A two-hour service attended by incoming US president Donald Trump among other world leaders began with the archbishop of Paris knocking on the doors of the cathedral three times.

“Notre Dame, model of faith, open your doors to bring together the far-flung children of God in joy,” archbishop Laurent Ulrich commanded, banging with a wooden staff crafted from a roof beam that survived the inferno five years ago.

Trump was seated on the front row as guest of honour next to French President Emmanuel Macron, with he and other invitees marvelling at the freshly cleaned walls, new furniture and state-of-the-art lighting installed as part of the overhaul.

In a short speech, Macron expressed the “gratitude of the French nation” for the restoration work, achieved at frenzied speed over the last five years.

France had “rediscovered what great nations can do – achieve the impossible”, he said.

‘Merci’

One of the most moving moments came when firefighters in their protective workwear walked through the congregation to thunderous applause as the word “Merci” (“Thank you”) was beamed on the intricate facade and famous belltowers of the Gothic masterpiece outside.

Small crowds of Parisians and tourists braved wet weather and high winds on the banks of the River Seine to witness the renaissance of a monument which came close to collapsing due to the intensity of the flames that toppled its roof and spire.

“I find it really beautiful, even more so now that the spire has been restored,” Marie Jean, a 27-year-old dentist from southwest France, told AFP outside.

Workers had to overcome problems with lead pollution, the Covid-19 epidemic, and the army general overseeing the project falling to his death while hiking in the Pyrenees last year.

Work on Notre Dame halted as concerns rise over lead pollution

Saturday’s service featured classical music, the cathedral’s choir as well as some frenetic organ-playing during the “re-awakening” of the 8,000-pipe instrument which is considered the voice and soul of the cathedral.

‘World going crazy’

Held up as an example of French creativity and resilience by Macron, Notre-Dame’s renaissance comes at a difficult time for the country.

The sense of national accomplishment in restoring a symbol of Paris has been undercut by political turmoil that has left France without a proper government since last week when prime minister Michel Barnier lost a confidence vote in parliament.

Macron is hoping the re-opening might provide a fleeting sense of national pride and unity – as the Paris Olympics did in July and August.

He scored a major coup by attracting Trump along with around 40 heads of state and government, including Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who was given a round of applause as he entered Notre-Dame.

Macron hosted three-way talks with Zelensky and Trump at the presidential palace shortly before the ceremony, with future US military support for Ukraine‘s war effort against Russia‘s invasion expected to have been discussed.

Trump has vowed to end the nearly three-year Ukraine war when he takes office on January 20, sparking fears in Kyiv that he will force Ukraine to make territorial concessions to Russia.

“We all want peace. But it is very important for us… that the peace is just for all of us and that Russia, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin or any other aggressor has no possibility of ever returning,” Zelensky said according to the presidential website.

One surprising absentee on Saturday was Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church.

The “immense” numbers set to visit Notre-Dame should be welcomed “generously and free of charge”, he said, clearly opposing a proposition from the French culture ministry to charge for entry.

France mulls charging tourists to enter Notre-Dame cathedral

On Sunday, the first mass with hundreds of bishops and priests will take place at 10:30 am (0930 GMT), followed by a second service in the evening at 6:30 pm which will be open to the public.

Thousands of protesters marched in the Georgian capital Tbilisi Saturday for the 10th day of rallies sparked by the government’s decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union following a disputed election.

Georgian police said they arrested 48 people during a crackdown on pro-EU protesters on Friday. Police chased demonstrators through the streets of Tbilisi until the early morning hours of Saturday and violently detained some of them.

In a joint statement on Saturday, the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Poland called on the ruling Georgian Dream party “to deescalate tensions and open an inclusive dialogue with all political forces and representatives of civil society”. 

“We underscore our determination to support the democratic and European aspirations of the Georgian people,” the statement said. 

They also called for the immediate release of opposition members, and demanded that “fundamental rights, including freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, must be upheld and protected as per Georgia’s constitution and international commitments”.

Georgian president calls for new elections to resolve political crisis

The crackdown has also drawn strong condemnation from the United States.

Speaking at a ministerial conference of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday denounced what he described as a brutal “repression of those calling for their country to stay on the path to closer ties with Europe”.

Georgian Dream retained control of parliament in a disputed election on 26 October – a vote widely seen as a referendum on Georgia’s EU aspirations.

The opposition and the pro-Western president, Salome Zourabichvili, have accused the governing party of rigging the vote with neighboring Russia’s help and have boycotted parliament sessions.

France joins calls for inquiry into alleged irregularities in Georgia election

(with newswires)

Led by Franco-Tunisian company Selt Marine, the project involves turning the algae into plant-based gelatine, offering a sustainable alternative for the global food industry.  

It took three decades to launch due to ongoing research and environmental impact studies. Now it spans 80 hectares of marine concessions and is set to grow, with plans to invest €8 million over the next two years. 

Inside a small workshop overlooking the lagoon, a group of women meticulously wash the freshly harvested algae in large water tanks.  

“I clean them thoroughly, then they are dried. Once that’s done, the fishermen bring us a new batch, and we start over,” said 55-year-old Mongia Thabet, who has performed this task daily for almost seven years.  

Sun-bleached algae

The algae is laid out to dry under the Tunisian sun on large tables, a natural process that distinguishes Selt Marine from competitors who use chemical bleaching.  

“Most of our rivals, if not all, use peroxide to whiten the algae,” company founder Mounir Boulkout told RFI. “We rely on the Tunisian sun to whiten ours, and that whiteness is a mark of quality for our clients.” 

On their vast marine concessions, algae grows on ropes and tubes submerged in the sea, allowing controlled reproduction. The harvested algae – nearly 10,000 tonnes annually – is then processed into plant-based gelatine or emulsifiers, catering to industrial giants worldwide. 

“Boulkout in Arabic means ‘the one who gives food’ so I have a bit of an obligation,” joked Boulkout. “In many processed products, you’ll find additives that are neither healthy nor plant-based. We create a product with ecological virtues.” 

Plastic-eating mealworms found in Kenya offer hope for waste crisis

Impact of climate change

Beyond food production, the algae farms are helping restore marine biodiversity, attracting fish and shellfish to an area that has been badly affected by overfishing and climate change – which has also had an impact on the company’s operations.  

“When I arrived in 1995, we collected and found enormous amounts of algae in July and August. That’s no longer the case. There’s nothing left because about three or four years ago, the Mediterranean warmed 5C during summer,” said Boulkout. 

To adapt, the company now operates mainly from October to June and has expanded to include operations in Mozambique and Zanzibar to ensure year-round production. 

This article was adapted from the original version in French by Lilia Blaise

It is Trump’s first trip abroad since winning the presidential election a  month ago.

He reportedly arrived at Orly airport in the south of Paris aboard a private plane just before 0700 GMT and is to hold talks at the Elysee Palace with President Emmanuel Macron at 1500 GMT.

Trump will attend the Notre-Dame opening ceremony this evening, joined by dozens of other leaders – a unique chance for them to rub shoulders with the president-elect before he takes office in January.

No agenda for talks between Macron and Trump has been announced, but European leaders are concerned that Trump could withdraw US military aid to Ukraine at a crucial phase in the war with Russia.

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who is due to meet Macron later this afternoon, may also meet Trump, a Ukrainian official said on Friday.

Such a meeting would be of great importance given the fears in Kyiv that Trump, who once boasted he could end Russia’s war on Ukraine in 24 hours, may urge concessions to Moscow.

