“The situation clearly remains volatile and unstable. I think it’s a very good thing that President Trump is calling for a ceasefire,” Macron told reporters on Tuesday during a visit to Norway.

Trump said earlier that Israel and Iran had agreed to a truce which would be a phased 24-hour process beginning at around 0400 GMT Tuesday, with Iran unilaterally halting all operations first. He said Israel would follow suit 12 hours later.

Noting reports of missiles having been fired after the ceasefire announcement, the French president said that “the last few minutes have shown that the situation remains very fragile”.

Israel launched strikes against Iran on 13 June, hitting nuclear and military sites as well as residential areas, and prompting waves of Iranian missile attacks on Israel.

While Iran and Israel have been in a shadow war against each other for decades, this has been by far the most destructive confrontation between the arch-foes.

Macron reiterates call for resumption of diplomacy to stop Middle East conflict

Secret uranium enrichment

Macron also said that “one of the main risks for the region and the international community” was that Iran would attempt to enrich uranium covertly.

Western powers, including the United States, have long accused Iran of secretly working to develop nuclear weapons. Iran has denied the claim, saying its programme is peaceful.

“This risk has indeed increased with what has happened recently,” Macron told reporters, adding that “we must absolutely prevent Iran from going down this path”.

The comments came after the US targeted an underground uranium enrichment centre with massive bunker-busting bombs and hitting two other nuclear facilities at the weekend.

Iran retaliated on Monday by launching a missile towards the largest US military facility in the Middle East – Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

Macron took to social media to convey France’s support for Qatar and “each of its partners in the Gulf”.

France expresses concern, urges restraint, over US strikes on Iran

He declared that US strikes on Iran were not legal, but that France supported the objective of keeping Tehran from developing nuclear arms.

“While we can consider there being legitimacy in neutralising nuclear structures in Iran given the objectives we share… There is no legality in these strikes,” Macron told reporters in Norway.

“We have consistently believed from the beginning that this can only be achieved through diplomatic and technical means,” the French president said, speaking alongside Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.

Store echoed the sentiment.

“International law has some clear principles on the use of force. It can be granted by the Security Council or it can be in pure self defence,” Macron said, noting that this meant the strikes were “outside the realm of international law.”

Exercise restraint

The US decision to launch strikes on Iran in support of Israel has divided Europe’s NATO members, who are gathering for a two-day summit in The Hague.

Germany is strongly backing the US move but others – including Norway – have said it broke international law.

NATO 2025 starts in The Hague amid unprecedented security and citywide disruptions

The French head of state also voiced his opposition to any intention of a regime change in Iran through military means.

“Every time we’ve made this choice, whatever the legitimacy of the initial approach … we made a mistake,” he said, adding that such actions had not led to increased stability in the past.

“I call on all parties to exercise the utmost restraint, de-escalate and return to the negotiating table,” Macron said.

(with AFP)

The NATO Summit officially opened at the World Forum in The Hague, as world leaders – including President Trump – arrive in the Netherlands for two days of high-level meetings.

While Wednesday will see all 32 heads of state and government convene for the main North Atlantic Council session, several significant events are already scheduled for today.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte began the day with a speech at the Public Forum at 10 a.m., launching discussions among leaders, ministers, experts, and young people on matters of peace and security.

For defence ministers, Defence Industry Forum is a key focus. Hosted by Minister Brekelmans and the employers’ organisation VNO-NCW, the forum brings together over 400 participants from government, industry, and the defence sector to explore closer cooperation and new investment opportunities for NATO’s future.

Meanwhile, outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Schoof met with Ukrainian President Zelensky. Unlike previous summits, Zelensky will play a smaller role this year, although he has been invited to this evening’s royal banquet and will address the Dutch Parliament this afternoon.

This evening, all leaders will gather for a dinner with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima at Huis ten Bosch Palace. Simultaneously, NATO foreign ministers and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas will meet at the World Forum for talks on Ukraine, while defense ministers attend a working dinner.

Largest security operation in history

Security  is unprecedented, with some 27,000 police officers (nearly half of the Dutch police force) deployed in what is being called the largest security operation in the Netherlands’ history. Over 10,000 military personnel are also assisting, supported by air defencesystems, fighter jets, and naval vessels.

A 16-kilometer airspace zone around The Hague is closed to civilian flights, and maritime traffic has been restricted along the nearby North Sea coast. The use of drones within designated areas is strictly forbidden. Citizens face significant disruptions, including road closures, public transport rerouting, and heightened security checkpoints.

In the days leading up to the summit, several demonstrations took place, including a Counter Summit for Peace and Justice organised by a coalition of some 40 peace groups, actions by Extinction Rebellion, a more militant group that tried to block the main artery meant for the transport of the heads of state from the airport towards the NATO meeting, and pro-Palestinian protests.

More protests are expected on Tuesday, including a “Gaza Beach” event and and anti-Trump- and Orban demonstration themed “Noise for Love” organised by LGBTQ+ groups. 

Authorities are  preparing for the protests, with riot police on standby to ensure public safety while respecting the right to demonstrate.

The summit is expected to continue through June 25, focusing on collective defense, emerging security challenges, and strengthening NATO’s strategic partnerships.

The NATO Summit

NATO set to unveil ambitious spending target at key summit

The NATO summit is the third large international gathering of heads of state and government organised by The Netherlands. More than a decade ago, The Hague hosted the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit, an event that then set new records for international gatherings in the Netherlands.

The summit brought together 58 world leaders, including US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as 5,000 delegates and 3,000 journalists. With representatives from 53 countries and four major international organizations, it was the largest conference of its kind in Dutch history at the time.

The organisation of the two sporting extravaganzas last summer cost €2.77 billion, which included €1.4 billion for security.

A further €3.19 billion was spent on work linked to infrastructure projects.

The Olympics ran from July 26 to August 11, while the Paralympics took place from August 28 to September 8, with organisers making the most of historic sites in central Paris, either as venues or the backdrop to the events.

The Games were widely hailed as highly successful.

The national audit body said there would be a “heightened interest” in the figures because France is also preparing to host the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps.

It is the first time actual figures have been announced, although the president of the national audit body, Pierre Moscovici, had in 2024 said they would cost the state “three, maybe four, five billion euros”.

Moscovici, a former French finance minister and European Union Commissioner, added that the real costs would only be known at the end of the Games.

A ‘success’ with the public, media

Until now only the costs of the local organising committee (COJO) of €4.4 billion, which represented a surplus of €76 million, have been made public.

That figure came almost exclusively from private financing and from Solideo, the body responsible for delivering Olympic construction projects, which was in part publicly financed.

Lavish Paris Olympics river ceremony cost €100m, finance report reveals

A more detailled report will be published in October as other costs are not yet known.

The body added that because of a lack of concrete information the figures did not include “the positive and negative impact the Games had on economic activity”.

It said however that the Games were “indisputably a success with the public and the media”.

Another report on the legacy of the Games will be published in 2026. 

(with AFP)

The prosecutor’s office in Saint-Quentin announced on Monday that a preliminary judicial inquiry for involuntary homicide had been opened last week, alongside a health investigation.

“This preliminary investigation was opened against unknown persons on charges of involuntary manslaughter, involuntary injury, endangering the lives of others and deception regarding goods presenting a danger to human life,” according to a press release from the public prosecutor’s office.

Authorities in the Aisne department announced that the number of victims had risen to 19 after another child had been admitted to hospital with symptoms of food poisoning.

French health chiefs identify E coli as cause of major food poisoning outbreak

Eight of these young patients developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication characterised in particular by acute renal failure, one of whom, a 12-year-old girl, died on 16 June.

Currently, six children who contracted HUS are still receiving dialysis, while ten other children have been able to leave the hospital and return home, while receiving “continuous medical monitoring,” the prefecture said in a statement.

Samples under scrutiny

French Health Minister Yannick Neuder confirmed on Sunday during a press briefing in Saint-Quentin that the children had been affected by a contamination with the Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria.

“At this stage, the most likely cause of contamination is meat consumption,” the Aisne prefecture recalled on Monday, while stressing that “school catering is not targeted in any of the cases identified.”

Nestlé France offers compensation to victims of food poisoning

Four butcher shops in Saint-Quentin, as well as the meat departments of two supermarkets in the area, have been closed as a precaution in recent days, and samples taken from these stores are currently being analysed.

The results of these analyses are expected “by the end of the week,” and “food investigations into the origin of the contamination carried out over the last two days have not revealed any new businesses,” according to the prefecture.

HUS affects between 100 and 165 children in France each year, according to the country’s public health agency.

(with AFP)

The killing of the 31-year-old teaching assistant – named only as Melanie – caused widespread shock, just months after another student killed a girl and wounded several others in a stabbing in western France.

Her funeral for took place on 17 June in Sarcey, a small village near Nogent, in eastern France.

14-year-old student Quentin G. was charged with the “murder of a person in a position of authority”, which under French law is an aggravating circumstance.

The suspect was also named as a person of interest in the assault of a gendarme during his arrest shortly after the fatal stabbing, prosecutors in the eastern city of Dijon said.

The attack took place during a routine bag check in front of the Françoise Dolto secondary school.

‘Fascination for violence’

Prosecutors said later that the pupil had wanted to attack “any” monitor after being reprimanded a few days earlier for kissing his girlfriend.

Regional prosecutor Denis Devallois told reporters that the teenager acknowledged “being the perpetrator” of the deadly stabbing and that he “intended to kill”.

Devallois said the suspect was a fan of “violent video games”, and showed a “fascination for violence and death”.

French government to ban knife sales to minors after deadly school attack

As a minor, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison instead of life imprisonment.

The victim, a former hairdresser, had worked at the school since September. She was a mother of a four-year-old boy and a councillor in her village.

Last week, the Ministry of Education announced that on top of the Legion d’honneur, she would also receive the title of Commander of the “Palmes Académiques”, the oldest distinction awarded to a civilian.

Son to receive award

The status of Ward of the Nation, which offers special material and moral protection to the children of victims of acts of terrorism, will be granted to her son.

