► Taming public debt

Number one on Barnier’s to-do list is reducing France’s €3.2 trillion public debt, which he called a “sword of Damocles” hanging heavy over France. 

The prime minister set his government the target of cutting the deficit from more than 6 percent of GDP now to 5 percent in 2025 and 3 percent in 2029. He plans to make two-thirds of those savings by slashing public spending, though he didn’t specify where.

Big companies and wealthy individuals will also be asked to contribute extra taxes, Barnier said – yet his finance minister later stressed that any hikes would come later, be temporary, and not apply to the vast majority of French tax payers.

Barnier also indicated he would be seeking savings through efficiency, pledging to merge government agencies and crack down on benefit fraud. 

France targets the rich with temporary tax hikes to bring down debt

► Higher minimum wage, pension reform revisited

For all his talk of spending cuts, Barnier was keen to stress that it wouldn’t be all austerity.

France’s minimum wage will go up 2 percent from November, he promised, two months ahead of schedule. 

Saying he wanted everyone feeling the cost-of-living pinch to see their circumstances improve by next year, the prime minister hinted at measures to help first-time home buyers and adjust the support available to low earners.

Barnier also promised to re-open talks with unions on some of the previous government’s thorny labour reforms – notably the contested increase in France’s retirement age.

The new premier said he would consider “reasonable and fair” adjustments to that policy, though he has previously stressed that the pension system’s strained finances leave little room for manoeuvre.

French trade unions stage nationwide strikes as PM Michel Barnier delivers first address

► Better public services

Barnier singled out health and education as the public services most urgently in need of attention. 

Many of the improvements he floated related to staffing: better conditions to attract more teachers, more residency positions for doctors, and calling on retirees to fill gaps in the workforce.

Tackling France’s “medical deserts” will also be a priority, Barnier said, suggesting that nurses and pharmacists could be granted new powers to treat patients while foreign doctors are encouraged to take up practice in underserved areas.

► Law and order

“We will be extending the system trialled during the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Barnier, promising to make sure police remain a visible presence on the streets.

He also wants to increase the number of convictions that result in time behind bars, proposing to make “short, immediately served prison sentences” standard for certain offences. The conditions for suspending or reducing sentences should also be tightened, Barnier said.

With France’s prisons already over capacity, he promised to add extra places – including, possibly, in new facilities reserved for short-term inmates.

French prison population hits new record as overcrowding concerns grow

► Mastering migration and border control

True to form, right-wing Barnier talked tough on immigration, which he said France no longer had under proper control.

Seeking to ensure that people denied permission to stay in France get deported, his government will seek to extend the maximum time authorities can detain irregular migrants, currently capped at 90 days.  

He is also mulling deals with other countries that could see France refuse to grant visas to their nationals unless they facilitate repatriations. 

Barnier equally promised to speed up decisions on asylum requests and ensure that France “reinstates checks at its own borders” for as long as necessary. 

EU countries tighten border checks amid security and migration fears

► Nuclear push

Fighting climate change will be as much of a priority as bringing down debt, Barnier vowed. 

His proposed policies centre around the transition away from fossil fuels – and notably towards nuclear power.

France will pursue the construction of new reactors, the prime minister said, while also nodding to the need to develop renewable energy sources such as solar power.

► New Caledonia unrest

Acknowledging the crisis rumbling in one of France’s overseas territories, Barnier called for a “new era” to begin in New Caledonia – where tensions between pro-France loyalists and those seeking independence are at their highest point in decades.

Local elections that had been due to take place on the Pacific islands in December will be pushed back to the end of 2025, he said, and a contested reform of voting rights is on hold.

More broadly, France’s overseas territories are “an essential part of our country”, Barnier said, promising to convene a committee to discuss their problems early next year.

Deadly unrest in New Caledonia tied to old colonial wounds

► Tending to France’s influence abroad

France’s influence in the world can’t be taken for granted, Barnier stressed as he pledged to pursue the country’s interests on the international stage “without arrogance”. 

Unsurprisingly for a former Eurocrat, he emphasised France’s place within the European Union and reiterated foreign policy positions in line with the EU’s – including support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, and a two-state solution in the Middle East.

► ‘Red lines’ on social freedoms

Barnier also set out a few things he wouldn’t do: roll back rights to abortion, equal marriage or IVF; tolerate racism, antisemitism or violence against women; or allow anything to undermine France’s secular ideals. 

► Culture of compromise

“Compromise is not a dirty word,” declared Barnier, who vowed to make dialogue his government’s watchword. In that spirit, he pledged to listen to MPs of all stripes, including those who fiercely opposed his appointment.

First up, he said, the government is open to “an ideology-free debate” on proportional representation – something long demanded by the far-right National Rally.

Barnier also hopes to invite the public to have its say via a “national day of citizen consultation”, to be held once every year or two years.

Where did France’s culture of political compromise go, and is it coming back?

Antoine Armand’s announcement on RTL radio comes a day after French Prime Minister Michel Barnier pledged to tackle “colossal” debt through a combination of spending cuts and new taxes.

The government is seeking to improve the country’s financial situation by an estimated 40 billion euros next year, with the aim of reducing the public sector deficit from more than 6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to 5 percent.

“Once we have managed to cut spending significantly, an exceptional and temporary effort will be required from those with extremely high incomes,” Armand said Wednesday.

He assured that low- and middle-income earners would be spared from the additional fiscal burden.

“Income tax brackets for those who go to work every day will not change,” he said.

French PM vows more taxes and spending cuts to reduce ‘colossal’ debt

‘Sword of Damocles’

This approach has raised questions about how the government will balance the need for increased revenue with the potential impact on the economy.

Analysts suggest that while targeting high-income earners might generate the necessary funds, it could also provoke resistance from those affected.

During his first major policy speech to parliament on Tuesday, Barnier described France‘s current financial landscape as a “true sword of Damocles” that hangs over every French citizen.

He said the government aims to meet the European Union‘s deficit limit of 3 percent of GDP by 2029, two years later than previously planned.

“We need to act now to secure a sustainable financial future for our country,” Barnier said. “Our debts exceed 3.2 trillion euros, and this is a situation we cannot ignore.”

The proposed tax increases will apply to “large and very large companies”.

Despite the government’s efforts to shield lower-income groups, public sentiment remains cautious. Some economists argue that the reliance on tax increases, particularly for high earners, may deter investment and slow economic growth.

The government is expected to submit its 2025 budget plan to parliament next week, outlining specific measures and the expected impact on various income groups.

The French president also insited that Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity be reinstated in strict compliance with United Nations Security Council resolutions.

This comes as Iran said that its missile attack on Israel was over – barring further provocation – while Israel and the US have promised to retaliate against Tehran’s escalation as fears of a wider war intensify.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has also called for an immediate regional ceasefire, writing on social media: “The dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliation risks … spiralling out of control”.

For his part, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with the leaders of Germany and France, and they agreed on a need for restraint from all sides. 

The United Nations Security Council meeting regarding the situation in the Middle East has been scheduled for later today.

French navy deploys near Lebanon as Israel launches ground raids on Hezbollah

‘Severe consequences’

Meanwhile, Washington has said it would work with long-time ally Israel to make sure Iran faced “severe consequences” for Tuesday’s attack, which Israel said involved more than 180 ballistic missiles.

“Our action is concluded unless the Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation. In that scenario, our response will be stronger and more powerful,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a post on X early on Wednesday.

Iran described the missile launch as defensive and solely aimed at Israeli military facilities, with Iran’s state news agency saying three Israeli military bases had been targeted.

Tehran said its assault was a response to Israel’s killing of militant leaders – including Lebanese Shi’ia leader Hassan Nasrallah – and aggression in Lebanon against Hezbollah and in Gaza.

Israel continues strikes on Lebanon as Iran vows to avenge Nasrallah death

Iran ‘will pay’ for missile attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to hit back. 

Speaking at the outset of an emergency political security cabinet meeting late on Tuesday, Netanyahu said: “Iran made a big mistake tonight – and it will pay for it.”

