Workers in airlines, railways, the public sector and other industries are gearing up for action as they brace for a wave of job losses and spending reductions.

“We are at the start of a violent industrial bloodletting,” Sophie Binet, general secretary of the CGT union, told the weekly La Tribune Dimanche.

The CGT estimates that at least 150,000 jobs could be cut in the coming years, potentially creating a “domino effect” that could impact subcontractors. 

The proposed strikes come as MPs continue debating the draft budget, which is aimed at reducing the deficit to 5 percent next year. France’s current deficit sits above 6 percent – more than double the 3 percent limit set by the EU.

Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s plan seeks to raise €60 billion, with €20 billion from new taxes and €40 billion from cuts.

What’s in France’s belt-tightening budget and can it win support?

Airline levy

The SNPL pilots union got the ball rolling with a strike on Thursday to protest a planned tripling of the aviation levy on flights to and from France.

The new levy, expected to take effect in January 2025, aims to raise €1 billion annually. SNPL warned the levy would likely lead to job cuts.

Trade unions at France’s railway operator SNCF have also called for an indefinite strike from next month that could disrupt train services during the upcoming Christmas holidays.

The unions are pushing for a halt to the planned dismantling of SNCF’s freight division, Fret SNCF, and resisting conditions tied to opening up regional passenger lines to competition. A shorter strike is planned from 20-22 November.

In the civil service, unions FO and CGT have called for strikes following an unsuccessful meeting with Public Administration Minister Guillaume Kasbarian, with mobilisation likely in early December.

The government has warned that over 3,000 public sector jobs could be cut, alongside stricter sick leave rules.

Absenteeism in the public sector has reportedly risen, with days lost increasing from 43 million in 2014 to 77 million in 2022.

French rail unions call for strike action ahead of Christmas holidays

Trade woes

Farmers are also planning fresh protests in Paris and Brussels in the coming week against the Mercosur trade deal between the EU and Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

The 25-year agreement would create the world’s largest free trade zone, but French farmers fear an influx of cheap agricultural products. Barnier called the deal “unacceptable for France”.

The economic situation for private companies in France worsened last week as two major employers announced layoffs.

Tyre manufacturer Michelin announced the closure of two factories in western France by 2026, impacting 1,254 employees.

Michelin, which employs nearly 19,000 people in France, blamed competition from Asian manufacturers and Europe’s “worsening competitiveness” due to rising inflation and energy costs.

Economy Minister Antoine Armand said the government would “do everything in its power to help find a buyer” for the sites.

Supermarket chain Auchan also announced it would cut 2,389 jobs due to massive losses, including closing around 10 stores.

Franck Martineau, FO union representative for Auchan Retail, called the decision “catastrophic,” saying: “This will leave many, many employees and families in difficulty”.

French farmers plan fresh protests as Mercosur trade deal looms

Budget rejected

On Tuesday, French MPs rejected the government’s draft budget, heavily amended with opposition-led tax increases.

“A majority of MPs rejects both fiscal battering and the impossibility of France living up to its European commitments,” said Budget Minister Laurent Saint-Martin.

Barnier’s minority government now has leeway to submit a revised text to the Senate, where a final compromise may be reached.

As global rating agencies consider downgrades to France’s credit rating, Barnier hopes to restore confidence in the country’s economic stability.

A downgrade could raise the cost of France’s debt, currently costing €50 billion annually –second only to education in government spending.

Following the election results, leaders across the continent extended their well-wishes to the returning US president.

“I look forward to building on our mutual interests,” said Kenya’s President William Ruto, while Nigeria’s Bola Tinubu voiced hopes for a “reciprocal” era of cooperation over the next four years.

However many observers believe that Africa – previously labeled by Trump as a continent of “shithole countries” – remains a low priority for the United States. 

Historically, US foreign policy has largely neglected Africa, focusing instead on countering adversaries like China and Russia.

In contrast, President Joe Biden promoted Africa as a vital partner, though little was executed during his mandate. 

• US backs two permanent seats for Africa on UN Security Council

According to the International Crisis Group‘s Murithi Mutiga in Nairobi,Trump is “a committed isolationist and clearly wants to pull back” from global commitments.

Mutiga told AFP that Africa has often been viewed by the US “as a problem to be solved”, in contrast to China’s more investment-focused engagement on the continent.

J Peter Pham, a former US special envoy to the Sahel, said the future Trump administration “may seek ‘win-win’ scenarios in Africa, possibly continuing the African Growth and Opportunity Act”, which provides eligible nations duty-free access to US markets.

However, compliance issues have come to the fore of late – particularly with South Africa – accused of supplying arms to Russia amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Reproductive health ‘conflict’

There are concerns that Trump’s presidency could impact critical funding for healthcare and development across Africa.

This includes potential cuts to reproductive health programs, which many African communities rely on, particularly for services aimed at young women and girls.

Max Primorac, a former USAID administrator, has openly criticised some USAID programs, aligning with conservative values outlined in Trump’s “Project 2025” agenda.

Primorac took issue with initiatives he claimed promote “abortion, climate extremism, and interventions against perceived systematic racism”, suggesting these could be targets for funding cuts.

However, it is more likely that the next US administration will focus on core security and economic interests rather than controversial social policies.

• Niger’s junta revokes military deal with US

‘Problems versus opportunites’

Trump’s re-election also comes at a time of escalating instability in Africa’s Sahel region, where a growing anti-Western sentiment has driven countries like Niger and Mali to seek partnerships with Russia.

As China and Russia expand their influence through investments targeting Africa’s mineral wealth, the US’s position has weakened.

“The US and the West viewed Africa as a problem, while China saw it as an opportunity,” Mutiga said, highlighting the different approaches taken by global powers.

While the Biden administration pledged over $22 billion in investment to Africa, Trump previously sought to significantly slash foreign aid – sometimes by as much as 30 percent. 

Potential funding cuts during Trump’s second presidency could also jeopardise vital health, security, and development projects amid rising hunger and threats to democracy in African nations.

• Morocco’s king praises French support, diplomatic gains over status of Western Sahara

Africa’s interests

In Morocco, Trump’s return has stirred optimism about Washington’s stance on Western Sahara. During his first term, Trump recognised Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed region – a move that has not been reversed by Biden.

While this shift has yet to yield concrete results, Morocco hopes Trump’s second term could bring further support.

Security remains a key interest for the US in the Horn of Africa, where ongoing conflicts, such as the civil war in Sudan, have disrupted stability.

Analysts predict the Trump administration may reduce funding to Somalia, potentially redirecting resources to Somaliland as part of its strategic interests in the region.

While the G20 has recognised the African Union as a permanent member, concerns persist about the organisation’s effectiveness in representing the continent’s interests on the global stage.

“The question is often, what will Washington do? But really, what is in Africa’s interest?” Mutiga said.

As Trump readies to take over the White House, there is a growing emphasis for Africa to articulate its priorities clearly – focusing on its own interests – rather than serving as a pawn in geopolitical rivalries that will dictate US involvement.

Paris police chief Laurent Nunez described the match at the Stade de France as “high risk”.

Israel has urged its supporters to stay away from the fixture, which authorities fear could become another flashpoint following the violence in the Netherlands.

The warning follows an incident where men on scooters chased and beat Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters after a Europa League match against Ajax in Amsterdam on 7 November.

Security forces will be stationed across Paris and around the stadium, which hosted athletics and rugby sevens during this year’s Olympics. In an unusual step, police will be positioned inside the venue instead of the usual civilian staff.

• Israeli fans ‘welcome’ at France-Israel clash, French Europe minister says

An elite police unit will escort the Israeli team to and from the stadium, with an additional 1,600 civilian security personnel on duty.

“The security context has significantly impacted attendance, with only around 13,000 spectators expected at the game in a venue that holds up to 80,000 people,” said French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau.

Earlier this week, Retailleau told the French national assembly: “The most unbridled anti-Semitism, the most outspoken, is now back”.

Solidarity with Israel

In a show of solidarity with Israel, President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Michel Barnier will attend the game, as well as former presidents Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy.

A handful of French lawmakers – including from the France Unbowed (LFI) party – have called for the match to be postponed or moved to another French city.

Both suggestions were quickly shut down by the government.

Belgium took a different approach in September, move its national team’s match against Israel to Hungary over security concerns.

On the pitch, France are attempting to secure a place in the Nations League quarter-finals and they only need a draw to do so.

