The German president’s visit will feature all the regal splendour expected of such an occasion – a state banquet at Windsor Castle and a rare address to both houses of parliament are on the agenda, signalling the importance London and Berlin now place on their rekindled partnership.

However, behind the pomp and ceremony lies a practical purpose, as Steinmeier will meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer for talks centred on their countries’ joint support for Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russia.

The war has become the key driver of British–German co-operation, bringing the two European powers closer than at any point in years.

Steinmeier’s trip reciprocates King Charles III’s own 2023 state visit to Germany – his first as monarch – and has been seen in Berlin as a symbolic marker of renewed goodwill. The president’s office described the moment as “a new era in relations between our two countries”.

After a stretch in which “Great Britain distanced itself from Europe”, there is now a clear sense that the UK is “moving back”. Steinmeier himself was sharply critical during the Brexit referendum campaign, accusing “irresponsible politicians” of having “lured” the country into departing the EU – behaviour he once branded “outrageous”.

Nevertheless, relations began to thaw under former Conservative prime minister Rishi Sunak and have continued to strengthen under Starmer’s centre-left government.

Both the UK and German governments have worked to steady ties in the face of rising pressure at home from hard-right, anti-immigration parties – Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Eurosceptic Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage.

German president visits Spanish town of Guernica, hit by Nazi bombs in 1937

Security first 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the turbulence of the Trump administration have prompted Europe’s major powers to deepen their own lines of communication – including former World War adversaries Britain and Germany.

The two countries have markedly stepped up their collaboration. In October 2024, they signed a defence pact, followed in July by their first-ever “friendship treaty”. Both moves reflected the growing security reliance between western Europe’s two biggest military spenders.

“The core of the relationship is in the security and foreign policy field,” said Nicolai von Ondarza of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. Yet, he told reporters, the UK remains “much less present in German political debate than it has been in the past”.

He believes there is scope for Britain to move further towards its European partners, but that Berlin harbours “apprehension that the current Labour government won’t be courageous enough to move further on cooperation with the EU”, especially with Farage’s polling numbers on the rise.

The 2024 friendship treaty also included commitments on tackling irregular migration and boosting cultural and educational exchange – areas expected to feature in the leaders’ talks.

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Remembering the past, focus on the future

Historical reflection is an important part of Steinmeier’s trip. On Friday he will visit Coventry, a city devastated by German bombing in World War II, where he will lay a wreath at the city’s cathedral.

In a display of reconciliation, he will be joined by members of the Luftwaffe alongside British servicemen, underscoring how far the two nations’ military ties have evolved.

He will also meet school groups from Coventry and Dresden – itself one of the German cities most heavily bombed by the Allies – for a discussion on shared history and future co-operation.

The president will then travel to Oxford to receive an honorary doctorate and visit the facilities of a Siemens subsidiary.

Business links will be a strong theme throughout the trip, as representatives from Siemens, BMW, Deutsche Bank, RWE and other major German firms will accompany Steinmeier.

Mercedes, meanwhile, is set to unveil a €22 million electric-vehicle technology project expected to generate around 150 jobs in the UK – a significant boost to Britain’s growing EV sector.

Steinmeier will also stop by a school in east London on Thursday, joined by former German international football star Per Mertesacker and Arsenal forward Kai Havertz.

(with newswires)

Macron has tried to present a strong European position on China while avoiding moves that could anger Beijing. Analysts say China’s growing assertiveness is putting pressure on trade, security and diplomatic ties.

“He must make clear to China’s leadership that Europe will respond to growing economic and security threats from Beijing, while preventing an escalation of tensions that leads to a full-blown trade war and diplomatic breakdown,” Noah Barkin, an analyst with Rhodium Group, said.

“This is not an easy message to deliver.”

Macron will start his trip with a visit to Beijing’s Forbidden City before meeting with President Xi Jinping on Thursday in the capital and again on Friday during a trip to Chengdu, in south-west Sichuan province.

His visit follows a tense trip by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in July when she said ties between the EU and China were at an “inflection point”. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will visit early next year.

French and European leaders visit China, the ‘systemic rival’

Electric vehicles

Trade tensions between China and Europe have risen as cheap Chinese exports in the steel sector in particular, after being shut out of the US market, are hitting European industry.

There is also concern in Europe over China’s growing technological superiority strength in electric vehicles and its dominance in rare earths processing, which could threaten supplies for key European industries.

With Washington’s tariffs squeezing global trade, Beijing is trying to present itself as a business partner and ease European concerns over its backing for Russia and its state-subsidised industrial model.

France, whose carmakers have negligible sales in China but face pressure to succeed with EVs at home, backed a European Commission plan to raise tariffs on Chinese electric car imports.

France was also caught in a dispute with Beijing for more than a year over a Chinese investigation into brandy imports, which was widely seen as retaliation for French support of the EV tariffs, before being offered a respite.

China ends sanctions on EU lawmakers as pressure grows over US trade war

Pacific rivalries

The visit will likely address Taiwan and the South China Sea. China’s top diplomat Wang Yi recently urged France to promote a “positive and rational” EU policy towards China ahead of the trip.

He stressed the “One China principle” under which countries wanting diplomatic ties with Beijing must recognise Taiwan as an inseparable part of mainland China. He also criticised what he called provocative remarks by other countries concerning Taipei.

State-run newspaper the China Daily said the EU “has exaggerated its competition with China in the field of economy and trade and highlighted its differences with China in the geopolitical field”.

The paper quoted Cui Hongjian, a Chinese Europe specialist with Beijing Foreign Studies University, as saying that France and China “will come up with common understanding” that “will not only help stabilise China-France ties and China-EU ties, but also help the parties focus on cooperation to tackle common challenges, instead of viewing each other as challenges”.

France has significant territorial and geopolitical stakes in the Pacific through its overseas territories.

With Beijing building ties with several Pacific island states at the expense of Taiwan and signing a security agreement with the Solomon Islands in 2022, the region is becoming a strategic theatre for competition between China and Western powers.

Human Rights Watch, based in New York, says widespread repression in China remains in place, including mass detention, forced labour and cultural persecution of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang, as well as restrictions in Tibet, Hong Kong and against government critics across the country.

(with newswires)

Investigators said the man was arrested one week earlier and is thought to have been part of the group that carried out the raid on the world’s most visited museum. The jewellery taken during the October break-in has not been recovered.

The suspect was born in Seine-Saint-Denis, a working-class department of Paris, and has six previous convictions. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said last week that those convictions included pimping and receiving stolen goods.

His lawyers, Menya Arab-Tigrine and Farida Cagniard, told the French news agency AFP they opposed the decision to remand him in custody, adding the solitary confinement ordered for him at Fresnes jail threatened his “human dignity”.

“At the moment, there is no evidence allowing one to say that he was at the scene [of the heist],” they said.

Louvre museum in Paris shuts gallery over structural safety fears

Daring raid

The robbery on 19 October saw the thieves park a truck with an extendable ladder below the Louvre’s Apollo Gallery, which houses the French crown jewels.

The gang then climbed the ladder, broke a window and used angle grinders to cut into the glass display booths containing the treasures.

Investigators said the team included four men. Two entered the gallery while the other two waited below. The group then escaped on high-powered motor scooters.

French prosecutors said the latest arrest brought the number of suspects in custody to four. Each is charged with organised theft and criminal conspiracy.

A fifth suspect, a 38-year-old woman who is the partner of one of the men, has been charged with being an accomplice. She was released under judicial supervision pending trial.

Investigators said the stolen items are valued at about €88 million. Authorities have not provided details on the next procedural steps and have not reported any progress in the search for the stolen jewels.

(with AFP)

The plan, to be presented by the European Commission, centres on creating a European hub for critical materials that would pool company orders and build joint stockpiles, an effort driven by Industry Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné.

The commission wants to curb how much European firms rely on China, which dominates global rare earth processing and requires foreign buyers to disclose how the materials will be used.

“Europe wants to send a signal to manufacturers which is ‘watch out for your resilience’,” said Bruno Jacquemin, of French industry group the Alliance for Minerals, Metals and Materials.

“If you prefer to buy your steel in China, your rare earths in China because they are cheaper, you will be in the hands of actors who can put you in a state of absolute vassalisation.”

Concerns also focus on how Brussels would manage sensitive sectors such as defence, an issue sharpened by China’s dominance in refining more than 90 percent of the world’s rare earths and by the fact that many European buyers operate in areas linked to national security.

“I am doubtful about the practical effectiveness of a system run from Brussels,” Jacquemim told RFI. “Should Europe spell out everything it does for these national defence issues? I am not sure it is a good idea to proclaim that loudly.”

Macron begins China visit as Europe faces trade and security tensions

A commercial stand-off

The broader question of leverage between Europe and China sits behind the debate.

“Europe needs rare earths from China, but China needs the 450 million consumers that Europe represents,” Jacquemin said, adding tht commercial pressure rather than bureaucracy will be needed if Europe hopes to reduce its dependence on China.

The discussion comes as Emmanuel Macron travels to China, where rebalancing trade ties is among the goals.

EU officials are pushing the initiative amid what they describe as over-reliance on China and rising global competition.

European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde said last week: “Europe has become more vulnerable, also due to our dependency on third countries for our security and the supply of critical raw materials.”

Fresh anxiety hit European industries after China threatened new rare earth export limits in October, following earlier restrictions in April. Europe is now “directly targeted” by trade tensions between the United States and China, Industry Commissioner Séjourné said this week.

RESourceEU is part of a wider package being unveiled on Wednesday that the commission calls its Economic Security Doctrine, which is intended to make European firms more self-sufficient, Reuters reported.

The framework mirrors the RePowerEU scheme that helped the bloc move away from Russian oil and gas.

French and European leaders visit China, the ‘systemic rival’

Expensive and slow

Building Europe’s rare earth and critical minerals capacity is expected to be costly and slow. An EU official said an early step would be to allocate €3 billion to the most urgent 25 of 60 strategic projects in the sector.

These projects cover rare earths as well as gallium, germanium and lithium.

Concerns that Europe could fall behind the United States, Japan, Canada and Australia are widespread in the industry. One executive told Reuters: “Time is against the EU. They have been too slow.”

Experts say breaking free from Chinese rare earths will be harder than ending reliance on Russian natural gas because the materials cannot be easily replaced and China dominates extraction and processing know-how.

Recycling will play a major role, although Europe will still need enough raw material to feed that system.

A pilot stockpile scheme is already under way with some EU member states to buy and store critical minerals together. Decisions on which materials to store will wait until a new critical minerals centre opens next year.

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Macron has in the last weeks intensified warnings on the risks of disinformation, on Friday calling for changes to French legislation that would allow “false information” online to be urgently blocked.

‘Ministry of truth’

He has also called for “professional certification” of outlets to distinguish sites and networks that provide reliable information according to ethical rules from others that do not.

But at the weekend, the Journal du Dimanche Sunday newspaper, part of the influential media stable of right-wing tycoon Vincent Bollore, accused Macron in a front-page story of a “totalitarian drift” on the issue.

It also denounced “the temptation of a ministry of truth”, referring to the propaganda branch of the totalitarian system in British novelist George Orwell’s dystopian fiction “1984”.

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

This accusation was then repeated on other Bollore-owned media outlets including the CNews television channel and radio station Europe 1, whose star presenter Pascal Praud lambasted a “president unhappy with his treatment by the media and who wants to impose a single narrative”.

The leader of the far-right National Rally (RN) party Jordan Bardella chipped in, telling CNews: “Tampering with freedom of expression is an authoritarian temptation, which corresponds to the solitude of a man… who has lost power and seeks to maintain it by controlling information.”

The leader of the right-wing Republicans and former interior minister Bruno Retailleau said on X that “no government has the right to filter the media or dictate the truth.”

 ‘False information’

In a rare such response to criticism, the Elysee on its X account posted excerpts of various comments by Praud and other likeminded commentators with the title “attention false information”.

Addressing the weekly cabinet meeting, Macron denied that any such moves to limit freedom of expression were afoot, including the state itself awarding any health label to media.

“As the president of the republic noted at the start of the cabinet meeting, there is not going to be a state label, and even less a ‘ministry of truth,’ said government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon.

Macron pushes for new legislation to rapidly block digital disinformation

Macron has previously said it was not for the government to classify what is good information and what is bad information, and any labelling should be done by media professionals.

But Macron has also in recent weeks called for greater regulation of social media and their algorithms, where he said it is the “Wild West” rather than “free speech”.

Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, have long been targeted by false online claims that she was born a man.

The controversy comes in a febrile climate in France ahead of the 2027 presidential elections, in which Macron is not allowed to stand for a third term and the far-right senses its best-ever chance of taking the Elysee.

Podcast: Brigitte Macron, lauding open-air markets, France’s Brazilian colony

With far-right three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen potentially unable to stand due to a graft conviction, an Odoxa-Mascaret poll last month projected that Bardella would win the second round of elections irrespective of who stood against him.

(with newswires)

Daouda Koné, the ORTM director based in Douentza in central Mali, and his cameraman Salif Sangaré were taken on 14 October while travelling between Sévaré, a major road junction near Mopti, and Konna, a town further northeast on the Niger River flood plain.

The footage shows both men wearing boubous in front of a cloth backdrop that hides their surroundings. They look dejected but appear in good health.

Speaking under duress, the pair said they were being treated well and called on those watching to “do everything possible” to free them.

After viewing the clips, ORTM journalists told RFI they were “hard to watch” and “it hurts a lot”.

Mali’s transitional authorities – the military-led government that took power after coups in 2020 and 2021 – have offered no public reaction since the men were taken a month and a half ago.

Mali faces record number of kidnappings of foreigners by jihadist group

Wish for ‘discretion’

Management at ORTM and national journalist organisations have also remained silent.

There has been no official statement following the release of the video either. One source said there was a wish for “discretion” and “effectiveness”.

Local sources said community leaders from the Mopti region had opened discussions with JNIM, an al-Qaeda-linked militant group known for attacks, kidnappings and assaults on security forces across the Sahel.

Some sources said they were surprised by the publication of the footage and now fear the situation may be stuck. An ORTM journalist said: “We hope to find our colleagues safe and sound soon.”

Mali under pressure to end fuel crisis as negotiations with jihadists stall

Fuel embargo

In a separate move, Mali’s transitional authorities have decorated fuel operators and drivers taking part in fuel convoys, including some who were killed.

It comes during an embargo on fuel imports to the country declared in early September by JNIM, which is linked to al-Qaeda and has carried out repeated attacks on tankers on Malian roads.

Presidential decrees published in the Official Journal on 1 December granted honours to 16 oil company executives and union leaders, to 31 injured drivers and, posthumously, to 27 drivers killed on Malian roads, including three Ivorians and one Burkinabè.

The recognition reflects the support given by fuel operators and the sacrifices made by transport workers who continue trying to supply the country.

Military escorts have been strengthened and administrative procedures sped up in the past 10 days, easing pressure on the capital.

The French rugby team could hardly have wished for better. Drawn alongside Japan, the United States and Samoa, Les Bleus hit the jackpot on Wednesday as the pools for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia were unveiled – setting them on what looks like a remarkably clear path to the semi-finals.

Fabien Galthié’s side are widely expected to top Pool E with ease, before the tournament’s real hurdles begin.

Only in the last four are Les Bleus likely to hit a genuine wall of resistance, in the form of the winner of a probable quarter-final clash between two southern-hemisphere giants: back-to-back world champions South Africa, and three-time winners New Zealand.

France, still chasing their first global crown despite six semi-final appearances and three final heartbreaks in 1987, 1999 and 2011, could also be in for a knock-out opener.

Scotland – tipped to finish runners-up to Ireland in Pool D – loom as potential round-of-16 opponents.

Victory there would likely send them into a quarter-final against the winner of what many expect to be a Wales–Fiji showdown.

With the 12th-, 16th- and 19th-ranked teams in the world joining France in Pool E, the draw was undeniably kind to Galthié’s men.

The ceremony itself was held at the Sydney headquarters of broadcaster Stan Sport and overseen by recently retired Wallabies prop James Slipper, capped 151 times, and former Australian Sevens standout Alicia Lucas.

This tounament will break new ground as the first World Cup to feature 24 teams instead of 20 – and the first to include a round of 16.

It also marks the tournament’s return to Australia for the first time since 2003, the only year in which a northern-hemisphere side lifted the trophy, courtesy of Jonny Wilkinson’s immortal drop goal for England.

France rugby boss Galthié hails South Africa and plays down World Cup loss

All Blacks or Springboks await

As one of the world’s top six sides, France sat safely in Band 1 and therefore avoided the heavyweights of South Africa, New Zealand, England, Ireland and Argentina in the pool phase.

With Japan drawn from Band 2, they landed arguably the softest contender available from that tier.

But the good fortune ends there. Assuming France negotiate Scotland in the first knock-out round, a towering semi-final awaits – a half of the draw stacked with the world’s No.1 and No.2 sides, the Springboks and the All Blacks.

A meeting with New Zealand would revive memories of the finals lost in 1987 and 2011, while a showdown with South Africa would let Les Bleus revisit the sting of their agonising 28–29 exit in the 2023 quarter-final in Paris.

Elsewhere, the draw served up several enticing pool combinations: the Springboks meet Italy in Pool B, while the All Blacks renew their trans-Tasman Sea rivalry with hosts Australia in Pool A.

From six groups – A through F – the top two sides plus the four best third-placed finishers will progress to the round of 16.

Upsets are not expected early on, though France–Scotland carries a frisson of possibility.

The quarter-finals, however, are shaping up well. This bracket teases potential clashes between South Africa and New Zealand, Argentina and Ireland, and even a nostalgic England–Australia encounter – a rematch of the 2003 final that still haunts Wallaby supporters.

France bids adieu to World Cup as rugby chiefs impose new world order

Tight schedule and a wait for details

The 2027 event will feature 52 matches, four more than the 2023 World Cup, but squeezed into just six weeks – one fewer than France’s home tournament last year.

Play begins on 1 October and wraps up on 13 November.

What we do know is that Australia will kick off proceedings at Kings Park in Perth, and Sydney will stage the final.

Everything else – the venues and dates for the remaining 50 matches – will be revealed on 3 February.

Only then will France learn where their pool fixtures will be held across the remaining host cities – Melbourne, Adelaide, Townsville, Newcastle and Brisbane, which is gearing up to host the 2032 Olympics.

After that, Galthié and his squad will have roughly 18 months to fine-tune their assault on the Webb Ellis Cup – a prize they have so often threatened to win, but never quite managed to grasp, falling short even at the quarter-final stage in both 2015 and 2023.

(with newswires)

At the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice in June, Unesco and the Plastic Odyssey expedition signed a partnership aimed at restoring the world’s most endangered marine World Heritage sites.

Drawing inspiration from a successful 2024 clean-up on Henderson Island in the South Pacific – during which 9.3 tonnes of plastic waste were removed – the organisations plan to replicate the operation in other areas across the globe.

Plastic Odyssey and Unesco sign deal to restore marine World Heritage sites

Among them is the Aldabra atoll in the Indian Ocean which is one of the largest raised coral reefs in the world.

It is known for the hundreds of endemic species – including the Aldabra giant tortoise.

“Aldabra is one of 51 marine sites listed as Unesco World Heritage Sites. These sites represent less than 1 percent of the Earth’s surface, but 15 percent of marine biodiversity,” Simon Bernard, CEO of Plastic Odyssey, told RFI.

“They are true biodiversity hotspots, but they are also areas that accumulate enormous amounts of plastic waste.”

‘Impossible clean up’

The field mission occurred from 8 to 20 October with the Plastic Odyssey team, who surveyed the island to better estimate the amount of waste.

According to scientific studies 500 tonnes of plastic waste has washed up on this tiny, remote island.

“Where is the waste, how much is there and, above all, how are we going to remove it? We will need to plan a mission lasting several months – four to six months – to collect and remove everything,” said Bernard.

This mission was called “The impossible clean up” – because Aldabra is very difficult to access.

“Very often on these islands, waste accumulates on the exposed coasts, which are virtually inaccessible. There is almost no access to the sea. The island is surrounded by a belt of very sharp rocks, known as karst,” Bernard explained.

“There is no water, no food and obviously no doctor. So you really have to plan all the logistics to keep the teams alive and able to survive on site for several months.”

Recycling partners

The plan is to collect various waste items – like fishing buoys, flip-flops, and cans – using a slide-like system on the rocks that directs the debris into the sea for extraction.

After collection, each type of waste must be sent to an appropriate recycling partner.

Plastic Odyssey on sea-faring mission to target plastic waste in Madagascar

Flip-flops are difficult to repurpose, Bernard says, but they are “working with a company in Kenya that makes works of art out of flip-flops. They recycle several dozen tonnes a year.

“For all the hard plastic, we will be working with entrepreneurs in the Seychelles, on Mahé island, who transform this”.

Plastic Odyssey has also just completed a mission to Saint-Brandon, a Mauritian archipelago which is not yet on Unesco’s official list. It is rich in exceptional endemic bird species but heavily polluted with plastic. 

They collected over five tonnes and reached the ship’s maximum capacity without being able to gather everything.

The unexpected volume of plastic means they will need to return, and Saint-Brandon will be included in future Plastic Odyssey expeditions.

The Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA), which brought together lawyers, academics, development experts and human rights institutions on the sidelines of a session of the African Union’s child protection committee in Maseru, is calling on African governments to examine how business impacts children’s welfare.

“Millions of children on the continent are engaged in child labour – between 70 to 90 million children in Africa and particularly in the informal sector,” Musa Kika, the NGO’s executive director, told RFI. 

“And because Africa has a huge informal sector, we actually really don’t know the extent of the problem. And it’s very difficult to track what children are doing, the hazards they are facing.”

In sub-Saharan Africa alone, more children are in child labour than in the rest of the world combined, the International Labour Organisation estimates.

Nor is the problem limited to child labour. “When it comes to business and child rights, it’s not just child labour, it also concerns how children are affected as consumers of services and products,” said Kika.

Health hazards

In a report released last week, the IHDRA describes how unsafe products and harmful corporate practices affect children.

“We were recently in Zambia in a town called Kabwe, for instance,” Kika said, “where lead, zinc and manganese mining has been happening for almost a century. Kabwe is now known as perhaps one of the most polluted towns in the world. The soil has been contaminated by lead.”

Lawsuit demands justice for Zambians ‘poisoned’ by lead mine

While medical experts report that both adults and children in the area have experienced increased health problems, young children are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning.

“As a result, children are suffering deformities, deformities, developmental challenges, etc,” said Kika.

The problem represents not only unsafe mining practices, he noted, but the failure of the Zambian government to enforce environmental protection laws.

National and international action required

Children also suffer indirectly when their caregivers work in poor conditions, the report underlines, or without proper renumeration and rest periods. 

The IHRDA recommends incorporating children’s rights into both national and Africa-wide action plans on business and human rights.

“The current state of affairs is that only five out of 55 African countries have national action plans,” Kika told RFI. “So 50 countries don’t have any coordinated, coherent plan on how they are going to be mindful of child protection in regulating and carrying out business.”

Ghana faces mounting pressure to take action over illegal mining

International coordination is also essential, he said. “We are going to need a multi-pronged approach at the African Union level, continental level.

“It’s timely now because Africa has just adopted what is called the African Continental Free Trade Area, an agreement that was contracted recently trying to build a single market for Africa in terms of movement of goods and services and people.

“If that framework is fully implemented without a binding mechanism for children’s protection at continental level, there are going to be massive violations.”

On 29 January 2024, cousins Hind Rajab and Layan Hamada were ​​killed with their family as they tried to flee the fighting in Gaza City in their car.

Surrounded by Israeli tanks, the two girls dialled 101, the Palestine Red Crescent Society’s emergency line.

Their last moments, their last words, were recorded.

“They’re shooting at us!” 15-year-old Layan says. “The tank is right next to us. We’re hiding in our car.”

A few moments later, six-year-old Hind comes on the line. “I’m so scared. Come and get me,” she tells the dispatcher in Ramallah, miles away in the West Bank.

Hind stayed on the line for several more hours as humanitarian staff sent an ambulance to fetch her. It never arrived.

Days later, she was found dead in the remains of the car. The ambulance was a short distance away, destroyed.

Ben Hania heard of Hind’s fate on the radio, after the Red Crescent released its recording of the call. 

“As soon as I heard the voice of Hind Rajab, it had such an impact on me. I felt desperate, powerless and so angry,” the director told RFI, saying she knew straight away she had to do something.

“My job was to find the best way, the best angle to tell this story. Part of this was respecting the order of events and above all, the Palestinian Red Crescent gave me these precious recordings of Hind talking to the staff. Everything I needed for the film was in this document.”