Israel renewed its bombardment early on Wednesday of Beirut’s southern suburbs – a Hezbollah stronghold – with at least a dozen airstrikes against what it said were targets belonging the group.

Iran’s General Staff of the Armed Forces said in a statement carried by state media that any Israeli response would be met with “vast destruction” of Israeli infrastructure.

It also said it would target regional assets of any Israeli ally that got involved.

Fears that Iran and the US could be drawn into a regional war have risen with Israel’s growing assault on Lebanon in the past two weeks, including the start of a ground operation there on Monday, and its year-old conflict in the Gaza Strip.

Nearly 1,900 people have been killed and more than 9,000 wounded in Lebanon in almost a year of cross-border fighting – most in the past two weeks – according to Lebanese government statistics.

On Wednesday, foreign minister Israel Katz that he was barring the United Nations secretary-general from entering Israel, accusing him of being biased against the country after Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at the country.

Many were intercepted mid-air but some penetrated missile defences, but no casualties were reported.

In a brief statement in the wake of Tuesday’s attack, Guterres issued a brief statement referencing only the “latest attacks in the Middle East” and condemning the conflict “with escalation after escalation“.

‘Persona non grata’

Earlier on Tuesday, Israel had sent troops into southern Lebanon, marking an escalation in hostilities between the Jewish state and Iran’s proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah.

Katz said Guterres’ failure to call out Iran made him persona non grata in Israel.

“Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel – as nearly all the countries of the world have done – does not deserve to set foot on Israeli soil,” Katz said.

“Israel will continue to defend its citizens and uphold its national dignity, with or without Antonio Guterres”.

• Macron condemns Iran’s attacks, mobilises French military in Middle East
• Israel continues strikes on Lebanon as Iran vows to avenge Nasrallah death

Strikes in Gaza, incursion in Lebanon

The move deepens an already wide rift between Israel and the United Nations and comes as Israeli strikes killed at least 51 people in southern Gaza overnight, including women and children, as the military launched ground operations in the southern city of Khan Younis.

Separately, Hezbollah has said its fighters clashed with Israeli troops in the Lebanese border town of Odaisseh, forcing them to retreat. 

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military or independent confirmation of the fighting, which marks the first ground combat since Israeli troops crossed the border this week.

The Israeli military warned residents to evacuate a further 24 villages in southern Lebanon after making a similar announcement the day before.

Hundreds of thousands have already fled their homes as the conflict has intensified.

For the third time since the 73-year-old campaigner’s arrest in late July in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, prosecutors had asked that his detention be extended, as the legal review of Japan’s extradition request drags on.

“The court in Greenland has today decided that Paul Watson shall continue to be detained until 23 October, 2024 in order to ensure his presence in connection with the decision on extradition,” police said in statement.

“Unfortunately, no, it’s not a surprise. The court has not changed its stance” Watson’s lawyer, Julie Stage, told French news agency AFP, adding they had appealed the decision.

Stage also said that they had also been granted the possibility of presenting their appeals of the previous detention ruling to Denmark’s Supreme Court.

“This is all based on a false accusation by a criminal enterprise, the Japanese whaling industry,” Watson himself said as he arrived at the courthouse in Nuuk.

Watson, the founder of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, was arrested on 21 July when his ship, the John Paul DeJoria, docked to refuel in Nuuk on its way to “intercept” a new Japanese whaling factory vessel in the North Pacific, according to the Captain Paul Watson Foundation (CPWF).

He was detained on a 2012 Japanese arrest warrant, which accuses him of causing damage to a whaling ship in 2010 and injuring a Japanese crew member with a stink bomb intended to disrupt the whalers’ activities.

Anti-whaling activist Watson says Greenland arrest ‘political’

In mid-September, Watson’s lawyers contacted the UN special rapporteur on environmental defenders, claiming that he risked “being subjected to inhumane treatment… in Japanese prisons”.

The lawyers have argued that Japan‘s extradition request is based on “false” claims, and insist they have video footage proving the crew member was not on deck when the stink bomb was thrown.

But the Nuuk court has refused to view the footage, arguing that the hearings are solely about his detention and not the question of guilt.

The lawyers have also argued that the crime is not punishable by a prison sentence under Greenlandic law, and Watson should therefore not be extradited.

‘Slow process’

Watson and his lawyers are awaiting a decision from Denmark‘s justice ministry on whether it will approve Japan’s extradition request as Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark.

The ministry said that the legal review was “underway”, but provided no date for when a decision could be expected.

“The process is slow. The Greenlandic police is doing its investigation, which it then has to submit to the prosecutor general, who then makes a recommendation to the minister,” Stage said.

“We want the Danish minister to make a decision. At the moment they’re just letting him rot in prison, it’s really a problem,” the head of Sea Shepherd France, Lamya Essemlali, said.

Essemlali added that Watson’s prison conditions have worsened.

“They have cut almost all his contact with the outside world. He’s only allowed to speak to his wife for 10 minutes a week,” she said.

Outcry in France as Greenland keeps anti-whaling crusader Paul Watson in jail

In France, a petition has gathered signatures from more than 190,000 people, including animal rights activist and former actress Brigitte Bardot.

Last month, President Emmanuel Macron’s office has called for Watson’s release and the outgoing Secretary of State for the Sea, Hervé Berville, has been pulling out the diplomatic stops with his Danish counterpart.

(with AFP)

Julian Assange – whose website had published thousands of leaked diplomatic cables – won freedom in June after more than five years behind bars in a British prison when he pleaded guilty to a charge under the US espionage act.

Addressing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Tuesday – in his first public comments since his release – Assange said he had “pleaded guilty to journalism”.

The resolution passed by PACE’s lawmakers, parliamentarians from the 46 member states of the Council of Europe, said Assange had suffered “more than a decade of politically motivated prosecution for his journalistic work.”

It warned that the “disproportionately harsh treatment” of Assange “creates a dangerous, chilling effect and a climate of self-censorship affecting all journalists”.

Wednesday’s resolution was passed to loud applause in the chamber with 88 for, 13 against and 20 abstentions.

Assange, accompanied by his wife Stella and WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson, saluted the chamber and raised a fist in triumph from the public gallery.

WikiLeaks founder Assange tells EU rights body he ‘chose freedom over justice’

‘Political prisoner’

Assange initially took refuge in the Ecuador embassy in London but when he was forced to leave in April 2019 he was held in the high-security Belmarsh prison in London. 

He was allowed to go free after a hearing on the US Pacific island of Saipan in June and sentenced to time served.

Until his trip to the Council of Europe headquarters, he spent time with his family in Strasbourg.

The PACE’s rapporteur on political prisoners, Icelandic lawmaker Sunna Aevarsdottir, said: “If you look at the definition of a political prisoner, Julian Assange and his case fulfil that definition.”

WikiLeaks founder Assange en-route to final US court hearing ahead of release

‘Transnational repression’

The PACE resolution said it was “alarmed” by reports that the CIA was covertly surveying Assange in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and “allegedly developing plans to poison or even assassinate him on United Kingdom soil”. 

“[PACE] reiterates its condemnation of all forms and practices of transnational repression”.

The rights body also slammed the British authorities for failing “to effectively protect Mr Assange’s freedom of expression and right to liberty”. 

The UK should now “conduct an independent review” of his treatment “with a view to establishing whether he has been exposed to torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”, it added.

PACE does not have the power to set laws but can demand action from member states of the Council of Europe, which is separate from the European Union.

The remains of the six Kali’na have been stored in large, grey cardboard boxes at the Museum of Mankind for 132 years. 

Each of them has a name card: Pékapé, Counai, Emo-Marita, Mibipi, Makéré and Miacopo. Some have photographs.

And soon, their descendants hope, they will have a dignified resting place back home.

But first they had to prepare their ancestors for the voyage through a shamanic ceremony, said Corinne Toka Devilliers, one of the 15-member delegation, whose great-grandmother Moliko was also exhibited in Paris but survived the experience.

