“I am not aware of these things. There is no understanding with anyone, there is no collusion with anyone,” President Emmanuel Macron told journalists on the sidelines of a trip to the Gustave Roussy cancer institute near Paris on Tuesday.

Macron was addressing the controversy surrounding new revelations in the Nestlé Waters purification scandal.

The subsidiary of the Swiss agri-food giant has been accused of using illegal processing methods on its bottled water brands to bypass stringent health regulations.

The group is the owner in France of brands like Perrier, Vittel, Hépar and Contrex mineral waters.

On Tuesday, investigative journalists from Le Monde and Radio France revealed that the services of former prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, and the French presidency allowed Nestlé to market these waters, despite the health authorities’ recommendations for a ban from 2023.

No improvement

Citing “exchanges of emails and ministerial notes”, the journalists accuse the French government of having “privileged the interests of Nestlé to the detriment of consumers” by granting exemptions for the company’s practices.

At the beginning of 2024, Nestlé Waters, admitted to having used prohibited techniques such as ultraviolet light and active carbon filters “to guarantee food safety” of its mineral waters.

Nestlé admits to treating bottled mineral water in breach of French regulations

The company said it “lost track of the importance of conforming to regulations” but stressed that all the brands concerned now fulfil French requirements.

The group also reported it alerted the French authorities of the issue in 2021. 

At the time, the government asked the national regional health agency (ARS) to organise some 32 inspections and found that a third of bottled water brands did not comply with regulations.

But the investigation by Le Monde and Radio France found evidence that the water quality of the products did not improve.

Journalists said they found a note dated 20 January, 2023 from the Director General of Health (DGS), Jérôme Salomon, who recommended “immediately suspending the authorisation” for Nestlé products from the Vosges area as well as the Perrier bottling site in Vergèze, in the Gard.

Salomon cited a report from the National Health Safety Agency (Anses) on the use of microfilters smaller than 0.8 micrometers, which concluded that the water leaving wells was “not microbiologically healthy”.

When asked for details by the French news agency AFP, the president’s office at the Élysée indicated that “the matter had been brought their attention” and that it had “referred those interested to the competent state services.”

The DGS and Nestlé did not immediately respond to the request for information.

Nestlé and Alma face renewed legal action in France over water fraud

Consumers left in the dark

French consumer rights group Foodwatch filed a complaint in February 2024, alleging unlawful practices in the purification of Nestlé’s bottled water.

Nestlé in September, reached a settlement known as a judicial public interest agreement (CJIP) which saw them pay a fine of €2 million to avoid a trial.

But Foodwatch said the multinational needed to be “held accountable” for “decades of fraudulent” actions and launched two more legal complaints, on 25 September.

One of the complaints targeted the company Sources Alma (St-Yorre, Vichy Célestins, Chateldon et Cristaline), accused of using the same illegal purification practices as Nestlé.

For Ingrid Kragl, director of information at Foodwatch France the “lack of transparency” between the companies and the French authorities surrounding the case “raises serious questions”.

“For a year and probably years, products which do not comply with water regulations have continued to be marketed in France and around the world without companies being worried. And we, consumers, are left in the dark,” she was quoted as saying on the Foodwatch website last Tuesday.

“Foodwatch demands that a trial establish responsibilities and that exemplary sanctions be imposed,” the NGO said.

The NGO was due to be heard by a Senate commission inquiry on 29 January. 

(with newswires)

Indonesia, which has some of the world’s toughest drug laws, has in recent weeks released half a dozen high-profile detainees, including a Filipina mother on death row and the last five members of the so-called “Bali Nine” drug ring.

Serge Atlaoui, 61, was driven from Salemba prison in Jakarta to the city’s main airport where he will be handed over to French police officers before boarding a commercial flight to Paris.

Due to arrive in France on Wednesday, he will be presented to prosecutors “and most likely detained while awaiting a decision on the adaptation [of his sentence]”, his lawyer Richard Sedillot told AFP.

Jakarta has left it to the French government to grant Atlaoui – the only Frenchman on death row in Indonesia – “clemency, amnesty or a reduced sentence”.

Humanitarian grounds

“Serge is happy and calm”, added Sedillot, “but he is going to need a little bit of time to reorganise himself.”

His return was made possible after an agreement between the French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin and his Indonesian counterpart Yusril Ihza Mahendra on 24 January.

In the agreement, Jakarta said they had decided not to execute Atlaoui and authorised his return on “humanitarian grounds” because he was ill.

Atlaoui has been receiving weekly medical treatment at a hospital.

Atlaoui was arrested in 2005 at a factory in a Jakarta suburb where dozens of kilos of drugs were discovered and accused of being a “chemist” by the authorities.

A welder from Metz in northeastern France, the father of four has always denied being a drug trafficker, saying that he was installing machinery in what he thought was an acrylic factory.

“I thought there was something suspicious [about the factory],” Atlaoui told AFP in 2015.

Death row

Initially sentenced to life in prison, his sentence was reviewed by the supreme court and changed to death on appeal.

He was due to be executed alongside eight others in 2015, but was granted a reprieve after Paris applied pressure and the Indonesian authorities allowed an outstanding appeal to proceed.

Global executions at highest level in almost a decade, says Amnesty

There are currently at least 530 inmates on death row in Indonesia, according to the human rights organisation Kontras, referencing official figures.

Among them are 90 foreigners, including at least one woman, according to the Ministry of Immigration and Correction.

The Indonesian government recently signalled it will resume executions, on hiatus since 2016.

In December, Filipina inmate Mary Jane Veloso, who was arrested in 2010 and also sentenced to death for drug trafficking, was returned to her home country after an agreement was reached between both countries.

(with AFP)

The 60-year-old star of films like The English Patient and Certified Copy will succeed Barbie director Greta Gerwig who served as jury president last year.

Gerwig, the first American film maker to take on the role, and the rest of the jury awarded the Palme d’Or in 2024 to the film Anora by Sean Baker.

“In 1985, I climbed the steps for the first time with the enthusiasm and uncertainty of a young actress,” Binoche said in a statement, referring to her first experience in Cannes for the film Rendez-vous by André Téchiné.

“I never imagined returning 40 years later in this honorary role as jury president,” she said, adding “I am aware of the privilege, the responsibility, and the absolute need for humility.”

International fame

Binoche has worked with filmmakers from around the globe including David Cronenberg and Abel Ferrara (USA), Amos Gitaï (Israel), Naomi Kawase and Hirokazu Kore-eda (Japan), Krzysztof Kieślowski (Poland), and Hou Hsiao-hsien (Taiwan).

She is one of the rare actresses to have won awards at Europe’s three biggest film festivals, having been honoured at Cannes, as well as the Venice Film Festival and the Berlinale.

She is also among only a handful of French actors to have won an Oscar, taking Best Supporting Actress in the epic 1996 war drama The English Patient.

Stand up for culture

Binoche is also known for her outspoken political views, which have seen her take positions on issues from women in Iran to environmental causes and undocumented migrants.

She recently signed a petition entitled “Stand Up for Culture” (Debout pour la culture) against budget cuts planned by the French government in the cultural sector.

Binoche, whose latest film Queen at Sea is set to be released this year, has also publicly backed fellow actors speaking out about sexual violence following the #MeToo scandal in Hollywood.

Pushing for power and gender parity in France’s film industry

The festival pointed out that it was only the second time in its history that two women had presided over the jury in a row.

The previous instance dates back to the 1960s when Italian cinema icon Sophia Loren succeeded Olivia de Havilland from Gone with the Wind.

The remaining Cannes jury members still need to be selected.

The announcement of the official competition lineup is expected in mid-April.

(with AFP)

Bayrou used the Article 49.3 to push through both the first part of the Social Security financing bill (PLFSS) and the state budget.

A sustainable budget plan for this year is Bayrou’s priority after the austerity budget plan of his predecessor, Michel Barnier, was jettisoned along with his government in December.

However, Bayrou’s move immediately prompted two no-confidence motions from the left in the divided parliament, spearheaded by MPs from the far-left France Unbowed (LFI).

“This illegitimate government must fall,” France Unbowed coordinator Manuel Bompard wrote on social media platform X.

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

Bompard said the cuts to environment, housing, work, national education and research would be disastrous for ordinary French people.

However, the two motions put forward by his party have little chance of being voted through.

This comes after the Socialist MPs confirmed on Monday that they would not vote against the government, despite their criticism of what they termed “a right-wing budget”.

Eric Coquerel (LFI) the president of the parliament’s Finance Committee said that the Socialist Party’s concessions were “only the shrub that poorly hides the austerity forest”.

He called the budget proposal “worse than the one of Michel Barnier”.

Watered-down draft

The watered-down draft is the result of a compromise reached on Friday by 14 senators and deputies in a mixed committee (CMP.)

“No country can live without a budget,” Bayrou told the National Assembly earlier on Monday ahead of the debate, urging MPs to decide on a budget, “which will show responsibility and stability”.

Adopting the budget will allow the government to maintain the deficit at 5.4 percent of GDP, according to Bayrou.

The Socialist Party said in a press release that it did not want to see France in an extended period of financial limbo and would therefore “in a spirit of responsibility” not back the no-confidence vote.

French PM survives first no-confidence vote in parliament

Bayrou already managed to convince the Socialists not to back a no-confidence motion against him earlier this year in a major victory that heralded the end of the New Popular Front (NFP), a broad left-wing alliance that had endured since the election campaign.

But the Socialists broke off talks with Bayrou’s administration last week after he referred to migrants “flooding” France, borrowing from terminology used by the far right.

In a symbolic move, the party leadership decided Monday to table a separate no-confidence motion in response to Bayrou’s “flooding” comments, according to party sources.

The move was not expected to be supported by the far right or centre right and therefore will not help topple Bayrou’s government, party sources said.

Far-right keeps up suspense

The far-right National Rally (RN) whose votes are necessary for a no-confidence vote to succeed, said it will decide on Wednesday.

RN’s president Jordan Bardella said: “We need to avoid uncertainty because many of our fellow citizens… are extremely worried about possible long-term instability.”

Jean-Philippe Tanguy, an MP for the RN said on Sunday that the budget proposal was “worse than having no budget at all” and that he himself would support a no-confidence vote.

The adoption of the budget and survival of Bayrou’s government would represent a huge relief for President Macron.

New legislative elections cannot take place before July – one year after July’s legislative elections so the toppling of Bayrou’s government would plunge France into uncharted political waters.

Bayrou is Macron’s sixth prime minister since taking office in 2017. The president has faced calls to step down but has insisted he will serve out his term in full.

(With newswires)

In one of France’s first big MeToo cases, Haenel accused Ruggia of repeatedly touching her inappropriately when she was between 12 and 15-years-old, after they met while working on the movie The Devils in 2001.

Ruggia’s lawyer, Fanny Colin, told reporters that her client maintained his innocence and would appeal the decision – the director has denied any wrongdoing since Haenel’s first public accusations in 2019.

Haenel, 35, put her career on the line when she went public with her accusations against Ruggia in 2019, a time when France had yet to embrace the MeToo movement.

She received little open support from the French film industry at the time, and she quit the industry in 2023, citing continuing complacency about sexual abuse.

The situation changed, in part due to actress Judith Godrèche’s decision to go public with allegations that directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon sexually abused her when she was a teenager.

Godrèche was in the courtroom and hugged Haenel after the verdict. Also there was director Céline Sciamma, Haenel’s ex-partner and the director of “Portrait of a Lady On Fire”.

Ruggia, 60, is not the first man in French cinema to face charges over his behaviour on set.

Gérard Depardieu, one of France’s most famous actors, is due to go on trial in March. He is accused of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021. He denies the charges.

(with newswires)

Organised by European Council President Antonio Costa, the exceptional defence retreat will involve British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

The summit comes two weeks after US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House with promises of a “quick end” to the Ukraine war.

But European leaders fear he will cut off crucial aid to Kyiv and force a ceasefire that favours Moscow.

