On the Mongolian steppe, climate change pushes herders to the brink

Kharkhorin (Mongolia) (AFP) – Over a year after a devastating winter wiped out virtually his entire sheep flock, herder Zandan Lkhamsuren is still reckoning with the damage wrought by Mongolia's increasingly erratic extreme weather.

Heavy snowfall and frozen ground means livestock cannot find food © Jade GAO / AFP

13/03/2025 - 

The vast country is one of the most affected by climate change, by some counts warming three times faster than the global average.

The link between rising temperatures and extreme weather –- ranging from droughts and floods to heatwaves and cold snaps –- is well-established.

In Mongolia the effects are stark.

Among other consequences, deep freezes like the one that killed Zandan's herd -- known as dzuds -- have been growing more frequent and intense.

"Last year's winter was the hardest I've ever known," the 48-year-old told AFP, describing daytime temperatures of minus 32 degrees Celsius (minus 25.6 degrees Fahrenheit) that plunged to minus 42C at night.

Heavy snowfall and frozen ground meant his sheep could not find food, and all except two of his 280-strong flock perished.

Across Mongolia, more than seven million animals were killed, over a tenth of the country's total.

"Our livestock used to cover all of our expenses, and we used to live very nicely," Zandan told AFP as he served hot salted milk tea in his traditional ger home.

Permafrost distribution in Mongolia © Nicholas SHEARMAN / AFP

But the loss of his animals and the loans he took out to keep feeding a smaller, hardier herd of goats mean he now struggles to make ends meet.

Both his daughters were supposed to start university in the capital Ulaanbaatar last year, but the family could not afford their tuition fees.

"Now my strategy is just to focus on what I have left," Zandan said.

Next to the ger's coal burner, a persistent bleating came from a box containing a sickly week-old goat.

- 'Difficult to predict' -

As the setting sun cast long shadows over the steppe, Zandan pulled on a thick green brocade jacket and strode outside, whistling as he shepherded his indignant charges into a shelter for the night.

He said he was keeping a positive mindset -- if he could boost his goat numbers, he might be able to fund his daughters' studies further down the line.

"It's just one downside of herders' lives," he said stoically. "But I'm sure we can recover."

Mongolian herder Enebold Davaa's family lost more than 100 goats, 40 sheep and three cows last winter © Jade GAO / AFP

The problem for Zandan -- and other agricultural workers that make up a third of Mongolia's population -- is that dzuds are happening more often.

They used to occur about once every 10 years, but there have been six in the last decade or so, according to the United Nations.

And while overgrazing has long contributed to desertification on the steppe, climate change is making things even worse.

Droughts in the summers have made it harder to fatten animals and stockpile fodder for winter.

"Like many other herder men, I always look at the sky and try to predict the weather," Zandan told AFP.

"But it's been getting difficult," he said. "Climate change is happening."
Uncertain future

His motorbike kicking up clouds of dust, 36-year-old Enebold Davaa shared those concerns as he chased his herd across the plain.

Enebold's family lost more than 100 goats, 40 sheep and three cows last winter.

"It's our main source of income, so we felt very heavy, it was very hard for us," he said.

Herder Zandan Lkhamsuren puts up a piece of cloth to keep goats warm at night in central Mongolia © Jade GAO / AFP

This year's milder winter had allowed the family to recover some of their losses, but Enebold said he viewed the future with trepidation.

"Of course we are anxious, but there's nothing we can predict now," he said.

Local official Gankhuyag Banzragch told AFP most families in the district lost 30 to 40 percent of their livestock last winter.

As herding became more difficult, many families were moving away, he added.

A quarter of Mongolians still lead nomadic lives, but in recent decades hundreds of thousands have left the steppe for urban centres, particularly the capital.

As she boiled horsemeat dumplings, Enebold's wife said they too might consider a move if they lost more livestock.

"The main challenge is accessibility of education for our children in the city," she said.

Her husband had a more fundamental reason for staying.

"I want to keep herding my livestock," he said. "I want to keep the same lifestyle as now."

© 2025 AFP

'Paris Noir' exhibition showcases work made in French capital by black artists

The 'Paris Noir' exhibition at the Pompidou Centre brings together works by African, American, Caribbean and Afro-descendant artists who lived and worked in Paris between the 1950s and the end of the 1990s.

Curator Eva Barois De Caevel presents the new exhibition 'Paris Noir' at the Pompidou Centre, 18 March, 2025. © RFI/Melissa Chemam

By:Melissa Chemam
RFI

Issued on: 22/03/2025 - 

ifredo Lam, Beauford Delaney, Ernest Breleur, Skunder Boghossian, Christian Lattier, Demas Nwoko, Edward Glissant, Frantz Fanon, Aimé Césaire, Grace Jones... These are just some of the artists whose paintings, film and audiovisual works have gone on display at the Pompidou Centre.

