The agreement deepens law enforcement and defence ties, reflecting a shared resolve to confront pressing challenges, most notably organised crime and rising strategic threats.

A top priority for the Starmer government is tackling the criminal gangs behind the dangerous small-boat crossings from France. In 2024, authorities detected approximately 37,000 people making the perilous journey across the English Channel, with over 20,000 more in the first half of 2025.

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

The new treaty builds on Germany’s pledge to criminalise the facilitation of such smuggling. Chancellor Merz has committed to enacting this legislation by year’s end, strengthening British and German efforts to disrupt criminal supply lines and save lives.

The treaty evolves from last year’s defence pact and marks a significant UK-German commitment to mutual defence, including a mutual assistance clause: should either nation face a direct threat, the other will provide support.

The agreement also paves the way for joint export campaigns for defence equipment such as Boxer armoured vehicles and Typhoon jets, alongside joint development of a next-generation precision strike missile. Bilateral investment deals are expected to further bind Europe’s two largest economies and major supporters of Ukraine.

France’s role

As the UK and Germany renew their partnership, France continues to assert an influential role in European defence. President Emmanuel Macron has consistently championed both French and European strategic autonomy—investing in independent intelligence, procurement, and operational capabilities.

France leads several ambitious multinational defence initiatives, emphasising the need for Europe to act independently where necessary and striving to reduce dependency on external powers.

France’s Macron calls for major hike in defence spending, citing Russia threat

Recently, Macron has called on partners to develop a “credible strategic concept” for Europe’s security, aligned with NATO but enabling Europeans to take the lead in their defence when required. Notably, France’s nuclear deterrent forms a crucial cornerstone of the continent’s security architecture.

In response to rapidly evolving threats, Macron has unveiled an unprecedented acceleration in French defence spending.

The French military budget is set to double compared to 2017 levels, reaching €64 billion by 2027—three years ahead of schedule.

This “historic and proportionate” effort positions France as a leading European military power, underlining its commitment to robust, modernised armed forces and domestic defence industry growth.

Macron has promised the rearmament will not be financed by increasing national debt, highlighting both the necessity and sustainability of the investment.

(With newswires)

Abdallah, aged 74, is one of the longest-serving inmates in the French penal system, where the majority of life-sentenced prisoners are typically released after serving fewer than 30 years.

He has been eligible for release for a quarter of a century, yet the United States – recognised as a civil party in the case—has persistently objected to his release.

Abdallah was arrested in 1984 and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1987 for his role in the assassinations of US military attaché Charles Robert Ray and Israeli diplomat Yacov Barsimantov in Paris.

A Lebanese national of Maronite Christian background, Abdallah has always maintained that he is a “resistance fighter” who campaigned for Palestinian rights, rather than a “criminal”.

Georges Abdallah: The Lebanese activist France has held for over 40 years

 Release and deportation

On Thursday, the Paris Court of Appeal ruled that Abdallah is to be released from a prison facility in southern France on Friday, 25 July, under the condition that he be deported from French territory and never permitted to return.

The court deemed the length of his imprisonment “disproportionate” and stated that Abdallah no longer posed a threat to public safety.

According to several sources, plans are in place to transport Abdallah to Paris and subsequently to Beirut following his release.

Although prosecutors may appeal to the Court of Cassation, France’s highest court, it is considered unlikely that such an appeal would be processed in time to delay his departure next week.

French court rules Lebanese left-winger Abdallah must stay in jail

Long-awaited decision

Speaking to AFP from Lebanon, Abdallah’s brother, Robert Abdallah, expressed profound relief.

“We are absolutely delighted. I never thought the French judiciary would take such a step or that he would ever be released, particularly after so many unsuccessful requests,” he said.

“For once, the French authorities have resisted Israeli and American pressure,” he added.

The Lebanese government has consistently advocated for Abdallah’s release and formally assured the appeals court of its readiness to facilitate his repatriation.

Abdallah’s solicitor, Jean-Louis Chalanset, also welcomed the ruling, describing it as “a political scandal that he was not released sooner”.

Symbol of a bygone era

In November of last year, a French court had already ruled in favour of his conditional release, requiring Abdallah to leave French soil.

However, this decision was suspended after the anti-terror prosecution appealed, citing concerns that Abdallah had not renounced his political beliefs.

A ruling was initially expected in February, but the court deferred its decision, citing uncertainty over whether Abdallah had provided proof of compensation payments to the plaintiffs—a point he has repeatedly declined to address.

Last month, the Paris appeals court re-examined the matter during a closed hearing.

According to multiple sources cited by French news agency AFP, Abdallah’s legal team informed the court that €16,000 had been deposited in his prison bank account, and those funds were available to the civil parties involved, including the United States.

Trial of 1980 Paris synagogue bombing opens without sole suspect

Abdallah, who is originally from northern Lebanon, was injured as a teenager during the Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon in 1978, during the early years of the country’s civil war.

He later founded the Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Factions (LARF), a Marxist, pro-Syrian and anti-Israeli group that has since disbanded.

Following his arrest in 1984, French authorities discovered submachine guns and communication equipment in one of his Paris residences.

Nevertheless, in February, the appeals court noted that the LARF had not been linked to any violent activity since 1984, and that Abdallah “today represents a historical symbol of the Palestinian cause”.

Lebanon is host to tens of thousands of Palestinians, according to United Nations figures—many of whom are descendants of those displaced during the creation of the State of Israel in 1948.

Ending the French army’s 65 years in Senegal, the pull-out comes after similar withdrawals across the continent, with former colonies increasingly turning their backs on their former ruler.

Around 350 French soldiers, primarily tasked with conducting joint operations with the Senegalese army, will leave the west African nation after a three-month departure process. France started ceding its bases to Senegal in March.

After storming to victory in 2024 elections promising radical change, Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye demanded France withdraw troops from the country by 2025.

Unlike the leaders of other former colonies such as junta-run Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, however, Faye has insisted that Senegal will keep working with Paris.

Private military firms undermine France’s quiet exit from West Africa

In a ceremony in Dakar, France will return Camp Geille, its largest base in the country, and its airfield at Dakar airport.

Senegal’s Chief of General Staff, General Mbaye Cisse, and General Pascal Ianni, who commands France’s troops in Africa, will attend.

‘Sovereignty’

After gaining independence in 1960, Senegal became one of France’s staunchest African allies, playing host to French troops throughout its history.

Faye’s predecessor, Macky Sall, continued that tradition.

Faye, who ran on a ticket promising a clean break with the Sall era, has said that Senegal would treat France like any other foreign partner.

Pledging to make his country more self-sufficient, the president gave a deadline of the end of 2025 for all foreign armies to withdraw.

“Senegal is an independent country, it is a sovereign country and sovereignty does not accept the presence of military bases in a sovereign country,” Faye said at the end of 2024, while maintaining that “France remains an important partner for Senegal”.

France hands back two out of five army bases to Senegal

Faye has also urged Paris to apologise for colonial atrocities, including the massacre on December 1, 1944 of dozens of African troops who had fought for France in World War II.

Continent-wide pull-outWith governments across Africa increasingly questioning France’s military presence, Paris has closed or reduced numbers at bases across its former empire.

In February France handed back its sole remaining base in Ivory Coast, ending decades of French presence at the site.

The month before, France turned over the Kossei base in Chad, its last military foothold in the unrest-hit Sahel region.

Coups in Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali between 2020 and 2023 have swept military strongmen to power. All have cut ties with France and turned to Russia instead for help in fighting the Sahel’s decade-long jihadist insurgency.

The Central African Republic, also a former French colony to which the Kremlin has sent mercenaries, has likewise demanded a French pull-out.

Meanwhile the army has turned its base in Gabon into a camp shared with the central African nation.

Only the tiny Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti will be home to a permanent French army base following Thursday’s withdrawal.

France intends to make its base in Djibouti, with some 1,500 people, its military headquarters for Africa.

(With newswires)

“We are keen on holding accountable those who transgressed and abused our Druze people, as they are under the protection and responsibility of the state,” Sharaa said in a televised address.

The Syrian government announced on Wednesday a new ceasefire in Sweida and a halt to military operations there after days of violence that killed more than 350 people, according to a war monitor.

It also said the army had begun withdrawing from the Druze-majority city.

Security forces had been deployed there a day earlier with the stated aim of overseeing a previous truce, following days of deadly clashes between Druze fighters and local Bedouin tribes.

France condemns reported atrocities against civilians in Syria’s Sweida

But witnesses said the government forces had joined the Bedouin in attacking Druze fighters and civilians.

Sharaa said that “responsibility” for security in Sweida would be handed to religious elders and some local factions “based on the supreme national interest”.

Before the government intervention, Druze areas were mainly controlled by fighters from the minority.

Addressing the Druze, Sharaa said the community was “a fundamental part of the fabric of this nation… protecting your rights and freedom is one of our priorities”.

Syria’s Islamist authorities, who toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, have had strained relations with Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities, and have been accused of not doing enough to protect them.

‘Mediation’

March saw massacres of more than 1,700 mostly Alawite civilians in their coastal heartland, with government affiliated groups blamed for most of the killings.

Government forces also battled Druze fighters in Sweida province and near Damascus in April and May, leaving more than 100 people dead.

Sharaa said “outlaw groups”, whose leaders “rejected dialogue for many months” had committed “crimes against civilians” in recent days.

He said the deployment of defence and interior ministry forces had “succeeded in returning stability” despite the intervention of Israel, which has bombed the country’s south and the capital Damascus.

Israel, which has its own Druze community, has presented itself as a defender of the Syrian minority, although some analysts say that is a pretext for pursuing its own military goal of keeping Syrian government forces as far from their shared frontier as possible.

“The Israeli entity resorted to a wide-scale targeting of civilian and government facilities,” that would have pushed “matters to a large-scale escalation, except for the effective intervention of American, Arab, and Turkish mediation, which saved the region from an unknown fate”, Sharaa said.

He did not specify which Arab countries had mediated.

Turkey is a key backer of Syria’s new authorities, while Arab states including Qatar and Saudi Arabia have also shown key support for the new government.

(With newswires)

Pogacar, who crashed on Wednesday, took stage 12 between Auch and Hautacam to retake the leader’s yellow jersey after it spent two days adorning the back of Ben Healy from the EF Education – Easy Post team.

Pogacar completed the 180.6km course in four hours, 21 minutes and 19 seconds.

Arch rival Jonas Vingegaard was two minutes and 10 seconds behind the 26-year-old Slovenian.

“You don’t know how the body reacts after the crash,” said Pogacar following his victory.

“But it was not too bad, it was not a bad crash. I feel my hip only when I do acrobatics, but here I’m just riding the bike.”

Pogacar’s success pushed him three and a half minutes ahead of Vingegaard in the race which culminates on 27 July along the Champs Elysées in Paris.

Pogacar made his move on Thursday with 11.8 kilometres remaining. Teammate Jhonatan Narváez spotted the chance, looked over his shoulder and allowed Pogacar to accelerate past.