‘Worry’ in Ukraine at Trump victory at critical moment in war

Fence-mending

Macron invited both Trump and outgoing President Joe Biden. Trump accepted the invite, while the current administration will be represented by First Lady Jill Biden.

Trump posted on his Truth Social page that Macron had “done a wonderful job ensuring that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so. It will be a very special day for all!”

Macron welcomed Trump in 2017, after his first election, with the glamour of dinner at the Eiffel Tower and the pomp of watching a Bastille Day military parade down the Champs-Elysees – which Trump later said he wanted to emulate in Washington.

But Trump’s relationship with Macron gradually soured.

In 2019, Trump said the French leader was “very, very nasty” and lashed out at his economic record after Macron criticised the US level of commitment to the NATO alliance.

EU leaders chart independent future as Trump takes White House

However, when Trump won again a month ago, Macron was one of the first world leaders to phone and congratulate him.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has decided not to make the trip, after her presence was initially announced by Brussels.

She is in the throes of a major spat with Macron after going to Montevideo on Friday to announce the conclusion of the Mercosur free trade agreement between the EU and four South American countries, which is opposed by France and some other European countries.

(with newswires)

The lightning offensive of Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, which has seen the rebels capture several major Syrian cities in less than two weeks, gives Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan leverage over his Syrian counterpart President Bashar al-Assad.

“Turkey can easily stop both [rebel] entities and start a process. Turkey does have this strength, and Assad is well aware of it,” said Murat Aslan of the SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, a Turkish pro-government think tank. 

Until now, Assad has rejected Erdogan’s overtures for dialogue to end the civil war peacefully. “The Turkish intention politically is not to escalate in Syria [but to] start a political, diplomatic engagement with the Assad regime, and come to the terms of a normal state, and that all Syrians safely return to their homes,” Aslan noted.

Syrian rebels surround Hama ‘from three sides’, monitor says

Syrian refugees an issue

Erdogan is seeking to return many of the estimated 4 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey, amid growing public unease over their presence in the country.

“According to the opinion polls here, yes, the Syrian refugees [are] an issue. For any government, it would be a wonderful win to see these Syrians going back to Syria of their own will,” explained Aydin Selcen, a former senior Turkish diplomat who served in the region and is now a foreign policy analyst for Turkey’s Medyascope news outlet.

However, Moscow has a lot to lose in Syria, as a key military backer of Assad, who in turn has granted Russia use of a key Syrian naval base. “For Moscow, it’s of crucial importance that the personality of Assad remains in power,” said Zaur Gasimov, a professor of history and a Russia specialist at the University of Bonn.

Syria rebel leader says goal is to overthrow Assad

Gasimov warns that Turkey could be facing another humanitarian crisis. “Russia would definitely use the military force of its aerospace forces, that can cause a huge number of casualties among civilians. Which means a new wave of migrants towards Turkish eastern Anatolia.”

With more than a million Syrian refugees camped just across the Turkish border in the rebel-controlled Syrian Idlib province, analysts warn a new exodus into Turkey is a red line for Ankara.

“If they refresh their attacks on the captured areas by indiscriminate targeting… well [we can] expect further escalations in the region,” warned Aslan of the pro-government SETA think tank. “And for sure there is a line that Turkey will not remain as it is, and if there is a development directly threatening the interests or security of Turkey, then Turkey will intervene.”

Pushing back the YPG

With the Syrian rebel offensive also making territorial gains against the US-backed Kurdish militant group, the YPG, Ankara is poised to secure another strategic goal in Syria. Ankara accuses the YPG of having ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is fighting the Turkish state.

France joins Germany, US and Britain in call for de-escalation in Syria

“Without putting up a fight, and without getting directly involved, they [Ankara] have achieved one of their goals – for YPG to pull back from the Turkish frontier towards the south,” explained Selcen. “I think Ankara now is closer to that goal.”

With Syrian rebel successes appearing to advance Ankara’s goals in Syria, some analysts are urging caution, given the rebels’ links to radical Islamist groups. “The crashing down of the Assad regime is not in the interest of Turkey, because there will be chaos,” warned international relations professor Huseyin Bagci, of Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.

“Who is going to rule? What type of [governing] structure are we going to have?” he asked. “They are radicals, and another Daesh-style territory would not be in the interest of Turkey – in Turkish prisons, there are thousands of Daesh people.”

Between 2018 and 2023, the number of apprentice carpenters in France rose by 44 percent, while apprenticeships in traditional masonry and roofing nearly doubled, according to a report this week from the Institut Supérieur des Métiers (ISM), a resource and training centre for artisanal small businesses.

Niche trades such as organ builders and stained-glass artisans have also seen their apprentice numbers double, or more, over the past five years.

This rise in apprenticeships in artisanal trades is part of a larger trend. Following a major reform in 2018 and the introduction of significant recruitment subsidies, the number of apprentices across all fields in France has increased – from 317,000 in 2017 to 853,000 in 2023.

Notre-Dame reborn: the epic quest that saved France’s sacred heart

‘Notre-Dame effect’

However, the Institut Supérieur des Métiers also points to the “Notre-Dame effect” as having had a significant influence. The cathedral’s reconstruction, which began in 2019, has sparked new interest in heritage trades.

“Notre-Dame has sparked a lot of conversations about creative and artistic trades,” said Catherine Elie, director of the Institut Supérieur des Métiers.

The number of apprentices in trades such as roofing (an increase of 23 percent between 2018 and 2023), cabinet making (an increase of 31 percent), and stone carving (40 percent) has seen substantial growth.

Notre-Dame reopening backed by $62m from American donors

Subsidy cuts

“There’s a labour crisis in France, and these meaningful and passionate professions align with new aspirations,” said Elie. She adds that these often demanding fields are drawing many young people towards new careers.

However, many artisans are concerned about a government proposal to reduce hiring subsidies for apprenticeships, which they argue would make recruitment difficult, as apprenticeships remain a key part of the artisanal sector. 

In early November, Joël Fourny, president of the Chambres de Métiers et de l’Artisanat (CMA), the French body representing trades and craftsmanship, warned of the risk of “having young people who can’t find jobs, which would then create social costs instead of saving money by cutting subsidies”.

Notre-Dame cathedral reopens on Saturday, 7 December with a ceremony attended by 50 world leaders. 

Trump to join Macron and world leaders at reopening of Notre-Dame cathedral

(with AFP)

This week, the French navy rescued some 85 people attempting to cross the dangerous waters of the English Channel, highlighting the perils faced by those using this route to reach the United Kingdom.

Despite the dangers, tens of thousands have made the journey so far this year, underlining the ongoing Channel migrant crossings crisis, as authorities grapple with increasingly sophisticated trafficking operations.

On Wednesday, France’s maritime authorities reported that one migrant vessel – which ran aground on a sandbank off the Pas-de-Calais – prompted a rapid rescue response by naval forces.

Rescuers pulled 80 passengers from the stranded boat and five more from another vessel, transporting them back to France for medical attention.

With more than 70 recorded fatalities in Channel crossings this year alone, the urgency of addressing human trafficking has intensified.

• Cross-Channel migrant crossings top 25,000 as UK government vows to ‘smash the gangs’

Transnational cooperation

Also this week, German police targeted an alleged Iraqi-Kurdish smuggling network in sweeping pre-dawn raids, coordinated with Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, and French security services. More than 500 officers conducted searches across multiple cities in western Germany.

Authorities believe the network facilitated the smuggling of undocumented migrants from the Middle East and East Africa to France and the UK using low-quality inflatable boats.