“We couldn’t mourn without this crucial step with our shaman,” she told RFI’s Aram Mbengue.

“We had to soothe their souls, to be able to tell them: ‘We’ve come to find you, but first we wanted to talk to you, to comfort you so that you can return home calm and content’.”

Dancing with the spirits

The ceremony was held at the Museum of Mankind in the west of Paris, next to the Jardin d’Acclimatation park where Kali’na and Arawak people were exhibited in the late 19th century. 

“We had to show [our ancestors] that we were happy,“ Toka Devilliers said. “We performed a baraka [blessing], danced with the spirits and offered them our traditional cachiri drink.”

The shaman blessed the ground, since the ancestors were exhibited just nearby, Toka Devilliers said, pointing to where the glass-roofed exhibition hall used to be. 

He also blessed a photo featuring many of the group of 33 people who were shipped over to Paris from the port of Paramaribo – the capital of modern-day Suriname, then known as Dutch Guiana.

“Now everything is fine. We all feel calm,” Toka Devilliers said after the ceremony.

Listen to a report on the ceremony on the Spotlight on France podcast:

Exhibited like animals

In the 19th century, the Jardin d’Acclimatation made money exhibiting “exotic” peoples from far-off lands as part of what they called “ethnological shows” – now known more fittingly as human zoos. 

Native Americans from French and Dutch Guiana were among those locked up and exhibited half-naked for months.

They suffered from ill health, and were mistreated.

Paris’s forgotten human zoo

While the majority of the group went back home after about five months, eight of them died in Paris.

One is believed to have been buried in a cemetery north of the capital, while another’s body was dissected in the name of scientific research.

The other six were buried in Paris and their remains – essentially bones – later joined the archives of the Museum of Mankind, where they’ve been kept ever since.

As the identities of those six Kali’na have been established, the museum says it’s not opposed to handing them over to their descendants.

But significant legal obstacles remain.

French paradox

In December last year, a framework law was passed allowing for the restitution of human remains from the colonial era kept in public French museums. But it provides only for transfers to museums abroad, not within France – including those in overseas territories like French Guiana.

In 2014, the skull of a Kanak chief who led a revolt in 1878 against French colonial forces was returned to New Caledonia – another part of overseas France – but it had been held in a private, not public collection.

Additional legislation is now needed to allow for the transfer of human remains within French territory.

Jean Victor Castor, an MP representing French Guiana, has long supported the work of the Moliko Alet+po association Toko Devilliers founded to campaign for the return of her people’s remains.

“On 26 December 2023, we took a step forward, with a framework law concerning country-to-country restitution. Now we’re talking about restitution within France,” he told RFI. 

“If we can do it from country to country, there’s no reason why France can’t do it within its own borders. It’s a bit of a paradox. But I think it’s a battle we’re going to win.”

Race against time

The legislation gave the government a year to produce a report on how the process of restitution could be organised within French territories.

With the 26 December deadline fast approaching, Castor and other members of the delegation had been to the Ministry of Culture to put on the pressure.

“It acknowledged that the document had been written, but that it had not been signed at the time of [former prime minister] Gabriel Attal,” he told RFI’s sister station France 24. “It’s up to the new prime minister to sign it, before the December deadline. We’re still waiting.”

Given France’s turbulent political situation, with new Prime Minister Michel Barnier knee-deep in budgetary matters, the Kali’na file may not be top of the list of priorities.

Work of remembrance

Despite the frustration, Toka Devilliers is planning the return of the six Kali’na to their native lands.

The Moliko Alet+po association has inaugurated a memorial in western French Guiana in tribute to the 45 Kali’na and two Arawak people who were taken to Paris to be exhibited in two separate voyages in 1882 and 1892. 

As well as two statues, the memorial also has a vault to welcome the remains of the six Kali’na when they are finally allowed home.

Beyond the issue of restitutions, historian Pascal Blanchard, maker of a documentary on human zoos, says France “needs to step up the work of remembrance”.

“It’s fundamental, because this story doesn’t just concern the Kali’na and the Guianese,” he told RFI. “It concerns all French people, and beyond. There’s a lot of work to be done in terms of memory and transmission.”

Toka Devilliers is calling for France to officially recognise that it harmed innocent people.

“We want the government one day to officially say: ‘Yes, we harmed the indigenous Kali’na and Arawak people of Guiana and Suriname. We treated them like savages.’

“We’re waiting for an apology, but we come in peace. We’re not here to fight anymore. What we really want is for the story of the exhibited Kalin’as and Arawaks to regain its rightful place in the history of France.”

Arnault’s latest acquisition, announced on Tuesday, brings Paris Match under the umbrella of his vast media empire, after the publication spent time under the stewardship of right-wing media tycoon Vincent Bolloré.

France‘s richest man and CEO of luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, Arnault gained control of the iconic magazine as part of a broader deal that includes other publications like Le Journal du Dimanche.

These outlets were previously overseen by Bolloré, whose controversial influence stirred tension within France’s media landscape.

Right-ward shift

Bolloré’s ownership saw Paris Match increasingly shift toward more conservative content, a move that sparked criticism from both readers and journalists.

The Paris Match editorial team will now come under the larger framework of the Arnault-owned media group, which includes prestigious outlets like Les Echos and Le Parisien.

LVMH said in a joint statement with the previous owners that the deal “marks the beginning of a new chapter” in the history of Paris Match, which was founded in 1949.

France’s world photojournalism festival brings life on the margins into frame

Often described as a discreet yet powerful media player, Arnault is viewed by some as a stabilising figure compared to Bolloré.

However Arnault also regularly meets centrist President Emmanuel Macron and has been criticised for his attitude towards freedom of the press.

According to the specialist publication La Lettre, the billionaire has banned LVMH executives from speaking to to seven blacklisted media outlets.

The transaction also signals the ongoing consolidation of media ownership in France. Critics argue this concentration gives undue power to the country’s elite.

The first Paris Match under LVMH will be published on 10 October.

(with newswires)

The move signals a widening rift between Gachagua and President William Ruto, with their once-close alliance now apparently in tatters.

A total of 291 members of parliament signed the motion – far exceeding the one-third threshold required to bring it to a vote. The impeachment drive was initiated by Mwengi Mutuse, an MP from Ruto’s own coalition.

“Gachagua has inexplicably amassed a humongous property portfolio… primarily from suspected proceeds of corruption and money laundering”, Mutuse said in the motion.

He accused Gachagua of accumulating wealth estimated at 5.2 billion shillings (€35.96 million) within two years, despite an annual salary of just €83,520.

The deputy president faces 11 grounds for impeachment, including allegations he contradicted Ruto in public and likened the government to a company, suggesting those who voted for the coalition had first claim on public sector jobs and development projects.

“The curse of Africa has always been tribalism and corruption”, said Labour Minister Alfred Mutua on X. “This motion … is not about politics but about saving Kenya‘s soul.”

UN grants one-year extension for Kenya-led security mission to Haiti

Denials

Gachagua, a 59-year-old businessman from the vote-rich Mount Kenya region, has denied the accusations as politically motivated.

He claims to have been sidelined by Ruto in recent months and rejects allegations that he was behind violent anti-government protests earlier this year.

Those demonstrations, sparked by planned tax hikes, led to more than 50 deaths and saw Ruto nominate members of the main opposition to his government – a move that further marginalised Gachagua’s influence.

However, some analysts view the impeachment drive as a distraction tactic.

“The best way to divert attention from these crises is to create a crisis in the name of having to fix the deputy president”, Macharia Munene, a professor at the United States International University in Nairobi, told Reuters.

If the motion passes with a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, it will proceed to the Senate. There, Gachagua or his representative can respond to the allegations before a potential vote.

Should the impeachment succeed, Gachagua would become the first deputy president ousted under Kenya’s 2010 constitution. The last similar case occurred in 1989 when then vice-president Josephat Karanja resigned when faced with a parliamentary no-confidence vote.

(with newswires)

The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) agency said that by early September, some 702,973 people were displaced in Haiti.