“Europe needs to assume greater responsibility for its own defence,” Costa told leaders in his invitation to the meeting.

Ahead of Monday’s meeting, 19 of the 27 European Union members, including France and Germany, signed a letter urging the European Investment Bank (EIB) to loosen its rules on what it can fund and increase the amount of money available.

The EIB is the world’s biggest multilateral public lender and has ploughed in billions of euros to help Ukraine since the Russian invasion in 2022.

EU takes historic step in funding joint weapons purchase

Defence readiness

“In light of the ongoing security challenges facing Europe, including Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, it is crucial that we take decisive action to strengthen Europe’s overall defence readiness and capabilities,” the letter, dated Thursday, read.

Initiated by Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, the letter calls for an expansion of funding mechanisms to address defence, industrial and technological needs.

Poland, though at the forefront of calls to ramp up EU defence spending, refrained from signing, in line with its role of neutral arbiter as holder of the bloc’s rotating presidency.

A spokesperson for the EIB said the lender had doubled “financing for security and defence projects in 2024” and plans “to double it again this year to a record high” of two billion euros out of a planned total of €95 billion.

‘Europe could die’: France’s Macron urges leaders to scale up EU defences

Increase NATO funding

Costa told reporters last Wednesday that the 23 EU members who also belong to NATO are likely to agree to raise the defence spending target above the current level of two percent when they meet for a summit in June.

“There is a very reasonable consensus among member states to continue on this path,” he said in an interview with Portuguese public broadcaster RTP, as reported by Reuters news agency.

“Whether it’s five percent, whether it’s three percent, I don’t know, it’s a decision that member states will make within Nato.”

Costa, a former Portuguese prime minister, said that countries must prioritise improving air defence, anti-missile and electronic warfare systems.

Trump has in the past thrown into question whether the United States would protect NATO members who did not meet the spending threshold, which he recently suggested should be raised to five percent of GDP.

More competitive

Spending on defence technology and industry will strengthen the EU economy’s competitiveness, Costa said, adding there would eventually be a need for a discussion on “common funding” to collective defence.

France and the Baltic states are pushing for joint European Union borrowing to fund defence spending. The outcome of that debate may depend on next month’s national election in Germany, which has so far opposed the idea.

In a separate development, Finland’s government on Friday announced plans to build a new TNT factory to shore up Finnish and European ammunition production.

The new factory, valued at over €200 million, will be constructed by Finnish explosives maker Forcit in the city of Pori on the country’s west coast.

Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said in a statement that the project would “will also enable Finland to continue its support for Ukraine in the long term”.

(with newswires)

Barely six months after his election, and staying true to his campaign promise to establish the court, Liberia’s President Joseph Nyuma Boakai endorsed a majority legislative vote in August 2024 to set up the long-awaited tribunal.

Decision welcomed

Since then, the international community, including France, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and the United States, whose courts have already tried and sentenced some Liberian war criminals, has welcomed the decision to establish the court, as has the United Nations.

Meanwhile, President Boakai and Liberia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, are engaged in a continuous diplomatic effort worldwide to seek support for the court, which will prosecute those most responsible for gross human rights violations during the country’s two civil wars, which lasted 14 years and ended in 2003.

The conflict resulted in an estimated 250,000 deaths, countless amputations, and widespread rape of girls and women, alongside a looming ethnic crisis and immeasurable destruction of both private and public infrastructure.

The court will also prosecute those accused of plundering the country’s financial and mineral resources, primarily diamonds, over the years. Around 50 suspects, including women – nearly half of whom are living abroad – are expected to stand trial, according to a former official from the Ministry of Justice, who spoke to this reporter on the condition of anonymity.

Former Liberian rebel commander appeals life sentence for war crimes

Many governments, international organisations, and stakeholders are responding to the Liberian government’s appeal to establish the court, whose final verdict is expected to serve not only as a deterrent to war crimes and impunity, but also to promote peace, reconciliation, and reconstruction.

Funding needed

Although a date for the court’s establishment has not yet been set, an unofficial estimate suggests that around one hundred million dollars will be required to set up and operate the court.

Meanwhile, the government has provided a secretariat for the War and Economic Crimes Court (WECC) and appointed Jarla Barbu, former Dean of the Arthur Grimes School of Law at the University of Liberia, as teh courts executive director.

Recent media reports quoted Counselor Barbu as saying that, although the secretariat still needs to be staffed and equipped, he remains optimistic that the court will be established, regardless of the challenges.

Before  Barbu’s appointment, widespread opposition from human rights defenders had led President Boakai to remove Lewis Brown, a prominent Liberian, from the position due to his alleged involvement with the war.

“Lewis Brown is no stranger to the civil war in Liberia,” said  T. Dempster Brown, Chairman of Liberia’s Independent Human Rights Commission, joining a growing chorus of critics.

T. Dempster Brown alleged that Lewis Brown’s role as national security adviser to Charles Taylor during the war clearly outlined his involvement in advising and facilitating actions that led to numerous civilian casualties, as well as his participation in economic transactions during that period.

Other Liberian human rights advocates, including Tennen Tehoungue, a Liberian PhD candidate in universal jurisdiction at Dublin City University in Ireland, echoed Dempster’s views.

However, T. Dempster Brown  and his colleagues readily accepted President Boakai’s new appointment of Barbu.

UN support

Last November, when  Nicola Clase, Sweden’s Permanent Representative to the UN and Chair of the UN Peacebuilding Fund, visited Liberia to advance dialogue on the country’s peacebuilding priorities, assess progress, and explore strategies for addressing emerging challenges in sustaining peace, she reiterated the UN’s commitment to supporting the Court.

“Liberia is at a critical juncture in its peacebuilding journey. The support of the international community has been instrumental, and we look forward to deepening our collaboration to sustain peace and build a prosperous future for all Liberians,” Liberia’s foreign minister, Nyanti, told the visiting Swedish diplomat.

Funeral of former Liberian warlord Prince Johnson reopens wounds of civil war

She emphasised the need for global support in addressing Liberia’s peacebuilding priorities, particularly in areas such as transitional justice, youth empowerment, and social cohesion.

“We call on our international partners to stand with Liberia as we navigate this crucial phase in our nation’s history. Together, we can ensure that the sacrifices of our people lead to lasting peace and prosperity,” Nyanti concluded.

Clase, for her part, expressed optimism about Liberia’s progress and reaffirmed the United Nations’ commitment to supporting the country’s peacebuilding agenda.

“Our visit is an opportunity to engage with Liberia’s leadership and stakeholders, assess ongoing projects, and identify ways to further strengthen peacebuilding efforts. I commend the Liberian government’s dedication to peace,” Clase said.

Warlord’s death

Shortly after Clase’s departure, Senator Prince Y. Johnson passed away. He was second-in-command to the imprisoned Charles Taylor and one of the notorious former warlords who captured and tortured to death the then-sitting president, Samuel Doe.

The former warlord, who later became a pastor and founded a church, is widely believed to be among the key suspects responsible for some of the most egregious human rights violations during the war.

Senator Johnson was a signatory to the legislative vote in favour of establishing the Court.

“I am not afraid of the War Crimes Court…they are using the court to intimidate me. Is it me you think you can intimidate?” he said.

“Why don’t you bring it now? Bring it! You can’t fool an old woman with what you have,” he shouted after casting his vote.

Earlier, Senator Johnson had threatened the civil society-backed TRC, which had listed him as a key war crimes suspect, warning that Liberia would return to war if the Commission insisted on summoning him to testify at its public hearings.

Similarly, former President Sirleaf, whom the TRC had imposed a 25-year ban on engaging in national politics due to her alleged role in fuelling the war, dismissed the Commission’s decision.

In its statement, the TRC described the actions of the two leaders as “a threat to peace and democracy and a further entrenchment of impunity, as war victims and survivors continue to hope in vain for justice.”

Since its launch in 2013, and even more so since 2018, the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair has grown into one of the most significant cultural events for African art, drawing gallery owners and artists from across the continent and beyond.

The galleries represent artists from all over the continent, from Ghana to South Africa, Tunisia to Angola.

The fair took place in the iconic events’ venue La Mamounia, in the heart of Marrakesh.

Since 2024, the art fair has also had exhibition spaces for younger artists in Dada, a gathering space for art, food and music near La Medina.

This year’s fair was held from 30 January to 2 February, during which the entire city hosted various art events, including exhibitions at the El Badi Palace and MACAAL, a museum dedicated to contemporary African art and artists from the African diaspora.

To understand how the fair built a platform for African art, RFI spoke to the fair’s founder and director, Touria El Glaoui on the opening day in Marrakesh.

El Glaoui shared how she frequently travels to African countries to discover new artists, events, and galleries. She also noted that new participants from across the African continent—and now even from Japan and Korea—are coming to the fair seeking representation.

We also visited other sites that make the event special, including art galleries, like Loft. 

“We opened the gallery sixteen years ago and we are a Moroccan gallery based in Morocco but with a real openness to the international scene,” Yasmine Berrada, co-founder of the gallery, told RFI.

“We’re open to Africa. We represent African artists from its diaspora. We’ve also worked with European artists,” she added. “We’re not closed off at all because, for me, there shouldn’t be any separation in art. I think that, on the contrary, we need to open up perspectives and integrate the Moroccan art market into the international stage.”

Our guests this week:

–Touria El Glaoui, founder and director of the 1:54 contemporary African art fair;

–Mous Lamrabat, Moroccan-Belgian artist;

-Yasmine Berrada, co-founder of the Loft art gallery.  

Episode mixed by Melissa Chemam.

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

The Paris region already produces its own beer, wine and cheese. Thanks to the ambition of residents in the southern suburb of Malakoff, it can now add olive oil to that list – a modest 50 litres, but it marks a beginning.

“Born to be Olive” isn’t available in the shops but has been shared out between the olive growers and those who supported the fundraising operation, says Vincent Chevrier, the brains behind the project.

He invites me to dip a piece of bread into the yellow liquid with a hint of green. It’s light and fruity.

“I think it’s quite complex,” says Chevrier. “It’s not filtered so it’s a pure, natural, organic product with a hint of acidity which is very pleasant. And what’s incredible is that it’s the result of all the olives we received – over 40 different varieties.” 

Chevrier struck on the “slightly absurd” idea of making local olive oil about a year ago while walking through his home-town of Malakoff and noticing that many houses had olive trees like his own.

“We don’t have a mill so we can’t process them here in Paris,” he explains. “It’s a bit daft to lose your fruit, and since we can’t do anything individually with a handful of olives, a few kilos at most, I thought we should try and get everyone together.”

He began knocking on people’s doors whenever he saw a tree in the front garden. “To date, we’ve counted more than 120 trees in two square kilometres.”

A Facebook page helped to spread the word and the Malakolives collective was formed. A few months ago they launched a crowdfunding project to buy equipment to both harvest and press the fruit.

The €1,900 raised was enough to buy an electric rake, nets, a grinder and an olive press.

More on this story in the Spotlight on France podcast, episode 121, listen here.

The harvest began in late October.

“I’ve never done it before,” says Géraldine Deschamps, combing the branches of her tree with the electric rake. It’s hardly a bumper crop but she says there’s a certain “magic” knowing her olives will be transformed into oil.

Further down the road, Catherine and Michel’s garden is carpeted with olives. The retired couple planted their tree when they moved to Malakoff 20 years ago. This year it’s produced around 10 kilograms.

“I don’t even like olives,” Catherine admits. “My husband puts them in brine each year and I don’t eat them. But I do like cooking with olive oil, usually from Greece. Now I’ll be able to use homemade oil.”

Parisian olive trees

Chevrier identified olive trees not just in Malakoff, but in neighbouring towns like Vanves and Chatillon – places where there are still houses (and therefore gardens), and stable communities to keep them going.

While olive growing is typically Mediterranean, the trees adapt well to northern France’s often damp and grey climate.

“You can plant olive trees in very arid climates with little soil, that’s why they were adapted to the Mediterranean climate,” Chevrier explains. “But in the rich soil in the north of France it could be even better. You can have very successful olive production around Paris and the more water they have the more fruit they’ll produce!”