Search and arrest warrants issued by a French court highlighted France’s central role in the combat of what is a transnational crime.

Last year, approximately 30,000 migrants reached the UK via small boats, prompting both France and the UK to enhance their border security efforts in response to growing activity from such trafficking syndicates.

• Interpol says over 2,500 arrests made in human trafficking crackdown

Asia smuggling ring dismantled

In a significant crackdown at the end of November, French authorities arrested 26 individuals involved in a smuggling ring believed to have transported thousands of migrants from South Asia into France since 2021.

The smugglers charged exorbitant fees – ranging from €15,000 to €26,000 per person – while laundering their profits through various illicit channels.

The operation shed light on the extensive criminal networks that span well beyond France’s borders, with the smugglers often facilitating travel through complex routes involving third countries including the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Libya. 

Tambela’s dismissal was announced in a decree issued Friday by the office of military leader Ibrahim Traore.

The decree gave no reason for the dismissal of Tambela, who was appointed interim premier soon after Traore seized power in 2022 – one of a string of military coups in the Sahel region in recent years.

Tambela had served at the head of three successive governments, surviving each reshuffle.

Members of the dissolved government will continue in their roles until a new cabinet is named, the decree said.

Burkina Faso’s prime minister rules out any deal with jihadists, boosts civil militias

The decision to sack Tambela has surprised many in Ougadougou.

While no official explanation was offered, the premier had recently been criticised by traditional leaders after he questioned the efficacity of using fetishes against terrorist threats, calling for a more scientifically grounded approach.

Following the controversy, he was forced to apologise “to those that had been offended” by his comments.

Burkina has been fighting Islamist insurgents, some with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State, since they spread into its territory from neighbouring Mali almost a decade ago.

(with newswires)

Launched alongside Congolese forces, Operation Shujaa – meaning “bravery” in Swahili – has pushed back the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels from some strongholds near the Ugandan border. 

The ADF, which has ties to the Islamic State, is eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) deadliest armed group – United Nations figures show its fighters killed some 1,000 people in 2023.

Security gains 

For residents in some parts of eastern DRC, life has become less fraught. The curfew in the city of Beni has been lifted, and the route from Beni to Kasindi no longer requires armed escorts. “In this area, progress has been made, even though the massacres have not stopped,” said one member of local civil society. 

The ADF has been forced out of several key locations, including Rwenzori and the so-called “triangle of death” region encompassing Oicha, Kamango and Eringeti.  

Schools there have reopened, and some rebel commanders have been killed or captured. “Their ability to cause harm has been degraded,” Brigadier General Felix Kulayigye, spokesman for the Ugandan military, told RFI. 

Many ADF fighters are now on the move to avoid capture. “It has become harder for them to establish camps because they know they are being pursued. They operate in small groups, conducting most of their attacks as they move,” explained Reagan Mirivi, a researcher at the Congolese think tank Ebuteli. 

This has weakened the group’s ability to resupply, and to raid local harvests. Some fighters who have left the group said they could no longer feed themselves, often going days without eating. 

DRC and Rwanda give backing for peace deal in eastern DRC

ADF’s geographical expansion

But despite military efforts, the ADF remains a deadly force. The group has extended its geographical reach, moving inland and striking areas that were previously untouched. The epicentre of its attacks has shifted westward from Beni towards Irumu and Mambasa in Ituri province.  

The ADF threat has also moved south – their first strike in Tshopo province killed five people according to SITE Intelligence Group, an American NGO which monitors jihadist groups. 

“A lot of this stems from the fact that when Ugandan forces struck at the ADF, they didn’t position troops to contain the threat,” said a diplomatic source. This allowed the rebels to scatter and carry out attacks in previously unaffected areas. 

While the group’s dispersion has weakened its logistical capabilities, its brutality persists. A UN report highlighted how the ADF has increasingly targeted civilians as part of a strategy to retaliate against military operations. 

Regional tensions 

Uganda’s role in the region has raised eyebrows, with critics questioning whether it is fully committed to dismantling the ADF, or is instead pursuing its own interests.  

UN experts have accused Uganda of secretly supporting M23, a Rwandan-backed rebel group that controls swathes of eastern DRC. A June 2024 UN report said rebels had been permitted to move freely across borders and to host meetings. 

While Uganda denies these claims, DRC President Félix Tshisekedi is demanding public proof of its good faith. 

Observers say military operations have mainly secured areas close to the Ugandan border. “It’s almost as if their only priority was to push the threat further away from their zone of interest,” said Mirivi. 

When asked about potential clashes between Ugandan forces and M23 rebels advancing north, Brigadier General Kulayigye said: “We will advise in due course; we are not there yet.” 

Eastern DR Congo grapples with Chinese gold mining firms

Trade routes 

For Uganda, Operation Shujaa is not just about security, it is also about economics.  

“Beyond fighting the ADF, the operation helps Uganda monitor road construction and safeguard its oil projects,” Belgian researcher Kristof Titeca told RFI. 

But Uganda’s influence there is under pressure from Rwanda, whose backing of M23 has enabled the group to gain control of strategic territories. “To protect its economic interests, Uganda must maintain good ties with Kinshasa while ensuring Rwanda doesn’t dominate the region,” Titeca explained. 

Eastern DRC is also a crucial export market for Uganda, notably in the gold trade. “For both Rwanda and Uganda, gold has been the main export product since 2016. And it’s an open secret that much of this ‘Ugandan’ gold comes from Congo,” Titeca added. 

Uganda has also renewed plans to build infrastructure connecting the two countries. In October, President Yoweri Museveni pledged to construct a road between Kasindi and Butembo and another between Goma and Bunagana.  

However, these projects have drawn criticism, with the Goma-Bunagana road dubbed the “road of discord” for its potential to spark tensions with Rwanda. 

Uganda’s strategy appears to be one of balancing competing interests: maintaining access to Congo’s lucrative trade routes, countering Rwanda’s growing influence and addressing domestic economic challenges.  

In Titeca’s view: “Kampala adjusts its strategy depending on the context, but the constant is the preservation of its own interests.”

This story has been adapted from the original version in French by Florence Morice

The president launched talks with his centrist camp allies including leaders from Renaissance, MoDem, Horizons, Radicaux and UDI, as well as Socialist figures.

While the rightwing Republican party was invited to the Elysée Palace, the far-right National Rally, hard-left France Unbowed, Greens and Communist party representatives were notably absent.

The selective invitations point to Macron’s strategy to create new alliances while potentially splitting the left-wing New Popular Front coalition.

Macron “has forged his own Republican [rainbow coalition] but doesn’t have many arrows for his bow,” quipped Ecologist national secretary Marine Tondelier on RMC radio.

Meanwhile, Socialist leader Olivier Faure asserted: “We will go to the Elysée because we have asked to. Those who think that the Socialist Party is for sale are mistaken.”

The chief whip of France Unbowed, Manuel Bompard, dismissed the idea of negotiating a coalition with Macron’s camp, declaring that “Socialists will do what they want” viewing any negotiations as a departure from their commitments to the electorate.

The collapse of Barnier’s government after a no-confidence vote has left Macron scrambling to stabilise his presidency. During a televised address on Thursday, he pledged to appoint a new prime minister “within days” and form a streamlined cabinet.

The announcement, however, is not expected until after the weekend.

Macron will be presiding over the grand reopening of Notre-Dame on Saturday, where numerous world leaders – including US president-elect Donald Trump – are expected to attend.

• Macron rules out quitting, vows new PM after French government collapse

Budget a top priority

The new government’s immediate challenge will be resolving the impasse over the contentious 2025 budget, which was a key factor in Barnier’s downfall.