“These latest figures show a 22 percent increase in the number of internally displaced people since June, highlighting the worsening humanitarian situation,” the IOM said.

The agency called for greater international attention on the crisis.

“The sharp rise in displacement underscores the urgent need for a sustained humanitarian response,” said Gregoire Goodstein, the IOM’s chief in Haiti.

“We call on the international community to step up its support for Haiti’s displaced populations and the host communities that continue to show remarkable resilience in the face of these challenges.”

The report said around 75 percent of those displaced were now sheltering in the country’s provinces.

The remainder are in Port-au-Prince “where the situation remains precarious and unpredictable”, said the IOM, with people often living in overcrowded sites, with little to no access to basic services.

The agency said 83 percent of displaced people were being hosted by families.

“The strain on resources is immense, with the majority of host households reporting significant difficulties, including food shortages, overwhelmed healthcare facilities, and a lack of essential supplies on local markets,” it said.

“It is crucial that efforts to restore stability and security across the country continue, alongside humanitarian aid to alleviate the immediate suffering of those affected.”

On Friday, the UN human rights office said more than 3,600 people had been killed this year in “senseless” gang violence in Haiti.

In October 2023, the UN Security Council approved sending a multinational stabilisation force, led by Kenya, to assist the Haitian police.

UN grants one-year extension for Kenya-led security mission to Haiti

The Security Council on Monday extended its authorisation of the multinational policing mission in crime-ravaged Haiti, but without any call to transform it into a UN peacekeeping mission, as floated by Port-au-Prince.

(with AFP)

The building is a former nursery from the 1970s loaned by the town hall where the couple is experimenting with low-tech living.

The idea is to design a lifestyle that produces no waste.

Low-tech includes innovative technologies and know-how that people can manufacture themselves to produce their own energy, food or recycle their own waste.

“Low-tech allows you to lead an urban lifestyle while cutting greenhouse gas emissions by five, it’s affordable and doesn’t use much water. In short, it’s sustainable,” Chatelperron told RFI.

The French engineer started to take an interest in low-tech innovation in 2019 when he was in Bangladesh. He then set up an organisation called the Low-tech Lab.

No waste, saving energy and water 

The laboratory-apartment in Boulogne has, among other things, dry toilets, a cooking system connected to a solar panel and even an edible cricket farm.

The idea of this ‘Biosphere Experience‘ is to design a lifestyle that produces no waste, emits no more than two tonnes of CO2 per year and cuts water consumption by 10.

Early bird gets the worm? French start-up hopes to put insects on the menu

“On average in France, we consume 150 litres of water per person per day in a conventional home, and here we’re down to 33 litres for two people per day,” says Pultz.

Biogas is produced from organic waste, and wastewater from the shower is transformed by bacteria to form a water basin. 

“It’s a 300-litre pool of water that grows plants, recycles shower water, and also regulates the apartment’s temperature when it’s too hot outside,” explains Chatelperron.

Low-tech in urban environment

Today, more than half the world’s population lives in cities, and for Chatelperron it’s a challenge to adapt low-tech to the urban environment.

“For us, the city is a rather extreme and hostile environment. 

“Living in little boxes like this is actually much more difficult than living in a 60-square-metre tent in the desert,” says Chatelperron.

France introduces compulsory home compost but infrastructure lacking says NGO

The experiment is due to last four months.

Following that, scientists will analyse the ergonomics and “desirability” of the project.

“We realised that people don’t want to change if it’s overly restrictive.

“So we had to show a desirable future that is possible with low-tech and that fits in with the planet’s limitations,” concludes Chatelperron.

This report is part of the C’est pas du vent podcast produced by RFI’s Anne-Cécile Bras.

According to Paris mayor, Anne Hidalgo, the speed limit along the entire 35-kilometre Boulevard Peripherique – known as the “Periph” – will drop to 50 km/h from  its current 70 km/h limit now.

The signs for the new speed limit are expected to be fully installed by 10 October.

The move has triggered criticism from drivers and other opponents, with the conservative political parties denouncing the measure as “socially unfair.”

The ring road is one of France’s busiest thoroughfares, used by around 1.2 million drivers every day, most of them from the Ile-de-France region  that includes Paris.

But Paris authorities say they want to improve the quality of life and reduce noise pollution for the 550,000 people living nearby.

“When you reduce speed, you reduce noise for all the people who live near this ring road,” said David Belliard, the mayor’s ecologist deputy in charge of transport.

“We’re going to give them a better quality of life,” he said, adding that locals would also sleep better.

“The right to sleep is extremely important.”

Reducing pollution, road accidents

BruitParif, an organisation that measures urban noise pollution, expects the measure to result in a 2 to 3-decibel drop in noise levels.

City officials also argue that the move will lead to fewer road accidents. Some experts also argue that the measure will help reduce emissions and improve air quality.

Paris and its suburbs exposed to excessive air-noise pollution, research shows

With average daytime speeds estimated at 37 km/h, the new limit is only likely to have a major impact at off-peak hours.

Valérie Pécresse, the head of the Ile-de-France region, said on Tuesday the lower speed would disproportionately affect people working night and early-morning shifts.

She condemned the measure as “socially unfair,” and a number of industries including hotels and restaurants have struck a similar note.

(with AFP)

“Our aim is to reduce the deficit to five percent [of GDP] in 2025, on the right path to reach the three-percent ceiling in 2029,” meeting the European Union target two years later than previously planned, Barnier said as he laid out his government’s policy programme.

He called France’s “colossal” debt of over 3.2 trillion euros – more than 110 percent of GDP – “the true sword of Damocles […] hanging over the head of France and of every French person”.

He said that two-thirds of deficit reduction would come from slashing spending from its present 57 percent of GDP – far above the 49-percent European average.

However, while France has “among the highest taxes in the world,” there would be “a time-limited effort that must be shared, with an insistence on tax justice” or equitably sharing the burden, Barnier added.

Highly-profitable big companies and wealthy individuals would both be called on to pay more, he said.

France to consider corporate tax increase to lower budget deficit

‘Red lines’

He called out “a second sword of Damocles that is just as terrible: the environmental debt we are leaving as a legacy to our children”.

France would bet on both its traditional strength in nuclear power and renewables to reduce carbon emissions, he said.

Barnier opened the door to tweaking last year’s hugely unpopular pension reform that raised the retirement age.

French trade unions stage nationwide strikes as PM Michel Barnier delivers first address

And in a list of red lines, he vowed “zero tolerance for racism and anti-Semitism” and protection for “freedoms achieved over the years” including on abortion, gay marriage and in-vitro fertilisation.

Barnier’s pledges directed at far-right voters included greater “security in daily life”, where “the public will be reassured by the presence of law enforcement”.

He added that “France will continue to re-establish checks on its own borders for as long as necessary, as is allowed under European rules and as Germany has just done”.

In talks with major countries of origin for irregular migration, France would threaten reductions in the number of visas issued for legal travel, Barnier warned.

His comments on immigration follow the rape and murder of a 19-year-old Paris student where a Moroccan man due to be deported was named as the suspected attacker.

MPs observed a minute of silence for the victim, named as Philippine, as the parliamentary session opened.

(with AFP)

Rwamucyo, 65, stands accused of spreading propaganda against Rwanda’s Tutsi population, who made up most of the 800,000 estimated victims of the 1994 massacres.

He is also alleged to have helped destroy evidence of the killings, including by burying victims’ bodies or even finishing off those wounded.

He faces charges of genocide and crimes against humanity, as well as complicity in and conspiring to prepare those crimes.

If convicted, he could face life in prison.

Denial

Rwamucyo, who moved to France in 1999, denies the charges. 

His lawyer, Philippe Meilhac, argues the accusations are politically motivated.

While his client acknowledges organising the burial of bodies in mass graves, he was seeking to avoid the “health crisis” that could have resulted if they were left in the open, Meilhac said.

But lawyers representing the plaintiffs in the case – an alliance of genocide victims and rights watchdogs – allege Rwamucyo was a known extremist.