Vingegaard initially gave chase but could not keep up with Pogacar who overtook the French rider Bruno Armirail for the lead 11 kilometres from the end.

It was his third stage win in the race which started on 5 July in Lille, northern France.

While more intense cyclonic rains due to global warming are expected until the end of the year, the French West Indies islands will see their weather forecasts disrupted following the suspension of the sharing of some of the American satellite data by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

This decision by the American agency is justified by “a significant cybersecurity risk,” according to a message posted on its website. Initially planned for 30 June, the measure will finally take effect on 31 July.

This halt in sharing satellite data comes in the context of massive budget cuts imposed by the White House, particularly in the field of science. The NOAA recently had to lay off about 20 percent of its workforce.

“We know that managers were fired, notably in the services that sent reconnaissance planes into the heart of hurricanes,” lamented Thierry Jimonet, meteorologist for Météo-France in Guadeloupe, interviewed by French news agency AFP in March.

These massive cuts weaken the data used by climatologists worldwide.

‘Microwave’ satellite images

“The positioning and monitoring of cyclonic phenomena rely notably on ‘microwave’ satellite images produced using technologies onboard American and European civil or military satellites,” explains Météo-France.

These images, managed by NOAA, allow notably to know the “position of the system’s center” or “the evolution of its structure,” both “day and night.”

Without this data, forecasts transmitted to the prefectures – which make decisions to alert populations and order evacuations – may therefore lack precision.

In the middle of the cyclone season, and while overseas territories are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of climate change, Météo-France remains reassuring: “Cyclone monitoring will continue to be fully ensured during this season in the Atlantic basin.”

According to the French forecasting institute, there are “many other sources of data available to ensure the monitoring of cyclonic phenomena and to feed weather forecasting models.”

While the “microwave” satellite images are affected by this suspension of data sharing from the United States, those “produced by American geostationary satellites” are not.

“Météo-France also has data from European Meteosat satellites, as well as its own network of weather radars,” the forecasting institute explained.

(With newswires)

Sweden tore through England’s defences to race into a 2-0 lead within 25 minutes on Thursday night  the Letzigrund Stadion in Zurich.

Veteran striker Kosovare Asllani profited from lackadaisical defending to open the scoring after two minutes.

As England tried to play the ball out from the back, a pass rebounded off Filippa Angeldahl and fell to Stina Blackstenius. She teed up Asllani to slot into the bottom left corner.

Blackstenius doubled the advantage to leave England reeling. And the damage would have been worse had goalkeeper Hannah Hampton not parried goal-bound efforts from Fridolina Rolfö and Blackstenius.

England head coach Sarina Wiegman brought on Chloe Kelly for Lauren Hemp 12 minutes from time and the Arsenal striker had an immediate impact.

She whipped in a cross from the left for Lucy Bronze to head in at the back post. Minutes later. Michelle Agyemang levelled to notch up her second goal for England on her third appearance.

Spot kicks missed

In a tense shoot-out, four players from each team missed their spot kicks before Bronze converted her effort and Smilla Holmberg blazed her penalty over the crossbar.

On Friday night in Berne, world champions Spain play hosts Switzerland.

“We are expecting a stadium packed with Swiss people, but this is motivating for us,” said Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati.

“‘It’s a new challenge, we want to continue making history as we have been doing all these years, and we are really looking forward to being here in the final on the 23 July as well.”

Spain are favourites to reach the semi-finals. They scored 14 goals in their three victories in the pool stages.

Switzerland, though, have blossomed during the event. After losing their opening game to Norway, they beat Iceland 2-0 before a late equaliser against Finland from Riola Xhemaili sent Switzerland into the knockout stages.

“We know what our strengths are,” said Spain head coach coach Montse Tomé. “We know the team we are and the things we can still improve on.

“We have been working on it, we are still confident in our chances and, above all, what I feel is that the team is ready to compete.”

“I feel as though I need to take deeper breaths, even though I’m not making much of an effort,” says Martin Estivals, after a few minutes of walking on a treadmill in the Climate Sense heat chamber.

The chamber is a container on a lorry that has been travelling around France for the past few months. Inside it looks like a doctor’s office, with treadmills at one end. The ambient temperature is a steady 50C.

The highest temperature recorded to date in France is 45.9C – in the southern village of Gallargues-le-Montueux, during a heatwave in 2019. Europe’s highest temperature was recorded in Sicily in 2021 – 48.8C. 

Estivals, 26, and his friend Emma Louise Robeyns, 21, wanted to try out the chamber when it was in Marseille in the spring, after hearing about it from a friend.

A report on the climate chamber, in the Spotlight on France podcast

Cognitive effects

The pair spend 30 minutes inside, walking on a treadmill, attempting a few fine motor tasks and completing cognitive tests.

On the treadmills, they are asked to walk normally, as if they were going to work or out shopping. After 10 minutes, Robeyns says her head feels hot.

She and Estivals move on to the next task: moving loops around, to avoid them touching each other – manual tasks that are made harder by their sweating.

Wildfires in southern France mark start of season spurred by high temperatures

Ten minutes later, they are having real trouble with the cognitive tasks. “I can’t even read the first line of the instructions,” Robeyns says, incredulously.

She tries to recall words or find differences between images – simple tasks that would be no problem in normal temperatures, but after 20 minutes in 50C she feels her brain slowing down.

“They all look alike,” she says, looking at two images in which she is asked to find the differences. “Usually I’m pretty good at this kind of exercise. But I must admit that this is difficult. I think my body is focused on the basics, and it’s forgetting about the rest.”

Impact on the body

Robeyns is more than ready to leave as soon as the 30 minutes are up. On the way out, she and Estivals test their body temperatures and heart rates, to compare them with the readings from the way in. Robeyns’ temperature has risen by 2C.

Christian Clot of the Human Adaptation Institute, which runs the climate chamber, says high heat has real physiological impacts.

As the body struggles to stay within its normal range of approximately 36–37C, organs work harder and the brain slows down to save energy.

Wake-up call for France as climate experts push for new action on emissions

“You lose certain cognitive capacities – of concentration, decision-making and calculation,” he explains, adding that social skills are impacted too. “Being social takes a lot of energy, and the heat makes you become more irritable or you just want to spend less time with others. And bit by bit, your social skills break down.”

‘An abstract concept’

He believes that putting people through this kind of heat stress is key to raising awareness of climate change and how human behaviour affects it, saying that global warming is an abstract concept until the physical repercussions feel real.

“For a person to change their behaviour, they must be affected sensorially and emotionally. To understand the climate of the future, you need to have an experience that allows you to feel it emotionally. It helps people make decisions on how they act today.”

The institute’s follow-up surveys have shown that more than 60 percent of visitors to the climate chamber say they will change their behaviours, to be more conscious of CO2 emissions.

For Robeyns, who is originally from Paris but now lives in Aix-en-Provence, where temperatures are regularly extremely high in summer, the experience in the chamber has driven home the impact of global warming on daily life.

“No matter how aware you are, it’s good to be confronted with the real repercussions of our daily actions,” she said.

Estivals is not sure whether he will change anything in particular, but the experience has made him realise what an increase of just a few degrees feels like.

“It’s hard to imagine 50C, and this allows us to test it,” he said. “What is more difficult is to imagine that it could be like this all day. It is not the same as just a few moments.”

France brings in new protective measures for outdoor workers in heatwaves

Speed is key

Clot says that if the world fails to keep carbon emissions down, France could see 50C by the middle of the century – a scenario he hopes can still be avoided, but one he insists people need to be prepared for. 

While he says that speed is of the essence when it comes to tackling climate change, he also believes we need to slow down when it comes to certain aspects of daily life. 

“We have a tendency to want to go faster all the time. For example, when you order something you want it to arrive in 24 hours. If we just accepted deliveries in three to four days, we would already hugely reduce our carbon footprint. Every time we accelerate we emit more CO2.”

However, when it comes to taking action to lessen global warming, he says there is not a moment to lose. “Today we have the freedom to choose to reduce the risks to avoid extreme temperatures in the future. In the future, we will not have that freedom.”

Listen to a version of this story, which was first reported by Jeanne Richard, in the Spotlight on France podcast, episode 130, here.

A key figure in local French life, there are more than three times the number of mayors in France as there are in neighbouring Germany, despite its far larger population, and more than four times more than in Italy.  

France’s mayors, as the head of each commune’s local council, have signifiant powers and responsibilities – including managing the budget and municipal staff and resources, enforcing local laws and regulations, and representing the state at a local level. 

The findings of the study, published last week and conducted jointly by the university and the Association of Mayors of France, reiterated their importance to voters, and the level of trust they enjoy – which far outstrips that bestowed on other elected representatives.

RFI spoke to its author Martial Foucault, a professor of politics at Sciences Po Paris.

RFI: At a time when mistrust of national institutions is very high in France, the local mayor remains a trusted figure for citizens. How do you explain this?

Martial Foucault: This is something we’ve been observing for more than 15 years. The mayor is the democratic personality in whom the French have the most confidence, far ahead of other representatives such as deputies, senators, regional or departmental councillors – and I’m not even talking about the national executive.

Not only is this level of trust high – around 70 percent – but it can withstand any crisis, including national ones, the local repercussions of which can complicate the work of mayors and their ability to find solutions.

We saw this during the Covid-19 pandemic and the energy crisis. Mayors try as best they can to respond to requests, even those for which they are not necessarily equipped, and local people are grateful because they feel that this action is visible. The fact that mayors are seen to take action gives them this capital of trust.

Far-right French mayor imposes curfew on children to tackle ‘violence’

What are the criteria on which citizens base their trust in their mayor?

The survey highlights two important factors. Firstly, honesty. Dishonest elected officials or those tainted by scandal destroy this capital of trust. The second important criterion is the mayor’s ability to keep his promises. An elected official who is willing to listen during an election but just does as he pleases once elected would generate mistrust.

Public trust is based on these two criteria, and much less on a demand for knowledge of the technicalities, for highly competent elected officials who really know their stuff. That matters, but it’s not essential in the eyes of the French – and that’s one of the surprises of the study.

Your survey also shows that citizens are making ever-increasing demands of their local elected representatives. What type of demands are these?

Expectations remain high, and that’s good news for the democratic imperative. We live in a society where unforeseen events are numerous, be they climatic, financial, energy-related…

I remember that two terms ago, the key issue was employment. People thought that mayors had a magic wand to transform their territory into a beacon of attractiveness for employers in order to solve the unemployment issue. This is no longer the case.

The survey I conducted in 2019, during the previous municipal election campaign, highlighted voters’ expectations around environmental issues and safety issues. In the study [we published last week], the primary demand is for greater protection, and peace and quiet. At the local and municipal level, what counts in the minds of citizens is the improvement of their living environment. 

Strasbourg city mayor sues French state for failure to accommodate the homeless

Do these demands also include democratic concerns?

