The Paris criminal court on Thursday sentenced Esfandiari over anti-Israel posts on social media, including condoning Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza.

Prosecutors had called for a four-year prison sentence, with three years suspended. The judge agreed, but allowed Esfandiari to be released on time served, as she had spent eight months in pre-trial detention.

The 39-year-old, who had been studying in Lyon, was also permanently banned from the French territory.

Prisoner exchange

Esfandiari’s case has been linked to the detention of Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, French tourists who were arrested in Iran in May 2022 and charged with espionage.

After Esfandiari was granted parole at the end of October, Kohler and Paris, who had spent more than three years in prison, were allowed to move to the French embassy in Tehran.

They have since been living at the embassy, awaiting a possible prisoner exchange.

‘Immense relief’ for families after French couple freed from Iran prison

In November, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that a potential exchange “had been negotiated” and that it depended on “the entire legal and judicial procedure being completed in both countries”.

The French government has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of an exchange deal. France has described Kohler and Paris as “state hostages” taken by Tehran in a bid to extract concessions.

France’s Iranian diaspora divided over deadly protests back home

Any exchange could be complicated by the crackdown in Iran following anti-government protests earlier in the year, and by threats of military action by the United States over Iran’s nuclear programme.

Esfandiari’ has decided to appeal her conviction, which could also delay any exchange.

(with AFP)

Epstein had a close relationship with Karim Wade, who he considered a powerful figure in Africa, and contacts with Nina Keita, who helped connect him to her uncle, according to emails, scheduled meetings, investment projects and loans interviewed by the French news agency AFP.

The mention of a person’s name in the Epstein files does not imply wrongdoing, and exchanges with Karim Wade show no link to sex trafficking crimes, but they do reveal a close personal connection and that the two men had business ties.

Epstein files: ‘Releasing documents in their raw state can be counterproductive’

‘Important player’

Nicknamed the “Minister of Heaven and Earth” for the multiple portfolios he held including international cooperation, energy, and air transport, Karim Wade was a powerful figure in Senegal until April 2012, when his father’s bid for a third term as president sparked deadly riots.

Epstein described Wade as “one of the most important players in Africa”.

The two met in 2010 and quickly developed a rapport. After their first meeting in Paris, Epstein wrote to Wade on 15 November, 2010: “Thanks for coming. I think there are many things to consider… I feel confident that we will have fun.”

“Have a safe trip back to your paradise Island,” Wade replied.

Epstein put Wade in touch with close contacts, such as Ehud Barak, then Israel’s defence minister.

He also put him in touch with Chinese businessman Desmond Shum to discuss “offshore banking”, and the two met in Beijing in May 2011, according to the documents – the same month that Wade planned a tour for Epstein through Senegal, Mali and Gabon.

The friendship continued even after Abdoulaye Wade left office. When Senegalese authorities started looking into the family’s assets, Epstein proposed that Karim Wade use his house in Florida, writing: “You and your family are welcome to use my house in Palm Beach. Staff is there, pool etc. You will not suffer.”

Numerous files suggest Epstein became financially involved on Karim Wade’s behalf after Wade was arrested in 2013, and sentenced to six years in prison for corruption in 2015.

Other files suggest that Epstein covered at least $50,000 in fees for the US lobbying firm Nelson Mullins, which Wade’s entourage hired to secure his release.

‘Pretty girls’

The documents show that Nina Keita was close to both Epstein and Karim Wade, and that she acted as a regular intermediary while Wade was in prison.

Keita also helped put Epstein in contact with her uncle, the president of Cote d’Ivoire, and his team.

When Epstein traveled to Abidjan and met Ouattara in 2012, Keita booked him what she called the  “ministerial suite” of the luxury Hotel Ivoire.

Ahead of the visit, Epstein had said he hoped to see “very pretty girls there, as well as interesting places”.

Keita, a former model, replied: “You will!”

Emails show at least one instance when she sent Epstein photos and the phone number of a young woman who he met at the Ritz hotel in Paris in August 2011.

After the meeting he asked for photos of the woman’s sister. “I prefer under 25,” he wrote to Keita.

Now the deputy general director of an Ivorian petroleum stocks company, Keita appears in a February 2019 will in which Epstein requested that debts owed to him by a number of people be cancelled upon his death.

Epstein was found hanged in his New York jail cell in August 2019, while he was awaiting trial on charges of abusing girls at his Palm Beach home and on his private island in the Caribbean.

(with AFP)

Park’s work “embodies the DNA of contemporary Korean cinema in every way”, the festival organisers wrote in a statement, which praised South Koreaa as “a great film-making country”.

Park’s presidency “symbolises the Festival’s early and deep attachment to Korean cinema”.

The director, who gained international stature with Oldboy, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2004, served on the jury in 2017.

“Visceral, subversive and baroque, Park Chan-wook’s films are bold in every way – in script, in style and in morality,” the festival wrote.

He is drawn to themes of vengeance and redemption, and he has been credited for inspiring “Korean noir” filmmakers, who make movies about bloody crimes, brutal revenge or the criminal underworld, presented with sumptuous cinematography.

These include Bong Joon-ho, whose 2019 film Parasite won the 2019 Palme d’Or and the Oscar for best picture.

Literary inspiration

Known as a lover of literature, several of Park’s 12 feature films are adaptations of books. He 2009 vampire film Thirst was an adaptation of Emile Zola’s Therese Raquin, and the lesbian romance The Handmaiden (2016) is based on the novel Fingersmith by the British author Sarah Waters.

Park has also worked extensively in television, notably the English-language mini-series The Little Drummer Girl, adapted from John Le Carré’s novel, and last year’s HBO series The Sympathizer about a North Vietnamese spy.

Park’s latest work, No Other Choice (2025), stars some of South Korea’s top actors, including Lee Byung-hun, known from the hit television series Squid Game, and Son Ye-jin.

An adaptation of Donald Westlake’s 1997 novel The Ax, the film follows an unemployed man who decides to kill his potential competitors to land a job, and touches on anxieties over artificial intelligence in the job market.

“In this age of mutual hatred and division, I believe that the simple act of gathering in a theater to watch a single film together, our breaths and heartbeats aligning, is itself a moving and universal expression of solidarity,” Park said off his appointment.

The jury will award the 2026 Palme d’Or at the end of the festival, which runs from 12- 23 May.

(with newswires)

The European Union will unlock €40 million to support French winemakers, the bloc’s agriculture chief Christophe Hansen said, striking a cautiously optimistic note ahead of the annual agricultural fair in Paris.

Acknowledging the mounting pressures faced by farmers across the 27 EU member states – from animal diseases and trade tensions, to persistently low prices – he urged a forward-looking approach.

“The sector is under pressure for many reasons,” he said, adding that while frustration among farmers is understandable, “anger is not the solution”.

The funding comes at a critical moment for France’s wine industry, which is facing structural challenges at home and abroad.

French winemakers toast new markets as exports fall and tariffs bite

Turning surplus into stability

A key part of the EU’s intervention will focus on reducing the glut of unsold wine that has weighed heavily on prices. Hansen said emergency funds would support the distillation of excess stock into ethanol for industrial use – a longstanding mechanism designed to bring supply back into balance.

“This will reduce market volume and stabilise prices,” he explained.

The move reflects a broader shift in the sector, as consumption patterns evolve. Younger consumers are increasingly drinking less alcohol, as prt of a trend towards healthier lifestyles.

European producers are contending with rising global competition and tariffs introduced during Donald Trump’s presidency, which continue to affect exports.

France’s refusal to join Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ sparks new wine tariff threat

The impact has been tangible: the value of France’s wine and spirits exports fell by 8 percent last year.

Brussels’ support will complement national efforts already under way. France has introduced a €130 million scheme to subsidise growers willing to uproot unprofitable vines, signalling a willingness to adapt production to changing demand.

The EU has also rolled out additional measures this week, including simplifying labelling rules. New terminology will see “alcohol-light” replaced by “reduced-alcohol”, while drinks containing less than 0.5 percent alcohol will be labelled “alcohol-free”.

“Consumer behaviour has changed,” Hansen noted. “The sector needs to adapt to this new demand.”

Dilemma for French winemakers as alcohol content rises while consumption falls

Trade hopes and tensions

Hansen also highlighted export opportunities, pointing to a new EU-India trade deal set to lower duties on European wines.

“We will enjoy better conditions than competitors like Australia and the United Kingdom in that market,” he said.

He defended the EU–Mercosur agreement, despite farmer protests over fears of cheaper imports, arguing safeguards are in place.

To ease pressure, Brussels has suspended tariffs on most fertiliser imports for a year, while exploring ways to support producers without raising costs.

“There is no silver bullet, no panacea for this problem,” Hansen said.

(with AFP)

Dati said on Wednesday evening that she had submitted her resignation to President Emmanuel Macron, less than three weeks before the first round of voting in the mayoral race on 15 March.

“Paris is the commitment of a lifetime for me. I have the energy, determination and resolve needed to transform the city and meet the challenges ahead,” she said in a statement.

In an interview with BFMTV, she said the coming weeks, “will be decisive for Paris and for my candidacy. The battle of my life is Paris”, insisting that she is “going to change Paris and the lives of Parisians”.

The conservative politician, who is facing corruption charges and due to stand trial in the autumn, is backed by the conservative Les Républicains and centrist MoDem parties.

Among her main proposals are plans to double the number of municipal police officers to 5,000 and arm them, halt construction of new social housing in order to invest in renovating existing council housing, and reintroduce a four-day school week.

France to trial equipping transport police with electric stun guns

On the campaign trail, Dati has largely avoided speaking to mainstream media and has declined to debate the other candidates, instead running an active campaign featuring videos from the field with city workers.

Macron’s office said he had accepted her resignation as culture minister and thanked her for “the valuable work she has carried out in the service of the French people over the past two years”, adding that he offered her his “full support in the fight she is waging”.

Dati, one of the few ministers to have survived a series of cabinet reshuffles since January 2024, said that despite budget cuts she had managed to limit the damage to the cultural sector.

Her tenure as minister was marked by turbulence at Paris’ Louvre Museum, including the fallout from a dramatic jewellery heist in October and a series of strikes by staff over the museum’s management.

Louvre set for fresh start as leadership change follows string of scandals

An Ifop poll published on Monday showed that Dati could win 30 percent of the vote in the first round of the election, placing her just behind the left-wing candidate Emmanuel Grégoire and making her the likely winner in the second round run-off.

(with newswires)

Environmental issues remain “under‑reported” in the French print media, although they attract slightly more attention than on television and radio, according to a new study by the Media Observatory on Ecology (Omé), cited by France Inter on Thursday.

In 2025, environmental topics accounted for around six percent of press coverage overall. The figure rises to just over eight percent in the national press – across daily newspapers and magazines – but falls to 4.6 percent in regional dailies. Audiovisual outlets trail slightly, at roughly five percent.

Print media, however, appear to provide more steady coverage. Unlike television and radio, which tend to focus on immediate events such as heatwaves or floods, newspapers are less driven by the news cycle and more likely to follow stories over time.

Do celebrity climate warriors amplify the message or embody the problem?

Training and resources

Coverage varies significantly from one title to another. Among the strongest performers are Le Monde, Libération and La Croix. At Le Monde, for example, environmental issues feature in around nine percent of articles, compared with just 3 percent at the weekly Journal du Dimanche.

A marked divide also remains between national and regional outlets. Claire Morvan of the Omé observatory says some regional newsrooms are only beginning to strengthen their expertise.

“Several editorial teams have told us they are in the process of training their journalists, whereas the national press made its commitments a year or two ago,” she said.

“There are powerful lobbies and well-organised communicators in certain sectors. Covering these topics requires real expertise, which is why training remains such a key challenge,” particularly for regional titles.

Brazil climate summit hosts highest ever share of fossil fuel lobbyists

In-depth reporting still uneven

The study underlines the importance of more analytical reporting – articles that go beyond events to examine the causes, consequences and possible solutions to climate change.