They accuse him of holding public meetings while he was teaching at the university of Butare in southern Rwanda during the genocide to relay hate speech from the Hutu authorities overseeing the killings and incite violence against Tutsis.

In one instance in May 1994, he is alleged to have given an inflammatory speech alongside Jean Kambanda, the prime minister at the time.

Seventeen-year saga

The trial opened at the Paris assize court on Tuesday morning and is expected to continue until the end of October.

It comes 17 years after representatives of genocide victims first filed a complaint against Rwamucyo in France in April 2007.

Rwanda issued an international warrant for his arrest four months later, but Rwamucyo remained at liberty in northern France, where he worked at a hospital.

French police detained him in May 2010, as he attended the funeral of one of the masterminds of the Rwandan genocide, Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza, at a cemetery near Paris.

A French court subsequently denied Kigali’s request that he be returned to Rwanda to face trial. 

He was freed and moved to Belgium, but judges in France continued to investigate.

After Rwamucyo’s appeals to have the case dismissed were rejected, a criminal trial was finally ordered at the beginning of 2023.

Universal jurisdiction

Some 60 witnesses have been called to testify at the trial, which is due to conclude on 29 October. 

It is one of several dozen pursued by the Collective of Civil Parties for Rwanda (CPCR), an association founded in 2001 to seek the prosecution of genocide suspects in France.

The principal of universal jurisdiction allows the country’s courts to try cases of crimes against humanity even if they were committed outside its borders. 

Many people accused of participating in the Rwandan genocide later fled to France, a long-time ally of the Hutu regime. 

Rwanda marks 30 years since France’s contested mission to stem 1994 genocide

Seven have been tried so far, most recently Sosthene Munyemana, another former doctor who was sentenced to 24 years in prison in December 2023 for his involvement.

The CPCR has also filed a complaint against a third doctor, Charles Twagira, who it tracked down working at a hospital in Rouen. He was indicted in 2014 and remains under investigation, though not in custody.

Meanwhile former military policeman Philippe Hategekimana, who was convicted of genocide last year and sentenced to life in prison, is due to begin appealing that verdict in mid-November.

While Rwanda has welcomed efforts to hold “génocidaires” accountable, President Paul Kagame has objected to France’s repeated refusals to extradite suspects, as well as the slow progress of cases through its courts.

Thirty years after genocide, Rwanda’s relations with France are slowly mending

The CGT, the FSU, Solidaires and several student unions have joined forces for marches in several cities across France including Grenoble, Marseille, Rennes and Bordeaux in the morning, followed by afternoon rallies in Paris, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Lille and Dunkirk.

However, unions like the CFDT, the Force Ouvrière, the CFE-CGC, the CFTC (Christian workers) and the Unsa have said they will not join in this time because they felt it was “premature”.

While some railway workers are preparing to strike, the French national railway company, SNCF, announced on Sunday that traffic would be “normal” for high-speed trains (TGV) and there would be only slight disruptions for certain regional trains.

Teachers are expected to join the processions planned across the country, hoping to attract attention of the new National Education Minister, Anne Genetet.

The SNES-FSU teachers’ union said public service wages were “pitiful” and that no new measures were planned for 2024 and 2025.

It also pointed out that “at least [one] teacher was missing in 56 percent of middle and high schools” at the start of the school year, which began in September.

On Tuesday morning, three Parisian high schools were blocked by students who had called for a rallies in front of their establishments.

‘Enormous social anger’

Trade union leaders are keen to keep the pressure on the government with regards to their demands.

They want the unemployment insurance reform to be scrapped, a new negotiation on the employment of seniors, a repeal of the pension reform and an increase in wages.

“There is enormous democratic and social anger in the country. This is why the CGT is calling on employees to mobilise,” Binet told the daily Le Parisien on Sunday.

She also pointed to “the feeling of having been cheated in the last elections” which saw the far-right National Rally (RN) garner the most seats of any single political party in the new National Assembly.

Who is France’s new prime minister Michel Barnier?

Solidaires union described the government’s reaction to the elections and trying to force through its reforms as a form of “contempt”.

Nearly a month after cobbling together the minority government, Barnier will deliver his first general policy declaration as prime minister at 3pm local time (1 pm GMT) followed by a debate.

A key focus of the speech will be improving France’s budgetary position. Barnier has already indicated that he wants to increase certain taxes   and target “those who can contribute to this effort” while sparing “those who are on the ground, who work, who produce”.

(with newswires)

The ship will take “5 to 6 days” to reach the area in the eastern Mediterranean from the port of Toulon, according to army officials.

The vessel is equipped with helicopters and an onboard battle group, ready to be deployed if an evacuation of French nationals becomes necessary.

“We are strengthening our resources to deal with a deterioration of the situation,” a senior officer of the armed forces told French news agency AFP, adding that “there is no question of evacuation of nationals” at this stage.

Evacuating Lebanon?

Around 23,000 French and Franco-Lebanese residents live in Lebanon. The French embassy in Beirut has established a hotline and started coordinating evacuation options for civilians who wish to leave.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who was in Beirut on Monday said France was working in tandem with the Lebanese airline MEA for transport arrangements.

“We have initiated discussions with the Lebanese national airline to allow flights and places to be freed up for those of our nationals who wish to return to France,” Barrot told public broadcaster Franceinfo on Monday.

Foreign minister visits Lebanon as second French citizen confirmed dead

Other countries such as Canada and Britain have begun preparations for evacuating their nationals while many airlines – including Air France and Lufthansa – have suspended flights to and from Beirut.

Barrot met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Sunday night and urged Israel to refrain from any land incursions.

He insisted on the “urgent need to act, to call for a ceasefire to prevent the region from burning”.

France had already issued warnings to its nationals to leave Lebanon early August as tensions mounted in the region.

Hundreds of deaths have been reported – among them two French nationals –  since the Israeli army stepped up its campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah.

In the past week, Israeli bombardments have killed more than 700 people, including 14 paramedics over a two-day period, Lebanon’s health ministry said.

The United Nations on Tuesday launched an urgent appeal for $426 million (€383 million) to assist one million Lebanese people who have been displaced due to the airstrikes.

Military zone

The call came as Israel declared a military zone around its northern border with Lebanon and started ground raids into the country’s south, backed by airstrikes and artillery.

Hezbollah, whose leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli strike on Friday, vowed on Monday to continue the fight against Israel, saying it is ready for a ground operation.

The Israeli military said “intense fighting” was taking place Tuesday and warned Lebanese residents not to travel by vehicle in the region.

Meanwhile Hezbollah said it had targeted “a movement of Israeli soldiers in Metula with artillery shells”, then a “gathering of enemy soldiers” in the same area with rockets.

Hezbollah began low intensity strikes on Israeli troops a day after its Palestinian ally Hamas staged its unprecedented attack on Israel on 7 October, which triggered Israel’s devastating assault on the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday offered support to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for “dismantling attack infrastructure” along the border with Lebanon.

“We agreed on the necessity of dismantling attack infrastructure along the border to ensure that Lebanese Hezbollah cannot conduct October 7-style attacks on Israel’s northern communities,” he said.

Austin reiterated the position shared by the White House that a “diplomatic resolution is required” to ensure civilian safety “on both sides of the border.”

(with newswires)

Addressing the Council of Europe rights body at its Strasbourg headquarters – in his first public comments since his release in June – Assange said, “I am not free today because the system worked. I am free today after years of incarceration because I pleaded guilty to journalism.”

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe had issued a report expressing alarm at Assange’s treatment, saying it had a “chilling effect on human rights”.

Julian Assange spent most of the last 14 years either holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid arrest, or locked up at Belmarsh Prison, south of London. 

He was released under a plea bargain this summer, after serving a sentence for publishing hundreds of thousands of confidential US government documents. 

The trove included searingly frank US State Department descriptions of foreign leaders, accounts of extrajudicial killings and intelligence gathering against allies.

Assange returned to Australia and since then had not publicly commented on his legal woes or his years behind bars.