Indeed, the survey underlines that French citizens want greater transparency in the decision-making process. They expect their mayors to be more concerned with seeking consensus before making decisions, and that’s something new.

The French also say they expect their mayors to act as mediators in the event of conflict, and this is also new. There has been much discussion about the rise in violence towards local elected representatives. Mayors are discovering the importance of mediation. And yet, depending on their background, not everyone is an innate mediator. So that should be a priority for mayoral associations: training mayors in mediation issues, to prevent situations from flaring up or degenerating.

On the one hand, citizens are demanding more democracy at a local level, but on the other, they are still reluctant to get involved in the life of their community. Why is this?

One can be demanding of one’s representatives without committing oneself. Our survey shows that 24 percent of French people would be prepared to get involved in the life of the local council. This figure may sound very low, but to me it’s considerable. Because 24 percent of French people registered on electoral lists represents 12 to 13 million citizens. In reality, however, the number of those actually involved is barely 1 million. But this percentage does indicate real potential for commitment.

The question now is how to turn potential into reality. This involves understanding why so few people get involved. The main reason is that certain categories of French people are under-represented, and this doesn’t encourage their peers to take the plunge. Young people under 40 are under-involved, for example. The same applies to women.

Ex-mayor of Normandy village acquitted of complicity in drug trafficking

Does this report give cause for optimism ahead of the local elections in March 2026?

Yes. In a highly polarised society, where majorities are hard to obtain in parliament, the simple fact of knowing that, at a local level, the mayor has the ability to [have an impact] is a source of optimism.

In fact, when the French are asked about their vision for the future in the area where they live and work, the majority are optimistic, whereas the same question at a national level gives more pessimistic answers.

Even if it’s not the answer to all problems, the local level perhaps provides a democratic – and personal – breathing space that helps create a little more happiness than when we look at things on a bigger scale.

This interview was adapted from the original version in French and has been lightly edited for clarity.

“From now on, there will be a commemoration ceremony every 12 July for Dreyfus, for the victory of justice and the truth against hatred and antisemitism,” Macron said in a statement published by his office, 90 years after Dreyfus’ death.

The first such day would be celebrated in 2026, the 120th anniversary of France’s highest appeals court recognising Dreyfus’s innocence, Macron said.

France needed to remain vigilant in the face of the “ancient spectre” of antisemitism, he said.

The scandal began in 1894 when Dreyfus, a Jewish army captain from Alsace, was accused of passing military secrets to Germany. The evidence was flimsy, the investigation tainted by prejudice and the trial a public spectacle, fuelled by a virulently anti-Semitic press.

Despite the lack of proof, Dreyfus was convicted of treason, publicly stripped of his rank and sentenced to life on the notorious Devil’s Island penal colony, off the coast of French Guiana.

The injustice of the Dreyfus Affair did not go unchallenged.

Dreyfus’s family, notably his brother Mathieu, launched a tireless campaign for his exoneration, enlisting the support of journalists and intellectuals.

The most famous intervention came from novelist Émile Zola, whose open letter “J’Accuse” in the 13 January, 1898 edition of newspaper l’Aurore accused the French military and government of a deliberate miscarriage of justice.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Georges Picquart, the head of military intelligence, uncovered evidence that another officer, Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy, was the real traitor.

But instead of righting the wrong, the military doubled down – even jailing Picquart and acquitting Esterhazy.

Public outrage grew and the Dreyfus Affair became a national crisis, splitting France into “Dreyfusards”and “anti-Dreyfusards”. The case exposed the dangers of institutional anti-Semitism and the fragility of justice in the face of prejudice and political expediency.

After years of struggle, Dreyfus was pardoned in 1899 and finally exonerated in 1906. He was re-instated to the army and later served in the First World War. He died on 12 July, 1935 at the age of 75.

Global impact

The impact of the Dreyfus Affair was immense, and it remains a touchstone for debates about justice, minority rights and the responsibilities of the state – and is now seen as a foundational episode in the modern fight against anti-Semitism.

In France, it led to reforms in military and judicial procedures. But the Dreyfus Affair also had global consequences, particularly for the Jewish people.

Macron opens museum dedicated to the the ‘Dreyfus affair’ and anti-Semitism

Among those covering the trial in Paris was Theodor Herzl, a Viennese journalist writing for the Neue Freie Presse of Vienna.

Witnessing the depth of anti-Semitic hatred and the failure of assimilation as a safeguard, Herzl was galvanised to write Der Judenstaat (“The Jewish State”) in 1896. This foundational text of modern political Zionism argued that Jews could only have safety and dignity in a state of their own.

Herzl’s activism, including his lobbying through the nascent Zionist movement and later at the Jewish World Congress, helped set in motion the international efforts that would eventually lead to the Balfour Declaration in 1917 – a key step towards the creation of the State of Israel.

Posthumous promotion

Meanwhile, France’s National Assembly Defence Committee on 25 May unanimously approved a bill to posthumously promote Dreyfus to the rank of brigadier general – a highly symbolic gesture intended to correct a historic injustice and honour his memory. 

The law is the culmination of a long process, originally initiated by the Dreyfus family as early as 1906 and revived following a speech by President Jacques Chirac at the École Militaire on 12 July 2006.

This act could pave the way for further recognition – even inclusion in the Panthéon, France’s national mausoleum for distinguished citizens.

French MPs back promoting Jewish army captain 130 years after treason scandal

(with newswires)

These ancient monuments, erected over more than two thousand years during the Neolithic period, cover an area of 1,000 square kilometres. The site includes more than 550 monuments across 28 towns and villages in Morbihan.

Among the most famous are the Carnac alignments, with their long, straight rows of menhirs (meaning ‘long stones’ in Breton) of all sizes. The origins and purpose of these stones remain a mystery, but they attract nearly 300,000 visitors each year.

Unesco described the megaliths as “an exceptional testimony to the technical sophistication and skill of Neolithic communities.” The organisation highlighted the ability of these ancient people to extract, transport and position huge stones and earth to create a complex symbolic landscape. This, Unesco said, reveals a unique relationship between the population and their environment.

This is the first site in Brittany to be fully inscribed on the World Heritage list. The Vauban Tower in Finistère is already listed, but as part of a group of 12 Vauban fortifications across France.

France now has 54 sites on the World Heritage list. Spain and China each have 60, and Germany has 55.

This year, the World Heritage Committee, meeting in Paris until Sunday, is considering 30 nominations. These include King Ludwig II’s castles in Bavaria, genocide memorial sites in Cambodia, and cultural landscapes in Cameroon and Malawi.

France pushes for Unesco status for D-Day beaches and Carcassonne fortresses

The inscription not only acknowledges the cultural and historical significance of these ancient monuments, but also seeks to ensure their preservation and protection for future generations.

A management plan for the site, developed in partnership with local authorities and stakeholders, will guide conservation efforts in the coming years.

(With newswires)

RFI: What did the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior mean for you personally?

MC: It’s something I remember very clearly. In 1985, I was in my sixth grade at school, I was 13 years old. This was a moment that inspired me. It symbolised the courage of a few individuals trying to stop nuclear testing that, even at that young age, I knew was dangerous and an existential threat during the Cold War.

Here was a group of people who crossed the world’s biggest ocean to put a stop to that threat on behalf of all of us. The French nuclear testing in the Mururoa Atoll symbolised that threat. I found it courageous – and unfair and evil to stop that with a bomb that cost the life of a photographer.

RFI: How did the bombing inspire you?

MC: It meant I joined Greenpeace as a supporter at that time. Like many others, I think Greenpeace grew its supporter and donor numbers substantially then. It showed in practice that the French government’s strategy was wrong. It blew wind into the sails of an organisation and a movement instead of silencing it.

RFI: At the time of the Rainbow Warrior bombing, Greenpeace was just 14 years old. What did it mean for the organisation?

MC: It proved what many in Greenpeace said then and still say – first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. That kind of resistance does not work.

It has the opposite effect. It builds strength. “You can’t sink a rainbow” was the slogan that came out of the bombing. That’s true. It was much more than just a ship that was bombed – they tried to silence a movement and an opposition to nuclear testing in the Pacific. The aftermath showed Greenpeace only grew stronger, as did the wider movement.

RFI: When it became known that the order to bomb the Rainbow Warrior went up to the highest authorities in France, what effect did that have?

MC: When it became known who was behind it, how high it went, when the court looked at it and accountability was finally awarded against the French government, we saw some justice and a backlash against their actions. Hopefully it deterred similar acts in the future.

Forty years after the Rainbow Warrior bombing, activists still under attack

RFI: How did this incident shape Greenpeace’s identity and mission in the years afterwards?

MC: Greenpeace’s mission and identity were there before the bombing too. But it showed that Greenpeace was an effective organisation taken seriously by governments.

As we remember the bombing and the murder of Greenpeace photographer Fernando Pereira 40 years ago, it’s important to remind ourselves why the French government committed such an extreme act of violence. They targeted our ship and the campaign to stop nuclear testing because it was effective. We posed a threat to the French government’s military programme and its colonial power in the Pacific – and they failed to silence us.

They failed to intimidate us. They confirmed that you can’t sink a rainbow. We showed that courage is contagious and Greenpeace only grew stronger as a movement and an organisation afterwards. Our continued success in stopping nuclear testing in the Pacific is proof of that.

That lesson is important now because 40 years on, we are just as effective. Now it’s the fossil fuel industry and billionaires using legal attacks – legal bullying that could threaten Greenpeace’s very existence in the US and beyond. But just like in 1985, we cannot be intimidated and we will not back down.

RFI: How did the incident affect your relationship with governments, especially France?

MC: We saw accountability delivered in the bombing. It was clear this was not a good move by the French government – it backfired massively and damaged France’s reputation. It sent a clear message not only to the French government but to other governments too – that’s not how you fight movements or ideas.

Right now we’ve seen the French government take responsibility for the environment and oceans in the global political arena. For example, their work on the Global Oceans Treaty is remarkable. But like so many other countries they are still failing to take all the steps needed for a sustainable future for all of us.

French Rainbow Warrior bomber breaks 30-year silence

RFI: A North Dakota jury found Greenpeace liable for defamation, ordering it to pay more than 660 million dollars to Energy Transfer for its role in anti-fossil fuel protests. How does this legal attack compare to the bomb attack?

MC: The lesson from 1985 is important now because 40 years later we are just as effective. This time they do not use bombs but armies of lawyers and legal attacks that could threaten Greenpeace’s existence in the US.

Energy Transfer, a multi-billion dollar oil pipeline company, has brought two back-to-back SLAPP suits against Greenpeace International and Greenpeace US after Greenpeace US showed solidarity with the 2016 peaceful indigenous-led protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The first case was dismissed in court. Greenpeace organisations continue to defend against the second one, which is ongoing in North Dakota, where a jury awarded 660 million in damages.

This is just one example of many SLAPP suits that organisations, individuals and journalists face as the fossil fuel industry fights to silence dissent.