And then there are the American creators famed for their work produced in Paris, including Faith Ringgold, Josephine Baker and author James Balwin. Countries from Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica to Martinique, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal are also among those represented.

An exhibition like 'Paris Noir' has been long awaited at Paris's flagship modern art museum, despite a strong black, African and Caribbean presence in the French capital, for centuries.

It includes displays on the creation of the seminal magazine Présence Africaine (now also a publishing house) and that of Revue noire, which chronicled the presence and influence of black artists in France between the 1950s and 2000s.

The Pompidou Centre has also included new works by contemporary artists from Transatlantic African American and European communities, such as Jon One, Valérie John, Nathalie Leroy Fiévee, Jay Ramier and Shuck One.

'Paris Noir' is on until 30 June at the Pompidou Centre in Paris, ahead of the five-year closure of the museum for renovations. © RFI/Melissa Chemam

Black consciousness

Eva Barois De Caevel is one of the exhibition curators. "This in-depth work, a historiographical challenge, is now presenting more than 300 works and even more objects and artefacts," she told RFI.

The event is the result of two years of work by the Pompidou Centre's contemporary and prospective creation department, led by Alicia Knock.

Contemporary African culture centre to open in Paris after four-year delay

Knock was particularly insistent on including the works of artists who came to Paris in the 1950s, during the period of anti-colonial struggle which was "organised through alliances between the Americas and Africa", thanks to methods of resistance born in the Caribbean since the Haitian revolution.

Head curator Alicia Knock during the press viewing of 'Paris Noir' on 18 March, 2025. © RFI/Melissa Chemam

"We could have called the show 'Paris, Dakar', 'Paris, Lagos', 'Paris, Johannesburg', 'Paris, Havana', 'Paris, Fort-de-France', or 'Paris, Port-au-Prince'... But this would have been a bias that didn't interest us," De Caevel added.

Instead, the museum sought to focus on the idea of a black consciousness, referencing The Black Atlantic, the seminal book by British sociologist and cultural studies academic Paul Gilroy, published in 1993, an exploration of the "double consciousness" of black people in the western world during the modern period.

The curators have included artistic representations of the experience of enslavement and the slave trade, which De Caevel called "unprecedented in the history of humanity, which gives us a common base".

Equally vital to include was the experience of racism, including institutional racism. "This means that these artists were ignored," added De Caevel, "and not considered by institutions – until very recently, or even until today."

Visitors view the work of pioneering Cuban painter Wifredo Lam at 'Paris Noir'.

 © RFI/Melissa Chemam
Political context

The show is an archive of an immensely rich part of Paris's history, according to the British photographer Johny Pitts, who worked for more than a decade documenting "black Europe" in his book Afropeans.

"It reminds us that, as well as the art, it is important to show the conditions of production of the art, the politics behind the art, the intellectual movements that have helped to spearhead many black artistic traditions," he told RFI. "And I'm really glad because sometimes I feel like that gets lost."

British photographer Johny Pitts, author of 'Afropeans', at the opening of 'Paris Noir'. 

© RFI/Melissa Chemam

Beyond appreciating the visuals, for him the exhibition helps to highlight the political context in which the art was made.

Post-colonial artists reimagine the future in new Pompidou exhibition in Metz

"I think it's a very important intervention," he added. "I loved seeing the collection of Présence Africaine, the books all displayed, and also the work of photographers like Haitian Henri Roy, who's one of my favourite photographers and has been going for a long time: here, finally, he gets his credit. There's a lot of work in here that I have seen for the first time, and then artists whose work I actually didn't know. It's just so powerful."

Pitt's photographs were recently exhibited in the French capital by Little Africa, an art space in Paris's Goutte d'or neighbourhood founded by a group of African cultural players.

Curated with Little Africa, numerous art, cultural and educational shows have been scheduled in venues across Paris and the Île-de-France region as parallel events reflecting "black Paris" to run intended with the Pompidou Centre's exhibition.

'Paris Noir' is at the Pompidou Centre in Paris until 30 June, 2025.

Algerian girls take up boxing after Khelif's Olympic gold

Azazga (Algeria) (AFP) – In a gym in northern Algeria's Kabylia, 15-year-old Cerine Kessal was driving her fists into a punching bag. The two-time national champion was dreaming of greater feats after Algerian Imane Khelif won Olympic gold last year.


Issued on: 13/03/2025 

A young woman practices boxing drills at a sports complex in Algier © - / AFP


Khelif's victory generated newfound interest among Algerian girls and women in the male-dominated sport, with gyms across the North African country witnessing a surge in memberships.

She had emerged from the Paris Olympics as a trailblazer for aspiring women athletes in Algeria, despite a gender controversy over her eligibility.