Pressing the oil

The collective gathered 550 kilograms from 80 trees. On a Saturday in mid-December, locals brought olives of all shapes, sizes and hues to Malakoff’s urban farm for pressing.

On the forecourt, the fruit is ground into a sludgy paste, then heated to help release the oil.

Inside the wooden chalet, the paste is spread out on wicker type mats known as scourtin then pressed until the oil and olive liquid seep out.

“It’s very slow,” laughs Chevrier, watching drops of glistening oil drip down into a jerry can. 

Getting to this point involved a lot of trial and error and “testing in the basement” to iron out difficulties, but he says he can now help train others in making olive oil the artisanal way.

Guillaume Vens is all ears for insider tips. He brought along 80 kilograms of olives from 15 neighbours in La Garenne Colombes, 10 kilometres away. 

Tired of putting his olives in brine, Vens discovered the Malakolives project – which “opened the door” to oil-making.

He hopes to improve on the “nails and bamboo” fork he made for harvesting. “They have better equipment here,” he jokes.

Community spirit

Learning to make olive oil is a learning curve, but people are also drawn to working together as a community and developing the circular economy.

“If we want to be food self-sufficient, we have to produce locally,” says David Fayon, plumping down bag of olives from his two trees. “This project has a lifecycle, from the concept to the realisation and you harvest the fruit in every sense. On a human level there’s something really attractive about it.”

Harvesting ‘Red Gold’ on the rooftops of Paris

For Joanna Delaney, an instructor at the Malakoff urban farm, the project creates links between people locally in a way ordinary commerce doesn’t. “This is a different type of consumption because you’re consuming something you made together with your neighbours. That’s what I love about it,” she says.

Chevrier named the oil “Born to be Olive” – a play on words on the Patrick Hernandez disco hit “Born to be Alive” – and he hopes for increased production next year through better pruning.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to reach industrial production levels in Malakoff,” he admits. “But at least everyone will be able to have a few litres of olive oil in the future.

“The idea is above all to have a good time and meet up with your neighbours.”

Find more on this story in the Spotlight on France podcast, episode 121 listen here.

The film Haiyu – Rebel Singer Mariem Hassan and the Struggle for a Free Western Sahara, chronicles Africa’s last colony. This resource-rich territory of 266,000 square kilometres, with valuable phosphate deposits and fishing waters, is home to 600,000 inhabitants.

Since Spain ended its colonial rule in the mid-1970s, the region has remained caught between Morocco and Mauritania’s territorial claims, while Sahrawi independence fighters backed by Algeria continue their push for sovereignty.

At its premiere in Biarritz’s elegant Casino theatre, half the audience admitted they had never heard of Western Sahara. By the end, all applauded the film’s rare archival footage presenting an unprecedented Sahrawi perspective on the conflict.

RFI interviewed Mohamedsalem Werad, co-founder of the online platform Saharwi Voice and one of the film’s four directors, about the challenges of making the documentary and the story it tells.

RFI: Why is Western Sahara considered Africa’s last colony?

MW: Western Sahara remains colonised because superpowers like France and the United States provide Morocco with the support it needs to maintain occupation. Morocco does their dirty work in return for military and political protection at the UN Security Council. At the same time, they exploit the region’s natural resources for their benefit.

RFI: What was the goal of the documentary?

MW: The purpose of the documentary is to tell the story of Mariem Hassan and, through her, the story of the Sahrawi people and their fight for a free and independent Western Sahara.

RFI: Was Mariem Hassan the main symbol of Sahrawi resistance?

MW: Mariem Hassan was one of many figures in our struggle – and I insist on “one of”. There are many other legendary Sahrawis, from politicians to artists, who dedicated their lives to our cause. If we must speak of a Che Guevara for Western Sahara, it would be El Ouali Mustapha Sayed, the Polisario Front founder. He launched our revolution at 23 and was killed at 27.

RFI: How did music and culture play a role in Sahrawi resistance?

MW: We have a slogan: “Culture and music in service of liberation”. During Spain’s 90-year colonial rule, they deliberately limited Sahrawis’ access to education. Only a handful of people could read or write, so our nation relied on oral traditions like poetry and song. Music was essential for communicating messages of freedom, touching people’s hearts and strengthening their convictions.

From her refugee camp, Hassan sang against occupation, forced displacement and Morocco’s 2,700-kilometre defensive wall, built with American and Israeli expertise and known to Sahrawis as the “wall of shame”. Her song Arrabi al Arabe became an anthem for peace and unity.

Macron renews French support for Moroccan rule in disputed Western Sahara

RFI: What were the challenges of making this documentary?

MW: The film represents 10 years of work. We had no budget and faced enormous challenges. I worked from a refugee camp, another director was in Spain, and two others were in Sweden. We handled everything ourselves, from archive research to production, travelling only when we could raise funds.

RFI: Why are Sahrawi artists largely unknown outside the region?

There are so many barriers. We’re a small, divided nation, and even in the refugee camps, we only received electricity in 2015. We spent 40 years without development, making it impossible for our voices to be heard outside. Major powers have no interest in amplifying Sahrawi artists. It would expose their role in Morocco’s occupation and their exploitation of our resources.

RFI: What is Mariem Hassan’s legacy?

MW: When Sahrawis face difficult times, they find refuge and renewal in her music. She left us an extraordinary musical legacy that we must preserve.

In her final recorded message before her death in 2015, Hassan urged her people to continue to keep and develop our culture and arts. Through her music, she continues to inspire new generations to carry on the struggle.

We fight not just for her and past generations but for those to come,” Werad said, “so they won’t endure the same suffering she witnessed.

This story was adpated from the original version in French by Siegfried Forster

With the radio on and a paintbrush in hand, Nana Agyq methodically works on a 1.5 metre by 1 metre flour sack canvas.

In his small studio with blue walls in Teshie, a neighbourhood in Accra, he brings to life a terrifying creature: a giant wasp-woman devouring humans, inspired by the 1950s Roger Corman horror film The Wasp Woman.

“Some of my neighbours come to me and say: ‘Why do you only paint scary things? Because of you, I’m having nightmares.’ But I really enjoy painting horror films, that’s what works best,” Nana Agyq said.

Collectors, mostly American, are willing to pay between €430 and €1,000 per piece for these bold and humorous posters.

An artform kept alive

Robert Kof is the co-founder of Deadly Prey, an American-Ghanaian gallery where about 10 artists, including Nana Agyq, keep this art alive.

“What makes our posters so unique is the imagination we put into them”, he explains. 

“If a film, for example, is too boring, we add more action to it. Every day, something different must be represented… that’s what creates this hilarious love for our movie posters.”

From just four posters sold in the early 2010s, the Deadly Prey gallery now receives much more. 

Interest is growing in an art form that emerged in the 1980s, when mobile cinema operators used posters to draw crowds and boost profits.

“The operators of mobile cinemas were looking to double their profits,” says Joseph Oduro-Frimpong, an anthropologist at Ashesi University, explaining its origins.

“And one way to do that was to invest in artists to create posters to promote the films. The extravagant nature of the posters partly comes from the competition, which eventually became part of the art.”

However, with the rise of standardised reproduction in the 1990s, hand-painted posters began to disappear.

Today, Oduro-Frimpong is working to restore this cultural heritage, which has been largely forgotten by Ghanaians themselves.

► This report was produced by Victor Cariou for the RFI podcast Reportage Afrique.

Caletodraco cottardi, a carnivorous dinosaur that lived 100 million years ago, was first discovered on a beach in Normandy, northern France, in 2021.

Nicolas Cottard, a science teacher and amateur palaeontologist, was scouring the chalk cliffs around where he lives in Saint-Jouin-Bruneval, and found a large piece of stone with bones in it.

He and a another amateur fossil collector worked on preparing it – cutting out the bones using specialised chisels and micro-pneumatic hammers.

“They knew they had something interesting. So they contacted me and asked me, what do you think? And I said it’s difficult to say what it is,” recalls Eric Buffetaut, a palaeontologist with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).

Two years later Cottard found another piece of stone with more bones – vertebrae, part of a tail and pelvic bones – that fit with the first, and also included a tooth, which sealed the deal: it was a dinosaur.

Listen to an interview with Eric Buffetaut on the Spotlight On France podcast here: 

”The tooth was very, very clearly that of a carnivorous dinosaur. I spent quite a long time making comparisons and discussing it with colleagues in other countries as well,” explains Buffetaut, who determined it was a new species – one that belonged to the Furileusauria clade of dinosaurs, which until then had only been found in South America.

At the time Caletodraco cottardi lived, the Normandy cliffs would have been in the middle of the proto-Atlantic ocean. In the paper Buffetaut published about the discovery, he hypothesised that the dinosaur’s body had likely been washed out to sea and floated several hundred kilometres offshore, where its carcass was eaten by a prehistoric shark, because a shark tooth was found mixed in with the bones.

French scientists find giant dinosaur’s toe

Why this discovery was made in France is not yet understood, because even though the continents were not in the same position 100 million years ago, there was still water separating Europe and South America. The discovery could therefore shed new light on the evolution and migration of dinosaurs.

“That is what makes it really exciting. It’s not just because it’s a new dinosaur, but it raises a lot of questions about the geography of the time, about how these animals travelled around and so on,” said Buffetaut.

Palaeontology revival

Caletodraco cottardi is just one of several dinosaur fossils found in France over the last 20 years. Many were discovered at a dig in Angeac, in the south-west, where last year a new species of sauropod which lived 140 million years ago was identified.

Buffetaut says such finds are the fruit of an interest in dinosaurs that bloomed in the 1980s and 90s.

Discovery of dinosaur thigh bone in France thrills scientists

The 19th-century French anatomist Georges Cuvier was one of the first people to identify dinosaurs, or the concept of ancient, extinct species. He described vertebrae found in northern France as belonging to an ancient crocodile.

“He thought were peculiar crocodiles, but in fact, they turned out to be dinosaurs,” Buffetaut said.

But, subsequently, interest in dinosaurs waned in France.

“There was a long period when apparently French palaeontologists were not that interested in dinosaurs, but more interested in mammals or human evolution,” Buffetaut said.

“There was really a renewal of interest at the end of the 20th century, when a few palaeontologists in France said, we have dinosaurs in France, so why don’t we look at them in more detail? They have been there all the time, but nobody cared very much.”

Amateur collectors

France’s geological variety means there are dinosaur traces in its soil from all three periods of the dinosaur age, from around 252 million years ago to 66 million years ago.

“Of course, not all these geological formations have yielded dinosaurs, but quite a few have,” says Buffetaut.

One area particularly rich in dinosaur traces is the Jura mountain range in eastern France, on the border with Switzerland. The Jurassic era – 201 million to 145 million years ago – was named after the mountain range.

But fossils can only be studied if they are unearthed, and in France, as in many areas, this is thanks to amateurs, like Nicolas Cottard.

“Professional palaeontologists can’t be in the field all the time, everywhere, in a country like France. So you must rely on cooperation with people who are able to go and collect fossils in the cliffs along the sea every weekend, who keep a constant watch,” says Buffetaut.

”Without those people, many, many important fossils would remain undiscovered.”

Lack of funding

Professionals such as Buffetaut are called in to analyse, compare and confirm finds. But the number of experts dwindling, with fewer positions for palaeontologists studying dinosaurs in France today.

“When I first got my position in palaeontology, I thought it was really hard to find a job. But it was easy in comparison with what it is now,” says Buffetaut.

Palaeontology, unlike applied research, is not a lucrative field and as such, especially in a period of budget cuts, is not a priority.

“Palaeontology is not considered really something important,” says Buffetaut. “It has no economic importance.”

And yet, there is interest. He receives calls from students interested in digging up dinosaurs, although he tells them not to get their hopes up.

“I try to tell them if they are interested they should try but they should know it will be very, very difficult, and there is absolutely no guarantee of a job,” he says.