Facing a potential 175-year sentence, “I eventually chose freedom over unrealisable justice … Justice for me is now precluded,” Assange said, referring to the conditions of his plea bargain.

Speaking calmly and flanked by his wife Stella, who fought for his release, he added,”Journalism is not a crime, it is a pillar of a free and informed society.”

“The fundamental issue is simple. Journalists should not be prosecuted for doing their jobs,” Assange said.

The WikiLeaks founder said that he could have lost years more of his life had he tried to fight his case all the way.

“Perhaps, ultimately, if it had gotten to the Supreme Court of the United States and I was still alive … I might have won,” Assange said in his address.”

WikiLeaks founder Assange en-route to final US court hearing ahead of release

Assange case still divisive

Assange remains visibly affected by his experience, tiring towards the end of the session even as he thanked “all the people who have fought for my liberation”.

Stella Assange told reporters after the committee hearing, “It was truly exceptional that he came here today … He needs time to be able to recover“.

“He’s only been free for a few weeks and we’re really just in the process of starting from zero … or from less than zero,” she added.

Asked what the next moves for WikiLeaks might be, the site’s editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson told reporters Assange was “committed as ever to the basic principles that he’s always abided by – transparency, justice, quality journalism”.

Assange’s case remains deeply contentious.

Supporters hail him as a champion of free speech and say he was persecuted by authorities and unfairly imprisoned. 

Detractors see him as a reckless blogger whose uncensored publication of ultra-sensitive documents put lives at risk and jeopardised US security. 

French parliament votes against handing asylum to Wikileaks founder Assange

Pardon campaign

Assange is still campaigning for a US presidential pardon for his conviction under the Espionage Act.

US President Joe Biden – who is likely to issue some pardons before leaving office next January – has previously described him as a “terrorist”.

But Chelsea Manning, the army intelligence analyst who leaked documents to Assange, had her 35-year sentence commuted by President Barack Obama in 2017.

Assange’s timing and his choice of venue for his first post-release appearance have puzzled some observers.

The Council of Europe brings together the 46 signatory states of the European Convention on Human Rights, with little say over Assange’s legal fate.

Holly Cullen, a law professor at the University of Western Australia, told AFP ahead of the hearing that in criticising the United States, Assange might “need to be a bit more restrained until the pardon issue is resolved“.

(with newswires)

The Kenyan-led policing mission seeking to assist the Haitian national police in taking back control of areas under gang control was extended until 2 October, 2025.

The resolution, adopted unanimously on Monday, expressed “deep concern about the situation in Haiti including violence, criminal activities and mass displacement.”

On Friday, the UN said that more than 3,600 people have been killed so far this year in “senseless” gang violence that has ravaged the country.

Two million people in the country are in the grips of emergency levels of hunger and at least 6,000 displaced people face catastrophic levels of food insecurity.

Though it is operating under the UN and Haitian government’s blessing, the current mission is not a UN-run force.

Lack of funds

Several months after the Security Council’s first green light in October 2023, Kenya began deploying its first contingents this summer. The force now numbers around 400 personnel – with more than a dozen officers from both Jamaica and Belize. 

Last week, Kenyan President William Ruto pledged that the deployment would be completed by January, bringing the total to 2,500 personnel.

But with the mission hobbled by a chronic lack of funding, Edgard Leblanc Fils – the head of transitional council governing Haiti – told the General Assembly last week he “would like to see a thought being given to transforming the security support mission into a peacekeeping mission under the mandate of the United Nations”.

Such a move would allow it to raise necessary funds, he said, echoing a recent proposal from Washington.

Kenya promises full Haiti deployment by January amid calls for UN mission

No shift towards full UN mission

The first version of the extension resolution – drafted by the United States and Ecuador – called for planning to begin for a transition from the security deployment to a full-blown UN peacekeeping operation.

But after fraught negotiations which were marked by opposition from China and Russia, according to diplomatic sources, the adopted text makes no reference to such a shift.

China’s representative to the Security Council Geng Shuang pointed out that “the UN has sent multiple peacekeeping operations” in Haiti.

“The results have never been satisfactory”.

Instead the resolution as adopted “encourages the MSS mission to accelerate its deployment, and further encourages additional voluntary contributions and support for the mission”.

On Saturday, Guinea – ruled by a junta since a putsch in 2021 – offered to contribute 650 police officers to the mission.

(with newswires)

Along with increasing the corporate tax, the government could propose to tax share buybacks, as part of efforts to plug a gaping hole in public finances, the Le Monde daily reported on Sunday.

Barnier, who took office in September, faces a growing budget crisis as tax income is weaker than expected and spending higher than planned.

Le Monde says the 2025 budget, which must be presented to parliament by 1 October, could include an 8.5 percent increase in the tax rates on companies whose annual turnover is at least €1 billion.

Public auditor warns France’s national finances are in ‘worrying state’

It would increase the tax rate from 25 percent to 33.5 percent, or the level it was before French President Emmanuel Macron lowered it when he was first elected in 2017.

The tax would be temporary and would impact 300 companies, netting some €8 billion for the public coffers in 2025.

Other possible measures include a tax on share buybacks – companies that buy their own shares to reduce their number and raise their value.

‘Burden must be shared’

New Finance Minister Antoine Armand and Budget Minister Laurent Saint-Martin said last week they would focus a budget squeeze on spending cuts first and then tax increases.

“The burden will need to be shared. It must firstly come from making an effort on public spending,” Armand told lawmakers in a first appearance before parliament’s finance committee since being appointed at the weekend. “Everyone will have to take part.”

France has ‘one of the worst deficits’ in its history, minister says

The previous government had planned to cut the fiscal shortfall to 3 percent of GDP by 2027, but weak tax revenues and budget overruns have put that target all but out of reach.

Saint-Martin said the budget deficit at risk of topping 6 percent of economic output, far above the 5.1 percent the previous government had estimated in the spring.

Armand said that although economic growth was marginally better than expected at 1.1 percent, it was not enough to ease the pressure on public finances.

Disagreement over taxing

Barnier’s office declined to comment ahead of the policy speech the prime minister will make in parliament on Tuesday.

Getting the budget adopted will be tough as the new government lacks a parliamentary majority, and even those in the governing coalition do not agree on whether tax increases are an option.

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy, who remains active in conservative political circles, warned that raising corporate taxes would negatively impact employment, growth and investment.

It “would be an error” for a right-wing prime minister to increase the tax, he said on Cnews and Europe 1 Monday. 

“France is the country that pays the most taxes, the country where there is the most redistribution, the country where the amount of public spending is the highest and the country where the sense of unfairness is the biggest as well,” he said.

Former prime minister Elisabeth Borne, who pushed budgets through without parliamentary debate by invoking article 49.3 of the Constitution, said on BFMTV/RMC that she feared Barnier “will not find the majority to pass the budget and maybe will have to resort to the famous 49.3“.

(with Reuters)

The figures went down slightly in August after increases for the previous ten consecutive months, bueause of the seasonal slow down in judicial activity over the summer.

The previous record number of inmates was 78,509 on 1 July.

As of 1 September, 3,609 prisoners were forced to sleep on a mattress placed on the floor, compared to 2,361 a year earlier.

French prisons have 62,014 places in total which means they are 127.3 percent over capacity.

In some centres, where detainees are awaiting trial and likely presumed innocent, or have been handed short sentences, this figure jumps to 153.6 percent.

In reaches and sometimes exceeds 200 percent in 17 establishments across France.

France has a total of 188 prisons, detention centres and other penal institutions.

Bad reputation

Among those incarcerated, 20,563 are defendants in detention awaiting final judgment.

In total, 94,906 people were detained as of 1 September. Among them, there are 15,937 non-detainees wearing an electronic bracelet or accomodated elsewhere.

Climate impact on French prisons leaves inmates serving ‘double sentence’

France has one of the worst track records in Europe in terms of prison overcrowding, according to a study published in June by the Council of Europe.

