Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman joined five other Gulf leaders for the historic meeting with EU heads of state, raising hopes for a stronger partnership between the two blocs.

The summit comes as conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon intensify, with fears growing of a wider regional war.

“One of the objectives is to avoid a general conflagration,” a senior EU official told the French news agency AFP – referring to the escalating violence between Israel, Hamas, and Hezbollah.

Shared concerns

While energy, trade, and climate are on the table, the main focus is the Middle East. Both sides are seeking ways to prevent the crisis from spiralling further.

“We share the same concerns about peace and security in the whole region,” said Josep Borrell, the EU’s chief diplomat.

The Gulf states have traditionally been Western allies but have developed closer ties with Iran in recent years, complicating their position.

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

Nevertheless, the EU sees them as key players in addressing the violence in Gaza and Lebanon.

The European Union has called for a ceasefire, and Gulf nations have long advocated for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

“The Saudis are a driving force within the GCC,” Abdullah Baabood, of the Malcolm H Kerr Carnegie Middle East Centre, told European political publication The Parliament.

“Having him there will help the relationship.”

Trade talks

The GCC and the EU have been in discussions for decades about a free trade deal, but negotiations have stalled since 2008.

Despite this, the EU remains the second-largest trading partner for the Gulf region, with total trade in goods last year valued at €170 billion.

With Europe aiming to reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas amid the war in Ukraine, the summit is also seen as an opportunity to strengthen energy ties.

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

Human Rights Watch has urged EU leaders to address political repression, free expression, and labour rights with their Gulf counterparts.

The official summit agenda, however, makes no mention of these concerns.

“EU leaders should make it clear that the release of critics and progress on human rights are vital for bilateral relations,” said Claudio Francavilla, associate EU director at Human Rights Watch.

The outcome of the summit will set the tone for future cooperation between the EU and the GCC in both economic and security matters.

(With newswires)

French police took Seba into custody on Monday along with his associate, Hery Djehuty, a source told the French news agency AFP.

It is understood that Seba, whose real name is Stellio Gilles Robert Capo Chichi, was detained by officers from France’s Directorate General for Internal Security (DGSI).

A statement released on his official social media page said that the charges against him would be disclosed in an upcoming press conference.

The 42-year-old is the founder of the social justice NGO Urgences Panafricanistes and is a vocal critic of French influence in Africa.

“He was in France to meet with Beninese opposition figures and visit a sick relative,” said Maud-Salomé Ekila, spokesperson for his NGO.

She added that Seba had recently held meetings with civil society groups and media outlets in Spain and Belgium, aimed at supporting “the sovereignty movements of Afro-descendant peoples”.

France to reduce military presence in West and Central Africa

Nationality revoked

In July 2024, Seba’s French citizenship was revoked. The French Interior Ministry accused him of holding “an openly anti-French position”, a claim the French Council of State upheld.

Seba responded by calling the move “a recognition of his political work against Françafrique“, referring to France’s post-colonial influence in Africa.

Shortly after losing his citizenship, Seba was granted a Nigerien diplomatic passport by the military junta that took control in Niger in August.

The new Nigerien government, openly critical of France, appointed Seba as an advisor to General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the leader of the coup.

Russian ties

In recent years, Seba has aligned himself with pro-Russian networks, drawing attention for his connection to Yevgeny Prigozhin, the late head of the Wagner paramilitary group.

A report by Jeune Afrique claimed Seba received over $400,000 between 2018 and 2019 through these associations.

France’s ruling party has described Seba as a “Russian propaganda tool”, although he continues to be a prominent figure in pan-African circles, where he campaigns for the full independence of African nations from former colonial powers.

“What’s striking on first contact is that they arrive in a country at peace, and there’s a stress that immediately disappears,” says Colonel Guillaume Vancina, one of the officers in charge of training the Ukrainian troops. 

“That’s a very important aspect, and one that I think allows them to work with a certain calm.” 

Some 2,300 soldiers began arriving in France from Ukraine in September and will spend around three months in training at an unnamed base in the east of the country. 

While allies throughout Europe and beyond have offered assistance since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, this is one of the largest Ukrainian contingents yet trained by another country on its own soil.  

Together with another 2,200 troops completing training in Ukraine, they will ultimately form Ukrainian Brigade Number 155 – also known as the “Anna Kyivska” or “Anne de Kiev” brigade, after a medieval Kyiv-born princess who married King Henri I and became queen of France. 

Fresh recruits 

It’s a steep learning curve for many of the recruits, Vancina told reporters last week.

“Their profiles are very varied, lots of them are conscripts but there are also volunteers.”  

While the brigade is led by an experienced Ukrainian officer and includes a “small percentage” of veterans, as a unit created from scratch and still in training, “there are a lot of new recruits in the ranks”.  

France has allocated some 1,500 personnel to prepare them for frontline combat. 

“First off there’s a whole set of basics to get to grips with, and that’s going to take a bit of time,” said Vancina. “So no, we don’t throw them straight into a combat environment, but that will come very quickly.” 

Training techniques include using simulation devices to subject the soldiers to the noise of battle. The Ukrainian military wants them to be ready for the conditions they’re heading into, Vancina said.  

“They’re very exacting. They’re at war, and they’re asking for everything they can get.” 

Battle simulation 

France’s army has also sought to replicate the terrain that Ukrainian recruits will encounter, according to General Damien Wallaert, deputy chief of air-land operations. 