“But if you’re really motivated and interested, I don’t want to discourage you. I’m trying not to be discouraging.”

Listen to an interview with Eric Buffetaut on the Spotlight On France podcast, episode 122 here.

Algeria and France have a fraught history, marked by colonial rule and an eight-year war that led to Algerian independence in 1962.

Visiting Algeria in 2022, French President Emmanuel Macron said the two countries “have a complex, painful common past [that] has at times prevented us from looking at the future”. Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune described the visit as “promising” and “constructive”.

This visit marked one of the high points of the relationship in recent years, with Macron announcing the two governments would set up a joint committee of historians to study the archives of the colonial period.

But while long-established economic, security and cultural ties have allowed the two countries to weather many a storm, the last six months have seen major turbulence – which France’s former foreign minister, and prime minister, Dominique de Villepin described as the “worst crisis between the two countries since the war”.

It began in July when France sided with Morocco over Algeria over the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Outraged, Algeria withdrew its ambassador to France in protest. 

In November, Algerian authorities arrested French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal – who is openly critical of Algiers – on national security charges. France has said the continued refusal to release him has “dishonoured” Algeria. 

Relations again plummeted in January, when Algeria refused to take back an Algerian influencer deported from France, accused of inciting violence on social media.

“Nothing gives Algeria the right to offend France,” said hardline Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau this week in an interview with French newspaper L’Express, reiterating claims that Algiers had sought to “humiliate” France. 

Algeria denies escalation or humiliation and said France’s remarks were “dishonourable”.

Algeria’s Tebboune refuses France visit in snub to former colonial ruler

Domestic agendas

This talk of humiliation is largely “a game of ping-pong,” said Akram Belkaïd, chief editor of the Le Monde Diplomatique monthly newspaper. “It’s a game to see who can annoy the other the most. You wonder to what extent the crisis isn’t being instrumentalised for the purposes of both French and Algerian domestic policies,” he told RFI.

Both countries have their domestic headaches too. Tebboune was re-elected last year with more than 84 percent of the vote in elections that his opponents said were fraudulent. 

Meanwhile France’s fragile government is struggling to keep the far-right National Rally – now the biggest single party in parliament with 124 of the 577 seats – on side. 

“Bilateral relations are polluted by internal affairs and by internal political debates,” said Adlene Mohammedi, a researcher and lecturer on the Arab world. “In Algeria, you have a lack of democratic legitimacy and the Algerian regime is using this anti-French classic rhetoric to try to divert from the main problem of democracy. The internal French debate is polluting bilateral relations too.”

Mohammedi considers the interior minister to be on the far right, with the same ideological positions as the National Rally, particularly in terms of the party’s anti-immigration stance. 

Listen to a conversation with Adlene Mohammedi in the Spotlight On France podcast, episode 133

France retaliates

France has vowed to put relations “back on track” but is taking a tough stance. Proposed measures include suspending development, reducing visas and curbing freedom of movement for Algerian officials travelling to France.

The French interior minister is also pushing for the repeal of a 1968 bilateral agreement which gave Algerians coming to France special settlement and employment rights, following independence.

“The 1968 accords appear outdated and unbalanced…they’ve deformed Algerian immigration,” Retailleau said, insisting family settlement had taken over from the agreement’s original purpose of facilitating employment.

Mohammedi says such a measure would be very difficult to implement since it’s “basically an international treaty” so would require renegotiation. But the tough talk, he says, is designed to appeal to the hard right.

“They give the impression that because of this treaty, Algerian people in France are privileged, spoilt brats, which is certainly not the case.”

While he admits the current economic situation in France has changed since 1968, when the country needed cheap labour from Algeria, he contests the idea that Algerians are getting an easy ride.

“The general framework for foreigners in France is more advantageous than this treaty. If you are Mexican, Tunisian or Moroccan, you have the right to a multi-year residence permit, but the treaty means Algerians [do not].”

In addition, since 1986 Algerians need a visa to enter France, which, he says, many struggle to obtain. “So most of the time now, this treaty is much more of a problem than a privilege.”

France and Algeria revisit painful past in battle to mend colonial wounds

Getting back on track

France’s Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu said on Tuesday that France and Algeria had to “re-establish relations”, and Retailleau acknowledged there was “clearly a need to continue to work together against the threat of Islamist terrorism”.

The head of France’s intelligence services recently made a discreet visit to Algiers, suggesting the permafrost may be thawing slightly.

“It’s a sign of pragmatism between the two parties,” said Belkaïd, who is also a columnist with the Quotidien d’Oran daily newspaper. “Given current events, the secret services need to talk to one another”.

He cited “disorder” in the Middle East, notably in Syria following the ousting of former president Bashar al-Assad by Islamist Abu Mohammed al-Golani.

“The current situation in Syria is very uncertain and the new regime could decide to release [several dozen French-Algerian] detainees,” he told RFI. “So there’s a need for the Algerian and French authorities to continue to look at this closely.” 

And then there’s the question of France’s large Algerian diaspora, of around 2 million people. “There’s a constant flow of people, despite the issue of visas,” Belkaid noted. “A number of French small businesses realise a significant part of their turnover in Algeria.

“So the breakdown of diplomatic relations would really harm tens of thousands of people forced to stand by, powerless, and watch this decline.”

Algeria says envoy will only return if France shows ‘total respect’

Breakdown in diplomacy

For Belkaid, the roots of the current crisis predate the Western Sahara issue and reflect 20 years of “incapacity of Algiers and Paris to think about the 21st century together and to imagine what Franco-Algerian relations could be”.

A real strategy is needed, he said, and “not just memorial ornaments, discussion on memory, the war in Algeria”.

Efficient, high-level diplomacy is needed now more than ever, but France has cut its diplomatic corps in half over the last 30 years, and the interior minister is holding forth on issues that would ordinarily fall to the foreign office.

Diplomacy in France is “weakened,” said Mohammedi, partly due to its inconsistency. He gave the example of political prisoners. While France is demanding the release of Sansal, who it deems a political prisoner, three years ago when Algeria and France enjoyed good relations, the issue of Algeria’s numerous political prisoners was not publicly raised. 

Belkaid regrets the loss of “consensual figures on both sides of the Mediterranean,” meaning all the work behind the scenes “has been eroded”. 

“The institutional Franco-Algerian relationship is now characterised by an unbelievable void, because the two parties have not thought about how they could fill it,” he said.

Regardless of the issue of Western Sahara, which continues to cast a shadow, he insists that as long as the two countries are unable to find a way of redefining their relationship “we will continue to have repeated crises between Paris and Algiers”.

Turkish and Azerbaijani foreign ministers met in January in both Baku and Istanbul as part of efforts to deepen economic and trade cooperation.

Key to those goals is the plan to create a route dubbed the Zangezur corridor that would link Azerbaijan to the autonomous region of Nakhchivan bordering Turkey.

The corridor, which would go through Armenian territory, is part of a Turkish-Azerbaijani vision to develop a trade route between China and Europe.

Iran strongly opposes the proposed 40-km corridor because, observers say, it fears it would cut a vital route it uses to circumvent sanctions.

Iran’s ally Armenia also opposes the corridor as an imposition on its territory. But with Iran weakened by setbacks in Syria and Lebanon, Baku and Ankara see an opportunity to push ahead.

“A weaker Iran is a huge opportunity for Turkey in the Caucasus,” said Atilla Yesilada, a Turkey analyst for GlobalSource Partners.

“The only reason why Armenia resists the establishment of the Zangezur corridor is because of promises by Iran to defend it militarily.”

But with Iran coming under pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump, Azerbaijan or Turkey might be less likely to take Iran’s threats seriously, argues Yesilada.

Iran softens its stance

However, given Iran’s regional setbacks and the threat of increased pressure from Washington, Tehran needs friends in the region.

“It would be good for Iran if the Zangezur corridor is opened. It then has much better and closer relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan,” argues Huseyin Bagci, a professor of international relations at Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.

It will depends on “whether they want two countries which are not friendly or two friendly countries,” Bagci adds.

In January, Iran appeared to soften its opposition, with one senior Iranian diplomat declaring opposition to the Zangezor corridor no longer a priority. Tehran’s apparent softening coincides with its deepening ties with Moscow. 

Since Turkey and Azerbaijan don’t enforce many sanctions against Russia, Moscow supports the Zangezor corridor as a way to bypass international sanctions by creating new trade routes through countries that don’t impose them.

US position unclear 

“Russia is basically rebuilding its whole logistical network and this corridor is a potentially important part of this new network from north to south,” says Tatiana Mitrova, a research fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at New York’s Columbia University. 

“Therefore, Russia is saying: ‘It matters. It’s part of a new plan of diversification of our export and import routes.'”

US and Armenia launched joint military exercises last year in a sign of their closer ties. Analysts suggest that Washington has, until now, contained Turkey and Azerbaijan’s intentions.

However, the new Trump administration has not yet positioned itself on the corridor project. Armenian political consultant Eric Hacopian warns Baku and Ankara could try to exploit the uncertainty.   

“Trump creates chaos, and chaos is an opportunity for bad actors to do things that they normally wouldn’t do when there’s no one on the watch,” said Hacopian.

Turkey’s Erdogan sees new Trump presidency as opportunity

In 2023, Azerbaijan’s army, supported by Turkey, defeated Armenian-backed forces over the disputed Nagorno Karabakh enclave.

A final peace agreement has yet to be secured. But if Ankara focuses its efforts on reviving the stalled Azerbaijani-Armenian peace talks, then diplomatic gains could outweigh the economic benefits of the Zangezur corridor, says Asli Aydintasbas of the Washington-based Brookings Institution says . 

“Turkey can actually make itself a very significant partner (with Trump),” Aydintasbas argued, citing the Armenian-Azerbaijan peace deal.

If Turkey positions itself on that issue “it would be very interesting to President Trump, who wants to position himself as an international peacemaker,” said Aydintasbas. 

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking to foster close ties with Trump. At the same time, the Turkish leader is committed to supporting his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in their shared goal of turning their countries into a bridge between Europe and China.

“Recent airstrikes have led to the neutralisation of key figures within ISIS [the Islamic State armed group], marking a significant advancement as we progress into the second phase of our operation,” the regional government said Sunday.

It called the US involvement in air strikes “invaluable” and expressed “sincere gratitude”, but the statement did not provide more details on the strikes.

A Somali government statement said the operation in the Bari region was “jointly coordinated by the Somali and American governments” and had targeted “senior IS leaders”.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that the army had carried out airstrikes in the Golis mountains targeting a senior Islamic State attacker and other members of the group, killing many of them.

The strikes were carried out in a region where the Puntland Defence Forces have been carrying out operations against IS since December.

The group has a relatively small presence in Somalia, compared to the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab, but the UN has warned that it is growing.

The strikes send “a clear signal that the United States always stands ready to find and eliminate terrorists who threaten the United States and our allies, even as we conduct robust border-protection and many other operations under President Trump’s leadership,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in a statement.

It is unclear if this operation was planned under the previous US administration of President Joe Biden.

The United States has periodically carried out airstrikes in Somalia, the last one dating back to 2024 when three members of the IS were killed.

(with Reuters)

A big-budget French adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’s epic novel, The Count of Monte Cristo leads the 2025 Césars with 14 nominations.

Directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patellière, it was a box-office hit, drawing 9.4 million spectators in France last year.

Lead actor Pierre Niney is the front-runner in the best actor category, but faces competition from Francois Civil who starred in the romantic drama hit of the year, Amour Ouf (Beating Hearts), which received 13 nominations.

Niney won a César in 2015 for his portrayal of fashion legend Yves Saint Laurent, while Civil has been nominated on several occasions over the years.

Civil’s partner in Amour Ouf, Adèle Exarchopoulos has been nominated for best actress, 11 years after she won best upcoming female talent for La Vie d’Adèle.

French films storm Oscar nominations as Audiard’s Emilia Perez breaks records

Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Perez, which broke records last week with 13 Oscar nominations, is up for 12 Césars, including best film and best director.