France has seen several attacks on teachers and pupils in recent years by schoolchildren and authorities have promised a raft of measures to tackle knife crime among children.

In March, police began carrying out random searches for concealed weapons in and around schools.

EU countries push for stricter rules to keep children off social media

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou‘s office said a ban on the sale of knives to minors would be implemented by a decree.

Bayrou has also called for a trial of metal detectors in schools.

Education Minister Elisabeth Borne has called for children’s screen time to be limited.

Backed by France and Spain, Greece has also spearheaded a proposal for how the EU should limit children’s use of online platforms as evidence shows that social media can have negative effects on children’s mental and physical health.

(with AFP)

Philippe, a former prime minister and strong centrist contender for the 2027 presidential elections, has denied all the allegations.

A former senior official with the local authority, who has asked to remain anonymous, filed the complaint on Friday against Philippe and two others, her lawyer told French news agency AFP, as well as the Le Monde newspaper and the France Inter broadcaster.

The accusations include alleged bullying, favouritism and illegal taking of interest, said lawyer Jerome Karsenti.

France’s rights ombudswoman in January gave the female civil servant the status of whistleblower, a label Philippe has rejected.

The plaintiff had already filed a first complaint in September 2023, relating to the setting up of a digital hub in the city that aims to encourage innovation.

That led financial prosecutors later the same year to open a preliminary probe targeting Philippe and two other Le Havre officials on suspicion of influence peddling, favouritism, embezzlement of public funds and bullying.

As part of that investigation, French police in April 2024 searched Le Havre’s city hall.

A judicial source told AFP that probe was still ongoing and investigators were examining documents seized during the city hall raid.

Police raid ex-French PM’s office in Le Havre as part of corruption inquiry

‘Sad vendetta’

But the plaintiff told AFP and the two other media outlets that she felt like the case was not moving forward, and her lawyer said he feared the financial prosecutor’s office would be too scared to look into the alleged involvement of “a probable future presidential candidate”.

She hoped that this new complaint would trigger the appointment of an independent investigating magistrate, and allow her to be informed of the investigation’s progress as a civil party in the case.

Philippe, who was prime minister from 2017 to 2020, has rejected all accusations.

Former French PM Edouard Philippe announces 2027 presidential bid

“The plaintiff is pursuing her sad vendetta which has nothing to do with the cry of a whistleblower but rather relates to the unhappiness of a civil servant whose contract was not renewed,” he told AFP.

Philippe runs a centrist movement called Horizons that is allied with – but not part of – President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist faction.

He has firmly declared his intention to run for president in 2027, with polls showing him as the strongest candidate from the centre to take on the far right.

(with AFP)

“THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday.

Trump said the ceasefire would be a phased 24-hour process beginning at around 0400 GMT Tuesday, with Iran unilaterally halting all operations. Israel would follow suit 12 hours later, the president said.

The adversaries have been swapping missile fire since Israel carried out surprise “preemptive” strikes against Iran on 13 June, targeting nuclear and military sites, prompting Trump to warn of a possible “massive” regional conflict.

Israeli strikes on Iran have killed more than 400 people, Iran’s health ministry has said. Twenty-four people have died in Iran’s attacks on Israel, according to official figures.

Israel said early Tuesday it had agreed to Trump’s proposal for a bilateral ceasefire with Iran but will “react with force” to any violation.

“Israel thanks President Trump and the United States for their support in defence,” the statement said.

 “Last night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened the cabinet… to announce that Israel had achieved all the objectives of Operation ‘Rising Lion’ and much more,” the government said in a statement, adding that it had removed “an immediate dual existential threat: nuclear and ballistic”.

Just hours before Trump’s latest announcement, Iran‘s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said that “as of now, there is NO ‘agreement’ on ceasefire or cessation of military operations”.

“However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4 am Tehran time, we have no intention to continue our response afterwards,” he said on social media.

Trump says US attack ‘obliterated’ Iran nuclear sites

Overnight strikes

At least four people were killed in a multi-wave Iranian missile attack shortly before the staggered ceasefire was meant to enter into force, Israeli emergency services and the military said.

The Magen David Adom rescue service said three people were pronounced dead at the scene of a strike in the southern city of Beersheba while a fourth was added in an update to its figures.

Explosions also continued to rock Tehran overnight, with explosions in the north and center of the Iranian capital described by journalists as some of the strongest since the conflict broke out.

Iran media reported that overnight Israeli strikes on residential buildings killed nine people in the north of the country and says a nuclear scientist was also killed.

US base in Qatar hit

The US leader’s ceasefire announcement came hours after Iran launched missiles at the largest US military facility in the Middle East – Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar – in a move Trump shrugged off as “very weak.”

Calling for a de-escalation, Trump said Tehran had given advance notice of the barrage and the base had been evacuated. No one had been hurt in the attack, Trump said.

Iran’s National Security Council confirmed having targeted the base “in response to the US aggressive and insolent action against Iran’s nuclear sites and facilities.”

Macron reiterates call for resumption of diplomacy to stop Middle East conflict

But it added that the number of missiles launched “was the same as the number of bombs that the US had used” – a signal that it had calibrated its response to be directly proportional rather than escalatory.

Iran said its assault in Qatar wasn’t targeting the Middle Eastern neighbor, but the government in Doha accused Tehran of “blatant aggression” and claimed its right to a “proportional” response.

Air space closed

Qatar earlier announced the temporary closure of its airspace in light of “developments in the region,” while the US embassy and other foreign missions warned their citizens to shelter in place.

The broadside was made up of “short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles,” a US defense official said.

“This was calibrated and telegraphed in a way that would not result in any American casualties, so that there is an off ramp for both sides,” Ali Vaez, a senior advisor at the International Crisis Group, told AFP.

The offensive came after the United States joined its ally Israel’s military campaign against Iran, attacking an underground uranium enrichment center with massive bunker-busting bombs and hitting two other nuclear facilities overnight Saturday into Sunday.

(with AFP)

With Israel and Iran exchanging fire for a fifth day, and planned talks on Iran’s nuclear programme called off, there is growing concern about the potential impact beyond the Middle East.

Benjamin Augé, a researcher with the Africa and Climate programme at the French Institute for International Relations spoke to RFI about the practical and diplomatic consequences for Africa.

Benjamin Augé: I think it’s important to recall the historical context of Israel’s and Iran’s relationships with Africa. Israel had extremely strong ties with many African countries during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s – until the Yom Kippur War, when most of them severed diplomatic relations with Israel.

Since [Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in 2009, his objective has been to rebuild those relationships. Currently, more than 40 African countries have diplomatic ties with Israel. But that doesn’t necessarily mean Israel wields significant influence in Africa.

Since the 7 October, 2023 attacks [by Hamas on Israel] and Israel’s subsequent war in Gaza, many of its normally pro-Israel partners – Togo, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Rwanda – have kept their distance. Rwanda even began delivering aid to Gaza as early as 20 October, 2023. So we’re already seeing Israel’s diplomatic position in Africa under significant strain.

The conflict in Gaza further weakens these already fragile ties – which are, in many cases, quite weak or practically non-existent in political and economic terms. So I think the conflict with Iran is not going to have a dramatic impact, given that Israel’s relationships with Africa are already weak and its exchanges with the continent are extremely limited.

Iran hails African countries’ resistance to ‘colonialism’

RFI: What about Iran?

BA: Iran’s relationships with Africa are also extremely weak. The most significant recent development was Niger opening an embassy in Tehran [in January 2024] after its coup against President Bazoum, and negotiations related to uranium – a move that raised alarm in the United States.

But aside from a few embassies with limited diplomatic staffing, mainly in predominantly Sunni areas in East Africa or the Sahel, Iran’s influence is very weak.

Tehran’s main objective in these areas is often related to spreading Shiism, for instance in Nigeria with Imam Zakzaky – a politically controvesial Shiite cleric. Apart from that, Iran, much like Israel, is not putting many resources into its Africa policy or even developing a policy for the continent. So whatever happens in the Middle East, its effects on Africa will be limited due to this weak diplomatic presence.

Nigerian cleric held since 2015 regains freedom

RFI: Are we likely to see any African governments responding to the escalating conflict with policy statements?

BA: It’s not impossible that some governments may view Israel’s actions against Iran as aggression and may speak up – framing their criticism in terms of international law. Iran didn’t attack, Israel did, and that’s a violation of international law. But I don’t think they’ll go much further than that, because there’s nothing for these countries to gain by strongly taking sides.

This is a peripheral conflict for them, and Israel’s image in Africa is already quite poor – not just in predominantly Sunni or Muslim countries, but more broadly. So if there’s a response, it’s likely to be a diplomatic note from the foreign ministry, emphasising international law, and that’s it. Some may align with Iran, but it would be a small and marginal number.

RFI: What about oil and gas? Could the continent be impacted economically?

BA: Yes, there might be a ripple effect for the continent, just as there will be for the rest of the world. The price of oil might increase temporarily due to the conflict. But we shouldn’t forget that the price per barrel is currently quite low and the market is well-stocked. So I think the impact will be limited and short-lived. The main consequence for Africa might be a slight increase in petrol prices in the months ahead – but it would be a small variation, especially when we compare it to periods when tensions were much greater.

Oil prices drop, stocks climb as Iran-Israel war fears ease

Q: What happens if the conflict persists?

BA: If it continues, there might be some upward pressure on prices. But the reality is that the market is well-stocked and geopolitical tensions are not affecting production or delivery. Iran, in particular, is a small oil producer. Because of longstanding sanctions, it produces about 3 million barrels per day and exports roughly 2 million. The global market is currently at 100 million barrels per day. So the conflict’s long-term impact, both in price and in volume, is likely to be limited.

This interview, adapted from the original in French, has been lightly edited for clarity. 

“I come from a region that has been deeply affected by war and displacement, but I wanted to use my body, my legs, my bike to send a message of peace across Africa,” said Masaisai, speaking to RFI from the Zambian capital Lusaka, where he arrived after 26 days on the road.

The triathlete, coach and lifeguard left Goma on 17 May and has completed around 2,700km of his journey.

