The vote was seen as crucial for the direction of the EU and NATO member bordering war-torn Ukraine.

The ballot came five months after Romania’s constitutional court annulled an election over allegations of Russian interference and a massive social media promotion of the far-right frontrunner, who was not allowed to stand again.

Dan, who campaigned for an “honest” Romania, gained more than 54 percent of the vote, while US President Donald Trump admirer Simion secured close to 46 percent, according to near complete results.

Turnout was close to 65 percent, compared to 53 percent for the May 4 first round, in which Simion was the leading candidate.

Both candidates claimed victory.

Dan, 55, told jubilant supporters gathered in a Bucharest park that Romania’s “reconstruction” would begin on Monday, calling it “a moment of hope”.

“In today’s elections a community of Romanians who want a profound change in Romania won,” Dan said.

Far-right leader Simion, 38, said “I am the new president of Romania,” as he addressed cheering supporters in front of parliament.

He called on people at polling stations “not to allow any electoral fraud”.

‘Hallmarks of Russian interference’

Romania’s government said it had detected a “viral campaign of fake news” bearing the “hallmarks of Russian interference” after the founder of the Telegram platform, Pavel Durov, indicated that France had asked for Romanian conservative voices to be silenced.

France’s foreign ministry said it “categorically” rejected Durov’s allegations.

Simion and Dan both campaigned on a platform of change in the country of 19 million amid anger over politicians deemed corrupt who have ruled one of the EU’s poorest countries since the end of communism 35 years ago.

“I voted thinking about a better life,” Catalin Birca, 57, a pensioner in Bucharest, told AFP, adding that he wanted his country to remain pro-European.

“What are we doing otherwise? Going back to where we started from?” he added.

Dan has promised a country that is “honest”.

Pledging to put “Romania first”, Simion had vowed to “restore the dignity of the Romanian people.

He criticised what he called the EU’s “absurd policies” and proposed cutting military aid to Ukraine.

The president has significant sway in foreign policy, including holding veto power at EU summits.

‘Georgescu for president’

Simion voted in Mogosoaia, just outside Bucharest, together with far-right Calin Georgescu.

Georgescu was the front-runner in last year’s cancelled presidential election and was barred from taking part in the rerun.

As the duo arrived, dozens of people, some holding flowers, shouted: “Calin Georgescu for president.”

The election campaign took place in a tense atmosphere.

The cancellation of last year’s vote and subsequent barring of Georgescu drew tens of thousands onto the streets to protest in sometimes violent rallies.

Top US officials also criticised the decision to scrap last year’s ballot.

The surprise resignation last week of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and the collapse of his pro-European government coalition — after their candidate failed to make the runoff vote — further raised the stakes.

The new president will have the power to appoint a new prime minister and Simion’s nationalist AUR party could enter government after negotiations on the formation of a new parliamentary majority.

The election turmoil has increased economic uncertainty in the EU’s most indebted country, which has grappled with high inflation.

“The stakes of these elections are huge because there is widespread chaos in Romania right now after the annulment,” voter Runa Petringenaru told AFP.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with US Vice President JD Vance on Sunday, for the first time since the disastrous shouting match in the White House in February, as Russia launched a “record” drone barrage on Kyiv, after talks with Moscow which did not yield a ceasefire.

“We discussed the talks in Istanbul, where the Russians sent a low-level delegation with no decision-making powers,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram following the meeting with Vance.

That took place at the US ambassador’s residence in Rome — the Villa Taverna — after the two of them attended Pope Leo’s inaugural mass in the Vatican.

“We also touched on the need for sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defence cooperation, the situation on the battlefield and the future exchange of prisoners,” Zelensky added.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Zelensky’s aide Andriy Yermak were also present at the meeting, where the two sides discussed steps towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

A senior Ukrainian official from the president’s office, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP that Zelensky and Vance also discussed preparations for Monday’s telephone conversation between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The official said that the encounter went “better” than the Oval Office row three months ago, when Vance publicly accused Zelensky of being “disrespectful” towards Trump, who fuelled the row by telling the Ukrainian leader he should be more “thankful” and that he had no “cards” to play in negotiations with Russia.

Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska were earlier granted an audience with Leo following his inauguration.

“We thank the Vatican for its willingness to become a platform for direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia,” Ukraine’s leader said after meeting the pontiff.

“The martyred Ukraine is waiting for negotiations for a just and lasting peace to finally happen,” Leo XIV said during his inauguration.   

‘Record’ drone barrage 

Ukraine on Sunday said that Russia had launched a record number of drones at the country overnight, targeting various regions, including that of the capital Kyiv, where a woman was killed. Another man was killed in the southeastern Kherson region.

The attacks came only two days after the first direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in more than three years, which failed to produce a truce.

Putin said in an interview released on Sunday that his focus was on eradicating what he called the root causes of the Ukraine conflict and guaranteeing Russia’s security.

The Ukrainian air force said that Russia had launched “273 Shahed attack drones and various types of imitator drones”, of which 88 were destroyed and 128 more went astray “without negative consequences”.

Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said it was a “record” number of drones. “Russia has a clear goal — to continue killing civilians,” she said.

The Russian military said it had intercepted 25 Ukrainian drones overnight and on Sunday morning. Moscow also claimed it had captured Bahatyr, another village in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, as it intensifies the war effort despite the Istanbul peace talks.

Russia and Ukraine hold first peace talks since 2022

‘Root causes’

In his interview with Russian state TV, Putin said Moscow’s aim was to “eliminate the causes that triggered this crisis, create the conditions for a lasting peace and guarantee Russia’s security”, without elaborating further.

Russia’s references to the “root causes” of the conflict typically refer to alleged grievances with Kyiv and the West that Moscow has put forward as justification for launching the invasion in February 2022.

They include pledges to “de-Nazify” and demilitarise Ukraine, protect Russian speakers in the country’s east, push back against NATO expansion and stop Ukraine’s westward geopolitical drift.

Kyiv and the West say that Russia’s invasion is nothing more than an imperial-style land grab.

Tens of thousands have been killed since Russia started the war, with millions forced to flee their homes.

Friday’s talks in Turkey led to an agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners each.

Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social on Saturday that he would speak by phone with Putin on Monday in order to stop the “BLOODBATH” in Ukraine.

 (AFP)

Gabriel Boga was only ten years old when it happened: the fall of the Ceausescu regime in December 1989. “The atmosphere changed overnight. There was freedom.” 

For decades, Nicolae Ceausescu, and his wife Elena had ruled Romania with an iron fist. “They called him the last Stalinist in Europe,” says Catalina Andrei, Boga’s partner because of “the restrictions” he imposed on the citizens.

There was greater freedom, but the Romanians had little time to enjoy it: the harsh realities of capitalism were beginning to take hold, and throughout the 1990s, little changed for them in material terms, following the final throes of Ceaușescu’s communist regime with its bankrupt  – economy, hours-long queues at bakeries, and strict food rationing.

Ceausescu’s rule was defined by “a lot of populism, cult of personality, the idea of nationalism,” says Andrei. “Our history was the ‘greatest’ in this part of Europe, we were taught. We were encouraged to listen to nationalist music.”

She added that Ceausescu also “tried to reduce the involvement of foreigners in [the] economy” in a show of “national independence,” resulting in a refusal to borrow abroad – and leading to near bankruptcy in the 1980s and a decade of dire poverty for the Romanians.

Nostalgia

Boga and Andrei founded the Museum of Communism, located in Bucharest’s Old Town, in order to respond to questions about Romania’s recent history, but also to respond to a “certain sense of nostalgia” for times past, and maybe serve as a warning that not everything was ideal under Ceausescu. 

“People who are in their mid-30s, have never experienced communism directly,” says Emanuela Grama, an associate history professor with Carnegie Mellon University, contacted by RFI via Zoom.

“And what they have is stories shared by their parents,” she added, but with a lack of immediate experience combined with nostalgia for the communist past, where propaganda preached equality, food and universal education for everybody. 

The current school curriculum doesn’t help much.

“During history lessons in high school, we never discussed policies that were toxic to the society,” says Fransesca Cristea (27) who was born some eight years after the fall of the Ceausescu regime.

“We do not talk about the fact that the Romanian women were not able get abortions. We don’t talk about the ‘Pitești experiment‘, where communist authorities tortured and brainwashed intellectuals to transform them into brainless monsters. About the fact that your own neighbours were spying on you and that you were not able to have a conversation,” she says. 

But most people have forgotten the horrors. “We don’t really talk about it,” says Cristea. Unlike South Africa or Germany, which went through difficult periods of confrontation and reckoning with the darker parts of their history, Romania does not appear to have come to terms with its past. “There were trials, but they dragged on, and in the end, all the witnesses are dead,” she says.

The lack of proper education, the reluctance to talk about the past, and the lingering appeal of communist ideals—such as equality, national independence, and the promise of free food, education, and employment for all—continue to fuel nostalgia for the communist era.

The role of TikTok

And then there is TikTok. “This is not the generation that would turn on the TV to get their news. They will really turn to social media,” says Grama.

“[This is] a technology that has been extraordinarily powerful in creating and increasing polarisation of thought and beliefs.”

On TikTok and other social media platforms, nostalgia for the communist past appears to be exploited by certain members of Romania’s far-right groups, which have been gaining in the polls over the past year.

French cyber agency warns TikTok manipulation could hit Romania’s vote, again

Earlier this week, Marius Lulea, vice-president of the far-right Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) – whose founder, George Simion, is the presidential candidate for the upcoming elections – publicly praised Ceaușescu, describing him as a “sovereignist” and commending him for “standing up … against the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia” in 1968.

According to Grama, this was Lulea’s “way of talking about pushing for some independent Romania, disconnected from the European Union,” under the guise of “promoting freedom.” They do not seek “political independence and standing proud in Europe,” but rather an “isolated, marginalised Romania”—a perspective that causes “profound tensions” within Romanian society.

For Christian Preda, a political science professor at the University of Bucharest, the current nationalist propaganda goes even further: not only does the far right exploit nostalgia for communism, but both George Simion and his “political father”, Călin Georgescu (who was excluded from running for president after the cancellation of the 2024 elections), also flirt with nostalgia for Romania’s fascist movement during the interwar period.

“It’s a combination of communist and fascist nostalgia,” he says. 

But Francesca Cristea rejects the argument that feelings of nostalgia are being exploited by the nationalists.

She belongs to the Aromanian minority, which was viewed with suspicion by the authorities, and grew up hearing the horror stories told by her grandparents, who were brutally deported from their home in Timișoara and abandoned in a barren field outside Bucharest, left to fend for themselves, and barely survived.

“The citizens of Romania did not help them because the communists had said they were ‘contagious’,” she explains, referring to the stigma attached to their ethnic minority status.

Because of her grandmother’s stories, she “never forgot” and never took the narratives spread on TikTok seriously. However, in her role as Head of Policy and Programmes at Europuls – an NGO promoting European integration in Romania – she did attempt to engage with the hate groups on TikTok that had been threatening her organisation.

‘Hatred sessions’

During the cancelled presidential elections last year, when the pro-Russian candidate Călin Georgescu ran on an ultra-nationalist platform and came first in the initial round of voting, Cristea observed on TikTok that people were “holding some sort of hatred sessions”, where influencers encouraged users to “hate the government”, with individuals joining live sessions saying they would kill, claiming that all decision-makers were thieves and that government institutions should be burned down.

“The hate was overwhelming,” she says.

It proved impossible to have a meaningful discussion, she explains. “I joined live sessions just to understand people’s perspectives,” she recalls. “I was telling them that Romania had received substantial funding from the EU, and that infrastructure, hospitals, and schools were being built with European funds,” but this was dismissed as “disinformation”.

Suggestions that the EU’s contributions should be verified were dismissed, with some alleging that “the numbers are being falsified” by “the system”, which is “controlled by a foreign hand” that “manages and controls us.” In the end, she gave up and deleted her TikTok account.

Meanwhile, Cătălina Andrei hopes that her Museum of Communism will begin to attract more Romanian visitors.

“We are aiming to expand to the local population,” she says, and is happy that schools have started to take an interest.

“Many young Romanians are visiting,” she says, and “we welcome the young ones, to explain what the bad aspects of communism were, so that we make sure we will not go back to that kind of ideology again.” 

Trump’s return to power has energised eurosceptics across Europe, and Sunday’s ballot will be the sternest test of Tusk’s pro-European vision since he came to power in 2023, ousting the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party.

The election pits Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, from Tusk’s Civic Coalition, against conservative historian Karol Nawrocki, who is backed by PiS.

Trzaskowski has been cast as the frontrunner, likely to face Nawrocki in a run-off, due on 1 June, if no candidate wins over 50 percent. Media blackout laws forbid the publication of opinion poll results from early on Saturday until voting ends on Sunday.

Also competing are far-right candidate Slawomir Mentzen from the Confederation party, Parliament Speaker Szymon Holownia of the centre-right Poland 2050 and Magdalena Biejat from the Left.

The Polish first round vote takes place on the same day as a second round presidential run-off in Romania, where George Simion, a nationalist who campaigns to “Make Romania Great Again”, faces centrist Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan.