RFI: Where are you now with this case?

MC: We are fighting it in court. We are appealing it and we’ll see what the appeal court says. We’re also challenging Energy Transfer in a Dutch court, using the strong European anti-SLAPP legislation that exists in the EU, to show this was a clear SLAPP suit. We’re seeking compensation for the costs and harm we’ve suffered due to this completely unfounded case in the US.

Of course we hope to win in the legal sphere, but in the public and moral sense this is a crystal clear example of fossil fuel giants trying to silence opposition.

RFI: Forty years after the incident, what message do you have for young activists fighting climate change?

MC: Keep fighting. The bombing in 1985 showed exactly that – first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. Be mindful these fights can take a long time. This was a fight we won in 1996 when France stopped all nuclear testing and has not resumed since. So we can win the difficult fights too.

Barabash still finds it hard to believe she’s living in Paris. “I ask my son sometimes, do you really think that now I live in Paris?” she says, speaking from the offices of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) – the press freedom NGO that helped organise her extradition from Moscow. “For me it still feels a bit unreal. It’s something like a dream.”

The knock on the door came on 25 February, shortly after the 64-year-old Russian journalist returned from reporting at the Berlin Film Festival. Detained for a day and stripped of her electronic devices, she was then placed under house arrest on 21 April, and was facing up to 10 years in prison for criticising Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Her crime was writing “the truth about this war” on Facebook, she says. After Russia introduced its draconian “fake news” law in 2022, making it effectively illegal to criticise the military, authorities began monitoring Barabash’s posts. One, written in March 2022, described how Russia had “bombed the country” and “razed whole cities to the ground”.

Hijacking news: Fake media sites sow Ukraine disinformation

Ties to Ukraine

For Barabash, a film critic who has spent decades writing about cinema, speaking out wasn’t just her professional duty – it was deeply personal. Born in Kharkiv when it was part of the Soviet Union, she has strong family ties to Ukraine. Her son has lived there for 17 years, and her late father was a renowned Ukrainian literature expert who wrote openly against the war before his death last November.

“If there were not my personal links with Ukraine, if I didn’t imagine each night how the missiles are attacking my son’s house, maybe I would have been quieter,” she said.

Her transformation from culture journalist to wanted dissident began long before Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. As Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine escalated, she found herself unable to separate art from politics.

“When the war began – not this invasion in February 2022 but before that, after Crimea and the first attacks on the east of Ukraine, [that] was the beginning of the war – that’s the moment I understood that it wasn’t possible to write only about culture. Culture is very tightly connected with politics.”

She cites a Russian saying: “If you don’t [take an] interest in politics, politics will [take an interest] in you.”

After her lawyers gave her an estimated 50-80 percent chance of imprisonment, Barabash made the decision to flee. She was approached by a network of volunteers – “some Russian people in exile and some Russian people in Russia” – who had helped others, including TV journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, to escape.

“They found a way to me and proposed to help me escape. They said that if I agree, they’ll prepare all the operation,” she said.

The escape began with a car ride from Moscow to Belarus, driven by a volunteer who then returned to Russia, leaving her alone to follow encrypted instructions. For the most dangerous part of her journey, she went completely offline. “I turned off all the equipment and I was without any connection for almost 10 days. I didn’t know if my mother, my family, my friends, knew where I was,” she recalls.

Reporters Without Borders launches news platform to counter Russian propaganda

‘It’s difficult to scare me’

Her route to freedom took her through the forests of Belarus, sleeping rough for nights on end, guided only by encrypted messages from anonymous volunteers. At times, she admits, the journey felt more dangerous than staying in Russia to face trial.

“I had to sleep in the forest, in the fields,” she recalls. “I understood only afterwards that it was very dangerous. But at the time I didn’t think about it. I had my freedom, that’s all.”

Sleeping rough in forests was challenging for a woman in her sixties, but Barabash had forged a lot of inner strength. “I’m a strong Russian woman. I’m a former sportswoman,” she says, referring to her background in gymnastics. “So it’s very, very difficult to scare me. It’s my character.”

The journey took two and a half weeks, with RSF coordinating the final stages. The NGO’s director Thibaut Bruttin later admitted the organisation had feared the worst several times: “Once, we thought she was dead.”

Barabash crossed into European Union territory on 26 April, her 64th birthday. “I crossed the border illegally. But there were people who helped me on the other side of the border. And then people from RSF came and took me to Paris.”

‘A symbol of hope’

The transition hasn’t been easy. “I came with this, with my backpack,” she says, pointing to a small bag on the floor. “And so for a few days after my arrival here, I was wearing my friends’ clothes.”

The separation from her family, too, is hard. Her 96-year-old mother remains in Moscow, while her son and grandson are trapped in Ukraine. “I left everything – my property, my family, my mother. I see the pictures of my previous life and I try to close them in my mind. It’s very dramatic, but I am trying to be involved in this life, in France.”

RSF is helping her claim political asylum and she lives with a good Russian-born friend. Unable to work legally in France, she writes a little for Russian-language media based elsewhere in Europe.

RSF has described her as a “symbol of hope” but she shakes her head at this. For her, proper Russian journalists are now either in jail or living in exile, while the others consider her “as a symbol of stupidity”.

“They say, why? You have such an old mother, you have property, you should be silent. We are against the war, but we are keeping silent. You’ll end up in prison.”

As a journalist she felt obliged to break that silence. “The journalist profession is… for those who have to say the truth. And especially in such dark times as now in Russia.”

Does she have any regrets?

“Je ne regrette rien,” she says, quoting Edith Piaf. “I was saving my dignity. The dignity of my profession.” She adds that if even one person read her articles and it helped them to change their mind about the war, then it was worth it.

The new rules, which came into effect at the weekend, prohibit smoking on beaches during bathing season, in public parks, and at bus stops during operating hours.  

Smokers are also barred from lighting up near schools, libraries, swimming pools and sports grounds. Anyone caught breaking the ban faces a fine of €135, which can rise to €750 for serious cases. 

Tonnes of waste 

Each year French smokers toss away up to 25,000 tonnes of cigarette butts – more than twice the weight of the Eiffel Tower. 

The filters are made of plastic, not cotton, and break apart into tiny fibres that leach chemicals into soil and water. 

By stopping cigarette litter at the source, the ban should make a noticeable difference, said Chris Dorsett, vice president of conservation at Ocean Conservancy. 

The US-based non-profit, which works to protect the world’s oceans, has run its International Coastal Cleanup – a global network of volunteers who collect rubbish from beaches and waterways – since 1986. 

Calls for France to follow UK with generational tobacco ban

In that time more than 63 million cigarette butts have been collected worldwide. In Europe alone, more than 320,000 were picked up from coasts and waterways last year. 

“Cigarette butts are unfortunately a problem across the globe in terms of the number we find,” Dorsett said.  

“The two big problems are that they are made up of microplastics that break down into smaller pieces and pose a problem for marine wildlife.  

“Microplastics can interfere with the digestive systems of fish species.”  

The butts also leak nicotine, heavy metals and other toxic chemicals into sand and water. According to the French Ministry of Ecological Transition, a single cigarette butt can contaminate up to 500 litres of water. 

Single-use plastic 

The filters in cigarette butts are classed as single-use plastics under EU rules.  

While the EU has not banned cigarette filters outright, it does make tobacco companies pay for clean-ups under the “polluter pays” rule.  

France was the first EU country to force this cost onto the industry, but local councils still spend about €100 million each year clearing up discarded butts. 

Environmental groups say many smokers still see filters as harmless waste rather than plastic pollution – something Ocean Conservancy wants to change. 

Cigarette butts, the plastic pollution that’s hiding in plain sight

Few people realise that filters are plastic waste, said Anja Brandon, Ocean Conservancy’s director of plastics policy. 

“Many people are surprised to learn that cigarette butts are also single-use plastics. In fact, they are the most common single-use plastic found polluting beaches and waterways worldwide,” Brandon said. 

Bans can be an effective tool – especially when combined with other awareness measures, she added.

“When it comes to preventing plastic pollution, we know that bans work. A recent study that analysed plastic bag bans showed these policies lead to a 25 to 47 percent reduction in plastic bag pollution on beaches and waterways where they are implemented.” 

‘Smoke-free generation’ 

France wants to create a “smoke-free generation” by 2032 – meaning fewer than 5 percent of 18-year-olds smoking daily. The main aim of the ban is to protect children from second-hand smoke, said French Health Minister Catherine Vautrin.  

France has one of the highest smoking rates in Europe, with about 23 percent of adults lighting up every day and around 15 percent of 17-year-olds smoking regularly.  

In Paris alone, about two billion cigarette butts end up on the streets each year. Despite the “polluter pays” rule, clean-up costs remain high and awareness is still lacking.  

French smokers give up on quitting as 12 million people light up daily: study

“It’s easy to toss a cigarette butt on the beach or into the water,” Dorsett explained. “But when people know these generate microplastics, leach chemicals and that children play on the beach, that’s when we see changes in behaviour.” 

Environmental groups, however, want France to go further. Café terraces are not included in the new ban and electronic cigarettes are still allowed. 

Dorsett said he hopes France’s move will push other countries to act too.  

“When countries or municipalities have the courage to take these kinds of measures, you tend to find that others will as well,” he said. 

Christensen, who was 13 years old at the time of the sinking, remembers being inspired by the courage of the crew, who sailed into danger to protest French nuclear testing in the Pacific.

The bombing, which killed photographer Fernando Pereira, revealed the extreme lengths to which governments were willing to go to protect their interests – and the power of peaceful resistance in the face of aggression.

You still can’t sink a rainbow, Greenpeace boss says 40 years after bombing

The slogan “you can’t sink a rainbow” became a symbol of defiance and resilience for Greenpeace.

Christensen argues that the bombing ultimately gave the movement greater momentum and visibility, proving that when governments attempt to crush protest they often strengthen it instead.

Today, Greenpeace faces new threats – from SLAPP suits to fossil fuel giants using legal action to intimidate activists. But just as in 1985, Christensen says Greenpeace will not be silenced.

The Rainbow Warrior’s legacy lives on in every campaign, every act of mobilisation and every young activist who refuses to look the other way.

Forty years after the Rainbow Warrior bombing, activists still under attack

The tournament, which is restricted to players plying their trade in Africa, will feature 19 teams and start on 2 August at the William Mkapa stadium in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

The action will switch to Nairobi for the Group A games before the spotlight shifts to Kampala’s Mandela National Stadium.

The event – which should have been held last year – was delayed to allow the improvement of venues and the completion of qualifying matches. The competition will retain the 2024 CHAN title and will be thirst to be held in three countries.

“I would like to thank Caf for its trust and guidance,” said Hussein Mohammed, boss of the Football Kenya Federation.

“All eyes are now on Kenya as we gear up to deliver a world-class tournament,” Mohammed told the French news agency AFP.