However, real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappé is missing from the France squad as he was for two matches last month.

• Paris to deploy 4,000 police for ‘high-risk’ France-Israel football match

Protests against ‘Israel is Forever’ gala

The match comes as thousands protested in central Paris on Wednesday against an “Israel is Forever” gala organised by far-right figures.

Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and set off red flares, with clashes erupting as police fired tear gas. Some protesters damaged a McDonald’s restaurant window.

The event – intended to raise funds for the Israeli military – included Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich among its invited guests.

However, his office confirmed Wednesday he would not attend.

A separate group, including Jewish leftist organisations opposed to racism and antisemitism, gathered near the Arc de Triomphe to protest against the gala and Smotrich.

Police chief Nunez said the gala posed “no major threat to public order”.

The SEPM claims that Google was preparing to test a scheme that would exclude articles from specific media outlets with which it is in dispute over rights to online news content.

The testing was set to begin Thursday, according to the union.

Google countered, saying the project was only a “time-limited experiment” meant to assess the effect of European publishers’ content on user search experiences.

‘Compensation for content’

Google, along with other online platforms, has faced criticism in recent years for profiting from news content without sharing revenues with the creators of that content.

In response, the European Union introduced “neighbouring rights” – a form of copyright that lets print media request compensation for using their work.

France has led the way in applying these rules, with Google and Facebook agreeing to pay certain French media outlets for articles displayed in search results, though only after initial resistance.

Google and SEPM have been negotiating over neighbouring rights payments for several years, and the Paris court’s order now requires Google to “not proceed to test” the alleged scheme or risk fines of €300,000 per entity, covering Google LLC, Google Ireland and Google France.

• France slaps Google with €250m fine over EU media rules and AI use
• Google appeals record €500 million French fine over paying for news content

Google ‘not alone’ in media disputes

The SEPM – which includes some 80 media groups – has welcomed the order, which it said would “preserve the interests of the French press”.

Google expressed surprise at the SEPM’s stance, claiming that the testing was intended to gather data requested by “independent administrative authorities and press publishers” on the impact of news content display in Google’s search engine.

In March, Google was fined €250 million by France’s competition authority for failing to meet some of the commitments it has made on the issue of neighbouring rights. 

The Alphabet Group subsidiary is not alone in its disputes with French media over using content without payment. 

Accused of bad faith negotiations, social media network X was sued this month by leading French media groups such as Le Monde, Le Figaro and Le Parisien.

Agence France-Presse is suing X over the same issue with a court hearing set for 15 May, 2025.

The move triggered an outcry from environmental groups, which had hailed the law as an unprecedented breakthrough in the fight to protect nature and combat climate change.

Parliament was called to sign off on a delay requested by the European Commission following pressure from trading partners such as Brazil and the United States, and some member states including Germany.

But lawmakers on the right used the vote to bring new amendments, passed with support from right-wing and far-right groups.

This de facto restarted the legislative process, as the new text should now be re-discussed by the commission and member states – creating further uncertainty over its implementation.

The legislation would prohibit a vast range of goods – from coffee to cocoa, soy, timber, palm oil, cattle, printing paper and rubber – if produced using land that was deforested after December 2020.

Cocoa-producing countries call on EU to delay anti-deforestation law

Exporting countries considered high-risk would have at least nine percent of products sent to the EU subjected to checks, with the proportion falling for lower-risk ones.

Among the amendments introduced Thursday was the creation of a “no risk” category that would see products from some countries – such as Germany – face virtually no scrutiny.

Julia Christian, a campaigner at environmental group Fern, said it was the equivalent of giving “EU forested countries a free pass”.

“The message to the rest of the world is unmistakable: you must stop destroying your forests, but the EU won’t end the widespread degradation afflicting its forests,” she said.

The bill, introduced by Samantha Cazebonne, a former MP representing French citizens in Spain and Portugal, has reopened deep divisions between animal rights activists and defenders of local culture.

It will be voted on by senators on Friday.

In regions where bullfighting remains a core tradition – like the southern cities of Bayonne, Nîmes and Béziers – where it is recognised as part of the cultural landscape, debate has been especially fierce.

The Union of French Bullfighting Cities (UVTF), has vigorously opposed the bill, calling it an “unprecedented attack” on bullfighting. 

Animal rights groups, on the other hand, see it as an opportunity to raise awareness about what they argue is the damaging impact of bullfights on children. The Protec collective (Protect Children from Bullfights) has already gathered over 40,000 signatures in support of the bill.

One hundred mayors recently published a petition in Midi Libre, a regional newspaper, warning that exposing children to bullfights “introduces them to the practice of a crime”.

Jacques-Charles Fombonne, president of the French Society for the Protection of Animals (SPA), agrees, saying: “It is our duty to educate the younger generation to reject the idea of death as entertainment.”

Cazebonne remains determined to push the bill forward.

“Many neighbouring countries, including those with strong bullfighting traditions like Spain, Portugal and several South American countries, have already passed laws on this issue,” she said.

“Why should we be the last to protect our children?”

Animal cruelty or local culture? Bullfighting ban divides France

Cultural identity

The debate over the proposed ban has highlighted a broader clash between preserving cultural heritage and protecting children from what some consider violent and disturbing experiences.

The bill has found support from both left-wing and right-wing lawmakers, including some conservative Republicans in the Senate.

Among the bill’s supporters is Arnaud Bazin, a veterinarian and senator from Val-d’Oise, who argues that allowing children to attend bullfights is inconsistent with other protections in French law.

“These are extremely violent spectacles,” Bazin said. “Allowing them in the presence of children is contradictory to our laws on child protection.”

However, the bill faces strong opposition within the Senate. A recent committee review showed that the majority of senators support preserving local freedoms and parental rights, arguing that families should decide for themselves whether children can attend bullfights.

Max Brisson, a LR (Republicans) senator from the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, expressed outrage on social media, saying the bill “violates local liberties, denies the role of parents in educating their children, and seeks to prevent them from passing down their culture and identity”.

Legal challenges

The bill also faces legal challenges. Critics point out that the proposed sanctions for violating the law – up to five years in prison and €75,000 in fines – are disproportionate, particularly when it comes to the issue of minors attending bullfights. 

Louis Vogel, a senator from the Horizons party and the bill’s rapporteur, described the proposal as inconsistent, noting that it would allow children to attend bullfighting schools but bar them from watching the actual events.

The bill comes two years after a failed attempt by Aymeric Caron, an MP with the hard-left France Unbowed party, to completely ban bullfighting in France. That bill, which aimed for a total ban, was never put to a vote in the National Assembly.

(with newswires)

Aliyev had accused France of “crimes” and “human rights violations” in overseas territories including New Caledonia in the South Pacific, where 13 people have been killed this year in protests that broke out in May over a contested voting reform.

On Wednesday, Pannier-Runacher told the French Senate: “President Aliyev’s words against France and Europe as the Cop29 opened in Baku are unacceptable.”

Azerbaijan’s leader was using “the fight against climate change for a shameful personal agenda,” she added.

Earlier, Aliyev had charged that “the regime of President Macron killed 13 people and wounded 169 … during legitimate protests by the Kanak people in New Caledonia”.

Taking to social media, Pannier-Runacher posted: “Azerbaijan is instrumentalising the fight against climate change for its own unworthy personal agenda. These attacks constitute a flagrant violation of the UNFCCC Code of Conduct. They will not go unanswered”.

‘Colonial yoke’

Violence broke out in mid-May in New Caledonia, northeast of Australia, over Paris’ plan for voting reforms that indigenous Kanak people fear would leave them in a permanent minority, crushing their chances of winning independence.

France sent thousands of troops and police to the archipelago, which is home to around 270,000 people and located nearly 17,000 kilometres from Paris. 

The reform has been abandoned by a new government since Macron called new legislative elections in June.

However, the extent of the violence and damage was such that Prime Minister Michel Barnier last month announced the postponement of the territory’s local polls until the end of 2025.

• Azerbaijan accused of stirring unrest in New Caledonia as tensions persist

Aliyev also accused France of holding Mediterranean island of Corsica and Paris’s far-flung overseas island territories “under the colonial yoke”.

Azerbaijan has played host to a group of pro-independence movements from French overseas territories in an apparent bid to needle Paris, which has long supported Baku’s arch-rival Armenia.

Aliyev’s latest attacks were “a flagrant violation of the code of conduct” that usually prevails at the landmark UN climate change conferences, Pannier-Runacher said.