A voice preserved

The result is The Voice of Hind Rajab, which won the Silver Lion award at the 2025 Venice Film Festival in September.

“Cinema cannot bring Hind back and erase the atrocities committed against her. But cinema can preserve her voice […] because her story is not just hers. It is the tragic story of an entire people, a people suffering from genocide inflicted by a criminal Israeli government that acts with impunity,” Ben Hania told the audience in Venice.

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

The war began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October, 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage. 

Gaza’s Health Ministry says nearly 70,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 170,000 wounded in Israel’s retaliatory offensive. The toll has gone up during since the 10 October ceasefire, both from new Israeli strikes and from the recovery and identification of bodies of people killed earlier in the war.

Accepting the prize in Venice, Ben Hania dedicated it to the Palestinian Red Crescent “and to those who risked everything to save lives in Gaza”.

“They are true heroes,” she said.

Slow-motion tragedy

RFI interviewed the operators who took the girls’ call soon after their bodies were discovered.

Omar Alqem, a young Red Crescent volunteer, said he was in a state of shock when he realised what was happening.

“I felt like I was floating above my body. I couldn’t understand what I had just witnessed. I tried to regain my composure. I told myself: I can’t give in to emotion, or else I’ll stop doing this work. But it’s not possible to stop. In this war, too many people depend on us,” he told RFI’s correspondent Sami Boukhelifa.

Alqem spoke to Hind for about ten minutes, but felt helpless in the face of her distress. “She was able to explain to me who was around her in the car. I tried to imagine the situation, where she was hiding in the vehicle. I understood that six members of her family had all died around her. And then I thought: this is too much, I can’t go on.”

From that point on, his colleague Rana Faqih took over. A member of the Red Crescent for 13 years, she began by introducing herself. “I told her, ‘My name is Rana.’ The poor little girl was in shock. She told me her name was Soujoud, then Hind…” Faqih recalled.

“Sometimes she would tell me, ‘They’re all sleeping.’ And sometimes she would say, ‘They’re all dead. There’s blood everywhere. There are tanks.’ She sees them. She hears the gunfire and the planes…”

While Rana continued to reassure Hind, her colleagues called the Israeli authorities to obtain permission to send a rescue mission to Gaza City, where Israeli troops were deployed.

“We got the green light [from the army] to send an ambulance to the area where Hind was. We were still in contact with her, and at the same time with our paramedics,” recounted Faqih.

“And suddenly, we heard gunfire. We never would have thought that the ambulance was being targeted. It was almost right next to Hind. And then, communication with the paramedics and with Hind was cut off. We had no news for 12 days.”

On 10 February 2024, the Israeli army withdrew from the area. The ambulance was found twisted and charred. The two paramedics, Hind, her cousin and the other members of their family were all dead.

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

Film meets reality

While actors play the roles of the humanitarian staff in Ben Hania’s film, the voice of Hind is real.

“At the end of the film, I used images of the ambulance that was bombed and the car that Hind was in which was riddled with over 300 bullets,” the filmmaker recalls.

“These images were widely shared on the internet, especially on social media, but they lose their impact because they’re wedged between two other events.”

She hopes that by focusing on the lead-up to Hind’s death, the film will give viewers a fuller sense of the tragedy.

The war in Ukraine, following the Russian invasion in 2022, instability in the Middle East and uncertainty surrounding the level of United States involvement in the event of conflict have seen discussions over strengthening military capabilities arise across Europe – in terms of manpower as well as weaponry.

“Many countries in Europe are reintroducing national service,” France’s Chief of the Defence Staff, Fabien Mandon, said last week, before President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday outlined his plans for the establishment of voluntary youth military service.

“At a time when all our European allies are making progress in the face of a threat that affects us all, France cannot remain idle,” Macron said at the launch of the programme, set to begin by the middle of next year.

Macron unveils voluntary military service as concerns grow over Russia

Historical context

History is the starting point to understanding military service models, according to Stéphane Audoin-Rouzeau, historian at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS).

“From the French Revolution onward, a very strong link was established between citizenship and bearing arms,” he told RFI. “In the 19th and 20th centuries, voting and military service went hand in hand: one was a citizen also because one participated in the defence of the nation.”

Most European states abandoned compulsory military service starting in the 1990s, Audoin-Rouzeau explained. The fading memory of two world wars, coupled with the rise of nuclear deterrence, meant that the idea of another war was more or less eliminated.

“The end of the Cold War made mass military service less necessary, in favour of a professional army made up of specialists. This was as much an economic choice as a strategic one: the increased technicality of operations required professionals.”

Hybrid solutions

France abandoned compulsory military service in 1997 under the presidency of Jacques Chirac, followed by the Netherlands the same year. Belgium had suspended conscription from 1993.

Spain followed suit in 2001, Slovenia in 2003, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Portugal in 2004, Italy in 2005, Romania in 2006, Bulgaria in 2007, Poland in 2009, and Germany in 2011.

Other countries have chosen to adapt military service, applying different models such as compulsory military service, systems based on random selection when volunteers are lacking, or selective conscription based on motivation and skills.

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East-West divide

There is a notable difference in approach between Eastern and Western Europe, directly linked to the perception of threat, according to Audoin-Rouzeau.

“In Finland or Eastern Europe – which are much more exposed to the Russian threat – the idea of ​​national defence remains extremely strong. In Western Europe, we believed that war could never concern us again, thinking we had fulfilled the old dream of 19th-century pacifists.”

He added that a lack of existing infrastructure and personnel would make it difficult to mobilise entire age groups. “Today, the idea that a country’s youth could be obligated to defend the homeland – and to die for it – seems dead or at least unacceptable.”

Europe’s defence vulnerabilities exposed as US shifts on Ukraine

This can be seen, he said, in the controversy sparked by Mandon’s remarks last week, when he said that “France [must] accept losing its children” – adding that Russia is “preparing for a confrontation by 2030 with [European] countries”.

However, the historian added: “We don’t know how people would react if peacetime were to turn into wartime. We mustn’t underestimate the mobilising effect of real war.”

He points to the Paris attacks of 13 November, 2015, which led to “a surge in military recruitment centres, similar to that seen in Ukraine on 24 February, 2022. As soon as the threat is there, everything can change.”

Conscription remains an effective military tool in protracted wars of attrition, where demographics become a strategic factor, Audoin-Rouzeau said. “On the Ukrainian front, it’s the number of men that makes the difference.”

Military service in the EU

Austria: Mandatory six-month military service for men, while women can enlist voluntarily.

Finland: Military service is compulsory for men and lasts from six to 12 months depending on the specialty or rank. It remains voluntary for women. The country, which has Europe’s longest border with Russia and abandoned its non-alignment policy to join NATO in 2023, is considering raising the reserve age (those who have completed their service) to 65.

Estonia: Military service lasts from eight to 11 months for men and is voluntary for women.

Denmark: In 2024, Denmark decided to gradually extend the conscription period from four to 11 months, and service has also been mandatory for women since last summer. However, not all young Danes are called up for military service: the system is based on a lottery.

Greece: Greece has always maintained mandatory conscription of nine to 12 months for men. A draft law proposes opening up a 12-month voluntary service to women, who until now could only serve as career soldiers.

Cyprus: With the island in territorial conflict with Turkey, 14 months of military service is mandatory for men. Parliament passed a law in April opening the service to female volunteers.

Ireland: Has only ever had a professional army in peacetime.

Malta: Has only ever had a professional army in peacetime.

Lithuania: In 2015, the country reinstated a nine-month conscription for men selected by lottery, having suspended it in 2008. Conscripts serve in the reserves for 10 years, which will be extended to 15 years in 2026.

Latvia: In 2023, Latvia reinstated an 11-month conscription.

Sweden: Military service was reinstated in 2017 for a period of nine to 15 months. This is a selective conscription for both sexes.

Croatia: At the end of October, it voted to reinstate conscription for men from 2026, which had been suspended in 2008. Basic military training will last two months, with an alternative of three to four months of civilian service.

Bulgaria: Launched forms of voluntary military service in 2020.

The Netherlands: Launched forms of voluntary military service in 2023.

Poland: Since 2024, it has implemented a one-month basic voluntary military training programme, which can be followed by up to nine to 11 months of specialised training for those wishing to join the active army.

Romania: Intends to bring in a four-month voluntary service programme in 2026, with an option to continue.

Belgium: The country is aiming for 1,000 voluntary recruits per year, although the debate on reinstating compulsory service has not been entirely settled.

Germany: The debate on reinstating compulsory service has been the subject of intense negotiations. A bill is due to be voted on in December, but the ruling coalition has reached a compromise on voluntary military service to bolster an army facing a shortage of recruits. Starting in 2026, all 18-year-olds will receive a form with questions about their motivation and aptitudes. Responses are mandatory for men and optional for women. The goal is to recruit 20,000 volunteers by 2026.

Non-EU countries

Norway: Twelve months of military service, which is mandatory for women too, as of 2013.

Switzerland: Conscripts can choose between 18 weeks of mandatory training or a longer civilian service, with periods of service spread out over time. But this may change as the Swiss people will on 30 November vote on the possible replacement of this system with a civic service. The obligation could be extended to women and could be carried out not just in the army or civil defence, but in working in environmental protection or helping vulnerable people.

United Kingdom: Former prime minister Rishi Sunak had expressed support for the re-establishment of compulsory national service, abolished in the UK since 1960. The project was championed by the Conservatives during the last election campaign, but has since been buried by the current left-wing Labour government under Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

This article is based on a report in French by RFI’s Aurore Lartigue.

“The countdown has officially begun, everything is going perfectly.”

Adenot was all smiles as she greeted journalists in Toulouse on Monday to discuss the Epsilon mission to the International Space Station (ISS), scheduled for next February, in one of her last public appearances before her departure.

An engineer by training and a helicopter test pilot for the French Air and Space Force, Adenot is France’s first female astronaut since Claudie Haigneré 25 years ago.

The 43-year-old was selected to represent the next generation of European Space Agency (ESA) astronauts in April 2022.

Aiming for the stars lands French astronaut Sophie Adenot a ticket to ISS

To prepare herself, she says can rely on the experience of former astronauts, whom she consults whenever necessary.

“We have everything we need to stay calm because our training is designed by engineers who have been familiar with the ISS operations for over 20 years,” she explained.

“But I’m human,” she went on. “At some point, this serenity will be challenged, but I don’t know when or how. That’s a source of curiosity, in a way.”

Medical research

If all goes to plan, on 15 February she will take her place aboard a SpaceX rocket on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, in the United States, which will take her to the ISS.

Hundreds of scientific experiments are planned for the 240-day mission, around 10 of which were developed by France through the National Centre for Space Studies (CNES).

Her mission will serve three purposes: to improve scientific and medical knowledge, to prepare for the future of space missions and to involve young people.

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Adenot admits that the experiments in the field of health are the ones that most pique her curiosity. “I am intrigued and interested in this type of experiment, because they could have a direct and concrete impact on our everyday lives.”

Adenot will be analysing the effects of weightlessness on astronauts’ organs using medical imaging. Since CT scanner or MRI machines are too bulky to be taken aboard the ISS, she’ll be using ultrasound.

For 40 years, CNES has used its expertise in ultrasound analysis in space, with astronaut Thomas Pesquet employing it during his two previous missions aboard the ISS.

The ultrasound device that Adenot will be testing, called EchoFinder, is revolutionary. It will allow for autonomous ultrasound scans, without prior medical training or ground assistance.

Aristée Thevenon, an engineer at the Institute of Space Medicine and Physiology (MEDES), a CNES partner, explains that astronauts will be aided by augmented reality and artificial intelligence displayed on a screen.

“The idea is to place virtual spheres representing the probe’s position into virtual cubes representing the ideal probe position. When we manage to place our spheres into our cubes, it turns green, which means we have found the ideal probe position,” he told RFI.

The experiment will help prepare for future space missions to the Moon and Mars, “where communication delays, sometimes of just a few minutes, will make any real-time guidance from Earth impossible,” Thevenon says.

Back on the ground, the technology could also help improve access for patients in remote areas, where ultrasounds are not necessarily available due to a lack of technical expertise.

“We can also imagine a version for submarines, which are confined environments quite similar to those of the International Space Station,” he added.

Human ‘guinea pigs’

Rémi Canton, head of human spaceflight at CNES says that with EchoFinder, Adenot will play a dual role, both testing the equipment on herself and on fellow crew members.