"I want to compete in African and world championships," Kessal said, speaking in a blend of Arabic, French and Tamazight, the language of the Amazigh people, also known as Berbers.

The small gym, refashioned from a former municipal slaughterhouse with the help of local families, now trains 20 women boxers, said Ourhoun.

The young girls' "hunger for results" has often sparked "competitiveness, even jealousy, among their male counterparts," he said.

"I want to be like Imane Khelif and win an Olympic gold medal," said Kessal.

In 2023, the International Boxing Association barred Khelif from its world championships after it said she had failed gender eligibility tests for carrying XY chromosomes.

The 25-year-old champion denounced the IBA's "false and offensive" allegations and vowed last month to keep fighting "in the ring" and "in the courts".

"I have seen adversity before," she said in a statement, "but I have never stayed down".

'Shattered taboo'

Cerine Kessal triumphed at the recent National Junior Boxing Championship

 © - / AFP

In Bejaia, further east of Algiers, clubs such as Dream Team and Sidi Ayad Boxing Club have also welcomed more women and girls.

Lina Debbou, a former boxer and now sports adviser, said this momentum started right after the Olympics.

"Imane Khelif brought so much to women's boxing," she told AFP. "More girls are joining the sport thanks to her."

Even in relatively more conservative parts of the country, like Djelfa in the Saharan Atlas range some 300 kilometres south of Algiers, more women are said to have taken up the sport.

"We first tried introducing women’s boxing in 2006, but it was not successful due to the region being conservative," Mohamed Benyacoub, the director of local club Ennasr, told AFP.

Now, "the women's sports movement began to revive," he said, adding that Khelif had "shattered the taboo that women can't box".

Nacim Touami, a boxing referee whose wife is also a professional boxer, said parents are playing a pivotal role in this "real obsession with boxing now".

"Parents used to prefer volleyball or swimming for their daughters," he said. "But after Khelif's gold medal, we've seen a real shift."

'The Khelif phenomenon'

The male-dominated sport has enjoyed a boom in interest from women and girls after Khelif's Olympic glory © - / AFP

Manel Berkache, a former national champion who also coaches at JSA, said it was mothers, in particular, who were driving the change.

"Mothers are now the ones who register their daughters and attend training and matches, and this is a beautiful thing," she said.

"She is the locomotive of women's boxing in Algeria," he said. "She gave us a strong momentum."

He said over 100 junior girl boxers had turned up at this year's national championship -- more than double the number from last year.

It was at this competition that Kessal won gold, sparring against athletes from clubs including the Tiaret Civil Protection Club where Khelif debuted.

Like Kessal, 14-year-old Hayat Berouali, who picked up boxing less than a month ago, dreams of becoming a champion, too.

"I liked boxing after watching fights at the Olympic Games, especially those of Imane Khelif, and my parents encouraged me," she said, smiling.

© 2025 AFP

All-women marching band livens up Taiwanese funerals

Changhua (Taiwan) (AFP) – At a funeral in rural Taiwan, musicians wearing pleated mini-skirts and go-go boots march around a coffin to the beat of the 1980s hit "I Hate Myself for Loving You".

Da Zhong women's group is part of a long tradition of funeral marching bands performing in Taiwan for families wanting to give their loved ones an upbeat send-off

 © I-HWA CHENG / AFP

 13/03/2025

The performance in a Changhua County farming community is a modern mash-up of ancient Chinese funeral rites and folk traditions, with saxophones, rock music and daring outfits.

Da Zhong women's group is part of a long tradition of funeral marching bands performing in mostly rural areas of Taiwan for families wanting to give their loved ones an upbeat send-off.

The band was composed mainly of men when it started 50 years ago and has evolved into an all-women ensemble.

"I constantly try to innovate, come up with new ideas, and adapt to modern times," said band manager Hsu Ya-tzu, 46, whose mother-in-law founded the group.

"I want to break away from rigid traditional mindsets to keep this profession relevant."

AFP journalists joined Da Zhong as they performed their choreographed routines in handmade white-and-sky-blue uniforms at three funerals over two days.

Starting before dawn, the women marched in formation playing their saxophones and a drum as the leader twirled her baton and blew a whistle.

Funeral director Chang Chen-tsai says marching band performances were supposed to 'liven up the atmosphere' of funerals © I-Hwa Cheng / AFP

The music was loud enough to wake the nearby living as they led the coffin and mourners to a cemetery or crematorium where traditional funeral rites were performed.

"It felt like a celebration, almost like a joyous occasion rather than a funeral," mourner Hsiao Lin Hui-hsiang, 74, told AFP as his family cremated an elderly relative.

"Since she lived past 90, it was considered a happy farewell."

Funeral director Chang Chen-tsai said marching band performances were supposed to "liven up the atmosphere" of funerals and were usually reserved for the old.