Here, publications such as L’Humanité and Nouvel Obs stand out, while regional titles including La Dépêche du Midi, Le Télégramme and Corse-Matin fall behind. For Eva Morel of the Quota Climat association, this kind of journalism is essential.

“These articles connect what we observe with the underlying causes and offer concrete solutions,” she said. “That is exactly what has been shown to encourage action.”

Business dailies are among the most active in this area, with Les Echos and La Tribune at 14 and 21 percent respectively, leading the field, reflecting a more cross-cutting approach that integrates environmental questions across different sections.

Billionaire Bloomberg to fund UN climate body as US withdraws again

At the other end of the scale, the weekly news opinion magazine Marianne and Journal du Dimanche devote the least space to environmental topics with both under five percent in their coverage. In the regional press, coverage remains lower overall, although Nice-Matin, Var-Matin and Le Populaire du Centre stand out as relative exceptions.

The report also highlights the continued use of pejorative language in some outlets, citing terms such as “green ayatollah”, “punitive ecology” and “green Khmer”. Journal du Dimanche is identified as the most frequent user, followed by Marianne and Le Point.

The findings are based on real-time monitoring of 55 print titles,  including national and regional newspapers, magazines and AFP, with more than 8,000 articles analysed each day, providing a detailed snapshot of how environmental issues are treated across the French press.

(with France Inter/France Info)

The deal, if signed, will be worth billions of euros and was announced alongside Chinese Premier Li Qiang. It would also bolster Airbus production in Hamburg and Toulouse, potentially securing thousands of European jobs.

“We have just received news that the Chinese leadership will order a larger number of additional aircraft from Airbus,” Merz stated, highlighting Germany’s drive to strengthen economic links amid global trade strains.

The two-day trip – Merz’s first to China as chancellor – aims to mend Berlin-Beijing relations strained by tariffs, technology curbs and the war in Ukraine. 

Accompanied by CEOs from Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Siemens, Merz seeks fairer market access and supply chain resilience. Meetings with Li Qiang and President Xi Jinping covered electric vehicles, rare earths and green energy, with Germany pushing joint projects while urging reciprocity.

Differing styles

Merz’s pragmatic, export-driven approach contrasts with French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent China visits. Macron’s 2023 Beijing trip, alongside EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, blended deal-making with criticism of China’s neutrality over Ukraine and trade distortions.

His 2025 solo visit secured Airbus orders, but advanced little on EU-wide de-risking. France prioritises “strategic autonomy” for its nuclear and luxury sectors, often pursuing national gains over collective EU leverage – a point of friction with Berlin.

Macron begins China visit as Europe faces trade and security tensions

Germany, reliant on China for 10 percent of its exports, bets on transactional engagement to foster World Trade Organization compliance and openness.

While France opts for high-profile diplomacy that can fragment unity, both strive to revive ties hampered by bans on Huawei products, Xinjiang sanctions and EV probes, but Germany’s methodical style may deliver more durable results.

Protests outside the German embassy decried Uyghur issues, while Greens at home questioned Merz’s priorities. A joint statement committed to “resilient supply chains”.

(with newswires)

The bill would ban under-15s from using social media and restrict mobile phone use in schools, in light of research showing the negative impact of social media on young people.

It is being championed by President Emmanuel Macron, and the National Assembly adopted it by a comfortable margin of 130 votes to 21.

France’s public health watchdog Anses has reported on social media’s harmful effects on the mental health of teenagers, which include lower self-esteem and sleep disruption, often linked to cyberbullying or exposure to violent or inappropriate content.

“I compare myself to the girls I see on TikTok. They’re really pretty, so I feel bad about myself, and I think that happens to a lot of other girls my age,” says Theodora, a 16-year-old in Paris. “I’m not as confident as I used to be.”

Several families of children who took their own lives have taken legal action against the Chinese video-sharing platform TikTok in France, alleging that its algorithm pushed suicide-related content that contributed to their children’s deaths.

For lawmakers, banning children from these platforms appears to be the most straightforward way to protect them.

French MPs vote to curb children’s screen time with under-15 social media ban

More on children and social media in the Spotlight on France podcast: 

Age verification

Australia introduced a ban on social media for under-16s in December, and France’s proposal similarly puts the onus on platforms such as TikTok or Instagram to verify that users are the right age.

Since 2023, France has required parental consent for children to access social media, but enforcing a full ban introduces technical challenges and concerns about privacy.

“Sending an identity document is terrible in terms of privacy,“ warns Olivier Blazy, a professor in cybersecurity at the École Polytechnique university outside Paris.

Platforms already use facial age estimation tools – TikTok checks if someone is over 18 to access its live-streaming feature – but the technology is not able to make precise judgements.

“If you are 30, they won’t think you are minor, and if you are eight, you won’t seem like an adult,” Blazy explains. “But if you are close to the threshold, or if you are not a white male, then you do not fit the model the system was trained on and the estimation is not reliable.”

Is AI sexist? How artificial images are perpetuating gender bias in reality

Even if the software improves, he says it will never be accurate enough to enforce a specific age cut-off.

“There’s no physical difference between someone who is 14 years and 300 days old, and 15 years and one day old,” he says, adding that no system is foolproof.

“Whatever solution you pick is going to be circumvented, so you should pick a solution that does not intrude on privacy.”

He worries that lawmakers are not taking this into account. “I’m concerned that the goal is to keep kids from accessing these platforms, and that privacy will be sacrificed for this.”

False sense of security

Anses reports that half of French teenagers spend between two and five hours a day on a smartphone

A study by Generation Numerique found that 62 percent of boys in France and 68 percent of girls aged 11 to 18 use social media, including 58 percent of 11 and 12-year-olds.

Blazy also questions whether a ban alone addresses the problem, if platforms themselves are not held accountable for the harmful content seen by children.

“There’s a failure – by adults, the community, the government, and the platforms themselves – to moderate bad content on social media,” Blazy says, adding that simply banning children could give a false sense of security.

Psychiatrist Serge Tisseron worries that a ban is France’s way of addressing a gap in European regulation.

The European Union, he says, has drafted legislation to regulate platforms, but hesitates to enforce it for fear of retaliation from the United States, where many of the platforms are based.

“So the temptation is to address the other side of the chain – the users – and ban social media before the age of 15,” he told RFI.

Why Europe’s road to digital autonomy is long and winding

Real-world alternatives

Tisseron warns there needs to be an alternative to social media, one which addresses the needs of young people who lack opportunities to meet each other in person.

“Where will they meet if they can’t meet on social media?” he asks. “We need to think about the need for meeting each other and the sociability of teenagers. They need to meet somewhere.”

He would like to see physical alternatives provided, such as school playgrounds and sports facilities that are open after school and at the weekend. So far, he notes, the sports and health ministries have remained silent on this issue.

He also stressed the importance of education when it comes to using social media safely, saying that delaying access until the age of 15 does not guarantee healthy use later.

“If we do not educate children about digital risks, then the day after they turn 15 and get access to these platforms, nothing will stop them from running into problems,” he says. “Just because you only discover social media at 15, doesn’t mean you will use it wisely.”

Listen to an interview with Olivier Blazy on the social media ban for children in the Spotlight on France podcast, episode 140.

British photographer Hugh Kinsella Cunningham has lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since 2019 and has spent years documenting the region, first covering conflict before turning his lens to landscapes and communities across the Congo Basin.

A series of his photographs, now on display in Paris, brings together images of the world’s second-largest rainforest and the people who depend on it – from melting glaciers on the Ugandan border to families drifting on timber rafts down the Congo River.

Cunningham tells RFI why the central African basin matters for the future of the planet, and why the Congo River remains a lifeline for millions.

RFI: Your exhibition “The Heart of the Congo Basin” retraces several years of your work as a photographer. How did the idea for the project come about?

Hugh Kinsella Cunningham: Looking through my archives, I realised I had actually visited far more parts of the DRC than I thought. It is such a vast area that I believed I had only seen a small part of it. But when I reviewed my magazine assignments over the years, along with projects and national parks I had visited, I saw I had enough material to show people the richness and beauty of different regions and ecosystems.

The Congo Basin will soon become one of the most important places for the planet’s health. It is the green lung of Africa. It still absorbs more carbon than it emits.

RFI: Much of your work until now has focused on conflict in the DRC. Is this exhibition also a way of showing the country from another angle, focusing on its beauty rather than war?

HKC: There are extremely surprising things to discover in the DRC. On the border with Uganda, you have glaciers that are melting, and on the other side of the country you can find the last zebras in the DRC in a national park. But it is also important to say that many people still live in conflict zones and that conflict is never far away. There are many places of extraordinary natural beauty right next to areas of violence.

The challenges of protecting wildlife from war in eastern DRC

RFI: The Congo River appears throughout your body of work. Can you explain why the waterway is so important and why the exhibition seems to follow its course?

HKC: The Congo River and its tributaries cross nine countries, most of which are economically underdeveloped, with poor infrastructure and incredibly difficult terrain. There are many swamps and forests, and the landscape is often impenetrable.

The river connects communities in these isolated areas to different parts of the country. It allows people to earn money in ways that would otherwise be impossible. For example, a family from a village upstream in Équateur province that I photographed on the river can, after one or two weeks of travel, reach the city centre of Kinshasa.

But the journey is very dangerous. The currents are extremely strong. There are often tragic accidents and people can get lost at night because the river is so dangerous. Still, it is the main form of transport. It connects people.

RFI: So the river plays an important economic role for remote communities?

HKC: Yes, it is one of the only viable ways for many communities to earn a proper living using the natural resources in their region. People cut trees, tie the logs together and drift downstream to sell them, hoping to make a profit of $300. For them, that represents a fortune.

RFI: Does this create problems of deforestation?

HKC: I followed many people cutting trees to make charcoal. That could give the impression that local populations are the main cause of large-scale deforestation in DRC, which lost 1 million hectares of forest per year in 2023 and 2024, assuming that trend continues.

In reality, large industrial logging concessions are responsible for much of the deforestation in the Congo Basin, and they are much harder for a photographer to access. I had to use drone images taken discreetly to understand the scale of deforestation in the region.

I also photographed a barge on the river with about three sections carrying hundreds of logs, some of them enormous.

RFI: The Congo Basin is now the most important carbon sink in the world, absorbing more carbon dioxide than the Amazon. Can you explain why this ecosystem matters for the climate?

HKC: In one photograph in the exhibition, you can see the village of Lokolama and the peatlands surrounding it. These peatlands store carbon. Scientists discovered relatively recently that they hold 30 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to three years of global emissions in that single region.

It is clearly a very important site to protect. What is interesting is that local communities now understand the value of what they have. The village chief is in contact with environmental NGOs that have visited, and he is trying to see how this can also benefit his community.

They have decided to set aside certain areas of land that they will not cut for charcoal production because they understand the importance of doing so, especially since climate change is particularly visible between the Congo and the Nile. In some places, the tipping point has already been reached.

The melting glaciers in the mountains that divide the Congo and Nile Basins are very symbolic to photograph because even with conservation efforts, it is too late. The Rwenzori glacier will disappear within the next decade.

RFI: Do you think the environmental risks facing the Amazon rainforest are the same for the Congo Basin?

HKC: What protects many parts of DRC is their remoteness and the difficulty of access. The region can still be protected. There was an outcry recently when the Congolese government planned to auction off areas, including protected zones, for oil and gas drilling rights.

That auction was cancelled in 2024, which showed how high the stakes are, and the fact it never happened is a very positive sign. Many of these places are also too complex logistically for large-scale exploitation. People still rely on the river to extract timber and other resources. It would be very complicated for anyone to start other kinds of operations.

RFI: Before this exhibition, most of your work focused on conflict in the country. Is this project also something like a declaration of love for the Congo Basin?

HKC: Maybe, yes. I have lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2019, and even when I was covering conflicts, I found myself in beautiful places surrounded by wonderful people. It feels like many different worlds brought together in one country.