Goma fell to Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in January but Masaisai’s “Pedals for Peace” project was planned in 2023, long before the latest crisis. It aims to showcase a different side of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – the one hidden behind the headlines.

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

“I wanted to show the world that in our region, in our country, there isn’t only war, we also have very strong, very dynamic young people. And I want to say to them, use your talent to look for peace, not for war or violence.”

He hopes to unite youth across Africa, saying: “Everywhere I pass, that’s the message I carry.”

So far Masaisai has travelled through Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia. He’s travelling alone, sporting a jersey in the colours of the DRC, with a backpack weighing around 20kg.

Whenever he sees young people along the route he stops to try and start a conversation. In Tanzania he went to a high school to share his project with the students. “I tried to talk with them, to inspire them. And many, when they hear my story, they’re curious,” he says.

Masaisai was unable to find sponsorship for his project but decided to go ahead regardless – another message he wants to spread. “People say to me, oh we thought you need to have millions or sponsorship to start a project like this, but your project is successful, you inspire us.”

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The kindness of strangers

The challenges have been immense. He spoke of dangerous roads shared with massive trucks speeding by with little regard for a cyclist, and the scorching sun in Zambia and Tanzania – a shock compared to the milder climes of his native Goma.

He recalls six hours spent crossing 120km of wildlife park in Tanzania – a long and risky stretch, especially when one of your tyres bursts. “It was very difficult, there was no one to help me, you could meet wild animals or bad people.”

“Tanzania changed me,” he wrote on Instagram. “Its tough roads, long distances and heat taught me perseverance. That country made me stronger.”

What’s kept his spirits up is the goodwill he’s encountered along with way. Without sponsorship, relying entirely on the kindness of strangers, he’s discovered that African hospitality is alive and well.

“I arrive in villages, try to talk to people in Swahili, Lingala, Bemba, French or English. I explain my situation and even if they don’t know me, they give me a place to sleep, food to eat. When I see that, I realise my project is successful. I see there is this unity, this other image of Africa.”

He remembers a particularly joyful moment when, approaching Lusaka, young people who had been following his journey on social media came out to meet him and escort him into the capital.

The women carrying the burden of Kenya’s rural healthcare on their backs

‘I cannot give up’

Pedalling an average of six hours a day can be a lonely business. But he takes heart from all the messages of encouragement he receives on social media. And he keeps in mind the reason he’s on his bike.

“I think of the pain of the place I’m coming from, from Goma. I have all my sweat, my fatigue, but I remember that all my pedalling is for peace, for the displaced mothers and children. It’s for them. I cannot give up.”

As Masaisai continues south into Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, to reach his final destination in around a month’s time, he is seeking support to complete his mission.

For him, every kilometre pedalled is one more toward proving that Africa’s youth can unite, across borders, whatever the language and despite conflicts.

Follow and support Miguel Masaisai and his Pedals for Peace project on Facebook and Instagram.

The Paris Court of Appeal said Thursday it would issue its ruling on 17 July in what is Abdallah’s umpteenth request for release.

Abdallah was arrested in 1984 in connection with the killings of US military attaché Charles Robert Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov in Paris. While he was not the gunman, he was sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for complicity in their murders.

The assassinations were claimed by the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions (LARF) – the Marxist-Communist pro-Palestinian militant group Abdallah founded in 1978 after he was wounded during Israel’s invasion of Lebanon.

LARF had ties to other leftist guerilla movements such as Italy’s Red Brigades and Germany’s Red Army Faction.

Abdallah, a former guerilla with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, has never denied his political motivations, calling himself a “fighter” rather than a “criminal”.

Neither has he expressed remorse. “The path I followed was imposed on me by the human rights abuses perpetrated against the Palestinians,” he said at his 1987 trial.

Conditional release denied

Most convicts serving life sentences in France are freed after less than 30 years. Abdallah has now been imprisoned for 41.

A 2021 ruling by the European Court of Human Rights stated that life sentences with eligibility for parole only after 40 years were incompatible with European law.

While Abdallah has been able to apply for parole since 1999, his 11 bids have been denied.

In November 2024, a French court ordered his release, providing he left France. But France’s anti-terror prosecutors, arguing he had not changed his political views, appealed the decision and it was suspended.

Ahead of another appeal court hearing in February this year, 11 Lebanese MPs called on France to immediately release him. But the trial was postponed until 19 June after the court said it needed more time.

Abdullah’s lawyer, Jean-Louis Chalanset, argued his client was being singled out. “The stance of the court risks creating a de facto life imprisonment,” he said.

He accused the judiciary of “pettiness,” after it insisted Abdallah pay the victims’ families around €16,000 in compensation.

Abdallah has refused to pay compensation directly to the United States. “I will never indemnify the country that drops bombs on Palestinian and Lebanese children,” he reportedly told the court.

Chalanset also insisted on the fact that other extremist groups active in the 1970s and 1980s – including “politicial prisoners” with the French group Action Directe, or Corsican and Basque militants – have been released.

French court orders release of Lebanese militant held since 1984

US interference

Abdallah’s case has become a cause célèbre among some left-wing MPs, activists and human rights defenders. In October 2024, Nobel laureate Annie Ernaux said in a piece in communist daily L’Humanite that his detention “shamed France”.

A number of his supporters claim the real reason for his continued detention lies not in the courts, but in Washington.

“The Americans have interferred in French sovereignty since the beginning,” said Lebanese journalist Pierre Abi Saab. “It’s an imperialist mindset, a kind of revenge. Georges Abdallah is paying for all peoples who have resisted US hegemony,” he told RFI.

US interference is well-documented. In a 1986 declassified US memo, diplomats warned of potential attacks on American interests if Abdallah wasn’t prosecuted.

Former US diplomat Steve Kashkett, who handled anti-terrorism at the US embassy in Paris in the 1980s, confirms Washington’s deep involvement. “When I arrived at the embassy in 1986, Abdallah became my top priority,” he told RFI. “At that stage, it was clear to us that the French government, which was seeking to avoid Middle Eastern terrorism against French targets, had absolutely no intention of aggressively prosecuting Abdallah.”

Washington therefore decided to intervene directly, with the US becoming a civil party in the case and hiring renowned French lawyer Georges Kiejman to represent its interests.

While the second diplomat assassinated by LARF was Israeli, Tel Aviv never formally joined the case as a civil party. “I remember Israel considering it,” Kashkett noted, “but it wasn’t necessary because we were doing it. Israel counted on the US to do the job.”

‘Unique case’

From 1986, the American government took an active role in blocking Abdallah’s release. Another declassified document noted that attacks against US targets were “possible given America’s major role in securing Abdallah’s trial”.

In 2013, WikiLeaks revealed that then-secretary of state Hillary Clinton sent a direct message to France’s foreign minister Laurent Fabius, urging him to find a way to prevent Abdallah’s release, even after a court had approved it. That same year, then-interior minister Manuel Valls refused to sign the expulsion order that would have allowed Abdallah to return to Lebanon.

Despite this, Kashkett insists that America’s actions should not be seen as interference given the US was a civil party during the trial. “Since the French invited the Americans to give our opinion, I don’t think we can speak of interference or pressure,” he said. 

Others disagree. One of Abdallah’s early lawyers, Jean-Paul Mazurier, later revealed he was working for French intelligence at the time.

“We bowed down to the United States, which opposed his release,” Mazurier told France Inter radio in 2024.

The late Jacques Vergès, another of Abdallah’s lawyers, referred in court to an “intolerable American diktat”, describing France as “America’s whore” in court documents.

Does Macron’s pledge on Palestine signal a return to France’s ‘Arab policy’?

Awaiting his release

After more than four decades, France may be growing tired of the case, says Abi Saab.

“France wants to get rid of this embarrassing case but it’s unclear whether they have the political will. There’s intimidation, interference. Since 1999, Georges Abdallah has been held hostage outside the rule of law. It’s a unique case.”

A small but vocal group continues to advocate for his release. There were demonstrations in Toulouse in February, near the prison where he is held.  A protest planned in Paris was, however, banned due to concerns over “a tense social and international context”, notably in Gaza.

While Abdallah refuses to compensate the US himself, he has agreed to Lebanon paying damages.

Chalanset, his lawyer, confirmed this week that the funds are now available should the court demand them. “The conditions of the court are met,” he said on 17 June. “We await his release.”

At the UN Ocean Conference in Nice this week, 37 countries led by Canada and Panama signed the first global declaration devoted solely to reducing human-caused ocean noise.

The effort targets the growing din from ships and industrial activity that is disturbing marine life around the world.

“We’re aware of about 130 different marine animals that are negatively impacted by underwater noise,” Mollie Anderson, senior campaign strategist at Canadian NGO Oceans North, told RFI in Nice.

“In some instances, they’re leaving areas altogether where noise is sustained and consistent.”

Sound travels more than four times faster in saltwater than in air, reaching vast distances and interfering with how marine animals communicate, hunt and navigate.

The big blue blindspot: why the ocean floor is still an unmapped mystery

Arctic under pressure

The problem is especially acute in the Arctic, where melting sea ice is opening new shipping lanes in waters that were once among the quietest in the world.

“In the Northwest Passage alone, there’s been a 30 percent increase in ship traffic since 2016,” Anderson explained. “That is having a significant impact on the marine ecosystem in the Arctic.”

Species like belugas and narwhals, which rely on sound to survive, are already changing their behaviour.

“These specied are having a hard time communicating with each other, performing bottom dives and other essential functions to feed themselves and to take care of their babies,” she said.

The disruption is not only ecological – it’s also affecting people. As noise drives marine mammals away from their usual habitats, indigenous communities are finding it harder to hunt the animals they have long depended on.

“Many indigenous people, particularly Inuit in the Canadian Arctic, are reliant on marine mammals for food security and cultural continuity,” Anderson said.

Niue, the tiny island selling the sea to save it from destruction

Simple steps, urgent need

The new declaration – known as the High Ambition Coalition for a Quiet Ocean – is voluntary, but calls for quieter ship design, noise limits in marine protected areas and shared access to sound-monitoring technology.

It also aims to help countries with fewer resources to monitor and manage ocean noise.