“We dug over 600 metres of trenches and buried combat posts,” he said. “We took into account what they told us about the size, dimension and depth of the trenches they were digging in Ukraine, so that they could train in conditions as close as possible to the real thing.” 

For the same reason, drones are a daily part of the soldiers’ training – either as backup or to simulate threats. 

“Again, the aim is to expose them to conditions as close to reality as possible in terms of noise, stress and fatigue,” Wallaert said, “so that it’s as realistic as it can be and when the day comes, they have the right reflexes, survive the battle and win.” 

Show of support

The French officers spoke to the press on the day President Emmanuel Macron inspected the new Ukrainian brigade, accompanied by the defence ministers of France and Ukraine. 

The visit, the first time Macron has met some of the 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers that France has trained over the past two years of war, was intended to highlight the country’s continued support ahead of talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. 

Zelensky has been meeting with several European leaders over the past week in a bid to get their backing for what he has called an “action plan” to pave the way for finally ending the fighting. 

He has not yet shared the details publicly, instead promising that he will discuss them at a peace conference expected in November.

The Ukrainian president has also been pushing Western countries to sign off on long-range missile strikes against Russia, using weapons supplied by Ukraine’s allies.

While the United States and others are wary of escalating the conflict, Macron has previously said that Kyiv should be free to “neutralise” Russian bases firing missiles on Ukraine.

France’s Macron reaffirms possibility of sending troops to Ukraine

This story was adapted from a report in French by RFI’s Franck Alexandre.

Mbappe’s lawyer, Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard, insisted that the captain of the French national team was “at ease” because “he has done nothing wrong”, after media reports in Sweden said the player was a suspect following a visit with friends to Stockholm.

A Swedish prosecutor said on Tuesday that a rape investigation had been opened without mentioning Mbappe.

Swedish newspapers Aftonbladet and Expressen, as well as public broadcaster SVT, reported that Mbappe was the target of the investigation, following his two-day visit to the city last week.

Speaking to AFP, Canu-Bernard said Mbappe had “asked my office not to leave things as they are because it is impossible to allow yourself to be slandered and defamed in this way”.

“This is why we are going to file a complaint for libel.”

PSG and former star striker Mbappé begin fight over unpaid wages

Sweden’s Prosecution Authority said that the alleged rape had occurred at a hotel on 10 October but did not name a suspect and said no further information could be shared for the moment.

“In response to media reports about a suspected rape in Stockholm, the prosecutor can confirm that a criminal report has been submitted to the police,” a statement said.

According to a filing with the Stockholm district court reviewed by AFP, the alleged offence took place at the upscale Bank Hotel in the centre of Sweden’s capital.

The names of the plaintiff and the suspect were both redacted in the document.

Expressen on Monday identified Mbappe as the suspect, citing anonymous sources, while Aftonbladet and SVT said Tuesday they had also obtained information confirming Mbappe was the suspect.

Expressen said Mbappe was “reasonably suspected” of rape and sexual assault, the lower of two degrees of suspicion in the Swedish legal system.

According to the Prosecution Authority, the higher degree of suspicion, “probable cause”, is usually a prerequisite for a suspect to be remanded in custody prior to a formal charge.

Lawyer Petra Lund, who represents the plaintiff, told AFP that she “could not give any comment at this stage”.

Seized evidence

The French star was not selected for his country’s latest round of UEFA Nations League matches, and so visited the Swedish capital with a group of people from last Wednesday.

According to Aftonbladet, they dined at a restaurant before going to a nightclub. Mbappe and the group left Sweden on Friday.

Aftonbladet said the complaint was filed on Saturday after the alleged victim had sought medical attention.

Expressen reported Tuesday that police had seized some clothing as evidence, saying it consisted of women’s underwear, a pair of black trousers and a black top.

Photographs showed police officers leaving the Bank Hotel with brown bags on Monday.

Mbappe claimed in a post on X on Monday there was a link between the report and the hearing before a French league committee on Tuesday over his bitter dispute with his former club Paris Saint-Germain over what he says is 55 million euros in unpaid wages.

“FAKE NEWS !!!!. It’s becoming so predictable, on the eve of the hearing, as if by chance,” he wrote.

After the hearing, a source close to Qatari-owned PSG said the league would give its decision on 25 October.

Mbappe’s entourage said in a statement to AFP on Monday that the accusations were “completely false and irresponsible” and added that “all necessary legal action will be taken to re-establish the truth”.

Stellar career

Mbappe signed for Madrid in June after seven years at PSG and has up until now stayed clear of scandal in his private life.

The forward, who is known for carefully managing his image through a close network of family, lawyers and spokespeople, has become one of the world’s highest-paid players after a stellar career that saw him break through as a teenager at Monaco.

A 19-year-old Mbappe joined Pele as the only teenager to score in a World Cup final when France beat Croatia 4-2 to win the 2018 edition and he was voted Best Young Player of the tournament.

Four years later in Qatar, he scored a hat-trick in the final against Argentina but finished on the losing team as Lionel Messi‘s side won in a penalty shoot-out.

The 51-year-old German, who claimed six trophies in his two years in the French capital, will take over from interim manager Lee Carsley in January after the draw for the qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup.

“I am very proud to have been given the honour of leading the England team,” said Tuchel.

“I have long felt a personal connection to the game in this country, and it has given me some incredible moments already.

“To have the chance to represent England is a huge privilege, and the opportunity to work with this special and talented group of players is very exciting.”

During nearly two years at the English Premier League outfit Chelsea, he led the side to 2021 Champions League, the Uefa Super Cup and the Club World Cup. But he left the west Londoners after the club was sold to Todd Boehly in 2022.