For eight months, Adenot will become a kind of guinea pig to make it possible to observe physiological phenomena that are unobservable on Earth due to gravity.

This will be the case with PhysioTool, a scientific experiment designed to measure several physiological parameters, including cardiovascular ones, using sensors. 

Marc-Antoine Custaud, a researcher at the University of Angers and sponsor of this study explains that in the absence of gravity, blood circulation slows down.

“This is what we call cardiovascular deconditioning,” he explains. “Our goal is to understand how the cardiovascular system becomes unadapted to gravity, what needs to be done to make it adapt to microgravity, and how to readjust it upon returning to Earth.”

Bacteria under the super-microscope

When it comes to health and wellbeing, cleanliness is a crucial issue for astronauts: 10 percent of their mission time is spent on cleaning.

Sébastien Rouquette is an engineer and head of the Matisse-4 experiment for CNES, which will collect bacteria and bring back samples to Earth in order to analyse them in detail using a super-microscope.

His team wants to understand how micro-organisms associate with each other and settle on the surfaces of the ISS. 

“The goal is to develop innovative surfaces with coatings that limit or prevent bacterial growth,” he tells RFI.

These new antibacterial coatings would offer several advantages: they would limit the use of toxic bactericides on board and allow astronauts to save time, a precious resource on board the ISS.

The research could be useful on Earth too. “I’m thinking of door handles, handrails in the subway or on buses and hospitals. We’re starting to have some pretty serious leads on concrete applications within a few years,” Rouquette says.

How fungi and bacteria could help build habitats on Mars

The next generation

During her mission, Adenot will also conduct an educational experiment called ChlorISS, in partnership with 4,500 French schools.

The idea is to simultaneously germinate Arabidopsis thaliana and Brassica rapa japonica (“Minuza”) seeds in microgravity, both on the ISS and on Earth, in order to observe the effects of gravity and light on the growth of these two plants.

Marie Fesuick, who is in charge of the ChlorISS experiment, says it will last 10 days.

“Every day, Adenot will photograph the progress of germination, then she will send the photos to schools. Students will be able to compare these photos with the observations they make in their classrooms and observe any differences,” she explains.

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet sets his sights on the Moon after ISS success

Involving young people with experiments on the ISS has become an integral part of space missions.

In 2021, during his second mission, Pesquet conducted a similar experiment with the “blob”, a yellow single-celled creature, neither animal nor plant. 

“We hope to inspire some young people, to spark vocations, not necessarily in space, but in science in general,” explains Fesuick.

Adenot agrees: “It’s important that young people identify with [these] career paths. I will be as generous as possible in sharing my experience with them, as much as time allows.”

A new spacesuit

She will also have the opportunity to test a new space suit, known as the “EuroSuit“.

In development since 2023, it is designed to be worn by the astronaut inside the spacecraft during take-off and docking phases, and in case of emergency.

It was developed as part of a partnership between CNES, the French start-up Spartan Space, the Institute of Space Medicine and Physiology and the innovation branch of the Decathlon sporting goods company.

According to Decathlon, the suit can be “donned or doffed in less than two minutes and completely autonomously”.

Adenot will test the prototype during her mission to validate its ergonomics in microgravity conditions, in conjunction with further tests on the ground.

She has a packed schedule between now and the launch date. She still has to undergo several tests to collect baseline medical data. “We’ll take them aboard the ISS and then compare them with the data I collect when I return to Earth,” she explains.

And she still needs to familiarise herself with handling the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, which will take her to the ISS.

“We rehearse the standard procedures and emergency procedures extensively, to be prepared for any eventuality.”

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

RFI: How does Romania’s role as a NATO eastern flank hub affect its stance in the European Union budget debate?

Claudiu Nasui: It is in our interest that more funds are allocated towards defence because we’re on the border, and we are the second biggest beneficiary of this new SAFE defence loan programme, after Poland. So we’re set to receive a considerable amount of money from the EU to rearm ourselves.

The main problem we have is that we’re not necessarily buying European equipment, which is very unfortunate and something we really should be doing.

Europe, and the European Union, have a significant technology gap in military technology compared to the United States. This is partly because we don’t have the same economies of scale as the US.

For example, when they built the F-35 jet, it was produced in such large numbers that the costs of research and development and many fixed costs were spread across many units.

Whereas in Europe, we have several different jets but don’t benefit from these economies of scale as much. The same issue applies to other weapon systems.

What I would say is that Romania should buy more European products. Right now, we’re buying a Turkish Corvette, which is not even really a Corvette but actually a patrol boat. We’re also buying a Turkish copy of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV.)

There’s a lot that we should be doing in closer integration with the European defence industry, which would help immensely.

Europe’s defence dilemma: autonomy or dependence?

If we’re talking about the F-35, it’s clearly a more advanced generation of jet than the French Rafale or the Swedish Saab JAS 39 Gripen. So is there any discussion in Romania about buying European fighter jets?

Currently, we’re very focused on the F-16. We have many second-hand F-16s, and there is a programme to buy F-35s which may come around 2030. So that’s in about five years’ time.

As just an example, I wouldn’t have a problem buying the F-35 provided we also bought other European products like the SAM-T instead of the Patriot, or other European weapon systems. This could help Europe gain economies of scale while producing these systems and reduce our reliance on non-European partners.

What is the general attitude of the Romanian public towards the Ukraine war effort and efforts in Romania to support it, after nearly three years?

There is what we call war fatigue. Initially, people were much more willing to help Ukraine. Now, because of Russian propaganda, the length of the conflict and the toll it is taking, fewer people want to help.

Pro-Russian parties in Romania exploit our economic difficulties. We have many problems, a lot of poverty, and a government increasing taxes. They claim we’re worse off because we support Ukraine. Which is false, but because it’s repeated so often, it’s starting to seem like the truth.

Romania hasn’t helped Ukraine as much as it could have, but this is used as a political weapon. So while there is some war fatigue, the majority still support Ukraine and Romania’s support for it – even more than before.

How sustainable is the EU’s current support for Ukraine, and what changes are needed?

I think we should use the Russian assets. The discussion over these is very worrying because it should be obvious – Russia is a threat, an aggressor, and has committed war crimes against Ukraine.

We should use these frozen assets to help Ukraine now when they need it most.

Ukraine is acting like a shield for Europe. The higher the cost of aggression for Russia, the greater the chance of peace. If Russia wins or gets a shameful peace deal – like the one proposed by the Trump administration recently – it would be a huge win for Russia and a major threat to Europe.

We should be grateful Ukraine is resisting, mounting a huge war effort, and we should help so the war stays in Ukraine, not Europe. If Ukraine falls or accepts a bad peace deal, Russia would have a decade of peace to rebuild and then likely start fighting again. It’s a pattern. The 28 points in the peace proposal can be interpreted in ways to justify new aggressions.

Europe demands more work on US peace plan to end Russia-Ukraine war

Last Sunday, Europeans came up with an alternative 28-point plan. What do you think of it?

Ukraine must have the final say, as they are the ones fighting. Europe should support whatever Ukrainians decide. They are the attacked party keeping the Russians at bay.

If they want to stop fighting and sign a peace deal, even if we think it’s bad, it’s their choice. We should support that. If they don’t, we should support that too – militarily, financially and politically.

I’m not sure about the European plan, so I can’t comment. But the general attitude must be to support Ukraine, as they’re protecting Europe from Russian aggression.

Regarding funding and the push for increased defence spending, is this mainly a budget issue, a political issue or a spending efficiency problem?

It’s also about spending efficiency. We should buy more European – like the SAM-T and other weapon systems – to achieve economies of scale.

For cheap, efficient weapon systems, you need economies of scale, which we won’t get if we don’t buy European. So it’s about more than just investing money – how you invest matters.

Romania’s new president Nicușor Dan pledges to counter Russian influence

Where should extra defence funds come from, and what spending would you refuse to cut?

I wouldn’t refuse to cut any spending to boost defence. The biggest EU expense is agricultural subsidies, and we could cut those to finance defence.

European countries already have high taxes; we can’t grow the economy by raising taxes further. Spending must be rerouted from other areas like cohesion funds.

As a Romanian who’s benefited from cohesion funds, I’d still support cutting back so we can invest in defence and secure Europe’s future. That’s paramount.

You’ve spent a lot of time in France [Nasui studied for his undergraduate degree in Paris]. How would you assess the situation there? With a huge budget deficit and a record debt of €3.2 trillion, where could they find the money?

France is already at capacity in this regard. They need a clear cost-cutting programme, similar to what Javier Milei is doing in Argentina. There is huge spending in many areas.

One problem with Macron’s government [which was elected on the basis of reform] is they focused mainly on raising the retirement age rather than true reforms. They kept the same system and just tweaked it slightly, which angered many people.

To maintain parliamentary support, they are suspending the major reform Macron invested political capital in, which again was not a true reform, just minor adjustments.

France should cut a lot of spending, as well as taxes and bureaucracy. The country is known for introducing new regulations and bureaucratic layers which hinder economic growth and innovation.

We are heading towards a “Sputnik moment” when we realise the development gap between Europe, the US and China.

Can you expand on that “Sputnik moment”?

One example would be self-driving cars. US and Chinese cities have many, but in Europe we don’t see them yet. As these technologies become commonplace in the US and China, the gap will become more apparent here.

We are already seeing it in sectors like semiconductors. Except for [the Dutch company] ASML and [Belgian company] IMEC, Europe is nowhere in the major chip industry. We lack large foundries, big investments and advanced process nodes.

More bureaucracy, regulation and higher taxes won’t help. Considering France’s economic impact on Europe, if they manage to reform, the whole EU would benefit greatly.

According to presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, Minister of Defence Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, stepped down with immediate effect on Monday.

The 63-year-old minister reportedly cited health reasons for his departure – a move that comes in the wake of President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a nationwide security emergency last week.

“His resignation comes amid President Tinubu’s declaration of a national security emergency, with plans to elaborate on its scope in due course,” Onanuga said in a statement.

The government has promised more detail soon on what this emergency will entail, but the message for now is that Abuja intends to move swiftly.

Nigeria – Africa’s most populous nation and no stranger to security challenges – has been left scrambling after a spate of abductions that have seen hundreds of people, mostly schoolchildren, seized within just a few days last month.

The crisis has also drawn sharp international attention. In October, US President Donald Trump designated Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” for religious freedom violations, citing what he described as killings of Christians by “radical Islamists”.

He even went so far as to threaten military intervention. Abuja and independent security analysts have firmly rejected Washington’s claim, but it has undoubtedly put the spotlight back on Nigeria’s long-running instability.

Nigeria declares security emergency after wave of mass kidnappings

Mass abductions

The most dramatic incident came on 21 November, when armed gangs stormed St Mary’s co-education school in north-central Nigeria, abducting more than 300 pupils, teachers and staff.

Fifty managed to escape, yet the remainder are still being held. On a high-profile visit to Kontagora in Niger state, national security adviser Nuhu Ribadu sought to reassure anxious families, saying: “The children are fine and will be back soon.”

Such kidnappings carry grim echoes of the 2014 Chibok schoolgirl abductions, when Boko Haram militants seized nearly 300 students from their dormitories – an episode that shocked the world and exposed the Nigerian government’s limited reach in remote regions.

Since then, mass abductions have become common, usually driven by criminal gangs seeking quick ransom payments.

Gunmen seize 315 pupils and teachers in latest Nigerian mass school kidnapping

Jihadist campaign

Alongside the kidnappings, Nigeria has been battling a jihadist insurgency across its northwestern regions since 2009, adding yet another layer to the country’s complex security landscape.

Recent raids have targeted schoolchildren and teachers, worshippers and priests, a bride and her bridesmaids, farmers, women and children – a grim roll call that spans multiple states and communities.

In response, Tinubu’s government has ordered a major recruitment drive for both police and military personnel, suggesting a push to bolster security forces stretched thin across vast territories.

(with newswires)

The court in the Paris suburb of Nanterre opened proceedings this week in an extensive fraud case centred on an alleged attempt to extract more than €19 billion from TotalEnergies.

Seven defendants – amongst them a former senior magistrate, two well-known Parisian lawyers and figures linked to the late businessman André “Dédé la sardine” Guelfi – are set to appear over the next three weeks as the court unravels the tangled origins of a controversial 2009 arbitration bid.

The case dates back more than a decade and a half, when in 2011, TotalEnergies filed a complaint with prosecutors in Nanterre, claiming it had been the target of an elaborate fraud attempt.