The Congo River is completely different from the Kivu region, which is itself completely different from the mountains or the savannah. There is so much to explore. It would be fantastic if, in the future, the DRC, which I think is the most interesting country in Africa, became a bit more open to visitors so everyone could appreciate its beauty and diversity.

► “The Heart of the Congo Basin” runs until 28 February at the Angalia gallery, 10 rue des Coutures Saint-Gervais, Paris. Entry is free.

This article is an adaptation of an interview by Pierre Fesnien.

Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old French nationalist, died from blows to the head during a clash between ultra-right and ultra-left activists in Lyon on 12 February.

Deranque was involved with several nationalist and far-right groups, and was reportedly providing security for Nemesis, a femonationalist identitarian movement which was protesting against a conference hosted by MEP Rima Hassan of the far-left France Unbowed party at Sciences Po Lyon university.

Seven men have been charged over his death, most from the anti-fascist Jeune Garde movement, founded in Lyon in 2018.

A bourgeois city that sits at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers, and France’s third-largest by population, Lyon is famed for gastronomy and steeped in Roman history. It also has a reputation for far-right violence.

‘Ultra-left’ blamed for youth’s killing that shocked France

Catholic conservatism

“Lyon has historically been an epicentre of the radical right for about a century,” said Isabelle Sommier, a sociologist at the Sorbonne university and co-author of a book on political violence. “It’s the city with the highest concentration of radical right activists.”

As early as 1913, the monarchist, nationalist movement Action Française – now considered foundational to France’s far right – organised a student demonstration in Lyon, giving it a foothold in the city, as well as leading to clashes.

Action Française strengthened its presence in Lyon during the Second World War, and since the 2010s has undergone a revival. According to local media outlet Rue89Lyon, it reopened premises in 2015 and now has around 30 active militants who hold weekly training sessions in the city.

Lyon’s strong tradition of Catholic conservatism has favoured the development of religious identitarian groups. And, Sommier notes, its universities have provided fertile recruitment ground for such movements. 

The Federation of Nationalist Students (FEN) and the neo-fascist Ordre Nouveau (“New Order”) were active in Lyon from the late 1960s, contributing to the founding of the far-right National Front (now National Rally) in 1972.

Lyon III University (founded in 1973) in particular became a centre for far-right ideology and helped foster a generation of militants. From the 1970s to 1990s, there were a number of far-right academics – and one notable Holocaust denier – on its staff, including history professor and former National Front heavyweight Bruno Gollnisch.

A 2004 official report by the government-appointed Commission on Racism and Holocaust Denial noted that the university “tolerated extreme right-wing views and Holocaust denial”. And that while it was “not a fascist campus”, it contained “an extreme right-wing kernel”.

According to Marie Allenou, an investigative journalist with Rue89Lyon, the university “played a role in structuring far-right groups in Lyon in the 1980s and 1990s”.

French ultra-right-wing activists on trial for terror conspiracy

‘Cradle’ of the far right 

The ultranationalist student organisation, the Groupe Union Défense (GUD), dissolved in 2024, was founded in 1968 in Paris and took hold in Lyon in the 2000s. In 2017 it gave rise to Bastion Social – a national-revolutionary group inspired by Italy’s extreme-right youth movement CasaPound.

“In Lyon, we had pretty much all the far-right movements gathering here,” said Allenou, adding on Generation Identitaire, Lyon Populaire and the Parti de l’Oeuvre Française, along with its nationalist youth wing Fraction Jeunesse.

“We also had hooligans; the Blood and Honour group, which was a mixture of fighting and concerts; the anti-Communist rock movement and neo-Nazi metal concerts organised in the Lyon region.”

Several groups set up their headquarters in the historic Vieux Lyon (“Old Lyon”) district. The bar La Traboule and a boxing gym served as premises for Generation Identitaire until it was dissolved in 2019.

The same year, France’s territorial intelligence services described the Lyon region as the “cradle” of the radical far right.

Court allows controversial ultra-nationalist rally in Paris

Far-left riposte

In June 2013, the death of leftist activist Clement Méric during clashes between far-right and anti-fascist militants in Paris galvanised the radical left movement in Lyon.

Gale (Groupe Antifasciste Lyon et Environs), a militant antifascist group, was created, uniting several local anti-fa groups.

Then in 2018, the anti-fascist Jeune Garde was founded by activists linked to the New Anti-Capitalist Party. They included Raphael Arnault – now an MP with the hard-left France Unbowed – whose parliamentary assistant is among those who have been charged over Deranque’s death.

For historian Sylvain Boulouque, the Jeune Garde’s approach differs from the nationalist groups it seeks to combat. “They set themselves the objective of protecting demonstrations and left-wing organisations from the actions of the far right… [acting] like a security service.”

The anti-fascist groups set up shop in the hilltop district of the city known as Croix-Rousse, home to silk weavers in the 19th century and close to the Vieux Lyon area where the far right has based itself.

As a result. Boulouque says there is now “a kind of turf war with each camp trying to control the street”.

The geographical proximity of the right and left factions means that “confrontations are extremely frequent,” he says.

“The signifiant presence of the ultra-right and ultra-left in Lyon has resulted in the two movements nourishing one another through violence,” echoed a parliamentary report in 2023.

However, it’s not an even battle, with fewer than 100 ultra-left militants compared to nearly 400 on the ultra-right.

France to ban far-right Catholic group for ‘legitimising violence’

A report by Rue89Lyon, published in October 2025, listed 102 violent attacks carried out by far-right militants in Lyon between 2010 and 2025 “particularly on progressive activists and marginalised people (racial minorities or LGBTI)”.

The report also found that 70 percent of these violent incidents received no response, whether police intervention or prosecution.

Sommier says both the far right and far left have their own “specialities” when it comes to violence.

“For the radical left, the main mode of action is vandalism and confrontations with the police during demonstrations. For the radical right, it’s assaults.” 

Data she gathered from 1986 to 2016 found that seven out of 10 assaults across all groups were carried out by far-right activists. Of those, 70 percent targeted people of colour and three in 10 targeted political opponents.

While violence is mounting, it remains asymmetrical. “Ninety percent is due to the far right, about 10 per cent is on the far left,” says sociologist Erwan Lecoeur. “It’s the far right that kills.”

Ultra-right group disbanded after violent clashes in south of France

Sommier believes the situation in Lyon reflects that in the country as a whole. She notes a surge in assaults since the 2022 presidential campaign, amidst an extremely tense global political climate. “Far-right groups are becoming more and more virulent in a favourable international context.”

Lecoeur argues that political polarisation and the way the media amplifies radical positions is intensifying confrontation across France. “The extremes are taking their place at the centre of political debate,” he said. “Opponents are seen increasingly as adversaries to be defeated rather than persuaded.”

In January, Ethiopian police said they had seized thousands of rounds of ammunition sent by Eritrea to rebels in Ethiopia’s Amhara region.

Eritrea denied the allegation, and said Ethiopia was using it to justify starting a war..

The regime “is floating false flags to justify the war that it has been itching to unleash for two long years,” Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel told news agencies.

Eritrea’s President Isaias Afwerki said in an interview earlier in February with state-run media that Ethiopia had declared war on his country.

He added that Eritrea did not want war, but knows “how to defend [its] nation”.

Ethiopia demands Eritrea ‘immediately withdraw’ troops from its territory

Historical feud

Eritrea broke away from Ethiopia in 1993, after a series of insurgencies and wars starting from 1961. The two countries went to war against each other from 1998 to 2000, which was followed by a border conflict that lasted for nearly two decades.

They finally agreed to normalise relations in 2018 – an agreement that won Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed the Nobel Peace Prize the following year.

However, the fragile peace deal has since given way to renewed threats and acrimony. 

In Tigray, a region in Ethiopia on the border with Eritrea, a war that erupted in 1975 has been reactivated multiple times – most recently from November 2020 to the end of 2022.

The conflict was reignited in January, as the issues underlying the conflict resurfaced.

“I think one has to start with the Tigray war, with the consequences of the war and the rift that the post-war period and the Pretoria agreement has created between the federal government of Ethiopia and their Eritrean leadership,” an Addis Ababa-based security analyst, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told RFI.

Eritrea has been trying to get closer to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) recently, leading to a feud with Addis Ababa. 

“There is information circulating that Eritrean troops have gotten deeper into Tigray, even nearing the capital, Mekelle,” the security analyst said. “They station [themselves] at some of the checkpoints around that area.” 

An insurgency movement in the neighbouring Amhara region could be impacted as well by “the security vacuum that has unfolded following the partial withdrawal of security forces and the Ethiopian National Defense Forces from the region,” the analyst said. 

World leaders urge restraint as clashes in western Tigray resume

Red Sea access

The tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia have many other unresolved roots. Ethiopia’s anger at Eritrea’s independence stems in part from the fact that this resulted in it losing its access to the Red Sea, as Eritrea sits along the coastline.

“Ethiopia is a much larger country than Eritrea… and Ethiopia has every right to say, listen, we’re going on 120 million people, we need sea access,” Clionadh Raleigh, director of the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data organisation and a professor of African politics and conflict at the UK’s University of Sussex, told RFI.

Eritrea, she said, is less densely populated, and led by an old dictator. “The Isaias Afwerki regime is something that people cannot wait to see end. And Addis is still hoping to reintegrate it into a larger Ethiopia, potentially within the next generation.”

Eritrea regularly accuses the Ethiopian government of threats of military action to regain access to the Red Sea. Abiy has also tried to gain access via a deal with Somaliland, another breakaway region that is destabilising the equilibrium of power within of the Horn of Africa.

But Abiy insists that Ethiopia is not seeking conflict with Eritrea and wants to address the issue of access through dialogue.

The Ethiopian analyst said this is particularly strategically important to the current leadership, which aspires to play a greater regional role and address its geopolitical and strategic vulnerabilities – stemming from lack of access to the Sea. 

Ethiopia inaugurates Africa’s biggest dam, despite concerns in Egypt and Sudan

Wider regional instability

The war in Sudan is also contributing to worsening relations, as Eritrea supports the Sudanese army, along with Egypt and Saudi Arabia, against the paramilitary RSF, which many accuse Ethiopia of supporting.

According to Raleigh, there will be no stability in the Horn of Africa for some time to come.

“Ethiopia is desperate to change, and they do not expect this process to be victimless or peaceful. It has allied itself to both the United Arab Emirates and Israel, against a Saudi-Egyptian-Sudanese coalition, with Somalia somehow,” she said.

As Ethiopia and Eritrea appear to be moving towards conflict, the peace-building agency International Crisis Group has recommended de-escalation steps to avoid direct hostilities – whether these are accidental or, as many fear, the result of Ethiopian aggression.

“Either scenario would be a disaster for the Horn of Africa and its vicinity, potentially drawing in neighbours and non-African powers, particularly from the Arab Gulf,” the group wrote in its latest report.

Since fighting erupted in 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the UAE has faced growing scrutiny over its alleged ties to the RSF.

Sudan’s government and armed forces have accused the UAE of providing support to the RSF in the civil war, while European officials say they have raised concerns with Abu Dhabi over reported backing for the militia – allegations the Emirates deny.

This week, a UN fact-finding mission said atrocities committed by the RSF in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur and one of the last major cities in the region outside RSF control, bore the “hallmarks of genocide”.

Against that backdrop, attention has increasingly turned to the RSF’s sources of funding.

In a statement to RFI, the UAE foreign ministry said recent UN reports “make no reference to the UAE” and found no evidence implicating it in violations of international law in Sudan – dismissing such claims as “baseless”.

It condemned atrocities committed by the RSF as well as by Sudanese authorities in Port Sudan, the army’s de facto seat of government, and said Sudan’s future should be secured through an independent civilian-led transition, free of both warring parties and extremist groups.

Following the money

At the heart of the controversy lies gold – a resource that has become central to both Sudan’s war economy and Dubai’s status as a global trading hub.

For Abu Dhabi, engagement in Africa blends business interests with geopolitical ambition. For Sudan, it has become entangled in a wider regional contest for power, resources and influence.

