Speaking during an annual speech to members of parliament on Friday, the king noted that the United States, Spain and most recently France had backed Morocco’s autonomy plan for the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

He thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for his “frank support for the ‘Moroccanness’ of the Sahara.”

“So it is that the French Republic supports Morocco’s sovereignty over the entire Sahara territory,” he said.

Mohammed VI invited Macron to visit Morocco after France shifted its position in July, a gesture reflecting how relations between Paris and Rabat have warmed.

Decades of dispute

The disputed territory – which Morocco considers to be its “southern provinces” – is among the most sensitive topics in the North African Kingdom and a common theme in royal speeches.

Morocco has pushed countries that partner with it economically and on security and managing migration to back its 2007 autonomy plan, which would grant it sovereignty over the region.

Doing so, however, risks angering Algeria – a key player in the conflict as well as a security partner and gas supplier to many of the same countries.

The Western Sahara is a former colony that has been a lightning rod in regional politics since the 1970s.

The United Nations categorises it as among Africa’s last “non-self-governing territories” and has since 1979 considered a pro-independence movement called the Polisario Front to be a legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people.

Most of the territory is controlled by Morocco, while the Polisario operates out of refugee camps in Algeria, which supports it both financially and politically.

Efforts to resolve the conflict span back to 1991, when the UN brokered a cease-fire and negotiations began over the territory’s future.

• Algeria recalls ambassador after France backs Moroccan plan for Western Sahara
• French journalists in court over alleged blackmail of Moroccan king

International recognition

With discussions long stalled, Morocco has sought recognition among its political and economic allies while the Polisario has pursued legal routes, challenging Morocco’s claims in international courts.

The United States backed Morocco’s plan as part of an agreement that saw Morocco normalising its ties with Israel in 2020.

Countries including Saudi Arabia and 18 European Union members have since followed suit, according to Morocco’s tally.

In July, France amended its longstanding position to begin backing Morocco’s plan.

Algeria subsequently withdrew its ambassador from France and its president indefinitely postponed a planned visit to Paris.

Speaking on FranceInfo this Saturday, National Rally MP Thomas Ménagé said: “As things stand, this budget is absolutely unacceptable … Very clear red lines have been crossed,” he added, referring to a tax on electricity, the reduction in reimbursement for medical consultations, the increase in taxes on air transport, and also the increase in taxation on gas that the Greens wish to see included in Barnier’s finance bill.

As a result, the RN – whose own economic programme has been criticised by several experts as costly and ineffective – will present a “counter-budget” at a press conference on Wednesday.

• French PM launches budget plan in test for new government
• What’s in France’s belt-tightening budget and can it win support?

“We’re going to use all our parliamentary time to bring this government back to its senses,” said Laurent Jacobelli, vice-president of the RN group in the National Assembly, on France Inter.

Asked about a possible motion of censure, he remained evasive.

“I’m not here to break up the Fifth Republic, we’re here to save the French,” he said, even though his party has been accused by the left of supporting Barnier’s coalition by not voting, on 8 October, for a motion tabled by the left-wing New Popular Front alliance to bring down the government.

On Friday, Marine Le Pen denounced on X “the obvious lie” of the executive on the budget.

Le Pen – who leads the National Rally’s MPs in the National Assembly – has endorsed a study used by France’s High Council for Public Finances, which shows that 70 percent of Barnier’s budget will concentrate on raising taxes and 30 percent on cutting spending.

This is the opposite of what the government is promoting, which has promised to cut spending by two-thirds. 

Antarctica’s sea ice – the frozen seawater that forms on the ocean’s surface – reached an historic low at the end of the 2024 southern winter for the second year running. 

Figures from the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre, which monitors polar ice coverage, shows the ice’s maximum extent was 17.2 million square kilometres, its second lowest in a satellite record stretching back 46 years. 

The September peak was 1.6 million square kilometres smaller than the average maximum; that’s an area the equivalent of about three times the size of mainland France. 

Sea ice grows during winter and melts in summer, creating seasonal fluctuations. It is now preparing to shrink with the arrival of summer in the southern hemisphere.  

No chance of saving global glaciers as melt rate goes ‘off the charts’

Unclear future

This ice loss in the Antarctic has left scientists worried about the future of the frozen continent, as well as the wider implications – given the southern polar region plays a key role in regulating global temperatures and sea levels. 

The sea ice helps to keep temperatures in check by reflecting sunlight. But as it declines, the oceans absorb more heat, further driving climate change.  

“The Antarctic appears to be entering into ambient disorder,” warned French climate scientist Gerhard Krinner, a former IPCC author.

This is despite it being the only glacial area in the world that has remained stable for a century despite climate change. 

The northern Arctic region, surrounded by land, is much more exposed to temperature rises and has been warming six times faster than elsewhere in the world.  

Climate change has knocked Earth off its axis, study shows

But Antarctica, a hostile and remote territory, is surrounded by the Southern Ocean, where the heat is more evenly distributed over a greater depth. 

“We’ve known for a long time that Antarctica would take longer to warm up,” Krinner told RFI. 

Recent instability, marked by rapid ice loss and extreme weather patterns, signals that the interactions between the atmosphere, ocean and ice are growing more complex and unpredictable.  

“The impacts of Antarctic sea ice staying low for over 20 years would be profound, including on local and global weather and on unique Southern Ocean ecosystems – including whales and penguins,” said Louise Sime, of the British Antarctic Survey. 

But scientists say it’s still too early to draw any firm conclusions. We’ll know more by the end of the decade. 

Greening peninsula

As the frozen continent warms, plant life is spreading in regions of Antarctica that were once barren.  

A study this week revealed that mosses and lichens that previously struggled to survive are now thriving, particularly along the Antarctic Peninsula – which extends towards South America. 

One of the most northerly parts of the Antarctic region, the peninsula is a key area for observing climate change impacts. 

Using satellite imagery and ground observations, British researchers found the distribution of moss and lichen had expanded by 30 percent over the past 50 years. 

The study reveals a significant ecological shift occurring in one of Earth’s most extreme environments.

“This trend echoes a wider pattern of greening in cold-climate ecosystems in response to recent warming, suggesting future widespread changes in the Antarctic Peninsula’s terrestrial ecosystems,” the study said.

Although Antarctica’s vast and remote wilderness remains largely defined by snow, ice and rock, the changing conditions threaten to disrupt the delicate balance of ecosystems that have evolved over millions of years to survive the extreme cold.

The 35th Biennial is the first to go to Africa as part of the travelling exhibitions programme established by the Sao Paulo show, one of the biggest art events in the southern hemisphere. 

After touring cities in Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia, it is on display in Angolan capital Luanda until December 2024.

Brazil, which was a Portuguese colony from 1500 to 1825, was the first country to recognise Angola‘s independence from Portugal in January 1975.

And now, as Angola prepares to celebrate 50 years of independence, the Brazilian biennial wanted to focus on the cultural links between the South American powerhouse and the largest Portuguese-speaking country in Africa.

‘Common history’

“Luanda in Angola was for us an obvious choice and an important one, because we have a history, a common history, which is a very complex one,” curator and artist Grada Kilomba told RFI.

This history, linked to the former colonial power Portugal, where Kilomba was born, includes violence, oppression and collective trauma, she said – not only because of colonisation and exploitation but the transatlantic slave trade.

Reclaiming and even transcending a painful past became a major theme of the biennial, she told RFI.

Organisers chose the title “Choreographies of the impossible” because “we want to deal, not with a specific theme, but with the strategies to live within the impossibility”, she said.

It was important to the team to “rethink and revise history” and to extend these questions to the African continent, where black Brazilians have their roots, says Kilomba, who is herself of West African descent.

French-Algerian artist Kader Attia explores colonial wounds, creative restoration

Beyond Western limits

The travelling exhibition features works by nine artists from four different continents, from Asia to Africa, the Americas to Europe.

“This biennial brings together a set of artistic practices and cultural and social movements that refer to modes of expression that deal with total violence, the impossibility of life in complete freedom, and the limits of the idea of justice,” another of the curators, Helio Menezes, told RFI.