Triumph

In his 15 months at Bayern Munich, he steered the German giants to the 2023 Bundesliga crown – an 11th consecutive Bundesliga title for the Bavarians – before an acrimonious departure involving public spats with an array of  senior players and executives.

“We are thrilled to have hired one of the best coaches in the world,” English Football Association CEO Mark Bullingham said in a statement on Wednesday.

Tuchel will be joined by his former Chelsea assistant Anthony Barry, who most recently worked with Portugal at the 2023 European championships.

“Fundamentally we wanted to hire a coaching team to give us the best possible chance of winning a major tournament, and we believe they will do just that,” Bullingham added.

“Thomas and the team have a single-minded focus on giving us the best possible chance to win the World Cup in 2026.”

Tuchel will become England’s third foreign coach after Sven-Goran Eriksson from Sweden and the Italian Fabio Capello.

The severe rains, which have damaged or destroyed schools and displaced families, have left the education system in crisis.

Displacing nearly one million people, the floods have worsened an already fragile situation.

“For many children in West and Central Africa, the start of the school year is synonymous with sadness at the sight of their homes, schools and classrooms under water,” Save the Children’s Vishna Shah-Little said.

All four countries are experiencing large numbers of children missing the school year’s start, with many schools closed due to severe damage.

The situation is especially dire in Niger and Mali, where the start of the school year has been postponed for weeks, affecting millions of learners.

Severe flooding in northeast Nigeria impacts one million, sparks disease, food shortage fears

Niger, Mali hit hard

Niger has delayed its school year by three weeks, impacting 3.8 million children. The floods have damaged or destroyed 5,520 classrooms, leaving many families without shelter.

Mali has postponed its school year by a month, with 3.8 million children affected by the delays in primary and secondary schools.

“As well as seeing their families devastated and their homes destroyed, the children have to come to terms with witnessing the flooding of their education,” Shah-Little said.

In Nigeria, 3 million children are out of school in Borno state alone. Statewide closures have put another 2.2 million children out of school due to flooding.

Across the country, 30 out of 36 states have been hit by heavy rains, leaving 269 people dead and displacing 640,000.

Appeal to donors

Save the Children is urging donors to support a scaled-up response to the growing crisis. It also called on governments to provide alternative learning options and ensure schools are resilient to future extreme weather events.

In the DRC, flooding earlier this year destroyed 1,325 schools, impacting over 200,000 children. Currently, at least 59,000 children remain out of school, with the province of Tanganyika hardest hit.

Save the Children is pushing for a global response to the climate crisis, advocating for governments to phase out fossil fuel use and protect vulnerable populations.

“We are investing in strengthening early warning systems for floods to better anticipate and prepare for such shocks,” Shah-Little added.

(With AFP)

“The prayer for conservatory orders is declined,” High Court judge Enock Chacha Mwita ruled on Tuesday, in the afternoon.

Gachagua had filed the court challenge to stop the upper house’s proceedings set for Wednesday and Thursday, arguing that his impeachment had been unfair and fast-tracked.

The 59-year-old has been denying all allegations and will continue to serve in his role until the Senate decides whether to approve his removal.   

Following the ruling, Gachagua’s counsel said they intended to appeal the decision.

Historic move

This attempt at impeachment is the first of its kind against a deputy president since the possibility was introduced in Kenya’s revised 2010 constitution.

In a historic move last week, the lower house of Kenya‘s parliament, the National Assembly, voted overwhelmingly to impeach Gachagua on 11 charges including corruption.

Kenyan MPs vote to impeach deputy president in historic move

The ouster would now require the support of at least two-thirds of senators to pass.

Gachagua filed the court challenge to stop the upper house’s proceedings set for Wednesday and Thursday, arguing that his impeachment had been unfair and fast-tracked.

It is one of more than two dozen court cases that have been filed against the impeachment.

On Monday, the Chief Justice Martha Koome empanelled a three-judge bench to hear and determine a case consolidating six of the petitions.

Powerful man

Gachagua is considered a powerful businessman, and belongs to Kenya’s biggest tribe, the Kikuyu.

He has weathered previous corruption scandals to become deputy leader as President William Ruto’s running mate in a closely fought election in August 2022.

But in recent weeks, he has complained about being sidelined by the president.

At the same time, he had been accused of supporting the youth-led anti-government protests that broke out in June.

After cabinet sackings, Kenya’s youth protesters call for President Ruto to go

Gachagua is also accused of threatening a judge among his impeachment charges.

On Sunday, he had said he pinned his hopes on the judiciary.

“I am a believer in the independence of the judiciary. I am certain that the courts will exercise judicial authority and protect and uphold the constitution and the will of the people,” he told a church service in central Kenya.

Kenya’s President Ruto fired most of his cabinet and included members of the opposition in his cabinet after nationwide protests against tax increases in which more than 50 people were killed.

Ruto has not commented publicly on the impeachment.

 (with newswires) 

The sanctions, announced on Monday, target Iran Air, Mahan Air, and Saha Airlines. The EU accuses the airlines of aiding Tehran’s missile and drone transfers to Russia, a claim Iran denies.

“Iran Air had to cancel flights because it will no longer be able to obtain landing permits,” said Jafar Yazarloo, spokesperson for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation.

The suspension affects all flights to major European cities, including Paris, London and Frankfurt.

Passengers were notified of the cancellations via SMS on Monday. Many contacted Imam Khomeini Airport in Tehran, where operators confirmed the flights were cancelled due to EU sanctions.