Romania at the crossroads: Grappling with communist nostalgia on election day

A victory for two eurosceptic candidates would send shockwaves through the European Union at the bloc grapples with the twin challenges of Russia’s invasion of Poland’s eastern neighbour Ukraine and Trump’s tariffs.

Polls in Poland opened at 7am local time (5 GMT) and close at 9pm. Around 29 million people are eligible to vote.

The Polish president has limited executive powers but can veto legislation. That has allowed outgoing President Andrzej Duda, a PiS ally, to stymie efforts by Tusk to undo judicial changes implemented under the PiS, which Tusk says hamper democracy.

Trzaskowski has pledged to cement Poland’s role as a major player at the heart of European policymaking and work with the government to roll back PiS’s judicial changes.

‘End the chaos’

“I would definitely strengthen relations with our partners… within NATO and the EU,” he told state broadcaster TVP Info on Friday. “I will also ask lawmakers to give me the bills Duda vetoed to sign… I also hope that we will end the chaos in the justice system that PiS left us.”

Nawrocki’s campaign was rocked by allegations, which he denies, that he deceived an elderly man into selling him a flat in return for a promise of care he did not provide. But Trump showed support by meeting 

Nawrocki in the White House.

Nawrocki casts the election as a chance to stop Tusk achieving unchecked power and push back against liberal values represented by Trzaskowski, who as Warsaw mayor patronised LGBT marches and took down Christian crosses from public buildings.

Polish nationalists stage anti-immigration demonstration ahead of polls

“The cross that my opponent took down in Warsaw… 1,000 years of heritage of the Polish state, is our strength, is our energy,” he told a rally in the eastern city of Lublin.

Unlike some other eurosceptics in central Europe, Nawrocki supports military aid to help Ukraine fend off Russia. However, he has tapped into anti-Ukrainian sentiment among some Poles weary of an influx of refugees from their neighbour.

He has said Polish citizens should get priority in public services and criticised Kyiv’s attitude to exhumations of the remains of Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War Two.

  (Reuters)

The third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) – taking place from 9-13 June and co-hosted by France and Costa Rica – aims to speed up global action on ocean conservation.

In the lead-up, the Tara Ocean Foundation launched a public outreach mission aboard its schooner to engage citizens, scientists and policymakers on urgent marine issues.

Founded in 2003, the foundation has carried out numerous scientific expeditions to study ocean ecosystems and monitor the effects of climate change and pollution.

Climate-driven changes to ocean colour fuel urgency ahead of UN summit

Tara left the port of Lorient on 7 March and has already visited several coastal cities. It will arrive in Nice on 8 June.

The vessel will dock in Marseille on 19 May, where a conference on plastic pollution will be held at the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations (Mucem).

‘Reversing burden of proof’

One of the campaign’s key goals is to promote the Ocean Protection Principle – a call to shift how environmental responsibility is assigned.

It calls for “a real paradigm shift: reversing the burden of proof“, which places the responsability on industries and entities seeking to exploit the ocean to demonstrate their activities do no harm, rather than requiring scientists or advocacy groups to prove damage.

Plastic Odyssey on sea-faring mission to target plastic waste in Madagascar

This concept is part of a wider initiative launched after the 2022 UNOC2 in Lisbon, where progress on ocean protection was deemed insufficient.

In response, Tara Ocean and its partners introduced the “Let’s Be Nice to the Ocean” initiative, which seeks to embed long-term, enforceable protections into international frameworks. 

The foundation hopes to see the Ocean Protection Principle included in the Nice Ocean Action Plan. 

UNOC says the draft plan consists of a political declaration and a list of voluntary commitments, which are due to be adopted after the talks in June.

Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost, who became the first US head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics on 8 May, did his first tour of the square in his popemobile ahead of the mass.

Pope Leo XIV made his debut tour of St Peter’s Square, greeting tens of thousands of pilgrims and well-wishers ahead of his inauguration mass.

He stood in the white vehicle as it drove through cheering crowds, smiling, waving and making the sign of the cross.

He laid out his priorities for his papacy Sunday, criticising an economic system that exploits nature and the poor during a homily delivered in front of world dignitaries.

“In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalises the poorest,” Leo said.

US Vice President JD Vance is among the hundreds of dignitaries due to attend the inauguration mass that begins at 10am local time (0800 GMT).

Leo will preside over the ceremony rich in rites and symbols, where he will receive his special papal ring before giving a homily that will set the tone for his papacy.

After spending two decades as a missionary in Peru, the 69-year-old is unknown to many Catholics, but during the past week he has offered glimpses of the kind of leader he will be.

In meetings with journalists, clergy and diplomats, he repeatedly called for peace in a world full of conflicts and defended social justice.

He also emphasised traditional Catholic values, including the importance of a family built around a “stable union of a man and a woman”, and defended the rights of the unborn.

Inacia Lisboa, 71, originally from Cape Verde but who lives in Rome, said she got up early to get a good spot to see a man she said had already “entered my heart”.

Asked what she wanted to hear from him, she told AFP: “The first thing is that he prays for us all, for peace in the world — we need it so much.”

Zelensky, Merz    

Leo’s elevation has sparked huge enthusiasm in the United States, which is being represented on Sunday by Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also a Catholic.

Before becoming pope, the new pontiff on his personal X account reposted criticism of President Donald Trump’s administration over its approach to migration and also pilloried Vance, but the account is no longer accessible.

Vance was the last world leader to meet with Pope Francis, the day before the Argentine died on 21 April, after 12 years as pontiff.

Other notable guests expected include Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky — who memorably met Trump in St Peter’s Basilica at Francis’s funeral — and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte is also on the list provided by the Vatican, along with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Colombia’s Gustavo Petro and a host of European royals.

Italian authorities have deployed thousands of security officers for the event, alongside snipers on rooftops and anti-drone operations.   

Fisherman’s ring

Leo XIV was elected the 267th pope on 8 May after a secret conclave vote of cardinals that lasted less than 24 hours.

Succeeding the charismatic but impulsive Francis, he takes over a Church still battling the fallout of the clerical child abuse scandal, and trying to adapt to the modern world.

Modernity is not the concern on Sunday, however.

Although no pope has been crowned during an inauguration mass since Paul VI in 1963, the event is still a grand affair steeped in tradition.

Leo will begin by visiting the tomb of Saint Peter — who in the Christian tradition was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, and the first pope — located under the altar of the basilica that bears his name.

Leo will then receive the pontifical emblems — the pallium, a strip of cloth worn over the chasuble, his robe and the fisherman’s ring, which is forged anew for each pope and which he will wear on his finger until he dies, when it will be destroyed.

With other cardinals and clergy, the pope will walk in procession into St Peter’s Square, where large screens will display the proceedings to the crowds.

At the end of the ceremony, the pope will greet the delegations of heads of state, though it is not clear if any of them will also be accorded a one-to-one private audience.

 (AFP)

The kataklè is a three-legged royal chair from Dahomey, a West African kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from 1600 until 1904. 

It was discovered to be at the National Museum of Finland, the Kansallismuseo, thanks to a lengthy investigation by art historian Marie-Cécile Zinsou, of the Zinsou foundation, one of the museum’s curators, Pilvi Vainonen – and RFI journalist Pierre Firtion.

The kataklè was returned to Benin by Finland on Tuesday, with Finnish minister of culture Mari-Leena Talvitie handing it over to the Beninese authorities during a ceremony at the Marina Palace, the presidential residence in Cotonou, Benin. 

A whispered clue

The first 26 pieces of the treasure were returned to Benin in November 2021 by the Paris’s Musée du Quai Branly.

The museum, along with the French Ministry of Culture, had announced the restitution of 26 works from the royal treasury in Abomey in 2018, as approved by President Emmanuel Macron.

These pieces were looted in 1892 by French Colonel Alfred-Amédée Dodds during the sacking of the city of Abomey, after the Second Franco-Dahomean War, taken from the royal place.

Despite housing approximately 70,000 African objects, the Quai Branly returned this limited restitution of 26 pieces thanks to a specific French law, passed in December 2020, which allowed for exceptions to the principle of inalienability of public collections for them and for a separate item, returned to Senegal.

Among them were anthropomorphic royal statues, recades (a type of sceptre associated with Dahomey), the gates of the royal palace of Abomey, thrones, seats, and a first kataklè.

‘Dahomey’ film invites colonial past to speak through Benin’s stolen treasures

RFI’s Firtion was in Cotonou in November 2021 covering the restitution of the 26 royal objects, when a source whispered to him: “There aren’t 26, but 27 treasures.”

“What if it was true?” he asked himself, as he recalls in a French-language podcast series on the story.

Soon after, Firtion joined forces with Zinsou and Vainonen, delving into texts on Beninese art and the restitution of works of art to Africa.

Lost in storage

He discovered that this kataklè had arrived at the Trocadéro Museum of Ethnography in Paris at the end of the 19th century.

Then in 1939, the museum, by then renamed the Musée de l’Homme, agreed to an exchange with the National Museum of Finland – a common practice at the time.

The Musée de l’Homme wanted to enrich its collection of Finno-Ugric objects from everyday life, and in exchange sent around 40 objects to Helsinki, mainly from Africa and Asia. Among the lot was the kataklè.

It was never exhibited, instead ending up in the storage rooms of the National Museum of Finland, where it remained for decades. Over time, curators lost track of it, as it was listed as belonging to Dahomey. 

In the online inventories of the Musée du Quai Branly, Firtion identified a piece donated by Colonel Dodds to the Trocadéro Ethnography Museum, which was not returned to Benin… a three-legged stool, called a kataklè.

The journalist also travelled to Marseille’s Mucem museum in 2024, where the pieces potentially exchanged with Finland for the kataklè in 1939 were being stored – and where he learned that the exchanged pieces still belonged to the museum originally owning them.

After intensive research on her side, Vainonen got back to Firtion and told him it had been found in Finland.

A wider debate on restitution

Benin’s request for restitution is not an isolated one.

As early as 1973, the president of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo, or DRC), Mobutu Sese Seko, was the first to speak at the United Nations General Assembly, calling for the country’s cultural heritage to be returned to it.

Since then, a growing number of African countries – including Egypt, Ghana, Ethiopia and Nigeria – have called for works of art and priceless artefacts to be returned.

In 2021, Belgium handed the government of the DRC an inventory of 84,000 Congolese artefacts dating from the colonial period – although their return hasn’t taken place yet.

Netherlands agrees to return 119 Benin statues to Nigeria

Germany handed 22 artefacts looted in the 19th century back to Nigeria at a ceremony in the capital, Abuja, in December 2022. In February this year, the Netherlands agreed to return 119 Benin bronze statues to Nigeria.

Two British universities began returning pieces to Nigeria around the same time: the University of Aberdeen, which returned Benin bronzes in 2021 and Cambridge University, in 2022.

Simion, a former football hooligan, is known for his fiery speeches and his admiration for US President Donald Trump. He won a comfortable 40.9 percent in the first round. If he wins the second round, his victory could have a significant impact on the country’s relationship with the EU and NATO.

His rival, Nicușor Dan, a centrist who secured less than 20 percent of the vote, hopes to attract undecided voters in an effort to prevent a nationalist shift under the Eurosceptic Simion, who opposes sending aid to neighbouring Ukraine.

Romania names interim premier as pre-election turmoil deepens

According to political scientist Sergiu Miscoiu, no previous Romanian election has been this polarising.

“An increasing number of Romanians are challenging the entire political and administrative system, as well as the decision-making rules and procedures. Many are also rejecting the political class itself,” he told RFI.

Miscoiu explains that both candidates are “anti-system to some extent”. However, the difference lies in their approach. Dan and his supporters aim to reform the system to align it more closely with liberal democracy, while Simion’s supporters are pushing for “illiberal sovereignism and populism as a natural policy”.

This divide is unprecedented in Romania. “We have always had polarisation in the second rounds,” said Miscoiu, “but never in a way that called into question the very existence of the democratic system or the geopolitical direction of Romania.”

The last major schism occurred 25 years ago, when Corneliu Vadim Tudor, the leader of the far-right Greater Romania Party, qualified for the second round of the 2000 elections. However, he secured only 30 percent of the vote and lost to former Communist Ion Iliescu.

‘A gift for Russia’

According to Miscoiu, Simion’s pursuit of “illiberal democracy” is in emulation of Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

“His intention is to turn Romania into a player that is totally independent from the other EU countries, to cultivate relations with Russia, China, Turkey and other big powers on its own, without correlating with the EU and without being constrained by [EU] rules.”

What can Europe learn from Orban’s victory in Hungary’s elections?

Miscoiu views Simion’s ideas as “a reference to [Cold War leader Nicolae] Ceaușescu’s National Communism, where Romania pursued an international course that was quasi-independent from the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact of Eastern European countries controlled by Moscow”.

“The implications of Romania falling under the rule of an illiberal leader… the reorientation of the entire eastern flank of the European Union and of NATO could be possible,” he added.

A Simion win could mean that Romania will be “thrown back into the grey zone” of pre-1994, when the country had not yet decided whether it wanted to join either the EU or NATO.