"It should be lively, it cannot be too quiet," said Chang, 64, who has been organising funerals for 40 years.

Lipstick, white boots

It was still dark out when Hsu pulled up in her van at a meeting point to collect other band members for an early morning gig.

The women aged from 22 to 46 applied lipstick and pulled on white boots before grabbing their instruments and walking to the covered courtyard venue where mourners gathered near the coffin.

Da Zhong band was composed mainly of men when it started 50 years ago and has evolved into an all-female ensemble © I-Hwa Cheng / AFP

Hsu's mother-in-law, Hung Sa-hua, recalls being one of the only women in the funeral marching band profession when she started her own group in 1975.

As the male performers got old and retired, she replaced them with women, which customers preferred, the 72-year-old said.

For Hung, the band was an opportunity to make some extra money after she married her husband and to get out of the family home.

"If I never went out and always stayed at home, I wouldn't have known what was happening in society," Hung told AFP.

- 'Constantly innovating' -

Taiwan's funeral marching bands are rooted in Chinese and folk rituals, and during the last century began using Western instruments, said Wu Ho-yu, 56, a high school music teacher who has studied the tradition.

"Since people appreciate its entertainment aspect, bands continue following this style, constantly innovating to offer something even better," Wu said.

Hsu said the band had changed with the times. Many years ago, for example, the women wore trousers but now super-short skirts were acceptable.

Taiwan's funeral marching bands are rooted in Chinese and folk rituals, and during the last century began using Western instruments 

© I-Hwa Cheng / AFP

Finding new performers was a challenge due to the early morning starts, said Hsu, who has expanded into birthday parties, company year-end events and grand openings.

"Nowadays, fewer and fewer people are willing to enter this industry," she said.

"We are all getting older, but this job needs young people to carry it forward, it requires energy, and only with energy can it truly shine."

Hsu said she introduced rock songs -- such as "I Hate Myself for Loving You" by US band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and "Leaving the Face of the Earth (Jump!)" by Taiwanese group Mayday -- into their repertoire to give their act a more contemporary sound.

Some elderly mourners initially objected, but younger ones embraced it.

"As long as it's a song the deceased wanted to hear, anything is okay," Hsu said.

"The old traditions, where certain songs were considered taboo, no longer apply."

© 2025 AFP

Less mapped than the Moon: quest to reveal the seabed

Tokyo (AFP) – It covers nearly three-quarters of our planet but the ocean floor is less mapped than the Moon, an astonishing fact driving a global push to build the clearest-ever picture of the seabed.


Issued on: 13/03/2025 -

Understanding the seabed is crucial for laying undersea cables, calculating tsunami paths and projecting sea level rises © Boris HORVAT / AFP/File


Understanding the ocean depths is crucial for everything from laying undersea cables and calculating tsunami paths, to projecting how seas will rise as the climate warms.

When Seabed 2030 launched in 2017, just six percent of the ocean floor was properly mapped.

The project has since boosted that figure to over 25 percent, harnessing historic data, sonar from research and industry vessels, and growing computing power.

"As we put more data together, we get this beautiful picture of the seafloor, it's really like bringing it into focus," said Vicki Ferrini, head of the project's Atlantic and Indian Ocean Centre.
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"You start to see the details and the patterns, you start to understand the (ocean) processes in a different way," added Ferrini, a senior research scientist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

Satellite technology means we can now zoom in on the surface of the Moon, or a neighbourhood half-way around the world, but when it comes to the ocean floor, there's a basic problem.

"It's physics," said Ferrini. "The water is in the way."

While instruments can peer through relatively shallow depths to the sea floor, for most of the ocean only acoustic methods are viable -- sonar that pings the seabed and returns data on depths.

In the past, most ships used single beam sonar, sending down a single echo and offering one data point at a time.

Nowadays, multibeam sonar is common, explained Martin Jakobsson, dean of earth and environmental science at Stockholm University and co-head of Seabed 2030's Arctic and North Pacific centre.

"You get a swathe, almost like a 3D view directly, and that's really what we want to map the ocean with."
'More geopolitical than ever'

But the availability of multibeam sonar did not translate into a central clearing house for data, and not all data collection is equal.

Different vessels collect at different resolutions, and data capture can be affected by the turbidity of the ocean and even the tides.

Collating, correcting and integrating that data is where Seabed 2030 has come in.

"We have this real patchwork," said Ferrini. "We do our best to weave it all together... making sure that we are normalising and justifying all of these measurements."

The project has set relatively coarse resolution targets for mapping -- grid cell sizes of 400 metres squared (4,300 square feet) for most of the ocean floor -- but even achieving that is a complicated process.

"It's a cost issue, it's also a 'people don't know why it's needed' issue," Jakobsson said.