Marc Lavergne, emeritus research director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, spoke to RFI about the economic and political links binding the Emirates to Sudan and the broader sub region.

RFI: How central is Sudan to the UAE’s broader strategy in Africa?

Marc Lavergne: At the outset, everything comes down to gold – and to Dubai [one of the seven emirates that constitute the UAE]. Dubai is the world’s largest gold market, and Sudan has immense reserves. It has become Africa’s leading gold producer, ahead of South Africa. Gold is found across the vast territory of Sudan – you could almost say that you just have to bend down to pick it up.

There are tens of thousands of artisanal miners, most of them not professionals, who come from all over Africa and the Sahel to scrape the soil. These miners are controlled by the RSF, who collect the gold and bypass the central bank and official channels. The gold is then flown directly to Dubai to be refined.

This ensures the prosperity of the RSF and, at the same time, that of Dubai. That is precisely why the regular Sudanese army sought to regain control of these resources. It ordered the RSF to fall into line – to wear uniforms, adopt ranks and submit to the authority of the generals who have ruled in Khartoum since independence in 1956, almost without interruption.

Those generals, backed by Egypt and other militarised regimes, also need resources – not so much to develop the country, but to serve the interests of the army, the military institutions and its officers.

Seizure of Sudan’s El Fasher a ‘political and moral defeat’ for RSF militia: expert

RFI: In this context, how does the UAE position itself in relation to its partners and other powers in the sub-region?

ML: The United Arab Emirates is a federation, with Abu Dhabi as its political centre. Business is largely concentrated in Dubai, while administration is more firmly anchored in Abu Dhabi. There is also a form of rivalry with Saudi Arabia.

The UAE is a small country, with around 10 million inhabitants, of whom only about 20 percent are Emirati citizens – the rest are migrant workers. Saudi Arabia, by contrast, has a population of around 40 million, most of them Saudis.

These two countries are pursuing competing visions for 2030, embodied by Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia and Mohammed bin Zayed in the Emirates. Both are seeking a form of regional leadership, alongside other Gulf actors that may be rivals or allies depending on the moment – Qatar, Kuwait and the other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

RFI: This competition seems to be playing out in Africa too. The Emirates appear to be expanding their influence across multiple fronts – security and defence, as we’ve discussed, but also ports, logistics and diplomacy. When did this strategy really take shape?

ML: We should remember that the Emirates were once known as the “pirate coast” during the British period. These societies have very old ties with Africa. For centuries, there were networks stretching from East Africa deep into the continent, involving the trade in ivory, slaves and other commodities – long before European colonisation.

Ethiopia has traditionally remained outside this sphere of influence, but neighbouring countries such as Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan have long been connected to the Gulf world. In that sense, the Emirates’ current engagement in Africa is less a novelty than a continuation, albeit in a modernised and far more assertive form.

Race to save Sudan’s plundered heritage as museums fall victim to war

RFI: The accusations against the Emirates are extremely serious – notably claims that they are providing armed support to the RSF, whose atrocities are now reported almost daily. There are also allegations of mercenaries being transported to Sudan, including some from South America. How do you explain the apparent impunity enjoyed by the UAE, particularly with regard to its major partners in Europe and the United States?

ML: The UAE does not submit to diktats from Washington or elsewhere. When it intervenes to support marginalised groups like the RSF in Sudan – or similar players in other parts of Africa – it is operating in failed states that are overflowing with exploitable resources.

International legality is not a decisive factor. No one is really in a position to oppose the Emirates, because they now play what many see as an irreplaceable role on the global stage. The United States is no longer acting as the guarantor of world order – quite the opposite. It is opening the door to a form of global disorder.

In that environment, small but powerful countries like the UAE do not hesitate to act outside international law, whether by supporting rebel movements or, in some cases, groups that others would label as terrorists.

This article is an adaptation of an interview in French by Sidy Yansané. It has been updated since publication to include a response from the United Arab Emirates foreign ministry.

Secours Catholique-Caritas France and its international partners gathered testimonies from 119 people around the world who have been directly affected by climate disasters and have received support from the charitable network in their wake.

“Beyond alerts and scientific findings we have been receiving for a long time, it seemed important to focus on the words of people, to show that the impacts of climate change are not only real, but are long-term,” said Daphné Chamard-Teirlinck, co-author of the report.

The stories were gathered between March and June 2025, from France – including its overseas territories Mayotte, Réunion Island and French Guiana – and Brazil, Tunisia, and Madagascar.

Scorched vines and shrinking incomes drive French winegrowers to the streets

Farmers on the brink

In southern France, Eric, 44, was forced to close his family farm after 20 years of work after exceptional rainfall destroyed his land and he didn’t have the €300,000 needed to rebuild.

Across the Mediterranean in rural Tunisia, Hnia, a widowed mother of four, struggles to maintain her small herd of dairy cows in the face of recurring drought.

Unable to grow enough fodder for her cows, she now has to buy feed. Extreme heat has also lowered milk production in her herd and increased veterinary care costs, forcing her to sell off some of her cows to pay off debts.

Tunisia women herb harvesters struggle with drought and heat

In northwestern Madagascar – where 75 percent of the population lives in poverty – coffee, vanilla, and cocoa farmer Soalehy laments a lack of solidarity from buyers following the havoc wreaked by torrential rains.

“There have been big changes because of the flooding. Harvests have become irregular and buyers no longer agree to negotiate prices,” he said. “They impose their rates and the farmers, lacking means, are forced to accept.”

Urban impact

In urban areas, Secours Catholique describes a “spiral of vulnerability” which sees those who are already living precarious lives – people in poverty, homeless people and those living in the most polluted parts of cities – unable to recover from climate disasters.

In December 2024, Cyclone Chido tore through the French Indian ocean department of Mayotte and destroyed thousands of corrugated iron shacks, in which a third of the population were living.

Ravaged forest threatens Mayotte’s biodiversity, economy and food security

Marie-France, a resident of Saint-Martin-Vésubie in south-eastern France which was devastated by floods after Storm Alex in 2020, said the elderly and infirm cannot easily get back on track following such disasters.

“Single women, single people and retirees are much more vulnerable than young people, who bounce back faster,” she said. “For some people, it takes a long time. You don’t recover as quickly at 70 as you do at 20.”

The report also warns that climate change is pushing previously stable households into poverty. One family in northern France was left homeless after two floods in late 2023 and early 2024 made their house uninhabitable.

After living in various temporary shelters – including a gymnasium and a hotel room – they returned to a damp, unheated house and became trapped in a cycle of debt trying to rectify this.

Psychological effects

Some of the testimonies collected point to the psychological impact of climate change.

Bernard, a community leader on France’s Réunion Island, describes a chain reaction to extreme heat.

“When it’s hot, you sleep badly. That means the next day you’re tired, and you have to go to work tired. That’s going to be difficult, and you’ll be less productive,” he said, adding that someone who is sleep deprived could become irritable at work and as a result could lose their job, which then causes tensions at home.

“This might also create domestic violence. All because of the climate.”

France’s summer of heatwaves exposes hidden mental health cost

The climate crisis “establishes a vicious cycle that exhausts bodies and minds” said Secours Catholique, which also reports seeing more requests for help from people who previously would not have approached charities like theirs. 

Recommendations

While many countries have adaptation plans to tackle the effects of climate change, they “struggle to meet the scale of the challenges,” Secours Catholique says.

While it says this is due in part to a lack of resources, it also believes there is “a lack of will and political commitment to fully integrate climate and social issues into regional planning and management”.

In its report, the NGO puts forward a dozen recommendations, including a call to cap profit margins for food. This would involve the obligation to sell around 100 targeted products at cost price.

It highlights that agroecology – a sustainable approach to farming that applies ecological principles to agricultural systems – is “an essential practice to guarantee the right to food”.

It also advocates for cross-referencing social needs against a map of areas vulnerable to climate disasters. “When a storm or flood arrives, it’s about knowing which people will not be able to leave their homes alone,” explains Chamard-Teirlinck. “It’s basic, but necessary.”

Similarly, the report recommends providing more localised information to inform residents of their rights following a climate disaster, including on compensation claims, access to emergency aid and the right to repairs.

This article was adapted from the original version in French by Géraud Bosman-Delzons.

The demand came after a cabinet meeting in the aftermath of a march in Lyon on 21 February to commemorate the death of far-right activist Quentin Deranque.

The 23-year-old was killed on the sidelines of a meeting at Sciences Po Lyon hosted by the France Unbowed (LFI) MEP Rima Hassan on 12 February.

Deranque was treated by firefighters for a serious head injury and taken to hospital in a critical condition. He died on 14 February. 

Seven people are under formal investigation for their alleged role in his death, including a former aide to a LFI lawmaker Raphaël Arnault.

“The president wants groups that have ties to violent groups – whether on the ultra left or the ultra right – to clarify their position,” said government spokesperson Maud Bregeon.

Macron urges ‘calm’ ahead of tense rally for slain far-right activist

“The president stressed that nothing, nothing in the Republic, justifies violence, and that we must condemn in the strongest possible terms these violent movements linked to the extreme left, just as we must condemn all violence, wherever it comes from,” Bregeon added.

Deranque providing security for activists from the Némésis identity collective, who were demonstrating against Hassan’s visit.

Némésis blamed the killing on La Jeune Garde Antifasciste (Anti-Fascist Young Guard), a group co-founded by Arnault in Lyon in 2018 and dissolved by authorities in June.

“We will continue, without ambiguity, to carry out the necessary dissolutions of violent groups,” Bregeon added.

French far-right leader Le Pen in high-stakes trial ahead of presidential race

Around 3,200 people gathered for the march through the streets of Lyon. Many carried flowers and placards bearing pictures of Deranque and the words “Justice for Quentin” and “the extreme left kills”.

Some wore surgical masks and sunglasses to cover their faces and chanted “We are at home” and “Antifa assassin”.

The rally was heavily policed amid fears that clashes would break out between demonstrators and counter-protesters.

Videos circulating on social media showed Nazi salutes and racist insults. The local authority said it had reported them to the prosecutor.

Lyon mayor, Gregory Doucet, said he had tried to stop the procession fearing that French and European neo-Nazi groups would travel to the city for the event.

However, France’s Interior Minister, Laurent Nunez, authorised the march, saying it should proceed in the interests of freedom of speech. 

Backed by a comfortable majority of 215 votes to 41 on Tuesday, the text – championed by the government as a pathway to renewed stability in the Pacific territory – now faces a far more uncertain reception among MPs.

Opening the debate, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu framed the reform as a necessary step forward.

“The status quo is not a viable option,” he told senators, warning that inaction would amount to abandoning “republican ideals, social progress and the renewed construction of peace” in the archipelago.

The government has presented the proposal as a carefully negotiated compromise, built on agreements reached with a majority of New Caledonia’s political forces – notably the Bougival Agreement of July 2025 and the Élysée–Oudinot Agreement signed in January 2026 under President Emmanuel Macron.

The bill lays out a two-step roadmap. First, it provides for a local referendum to be held before 26 July, 2026, asking New Caledonian voters to approve or reject the Bougival agreement.

Second, it proposes embedding in the French Constitution the creation of a “State of New Caledonia” – a unique entity within the Republic, with its own nationality and the capacity for international recognition.

Senators also backed an amendment setting 20 December, 2026 as the latest possible date for long-delayed provincial elections – a crucial vote that will determine the composition of the territory’s local government after repeated postponements since 2024.

New Caledonia independence bloc rejects deal giving powers but no referendum

No easy alternative

For the government, the reform represents the best route forward, with ministers warning that the alternative to a political process is continued uncertainty.

That argument has found backing among the Senate’s right-leaning majority, which broadly supports the agreements as the most realistic compromise on the table.

Yet the situation on the ground remains fragile. The pro-independence FLNKS movement has rejected the deal, arguing it falls short of full sovereignty – a position that raises questions about the reform’s legitimacy in the territory.