Miscoiu said: “This is exactly what the Russians expect – creating a new breach and supporting in this way the idea that there are direct negotiations individually with European Union states, with NATO states, and not with the alliance and the Union as a whole. For Russia, this is a gift.”

Second attempt

These elections come after a failed vote in 2024, the results of the first round of which were annulled by Romania’s top court, citing allegations of Russian interference.

This time, according to Miscoiu, Russia has played it safer. “They did not directly publicly support Simion, in order to not put the Romanians in a situation of choosing between Russia and the West, because they will definitely choose the West.”

French cyber agency warns TikTok manipulation could hit Romania’s vote, again

In his campaign, Simion “softened his discourse by strengthening the importance of the EU and NATO,” he said.

Miscoiu predicts that Simion will win on Sunday by “at least” 53 percent. However, he added, a television debate on Euronews Romania last Thursday showed Dan in combative mode, while Simion looked “a little grotesque with his accusations” so the tide could still be turned.

But, he added, if there is “no big mobilisation for the second round – especially of the youth who will be the most affected by this dramatic change of policy in Romania – then the gap is too big”. Dan will have to recover a massive 30 percent to catch up with his opponent.

Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk by Iranian director Sepideh Farsi is to be shown at ACID Cannes, which runs parallel to the main competition, at this year’s festival from 13 to 24 May.

The film features conversations between Farsi and Hassouna, as the 25-year-old photographer documented the impact of the devastating war between Israel and Hamas on the Palestinian territory.

Hassouna was killed along with 10 of her relatives in an air strike on her family home in northern Gaza last Wednesday, the day after the documentary was announced as part of the ACID Cannes selection.

The Israeli military, which media freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has accused of carrying out a “massacre” of Palestinian journalists, claimed it had targeted a Hamas member.

“The Cannes Film Festival wishes to express its horror and deep sorrow at this tragedy, which has moved and shocked the entire world,” the festival said, in a statement on Hassouna’s death sent to French news agency AFP.

“While a film is little in the face of such a tragedy, its screening at the ACID section in Cannes on 15 May will be, in addition to the message of the film itself, a way of honouring the memory of the young woman, a victim like so many others of the war,” it added.

French journalists’ collective appeals for solidarity with colleagues in Gaza

‘She was such a light’

Just before her death, Hassouna wrote on social media: “If I die, I want a loud death. I don’t want to be just breaking news, or a number in a group.”

“She was such a light, so talented. When you see the film you’ll understand,” Farsi told Hollywood news website Deadline after her death. “I had talked to her a few hours before to tell her that the film was in Cannes and to invite her.”

The ACID festival said her “life force seemed like a miracle” in a statement released after her death.

RSF also denounced her death. “Her name joins those of nearly 200 journalists killed in 18 months. This carnage must stop,” it wrote on the Bluesky social media platform.

Also at Cannes, Palestinian twins Tarzan and Arab Nasser will showcase their latest film Once Upon a Time In Gaza, a tale of murder and friendship set in the war-torn territory, in the secondary Un Certain Regard section.

The Gaza Project: The Palestinian journalist paralysed by a bullet to the neck

Late additions

Cannes Festival organisers also this week announced two new films in its main competition that will compete for its coveted Palme d’Or award.

American filmmaker Lynne Ramsay (We Need To Talk About Kevin) has been selected for the main competition with her thriller Die My Love, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson.

Of the 21 films in the main competition this year, seven have been made by women directors, the joint highest total.

Cannes Film Festival unveils diverse line-up of veteran stars and fresh talent

Iran’s Saeed Roustaee is also set to compete for the main prize with his latest feature, Mother and Child, three years after showing Leila’s Brothers in Cannes – which led to him being sentenced to six months in prison in Iran.

The festival has also secured the world premiere of the first film directed by former Twilight star Kristen Stewart – The Chronology of Water – which will screen in the Un Certain Regard competition.

She will be up against fellow American actress-turned-director Scarlett Johansson whose director debut Eleanor the Great has been selected in the same section.

(with AFP)

“They are at the end of their strength. Jacques’s face is more and more marked by the detention – you can feel he is dying slowly in that cell,” Noémie Kohler told RFI. “Cécile and Jacques are increasingly desperate and are less and less optimistic.”

Kohler, 40, and Paris, who is in his seventies, were arrested on 7 May 2022 at the end of a tourist trip to Iran. They are accused of spying – charges they strongly deny.

They are being held in section 209 of Tehran’s Evin Prison, an area reserved for political prisoners. They are the last known French citizens still detained in Iran and are considered “state hostages” by the French government.

France warns of sanctions on Iran if nuclear deal not reached

Conditions ‘equivalent to torture’

France’s foreign ministry says the couple are being held in conditions that “amount to torture under international law”.

They have no furniture and continue to sleep on the floor. The lights remain on 24 hours a day and they are allowed outdoors just two or three times a week, for no more than 30 minutes at a time.

Whether they are allowed out depends on prison guards and weather. Phone calls are rare, short and tightly monitored. The most recent, on 5 May, lasted just eight minutes.

“She told us she writes poems in her head,” Noémie said. “She repeats them every night so she doesn’t forget them, because after three years, she still has nothing to write with.”

Noémie also described the mental pressure her sister and Jacques are under.

“For several months they have been told that a verdict is imminent, that it will be extremely severe. They are given deadlines each time and nothing ever happens,” she said. “It’s psychological torture.”

A few months after their arrest, Iranian state television broadcast “confessions” by the pair, which France said were forced.

Their lawyers have still not been granted access to their case files. “Their right to a defence has been completely denied,” Noémie said. “We have no reliable information about the legal process.”

French citizens jailed in Iran since 2022 ‘must be freed’ says Macron

Campaign for freedom

French President Emmanuel Macron marked the anniversary with a message on social media, saying France was working “tirelessly” to free them.

“I assure their families that our support is unwavering,” Macron posted on X.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also posted a video message describing Kohler and Paris as “hostages” and “victims of the Iranian regime”.

“They are kept in inhumane conditions that amount to torture,” Barrot added. He also urged French nationals not to travel to Iran.

France has said it will file a formal complaint against Iran at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. While the move has been welcomed by the families, it is not expected to lead to a breakthrough in the short term.

Frenchman Olivier Grondeau freed after more than two years in Tehran prison

Diplomatic tensions

The case comes amid worsening ties between Paris and Tehran.

In February, an Iranian woman was arrested in France on terrorism-related charges. A Franco-Iranian influencer is also due to go on trial on similar accusations. France has threatened new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.

The couple are among several Europeans held by Iran. Some European governments say these detentions are politically motivated.

One of the others still in prison is Swedish-Iranian academic Ahmadreza Djalali, who was sentenced to death in 2017 on spying charges his family says are false.

Dozens of rallies were planned across France on Wednesday to draw attention to Kohler and Paris’s case.

“They’ve become pawns in something far bigger than them,” Noémie said. “We just want them home.”

One of the most prolific actors in film history, Depardieu has appeared in more than 200 films and television series since his on-screen debut in 1967, working with directors including Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Alain Resnais, Claude Chabrol, Ridley Scott and Bernardo Bertolucci.

A national icon in France – Depardieu is a Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur and of the Ordre national du Mérite – he has made the rare crossover to stardom in the anglophone world, with his Hollywood hits including Green Card (1990), for which he won the Golden Globe for best actor, as well as Hamlet (1996), The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), La Vie en Rose (2007) and Life of Pi (2012).

The 76-year-old is known for his portrayals of towering historical figures including Joseph Stalin, Auguste Rodin, Christopher Columbus and Rasputin, as well as heroes of French literature – characters and their creators alike – such as Honoré de Balzac, Alexandre Dumas, Cyrano de Bergerac, Jean Valjean, Obélix and the Count of Monte Cristo.

Origins

Born Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu on 27 December 1948 to an impoverished family in Châteauroux, central France, he was one of six children.

By the age of 13 he had left school, barely literate, and was dabbling in crime. According to his 2014 autobiography, Ça s’est fait comme ça (“It just happened like that”), he worked as a prostitute as well as robbing graves, selling black market cigarettes and alcohol at a nearby American air base and stealing cars.

Acting proved his salvation, with money the motivating factor by his own admission. He left his hometown for Paris at the age of 16 to pursue it. There he met director Agnès Varda, the first to cast him – in a short film that was never completed.

He made his screen debut in Roger Leenhardt’s 1967 short film Le Beatnik et le minet (“The Beatnik and the Twink”). But it was his performance as a young thug in 1974’s Les Valseuses (“Going Places”) that was to be his big break.

Leading man

In 1981 he won his first César Award for best actor, for his performance in François Truffaut’s The Last Metro (1980), set in Nazi-occupied Paris and co-starring Catherine Deneuve.

This kicked off two decades as France’s premier leading man, a period in which he appeared in his biggest hits, including Maurice Pialat’s Police (1985), 1986’s Jean de Florette, which raised his international profile, and the 1993 adaptation of Emile Zola’s Germinal.

Ten years on from his first, he won his second César best actor award, for his career-defining role in Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), for which he also received an Oscar nomination.

French celebrities distance themselves from Depardieu, accused of rape

Flops have been a rarity in Depardieu’s career, but two notable box office failures were Ridley Scott’s 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992) in which he played Columbus. The film took just $3 million on its opening weekend, for which Scott blamed US audiences’ difficulty in understanding European accents.

In United Passions, the story of the origins of football federation Fifa, Depardieu played its founder Jules Rimet. The film lost $26.8m worldwide and was blasted by critics as propaganda, as its release coincided with Fifa’s 2015 corruption case.

It was only shown at Cannes after Depardieu lobbied the director of the festival directly, who eventually agreed to an open-air public screening on the beach.

Courting controversy

Depardieu is no stranger to the headlines – famously once declaring that he drinks up to 14 bottles of wine a day, being banned from driving for six months after crashing his scooter while four times over the legal alcohol limit, and urinating into a water bottle on an Air France flight, which he then spilled on the floor.

He is currently under investigation for alleged tax fraud. French tax investigators suspect him of falsely declaring his tax residency as Belgium since 2013 to avoid paying taxes in France. This followed a vocal dispute with the French government over the wealth tax introduced by then-president François Hollande, in which he referred to his home country as a “filthy mess”.

Cancel Depardieu? French cinema split over film icon

Financial crime prosecutors opened a probe in February, which resulted in raids in France and Belgium as well as police interviews, although the actor has not been questioned.

He acquired Russian citizenship in 2013 from President Vladimir Putin, who Depardieu has praised, calling him “the man Russia needs”. In 2015, he was banned from entering Ukraine for five years after apparently supporting the Russian annexation of Crimea.

In December 2023, after a documentary aired that included footage of Depardieu making sexually suggestive comments about a young girl in North Korea, President Emmanuel Macron defended the actor on national television, saying: “Gérard Depardieu makes France proud.”

A few weeks later, Macron expressed his regret over the comments, saying that it was important “for women who are victims of abuse to speak out”.

Sexual assault allegations

On Tuesday, Depardieu was found guilty of sexually assaulting two women on the set of a movie in which he starred and was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence by a Paris court.

He was also fined a total of €29,040 and the court requested that he be registered in the national sex offender database.

Depardieu was convicted of having groped a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant during the filming of Les Volets Verts (“The Green Shutters”) in 2021.

The actor, who denied the accusations, did not attend the hearing in Paris. His lawyer said that his client would appeal the decision.

Depardieu is the highest-profile figure in French cinema to face such accusations in the wake of the country’s #MeToo movement, and his trial has been viewed as a test of France’s willingness to confront sexual violence and hold influential men accountable.

The actor is facing allegations of sexual harassment and assault from more than a dozen other women, and a Paris court is still deciding whether to go ahead with a second trial for his alleged rape and sexual assault of Charlotte Arnould, the first woman to file a criminal complaint against him in 2018.

Depardieu denies all the allegations. “Never, but never, have I abused a woman,” he wrote in an open letter in French newspaper Le Figaro in 2023. “I have only ever been guilty of being too loving, too generous, or having a temperament that is too strong.”

(with newswires)

A group of 30 left-wing French politicians travelled to Algeria this week to take part in commemorations and call on France to acknowledge its responsibility.

“It’s important on this symbolic date to have a French delegation to show that in France there are not only enemies of Algeria, as we have seen with the heated debates of the past few months,” greens MP Sabrina Sebaï told RFI, referring to the degradation of diplomatic tensions between France and Algeria.

She said the visit aimed “to send a message also to say that there is a deep work to do on issues of memory and reconciliation”.

But for the French right, such a visit is a provocation.

“The day of 8 May, which is a day of national pride, you have French elected officials who go to Algeria to participate in self-flagellation and humiliation,” said Laurent Wauquiez, the president of the right-wing Les Republicains.

Listen to a history of what happened in Algeria on 8 May 1945 in the Spotlight on France podcast, episode 128: 

The events being commemorated began on 8 May, 1945. As people gathered in the northern Algerian city of Sétif to celebrate the Allied victory, some brought out Algerian flags and banners calling for independence.