The Confederation of African Football (Caf) launched the CHAN in 2009 as a way of showcasing players on the continent.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) claimed the inaugural tournament in Cote d’Ivoire and Tunisia won the second two years later in Sudan.

DRC added a further title in 2016 before Morocco won back-to-back crowns in 2018 and 2022.

Co-hosts Kenya will make their debut at the tournament. The side is led by the former South Africa striker Benni McCarthy.

In an interview with the football website flashscore, the 47-year-old said his side would be the underdogs in a group containing DRC, Morocco, Angola and Zambia.

“It is clear for everyone to see and to know that we are in a group of death. It is an impossible group to be in but a fantastic challenge for us to see how far we have come and where we are at as a football nation.””I think we have got everything in our path to succeed, the players are well prepared, they are ready for the challenge.”

Kenya will kick off their CHAN 2024 campaign against DRC on 3 August at Kasarani Stadium, before taking on Angola, Morocco, and Zambia in the group stages

The top two from each of the four groups will advance to the quarter-finals where penalty shoot-outs will be deployed if the scores are tied after 30 minutes of extra-time. 

“The fact that we play at home, we will have so many thousands of Kenyan supporters that will be behind the team, and spur the team on,” McCarthy added. “I think we are excited and ready for the challenge.”

During the final preparations for Thursday night’s quarter-final clash against Sweden in Zurich, Russo said the 2-1 defeat to Laurent Bonadei’s France side in Zurich on 5 July had added fuel to the fire to defend their crown.

“I’m massively proud of the team,” added the 26-year-old. “We needed a reaction.”

England beat the Netherlands 4-0 on 9 July to relaunch their campaign and walloped Wales 6-1 four days later to finish second with six points behind France in Group D.

“We knew that if we didn’t beat the Netherlands we would’ve been going home,” Russo added. “We shifted up a gear, took lessons from the France game, and kept improving.

“Now, it’s about continuing to elevate our performance. We’re in the knockout stages where anything can happen.”

England beat Sweden in the semi-finals on the way to claiming their first major international title in 2022.

Russo scored England’s third goal in the 4-0 win at Bramall Lane in Sheffield, northern England.

“It was my first tournament with England and I was kind of just enjoying the ride,” the Arsenal forwad recalled. “And that game in particular made us get into the final, made us create that bit of history.

‘It’s a different time’

“We’re very aware that we’re a different team now,” Russo said. “Sweden are a different team. It’s a different time. So we’ve not reflected too much. We are in the here and now.

“Sweden will pose a different threat to what we’ve faced so far in the tournament. They’re very direct, very powerful with lots of pace.”

The winners will take on Italy who advanced to the semi-finals on Wednesday night following a 2-1 victory over Norway at the Stade de Genève

Cristiana Girelli opened the scoring just after half-time. Norway skipper Ada Hegerberg fluffed a chance to equalise from the penalty spot on the hour mark but atoned for her mistake seven minutes later.

But Girelli claimed the glory with a goal in the last minute to take Italy into the semis for the first time since 1997.

“In one word, it’s a dream,” said the 35-year-old Juventus striker. “Really something special. It’s a dream that has become a reality. It’s amazing.

“I think we didn’t play as well as we’re capable of doing during the group stages. I think we played a bit better and we suffered a lot, but we fought until the end and we achieved something historic for women’s football. I’m so happy and proud of this team.”

France challenge Germany’s hegemony

On Friday night at the Wankdorfstadion in Berne, Group B winners Spain face the Group A runners-up Switzerland.

On Saturday at the St Jakob Park in Basle, France, who are seeking their first international trophy, take on Germany who have won eight of the 13 women’s European championships.

“They are a great team, a great nation,” said France striker Delphine Cascarino. “We know that they have won several international competitions.”

Bonadei said that despite Germany’s superior pedigree, his squad would be ready for the test.

“It is a great football nation,” said the 55-year-old Frenchman. “Germany have won this competition so many times. They knocked out France in the last tournament but we’ll approach the game with confidence.

“It is a big challenge but we are ambitious and will do everything to beat them.”

On Saturday in Berkane, Algeria play Ghana and defending champions South Africa take on Senegal in Oujda.

“It’s the knockout stages and a matter of trying to stay composed,” South Africa defender Lebohang Ramalepe told Cafonline after the 4-0 win over Mali in the final game in Group C on 12 July.

Ramalepe was deemed player of the match after marshalling the defence and setting up two of the goals at the Honneur Stadium in Oujda.

“We have to play our normal game against Senegal,” added the 33-year-old. “And we have to make sure we convert our chances. Then we will be heading to the semi-finals.”

Nigeria’s interim boss Justine Madugu highlighted his side’s lack of precision following the 0-0 draw against Algeria in the final game of Group B.

“Before the tournament, the strikers were playing games and scoring a lot of goals,” said Madugu.

“But during this competition, goal-scoring has become a challenge for us. We don’t have much time to work on that but it is an area that is becoming a cause of concern and worry for us.

“On saying that, the players have done well to get us into the last eight and they have done well. I have been impressed with them.”

Madugu, 61, took over as head coach following the departure of Randy Waldrum last September.

He will be attempting to take the Super Falcons – as they are nicknamed – to a 10th title since the inception of the competition in its present format in 1998.

“From when the schedules come out, you have to anticipate who you might come up against and possible plans,” Madugu added.

“We have watched some of Zambia’s games and we will look at their strengths and weaknesses just as they’ll be looking at our good and bad points.”

Raucous home support

The tournament was scheduled to take place in July 2024 but was delayed to avoid a clash with the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

The postponement has allowed organisers to spruce up venues which will be used during the men’s Cup of Nations in December and January 2026.

In that competition, Morocco’s men will attempt to improve on a disappointing run to the last-16 at the 2023 Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.

Their female counterparts will be seeking more excellence.

Three years ago, at a packed Complex Sportif Prince Moulay Abdallah in Rabat, Morocco beat Botswana to reach the semi-finals at the women’s Africa Cup of Nations for the first time.

With that event being used as the qualifying competition for the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Morocco advanced to that tournament for the first time where they progressed through the group stages before losing to France in the last-16.

Morocco skipper Ghizlane Chebbak will go into Friday night’s game hoping to continue her quest for the “Golden Boot” as the tournament’s best scorer.

As well as notching up four goals in the group stage games against Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Senegal, she was also among the players named in the “team of the group stages”

Analysts from the Confederation of African Football, which organises the biennial tournament, hailed the 34-year-old for her vision, passing accuracy, and ability to control the pace of play. 

Chebbak, along with with World Cup-winning head coach Jorge Vilda, will be expected to steer Morocco to glory three years after losing to South Africa in the 2022 final.

“What we’re feeling is more than pressure,” said Vilda who took Spain to success at the 2023 women’s World Cup.

“It’s above all a great desire to do well,” the 43-year-old Spaniard added.

“We put a certain amount of pressure on ourselves on a daily basis to work well. But it’s not a negative pressure. It’s a privilege to have that pressure, because it means we have a good team, and we know we can achieve great things. That’s what we’re fighting for.”

Last year, the European Parliament accused Le Pen of having improperly claimed money that he had spent on personal matters as parliamentary expenses, when he served as a member of the parliament.

A report by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) found that between 2009 and 2018 Le Pen unduly invoiced items including umbrellas, kitchen scales, desk clocks, smart watches, virtual reality glasses and 129 bottles of wine.

Le Pen appealed, and following his death earlier this year the proceedings were taken up by his daughter Marine – who leads France’s National Rally grouping in parliament – and her siblings.

“The General Court dismisses the action brought by Mr Le Pen and his heirs,” the lower chamber of the EU’s Court of Justice said in a statement. “The procedure which led the parliament to adopt the recovery decision and to issue the debit note is not contrary to the principles of legal certainty and the protection of legitimate expectations.”

The European Parliament said it “took note” of the ruling, which can be appealed.

France’s Le Pen asks Bardella to prepare for 2027 presidential bid

Other embezzlement scandals

The money involved was incorrectly claimed by Le Pen under the so-called “budget item 400” which is mainly intended to cover MEPs’ office rental and equipment costs.

The parliament subsequently demanded that Le Pen repay €303,201.

The case is separate from the EU embezzlement scandal that threatens to end Marine Le Pen’s hopes for the French presidency in 2027. 

A French court banned the 56-year-old politician from standing for office for five years in March, over a scheme which saw the European Parliament paying assistants who were in fact working for her party. 

RN leader Le Pen battles for political future after embezzlement conviction

The far-right leader, who has worked to transform the party co-founded by her father from a fringe outfit into an electable mainstream force, also received a partially suspended four-year jail term, and a €100,000 fine over the case.

The RN party is also being probed over alleged illegal campaign financing. Police raided its headquarters last week, seizing documents and accounting records.

(with newswires)

María Hernández Matas, a 35-year-old Spanish doctor, local colleague Yohannes Haleform Reda and driver Tedros Gebremariam were shot dead in June 2021, forcing the medical charity MSF to stop its services in Tigray despite the conflict.

The two years of fighting that ended in late 2022 between Tigrayans and the federal government and its allies left an estimated 600,000 people dead and an unknown number of others wounded.

All three employees worked for MSF-Spain. The medical charity said they and their vehicle were all clearly identified.

The new MSF report accuses the Ethiopian federal government of not following through on its promise to investigate and release its findings, despite pressure from the families of the deceased and the humanitarian organisation.

“The review confirmed that the attack was an intentional and targeted killing of three clearly identified aid workers,” MSF wrote in a statement published Tuesday.

The report says Ethiopian troops were on the road where the MSF staffers were killed, and some civilian witnesses overheard a radio exchange between a commander and his troops as he gave an order to shoot.

Fears grow of renewed conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray

No ‘credible answers’

Despite numerous follow-ups with the federal authorities in Addis Ababa, MSF said it had not received “any credible answers” and the government had “failed to fulfil its moral obligations to conclude an investigation into the attack”.

The report follows from an international investigation in 2022 when the NGO said the three aid workers had been killed “intentionally,” without providing further details.

In a separate 2022 investigation The New York Times claimed that an Ethiopian colonel had given the order to kill the three aid workers.

Raquel Ayora, director general of MSF-Spain, said: “We cannot confirm that or go that far.”

The report’s findings were presented to authorities, who did not respond, the NGO said. 

The army and federal authorities have not responded to AFP’s inquiries either.

The 2020-2022 war pitted federal forces, supported by local militias and the Eritrean army, against Tigrayan rebels.

All of the warring parties have been accused of war crimes. 

Killing of politician from Ethiopia’s Oromia region sparks fear of unrest

Ethiopia, the continent’s second most populous country with approximately 130 million inhabitants, has been led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed since 2018. 

Federal forces are also accused of abuses in Amhara and Oromia, which are in the grip of armed insurgencies.

(with newswires)

The German skipper and a Dutch passenger were taken into custody following the seizure, which took place as the yacht made a stopover at Nuku Hiva, one of the region’s most populous islands, the Papeete prosecutor’s office announced on Tuesday.