Some of the most effective changes are also the simplest, Anderson said. “Even a reduction in speed of a few knots can make a big decibel difference.”

Other measures include re-routing ships away from sensitive zones, using more efficient propellers and switching to electric or hybrid engines.

In a recent pilot project, Oceans North measured the sound of an electric vessel using hydrophones – underwater microphones – and found it was significantly quieter than a conventional ship.

Ocean’s survival hinges on finding the billions needed to save it

From promises to policy

While some ports have introduced voluntary guidelines, regulation is needed. “There’s lots of voluntary measures that procurement and ports can adopt, but there’s no real regulation right now,” Anderson said.

“We regulate the roads that we drive on. I don’t see why it should be different for ships in certain areas. They should go faster or slower … That just seems like practical and good public policy to me.”

Panama Environment Minister Juan Carlos Navarro said the issue has been “sidelined in global environmental discourse” for too long.

The coalition, he said, signals a commitment to “act decisively” to protect marine biodiversity from what he called an “invisible yet powerful threat”.

Under a marine spatial plan adopted in 2022, Niue’s entire economic zone is divided into five areas – balancing strict conservation with sustainable fishing and tourism.  

“We are the astronauts of the Pacific,” says Coral Pasisi, president of the local nonprofit Tofia Niue and one of the architects of the move to sell 20-year conservation pledges for individual square kilometres of ocean.  

“Our culture is shaped by the ocean around us.” 

Pasisi is in Nice this week in her capacity as a scientist and regional leader. She is also director of climate change and sustainability at the Pacific Community (SPC), where she works with island governments on long-term strategies to manage the impacts of climate change and protect ocean resources. 

The big blue blindspot: why the ocean floor is still an unmapped mystery

Identity and survival

Niueans depend on the sea not just for food – which supplies more than 70 percent of their protein – but for stories, identity and survival.  

“We are surrounded by the ocean. We live off the ocean,” Pasisi told RFI. 

When a scientific expedition with National Geographic’s Pristine Seas team filmed the abundance of life beneath their waters in 2016, it brought many residents face to face with their marine heritage for the first time.  

The result was a groundswell of support to protect the island’s 127,000 square kilometre exclusive economic zone. 

Longevity blueprint

Niue’s conservation model is designed not just to protect the ocean, but to fund its guardianship for a generation.

It centres on Ocean Conservation Commitments, which are 20‑year sponsorships that help cover the costs of monitoring, enforcement and local stewardship. 

Within its waters lies the Moana Mahu Marine Protected Area – a zone covering 40 percent of Niue’s waters, where all fishing and extractive activity is banned. 

Ocean’s survival hinges on finding the billions needed to save it

At its heart is Beveridge Reef, a submerged coral atoll teeming with life: schools of grey reef sharks, singing humpback whales and the katuali – a rare venomous sea snake found nowhere else on Earth. 

“On every dive at Beveridge Reef, we saw sharks – up to 80 grey reef sharks at a time,” said Alan Friedlander, chief scientist at Pristine Seas. 

According to the organisation, the reef has “some of the highest densities of this species found anywhere in the world”. 

Generational wisdom

The conservation sponsorships treat the Moana Mahu sanctuary as a shared global asset, absorbing carbon dioxide and preserving biodiversity. 

“What we basically did was democratise that area into square kilometres … to help make sure that this is not a paper park – that we can actually protect it robustly,” Pasisi says.  

Behind Niue’s ocean strategy is a deeper legacy – one rooted in lived experience and generational wisdom.  

“When I take my children out to fish and spearfish, when I teach them what to shoot and what not to shoot, what to take and what not to take, it’s not my Western system of education and learning that taught me that,” Pasisi explains.  

“It is the knowledge that was passed down to me from my father, my mother and their parents. And that’s 4,000 years of knowledge. 

“The ocean made us who we are. Now we’re making sure it’s there for those who come after us.” 

Since its founding in 1975, ESA has contributed to a broad range of scientific and technological areas. One of its most notable moments came in 2014 with the Rosetta mission, when the Philae lander became the first human-made object to land on a comet. The event drew global attention and is considered a major milestone in robotic space exploration.

Copernicus and Galileo

ESA has also developed long-running programmes such as Copernicus and Galileo, which continue to serve scientific, environmental, and practical purposes. Copernicus, the European Union’s Earth observation programme, uses satellite data to monitor environmental changes. According to ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher, “Without those satellites that we have built – and Europe has built many of those – we would not understand the extent of climate change.”

Ariane 6 rocket debuts successfully restoring Europe’s space independence

Meanwhile, Galileo, ESA’s satellite navigation system, now in its 30th year, has become a key infrastructure for location and timing services. Aschbacher described it as “the most accurate navigation system in the world,” with wide applications across transport, telecommunications, and emergency services.

Over the years, ESA has also expanded its international cooperation. It works with agencies in the United States, Japan, India, the UAE, and Australia, among others, across a range of missions and projects. “Partners want to work with us. We have something interesting to offer,” Aschbacher said, referring to ESA’s role in collaborative initiatives.

 New objectives?

Looking to the months ahead, a major point of focus is the ESA Ministerial Council, to be held in November. Occurring every three years, the council allows ESA’s 22 member states to allocate funding to various programmes. Unlike some international agencies, ESA operates on a voluntary contribution model. “I have to make proposals that are very attractive that member states want to participate and want to put money in. Otherwise, I’m not succeeding,” said Aschbacher.

The funding proposals being prepared for the Council span a wide range of domains, including Earth observation, satellite navigation, telecommunication, astronaut missions, launch systems, and planetary exploration, including the Moon and Mars.

First commercial launch of Europe’s Ariane 6 carrying French military satellite

ESA also has a busy launch schedule for 2025, with over ten missions planned. These include new Sentinel satellites under the Copernicus programme, further Galileo satellites, as well as the April launch of Biomass Earth Explorer mission, which will measure tropical forest biomass as part of broader efforts to monitor carbon cycles.

Several smaller missions based on CubeSats and micro-satellites are also in development, incorporating onboard artificial intelligence to process data in orbit more efficiently.

ESA is placing increased emphasis on the role of space-based technologies across different sectors. In Aschbacher’s view, their relevance is likely to expand significantly in coming decades.

“Space today already has many applications… but in 20 years from today, you cannot live without space technology,” he said, comparing the trajectory of space tech to the early development of the internet.

As ESA reaches the 50-year mark, attention is focused not just on past achievements but also on how space technologies might be integrated more deeply into scientific research, infrastructure, environmental monitoring, and industry in the years ahead.

This week, we go to East Africa where Kenyans are protesting to denounce police brutality, exactly a year after a wave of protests organised against an unjust tax, that led to police violence.

This year’s protests were triggered by the killing by the police of a teacher and blogger in his cell. Albert Ojwang, 31, had been arrested for criticising a policeman online.

On Monday (23 June), Kenyan prosecutors said they were charging six people, including three police officers, with murder over his death.

To better understand the issues surrounding this incident, Spotlight on Africa podcast spoke to Douglas Lucas Kivoi, Principal Policy Analyst, Governance Department, Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA).

Africa Basel 

We also head to Switzerland for a new artistic event known as Africa Basel.

This first edition of a contemporary African art fair was created to coincide with the largest fair in the world, Art Basel, in Switzerland. It was held from 17 to 22 June, with over 30 galleries and dozens of artists.

Spotlight on Africa spoke with the two co-founders of the event, as they opened the first days of the event in Basel: Benjamin Füglister, artist and cultural entrepreneur born in Switzerland, and now the director of the Africa Basel and Sarah Hachi-Duchêne, curator at unx.art.

Episode mixed by Melissa Chemam and Cecile Pompeani.

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

Carson Branstine beat her 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 to advance to the second round where she will face her fellow Canadian Bianca Andreescu.

Boisson was placed in the 128-player draw as the top seed on the back of her exploits on the clay courts at the French Open where she beat two top 10 players to reach the semi-final and climb nearly 300 rungs in the WTA ladder to world number 65.

But the 22-year-old, playing competitively for the first time on grass, was outfoxed in the key moments.

Serving to stay in the match, a cautious forehand drive landed mid court and Branstine advanced to slap away a cross court forehand winner to set up a match point.

In the next exchange, the 24-year-old chased down Boisson’s poorly disguised drop shot and engineered a stroke that forced Boisson into making a defensive lob.

The world 197 coolly terminated Boisson’s interest in the tournament with an overhead smash to conclude affairs on the main court at the Community Sports Centre in Roehampton, south-west London.

“She’s an incredible player,” said Branstine after her battle which lasted one hour and 53 minutes. “She fights for every point. Her result at the French Open speaks for itself. I’m proud of myself.”

Elsewhere in the ladies’ qualifying tournament, there were mixed fortunes for French players.

Diane Parry eliminated the Ukrainian Oleksandra Oliynykov in three sets but Tessah Andrianjafitrimo lost to Solana Sierra from Argentina.

The 10th seed won 6-1, 6-3 in 72 minutes to progress to the second round.

Sixteen players from the qualifying tournament win a place in the main draw of the singles event at Wimbledon which takes place at the All England Lawn Tennis Club between 30 June and 12 July.

Iran’s judiciary said Israeli strikes left sections of the facility damaged and Israel’s defence minister confirmed the army was targeting it.

Cécile Kohler has been held along with her partner Jacques Paris in Evin since May 2022 on espionage charges their families reject.

Overall, Iran is believed to hold around 20 European nationals in what some Western governments describe as a strategy of hostage-taking aimed at extracting concessions from the West.

Most are held in Evin, a large, heavily fortified complex notorious among activists for rights abuses.

It is located in a northern district of the Iranian capital.

Family of French couple jailed in Iran pleads for humanitarian evacuation

“This strike is completely irresponsible. Cécile, Jacques and all the prisoners are in mortal danger,” Noémie Kohler told French news agency AFP.

“This is really the worst thing that could have happened,” she added.

Lack of news

“We have no news, we don’t know if they are still alive, we’re panicking,” Noémie Kohler said.

She urged the French authorities to “condemn these extremely dangerous strikes” and secure the release of the French prisoners.