French authorities ordered the banners be removed. When some refused, troops opened fire on the crowd.

News of the shootings spread to nearby towns, including Guelma and Kherrata, where rioting broke out. Around 100 French settlers were killed.

In response, French authorities launched a brutal crackdown.

Charles de Gaulle, who led France at the time, gave the green light for “all necessary measures to repress all anti-French acts”.

Backed by army troops and the air force, colonial forces bombed villages and carried out summary executions across the region. Civilians – men, women and children – were killed throughout May and June.

France’s official silence

There is still no agreed figure for how many people died. Algeria says 45,000 were killed. Historians have estimated between 15,000 and 20,000.

“Eighty years later we do not know exactly the number of people who died in May and June 1945 because there was a code of silence,” said filmmaker Mehdi Lallaoui, who made a documentary on the Sétif massacre.

“The survivors of the killings were thrown in prison, and the state wanted to hide this event.”

De Gaulle reportedly said to “bury the whole affair”, and officials referred to it only as “the events”.

But in Algeria the Sétif, Guelma and Kherrata massacres helped spur on the emerging movement for self-determination – energising, perhaps even uniting, what had been a fractured independence movement until then. 

Over the next few years, resistance groups became more organised. On 1 November 1954, Algerians started their revolution against the French, who were eventually forced to grant the colony its independence in 1962.

Recognition and reconcilliation

Algeria made 8 May an official day of commemoration in 2020. Some in France want the same – a move that would involve officially acknowledging France’s role in the killings. So far, that has not happened. 

“Algeria’s independence remains a trauma in the French public opinion,” historian Nils Andersson told RFI.

“There is an anti-Algerian feeling in France – the colonising country – and I think the role of political leaders is to have the courage to recognise the facts about colonialism, which is neither an act of contrition of repentance, but just a moral and truthful act.”

In 2005, France’s ambassador to Algeria called the massacre an “inexcusable tragedy”. A decade later, a French minister visited the massacre’s commemoration site.

This week, a group of left-wing MPs submitted a proposal to officially recognise the massacres as a “state crime perpetrated against an unarmed civilian population”.

The MPs’ visit and the proposed resolution come at a time of high tension between France and Algeria. Interior Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told RTL radio on Tuesday that relations were currently “blocked”.

For the centrist Senator Raphaël Daubet, a member of the delegation, reopening dialogue with Algeria involves “the recognition of these massacres” that happened in Sétif, Guelma et Kherrata.

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

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” and 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: Brother 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 Brother 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 19 April, I asked you a question about Mario Vargas Llosa, a Nobel Prize-winning author from Peru. You were to re-read Paul Myers’ article “Nobel prize-winning author Mario Vargas Llosa dies aged 89”, and send in the answers to these questions: In which year did Llosa win the Nobel Prize for Literature, and what did the Nobel Committee write about his work?

The answer is, to quote Paul’s article: “His Nobel Prize in 2010 came 51 years after The Cubs and Other Stories. The Nobel committee said the accolade was an award for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual’s resistance, revolt, and defeat.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, “What are the obstacles that impede your happiness?”, which was an idea from Erwan Rome, who suggested we look at the philosophy questions asked on the French baccalaureate exams, the French leaving-school exam. This one was for the 2018 students.

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Father Stephen Wara from Bamenda, Cameroon. Father Steve is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations, Father Stephen,on your double win.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are RFI Listeners Club members Samir Mukhopadhyay from West Bengal, India – who noted Vargas is one of his favorite Latin American writers; Mahfuzur Rahman from Cumilla, Bangladesh; Niyar Talukdar from Maharashtra, India, and last but not least, RFI English listener Tanjim Tatini from Munshiganj, Bangladesh.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme:  “En route à Bengal” inspired by traditional Bengali folk music, arranged and performed by the Hamelin Instrumental Band; Traditional Peruvian Cumbia; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “The Loud Minority” by Frank Foster, performed by the the Loud Minority Big Band.

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

This week’s question … you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read Ollia Horton’s article “Ukraine, Gaza and #MeToo in the spotlight as Cannes Film Festival opens”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 16 June to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 21 June podcast. When you enter, be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

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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.   

“Nicosur (Dan) is the one who can keep order,” says Eugenia, referring to the centrist mayor of Bucharest. Eugenia is almost 90 years old. She walks with difficulty, supporting herself with a cane, but today’s vote is crucial for her.

“I had 60 years taken by the communist regime. And I had enough.

Eugenia says she’s “almost sure” that communism could come back if the nationalist Pro-Russian George Simion were to win. 

“The Russians are very interested in our country, they invaded Romania seven times,” she said. 

Decebal, 55, voted for Simion. He wants change and hopes for an improvement in living standards. “Inflation is high and wages are low. We’re forced to have several jobs,” he told RFI. “Simion promised change in this direction. Now we wait and see.”

If nationalist George Simion wins the rerun, held after last year’s vote was annulled over allegations of election interference, he would become the country’s first far-right president.

That would make Romania part of a growing group of EU members with nationalist leaders critical of Brussels and keen to cut military aid to Ukraine.

But in this more affluent part of Bucharest, it’s hard to find voters who support Simion.

Jonas, sporting a bright red jacket and a black T-shirt, is also voting  for Dan, and “hopefully for a continuous future within the European Union,” he says. 

He is not surprised by the sudden rise in popularity of the far-right AUR party and its leader George Simion, the other presidential candidate.

“We’re not yet at the point where we understand that we needed to grow slowly to reach where we want to be. Everyone wants to move faster and faster, but sometimes speed isn’t always the best thing..” 

Jonas hopes that being part of the EU would give “more opportunities to the young people” to “grow inside the Union.” 

Patricia (20) agrees, Nicosor Dan’s values “align” with her own, she says. But she was surprised about the sudden rise in popularity of the nationalists in the first round of the elections. Although she belongs to the Tiktok generation, she has no account. “Not my style,” she says curtly, before heading off. 

Mirca, who lives in Colombia and is one of Romania’s four million people living abroad, happened to be in Bucharest during the vote. He was surprised and concerned about the high level of popularity of Simion among Romanians abroad. 

“I think there is a lot of misinformation in these elections and people are getting ideas about what is  good for the country… For me it is about how to remain stable, as a member of the European community, supporting each other, supporting the Ukrainian cause,” he says.

Marcel, another voter, says he was not surprised about the surge in popularity of the far right. “I believe it stems from the frustration that has built up in society over the past decades due to successive governments making numerous promises but consistently failing to fulfil them. I understand that people have been deceived time and again.” he says.

But whoever wins will face Romania’s massive economic problems, and will have to “provide some solutions,” he adds.

Apart from that, Marcel says that the new president will face some “tough external policy questions,” like the situation in Ukraine and the relationship with the EU and the US.

“We may or may not like it, but the current US government is still one of our strategic partners,” he says.

Polling stations will close at 9pm local time, with exit polls to be published shortly afterwards and results expected to come in overnight.

The latest opinion polls predict a very close race, suggesting that Dan, a 55-year-old mathematician, has managed to narrow the lead that Simion, a former football hooligan, holds.

That’s what a team of scientists found after analysing more than 370 recordings from 11 chimpanzee communities in six groups across Africa.

Their findings, published this month in Current Biology, show that chimpanzees are capable of creating rhythmic sequences – something long thought to be mostly human.

By hitting tree roots, the chimps produce low-frequency sounds that can travel more than a kilometre. This could allow them to stay in touch across large distances, even when they’re out of sight.

Choosing the right tree

Chimpanzees aren’t just drumming at random. They make careful choices about where and how they drum.

“They select specific trees and even specific root thickness and height, because the thinnest and widest roots allow them to communicate over longer distances,” said lead author of the studt Vesta Eleuteri, a doctoral student at the University of Vienna.

The pattern of the sound is important too.

“The fact there is a sequence means it’s not just a tree falling. It helps others understand that it’s a chimpanzee hitting,” Eleuteri added.

To test whether the drumming was truly rhythmic, the scientists used methods normally used for studying music in humans.

“We used mathematical and statistical tools to measure patterns in human music and in other species,” explained co-author Andrea Ravignani, a cognitive neuroscientist at Roma Sapienza University.

Madagascar and Congo-Brazzaville team up to protect vanishing forests

Styles across regions

The chimpanzees showed different drumming patterns depending on where they lived.

In West Africa, they tend to drum at regular intervals. In East Africa, they more often switch between short and long beats.

“This could be due to social factors,” said Eleuteri. “Chimpanzees in West Africa are more peaceful and often stay together, while chimpanzees in East Africa are more frequently apart and more aggressive toward other groups.

“So the alternation of short and long rhythms might be a way to say different things and to mark out individuals more clearly.”

Even though the chimps drum in rhythm, the scientists were careful not to suggest they are making music in the same way humans do.

“It’s tempting to draw a link between human music and what we see in chimpanzees,” said Ravignani.

While there are five or six traits that define musical rhythm across almost all cultures – including the ability to create non-random sequences of sound through percussion – he stressed that chimps aren’t simply copying human music.

“Each species has its own sound production system, so it would be wrong to say that chimpanzees share the rhythm of human music,” Ravignani said.

Nature’s sister act sees female bonobos outranking stronger males

Unlocking evolution

The discovery is still a major step in understanding our evolutionary past.

“We see that one of our two closest relatives has this core ability to produce non-random percussive sequences,” Ravignani said.

“This is a very big step forward because previous studies looked for other rhythmic building blocks in chimpanzees. And they were not successful. So finding one this time might also tell us more about the story of human evolution, about our shared history with chimpanzees,” he added.

The study supports the idea that some parts of musical behaviour existed before humans and chimpanzees split from a common ancestor about 6 million years ago.

The researchers now want to understand how chimpanzees actually produce these rhythms – whether they use hands, feet or both, and how different parts of the body affect the sound.

There were noticeable differences between sub-species, but not much variation between groups within the same sub-species. That raises another question: could chimpanzees have “rhythmic cultures”?

The team plans to collect more recordings to find out.

Romanian nationalist candidate George Simion spent the last day of his election campaign in Paris. During a joint press conference with French far right leader Marion Maréchal, broadcast live on his Facebook page, he accused French President Emmanuel Macron of ‘interference’ in his country’s  tense presidential election rerun.

Anti-immigrant Simion, who wants to downscale Romania’s ties with the EU and NATO, is head of Romania’s far-right AUR party. He faces pro-EU Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan in a runoff on Sunday.

The vote is expected to be a tight battle that will be closely watched by Brussels, other European capitals, as well as Moscow and Washington.

Romania’s constitutional court in a shock move last year cancelled the elections after a previously little-known far-right candidate, Calin Georgescu, topped the first round.

The cancellation, rare in the EU, came after allegations of Russian meddling and a massive social media promotion of Georgescu, who was barred from this month’s rerun.

Romania’s top court annuls presidential vote amid Russia interference fears

Romania’s far right has accused Paris and Brussels of being behind the annulment, which Simion has called a “coup d’etat”.

Diaspora

“My message is very clear: ‘Back off!’ It is not your job… to get involved with the free sovereign will of the Romanian people,” Simion said.

He accused Macron of “dictatorial tendencies” and compared France to Iran.

“You are not an emperor, you are not loved even by the French people, so these attacks… are not what we should do in a united Europe, in the future European Union,” he said.

Simion’s visit to France was aimed at drumming up support among Romanian diaspora voters who could start voting earlier this week.

The visit to France follows a stopover to Italy, home to over 1 million Romanians, where he met with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. France is home to some 133,000 Romanians. 

Diaspora Romanians overwhelmingly voted for the far-right candidate during the -cancelled- elections late 2024 and again during the first round of the current elections. 

According to Christian Preda, a political science professor with Bucharest University, it came as a “big surprise” when the Romanian Diaspora “sent a clear message in favour of these far-right politicians.”

“This is a paradox,” he told RFI. “If you vote in favour of a political position saying that Romanians do not have the right to come to [another EU country] on the basis of European treaties, you will destroy your life.”

“I don’t think that in the end, people voting like that now will be very happy with that, because for Romanians, Europe represented an enormous opportunity. Without a European Romania, Romanians working in Italy or in Spain will never have the opportunities they have now. Voting now against this status is really unreasonable,” he said. 

Karua has been representing Tanzanian opposition leader Tindu Lissu, who is on trial for treason and faces a possible death penalty.

Lissu is due in court on Monday.

The trial comes as Tanzania prepares for elections in October.

Karua “was detained at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, questioned for three hours, her passport was confiscated and she is awaiting deportation”, the spokesperson said.

A former justice minister in Kenya, Karua has been vocal about “democratic backsliding” in the East Africa region.

She has also been representing Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye, who was kidnapped in Kenya last year and taken back to his home country to also face treason charges.

Uganda holds elections in January.

“What we are seeing is total erosion of democratic principles in the three countries: Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda,” Karua told AFP in an interview earlier this month.

“All these countries now have become dangerous, not just to others but to their own nationals. I tie this to the forthcoming elections,” she said.

She accused the leadership of the three countries of “collaborating”.

“It’s a pattern,” she said. “They are neutering the opposition ahead of elections.”