Macron said the new administration would prioritise passing temporary legislation to ensure the continuity of public services.

“This temporary law will extend for 2025 the choices made in 2024,” Macron said, adding that it would “ensure the functioning of essential services, protect French citizens and maintain obligations to the European Union”.

The special law, to be presented to parliament before mid-December, will allow the government to maintain tax revenues and fund critical sectors such as defence, justice and education.

However, it may raise political tensions, with 380,000 additional households potentially becoming taxable due to inflation and the freeze on income tax thresholds.

Meanwhile speculation is mounting about who will replace Barnier.

Centrist MoDem leader François Bayrou has emerged as a frontrunner after dining with Macron on Thursday. Other names being floated include former Socialist premier Bernard Cazeneuve, Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu, and centre-right politicians Xavier Bertrand and François Baroin.

• France faces deadline to ward off financial turmoil as PM resigns

Opposition’s ‘irresponsibility’

During Thursday’s televised address, which garnered over 17 million viewers across France, Macron slammed the “irresponsibility” of what he termed an “anti-republican front where the far right and the far left united” against Barnier.

Leader of the National Rally, Jordan Bardella, has reportedly requested a meeting with the future prime minister to discuss “red lines” for each political force represented in parliament – emphasising that “these are always the same” for his far-right party.

In turn, France Unbowed leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon accused the president of being “the cause of the problem”, predicting that Macron would “leave by force of events”.

Acknowledging criticism of his decision to dissolve parliament and call snap elections earlier this year, Macron admitted: “Many blamed me for it, and I know that many continue to blame me.”

However, he doubled-down on his intention to complete his mandate “until the end”, in 2027.

The race pits Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) against former president John Dramani Mahama of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), with 10 other candidates also running.

Outgoing president Nana Akufo-Addo, first elected in 2016, is completing his second and final term, leaving behind a troubled economy many observers blame on his administration.

Ghana gets ready for key elections as over 18 million voters face economic challenges

IMF review

Economic hardship is the central issue for most voters.

Years of excessive borrowing, compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and rising global interest rates, have left Ghana’s public debt soaring from 63 percent of GDP in 2019 to 92.7 percent in 2022.

Inflation peaked above 54 percent, devastating household budgets and forcing businesses to cut back.

Accra-based Global InfoAnalytics has released polls showing that the majority of Ghanaians are struggling with a cost of living crisis, making this a key election issue – alongside jobs, education and infrastructure.

This week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed its third review of Ghana’s $3 billion bailout programme, announcing a $360 million disbursement.

Ghana has sought IMF assistance 17 times since gaining independence in 1957.

Two-horse race

Economic woes aside, Ghana has, since its independence, known political alternance, almost no ethnic tension and peaceful elections.

There are 12 candidates competing in this presidential election, with those representing the two major parties leading the race.

Former president and leading opposition candidate Mahama is proposing a “24-hour economy” as a platform for his NDC party.

His supporters told RFI’s correspondent in Accra this is the only way to effectively create jobs. “We need John Mahama, he is a nation builder,” said one. “I don’t have a job, so when the 24-hour economy comes in, there will be jobs and I can benefit from it,” added another.

Ghana thrusts economy into limelight in tight race for president

The NPP and its candidate, Vice-President Bawumia, are banking on the legacy of President Akufo-Addo as their best asset – in particular the free public high schools he set up.

“Bawumia is proposing realistic reforms, especially for our future and education,” one of his supporters told RFI. “Mahama was once president, and he wants to come back? We don’t accept it,” said another.

The result between the two lead candidates is expected to be close, according to Francis Kpatindé, a senior UN official who worked in Ghana for four years.

Kpatindé told RFI that the two men have several things in common, both being in their sixties and both from northern Ghana.

But he believes the advantage could in the end go to former president Mahama, thank to the blame for the current economic crisis being laid at the door of the outgoing government.

(with newswires)

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 winners’ 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.

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, 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! 

It’s time for you to get your New Year’s resolutions – or wishes – in the mail for our annual New Year’s Day show. We need your resolutions and/or wishes by 15 December.

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!

We have a new RFI Listeners Club member to welcome: Zahurul Islam Joy from Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Welcome, Zahural!

This week’s quiz: On 2 November, I asked you a question about Ghana – Melissa Chemam had just published her Spotlight on Africa podcast, where she shined the light on textile waste in Africa from fast fashion – and how Ghana has become a dumping ground for the world’s unwanted textiles, with devastating consequences for local ecosystems.

You were to send in the answer to these questions: How much second-hand clothing arrives in Ghana each week, and what happens to the unsellable clothes?

The answer is, to quote Melissa: “About 15 million items of second-hand clothing arrive in Ghana each week. Nearly half cannot be resold. The unsellable clothes end up in informal dumps or are burned in public washhouses, contaminating the air, soil and water.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question:  “Which of the 13 overseas French territories would you visit, if you had the chance?”, which was suggested by Hans Verner Lollike from Hedehusen, Denmark.

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

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

Also on the list of lucky winners this week is a long-lost RFI Listeners Club member: Arne Timm from Harjumaa, Estonia. Welcome back to the Kitchen, Arne – don’t be such a stranger!

There’s also Ekbal Hossain, who’s a member of the RFI International DX Radio Listeners Club in West Bengal, India, and our brand-new RFI Listeners Club member Zahurul Islam Joy from Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Rounding out the list of lucky winners this week is RFI English listener Kadija Akter, also from Rajshahi, Bangladesh.

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Set Me Free” by Dominique Guiout and Manu Vergeade; “Life is Just a Party” by Kiala Pepple, performed by Ghetto Blaster; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and “Motor Head Baby” by Johnny “Guitar” Watson and Mario Delagarde, played by Johnny “Guitar” Watson.

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 Paul Myer’s article “Small island nations lead fight for climate justice at UN’s top court”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 13 January to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 19 January podcast. When you enter be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

Click here to 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.   

Several thousand demonstrators gathered outside parliament in Tbilisi on Thursday for an eighth consecutive night of protests, some carrying signs reading “your repression will finish you”.

The demonstrations follow Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s announcement that Georgia would suspend EU membership talks until 2028, despite campaigning on promises of European integration.

His ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party also declared victory in controversial parliamentary elections on 26 October, sparking accusations of authoritarianism.

Kobakhidze has further inflamed tensions by threatening to “eradicate” what he described as the country’s “liberal-fascist” opposition. Authorities have responded to the protests with increasing force.

• Georgian envoy to France resigns over ‘foreign agent’ bill

Mounting anger

The protests have grown in scope, with civil servants, grassroots activists and members of civil society joining in. Observers describe the demonstrations as the most intense and widespread in years.

“We must fight here in the streets. No one knows how long this will take,” opposition MP Elene Khoshtaria, who was injured during the demonstrations, told RFI.

The protests have taken on a new character compared to earlier demonstrations, said Natalie Sabanadze, Georgia’s former ambassador to the EU.

“This is not organised by political parties but by the grassroots,” Sabanadze told Radio Schuman, noting the protests are spreading “beyond bigger cities”.

Many civil servants are signing protest letters or resigning in solidarity, Sabanadze added.

“This new intensity has led to an exceptionally brutal and unusual response from authorities,” she said, arguing that the government appears determined to quash dissent swiftly.

• Georgian president calls for new elections to resolve political crisis

EU membership freeze

Georgia’s relations with the EU have deteriorated since early this year, when legislation requiring foreign-funded organisations to register as “foreign agents” strained ties with Brussels.