Macron condemns Iran’s attacks, mobilises French military in Middle East

“Iran Air was the only airline flying to Europe. Now, not a single Iranian airplane will go there,” said Maqsood Asadi Samani, director of the Association of Iranian Airlines.

He added that passengers will likely need to rely on connecting flights via countries like Turkey and the UAE.

Diplomatic efforts are underway to address the situation, but no immediate solution has been announced.

Last month, the United States also imposed sanctions on Iran Air, accusing it of transporting goods for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Western powers have accused Iran of supplying Russia with missiles and drones for its war in Ukraine, which Iran denies.

(With newswires)

According to Sarah Sauneron, Deputy Director-General of Health, one of the major challenges is to “anchor the dual influenza-Covid vaccination as double protection for priority groups”.

Doctors, nurses, midwives and pharmacists are authorised give the two injections, which can be given back-to-back, although this is not compulsory.

More than 17.2 million French people are being urged to be vaccinated against the two viruses, which can in some cases have fatal consequences.

The priority target groups at risk of developing serious forms of the disease are the over-65s, residents of nursing homes, people of all ages suffering from certain chronic illnesses and pregnant women.

The vaccinations are also recommended for carers and those around vulnerable people.

• France begins early vaccine programme as Covid-19 cases rise
• French health system under strain as flu adds to bronchiolitis and Covid woes

‘Protecting the most vulnerable’

While the seasonal return of flu is well known, Covid-19 – which comes in several epidemic waves each year – has added a health risk to the autumn and winter seasons, when other respiratory viruses are also circulating, such as bronchiolitis.

Speaking on Monday ahead of the vaccine campaign launch, Sauneron emphasised that the aim of vaccinating against flu and Covid is to “protect the most vulnerable, by reducing the number of serious cases and hospital admissions … but also to reduce the pressure on a health system that is under great strain”.

Another aim of the campaign is to raise the level of flu vaccination among the elderly, but also among healthcare workers, which is in decline.

France’s health authorities have remarked that the vaccination coverage of the over-65s has fallen, a trend that is particularly alarming because the majority of patients hospitalised and in intensive care are the over 65 years of age. 

(With newswires)

Speaking on Monday, French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu said that UNIFL forces “are destined to stay” in Lebanon, despite being allegedly targeted by Israeli forces who have launched incursions into Lebanese territory. 

“The day the guns fall silent, there will always be a Blue Line [separating Lebanon from Israel], there will be Resolution 1701 or a new resolution, there will always be a zone that has to be neutralised,” he explained on France 5 television.

“That’s why the mission is here to stay. It was the United Nations that deployed these forces, and it is up to the United Nations to withdraw them … unless the various contributing nations agree otherwise,” he added.

His statement comes as European countries contributing to UNIFIL – France, Italy, Spain and Ireland – are due to meet by videoconference on Wednesday to agree on their positions.

Lecornu’s comments echoed those of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who said that “there will be no withdrawal of UNIFIL”.

Peacekeepers under fire

With tensions between Israel and the UN mission mounting – and at least five peacekeepers injured by the Israeli army – Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to put the peacekeepers “under immediate cover“.

The UN Security Council has expressed strong concern over peacekeeping positions coming under fire amid clashes between the Israeli military and Hezbollah.

However, the UNIFIL force’s spokesman posted on X that the peacekeeping mission would stay.

“We are staying … we are in south of Lebanon under a Security Council mandate. So it’s important to keep an international presence and to keep the UN flag in the area,” Andrea Tenenti said.

• France, contributing states condemn Israeli attacks on peacekeepers in Lebanon

• France, US push for stronger Lebanese army to secure Israel border

Israeli soldiers killed

Netanyahu has rejected accusations that Israeli troops had deliberately harmed UNIFIL peacekeepers as “completely false” and repeated a call for them to withdraw from combat zones close to the border with Israel.

He maintains Hezbollah uses UNIFIL positions as cover for attacks that have killed Israelis, including on Sunday, when a drone attack on a military base killed four soldiers.

“Israel has every right to defend itself against Hezbollah and will continue to do so,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

He said he regretted any harm to UNIFIL personnel but added that the best way to ensure their safety was “to heed Israel’s request and to temporarily get out of harm’s way”.

‘No mercy’

This comes as Israel expanded its targets in its war against Hezbollah, killing at least 21 people in an airstrike in the north of the country on Monday.

A missile strike in the Christian-majority northern town of Aitou hit a house that had been rented to displaced families.

Until now the main focus of Israel’s military operations in Lebanon has been in the Bekaa Valley in the east, the suburbs of Beirut, and in the south.

During a visit to the military base where the four Israeli soldiers were killed, Netanyahu said Israel would continue to attack the Iran-backed movement “without mercy, everywhere in Lebanon – including Beirut”.

(With newswires)

The prestigious annual Bayeux War Correspondents’ Awards honoured dozens of reporters for their coverage of conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, Haiti and Afghanistan.

British-American journalist Clarissa Ward was head of this year’s international jury – made up of 40 fellow war correspondents – who handed out prizes in seven categories.

“I was so impressed by the work that we were judging. So beautiful, bold, brave and vital… I wish we could award everyone. It made me very proud to be a journalist,” Ward said after the prize ceremony on Saturday evening.

No fewer than 10 journalists were singled out for their coverage of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, where more than 42,000 people have been killed since October last year, according to data from the Palestinian territory’s health ministry.