She also expressed concern about the risk of “chaos” and “riots”.

France sues Iran at top UN court over citizens detained in Tehran

Noémie Kohler has tirelessly campaigned to secure the release of her sister and her sister’s partner Jacques Paris.

Chirinne Ardakani, a lawyer for the Kohler family, denounced the strikes as “illegal”.

“The risk of riots, general confusion and reprisals by the security forces against the insurgent prisoners raises fears of bloodshed,” she told AFP.

“Both sides are playing with people’s lives.”

The Iranian judiciary’s website, Mizan Online, said that the prison buildings remained “under control.”

Iran’s Tasnim news agency said Israel also carried out a strike on the underground Fordo nuclear site, south of Tehran, already hit by US “bunker buster” bombs at the weekend.

The Israeli strikes on Monday hit a power supply system in Tehran, triggering outages in some areas, Fars news agency said.

Israeli strikes on Iran since 13 June have killed more than 400 people, Iran’s health ministry said. Iran’s attacks on Israel have killed 24 people, according to official figures.

(with AFP)

Police initially claimed he had taken his own life until government pathologists found he had been killed.

The case sparked rallies against police brutality – a long-running complaint in the east African country – which were met with tear gas and a mob of violent paid “goons” last week.

There was also outrage after an incident, witnessed by reporters from French news agency AFP and widely shared on social media, in which a police officer shot a bystander to the protests at point-blank range. He remains in critical condition in hospital.

Ojwang was initially arrested over allegedly criticising deputy police chief Eliud Lagat in online posts.

Violence erupts in Kenya as ‘goons’ attack protesters over death in police custody

Lagat has “stepped aside” during the investigation into Ojwang’s death, but protesters have called for his full resignation and charges against him.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) said on social media platform X that it had “approved murder charges against six individuals”, including three officers and three other suspects, who were presented at Nairobi’s Kibera High Court on Monday.

Anniversary of protests

Earlier this month, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority said 18 people had died in police custody in the past four months.

Ojwang’s death comes at a sensitive time as Kenya marks the anniversary on Wednesday of massive Gen Z-led demonstrations against President William Ruto’s government last year.

Kenya protests reignited by custody death, but ‘Gen Z’ movement remains divided

On Monday, a government spokesperson said there would be “no protests” on 25 June, instead asking people to commemorate at home.

But last week, Nairobi Regional Police Commander George Seda told reporters his officers were prepared for protests, urging people to restrict themselves to “peaceful demonstrations”.

(with AFP)

Health Minister Yannick Neuder confirmed on Sunday that E coli was behind the outbreak around Saint-Quentin, some 80km south of Lille.

“An initial series of tests determined that it is E coli,” said Neuder. “There will be a second round of tests this week at the Pasteur Institute to continue the investigation and establish the causal link.”

Authorities have deployed more than 30 investigators in the region to trace the chain of contamination.

“Tests are underway to establish a definitive link,” Neuder added.

The search for the source of the contamination has been complicated as the butchers do not have a common supplier.

“The idea is not to cause panic,” Neuder insisted. “It is still possible to eat meat. That’s not the issue.”

Eight of the 17 children affected over the past week are in hospital. Six are suffering from haemolytic uraemic syndrome, a serious kidney condition which occurs in most cases as a complication of E coli bacterial poisoning. It leads to bruising or tiny red spots on the skin, blood in the urine and exhaustion. 

It affects 100 to 165 children per year in France, according to the French public health institute.

‘Closed as a precautionary measure’

Two butcher shops in Saint-Quentin were closed as a precautionary measure on 19 June while investigations into the source of the poisoning were carried out.

“The sick children consumed meat or meat products from two establishments a few days before the symptoms appeared,”  said the Aisne prefecture which covers the region.

On 20 June, the prefecture added two more butcher shops to the list but did not close them. However, it advised customers not to consume products purchased from the shops. On 22 June, the butcher’s department in a supermarket in Saint-Quentin and a supermarket in Gauchy were suspended.

Nestlé France offers compensation to victims of food poisoning

During their initial investigations, health authorities tested the tap water in Saint-Quentin and the swimming pool water. However, these leads were ruled out.

E coli bacteria are one of the most well-known causes of serious and sometimes fatal food poisoning. They are a large family of bacteria, many of which are present in the human digestive system and even help it to function.

However, certain strains can cause poisoning. This is often food-borne, usually caused by eating raw or undercooked food. Symptoms generally appear three or four days after ingestion and in most cases result in stomach ache and diarrhoea. 

“But an increasing number of outbreaks are being linked to the consumption of fruit and vegetables – sprouted seeds, spinach, lettuce, raw cabbage and salads,” said a spokeswoman at the World Health Organisation.

(With news wires)

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored PSG’s opener in the 35th minute at Lumen Field in Seattle. And Achraf Hakimi doubled the advantage mid way through the second-half.

“We didn’t start the match well,” said PSG boss Luis Enrique. “We let Seattle have a few chances but by the end we were worthy winners and so I’m happy.”

Enrique’s men entered the 32-team tournament in the United States as one of the favourites for the title after claiming four trophies this year.

On May 31, PSG lifted the Champions League for the first time after thrashing Inter Milan 5-0 in the final in Munich.

 In the prelude to claiming European club football’s most prestigious trophy, they won the Coupe de France, the Ligue 1 title and the French Super Cup.

On Sunday night at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, PSG will take on the runner-up from Group A. 

Botafogo will play that pool’s victor on Saturday night at Lincoln Field in Philadelphia.

The Brazilians, who won the Copa Libertadores last November, went down to Antoine Griezmann’s late strike for Atletico.

But it was not enough to lift the Spaniards into second place. 

On Tuesday in the competition, in Group A, Inter Miami face Palmeiras and Porto take on Al Ahly.

In Group C, Auckland City FC play Boca Juniors and second-placed Benfica battle with pacesetters Bayern Munich.

One hundred and 60 people, described as in emergency situations and vulnerable, landed at Orly airport just outside Paris accompanied by medics from the CDCS – a special crisis unit set up by the French foreign affairs ministry.

They were on board an Airbus A320 operated by the German company LEAV.

France’s foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, who was at Orly airport to welcome the plane load, hailed the efforts of the repatriation units on social media.

“Thank you to our teams who are working around the clock,” said Barrot. “France stands by all its citizens” .

France has 250,000 nationals in Israel, 100,000 of whom are registered on consular lists.

Since Israel launched its attack on Iran last week, the CDCS has reported more than 4,500 calls seeking advice and assistance.

Macron reiterates call for resumption of diplomacy to stop Middle East conflict

On Monday, a commercial flight operated by Royal Jordanian from Amman at France’s request, is expected to arrive with  150 French nationals. On Tuesday, another flight chartered by France’s foreign ministry, will enable more than 150 vulnerable nationals to return to France.

Iran and Israel traded fire on Monday as Iranian leaders vowed to hit back against Trump’s decision to send American bombers into Iran.

Retaliation

Iran’s armed forces threatened to inflict “serious, unpredictable consequences” on the US in retaliation for Trump’s move against sites in Isfahan, Natanz and the underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordo.

“This hostile act … will widen the scope of legitimate targets of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran and pave the way for the extension of war in the region,” said armed forces spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari on state television.

Governments scramble to evacuate their citizens from Israel and Iran

The Israeli military said it had struck missile sites in western Iran as well as six Iranian regime airports across the country, destroying fighter jets and helicopters.

In Israel, sirens wailed across the country for more than 30 minutes as the military warned of multiple missile barrages launched from Iran and said there were reports of fallen projectiles.

“No strictly military response can produce the desired effects,” Macron said as he convened defence and national security chiefs at the Elysée Palace in Paris.

“The resumption of diplomatic and technical discussions is the only way to achieve the goal we all seek, which is to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, but also to prevent an uncontrolled escalation in the region.”

Macron is scheduled to travel to Norway later on Monday and is expected to return to Paris on Tuesday to chair a fourth meeting of the defence council.

“It will assess all the measures taken and the search for a diplomatic path to ensure control of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic programme,” said a presidential spokesperson.

France expresses concern, urges restraint, over US strikes on Iran

Macron is then due to go to the Netherlands for a Nato summit, which US President, Donald Trump, is also expected to attend.

Trump claimed to have devastated Tehran’s nuclear programme by bombing its three main sites on Sunday after joining the offensive launched by Israel on 13 June.

On Sunday, Macron telephoned several counterparts in the Middle East and in Europe.

He said on social media that he had urged President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran to calm the situation with Israel and the United States.

“I called for de-escalation and for Iran to exercise the utmost restraint in this dangerous context in order to allow a return to diplomacy,” Macron said.

“Dialogue, a clear commitment by Iran to renounce nuclear weapons, or the risk of the worst for the entire region. This is the only path that leads to peace and security for all.”

Macron said he had also called on Pezeshkian to release two French nationals held in Tehran on spying charges.

Cécile Kohler, 40, and Jacques Paris, who is in his seventies, were arrested on 7 May 2022 at the end of a tourist trip to Iran. They are being held in section 209 of Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, an area reserved for political prisoners.

French authorities have condemned the couple’s arrest and detention, describing them as state hostages.

Family of French couple jailed in Iran pleads for humanitarian evacuation

Last Friday, the foreign ministers of France, Britain and Germany held talks with their Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghtchi in Geneva. Trump dismissed the relevance of meeting hours before ordering the strikes on Iran.

In a joint statement with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Macron also urged Iran not to take any further action that could destabilise the region in response to the US strikes.

“We call on Iran to engage in negotiations leading to an agreement that addresses all concerns related to its nuclear programme. We are ready to contribute to this goal in coordination with all parties,’ said the three European leaders.

RFI: Donald Trump gave himself two weeks on Thursday to decide whether to strike Iran, but acted early. Was this a reversal or presidential bluffing?

Héloïse Fayet: I don’t see the two-week timeframe as “strategic patience” but rather as a deadline within which he would act, reserving the right to strike earlier. Trump really likes these strategic deadlines – remember the 60 days given to Iran to negotiate, or his promise to resolve the Ukraine-Russia war in 24 hours.