The drugs, loaded in Mexico and reportedly en route to Australia, were intercepted in what officials are calling the largest narcotics haul ever recorded in the territory.

The trafficking route between drug-producing Latin America and high-demand markets in Australia is well known to customs and armed forces who monitor French Polynesia’s vast 5.5-million-kilometre maritime zone.

“We are going to request tighter controls across the Marquesas and more broadly throughout French Polynesia, as this is a known route for traffickers,” said Benoît Kautai, mayor of Nuku Hiva.

Overseas Minister Manuel Valls is on an official visit to the region. Questioned over the drug seizure on his arrival on Tuesday in Tahiti he said: “The State is taking action and will continue to do so on land and at sea, with the aerial surveillance that is required. Of course, we also need to work on prevention. But the fight against drugs, with strong international cooperation, must continue.”

Cocaine and synthetic drugs power new era of global trafficking

Surge in methamphetamine use

Valls, in his first official trip to the territory, is holding meetings across the islands – from Tahiti to Rangiroa and Moorea – with local leaders, security forces and economic stakeholders.

He is expected to meet Kautai on Thursday. One of the most urgent topics on the agenda is the surge in methamphetamine use, locally known as “ice”.

In late June, the Assembly of French Polynesia unanimously called on the French government to declare the fight against ice a national priority.

The past year has seen a 28 percent rise in drug-related court cases with the increasing involvement of minors. The judicial system is under strain and calls are mounting for more preventative programmes, expanded law enforcement resources and sustained support for communities and NGOs.

“The State must take its share of responsibility for monitoring how these substances are entering our territory,” said Nahema Temarii – Minister for Youth, Sport, and Crime Prevention in French Polynesia.

The quantity of drugs discovered at Nuku Hiva poses problems for storage, security and transport on an island with only three gendarmes. The nearest drug incinerator is in Papeete, Tahiti, more than 1,400 kilometres away.

Pro-independence leader elected president of French Polynesia

French Polynesia is an overseas collectivity with a degree of political autonomy through its own local government. 

France has reiterated its commitment to bolstering its presence in the region – not just militarily, but through tangible investments in the priorities of local communities.

(With newswires)

Atlaoui, a 61-year-old welder from Metz in the east of France, was flown back to France in February after being on death row in Indonesia since 2007.

The father of four, currently incarcerated near Paris, had his sentence commuted by the French courts to 30 years imprisonment after Indonesia and France reached a bilateral agreement to extradite him on humanitarian grounds. 

Atlaoui, who has suffered from cancer, has been approved for conditional release on 18 July, the prosecutor’s office in Meaux said in a statement Tuesday, adding that it is subject to follow-up obligations.

Indonesia, France sign deal for transfer of Frenchman on death row

Long battle

“It has been a very long battle, there was no question of me giving up at any moment. This is a very great moment for me today, and it will be for him as soon as he is released,” his lawyer Richard Sedillot told France’s AFP news agency.

Atlaoui was arrested near Jakarta in 2005 in a secret laboratory capable of producing 100kg of ecstasy per week. Dozens of kilos of drugs were discovered. The authorities accused him of being a “chemist”.

He has always denied being a drug trafficker, saying that he was installing machinery in what he thought was an acrylic factory.

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

Arrested along with eight Indonesian nationals, he was the only one to receive the death sentence.

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

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

(with AFP)

The Central African nation has petitioned the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue emergency measures to prevent France from selling the property, which was seized after the French courts convicted Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue – commonly known as Teodorin – of corruption.

French authorities confiscated the residence, which features a private cinema, a hammam, and marble fittings with gold taps, under legislation targeting wealth illicitly acquired by foreign leaders.

France and neo-colonialism

“France’s approach can be described as paternalistic and even neo-colonial,” said Carmelo Nvono-Ncá, Equatorial Guinea’s ambassador to France.

“We cannot accept such disregard for our sovereignty… we simply cannot accept it,” he added.

In 2021, France’s highest court of appeal handed Obiang – the eldest son of Equatorial Guinea’s long-time president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo – a three-year suspended prison sentence and imposed a €30 million fine.

In addition, French authorities confiscated assets including the luxurious property near the Arc de Triomphe, valued at well over €100 million.

In its most recent complaint filed with the ICJ last week, Equatorial Guinea claimed that French police entered the property last month and changed the locks on several doors.

The country is urging the court to order France to grant it “immediate, full and unrestricted access” to the building.

“France still does not seem to understand that we Africans will no longer tolerate interference in our domestic affairs,” said Nvono-Ncá.

“It is now evident that France intends to sell the property and to unilaterally determine how the proceeds will be used,” he added.

Equatorial Guinea VP Teodorin Obiang French embezzlement appeal thrown out

Long-running legal battle

Responding on behalf of France, Diego Colas, legal adviser to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that Equatorial Guinea’s case was “clearly without merit”.

“France regrets that, at a time when the Court’s docket is filled with numerous major cases, Equatorial Guinea once again seeks to occupy its time – solely to revisit the issue of this property,” Colas said.

He further noted that any prospective sale of the property was “a long way off” and that the recent visit by French authorities was merely a “fact-finding mission” to assess the building’s condition.

Luxury cars seized from Equatorial Guinea leader’s son auctioned in Switzerland

The same mansion was at the centre of a prior legal dispute filed by Equatorial Guinea in 2016 at the ICJ, which adjudicates disputes between UN member states.

Equatorial Guinea had argued that the property served as its diplomatic mission in France, and that Paris had violated the Vienna Convention, which protects diplomats and embassies from interference by host nations.

However, the Court ruled in favour of France, which maintained that the mansion was solely a personal residence of Teodorin Obiang and held no diplomatic function.

The ICJ agreed with France’s position that Equatorial Guinea only attempted to designate the property as an embassy after the French investigation had begun – particularly as the country already had an official embassy elsewhere in Paris.

Equatorial Guinea VP given suspended sentence and fined 30 million euros

Heavy docket and limited power

Requests for emergency orders – known in legal terms as “provisional measures”– take precedence over other matters on the Court’s agenda.

The ICJ is currently grappling with a heavy caseload, including a prominent case brought by South Africa against Israel, alleging violations of the UN Genocide Convention in Gaza.

The Court is also due to deliver a landmark ruling next Wednesday on the obligations of states regarding climate change.

While ICJ rulings are binding, the Court lacks enforcement mechanisms. For instance, it previously ordered Russia to cease its invasion of Ukraine – an order that has not been complied with.

The court is now considering the Equatorial Guinea claim and will make a public ruling soon.

(With newswires)

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has to balance a growing list of priorities including bolstering the bloc’s security, ramping up Europe’s competitiveness to keep up with US and Chinese companies, countering climate change and paying debts due from 2028.

And all of this against a backdrop of soaring trade tensions with the European Union’s biggest commercial partner, the United States.

EU races to strike trade deal with Washington as Macron slams tariff ‘blackmail’

The previous 2021-2027 budget was worth around 1.2 trillion euros ($1.4 trillion) and made up from national contributions — around one percent of the member states’ gross national income — and money collected by the EU such as customs duties.

One of the biggest challenges ahead will be over the size of the budget, as the EU’s biggest – and richest – countries want to avoid paying more.

But unlike in the previous budget, the EU has debts due from the Covid pandemic, when the bloc teamed up to borrow 800 billion euros to support the continent’s economy. These are estimated to cost 25-30 billion euros a year from 2028.

The European Parliament has made it clear that an increase will be necessary.

“We believe that the union cannot do more with the same amount or less. So we believe that in the end, an increase of the budget will be unavoidable,” said Siegfried Muresan, the EU lawmaker who will lead negotiations on behalf of parliament.

The commission plans to propose new ways of raising money including taxes on large companies in Europe with annual net turnover of more than 50 million euros, according to a draft document seen by AFP.

Funding farmers

Another area of fierce debate will be the large farming subsidies that make up the biggest share of the budget, known as the common agricultural policy (CAP).

Brussels plans to integrate it into a new major “national and regional partnership” fund, according to another document — which farmers fear will mean less support.

The CAP accounts for almost a third of the current multi-year budget — around 387 billion euros, of which 270 billion euros are directly paid to farmers.

Centralising “funding into a single fund may offer some budgetary flexibility, but it risks dissolving” the CAP with “fewer guarantees”, pan-European farmers’ group Copa-Cogeca has said.

Farmers will put pressure on the commission with hundreds expected to protest outside the building in Brussels on Wednesday.

That will raise fears in Brussels after protests broke out last year across Europe by farmers angry over cheap imports, low margins and the burden of environmental rules.

Muresan, who belongs to the biggest parliamentary group, the centre-right EPP, urged the same level of funding for the CAP, “adjusted for inflation”.

The commission has, however, stressed the CAP will continue with its own rules and financial resources, especially direct aid to farmers.

Brussels could also propose reviewing how CAP payments are calculated to better target beneficiaries.

For example, the commission wants to cap aid per hectare at 100,000 euros but this would be a thorny issue unlikely to garner much support.

More money

Facing new costs and competing challenges, the EU wants to tap new sources of funding — fast.

In one document, the commission suggests the bloc take a share from higher tobacco excise duties and a new tax on non-recycled electronic waste.

Such a move, however, is “neither stable nor sufficient”, according to centrist EU lawmaker Fabienne Keller, critical of giving new tasks to Brussels “without the necessary means to accomplish them”.

Wednesday’s proposal will launch difficult talks over the budget and is expected to “as usual, end with five days of negotiations” between EU capitals, an official said.

Presenting his outline 2026 budget plan, Bayrou said two holidays out of France’s total of 11 could go, suggesting Easter Monday as well as 8 May, a day that commemorates the end of World War II in Europe.

Calling May “a month riddled with public holidays,” he said the measure could generate “several billion euros” in revenue. He added he was “open to other suggestions”.

Opening his address he said, “We are at a critical moment in our history.” He explained that France’s public deficit  has now reached 5.8% of GDP in 2024 and  that public debt climbed to nearly 114 percent – the third-highest in the eurozone after Greece and Italy.

Citing Greece’s debt crisis in the 2010s, he said, “We must never forget the story of Greece.”

He added: “Every second, France’s debt increases by €5,000,” and criticised a mindset in which “people expect the state to pay for everything.” He added: “We’ve become addicted to public spending.”

France adopts social security budget ending months-long state finance saga

Cut debt, boost output

Bayrou, who heads a minority government with limited political leeway, outlined a two-pronged approach: cutting debt while boosting production, though military spending will rise by €6.7 billion in 2026 in the face of growing international tensions.

His goal is to reduce the deficit to 2.9% of GDP by 2029, “the threshold at which, in a country like ours, the debt no longer grows.”

To achieve this, Bayrou said, “the state must not spend a single euro more in 2026 than it does in 2025,” with the exception of debt repayments and military funding.

The government will eliminate 3,000 public sector jobs, shut down “unproductive agencies,” freeze pensions, and cap all social benefits at 2025 levels.