‘World is watching Gaza through our lenses’

Reporting from Gaza has fallen principally to local Palestinian reporters, who risk their lives to document the devastation in increasingly precarious situations.

According to the investigative group Forbidden Stories, more than 100 journalists and media workers have been killed since Israel launched its offensive in response to the Hamas attack on 7 October last year.

Hams, a photographer for French news agency AFP, won first prize in the photo category for his harrowing series “Gaza: in the hell of war”. His work also earned him the top award at this year’s Visa pour l’Image photojournalism festival.

“I want to tell my colleagues in Gaza that our message has been heard: the entire world is watching Gaza through our lenses,” Hams said, dedicating his prize to fellow reporters in the field.

France’s top photojournalism awards go to Palestinians covering Gaza war

It is a zone that Ward knows well. With her team, she was the first Western journalist to enter Gaza – without Israeli permission or escort – in December 2023, a feat no foreign media has managed since.

She is clearly frustrated by not being able to continue documenting what she describes as a war that is “so personal for so many”.

“All conflicts are devastating. All conflicts are uniquely tragic. I think we feel the impact of what’s happening in the Middle East particularly acutely because we see the dynamics of that war playing out in our own newsrooms, in our own workplaces, in our own families,” she told RFI.

‘Not here to be liked’

For Ward, while the methods of war remain more or less the same, the terrain for journalists is constantly shifting. From new business models to changing audience patterns and habits, journalists are frequently required to be a “one-man band” when it comes to producing news.

One of the biggest challenges, she says, has been adapting to the pressures of social media and the often abusive reactions from people online.

She points out that after covering the Gaza conflict intensively since last October, she has been reminded of how important it is to remain impartial, regardless of how much “crushing pressure” there is “to pick a side or to be a champion for one or the other”.

“It’s a very important reminder to me that our job as journalists is not to be liked, it’s not to tell people what they want to hear.”

Instead, she says, journalists need to remember to “take a deep breath, go through the facts, and put together the best readily available version of the truth that we can find, while being humble about the various impediments and challenges that we face”.

RFI journalist honoured

At 44, Ward is one of the event’s youngest ever jury presidents, and admitted to feeling “humbled” as well as “excited” at discovering the work of her fellow reporters.

Among the other award-winning reports from Gaza, journalist Rami Abou Jamous won the top prize in written press for his “Gaza Journal”, a day-by-day account of how he fled his home as Israeli forces advanced, published in the online magazine Orient XXI.

Freelance photographer Saher Alghorra (AP/Zuma Press) won the Young Reporter trophy for a photo taken at the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis.

International investigation reveals ‘attack on press freedom’ in Gaza conflict

In television, Gazan journalist Mohamed Abou Safia and John Irvine of the UK’s ITV News won the top prize for their report capturing a Palestinian man shot dead despite carrying a white flag as he sought family members in Gaza.

RFI journalist Sami Boukhelifa won third prize in the radio category for his story of two children caught up in the war, from Israel and Gaza.

Other prizes went to coverage of the conflict in Ukraine, gang warfare in Haiti and the tragedy of migrant deaths in the English Channel.

The People’s Choice award went to Ukrainian photographer Kostiantyn Liberov for his series “War in Ukraine: pain, despair and hope”.

The eight different exhibitions at this year’s edition of the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Awards are open to the public for free until mid-November.

Titled “Senegal 2050”, the plan’s objective is to increase per capita income by 50 percent in five years and to extend life expectancy by three years, while reducing the deficit and debt.

The goal is also to improve livelihoods in the West African nation.

“We aim to build a diversified and resilient economy,” President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said at the launch ceremony, on Monday.

The plans aim to triple income per capita by 2050, and ensure annual growth of more than six percent by developing competitive sectors, including a strong private sector.

“This requires the development of our natural resources, whether agricultural, mining, oil or gas, through ambitious industrialisation,” the Senegalese president said.

“We will integrate our raw materials into global value chains and we will transform our wealth, locally, in particular, thanks to digital technologies and artificial intelligence,” he also said.

Jobs for young people

Among the concrete promises announced are the one to train 700,000 young people in the next five years, to help boost job creation and fight unemployment.

“Our young talent is in desperate search of opportunities,” the president also said.

The government also wants to reduce the cost of electricity thanks to the exploitation of gas and oil, and to make Senegal energy self-sufficient as soon as possible.

Senegal begins review of oil and gas contracts in bid to reclaim resources

Senegal became an oil producer in June, while gas production is due to begin by the end of the year.

The government aims at investing in research and innovation, all for a cost of 11.1 billion euros.

But the main challenge will however be to bring a credible budget plan to support all these promises.

“If you fight corruption effectively, you will gain a lot,” Mamadou Diop Decroix, former minister of commerce under Abdoulaye Wade, told RFI.

He did not sound worried therefore, and also suggested taxing more income and increasing the tax base.

But for Elimane Haby Kane, of the Legs-Africa think tank, the authorities must work harder to really offer reliable economic development solutions that are different from previous authorities.

“Their vision can be very ambitious, but now what’s important is how to translate that vision into reality!” he told RFI.

“Much more audacity is needed in implementation to achieve these ambitions,” he insisted.

Aiming for more change

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and his Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko made their first promises for economic changes seven months ago, after his landslide election victory in the March election.

Change afoot for Senegal as Bassirou Diomaye Faye readies for power

The announcement now comes as a snap legislative election is coming in November, which the president hopes will give him and his prime minister, Ousmane Sonko, a majority in Parliament to put their plans into place. 

