projects.

OpenAI and Tata Consultancy Services said they plan to build a data centre in India. Nvidia announced a partnership with L&T to develop what it called the country’s largest AI facility. Google is investing in new undersea cables to improve connectivity.

Alphabet chief executive Sundar Pichai said India was on an “extraordinary trajectory” in AI and that global companies want to be part of it.

India now ranks third in the world for AI competitiveness, ahead of South Korea and Japan, Stanford University said.

Even as new deals are signed, concerns remain about AI’s environmental impact, its influence on education and information, and its effect on jobs.

Computer scientist Stuart Russell said systems designed to copy human abilities could replace workers. This is a sensitive issue in India, where millions work in call centres and technical support.

The summit has also faced controversy. Bill Gates pulled out of a planned appearance. His foundation said the decision was taken to keep the focus on the event’s priorities. Gates has said he has nothing to reproach himself for over past associations that have drawn scrutiny.

Despite that, the mood in New Delhi has been cautious optimism. Leaders say AI brings challenges but also opportunities if guided by shared principles and international cooperation.

(with newswires)

Its investigation concluded that the Rapid Support Forces’s seizure of the Darfur city in last October had inflicted “three days of absolute horror”, and called for those responsible to be brought to justice.

“The scale, coordination, and public endorsement of the operation by senior RSF leadership demonstrate that the crimes committed in and around El-Fasher were not random excesses of war,” said the mission’s chairman Mohamad Chande Othman.

“They formed part of a planned and organised operation that bears the defining characteristics of genocide.”

Since April 2023, the conflict between Sudan‘s army and the paramilitary RSF has killed tens of thousands, and forced 11 million people to flee their homes. It has triggered what the UN calls one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

The UN Human Rights Council established the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan in October 2023, to begin gathering evidence of violations.

After the RSF captured El-Fasher – following an 18-month siege – the council tasked the mission with probing alleged atrocities surrounding the takeover.

Its investigation concluded that thousands of people, particularly the Zaghawa, “were killed, raped or disappeared”.

The Zaghawa is the non-Arab ethnic group to which Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno belongs.

African Union summit opens, as continent faces conflict and climate extremes

Widespread rape

The mission interviewed 320 witnesses and victims from El-Fasher and the surrounding areas, including on investigative visits to Chad and South Sudan.

It authenticated, verified and corroborated 25 videos.

Survivors spoke of widespread killings, including indiscriminate shootings, and mass executions at exit points. They described seeing roads filled with the bodies of men, women and children, the mission said.

The report also detailed detention, torture, humiliation, extortion, ransom and disappearances. Widespread sexual violence targeted women and girls from non-Arab communities, particularly the Zaghawa, it added.

“Women and girls ranging from seven to 70 years old, including pregnant women, were subjected to rape.”

The investigators said widespread rape, mass and gang rape “began immediately following the takeover of El-Fasher”.

Many survivors reported being raped in front of their relatives, the report said, with sexual violence frequently accompanied by extreme physical brutality.

“In one case, a 12-year-old girl was raped by three RSF fighters in front of her mother, shortly after her father had been killed while trying to protect her. The girl later died from her injuries,” it said.

Rape was often committed in locations where mass killings had taken place, including at El-Saudi Hospital and at El-Fasher University.

“Witnesses recounted the RSF violently and publicly gang-raping at least 19 women in rooms filled with corpses, including the remains of their own husbands,” the report said.

Famine spreading in Sudan’s Darfur, UN-backed experts warn

‘Senseless violence’

Concluding that the RSF had acted “with genocidal intent, the mission found “at least three underlying acts of genocide were committed”.

These included killing members of a protected ethnic group and causing serious bodily or mental harm.

The documented evidence “leaves only one reasonable inference”, said investigator Mona Rishmawi.

“The RSF acted with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Zaghawa and Fur communities in El-Fasher. These are the hallmarks of genocide.”

The mission said such levels of atrocity had been reached because the perpetrators acted with impunity.

It said that as the conflict’s focus shifts from Darfur to Kordofan, countries “must act decisively to prevent further atrocities”, hold perpetrators to account, “and bring an end to this senseless violence”.

The report came after Britain, Canada and the European Union on Wednesday denounced possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan during the nearly three-year war.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called the El-Fasher report’s documented atrocities “truly horrific”.

She said she would raise the findings at the UN Security Council in New York later Thursday, demanding urgent international action and criminal investigations.

“Most important of all, we need global action and pressure in pursuit of a ceasefire, and essential humanitarian access with support for survivors,” she added.