“Direct attacks on our country, its institutions and its territories cannot be justified,” she added – also taking aim at “Azerbaijan’s words in favour of fossil energy”.

• Azerbaijan accuses France of stoking ‘new wars’ in Caucasus

‘Highest ambition’

This comes as Aliyev called oil and gas “a gift of the God” in his opening Cop address on Tuesday.

Pannier-Runacher deemed the Azeri president’s remarks “unworthy of the Cop presidency”.

She hoped instead to spotlight a “positive dynamic” at the conference in petrostate Azerbaijan, where Brazil and Britain announced new emissions targets.

While Macron and Barnier backed Pannier-Runacher in not personally attending, “France’s negotiating teams will spare no effort, with my support from a distance … to protect the planet and our populations,” she added.

“We will continue to argue for the highest level of ambition in implementing the Paris Accord” of 2015, Pannier-Runacher said.

The prosecution made the request in a Paris court where Le Pen and other defendants from her National Rally party are on trial accused of creating fake jobs at the EU parliament. She denies the charges.

If granted by the court, the ban would exclude the 56-year-old from running in France’s 2027 presidential election.

The prosecution demanded the ban be effective immediately, even if the defence team appeals.

The National Rally, like other far-right parties around Europe, is riding high following a strong performance in European elections in June.

How France’s far-right National Rally finally hooked the women’s vote

The prosecution demanded that all of the two dozen defendants be excluded from running from public office.

It demanded a five-year jail sentence for Le Pen, calling for at least two years of that to be a “convertible” custodial sentence, meaning there would be a possibility of partial release.

The prosecutors also demanded the RN be fined €2 million. 

Le Pen promptly denounced the prosecutors’ motion as excessive, branding it an “outrage” and accusing prosecutors of trying to “ruin the (RN) party”.

Le Pen denies wrongdoing in fake EU jobs trial

“I think the prosecutors’ wish is to deprive the French people of the ability to vote for who they want,” she said.

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.

Addressing the trial last month, Le Pen said she was innocent.

“I have absolutely no sense of having committed the slightest irregularity, or the slightest illegal act,” she told the court.

The strike notice – which concerns Air France as well as other carriers with pilots on French labour contracts – comes as the government tries to push through its draft budget for next year, despite lacking a majority in parliament.

“This additional tax will ultimately lead to tens of thousands of job losses in France,” the SNPL union said in a statement on Sunday.

“This social disaster will go hand in hand with the weakening of French operators or those operating regularly in France compared to their European and international competitors,” it added.

The government’s proposed increase in the aviation levy will apply to flights to or from France as from January 2025, but exclude France’s overseas territories and Corsica.

The price of an economy class ticket would go up between €2.60 to €9.50 per passenger for flights within Europe and up to €40 for long-haul flights.

Business class tickets for long-haul flighs could see increases of up to €120.

• Green groups push for ‘frequent flyer tax’ to cut France’s aviation emissions

A contested solidarity tax

The increases reflect an urgent need for more tax income with environmental aims.

Tripling the current levy, particularly for long-haul flights, is designed to generate additional revenue of €1 billion next year.

The measure has been included in the current version of the draft belt-tightening budget through an amendment.

However, it’s become the subject of political haggling between a hung National Assembly, the conservative-controlled Senate and Prime Minister Michel Barnier‘s government, so it’s unclear if the levy will be part of the final budget text.

In May, a strike by air traffic controllers at Orly airport over staffing shortages led to major flight disruption, but it remains to be seen how many pilots could walk out on Thursday or how flight schedules might be affected.

• France seeks to clamp down on ‘ecocidal’ private jets as climate crisis worsens

The proposed tax hikes have sparked anger in the aviation sector more widely.

On Thursday, Air France-KLM reported a bigger-than-expected drop in its quarterly operating result and warned that this year’s costs would be higher than previously projected.

Air France-KLM said that France’s proposed hike of the solidarity tax on flight tickets could hit its operating result by €90 to €170 million in 2025.

“Direct consequence could be higher fares which could make air travel less accessible to customers in our own market,” group CEO Benjamin Smith told reporters.

(with newswires)

The latest annual update by the Global Carbon Budget, which tracks where carbon emissions end up in the Earth’s system, found that time is running out to prevent dangerous temperature rises.  

“It’s very likely we will exceed the 1.5C limit if emissions continue at the current rate,” said French climate scientist Philippe Ciais, one of more than 120 scientists who contributed to the report, in an interview with RFI. 

Current trajectories show there’s a 50 percent chance that 1.5C will be breached by the end of the decade.

Released Wednesday, the study includes emissions from both fossil fuel burning and land-use changes, such as deforestation, which releases carbon stored in forests. 

It projects that fossil fuel emissions will reach 37.4 billion tonnes in 2024 – a 0.8 percent increase from 2023. 

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) last month flagged record greenhouse gas emissions in 2023, warning this will commit the world to rising temperatures for decades to come. 

African nations demand huge climate aid boost amid global distrust

Rising fossil fuels

While deforestation-related emissions have declined over the past 20 years, those from fossil fuels continue to rise. Although the rate of increase has slowed since the 2000s, there is still no sign of a sustained decline, Ciais explained. 

Some regions have shown progress in reducing emissions. Europe has seen decreases since the late 1980s or early 1990s, and the United States since 2005. However, India‘s emissions are rising sharply, while China saw nearly 5 percent growth in 2023 due to increased coal use. 

Natural carbon sinks – forests and oceans that absorb carbon dioxide – continue to play a vital role but face mounting pressures. Oceans absorb carbon dioxide consistently, but land-based sinks are more vulnerable to climate impacts. 

“When we have a warmer or drier climate – for example, there was a very large drought in the Amazon in 2023 – they can suddenly start releasing carbon,” Ciais said. 

Record greenhouse gas levels lock in decades of global warming

Forests under pressure

The report attributes around 60 percent of global deforestation-related carbon emissions to three main regions, each affected by unique pressures.

“In Brazil, it’s mainly illegal deforestation linked to the expansion of livestock farming, which is an extremely important and very centralised industry,” Ciais said.

In Africa, deforestation is largely driven by subsistence farming and the use of wood for energy.

In Southeast Asia, however, much of the forest loss comes from large-scale plantations, such as oil palm and rubber, which store less carbon than the native tropical forests they replace.

The study emphasises that natural forests are significantly better at capturing and storing carbon than planted monocultures.

“In a hectare of primary forest, there are more than 150 species living together. It’s the entire plant ecosystem that absorbs CO2, much more than monocultures,” Ciais said, explaining the biodiversity and density that make natural forests so effective.

Ice loss and plant growth mark new era for warming Antarctica

Threshold breach

The findings come as the European Union‘s Copernicus Climate Change Service reports that 2024 will be the first year when global temperatures exceed the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming threshold set by the Paris Agreement.  

The agency says 2024 is also virtually certain to be the warmest year on record.  

For 16 consecutive months from June 2023 to September 2024, global mean temperatures exceeded previous records by a wide margin, according to the WMO. 

Even if emissions were rapidly reduced to net zero, the current temperature levels would persist for several decades due to the long life of CO2 in the atmosphere, scientists say. 

Macron, who made a five-year restoration pledge shortly after the 2019 blaze, will also attend the first public mass in the newly restored cathedral the following day. 

In preparation for the reopening, the head of state will make a final visit to the construction site on 29 November, his seventh tour since the fire, to personally thank the artisans who have worked on the extensive project. 

His remarks will highlight what the Élysée Palace has described as a “French success story”, placing the Notre-Dame restoration alongside other national achievements like the Paris Olympics. 

France mulls charging tourists to enter Notre-Dame cathedral

Speech delivered outside 

Initially, the president’s address was planned for inside the cathedral. However, the decision to have him speak outside respects France’s strict secular laws separating church and state, said an Élysée spokesperson.  

Macron would take the opportunity to underscore “France’s resilience” in restoring a symbol of French heritage, the spokesperson added. 

“Macron is keen to focus on this success and to thank all those involved in what has been a monumental effort,” a close aide told daily paper Le Parisien, explaining that his speech would praise the “nation of builders”. 

On 8 December, Macron will join worshippers at the first mass in Notre-Dame since the fire. Led by Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, the mass will consecrate the cathedral’s altar and interior. 

Macron will attend the service but, as is customary in his capacity as president, he will not take communion. “The president never receives communion when he attends a mass in an official role,” his team said. 