Senegal’s president dissolves parliament, calls snap November election

Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko called on the Senegalese for patience on Monday, and asked the unions to hold on to reasonable demands.

But the expectations of the Senegalese are high in a difficult economic context and a gloomy business climate with numerous tax adjustments.

The 2023 Cup of Nations runners-up were due to land at Benghazi airport for Tuesday night’s Group D encounter but the pilot of their aircraft was told to land at Al Abraq Airport in Bayda.

Players remained in the departures lounge for more than 16 hours before returning to Nigeria and boycotting the game.

“The matter has been referred to the Confederation of African Football’s disciplinary board for investigation,” said a spokesperson for the confederation which organises the Africa Cup of Nations.

“Appropriate action will be taken against those who violated the confederation’s statutes and regulations.”

On Friday night, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru scored in the closing stages to secure Nigeria’s victory and keep them top of the four team pool with three of the six matches played. The defeat left Libya rooted to the bottom with one point out of a possible nine.

Clash

Before the clash in Uyo, southern Nigeria, the Libyan team accused Nigerian customs officials of excessive scrutiny. Skipper Faisal Al-Badri said the players were delayed for several hours during luggage checks. Nigerian authorities have denied accusations of maltreatment.

On Monday, Nigeria skipper William Troost-Ekong suggested an element of tit-for-tat.

“The Libyan government rescinded our approved landing in Benghazi with no reason,”  Troost-Ekong said on social media.

“They’ve locked the airport gates and left us without phone connection, food or drink. All to play mind games. As the captain, together with the team, we have decided that we will not play this game.”

The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) said it regretted the flight diversion. “It is essential to note that such incidents can occur due to routine air traffic control protocols, security checks or logistical challenges that affect international air travel.”

Pictures posted online by the Nigeria players showed some of them lying on airport seats, their luggage beside them and with no other passengers in sight. 

Game

On Tuesday, Libyan football chiefs said they expected the game to go ahead.

Sharing several images on social media of their players’ training session, the LFF wrote: “Some may be used to putting up obstacles before the match, but here in the heart of Benghazi, specifically on the grounds of the Martyrs of Benina Stadium, there is no room for excuses after the starting whistle.”

The statement added: “The Libyan Football Federation condemns the measures taken by the Nigerian Football Federation by refusing to play the Libya-Nigeria match in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers. It will take all legal measures to preserve the interests of the Libyan national football team.”

(With newswires)

This week’s strike, caused by a September message from management insisting on a return to three days working in the office for all staff worldwide, follows on from another walkout in February when hundreds in France joined a dispute over pay.

Unions said they had received no response to the grievances aired in February and that the September message was “the straw that broke the camel’s back”, Clément Montigny, a delegate for the Montpellier studio’s video game workers’ union (STJV), told French news agency AFP.

Ubisoft managers told staff in an email that returning to the office was vital to foster creativity, and promised to give workers time to adjust.

The trade unions are denouncing the decision, which was taken without consultation, and around 50 people were reported on a picket line in Montpellier, with Ubisoft offices in Annecy, Lyon and Paris also expected to be affected.

‘A right recently acquired’

The company wants its 4,000 French employees to return to the office at least three days a week.

“This decision is quite unfair. We’re going back on a right that employees have recently acquired,” Marc Rutschlé, Solidaires informatique union delegate, told franceinfo.

Some employees will not be able to come back to the office as much. Like this Ubisoft employee who now lives hundreds of kilometres from the Paris headquarters: “I’ve had to move house, so I can’t come back for three days face-to-face. I’m going to have to ask myself whether I should leave the company or not, because I’m going to have to make a choice between staying with the company or making a choice for a better quality of life.”

According to the unions, staff departures, including some rare profiles, could jeopardise video game production in France. 

Ubisoft sales down

Titles such as “Star Wars Outlaws”, “Skull and Bones” and the new episode of “Prince of Persia” have failed to impress, and the company spooked investors by delaying the latest release of the “Assassin’s Creed” franchise to next year.

On social networks, its games are regularly the target of criticism and mockery, a phenomenon now known as “Ubi-bashing.”

Also, the value of Ubisoft shares has collapsed by more than 40 percent since the beginning of the year, touching their lowest level in 10 years in September.

Negotiations on remote working began on 10 October with unions and management.

(With newswires)

The labels, which the criminals had especially printed, falsely claimed that the bottles contained fine wines from France, prosecutors in the eastern city of Dijon said.

Buyers of the wines thought they were purchasing rare bottles valued at up to 15,000 euros each on the international market.

A French national has been charged with organised fraud and money laundering, they said.

The suspected head of the gang, a Russian, was to be brought before a judge with a view to charging him as well, Dijon chief prosecutor Olivier Caracotch said.

The Russian, 40, had previously been convicted on similar charges but under a different name.

He was apprehended at Milan’s Malpensa airport during a transaction involving a printer who was in charge of producing fake labels.

French prosecutors said the arrests were the result of close cooperation with Italian authorities, notably the Turin and Milan anti-counterfeit police units.

Several police raids were carried out in the regions of Turin, Milan and Paris. Six arrest European warrants were issued and fake merchandise with a sale value of two million euros seized – computers, bottle components and telephones.

(with AFP)

In recent weeks the island of 350,000 people has been shaken by violent protests over high food prices.

During a fresh wave of troubles last week, one person was killed and nearly 30 police received injuries as protesters looted shops, erected burning barricades and clashed with members of law enforcement.

The curfew, which was ordered from 9:00 pm to 5:00 am last week, has been extended until 21 October, the prefecture of Martinique said in a statement on Monday.