A contribution from the wealthy is also planned, though the details will be determined by parliament.

“The national effort must be fair – asking little from those with little, and more from those who have more,” Bayrou said. He also announced stronger measures to combat welfare fraud.

In the health sector, where high medication use has been a longstanding concern, €5 billion will be cut from annual social spending.

Overall, €21 billion in savings are projected for 2026 through reductions in state, local, and social spending, with another €7 billion expected from freezing social benefits and income tax brackets.

France’s PM Bayrou mulls referendum on sweeping deficit-reduction plan

Political backlash

The proposal drew immediate political backlash.

“If François Bayrou does not revise his plan, we will table a motion of no confidence,” warned far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

“Emmanuel Macron and François Bayrou are incapable of making real savings and are once again sending the bill to the French people,” she added, criticising the lack of cuts to immigration or subsidies for intermittent energy sources such as solar and wind.

Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally (RN), also called the plan a “provocation,” writing on X: “Abolishing two public holidays as meaningful as Easter Monday and 8 May is a direct attack on our history, our roots, and working France. No RN MP will support this.”

Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon of France Unbowed (LFI) also responded on X: “Bayrou must go. These injustices must no longer be tolerated.”

Trade union, local leaders react

Sophie Binet, head of the CGT union, said the proposed elimination of 8 May –  “Victory in Europe Day” – was “extremely serious.” She told French news agency AFP: “We’re not talking about just any day –  this is 8 May, the day marking victory over Nazism. At a time when the far right is on the brink of power (…) the prime minister tells us he wants to abolish 8 May. That is extremely serious.”

France’s new economy, budget ministers get to work on budget for 2025

The president of the Local Finance Committee (CFL), André Laignel, also pushed back against the plan, calling the €5.3 billion in savings demanded from local authorities “unacceptable to all local elected officials.” Speaking to  AFP, Laignel,  who is also deputy vice-president  of the Association of Mayors of France (AMF), warned: “If these proposals are upheld, we would be forced to appeal to parliament to reject this budget,” adding that the actual burden on local authorities could prove even greater.

(With newswires)

The aircraft, named Dragonfly, features a unique design with 12 propellers, each equipped with its own hydrogen tank and fuel cell system.

Powering Dragonfly

These fuel cells convert hydrogen into electricity, which then powers the propellers to propel the plane. This distributed propulsion system aims to enhance efficiency and reliability while reducing the aircraft’s carbon footprint.

Designed as a four-seater, the Dragonfly offers a flight range of approximately 700 kilometres and a flight duration of up to three hours on a single hydrogen charge.

The primary target market for this aircraft is pilot training schools, where it could serve as a more sustainable alternative to conventional fuel-powered trainers.

Hydrogen future beckons for Le Mans motor race

Hydrogen fuel for greener skies

Hydrogen fuel cell technology is gaining increased attention in the aviation sector as a potential zero-emission solution. Unlike traditional combustion engines, fuel cells generate electricity through an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, producing only water vapour as a byproduct. This technology promises significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and noise pollution.

Blue Spirit Aero joins a growing number of companies and research institutions worldwide exploring hydrogen propulsion as part of broader efforts to decarbonise air travel.

However, widespread adoption of hydrogen-powered aircraft faces challenges such as the need for infrastructure development, hydrogen production scalability, and certification processes.

Paris 2024 Olympics aims for green legacy with hydrogen cars

The Dragonfly’s debut marks an important step in demonstrating the viability of hydrogen fuel cells for small aircraft, potentially paving the way for cleaner aviation solutions in the near future.

Several European nations have ramped up the pressure on the bloc to better protect minors online through more stringent measures, with some going as far as to advocate banning social media for under-15s.

On Monday, the European Commission unveiled the prototype of an age-verification app that Denmark, France, Greece, Italy and Spain will customise to launch national versions within several months.

“It will allow users to easily prove they are over 18 years old, protecting children from inappropriate content,” explained EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen.

“It’s hard to imagine a world where kids can enter a store to buy alcohol, to go to a nightclub by simply stating that they are old enough, no bouncers, no ID checks, just a simple ‘Yes, I am over the age of 18′” Danish digital minister Caroline Stage Olsen said.

“That has been the case online for many years,” she added alongside Virkkunen, saying the new app would help ensure there were “no more nightclubs without bouncers.”

The aim is for each member state to develop their own app since they have different rules and may wish to tailor age limits for different services – ranging from porn or gambling sites, to social platforms like Instagram or TikTok.

Porn sites go dark in France over new age verification rules

For example, France has set a minimum age of 15 to use social media, greater than the 13 set by the platforms themselves – though it is still waiting for an EU green light for those rules to come into force.

The 27-country European Union has some of the world’s strictest digital rules to bring Big Tech to heel, with several investigations ongoing into how platforms protect children – or fail to do so.

Once the app is available, users would be able to download it from an online store and then use it to verify that they are above the age to access a website or platform.

But the commission said it will be “further customised” by EU states alongside platforms and users themselves.

Stage Olsen said the app could also be used in the real world, for example, customers could use it to prove their age while buying alcohol or cigarettes.

Mental and physical health

Among the bloc’s existing legal weaponry is the content moderation law known as the Digital Services Act (DSA), which has strict rules to safeguard children.

On Monday, the EU also published recommendations under the DSA to online platforms to ensure the safety of children and prevent their exposure to dangerous behaviour.

These include removing “addictive” features such as “read receipts” which tell users when an individual has seen their message, making it easier for minors to block or mute users and preventing accounts from downloading or taking screenshots of content.

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

The EU also recommended platforms turn off notifications by default, especially during sleeping hours, limit apps’ access to photos or turn off the camera by default.

Backed by France and Spain, Greece pushed a proposal in June for how the EU should restrict children’s use of online platforms.

EU countries are increasingly worried about online risks as rising evidence shows social media and excessive smartphone pose risks to minors’ mental and physical health.

Denmark, which took charge of the rotating six-month EU presidency in July, has indicated the issue is a key priority and will push the bloc to take further action.

(with AFP)

Christensen, who was 13 years old at the time of the sinking, remembers being inspired by the courage of the crew, who sailed into danger to protest French nuclear testing in the Pacific.

The bombing, which killed photographer Fernando Pereira, revealed the extreme lengths to which governments were willing to go to protect their interests – and the power of peaceful resistance in the face of aggression.

You still can’t sink a rainbow, Greenpeace boss says 40 years after bombing

The slogan “you can’t sink a rainbow” became a symbol of defiance and resilience for Greenpeace.

Christensen argues that the bombing ultimately gave the movement greater momentum and visibility, proving that when governments attempt to crush protest they often strengthen it instead.

Today, Greenpeace faces new threats – from SLAPP suits to fossil fuel giants using legal action to intimidate activists. But just as in 1985, Christensen says Greenpeace will not be silenced.

The Rainbow Warrior’s legacy lives on in every campaign, every act of mobilisation and every young activist who refuses to look the other way.

Forty years after the Rainbow Warrior bombing, activists still under attack

Thousands marched through the streets of the Mediterranean city of Adana in protest at the arrest of its mayor on alleged corruption charges. The mayors of Antalya and Adiyaman have also been detained on similar charges. More than a dozen mayors of Turkey’s main opposition CHP have now been jailed.

The legal crackdown began in March with the jailing of Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, and on Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed there would be no letting up.

“We launched an investigation into the largest theft ring in the history of the Republic, the most reckless organised crime organisation ever,” Erdogan told his parliamentary deputies.

“Those who took bribes, those who practically held cities under extortion, those who put people in a difficult situation and then robbed them were all CHP people,” he continued.

A battle for survival 

Erdogan further ratcheted up the pressure on the CHP with a presidential motion calling for the lifting of parliamentary immunity from 61 out of CHP’s 121 deputies.

CHP leader Ozgur Ozel is also under investigation for allegedly inciting public hatred and insulting the president.

Ozel is at the forefront of leading anti-government protests across the country, which continue to attract large crowds as the party builds a significant lead in opinion polls over Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP).

The CHP claims their growing success is what is motivating the recent prosecutions, rather than corruption. “These are politically driven arrests and investigations,” declared party spokesman Ilhan Uzgel. “Not a single government party mayor is even investigated.”

Uzgel admits that with more than 500 of its officials having been arrested, the party is facing a battle for survival. “The government has all the instruments of the state. They control the judiciary, they control the police force etc etc. So it’s very difficult to stop it.”

Despite mounting pressure, however, Uzgel insists they will not back down.

“We are organising rallies twice a week, our leader is very energetic. He [Ozel]… said we are not going to back down. The government, they don’t want the opposition party to challenge Erdogan’s authority. This is the core of the issue right now.”

Turkey walks a fine line as conflict between Israel and Iran cools

Broadcasting bans

However, the political noose around the neck of the CHP continues to tighten. This week, the opposition Sozcu TV station was banned for 10 days by regulatory authorities for “inciting public hatred” after broadcasting protests against the jailing of the Istanbul mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu.

Another opposition TV station, Halk, is facing a similar ban. The two are among the few media outlets that continue to report on the ongoing CHP protests against the waves of arrests.

The broadcast bans are being seen as a sign that the days of critical media could be numbered.

“I believe by the end of this year we might be hearing of the start of the liquidation of critical TV channels,” claims Erol Onderoglu, Istanbul representative of the Paris-based NGO Reporters Without Borders.

Fears are growing too that the threat against independent media is part of a much more worrying process of the dismantling of the pillars of democracy.

Turkey steps into EU defence plans as bloc eyes independence from US

Opinion polls

However, the government appears to be losing the battle for people’s minds, with several opinion polls reporting that more than 60 percent of people polled believe the legal crackdown on CHP is politically motivated.

Anger against the government also continues to grow over 40 percent inflation.

Sezin Oney, an analyst for the independent Poltiyol news outlet, fears a political showdown is looming. “Turkish democracy is on its deathbed, actually. Erdogan envisions a political stage where we don’t have a really challenging opposition. [Arrests] will escalate and escalate. They will go as far as they can until they reach their target.”

While Erdogan remains in a strong position, the opposition is still a threat to the president. “He does have most of the cards,” said Oney, “but he doesn’t have the support of the public in general. So, at the end of the day, at one point it will be the people versus Erdogan.”

“What matters is where the security forces stand,” he added, “When it comes to a point when the people take to the streets en masse, will the security bureaucracy go against their own people?”

Neither the CHP nor Erdogan are showing any signs of capitulating, with protests expected to continue and likely to intensify in September, coinciding with the reopening of universities and the return of people from summer holidays. Court cases against the CHP are also scheduled to resume then.

With both sides insisting they are fighting for the future of their country, it could well be a fight that leaves only one side standing.

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.

The ePOP video competition is open!

The ePOP video competition is sponsored by the RFI department “Planète Radio”, whose mission is to give a voice to the voiceless. ePOP focuses on the environment and how climate change has affected “ordinary” people.