The surreal musical about a Mexican drug lord who transitions to life as a woman won both the Jury Prize and a collective best actress award at Cannes in 2024.

In fourth spot with eight nominations including best film and best director is L’Histoire de Souleymane (Souleymane’s Story), an arthouse production that recounts the struggles of an undocumented food delivery cyclist in Paris.

The star of the film, Abou Sangare, was an undocumented migrant from Guinea with no previous acting experience when he was chosen at a casting call by director Boris Lojkine.

The 23-year-old was nominated for a Cesar in the breakthrough male actor category, while co-star Nina Meurisse was nominated as best actress.

Sangare, who was the subject of a deportation order, only recently obtained a work permit to stay in France legally as a mechanic.

Catherine Deneuve to host 50th edition of César cinema awards in 2025

Two honorary Césars

Catherine Deneuve, a two-time César winner, will host the awards alongside 12 other well-known figures from French cinema, including Jean-Pascal Zadi, star of the 2021 satire Tout Simplement Noir (Simply Black).

American actress Julia Roberts will receive an honorary César. She won an Oscar in 2001 for Erin Brockovich and became a household name with Pretty Woman in 1990.

The career of Franco-Greek filmmaker Costa-Gavras will also be honoured. President of the Cinémathèque Française museum, he won a César in 2003 for Amen, which condemned the Vatican’s silence during the Holocaust.

His latest film, Le Dernier Souffle (The Last Breath), about the end of life, is set for release in February.

The winners in 24 categories will be chosen by the 4,951 members of the César Academy.

(with AFP)

Europe must “assume a form of power dynamic” in the face of Donald Trump’s tariff threats, French Industry Minister Marc Ferracci said on Sunday, calling for a “biting” response to the American president.

“Trade negotiations with Donald Trump must assume a form of power dynamic,” Ferracci told France Info on Sunday, following the United States’ imposition of 25 percent tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10 percent on existing tariffs on Chinese products.

As the American president has threatened to also sanction the European Union, “it is obvious that we must react,” Ferracci stated, while adding that “we are waiting for the American administration’s decisions on what will concern Europe”.

According to him, “to be effective, the response must focus on products that are important to your interlocutor and the country with which you are negotiating”.

He emphasised that “it must be ‘biting,’ meaning it should have an impact on the American economy to have a credible threat in negotiations”.

“We must abandon naivety,” Ferracci stated, while calling to “better protect our industry” by implementing a “Buy European Act” to favour products made in Europe.”

“A lot at stake”

Brussels had until now indicated it hoped to avoid a trade conflict with Trump through negotiation.

But Trump said on Friday that he “absolutely” planned to target the EU in future, as he slapped levies on his north American neighbours and China.

“The European Union regrets the US decision to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China,” said a spokesman for the European Commission.

“Tariffs create unnecessary economic disruption and drive inflation. They are hurtful to all sides.”

The spokesman said “the EU would respond firmly to any trading partner that unfairly or arbitrarily imposes tariffs on EU goods”.

“At this time, we are not aware of any additional tariffs being imposed on EU products,” he added.

He said the 27-nation EU remained committed to low tariffs as a way to “drive growth and economic stability within a strong, rules-based trading system”.

And he reiterated the EU’s commitment to its trade and investment relationship with the United States — “the biggest in the world”.

“There is a lot at stake,” said the spokesman. “We should both be looking at strengthening this relationship.”

(With newswires)

Now in its 52nd year, the four-day event celebrates the “ninth art” with nine major exhibitions, special guests, dozens of talks and a bustling publishing marketplace.

The festival officially kicked off on Wednesday with the Grand Prize going to French author Anouk Ricard.

The 54-year-old is only the fifth woman to receive the award since it was created in 1974. It is also the second consecutive year a female artist has won, following British writer Posy Simmonds in 2024.

“I’m definitely seeing more women authors and that’s a good thing,” Ricard told the press, adding that she was “overjoyed” and “proud” to be chosen by her fellow cartoonists.

Ricard, who first made herself known in children’s publishing with her series Anna and Froga, was in the running against fellow French author Catherine Meurisse and the American Alison Bechdel, a key LGBTQ figure.

Britain’s Posy Simmonds wins top prize at Angoulême Comics Festival

The super power of comics

One of this year’s biggest draws is Superman: The Hero with a Thousand and One Lives, running until 10 March. Created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster at the height of the rise of Nazism, the superhero’s story reflects decades of social and political change in the United States.

“In an era where everything feels more sinister, it’s easier to promote Batman, who has a darker view of society,” exhibition curator Yann Graf told AFP. But he insisted Superman is “more relevant than ever” amid social unrest and climate concerns.

The festival is also showcasing emerging talents and has a dedicated pavilion for school students, complete with its own awards.

For artistic director Marguerite Demoëte, the event’s success lies in its inclusivity. “It represents all genres of comics for all age groups,” she said.

She noted that France’s comic book industry attracts readers from all backgrounds.

“There is no contradiction between the popular aspect and the literary aspect of these works,” she told France 24.

Comics can tackle serious topics with satire and humour while bridging generational gaps. Demoëte pointed to Mortelle Adèle, a rebellious schoolgirl created by Antoine Dole, alias Mr Tan, as a book that has inspired many children to start reading.

Young talents paint a bright future for vibrant comic book business

Olé Olé! 

Spain is the guest country of honour this year, with its own pavilion and a focus on Spanish authors, with the exhibition “Constellation Graphique”.

The collection includes works of nine women avant-garde authors such as Barbara Alca, Marta Cartu and  Roberta Vazquez.

Ernest Urtasun, the Spanish Minister of Culture present at Wednesday’s awards ceremony, welcomed the inclusion at the Angouleme festival as a “historic opportunity” for his country.

“Most countries look at Angoulême as the central point of dialogue around comics,” he told AFP.

Emilio Gonzalo, general secretary of the Spanish Comic Sector told RFI’s Spanish service that many Spanish authors had made their mark in the competitive world of comics.

“Almost 200 Spanish authors currently work in the United States in the superhero market, both in Marvel and DC Comics,” he said.

Japanese manga is also a major feature this year, with three key exhibitions.

Vinland Saga: A Quest for Identity explores Makoto Yukimura’s cult series from the 1990s, while Gou Tanabe X H.P. Lovecraft: Hallucinated Visions dives into cosmic horror.

The third exhibit, Kamome Shirahama’s Sorcerer’s Workshop, showcases the enchanting universe of the Witch Hat Atelier creator.

“The returning hostages have just been transferred to IDF (military) and ISA (internal security) forces in the Gaza Strip,” the military said, referring to Israeli Yarden Bibas and French-Israeli Ofer Kalderon who were freed by the Palestinian militants in the southern city of Khan Yunis. The Israeli American Keith Siegel was also released.

French President Emmanuel Macron said in a reaction that he shares ‘joy’ of Kalderon’s release after ‘unimaginable hell.’

Kalderon, 54, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz during the 7 October attacks along with his children Erez, 12, and Sahar, 16, who were released in November 2023.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s office confirmed receiving a list of three male hostages to be released Saturday but did not publicly disclose names.

“All hostage families have been informed by military liaison officers,” the office said.

However Hamas named Kalderon, American-Israeli Keith Siegel and Israeli Yarden Bibas as the three to be released, according to the group’s military wing spokesman on Telegram.

Family reacts

The Kalderon family said in a statement: “It’s an immense joy mixed with paralysing fear. We are waiting impatiently to finally reunite with Ofer. Until he is in our arms, we won’t dare to believe it.”

Kalderon’s ex-wife Hadas escaped the October attack by hiding in a shelter with their older children.

“When I first heard about the agreement, I couldn’t believe it. Even if it’s not perfect, it must be accepted – otherwise, we risk bringing back fewer hostages,” she told French daily Le Parisien.

Macron tells Netanyahu to honour Lebanon truce as death toll from Israeli fire rises

The release leaves just one French-Israeli, Ohad Yahalomi, in Hamas captivity.

Yahalomi, 50, was also taken from Nir Oz alongside his 12-year-old son Eitan, who was freed in November.

Palestinians released as well

Also on Saturday, three buses carrying Palestinian prisoners released by Israel as part of a ceasefire deal arrived in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis on Saturday.

The prisoners, many wearing grey prison uniforms, were greeted by hundreds of Gazans who gathered around the buses as they approached the city’s European Hospital.

The prisoners were to undergo medical checks at the hospital before heading to their homes.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club in Ramallah, 150 of the 183 detainees released on Saturday as part of the truce between Israel and Hamas were to be transferred to Gaza.

The hostage-prisoner exchanges continue under the ceasefire agreement brokered between Israel and Hamas. On Thursday, Hamas released eight hostages in exchange for 110 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

While the truce remains in place, tensions persist – with the sight of armed militants escorting hostages through cheering crowds raising objections among Israeli officials.

During the French protectorate in Tunisia, thousands of soldiers were conscripted to fight in World War I as part of the African colonial riflemen – the tirailleurs. But little remains today in terms of archives or recordings documenting Tunisia’s role in the 1914-1918 conflict.

Now, a joint effort between the Lautarchiv of Humboldt University and the phonotheque of Tunisia’s Centre for Arab and Mediterranean Music has helped recover these lost voices.

Funded by the German Lost Art Foundation, the project marks a step towards restoring a missing chapter of Tunisia’s wartime history. Of the 445 recordings returned, 111 feature soldiers from across North Africa.

The discovery of the recordings came by chance in the 2000s, when Mounir Hentati, cultural advisor and former director of the Centre for Arab and Mediterranean Music, visited Berlin.

“One day, I was a bit tired, so I went to the library. Really, that’s how it happened. I asked if there were any recordings related to Tunisia, and that was the turning point. I discovered a real treasure, and I dedicated myself to studying these documents and listening to them,” Hentati told RFI.

Among the earliest recordings is a song expressing the hardships of war and exile, sung by a Tunisian soldier.

One of the soldiers, Sadok Ben Rachid, was held in a camp south of Berlin with nearly 4,000 prisoners when German researchers began recording them using gramophones and phonographic cylinders.

The project was part of an ethnographic study of North and Sub-Saharan African soldiers.

“Some were both poets and musicians, and they set words to old melodies to convey messages. Other prisoners were asked to recite the Quran or sing a melody from their region of origin. It’s a very varied material. For me, it’s very moving because it’s like sound archaeology,” Hentati said.

“As part of a review of their colonial heritage policy, more and more researchers and voices in Germany have called for these archives to be released, to bring these voices back to life and, in a way, to resocialise them.”

After 25 years of discussions, the archives have finally been returned to Tunisia.

► This report was produced by Lila Blaise for the RFI podcast Reportage Afrique.

As US-based company Nvidia – the world’s leading manufacturer of AI chips – reels from a record-breaking stock drop, European semiconductor firms and AI developers are weighing what the disruption could mean for them.

Philippe Notton, CEO of SiPearl, a European company developing processors for supercomputers, told RFI that DeepSeek’s ability to develop AI with fewer resources could be a turning point.

“That’s bad news for Nvidia in terms of future sales, because if you can develop some competitive solution with fewer Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), it means that Nvidia will sell fewer chips,” he said.

“All the forecasts predict that the hype on GPUs and Nvidia is collapsing.”

Artificial intelligence may lead humanity to extinction, industry leaders warn

Unexpected crash

DeepSeek’s launch last week sent tech stocks plummeting.

On 27 January, Nvidia, called the “posterchild of America’s AI frenzy” by Bloomberg, lost $589 billion in market value – the biggest market-cap loss for a single stock ever.

The Nasdaq 100 fell 3 percent, and the S&P 500 dropped 1.5 percent.

DeepSeek claims to have developed its model with just €6.23 million, far below its Western competitors.

For comparison, Stephen Walker, an AI developer and founder of Klu.ai, estimates that training OpenAI’s ChatGPT requires about 25,000 Nvidia H100 chips costing between €23,900 and €29,700 each – bringing total development costs to nearly €920 million.