"And right now it's more geopolitical than ever before," he added, particularly in the heavily contested Arctic.
'Just beautiful'

The project has benefitted from some technological advances, including the spread of multibeam sonar and growing computing power.

Machine learning helps with data processing and pattern recognition, and can even enhance imagery and try to fill in some gaps.

"As we start to bring together each trackline and paint the picture more completely... we start to see these incredible meandering channels on the seafloor that look just like what we see on land," said Ferrini.

It is "just beautiful," she added.

Part of the project, which is funded by the Japanese non-profit Nippon Foundation, has been finding the biggest gaps in seafloor knowledge, most often in the open sea and areas outside common shipping routes.

Autonomous platforms equipped with sonar that can float at sea could speed up data collection, although for now uncovering "hidden" data that is sitting unshared is helping fill many gaps.

The work comes as countries debate whether to open stretches of the seabed to the mining of minerals used in the energy transition.

It is a divisive question, and like many scientists Ferrini warns against proceeding without more research.

"We need to have the data so we can make data-informed decisions, and we don't yet."

© 2025 AFP

First brown bear to have brain surgery emerges from hibernation

London (AFP) – A bear cub that underwent pioneering life-saving brain surgery has come out of hibernation and appears to have made a "remarkable" recovery, UK zoo chiefs said on Thursday.


Issued on: 13/03/2025 

Vets have been waiting to observe how Boki would wake up to gauge the success of the surgery © Harding-Lee Media / WILDWOOD TRUST/AFP

The bear named Boki went under the knife for fluid on the brain in October just before going into hibernation.

Vets had been waiting to observe how Boki would wake up to gauge the success of the surgery, the first of its kind on a brown bear.

"He's looking brilliant, happy and healthy and we haven't seen any negative signs from him," said Jon Forde, head of bears at British conservation charity Wildwood Trust near Canterbury in southeastern England where Boki is kept.

"All his personality traits are still there -- he's still the same old Boki that we love," he said.

Boki, who turned three during hibernation, had been suffering from seizures.

He was given medication to deal with the swelling and build up of fluid, but vets feared he was unlikely to make it through hibernation without surgical intervention.

A decision to operate was taken, resulting in world-leading veterinary surgeon Romain Pizzi fitting a stent between Boki's brain and abdomen to help pass the excess fluid.

Staff at the Wildwood Trust, which also runs a second wildlife park in southwestern Devon, are now focused on helping Boki to build up his strength.

"Boki did well for his first ever winter sleep. He lost around 30 kilos (66 pounds) -- we think a lot of this because he's actually grown while he was asleep so a lot of energy has been used for that," Forde said.

"Our first job will be to put some weight back on him," he added.

Boki was adopted from another UK wild animal reserve in December 2022 after he was rejected by his mother and had to be hand-reared by keepers there.

Wildwood, renowned for its work with brown bears, had been helping him to learn bear behaviours, partly by integrating him with two adult bears named Fluff and Scruff.

That had to stop as a result of the seizures but keepers would potentially resume the process soon.

Reintroducing him to the other two bears would likely involve "boisterous play" which could be harmful so soon after hibernation but the signs were "very positive", said head of zoo operations Mark Habben.

"We will monitor him very closely and, at some point over the coming months, we will conduct that introduction if everything continues to go well," he said, adding that Boki's transformation had been "remarkable".

© 2025 AFP

WAIT, WHAT?!

Japan, China, and South Korea restate goal of peace and stability on Korean peninsula

The foreign ministers of Japan, South Korea and China agreed Saturday that peace on the Korean peninsula was a shared responsibility, Seoul's foreign minister said. The ministers met as US trade tariffs loom over the region, and amid concerns over North Korea's weapons tests and its deployment of troops to support Russia's war in Ukraine.


22/03/2025
By: FRANCE 24

The foreign ministers' meeting follows a rare trilateral summit in May in Seoul. © Rodrigo Reyes Marin, AFP


Japan, South Korea and China agreed Saturday that peace on the Korean peninsula was a shared responsibility, Seoul's foreign minister said, in a meeting of the three countries' top diplomats in which they pledged to promote cooperation.

The talks followed a rare trilateral summit in May in Seoul where the neighbours -- riven by historical and territorial disputes -- agreed to deepen ties and restated their goal of a denuclearised Korean peninsula.

But they come as US trade tariffs loom over the region, and as concerns mount over North Korea's weapons tests and its deployment of troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine.

"We reaffirmed that maintaining peace and stability on the Korean peninsula is a shared interest and responsibility of the three countries," South Korea's Cho Tae-yul said Saturday.


"Additionally, I stressed that illegal military cooperation between Russia and North Korea must be immediately halted," he said.

Seoul and Tokyo typically take a stronger line against North Korea than China, which remains one of Pyongyang's most important allies and economic benefactors.