The military preparations, including deploying B-2 Spirit bombers, were already decided yesterday, making last night’s attack highly likely.

RFI: Trump spoke of “substantial” chances for negotiations with Iran on Thursday. Has he lost faith in diplomacy?

He used this to frame military action as the last resort. His harsh criticism of the Geneva talks between Europeans and Iranians in Geneva on Friday, calling them unproductive, paved the way for military strikes by declaring diplomacy had failed.

RFI: Reports suggest American intelligence convinced Trump that Israel only delayed Iran’s nuclear programme by six months, not the two to three years Israel claimed. Is this credible?

Such precise analysis of the progress of the Iranian nuclear programme requires people inside Iran transmitting intelligence to Israel and the US – that’s how they achieved precise targeting of certain top military leaders. While all nuclear programme timelines should be viewed cautiously, we knew Fordo was the key site and that it was impossible to damage it substantially without American capability.

RFI: Recent discussions about a possible US intervention focused on striking only Fordo, but the US also hit Natanz and Isfahan. Were you surprised?

Not really. The scale of bombers and aircraft heading to Iran suggested multiple targets. Since Israel lacks America’s bunker-busting capabilities, it’s possible Trump wanted to “finish the job” at these sites because both Natanz and Isfahan also have underground installations. Different means were used to strike the sites, though. Tomahawk missiles from US submarines struck Natanz and Isfahan, while B-2 bombers [with GBU-57 bombs] destroyed Fordo.

Iran’s nuclear programme: the key sites

RFI: Trump claims, at least [Sunday] morning, that the uranium enrichment facilities are completely destroyed, while [Israeli Prime Minister] Netanyahu says the promise to annihilate Iran’s nuclear programme is fulfilled. Can much remain, or is it too early to know?

What we know is that the Iranians anticipated the Fordo attack, having access to the same open-source intelligence as us, possibly more. They claim – though this remains to be proven –  that 400 kgs of 60%-enriched uranium – the farthest they’ve gone – were moved from Fordo before the strikes began.

This means weapons-grade radioactive material now exists beyond International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring. It’s impossible to trace. Moreover, you can’t eliminate all nuclear scientists or the belief that nuclear weapons are necessary for Iran to protect itself. However, it’s certain that they now have far less technical capacity for rapid development than before.

RFI: US intelligence reports suggested the American strikes could give Iran the ultimate motivation to acquire nuclear weapons. Is this a risk Trump agreed to take?

Yes. Iran has threatened for several months, even years, to withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty if their nuclear sites were attacked, meaning they would no longer be bound by international legal obligations against developing nuclear weapons.

We must hope that Israel, with better knowledge of Iran than the Americans, considered this risk when pushing the US to act. Whether Trump’s analysis went that deep is uncertain. But if Iranians still needed political motivation for nuclear weapons, then the United States just provided it.

Will US-Iran nuclear talks break the deadlock or fan the flames?

RFI: Trump sought surgical strikes without dragging the US into an open war. He’s said he hopes not to have to go further, while threatening continued strikes if Iran doesn’t agree to end the conflict. Can we expect Iran not to retaliate?

Iran’s ability to retailiate is a bit limited. We’ve seen a volley of missiles fired toward Israel this morning, but is this in retaliation for the US strikes or a continuation of the existing Israel-Iran exchange. For the moment it’s uncertain.

Attacking American regional bases would invite further US strikes on Iranian soil, since Americans seem to no longer hesitate to act directly. Iran faces an internal strategic question about how best to respond.

Trump’s claim – “I brought peace, now Iranians must return to the negotiating table” – seems quite improbable.

RFI: Will there be a before and after in the Middle East?

Certainly. The era from Iran’s 1979 Revolution until today – characterised by indirect US-Iran confrontation through Shiite militia networks and periodic Israel-Iran confrontations –  is over. A new chapter is opening for the Middle East.

This article, based on the original in French, has been edited for clarity. 

Together with European partners, France has advocated a diplomatic solution in a bid to end the conflict between Israel and Iran which began with Israel launching strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on 13 June.

“France has taken note with concern of the strikes carried out last night by the United States of America against three sites of Iran’s nuclear programme,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot posted on X on Sunday.

He said that France did not take part in planning the strikes.

Barrot added that France was urging “all parties to exercise restraint to avoid any escalation that could lead to an extension of the conflict”.

‘Return to negotiating table’

The French presidency said Macron would convene a meeting of the defence and national security council later on Sunday. 

The president urged Tehran to resume diplomatic talks in a conversation with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday.

That followed earlier talks with Saudi Arabia‘s Crown Prince and the leader of Oman. The president “intends to continue his contacts with European partners and leaders in the region in the coming hours”, Macron’s office said.

Why is Israel bombing Iran?

The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has urged all sides to return to the negotiating table. “Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon,” she said in a statement, adding that the EU’s foreign ministers would discuss the situation on Monday.

Antonio Costa, head of the European Council, went further.

“Deeply alarmed by the news arriving from the Middle East. I call on all parties to show restraint and respect for international law and nuclear safety. Diplomacy remains the only way to bring peace and security to the Middle East region,” he wrote on X.

“Too many civilians will once again be the victims of a further escalation.”

Macron had said Saturday that France and its European partners planned to step up talks with Iran.

On Friday, British, French, German and EU diplomats held talks in Geneva with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, urging Tehran to revive diplomatic efforts with the United States to find a solution in the standoff over its nuclear programme.

“France has repeatedly expressed its very firm opposition to Iran’s access to nuclear weapons,” Barrot said.

“France is convinced that a lasting settlement of this issue requires a negotiated solution within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.”

Family of French couple jailed in Iran pleads for humanitarian evacuation

France is also concerned over the fate of two French citizens – Cécile Kohler and her partner Jacques Paris – who are currently held hostage in Iran. They have been detained since May 2022 on espionage charges their families reject. 

France views their detentions as politically motivated hostage-taking. In Sunday’s phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Macron once again called for their release.  

The airbase in Hmeimin in the Latakia province of Syria, along with the naval base in Tartus are key military outposts for Russia. The overthrow of longtime Syrian ruler and Russian ally Bashar al-Assad in December cast the future of these bases into doubt, with Western countries hoping to pressure Damascus into closing them.

Russia, whose military backing helped Assad cling to power, has sought to retain the two bases and has begun discussions with the new interim leadership under former rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.

In the meantime, reports show that Russia has begun shifting some of its equipment to other bases – notably in Libya.

Using satellite imagery and flight radar information, RFI’s investigative unit Info Vérif was able to trace last month’s voyage of a Russian Antonov-124 plane, which took off from the Hmeimin base and arrived at the Al-Khadim base in Libya.

The Antonov-124 is designed to carry heavy, bulky loads (up to 100 tonnes), but it requires long, concrete runways for lift-off. In total, there are an estimated 20 aircraft of this type still in service worldwide, mostly used by Ukraine and Russia.

RFI journalists focused on an Antonov-124 (RA-82030) operated by a logistics company known as 224 Flight Unit, a subsidiary of the Russian Ministry of Defence.

Numerous clients, both private and state-owned (including the French army), used its services for special air transport missions, before the unit’s fleet was placed under international sanctions. Their website’s mission history has not been updated since 2014.

Wagner replaced in Mali by Africa Corps, another Russian military group

10,000km round trip

Among the aircraft in its fleet is the aircraft coded RA-82030, registered as a civil aircraft.

At the end of May, as indicated by data from the tracking website Flight Radar 24, it completed a journey of nearly 10,000km between Syria and sub-Saharan Africa.

Its first stop was the Libyan base of Al-Khadim, located around 100km east of Benghazi, the capital of Cyrenaica – a region in the hands of Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who is backed by Russia.

The Russian cargo plane initially appeared on screens on 16 May, 2025, at 3:17pm, a few dozen kilometres from the Russian base in Syria.

The speed and altitude at the time the data was transmitted to online open-source tracking sites confirmed that the plane took off from the Hmeimin base. But less than an hour later, the sites lost track of it before it reappeared north of Egypt, heading southwest.

An aeronautical engineer who wished to remain anonymous told RFI that it is not unusual in some cases for location data to suddenly disappear.

“The transponder’s Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast [AIS] function can be cut off, which isn’t very prudent if the crew is flying in the United States, the European Union, and a few other countries. But it’s not illegal as long as the transponder’s Mode S [aircraft communication mode] is maintained,” he explained.

“It could also be that the plane is simply flying through dead zones in terms of ADS-B receivers connected to tracking platforms. In this case, it looks very much like an intentional disconnection. It’s quite typical. Moreover, the plane is over the Mediterranean and the airspace is not congested, so no one is going to come and protest,” the expert added.

Sahel ministers in Russia for talks after breaking with western allies

To confirm the exact whereabouts of the Antonov 124 plane, RFI contacted Maxar, a North American company specialising in satellite images and Earth observation.

On 18 May, two days after leaving Syria, the aircraft was found parked on the Al-Khadim runway. No other aircraft of the same type had been reported in the area at the same time. 

According to flight logs, the aircraft continued its journey, stopping in the Malian capital Bamako and Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso between 20 and 26 May, before finally heading back to Russia.

It is not clear what type of equipment was unloaded or loaded on this particular flight, but the aircraft’s cargo bay is large enough to carry several aircraft or armoured vehicles without having to completely dismantle them.

In the past, these large carriers have delivered aircraft, helicopters, radars and surface-to-air systems to countries in the Alliance of Sahel States.

RFI’s investigative unit analysed the records of previous flights to get an idea of the scale of Russian activity in the region. They found that the same plane took off from Syria on 4 May, departing from Syria and reappearing later in the vicinity of the Al-Khadim base.

Several open-source reports suggest that similar activities have been happening at this base in recent months.

Telegram messages

Earlier this year, French newspaper Le Monde documented eight flights between December 2024 and January 2025 between Hmeimin and Al-Khadim.

RFI reviewed several Telegram channels close to the paramilitary Wagner Group and the Kremlin-controlled Africa Corps, and found references to Russian weapons deliveries to Al-Khadim – including heavy weapons and armoured vehicles of the same type as those used by Russia in Syria.