He was particularly interested in showcasing non-Western conceptions of art, and of the world. The idea is to “look at the diversity and look at the variety of expressions,” he said. 

The curators’ choices aim to “reunite different perspectives from different parts of the world”, explored by underrepresented artists from Latin America to Africa and beyond.

“Bringing this group of artists for the first time to the African continent is an opportunity to spread and to show their works,” Menezes said. Some of them will be in Africa for the first time.

Two-way exchange

The exhibition also features work by artists from Angola and other African countries.

Ilze Wolff, an architect and artist from South Africa, investigates the history and impact of urbanisation, as well as questions of occupation, abandonment and ruin.

A set of 20 photographs reflect on post-colonial identity in Angola, while Zimbabwean artist Nontsikelelo Mutiti created the visual identity for the biennial.

Decolonising Beauty campaign honours Africa’s diverse aesthetics

Award-winning photojournalist and film stills photographer Ballard moved to Venice, a beachside neighbourhood of LA, in 2009. 

Millions of people visit the resort town every year, making it southern California’s second most popular tourist attraction after Disneyland. Yet the famed boardwalk also hosts a growing homeless population.

Featured at this year’s Visa pour l’Image photojournalism festival in Perpignan, southern France, Ballard’s series “Venice, California” captures what the curators call “a place where beauty, surf, wealth, and the harsh realities of 21st-century America exist side by side”.

RFI: What was the idea behind your photo series on Venice?

Karen Ballard: Venice is kind of a microcosm of Los Angeles in the sense that Los Angeles is still struggling with a big homeless population. And yet it’s also the land of Hollywood, and it’s the land of Beverly Hills, and it’s the land of Rodeo Drive. 

And so what you see now in Venice is a bit of that influx. There’s a wealthy side to Venice now, but there’s also this homeless side. And that’s kind of the dichotomy of my project. 

RFI: When did you start this project?

KB: I started it right when I moved there at the end of 2009.

I think there’s one picture from that first month or two I was there. There’s a picture from a café called “A view from the Sidewalk Café”, and there’s a man rollerskating in the background who’s an icon of Venice, Harry Perry. He’s been around forever. He used to be on television… That picture, I think, goes back to that very first beginning.

I’m still shooting. I live in Venice, so I’m still working on it, but it was always a long-term project. It was always intended to be a book project, and I just worked on it in between my other assignments. I would work on it sometimes very intensely, and then maybe not work on it for a while.  

Inside Ecuador’s drug war with US photojournalist John Moore

RFI: What’s so special for you about Venice?

KB: Well, certainly if you’re a lover of the beach, it’s an incredible beach because it’s not the most glamorous, but it’s a public beach for all. You really have all walks of life. People from all over the world, you and then the locals, the surf, the sun, the light. 

For me, it’s always been about the light there. I love it so much. You could say that for a lot of California, but it’s not just about the golden hour. We have a marine layer that comes in and Venice gets its own special blue, a blue-grey light. You can see that in some of the images too. It’s kind of one or the other. I really like that. 

But also Venice is very carefree, this is the land of The Doors. This is a land where the Red Hot Chili Peppers came out of… This is the land of some of the great LA artists like Ed Rusha and John Baldessari and even going back, it’s the birthplace of silent films. Charlie Chaplin made his movies there.

So it has an artistic history and heritage that drew me to it, that’s for sure.

RFI: There’s one photo in your series with two men, one is meditating and the other has an umbrella. Can you describe what’s going on?

KB: They’re sunbathing, but they’re also posing. They’re just like: “Look at me, look at me.” You know, these posers. That’s what I like about it.

That picture kind of represents a little bit about what the Venice experience is about. You go to Venice Beach to look at people. It’s a place to see and be seen, but also to observe the human experience. 

Photographs capture heart-rending journey of migrants trying to reach the US

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 14 September, I asked you a question about Algeria’s presidential elections. Held on 8 September, the incumbent, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, was reelected.

RFI English reporter Melissa Chemam followed the race closely; the day after the election she wrote an article for us, “High expectations as Algeria’s President Tebboune begins new mandate”. Her article is about what’s on Tebboune’s presidential plate economically and socially for his next mandate.

There are several worries in civil society, as Melissa noted: “The first mandate of President Tebboune saw a clampdown on civil liberties and seen the army take on a more important role.”

Your question was about the army, and its, as Melissa noted, “more important role”. In August, a few days before Tebboune declared his candidacy, a decree was issued involving the army. You were to tell me what was in that decree.

The answer is, to quote Melissa’s article: “A few days before Tebboune’s declaration of candidacy, in August, a decree was published to legalise the transfer of the senior civil administration under the direct authority of the army.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word “red”? The question was suggested by Ashik Eqbal Tokon from Rajshahi, Bangladesh.

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Radhakrishna Pillai from Kerala State in India. Radhakrishna is also this week’s bonus question winner. Congratulations on your double win, Radhakrisha!  

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are RFI Listeners Club members Father Stephen Wara from Bamenda, Cameroon; Shadman Hosen Ayon from Kishoreganj, Bangladesh, and Atikul Islam – who is also the president of the Narshunda Radio Listeners Family in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Last but certainly not least, RFI English listener Jahangir Alam from the Friends Radio Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh.

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Autumn” from The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi, performed by Carla Moore and Voice of Music; Traditional Chaabi music from Algeria; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Mr. Bobby” by Manu Chao, performed by Chao and the Playing for Change musicians.

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 “Algeria’s Tebboune refuses France visit in snub to former colonial ruler”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 4 November to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 9 November 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,  

Algorithmic video surveillance (AVS), which uses AI to detect behaviours like crowd movements and abandoned objects, has drawn fire for its potential to infringe on individual rights.

Prime Minister Michel Barnier this month paved the way for its widespread use in public spaces, following hot on the heels of an endorsement of the “experimental” technology by Paris Police chief Laurent Nunes.

The extended use of AVS comes despite an evaluation report on the technology’s ethics not being due until the end of the year.

Sophisticated algorithms

AVS combines traditional video surveillance with artificial intelligence to monitor public spaces.

Algorithms are programmed to detect specific behaviours or situations, such as fires, abandoned objects, crowd movements, excessive density – or individuals entering restricted areas.

While facial recognition is not currently part of its capabilities, critics worry that future developments could push the boundaries of privacy.

“This technology is more of a way to increase surveillance on the streets and to focus on certain categories within the population, opening the possibilities of discrimination and the infringement of human rights,” said Bastien Le Querrec of the digital freedom outfit La Quadrature du Net.

Though the technology aims to automate surveillance and increase camera efficiency, Le Querrec said the system disproportionately targets certain groups and expands everyday surveillance.

Extension of Olympics law

AVS was initially authorised under the 2023 JOP Law, which was designed to secure large-scale events like the Olympics.

While facial recognition isn’t yet allowed under French law, the use of AI to monitor public spaces is still dangerous, Le Querrec told RFI.

Images from all the security cameras will be “screened beyond human capability”, which effectively automates surveillance – putting robots in the driving seat. 

He warned that even if current technologies remain within legal limits, future advancements could easily “cross the line,” Le Querrec added.

Despite the controversy, Paris Police Chief Nunes has backed the system, calling it necessary for public safety.

Meanwhile, Barnier’s government is pushing for broader application, even as France’s data protection watchdog, CNIL, has warned against a “ratchet effect” – where temporary measures become permanent.

• Paris police chief backs keeping AI surveillance in place post-Olympics
• France approves algorithmic video surveillance to safeguard Olympics

Processing personal data

With AI becoming a permanent fixture in policing, legal experts are raising concerns about how AVS data could be misused. The processing of personal data remains at the heart of these worries.

Le Querrec believes activism, rather than the courts, will be the key to pushing back against this surveillance.

“Before the Olympics, this technology was not legal. The law is very clear … it’s the processing of personal data,” he said.

Yet, despite its illegality, Le Querrec noted that many French cities have been using similar technologies for years.

“Development companies are selling illegal technology to cities, and the government is aware of it,” he added.