Five-year promise 

To honour Macron’s pledge to restore the cathedral within five years, the government implemented special policies to facilitate the process.

New laws encouraged private donations for national heritage projects, resulting in major contributions from donors, including the Pinault family. 

However, the campaign was not without controversy, with some critics arguing that wealthy donors held excessive influence. 

The restoration project also faced health concerns, with worries about lead contamination in nearby areas. These were addressed with new safety protocols, but debates continued over whether the cathedral’s spire should be rebuilt in its original style or with a modern design. 

Five years after devastating fire, race to rebuild Notre-Dame gains pace

In the end, authorities chose to recreate the spire exactly as it was, based on detailed historical records. 

The Élysée confirmed that Pope Francis would not attend the ceremony, as he is scheduled to visit Corsica the following week. However, guests from various countries are expected.  

“This event will be broadcast worldwide,” an Élysée official said. 

In its first week open, Notre-Dame will welcome the public until 10pm, allowing visitors to witness the newly restored interior. Access will be ticketed but free, with reservations available from one to three days in advance. 

Though some finishing touches remain, the primary reconstruction work is complete. Around €140 million of the restoration fund remains, and the government has yet to decide whether additional budget cuts might impact the final stages. 

Niger’s recent diplomatic shift away from France towards Russia has marked a turning point in the nation’s resource management strategy, particularly concerning its abundant uranium reserves.

Following the military coup in July 2023, which resulted in the removal of President Mohamed Bazoum, Niger’s military junta has been taking increasingly bold steps to redefine its international partnerships, especially in the critical mining sector.

On 8 November, Mining Minister Ousmane Abarchi announced that Niger is actively seeking to attract Russian investment in uranium and other natural resources.

• France’s Orano loses operating licence at major uranium mine in Niger

The move comes against the backdrop of a breakdown in relations with France, Niger’s former colonial power and a long-time partner in uranium mining.

Abarchi highlighted that several Russian firms have expressed interest in exploring Niger’s rich mining opportunities.

In an interview with Russia’s Ria Novosti press agency, Arbachi said: “We have already met with Russian companies that are interested in coming to explore and exploit Niger’s natural resources … not only uranium.”

“With regards to French companies, the French government – via its head of state – has said it does not recognise the Niger authorities,” he said.

“Does it seem possible in this case that we, the State of Niger, accept that French companies continue to exploit our natural resources?”

‘Nationalising’ control of resources

Tensions between France and Niger escalated after the junta’s decision to revoke Orano’s licence to operate at the Imouraren uranium mine in June of this year.

This deposit is one of the largest in the world and has been a focal point of French investment over the years.

Since its involvement began in the early 2000s, Orano has invested over €1 billion in developing the mine.

Despite optimism surrounding a recovery in uranium prices, the company found itself at the mercy of political changes as the French government’s crackdown on the military regime complicated operational agreements.

As Niger hopes to revitalise its mining sector under new governance, it has vowed to reshape regulations concerning foreign investments.

The junta’s focus on nationalising resource control appears to align with a regional trend across the Sahel, as neighbouring countries – such as Mali – have also pivoted towards Russia for support and investment, moving away from historical ties with France.

• Orano halts uranium output at Niger’s Arlit mine amid financial strain

Niger-Russia space cooperation

This comes as Niger signed an agreement with the Russian company Glavkosmos earlier this month to acquire advanced satellite technology.

The move – aimed at enhancing national security and counter-terrorism efforts – is expected to deliver three high-altitude satellites within four years.

Niger’s Minister of Communication, Sidi Mohamed Raliou, emphasised the strategic importance of the satellites for communication, remote sensing, and defence capabilities, further solidifying Niger’s technological relationship with Russia.

The junta’s increasing reliance on Russia not only signifies a search for allies in a complicated political and security environment but also represents an outright rejection of France’s former influence in the region.

Niger’s strategy to court Russian firms for mining and technological investments underlines the military régime’s audacious restructuring of foreign relations – especially with France – amid ongoing geopolitical tensions, as Paris grapples with its waning influence in its former African colonies.

(With newswires)

Arnaud Rousseau, president of agricultural union FNSEA, announced the mobilisation on France Inter radio Wednesday – emphasising the aim is to pressure the government without causing major disruptions for the public.  

“We are going to hit the road from Monday … We’re not here to annoy the French,” Rousseau said, adding that unlike previous protests, the new action would avoid blocking motorways.  

FNSEA’s plan will focus on rallies “in every department” for several days to coincide with a G20 meeting in Brazil where the controversial trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur nations – Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay – could be finalised. 

Farmers’ protests in France: a long and sometimes deadly history

Cheaper imports

The deal, under discussion for more than two decades, wouldremove tariffs and allow annual imports of up to 100,000 tonnes of South American beef into EU markets. 

Farmers argue that the influx of cheaper South American meat could devastate France’s agriculture, already weakened by a disastrous year. 

“We want to make France’s voice heard at this critical moment,” Rousseau said, warning the trade deal could have “dramatic consequences” for French agriculture, especially on the issue of production standards.  

“What are we talking about? Hormone-treated beef, growth-accelerated chicken,” he said. 

Meanwhile Prime Minister Michel Barnier will travel to Brussels on Wednesday to meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and restate France’s opposition to the trade deal in its current form. 

Experts weed out flaws in France’s revamped plan to cut pesticides

Historic protests

The union’s announcement comes less than a year after historic farmer protests rocked France.  

Other farming groups are also planning action, with the Coordination Rurale, France’s second-largest agricultural union, promising an “agricultural revolt” from 19 November, including blocking food freight. 

French farmers face multiple challenges beyond the trade deal. “The urgent issue is farm cash flow,” Rousseau, pointing to a difficult year for the sector.  

France has seen “the lowest wheat harvest in 40 years, grape harvests down by about 25 percent […] and health issues like bluetongue disease.” 

Rousseau also expressed frustration over domestic agricultural policy. He noted that before parliament was dissolved in June, “we were promised an agricultural guidance law”.  

He added that regarding announcements made in early 2024, “concrete implementation is lacking in many areas”. 

Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Paris following Donald Trump’s re-election as US President, Macron said he was “delighted” that more nations were aligning with his push for collective investment in defence.

“It’s the agenda of European strategic autonomy that will allow us to have more money, to build capacity and autonomy for the Europeans, and an ability to cooperate with our non-European allies as part of the alliance,” Macron said.

Trump has questioned Washington’s commitment to NATO and has discussed reducing support to Ukraine or making a deal with Russia to end its invasion, which has dragged on for years.

His return to the White House pushes Europeans – long reliant on US military protection, both conventional and nuclear – to reconsider their own defence strategies.

Macron urges European leaders to ‘write our own history’ at joint summit

‘Homegrown military capacity’

“Nothing should be decided about Ukraine without the Ukrainians, nor about Europe without the Europeans,” Macron said, calling the build-up of local military strength “a long-term effort”.

He and Rutte condemned the presence of North Korean troops alongside Russian soldiers, describing it as “a serious escalation” in the Ukraine conflict, one that also heightens risks in the Pacific, now a key theatre for the US.

“Russia, working together with North Korea, Iran and China, is not only threatening Europe, it threatens peace and security, yes here in Europe, but also in the Indo-Pacific and North America,” Rutte said.

“We must stand together – Europe, North America and our global partners. We have to keep our trans-atlantic alliance strong,” he added.

Rutte pointed to backing Russia has received from Iran, North Korea and China.

“We must do more than just keep Ukraine in the fight. We need to raise the cost for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and his enabling and authoritarian friends by providing Ukraine with the support it needs to change the trajectory of the conflict,” he told reporters.

(with AFP)

The accord between the EU and Senegal, in force since 2019, is due to expire at midnight on Sunday.

Jean-Marc Pisani, EU ambassador for West Africa said the agreement would not be renewed for the time being after Senegal failed to act against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The European Commission had notified the Senegalese government on 27 May of “serious shortcomings” and “failures in monitoring, control and surveillance systems” for Senegalese-flagged ships in extra-territorial waters as well as for foreign ships in the port of Dakar.

European boats will stop fishing in Senegal’s exclusive economic zone from midnight on 17 November, Pisani told reporters in Dakar on Tuesday. 

Senegal will no longer receive any financial contribution under the agreement. 