Shahid, who had reportedly been ill for several years, was found dead on Wednesday in the southern village of La Lèque, where she moved after her retirement. According to initial findings from an investigation into the cause of death, French news agency AFP reported, she died by suicide.

The first woman to represent the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) overseas, Shahid held several prominent posts in Europe during some of the most turbulent years of the Middle East conflict.

Born in Lebanon in 1949, Shahid spent her diplomatic career in Europe. She served as the PLO’s general delegate in France from 1993 to 2005, before taking up the same role to the European Union in Brussels.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described Shahid as “a model of diplomacy committed to the values of freedom, justice and peace”, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa.

He said she “devoted her life to defending the Palestinian cause and was a genuine voice for Palestinian diplomacy”.

Life of Palestinian advocacy

Shahid joined Palestinian liberation movement Fatah at the age of 18, during the Six-Day War between Israel and neighbouring Arab states. She soon began working alongside PLO leader Yasser Arafat, who encouraged her into international diplomacy.

Arafat believed Palestinian women played a key role in the struggle against occupation, and he wanted them to become leading figures within the PLO.

Although she initially resisted, Shahid eventually agreed, becoming the first female Palestinian representative abroad in 1989, shortly after the first Intifada of 1987.

She served as Palestine’s ambassador to Ireland, then the Netherlands and Denmark, before moving to France where she represented Palestine at Unesco and later served as envoy to France.

Shahid rejected a posting to the United States, arguing that the relationship between the Arab world and Europe was key. She instead became the Palestinian representative to the European Union in Brussels from 2006 to 2014.

Hassan Balawi, the current Palestinian ambassador to Mali, who worked with Shahid in Belgium, said she had succeeded in raising European awareness of the Palestinian question.

“Leila Shahid belongs to a generation of Palestinian diplomats who managed, not only in political terms but also in human terms, to adapt the explanation of the Palestinian question to a European mindset and culture,” he told RFI.

“Sometimes, when representing Palestine, we think in Arab terms, with a Palestinian mindset, and we sometimes forget that we are addressing a European audience that does not share the same cultural and logical reference points. Leila Shahid understood – or always tried to understand – the culture of the other.”

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

‘Profoundly Palestinian’

Shahid left the diplomatic world in 2015, disappointed in Europe’s stance towards Israel.

She became president of the Friends of the Arab World Institute in Paris and continued to advocate for Palestinians, traveling between France and Lebanon.

She returned to the public eye after Hamas’ attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, giving media interviews as Israel launched its bombing campaign in Gaza.

Speaking to RFI after France recognised the Palestinian state in 2025, Shahid called it “more than symbolic” – but acknowledged that it would take time to become a reality, “especially given the number of settlements the Israelis have created in the West Bank and the fact that they have practically destroyed the Gaza Strip in its entirety”.

The recognition “gives a sense of dignity, that we are equal to other peoples”, she said.

Why is France recognising Palestinian statehood and will it change anything?

Tributes for Shahid have poured out of the Palestinian territories, where she was seen as embodying Palestinian voices abroad.

“She was universal, while remaining profoundly Palestinian,” said Majed Bamya, Palestine’s representative to the United Nations, noting that she “managed to remain an activist while being a diplomat, deliberately breaking the codes of diplomacy”.

Mustafa Barghouti, leader of the Palestinian National Initiative party, said that Shahid would be “remembered as the finest Palestinian diplomat”, recalling that she remained “always true to her principles”.

The case, brought by a coalition of NGOs alongside the City of Paris, centres on France’s 2017 “duty of vigilance” law.

This legislation requires large companies to identify and prevent risks to human rights, health, safety and the environment across their operations, including those of subsidiaries and suppliers abroad.

The proceedings – the first of their kind in France against a major fossil fuel company – could mark a turning point in corporations being held accountable for their role in global warming.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, fossil fuels are responsible for nearly 80 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions driving the climate crisis.

NGOs seek climate trial of French oil giant TotalEnergies

‘A historic responsibility’

At the heart of the dispute is the legal question over whether this duty of vigilance extends to global phenomena such as climate change, or is limited to more localised environmental risks.

The NGOs argue that TotalEnergies has not done enough to align its business model with efforts to limit global warming to 1.5C.

They point in particular to continued investment in new fossil fuel projects, including in countries such as Uganda and Mozambique, and to what they describe as insufficient development of renewable energy.