The company argued that an arbitration procedure launched two years earlier was baseless – a view supported by successive court rulings that confirmed an underlying 1992 oil exploration contract in Russia had never actually taken effect.

That agreement, struck between one of TotalEnergies’ subsidiaries – at the time part of French oil company Elf – and the Russian regions of Saratov and Volgograd, along with the company Interneft, was conditional on several preliminary requirements.

These conditions were never met, yet the Russian claimants pushed for arbitration, demanding more than €19 billion on the grounds that TotalEnergies had failed to honour the deal.

TotalEnergies posts biggest ever annual profit of almost €20bn

‘Dédé la sardine’

André Guelfi, a businessman with a colourful past and an equally colourful nickname – Dédé la sardine – sits at the centre of the affair.

In the early 1990s, he acted as a fixer for Elf in the former USSR before becoming embroiled in the huge Elf corruption scandal.

Convicted of embezzling funds from the oil group, he later re-emerged in various business dealings.

Investigators believe Guelfi played a key role in steering the disputed arbitration process.

However, with his death in 2016, he was never interviewed by magistrates and his precise influence remains unclear.

Nevertheless, prosecutors argue that his relationship networks in Russia and France were instrumental in pushing forward the arbitration bid – one TotalEnergies has consistently denounced as a blatant attempt at extortion.

TotalEnergies exits Russian gas firm’s board, takes $3.7bn hit

Legal heavyweights in court

Among those now facing trial is Jean-Pierre Mattei, former president of the Paris Commercial Court.

Selected in 2009 as a member of the arbitration panel, he stands accused of passive corruption and attempted fraud as part of an organised group.

He will be tried alongside the two other arbitrators chosen for the tribunal.

Two prominent Parisian lawyers – Olivier Pardo and Xavier Cazottes – are also in the dock. Pardo is charged with active corruption of an international arbitrator and of a person tasked with a public service mission.

Prosecutors suspect he sought to influence Mattei’s appointment and maintained close ties with Guelfi throughout the arbitration push. Cazottes faces similar allegations.

A solicitor close to Mattei, two additional members of the arbitration tribunal and the ad hoc administrator of the now-liquidated Elf subsidiary involved in the original contract round out the list of defendants.

Over the course of the hearings, the court will attempt to uncover the precise roles each defendant played in the arbitration initiative – and whether the process was driven by genuine legal misjudgment or outright fraud.

The court proceedings are expected to last at least three weeks. 

(with newswires)

The sentence includes a two-year travel ban and prohibition of Panahi from membership in any political or social groups, lawyer Mostafa Nili told French news agency AFP on Monday, adding that they would file an appeal.

Nili said the charges against Panahi were engaging in “propaganda activities” against the state but did not elaborate. “Mr. Panahi is outside Iran right now,” he added.

Panahi, 65, won the Cannes Film Festival‘s top prize this year for It Was Just an Accident, a film partially inspired by Panahi’s own time behind bars.

His camera follows the heated debates of five ordinary Iranians, who shared the same prison interrogator, over what fate they want for their former jailer, who has been kidnapped by a garage owner.

Should they kill him to avenge the humiliations they suffered, or refuse to stoop to their torturer’s level?

A significant portion of the plot unfolds in a van, which also served as a hideout for the film crew. Outdoor scenes were filmed in deserted areas and quiet neighborhoods.

Iranian filmmakers, prominent media figures and celebrities are closely monitored in Iran and their work reviewed for content deemed critical of the Islamic republic.

Palme d’Or winner hits global cinemas, France backs it for 2026 Oscars

Twice in jail

Panahi is no stranger to the Iranian justice system, despite winning prizes in a host of international festivals.

In 2010, he was banned from making movies and from leaving the country after supporting mass anti-government protests a year earlier and making a series of films that critiqued the state of modern Iran.

Convicted of “propaganda against the system”, he was sentenced to six years in jail but served only two months behind bars before being released on bail.

A year after being handed a 20-year ban on filmmaking he dispatched a documentary with the title This is Not a Film to the Cannes Festival on a flash drive stashed in a cake.

His 2015 movie Taxi featured him acting as a taxi driver and was shot entirely in a car.

Cannes 2025 ends on a high as director Jafar Panahi claims the Palme d’Or

In 2022, he was arrested in connection with protests by a group of filmmakers but was released nearly seven months later.

Since his win in Cannes, where he was able to receive the prize in person, he set off on a tour of the United States visiting Los Angeles, New York and Telluride to promote his latest Oscar-hopeful movie.

The film has been selected by France as its official nomination for the Academy Awards, and is widely expected to make the shortlist for the Best International Feature at the gala event in March.

The fact that post-production for It Was Just an Accident was done by a French company allowed France to effectively claim Panahi’s film as its own in the Oscar race, under rules set by the Academy.

Resonate with audiences

But Panahi, 65, says he would like to see those rules changed to allow dissidents like him who are censored by Tehran to represent their homeland.

“I really wanted it to be for my own country, but when an oppressed society exists, well, some difficulties do arise,” he told AFP during an interview in Los Angeles.

Film director Mohammad Rasoulof leaves Iran for Europe ahead of Cannes premiere

The system has faced increasing criticism and public protests in recent years, particularly in the face of rising authoritarianism.

“This decreases and undermines the independence of filmmakers,” said Panahi.

The complaint is not new. While film festivals in Cannes, Venice, and Berlin make their own choices for films from around the world, the Oscars require each country’s authorities to nominate a candidate for the Best International Feature Film award.

“Iranian cinema is humanist cinema, and it has always been able to resonate with audiences around the world,” he said, recalling the Oscars awarded to Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation and The Salesman.

(with AFP)

“The 2026 edition is cancelled. A letter was sent at the end of last week to inform the festival’s public partners,” said lawyer Vincent Brenot, representing the organising company 9e Art+.

He added that the decision, first reported by regional newspaper La Charente Libre, was “the straightforward consequence” of the stance taken by public funders.

On 18 November, the French government withdrew €200,000 of public subsidies for next year’s event, putting a major hole its finances.

It marks the first time since the festival’s creation in 1974 – apart from the Covid-19 hiatus – that the event will not take place. The 53rd edition had been scheduled for 29 January to 1 February 2026.

At the heart of the scandal is the management model of the festival, which has helped turn Angoulême into a centre of European production and comics expertise.

It is run by a non-profit association presided over by Delphine Groux, the daughter of co-founder Francis Groux, but has been organised by a private company, 9eArt+, since 2007.

The 9eArt+ director, Franck Bondoux, was the subject of an investigation by left-wing magazine l’Humanité before this year’s event which accused him of mismanagement and an increasingly contested style.

It also reported that the company had dismissed an employee shortly after she reported being raped at the 2024 event.

Lack of transparency

For weeks, doubts have mounted over the festival’s future as a major portion of the French comics community turned against the organisers.

Many writers and artists denounced what they described as the growing commercialisation and lack of transparency at the event.

Among the authors who planned boycotters was Anouk Ricard, winner of the 2025 Grand Prix d’Angoulême and “Maus” creator Art Spiegelman.

“It is high time to turn the page on 9eArt+ so that the festival can regain, with new operators, the values that helped build its international reputation,” read an open letter on 10 November signed by 22 former winners of the festival’s top prize.

Superman and Spanish artists lead the charge at Angoulême Comics Festival

Several leading publishers have also withdrawn support, calling this year’s edition “compromised” and saying their trust in the organisers had been “broken”.

On 20 November, the festival’s main public funders – who normally provide around half of its €6 million budget – recommended that the 2026 edition be scrapped, saying it would be “extremely difficult” to stage the event under the current circumstances.

“The 2026 Festival cannot physically go ahead under satisfactory conditions,” lawyers for 9e Art+ said in a statement sent to AFP. “This situation is in no way a voluntary decision by 9e Art+, whose sole purpose is to run the Angoulême Festival, but rather a unilateral decision made without consultation by public funders.”

The company expressed concern over the “human and economic consequences” of the cancellation and warned of “significant uncertainty” surrounding the 2027 edition, which it remains legally entitled to organise. 

(With newswires)

The National Union of Journalists (SNJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) confirmed on Tuesday that they had lodged a complaint for “obstruction of the freedom to practise journalism” at a Paris court.

They argue that Israel’s restrictions on media access, along with reported intimidation and violence against French journalists working in the region, amount not only to a breach of press freedom but potentially to war crimes.

Because the allegations concern French citizens, the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office (PNAT) is authorised to open an investigation.

In a 100-page submission – made public by FranceInfo – the unions say the case is the first to lean on France’s specific offence of obstructing journalistic freedom, and the first to urge prosecutors to consider its application in an international setting where, they argue, attacks on the media have become “structural”.

France’s top diplomat calls for foreign press access to Gaza

‘Violation of humanitarian law’

“This complaint denounces a concerted, sometimes violent, obstruction preventing French journalists from working in the Palestinian Territories and undermining press freedom,” said lawyer Louise El Yafi, one of the legal representatives behind the filing.

Her colleague, solicitor Inès Davau, said the complaint also draws attention to rising risks faced by French reporters in the West Bank. “These attacks, which violate international humanitarian law, also constitute war crimes,” she added.

The unions’ action is further supported by a French journalist – working across several French-language outlets and requesting anonymity – who has filed his own complaint after allegedly being assaulted by settlers while reporting in the occupied territories.

RSF says journalists ‘targeted’ in Israeli strike on Gaza hospital

Multiple cases linked to Gaza

This comes as Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says more than 210 media workers have been killed since Israel launched its military operation in Gaza following the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023.

Press groups have repeatedly criticised Israel’s longstanding refusal to allow foreign journalists to enter Gaza independently, with only a small number permitted to join Israeli troops under tight supervision.

The Paris complaint arrives amid a swathe of other France-based legal actions linked to the conflict.

These include cases concerning Franco-Israeli soldiers serving in an elite IDF unit, the French arms manufacturer Eurolinks, and several Franco-Israelis accused of complicity in the crime of colonisation.

Separately, PNAT has already asked an investigating judge to examine potential war crimes in the deaths of two French children killed during Israeli airstrikes in Gaza in October 2023.

(with newswires)

Three French unions – CGT, FSU and Solidaires – have called for the national, cross-sector strike action as part of ongoing opposition to the draft 2026 Budget, which is currently going through parliament and has to be agreed by the end of the year.

Sophie Binet, leader of the hard-left CGT union, has described the bill – which seeks to save nearly €44 billion in spending cuts, new revenue measures and taxes – as a “horror show“.

“There is money – in the pockets of the ultra-rich and big business!” is one of the slogans for the strike.

In a press release, the three unions slammed the lack of fiscal justice in the draft Budget and the “resistance from the right and far right, who have joined forces to protect large fortunes”.

The unions are demanding more, not less, funding for public services, jobs, pensions, industries and culture.

However, the absence of the centrist CFDT union – France’s largest – could limit the extent of strike action.

France roiled by anti-austerity protests as unions demand budget rethink

Transport

France’s train provider, the SNCF, says it does not expect disruption on mainline train services and neither the high-speed TGV nor Eurostar should be impacted.

Despite a call for walkout among public transport workers (bus, tramway, Metro) Paris operator RATP said it anticipated normal services across its network.

Two minority Air France pilots’ unions plan to strike on Tuesday over cuts to jobs, which could lead to flight alterations.

Schools

The FSU union represents over 80 percent of French teachers and class closures are expected in both primary and secondary schools.

Some 4,000 teaching posts will be cut in the 2026 Budget.

“There is no shortage of reasons to go on strike in our professions,” said the FSU-SNUipp, the largest primary-teaching union, citing “frozen pay, worsening working conditions, working time, burnout, hierarchical pressure, pension reform” and “insufficient resources”.

Snes-FSU, the main secondary-teaching union wants the job cuts cancelled. 

France in turmoil: ‘No one is willing to say the country needs to make sacrifices’

Public administration, healthcare

Both CGT and Solidaires have called on public servants to walk out on Tuesday, denouncing the “removal of 3,000 posts in the civil service – especially in education, the France Travail employment office, public finance departments and social-security bodies”.

Hospital doctors cannot walk out, but services in some hospitals could be affected following strike notices covering both the state civil service and the local civil service.

“Health-facility budgets are insufficient for carrying out their public-service missions, salary increases do not even keep up with inflation, and some professions are paid below the minimum wage,” says the Health and Social Action branch of the CGT. It demands a general pay rise of 10 percent.