The loophole lies in the fact that algorithmic surveillance monitors “abnormal behaviour” in groups – a biometric process – but doesn’t involve directly harvesting personal data.

This has left France’s legal institutions, including the Constitutional Council, reluctant to challenge AVS.

“The French government, French lawmakers and the French Constitutional Council seem to be aligned … so the national courts will never favour limiting this technology,” Le Querrec said.

“Even the CNIL is in favour of this technology, so all the safeguards are failing to prevent its use.”

Announced late Thursday by Prime Minister Michel Barnier, the belt-tightening plan attempts to tackle France’s 6 percent deficit by cutting services and increasing taxes on businesses and the wealthy.

Only Greece and Italy have bigger debts in the EU.

Facing increasing pressure from the European Commission to bring the growing deficits under control, the government aims to trim it to 5 percent by the end of 2025. It’s the first step towards Barnier’s pledge to get the deficit below 3 percent of GDP, in line with EU rules. 

Reactions have been fierce. Right-wing MPs argue the cuts don’t go far enough, while the left insists they disproportionately target the working class.

Here’s an outline of the main measures.

Tax increases

Businesses with revenue of more than €1 billion a year will be hit with a temporary tax hike lasting two years. Some 440 large corporations would be impacted, raising a total of €12bn. 

The government will scrap tax breaks on low-income workers and phase out subsidies on apprenticeships – measures that France’s employers’ association Medef says will put “hundreds of thousands of jobs” at risk.

EDF, France’s state-owned electricity provider, will pay the state a special dividend on its nuclear energy production after it made record profits in 2023 due to soaring energy prices.

Income tax will increase for the 65,000 highest earners in France at a minimum rate of 20 percent.

According to the public accounts minister, the tax rises would largely be limited to households with a combined income of €500,000 per year, or €250,000 per year for a single person. The increases, applicable for three years only, would raise some €2bn.

The government is to end its policy of capping electricity prices that shielded households from soaring energy costs. Starting in February, an estimated 6 million households that had fixed electricity rate contracts will pay 14 percent more.

Levies will also be increased on owners of polluting vehicles and on the maritime sector.

Airlines and private jets face new levies on flights, generating around €1bn.

Meanwhile, a green tax on airline tickets would raise some €1.5bn. The tax is not part of the budget legislation, but will be passed through an amendment in agreement with the aviation industry.

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

Government spending cuts

Most of the cuts target public sector spending, with over 2,200 civil service jobs slashed – the majority in education and public accounts – though an additional 1,000 posts will be created in the judiciary and army.

The state’s biggest expenditure is education and the government plans to axe 4,000 teaching posts in 2025, mainly in pre-school and elementary level.

The Education Ministry says the cuts are justified due to a drop in the number of pupils and which is expected to accelerate with France’s falling birthrate.

While the education budget overall will remain fairly stable at 63 billion euros, the justice and sports ministries are among those facing cuts.

Local authorities will see cuts to the tune of €5bn.

Prime Minister Barnier warns France faces severe budget crisis as government talks stall

Health and pensions

Retirees will see the annual inflation-adjusted increase to their state pensions delayed by six months – a controversial measure that will save about €3.6bn.

While the healthcare budget remains stable, state reimbursement for doctor’s appointments will drop from 70 percent to 60 percent, with private health insurance expected to cover the difference.

Private health insurance (mutuelle) will cover the difference, but the changes could lead to an increase in insurance premiums.

The government also plans to lower the cap on sick leave payments from 1.8 times the minimum wage to 1.4 times.

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

Unpopular all round

Barnier now has the huge task of getting his budget through a deeply fragmented National Assembly, where his coalition government of centrists and conservative rightwingers does not hold a majority.

So far, it has been fired on from all sides.

Members of President Macron’s Renaissance group are unhappy with tax increases which have always been a redline since Macron launched his pro-business agenda in 2017.

Barnier’s own conservative Republicans are pushing for deeper spending cuts, while left-wing MPs have blasted the austerity measures, particularly those affecting public services.

“We’re going to take two billion euros from the richest and 40 billion from the poorest,” France Unbowed MP Eric Coquerel told TF1.

Local authorities have also expressed outrage. The head of France urbaine, an association representing large cities, described the €5bn cuts as “unacceptable” and a threat to local services.

If opposition parties cannot be brought on board, the government may resort to a constitutional tool allowing it to bypass parliament altogether.

That carries the risk that the hard-left France Unbowed and far-right National Rally could band together to topple the fragile government through a no-confidence motion.

The British government has been under pressure for decades to hand over the Chagos Islands, but has resisted because of the military base it shares with the United States on Diego Garcia island, which plays a key role in US operations in the Indian Ocean and Gulf.

On 3 October, the UK said it would give up sovereignty of the remote Indian Ocean archipelago – but the joint base would remain open on an “initial” 99-year lease.

There is some hope the treaty could pave the way for the return of Chagos Islanders, who were expelled by the UK in the 1970s as the military base was developed.

But with no permanent population – and Diego Garcia, the most habitable island, remaining off limits as part of the deal – resettlement looks unlikely.

RFI spoke to Jean-Claude de l’Estrac, formerly foreign minister of Mauritius and secretary general of the intergovernmental Indian Ocean Commission, about the ramifications of the agreement.

RFI: Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth called 3 October “an historic day”. Do you agree?

Jean-Claude de l’Estrac: Although this clearly is progress, I would say he’s exaggerating a little.

It is a long fight that has been waged for decades against Great Britain to regain our sovereignty. The prime minister is claiming this as a partisan victory. In reality, several governments since the 1970s, and the Chagossians themselves, have participated in this fight.

Obviously, regaining our sovereignty over part of the Chagos Archipelago is progress. But it is an exaggeration to speak of a great victory since ultimately, the UK-US base is still there on Diego Garcia, the main island. It’s a fictitious sovereignty and Britain will continue to occupy the island. Its position is reinforced because, in truth, Britain will enjoy sovereign rights.

This is what is planned for 99 years. And again, this is an initial period. It is likely that it will be renewed. And contrary to what is said there, the Chagossians will not be allowed back to the island of Diego Garcia.

Chagos Islands returned to Mauritius, but tensions over evictions persist

RFI: Are you for or against keeping an American base on Diego Garcia?

Jean-Claude de l’Estrac: I think the Americans can stay under certain conditions.

The pretext used today by the Americans to maintain the base is the entry of the Chinese into the Indian Ocean. The Chinese are indeed present, and they justify it by saying they have significant trade through the shipping routes of the Indian Ocean and they intend to protect their interests.

I don’t believe this is a real threat. But the Indians, who have long considered the Indian Ocean to be India’s ocean, consider the arrival of the Chinese in their territory as an intrusion.

So there is now the real risk of a confrontation between China and India – India, which is now a partner of the Americans.

RFI: In the new agreement, the British committed to financial support for Mauritius. Couldn’t you rent the island of Diego Garcia to the British and Americans at a high price?

Jean-Claude de l’Estrac: This is undoubtedly what is happening. That said, I suspect American subterfuge, because I see that in the agreement and the treaty which is being negotiated, the Americans are hiding behind the British to say it is the British who will pay the rent. 

This is probably a way to try to reduce Mauritius’s claims for financial compensation. It’s a different story whether it’s the Americans who pay or the British – who are practically bankrupt. So I don’t think it will be a big windfall.

Chagos Islands sovereignty case – the end of the end of British colonial rule in Africa?

RFI: After this agreement, Argentina asked the UK to return the Falkland Islands. It will be interesting to see if Spain will request the return of Gibraltar. Doesn’t this demonstrate that your government has pulled off a political win?

Jean-Claude de l’Estrac: Yes, absolutely. All of this [concerning the Chagos Islands] is based on a UN resolution passed in the 1960s: Resolution 1514, which says that a colonial power does not have the right to break up a territory before it gains independence. What we finally obtained after a long struggle was respect for this resolution.

EDITOR’S NOTE: On 7 October, the UK said that the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar was “not up for negotiation”. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s official spokesman told reporters that the return of the Chagos would have “no bearing on other overseas territories”. He said the deal with Mauritius should not be seen as a precedent for other disputes because Chagos was “a unique situation based on its unique history and circumstances”.