This led to sanctions against Georgian officials and the freezing of the country’s EU candidacy status.

The decision to suspend EU membership talks has intensified the unrest.

“We condemn the violence against protesters and regret signals from ruling party not to pursue Georgia’s path to EU and democratic backsliding of the county,” said EU head of external relations Kaja Kallas on social media.

“This will have direct consequences from EU side.”

Democratic test

The next test for Georgia’s democracy comes on 14 December when 300 members of the Electoral College will appoint the country’s president.

Incumbent Salome Zourabichvili, a vocal critic of the government, is stepping down, further raising concerns about the country’s democratic trajectory.

The appointment comes amid claims the governing party is leading Georgia back towards Russia’s sphere of influence.

“Georgia’s main strategic value lies in its democracy, in a region that is not democratic and which is dominated by other powers,” Sabanadze said.

The European Union and the Mercosur trade bloc have agreed to terms for a long-anticipated free trade deal, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced in Montevideo on Friday.

The EU-Mercosur deal aims to create one of the largest free trade zones in the world, covering over 700 million people and nearly 25 percent of global GDP. 

Much like the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement, its goal is to reduce tariffs and trade barriers, making it easier for businesses on both sides to export goods.

Mercosur comprises Brazil — the lion’s share of the bloc’s territory, economic output and population — along with Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia, the newest member. Venezuela’s membership has been suspended indefinitely.

Mercosur deal in sight as EU chief von der Leyen pushes past French objections

The deal is not the end of the story for the Europeans. France leads a group of member countries who still have objections to the pact, and all 27 member countries must endorse it for the agreement to enter force.

In remarks aimed at her “fellow Europeans,” and perhaps those more skeptical like farmers in France and elsewhere, von der Leyen said it would have a positive impact on around 60,000 companies that export to the Mercosur region.

She said they will “benefit from reduced tariffs, simpler customs procedures and preferential access to some critical raw materials. This will create huge business opportunities.”

“And to our farmers,” she said, “we have heard you listen to your concerns, and we are acting on them. This agreement includes robust safeguards to protect your livelihoods.

The second round had been scheduled for Sunday and voting has already begun in polling stations abroad. It would have pitted Calin Georgescu, a far-right, pro-Russian candidate, against pro-European Union centrist leader Elena Lasconi.

Having polled in single digits before the first presidential election round on 24 November, Georgescu – who wants to end Romanian support for Ukraine against Russia‘s invasion – surged to a first-place finish that raised questions over how such a surprise had been possible.

A Georgescu win would have upended the EU and NATO member state’s pro-Western politics, pushing it closer to a belt of states in central and eastern Europe with powerful populist, Russia-friendly politicians, including Hungary, Slovakia and Austria.

However, Friday’s ruling plunged the country into institutional chaos as current President Klaus Iohannis’s term ends on 21 December and it was unclear who would be head of state after this date.

Analysts said the ruling may erode institutions, trigger street protests and ultimately still endanger the nation’s pro-Western course.

Far-right candidate tops first-round of Romania’s presidential poll

Full re-run

Documents declassified by Romania‘s top security council on Wednesday said the country was a target of “aggressive hybrid Russian attacks” during the election period.

“The electoral process to elect Romania’s president will be fully re-run, and the government will set a new date and … calendar for the necessary steps,” the court said in a statement.

It added the ruling was made “seeking to ensure the fairness and legality of the electoral process”. A detailed explanation of its ruling will be released at a later date. The court had validated the first presidential round on Monday.

Lasconi condemned the ruling. “The constitutional court’s decision is illegal, amoral and crushes the very essence of democracy, voting,” she said.

However, Social Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu supported the move, calling it “the only correct solution”.

The 8 December run-off vote would have been the third consecutive ballot after the first presidential round and a Dec. 1 parliamentary election in which far-right parties gained a third of seats, though the ruling Social Democrats emerged as the largest grouping and hope to cobble together a pro-EU coalition government.

The parliamentary vote was unaffected by Friday’s court ruling.

George Simion, the leader of the opposition hard-right Alliance for Uniting Romanians (AUR) called the court ruling a “coup d’etat”, adding “nine politically appointed judges, scared that a candidate outside the system had all chances to become Romania’s president, decided to annul Romanians’ will”.

Romanians vote in presidential election focused on high living costs, Ukraine war

Declassified documents

In one of the declassified documents, Romania’s intelligence agency said Georgescu was massively promoted on social media platform TikTok through coordinated accounts, recommendation algorithms and paid promotion. Georgescu has declared zero funds spent in the campaign.

The intelligence service also said access data for official Romanian election websites was published on Russian cyber crime platforms. The access data was probably procured by targeting legitimate users or by exploiting the legitimate training server, the agency said.

It added that it had identified more than 85,000 cyber attacks that aimed to exploit system vulnerabilities.

Russia has denied any interference in Romania’s election campaigns. TikTok denies giving Georgescu special treatment, saying his account was labelled as a political account and treated like any other.

“It is extremely likely that the court will not allow Calin Georgescu to run again,” said Sergiu Miscoiu, a political science professor at Babes-Bolyai University.

Earlier this year, the court banned ultra-nationalist party leader and European Parliament member Diana Sosoaca from running for president in a move that analysts said overstepped court powers.

“There will be street protests, people will become radicalised and depending on which candidate from the radical right remains in the race, people will rally around him,” said Miscoiu.

Romania’s hard-currency bonds rose following the ruling.

Dollar-denominated issued enjoyed the biggest gains, with the 2048 bond rising 0.7 cents to be bid at 81.15 cents in the dollar, its strongest level since mid-November, Tradeweb data showed.

The three-year study by Public Health France was carried out in Lille, Rouen and Montpellier.

It used local and national data from 2015 to 2019, but did not take into account the years of the Covid-19 pandemic, which were considered “atypical”.

The negative impact of city life on health – with factors including exposure to heat, air pollution and noise – is well documented, but less is known about the benefits of increasing green spaces and active modes of transport.

The report, published on Thursday, highlights that city planning policies are paramount to providing health benefits for citizens.

Mélina Le Barbier, deputy director of the Health, Environment and Work department of the public health agency, said that urban greening “can save many lives”.

Researchers found that “between 80 and 300 deaths per year” could be avoided thanks to “an increase in vegetation in cities depending on the location”.

In terms of air pollution, the agency estimated that reaching the levels ​​recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for fine particles could prevent between 300 and 1,000 deaths per year.

Ozone pollution linked to increased risk of serious heart disease

Noise pollution

As for active transport, 3.4 percent of deaths could be prevented if “each resident increased their walking time by 10 minutes per day”, the report showed.

The benefits linked to cycling are even “greater than the benefits linked to walking”, according to Mathilde Pascal, who leads scientific projects at the Work Environment Health Directorate at Public Health France.

“If each resident aged 30 and over cycled 10 minutes more every day of the week, between 200 to 600 lives could be saved.”

Another finding from the study is the benefits of reducing noise pollution.

By respecting the noise levels recommended by the WHO, quality of sleep would significantly improve for several thousand people per year and avoid 20 to 90 hospitalisations annually for cardiovascular disease.

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

The public health body hopes to help guide policymaking by local authorities in the future, and make the decision-making process more democratic.

In the three cities that participated in the study, “action plans are under way or already voted on to modify town planning and increase green spaces or mobility, and these results illustrate the interest in this process,” Le Barbier said.

Overall, any action big or small in the fight against climate change and the preservation of biodiversity, can contribute to making everyone’s lives better, the agency said.