In images: France stages mass protests and strikes over budget cuts

Demonstrations are expected in major French cities, with the Paris protest set to start at 4pm.

The proposed strike action comes ahead of a crucial phase in the debates on Wednesday, when lawmakers will debate plans to scrap the highly contentious changes to the legal age of retirement.

The 2023 pension reform raised the age from 62 to 64 but France’s Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has said he will back suspending the reform until presidential polls in 2027.

The Socialist Party has conditioned its support for the Budget on the reform being suspended and renegociated.

President Macron said the talks with Zelensky “could be a turning point” for the future of peace in Ukraine and security in Europe.

The discussions are part of a flurry of diplomatic activity aimed at brokering the terms for a potential ceasefire in the conflict which began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Zelensky’s visit to Paris came on the heels of a meeting between Ukrainian and US officials in Florida on Sunday, which US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as productive. 

The two sides have worked to make revisions to Washington’s initial 28-point proposal to halt the war, which was drafted without input from Ukraine‘s European allies.

It was criticised as being too close a reflection of Moscow’s maximalist demands on Ukrainian territory.

The American proposal would have seen Kyiv withdraw from its eastern Donetsk region and the United States de facto recognise the Donetsk, Crimea and Lugansk regions as Russian.

No ‘finalised plan’ on territories

After talks in Geneva just over a week ago, the United States updated the original blueprint following criticism from Kyiv and Europe, but the current contents remain unclear.

“There is currently no finalised plan on the territorial issues, strictly speaking. It can only be finalised by President (Volodymyr) Zelensky,” Macron said at a press conference after the talks in Paris.

For his part, Zelensky said he was expecting “a conversation with the president of the United States on key issues that are quite challenging” in the coming days.

Europe demands more work on US peace plan to end Russia-Ukraine war

He singled out the issues of territory, security guarantees, and Ukraine’s reconstruction as the most important in the settlement process.

He also said that Europe must be part of the discussion on Ukraine’s reconstruction. 

“The issue of money, restoration, without the presence of European partners, it is not easy to accept. It is difficult because the money is in Europe, and I think this is not very fair,” Zelensky said.

Tougher sanctions

Macron detailed a tougher stance on sanctions, stating that in the coming weeks, “the level of pressure on the oil and gas companies and the oil and gas industry in Russia will be in the highest since the beginning of the war.”

He described this move as a potential “game changer” that aims to further weaken Russia’s economy, which remains heavily reliant on energy exports.

Zelensky pushes EU to unlock €140bn in frozen Russian assets

“On the issue of frozen assets, security guarantees, accession to the European Union, and European sanctions, it can only be finalised with the Europeans at the table,” Macron said.

During the talks, Macron and Zelensky also called British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, “leaders” from Germany, Poland, Italy, Norway, Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands, as well as EU chief Antonio Costa, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte, the French presidency said.

Pressure on civilians

The diplomatic push comes as the war – which has killed tens of thousands of civilians and military personnel and displaced millions of Ukrainians – shows no sign of easing.

Zelensky said Russia had stepped up missile and drone strikes on his country to “break” the will of Ukrainians.

“This is serious pressure, not only psychological but also physical pressure on our population,” Zelensky said.

“We need to ensure that Russia itself does not perceive anything it could consider as a reward for this war.”

During November, Russia captured 701 square kilometres, the second-largest territorial advance of the war after that of November 2024 – not taking into account the initial months of the invasion, when the front line was highly mobile. This is according to the analysis of data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) by the French news agency AFP.

(With newswires)

From 1 December, France’s national health insurance will cover 100 percent of the cost of wheelchairs for people with disabilities or older adults experiences loss of autonomy.

It delivers on a pledge by President Emmanuel Macron at the National Disability Conference in 2023.

“You called on me to tell me the sometimes exorbitant cost you have to pay. It was a huge injustice,” the president said in a video posted on Instagram on Sunday.

According to the presidency the reform is a first in Europe. It covers all wheelchairs adapted to disability-related needs (from birth, acquired or accident-related) or to loss of autonomy associated with ageing.

“It’s a really revolution for people’s autonomy, you no longer have to advance a single euro,” Pascale Ribes, head of APF France handicap, told RFI.

France plays catch-up with services for people with disabilities before 2024 Olympics

Disability often ‘rhymes with poverty’

Ribes has been campaigning for more than 20 years on the cost of wheelchairs.

Until now, reimbursement for the most advanced wheelchairs was extremely low. Active, lightweight models costing up to €10,000 were reimbursed at around €600, while complex electric chairs priced at €40,000 to €50,000 were capped at €5,200.

Users often had to seek top-ups from complementary insurers, departmental disability services, local authorities, associations, relatives or online fundraising campaigns.

Ribes notes that “disability too often rhymes with poverty”, forcing many people to scramble for funding or risk having to abandon essential equipment.

The new system simplifies and centralises the process: users receive a prescription from a doctor or a multidisciplinary team for complex cases, then contact a distributor who handles trials and submits a quote to national health insurance.

A 15-day “silence equals consent” rule – extended to two months for highly specific options – means the chair can then be provided without any advance payment or remaining charge.

According to the ministry responsible for people with disabilities, there are 1.1 million wheelchair users in France. Each year, 150,000 new wheelchairs are acquired.

The Elysée said the move “puts an end to an unjust and intolerable situation”, estimating annual costs could rise from €300 million to “€400 or 500 million”.

Council of Europe rules France violated charter on disabled people’s rights

Risk of supply shortages

A new national classification imposes price caps across 17 categories, from €360 for standard chairs to €21,000 for electric vertical-standing models.

Early negotiations were “tough” and risked excluding certain models, said Mazhoura Ait Mebarek of the National Union of the Medical Technologies Industry (Snitem), but the sector has since adapted. By late November, more than 430 approval requests had been submitted, with around 120 still pending.

Providers warn, however, that parts of the reform may strain the system. Short-term rental, used for temporary mobility needs and around 500,000 chairs annually, will be restricted to six months, with weekly rates cut from €16 to €11, less than €4 of which will be reimbursed.

“The risk is that, in time, fewer providers will offer rentals because the activity is costly,” said Julia Crépin of the distributors’ union UNPDM.

Long-term rental for people whose conditions progress rapidly, and the refurbishment of second-hand chairs, will not be operational immediately.

Lack of specialists

Technical approvals for some models may also take longer than planned. “The objective will be achieved, but not necessarily by 1 December,” said Nathalie Creveux of UPSADI –  a new trade union for small and medium-sized home healthcare providers.

But the biggest constraint could be the availability of specialists. Complex chairs must be prescribed jointly by rehabilitation doctors or assistive-device specialists and occupational or physiotherapists.

“We live in a country with ‘medical deserts’ at every level,” said Malika Boubékeur of APF France handicap, calling for a national map of qualified centres.

A monitoring committee led by disability minister Charlotte Parmentier-Lecocq will meet monthly to oversee implementation of the reform.

(with newswires)

The global fight against HIV/Aids has found itself at a troubling crossroads. On one hand, scientific progress is picking up pace; on the other, the latest UNAIDS report paints a stark picture of a world struggling to keep its momentum.

International response is weakening, held back by falling funding and disrupted health services.

Worldwide, an estimated 41 million people are now living with HIV. Last year saw 1.3 million new infections, and 9.2 million people still lack access to life-saving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment.

According to UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima: “the global response to HIV has suffered its biggest setback in decades.” 

But she insists that “HIV is not over,” and has called for renewed global mobilisation.

Her plea follows especially disappointing news: the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria raised just over €9 billion for the next three years – far short of the €15 billion it says is needed.

This is even lower than the last replenishment round in 2022, threatening the future of crucial programmes around the world.

Trump’s aid cuts prompt African leaders to embrace self-reliance

Positive developments in the lab

But it’s not all bleak. In research centres worldwide, scientists are making remarkable advances.

Yazdan Yazdanpanah, director of the French National Agency for Research on AIDS and Emerging Diseases (ANRS-MIE), describes the situation as a paradox: impressive scientific advances on one side, declining capacity to roll them out on the other – a sort of “double dynamic”.

One encouraging development is the arrival of long-acting antiretroviral treatments. Instead of taking a pill every day, people can now receive treatment once every two months.

This, Yazdanpanah explains, boosts adherence and generally feels more manageable for many. Some 43 percent of people living with HIV say these long-acting treatments are their first choice – even before considering side effects or tablet size.

Prevention tools are also evolving. A major breakthrough is injectable PrEP, which offers long-term protection against HIV.

Stamping out misinformation in France’s fight against HIV-Aids

Lenacapavir – recently recommended by the World Health Organization – provides six months of protection with a single shot.

“It’s one injection every six months to prevent HIV,” says Yazdanpanah. Thanks to an international pricing agreement, the cost could be around €35 per year in 120 low-resource countries, compared with roughly €25,300 per year previously charged in the United States.

South Africa, Eswatini and Zambia on Monday began administering the groundbreaking injection in the drug’s first public rollouts in Africa.

Eastern and southern Africa account for about 52 percent of the 40.8 million people living with HIV worldwide, according to 2024 UNAIDS data.

Under the programme, manufacturer Gilead Sciences has agreed to provide lenacapavir at no profit to two million people in countries with a high HIV burden over three years.

Critics say this is far below the actual requirement and that the market price is out of reach for most people.

Progress needs power, power needs funding

These advances, impressive as they are, risk remaining theoretical unless health systems can keep up.

In 2025, global development aid for health fell by 22 percent, driven largely by reductions or withdrawals from major US programmes.

The consequences are already being felt, says Françoise Vanni, external relations director at the Global Fund.

“There has been a crisis in international financing for the fight against HIV/Aids and for global health more broadly, with drastic cuts from a number of donor countries that have really caused major interruptions in the delivery of essential services,” she explained to RFI.

With infections rising again in several countries, she is blunt about the reality for frontline programmes: “Very concretely, it means it is much more difficult to fight these diseases effectively.”

AIDS pandemic risks ‘resurging globally’ amid US funding halt: UN

Nowhere is this fragility clearer than in sub-Saharan Africa, which bears a disproportionate share of the epidemic. The region accounts for a large share of new HIV infections and is home to 60 percent of all people living with the virus.

In 13 countries, fewer people started treatment last year. Supply shortages have been felt, too, with disruptions in Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo affecting both HIV testing and access to antiretroviral (ARV) therapy.

The funding crisis, compounded by the lasting effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, is undermining the progress made since the early 2000s.

In Nigeria, condom distribution has dropped by 55 percent.

Community organisations – traditionally the backbone of HIV work – are also under heavy strain, with more than 60 percent of those led by women forced to suspend essential programmes.

UNAIDS makes its position clear: science alone cannot end the epidemic. The agency is urging the global community to rethink the funding model so that heavily affected countries invest more of their own resources. Without this shift, the world will almost certainly fall short of its goal to end the HIV/Aids epidemic by 2030.

At best, current trends would allow the international community merely to hold the epidemic steady. At worst, if the decline in funding continues, UNAIDS warns of a resurgence of HIV/Aids by 2030.

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

Gaël Perdriau, who has been mayor of the eastern industrial city of Saint-Etienne since 2014, throughout the trial had denied ordering the recording of a video involving his former deputy, Gilles Artigues, a Roman Catholic who had spoken out against gay marriage.

But a court in the eastern city of Lyon found the 53-year-old guilty of blackmail, criminal conspiracy and diverting public funds, handing him four years behind bars – as well as another suspended – and a five-year ban from public office, effective immediately.

Perdriau was “entirely guilty”, the presiding judge, Brigitte Vernay, said.

During the trial, prosecutors had argued that Perdriau commissioned the sex tape filmed in a hotel room in early 2015 to ensure Artigues’ loyalty, warning he would release it if his deputy broke ranks.

“He was the one with his finger on the nuclear button,” prosecutor Audrey Quey told the court, describing the mayor as the “decision-maker”.

Threats, fear

The court also handed prison sentences to three co-defendants, including the mayor’s former chief of staff and another deputy, who admitted to setting up the trap.

After the ruling, Perdriau insisted he was innocent and vowed to appeal.

But Artigues in 2017 secretly recorded a conversation with Perdriau, in which the mayor can be heard telling him he has a “USB stick” full of compromising images and threatening to release them.

Sarkozy loses final appeal as top court upholds 2012 campaign conviction

Artigues told the court the result was him being paralysed in city hall meetings.