“If what DeepSeek said is true, they can develop such a model for only €5.75 million with some 2,000 to 4,000 GPUs, which is very, very low compared to what the others are using,” Notton said.

“It’s good news for the planet because it’s going to use much less energy to build this. It’s good news for Europe because they could do it for a limited budget.”

AI development cannot be left to market whim, UN experts warn

Plagiarism concerns

As the dust settled, accusations surfaced that DeepSeek may have built its model using data from US companies. OpenAI and Microsoft are investigating whether DeepSeek trained its chatbot using their proprietary data.

Daniel Castro, vice-president of the Washington-based Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), compared the situation to past innovations.

“Apple didn’t invent the smartphone,” he said. “They just invented the best one, and that’s why they were so successful with the iPhone.

“When something like this comes out, all the other companies are asking themselves: what are we doing to make sure to lower the costs. Ultimately that competition will be very good for the AI industry.”

French industry

Meanwhile, European tech firms scrutinise the DeepSeek phenomenon with interest.

According to Semiconductor Review, the industry generates €25 billion in yearly revenue and employs more than 50,000 people, constituting over 10 percent of the country’s total exports.

However, Acsiel, which monitors trends in the French electronics sector, reports the market fell 19 percent in the third quarter of 2024, to €486 million.

A massive reduction of research and developing costs in the increasingly competitive AI market may prove very welcome. 

The French AI start-up Mistral on Thursday hailed the latest DeepSeek model as “great,” and announced another new release of its own.

“R1 is a great and complementary piece of open-source technology,” Mistral said in a statement, while announcing its own new release “Mistral Small 3”, which it claims is competitive with larger models including Meta’s Llama and Alibaba’s Qwen.

Over-regulation?

However, US analysts argue that European AI regulations could hinder innovation.

Stephen Ezell, vice-president at ITIF, said the EU’s AI Act, introduced in July 2024, was one of the most restrictive regulatory regimes we’ve seen for AI globally.

“If I was a European policymaker looking at how a company like DeepSeek is challenging probably the top European AI company, Mistral … I would be very concerned about the approach of now putting them at a further disadvantage through this regulatory regime that really restricts access,” Ezell said.

The developments gain added significance following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of the €500 billion Stargate project, a joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank that he called “the largest AI infrastructure project in US history”.

This is something that Europe cannot compete with, Notton said.

“But if finally, we can do it for let’s say 100 times cheaper, it becomes much more reasonable,” which makes the DeepSeek phenomenon “a kind of revolution because if it can be produced for a lower price, much more countries will be able to do it.”

France’s Mistral AI signs partnership with Microsoft

Fears for free speech 

Advocates of free speech and data protection advocates are worried.

If users ask DeepSeek questions that are sensitive to China’s Communist Party, it suddenly stops functioning properly.

Probes about the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, independence for Tibet or Taiwan, or about deposed politicians or Chinese dissidents are flatly answered with “sorry, that’s beyond my current scope. Let’s talk about something else”, or “I am sorry, I cannot answer that question. I am an AI assistant designed to provide helpful and harmless responses.”

But Castro is not worried. “American and European researchers are not going to use this AI chatpod to research Chinese history or politics,” he told RFI. “If that was the primary use, that would be of concern.”

Yet other worries remain.

Dieter Kugelmann, president of Germany’s Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, warned that DeepSeek “seems to be lacking in pretty much everything in terms of data protection law”.

The app collects extensive user data – including IP addresses, chat histories and keystroke patterns – which could be stored on servers in Hangzhou, thus potentially accessible to China’s Ministry of State Security.

If these concerns prove valid, the EU may need to act. The European General Data Protection Regulation only allows data transfers with countries offering comparable protections to the EU.

No such agreement exists between China and the EU.

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winner’s names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you’ve grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week.

As you know, World Radio Day is coming up on 13 February, and we’ll have the annual WRD Sound Kitchen feast next Saturday, 8 February, to get you ready for your upcoming festivities.

Be sure and take a look at the RFI English Listeners Forum Facebook page – there are oodles of wonderful graphics posted by your fellow Sound Kitchen listeners – there’s even a World Radio Day quiz from Anand Mohan Bain, the president of the RFI Pariwer Bandhu SWL Club in Chhattisgarh India – so don’t miss out!

The RFI English team is pleased to announce that Saleem Akhtar Chadhar, the president of the RFI Seven Stars Listening Club in District Chiniot, Pakistan, won the RFI / Planète Radio ePOP video contest, in the RFI Clubs category. Bravo Saleem! Mubarak ho!

Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your music requests, so get them in! Send your music requests to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr  Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all!

Facebook: Be sure to send your photos to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr for the RFI English Listeners Forum banner!

More tech news: Did you know we have a YouTube channel? Just go to YouTube and write “RFI English” in the search bar, and there we are! Be sure to subscribe to see all our videos.

Would you like to learn French? RFI is here to help you!

Our website “Le Français facile avec RFI” has news broadcasts in slow, simple French, as well as bilingual radio dramas (with real actors!) and exercises to practice what you have heard.

Go to our website and get started! At the top of the page, click on “Test level”. According to your score, you’ll be counselled to the best-suited activities for your level.

Do not give up! As Lidwien van Dixhoorn, the head of “Le Français facile” service told me: “Bathe your ears in the sound of the language, and eventually, you’ll get it.” She should know – Lidwien is Dutch and came to France hardly able to say “bonjour” and now she heads this key RFI department – so stick with it!

Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!

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

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

Remember, podcasts are radio, too! As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service. Please keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our journalists. You never know what we’ll surprise you with!

To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you’ll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone.

To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show. 

Teachers take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is english.service@rfi.fr  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below. 

Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English – that’s how I worked on my French, reading books that were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it’s a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald’s free books, click here.

Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!

This week’s quiz: On 21 December, I asked you a question about that week’s International Report podcast, produced by RFI English journalist Melissa Chemam. It was really interesting – Melissa reported on a series of 22 short films produced by Gazan filmmakers.

As Melissa noted: “The films aim to share the voices of people living through the conflict in Gaza, offering a glimpse into their fears, dreams, and hopes.”

Entitled From Ground Zero, the 112-minute collection is presented as a feature film in two parts and has been selected to represent Palestine at the Oscars in March 2025.

The project was made possible by the Masharawi Fund for Gaza Filmmakers, created in 2023 by Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi.

You were to listen to Melissa’s 15 December International Report podcast – “Gaza’s powerful war narratives make their way to the Oscars” – and answer me this: What are the names of three of Masharawi’s films, and in which years were they produced? 

The answer is, to quote Melissa: “Masharawi, who is from Gaza, is one of the first Palestinian filmmakers to have directed cinema projects in the occupied Palestinian territories.

His first film, Travel Document, was released in 1986, followed by The Shelter in 1989 and Long Days in Gaza in 1991.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: What would your fantasy road trip be like?

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

The winners are: Ali Shahzad, a member of the RFI Seven Stars Listening Club in District Chiniot, Pakistan. Ali is also this week’s bonus question winner – congratulations on your double win, Ali!  

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are RFI Listeners Club members Father Steven Wara, who lives in the Cistercian Abbey in Bamenda, Cameroon, and Zenon Teles, the president of the Christian – Marxist – Leninist – Maoist Association of Listening DX-ers in Goa, India. There’s Bithi Begum, a member of the Shetu RFI Listeners Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh, and RFI English listener Amara, who belongs to the International Radio Fan and Youth Club in Khanewal, Pakistan.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “The Courtly Dances” from Gloriana by Benjamin Britten, performed by Julian Bream and the Julian Bream Consort; “Bulbul Al-Afrah” by Dede Effendi Bayati Husseini-Muhayyer Maqam, performed by Nidaa Abou Mrad and the Classical Arabic Music Ensemble; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and “Green Chimneys” by Thelonious Monk, performed by Thelonius Monk with the Thelonius Monk Quartet.  

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 “African nations set to light up the homes of 300 million people by 2030”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 24 February to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 1 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

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

Click here to learn how to win a special Sound Kitchen prize.

Click here to find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or form your own official RFI Club.   

When the United Kingdom formally left the European Union at 11pm universal time on 31 January 2020, the economies on both sides of the English Channel entered unchartered waters.

While breaking from the EU was championed by Brexiteers as a step toward sovereignty and economic independence, its impact has been mixed.

As Prime Minister Keir Starmer seeks better deals with Brussels, EU officials insist insist Britain must first implement the existing agreements before any concessions are considered.

The financial burden of Brexit continues to mount, with estimates putting the cost at over €36 billion.

Unresolved questions

Trade figures show the scale of change.

UK exports to the EU fell by 27 percent and imports dropped by 32 percent between 2021 and 2023, the Institute for Public Policy Research reports. 

“It’s been a success in the sense that Brexit now feels like something in the past. It’s been done. But it’s not something that everyone’s terribly happy about,” UK politics professor Colin Hay, from Sciences-Po in Paris, told RFI.

“They’re not chuffed [with what] Brexit turned out to be. And that leaves a whole series of questions unresolved, which now become the agenda for the next five years and next 10 years.”

The UK has yet to fully implement the Brexit deal’s requirements for produce to flow freely between Britain and the EU.

Over the past five years, British businesses have adapted to new conditions and Prime Minister Starmer wants to improve the terms of trade between Britain and the EU. 

“But he doesn’t want something which looks like it’s about seriously revisiting and overturning part of the Brexit deal,” Hay said.

“So it’s a little bit one foot in, one foot out … in particular, what he has asked for is easing up the flow of goods into the UK economy from the European Union and vice versa, particularly foods.”

EU and UK clash in first post-Brexit legal battle over North Sea fishing ban

Europe still strong

While the EU has maintained economic cohesion despite global challenges like the Ukraine war and inflation, Brexit has affected both sides.

“Brexit was not a victimless crime,” said Hay. “Brexit caused hardship for Britain, but it’s caused hardship for every single one of the EU member states that exports to the UK.

“Since most of those economies had a balance of trade surplus with the UK, in one sense, it’s done almost more harm to EU member states together than it’s done to Britain individually. So there has been lots of suffering from this.”

The split has weakened Europe’s geopolitical position in negotiations with global powers like Russia, China and the US.

UK’s centre-left Labour sweeps to power as leader Starmer vows to bring change

Shifting attitudes

A recent YouGov survey found 55 percent of Britons now consider Brexit a mistake, with younger people particularly favouring closer European ties.

“The polls show that if a referendum were to happen tomorrow, Britain would vote to overturn the original decision,” said Hay.

“But there’s a very big but here, because if you study the polling data, if you ask British citizens if they would they like to have a second referendum, they’re very clear that they don’t want to revisit the question again … [and] the Labour government is not contemplating that at all.

“The British political class today views Brexit as something which has already happened and is irreversible now,” said Hay.

French forces have left Chad after 65 years of almost continuous presence in the West African country.

While the withdrawal was undertaken at Chad’s request, France’s foreign ministry told RFI it is “absolutely not the end” of cooperation on military matters.

The ministry’s spokesperson also outlined France’s position on the crisis in eastern DRC where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels are advancing in North and South Kivu provinces.

On Thursday, the French army handed the Adij Kossei base – its last military compound in Chad – over to Chadian authorities, with President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno welcoming what he called the “definitive and complete departure” of French forces.

The handover marks the end of France’s military presence in its former colony “according to the wishes of the high Chadian authorities” in the capital N’Djaména.

President Déby, in power since 2021, had previously said the cooperation agreements with France had become “completely obsolete” in light of “the political and geostrategic realities of our time”.

French withdrawal across Sahel

French forces have already been forced to withdraw from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger in the wake of military coups, marking a decline in French influence in West Africa.

But Christophe Lemoine, spokesperson with France’s Foreign Ministry, insists the closure of the Kossei base was “the natural outcome” of talks with Chad in the context of reconfiguring France’s military presence on the African continent.

He underlined that France and Chad will continue to cooperate in several fields.