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said he, Cho, and China's Wang Yi "had a frank exchange of views on trilateral cooperation and regional international affairs... and confirmed that we will promote future-orientated cooperation".

"The international situation has become increasingly severe, and it is no exaggeration to say that we are at a turning point in history," Iwaya said at the start of Saturday's meeting.

"In this context, it has become more important than ever to make efforts to overcome division and confrontation through dialogue and cooperation", he said.

Wang said that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, and "only by sincerely reflecting on history can we better build the future".

Strengthening cooperation will allow the countries "to jointly resist risks" as well as promote "mutual understanding" between their populations, he added.

New economic opportunities

Ukraine was also on the agenda Saturday, with Iwaya warning that unilaterally changing the status quo by force was unacceptable anywhere.

"On the situation in Ukraine, I emphasised the need for the international community to unite in calling out that any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo by force will not be tolerated anywhere in the world," he told reporters.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stressed the importance of 'pragmatic diplomacy'. © Franck Robichon, AFP

Climate change, ageing populations and trade were among the broad topics officials had said would be discussed on Saturday, as well as working together on disaster relief and science and technology.

China and to a lesser extent South Korea and Japan have been hit by tariffs put in place by US President Donald Trump in recent weeks, but none of the ministers addressed the issue directly in their statements to the press.

Iwaya said the trio had "agreed to accelerate coordination for the next summit" between the countries' leaders.

The foreign minister will also hold bilateral talks with both counterparts Saturday, while Japan and China will have their first so-called "high-level economic dialogue" in six years.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi joined the trilateral talks in Tokyo © Franck ROBICHON / POOL/AFP

Patricia M. Kim, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said that while "trilateral dialogues have been ongoing for over a decade", this round "carries heightened significance" due to the new US position.

"Their leaders are under growing pressure to diversify their options and to seek alternative economic opportunities," she told AFP.

Beijing "has been working actively to improve relations with other major and middle powers amid growing frictions with the United States", she added.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

US citizen George Glezmann freed by Taliban in Qatar-mediated deal

Taliban authorities have freed US citizen George Glezmann after he spent more than two years in detention in Afghanistan, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday. Glezmann, 66, was released after weeks of negotiations led by Qatari and US mediators and is on his way back to the United States.


Issued on: 20/03/2025 - 17:11Modified: 20/03/2025 - 17:09
2 min

By:
FRANCE 24Follow
FRANCE 24

This photo released by Qatar's foreign ministry shows US citizen George Glezmann (C) with US official Adam Boehler (C-L), former US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad (C-R) and Qatari diplomats in Kabul, before heading for Doha 

© - / QATARI MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS/AFP


George Glezmann spent more than two years in detention in Afghanistan. He is now on his way to the United States, said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio after he was released by the Taliban.

The release was announced after the Taliban government's foreign minister hosted US hostage envoy Adam Boehler and other US officials in the Afghan capital.

"Today, after two and a half years of captivity in Afghanistan, Delta Airlines mechanic George Glezmann is on his way to be reunited with his wife, Aleksandra," Rubio said in a statement.

"George's release is a positive and constructive step. It is also a reminder that other Americans are still detained in Afghanistan," he added.


Read more Two US citizens, Afghan fighter exchanged in prisoner swap, Taliban says

Glezmann was en route to Qatar, a source with knowledge of the release told AFP.

Ahead of the announcement, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi hosted Boehler, who was accompanied by Washington's former envoy to Kabul, Zalmay Khalilzad, the ministry said.

"Today is a good day," Khalilzad said on X.


The Taliban authorities decided to free Glezmann on "humanitarian grounds" and as a "goodwill gesture".

The prisoner release reflects "Afghanistan's readiness to genuinely engaging all sides, particularly the United States of America, on the basis of mutual respect and interests", a foreign ministry statement said.

The US delegation was the first from Washington since US President Donald Trump took office in January, foreign ministry spokesman Hafiz Zia Ahmad told AFP.

Contacts between the two sides since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 has usually taken place in third countries.
'New chapter'

Taliban authorities announced late last month the arrest of a Chinese-American woman on February 1 in the province of Bamiyan, a tourist attraction west of Kabul known for its giant Buddhas until they were destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban.

Officials have refused to detail the reasons for her arrest.

At least one other American, Mahmood Habibi, is detained in Afghanistan.

In July, Kabul announced it was in discussions with Washington over a prisoner exchange.

The talks took place in Qatar during an international conference that brought together UN representatives, Taliban authorities, and envoys for Afghanistan -- generally those based in neighbouring countries or within the region.

In January, two Americans detained in Afghanistan -- Ryan Corbett and William McKenty -- were freed in exchange for an Afghan fighter, Khan Mohammed, who was convicted of narco-terrorism in the United States.