“These European boats will be able – it will be up to the shipowners –  to continue fishing elsewhere”, he said, citing agreements between the EU and Senegal’s neighbours: The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania and Cape Verde.

€8.5 million from EU since 2019

Under the accord, EU boats – mainly Spanish – are authorised to catch 10,000 tonnes of fish per year.

In return, Senegal has received 5.5 billion CFA francs (8.5 million euros) since 2019.

The halt in fishing in Senegalese waters will impact 18 vessels, which catch tropical tuna and hake. Pisani said that did not represent any real competition for the Senegalese fishing sector.

He also underlined that European boats had brought up only 10,000 tonnes of fish in the last five years.

Fishermen left stranded as Senegal’s most sought-after catch moves north

Fishing, a key sector in Senegal

The accord has, however, become increasingly criticised in Senegal where fishing is a key sector, providing a direct or indirect livelihood for some 600,000 Senegalese out of a population of around 18 million.

The 50,000 or so Senegalese fishermen who work mainly on traditional wooden boats known as pirogues regularly complain about competition from foreign factory ships, which they blame for a shortage of fish.

The controversy over foreign fishing off Senegal was heightened with the election last March of Bassirou Diomaye Faye to the presidency.

Faye has promised to restore sovereignty on fishing and other issues.

This is not the first time the EU and Senegal have interrupted their fisheries protocol. The agreement was stopped between 2006 and 2014 “allowing both parties to assess and renegotiate the conditions”, the EU said. 

At least 26 migrants perish off Senegal’s coast in desperate bid to leave the country

(with newswires)

The updated risk assessment from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) was announced at the Cop29 climate summit in Azerbaijan, which is being skipped by the leaders of many top polluting nations.

Oceans have absorbed around 90 percent of the excess heat in the atmosphere due to the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

Window to save Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is closing fast, report warns

Rising ocean temperatures have spurred mass bleaching events at coral reefs across the world, threatening crucial ecosystems for marine life as well as the livelihoods of people who rely on them.

The updated assessment of the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species looked at reef-building corals, which live in warm, shallow waters in tropical areas.

Most reef-building coral is found across the Indo-Pacific region, such as Australia’s Great Barrier Reef which suffered one its worst-ever bleaching events this year

Pristine coral reef discovered near Tahiti, unaffected by climate change

Significant increase

Its analysis found that 892 reef-building coral species are now considered threatened, representing 44 percent of the total.

This marked a significant increase from the last assessment in 2008, when a third of all species was listed as threatened.

Half of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef corals are dead, killed by climate change

The organisation is still assessing the extinction risk for cold-water coral, which lives in deeper, darker ocean waters, making it difficult to study.

Fossil fuel emissions

The IUCN called on negotiators at the Cop29 conference to act quickly to reduce planet-heating fossil fuel emissions.

 “Healthy ecosystems like coral reefs are essential for human livelihoods — providing food, stabilising coastlines, and storing carbon,” IUCN chief Grethel Aguilar said in a statement.

Great Barrier Reef bleaching crisis ‘like a bushfire underwater’

“Climate change remains the leading threat to reef-building corals and is devastating the natural systems we depend on.”

As well as global warming, pollution, disease, unsustainable fishing and agricultural runoff also threaten the world’s coral.

Atlantic coral

The IUCN’s updated assessment included results from a study about reef-building coral in the Atlantic Ocean, which was published in the PLOS One journal on Wednesday.

That study found that almost one in three – or 23 out of 85 – species of Atlantic coral is critically endangered, more than previously thought.

UN team says Great Barrier Reef should be on heritage ‘danger’ list

Staghorn coral and elkhorn coral were given as examples of two critically endangered species in the Caribbean that have been hit hard by warming waters, pollution — and hurricanes.

“Without relevant decisions from those with the power to change this trajectory, we will see the further loss of reefs, and progressive disappearance of coral species at larger and larger scales,” warned IUCN coral specialist David Obura.

(with AFP)

This marks the fourth extension of his detention since Watson was arrested in July in Nuuk, capital of the Danish autonomous territory.

“The court in Greenland has today decided that Paul Watson shall continue to be detained until November 13, 2024 in order to ensure his presence in connection with the decision on extradition,” Greenland police said in a statement.

Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson has requested political asylum from France

Police added that Watson had immediately appealed the decision.

Watson was arrested on July 21 when his ship docked to refuel in Nuuk on its way to “intercept” a Japanese whaling vessel in the North Pacific, according to his foundation.

He was detained on a 2012 Japanese arrest warrant that accuses him of causing damage to a whaling ship in the Antarctic in 2010 and injuring a whaler.

Watson, who featured in the reality TV series “Whale Wars”, founded Sea Shepherd and the Captain Paul Watson Foundation (CPWF) and is known for radical tactics including confrontations with whaling ships at sea.

‘Inhumane treatment’

In a rare public comment on the case, Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya recently insisted the extradition request was “an issue of law enforcement at sea rather than a whaling issue”.

But Watson told reporters as he left court on Wednesday that the Japanese were running a “criminal enterprise”.

“They’re just using the Danish judicial system to get their way. And they want to go back to killing whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary again,” he said.

Tokyo accuses Watson of injuring a Japanese crew member with a stink bomb intended to disrupt the whalers’ activities, during a clash with the Shonan Maru 2 vessel on February 11, 2010.

Will Japan ever stop hunting whales?

Watson’s lawyers insist he is innocent and say they have video footage proving the crew member was not on deck when the stink bomb was thrown. The Nuuk court has refused to view the video.

One of Watson’s lawyers, Finn Meinel, told French news agency AFP the legal proceedings were “very disappointing”.

“We are still not allowed to present the evidence showing that the case brought against Paul has no basis,” he said.

The custody hearings are solely about Watson’s detention, with the extradition request being reviewed by Denmark’s justice ministry.

Meinel said he expected the ministry to decide on the extradition before the next detention hearing.

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

 ‘Brave man’ 

Watson had been living in France at the time of his arrest and has written to French President Emmanuel Macron to ask for political asylum.

World-respected British conservationist Jane Goodall told AFP last week she hoped France would accept his plea, calling him a “brave man”.

As Watson’s hearing began on Wednesday, several dozen supporters demonstrated outside city hall in Paris, chanting “Free Paul Watson” and holding signs reading “A hero doesn’t belong in prison” and “Saving whales is not a crime”.

French officials have previously urged Copenhagen not to extradite him, but have said that a person must be in France to file an asylum claim.

Japan, Norway and Iceland are the only three countries that still allow commercial whaling.

Zitouni Ould Dada, a veteran of at least 15 Cop meetings, is attending Cop again.  Previsiously he was there as a director with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), this time he is with the FAIRR Initiative, a collaborative investor network focused on raising awareness of environmental, social, and governance risks as well as opportunities in the global food sector.

“If we keep going to every Cop and just make pledges and commitments, we’re not going to change the world like that,” he told RFI.

“We’re not going to reduce emissions [by half] to the rate that is required… by 2030, which is just next door, and then reach net zero by 2050. So, there are many commitments and pledges made by countries, but overall the progress we are making is small.”

He is calling on world leaders to renew their commitment to the net-zero carbon target and the Sustainable Development Goals that aim to reduce growing inequality and prevent recurring climate disasters.

“We need [to be more ambitious],” the Mauritania-born negotiator said.

Plastic pollution and fossil fuel disasters

Elsewhere, a recent report by Greenpeace has revealed the scale of environmental and public health damage caused by the global secondhand clothing trade in Ghana.

Titled Fast Fashion, Slow Poison: The Toxic Textile Crisis in Ghana, the report exposes the devastating impact of discarded clothing from the Global North, much of it fast fashion, on the environment, communities, and ecosystems in Ghana. 

Every week, approximately 15 million items of clothing arrive in Ghana, but nearly half of these clothes are unsellable. 

Many used clothes end up in informal dumpsites or are burned in public washhouses. This has led to severe contamination of air, soil, and water resources, putting the health of local communities at risk.

“Greenpeace has [previously] done…work in Kenya to look at how dumps have been impacted and overburdened by secondhand clothing from the Global North. It was time for us to look at Ghana because fast fashion is at the root of an environmental and public health disaster,” Sam Quashie-Idun, from Greenpeace Africa, told RFI. 

Ghana grapples with crisis caused by world’s throwaway fashion

Many African countries rely on these imports for jobs and Ghana has the largest secondhand market in the world.