In conclusion, the study stressed the importance of designing future urban spaces with health benefits in mind, as well as better using quantitative assessment to measure the positive impact of key factors such as green spaces and alternative modes of transport.

(with newswires)

EU moves to ban smoking and vaping in outdoor spaces

Among those freed were former ministers and political leaders arrested in June for “plotting against the legal authorities” and holding an illegal meeting in Bamako.

Their release, announced on Thursday, comes without travel restrictions or judicial supervision, said one of those freed, who spoke to French news agency AFP on condition of anonymity.

A judicial source confirmed the court’s decision – which is seen as significant given the junta’s increasingly hardline stance on dissent.

Malian junta suspends TV5 Monde, citing ‘lack of balance’ in reporting

‘Illegal’ gathering

The opposition figures were detained during a meeting at one of their homes in the Malian capital, in defiance of a ban on political gatherings.

This followed a declaration they had signed in March, which criticised the military for failing to meet its deadline to transfer power to civilian authorities.

The document denounced what it called the “legal and institutional vacuum” caused by the junta’s delay in holding elections and called for a presidential vote “as soon as possible”.

The military, which came to power through coups in 2020 and 2021, introduced the ban on political activity in April 2023. It lifted this restriction in July, a month after the arrests.

Malian junta sacks civilian PM and his government

Election uncertainty

Mali has been grappling with a prolonged political, economic and security crisis, compounded by jihadist violence ongoing since 2012.

In June 2022, the junta promised to cede power to a civilian government by March 2024, following presidential elections set for February. However, it later postponed the elections indefinitely without providing a new timeline.

Critics of the military’s grip on power say the continued delays undermine Mali’s democratic transition.

After two days of delays, the Vega-C rocket – crucial to Europe’s autonomy in reaching space – took off on Thursday without problems, carrying the Sentinel-1C satellite for the European Union’s Copernicus Earth observation programme.

The satellite, which provides data and services for observing the planet in order to understand climate change impacts, was put into orbit at an altitude of around 700 kilometres, 1 hour and 43 minutes after lift-off, to thunderous applause from the Jupiter control centre.

“With the insertion of Sentinel-1C into orbit, ESA continues a legacy of steadfast Sentinels protecting the Earth and exemplifies why Europe needs secured flights: because what we send to space provides benefits to Earth, and it all starts with a launch,” Josef Aschbacher, director general of the European Space Agency, said in a statement.

The ESA added that the satellite will deliver “high-resolution radar imagery to monitor Earth’s changing environment”, and offers “new capabilities for detecting and monitoring maritime traffic”.

It is the first launch for the lightweight rocket since December 2022, when it failed to reach orbit in its maiden commercial flight and lost two satellites, delivering a fresh blow to a continent already struggling to blast its missions into space.

The rocket was grounded for two years while the nozzle of the Zefiro 40 rocket motor – which caused the failure – was redesigned.

• Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket set for inaugural launch from French Guiana

Flight delays

Vega-C’s return flight was initially scheduled for Tuesday from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

That launch was postponed by one day to allow for “additional checks on electrical connections in the upper stage” of the rocket, said the ESA’s space transportation director, Toni Tolker-Nielsen.

But hours before the launch, it was delayed another 24 hours.

This time it was “due to a mechanical problem preventing the removal of the Vega-C mobile gantry,” French space agency CNES said. A gantry is a movable frame that supports the rocket on the launch pad.

In its latest try, the Vega-C took off as scheduled at 6:20 pm local time.

Earlier on Thursday, the ESA’s Proba-3 mission to probe the Sun’s outer atmosphere successfully launched on an Indian rocket.

• Ariane 6 rocket debuts successfully restoring Europe’s space independence

Europe’s troubled space programme

Europe has struggled to find a way to independently launch missions since Russia withdrew its rockets in 2022 over the war in Ukraine.

Four years of delays to Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket compounded the issue, forcing the continent to turn to rivals such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

However, the heavy-lift Ariane 6 had a successful first flight in July, offering some relief to European space efforts.

The lighter Vega-C was designed to send small satellites into low-Earth orbit.

Its predecessor Vega had its last launch in September, placing more importance on Vega-C returning to active duty.

Four launches using Vega-C rockets are planned for next year, followed by five more in 2026.

The commission, chaired by Chad’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Abderaman Koulamallah, will be tasked with “officially notifying the French authorities of the denunciation of the military cooperation agreement … through diplomatic channels,” according to a decree signed by the country’s Prime Minister Allamaye Halina. 

The commission’s initial responsibility will be to officially notify the French authorities of the termination of the military agreement, including the convention that governs the presence of French troops on Chadian soil.

Following this, the body will draw up a plan for the cessation of obligations under the agreement; address the legal, security and logistical aspects of the termination, and coordinate with France for an orderly withdrawal of troops stationed at three bases, along with their equipment.

Although no final date for withdrawal has been set, the agreement states that the deadline for termination is six months from notification. 

Among the commission’s 21 members are several ministers, including those responsible for the armed forces and territorial administration, as well as other key officials from the presidency and the prime minister’s office. It also includes the head of Chad’s intelligence services.

• France caught off guard as Chad cuts military ties with Paris

Shock announcement

Chad announced its decision to terminate the security and defence agreements that have linked it with France since the end of the colonial era on 28 November – mere hours after a visit by France’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot.

The declaration caught Paris off guard, but Chad’s President Mahamat Idriss Déby was quick to emphasise that the decision “in no way constitutes a rejection of international cooperation or a calling into question of our diplomatic relations with France,” adding that it was not a question of “replacing one power with another”.

Chad – the last country in the Sahel to host French forces – is currently home to around 1,000 French troops at bases in Ndjamena, Abéché, and Faya-Largeau.

• France to reduce military presence in West and Central Africa

Collapse of French influence

Still in political transition since the coup that brought General Déby to power in 2020, and a disputed presidential election last April, Chad is also currently under attack from the jihadist group Boko Haram in the north-west. The country has also received an influx of refugees from neighbouring Sudan, and is mopping up the damage caused by an unprecedented rainy season that has displaced more than 2 million people.

The end of military cooperation with France comes after the forced withdrawal of French troops from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. 

Meanwhile, Senegal’s new president Bassirou Diomaye Fayé has shared his desire to close French bases in his country.

On Wednesday, Koulamallah was in Bangui to inform the Central African Republic authorities of the postponement of Déby’s planned visit, which had been scheduled for today and tomorrow. The reason for this postponement were not specified, but several sources indicated to RFI it was related to the implications of Déby’s decision to end military cooperation with France. 

Tbilisi has been rocked by turmoil since the governing Georgian Dream party, which critics accuse of creeping authoritarianism and of leading the country back into Russia‘s orbit, claimed victory in a disputed election in October.

The government said last Thursday that it would suspend EU membership talks until 2028, sparking uproar and a fresh wave of demonstrations that have been met with a heavy-handed response from authorities.

Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has refused to back down in the face of international condemnation, instead escalating a feud with pro-EU opposition groups that are demanding a rerun of the elections.

“We will do everything necessary to completely eradicate liberal fascism in Georgia,” he told reporters Thursday.

“This process has already begun. These recent developments mark the start of the end of liberal fascism in Georgia,” he said, using language reminiscent of that used by the Kremlin in Russia to target its political opponents.

He also called on “parents to protect their children from the influence of liberal fascist hubs” – a reference to the young protestors that have taken to the streets of Tbilisi in nightly rallies.