“TotalEnergies has a historic responsibility when it comes to climate change: it is one of the companies investing the most in the exploration and development of new fossil fuel projects that generate high greenhouse gas emissions and have a strong impact on biodiversity and local communities,” Théa Bounfour of the NGO Sherpa told RFI.

The plaintiffs are asking the court to order a halt to new oil and gas projects and sharp cuts in production, with reductions of 37 percent for oil and 25 percent for gas by 2030. These targets, they say, reflect the trajectory needed to meet international climate goals.

TotalEnergies rejects the claims. The company argues that it cannot be held solely responsible for a global crisis shaped by complex energy systems and consumer demand.

While acknowledging that it produces hydrocarbons, it maintains that responsibility for emissions linked to their use lies largely with end users.

The Paris public prosecutor’s office has weighed in on the case – an unusual move in a civil proceeding. It supports a narrower interpretation of the law, suggesting that imposing overly broad environmental obligations on companies would be impractical and that climate change may fall outside the law’s scope.

That stance has drawn criticism from NGOs. “This is perhaps about protecting certain interests – it is a position that could be political. We know this is an extremely important case,” François de Cambiaire, a lawyer representing the coalition, told RFI.

TotalEnergies oil project ‘devastating’ for Ugandan national park, NGO says

‘David versus Goliath’

The two days of hearings this Thursday and Friday could have far-reaching implications. A ruling in favour of the plaintiffs might force TotalEnergies to adjust its strategy and set a precedent for companies across sectors, from transport to manufacturing.

Environmental groups see the case as part of a broader shift towards corporate accountability. They note that many firms have begun integrating climate risks into their vigilance plans, something they argue TotalEnergies has yet to fully embrace, particularly regarding so-called “scope 3” emissions generated by consumers.

Years in the making, the case has already seen several procedural wins for the plaintiffs, including a 2024 appeals court decision declaring it admissible.

While some international claimants were dismissed, the City of Paris remains a key party. One Paris official likened the case to a “David versus Goliath” battle.

The trial comes against a shifting political backdrop, with the European Union recently delaying its corporate due diligence legislation until 2029.

Campaigners are nevertheless hoping for a strong ruling. “We expect a decision from the court that matches TotalEnergies’ major responsibility,” said de Cambiaire, arguing the company has yet to take the steps needed to help limit global warming to 1.5C.

A decision is expected in the coming months – one that could shape the future of climate litigation in France and beyond.

(with newswires)

Teammates Camille Bened, Lou Jeanmonnot and Océane Michelon ran up to embrace her for anchoring home the squad and furnishing France with its first triumph in the event since the 1992 Games in Albertville in south-eastern France.

The fantastic four celebrated in a huddle for the best part of a minute before respectfully reconfiguring to welcome home Sweden’s Hanna Oeberg. 

“It’s always been a dream to finish a race waving the flag,” a radiant Simon told French broadcaster France 2 minutes after she had won her third gold medal.

“And I was able to do it. The others gave me the chance to finish in such wonderful style.”

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

Credit card scandal

No little acrimony bedevilled France’s women’s squad in the prelude to the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina.

Last October, a court in Simon’s hometown of Albertville found her guilty of racking up more than €2,000 on the credit card of teammate Justine Braisaz-Bouchet. She admitted she had also been abusing the card of the team physiotherapist between 2021 and 2022.

Simon, who was given a three-month suspended sentence, told prosecutors she had no recollection of her actions. The French Ski Federation banned her for six months – five of which were suspended.

The punishment, coupled with a €15,000 fine, allowed her to participate in her second Winter Olympics.

Four years after winning one silver from her six races in Beijing, Simon has skied and shot her way to redemption around the biathlon courses in Antholz-Anterselva.

The path from penitence started on 8 February with gold in the 4 x 6km mixed relay with Jeanmonnot, Eric Perrot and Quentin Fillon Maillet.

Three days later, after winning the individual event just ahead of Jeanmonnot, she held a finger to her lips, but refused to explain the gesture.

“It was for one person and he knows it because we had a talk,” she said. “But I won’t say any more about it. It’s over.”

2030 Winter Olympics boss Grospiron revels in hosting challenge for French Alps

Childhood dream

Fire has burned within Simon since she was enrolled as a child at the winter sports club in the French Alps where her father worked.

Excelling in both cross-country and downhill skiing on the slopes in south-eastern France, the added attraction of shooting lured her to the biathlon side.

“From the age of three, I wanted to be a champion,” Simon said in an interview with the French Olympic Committee’s website.

“There were quite a few of us in the Savoie region but in the end, only two of my generation managed to reach the top level. As time goes by, a natural selection process takes place. Some people want to do other things.”