RFI: In light of this resolution, do you think that the deal concluded last week could strengthen the Comoros’ claim on Mayotte, currently part of France?

Jean-Claude de l’Estrac: Certainly, and perhaps even the position of Madagascar in relation to the Scattered Islands. The same principle should apply. Perhaps the Comorans should do what Mauritius did and internationalise the problem.

For the moment, the Comorans and French continue to say it is a bilateral problem, but the solution is more and more difficult – especially since, for example, France is now fighting to have the annexed island of Mayotte admitted to the Indian Ocean Commission, which the Comorans object to.

So I think the Comorans will take this issue up again before international courts, if they are able to. But the Comoros are still quite dependent on France economically. This was not the case for Mauritius with regards to the UK.

How overseas Mayotte became ‘a department apart’ within France

This interview is adapted from the original conducted in French by RFI’s Christophe Boisbouvier. It has been lightly edited for clarity.

Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood told a meeting of the 15-member Security Council on Thursday that the international community must focus its efforts on strengthening Lebanese state institutions.

“The solution to this crisis is a not a weaker Lebanon. It’s a strong and truly sovereign Lebanon, protected by a legitimate security force, embodied in the Lebanese Armed Forces,” he said.

A UN peacekeeping mission – known as Unifil – is mandated by resolution 1701, adopted in 2006, to help the Lebanese army keep its southern border area with Israel free of weapons or armed personnel other than those of the Lebanese state. That has sparked friction with the heavily armed, Iran-backed Hezbollah.

A year ago Hezbollah began firing at Israel in support of Palestinian militant group Hamas at the start of the Gaza war. The conflict has escalated in recent weeks as Israel carried out air strikes and launched a ground incursion in Lebanon’s south.

French UN Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere said an immediate ceasefire was needed and that a proposal for a 21-day truce – put forward by France and the US last month – still stands. Wood said the US was working toward a diplomatic solution, but made no mention of a ceasefire.

Lebanon’s acting UN Ambassador Hadi Hachem told the council that “only diplomatic solutions and the implementation of international resolutions, the commitment to international law and international humanitarian law is the means to end this war and this aggression.”

From protector to onlooker: how France lost its influence in Lebanon

‘Do the job’

Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon told the council that resolution 1701 must be enforced, along with resolution 1559, which was adopted in 2004, and “calls for the disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias.”

“We are fulfilling our obligations to ensure this, and the council must support us in our efforts,” he said.

De Riviere told the council that one of the goals of a conference that France plans to hold on Lebanon on Oct. 24 was to guarantee Lebanon’s sovereignty.

“We want heightened support for Lebanese institutions, in particular, the Lebanese Armed Forces,” he said, later telling reporters: “We need the Lebanese Armed Forces to be deployed to the south and do the job … What we need to do is to make sure that the Lebanese Armed Forces are properly equipped and trained.”

UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said that Unifil was ready to support all efforts towards a diplomatic solution.

“Unifil is mandated to support the implementation of resolution 1701, but we must insist that it is for the parties themselves to implement the provisions of this resolution,” he told the Security Council.

The resolution bans all parties from crossing the Blue Line – a UN-mapped line separating Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights – by ground or air.

UN officials have for years reported violations by both sides.

The French administration in Martinique on Thursday announced a ban on public gatherings until 14 October and imposed a curfew from 9pm to 5am.

The sale of materials that could be used in arson attacks was also prohibited.

Martinique‘s airport and schools were shut down on Friday following a fresh wave of protests over the soaring cost of living.

Overnight, rioters looted shops, set up burning barricades and clashed with police.

At least three stores and several car parks were torched, and burnt-out cars blocked traffic on a major road in Fort-de-France, the island’s main city.

The local prefecture said one man died of his wounds after being shot, but that police did not open fire during the night.

‘Responsibility and calm’ 

The protests have disrupted flights at Martinique airport and flights are being re-directed to the neighbouring French island of Guadeloupe.

Around 50 people stormed the runway of the airport, police told AFP.

FranceInfo reported eight arrests had been made and posted video showing police clashing with protesters.

The prefecture blamed the airport incursion on “completely false” rumours that hundreds of French riot police were en route to the island.

French Overseas Minister Francois-Noel Buffet condemned the violence and called for “responsibility and calm”.

On Wednesday, four police were “slightly injured” in the town of Le Carbet during efforts to dismantle a roadblock, according to the prefecture.

Residents of France’s overseas territories have long complained about the high cost of living. Food prices are 40 percent higher on the island than in mainland France. 

The protests were launched in early September by the Assembly for the Protection of Afro-Caribbean Peoples and Resources (RPPRAC), which demands that food prices be aligned with mainland France. 

(with newswires)

Meeting in Luxembourg on Thursday, home affairs ministers from the European Union’s 27 member states were asked whether the bloc should explore “the legal and practical feasibility of innovative solutions in the field of returns, notably the return hub concept”.

Any such hubs would be designed “in full compliance with international and EU law and fundamental rights”, a briefing note said.

According to official statistics agency Eurostat, more than 484,000 non-EU citizens were ordered to leave the bloc last year, of whom around 91,500 – less than 20 percent – effectively returned.

After recent far-right gains in several EU countries, a growing number of governments are eager to show voters they are speeding up deportations of migrants denied permission to stay. 

“We must not rule out any solution a priori,” France’s new right-wing Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said as he arrived for Thursday’s meeting.

French interior minister vows more deportation flights to DRC from Mayotte

Immigration reforms

The talks came ahead of a gathering of EU leaders later this month, and only a few months after Brussels adopted a sweeping reform of its asylum policies.

In April, the European Parliament approved immigration legislation that was designed to ease the burden on member states that historically took in most migrants and asylum seekers.

The long-negotiated package, which will come into force in June 2026, hardens border procedures and requires countries to take in asylum seekers from “frontline” states such as Italy, Malta and Greece, or provide money and resources.

But more than half of the EU’s member countries have said it does not go far enough.

In May, 15 of them urged the European Commission to “think outside the box”, calling for the creation of centres outside the EU where rejected asylum seekers could be sent pending deportation.

Albania’s controversial migrant deal with Italy sparks anger on all sides

Rights concerns

A January report by the European Parliamentary Research Service notes that proponents of “extraterritorial processing” of asylum requests claim it would save lives by reducing the need for asylum seekers to embark on dangerous journeys to reach Europe.

They also argue it would stop the flow of money to migrant smuggling networks.

But critics say that countries likely to be approached to host possible processing centres, such as Tunisia, Libya or Egypt, are not suitable to do so.

In June last year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered Tunisia a €900 million deal that included “helping Tunisia with border management and to combat human trafficking”, and later went to Egypt to talk about similar cooperation. 

But rights watchdog Amnesty International said this month that Tunisia’s “lack of an asylum system and the Tunisian government’s crackdown on civil society [and] judicial independence” mean that it is “not a safe place” for asylum seekers.

Meanwhile Human Rights Watch blasted a recent deal between the EU and Egypt regarding increased border control as “rewarding authoritarianism” and “betraying EU values”.

Anti-immigration sentiment

Costly and requiring cooperation from migrants’ countries of origin, repatriations are notoriously difficult. 

According to border patrol agency Frontex, the top three nationalities of migrants who irregularly crossed into the EU so far this year are Syria, Mali and Afghanistan – countries with whom Brussels has limited relations.

Besides return hubs, Austria and the Netherlands have suggested legal changes to allow authorities to sanction rejected asylum applicants who are ordered to leave but fail to do so.

Asylum requests slump as EU borders tighten following shift to far right

EU parliamentary elections in June saw a strong performance by hard-right parties, often riding anti-immigrant sentiment, confirmed by recent national and regional votes in the Netherlands, Austria and Germany.

Meanwhile France’s government tilted to the right after a snap vote this summer, and Interior Minister Retailleau is known for his hardline stance on migration.

And Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday called for the new EU rules on handling irregular arrivals of asylum seekers and migrants to come into force in 2025, a year ahead of schedule.