Karua launched the People’s Liberation Party in February, vowing to engage with youths as she prepares a run for the presidency in 2027.

She faces competition from an array of opposition leaders in the country, all hoping to take on President William Ruto, whose popularity was undermined by mass protests last year over tax rises and corruption.

‘Total disarray’

In the 2022 election, Karua was the running mate of Raila Odinga, who lost out to Ruto.

Kenya is in “total disarray,” she told AFP in the interview this month.

“It’s as if our constitution has been suspended. We have abductions, arbitrary arrests… extrajudicial killings… And the police and authorities fail to take responsibility,” she said.

Rights groups say at least 60 Kenyans were killed during the protests in June and July, and more than 80 abducted by security forces since then, with dozens still missing.

Police deny involvement.

Ruto told reporters last week that all those abducted in the wake of anti-government protests “have been brought back to their families… and I have given clarity and firm instructions that nothing of that kind of nature will happen again.”

Meanwhile in Tanzania, Lissu’s party Chadema was disqualified from the coming elections after it refused to sign an electoral code of conduct.

It had demanded electoral reforms, accusing President Samia Suluhu Hassan of returning to the repressive tactics of the country’s recent past.

And last week in Uganda, army chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is also son and heir-apparent to the long-ruling President Yoweri Museveni, threatened voters who did not back their party.

“(People) who do not support Mzee wholeheartedly better be very careful!” Kainerugaba wrote on X, using an honorific for his father.

“We will deport all the traitors in public view!” he added.

The impact of Donald Trump’s second term in the White House is being felt far beyond US borders. Observers say this ripple effect can be seen across Europe, not just in policy but in the continent’s political culture itself.

For Dr Célia Belin of the European Council on Foreign Relations, the stakes are nothing less than the future of European liberal democracy.

In her latest ECFR report, MAGA Goes Global: Trump’s Plan for Europe, Belin warns that what might appear to be chaotic decisions from the Oval Office are, in fact, part of an ideological project.

“There’s actually a strong direction, a clear destination,” Belin told RFI. “Trump, surrounded by loyalists and MAGA Republicans, is ready to implement his plan – to push back on liberal democracy, and to push back on Europe.”

According to her, he sees Europe as “an extension of his political enemies – liberals and progressives” and views its institutions as bureaucratic hurdles rather than allies in global leadership.

Culture wars without borders

Trump’s administration – bolstered by figures including Vice President JD Vance and media mogul Elon Musk – has also made overtures to Europe’s far right.

They have voiced support for Germany’s far-right AfD party and France’s Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, including on Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter) – helping to disseminate nationalist and populist rhetoric across the continent.

“We’re seeing a systematic attack on the liberal model that Europe represents,” said Belin. “This ‘Trumpian wave’ has fired up nationalist opposition in Europe, even if it hasn’t created a united front.”

‘Free Le Pen’: US conservatives rally behind French far-right leader

Non merci to MAGA

However, some of the European political parties that share Trump’s scepticism of liberal institutions are treading carefully when it comes to embracing his brand of politics.

While leaders such as Viktor Orbán in Hungary openly welcome MAGA-style backing, others see it as a double-edged sword.

Following her recent legal conviction, Le Pen received support from MAGA-aligned figures. But her party responded with conspicuous silence.

“They don’t want or need this Trumpian support,” Belin noted. “Their political strategy is not about aligning with MAGA America – it’s more French, more sovereignist.”

Embracing Trump too openly could risk undermining years of effort to mainstream the National Rally’s image. “Nationalists are realising that now – it brings fuel to the fire, yes, but it also complicates their own domestic positioning,” said Belin.

Trump’s first 100 days: Revolution or destruction? The view from France

Europe responds

French President Emmanuel Macron was among the first European leaders to sound the alarm on the changing nature of the US-European alliance. 

“I want to believe that the United States will stay by our side but we have to be prepared for that not to be the case,” he said in a televised address to the nation in March.

I January, in a speech to French ambassadors, he said: “Ten years ago, who could have imagined it if we had been told that the owner of one of the largest social networks in the world would support a new international reactionary movement and intervene directly in elections, including in Germany.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz followed suit, criticising Musk’s decision to give the AfD a platform just weeks before Germany’s federal elections.

However, Belin points out that the European response is still taking shape. “It’s brand new as a phenomenon,” she said. “Europeans were prepared to be challenged on trade, on security – even on Ukraine. But this cultural challenge is unprecedented.”

Meloni positions herself as Europe’s ‘trump card’ on visit to White House

Still, as Belin notes, Trumpism is not a winning formula everywhere. “Turning fully Trumpist would derail Marine Le Pen’s strategy. It’s not a winning strategy in France,” she said. “But in more insurgent political systems, it might be.”

And there is concern too that Trumpism could outlive Trump himself.

“There’s been a transformation in the perception of America’s global role,” Belin said. “And that will stick around. It will be pushed by some of the nationalist parties in our countries. That is the Trumpist legacy”.

“We no longer want to see the Palestinian people suffer,” Tajani said during a trip to Sicily, in remarks relayed by his spokesman. “Let’s come to a ceasefire, let’s free the hostages, but let’s leave people who are victims of Hamas alone,” he was cited as saying.

Israel’s military has announced it is in the “initial stages” of a new offensive in Gaza aimed at defeating Hamas, after resuming its offensive on March 18, ending a two-month truce in its war against Hamas triggered by the group’s October 2023 attack.

More than 100 people in Gaza were killed in Israeli strikes on Friday and another 10 on Saturday, according to the Gaza civil defence agency.

International condemnation has escalated over Israel’s military actions, and its blockage of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip, where more than two million people lived before the war started.

Israel’s army said the goal of its latest offensive is to “seize control of areas within the Gaza Strip”.

Multiple calls for peace

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also called a little earlier on Saturday for “pressure on Israel to halt the massacre in Gaza” and said Madrid plans a UN resolution demanding an International Court of Justice ruling on Israel’s war methods.

Sanchez told the Arab League summit in Baghdad that world leaders should “intensify our pressure on Israel to halt the massacre in Gaza, particularly through the channels afforded to us by international law”, adding that the “unacceptable number” of victims of the Israel-Hamas war violates the “principle of humanity”.

Demonstrations took place in Hamburg, Germany, in the US, and in Paris, France, from Gare du Nord, starting at 2pm local time to call for the end of “massacres” and to mark the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, the forced displacement of Palestinians, which started in 1948 with the creation of Israel.

As Arab leaders on Saturday held this summit in Baghdad, they also urged the international community as well to apply pressure for a Gaza ceasefire and humanitarian aid access to the besieged Palestinian territory.

“We call on the international community… to exert pressure to end the bloodshed and ensure that urgent humanitarian aid can enter without obstacles all areas in need in Gaza,” the leaders said in a joint final statement at the summit.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged his US counterpart Donald Trump to apply pressure for a ceasefire.

“I call on President Trump, as a leader who wants to consolidate peace, to apply all necessary efforts and pressure for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip,” which would pave the way “for a serious political process in which he would be a mediator and a sponsor,” Sisi said in his address to an Arab League.

Finally, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres called for a permanent and immediate ceasefire in Gaza. 

“We need a permanent ceasefire, now,” Guterres told leaders gathered in Baghdad. “I am alarmed by reported plans by Israel to expand ground operations and more.”

France blasts Israel’s Gaza offensive, condemns civilian displacement ‘very strongly’

Talks in Doha

Israel and Hamas resumed ceasefire talks on Saturday in Doha in Qatar, both sides said, even as Israeli forces ramped up a bombing campaign that has killed hundreds of people over 72 hours, and mobilised for a massive new ground assault.

A senior Hamas official said this new round of indirect negotiations with Israel, aimed at ending the war in Gaza, started “without any preconditions” on Saturday.

“Hamas will present its viewpoint on all issues, especially ending the war, (Israel’s) withdrawal and prisoner exchange.”

Prior rounds of negotiations have failed to secure a breakthrough on ending the war, and a two-month ceasefire between the sides fell apart when Israel resumed its operations in Gaza on 18 March.

The renewed fighting came after Israel imposed a total aid blockade on the territory that UN agencies warn has created critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicines.

 (AFP)

After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph.

After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into Sunday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356.

“Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose real name is Johannes Pietsch, said after his triumph in the Swiss city of Basel.

“Love is the strongest force in the world. Let’s spread more love,” the Austrian-Filipino singer said.

“Wasted Love” saw him hit the high notes while mixing opera and techno.

His Eurovision song, about the experience of unrequited love, blends lyricism and balladry, before ending with a techno flourish.

His performance, broadcast in black and white in 4:3 ratio, captivated viewers around Europe.

“What a fantastic success! My warmest congratulations on your victory,” said Austria’s Chancellor Christian Stocker, adding: “JJ is making Austrian music history.”

The Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt also issued a message of congratulations to JJ on Facebook.

“What an incredible moment — Filipino pride on the European stage!,” it said.   

Celine Dion no-show 

The 69th Eurovision Song Contest was held at Basel’s St. Jakobshalle, packed with 6,500 excited ticket-holders dressed to the nines while 36,000 others watched a live transmission in a nearby stadium.

An estimated 160 million people across Europe and beyond were expected to tune in for the annual TV spectacle, where kitsch, glam and spectacular staging go hand in hand.

Twenty-six countries were in contention, with 11 having been eliminated in the semi-finals during the week.

Basel had been abuzz all week with rumours that Celine Dion might make an emotion-laden appearance as she battles Stiff Person Syndrome.

The Canadian superstar, now 57, launched her international career by winning Eurovision 1988, while competing for Switzerland.

But in the end, she did not appear.

“We have been in contact with her through various channels and regret that ultimately it was not possible to include her in the show,” Eurovision organisers told AFP.

“We send her all our best wishes and, above all, good health.”

Sweden had long been the bookmakers’ hot favourite to win in Basel with the comedy trio KAJ’s sauna song “Bara Bada Bastu”.

But they finished fourth ahead of Italy, Greece and France as JJ scooped up the microphone-shaped trophy.

Albania, Ukraine and Switzerland rounded out the top 10.

Israel protests

As the televotes came in, Israel held the top spot until, right at the very end, the public votes for Austria gave the Alpine nation the right to host Eurovision next year.

Israel’s participation in Eurovision 2025 prompted a series of protests in Basel over the war in Gaza.

Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael survived the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza war, hiding beneath bodies as Hamas gunmen attacked a music festival, killing hundreds.

During the performance of her song “New Day Will Rise”, loud whistles could be heard and two people tried to get on stage.

“At the end of the Israeli performance, a man and a woman tried to get over a barrier onto the stage. They were stopped. One of the two agitators threw paint,” a Eurovision spokesman told AFP.

They were taken outside and handed over to police, he added.

Elsewhere in Basel, pro-Palestinian demonstrators clashed briefly with riot police. Blows were exchanged and officers deployed tear gas.

Ahead of the final on Saturday, Spain’s public broadcaster defied the organisers to air a message in support of Palestinians — despite being warned to avoid references to the Gaza offensive.   

‘Ich Komme’

The songs in contention were a showcase of Europe’s different musical scenes.

They included a Portuguese guitar ballad, a Maltese diva, Lithuanian alternative rock, an Italian singalong, a Greek power ballad, ethereal Latvian choral folk and German booming beats.

Estonia’s wobbly-legged Tommy Cash finished a close third with his cod-Italian “Espresso Macchiato” song.

Finland’s Erika– who gained momentum during Eurovision week with the orgasmic “Ich Komme” — was hoisted in the air on a spark-emitting golden microphone.

Poland’s Justyna Steczkowska, 52, set a new record between Eurovision appearances, returning 30 years after her first performance.

The Netherlands’ competitor Claude broke into tears after performing his song “C’est La Vie”.

French singer Louane, who lost both her parents as a teenager, performed her song “Maman”, with falling pieces of cork representing the sands of time.

And Malta’s Miriana Conte finished her diva big number “Serving” by bouncing up and down on an exercise ball.

 (AFP)

Franco-Tunisian director Sehiri, who worked previously as an investigative journalist, says it was important to bring women’s stories to the screen. 

“We often hear stories of migration through men’s eyes, not women’s,” she told RFI’s Sophie Torlotin after the premiere screening in Cannes. 

“We also talk a lot about migration from Africa to Europe. But (…) 80 percent of this migration remains within Africa. I found that it provided a very powerful context for reversing the narrative a little”. 

Interestingly, she observed that Tunisians call the migrants from sub-Saharan Africa “Africans” – denoting a separation between north and south Africa “as if they were not part of the same continent,” she laughs. 

Mixing a documentary style with fiction, Sehiri carefully weaves together an image of modern Tunisian society far from the images usually conveyed in the press.  

African films at Cannes tell unexpected stories of power, migration and identity

Community

It is a gritty tale, but filmed with warmth and often humour. 

At the centre of the film, three women, thrown together by fate who are renting a run-down building from a lazy landlord. 

Marie, played by Franco-Senegalese actress Aissa Maiga – runs an evangelical church from her living room and has a central role in the community of migrants from Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Senegal and other places across west Africa.  