The really serious issue, however, is that the quality of clothing from fast fashion – mainly originating in Europe – is very poor, with many items made from plastics.

“That’s why we decided to do a report on this – to assess the quality, the types of clothes that are entering the country and why they are being dumped and disregarded across Ghana,” he said.

Other issues regularly raised by Greenpeace Africa include calls for investments in renewable energy solutions that empower local communities and promote universal energy access, an end to all new fossil fuel projects, and climate finance support for vulnerable communities impacted by climate change, with polluters contributing to generate funds for climate action.

The NGO also recommends diverting from offsetting and false carbon markets and biodiversity credit solutions, in a call addressed to the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) at Cop29.

The shadow of wars

For Tosi Mpanu Mpanu, the DRC’s negotiator at Cop29, one overlooked aspect of the crisis is the number of armed conflicts affecting certain regions of Africa. These conflicts frequently undermine confidence in the multilateral system, with UN resolutions going unrespected, something that impacts both biodiversity and communities.

“If international law does not prevail in these areas, there is no reason for it to be authoritative in matters of climate action, Mpanu Mpanu told RFI. 

The Congolese negotiator is also concerned about the re-election of Donald Trump as president of the United States.

“He is one of the climate skeptics,” he added, “that he was in favour of the United States withdrawing from the Paris Agreement and even from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the text on which global climate governance is based,” he said.

He thinks his return to power is worrying, especially since the previous commitments of the United States risk not being respected.

“This then risks undermining all confidence and creating a disengagement from everyone at Cop29,” he concluded. 

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has announced the possibility of a new round of European Union sanctions against Israeli settlers accused of exacerbating violence in Palestinian territories.

This comes as far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was expected in the French capital this week, raising concerns over aggravating Franco-Israeli tensions.

Speaking exclusively to RFI and France 24, Barrot stated he had not received confirmation of Smotrich’s attendance at the “Israel is Forever” gala – an event hosted by far-right figures – intended to support Israel.

A spokesman for the Israeli minister has since announced he will not be travelling to France.

Smotrich has made headlines of late with promises to annex Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank by 2025, amid fears this will escalate the ongoing conflict.

Barrot told RFI: “We denounce the policy being promoted by this minister [Smotrich] in the Israeli government, which consists of continuing an activity that is illegal under international law – the settlement and aggressive colonisation of the West Bank”.

“This is also the reason why we have activated other sanctions. On several occasions, at national level, firstly by targeting 28 extremist and violent settlers, some of whom were encouraged by this minister in the Netanyahu government,” he added.

The gala is set to take place just prior to a football match between France and Israel, with authorities classifying the event as “high-risk” following last Thursday’s violence in Amsterdam on the sidelines of a match involving Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv.

France ‘driving force’ behind sanctions

On Monday Barrot was in attendance at a Paris Peace Forum, where he highlighted France’s previous imposition of sanctions against violent Israeli settlers and emphasised the EU’s active role in considering further sanctions, which may soon be implemented.

He reiterated France’s stance on the issue to RFI saying: “At European level … we were the driving force behind the creation of a system of sanctions targeting entities or individuals guilty of or complicit in colonisation.

“This system has been activated twice. We have launched two sets of sanctions against these people …  and we are currently working on a third set of European sanctions.”

Barrot also reaffirmed France’s commitment to a two-state solution during his recent visit to the West Bank.

French concerns are shared internationally, with the United States, Canada, Australia, and the UK also implementing sanctions against extremist settlers.

• Israel slams Macron as a ‘disgrace’ over French arms fair ban
• Arrest of French embassy staff at Jerusalem holy site further strains ties

No repeat of ‘Jerusalem incident’

Meanwhile, Barrot underlined to RFI that a repeat of an incident in Jerusalem that saw armed Israeli security forces entering a property administered by France must never happen again.

Ahead of summoning Israel’s envoy to Paris over the matter, Barrot told RFI “it is an opportunity for France to reiterate that it will not tolerate Israeli armed forces entering these areas, for which it [France] is responsible, for which it ensures protection”.

On 7 November, two French security officials with diplomatic status were briefly detained after the French foreign minister was due to visit the compound of The Church of the Pater Noster on the Mount of Olives.

The site, one of four administered by France in Jerusalem, is under Paris’ responsibility and it not the first time that problems have arisen over France’s historic holdings in the Holy City.

Diplomatic relations between France and Israel have worsened since President Emmanuel Macron called for an end to the supply to Israel of offensive weapons used in Gaza and attempted to ban Israeli weapons’ firms from exhibiting at a trade fair in Paris earlier this month.

Israel names new ambassador to US 

This comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed Yechiel Leiter as the new ambassador to the United States.

US-born Leiter – who previously served as the chief of staff in the finance ministry and has a deep understanding of American culture and politics – has been described by Netanyahu as a highly capable diplomat.

His appointment has been particularly welcomed by the Yesha Council – which represents Jewish settlements in the West Bank – underling the widening gap between Israel’s internal policy and international law which has ruled the settlement of occupied territories is illegal. 

Following Donald Trump’s recent re-election victory, his staunch support for Israel has been celebrated by many in the region, with Leiter’s appointment seen as a move to strengthen Israeli government policies in the United States.

Last year, Leiter’s son was killed in the Gaza war against Palestinian militant group Hamas while serving with the Israeli Defence Forces. 

A critic of Russia, Kallas, 47, has been tapped as the European Union’s new top diplomat, while Séjourné, 39, is to take charge of the 27-nation bloc’s industrial strategy.

Entrusted with two highly sensitive portfolios as the EU seeks to navigate the war in Ukraine, Donald Trump’s return to the White House and the bloc’s declining competitiveness vis-a-vis the United States and China, both will have to prove their worth.

The commission is one of the world’s most formidable regulators, enforcing European law on key issues such as trade, competition and technology. Each EU state has nominated one member to serve on the body.

Vice-presidents have specific purviews but are also tasked with coordinating the work of other commissioners in charge of related matters.

Von der Leyen, who counts as Germany’s representative, allocated portfolios based on personal experience as well as political and national clout.

EU chief von der Leyen unveils new team with women in key posts

Tough questioning

The hearings offer parliament a rare chance to flex its muscles against the bloc’s powerful executive – and at least one candidate has been canned by parliamentarians during the five-yearly exercise since 2004.

Yet, all but one of the 20 questioned so far this year have been given the green light.

The outlier is Hungary’s Oliver Varhelyi, an ally of nationalist prime minister and Brussels rebel Viktor Orban, whose fate is still in the balance, a decision having been postponed to Wednesday.

Political power plays might also see others face tough questioning.

“Two commissioners will be targeted: Fitto and Ribera,” said Dutch lawmaker Dirk Gotink of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), the largest group in the European Parliament – referring to Italy’s Raffaele Fitto and Spain’s Teresa Ribera.

Macron nominates Sejourne as EU Commissioner after Breton’s surprise exit

Lawmakers on the centre and left are unhappy that Fitto, of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s hard-right Brothers of Italy party, was handed a powerful vice-presidency with the cohesion and reforms brief.

They see the move, which von der Leyen has said reflected Rome’s importance within the bloc, as a betrayal of a deal that got her re-elected in July.

Meloni’s European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), which espouses a brand of politics disliked by progressive EU parliamentarians, did not support the German politician’s bid for a second term.

Opponents argue it should thus be excluded from the inner sanctum of the new leadership.

Some members of the Socialists and Democrats – the second-largest group in parliament – have threatened to vote against confirming the entire college of commissioners on 27 November if Fitto, 55, is not stripped of the vice-presidency.

The ECR tried to mend bridges by pulling its punches as the first 20 commissioners were grilled last week, voting in favour of most of them.

But “the final outcome remains open and uncertain,” said Sandro Gozi, of the centrist Renew group.

Five-year term

Fitto’s troubles might in turn affect Ribera, who along with Finland’s Henna Virkkunen will be the last to undergo the three-hour questioning, and might be in for a rough hearing if lawmakers have already taken their gloves off.

A socialist, Ribera was given what is arguably the commission’s most influential role, as competition chief with responsibility over a vast environmental portfolio.

A close ally of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, the 55-year-old is likely to have to address her anti-nuclear views and reassure sceptical right-wingers of her commitment to pair climate goals with growth.

She may also be grilled about her government’s response to the devastating floods that hit the Valencia region.

Sophia Russack, a researcher at the Centre for European Policy Studies think tank, said things might get “spicier” on Tuesday but she still expected the remaining six candidates to “pass through”.