Asylum trends

According to the EU Agency for Asylum (EUAA), the EU received 1.1 million asylum applications in 2023, up by 18 percent compared to 2022.

Germany remained the top destination for asylum seekers, receiving nearly a third of all applications lodged in the EU.

The agency’s report also noted that at the end of 2023, there were “more cases pending at first instance (883,000) than at any other point since 2016, amid the refugee crisis of 2015-16”.

According to the EUAA’s latest figures, EU countries plus Norway and Switzerland received 85,000 asylum applications in May of this year, down by a third compared to the peak reached last autumn.

Irregular border crossings fell by 39 percent to almost 140,000 in the first eight months of 2024, compared to the same period last year, according to Frontex.

(with newswires)

A former spy boss had laid a criminal complaint against Ramaphosa following the break-in at his Phala Phala game farm in the northeastern Limpopo province, alleging the president had committed irregularities in trying to hide the theft of $4 million in cash.

Following an investigation by the police’s specialised Hawks unit, the Limpopo prosecutor had “taken a decision not to prosecute anyone”, the authority said in a statement.

“She concluded that there is no reasonable prospect of a successful prosecution based on evidence contained in the docket.”

Multiple allegations

The complaint alleged Ramaphosa had been involved in money laundering and corruption related to the theft, the statement said.

The Hawks also looked into possible violations of income tax and foreign exchange control regulations.

More than 150 statements were obtained in the investigation, National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga told the Newzroom Afrika channel.

But the prosecutor decided that “the available evidence presented to prosecutors cannot sustain any charge”.

South Africa’s Ramaphosa announces cabinet that includes ex-opposition leader

The complaint against Ramaphosa was laid by Arthur Fraser, who had headed the state security agency between 2016 and 2018.

He claimed that Ramaphosa hid the $4-million robbery from police and tax authorities and instead organised the kidnapping and questioning of the robbers to then bribe them into silence.

The president has acknowledged a burglary but denied kidnapping and bribery, saying he reported the break-in to the police.

He has also disputed the amount of money involved and said it came from legitimate sales of game from his animal-breeding farm.

The Elysée Palace described the talks with Zelensky as an opportunity for Macron to reaffirm France’s determination to continue to provide longterm and “unwavering support” to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.

 It’s Zelensky’s the fifth trip to Paris since the Russian invasion began in February 2022.

The Ukrainian leader says his country needs more aid to counter Russia‘s advantage in manpower and ammunition. Russia has made several battlefield advances in recent months.

Zelensky also wants clearance to use long-range weapons supplied by allies, including the United States, to strike military targets deep inside Russia.

The talks in Paris come after Macron on Wednesday made a highly unusual visit to a military camp in eastern France, whose precise location was not disclosed, to meet part of a brigade of Ukrainian troops France is training.

Fast progress

The French Army is training on French territory 2,300 soldiers from the brigade, named Anne of Kyiv, after the Kyiv-born princess who married the French 11th century King Henri I.

“The training is going very well. The Ukrainian soldiers are progressing faster than we thought,” French colonel Paul, who according to convention did not give his last name, told French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov who accompanied Macron.

Macron told the troops: “You have also made a lot of progress through your action and your resistance.”

Of the 4,500 soldiers in the brigade, 2,300 are being trained in France and the other 2,200 in Ukraine.

France and allies launch ‘artillery coalition’ to bring more weapons to Ukraine

France will equip it with 128 frontline armoured vehicles, 18 Caesar cannons, “more than 18” AMX-10 vehicles, 20 Milan anti-tank missile posts and 10 large TRM military trucks designed for support missions in difficult terrain.

Macron also announced in June the delivery of an unspecified number of French Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets to the Ukrainians. Pilots and mechanics are already being trained on the aircraft that will be transferred.

France has already trained a total of more than 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers in various fields.

Zelensky on Wednesday announced meetings this week with several European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

He is reportedly set to meet new NATO chief Mark Rutte and Pope Francis.

Action plan for peace

In attendance at the “Ukraine-Southeast Europe” summit in Croatia on Wednesday, Zelensky said the European Union must unite the whole continent.

“If Europe is not united today it won’t be peaceful, so that integration processes that have begun must reach their result,” he said, pleading the case for his country and several Balkan states to be allowed into the bloc.

Zelensky repeatedly mentioned a peace plan prepared by Kyiv that he would like to present at a peace conference expected in November.

Russia threatens response as NATO partners send fighter jets to Ukraine

Kyiv has developed an “action plan that can bridge the gap between the current situation and a successful peace summit”, he said.

“For us this is a victory plan” and once it is “fully implemented, Russia will lose their ability to threaten us, to threaten Europe”.

Zelensky was due to attend an international meeting of more than 50 countries to discuss military support for Ukraine in Germany on Saturday.

But the US military said the meeting at the Ramstein air base was postponed and did not specify a new date.

US President Joe Biden has pulled out of a tour of Europe and Angola because of Hurricane Milton.

(with newswires)

Featuring data from 35,000 populations of more than 5,000 species of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish, the WWF Living Planet Index shows accelerating declines across the globe.

In biodiversity-rich regions such as Latin America and the Caribbean, the figure for animal population loss is as high as 95 percent.

The report tracks trends in the abundance of a large number of species, not individual animal numbers.

It found that populations under review had fallen 73 percent since 1970, mostly due to human pressures.

The index has become an international reference and arrives just ahead of the next UN summit on biodiversity, which will spotlight the issue when it opens in Colombia later this month.

“The picture we are painting is incredibly concerning,” said Kirsten Schuijt, Director General of WWF International, at a press briefing.

One in five migratory species faces extinction, UN report warns

Tipping points

“This is not just about wildlife, it’s about the essential ecosystems that sustain human life,” said Daudi Sumba, chief conservation officer at WWF.

The report reiterates the need to simultaneously confront the “interconnected” crises of climate change and nature destruction, and warned of major “tipping points” approaching certain ecosystems.

“The changes could be irreversible, with devastating consequences for humanity,” he said, using the example of deforestation in the Amazon, which could “shift this critical ecosystem from a carbon sink to a carbon source.”

“Habitat degradation and loss, driven primarily by our food system, is the most reported threat in each region, followed by overexploitation, invasive species and disease,” the report said.

Other threats include climate change, in particular in Latin America and the Caribbean, and pollution, notably in North America, Asia and the Pacific.

‘Incredibly concerning’

The biggest decline is found in populations of freshwater species, followed by terrestrial and marine vertebrates.

“We have emptied the oceans of 40 percent of their biomass,” said Yann Laurans of WWF France.

Continent by continent, the average decline reached 95 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean, followed by Africa, down 76 percent, and then Asia and the Pacific, which declined 60 percent.

The reduction in populations is “less spectacular” in Europe, Central Asia and North America.

Some populations have stabilised or even expanded thanks to conservation efforts and the reintroduction of species, the report said.

Why the Congo plays a critical role in saving the world’s biodiversity

The European bison, for example, disappeared in the wild in 1927 but in 2020 numbered 6,800 thanks to large-scale breeding and successful reintroduction, mainly in protected areas.

While calling the overall picture “incredibly concerning,” Schuijt added: “The good news is that we’re not yet past the point of no return.”

She pointed to global efforts including a breakthrough pact landed at the last UN meeting on biodiversity in 2022 to protect 30 percent of the planet by 2030 from pollution, degradation and climate change.

But she warned, “all of these agreements have checkpoints in 2030 that are in danger of being missed.”

Several scientific studies published by the journal Nature have accused WWF of methodological biases in its index that lead to an exaggerated extent of the decline of animals.

“We remain really confident of its robustness,” said Andrew Terry of the Zoological Society of London at a press briefing, highlighting the use of a “range of indicators, looking at extinction risk, biodiversity and ecosystem health to really broaden that picture”.

In 2007, after studying art and photography in Paris, Calligaro went to Afghanistan for what was meant to be a short trip, pursuing her dream of becoming a war correspondent.

She ended up staying for more than a decade, capturing the complexities of a country that grew on her over time.