Naney – played by Debora Lobe Naney – is a young mother who has left her daughter behind in Côte d’Ivoire and is saving money to buy her passage on a boat across to Europe. 

Jolie, played by Ivorian artist Laetitia Ky, is a 24-year-old engineering student torn between her family’s hopes and her desire for independence. 

The women face a myriad of challenges; the fear of losing their home, abusive police checks, nights spent in police custody and the threat of being forcibly returned to their countries. 

On top of that, Marie has taken in four-year-old Kenza, the survivor of a shipwreck and is trying to find a trace of the girl’s family. 

Sehiri’s characters are based on a mix of true tales gathered in the field and a long period of research and are played by both professional and non-professional actors. 

Her encounter with a former journalist and evangelical pastor from Côte d’Ivoire inspired the character Marie, a 40-year old woman who bravely focuses on her community to mask her own personal tragedy.

A complex and challenging character to play, Marie – who changed her name from Aminata – “holds together a community living in a hostile environment,” Maiga explains.  

Dignity

“It’s a politically important film, a film about women, a moving, funny, and also very serious,” Maïga says. 

“I was inspired by Erige’s research and how she likes to immerse herself in the context she wants to film,” she says, adding that she was drawn to the project as a chance to put a face to the tragedy and provide some dignity to those who have suffered,” she says. 

“We’re criminalizing people who are looking for one thing: resilience, getting by, helping their loved ones, and having a better future. I think many of us in their shoes would be doing the same thing,” she told French news agency AFP. 

Driven from camp to camp, Tunisia’s migrants still dream of Europe

Naney was recruited during a public audition and lights up the screen with her tough and sensitive presence. 

In real life, Naney was hellbent on crossing the Mediterranean sea, but Sehiri convinced her to stay in Tunis. 

“I still don’t know what this film is trying to say but I know you have to be a part of it”…she told Naney at the time and the pair worked together for nearly two years. 

More than just cinema

Kenza’s role was added later on in the script development and is based on the story of a young girl’s death when a boat carrying migrants capsized.  

“Devastated,” the director wanted to “pay tribute to her” and “question” the fate of child survivors whose families are never found. 

Deadly New Year for migrants as Tunisian shipwreck claims 27 lives

“It’s more than just cinema. It’s augmented art,” Maiga tells RFI. “The stories these people tell are so incredible and tragic. It’s augmented reality, with a cinematic touch, thanks to the camera work. It looks like a documentary but it’s not.”

The scenes in the evangelical church for example were filmed with extras playing their own roles. Maiga says they adopted her quickly and ended up calling her “mama pastor”. 

Resilience, courage

When asked about the inspiration for the film’s title, Sehiri says it came from a song written in Creole and French by the Reunion Island band Delgres. 

“On m’a promis le ciel, mais je suis ici sur terre” – “they promised me heaven but I’m still waiting here on earth”, goes the chorus. 

Mobile cinema brings big screen magic to Tunisia’s remote communities

Although it tackles a sense of hopelessness it is upbeat, something that Sehiri says is reflected in her characters’ resilience and courage. 

Sehiri’s first feature film Under the Fig Trees (Sous les Figues) about rural Tunisian youth, was shown at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes in 2022.  

Assembled in just four and a half months, the exhibition, entitled “Treasures Rescued from Gaza – 5,000 Years of History”, at the Institut du Monde Arabe honours Gaza’s rich past and looks to protect what’s left of a cultural legacy that has endured empires, invasions and now war.

“More than ever, especially since 7 October and the destruction that followed, Gaza deserves to have its history told,” said museum president Jack Lang, a former French culture minister.

His words resonate in the low-lit basement gallery, where the rescued artefacts are displayed beneath the building’s 240 ornate mashrabiyas, or screens.

A civilisation under siege

The exhibition features some 130 rare pieces spanning from the Bronze Age to the present.

The artefacts were placed in storage at the Geneva freeport in 2007, following an exhibition at the Museum of Art and History in Switzerland.

They were meant to be returned to Gaza for display in a planned 20,000-square-metre museum backed by Unesco, the United Nations’ cultural agency, but the project was abandoned as the situation in Gaza deteriorated.

Their lengthy exile may have saved them – unlike so much left behind in Gaza, these artefacts survived the Israeli airstrikes.

Long before the destruction seen today, Gaza was a thriving port and a key stop on caravan routes, linking Asia, Africa, Arabia and the Mediterranean. For thousands of years, it was a crossroads of civilisations and ideas – a place where cultures met and flourished.

Rescued treasures

Displayed on wheeled trolleys in a space that evokes a storage depot, the rescued artefacts are shown in a setting that reflects their fragility and displacement.

One section maps the destruction of archaeological sites in Gaza damaged in Israeli bombing raids, using satellite images and research compiled by several groups. Alongside it is a record of recent discoveries, offering a glimpse of what has been lost – and what remains.

These are not symbolic treasures: they were physically rescued from Gaza and nearly lost.

‘I want a loud death’: Cannes Film Festival to honour slain Gaza journalist

“Nothing is worse than abandonment and forgetting,” said Lang. “This exhibition, which I would describe as a matter of public salvation, pays tribute to Gaza – vibrant and wonderfully young.”

The collection is brimming with extraordinary pieces: a tilted marble Aphrodite, a royal oil lamp that spent more than 2,000 years underwater, a bronze Osiris, an alabaster vase from Egypt, small figurines, a cavalryman’s head from the 5th century BCE, and a vast Byzantine mosaic alive with animals and people.

Layers of history

Excavations in Gaza began in the mid-19th century before gaining pace under the British Mandate (1922–1948). They were then further expanded after the Oslo Accords in 1993.

That’s when a Palestinian Antiquities Service was created, later teaming up with the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem to document and protect sites across the enclave.

At the Institut du Monde Arabe, a cultural centre dedicated to Arab civilisation and heritage, visitors can browse early 20th-century photographs showing digs and ruins across Gaza’s 365 square kilometres – visual proof of a land layered with history.

In January 2024, three months into the latest Israeli offensive, the Saint Hilarion Monastery was added to the Unesco World Heritage List under an emergency procedure – the first site in Gaza to receive that status.

By 25 March, 2025, Unesco had identified damage to 94 cultural sites using satellite imagery: 12 religious buildings, 61 historic or artistic structures, seven archaeological sites, six monuments, three collections of cultural artefacts and one museum.

A personal mission

Much of the exhibition draws on the collection of Jawdat Khoudary, a Palestinian builder who began saving artefacts found during construction work in Gaza. In 2008, he opened a private museum that housed more than 4,000 pieces.

Only the ones stored in Switzerland survived. The rest have been destroyed.

Now a refugee in Egypt, Khoudary donated the surviving objects to the Palestinian Authority. They form the heart of the Paris exhibition – remnants of a collection that was almost entirely wiped out.

His donation ensures that at least part of Gaza’s archaeological heritage is preserved.

The idea that cultural memory shapes national identity runs throughout the exhibition, echoing the words of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the January 1999 issue of Dossiers d’Archéologie, a French archaeology magazine.

“However great the suffering and however long the road to freedom and dignity, a people exists only through an awareness of being the heir to a history that gives it identity, places it in the world and ensures its survival,” Arafat wrote.

At a time when Israel is blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza and denying the existence of a humanitarian crisis, this exhibition offers a different message: one of memory, identity and survival.

“Some of its treasures will survive this war – and ensure that Gaza is not completely wiped off the map,” said Lang.

► “Treasures Rescued from Gaza: 5,000 Years of History” is on display until 2 November, 2025 at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris.

This story was adapted from the original version in French by RFI’s Anne Bernas

Fulfilling a key legacy promise from the Games, the Paris authorities are to allow the public to swim in the Seine from 5 July at three points in the river, which is now deemed safe for a dip. 

Parisians will be able to take the plunge at Bras Marie in the heart of the historic centre, the Grenelle district in the west of Paris and at Bercy in the east. 

“It was an extraordinary moment [in 2024], but swimming during the Games was not an end in itself,” said Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo at a press conference. “Making the Seine swimmable is first and foremost a response to the objective of adapting to climate change, but also of quality of life.”

Seine swimming to return to heart of Paris after century of bans

Pollution levels

Once a favourite pastime in Paris, until last year swimming in the Seine had been off limits for a century, due to pollution levels.

Swimming will be supervised and monitored, said Pierre Rabadan, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sports. The city expects to welcome between 150 and 300 people at any given time at the three sites, which will close for the season at the end of August. 

As on beaches, a system of flags – red, yellow and green – will signal how safe it is to swim, according to the current and the quality of the water. 

Water quality will be closely monitored, after high levels of bacteria forced the postponement of some of the competitions during the Olympics.

Checks will be carried out daily, and swimming may be suspended in the event of rain, said Marc Guillaume, the Ile-de-France region’s police chief. 

He expressed “even more optimism” about water quality than last summer, given the work done to make the river cleaner. 

Olympic triathlon training cancelled again over Seine river pollution

Investment

More than €1.1 billion has been invested since 2016 to clean up the Seine: ahead of the Olympics, disinfection of the discharge from two wastewater treatment plants upstream of the capital has been reinforced.

Around 260 houseboats moored in the capital have been connected to the sewage system. 

In the neighbouring department of Val-de-Marne, 14 swimmable sites have been selected along the Marne and the Seine. Two of them will also open this year, on 28 June, at former historic swimming spots in Maisons-Alfort and Joinville-le-Pont. 

(with newswires) 

Kyiv is seeking an “unconditional ceasefire” in the fighting that has killed tens of thousands, destroyed large swathes of Ukraine and displaced millions of people.

Moscow says it wants to address the “root causes” of the conflict and revive failed 2022 negotiations in which it made sweeping territorial and political demands of Ukraine.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called for a ceasefire as he opened the meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations around 1:35pm in Istanbul‘s Dolmabahce Palace.

“While the war continues to take lives, it is of critical importance that the ceasefire be implemented as soon as possible,” Fidan said.

EU approves new sanctions package targeting Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’

He sat at the head of a table in front of Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian flags – with Russian and Ukrainian delegations facing each other, footage from the room showed.

Hundreds of journalists were waiting outside the palace.

The two sides spent the 24 hours before the talks slinging insults at each other and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of not being “serious” about peace.

Nevertheless, the fact the meeting was taking place at all was a sign of movement, with both sides having come under steady pressure from Washington to open talks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin declined to travel to Turkey for the talks, which he had proposed, sending a second-level delegation instead.

Zelensky criticised Russia for not taking the talks “seriously” by despatching people who he said had no power to make decisions.

Both Moscow and Washington have also talked up the need for a meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump on the conflict.

“Contacts between presidents Putin and Trump are extremely important in the context of the Ukrainian settlement,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday, adding that “a meeting is undoubtedly necessary.”

Trump had said Thursday that nothing would be settled until the two leaders met.

France leads EU push for tougher Russia sanctions amid ceasefire stalemate

‘Unconditional ceasefire’

“Ukraine is ready for peace and a long-term and unconditional ceasefire,” Zelensky’s top aid Andriy Yermak said Friday.

“The Ukrainian delegation is in Istanbul today to achieve an unconditional ceasefire – this is our priority,” he added.

Ahead of the talks with Russia, Ukrainian officials held meetings with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg and the national security advisors of Britain, France and Germany.

Rubio “discussed the importance of seeking a peaceful end to the Russia-Ukraine war”, and reiterated “the US position that the killing needs to stop”, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.

A Ukrainian diplomatic source in Istanbul told AFP the delegation also wanted to discuss a possible Putin-Zelensky meeting.

Another source accused Moscow of blocking US participation in the peace talks – the first since early 2022.

Western leaders have criticised Putin for skipping the talks and sending his aide – a former cultural minister who is not seen as a key Kremlin decision-maker – Vladimir Medinsky.

Rubio acknowledged that the Russian representation was “not at the levels we had hoped it would be at” and downplayed expectations for a breakthrough.

‘Points of contact’

Russia’s Medinsky led the failed 2022 talks with Ukraine at the start of the war.

He said Thursday that Moscow sees the talks as a “continuation” of talks that failed in 2022 – a sign that Moscow’s hardline demands have not changed.

But Medinsky pushed back against Zelensky’s criticism and insisted that the Russian delegation has a mandate from Putin to “find possible solutions and points of contact.”

Russia has repeatedly said it will not discuss giving up any territory that its forces occupy.

Kyiv‘s chief negotiator is Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who has roots in Crimea, the peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014.

‘Avoiding peace’

Kyiv and Moscow last held direct diplomatic talks in March 2022, in the first weeks of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They collapsed and fighting has raged since, with Moscow now occupying around a fifth of Ukraine.

Russia continued its attacks in the hours ahead of the talks, with Kyiv saying at least two people were killed.

European leaders slammed Putin for skipping the Istanbul talks.

EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas charged Friday that Russia was “clearly” not working for peace with Ukraine.

While NATO chief Mark Rutte said Putin had made a “big mistake” by sending a lower-rank Russian delegation to Istanbul.

More than 4,800 offences were recorded by police and gendarmes in 2024 – a 5 percent increase on the previous year – according to figures released by the interior ministry on Thursday.