Several lawmakers have warned that pushing ahead without broader consensus risks reigniting tensions in Nouméa, particularly given the memory of the deadly unrest in May 2024.

Doubts also extend beyond the independence camp, with some non-independence figures questioning whether the reform can deliver lasting stability.

The Socialist Party, meanwhile, abstained in the Senate, signalling a cautious stance and calling for more time to rebuild dialogue.

Independence party walks away from French deal on New Caledonia

Potential pitfalls

While the Senate vote gives the government some momentum, the road ahead looks far less certain.

The bill faces a difficult passage in the National Assembly from 31 March, with opposition expected from both the left and the far right, and the risk of procedural battles complicating debates.

Much will depend on Socialist MPs, who hold a pivotal position but remain wary. They have already signalled that, without changes to the timetable or approach, they are likely to vote against the reform.

Critics argue the government has prioritised speed over consensus, raising concerns over both its method and its ability to secure a durable settlement.

(with newswires)

Randrianirina has stepped on to the diplomatic stage with a brisk series of high-level visits – arriving in France just days after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

The trip to Paris signals a delicate balancing act as the Indian Ocean nation seeks to broaden its international partnerships, while navigating intensifying geopolitical interest.

Randrianirina – who took power after former president Andry Rajoelina fled amid demonstrations in October – is piloting a transitional government at a time when several former French colonies in Africa have experienced military takeovers.

Since 2020, coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have reshaped alliances in the Sahel, with those governments drawing closer to Russia – a trend that has not gone unnoticed by Western diplomats.

In Madagascar, concerns have been raised about what one Western diplomatic source described as the speed with which Russia has moved to build ties with the new leadership.

Moscow has already supplied military equipment and dispatched instructors to train Malagasy forces, including in the use of drones.

Yet officials on both sides insist that Antaninarivo’s outreach is broader than any single partnership. Speaking before his departure for Paris, Randrianirina stressed that his visits to Russia and France were unrelated, framing them instead as part of a pragmatic foreign policy aimed at securing tangible benefits for the Malagasy people.

Madagascar military leader Colonel Michael Randrianirina sworn in as president

France seeks to renew ties

In Paris, Macron welcomed the interim leader with a clear message – France intends to remain a key partner.

In a joint statement, the two sides outlined a “renewed, balanced and resolutely forward-looking partnership” grounded in mutual respect and focused on delivering concrete results.

They approved a set of guidelines for cooperation over the next two years – aligning with Madagascar’s transition timeline – covering political relations, economic development and ongoing security and defence collaboration.

Macron also reiterated France’s support for a return to constitutional order, emphasising the importance of holding free and transparent elections within the agreed timeframe.

Madagascar’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean – and its reserves of valuable minerals such as nickel and cobalt – make it an increasingly important partner. With China, India and Russia all stepping up their presence, maintaining influence on the island has become a priority for French diplomacy.

How Madagascar’s new leader Randrianirina rose from prison to presidency

A legacy of links with Moscow

Madagascar’s warming relations with Russia are not without precedent. According to Samuel Sanchez, a professor at the Sorbonne University, ties between Madagascar and the Soviet bloc date back to the 1970s, when significant diplomatic and military cooperation took shape.

Many Malagasy officers trained in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe during that period, a legacy that resonates today. Recent developments suggest a revival of those connections, with Russian instructors visiting the island and senior intelligence figure Andrei Averyanov accompanying Randrianirina during his Moscow talks.

The Kremlin has shown particular eagerness to deepen the partnership. During his visit, Randrianirina told Putin that Madagascar was ready to move relations to a new level, signalling openness to expanded cooperation.

At the same time, the interim leader has cast his diplomatic net widely. Russia was the third country he has visited since taking power, following trips to the United Arab Emirates and South Africa – a sign that Antananarivo is seeking multiple avenues for investment and support.

(with newswires)

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has drawn in mercenaries and foreign fighters on both sides of the conflict, including from several African countries.

Ukraine said on Wednesday that more than 1,780 citizens from 36 African countries, including Ghana, had been identified among Russia’s ranks, and that some of them had been captured.

“We are quite optimistic that this visit will be very successful and that in my later discussions with President Zelensky, he will be magnanimous and compassionate and on humanitarian grounds release these two Ghanaians to us,” the Ghanaian minister said at a press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart.

“They are victims of manipulation, of disinformation, misinformation, of criminal trafficking networks,” he said of Ghanaian citizens lured to fight for Russia.

He thanked Ukraine for ensuring international law was respected in the handling of the detainees.

“We have received reports that they are in good health,” he said. “They have not been tortured. They have not suffered any inhumane treatment since they were captured.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said both sides discussed “frankly” returning the prisoners to Ghana.

He also urged Accra to step up measures to prevent African citizens being recruited by Russia. “The Russians are dragging Ghanaians to their deaths, while Ukraine offers cooperation for the sake of life.”

Russian embassy in Nairobi denies recruiting Kenyans to fight in Ukraine

Meanwhile, Ghana supported a United Nations resolution stating its commitment to “the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders”.

It passed by a tally of 107 countries in favour, 12 against and 51 abstentions, which included the United States.

Russia voted against, as did Iran, North Korea, Belarus and the African countries Burkina Faso, Burundi, Eritrea, Mali, Niger and Sudan. 

The resolution also called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and “comprehensive, just and lasting peace”.

(with newswires)

The defending champions progressed 5-4 on aggregate and for the second time in the two-leg play-off for a place in the last 16, they had to come from behind to set up the platform for victory.

In the first leg on 17 February at the Stade Louis, PSG overturned a two-goal deficit to win 3-2.

Before the second leg, the PSG boss Luis Enrique urged his players not to believe they could nurse their slender advantage.

They heeded his counsel. But despite dominating possession, they failed to breach the Monaco rearguard.

On the stroke of half time, Maghnes Akliouche brought the tie level on aggregate when he slotted past the PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov.

But 10 minutes after the pause, Monaco went into meltdown.

Mamadou Coulibaly, who had set up the equaliser, was booked twice in three minutes for fouls on Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi and sent off.

On the hour mark, Monaco were made to pay their lack of discipline. PSG skipper Marquinhos stabbed in the equaliser on the night to restore PSG’s aggregate advantage.

PSG’s ‘best’ prepare for Intercontinental Cup showdown with Flamengo in Doha

And Khvicha Kvaratskhelia added PSG’s second after 66 minutes.

Jordan Teze scored Monaco’s equaliser in the second minute of second-half stoppage time to inject some late jeopardy but PSG held on to continue the defence of their crown.

Elsewhere on Wednesday night, Atalanta moved on at the expense of Borussia Dortmund.

The Bundesliga outfit started the tie at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo 2-0 up.

But the hosts swept into a 3-0 lead with goals from Gianluca Scamacca, Davide Zappacosta and Mario Pasalic.

Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi nudged his side level on aggregate in the 75th minute.

But a furious finale in which referee Jose Sanchez dismissed two Dortmund players and Atalanta’s Giorgio Scalvini ended with Lazar Samardzic converting a penalty for Atalanta to take the spoils 4-3 on aggregate.

PSG ordered to pay former striker Mbappé €60m in unpaid salary and bonuses

Real Madrid dispatched Benfica 3-1 on aggregate.

The Portuguese side played the second leg without their Argentine striker Gianluca Prestianni after tournament organisers Uefa banned him over allegations that he racially abused the Madrid striker Vinicius Junior during the first leg in Lisbon.

Rafa Silva scored for Benfica in the 14th minute at the Santiago Bernabeu to level the aggregate score.

But France international Aurélien Tchouaméni equalised to restore Madrid’s supremacy.

Vinicius added Madrid’s second 10 minutes from time.

On Tuesday night, the Norwegian champions Bodoe/Glimt advanced to the last-16 for the first time after beating Inter Milan 5-2 on aggregate. They were joined by Newcastle United, Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen. 

France’s world famous Louvre museum is poised for a leadership shake-up after the resignation of its president Laurence des Cars on Tuesday, with a new chief expected to be appointed swiftly, in a bid to restore confidence following months of turbulence.

Christophe Leribault – the current head of the Palace of Versailles – is widely expected to take over the role, according to a source within the French executive.

His appointment is due to be announced by the Council of Ministers, with a mandate focused on securing and modernising the institution, as well as delivering the ambitious “Louvre – New Renaissance” overhaul.

The move comes at a delicate moment for the world’s most visited museum, which has been grappling with a string of high-profile incidents that have exposed weaknesses but also prompted renewed momentum for reform.

Louvre boss admits ‘responsibility’ and pledges security boost after jewel heist

Months of pressure

Des Cars formally stepped down after submitting her resignation to President Emmanuel Macron, who accepted it while praising what he described as a responsible decision at a time when the museum needs “calm” and a fresh push to carry out major security projects.

Her departure follows sustained pressure linked to an audacious October robbery in which French crown jewels worth around €88 million were stolen in broad daylight. The jewels have yet to be recovered, although four suspects remain in custody and investigations are ongoing.

Initially, Macron had declined an earlier offer by des Cars to resign shortly after the break-in. But as further issues emerged – including reports of systemic security failings, a ticket fraud scandal, and even a water leak in a gallery housing the Mona Lisa – the pressure became harder to withstand.

Parliamentary inquiries and audits have painted a sobering picture. Lawmakers have pointed to “systemic failures” after dozens of hearings, while France’s Court of Auditors criticised the museum for prioritising high-profile projects over essential security investment, despite earlier warnings dating back to 2017.

Des Cars herself acknowledged shortcomings in later interviews, conceding that structural weaknesses had remained and that concerns were justified. Even so, Macron thanked her for her commitment and recognised her expertise, underlining that her tenure was not without achievement.

French auditors slam Louvre bosses over lavish spending, weak security

Rebuilding confidence

Attention is now turning to what comes next – and to the challenge awaiting Leribault, should his appointment be confirmed. His mission is expected to centre on restoring trust, strengthening security infrastructure, and successfully delivering the Louvre’s long-term renovation strategy.

The museum, housed in a former royal palace and home to masterpieces such as Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, welcomes around nine million visitors each year. Its global stature means that any disruption resonates far beyond France – making stability a top priority.

Despite the recent setbacks, there are signs of a reset already under way. Emergency measures have been introduced since the robbery, including upgrades to security systems, while multiple investigations – from the culture ministry, parliament and the Senate – are expected to produce detailed recommendations in the coming months.

(With newswires)

BHV stores in Angers, Dijon, Grenoble, Limoges and Reims will from Wednesday host a Shein presence, the online retailer and BHV owner Société des Grands Magasins (SGM) said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

SGM’s decision to open Shein’s first physical shop ‌in its Paris flagship BHV Marais store in ​November led to protests, while retailers and politicians blamed the Chinese firm’s rock-bottom prices for unfair competition and environmental harm.

SGM had initially planned to open the spaces in December but postponed the rollout after a media storm over listings for childlike sex dolls and Category A weapons on the section of the Shein site dedicated to third-party sellers.

The rollout of the new Shein spaces, ranging from around 500 to 1,000 square metres, will take place “progressively”, Shein and SGM said in their press release.

“We are going to change our operating model,” SGM co-founder Frédéric Merlin told Le Figaro on Friday, adding that BHV would receive “a sales commission” and that if the experiment “doesn’t work within a year, we will stop”.

Despite 5,000 daily visitors to Shein boutique at the upmarket Paris BHV store – the first outlet worldwide – Merlin acknowledged before the French Senate in January that their experiment had not delivered results. 

During the hearing, BHV and Shein presented the Chinese portal as a potential saviour of French city centres, where the retail vacancy rate now averages 11 percent.

France urges EU to crack down on online seller Shein over illicit products

Attracting young, connected clientele

According to Shein France spokesperson Quentin Ruffat, customers have had the mistaken impression prices were higher than online. He told AFP he was considering promotional operations in the regions and promised a “wider selection” – including plus sizes and children’s fashion.

Around 95 per cent of Shein’s French platform users live outside Paris, Lyon and Marseille, he said, claiming “25 million unique users” and the brand’s “popular success”.