The team is to start a five-year term in early December.

(with AFP)

The joint action against the social media company run by US billionaire Elon Musk is being led by Le Figaro, Les Echos, Le Parisien, Le Monde, Telerama, Courrier International, Huffington Post, Malesherbes Publications and Le Nouvel Obs, they said in a statement.

They accuse the site formerly known as Twitter of violating so-called neighbouring rights, which, under a 2019 European directive adopted into French law,  are due when social media platforms republish news content.

The newspapers, as well as French news agency AFP, had already asked for an emergency injunction against X, which they accuse of not negotiating.

On 24 May, a Paris tribunal agreed with the media companies, and gave X two months to provide commercial data that would allow them to assess the income it earns from their content.

The social media site “has not yet complied” with this decision, “demonstrating its continued intent to avoid its legal obligations”, the newspapers said, justifying their latest suit.

Asked by AFP, X’s lawyer did not comment.

Active support of Donald Trump, elected president of the United States for the second time, Musk is frequently accused of promoting disinformation on X, where he poses as an adversary of the media.

EU concerned by high disinformation rate on Musk’s X platform

Bitter battles

Before Tuesday’s action against ‘X’, around 50 other French press publishers, mainly regional, announced on 8 November that they had filed legal action against the American giant Microsoft, for similar reasons.

In all, groups such as Ouest-France or Ebra, in a series of summons filed with the Paris judicial court for “counterfeiting” are claiming several million euros in compensation.

This long-term issue of neighboring rights has poisoned relations between the French press and the internet giants for five years.

However, it experienced a lull in 2021: after a bitter battle, agreements were signed from October 2021 with Meta, owner of Facebook, and from March 2022 with Google.

But last March, the Competition Authority imposed a fine of €250 million on Google, accusing it of not having respected some of the commitments made in 2022.

France slaps Google with €250m fine over EU media rules and AI use

“Unlike Google and Meta, X/Twitter has (…) never agreed to open negotiations with French press publishers in order to respect the legal framework on copyright and related rights, and this despite several months of procedures followed by amicable follow-ups,” underlined the newspapers which are pursuing X.

While the issue of neighboring rights has not been definitively resolved, media groups are facing a new challenge in remuneration for their content, with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) programs.

In September, OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, refused group negotiations with two French press organizations to use the content of the 800 titles they represent for a fee.

(with AFP)

Erdogan, who congratulated Trump as a “friend” on social media, sees this as a chance to reshape US-Turkey relations.

During Biden’s presidency, engagement was largely limited to foreign ministers – marking a stark contrast to the “strong leader-to-leader relationship” Erdogan and Trump had enjoyed, says analyst Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, of the German Marshall Fund in Ankara.

Trump and President Erdogan met face to face about nine times, compared to only two “brief encounters” with Biden, he adds.

Chemistry

Erdogan often speaks warmly of his dealings with Washington during Trump’s first term in office.

“The chemistry is the same. Two charismatic leaders, two leaders who are unpredictable,” notes Turkish presidential adviser Mesut Casin, a professor of international relations at Istanbul’s Yeditepe University.

He believes their personal rapport could set the stage for greater bilateral and regional cooperation, including efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Erdogan has long sought to play a role in ending the Russia-Ukraine war, given his close ties with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and, more controversially, with Vladimir Putin – a relationship that drew criticism and suspicion from some of Turkey’s NATO partners.

“Trump will push for negotiations in the Russia-Ukraine war. And I think that’s something that Turkey has always preferred,” predicts Asli Aydintasbas a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

Turkey eyes US presidential race that stands to shake up mutual ties

YPG policy

Erdogan will also look to Trump for changes in US policy toward the YPG, a Syrian Kurdish militia that Ankara views as linked to the PKK, a group fighting the Turkish state.

The YPG’s alliance with Washington against the Islamic State has strained US-Turkey relations, with Biden resisting Erdogan’s calls to end support for the group.

Former Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen predicts Erdogan will hope Trump might be open to a deal.

“Erdogan thinks that, like himself, Trump too is a pragmatic leader. So leaving aside principles or other such in brackets, the two sides can reach an agreement by giving and taking something between the two,” says Selcen.

Unpredictability

While Trump has often spoken positively about Erdogan, he nonetheless remains unpredictable.

“Can you rely on him?” asks Murat Aslan of SETA, a Turkish pro-government thinktank.

Tensions between Turkey and Israel could also complicate relations.

Erdogan has expressed hope that Trump will succeed where Biden failed in ending Israel’s war on Hamas and Hezbollah, but with Trump’s strong support for Israel and Erdogan’s backing of Hamas, a clash could be looming.

“What happens if there is an escalation in the Middle East with the polarisation of Israel and Turkey, as it currently is, and the attitude of Trump, it’s very clear that the Trump administration will threaten Turkey,” says Aslan.

With conflicts raging across the region, Erdogan views a new Trump presidency as an opportunity for Turkey and the region.

But given the leaders’ unpredictability, that opportunity doesn’t come without risks.

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.

It’s time for you to start thinking about your New Year’s resolutions for our annual New Year’s Day show. If you’ve already made up your mind about what you’ll aim for in 2025, go ahead and send it to us … if not, be sure you send us your resolution – or resolutions if you are really ambitious! – by 15 December.

Mark your calendars now for 12 December, 6 PM Paris time – that’s when the winners of the ePOP video competition will be announced, live on the ePOP Facebook page. My good pals Max Bale and Gaël Flaugère, who run the Planète Radio department that sponsors ePOP, invited me to come on the show and talk to you for a few minutes, in English. So plan to stay up late or get up early on 12 December, beloved listeners! And we are so pleased that “one of our own” has made it into the running: Saleem Akhtar Chadhar, the president of the RFI Seven Stars Listeners Club, is one of the 10 nominees in the RFI Clubs category! 

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!

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

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

Remember, podcasts are radio, too! As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service. Please keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our 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 12 October, I asked you a question about the troubled relationship between France and Algeria.

Algeria’s recently re-elected president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, accused France, its former colonial ruler, of “genocide”.

Tebboune has postponed trips to Paris to meet with Emmanuel Macron several times; the latest was scheduled for late September or early October, and that trip was also postponed.

You were to re-read our article “Algeria’s Tebboune refuses France visit in snub to former colonial ruler”, and send in the answer to this question: What happened last July that sent the Algeria/France relationship into a nosedive – even provoking Algeria to recall its ambassador to France?

The answer is, to quote our article: “… relations nose-dived in July after Macron sent a letter to King Mohammed VI of Morocco voicing support for the Kingdom’s autonomy plan in the disputed territory of Western Sahara.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “How do you remember things?”

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

The winners are: RFI English listener Bushra Nawaz, who’s a member of the Sungat Radio Listeners Club in Muzaffargarh, Pakistan. Bushra is also the winner of this week’s bonus question.

Congratulations, Bushra, on your double win.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are RFI Listeners Club members Zenon Teles, the president of the Christian – Marxist – Leninist – Maoist Association of Listening DX-ers in Goa, India, and Father Steven Wara, who lives in the Cistercian Abbey in Bamenda, Cameroon.

Last but assuredly not least, RFI English listeners Amara, a member of the International Radio Fan and Youth Club in Khanewal, Pakistan, and Jahangir Alam, the president of the World DX International Radio Fan Club in Rajshahi, Bangladesh.

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Soul Bossa Nova” by Quincy Jones, performed by the Quincy Jones Ensemble; “Aghan” by Mohammad Rouane, performed by the Rouane Ensemble; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Asa Branca” by Luiz Gonzaga and Humberto Teixeira, performed by Rosinha De Valença.

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 “Tributes roll in for beloved musician and producer Quincy Jones, who died at 91”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 9 December to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 14 December podcast. When you enter be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

Click here to 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.   

France produces 2.2 million tonnes of plastic packaging a year, most of which does not get recycled. In the ongoing battle to reduce waste, a 2021 law is intended to phase out single-use packaging by 2040. We go to a packaging expo to see how this might happen and meet people being pushed to the front lines of waste reduction. (Listen @3’45”)

Bouchot mussel farmers in northern France are sounding the alarm about spider crabs devastating their crops. Warming waters have led to a four-fold increase in crab numbers, a prized marine resource, but which threatens the future of the industry. A mussel farmer talks about the impact, and a marine scientist presents possible solutions. (Listen @19’47”)

A hundred years ago this month, women and girls working in sardine canning factories in Brittany launched a six-week strike that has gone down in history as one of the earliest examples of women successfully organising to defend their labour rights. The granddaughter of one of the strikers describes its legacy. (Listen @12’20”) 

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 bitter rivals embarked on a final frenzied campaign blitz Monday with both hitting must-win Pennsylvania on the last day of a tight and volatile US presidential election campaign.