Two weeks later, a Canadian former soldier, David Lavery, was released after more than two months held in Afghanistan, in a deal brokered by Qatar.

Trump signed a peace deal with the Taliban authorities during his first term in office and, following his re-election, the Kabul government expressed hopes for a "new chapter" with Washington.

The government in Kabul is not recognised by any country, but several including Russia, China and Turkey have kept their embassies open in the Afghan capital.

Delegations from these countries, both diplomatic and economic, make frequent visits to Kabul.

The Taliban government also reports less frequent visits from Western officials, notably British and Norwegian.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Trump's assault on knowledge: Department of Education closure follows attacks on science

04:24 min
From the show

TECH 24 © FRANCE 24
Issued on: 21/03/2025 - 

US President Donald Trump’s announced shuttering of the Department of Education comes amid a broader attack on knowledge and research. Since Trump returned to the presidency in January, US science has suffered budget cuts, layoffs and censorship, with global implications. In a column published by French media on Thursday, 2,000 academics from the Stand Up for Science movement called for investment to help set up safe places for American researchers to continue their work. We take a closer look.

By: Peter O'BRIEN

 

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for KNOW NOTHINGS

French survival guide: Preparing for war?

ENTRE NOUS © FRANCE 24
Issued on: 20/03/2025 

The French government is preparing a survival guide for French households to prepare them for an emergency such as an armed conflict. We take a look at what's in the pamphlet and what other European nations are doing to prepare their citizens for worst-case scenarios. Finally, we explain how this guidebook is far from the only one that's part of French life.


A programme produced by Amanda Alexander, Marina Pajovic and Georgina Robertson.
By: Solange MOUGIN

06:06 min
From the show

France pushes shift to ‘wartime economy’ as US turns its back on Ukraine

Analysis


Washington’s abrupt decision to freeze military aid to Ukraine has piled pressure on Kyiv’s European allies to take up the slack, giving new urgency to French calls for Europe to invest in a self-sufficient defence.


Issued on: 04/03/2025 -
By: Benjamin DODMAN

French President Emmanuel Macron reviews the troops during a military ceremony in Cesson-Sevigne, western France, on January 20, 2025. © Stephane Mahe, AP


When President Emmanuel Macron first announced that France had shifted to a “wartime economy”, just months into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, his martial rhetoric elicited widespread scepticism.

Back then, in June 2022, the European Union’s only nuclear power was still spending less than 2 percent of its GDP on defence – shy of a target set by NATO a decade earlier.

France was also facing uncomfortable questions about its small share of arms deliveries to Ukraine compared to other Western nations, which in turn exposed shortages in its own military stocks.

Almost two years on, talk of a “wartime economy” is once again making headlines now that US President Donald Trump has turned his back on Ukraine, raising doubts about Washington’s commitment to NATO and the defence of Europe.


Read more'We should have woken up earlier': Europe races to rearm as old alliances falter

“We’re not there yet, but we need to be heading towards (a wartime economy),” French Finance Minister Eric Lombard told Le Parisien at the weekend, promising to unveil new budgetary measures to boost defence spending in the coming weeks.

“We must go faster and harder,” Lombard added in a separate interview with Franceinfo on Tuesday. “We will have to make greater efforts to protect ourselves, to build an economy in that protects peace, and to strengthen our defence within a European framework.”

Peace dividend

Like other European democracies, France slashed its defence budget and downsized its army in the decades following the end of the Cold War, reaping a “peace dividend” as it redirected resources to tackle structural problems including high unemployment and sluggish growth.

While French defence spending finally passed the 2 percent mark last year, it remains a far cry from the 5.4 percent spent in 1960 and the 2.8 percent it was still spending in 1991, the year the Soviet Union collapsed.

And while French military firms are among the world’s leading exporters, the sector employs just over 200,000 people across the country.

“A wartime economy implies the mobilisation of the state apparatus and the majority of a country’s industries in support of a war effort, which is clearly not the case of France and other European countries,” said Alain De Neve, a researcher at the Royal Higher Institute for Defence in Brussels.

“In fact, we are still a long way from a war economy – which is not to say that nothing has been done to bolster Europe’s defences,” he added.

45:28

US critics have long accused their NATO allies in Europe of “free-riding” while Washington extends its nuclear umbrella and deploys tens of thousands of troops to protect the continent.

Speaking to US media last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio singled out France and Germany among the “big, powerful economies” that rely on the US for their security so they “can instead spend their money" on an “enormous social safety net”.

The comments prompted a response from the French Foreign Ministry, which played up the “operational capabilities” of France’s armed forces and their ability to “conceive and conduct large-scale operations abroad”.

The ministry also noted that France is now in line with NATO spending targets and on course to double its defence budget by 2030 – though even that target has been made inadequate by Washington’s abrupt U-turn on Ukraine.