“It is absolutely not the end of cooperation with Chad in military terms,” he told RFI, adding that bilateral cooperation – such as public development aid, economic cooperation, cultural cooperation, student exchanges –  would also continue.

On Friday, however, Déby appeared to strike a different tone: “We are not breaking off our relationship with France but we are ending the military dimension of this cooperation,” the leader said at the base, where only the Chadian flag is now flying.

France to reduce military presence in West and Central Africa

Chad ‘not concerned’ by Macron comments

Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments to diplomats that African countries “forgot to say thank you” for France’s decade-long deployment to fight an Islamist insurgency in the Sahel met with irritation among France’s remaining African allies. 

Chad’s foreign affairs minister called the remarks “humiliating and unacceptable”.

Lemoine insists Macron was “expressly referring to the operations that have been deployed in certain Sahel countries at the request of these states”.

“I’m thinking of the Barkhane and Serval missions, especially in Mali,” he added.

French troops were deployed in Mali in 2013 to help in the fight against terrorism, at the request of Malian authorities.

“France lost 58 French soldiers in these operations. And I think that’s what the President of the Republic was referring to. It was not a criticism addressed to the Chadians who were not concerned by these operations. I think we have to be precise about the situation and not mix things up”.

Macron’s Africa ‘reset’ stumbles as leaders call out colonial overtones

Rwanda must withdraw

In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, heavy fighting between Rwandan-backed M23 fighters and Congolese government forces have led to several deaths and forced thousands to flee.

M23 claims to have taken control of Goma in East Kivu province and is advancing in South Kivu. It has vowed to march all the way to Kinshasa.

Lemoine described the situation as “very worrying” and “dramatic” for the civilian population, saying the situation had to end.

“From France’s perspective, the best way to end the situation is to find a diplomatic solution through dialogue between [Congolese] President Tshisekedi and [Rwanda’s] President Kagame, in order to put in place a plan for the full withdrawal of  M23 troops from the Congolese territory.”

France has already called on Rwanda to stop its offensive and Lemoine reiterated its demand that Rwanda withdraw its troops citing the principle of respect for DRC’s territorial sovereignty.

“North Kivu is Congolese territory and foreign troops must leave the Kivu area,” he said.

While Germany has suspended development aid to Rwanda in protest over the DRC crisis, Lemoine said France had “not yet” made a decision on whether to follow suit.

As for sanctions, he insisted that such decisions had to be made “either at the UN or EU level”.

Faithfull, who inspired the Rolling Stones to compose the iconic “As Tears Go By” in 1964, moved to the French capital in the 1990s.

She was a vocal fan of Édith Piaf and Juliette Gréco.

Faithfull was managed by François Ravard, who later became her partner. He produced her live album “20th Century Blues”, recorded at the New Morning club in Paris in 1997.

By the 2000s, she had settled in the first arrondissement, near the chic rue Saint-Honoré. About 10 years later, she moved to the Left Bank, living in Montparnasse.

‘Music saved my life’

Faithfull endured many health struggles, including alcoholism, drug addiction, hepatitis and breast cancer. In a 2011 interview with RFI’s Imogen Lamb, she reflected on the role of music in her life:

“[Music] really saved my life. I always thought it might. I had great faith in that.”

“I often think that it’s the vibrations in the sound that are so healing […] Certain chords are very healing. I know that.”

Tears gone by as Marianne Faithfull tours again

Speaking about “The Ballad of Lucy Jordan”, the hit from her album “Broken English”, which marked her comeback in 1979, she said: “It’s a song written by Shel Silverstein. He can write beautifully about women and what they’re feeling and thinking and the situation they’re in.”

Faithfull could identify with Lucy Jordan.

“I know I’m not a housewife in a white suburb somewhere, cleaning the house all day… I never was. But I do understand Lucy Jordan and I put my heart into it,” she said.

‘I ended up in this life by mistake’

In 2016, French news agency AFP interviewed Faithfull after she recounted her life in the documentary Marianne Faithfull, Fleur d’âme, directed by French actress Sandrine Bonnaire. The film won awards at the Biarritz Audiovisual Festival in 2018.

“I always tell myself I ended up in this life by mistake because of Andrew [Loog Oldham] and the fascination with the Rolling Stones,” Faithfull said.

In this interview, she also talked about “They Come at Night”, inspired by the 13 November, 2015 Paris attacks: “I was at home, so shocked that I had to write a text immediately.”

Yet, she would perform at the Bataclan on 24 November, 2016.

In 2020, after recovering from a severe case of Covid, Marianne Faithfull crossed the Channel back to London.

The group’s capture of most of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, earlier in the week was a dramatic escalation in a region that has seen decades of conflict involving multiple armed groups.

Rwanda says its primary interest is to eradicate fighters linked to the 1994 genocide but is accused of seeking to profit from the region’s reserves of minerals used in global electronics.

The crisis has rattled the continent and international observers, with a southern African regional bloc holding an emergency summit in Zimbabwe‘s capital Harare on Friday.

M23 fighters are now moving south.

Local sources told AFP on Thursday that fighting was concentrated some 30 kilometres from the city of Kavumu.

The city has a strategic military airfield and is where the Congolese army has laid down its defensive line just 40 km north of South Kivu’s provincial capital Bukavu.

The United Nations warned it was concerned by “credible reports that the M23 is moving rapidly towards the city of Bukavu”.

Troops ‘vigorously’ countering M23 push, says DRC president Tshisekedi

The second biggest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after Goma, Bukavu has a population believed to be around two million.

The Congolese army has yet to comment on the latest M23 advances but President Felix Tshisekedi said earlier this week that a “vigorous” military response was under way.

Information about the fast-moving offensive has remained unclear, but so far M23 fighters have met limited resistance from the ill-equipped and poorly paid Congolese forces.

In Goma, residents have emerged to count the dead and search for food, as hospitals struggled to cope with the wounded.

“We do not want to live under the thumb of these people,” one person, who asked not to be named, told AFP.

The United Nations, United States, European Union, China, Britain, France and mediator Angola have all called on Rwanda to withdraw its forces.

Britain said Thursday it was considering reviewing aid to Rwanda.

Tshisekedi skips crisis summit as M23 tightens grip on eastern DRC

‘Not Rwandans’

Rwanda has hit back at the criticism, with government spokesperson Yolande Makolo saying the UK did not deliver “a direct warning” about aid.

“The international community has its fair share of the blame in the current situation,” she posted on X.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame also strongly rejected accusations that Kigali is supporting the armed group, saying: “M23 are not Rwandans – they are Congolese.”

On Friday, the 16-nation Southern African Development Community will hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss the “worrying situation”.

Kagame and Angolan President Joao Lourenco, the African Union-appointed mediator between Kigali and Kinshasa on the conflict, will not attend.

The meeting follows soaring tensions between Kagame and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa after the deaths of 13 South African soldiers in DRC’s east.

“We are ready to defend ourselves if we are attacked by a coalition including South African forces,” Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe told South African public broadcaster SABC late Thursday.

Rebels tighten grip on Congo mineral wealth as UN warns of long-term control

‘We will not leave’

The M23 and Rwandan troops entered Goma on Sunday. During days of intense clashes that killed more than 100 people, the group seized control over much of the city as many Congolese soldiers surrendered or fled.

“We are in Goma and we will not leave,” Corneille Nangaa, head of a coalition of groups including the M23, said on Thursday.

“We will continue the march of liberation all the way to Kinshasa,” he added.

The offensive has heightened an already dire humanitarian crisis in the region, causing food and water shortages and forcing half a million people from their homes this month, the UN said.

Africa‘s health agency warned that the “unnecessary war” in eastern DRC – a hotspot for infectious diseases including mpox – raised the risk of pandemic.

The DRC has accused Rwanda of waging an offensive to profit from the region’s mineral wealth.

Rwanda has denied the accusations.

Since its launch in 2013, and even more so since 2018, the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair has grown into one of the most significant cultural events for African art, drawing gallery owners and artists from across the continent and beyond.

The galleries represent artists from all over the continent, from Ghana to South Africa, Tunisia to Angola.

The fair took place in the iconic events’ venue La Mamounia, in the heart of Marrakesh.

Since 2024, the art fair has also had exhibition spaces for younger artists in Dada, a gathering space for art, food and music near La Medina.

This year’s fair was held from 30 January to 2 February, during which the entire city hosted various art events, including exhibitions at the El Badi Palace and MACAAL, a museum dedicated to contemporary African art and artists from the African diaspora.

To understand how the fair built a platform for African art, RFI spoke to the fair’s founder and director, Touria El Glaoui on the opening day in Marrakesh.

El Glaoui shared how she frequently travels to African countries to discover new artists, events, and galleries. She also noted that new participants from across the African continent—and now even from Japan and Korea—are coming to the fair seeking representation.

We also visited other sites that make the event special, including art galleries, like Loft. 

“We opened the gallery sixteen years ago and we are a Moroccan gallery based in Morocco but with a real openness to the international scene,” Yasmine Berrada, co-founder of the gallery, told RFI.

“We’re open to Africa. We represent African artists from its diaspora. We’ve also worked with European artists,” she added. “We’re not closed off at all because, for me, there shouldn’t be any separation in art. I think that, on the contrary, we need to open up perspectives and integrate the Moroccan art market into the international stage.”

Our guests this week:

–Touria El Glaoui, founder and director of the 1:54 contemporary African art fair;

–Mous Lamrabat, Moroccan-Belgian artist;

-Yasmine Berrada, co-founder of the Loft art gallery.  

Episode mixed by Melissa Chemam.

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

Turkish and Azerbaijani foreign ministers met in January in both Baku and Istanbul as part of efforts to deepen economic and trade cooperation.

Key to those goals is the plan to create a route dubbed the Zangezur corridor that would link Azerbaijan to the autonomous region of Nakhchivan bordering Turkey.

The corridor, which would go through Armenian territory, is part of a Turkish-Azerbaijani vision to develop a trade route between China and Europe.

Iran strongly opposes the proposed 40-km corridor because, observers say, it fears it would cut a vital route it uses to circumvent sanctions.

Iran’s ally Armenia also opposes the corridor as an imposition on its territory. But with Iran weakened by setbacks in Syria and Lebanon, Baku and Ankara see an opportunity to push ahead.

“A weaker Iran is a huge opportunity for Turkey in the Caucasus,” said Atilla Yesilada, a Turkey analyst for GlobalSource Partners.

“The only reason why Armenia resists the establishment of the Zangezur corridor is because of promises by Iran to defend it militarily.”

But with Iran coming under pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump, Azerbaijan or Turkey might be less likely to take Iran’s threats seriously, argues Yesilada.

Iran softens its stance

However, given Iran’s regional setbacks and the threat of increased pressure from Washington, Tehran needs friends in the region.

“It would be good for Iran if the Zangezur corridor is opened. It then has much better and closer relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan,” argues Huseyin Bagci, a professor of international relations at Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.

It will depends on “whether they want two countries which are not friendly or two friendly countries,” Bagci adds.

In January, Iran appeared to soften its opposition, with one senior Iranian diplomat declaring opposition to the Zangezor corridor no longer a priority. Tehran’s apparent softening coincides with its deepening ties with Moscow. 

Since Turkey and Azerbaijan don’t enforce many sanctions against Russia, Moscow supports the Zangezor corridor as a way to bypass international sanctions by creating new trade routes through countries that don’t impose them.

US position unclear 

“Russia is basically rebuilding its whole logistical network and this corridor is a potentially important part of this new network from north to south,” says Tatiana Mitrova, a research fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at New York’s Columbia University. 

“Therefore, Russia is saying: ‘It matters. It’s part of a new plan of diversification of our export and import routes.'”

US and Armenia launched joint military exercises last year in a sign of their closer ties. Analysts suggest that Washington has, until now, contained Turkey and Azerbaijan’s intentions.

However, the new Trump administration has not yet positioned itself on the corridor project. Armenian political consultant Eric Hacopian warns Baku and Ankara could try to exploit the uncertainty.   