Of those, 3,100 were classed as crimes or serious offences – a spike of 7 percent – while 1,800 were misdemeanours, up by just 1 percent.

Although the increase was smaller than in previous years – when annual rises averaged 15 percent between 2016 and 2023 – campaigners say the situation remains worrying.

The figures were published ahead of the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, held each year on 17 May.

Julia Torlet, who leads the non-profit SOS Homophobie, told French news agency AFP the current climate was toxic.

“Political personalities are multiplying anti-LGBTQI+ discourse, which encourages hateful acts and gives them legitimacy,” Torlet said. “These discourses seep into society and become commonplace, which is dangerous.”

SOS Homophobie, which runs a national helpline and online support services, received 1,571 testimonies in 2024 – down from 2,085 the year before.

Of those reports, 55 percent were linked to homophobia and 23 percent to transphobia.

Court finds seven guilty of bullying Paris Olympics choreographer

Young men most affected

Most victims of serious anti-LGBTQI+ offences were men – more than 70 percent – and almost half were under 30, according to the interior ministry’s statistics.

Those accused of these offences were also mostly male (83 percent) and often young. Around a third of offences involved insults or defamation, while 9 percent took place online.

Physical violence and threats each made up nearly 20 percent of the more serious offences.

Despite the rise in incidents, few victims go to the police. Only about 4 percent file a complaint, according to a separate government survey.

Torlet said online harassment had worsened. “Anti-LGBTQI+ rhetoric from politicians also unleashes online speech – we find ourselves with an explosion of anti-LGBTQI+ comments and cyberbullying,” she said.

Torlet cited recent attacks on public figures such as Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, which included drag queens.

DJ Barbara Butch, who performed in the segment, was also targeted.

French football league orders PSG to shut stand over homophobic abuse

Calls for stronger enforcement

Torlet said hateful language – especially from public figures – had become alarmingly widespread.

“We have laws, but they must actually be enforced, which is not yet the case,” she told FranceInfo. “There are still rights that need to be gained.”

She also called for more education, saying “we still hear a lot of fake news about LGBTQI+ people”.

More than half of all recorded offences took place in Paris and other cities with populations greater than 200,000 people.

(with newswires)

RFI: The mafia is so well-known that it has come to be used to refer to all forms of organised crime in Italy, and the rest of the world. Does its presence in the United States, its depiction in so many successful films and the extreme violence it unleashed – at least up until the murders of judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino in 1992 – explain this notoriety? And do people really understand it?

Clotilde Champeyrache: The word “mafia” has become popular around the world thanks to media coverage of its more visible sides – from glamorous films to a kind of branding that uses buzzwords like “Cosa Nostra” or “Al Capone”.

Yet these are merely representations of the visible aspects of the mafia, which overemphasise preconceived ideas about criminals who maintain myths around honour. The reality, which is very different, is little known and much less “visual”. The reality is a territory under control.

RFI: Journalist Roberto Saviano and, after him, filmmaker Matteo Garrone, painted a vivid picture of the Neapolitan Camorra, before it was then mythologised on television. What hold does this organisation have over Naples? And what influence does it have beyond that city?

CC: The Camorra, like any mafia, impacts the illegal economy, but also has a conditioning effect on the legal economy, the social life of a city and politics. Living in mafia country means having to integrate this criminal presence into everyday life. That’s why Neapolitans use the term “o sistema” – which means “the system” – rather than the term “Camorra”. Today, the mafia presence has spread beyond Naples, notably to the city of Caserta – not to mention its expansion outside the region of Campania.

Police break up French-Italian wine fraud ring

RFI: In the latter half of the 1980s, the clan rivalries of the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta, particularly around the Aspromonte mountain range, led to hundreds of deaths. Since then, the organisation has become much more discreet, and has extended its network far beyond the countryside of Italy’s poorest region. How widespread is it today? What dangers does it represent at a European and a global level?

CC: The ‘Ndrangheta flew under the radar for a long time because it seemed archaic and rural. Taking advantage of this low profile, it grew in power and learned by working for the Sicilian Cosa Nostra. It grew rich in various forms of trafficking and used major migratory chains to set up logistical outposts all over the world. It is now the most powerful mafia in Italy and beyond, with a truly strategic approach to its territory.

The organisation chart of its families is evolving in such a way as to perfectly connect the mafia’s projections outside Calabria to the families’ territories of origin. The aim is not just to be present all over the world to support illegal activities. It is to establish Mafia-controlled territories outside Calabria as quickly as possible, with infiltration of the legal economy and attempts to manipulate local elections.

RFI: What these networks have in common is that they were born on the land of what was once the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies – a historical kingdom that existed from 1816 to 1861 and comprised the island of Sicily and most of the Italian peninsula south of the Papal States – where the Italian state has never been able to exert any real control. What place have they occupied historically? What role do they still claim in society?

CC: Mafias have filled a void where the official authorities have not exercised their prerogatives, or have done so only to a limited extent. Lack of justice, poor respect for property rights, the absence of an effective legitimate response to violence and institutional distrust are all factors that have enabled mafia-type services on offer to flourish.

The mafias’ primary activity is “protection” – which justifies racketeering – and mediation, whether in disputes, theft or transactions. The mafia always lay claim to this status of “judge of the peace”, relying on a discourse that delegitimises the State. For example, mafia members offer people who are tired of being on the waiting list access to social housing, in return for payment. The de facto occupation of these premises is then formalised by a corrupt administration.

Italy targets ‘Ndrangheta group in biggest mafia trial in decades

RFI: Films such as Marco Bellocchio’s The Traitor (2019), which tells the story of Tommaso Buscetta, the repentant man who brought down the mafia boss Salvatore Riina, have recently shown the reality of the Sicilian mafia: a sordid and deadly world, where nothing – not even traditional values such as the family or religion – is truly respected. Why is this deconstruction necessary?

CC: Hollywood depictions of the mafia emphasise the supposed honourability of their crimes. They indulge in the aesthetics of the violence, arousing fascination.

The reality of the mafia is bleak. It imprisons people – both those who live inside mafia territory, and the mafia members themselves, who in general are born, live and die in a mafia culture that is imposed rather than chosen. This misery and lack of freedom needs to be shown.

RFI: The French state has declared war on drug trafficking. With cocaine money the lifeblood of the ‘Ndrangheta, the strategy of the Italian police and judiciary seems more holistic in combatting this trade. What can Italy teach France in this respect?

CC: The Italians, with their experience of dealing with terrorism and organised crime, think more about the criminal organisations than their markets. They identify the different organisations, how they are organised and their hierarchies. Since they are not all equally powerful and dangerous, targeting the big players is more relevant.

This is all the more true now that more and more criminal organisations in Europe are characterised by the diversity of their criminal activities, which are not confined to drug trafficking alone.

Italy’s ‘Fourth Mafia’, little-known but extremely violent

RFI: What is the economic impact of Italian organised crime today?

CC: Basically, nobody knows. Firstly, because illegal activity is highly varied and by its very nature hidden, making it difficult to quantify. But also because the mafias have succeeded perfectly in blurring the line between legality and illegality.

Widely present in a number of legal activities – catering, tourism, supermarkets, agriculture and more – they also control legal economic players by extorting money from them, imposing labour or suppliers on them and obtaining sub-contracts.

This article was adapted from the original version in French. Some answers have been lightly edited for clarity.

The former officers joined the Castres-based unit four years ago, hoping to dedicate their lives to the military. Nicknamed “Le Grand 8”, the regiment has fought in Afghanistan and is one of France’s most prestigious combat units.

“I aimed to join the special forces or become at least a non-commissioned officer. Now I’m on sick leave because of depression”, Clovis Tritto, one of the plaintiffs, told Le Parisien daily.

Tritto, 27, claims he was repeatedly insulted and ostracised for refusing to participate in hazing rituals and group harassment orchestrated by his superiors.

He and three others filed a legal complaint with the Paris public prosecutor on 9 May. The case targets their superiors and the Ministry of the Armed Forces, accusing them of “deliberate violence, moral harassment, threats, endangering the lives of others and incitement to suicide”.

French army says prepared for ‘toughest’ engagements

Archaic, harmful methods

“This is a courageous step by young men who not only want to denounce the serious abuses they suffered but also hope to see real change in military practices,” their lawyer, Thibault Laforcade, told the French news agency AFP.

“It’s time to reexamine how this institution functions. The military cannot continue to rely on archaic and harmful methods.”

Laforcade argued that younger recruits accept the discipline that comes with army life, but fundamental rights must be upheld – even within regimental walls.

In a letter addressed to Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu, Laforcade urged the government to “take all necessary measures to address these systemic problems”.

Other members of the unit also spoke to Le Parisien, describing a climate of fear in which soldiers who were shunned were isolated from their peers and denied contact.

They also described “entrenched” racism, saying words like “bonobo” and “negro” were used freely.

Is French Foreign Legion still an elite, international fighting force?

Zero-tolerance policy

The Ministry of the Armed Forces said it was taking the allegations “very seriously” and reaffirmed its “zero-tolerance policy” towards such practices.

“The French Army is determined to shed full light on the facts and has launched a command-level investigation,” the ministry said in a statement.

It also pledged full cooperation with judicial authorities and vowed that if the allegations are confirmed to be true, “those responsible will face severe disciplinary sanctions”.

Tritto said two-thirds of those who joined the regiment in the same year as him have since left the army, and one in four are dealing with depression.

(with newswires)

The impact of Donald Trump’s second term in the White House is being felt far beyond US borders. Observers say this ripple effect can be seen across Europe, not just in policy but in the continent’s political culture itself.

For Dr Célia Belin of the European Council on Foreign Relations, the stakes are nothing less than the future of European liberal democracy.

In her latest ECFR report, MAGA Goes Global: Trump’s Plan for Europe, Belin warns that what might appear to be chaotic decisions from the Oval Office are, in fact, part of an ideological project.

“There’s actually a strong direction, a clear destination,” Belin told RFI. “Trump, surrounded by loyalists and MAGA Republicans, is ready to implement his plan – to push back on liberal democracy, and to push back on Europe.”

According to her, he sees Europe as “an extension of his political enemies – liberals and progressives” and views its institutions as bureaucratic hurdles rather than allies in global leadership.

Culture wars without borders

Trump’s administration – bolstered by figures including Vice President JD Vance and media mogul Elon Musk – has also made overtures to Europe’s far right.

They have voiced support for Germany’s far-right AfD party and France’s Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, including on Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter) – helping to disseminate nationalist and populist rhetoric across the continent.

“We’re seeing a systematic attack on the liberal model that Europe represents,” said Belin. “This ‘Trumpian wave’ has fired up nationalist opposition in Europe, even if it hasn’t created a united front.”

‘Free Le Pen’: US conservatives rally behind French far-right leader

Non merci to MAGA

However, some of the European political parties that share Trump’s scepticism of liberal institutions are treading carefully when it comes to embracing his brand of politics.

While leaders such as Viktor Orbán in Hungary openly welcome MAGA-style backing, others see it as a double-edged sword.

Following her recent legal conviction, Le Pen received support from MAGA-aligned figures. But her party responded with conspicuous silence.

“They don’t want or need this Trumpian support,” Belin noted. “Their political strategy is not about aligning with MAGA America – it’s more French, more sovereignist.”

Embracing Trump too openly could risk undermining years of effort to mainstream the National Rally’s image. “Nationalists are realising that now – it brings fuel to the fire, yes, but it also complicates their own domestic positioning,” said Belin.

Trump’s first 100 days: Revolution or destruction? The view from France

Europe responds

French President Emmanuel Macron was among the first European leaders to sound the alarm on the changing nature of the US-European alliance. 

“I want to believe that the United States will stay by our side but we have to be prepared for that not to be the case,” he said in a televised address to the nation in March.

I January, in a speech to French ambassadors, he said: “Ten years ago, who could have imagined it if we had been told that the owner of one of the largest social networks in the world would support a new international reactionary movement and intervene directly in elections, including in Germany.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz followed suit, criticising Musk’s decision to give the AfD a platform just weeks before Germany’s federal elections.

However, Belin points out that the European response is still taking shape. “It’s brand new as a phenomenon,” she said. “Europeans were prepared to be challenged on trade, on security – even on Ukraine. But this cultural challenge is unprecedented.”

Meloni positions herself as Europe’s ‘trump card’ on visit to White House

Still, as Belin notes, Trumpism is not a winning formula everywhere. “Turning fully Trumpist would derail Marine Le Pen’s strategy. It’s not a winning strategy in France,” she said. “But in more insurgent political systems, it might be.”

And there is concern too that Trumpism could outlive Trump himself.

“There’s been a transformation in the perception of America’s global role,” Belin said. “And that will stick around. It will be pushed by some of the nationalist parties in our countries. That is the Trumpist legacy”.

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

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” and 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: Brother 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 Brother 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 19 April, I asked you a question about Mario Vargas Llosa, a Nobel Prize-winning author from Peru. You were to re-read Paul Myers’ article “Nobel prize-winning author Mario Vargas Llosa dies aged 89”, and send in the answers to these questions: In which year did Llosa win the Nobel Prize for Literature, and what did the Nobel Committee write about his work?