SGM operated several regional stores in France under the Galeries Lafayette banner. Opposed to the arrival of Shein in places bearing its name, the Galeries Lafayette group has terminated its contract with SGM for seven regional stores, rebranded BHV.

Some 100 brands – including Guerlain, Dior and Sandro – have left the Paris department store in protest at the SGM-Shein partnership or delayed payments.

However, Ruffat insists the partnership is aimed at having “a positive impact” on other brands and attracting “a young” and “connected” clientele.

French Senate approves bill to regulate ultra-fast fashion

Appeal to support French and European brands

Limoges city hall said it could not “prohibit the establishment of a business, except in very strictly defined cases”. Mayor Emile Roger Lombertie said he was therefore appealing for consumers to act responsibly “to support French and European clothing brands, which have been in serious difficulty for several years”.

Founded in China in 2012 and now based in Singapore, Shein has become a focal point in debates over regulating online commerce.

Last week, the European Union opened an investigation into the platform over the case of “childlike” sex dolls.

After failing to obtain a total ban on Shein’s website, France is seeking to block its online marketplace, reserved for third-party sellers. A court ruling is due on 19 March.

(with newswires)

“We are facing a profound change in our profession since the advent of artificial intelligence [AI]. This tool, which is extraordinarily valuable for certain professions, is also a devouring hydra for artists like us,” wrote the signatories in a text published by Le Parisien newspaper on Sunday.

They include actors Swann Arlaud, Gérard Jugnot, Karine Viard, Franck Dubosc and José Garcia, Léa Drucker and Élodie Bouchez.

“The cloning of actors’ voices without their permission is becoming commonplace,” the open letter continues, adding that “not a week goes by without an artist warning about the brutal competition that AI is putting on their work”.

“Sometimes hundreds of less established artists, who often cannot afford to turn down a contract, surrender their rights to AI, despite the risks to their image and their future.”

“This systematic plundering is not a fantasy, it is happening here and now. It is unbearable and it is happening right before our eyes,” they warn, calling for a “legal framework” so that “AI can coexist with the work of artists and respect for copyright and related rights”.

‘By humans, for humans’: French dubbing industry speaks out against AI threat

Dubbing industry under threat

There has been a surge in initiatives within the profession over the last few months in response to the threat posed by AI to the industry, and the flood of content that reproduces artists and their voices almost perfectly.

At the end of January, eight French actors specialising in dubbing sent formal notices to two American companies that had cloned their voices without their consent.

Actors recently took to the streets in Paris and launched a collective called Touche pas ma VF (“hands off my VF” – for Version française).

It’s calling for “dubbing created by humans for humans”, and has launched a petition that has garnered nearly 250,000 signatures.

Europe’s voice actors call for tougher regulation of AI technology

In early 2025, the dubbing world was shocked by an excerpt from the Sylvester Stallone film Armor in which the voice of Alain Dorval, the actor who had long dubbed Stallone, was modelled by AI.

Not only was the result deemed poor by the industry, but the actor had died in February 2024, raising ethical questions.

“AI is taking away artists’ jobs. Can we do without artists in society? ” actress Brigitte Lecordier told RFI at the time. “AI does not create. It reproduces a mediocre version of what has already been done.”

The debate extends beyond France. Last week, Chinese software Seedance 2.0 was accused by major Hollywood studios of “massive” copyright infringements after releasing an AI-generated video showing a fight between Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt.

(with AFP)

Chen Zhangjie, a 39-year-old ship captain, went on trial in Brest, north‑western France, on Monday for allegedly failing to obey orders from law enforcement when his ship, the Boracay, was intercepted by the French Navy last September.

Chen did not attend the hearing in person but was represented by his lawyer, Henri de Richemont of the Richemont-Delviso law firm.

The case comes amid France’s intensified campaign to prevent sanctioned oil tankers from operating off its coast. In recent months, French authorities have seized two such vessels – the Boracay and the Grinch.

The Boracay, which has repeatedly changed name and flag, was suspected of belonging to the network of tankers used to move Russian oil in breach of Western sanctions.

On 27 September, 2025, a French frigate requested permission to board the Boracay in international waters off western France to verify its flag status. The tanker was carrying Russian crude reportedly worth around $100 million, bound for India. 

French authorities had already been alerted by Benin that no tanker of that name was registered under its flag.

According to statements read out in court, Chen initially told the French Navy that the ship sailed under the Benin flag, but explained during police custody that the flag had not been flown because it was raining.

The prosecution described a pattern of “deliberate obstruction” and argued that the captain had delayed the boarding under the pretext of waiting for instructions from the Hong Kong‑registered shipowner.

French Court to consider jurisdiction over captain of Russia ‘shadow fleet’ tanker

Possible Wagner links

French naval commandos eventually boarded the Boracay without resistance from the 26‑strong crew.

Among those on board were two Russian nationals employed by Moran Security Group, a Russian private security company which, according to French and European intelligence sources, provides protection teams to dozens of tankers in Russia’s shadow fleet.

One source – quoted by French news agency AFP – identified the “security crew” as Aleksander T. and Maksim D., adding that the latter was a former police officer who had worked for Russian mercenary group Wagner.

According to a “conformance certificate” published on the group’s website, it provides “maritime security, including armed security of the merchant fleet, vessels’ escorting, protection of sea ports” and other services.

The certificate lists the group’s address in Belize, while it is certified by the “Russian Federal Agency of Technical Regulation and Metrology” based in Moscow. 

In his statement, Chen said that he did not know what the two Russians were doing on the vessel and said it was “not common” to have such personnel on board.

He also indicated that Russian security staff had already been present during a previous voyage in July. The two men disembarked in Suez several days after the French boarding.

Dark vessels: how Russia steers clear of Western sanctions with a shadow fleet

French prosecutors limited the case to the captain’s refusal to comply with orders. Allegations that the Boracay may have been linked to drone overflights near Danish airports in 2025 were not part of the charges, and no direct evidence has been made public to support that suspicion.

The European Union is preparing a 20th package of sanctions against Russia, including measures aimed at tankers and maritime services that help Moscow export oil despite restrictions.

France, which has already intercepted several suspected shadow fleet vessels in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, is pushing for a full ban on maritime services for Russian oil.

The Boracay now sails under the Russian flag as the Phoenix and was recently reported to be at anchor near the port of Rizhao in northeastern China.

The final decision of the court in Brest is expected on 30 March. 

(with newswires)

When Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, 2022, France and other European countries moved quickly to organise emergency support for the tens of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing their country.

As of January this year, France has recorded the arrival of more than 79,000 Ukrainian refugees since 2022.

While most arrived in the Paris region, many headed south to the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, particularly around Nice, where there was an existing sizeable Ukrainian community.

The AFUCA Ukrainian cultural association in Nice, which was founded in 2016, became a central point of support, helping new arrivals look for work, navigate administrative procedures and fill out paperwork.

Fears for ‘forgotten refugees’ as France embraces displaced Ukrainians

Four years on, it continues to help around 100 new arrivals each month, as well as those who are already in France and hoping to stay, such as Karina Youdenkova.

Youdenkova, 23, left Kyiv after an explosion blew in the windows of her flat. Her father was killed on the front.

When she arrived in France, she lived first in emergency accommodation then in a hotel before she found a job in a café, which has allowed her to rent her own flat

“I see my life in France. I don’t see a future for myself in Ukraine,” she explains. She is considering enrolling at university.

One major obstacle for her is obtaining a driving licence. She says she was unable to register for the test because she is in France under the temporary protection scheme. She would like to obtain a more stable status so she can continue building her life in France.

Phasing out protection

In 2022, the European Union activated its Temporary Protection Directive for Ukrainians.

First implemented in 2001 following the conflicts in former Yugoslavia, its aim is to “provide immediate and temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons from non-EU countries”.

The scheme granted Ukrainians residency and work authorisation, a small living stipend and health coverage.

While many people have since returned to Ukraine, according to the French Interior Ministry there were 40,850 people still living in France under this status at the beginning of 2026.

Returning to Ukraine: ‘If everyone leaves, what will become of this country?’

However, the scheme is due to expire in March 2027, and French authorities have begun winding down services specifically dedicated to Ukrainians.

In Nice, the main hub that that provided temporary accommodation and guidance to new arrivals closed in August 2024. The area’s last accommodation programme reserved for Ukrainians shut down at the end of 2025. Ukrainian refugees now must find housing in the same way as any other vulnerable group.

“The only reception now is with us,” says AFUCA founder, Iryna Bourdelles.

For Ukrainians intending to remain in France, obtaining a more permanent legal status is pressing.

Some are eligible for standard residence permits. Others are applying for asylum, which offers more durable protection, but may not be suitable for those who hope to return to Ukraine one day. In 2025, 12,310 Ukrainians applied for asylum in France, according to Ofpra, the French office for the protection of refugees.

Moving away from emergency measures is understandable, says Bourdelles, as the war enters its fifth year. “I’m not saying the state is abandoning us, but Ukraine is no longer among the priorities. And that’s normal, it’s been four years.”

Complex needs

The transition brings uncertainty for those still in France, who have needs that include help with administrative tasks, looking for jobs and learning French – as well as psychological support for the trauma they have experienced.

“The profiles of those who have stayed in France often involve complex issues,” says Audrey Terradura, director of emergency and crisis management for ALC, an organisation that played a key role in the emergency response in Nice in 2022.

“There are elderly people, seriously ill individuals, families with disabled children, for whom access to employment and independent housing is more difficult.”

As war drags on, France seeks long-term solutions for Ukrainian refugees

With support from charity Secours Catholique, the AFUCA distributes food parcels twice a week to around 70 Ukrainians each month.

Tetyana, who arrived in France a year and a half ago, hoped to be able to find work and send money to her daughter, who stayed in Ukraine with her husband who is fighting at the front.

When she first arrived she lived with another of her daughters, but since last summer she has had to cover her own rent and is struggling to make ends meet. “I would really like to work. I’ve worked all my life, but there is always an obstacle,” she says.

She lost her most recent job as a seamstress when the alterations shop ran into financial difficulties. She has since applied to work in home care, but for now relies on the food parcels to get by.

Natalia, who worked as a civil servant in the Ukraine’s Chernihiv region before fleeing in 2024 with her 13-year-old son, works as a hotel cleaner in Nice. She rents a small room from her employer.

“I’m grateful, because in September 2024 I thought I was going to end up on the streets,” she says. But she hopes for more stable housing.

She worries about the future, as she sees the prospect of returning to Ukraine receding as the war drags on.

This article was adapted from the original version in French by Aurore Lartigue.

Macron has become one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters within the European Union and one of the fiercest critics of Russia.

“This war is a triple failure for Russia: militarily, economically and strategically,” Macron said on X, underlining that 15,000 Ukrainian civilians had been killed in the four years since Russia launched a full-scale invasion on 24 February, 2022.

“One day, Russians will realise the enormity of the crime committed in their name, the futility of the pretexts invoked and the devastating long-term effects on their country.”

The French president reiterated France‘s unwavering support for Ukraine.

“Because Ukraine is the first line of defence of our continent, France and Europe stand resolutely by its side,” he wrote.

France now supplies most of Ukraine’s intelligence, Macron says

Allies divided

On Monday, Macron urged his European counterparts to “continue to increase pressure on Russia” by imposing a fresh package of sanctions – the 20th so far. He also called for the rapid implementation of a €90bn European loan for Ukraine.

But Hungary, which maintains close ties with Moscow, had on Monday kept up its veto on both.

Hungary and neighbouring Slovakia accuse Kyiv of deliberately blocking ‌Russian oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline, which Ukraine says it is trying to repair ⁠after a Russian strike last month.

Zelensky French TV interview: ‘If Ukraine doesn’t stop Putin, he will invade Europe’

As part of ceremonies in Kyiv to mark the anniversary of the Russian invasion, President Zelensky was due to welcome dignitaries in Kyiv from Western Europe, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

But unlike previous years, no major Western leaders were expected.