“Trump creates chaos, and chaos is an opportunity for bad actors to do things that they normally wouldn’t do when there’s no one on the watch,” said Hacopian.

Turkey’s Erdogan sees new Trump presidency as opportunity

In 2023, Azerbaijan’s army, supported by Turkey, defeated Armenian-backed forces over the disputed Nagorno Karabakh enclave.

A final peace agreement has yet to be secured. But if Ankara focuses its efforts on reviving the stalled Azerbaijani-Armenian peace talks, then diplomatic gains could outweigh the economic benefits of the Zangezur corridor, says Asli Aydintasbas of the Washington-based Brookings Institution says . 

“Turkey can actually make itself a very significant partner (with Trump),” Aydintasbas argued, citing the Armenian-Azerbaijan peace deal.

If Turkey positions itself on that issue “it would be very interesting to President Trump, who wants to position himself as an international peacemaker,” said Aydintasbas. 

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking to foster close ties with Trump. At the same time, the Turkish leader is committed to supporting his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in their shared goal of turning their countries into a bridge between Europe and China.

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winner’s names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you’ve grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week.

As you know, World Radio Day is coming up on 13 February, and we’ll have the annual WRD Sound Kitchen feast next Saturday, 8 February, to get you ready for your upcoming festivities.

Be sure and take a look at the RFI English Listeners Forum Facebook page – there are oodles of wonderful graphics posted by your fellow Sound Kitchen listeners – there’s even a World Radio Day quiz from Anand Mohan Bain, the president of the RFI Pariwer Bandhu SWL Club in Chhattisgarh India – so don’t miss out!

The RFI English team is pleased to announce that Saleem Akhtar Chadhar, the president of the RFI Seven Stars Listening Club in District Chiniot, Pakistan, won the RFI / Planète Radio ePOP video contest, in the RFI Clubs category. Bravo Saleem! Mubarak ho!

Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your music requests, so get them in! Send your music requests to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr  Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all!

Facebook: Be sure to send your photos to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr for the RFI English Listeners Forum banner!

More tech news: Did you know we have a YouTube channel? Just go to YouTube and write “RFI English” in the search bar, and there we are! Be sure to subscribe to see all our videos.

Would you like to learn French? RFI is here to help you!

Our website “Le Français facile avec RFI” has news broadcasts in slow, simple French, as well as bilingual radio dramas (with real actors!) and exercises to practice what you have heard.

Go to our website and get started! At the top of the page, click on “Test level”. According to your score, you’ll be counselled to the best-suited activities for your level.

Do not give up! As Lidwien van Dixhoorn, the head of “Le Français facile” service told me: “Bathe your ears in the sound of the language, and eventually, you’ll get it.” She should know – Lidwien is Dutch and came to France hardly able to say “bonjour” and now she heads this key RFI department – so stick with it!

Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!

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

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

Remember, podcasts are radio, too! As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service. Please keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our journalists. You never know what we’ll surprise you with!

To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you’ll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone.

To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show. 

Teachers take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is english.service@rfi.fr  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below. 

Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English – that’s how I worked on my French, reading books that were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it’s a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald’s free books, click here.

Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!

This week’s quiz: On 21 December, I asked you a question about that week’s International Report podcast, produced by RFI English journalist Melissa Chemam. It was really interesting – Melissa reported on a series of 22 short films produced by Gazan filmmakers.

As Melissa noted: “The films aim to share the voices of people living through the conflict in Gaza, offering a glimpse into their fears, dreams, and hopes.”

Entitled From Ground Zero, the 112-minute collection is presented as a feature film in two parts and has been selected to represent Palestine at the Oscars in March 2025.

The project was made possible by the Masharawi Fund for Gaza Filmmakers, created in 2023 by Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi.

You were to listen to Melissa’s 15 December International Report podcast – “Gaza’s powerful war narratives make their way to the Oscars” – and answer me this: What are the names of three of Masharawi’s films, and in which years were they produced? 

The answer is, to quote Melissa: “Masharawi, who is from Gaza, is one of the first Palestinian filmmakers to have directed cinema projects in the occupied Palestinian territories.

His first film, Travel Document, was released in 1986, followed by The Shelter in 1989 and Long Days in Gaza in 1991.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: What would your fantasy road trip be like?

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

The winners are: Ali Shahzad, a member of the RFI Seven Stars Listening Club in District Chiniot, Pakistan. Ali is also this week’s bonus question winner – congratulations on your double win, Ali!  

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are RFI Listeners Club members Father Steven Wara, who lives in the Cistercian Abbey in Bamenda, Cameroon, and Zenon Teles, the president of the Christian – Marxist – Leninist – Maoist Association of Listening DX-ers in Goa, India. There’s Bithi Begum, a member of the Shetu RFI Listeners Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh, and RFI English listener Amara, who belongs to the International Radio Fan and Youth Club in Khanewal, Pakistan.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “The Courtly Dances” from Gloriana by Benjamin Britten, performed by Julian Bream and the Julian Bream Consort; “Bulbul Al-Afrah” by Dede Effendi Bayati Husseini-Muhayyer Maqam, performed by Nidaa Abou Mrad and the Classical Arabic Music Ensemble; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and “Green Chimneys” by Thelonious Monk, performed by Thelonius Monk with the Thelonius Monk Quartet.  

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 “African nations set to light up the homes of 300 million people by 2030”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 24 February to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 1 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

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

Click here to learn how to win a special Sound Kitchen prize.

Click here to find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or form your own official RFI Club.   

The government’s budget for 2025, if passed, will see public spending slashed by €32 billion. While most ministries are impacted, funding for public development assistance (PDA) is facing cuts of more than €2 billion – 35 percent of its budget. Coordination Sud, an umbrella group for 180 French non-profit organisations working internationally, say they’re being disproportionately hit at a time when international solidarity efforts are needed more than ever. Elodie Barralon, the group’s advocacy officer, talks about the impact of such cuts and concerns that civil society is being rolled back in France. (Listen @0′)

As a three-year experiment with medical marijuana comes to an end, instead of generalising its use, as intended, authorisation has been stalled. Nadine Attal, head of the pain centre at the Ambroise-Paré hospital in Boulogne near Paris addresses the sticking points, which include France’s current government chaos and the lack of political will to move forward. She sounds the alarm over the hundreds of patients enrolled in the experiment who have benefited from medical cannabis but whose health is now being ignored. (Listen @20’20”).

French humourist Pierre Dac came to fame in the 1930s with a winning brand of absurdist humour that managed to get everyone laughing while ridiculing no one. When WWII broke out he turned his talents to fighting anti-semitism, Hitler, and the collaborationist Vichy regime, joining Free France’s Radio Londres in 1943. He also founded a political party that defended the place of laughter and flabbiness in politics.  Fifty years after his death, on 9 February 1975, he remains one of France’s most popular, and humanist of humourists. (Listen @14’20”)

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).

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday – here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You’ll hear the winner’s names announced and the week’s quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you’ve grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week.

WORLD RADIO DAY is coming up – it’s on 13 February. As we do every year, we’ll have a feast in The Sound Kitchen, filled with your voices.

Send your SHORT recorded WRD greetings to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr by 1 February. This year’s theme is “Radio and Climate Change”, but you don’t have to talk about the theme – if you just want to say “hello!”, that’s fine, too.

Be sure you include your name and where you live in your message.

Most importantly, get under a blanket to record. This will make your recording broadcast quality.

Bombard me with your greetings !!!!

The RFI English team is pleased to announce that Saleem Akhtar Chadhar, the president of the RFI Seven Stars Listening Club in District Chiniot, Pakistan, won the RFI / Planète Radio ePOP video contest, in the RFI Clubs category. Bravo Saleem! Mubarak ho!

Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your music requests, so get them in! Send your music requests to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr  Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all!

Facebook: Be sure to send your photos to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr for the RFI English Listeners Forum banner!

More tech news: Did you know we have a YouTube channel? Just go to YouTube and write “RFI English” in the search bar, and there we are! Be sure to subscribe to see all our videos.

Would you like to learn French? RFI is here to help you!

Our website “Le Français facile avec RFI” has news broadcasts in slow, simple French, as well as bilingual radio dramas (with real actors!) and exercises to practice what you have heard.

Go to our website and get started! At the top of the page, click on “Test level”. According to your score, you’ll be counselled to the best-suited activities for your level.

Do not give up! As Lidwien van Dixhoorn, the head of “Le Français facile” service told me: “Bathe your ears in the sound of the language, and eventually, you’ll get it.” She should know – Lidwien is Dutch and came to France hardly able to say “bonjour” and now she heads this key RFI department – so stick with it!

Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts!

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

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

Remember, podcasts are radio, too! As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service. Please keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our journalists. You never know what we’ll surprise you with!

To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you’ll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone.

To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show. 

Teachers take note! I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is english.service@rfi.fr  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below. 

Another idea for your students: Br. Gerald Muller, my beloved music teacher from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, has been writing books for young adults in his retirement – and they are free! There is a volume of biographies of painters and musicians called Gentle Giants, and an excellent biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., too. They are also a good way to help you improve your English – that’s how I worked on my French, reading books that were meant for young readers – and I guarantee you, it’s a good method for improving your language skills. To get Br. Gerald’s free books, click here.

Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload!

This week’s quiz: On 14 December, I asked you a question about Syria and the end of Bashir al-Assad’s dictatorship. Rebel forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, seized Damascus on 8 December; Assad fled to Russia, ending his family’s six-decade- rule.

You were to re-read our article “France’s support for Syrian transition hinges on respect for minority rights” and send in the answer to this question:  France’s outgoing Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot was quoted in the article. He noted that “Assad’s fall is a ‘clear defeat for Moscow’”. Why? Why does Jean-Noel Barrot think that Assad’s fall is a “clear defeat for Moscow”?

The answer is, to quote our article: “… Russia now could lose access to military bases in Syria which allowed it to conduct operations in the Magreb and elsewhere on the African continent.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by Debashis Gope from West Bengal, India: “How can we have peace amongst all people?”  

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

The winners are: RFI English listener Dia Zanib from Muzaffargarh, Pakistan. Dia is also this week’s bonus question winner. Congratulations on your double win, Dia!

Also on the list of lucky winners this week is Omar Faruk, a member of the Shetu RFI Listeners Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh, and Alok Bain, a member of the RFI Pariwer Bandhu SWL Club in Chhattisgarh, India. There’s RFI Listeners Club member Abdul Mannan Teacher from Sirajganj, Bangladesh, and last but not least, RFI English listener Nargis Akter from Dhaka, Bangladesh. 

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Vivace” from the Piano Concerto No. 11 in D major for fortepiano and orchestra by Franz Joseph Haydn, performed by Ronald Brautigam and the Concerto Copenhagen; the first movement from the Suite for Oud Quartet by Mohammad Osman, performed by the Syrian Oud Quartet; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Kudzi Malaissane” by José Pires and Roberto Isaias, performed by Kapa Dêch.

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

This week’s question … you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read our article “French NGOs to quit social media platform X following Trump inauguration”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 17 February to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 22 February podcast. When you enter be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

Click here to learn how to win a special Sound Kitchen prize.

Click here to find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or form your own official RFI Club.   

How will 2025 shape up for African nations and their global partnerships? Will Africa secure a more central role in the global diplomatic landscape?

To understand what’s at stake on the continent, the Spotlight on Africa podcast consulted three experts in African politics and diplomacy.

Cameron Hudson from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CISC) in Washington DC discusses priorities for South Africa as it takes on the rotating presidency of the G20 group, and in particular its relationship to the United States. 

Michael Dillon from King’s College, London, UK, looks at China’s new strategy that aims to deepen its influence in Africa.

Thierry Vircoulon from IFRI in France analyses the legacy of France in Africa, notably in the Sahel where French troops have been pushed out by military juntas of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

These countries have since established their own Alliance of Sahel States and made the decision to withdraw from the West African bloc Ecowas. Set to take effect on 29 January, security experts and members of the diaspora have voiced concern over what lies ahead.

Episode mixed by Erwan Rome.

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

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.