Pennsylvania is the single biggest swing state prize under the US Electoral College system, which awards influence in line with population.

Republican Trump has promised a “landslide” as he seeks his return to the White House, while Democrat Harris said the “momentum” was on the side of her bid to be America’s first woman president.

Deadlock

But the polls suggest a different story on the eve of Election Day – total deadlock in surveys nationally and in the seven swing states where the result is expected to be decided.

The world is anxiously watching the election, which is set to have profound implications for conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s war in Ukraine, and for tackling climate change.

Both sides say they are encouraged by early turnout numbers, with over 78 million people having voted already, around half of the total number of ballots cast in 2020.

No middle ground

The closeness of the 2024 White House race reflects a deeply divided United States, as it chooses between two candidates whose visions could scarcely be more different.

Media outlets and political parties have poured millions of dollars into advertising campaigns that leave little room for middle ground.

This stark divide is a reflection of the American political system, where the winner-takes-all approach often marginalises third-party candidates and reinforces the dominance of the two major parties.

US elections: Who are the running mates for the key candidates?

As election day approaches, the spotlight has fallen on undecided voters who may ultimately tip the scales in this tight race.

Campaign volunteers have been working tirelessly, engaging directly with potential voters in an effort to sway opinions and drive turnout.

To discuss what is at stake, RFI’s Jan van der Made spoke to analyst J. Wesley Leckrone, Chair Political Science Widener University, Daniel Hopkins, Political Scientist University of Pennsylvania and Daniel Laurison, Associate Professor Sociology at Swarthmore College and former campaigner for Barack Obama.

Erdogan has avoided commenting on the US election, but Ankara sees the outcome of the 5 November vote as key for Turkish-US relations.

Each of the contenders, Vice-President Kamala Harris and Trump, are expected to take significantly different approaches to Turkey’s long-time leader.

“During the past Trump presidency, the political relationship at the highest level between Erdogan and Trump was a strong one,” says Sinan Ulgen, head of the Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies, an Istanbul think tank.

Ties with President Joe Biden have been notably less friendly, however, if Harris were to win the relationship with Erdogan is likely to be a much more shallow one, Ulgen believes.

Face-to-face time

Erdogan met Trump nine times during his 2017-21 presidency, including on a state visit to Washington.

In contrast, he met Biden only briefly on the sidelines of international summits, with US-Turkish relations mainly conducted at foreign-minister level.

“Erdogan has been in power for more than 20 years and Biden is the only US president who has refused to meet him in an official capacity, either in the US capital or in the Turkish capital,” says international relations professor Serhat Guvenc of Istanbul’s Kadir Has University.

“For Erdogan, leader-to-leader talks are key to achieving his goals. And probably, he thinks deep down that he can sort out many things through personal contact, connections or personal engagement.”

Such interaction, especially with the most powerful person in the world, is also seen as vital to Erdogan’s status at home.

“It’s very important for his domestic standing and legitimacy,” says Asli Aydintasbas, a political commentator and visiting fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution.

“He has built a personalised system but also convinced voters, particularly his base, that he is a consequential leader, that Turkey is rising, that he is very important, he is on par with the US president and the Russian president, that everybody is looking up to Erdogan.”

Turkey and Russia closer than ever despite Western sanctions

Lack of chemistry?

Aydintasbas questions how easy it would be for Erdogan to develop a relationship with Harris, even if she were ready to engage more directly than Biden.

“I cannot imagine what type of chemistry Harris and Erdogan would have. They don’t come from similar backgrounds. It’s difficult to imagine the two developing a very close personal relationship, to be honest,” the analyst says.

Erdogan has often spoken warmly of his relationship with Trump – despite the fact he got hit by sanctions during his time in the White House over the detention of an American pastor, prompting the Turkish lira to crash in 2018.

Trump once even vowed to “totally destroy and obliterate” the Turkish economy over Turkey’s threats to attack US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces.

“We have memories of the threats and sanctions,” warns Murat Aslan of the pro-government Seta Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research in Ankara.

Invoking the 2018 crisis, Aslan said: “Rather than words, I think deeds are important.”

Erdogan hopes a U-turn can salvage Turkey’s floundering economy

High-risk candidate

The Middle East is another potential sticking point.

Trump is calling for more support for Israel in its wars against Hamas and Hezbollah, and analysts say differences could again emerge between the US and Turkish leaders.

“Trump’s approach to the Middle East and the conflict between the Palestinians and Israel could actually escalate the tension in the Middle East to the extent that a regional war could be unavoidable,” warns Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, who directs the German Marshall Fund’s office in Ankara.

“So yes, a Trump presidency has many opportunities for Turkey – but at a very high risk.”

Meanwhile, though there has been little direct contact between Biden and Erdogan, Turkish-US relations have shown signs of improvement in recent months.

With the two Nato allies increasingly cooperating and better managing their differences, Aydintasbas suggests, there are merits for Ankara to both candidates.

“A Kamala Harris administration would mean more continuity, but the promise of stability in Turkish-US relations,” she says. “Whereas Trump is so unpredictable that it could be very good one day, very bad one day.”

With the Middle East war continuing to rage, Trump’s unpredictability remains a risk to Ankara – but Erdogan will likely still covet the opportunity to renew his relationship with the US strongman.

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.

It’s time for you to start thinking about your New Year’s resolutions for our annual New Year’s Day show. If you’ve already made up your mind about what you’ll aim for in 2025, go ahead and send it to us … if not, be sure you send us your resolution – or resolutions if you are really ambitious! – by 15 December.

Mark your calendars now for 12 December, 6 PM Paris time – that’s when the winners of the ePOP video competition will be announced, live on the ePOP Facebook page. My good pals Max Bale and Gaël Flaugère, who run the Planète Radio department that sponsors ePOP, invited me to come on the show and talk to you for a few minutes, in English. So plan to stay up late or get up early on 12 December, beloved listeners! And we are so pleased that “one of our own” has made it into the running: Saleem Akhtar Chadhar, the president of the RFI Seven Stars Listeners Club, is one of the 10 nominees in the RFI Clubs category! 

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

Remember, podcasts are radio, too! As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service. Please keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our 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 30 September, Marine Le Pen – the leader of the French far-right party the National Rally – along with her father and 25 colleagues went on trial over alleged misappropriation of European funds.

They’re accused of using European parliamentary funds to pay for assistants, who actually worked for her National Rally party, formerly called the National Front, rather than on European affairs.

If found guilty, Le Pen could face a maximum of ten years behind bars and a 1 million euro fine – and a possible five-year ban on standing for public office. 

You were to re-read our article “French far-right leader Marine Le Pen on trial for misuse of EU funds”, and send in the answer to this question: How many euros has the European Union Parliament estimated that Le Pen and her colleagues in the National Rally party allegedly embezzled?

The answer is, to quote our article: “The EU Parliament estimated in 2018 that 6.8 million euros had been embezzled. Marine Le Pen has always denied any wrongdoing.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “Can you remember the first time you received new clothes from your parents?”, which was suggested by Ratna Shanta Shammi from Naogaon, Bangladesh.

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

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

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Hasina Zaman Hasi, a member of the RFI Amour Fan Club in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, and RFI Listeners Club members Nasyr Muhammad from Katsina State, Nigeria, as well as Sakawat Hossain from Sylhet, Bangladesh.

Last but assuredly not least, RFI English listener Bidhan Chandra Sanyal from West Bengal, India. 

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Hadouk” by D. Malherbe and L. Ehrlich, played by Kosinus; “The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin, performed by the composer; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “We Swing (The Cypher)” by Jean Baylor, Marcus Baylor, Eric Scott Reed, Keith Loftis, and Dezron Douglas, performed by The Baylor Project.

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-listen to Melissa Chemam’s 18 October Spotlight on Africa podcast, “Ghana grapples with crisis caused by world’s throwaway fashion”, or re-read her article of the same name, both of which will help you with the answer.

You have until 25 November to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 7 December podcast. When you enter be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

Click here to 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.