“Putin has not achieved his goals. He has not broken the Ukrainian people. He has not won this war,” Zelensky said in a morning address, extending an invitation to US President Donald Trump to ‌come to Kyiv.

Putin failed to achieve goals in Ukraine, Zelensky says on war anniversary

Zelensky vowed the country would not betray ​the sacrifices made by its people in four years of war just to make peace with Russia. 

Negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the US met Friday in Abu Dhabi for the first direct negotiations on a US-brokered peace deal  to end the war.

(with newswires)

The European Union has stumbled at a crucial moment in its effort to tighten pressure on Russia, after Hungary unexpectedly blocked a new round of sanctions just as leaders sought to project unity ahead of the war’s fourth anniversary.

“This is a setback and a message we did not want to send today,” said the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, after Monday’s meeting of foreign ministers failed to reach agreement. Diplomats had been racing to finalise both a fresh sanctions package and a major financial lifeline for Kyiv – a combined show of resolve as the conflict grinds on.

Four years on from Russia’s full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022, the human toll remains immense, with an estimated 1.8 million Russian and Ukrainian soldiers dead, wounded or missing. European leaders had hoped to underline their continued support for Ukraine while raising the economic cost for Moscow.

Hungary’s Orban defies EU by promising to go on buying Russian oil

Unity under strain

The proposed measures, if agreed by the European parliament,  will be the EU’s 20th sanctions package against Russia, targeting its shadow fleet and key energy revenues – sectors seen as vital to sustaining the Kremlin’s war effort. Alongside this, ministers are working to approve a €90 billion loan to help Ukraine meet its military and economic needs over the next two years.

Hungary – widely regarded as the bloc’s most Russia-friendly member – disrupted those plans. Over the weekend, Budapest signalled it would block both the sanctions and the loan unless Russian oil deliveries to Hungary resumed.

Those shipments, along with supplies to Slovakia, have been disrupted since late January after reported drone attacks damaged the Druzhba pipeline, which carries Russian crude through Ukraine into Central Europe. Ukrainian officials say the damage was caused by Russian strikes, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has accused Kyiv of deliberately holding back supplies – an allegation without evidence.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said energy security was at stake. “No one has the right to put our energy security at risk,” he said ahead of the talks.

Kallas warned that Hungary’s stance also raised legal concerns, noting that backing away from a previously agreed Ukraine loan would run counter to EU treaties.

Despite the impasse, most European leaders struck a determined tone. In Paris, President Emmanuel Macron said Europe’s commitment to Ukraine “remains unwavering”. Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, standing alongside him, called on allies to raise the costs for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In Berlin, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz marked “four monstrous years of war” and urged continued support, warning that Europe stands “at a crossroads” for its future security.

Moscow war against Ukraine ‘triple failure for Russia’, Macron says

Pressure on Moscow

For many in the EU, the logic is clear – the war will only end when it becomes unsustainable for Russia to continue. “This war will only end when Russia no longer sees any sense in continuing it,” Merz said, arguing that Moscow’s war financing must be squeezed further.

Stubb echoed that view, describing Russia’s campaign as a “strategic failure” as well as a military and economic one. “Putin is not winning this war, but he cannot make peace,” he said.

The EU has already committed almost €195 billion in financial assistance to Ukraine and has taken significant steps to curb Russian energy exports. Most European countries have sharply reduced or ended their reliance on Russian oil and gas since 2022.

Hungary and Slovakia, however, remain exceptions. Both have maintained – and in some cases increased – imports under a temporary exemption from the EU’s ban on Russian oil.

Domestic politics may also be shaping Hungary’s position. Orbán, facing a tight election in under two months, has launched an aggressive anti-Ukraine campaign and accused the opposition Tisza party – which leads in many polls – of conspiring with Brussels and Kyiv to install a pro-Ukraine government.

Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski suggested Hungary’s veto threat may be tied to that political battle. “I would have expected a much greater feeling of solidarity from Hungary for Ukraine,” he said, adding that the government had fostered hostility towards “the victim of aggression”.

The EU’s latest attempt to present a united front has faltered, but most member states remain committed to supporting Kyiv and increasing pressure on Moscow.

(With newswires)

The meeting on Monday brought together the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, and diplomats from across the bloc with Nikolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian politician and seasoned UN envoy chosen by Trump to lead his recently inaugurated Board of Peace. 

The talks come as European capitals are divided over how fully to embrace Washington’s plans for the future of Gaza.

Kallas struck a constructive tone ahead of the meeting, emphasising that the EU is keen to play a meaningful role.

“We want to be part of the peace process in Gaza and also contribute with what we have,” she said.

After the meeting, she noted that Mladenov had provided a detailed update on the humanitarian situation and the board’s strategy, which could include a tangible EU role in stabilisation efforts and aid delivery.

“It was good to hear … that it’s really trying to improve the situation,” Kallas said.

France says EU lacked mandate to attend Trump’s Board of Peace meeting

Divisions over engagement

However, the EU remains divided on how to engage with the Board of Peace, with fault lines between member states exposed, from southern Europe to the Nordic region.

Hungary and Bulgaria have signed up as full participants, alongside EU candidate countries Turkey, Kosovo and Albania.

Meanwhile, a dozen other EU nations – including Germany, Italy and Poland – have opted for observer status following an inaugural meeting in Washington last week.

Some of Europe’s most prominent voices have kept their distance. French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen both declined invitations to join, as did Pope Leo XIV.

Von der Leyen did, however, send Mediterranean Commissioner Dubravka Šuica as an observer – a move that has sparked institutional tensions within the bloc.

France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, criticised the decision, arguing it bypassed EU procedures. He insisted the Commission “should never have attended” without prior consultation with member states.

Brussels, for its part, has defended the move, with a spokesperson maintaining that accepting such invitations falls within the Commission’s remit.

UN hits out at Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ ahead of inaugural meeting in Washington

Balancing act

The disagreement highlights a broader question facing the EU – how to remain influential in Gaza while preserving unity, and adherence to its own institutional rules.

The EU already plays a hands-on role, including overseeing the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

It is also the largest donor to the Palestinian Authority, giving it significant leverage in reconstruction and governance discussions.

Nonetheless, practical challenges abound. Plans to train Palestinian police in Gaza are currently awaiting Israeli approval, while efforts to impose fresh EU sanctions on Israeli settlers have stalled after one member state blocked the move.

European leaders remain firmly supportive of the United Nations’ mandate in Gaza, even as Trump’s Board of Peace hints at a more expansive – and potentially rival – approach to conflict resolution.

From envisioning Gaza’s reconstruction as a modern, high-tech hub to questioning the traditional role of the UN Security Council, the Board has set out a controversial vision for Gaza.

However, the realities on the ground – including the fragile ceasefire and limited progress on immediate humanitarian goals – may ultimately shape what is achievable.

(with newswires)

France on Monday moved to block Kushner from having access to government ministers, after he failed to show up to explain comments made by the US administration about the killing of French far-right activist Quentin Deranque in Lyon.

The ambassador will have full access “once he explains himself”, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on ‌Tuesday.

“He needs to be ​able to have this discussion with us, with the Quai ​d’Orsay [the Foreign Ministry], so that he ​can resume the normal exercise of ​his duties as ambassador in France,” Barrot told France Info public radio.

He described the no-show as “a surprise”. 

Access banned

Barrot summoned Kushner after the US embassy in Paris reposted comments posted by the Trump administration in Washington about the death of Deranque, who died from head injuries following clashes between anti-fascist and far-right activists on 12 February.

The US State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “violent radical leftism is on the rise and its role in Quentin Deranque’s death demonstrates the threat it poses to public safety”.

On Friday, Sarah Rogers, the State Department under secretary for public diplomacy, said Deranque’s killing showed “why we treat political violence – terrorism – so harshly”. 

“Once you decide to kill people for their opinions instead of persuade them, you’ve opted out of civilization,” she wrote on X.

Barrot on Sunday denounced any attempts to exploit the killing “for political ends” and summoned Kushner for a meeting at 7pm the following day.

But the ambassador failed to show up and sent a senior embassy official instead.

“In light of this apparent failure to grasp the basic requirements of the ambassadorial mission and the honour of representing one’s country, the minister [Barrot] has requested that he [Kushner] no longer be allowed direct access to members of the French government,” the foreign ministry said.

Kushner would, however, be permitted to continue his diplomatic duties and have “exchanges” with officials, it added in a statement.

Washington has not commented on this development.

Trump taps Charles Kushner, father of his son-in-law, as envoy to France

Foreign interference

The move is the latest instance of diplomatic friction between Paris and the United States under President Donald Trump, with Paris bristling at what it sees as repeated interference by Washington in domestic matters.

Kushner, whose son Jared is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, took up his post in Paris last year. He was summoned to the foreign ministry at the end of August, after the French government took exception to his criticism that Macron was not tackling anti-Semitism.

He did not attend that meeting either, and sent the US charge d’affaires – the ambassador’s de facto deputy – instead.

Deranque’s death has put France on edge, igniting tensions between the left and right ahead of a 2027 presidential vote. 

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has also weighed in, triggering a war of words with French President Emmanuel Macron, who urged her to stop “commenting on what happens in other countries”.

More than 3,000 people marched in Lyon on Saturday in tribute to Deranque, with authorities deploying heavy security for fear of further clashes.

More than 3,000 march in Lyon in tribute to far-right activist

Nazi salutes and racist insults were noted during the march. Two investigations have been opened for condoning crimes against humanity and insults.

Seven people have been charged over Deranque’s death.

(with newswires)

The destruction of the city of Aghdam in the contested enclave of Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh is among the most visible signs of the decades-long conflict between Azerbaijanis and ethnic Armenians. Now efforts are underway to bring the city back to life.

A loud explosion breaks the winter silence as the latest disposal of collected mines takes place. ‘We’ve cleared three hundred thousand square meters and found more than ten thousand landmines,” proudly declares Elnur Gasimov, head of mine clearance operations in Aghdam.

The dangerous work, done in freezing weather, carries significant risk. Gasimov’s right hand is missing several fingers.

“We have more than 10 deminers who have lost their legs, and we lost two deminers during the explosive disposal,” Gasimov told RFI.

He explains that, with Aghdam once close to the frontline in fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces, the area was among the heaviest mined during the conflict.

Azerbaijan lifts Armenia border restrictions, but hurdles to peace remain

Clearing the mines

Nagorno-Karabakh was historically home to a predominantly ethnic Armenian population. In 1993, they broke away from Azerbaijan, declaring a breakaway Republic of Artsakh. But in 2023, during a lightning war, Azerbaijani forces recaptured the region.

With access to Aghdam still tightly controlled since the end of the fighting, RFI joined a small group of journalists on a trip organised by the Azerbaijani authorities.

The city of Aghdam was once home to 40,000 people, predominantly Azerbaijani. Long a cultural centre of the region, the city was also home to Azerbaijan’s most famous football club – Qarabag – which now plays out of the capital, Baku.

Today, not a single house remains standing – all were razed to the ground, and even the trees didn’t escape the conflict. It’s a barren wasteland.

The historical Juma mosque was one of the few buildings that survived, partially intact, and was used as a shelter for farm animals by ethnic Armenians.

Imam Mehman Nesirov, 45, is the proud custodian of the fully restored mosque, where up to 100 worshippers now attend Friday prayers as life slowly returns to the city.

Nesirov fled Aghdam in 1993 as a child: “We were forced to leave because of the sound of fighting, which was getting closer and closer. Everyone was terrified and panicked.”

Nesirov explained to RFI that he and his family spent the first years of their lives living in a railway wagon. “I will never forget those years. We always prayed to God that one day we could return and pray at this mosque,” said Nesirov. “We can’t put into words how we feel that dream we had as a child, a teenager, and an adult is finally realised.”