It was in Kabul where she became a professional photographer, she tells RFI.

The exhibition “From Kabul with Love” is a selection of 50 photos from 2007 to 2022, depicting the extraordinary panorama of her time observing people going about their daily lives, despite the constant danger, crises and conflict.

“In Afghanistan, all the encounters I’ve had are noteworthy because the stories are not trivial. They are not always happy stories, even if the people are resilient. But it’s not just drama, there’s also joy,” she explains.

From the start, Calligaro focused on photographing women. As a woman, she had access to homes that male journalists found difficult to reach.

Paradoxically, she said, being a foreign female journalist gave her slightly more freedom, as she wasn’t expected to follow all the strict rules Afghan women faced, though she did cover her head in the presence of Taliban members.

Over the years, Calligaro built up a body of work that carefully documented the lives of girls and women and their ever-diminishing freedoms.

Becoming a mother also helped her take better stock of the situation for women, and they became true heroes to her, she says.

UN calls for ‘gender apartheid’ to be criminalised as Taliban denounced for abuse of Afghan women

Turning point

When the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, the shock was immense, Calligaro recalls. Although not present in the country during the takeover, she arrived shortly afterwards to document the changes.

She mostly stopped photographing outdoors, finding it too dangerous. While she admired the strength of Afghan women, she also sympathised with the men she met.

“Women’s lives are hard, they rely on sisterhood,” she explains. “But it is not an easy society for men either. Men have a lot of pressure on their shoulders when it comes to the women in their family. And there are very few prospects.”

Calligaro describes meeting a 22-year-old man who was not lucky enough to go to one of the international schools because he grew up in a small village. His only instruction came from the madrasa – a Koranic school.

She photographed him standing guard with a gun in a palace in Kabul, a city he’d never seen before. His eyes are wide with wonder as he takes in the opulent, white marble hall.

“A Kalashnikov was put in his hands at the age of 12. Whether he chose to be Taliban, I don’t know. I don’t think it’s an informed choice in any case,” Calligaro says.

Many Afghans asked her for help obtaining visas to leave, but Calligaro had to tell them it wasn’t that simple.

“It’s very hard to face your own helplessness in this situation,” she says. “It makes me doubly sad because it’s a country that I particularly like.”

Chilling documentary reveals women’s struggle for survival in Afghanistan

Nuanced perspective

For the exhibition, it was important for Calligaro to show Afghanistan in all its complexity with what she calls “nuance and tenderness”.

Although violence and conflict are never far away, she has chosen to keep them out of the frame. Instead, she invites the viewer to sense a life beyond what is presented in the news.

“I tried to show that in life, in societies, nothing is fixed, white or black, it’s not the good guys on one side or the bad guys on the other. I tried to show that history is not linear,” she says.

“From Kabul with Love” is one of eight exhibitions at this year’s Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Award for war correspondents’ festival, known as the Prix Bayeux.

The event kicked off on Monday and will host a programme of round tables, conferences, screenings, a book fair and the prize ceremony itself on Saturday evening.

The exhibitions remain open to the public until mid-November.

The president of the jury is award-winning CNN journalist Clarissa Ward, the first and only Western journalist to enter Gaza last December without explicit Israeli permission or escort.

While the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is very much in the spotlight this year, there is a focus on Russian war crimes in conflicts over the years including in Ukraine, as well as a look back at April 1975, a crucial turning point for wars in Cambodia and Vietnam.

France doubled its contribution to the NATO Response Force in Romania on 28 February, 2022, just four days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, sending 350 additional soldiers as well as a dozen armoured vehicles and a dozen Leclerc tanks.

Since 1 May 2022, the deployed force, operating under the name “Mission Eagle” (“Mission Aigle“) has taken the form of a multinational battlegroup of which France is the core. France also deploys a MAMBA ground-to-air defense system, logistics and fighting units, totalling more than 1,000 French soldiers.

Last month, additional vehicles from the French 7th Armored Brigade  arrived in Romania. In total eight Leclerc tanks and six armed personnel carriers reached the army camp General Berthelot, just outside Bucarest, escorted by Romanian military police. 

The logistics are designed to support Mission Aigle’s participation in the Dacian Fall 24 and Dacian Spring 25 military exercises planned for next autumn and spring.

Exercises like Dacian Spring send a strategic message, reinforcing the alliance’s resolve and capabilities.

“We used to play war,” General Bertrand Toujouse was quoted as saying by Politico.

“Now there’s a designated enemy, and we train with people with whom we’d actually go to war.”

France to boost military presence in eastern Europe

According to Politico, France’s land forces have started a “profound transformation” to be ready for a high-intensity conflict similar to the war in Ukraine.

Quoting the French Defence Ministry, Politico says that the French army has “new marching orders from NATO,” meaning that by 2027 it “should be able to deploy a war-ready division in 30 days.” 

The upcoming exercise in Romania serves as an “intermediate step” toward this goal, with the French Army testing “its ability to deploy a brigade, typically 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers, within a 10-day window.”

A division consists of between 10,000 to as many as 25,000 soldiers.

Vote tallying started shortly after polling stations closed at 6pm local time on Wednesday, with initial results expected in about two weeks.

Two of the main opposition leaders have already warned against electoral fraud in the southern African nation plagued by high levels of poverty and jihadist violence in the north.

Outgoing President Filipe Nyusi, 65, who is stepping down after a two-term limit, called for continued calm and patience after a day of voting with no major incidents reported.

“I would also ask that no group of citizens agitate or threaten others, that everything happen in peace and tranquillity and that we avoid announcing the results ahead of time,” Nyusi said.

After casting his vote, opposition candidate Venancio Mondlane was critical of the process, describing the electoral commission as “corrupt people, crooks, scoundrels.”

“People are not going to accept this kind of theft, this kind of shamelessness, this kind of electoral banditry,” Mondlane told reporters outside a polling station.

How Portugal’s Carnation Revolution changed the fate of its colonies in Africa

Popular among young voters, Mondlane was until June part of the main opposition party Renamo before joining the smaller Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos).

The last presidential election, in 2019, which Frelimo won with 73 percent of the vote, was marred by irregularities, while municipal elections in 2023 ended up in violence after results were contested by the opposition.

‘We need change’

“Change” was the buzzword on many voters’ lips, but analysts said they doubted the election would bring much of it.

“Mozambique is ready for a change,” said Elchrisio, a 25-year-old student who gave only his first name and was queuing at a polling station in Maputo.

“We need to elect somebody who has the capacity to rule the country,” he told AFP.

Mozambique goes to the polls as ruling party faces insurgency challenges

Participation in the last presidential election was around 50 percent. Observers said it could be higher this year, though no official number has been released.

In addition to a new president, Mozambicans are voting for 10 governors and 250 members of parliament.

Forest engineer Gisela Guambe, 42, who travelled 1,700 kilometres to vote, said she wanted change in parliament.

“There is not enough debate in parliament now. The opposition needs a different presence,” she said.

But analysts warned that was unlikely.

“Nothing is going to change,” said Domingos Do Rosario, a political science lecturer at Maputo’s Eduardo Mondlane University, pointing to weak institutions and rife political bargaining.

The electoral commission “is a joke”, he told AFP ahead of polling day.

“It manufactures voters,” said Do Rosario, expressing doubt over the body’s claim to have registered 17 million voters from a largely young population of 33 million.

More than 1,000 survivors of Mozambique hardline Islamist attack reach safety

Generational shift

The Frelimo candidate to replace Nyusi is the relatively unknown provincial governor, 47-year-old Daniel Chapo, who also called for calm after he cast his ballot.

His election would mark a generational shift: he would be the first Mozambican president born after independence from Portugal in 1975 and the first not to have fought in the devastating 16-year civil war between Frelimo and Renamo.

The two other candidates are Ossufo Momade, 63, of Renamo, and Lutero Simango, 64, of the Mozambique Democratic Movement.

Simango is also an outspoken critic of Frelimo, whose leaders he describes as “thieves dressed in red”, the party’s colour.

After casting his vote, Momade called for the “decision of the people to be respected.”