The comments come a day after masked police officers raided several opposition party headquarters and arrested opposition leaders.

Georgia arrests 107 more people as pro-EU demonstrations continue

‘Unjustified violence’

Around 300 people have been detained and dozens injured, including protestors and police, in clashes outside the parliament building in central Tbilisi over the last week.

Several demonstrators, including journalists, have needed hospital treatment after being detained and, they allege, beaten by the security forces.

Rights ombudsman Levan Ioseliani has accused the police of using “torture” against those detained at rallies.

On Wednesday, Georgian police arrested seven people for “organising and leading group violence” and seized crates of fireworks, which have been launched by protestors at riot police.

Opposition leader Nika Gvaramia of the Akhali party was beaten and detained during a police raid, with television footage showing him, apparently unconscious, being carried away by masked security forces.

The United States is among those that have denounced Georgia’s forceful crackdown, threatening additional sanctions against the country’s leaders.

“The United States strongly condemns the Georgian Dream party’s brutal and unjustified violence against Georgian citizens, protesters, members of the media, and opposition figures,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Kobakhidze on Thursday rejected Blinken’s statements and said Tbilisi was hoping for better relations with Washington after Donald Trump comes to power in January.

France joins calls for inquiry into alleged irregularities in Georgia election

Russian turn

Critics of the government are enraged by what they call its betrayal of Georgia’s bid for EU membership, which is enshrined in its constitution and supported by around 80 percent of the population.

Several ambassadors and a deputy foreign minister resigned over the decision to suspend EU accession talks for four years.

Galvanising the protest movement, a senior interior ministry official tasked with responding to the protests also quit on Wednesday, posting his resignation letter on social media accompanied by Georgian and European flag emojis.

The protests have drawn comparisons with the 2014 pro-EU revolution in Ukraine that ousted a Moscow-backed president, and come amid criticism of the Georgian Dream party for allegedly moving closer to the Kremlin.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday sanctioned Kobakhidze and billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, widely seen as the country’s de facto leader, for “handing Georgia over to Putin”, he said in video message.

Since 2022, Georgia has advanced legislation targeting civil society and independent media outlets as well as curbing LGBTQ+ rights, measures critics say are based on repressive Russian laws.

Infected people suffer from flu-like symptoms including a high fever and severe headaches, authorities said, with women and children the most severely affected. 

The outbreak, which began in November, has primarily affected the Panzi health zone, a rural area near Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) border with Angola.  

Local authorities say a cough and anaemia have also been reported among patients. “This is extremely worrying as the number of cases is increasing,” said Cephorien Manzanza, a local civil society leader. 

Lack of medical resources 

Rémy Saki, the deputy governor of Kwango province, and the country’s Provincial Health Minister Apollinaire Yumba said many of the deaths had occurred in patients’ homes due to limited access to medical treatment. 

“Panzi is a rural health zone, so there is a problem with the supply of medicines,” Manzanza added. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed it had been alerted to the situation last week and is working with the DRC’s public health ministry to investigate. 

Bringing the overlooked impact of DR Congo’s displacement crisis into focus

A medical team has been sent to Panzi to collect samples and analyse the disease, with epidemiological experts expected to assist in identifying its cause. Health authorities are yet to release test results from the outbreak to rule out other common diseases. 

Health Minister Yumba has advised people not to touch the bodies of those who died from the disease to avoid contamination. Meanwhile, Saki has urged international partners to send medical supplies to the region, where infrastructure challenges are exacerbating the crisis. 

The outbreak comes as the DRC continues to battle an mpox epidemic, with more than 47,000 suspected cases and more than 1,000 deaths reported, according to the WHO. 

Gavi secures 500,000 doses of mpox vaccine for Africa amid outbreak

The lightning offensive of Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, which has seen the rebels capture several major Syrian cities in less than two weeks, gives Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan leverage over his Syrian counterpart President Bashar al-Assad.

“Turkey can easily stop both [rebel] entities and start a process. Turkey does have this strength, and Assad is well aware of it,” said Murat Aslan of the SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, a Turkish pro-government think tank. 

Until now, Assad has rejected Erdogan’s overtures for dialogue to end the civil war peacefully. “The Turkish intention politically is not to escalate in Syria [but to] start a political, diplomatic engagement with the Assad regime, and come to the terms of a normal state, and that all Syrians safely return to their homes,” Aslan noted.

Syrian rebels surround Hama ‘from three sides’, monitor says

Syrian refugees an issue

Erdogan is seeking to return many of the estimated 4 million Syrian refugees living in Turkey, amid growing public unease over their presence in the country.

“According to the opinion polls here, yes, the Syrian refugees [are] an issue. For any government, it would be a wonderful win to see these Syrians going back to Syria of their own will,” explained Aydin Selcen, a former senior Turkish diplomat who served in the region and is now a foreign policy analyst for Turkey’s Medyascope news outlet.

However, Moscow has a lot to lose in Syria, as a key military backer of Assad, who in turn has granted Russia use of a key Syrian naval base. “For Moscow, it’s of crucial importance that the personality of Assad remains in power,” said Zaur Gasimov, a professor of history and a Russia specialist at the University of Bonn.

Syria rebel leader says goal is to overthrow Assad

Gasimov warns that Turkey could be facing another humanitarian crisis. “Russia would definitely use the military force of its aerospace forces, that can cause a huge number of casualties among civilians. Which means a new wave of migrants towards Turkish eastern Anatolia.”

With more than a million Syrian refugees camped just across the Turkish border in the rebel-controlled Syrian Idlib province, analysts warn a new exodus into Turkey is a red line for Ankara.

“If they refresh their attacks on the captured areas by indiscriminate targeting… well [we can] expect further escalations in the region,” warned Aslan of the pro-government SETA think tank. “And for sure there is a line that Turkey will not remain as it is, and if there is a development directly threatening the interests or security of Turkey, then Turkey will intervene.”

Pushing back the YPG

With the Syrian rebel offensive also making territorial gains against the US-backed Kurdish militant group, the YPG, Ankara is poised to secure another strategic goal in Syria. Ankara accuses the YPG of having ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is fighting the Turkish state.

France joins Germany, US and Britain in call for de-escalation in Syria

“Without putting up a fight, and without getting directly involved, they [Ankara] have achieved one of their goals – for YPG to pull back from the Turkish frontier towards the south,” explained Selcen. “I think Ankara now is closer to that goal.”

With Syrian rebel successes appearing to advance Ankara’s goals in Syria, some analysts are urging caution, given the rebels’ links to radical Islamist groups. “The crashing down of the Assad regime is not in the interest of Turkey, because there will be chaos,” warned international relations professor Huseyin Bagci, of Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.

“Who is going to rule? What type of [governing] structure are we going to have?” he asked. “They are radicals, and another Daesh-style territory would not be in the interest of Turkey – in Turkish prisons, there are thousands of Daesh people.”

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 winners’ 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.

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, 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! 

It’s time for you to get your New Year’s resolutions – or wishes – in the mail for our annual New Year’s Day show. We need your resolutions and/or wishes by 15 December.

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 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!

We have a new RFI Listeners Club member to welcome: Zahurul Islam Joy from Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Welcome, Zahural!

This week’s quiz: On 2 November, I asked you a question about Ghana – Melissa Chemam had just published her Spotlight on Africa podcast, where she shined the light on textile waste in Africa from fast fashion – and how Ghana has become a dumping ground for the world’s unwanted textiles, with devastating consequences for local ecosystems.

You were to send in the answer to these questions: How much second-hand clothing arrives in Ghana each week, and what happens to the unsellable clothes?