The “exceptional measure” is aimed at “guaranteeing the safety of people and property,” authorities said.

Unrest has recently ebbed, with the prefecture saying no major incidents have been recorded over the past 48 hours.

Pupils in primary and secondary schools are set to gradually return to classrooms from Tuesday, education authorities said.

High cost of living

Residents of France’s overseas territories have long complained about the high cost of living. In Martinique, food prices are 40 percent higher than in mainland France.

France bans protests in Martinique following riots over soaring prices

The protests began 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.

The government has held a series of meetings with activists and retailers to discuss ways to bring down prices. However, new talks would not take place due to a lack of a “new concrete and viable proposal,” the president of Martinique’s governing body, Serge Letchimy, said on Monday evening.

In response, the activists warned they were ready to continue protests against the high cost of living.

“We are a people legitimately demanding the right to access food at respectable prices, and all we have been given so far is repression,” RPPRAC leader Rodrigue Petitot told French news agency AFP.

(with AFP)

The Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP)  – which runs the top two divisions in France – ordered PSG in September to pay Mbappé 55 million euros in salary and bonuses he claimed he was owed when he quit the French capital for one of the world’s most prestigious clubs.

PSG appealed against the LFP’s verdict and after Mbappé refused the LFP’s offer to act as a mediator between the sides, another committee was set up to decide the row.

Two members from the UNFP – the French national players’ union – as well as a magistrate and the committee’s president, will confirm or overturn the LFP’s order after hearings that are expected to last until Friday.

Mbappé, 25, joined PSG in July 2017 and seemed poised to join Madrid during the summer of 2022 as a free agent.

But the French President Emmanuel Macron encouraged him to stay at PSG and Mbappé stunned the Madrid hierarchy by signing a two-year deal in May 2022 with the option of a third year.

“I’m going to remain in my hometown and do what I like doing … playing football and winning more trophies,” said Mbappé as his contract extension was announced to a delirious horde of PSG fans before the game against Metz at the Parc des Princes. 

Failure

But even with Neymar and Lionel Messi, PSG failed to make any inroads in the Champions League and the call of Madrid resurfaced.

In August 2023, Mbappé said he would not take up the contract’s option of a further year and leave as a free agent in June 2024.

Outraged, the PSG hierarchy told new boss Luis Enrique to go on a tour of Japan and South Korea without their star striker. But Mbappé was eventually reintegrated into the first team squad and PSG swept the board domestically winning the French Super Cup, Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France.

PSG executives claim that under an agreement to return to the first team, Mbappé said he would waive 55 million euros in various bonuses and then leave for Madrid. 

The sum Mbappé is claiming is comprised of the last third of a signing-on fee, of 36 million euros gross pay, which he was supposed to receive in February, as well as his last three months’ salary from last season and an ethics bonus covering the same period.

During his seven years in the capital, Mbappé harvested 15 medals including six Ligue 1 titles. 

He became PSG’s record scorer with 256 goals in 308 games and the marksmanship helped him to a plethora of awards: he was named Ligue 1 Player of the Season a record five consecutive times and he claimed the Ligue 1 “Golden Boot”  from 2019 to 2024.

Marine Le Pen, along with two dozen other National Rally (RN) party chiefs, is accused of embezzling European Parliament money by creating fake jobs.

Le Pen had already addressed the trial since it opened on 30 September, but had not previously been subjected to direct questioning.

“I have absolutely no sense of having committed the slightest irregularity, or the slightest illegal act,” Le Pen, 56, told the court on Monday.

But when questioned about how she exactly selected her presumed parliamentary aides, and what their tasks were, she gave general answers, or said she could not remember.

“It was 20 years ago,” she said.

She said about the European Parliament that it is a “blob that gobbles up everything”.

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen on trial for misuse of EU funds

The court’s presiding judge, whom Le Pen last week accused of adopting a “tone of partiality” said she was not satisfied with Le Pen’s responses.

“Our questions have not been answered, but they will be, I’m sure,” the judge said.

The RN this year achieved record scores in European elections, performed strongly in France’s legislative vote and could decide the fate of Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s new minority government.

In the dock are the RN party, nine former MEPs, including Marine Le Pen and party vice-president Louis Aliot, along with spokesman Julien Odoul – one of nine former parliamentary assistants – and four RN staff members.

Alleged fake jobs

The alleged fake jobs system, which was first flagged in 2015, covers parliamentary assistant contracts between 2004 and 2016.

Prosecutors say the assistants worked exclusively for the party outside parliament.

Many were unable to describe their day-to-day work, and some never met their supposed MEP boss or set foot in the parliament building.

A bodyguard, a secretary, Le Pen’s chief of staff and a graphic designer were all allegedly hired under false pretences.

Misuse of public funds can be punished with a million-euro fine, a 10-year jail term and a 10-year ban from public office.

‘Political risk’

“The main risk for the president of the RN group in the French National Assembly is not financial, but political,” said French daily Le Monde last month.

If convicted, Le Pen would be able to lodge an appeal, which could delay the final verdict until after the 2027 election, thus allowing her to stand in the presidential race in what would be her fourth attempt to become head of state.

European Parliament authorities said the legislature had lost three million euros through the jobs scheme.

The RN has paid back one million euros, which it insists is not an admission of guilt.

Prosecutors have said that Le Pen and her father, former party leader Jean-Marie, both signed off on a “centralised system” that picked up pace in 2014.

Now 96, Le Pen senior is among those charged but not expected to appear in court because of ill health.