One Telegram post reads: “New organisations. New technology. Old places. Remember your roots!” The author is likely referring to Wagner’s first deployments in Libya in 2018, or to the Cold War era in which the Libyan army fielded Soviet equipment.

RFI was able to geolocate this video, which was filmed in front of the hangars at the Al-Khadim base.

Another video broadcast on Telegram, taken from the cockpit of a transport aircraft, confirms the use of this area by Russian cargo planes.

Diplomatic moves

For Lou Osborn, of the All Eyes On Wagner collective, this presence can be explained by a rapprochement between Moscow and Benghazi. This became more apparent following the death of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose plane crashed in August 2023 shortly after he led a rebellion against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria also sped up a push for stronger diplomatic ties elsewhere, Osborn said. “We saw a kind of logistical ballet of Russian planes towards Libya. There is a fairly strong rapprochement, political and military, between Haftar’s Libya and the Kremlin.”

Moscow has also tried to forge ties with the officially recognised government in Tripoli, through the opening of embassies, Osborn added, saying that there have also been overtures in Algeria and Tunisia – “countries that are very aware of what is happening in the region, with military attachés, particularly in Algeria, who travel back and forth to Libya”.

The flight of the RA-82030, which was also tracked in early June, is one of many signs that Russia appears to have successfully restructured its overseas presence, and is able to rely on a network of bases in Africa – ensuring the growth of the Africa Corps, and broader support for Moscow’s regional allies.

This article is based on an original report in French by Olivier Fourt and Grégory Genevrier and has been edited for clarity.

Millions of people took to the streets across France on Saturday evening for the Fete de la Musique, with authorities reporting unprecedented crowds in Paris.

Before the party, posts on Snapchat and other social media had called for targeting women during the festivities.

The interior ministry said 145 victims reported being stabbed with needles across the country, with Paris police reporting 13 cases in the capital.

Officials did not specify if they were cases of so-called needle spiking with date-rape drugs such as Rohypnol or GHB, used by attackers to render victims confused or inconscious and vulnerable to sexual assault.

But at least three people reported feeling unwell, and “Some victims were taken to hospital for toxicological tests,” the ministry said.

French government called on to do more against use of ‘date rape’ drugs

12 arrests

In Paris, investigations were opened after three people including a 15-year-old girl and an 18-year-old male, reported being stabbed in three different locations in Paris, prosecutors said.

All three suffered from feeling unwell.

Twelve people suspected of being responsible for the stabbings were arrested, the interior ministry said.

They are believed to have targeted around 50 victims, according to a police source.

Apart from those suspects, more than 370 people were detained during the festival on various charges, including nearly 90 people in Paris.

Fourteen participants in the festivities were seriously injured, including a 17-year-old who was hospitalised after being found sitting on the street with stab wounds to the lower abdomen.

Thirteen members of law enforcement were also injured.

DR Congo, the world’s top cobalt supplier, imposed a four-month suspension on exports in February after prices had hit a nine-year low at just $10 a pound. The ban was due to expire on Sunday.

“The decision has been taken to extend the temporary suspension due to the continued high level of stock on the market,” the Authority for the Regulation and Control of Strategic Mineral Substances’ Markets (ARECOMS) said in a statement Saturday.

ARECOMS said it expected to announce a subsequent decision to either modify, extend or terminate the suspension before the new three-month window closes in September.

The Democratic Republic of Congo produces over 70 percent of the global supply of cobalt. The metal is a critical component of batteries and seen as key to the renewable energy transition. 

UN panel seeks to stem mining abuses in global rush for critical minerals

Mining companies divided

The price of cobalt has dropped due to a big rise in production and a drop in demand for cobalt in electric vehicle batteries.

Congolese authorities had been considering extending the ban as they explore how to distribute quotas for shipments of cobalt among mining companies.

A proposal to implement quotas has backing from miners including Glencore, the world’s second-largest cobalt-producing company. But Glencore’s position differs from that of the number one producer, China‘s CMOC Group, which has lobbied for the ban to be lifted.

Eurasian Resources Group, another key producer in Congo, also wants the ban lifted.

DRC mineral contract with China slammed by NGOs citing ‘major losses’

The government is not fully united on extending the ban, according to Zack Hartwanger at Swiss-based commodity trader Open Mineral.

“Some [in government] raised concerns about revenues, employment, and informal supply chains,” Hartwanger said. “There’s tension between industrial policy goals and economic realities.”

(with Reuters)

In a televised address to the nation from the White House, Trump warned that the United States would go after more targets if Iran did not make peace quickly.

The intervention by a US president who had vowed to avoid another “forever war” in the region threatens to dramatically widen the conflict, with Iran having said it would retaliate if Washington got involved.

“Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success,” said Trump, adding that they targeted the crucial underground nuclear enrichment plant of Fordo along with facilities at Natanz and Isfahan.

“Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran the bully of the Middle East must now make peace,” said Trump.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated Trump on the strikes, saying that “with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history”.

Condemning the US attacks as “lawless and criminal,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country has a right to defend its sovereignty.

“The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences,” he posted on X.

“Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people.”

Not long after, sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and explosions were heard from Jerusalem as Iranian state TV announced a fresh salvo of missiles launched.

Tehran said Sunday there were “no signs of contamination” after the US attacks and Saudi regulators said “no radioactive effects were detected” in the Gulf region.

Iranian media confirmed that part of the Fordo plant as well as the Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites were attacked.

Iran’s nuclear programme: the key sites

Surprise attack

Trump had said Thursday that he would decide “within two weeks” whether to join Israel’s campaign, in a move that many saw as a window of diplomatic opportunity.

But the Republican’s decision to strike Iran came far sooner.

Flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump said that future attacks would be “far greater” unless Iran reached a diplomatic solution.

“Remember, there are many targets left,” he said.

Trump however made no mention of regime change, despite having warned last week that Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was an “easy target”.

The raid on the Iran nuclear sites was carried out by B-2 stealth bombers that dropped so-called “bunker buster bombs,” along with submarine-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles, US media reported.

Trump said earlier on his Truth Social site that a “full payload of BOMBS” was dropped on Fordo and said that “all planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors”.

Pictures posted by the White House showed Trump in a red “Make America Great Again” cap meeting with top national security officials in the Situation Room, shortly before the strikes were announced.

After the address, Trump warned Iran against “any retaliation.” Iran and its proxies have previously attacked US military bases in the region, including in Iraq.

Iran’s Huthi allies in Yemen had on Saturday threatened to resume their attacks on US vessels in the Red Sea if Washington joined the war.

The US president had stepped up his rhetoric against Iran since Israel first struck Iran on June 13, repeating his insistence that it could never have a nuclear weapon.

Israel and Iran have traded wave after wave of devastating strikes since then.

Governments scramble to evacuate their citizens from Israel and Iran

MAGA split

Trump spoke to Netanyahu after the attacks, while the United States also gave key ally Israel a “heads up” before the strikes, a senior White House official told AFP.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian had warned earlier Saturday of a “more devastating” retaliation should Israel’s nine-day bombing campaign continue.

Iran denies seeking an atomic bomb, and on Saturday Pezeshkian said its right to pursue a civilian nuclear program “cannot be taken away… by threats or war.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard meanwhile announced early Sunday that “suicide drones” had been launched against “strategic targets” across Israel.

The US military strikes on Iran also threaten to cause political tensions at home for Trump.

The issue has opened a split in Trump’s “MAGA” movement, with many key Republican supporters calling on Trump to avoid embroiling the United States in another foreign war.

Trump’s first 2016 election victory in particular came on the back of his promises to get America out of its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Democrats have also assailed him.

Leading US Democrat Hakeem Jeffries said Trump risked US “entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East,” while others have accused him of bypassing Congress to launch a new war.

This week, we go to East Africa where Kenyans are protesting to denounce police brutality, exactly a year after a wave of protests organised against an unjust tax, that led to police violence.

This year’s protests were triggered by the killing by the police of a teacher and blogger in his cell. Albert Ojwang, 31, had been arrested for criticising a policeman online.

On Monday (23 June), Kenyan prosecutors said they were charging six people, including three police officers, with murder over his death.

To better understand the issues surrounding this incident, Spotlight on Africa podcast spoke to Douglas Lucas Kivoi, Principal Policy Analyst, Governance Department, Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA).

Africa Basel 

We also head to Switzerland for a new artistic event known as Africa Basel.

This first edition of a contemporary African art fair was created to coincide with the largest fair in the world, Art Basel, in Switzerland. It was held from 17 to 22 June, with over 30 galleries and dozens of artists.

Spotlight on Africa spoke with the two co-founders of the event, as they opened the first days of the event in Basel: Benjamin Füglister, artist and cultural entrepreneur born in Switzerland, and now the director of the Africa Basel and Sarah Hachi-Duchêne, curator at unx.art.

Episode mixed by Melissa Chemam and Cecile Pompeani.

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

Earlier this month, EU and Turkish officials met under the bloc’s Common Security and Defence Policy for the first time in three years.

The talks are part of a push to develop a more independent European defence system, amid concerns that a second Donald Trump presidency might weaken NATO’s guarantee to protect Europe.

Many see Turkey as well-placed to help meet the EU’s defence goals.

“We have huge potential for cooperation with Turkey,” said Federico Donelli, an international relations expert at Trieste University.

He pointed out that Turkey has the second-largest army in NATO, and that “many European defence systems are in some way compatible with Turkish military hardware because the majority of EU members are NATO members”.

Donelli said Turkey’s fast-growing defence sector could help the EU’s efforts to rearm.

“Turkey is one of the emerging players in the security market. One of Turkey’s key assets is producing efficiently at a lower cost compared with American or Israeli companies.”

Ankara’s expanding military

Turkey was recently admitted to the EU’s €150 billion Safety Assistance for Europe arms procurement programme.

While Turkey is not yet one of the top 10 global weapons producers, it has made major advances in certain areas. It is one of the world’s biggest producers of military drones and has developed a fifth-generation stealth fighter jet.