Simon worked her way through the junior ranks and the second-tier IBU Cup circuit before getting a taste of the most prestigious biathlon competitions on the World Cup tour in 2017.

She has been a stalwart in the races at the top level since while making alterations under the aegis of shooting coach Jean-Paul Giachino, who helped her deconstruct and rebuild her prone shooting technique.

‘Mix of generations’

Team head coach Cyril Burdet has overseen Simon’s reintegration into the squad in the wake of her suspended sentence.

“Cyril has found the right balance to manage situations and maintain a fairly good working atmosphere, so that the women continue to give their best,” said Simon Fourcade, his counterpart in the men’s team.

Together, he and Burdet have masterminded five golds in the men’s and women’s individual events as well as in the team relays.

“Cyril has brought young talent to the fore,” said Simon. “There’s a mix of generations between the senior athletes, who have also matured, and the young athletes who are arriving without any inhibitions and want to push us out.”

With her three golds, Simon, though, will take some moving. 

The 48-year-old former Senegal international was appointed on Wednesday night, in a deal lasting until May 2027.

Beye, who played 174 times for the club, was sacked by Rennes after a run of four defeats. He arrives at Marseille one week after the departure of former head coach Roberto De Zerbi.

“I’m very happy to be here and very, very proud,” he said. “Everyone knows what this club means to me. But that’s one thing. I’m here to do an important job, which means I have put some of the emotions aside.”

Storm warnings force postponement of Ligue 1 clash between Marseille and PSG

Beye lands at the Vélodrome with the side sitting in fourth place in Ligue 1 following three successive losses – including a 5-0 hammering from champions Paris Saint-Germain on 8 February.

Marseille lie 12 points behind pace-setters Lens and five behind Lyon, who occupy the final berth for an automatic place in the group stages of the 2026-2027 Champions League.

On Friday night, Marseille will travel to Brest to kick off the 23rd round of games in the French top flight.

“It will be impossible to change things too much for the Brest game,” Beye added. “Neither is it a very good idea to do something like that. We’ve got to rely on the things that have worked well to give us some stability.”

Marseille supremo Longoria banned for 15 games over ‘corruption’ slur

Before leaving, De Zerbi steered the side into the last eight of the Coupe de France.

With holders PSG eliminated, Marseille are among the favourites for a trophy that they have not lifted since 1989.

“The fact that I played for Marseille won’t give me any more credibility or leeway,” Beye said. “The club still has a huge aura and impact in Europe. That hasn’t changed. You have to breathe this city, be part of it and embody it through Olympique Marseille.”

He added: “Knowing this context is the only advantage of having played here. I will be expected to deliver results like everyone else.”

In an interview broadcast on Wednesday, Merz said that Germany’s military needs diverge from those of France, raising questions about whether the two countries can continue to jointly develop a fighter jet.

“The French need a next-generation fighter jet that is capable of carrying nuclear weapons and operating from an aircraft carrier. That is not what we currently need in the German army,” he said on the Machtwechsel podcast.

His remarks highlight a widening rift between Paris and Berlin, not only on defence industrial policy but on broader strategic priorities, from military spending to trade.

At the heart of the defence disagreement lies the question of whether a single aircraft can satisfy two different operational doctrines. Merz is sceptical, as France and Germany, he noted, are “at odds over the specifications and profiles” of the future jet.

Paris is pushing for a single platform tailored to its requirements, while Berlin is weighing whether it makes sense to pursue a different design altogether.

“The question now is, do we have the strength and the will to build two aircraft for these two different requirements profiles, or just one?” he said, hinting that failure to reconcile these differences could spell the end of Germany’s participation.

If no compromise is found, Merz added, “we will not be able to continue with the project” – noting that other European partners could step in to collaborate with Berlin.

Germany criticises France’s defence spending shortfall, urges Europe to step up

Disputes and delays

Launched in 2017 by President Emmanuel Macron and then-Chancellor Angela Merkel, and later joined by Spain, the FCAS – also known by its French acronym SCAF – was conceived as a cornerstone of European defence cooperation.

More than just a fighter jet, the programme envisions an interconnected system combining crewed aircraft, drones and a sophisticated “combat cloud” enabling real-time data sharing across the battlefield.

The goal is to replace France’s Rafale and Germany and Spain’s Eurofighter fleets by 2040, strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy at a time of heightened geopolitical tension, particularly following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Yet nearly a decade on, the project has been beset by delays, industrial disputes and political friction.