Azerbaijan must allow ‘safe’ return to Nagorno-Karabakh: UN court

Returns and ruptures

Around a thousand people have returned to Aghdam, all housed in new state-built accommodation, as the city itself remains uninhabitable. While Azerbaijanis are slowly returning, ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh have now become refugees following the victory of Azeri forces in 2023.

“What we saw within 24 hours was the forced expulsion of the remaining 110,000 Armenians from their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh,” said Richard Giragosiyan, director of the Regional Studies Center, a Yerevan think tank.

“They were leaving behind whole homes, personal possessions, family graves, and coming to Armenia, which was more of a foreign country than many people understand,” added Giragosiyan.

However, Giragosiyan claims that Azerbaijan’s forces’ success in Nagorno-Karabakh opened the door to a “diplomatic breakthrough,” with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan committing themselves to improving relations in the aftermath of the conflict. Baku in January opened its border to allow oil and grain from Kazakhstan to reach Armenia, which is important for Yerevan as it tries to rely less on Russia and move closer to Europe.

In Aghdam’s newest hotel, manager Aykhan Jabbarov welcomes rapprochement efforts between Yerevan and Baku.

Jabbarov, a veteran of the last Nagorno-Karabakh war whose family fled Aghdam thirty years ago, looks forward to a time when Azerbaijanis and Armenians can again live together in the city. “If we look to history, we lived together before now, every leader talks about peace … We have to build a good relationship. It will help both countries’ economy, people’s social life and the regional economy, everything.”

However, diplomatic efforts to restore relations and normalise Armenian-Azerbaijani ties still have plenty of work ahead. With repercussions of the past never far away, Ruben Vardanyan, a leading member of the breakaway Armenian administration captured by Azeri forces, was convicted this week of war crimes and sentenced to 20 years in jail by an Azerbaijani court.

In what could mark a major turning point in the history of arms control, New Start expired on 5 February. Neither US President Donald Trump nor his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin has shown interest in renewing it. 

The treaty was signed between the United States and Russia on 8 April 2010 and came into force on 5 February 2011. Initially planned to last 10 years, it was extended for another five in 2021.

Its goal was to limit each side to 800 missile launchers and 1,550 nuclear warheads, with the two countries authorised to inspect each other’s stockpiles.

It was never a global treaty. Other countries signed up to the broader Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which came into force in 1970 and now has 191 parties, including the US and Russia.

But Washington and Moscow also had bilateral arms control agreements in place continuously since 1972 – until now, notes Benoît Pelopidas, an expert on nuclear threats at Sciences Po university in Paris.

“But it would be false to deduce from that that the arms race has not started yet and might start now,” he tells RFI. 

“There are reasons to think that the arms race started as early as the spring of 2010.”

Europe confronts ‘new nuclear reality’ as Macron signals broader deterrence role

‘Possible acceleration’

Even before New Start expired, implementation of the treaty deteriorated over time, culminating in Russia suspending its participation in 2023.

“And now we’re at a full level where it’s no longer implemented at all,” says Pelopidas. “It’s new diplomatically, and it enables the possible acceleration of an ongoing arms race.”

NATO called for “restraint and responsibility” after the treaty expired.

“Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and coercive signals on nuclear matters reveal a posture of strategic intimidation,” an official told French news agency AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“NATO will continue to take the measures necessary to ensure its credibility and the effectiveness of its overall deterrence and defence position.”

The Kremlin had proposed continuing to comply with New Start’s limits until February 2027, but the White House did not respond.

Moscow considers the treaty’s expiration “a negative development”, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “We express our regret in this regard.”

China shuns calls to enter nuclear talks after US-Russia treaty lapses

Disarmament still possible

According to Pelopidas, disarmament is possible and has been partially achieved before, especially in the early 1990s after the end of the Cold War. 

“In 1991, we had 58,000 nuclear weapons on the planet. And we’re now at a level of roughly 12,000 in 2025, which is a massive decrease,” he says. 

“We have, between 1986 and today, dismantled or retired over 80 percent of the existing arsenal in the world. So it is not materially impossible to dismantle or disarm.”

The world’s remaining nuclear stockpile still has the potential to wreak huge destruction, he stresses, a fact that he believes should drive all nuclear powers to work towards de-escalation.

“If the theory of nuclear winter is correct, a so-called limited nuclear war between India and Pakistan that led to the explosion of 100 Hiroshima-sized bombs – that is, roughly 1 percent of the existing arsenal – would lead to the death of 2 billion people by starvation due to its indirect consequences over two years,” Pelopidas says.

“That’s how destructive the capacity of the existing arsenal is.”

Episode mixed by Erwan Rome.

The African continent is rich in resources that are critical to the energy transition, as well as to the electronics and high-tech industries. Africa holds vast reserves of coltan, gallium, cobalt, tantalum, lithium, nickel, and many other strategic minerals that sit at the heart of this global competition.

The Trump administration is seeking to counter China‘s growing dominance over the continent’s metals and mining sectors.

DR Congo weighs price of security in minerals deal with US

For the moment, Trump is focused on a  US – DRC agreement, which would prioritise American interests in the central African country’s supply chain. The DRC sits on vast mineral wealth and is currently engaged in a peace process with Rwanda, brokered by the United States.

DRC takes on Apple: can conflict mineral mining be stopped?

To help us analyse the context of these deals, we are joined today by three guests.

First, Clionadh Raleigh, head of ACLED – the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. We also have Akin Adegoke, Chief Digital Officer at Lotus Bank, who brings experience in driving technology-led, inclusive banking.

And finally, Frédéric Mousseau, Policy Director at the California-based Oakland Institute, who argues that, that under the guise of peace and development, the US–DRC Strategic Partnership Agreement rewrote Congo’s laws to favour American mining interests.”

Delegates also gathered at the Cape Town International Convention Centre for the 32nd edition of the African Mining Indaba, the continent’s largest conference on the sector.

You’ll also hear reactions from people on the ground in the DRC, as well as from leaders in South Africa and Zambia, on what has already been dubbed the new scramble for Africa.

Episode edited by Melissa Chemam and mixed by Erwan Rome.

Spotlight on Africa is produced by Radio France Internationale’s English language service.

In a conspicuous display of military strength, Turkish F-16 fighter jets roared over the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in late January.

According to Turkish officials, the deployment was aimed at protecting Turkish interests and supporting Somali efforts to counter an insurgency by the radical Islamist group al-Shabaab. 

It follows Israel’s recognition of Somaliland in December, which Ankara condemned as a threat to Somalia’s territorial integrity.

Turkish international relations expert Soli Ozel said the jets send a message to Israel: “Don’t mess with our interests here.”

Somalia is poised to become the latest point of tension between the countries, he predicts. “I don’t think they will fight, but they are both showing their colours. Israel’s recognition of Somaliland and the Turks sending F-16s and drones are attempts to set limits to what the other party can do,” he said.

“Could it get out of hand? I don’t know. It may.”

The risky calculations behind Israel’s recognition of Somaliland

Mutual suspicion

The episode reflects broader strains in Israeli-Turkish relations, which remain fraught over Ankara’s support of Hamas and Israel’s war in Gaza.

“It’s a new chapter in the competition between the two countries, which are now the dominant military powers in the Middle East,” said Norman Ricklefs, CEO of geopolitical consultancy Namea Group.

According to Gallia Lindenstrauss, an Israeli foreign policy specialist at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, Israel is not seeking to challenge the interests of Turkey or Somalia.

Instead, she argues Israel’s recognition of Somaliland and its commitment to deepening cooperation are motivated by the breakaway’s state strategic location facing Yemen, where Houthi rebels launched attacks against Israeli cities last year.

“The Houthis were the last ones who were still launching missiles against Israel, from the Iranian proxies. This is the most major threat for Israel,” she said. 

However, Lindenstrauss acknowledges that both sides increasingly view each other’s actions with suspicion. “What Israel sees as defence, Turkey sees as something against Ankara.”

Rival blocs

Turkey’s suspicions could grow if Israel deploys military hardware in Somaliland to counter threats from Yemen, a move an anonymous Israeli expert suggested is Israel’s aim.

Ricklefs warns Israel needs to tread carefully, given the significant investments Turkey had made in Somalia over the past 15 years. Turkey has its largest overseas military base and embassy in Somalia, while Ankara has signed agreements with Mogadishu to explore potential energy reserves, as well as a naval accord.

“Turkey is running the [Mogadishu] port, counterterrorism training, charities, NGOs, and all that kind of stuff. So it appears very important to Turkey’s regional strategic ambitions,” said Ricklefs. He noted that Somalia’s location on the Horn of Africa, with coastlines in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, makes it “key for regional influence”.

With Somalia naval deal, Turkey steers into strategic but volatile region

Lindenstrauss observed that the Turkish-Israeli rivalry over Somalia is further complicated by the emergence of two competing axes: “On the one hand, you see Greece, Cyprus, Israel, the UAE. On the other hand, you see Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt and Qatar,” she explained.  

“They are loose axes, but you do see that on many issues, these two axes think differently. And that’s also a cause of the rising tensions.”

Ricklefs noted that tensions have already spilled over into confrontation elsewhere. “We’ve already seen the pretty strong competition leading to violence in Libya, between blocs aligned with the Emirates and, on the other side, blocs aligned with Turkey in Libya,” he said.

As for whether the same could happen in Somalia, Ricklefs said he doesn’t believe the situation has yet reached that point. 

“I don’t think we’re there just yet with Somaliland and Somalia,” he said. “And frankly, the only party that can play a mediating role, a conflict-reducing role, in this situation is the United States.”

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

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 for the RFI English Listeners Forum banner to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

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

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 excellent staff of 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. 

Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in all 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. NB: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!

This week’s quiz: On 17 January, I asked you a question about our article “France launches recruitment for 10-month voluntary national military service”. You were to send in the answer to these two questions: How many volunteers will be accepted into the 2026 program, and what will their jobs be? 

The answer is, to quote our article: “From September, around 3,000 volunteers will join the army, navy, or air and space force for missions carried out exclusively on French soil.

Tasks will range from helping out during natural disasters and providing support for counter-terrorism surveillance, to more specialized jobs such as drone operation, mechanics, electrical work, baking, or medical support.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: What is the most romantic thing that has ever been said to you? Or the most romantic action? Or the most romantic gift?

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

The winners are: RFI English listener Murshida Parveen Lata, who is the Co-Chairman of the Source of Knowledge Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh. Murshida is also the winner of this week’s bonus question Congratulations on your double win, Murshida.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Ashraf Ali, a member of the International RFI DX Radio Listeners Club in West Bengal, India; Sumara Sabri, a member of the RFI Online Visitors Club in Sahiwal, Pakistan; Sameen Riaz – also from Pakistan, this time from Sheikupura city – Sameen is a member of the RFI Listeners Club in that fair city, and last but not least, RFI Listeners Club member Sami Mossad from Giza, Egypt.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Fast Bob” by Romane and Stochelo Rosenberg, played by the Rosenberg Ensemble; “La Marseillaise” by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, arranged by Claude Bolling and performed by the Claude Bolling Big Band; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “You’re the Top” by Cole Porter, sung by Ella Fitzgerald.  

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 “Cambridge University Museum set to return Benin bronzes to Nigeria”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 9 March to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 14 March 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

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France

Click here to find out how you can 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. 

Recent data shows one in two university students in France are skipping a meal each day and relying on food handouts. In response, the government is extending a 1-euro meal scheme – introduced during Covid for those on bursaries – to all university students as of May. Student union rep Marian Bloquet outlines why the problems go far beyond food. We also report from the Cop1ne community kitchen in Paris. Run by students for students, it provides cheap, home-cooked food, but also company and solidarity.  (Listen @3’20”)

As France prepares to ban children from social media, kids weigh in on their use of the platforms and how they would like to see them regulated. Cybersecurity expert Olivier Blazy considers the technical challenges and privacy issues raised by such a ban. (Listen @20’20”)

The adventurous life of the French explorer Alexandra David-Néel, who in the winter of 1924 became the first European woman to reach Lhasa, Tibet’s “forbidden city”. (Listen @14’10”)

Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani.

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).

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.