(with AFP)

“I want to be extremely clear: we will demand extremely precise, strong and tangible conditions,” Economy Minister Antoine Armand told journalists Monday during a visit to a Doliprane production site in Normandy after Sanofi announced was negotiating to sell its consumer health branch, Opella.

Sanofi said Friday it was in talks to sell a controlling 50 percent stake in Opella, the subsidiary that produces Doliprane, to the private equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice for about €15 billion, as it tries to focus on spending on its core business of new drug development.

Doliprane is France’s best-selling drug, and news that it could be sold, even in part, to a foreign investor prompted reactions from across the political spectrum.

Jordan Bardella of the far right National Rally criticised the “cutting up of France”, while leftists joined the call lambasting the loss of French drug sovereignty.

France has provided subsidies to drugmakers to boost production of medications that were in short supply after the Covid pandemic, which revealed an over-reliance on overseas suppliers.

National security

Even lawmakers who support the government called on a halt to the sale, “for our national security”.

After Sanofi’s announcement, the finance ministry said in a statement that it could have “positive” impacts on Opella’s development and its plants in France, but that the government would require commitments.

Those included the protection of its “industrial footprint” in France, and guaranteeing that the headquarters and decision-making centres would not leave the country.

Opella, which manages a hundred brands along with Doliprane, including Mucosolvan, Maalox and Novanuit, employs more than 11,000 people, 1,700 of them in France, where it has two production sites.

Armand on Monday said the government could block the deal if its conditions were not met and said it was even possible for the state to take a shareholding to protect France’s interests.

“They must be respected and we will ensure they are respected using all the legislative and regulatory tools at our disposal,” Armand added.

French governments in the past have moved to block sales of businesses it considers vital to national interests.

(with Reuters)

European Union foreign ministers approved the sanctions on seven entities, including Iran Air, and seven individuals, including deputy defence minister Seyed Hamzeh Ghalandari and senior officials of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, the bloc said.

Leading European powers Britain, France and Germany adopted similar sanctions last month over Iranian missile transfers to Russia, as did the United States.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the adoption of the sanctions by the entire bloc, while adding: “More is needed.”

“The Iranian regime’s support to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is unacceptable and must stop,” she posted on social media.

Two other Iranian airlines, Saha Airlines and Mahan Air, were hit under the EU measures, along with two procurement firms blamed for the “transfer and supply, through transnational procurement networks, of Iran-made drones and related components and technologies to Russia”.

The sanctions also target two companies involved in the production of propellant used to launch rockets and missiles.

Those targeted are subject to an asset freeze and banned from travelling to the European Union.

Iran rejects Western accusations it has transferred missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine.

According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, dozens of Russian military personnel have received training in Iran on using the Fath-360 missile, which has a range of 120 kilometres.

‘Completely unacceptable’

On a separate issue, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell denounced as “completely unacceptable” a series of Israeli attacks that have injured United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.

“The 27 (EU) members agreed on asking (the) Israelis to stop attacking UNIFIL,” Borrell told reporters ahead of a meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers in Luxembourg. “It’s completely unacceptable attacking United Nations troops,” he said.

At least five peacekeepers have been wounded in recent days as Israel targets Iran-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

UNIFIL, a mission of about 9,500 troops of various nationalities created following Israel’s 1978 invasion of Lebanon, has accused the Israeli military of “deliberately” firing on its positions.

“Many European members are participating in this mission,” Borrell noted. “Their work is very important.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on UN chief Antonio Guterres Sunday to move peacekeepers deployed in south Lebanon out of “harm’s way”, saying Hezbollah was using them as “human shields”.

UNIFIL has refused to leave its positions.

(with newswires)

“There will be a need for a new law,” government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon told broadcaster BFMTV on Sunday.

Prime Minister Michel Barnier‘s new government hopes the bill will be submitted to parliament at the beginning of 2025.

In September, a Paris student was raped and murdered in a case that has further inflamed a French debate on migration after a Moroccan man was named as the suspected attacker.

France’s interior minister vows to introduce new immigration ‘rules’ after student murder

In this new text, the government wants to extend the detention period for undocumented migrants deemed to be dangerous in order to better enforce expulsion orders.

Longer period of detention

One of the options under consideration is to increase the maximum period of detention from 90 to 210 days, which is now only possible for terrorist offences.

Last December, France already passed an immigration law.

Macron promulgates controversial new French immigration law

The bill was hardened to gain the support of the far-right and right-wing MPs.

But the country’s highest constitutional authority censured most of the new amendments which were dropped before President Emmanuel Macron signed it into law.

The measures struck down by the Conseil Constitutionnel “will serve as a basis for the new immigration bill”, said a government source. “Some of them could be modified and there will be additions.”

The most hardline member of the government, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, has vowed to crack down on immigration. He has stirred controversy just days into the job, saying that “the rule of law is neither intangible nor sacred”.

Retailleau, who previously headed the Republicans party in the Senate, was seen as the driving force behind the tough legislation last year.

He wants to reinstate the offense of illegal residence, among other measures.

On Monday, he told France Inter that “Nothing is off-limits, no taboos.”

‘Not a total priority’

Gabriel Attal, Barnier’s predecessor and now leader in parliament of Macron’s Renaissance party, said that a new law on immigration did not seem a “total priority.”

“Adopting a law for the sake of a law makes no sense,” he told broadcaster France inter.

He said “the priority is to act so that the state can truly control who enters and leaves” France.

(with AFP)

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,  

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 really 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.

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.