The ePOP contest is your space to ensure these voices are heard. 

How do you do it?

With a three-minute ePOP video. It should be pure testimony, captured by your lens: the spoken word reigns supreme. No tricks, no music, no text on the screen. Just the raw authenticity of an encounter, in horizontal format (16:9). An ePOP film is a razor-sharp look at humanity that challenges, moves, and enlightens.

From June 12 to September 12, 2025, ePOP invites you to reach out, open your eyes, and create that unique bridge between a person and the world.

Join the ePOP community and make reality vibrate!

Click here for all the information you need. 

We expect to be bombarded with entries from the English speakers!

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. 

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

This week’s quiz: On 14 June, I asked you a question about the 2025 One Ocean Summit, which was held in the French city of Nice. There was very good news on the opening day: French Polynesia’s President Moetai Brotherson announced that his country is on track to create the world’s largest marine protected area.

You were to re-read our article “French Polynesia unveils world’s largest marine protected zone”, and send in the answer to this question: What is the size of France’s maritime domain?

The answer is: 11 million square kilometers. As noted in our article: “Polynesia’s announcement alone allows France, whose maritime domain covers 11 million square kilometers, to increase the proportion of its waters under protection to 78 percent, a broad term that includes areas where activity restrictions are minimal.

Of this area, 14.8 percent is now considered highly protected, compared to 4.8 percent before Polynesia’s announcement.

Just eight percent of global oceans are designated for marine conservation, despite a globally agreed target to achieve 30 percent coverage by 2030.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “Which season of the year do you like the most, and why?” The question was suggested by Rafiq Khondaker.

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

The winners are: Saleem Akhtar, the president of the RFI Seven Stars Radio Club in District Chiniot, Pakistan. Saleem is also this week’s bonus question winner. Congratulations, Saleem, on your double win.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week is RFI Listeners Club member Sahadot Hossain, who, as an Assistant Professor of Geography and Environment at the Gurudayal Government College in Kishoreganj, Bangladesh, can probably recite every country’s maritime domain in his sleep! There are two more RFI Club members on the list this week, and they’re both from Assam, India: Deekay Dimple and Karobi Hazarika. Last but assuredly not least, there’s RFI English listener Lata Yeasmin Jahan, the co-chairwoman of the Sonali Badhan Female Listeners Club in Bogura, Bangladesh.

Congratulations, winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: “Dawganova”  by David Grisman, played by the David Grisman Quintet; “Le coucou” by Louis-Claude Daquin, performed by Ruth Laredo; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Scar Tissue”, written by Anthony Kiedis, Flea, John Frusciante, and Chad Smith, and performed by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  

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 “Seven Nobel laureates urge France to adopt tax on ‘ultra-rich’”, which will help you with the answer.

You have until 25 AUGUST (yep, summer vacation is coming up!) to enter this week’s quiz; the winners will be announced on the 30 August podcast. When you enter, be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number.

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

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France

Click here to 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.   

This week, we begin in Harlem, New York City, USA, with Rico Speight, a film and theatre director.

His film, Rediscovering Fanon, was screened in Paris on 5 July in partnership with the Frantz-Fanon Foundation, as this year marks the centenary of one of the inspirational figures of the anti-colonial movement. The film will also be screened acorss France and in Martinque later in the year.

According to Speight, Frantz Omar Fanon (1925–1961), whose ideas have stirred the hearts of progressives since the 1950s, continues to inspire even decades after his death.

With Speight’s latest documentary, the filmmaker said he “aims to reveal the man behind the legend and analyse the relevance of his prolific theories in a globalised, post-racial millennium.”

Biopic explores the life and legacy of Frantz Fanon, a century after his birth

We also head to Unesco in Paris, where Spotlight on Africa spoke to Caroline Munier about the UN agency’s new report on the state of the publishing industry on the African continent. 

Episode mixed by Melissa Chemam and Erwan Rome.

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

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s hosting of Pashinyan in Istanbul last month represents a notable diplomatic effort to normalise relations. Ankara had severed diplomatic ties and closed its border with Armenia in 1993 following the war between Armenia and Turkey’s close ally, Azerbaijan, over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.

However, Pashinyan’s Istanbul visit is being hailed as groundbreaking. “I believe it was very significant for several reasons. It was the first bilateral diplomatic summit between the Turkish and Armenian leaders,” explains Richard Giragosian, Director of the Regional Studies Centre, a Yerevan-based think tank.

Until now, interactions between the two leaders had been limited to multilateral engagements—such as Erdoğan’s inauguration and meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. But Giragosian argues that the Istanbul meeting carries deeper significance.

“This is the first bilateral invitation from Turkey to the Armenian leader. That reflects a second important development: Turkey is seeking to regain its options with Armenia,” observes Giragosian.

Armenia looks to reopen border with Turkey as potential gateway to the West

Zangezur corridor at centre

One of the key issues discussed was the creation of a land bridge through Armenia to connect Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave, which borders Turkey. Known as the Zangezur Corridor, this project is a strategic priority for Ankara. It would not only link Turkey directly to its key ally and vital trade partner Azerbaijan, but also open a new route for Turkish goods to Central Asia.

“It is especially important now from an economic standpoint,” notes international relations professor Hüseyin Bağcı of Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.

Pashinyan’s visit is seen as part of a broader Turkish diplomatic push to secure regional support for the Zangezur Corridor. “This is why Prime Minister Pashinyan came to Turkey,” says Bağcı, who suggests Erdoğan is attempting to counter Iranian resistance. “The Zangezur Corridor should not be held hostage by Iranian opposition. It shouldn’t be conditional on Iran’s stance,” he adds.

Iran, Armenia’s powerful neighbour, strongly opposes the corridor. Currently, Turkish goods must transit through Iran to reach Central Asia—giving Tehran significant leverage. Iran has often restricted this trade during periods of diplomatic tension with Ankara. More critically, Tehran fears the proposed 40-kilometre corridor would cut off a vital route it uses to bypass international sanctions.

Despite Turkish diplomatic efforts, Iran remains firmly opposed. “Nothing has changed in Tehran’s position regarding the Zangezur Corridor. Iran is still against the project,” warns Prof Dr Zaur Gasimov of the German Academic Exchange Service.

Growing military buildup in Azerbaijan and Armenia a concern for peace talks

Gasimov notes, however, that recent geopolitical developments—particularly Israel’s ongoing conflict with Iran—have shifted the regional balance in Ankara’s favour. “As of July 2025, Iran’s diplomatic, political, and military capabilities are far more constrained than they were just a few years ago, due to Israel-led and US-led operations,” says Gasimov. “In both military and political terms, Iran is now significantly limited.”

Yet Azerbaijan’s insistence that the Zangezur Corridor operate independently of Armenian control remains a major sticking point for Yerevan, says Giragosian. Still, he believes the broader aim of establishing a new trade route—combined with Turkey’s willingness to reopen its border—offers the region both economic incentives and a path towards stability through mutual dependence.

“The reopening of closed borders, and the creation of trade and transport links, reshapes strategic thinking. It makes any renewal of hostilities far more costly,” says Giragosian.

“In this context, it lifts all boats. It’s a win-win for everyone,” he continues. “And I do think the real sticking point now will be Russia’s reaction, more than any resistance from Turkey, Armenia, or Azerbaijan.”

Russia and Iran push back

Initially, Moscow supported the Zangezur Corridor, particularly since Russian personnel were envisioned to administer it under the original proposals. But Gasimov notes that Russia’s enthusiasm has cooled as it grows increasingly wary of Turkey’s expanding influence in a region it still considers part of its traditional sphere.

“Moscow is very concerned about Ankara–Yerevan relations. Turkey, after all, is a NATO member—even if Russia cooperates with it in several areas,” says Gasimov.

France pushes for peace in the Caucasus amid heat over Iran detainees

Despite being heavily engaged in its war in Ukraine, Gasimov suggests Russia still has leverage in the South Caucasus

“After three years of war and sweeping sanctions, Russia’s capabilities in the region are diminished. But it continues to try to assert itself—by intimidating vulnerable regional economies and exploiting internal political instability, as it did in Armenia just two weeks ago,” says Gasimov.

Last month, Armenian security forces arrested several opposition figures, claiming to have foiled a coup attempt.

As Moscow remains bogged down in Ukraine, Yerevan may have only a limited window of opportunity to capitalise on Russia’s distraction and weakness. “We do see a storm on the horizon,” warns Giragosian. “With an angry and vengeful Putin lashing out at Russia’s neighbours, he’s seeking to reassert Russian power and influence across the near abroad—from Central Asia to the South Caucasus.”

Armenia reconsiders alliances

Giragosian argues that such threats could be the catalyst for historic diplomatic realignments. “From an Armenian perspective, it’s deeply ironic. For decades, Armenia feared Turkey and turned to Russia for protection. Now, Armenia is looking to Turkey for a greater role—and seeking to distance itself from the Russian orbit.”

Pashinyan has made no secret of his intent to pivot Armenia away from Russia and towards Europe. But with neighbouring Georgia increasingly under Moscow’s sway, and with Iran and Azerbaijan offering few viable alternatives, Turkey may now represent Armenia’s best chance to achieve that strategic realignment.

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.

The ePOP video competition is open!

The ePOP video competition is sponsored by the RFI department “Planète Radio”, whose mission is to give a voice to the voiceless. ePOP focuses on the environment, and how climate change has affected “ordinary” people.

The ePOP contest is your space to give these voices the reach they deserve.

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With a three-minute ePOP video. It should be pure testimony, captured by your lens, where the spoken word reigns supreme. No tricks, no music, no text on the screen. Just the raw authenticity of an encounter, in horizontal format (16:9). This is the very essence of an ePOP film: a concentrate of humanity that challenges, moves and enlightens.

From June 12 to September 12, 2025, ePOP invites you to reach out, open your eyes, and create that unique bridge between a person and the world. Join the ePOP community and make reality vibrate.

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This week’s quiz: On 7 June, I asked you a question about RFI English journalist Amanda Morrow’s article “The big blue blindspot: why the ocean floor is still an unmapped mystery”.

You were to re-read Amanda’s article and send in the answers to these three questions: How many people do the world’s oceans feed per year? How much economic activity is generated by the oceans every year? And, what is the percentage of the ocean’s waters that are formally protected?

The answers are, to quote Amanda’s article: “The ocean feeds 3.2 billion people and generates an estimated 2.6 trillion USD in economic value each year. Yet just 8 percent is formally protected – and only a fraction of that is off-limits to damaging activities.” 

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “What is the most hilarious thing or situation you’ve come across in your life, or what or whom made you laugh the most?”, which was suggested by Jocelyne D’Errico from New Zealand.  

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Here’s the music you heard on this week’s programme: The theme to Mannix by Lalo Schifrin; the “Aquarium” from Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens, performed by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra conducted by André Previn; “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 “Take the A Train” by Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington, performed by the Joe Henderson Trio.

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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.