The answer is, to quote Paul’s article: “His Nobel Prize in 2010 came 51 years after The Cubs and Other Stories. The Nobel committee said the accolade was an award for his cartography of structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual’s resistance, revolt, and defeat.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, “What are the obstacles that impede your happiness?”, which was an idea from Erwan Rome, who suggested we look at the philosophy questions asked on the French baccalaureate exams, the French leaving-school exam. This one was for the 2018 students.

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

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Father Stephen Wara from Bamenda, Cameroon. Father Steve is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations, Father Stephen,on your double win.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are RFI Listeners Club members Samir Mukhopadhyay from West Bengal, India – who noted Vargas is one of his favorite Latin American writers; Mahfuzur Rahman from Cumilla, Bangladesh; Niyar Talukdar from Maharashtra, India, and last but not least, RFI English listener Tanjim Tatini from Munshiganj, Bangladesh.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme:  “En route à Bengal” inspired by traditional Bengali folk music, arranged and performed by the Hamelin Instrumental Band; Traditional Peruvian Cumbia; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “The Loud Minority” by Frank Foster, performed by the the Loud Minority Big Band.

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

This week’s question … you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read Ollia Horton’s article “Ukraine, Gaza and #MeToo in the spotlight as Cannes Film Festival opens”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 16 June to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 21 June 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.   

According to Amnesty International, Donald Trump’s rise to the presidency has hastened trends already unfolding over the past decade.

Just one hundred days into his second term, President Trump has demonstrated a complete disregard for universal human rights, making the world both less safe and less just, the organisation’s latest report claims.

“His all-out assault on the very concepts of multilateralism, asylum, racial and gender justice, global health and life-saving climate action is exacerbating the significant damage those principles and institutions have already sustained and is further emboldening other anti-rights leaders and movements to join his onslaught,” Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, wrote.

While Africa’s armed conflicts caused relentless civilian suffering, including increasing levels of sexual and gender-based violence, and death on a massive scale, international and regional responses remained woefully inadequate.

The NGO also denounces global failures in addressing inequalities, climate collapse, and tech transformations that imperil future generations, especially in fragile zones. 

To discuss the implications for Africa in detail, this week, Spotlight on Africa’s first guest is Deprose Muchena, senior director for regional human rights impact at Amnesty International. 

Meanwhile, in South Africa, experts reflect on a recent visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as the country leads the G20 this year and tries to become a platform for peace talk.

Did Zelensky’s South Africa visit signal a diplomatic pivot by Pretoria?

We talked to the French business and veteran diplomat, Jean-Yves Ollivier, founder of the Brazzaville Foundation, who was a key actor in organising Zelensky’s meeting with South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Finally, we hear from Djiby Kebe, one of the founders of  Air Afrique magazine, created by and for young members of the African diaspora in Paris and Abidjan. Inspired by the once-successful Pan-African airline of the same name, the publication centres on culture and travel.

Episode mixed by Erwan Rome.

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

While protests continue over the jailing of the Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, his account on social media platform X has been cancelled.

X, formerly Twitter, claims it was in response to a Turkish court order. Dozens of Imamoglu supporters have also had their accounts suspended, drawing widespread condemnation.

The controversy is stoking broader concerns over the stance of the world’s tech giants towards Turkey.

“These international tech companies find it well to keep good relations with the Turkish authorities because their only evaluation is not just on the side of democratic standards,” said Erol Onderoglu of the Paris-based Reporters without Borders.

“But there is another challenge which is based on financial profit. The country’s advertising market is very vibrant regarding social media participation,” he added.

Google is also facing criticism. The US tech giant was recently accused of changing its algorithms, resulting in a collapse in people accessing the websites of Turkey’s independent media and therefore depriving the companies of vital advertising revenue.

Turkish radio ban is latest attack on press freedom, warn activists

Fewer alternative voices

Until now, the internet has provided a platform for alternative voices to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who controls around 90 percent of the mainstream media.

“Google has a very big effect when you search the web for news, the most visible ones are always from pro-government media or state media. But the omission of independent media from results is just a mystery right now,” said Volga Kuscuoglu editor of Bianet English edition.

Turkey’s independent media is battling arrests and fines by the Turkish authorities. Reporters Without Borders’ latest index on press freedom saw Turkey slip further down the rankings to 159 out of 180 countries.

Koscuoglu fears the government is seeking to extend its control over the media to the internet.

“We don’t know whether there was any political pressure as no reports have been made about that,” said Koscuoglu. “But the government has passed several laws in recent years and those were aimed to bring large social media under control in Turkey.

“You wouldn’t expect Google to be excluded from this control; so yes, there could be political influence on that decision.”

How Turkish voters are beating internet press clampdown before polls

Threat to reduce bandwidth

Duvar, one of Turkey’s largest and most prominent independent news portals, closed its doors in March, citing a loss of revenue following the collapse in internet hits, which it blamed on Google’s change to algorithms.

Google was approached to comment on the accusations but did not reply.

However, a spokesperson speaking anonymously to Reuters news agency said that any algorithm changes were simply aimed at enhancing the search facility.

Internet experts believe the Turkish government has controlled the world’s tech giants by making them liable to Turkish law.

“The government, in addition to warnings, financial penalties and an advertisement ban, was going to impose a bandwidth restriction,” said Yaman Akdeniz, a co-founder of Turkey’s Freedom of Expression Association.

“The government was going to throttle the social media platforms that didn’t comply…up to 50 percent of their bandwidth access was going to be reduced, and that was going up to 90 percent of their bandwidth being restricted from Turkey.

“Social media providers didn’t want to risk that,” he concluded.

Press freedom concerns as Ankara forces internet giants to bow to Turkish law

‘Extinction of pluralism’

With some of Turkey’s independent media organisations claiming their web activity has dropped by as much as 90 percent in the past few months, many are struggling to survive and are laying off journalists.

The experience of Turkey could well be the canary in the mine.

Onderoglu of Reporters Without Borders claims the plurality of the media is at stake.

“Extinction of pluralism within the media, which means that you’ll have just one echo from a country which is the official line, is extremely dangerous,” he warned.

“This is the main concern not only in Turkey but in dozens of countries around the world,” he added.

“Journalists are trying to make viable another view within society, another approach from the official one.”

Questions over Google’s power as effective gatekeeper to the internet and what critics claim is the lack of transparency over the search engine’s algorithms are likely to grow.

Meanwhile, the algorithm changes leave Turkey’s besieged independent media, already battling arrests and fines, fighting for financial survival.

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

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 12 April I asked you a question about the drop in air pollution in Paris. That week, Airparif, an independent group that tracks air quality, reported that between 2005 and 2024, levels in Paris of the two most harmful air pollutants – fine particles and nitrogen dioxide – fell by 55 percent and 50 percent respectively.

You were to re-read our article “Air pollution in Paris region ‘cut in half’ over the past 20 years” and send in the answer to this question: According to Airparif, what are the policies that led to the reduction in Paris’ pollution? What are some of the concrete steps that were taken?

The answer is, to quote our article: “Antoine Trouche, an engineer at Airparif, told France Inter radio that several concrete steps had made a difference.

These included ‘the Euro emissions standards, taxation of industrial pollutant emissions, and increased public transport and cycling infrastructure’.

He also pointed to ‘the replacement of diesel vehicles with petrol and electric vehicles.’”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by Jayanta Chakrabarty from New Delhi, India: “Suppose you find an old magical lamp which when rubbed a genie appears and tells you he will fulfill one wish. What would your wish be?”

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

The winners are: RFI English listener Malik Allah Bachaya Khokhar, the president of the Sungat Radio Listeners Club in Muzaffargarh, Pakistan. Malik is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations on your double win, Malik.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Ramu Reddy, a member of the RFI Pariwar Bandhu SWL Club in Chhattisgarh, India, and RFI Listeners Club members Sardar Munir Akhter from Punjab, Pakistan, as well as Deekay Dimple from Assam, India.

Last but not least, RFI English listener Ataur Rahman Ranju, the president of the Alokito Manush Cai International Radio Listeners Club in Rangpur, Bangladesh.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme:  “Free Wheelin’” by Thierry Durbet and Laurent Thierry-Meig; “Arc en Ciel 3” by Philippe Bestion; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Un Nuit à Paris” by Kevin Godley and Lol Cream, performed by 10cc.

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 “France hosts summit to lure scientists threatened by US budget cuts”, which will help you with the answer.

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

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

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

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Relations have been turbulent since Donald Trump took office in January. Cooperation on trade, health, defence and diplomacy has suffered after several of Trump’s executive orders.

The US is South Africa’s second largest trading partner, but exports to America now face 30 percent tariffs.

On 7 February, Trump issued an executive order to resettle white South African refugees, saying the country’s leaders were doing “some terrible things, horrible things”.

US media say the first group of Afrikaner (white South Africans) “refugees” is due to arrive as from 12 May. South Africa expressed its “concerns” to the United States on 9 May and reiterated that “allegations of discrimination are unfounded”.

On 14 April, South Africa named former deputy Finance Minister Mcebesi Jonas as its special envoy to Washington after ambassador Ebrahim Rasool was expelled.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Rasool was “no longer welcome” in America, calling him “a race-baiting politician who hates America” and Trump.

President Cyril Ramaphosa and Trump spoke on the phone on 24 April in what was described as a cordial exchange. Trump invited Ramaphosa to Washington and suggested he “bring the golfers over”.

South Africa unites against Trump as US freezes aid over land reform

RFI: Where are we at today with the relationship between South Africa and the United States?

Ronald Lamola: The relationship has always been dynamic and evolving, obviously with more challenges since the election of President Trump, particularly with the number of executive orders that are not based on any facts or truths.

In South Africa, the expropriation bills are aimed at redressing the imbalances of the past to ensure there is equitable distribution of all the resources of our country. This is done in line with the constitution, which has got sufficient safeguards against any arbitrary use of power by the executive or by the state.

It is in that context that we continue to engage with Washington because the relationship remains important. Washington is our strategic trading partner, the second biggest after China.

RFI: Is there more going on behind the scenes than we can see? Are relations improving despite the tensions?

Ronald Lamola: Indeed, there are still challenges, but we continue to engage at a diplomatic level.

International Court of Justice hears South Africa’s genocide case against Israel

RFI: Is South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice being used as a bargaining chip?

Ronald Lamola: No, it cannot be used as a bargaining chip. This is a matter of principle.

Our history is linked to that of Palestine and, as Nelson Mandela said, the struggle of South Africa is not complete until the Palestinian people are also free. There has been propaganda that Iran or Hamas is paying for these legal fees.

You can check the departmental websites where all reports are recorded. It is the South African government tax money that is paying for this case. There is no other hidden hand paying for the case.

RFI: Can you imagine a scenario where the United States might ask South Africa to drop the case against Israel in order to continue enjoying good relations with Washington?

Ronald Lamola: Unfortunately, I cannot imagine things that I don’t know.

RFI: What would South Africa’s position be if that were to happen?

Ronald Lamola: I don’t want to speculate about anything or any scenarios. We deal with what is in front of us.

As you are aware, in one of the executive orders, this issue of the case has been raised and, also in some of the bills that are before Congress. But this is a matter of principle. It’s based on the Genocide Convention. Principles cannot be negotiated.

RFI: Where does the case at the ICJ stand now?

Ronald Lamola: We are waiting for Israel to respond. As you are aware, we filed a memorial last year in June. The case has to take its normal course. The court must decide because the future of the world is dependent on certainty, on a rules-based international order, which is based on international law.

We have to ensure that international law is respected by all. The might cannot always be right.

RFI: South Africa says it will not cut ties with historic allies. President Ramaphosa said that South Africa will not be bullied. Is there a price to pay for standing by your principles?​​​​​​

Ronald Lamola: Nations must respect and abide by the rule of law. We are signatories to the Genocide Convention. We will respect and live by the UN Charter. Obviously, there will be pain that may come with it, but this is the pain we need to pay for the people of the world.

South Africa is a product of solidarity. We would not be free if it was not for the people of the world who suffered and stood in solidarity with us. So, we owe it to the people of the world to ensure that the UN Conventions and the UN Charter are protected and defended.

EU flags stronger partnership with South Africa with €4.7bn investment

RFI: The US is South Africa’s second largest trading partner. How can your country absorb the blow of 30 percent tariffs, if they go through by mid-July?

Obviously, it is going to be very difficult and damaging to our economy. We see it also as an opportunity for us to engage in bilateral agreements with the US that are mutually beneficial.

There are South African businesses invested in the US, and also US businesses invested in our country. About 601 companies from the US have invested in South Africa, responsible for more than 150,000 jobs in our country.

It is an important dynamic relationship, which has also brought a lot of technology in our country and improved our economy.

But, we also have to diversify markets. We are glad that the EU is opening its market to work with us and trade with us. We are also looking at other countries to trade with us.

We will, however, continue to engage with the US because we believe the relationship is mutually beneficial and we have to continue to nurture it for the benefit of our two nations.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity

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.