The organisation reported a prison density of more than 105 inmates per 100 places available in seven European countries, with France in third place with 119 inmates per 100 places, behind Cyprus (166) and Romania (120).

Measures have been taken by French authorities to try to remedy this problem, such as the ban on prison sentences of less than one month, the adjustment of sentences and the development of community service.

The previous government also announced the creation of 18,000 prison places by 2027 to increase overall capacity to 78,000, but this objective has fallen behind schedule.

(with AFP)

The campaigning creator who has blazed a trail for sustainable style, provocatively called her show “It’s about f…king time” – a reference to a T-shirt she first wore 25 years ago calling for an end to the use of fur and feathers in fashion.

On Monday – after her open-air show near the Eiffel Tower showcased top end looks made from everything from lentils to mushroom leather – the designer said, “I see things from a different perspective .. I’ve just been thinking about the billions of birds killed for the fashion industry”.

McCartney added, “for me they represent freedom, they represent purity and peace”.

The designer – daughter of ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and animal rights activist Linda McCartney – is an advisor to the world’s most powerful luxury tycoon, Bernard Arnault, on sustainability.

Arnault’s LVMH giant also owns a stake in her label.

• Secondhand chic as websites feed trend for used clothing in France
• Fashion and climate: why the greenest garment is the one you already own

Protest at Hermes

McCartney – a lifelong vegetarian – has long preached that “sustainability is the future of fashion, not just a trend,” with her brand lauded for its innovation and transparency as much as its style.

The fashion industry is regularly criticised for its impact on the environment, with some labels accused of greenwashing to disguise any lack of real change. 

Animal rights activists briefly disrupted the Hermes Paris Fashion Week show on Saturday.

The high-end French house is best known for its leather goods.

Several major luxury brands, particularly in Italy, still use exotic skins and furs.

(with newsires)

At the UN, Erdogan again compared Israel to Hitler, calling for an “international alliance of humanity” to stop Israel as it did Hitler 70 years ago. However, such fiery rhetoric is finding a shrinking audience.

“It’s more conveying a message to their own base”, said Sezin Oney of the Turkish news portal Politikyol. “There isn’t an audience that really sees Turkey or Erdogan as the vanguard of Palestine rights anymore. On the contrary, that ship sailed long ago.”

Erdogan attempted to boost his image as a powerful regional player by meeting with the Lebanese and Iraqi Prime Ministers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. But Ankara is increasingly finding itself sidelined as a regional diplomatic player.

“Ankara‘s pro-Hamas approach has only marginalised Turkey in the international arena,” said international relations expert Selin Nasi of the London School of Economics. “So we see Egypt and Qatar receiving credits for their roles as mediators. And Turkey is locked out of international diplomatic efforts.”

Since Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent Gaza campaign, Ankara has tried to position itself among international mediating efforts to end the fighting, given its close contacts with Hamas.

Turkish youth finds common cause in protests against trade with Israel

Mediation efforts

“Turkey was asked by the United States to speak with Hamas people”, said international relations expert Soli Ozel at Vienna’s Institute for Human Studies.

However, Ozel says the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran denied Erdogan his diplomatic trump card.

“One big blow to Turkey has been the murder of Haniyeh, with which Turkey did have very close relations. For all I know, he may even have had a Turkish passport”, said Ozel.

“And I really don’t think Turkey has any relations or contacts with Yahya Sinwar, who is officially and effectively the leader of Hamas”.

With Israel already alienated by Erdogan’s fiery rhetoric along with Turkey imposing an Israeli trade embargo, Gallia Lindenstrauss of Tel Aviv‘s National Security Studies says Turkey has nothing to offer.

Turkey flexes naval muscles as neighbours fear escalating arms race

“There are two main mediators in this conflict: Egypt and Qatar. They’re the two actors that have leverage over Hamas. Turkey, despite its very open support of Hamas, has very little leverage on Hamas’s decisions,” said Lindenstrauss.

“So Turkey is not effective – it doesn’t have the money to push Hamas in a certain direction, it doesn’t have the political leverage over Hamas to push it in the right direction. In practice …Turkey is not very efficient.

“So I don’t think it’s a mistake that Turkey is not part of this [mediation] process.”

Ankara has been quick to point out that existing mediation efforts between Hamas and Israel have achieved little, with the conflict now spreading to Lebanon.

However, some experts claim Ankara’s diplomatic sidelining has a broader message of Arab countries pushing back against Turkey’s involvement in the region.

“None of the Arab countries would like to get Turkey involved in this process,” said international relations expert Huseyin Bagci, of Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.

“Turkey could be considered by their views as the enemy of Israel, but it is artificial. The Middle East Arab-Israeli conflict since 1948 has been an Arab-Israeli conflict, not a Turkish-Israeli conflict.”

Turkey and Egypt bury the hatchet with a dozen new bilateral deals

Regional ambitions

For more than a decade, Erdogan has sought to project Turkey’s influence across the Middle East, often referring to the years of Ottoman rule as the halcyon days of peace and tranquillity.

But the latest Middle East war has ended such dreams, analyst Ozel said.

“The Turkish government thought that they could dominate the Middle East. They played the game of hegemony seeking, and they lost it,” Ozel explained.

“When they lost it, Turkey found itself way behind [the position] it had prior to 2011 when their grandiose scheme of creating a region which would be dominated by Turkey began.”

As the Israel-Hamas war threatens to escalate across the region, Erdogan’s rhetoric against Israel will likely continue. But analysts warn that outside of the leader’s conservative base at home, few others in the region will be receptive.

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

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

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

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”. According to your score, you’ll be counselled to the best-suited activities for your level.

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

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 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. 

Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English – that’s how I worked on my French, reading books that were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it’s a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald’s free books, click here.

Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in 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 29 August, I asked you a question about the 2024 Paris Paralympics Games, which had just opened with a parade on the Champs-Élysées and a grand show on Place de la Concorde, designed by the Games artistic director Thomas Jolly. You were to re-read our article “Paralympic torch arrives in France ahead of opening ceremony” and send in the answer to this question: How many athletes will compete in how many events?

The answer is, to quote our article: “During the Games, around 4,400 athletes will compete in 549 events, which will take place in 18 competition sites, including 16 identical to their Olympic counterparts.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “With whom do you feel the happiest, and why?”, suggested by Jayanta Chakrabarty from New Delhi, India.

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

The winners are: Razia Khalid, who’s a member of the RFI Seven Stars Radio Listeners Club in District Chiniot, Pakistan. Razia is also this week’s bonus question winner. Congratulations, Razia!

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are M. N. Sentu, a member of the RFI Amour Fan Club in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, and RFI Listeners Club member Kashif Khalil from Faisalabad, Pakistan.  

Last but certainly not least, two RFI English listeners from Bangladesh: Shahanoaz Parvin Ripa, the president of the Sonali Badhon Female Listeners Club in Bogura, and Shihab Uddin Khan from Naogaon.

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: Traditional music from the Middle Ages; the Allegro from the Piano Sonata K. 545 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, performed by Gabriel Tacchino; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, sung by Cécile McLorin Salvant.

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, listen to Alison Hird’s report on political compromise in France on the Spotlight on France podcast no. 115, or consult her article “Where did France’s culture of political compromise go, and is it coming back?”, both of which will help you with the answer. 