More than 74 percent of Mozambique’s population lived in poverty in 2023, according to the African Development Bank.

The country had hoped for an economic boost from the discovery in 2010 of vast gas deposits in the north, but jihadist violence in Cabo Delgado province led ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies to suspend their projects.

The economy will need to be a priority for the government, said Aleix Montana, an analyst at the UK-based consultancy Verisk Maplecroft.

“The new president of Mozambique will have to tackle high levels of public debt and weak revenue inflows, as key energy projects continue to suffer delays due to the insurgency in Cabo Delgado,” he said.

The Paris Olympic Games and Paralympics gave French-language songs huge exposure, adding new fans to the global audience already growing on streaming platforms. But what kind of music are non-French-speakers listening to and why? A new exhibition at the recently opened International Centre of the French Language asks the question. Its curator, the music journalist Bertrand Dicale, based the exhibit on the idea that songs reveal who were are, and he talks about what popular songs reveal about France. He also highlights some surprising differences between French and foreign audiences, which have allowed stars like Aya Nakamura and Juliette Gréco to enjoy huge success abroad despite being scorned at home. (Listen @0’00)

France lags behind many countries in the use of technology in classrooms and there is no clear policy from an ever-changing education ministry. But the disorganisation may be buying educators time to consider the consequences. A report commissioned in the spring by President Emmanuel Macron advised placing limits on young people’s use of smartphones and social media, and some schools are testing a smartphone ban this year. Founded by concerned educators, the collective Pour une éducation numérique raisonnée (“For a sensible digital education”) has raised its own concerns about the push to digitise textbooks and get students learning on screens. We visit a class taught by one of its members, and see how technology is – and is not – used. (Listen @22’00)

In the midst of Nobel season, a look at some of France’s 71 prizes, from the first ever Nobel Peace Prize in 1901 to the five won by members of the Curie family for physics and chemistry. (Listen @15’00)

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).

The popular landmark sported giant Olympic rings during this summer’s Olympics and Paralympics. Paris’s mayor Anne Hidalgo, who was encouraged by the popular success of the Games, wants to keep a version of the decoration on the tower until the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.

But that proposal has polarised opinion in the French capital and at the highest level of state.

Already, it has been severely criticised by descendants of the tower’s designer Gustave Eiffel, as well as conservation groups.

Eiffel’s descendants call for Olympic rings to be moved to LA

At the end of last month, workers removed the 30-tonne steel rings that were first installed in June between the first and second floors of the tower.

Hidalgo has campaigned for lighter, less prominent, versions of the originals to be installed in their place.

But even this toned-down proposal is too much for sceptics, some of whom are also bitter political enemies of Hidalgo. The Socialist mayor has riled opponents with ambitious pro-cycling and anti-car projects, as well as a recent decision to cut the speed limit on Paris’s ring road, the Peripherique.

Heritage list

One of her most prominent critics is right-wing politician, Rachida Dati, who as leader of the opposition in Paris city hall has often locked horns with Hidalgo.

Having failed in a previous bid, she is expected to run for mayor again in 2026 at the next municipal election.

Dati was last month reappointed culture minister in Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government, a position that gives her much influence over listed buildings and their protection.

On Tuesday, she announced that she had asked for the Eiffel Tower to be placed on the state heritage list.

If granted, that would effectively wrest control over work done on the tower from the city and her rival Hidalgo, placing it in the hands of the central government.

‘Further political aims’

Dati told the daily Le Parisien that the tower’s current status as an ordinary listed monument was no longer sufficient. Only its inclusion on the French state’s top heritage list, reserved for sites of national importance, would offer “true protection”, she argued.

Any work done on a building or monument with full heritage status requires the approval of the regional prefect, who answers to the government, or other state-run agencies.

Should Hidalgo refuse Dati’s request that the tower be added to the state’s top heritage list, Dati said she would make the change “by force”.

Asked about the initiative Tuesday, Hidalgo said the Eiffel Tower was already “very, very well protected”.

Dati’s remarks also caused anger at SETE, the company running the Eiffel Tower, which is majority-owned by the city of Paris.

SETE president Jean-Francois Martins told French news agency AFP that the culture minister was entitled to ask for heritage status if a site was endangered. “But that’s not the case for the Eiffel Tower,” he said.

The company was embarking on the tower’s “most ambitious ever” paint job, had renovated lifts and improved accessibility, he added.

Martins accused Dati of using the Eiffel Tower “to further her political aims”.

Meanwhile, some opposition members of Paris’s municipal council have suggested displaying the Olympics logo elsewhere in the capital.

After months of gloom and self-doubt in the run-up to the start of the Olympics on July 26, Parisians threw themselves into the spirit of the Games, which have been hailed as a resounding success.

Hidalgo, in power since 2014, also wants to retain other symbols of the event such as the cauldron placed in front of the Louvre museum, and the statues of illustrious women placed in the river Seine during the opening ceremony.

(With newswires)

The decision follows the EU’s recent imposition of steep tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs).

France is likely to be the most impacted by China’s new measures, as it is the largest exporter of luxury drinks to China such as cognac and armagnac.

China launched an investigation this year into EU brandy imports into China, months after the bloc undertook a probe into Chinese EV subsidies.

Beijing said in August it would not impose provisional tariffs on brandy makers, even though it had found evidence of dumping, but did not rule out subsequent measures.

But after the EU slammed tariffs on Chinese EV’s last week, Beijing decided to retaliate with extra tax on EU liquor and operators will have to pay a “corresponding guarantee” to Chinese customs when importing EU brandy into the country, the commerce ministry in Beijing said in a statement.

The amount would be based on calculations involving prices approved by customs, as well as import taxes.

The investigation had “preliminarily determined that imports of certain brandy originating from the European Union were being dumped, threatening substantial damage to the domestic brandy industry,” the ministry said.

The probe also established “a causal relationship between the dumping and the threat of substantial damage”.

Shares plummet

The ministry released a list detailing the rates each company would expect to pay, ranging from 30.6 percent for cognac house Martell to 39 percent for Jas Hennessy and 38.1 percent for Remy Martin.

Shares in French spirits giants Remy Cointreau and Pernod Ricard fell sharply in Paris on Tuesday following the news.

France’s main cognac industry group said it had not yet received details of the new rules but the announcement sent an “additional signal” that China intended to implement further taxes.

“We will already have to pay money” for the guarantee given the biggest cognac exporters already have their own import subsidiaries in China, said Raphael Delpech, director general of the National Interprofessional Cognac Bureau (Bnic).

On 4 October, after the EU vote to impose tariffs on Chinese EVs, the Bnic issued a statement saying the higher tariffs would reinforce “the imminent threat of surtax on Cognac exports to China”, deporing that requests to postpone the vote and for a negotiated solution had been ignored.

“The French authorities have abandoned us. We do not understand why our sector is being sacrificed in this way,” according to the French brandy makers, who now fear that Beijing’s surtax “could exclude [French cognacs] from the Chinese market”.

• Are EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles a sign of weakness?

Status symbol

“The thirst for French alcohol prevails,” said a report by Shanghai-based research group Daxue Consulting, published to coincide with the 60th anniversary of Sino-French relations in January 2024.

In 2022, France emerged as the leading exporter of alcoholic beverages to China, reaching a total value of €773 million, according to the report, pointing out that foreign liquors in China “serve as a status symbol, often reserved for special dinners and social gatherings”.

France has a 98.8 percent market share of hard liquor, according to the report.

Earlier this year, when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited France, French President Emmanuel Macron thanked him for not imposing customs duties on French cognac, presenting him with bottles of the expensive drink.

But the EU gave a definitive green light last week to imposing extra tariffs of up to 35.3 percent on EVs imported from China, saying Beijing has unfairly subsidised its domestic industry to the detriment of European automakers.

Brussels is also investigating Chinese subsidies for solar panels and wind turbines.

And Beijing launched a probe into EU subsidies of some dairy and pork products imported into China.

Asked about the brandy measures and those probes on Tuesday, Beijing’s commerce ministry said the investigations were being conducted in “accordance with the law”.