“I was like a puppet,” he said. “They put me there, and I smiled.”

The former deputy – who testified that he had suffered suicidal thoughts – welcomed Monday’s verdict.

“Today, I think I will be able to rebuild my life,” he said, surrounded by family members.

(with AFP)

According to a security report prepared for the United Nations and seen by AFP, armed groups known as “bandits” in northwest Nigeria kidnapped “at least 25 residents” in twin assaults on the villages of Unguwar Tsamiya and Dabawa in Kano state.

Kidnappings have been rare in Nigeria’s northern commercial hub.

Separately, in northeastern Borno state, the epicentre of a long-running jihadist insurgency, nine onion farmers were kidnapped by suspected jihadists, militia commander Tijjani Ahmed said.

Kidnappings for ransom by armed groups have plagued Nigeria since the 2014 abduction of 276 school girls in the town of Chibok by Boko Haram jihadists.

A spate of kidnappings in recent weeks – involving hundreds of schoolchildren – has prompted the UN to warn of a “surge in mass abductions”.

Nigeria declares security emergency after wave of mass kidnappings

At the same time, Nigeria is under intense criticism from the United States, which has threatened military intervention over what it calls the mass killing of Christians.

The Nigerian government and independent analysts reject Washington’s framing of the security situation in the country, home to myriad conflicts that kill across ethnic and religious lines.

A wave of attacks in November saw some 400 people kidnapped, including more than 300 schoolchildren in two assaults, according to an AFP tally of major incidents.

Kidnap-for-ransom

Statistics on kidnapping are hard to pin down, with many going unreported.

But in the 12 months between July last year and June 2025, at least 4,722 people were kidnapped in 997 incidents, and at least 762 were killed, according to a recent report by SBM Intelligence.

During that period, “Nigeria’s kidnap-for-ransom crisis consolidated into a structured, profit-seeking industry”, said the Lagos-based security advisory firm.

US lawmakers split over Trump’s claim of Christian persecution in Nigeria

It said kidnappers obtained some 2.57 billion naira (around $1.66 million) in ransom.

Motivated by money rather than ideology, bandits conduct kidnappings, extortion and looting in areas that have long suffered from little state or security presence.

Government efforts have tried to strike peace deals with bandits.

Critics say that while such accords have occasionally brought relief, they often result in the bandits keeping their arms and using areas where they have a truce as a base to attack neighbouring localities.

(with AFP)

Ekane, 74, leader of the African Movement for New Independence  and Democracy (Manidem) party, was arrested on 24 October in Douala following post-election demonstrations in what his party described as a “kidnapping” by Cameroonian soldiers.

He was being held at a military garrison in the capital Yaoundé on charges of hostility against the state, incitement to revolt, and calls for insurrection – accusations he denied.

Ekane was among opposition figures who objected to the result of the 12 October election in which Paul Biya, the world’s oldest president at 92, was declared the winner of another term.

Rival candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary claimed to have won and has called on Cameroonians to reject the official result.

Ekane’s death in detention could heighten tensions in the central African nation where security forces killed 48 civilians as they responded to protests against Biya’s re-election.

Cameroon opposition leader flees to Gambia for ‘safety’ after contested vote

Demands for transfer refused

Ekane was barely able to speak during a visit just days before his death, his lawyer Ngouana Ulrich Juvenal said. His sister, Mariane Simon-Ekane confirmed the death on Facebook.

Alarmed by the decline in his health, his party Manidem issued a statement on Sunday calling for his urgent transfer to another hospital where he could receive “more suitable and appropriate” medical care.

In an earlier statement on 21 November, his party said that Ekane’s oxygen concentrator and other essential medical devices he needed were locked in his impounded vehicle at a military police station in the commercial capital Douala.

France concerned about Cameroon’s violent crackdown on post-election protests

The party accused the commander of the station of repeatedly blocking lawyers’ efforts to recover Ekane’s medical equipment, calling it a “flagrant human rights violation” that amounted to a “programmed killing”.

In Sunday’s statement the party warned it “would hold the Yaoundé regime responsible for the consequences of refusing the transfer”.

Cameroon’s defence ministry confirmed Ekane’s death on Monday, saying he died “following an illness”. It said an investigation has been opened into the circumstances.

Tchiroma supporter

Ekane was a major figure in Cameroon politics, active in public and political life since the early 1990s.

He first supported opposition leader Maurice Kamto, who was banned from running, before backing the main presidential contender Tchiroma.

Following the announcement of his death, several local media outlets interrupted regular programming to broadcast live reports. Messages of grief and tributes poured in on social media.

Ekane’s detention, along with that of party member Florence Aimee Titcho and other supporters of Tchiroma, had drawn condemnation from opposition groups, which demanded their immediate and unconditional release.

Tchiroma fled to Gambia and is being hosted there on humanitarian grounds, according to Gambian authorities.

(with newswires)

The sale concerns the PPL 2000 and PPL 2001 exploration areas, located in the prolific West Delta basin and covering a combined 2,000 square kilometres.

TotalEnergies obtained the exploration rights in September after winning them in the 2024 licensing round organised by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.

Under the agreement, which remains subject to regulatory approval and customary conditions, TotalEnergies will retain a 40-percent stake and continue as operator of the two blocks.

Chevron, through its subsidiary, will hold 40 percent, while Nigerian partner South Atlantic Petroleum will maintain its existing 20 percent interest.

“This new joint venture reinforces TotalEnergies’ global offshore exploration collaboration with Chevron,” the French group said, recalling that it had taken a 25-percent stake earlier this year in a portfolio of Chevron-operated offshore exploration blocks in the United States.

Nicola Mavilla, TotalEnergies’ Senior Vice-President for Exploration, said the partnership “aims at derisking and developing new opportunities in Nigeria, in line with the objectives of the country”.

Nigerian president in Paris as France pivots towards anglophone Africa

The company described the West Delta basin as a key region for expanding exploration activities in West Africa, where both TotalEnergies and Chevron have long-standing interests.

The agreement marks another step in TotalEnergies’ strategy to optimise its exploration portfolio and strengthen cooperation with major international players in frontier basins.

TotalEnergies and South Atlantic Petroleum had signed a production sharing contract for the two licences on 2 September, formalising rights that could pave the way for future discoveries in the deepwater zone.

The planned stake sale, once completed, will consolidate a trilateral partnership between French, American, and Nigerian energy players as the sector seeks to balance investment opportunities with regulatory and environmental considerations.

(With newswires)

French Ecological Transition Minister Monique Barbut, whose country is hosting the meeting in a Paris suburb, told the scientists their “extremely precious” work is crucial as multilateralism has weakened.

“There is also something that should concern us all: The rise of climate-related disinformation on our social media, in our newspapers and even at the heart of our policy political institutions,” Barbut said.

“Too many people deny the results of your work,” she told the experts from more than 100 countries gathered in a skyscraper in Saint-Denis, just north of the capital.

Their work faces hurdles in the face of a US administration whose president called climate change the “greatest con job ever” and a “hoax” during a speech at the United Nations in September.

One of the lead authors of the next Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report is US climate expert Katherine Calvin, who was fired from her job as chief scientist at NASA following orders from the Trump administration.

“The statements, for example, from the American administration on the origin of climate change, the fact that it’s a hoax, if you will, we still find that quite surprising,” said an official at the French ecological transition ministry who requested anonymity.

Irreversible changes to nature

The previous report by the IPCC, released in 2023, had warned that the world was on track to exceed the 1.5C warming threshold by 2030.

The UN now says that safer limit will be breached earlier than feared, greatly increasing the risk of violent storms, floods and droughts and irreversible changes to nature.

The meeting in France launches a process that will culminate with the IPCC’s Seventh Assessment Report (AR7), due to be published in 2028 or 2029.

It brings together lead authors of the report in a single venue for the first time, in an effort to tackle interdisciplinary climate questions.

Fossil fuel rise drives planet closer to critical climate safety limit

The IPCC operates by consensus.

“If any country opposes the text, the report cannot be approved. Every country has a sort of veto,” climate scientist Robert Vautard told reporters last week.

While the US government stays out of the climate fray, dozens of American scientists are among the experts working on the IPCC report.

“IPCC reports are going to continue to underpin climate policies and climate action at every level, including international negotiations,” IPCC chairman Jim Skea told the gathering in Saint-Denis.

Timeline issues

There already appear to be disagreements over the timing of the next report’s publication.

A group called the High Ambition Coalition, which includes European Union countries and developing nations vulnerable to climate change, wants the assessment to come out in 2028.

That would coincide with the global stocktake – a review, required under the 2015 Paris Agreement, of the progress countries have made in limiting climate change and its impacts.

Amazon summit seals climate deal without fossil fuel plan

But a group of emerging economies and major fossil fuel-producing countries say more time is needed and are advocating for 2029.

The divide echoes the disagreements seen at the UN’s recent COP30 climate summit in the Brazilian Amazon city of Belem, which concluded with a deal that left out an explicit call to phase out fossil fuels.

Despite the disagreements over when to publish the next report, Skea told AFP in March: “I don’t think the IPCC is in crisis. We will resolve this issue about the timeline.”

(with AFP)

France is once again mired in political turmoil after the National Assembly last week overwhelmingly rejected the revenue side of the 2026 budget.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is trying a new method: rather than attempting to push a full budget through a fractured parliament, he aims to break spending into “absolute priorities” – security, energy, agriculture and state reform – and put each item to MPs separately.

The move is intended to avoid another budget showdown, after two years of governmental instability that have steadily chipped away at President Emmanuel Macron’s authority.

Critics, however, argue that the plan is merely a repackaged version of political improvisation – a delay tactic that risks further weakening France’s credibility at home and on the world stage.

Jean-François Husson, the Senate’s general rapporteur for the budget, delivered one of the sharpest criticisms of Lecornu’s move, describing it as a chaotic and ill-timed intervention.

“If you want to give the French a dizzying ride, you could hardly do it better than this,” he remarked, arguing that the government’s approach was generating more confusion than clarity.

For author and political strategist Gerald Olivier, there is a deeper problem.

“France is sick, and France has been sick for a while,” he says. “We’re basically looking at a country with no government, no parliamentary majority and a total impossibility for any prime minister to put forward a credible programme.”

French lawmakers roundly reject income part of budget bill, send it to Senate

France technically needs to pass its budget by 31 December, but Olivier is quick to point out that this deadline has been missed before. “Last year, the budget wasn’t passed until February,” he notes.

If the same thing happens this time, the government can fall back on a temporary financial law that keeps spending aligned with the previous year’s budget for up to 70 days. A more drastic option – to rule by decree – exists as a constitutional backstop.

“This crisis exists because there is no majority in parliament,” Olivier says. “And it’s also because no party has had the courage to face the kind of medicine that France needs. That’s the larger issue.”

International credibility

As a major European power, France’s domestic politics do not stay domestic for long. International investors and European Union partners are watching closely, especially after recent warnings from credit-rating agencies about France’s deficit trajectory.

According to Olivier, the damage is already evident. “France is already in a recession, and there are investments simply passing the country by,” he argues. “No one knows what its tax status will be in the coming years.”

That uncertainty could have a ripple effect across the continent. France, he warns, risks becoming “economically weak and therefore politically weak within Europe”, potentially deepening divisions between EU member states.

France’s economy minister warns latest credit downgrade a ‘wake-up call’

“The one reassuring piece of news is that France is not the only one in this situation. Germany is in dire shape, Italy is shaky, Sweden is having problems. It seems today that everyone in Europe is the sick man of Europe,” he added.

Periods of political instability often attract external opportunists – whether governments, speculators or hostile influence campaigns. But Olivier remains cautious when asked whether foreign actors are already exploiting France’s woes.

“I don’t necessarily see it,” he says, “but if you want to consider fictional scenarios, you could find many.”

France’s EU membership, he argues, offers a buffer. “Having the EU behind you is reassuring. The idea of ‘Frexit’ would be disastrous. The euro provides protection.”

Still, the consequences of weakened governance can extend beyond the economy. A fragile budget could force France to scale back overseas military deployments – a shift that could alter power dynamics in parts of Africa and the Middle East. “This kind of instability is not healthy for anyone,” Olivier says.

A president without momentum

Macron’s political capital has been in decline since the 2022 legislative elections, when he lost his absolute majority. The surprise dissolution of the Assembly after the 2024 European elections only worsened matters, splitting the parliament into three mutually hostile blocs.