Germany had initially pledged to decide on its continued participation by the end of 2025. Paris has remained publicly committed to the programme, insisting on its long-term viability.

Industrial tensions have also complicated progress. France’s Dassault Aviation, the project’s prime contractor, has pushed for greater control over design and manufacturing. That stance has irritated Germany and Spain, whose interests are represented by Airbus, and who are keen to ensure a more balanced distribution of work.

Despite these hurdles, supporters of FCAS argue that the programme still represents a rare opportunity for Europe to pool resources, share expertise and construct cutting-edge capabilities that no single country could easily develop alone.

Europe confronts ‘new nuclear reality’ as Macron signals broader deterrence role

Turning point

In recent weeks, influential voices within Germany’s industrial and labour landscape have openly advocated for a different approach.

Jürgen Kerner, vice-president of the powerful IG Metall union, and Marie-Christine von Hahn, head of the German Aerospace Industries Association, have both argued that Germany should consider developing its own fighter jet in partnership with other countries.

Such a shift would mark a significant turning point, potentially reshaping Europe’s defence industrial landscape and opening the door to new alliances.

It would also reflect Germany’s broader strategic repositioning. Berlin has embarked on an ambitious plan to build what it hopes will become Europe’s leading conventional military force, backed by substantial increases in defence spending.

This push has not been without friction. German officials have criticised France for what they see as insufficient efforts to boost military budgets, arguing that Paris should go further, even if that means reducing social spending.

At the same time, disagreements have surfaced on economic policy, including France’s opposition to the proposed Mercosur trade agreement with South American countries, adding another layer of tension to negotiations.

(with newswires)

Now in its 76th year, the Berlin Film Festival has never been a stranger to political statements.

But this year the Berlinale – partly funded by the German government and with a reputation as one of Europe’s most progressive big festivals – has come under fire from members of the film industry themselves.

In an open letter published by the Film Workers for Palestine collective on Tuesday, prominent figures condemned what they called “institutional silence on the genocide of Palestinians”.

“We write as film workers, all of us past and current Berlinale participants, who expect the institutions in our industry to refuse complicity in the terrible violence that continues to be waged against Palestinians,” it stated. 

Among the 92 people who had signed the letter by Wednesday are previous Berlin Film Festival participants such as Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton, who was last year awarded its prestigious Honorary Golden Bear award.

They were joined by the likes of British filmmakers Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, the American Adam McKay and Brazil’s Fernando Meirelles. French actresses Blanche Gardin and Adèle Haenel are also among the signatories.

French journalists’ collective appeals for solidarity with colleagues in Gaza

‘Moral duty’

The letter criticises the festival for remaining “silent” about the situation in Gaza, in stark contrast to other conflicts.

“Just as the festival has made clear statements in the past about atrocities carried out against people in Iran and Ukraine, we call on the Berlinale to fulfil its moral duty and clearly state its opposition to Israel’s genocide.”

The signatories also condemn what they call the Berlinale’s involvement “in censoring artists who oppose Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the German state’s key role in enabling it”.

Because of its historical responsibility in the Holocaust, Germany is one of Israel’s main supporters and continues to supply arms. This position has drawn considerable criticism, particularly since Israel launched its war in the Gaza Strip following Hamas attacks in October 2023.

This is the third year in a row that the conflict has invited itself into the discussion on and off screens in Berlin.

In 2025, according to Film Workers for Palestine, filmmakers who spoke out on behalf of Palestinians received “aggressive reprimands from senior programmers of the festival – people who wield great power in our industry”. One filmmaker told the collective that a police officer was seen questioning audience members about a statement they made following a screening, while police investigated another director over the use of the phrase “From the river to the sea” in a speech.

FWP said the Berlinale leadership’s public comments on that case “falsely implied the speech… was discriminatory and harmful”.

The collective quoted another unnamed filmmaker as saying: “There was a feeling of paranoia in the air, of not being protected and of being persecuted, which I had never felt before at a film festival.”

‘I want a loud death’: Cannes Film Festival to honour slain Gaza journalist

During the 2024 Berlinale, American director Ben Russell, wearing a keffiyeh scarf, accused the Israelis of committing “genocide”. Russell was also one of the signatories of the 2026 open letter.

The festival’s documentary award that year went to No Other Land, which follows the dispossession of Palestinian communities in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. 

Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra and Israeli co-director Yuval Abraham were roundly applauded when they took the stage to receive the prize. In their acceptance speeches, Adra referred to Gazans being “slaughtered and massacred” while Abraham denounced a “situation of apartheid”.