A spokesperson reiterated that Beijing was mulling measures such as “raising tariffs on imported large-displacement fuel vehicles”, referring to cars with larger engines that typically produce more emissions.

“China will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese industries and enterprises,” the spokesperson said.

(with newswires)

The Paris Olympic Games and Paralympics gave French-language songs huge exposure, adding new fans to the global audience already growing on streaming platforms. But what kind of music are non-French-speakers listening to and why? A new exhibition at the recently opened International Centre of the French Language asks the question. Its curator, the music journalist Bertrand Dicale, based the exhibit on the idea that songs reveal who were are, and he talks about what popular songs reveal about France. He also highlights some surprising differences between French and foreign audiences, which have allowed stars like Aya Nakamura and Juliette Gréco to enjoy huge success abroad despite being scorned at home. (Listen @0’00)

France lags behind many countries in the use of technology in classrooms and there is no clear policy from an ever-changing education ministry. But the disorganisation may be buying educators time to consider the consequences. A report commissioned in the spring by President Emmanuel Macron advised placing limits on young people’s use of smartphones and social media, and some schools are testing a smartphone ban this year. Founded by concerned educators, the collective Pour une éducation numérique raisonnée (“For a sensible digital education”) has raised its own concerns about the push to digitise textbooks and get students learning on screens. We visit a class taught by one of its members, and see how technology is – and is not – used. (Listen @22’00)

In the midst of Nobel season, a look at some of France’s 71 prizes, from the first ever Nobel Peace Prize in 1901 to the five won by members of the Curie family for physics and chemistry. (Listen @15’00)

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).

With a great deal of fanfare, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the leaving ceremony of Turkey’s energy research vessel Oruc Reis, which set sail this month to Somalia accompanied by two Turkish naval vessels.

Somali energy deal

The deployment of the Oruc Reis is part of an energy deal struck with Somalia and the latest step in Ankara’s long-term investment in the Horn of Africa nation.

“Turkey has its largest embassy in the world in Mogadishu. It has a military base there. The port of Mogadishu is controlled by a Turkish company, “explained Norman Rickelfs, a geopolitical consultant.

“[Turkey] signed a defense deal (with Somalia) in February, a two-part defense deal, and then an energy exploration deal in March. So, Turkey needs Somalia and Ethiopia to play well together.”

The threat of a new conflict in the Horn of Africa has been looming since January when Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding with Somaliland, a breakaway state from Somalia.

The agreement gives Ethiopia secure sea access in exchange for recognizing the breakaway state, a deal condemned by Somalia for infringing on its territorial integrity.

Turkey enters fray mediating Ethiopia and Somalia’s high-stakes dispute

Somalia, Ethiopia and Turkey

Ankara which has good relations with Ethiopia, as well as Somalia has been mediating. But September’s round of talks, during which Ankara had indicated an agreement could be reached, has been indefinitely postponed.

The postponement follows Egypt signing a defense pact with Somalia in August. Last month, Egypt sent its first shipment of arms to Somalia in four decades.

Elem Eyrice-Tepeciklioglu, an African studies professor at the Social Sciences University of Ankara, warns that Egypt’s military involvement complicates Ethiopian Somali reconciliation efforts.

“There are also some hurdles on the way with some recent tensions, especially with the involvement of Egypt and its increasing relations with Somalia,” claims Eyrice-Tepeciklioglu.

Tepeciklioglu warns that the longer the Ethiopian-Somalia dispute continues, the greater the risk of contagion in an unstable region.

“The shifting alliances in the region are also a source of problem, because most of the regional countries have strained relations with each other. And then they often have conflicting interests. So this might complicate the situation,” explained Tepeciklioglu. 

 Egypt’s support of Somalia is the latest chapter in Egyptian-Ethiopian tensions. Those tensions center on Ethiopia’s damming of the Nile River, which Egypt depends on.

Cairo’s position

Cairo has strongly criticized the project, warning it poses an existential threat. “Egypt’s military deployment to Somalia is a natural progression for an actor seeking to strengthen their hand in a regional competition,” said Kaan Devecioglu of the Ankara-based think tank Orsam.

However, Devecioglu says the priority must be to prevent current rivalries from overspilling into confrontation. “Egypt already has this strained relationship with Ethiopia due to tensions over the Nile River, which makes its presence in Somalia geopolitically sensitive. The issue is not that states are rivals but ensuring they are not enemies,’ explained Devecioglu.

Egyptian President Al Fateh Sisi discussed Ethiopian Somali tensions during last month’s Ankara visit. The visit is part of rapprochement efforts between the countries. That rapprochement Ankara is likely to use to contain current tensions in the Horn of Africa.

However, some experts warn Ankara‘s mediation efforts could be running out of time.

“We see tensions escalating in the region, and we see both sides sort of trying to extract leverage and put pressure on each other,” said Omar Mahmood, a Senior Analyst of the International Crisis Group.

Mahmood says that given the Horn Of Africa is already plagued with conflict Ankara’s mediation efforts needs international support,

 “There needs to be a way to de-escalate, I think the mediation is very important. But I think there probably needs to be additional, you know, parties involved or additional pressure put on both sides in order to get to a breakthrough,” added Mahmood.

Currently, there is no new date for a new round of Turkish-brokered Ethiopian Somali talks, with Ankara saying it is negotiating with each country separately. But time is not on Ankara’s side as tensions continue to grow in the region, which is located on one of the world’s most important trade routes.

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 7 September, I asked you a question about the Paris Paralympics 2024. You were to re-read our article “Golden glory for French para-triathletes despite delays over Seine water quality” and send in the answers to these two questions: How many medals did the French Paralympians win in the triathlon events that were held on 2 September, and: What are the three sports that make up a triathlon?

The answer is: French Paralympians won four medals in the triathlon events. Alexis Hanquinquant and Jules Ribstein both won gold in their divisions, Thibaut Rigaudeau and Antoine Perel won bronze in the competition for visually impaired athletes.

And which three sports make up a triathlon? Swimming, bicycling, and running. 

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “What is the scariest creature you have ever encountered?”, which was suggested by Alan Holder from the Isle of Wight, England.  

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Swapan Kumar Chandra from Kolkata, India – who is back in the kitchen with us after a long break … welcome back, Swapan! Swapan is also this week’s bonus question winner – congratulations!

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are A. K. M. Nuruzzaman, the president of the RFI Amour Fan Club in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, and Rasheed Naz, the chairman of the Naz RFI Internet Fan Club in Faisal Abad, Pakistan. There’s RFI Listeners Club member Radhakrishna Pillai from Kerala State in India, and last but certainly not least, RFI English listener Shihab Ali Khondaker from Naogaon, Bangladesh.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: Le Boeuf sur le Toit by Darius Milhaud, performed by the Ulster Orchestra conducted by Yan Pascal Tortelier; “Love Me Do” by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, played by The Beatles; “Les Jours Heureux” by Cyrille Aufort; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and “At The Centerline” by Brian Blade, performed by the Brian Blade Fellowship Band.

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

This week’s question … you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read our article “French far-right leader Marine Le Pen on trial for misuse of EU funds”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 28 October to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 2 November 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,  

This week, our focus shifts to the dynamics of Chinese-African-Western relations.

In September, as the United States pursued investments in nuclear energy projects in Ghana and Kenya, the China-Africa forum concluded with a series of new agreements between China and a number of African countries. These deals spanned key sectors, including industry, agriculture, natural resources, and renewable energy.

China’s new strategy in Africa: is the continent getting a fair deal?

Chinese President Xi Jinping also announced that Beijing will allocate $50 billion (€45 billion euros) to Africa over the next three years.

However, China’s overall investments in the continent have declined over the past year, creating an opening for both the US and Europe, who are both eager to re-establish their economic presence in Africa.

Russia has also entered the picture.

But what does Africa realy need?

To explore this, Jan van der Made and Melissa Chemam spoke with experts, including historians Daniel Large and Michael Dillon, as well as Igor Ichikowitz from the Ichikowitz Family Foundation.

Episode mixed by Erwan Rome 

Spotlight on Africa is a podcast from Radio France Internationale

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,  

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.