You have until 21 October to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 26 October 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

or

By text … You can also send your quiz answers to The Sound Kitchen mobile phone. Dial your country’s international access code, or “ + ”, then  33 6 31 12 96 82. Don’t forget to include your mailing address in your text – and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Click here to learn how to 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,  

Native Americans from French Guiana and Suriname were recently in Paris to demand the restitution of the remains of six of their ancestors who died after being exhibited in so-called human zoos. Corinnne Toka Devilliers, whose great-grandmother Moliko was exhibited at the capital’s Jardin d’Acclimatation in 1892 but survived, describes holding a shamanic ceremony at the Museum of Mankind to prepare her fellow Kali’na for the voyage home. But there are still legal obstacles to overcome before the remains can leave the Parisian archives where they’ve spent the past 132 years. (Listen @3’30”)

Until recently, French villages with fewer than 2,000 residents did not need to name their streets – but legislation that came into effect this summer now requires them to identify roads to make it easier for emergency services and delivery people to find them. While not all villages have jumped at the opportunity, we joined residents in a hamlet in the south of France as they gathered to decide their new street names. And geographer Frederic Giraut talks about how the law is impacting the culture and heritage of small, rural localities. (Listen @21’53”)

The closely watched trial of a man accused of drugging his wife and inviting others to rape her while she lay unconscious at their home in southern France has become a rallying cry for those who say society needs to change the way it thinks about sexual assault. Fifty years ago, another rape case caused similar outcry – and led to changes in how France prosecutes and defines rape. (Listen @13’25”)

Episode mixed by Cecile Pompéani. 

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).

In Istanbul’s conservative Uskudar district overlooking the Bosphorus waterway, activists from the group 1,000 Youth for Palestine recently gathered to protest the killing by Israeli security forces of the Turkish-American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi.

But along with chants condemning Israel, the demonstrators also attacked Erdogan and his government for Turkey’s continuing trade with Israel.

“I am here to force the Turkish government to stop the oil trade with Israel and to stop genocide,” declared Gulsum, a university academic who only wanted to be identified by her first name for security reasons.

“This is not just a public demand. It’s also a legal obligation for Turkey to stop genocide.”

Since the start of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, the student-based group has directed its protests at the export of Azerbaijani oil to Israel by way of a Turkish port.

It also targets Turkish companies – many of which have close ties to Erdogan – that it accuses of circumventing the trade embargo by using third parties.

Turkey talks tough on Israel but resists calls to cut off oil

Unifying cause

The group uses social networks to broadcast its message, getting around government-controlled media.

The activists say they have received broad support that crosses Turkey’s traditional divides of religious and secular.

“When it comes to Palestine, it is a story that we all unite about,” said Gizem, a university student and 1,000 Youth for Palestine member.

“There are those who define themselves as socialists and those who define themselves as Islamists. There are also apolitical youth who say ‘I don’t like politics’, but still join us.”

While Erdogan presents himself as a stalwart defender of the Palestinian cause, police are cracking down on the protests.

One of the group’s Palestinian members was arrested after activists disrupted a panel discussion on Israel hosted by the state broadcaster. She now faces deportation in a case that has provoked further protests.

Images of police arresting headscarf-wearing members of the group further embarrassed Erdogan and his religious base.

Protests escalate in Turkey over Azerbaijani oil shipments to Israel amid embargo

‘Divide and rule’

Sezin Oney, a commentator for Turkey’s Politikyol news portal, says the group’s diversity poses a problem for Erdogan, given he has often sought to exploit the deep divisions between religious and secular voters when facing attack.

She argues that 1,000 Youth for Palestine’s ability to bridge those gaps is indicative of a wider change in Turkish society.

“It’s actually portraying the current youth of Turkey – you don’t have monolithic circles in the grassroots,” explains Oney.

“You have a mixture: hybrid groups of conservatives, conservative-looking, but very progressive,” she says. “Such hybrid groups are coming together because of a cause, but ideologically or background-wise or social class-wise, they may be very diverse.

“And that’s something threatening for the government. Because the government is embarking on divide and rule.”

Persistent political headache

Erdogan lost heavily in local elections earlier this year, a defeat widely blamed both on economic problems and anger over Turkey’s ties to Israel.

The 1,000 Youth for Palestine activists say they hope to continue to build on those results. 

“The reason for our success is that we put our finger on the right spot. We expose the hypocrisy of both the capitalists, the corporations and the government,” claims Murat, a university student who belongs to the group.

“People also saw this hypocrisy and thought that someone should speak out, and they supported us a lot because of that,” he added. “We will unite as the people of Turkey and continue to stand in the right place in history to stop the massacre in Palestine.”

The diversity of 1,000 Youth for Palestine is seen as its main strength, which is why it will likely continue to pose a political headache for Erdogan. Yet it may also offer hope that the deep divides in Turkish society can be bridged.

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

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

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

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”. According to your score, you’ll be counselled to the best-suited activities for your level.

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

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 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. 

Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English – that’s how I worked on my French, reading books that were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it’s a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald’s free books, click here.

Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in 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 24 August, I told you a story about a sign I saw on a French highway this summer. On most highways across France, there are illuminated signboards that tell you if there’s an accident ahead, encourage you to take a break from driving, or remind you of the speed limit. The messages change according to what information is deemed necessary for drivers.

During the Olympic games, the signs said: “Remember: 130 kilometres per hour … speed is for Léon”. You were to write in and tell me who Léon is, and why the French said speed was OK for him.

The answer is: Léon is that French human fish, Léon Marchand. He won four Gold Medals in swimming this year … the 200-meter medley, 200-metre breaststroke, the 200-metre butterfly, and the 400-metre medley. He became the sixth Olympic swimmer to win four gold medals at a single Games.

Léon Marchand is the world record holder in the long course 400-metres individual medley; the Olympic record holder in the 200-metres butterfly, the 200-metres breaststroke, and the 200-metres individual medley; and the French record holder in the long course 200-metre individual medley, 200-metre butterfly and 200-metre breaststroke.

The young man is fast – watching him swim was incredible. See why the French government would tell us to be careful with our speed, but Léon could go as fast as he wished?

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by Hans Verner Lollike from Hedehusene, Denmark: “The Paris 24 Olympic Games are over, but if you had a chance to win a Gold Medal, in which sport would it have been?”

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Alan Holder from the Isle of Wight, England. Alan is also this week’s bonus question winner. Congratulations, Alan!

Saleem Akhtar is a winner this week. Saleem is the president of the RFI Seven Stars Radio Listeners Club in District Chiniot, Pakistan.

Pakistan! Congratulations on your amazing javelineer, Arshad Nadeem. Nadeem made history for Pakistan by becoming the first Pakistani to win an individual Olympic gold medal. Not only that, but he set an Olympic record with his throw of 92.97 meters… the sixth-longest throw in history. Mubarak, Arshad! Mubarak, Pakistan!

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are RFI Listeners Club members Rodrigo Hunrichse from Ciudad de Concepción, Chile; Helmut Matt from Herbolzheim in Germany, and Father Steven Wara, who lives in the Cistercian Abbey in Bamenda, in Cameroon’s North West Region.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Imagine” by John Lennon; the waltz op. 64 No. 1 in D flat, the “Minute Waltz” by Frédéric Chopin, performed by Arthur Rubinstein; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Pocket Piano” by DJ Mehdi.

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’s foreign ministry unveils two-year gender equality strategy”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 14 October to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 19 October 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

or

By text … You can also send your quiz answers to The Sound Kitchen mobile phone. Dial your country’s international access code, or “ + ”, then  33 6 31 12 96 82. Don’t forget to include your mailing address in your text – and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Click here to learn how to 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,  

While floods are devastating West Africa, about 68 million people in southern Africa are suffering the effects of an El Nino-induced drought which has wiped out crops across the region. 

Nearly 68 million suffering from drought in southern Africa

Zimbabwe, Malawi, Lesotho, Namibia, and Zambia are facing severe drought conditions, leading to widespread devastation. The impact is stalling economic growth and raising serious concerns about food security in the region. 

Zimbabwe to cull elephants to tackle drought, food shortages

In Zambia, the drought that has gripped southern Africa since early this year has led to rolling power cuts in a country that relies heavily on hydropower.

Some inhabitants, however, have already turned to solar power as an alternative.

To discuss how it can help, we speak this week with John Keane, CEO of the UK-based charity SolarAid, from the Zambian capital Lusaka. 

He explains how sales of solar products have increased by more than 540 percent since the beginning of 2024, and what the social enterprises are doing to spread awareness among Zambians and avoid the use of charcoal or candles.     

Episode mixed by Nicolas Doreau  

Spotlight on Africa is a podcast from Radio France Internationale

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.