As De Neve observed, “The dramatic events of recent weeks mean France’s current defence spending plans are based on forecasts that are effectively obsolete.”
Targets revisited

As he returned from an emergency Ukraine summit in London on Sunday, France’s Macron acknowledged that his government would have to “review and increase” its current seven-year military spending plan in light of Washington’s changing priorities.

The French president called on Europeans to dramatically increase their defence spending to over 3 percent of GDP – a figure previously advocated only by Baltic nations long alarmed by the threat from Russia.

“For the past three years, the Russians have been spending 10 percent of their GDP on defence. We need to prepare what comes next, with an objective of 3 to 3.5 percent of GDP,” Macron said in an interview with French daily Le Figaro.

That will mean proposing a new defence budget in the French parliament despite lacking a majority to pass it, and at a time when France is already under pressure to reduce its ballooning deficit.

The government can expect little support from opposition parties on the far right and hard left, including nationalists, pacifists and critics of NATO who feel France should never have aligned with the US in the first place.

Marine Le Pen, whose far-right National Rally party has long harboured Russian sympathies, supports France's rearmament but to serve French interests only. Her camp voiced outrage after Macron suggested extending France’s nuclear umbrella to protect its European allies.

01:24

French government debates extending France's 'nuclear umbrella' to all Europe 

© France 24

The moderate Socialist opposition, a staunch supporter of Ukraine, has been more open to boosting military spending in coordination with EU partners – provided France’s cherished safety nets are spared.

“There can be no question of sacrificing our social model,” former president François Hollande warned in an interview with Le Monde on Friday, cautioning that such a move would be a gift to the “populists” and “appeasers” who would rather abandon Ukraine.

Seeking to allay such fears, Finance Minister Lombard said Tuesday that maintaining France’s social protections was “absolutely essential”. He called on the private sector to step in, urging “banks and French investors to play their part in developing our defence’s industrial and technological base”.
Rearming Europe

Mobilising private capital is also at the heart of a plan to bolster Europe’s defence industry and increase its military capability that EU chief Ursula von der Leyen unveiled on Tuesday, just hours after Trump froze US aid to Ukraine, confirming Washington’s pivot away from Kyiv and Europe.

Presenting the “ReArm Europe” package in Brussels, von der Leyen said the plan could raise nearly €800 billion for European defence while also providing “immediate” military support for Ukraine.

“Europe faces a clear and present danger on a scale that none of us has seen in our adult lifetime,” the European Commission president said in a letter to EU leaders. “We are ready to step up.”
French President Emmanuel Macron visits a repair warehouse for Puma military helicopters in Bourges, south of Paris, on October 27, 2022. © Lewis Joly, AP

Key to the proposals, which will be discussed at an EU summit on Thursday, are steps to spur defence investments by the bloc’s 27 member states by easing its strict budget rules, as well as a new €150 billion loan facility.

In a sign of the changing times, the proposal was warmly greeted by Germany, traditionally the guardian of EU budgetary orthodoxy, with Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock hailing “an important first step” towards the “quantum leap to strengthen our EU defence”.

Guntram Wolff of Brussels-based think tank Bruegel said the measures went in the “right direction” but were “not a game changer”, telling AFP that he hoped for a more ambitious debate on joint borrowing once Germany's new government is in place.

Describing von der Leyen’s plan as a “substantial step” in support Europe’s defence industry, De Neve cautioned against focusing exclusively on budgetary measures – to the detriment of coordination between national defence industries.

“Europe’s problems are not merely a matter of budgets and numbers, but also of coordination,” he explained. “It is imperative that each country’s military planning fits into a wider and more coherent vision for Europe.”
Pledges into orders

Coordinating European procurement would not necessarily contradict France’s historic aim to preserve a sovereign production capability, De Neve added, noting that the priority should be to reduce each national defence industry’s reliance on the US.

“If we can encourage European countries to buy European materiel, and thereby reduce our dependence on American components, that would already be a huge step forward,” he said.

05:59  Focus 

© France 24

With several major armaments manufacturers such as Thales and MBDA and a host of smaller defence firms, France is poised to play a prominent role in Europe’s rearmament.

On Tuesday, the industry’s major players said they were ready and willing to fill the gap left by Trump’s Ukraine aid freeze. But they cautioned that getting there would take time and depend on how fast political pledges turn into contracts.

Defence manufacturers have long complained that targets do not translate into orders, or that contracts end up going to US rivals.

“Does Europe have the necessary technology to produce the full spectrum of defence equipment that it needs? The answer is yes,” Thales CEO Patrice Caine told reporters as the French firm’s share hit a record high.

"It is more a question for buyers, governments and armies,” he added. “When the contracts come, we will be ready, but there is no point in being ready too far in advance.”