The answer is, to quote Melissa: “About 15 million items of second-hand clothing arrive in Ghana each week. Nearly half cannot be resold. The unsellable clothes end up in informal dumps or are burned in public washhouses, contaminating the air, soil and water.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question:  “Which of the 13 overseas French territories would you visit, if you had the chance?”, which was suggested by Hans Verner Lollike from Hedehusen, Denmark.

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

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

Also on the list of lucky winners this week is a long-lost RFI Listeners Club member: Arne Timm from Harjumaa, Estonia. Welcome back to the Kitchen, Arne – don’t be such a stranger!

There’s also Ekbal Hossain, who’s a member of the RFI International DX Radio Listeners Club in West Bengal, India, and our brand-new RFI Listeners Club member Zahurul Islam Joy from Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Rounding out the list of lucky winners this week is RFI English listener Kadija Akter, also from Rajshahi, Bangladesh.

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Set Me Free” by Dominique Guiout and Manu Vergeade; “Life is Just a Party” by Kiala Pepple, performed by Ghetto Blaster; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and “Motor Head Baby” by Johnny “Guitar” Watson and Mario Delagarde, played by Johnny “Guitar” Watson.

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 Paul Myer’s article “Small island nations lead fight for climate justice at UN’s top court”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 13 January to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 19 January podcast. When you enter be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

Click here to 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.   

A few days before General Charles de Gaulle was due to make his triumphant entry into Paris, the three French war correspondents lined up to cover the event were captured. A young French-British journalist was chosen, in extremis, to replace them. Her name was Marcelle Poirier but despite being de Gaulle’s official reporter and AFP’s first female war correspondent, she and her work somehow fell into oblivion. When AFP journalist and photo editor Laurent Kalfala stumbled on a photo of her in military uniform, he embarked on a long paper-trail to dig up her fascinating story. His documentary reveals a feminist with a flair for strong human stories, and who mysteriously waited 40 years to tell her own. (Listen @1’50”)

Warmer summers in France’s wine-growing regions have pushed up the sugar content in grapes, which is leading to more alcoholic wine. Wines that used to be 11 or 12% alcohol even a decade ago are now pushing 15% today, and customers are taking notice. Winemakers and visitors to a recent wine fair talk about the tension between the impacts of global warming on wine and a trend towards drinking less alcohol. (Listen @21’30”)

As Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral reopens to the public, five years after the 2019 fire that destroyed much of its wooden and metal roof and toppled the spire, Ollia Horton meets local residents and business owners who are looking forward to things going back to normal. (Listen @14’15”) 

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).

US President Joe Biden signalled this week that Turkey could have a role in mediating peace in the Middle East.

“The United States will make another push with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and others to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza,” Biden told reporters.

However, US officials have downplayed Turkey’s mediating role due to Ankara’s ties to Hamas.

“We don’t believe the leaders of a vicious terrorist organisation should be living comfortably anywhere, and that certainly includes in … a major city of one of our key allies and partners,” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said earlier.

Hamas tensions

Hamas leaders reportedly relocated to Turkey after the collapse of ceasefire efforts in November.

Erdogan, a staunch supporter of Hamas, has described the group as a “liberation movement”. Following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Erdogan declared a national day of mourning.

“There are rumours, and I don’t know how true they are, that many of those people have actually received Turkish citizenship as well,” Soli Ozel, a lecturer at the Institute for Human Studies in Vienna told RFI.

In a move seen as an attempt to placate Washington, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that there are no plans for Hamas to open a political bureau in Turkey.

Turkish presidential adviser Mesut Casin defended the policy: “Ankara will continue its position hosting Hamas number one. Number two, they will continue dialogue with Hamas in order to establish peace”.

Turkish President Erdogan ready to rekindle friendship with Trump

Complex ties

Despite tensions between Turkey and Israel, they maintain back-channel communication.

In November, the head of Israel’s intelligence agency Shin Bet met his Turkish counterpart in Ankara. The meeting reportedly centred on the plight of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

“We have 101 hostages that are still, we don’t know their fate,” says Gallia Lindenstrauss, an Israeli foreign policy specialist at the Institute for National Security Studies.

“There are attempts to at least receive information about who’s alive, who’s dead, who’s holding them – Hamas or Islamic Jihad.”

Lindenstrauss cautioned that Israel remains sceptical of Turkey’s ability to act as a neutral mediator.

“It would be very hard for Israel in general and specifically Prime Minister Netanyahu to trust Turkey to be a mediator that will be respectful to both sides,” she said.

While Erdogan’s public rhetoric often inflames tensions, analysts say Turkish-Israeli relations are shaped more by pragmatism than politics.

“Turkey and Israel have one way of dealing with one another in public and another way of dealing with one another diplomatically and in security cooperation,” Ozel explains.

In a possible effort to build trust, Turkish authorities recently extradited three Uzbek suspects linked to the murder of an Israeli rabbi in the United Arab Emirates.

Egypt and Turkey’s closer ties spark hope for peace among Libya’s rival factions

Challenges remain

As Israel intensifies its military campaign against Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a Gaza ceasefire for now.

“The reason for having a ceasefire is to separate the fronts and isolate Hamas,” Netanyahu said Tuesday.

“From day two of the war, Hamas was counting on Hezbollah to fight by its side. With Hezbollah out of the picture, Hamas is left on its own. We will increase our pressure on Hamas.”

Despite Ankara’s overtures, Israel has warned that Hamas leaders are not safe from targeting, even in Turkey.

“They will find these Hamas leaders and target them wherever they find them,” Lindenstrauss maintains.

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday. This week, you’ll hear musical requests from your fellow listeners Jayanta Chakrabarty from New Delhi, India, Alan Holder from Isle of Wight, England, and Karuna Kanta Pal from West Bengal, India.

Be sure you send in your music requests! Write to me at thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Nunca es Suficiente” written by Natalia Lafourcade, Daniela Azpiazu, and Anthony Lopez, sung by Natalia Lafourcade; “Lake Como” by Giselle Galos, performed by Sweet People, and “Dance Little Lady, Dance” by Gerry Shury and Ron Roker, sung by Tina Charles.

The quiz will be back next Saturday, 7 December. Be sure and tune in! 

“Negative narratives about Africa have real consequences for people’s lives and futures,” said Abimbola Ogundairo, campaign lead for the NGO Africa No Filter, which produced the report and works to promote balanced storytelling about the continent.

The organisation’s latest research found these biases cost African economies $4.2 billion annually in lost investment opportunities.

It found that persistent portrayals of poverty, conflict and corruption have far-reaching consequences, from deterring investment to increasing borrowing costs for African nations.

Stories of success, innovation, and resilience were overlooked.

Investors deterred

Using case studies and data analysis, the report examined how media narratives influence investment, particularly during election periods. It compared African countries to their global peers and quantified the costs of misrepresentation.

The report also quantified how biased media coverage correlates with sovereign bond yields – a critical financial indicator.

It found that even nations with strong democratic institutions are often framed through lenses of instability and corruption – reinforcing negative stereotypes and overshadowing progress.

The Spotlight on Africa podcast explores this issue, featuring interviews with both Ogundairo, who is from Nigeria, and the acclaimed filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako, from Mauritania.

Both emphasise the need for African voices to take control of the continent’s narrative.

Episode mixed by Vincent Pora.

Spotlight on Africa is a podcast from Radio France Internationale.

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

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

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

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

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

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

In partnership with Madhya Pradesh’s tourism board.

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

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

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

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

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

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