German politicians criticised “one-sided” remarks about Gaza by the pair and others at that year’s awards ceremony, with then culture minister Claudia Roth saying the statements were “characterised by deep hatred of Israel”.

Abraham later reported receiving death threats.

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

Industry shift

This year, jury president Wim Wenders stirred up a hornet’s nest at the opening press conference last week when he stated that cinema should “stay outside of politics”.

Wenders said filmmakers were “the counterweight of politics” and should “do the work of people, not the work of politicians”.

The signatories of FWP’s letter said they “fervently disagree” with Wenders’s comments, arguing that filmmaking and politics “cannot be separated”. 

Award-winning Indian novelist Arundhati Roy cancelled her planned appearance at the festival, saying she was “shocked and disgusted” that other artists would refuse to speak out about Gaza.

Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle released a statement at the weekend defending Wenders, saying his remarks had been taken out of context.

Artists are “free to exercise their right of free speech in whatever way they choose” and should not “be expected to speak on every political issue raised to them unless they want to”, she wrote, nor were they responsible for a festival’s previous or current practices “over which they have no control”.

In an interview with Screen Daily published on Wednesday, Tuttle said she recognised that the open letter came from “the depth of anger and frustration about the suffering of people in Gaza”.

But she rejected accusations of censorship, saying that the letter contained “misinformation” and “inaccurate claims” made without evidence or anonymously.

Reflecting broader conversations in the film industry, the letter refers to the more than 5,000 film professionals, including several Hollywood names, who have signed FWP’s pledge not to work with Israeli film insitutions “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people”.

Other prominent members of the entertainment industry have criticised the pledge, calling it discriminatory and counterproductive.

“The tide is changing across the international film world,” the FWP letter said, noting that international festivals including the Netherlands’ International Documentary Festival Amsterdam and Film Fest Gent in Belgium had endorsed a “cultural boycott” of Israel.

This year’s Berlinale has a selection of films from over 80 countries, with nine of the 22 films in competition directed by women. The Golden Bear, the festival’s highest prize, will be awarded at the closing ceremony on Saturday.

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)

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

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

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

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

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

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

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

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

Madhya Pradesh is often referred to as the Heart of India. Located right in the middle of the country, the Indian region shows everything India has to offer through its abundant diversity. The IFTM trade show, which took place in Paris at the end of September, presented the perfect opportunity for travel enthusiasts to discover the region.

Sheo Shekhar Shukla, Managing Director of Madhya Pradesh’s tourism board, sat down to explain his approach to sustainable tourism.

“Post-covid the whole world has known a shift in their approach when it comes to tourism. And all those discerning travelers want to have different kinds of experiences: something offbeat, something new, something which has not been explored before.”

Through its UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Shukla wants to showcase the deep history Madhya Pradesh has to offer.

“UNESCO is very actively supporting us and three of our sites are already World Heritage Sites. Sanchi is a very famous buddhist spiritual destination, Bhimbetka is a place where prehistoric rock shelters are still preserved, and Khajuraho is home to thousand year old temples with magnificent architecture.”

All in all, Shukla believes that there’s only one way forward for the industry: “Travelers must take sustainable tourism as a paradigm in order to take tourism to the next level.”

In partnership with Madhya Pradesh’s tourism board.

Also known as the Land of the Beautiful Islands, Malaysia’s landscape and cultural diversity is almost unmatched on the planet. Those qualities were all put on display at the Malaysian stand during the IFTM trade show.

Libra Hanif, director of Tourism Malaysia, explained the appeal of the country as well as the importance of promoting sustainable tourism today: “Sustainable travel is a major trend now, with the changes that are happening post-covid. People want to get close to nature, to get close to people. So Malaysia being a multicultural and diverse [country] with a lot of natural environments, we felt that it’s a good thing for us to promote Malaysia.”

Malaysia has also gained fame in recent years, through its numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which include Kinabalu Park and the Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Valley.

Green mobility has also become an integral part of tourism in Malaysia, with an increasing number of people using bikes to discover the country: “If you are a little more adventurous, we have the mountain back trails where you can cut across gazetted trails to see the natural attractions and the wildlife that we have in Malaysia,” says Hanif. “If you are not that adventurous, you’ll be looking for relaxing cycling. We also have countryside spots, where you can see all the scenery in a relaxing session.”

With more than 25,000 visitors at this IFTM trade show this year, Malaysia’s tourism board got to showcase the best the country and its people have to offer.

In partnership with Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board. For more information about Malaysia, click here.