Last year, Turkish company Repkon built a munitions factory in the United States using technology designed to speed up production.

And this month, Turkey’s drone maker Baykar signed a deal with Italy’s Leonardo to develop drones together. The deal is expected to help Baykar meet EU rules that require 65 percent of the value of any arms contract to go to an EU firm.

Sinan Ciddi, of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, said Turkey brings valuable assets to the table.

“Turkey has a vast ability not only to procure and manufacture but also to supply these, that’s readily available. So, on the physical side, it’s great,” said Ciddi.

Concerns over Turkish politics

But Turkey’s position on the war in Ukraine has raised eyebrows. Ankara has kept ties with both Kyiv and Moscow, and Ciddi said this creates a dilemma for the EU.

“On the political side, it puts the EU in a rather precarious position of having to rely on a country like Turkey simply because, you know, Turkey has been playing both sides of this conflict, so it’s a double-edged sword,” he said.

Greece and Cyprus are also worried about closer defence ties between the EU and Turkey. Both have territorial disputes with Ankara.

While relations between Athens and Ankara have improved, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis insists that any defence deal with Turkey must include a clear promise to drop threats of war.

Turkey has said for 30 years it might use force if Greece extends its territorial waters in the Aegean Sea. Athens says it has a legal right to do so under a UN maritime convention.

Turkey has rejected the demand, saying the issue should be resolved through talks. Mitsotakis is due to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of this month’s NATO summit.

Greek, Cypriot objections sidelined

Greece and Cyprus still have veto powers in the EU and have used them against Turkey in the past. But Federico Donelli said Russia’s actions have changed the mood in Europe.

“Nowadays, I think the priority of European countries – and the European Union as a whole – is more important than any concerns from Cyprus and Greece,” said Donelli.

“I don’t think they will be able to halt this process,” he added. “Honestly, the priority for European countries is security: to increase production and to cooperate with all actors who can help in the defence sector.”

In a move widely seen as a way to get around Greek and Cypriot opposition, the EU has now made decisions on arms procurement subject to majority voting.

Even so, Greece and Cyprus could still slow things down diplomatically. But with France and Germany pushing hard to boost Europe’s defences, deeper ties with Turkey are likely to move ahead.

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 17 May, I asked you about the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival, which opened that week.  RFI English journalist Ollia Horton was there, and I asked you a question about her article “Ukraine, Gaza and #MeToo in the spotlight as Cannes Film Festival opens”. You were to send in the names of the three documentaries about the Ukraine conflict – as well as the names of the filmmakers – that were screened on the opening day.

The answer is: Zelensky, made by Yves Jeuland, Lisa Vapné, and Ariane Chemin; Notre Guerre (“Our War”) by Bernard-Henri Lévy and co-director Marc Roussel, and 2,000 metres to Andriivka by Mstyslav Chernov and Alex Babenko.

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by Khondaker Rafiq Ul from Naogaon, Bangladesh: “What was your happiest moment in your radio – or your DXing – history?”

Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

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

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Paresh Hazarika, a member of the United RFI Listeners Club in Assam, India, and RFI Listeners Club members Ataur Rahman Ranju, the president of the Alokito Manush Cai International Radio Listeners Club in Rangpur, Bangladesh, and Samir Mukhopadhyay from West Bengal, India. Last but not least, there’s RFI English listener Rabiul Awal from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme:  “Gente Humile” by Garota, played by Baden Powell; “Stairway to Heaven” by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, played by Tetiana Mazur and Serhii Shamra; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Cities in Dust” by Susan Ballion, Peter Edward Clarke and Steven Severin, performed by Siouxsie and the Banshees.

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 “Togo suspends French broadcasters RFI, France 24 for three months”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 14 July to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 19 July 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.   

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 10 May, I asked you about a scientific summit held earlier that week here in Paris. It was about bringing to Europe US scientists whose research funds were being threatened – and now, many have been canceled – by US President Donald Trump.

The summit, called “Choose Europe for Science”, was attended by EU commissioners, scientists, and ministers for research from member countries, and hosted by Paris’s Sorbonne University. It closed with speeches by French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. 

You were to re-read our article “France hosts summit to lure scientists threatened by US budget cuts” and send in the answer to this question: Which specific research specialties are the Europeans hoping to attract? Amongst possible others, which specific sectors of research are the Europeans targeting?

The answer is, to quote our article: “Macron’s office said France and the EU are targeting researchers in a number of specific sectors, including health, climate, biodiversity, artificial intelligence and space.”

The first “refugee scientists”, as they’re being called, are on their way here.

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “How do you greet friends and relatives? How do you greet people you are being introduced to for the first time? What do these forms of greeting mean to you?” The question was suggested by Jocelyne D’Errico from New Zealand.

Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

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

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Ferhat Bezazel, the president of the RFI Butterflies Club Ain Kechera in West Skikda, Algeria, as well as RFI Listeners Club members Rubi Saikia from Assam, India and Sahadot Hossain Khoka from Sunamganj, Bangladesh. Last but assuredly not least, RFI English listener Rajesh Dhakal from Mechi, Nepal.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme:  “Peaceful Journey” by Imade Suputra; the “Gigue” from the French Suite no. 2 by Johann Sebastian Bach, performed by Andras Schiff; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and Quatre Bergerettes, four 18th-century French folksongs arranged by Siegfried Behrend and Sharon Isbin, performed by mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer and guitarist Sharon Isbin.

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

This week’s question … you must listen to the show to participate. After you’ve listened to the show, re-read our article “French Polynesia unveils world’s largest marine protected zone”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 7 July to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 12 July 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.   

Tundu Lissu is the leader of Tanzania’s main opposition Party for Democracy and Progress (Chadema). He was arrested on 9 April.

Treason charges were brought against him on 10 April, and he could receive the death penalty.

Amnesty International’s regional director for east and southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, reacted by saying that the Tanzanian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Tundu Lissu, whose arbitrary arrest and detention comes amid a growing crackdown on opposition leaders ahead of the October 2025 general election.

He added, “The authorities’ campaign of repression saw four government critics forcibly disappeared and one unlawfully killed in 2024. The police have also prevented opposition members from holding meetings and other political gatherings, subjecting them to mass arrest, arbitrary detention, and unlawful use of force.”

Tanzanian politician’s lawyers ask UN to declare his detention arbitrary

However, the opposition leader has not been released, nor have the charges been dropped. On the contrary, other members of his party have since been arrested and even subjected to torture.

Boniface Mwangi and Agather Atuhaire were detained in Tanzania’s economic capital, Dar es Salaam, between 19 and 23 May, after attempting to attend the trial of opposition leader Tundu Lissu.

The crisis extends beyond Tanzania to neighbouring Uganda and Kenya, where activists from a rights coalition in Kenya also accused police officers of sexually torturing Kenyan and Ugandan activists last month.

In this context, this week on Spotlight on Africa, RFI speaks to Tundu Lissu’s international lawyer, Robert Amsterdam, who has lodged a complaint with the UN Working Group as part of a broader campaign of pressure.

This month, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning Lissu’s arrest as politically motivated. Amsterdam also stated that he intends to petition the US State Department to impose sanctions.

Meanwhile, in Namibia, the first national commemoration was held on 28 May for the victims of mass killings by colonial-era German troops, in what is widely recognised as the first genocide of the 20th century.

When first the Herero and then the Nama revolted against the colonial administration, the response from Germany was brutal. An extermination order was sent by the Second Reich, and several concentration camps were built across the country.

Namibia holds controversial first commemoration of German colonial-era genocide

Some organisations representing victims’ descendants have declined to take part.

To discuss what is at stake with this commemoration, for Namibia but also for other former African colonies, we talk to the German historian Henning Melber, of the Nordic Africa Institute, who is also affiliated to the University of Pretoria and the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein in South Africa.

He says that while the announcement of an official Namibian Genocide Memorial Day has been long overdue, the chosen date of 28 May remains controversial, and that communities of descendants were excluded.

Episode mixed by Erwan Rome.

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

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 3 May, I asked you a question about women’s right to vote. Frenchwomen were granted the right to vote in 1944; the first election they voted in was in 1945. This is long after many of their sisters in other countries.

You were to re-read our article “How French women won, and used, their right to vote in 1945”, and send in the answer to this question: Which country was the first to grant women the right to vote, and in which year? I also asked you to send in the names and dates of the countries that followed the ground-breaker.

The answer is, to quote our article: “New Zealand was the pioneer, granting women the right to vote in 1893, followed by Australia in 1901, Finland in 1906, Denmark in 1915, Uruguay in 1917, Germany in 1918, the United States in 1920, and the United Kingdom in 1928.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, which was suggested by Father Stephen Wara from Bamenda, Cameroon. Father Steve wanted to know: What big anniversary do you have coming up? A birthday? A wedding? Something else? How will you celebrate it? How many guests will you invite?

Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

The winners are: RFI Listeners Club member Mr. M. Ganesan from Goa, India, who is also the winner of this week’s bonus question. Congratulations on your double win, Mr. Ganesan.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week – all women, to celebrate our big sister suffragettes who opened the door for us – are Hasina Zaman Hasi, a member of the RFI Amour Fan Club in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, and RFI Listeners Club members Jocelyne D’Errico from New Zealand; Jahan Ara Hussain from Odisha, India, and Shaira Hosen Mo from Kishoreganj in Bangladesh.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme:  “Eid Al-Adha Mubarak” by Babu and Shahnawaz, sung by Nawal Khan; Duet for Viola and Violoncello and Obligato Eyeglasses WoO 32 by Ludwig van Beethoven, performed by Keith Hamm and Julie Hereish; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and “Oi! Altas undas que venetz sus la mar” by Raimbaut de Vaqueiras, performed by the Eduardo Paniagua Spanish-French-Moroccan Ensemble.

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 Amanda Morrow’s article “The big blue blindspot: why the ocean floor is still an unmapped mystery”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 30 June to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 5 July podcast. When you enter, be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

80, rue Camille Desmoulins

92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux

France

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In partnership with Madhya Pradesh’s tourism board.

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

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

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

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

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

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