“It’s done tremendous damage to Macron,” Olivier says. “He was re-elected in 2022 because people didn’t want Marine Le Pen. He didn’t have the support he had in 2017, and disappointment set in.”

He argues that Macron himself triggered the crisis. “He dissolved the Assembly for no reason. The European elections had no influence on French politics, but he reacted as if they did – and he made things worse.”

Could the president break the deadlock? In theory, yes. “Macron could solve it instantly by resigning,” Olivier notes. “That would trigger a new presidential election, followed by fresh parliamentary elections. That’s how institutions are supposed to function.” But he sees no sign that Macron intends to take that step.

For now, he predicts “another 18 months of instability” with the possibility of yet another government reshuffle. “We’ve had four governments in 12 months. We could have a fifth one next year. There is no telling.”

France’s Le Pen asks Bardella to prepare for 2027 presidential bid

Eyes on 2027

With Macron unable to stand again, attention is already turning to the 2027 presidential race.

The National Rally – headed by Marine Le Pen and her rising protégé Jordan Bardella – enters the campaign in a strong position. Republican Bruno Retailleau could emerge from the right, France Unbowed’s Jean-Luc Mélenchon or Socialist Olivier Faure from the left. Names from the centre such as MEP Raphaël Glucksmann and the former prime minister from Macron’s Renaissance party, Manuel Valls, have been floated too.

Olivier’s concern is not who the candidates are but how honest they will be about the situation.

“No one is willing to say the country needs to make sacrifices,” he warns. “France is in debt up to 115 percent of GDP. Public spending is too high. But nobody wants to tell voters that the social state cannot remain as generous as it is.”

He singles out one controversial, far-right figure: “The only person honest about the economic reality is Éric Zemmour – and there is zero chance he will be the next president.”

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winner’s names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you’ve grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week.

2026 is right around the corner, and I know you want to be a part of our annual New Year celebration, where, with special guests, we read your New Year’s resolutions. You must get your resolutions to me by 15 December to be included in the show. You don’t want to miss out! Send your New Year’s resolutions to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This week’s quiz: On 25 October, just days after the famous theft of the French crown jewels from the Louvre, I asked you a question about another famous theft from the Louvre. You were to re-read our article “Paris police hunt Louvre thieves after priceless jewels vanish in daring heist”, and send in the answers to these three questions: Which artwork was stolen from the Louvre in 1911, and by whom? How did he do it?

The answers are, to quote our article: “In 1911, the Mona Lisa famously vanished from its frame, spirited away by Vincenzo Peruggia, a former museum employee who hid overnight in a broom cupboard and simply walked out with the painting under his coat.”

Interesting fun fact, also in our article: The Mona Lisa at that time was not a famous painting at all. Because the theft made global headlines, when it was recovered two years later in Florence, it had become the most famous painting in the world.

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: What “Instant Karma” incident have you been involved in?  

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Jayanta Chakrabarty from New Delhi, India. Jayanta is also this week’s bonus question winner. Congratulations on your double win, Jayanta.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Naved Rayan, the president of the RFI Fan Club in Murshidibad, India. There are RFI Listeners Club members Sahadot Hossain from Kishoreganj, Bangladesh and Karobi Hazarika from Assam, India, and last but not least, RFI English listener Khizar Hayat Shah, the president of the Sadat Listeners Club in Punjab, Pakistan.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: The “Hunting Song” from Felix Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words Op.19 No.3, performed by Daniel Barenboim; the theme from To Catch a Thief by Armando Trovajoli; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “The Harder They Come” by Jimmy Cliff, performed by Jimmy Cliff and his ensemble.  

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 “France says goodbye to star pandas going back to China”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 12 January to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 17 January podcast. When you enter, be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

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

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

In Sudan, the UN’s humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, said last week that atrocities in Darfur – where the rebellious RSF are fiercely battling the regular army and targeting civilians – have been met with indifference and “complete impunity”.

He made the remarks following a visit to the devastated Sudanese region.

Chad has consequently become a refuge for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the conflict in Sudan – and as violence against civilians intensifies in Darfur, even more are crossing the border. The influx is placing severe pressure on already scarce resources in one of Africa’s poorest countries.

Meanwhile, Charlotte Slente, Secretary General of the Danish Refugee Council, travelled to eastern Chad recently and spoke to us while on the ground visiting refugee camps. She said that the escalating humanitarian crisis urgently requires the world’s attention and that she expects more people to flee Sudan in search of safety and basic survival.

As thousands flee, Sudan’s war spills over into humanitarian crisis in Chad

Last weekend in South Africa, the final event of the country’s G20 South African presidency – the heads of state summit  – took place in Johannesburg, aiming to secure commitments on debt relief for developing countries and to address global inequalities.

World leaders signed a declaration reflecting a “renewed commitment to multilateral cooperation”, according to South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa.

We have two guests reflecting on this significant year for Africa:

• Désiré Assogbavi, Adviser for Africa at the Open Society Foundations, a lawyer and international development expert in African institutions, policy, and politics, who took part in many of this year’s meetings in South Africa, including the Heads of State Summit in Johannesburg this weekend;

• Ivor Ichikowitz, founder and director of the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, which has produced the comprehensive African Youth Survey G20 Briefing to better understand what young Africans expect from this moment of leadership.

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

Finally, we’ll hear from my colleague Ollia Horton, who recently met in Paris with the Ghanaian artist Emmanuel Aggrey Tieku, a civil engineer by profession and an artist at heart.

A stitch in time: the Ghanaian artist sewing trash into treasure

He has found an innovative way to raise awareness of the problem of textile waste in his native Ghana.

His  installations are stitched together from hundreds of pieces of used clothing, collected from cities around the world as part of a project that has spanned decades.

Episode mixed by Melissa Chemam and Erwan Rome.

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

Erdogan told reporters alongside Zelensky that Turkey was ready to resume the “Istanbul Process”, the term Ankara uses for earlier talks between Ukraine and Russia.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Erdogan has strengthened ties with Vladimir Putin and has said those relations help efforts to end the fighting.

But Sinan Ciddi, of the US think tank the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, said Washington’s latest actions suggest Ankara’s influence is fading.

Ankara’s mediation, he said, had not produced results for either the Trump administration or its Western allies and has done little to move the conflict closer to a ceasefire or peace deal. “Washington is going its own way,” said Ciddi.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who is leading Washington’s peace efforts, did not attend the meeting in Ankara despite earlier reports he would.

Some analysts say Ankara overplayed its hand by suggesting it could use its ties with Putin to deliver a summit that never happened.

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

Changing diplomatic landscape

Russia-Turkey expert Zaur Gasimov, of the German Academic Exchange Service, said Ankara’s role has been weakened, with other countries such as Hungary now seen as possible venues for talks.

Donald Trump’s decision to deal directly with Moscow, he added, reduces the need for Turkey as a go-between.

“Russia at the moment is not interested in any kind of peace negotiations with Kiev. But Putin and Moscow are interested in direct negotiations with the United States on this issue and possibly other issues,” Gasimov said, adding that Russia still values its ties with Ankara.

“For Russia, contacts with Turkey are of paramount importance, being isolated by anti-Russian sanctions.”

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

Energy pressure on Ankara

Erdogan has refused to enforce most Western sanctions on Russia, saying his relationship with Moscow is needed to build peace.

But during Erdogan’s September visit to Washington, Trump told him to end imports of Russian energy, which make up around half of Turkey’s needs.

Erdogan appears to be responding, as Russian oil imports have fallen in recent weeks.

Ankara is also trying to strengthen its security ties with the European Union. Direct summits between Putin and Erdogan were once common but are now rare, with their meetings limited to the sidelines of international events.

“There is clearly a move, more effort to restore and bolster relationships with the Western world,” former Turkish ambassador Timur Soylemez told RFI.

Trump tests Turkey’s energy dependence on Russia with lure of US power

Balancing relations with Russia

Soylemez said Ankara will still try to avoid harming its relations with Moscow.

“The view from Ankara is that it’s never a zero-sum game. Actually, the trick is to prevent it from being a zero-sum game. I think that would be an ongoing effort right now,” Soylemez said.

Turkey’s ability to balance both sides, he added, remains important for a long-term peace.

“Turkish diplomacy and Turkey in general have shown there is a role for us to play,” Soylemez said.

“For example, the Black Sea, when it comes to prison exchange, when it comes to de-escalation on different topics. Basically, because we have a channel to both sides and we’re trusted by both sides.”

Turkey is working with its Black Sea NATO partners on mine clearance. Analysts say this could later help secure safe passage for Ukrainian ships under a peace deal.

But the targeting on Monday of a Turkish-flagged ship carrying a gas cargo at the port of Izmail in Ukraine by suspected Russian drones shows the risks Turkey faces as it tries to strengthen relations with Western allies without provoking Moscow.

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winner’s names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you’ve grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week.

2026 is right around the corner, and I know you want to be a part of our annual New Year celebration, where, with special guests, we read your New Year’s resolutions. So start thinking now and get your resolutions to me by 15 December. You don’t want to miss out! Send your New Year’s resolutions to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

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 counseled on the best-suited activities for your level according to your score.

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

Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This week’s quiz: On 18 October, I asked you a question about Morocco, where the young people are demanding reforms on education and health care, as well as tackling corruption and a cost-of-living crisis.

You were to re-read our article “Morocco Gen Z protesters call for ‘peaceful sit-ins’ to demand reforms”, and send in the answers to these two questions: What happened in the city of Agadir that lit the flame of the protests in September? And what is the combined cost the kingdom spent on renovating or building the stadiums for the Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cup?

The answers are, to quote our article: “The protests erupted in late September, after the deaths of eight pregnant women during Caesarean sections at a hospital in Agadir, in southern Morocco, sparked anger over conditions at public health facilities.” 

And for the second question: “Economist Najib Akesbi says there is a fundamental problem in how resources are allocated. ‘The needs of the majority of the population are clearly not being prioritised,’ he told RFI. ‘Instead, ostentatious, prestige-driven spending is favoured. That’s the great imbalance.’ The country’s large-scale sports infrastructure – the stadiums built or renovated for the Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cup, with a combined budget of nearly €2 billion – are the most striking examples, Akesbi argued.

‘The big problem in Morocco is that we invest massively, but often in projects that are not profitable, that generate neither sufficient growth nor enough jobs,’ he says.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: What is your favorite memory of your grandparents?  

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Helmut Matt from Herbolzheim in Germany. Helmut is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations on your double win, Helmut.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Reepa Bain, a member of the RFI Pariwer Bandhu SWL Club in Chhattisgarh, India, and Rubi Saikia, a member of the United RFI Listeners Club in Assam, also in India.

Last but not least, there are RFI English listeners Zeeshan, a member of the International Radio Fan and Youth Club in Khanewal, Pakistan, and Zhum Zhum Sultana Eva, from Naogaon, Bangladesh.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: Polonaise op 2, no 2 by Dionisio Aguado, performed by Julian Bream; “Raqsa cha’abya”  by Abderrahman el Hadri, performed by el Hadri and his ensemble; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Tune for T” by Laurent de Wilde, performed by de Wilde and the New Monk Trio.

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 “Louvre Museum in Paris shuts gallery over structural safety fears”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 15 December to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 20 December 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. 

Immediately following the Paris attacks on 13 November, 2015, the French government put in place a nationwide state of emergency, granting police exceptional powers to detain and search people suspected of links to terrorism. Some of those sweeping powers have since passed into law, at the expense of civil liberties. Law professor Sophie Duroy says that while the public may have got used to authorities having greater reach, it is not always the best way to fight terrorism. (Listen @0′)

Last December, 51 men were found guilty of raping or sexually assaulting Gisèle Pelicot in her home in Mazan in what was France’s biggest rape trial to date. It made headlines worldwide – not least because Pélicot chose to drop her anonymity to make “shame swap sides” from victim to rapist. Independent photojournalist Anna Margueritat was one of many to cover the trial, but in her own way: as a feminist, an activist and victim of sexual violence, posting daily photos and stories on her Instagram account. Author of a recent book on her experience, she reflects on her time in court and what it changed. (Listen @16’45”)

A judge this week suspended the auction of a nearly 400-year-old calculator, after a group of academics called for the government to stop it leaving France. The object in question is a Pascaline, one of the first calculating machines, invented by French scientist Blaise Pascal in the 1640s. (Listen @10’40”)

Episode mixed by Nicolas Doreau.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In partnership with Madhya Pradesh’s tourism board.

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

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

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

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

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

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