A decree published Friday in the official gazette said Rajoelina‘s Malagasy nationality was revoked because he had acquired French nationality in 2014, local media reported, as photographs of the document were shared online. 

RFI has confirmed the decree with the entourage of the new prime minister, Herintsalama Rajaonarivelo, who signed the order.

The decree means that Rajoelina – who was impeached on 14 October after fleeing the island nation in the wake of weeks of protests – will not be able to contest future elections.

The decree cited Madagascar’s nationality code, in force since 1960, which stipulates that any Malagasy who voluntarily acquires a foreign nationality automatically loses their Malagasy nationality. 

French nationality scandal

Rajoelina’s French nationality caused a scandal when it was revealed just months ahead of the November 2023 elections, nearly 10 years after it was granted. 

At the time, Rajoelina justified applying for French nationality to make it easier for his children to settle in France and continue their studies there. “But this piece of paper does nothing to change the blood that runs in my veins,” he insisted.

It triggered calls for him to be disqualified but he went on to win the contested polls, which were boycotted by opposition parties.

The 51-year-old politician fled Madagascar after army Colonel Michael Randrianirina said on 11 October that his CAPSAT unit would refuse orders to put down the youth-led protest movement, which security forces had attempted to suppress with violence.

Rajoelina said later he was in hiding for his safety, but did not say where.

Randrianirina was sworn in as president on 14 October, pledging elections within two years.

How Madagascar’s new leader Randrianirina rose from prison to presidency

Associate arrested

Meanwhile, the authorities in Mauritius have arrested Mamy Ravatomanga – one of Madagascar’s richest men and a close associate of Rajoelina.

Ravatomanga was wanted on money-laundering charges relating to to the transfer of Boeing aircraft to Iran in violation of US sanctions, a source told AFP.

The transfer of the planes was allegedly made possible through registration certificates issued by Madagascar’s Civil Aviation Authority (ACM).

Ravatomanga fled Madagascar to the neighbouring island of Mauritius on 12 October, days before the coup .

The 56-year-old businessman was arrested on Friday and his assets have been frozen. 

(with newswires)

Nearly 8.7 million voters are expected to elect the next president of Côte d’Ivoire, a country of 32 million and the region’s most dynamic economy. 

Ouattara, 83, has been in power since 2011. Facing him are four challengers, mostly political outsiders – apart from Simone Gbagbo, ex-wife of former president Laurent Gbagbo.

Commerce minister and businessman Jean-Louis Billon is the youngest candidate at 60. Two women are competing to become the country’s first female president: former first lady Gbagbo, 76, and Henriette Lagou, 66, a women’s rights campaigner who stood unsuccessfully in 2015.

Civil engineer and former minister Ahoua Don Mello, 67, is the fifth candidate, running as an independent.

Women march into the fray but power still lags in Côte d’Ivoire

Opposition candidates excluded

Côte d’Ivoire’s most prominent opposition politicians, however, are not in the race. Former president Laurent Gbagbo was barred from standing, as was former international banker Tidjane Thiam, the candidate of one of the country’s main political parties, the PDCI-RDA.

The constitutional council eliminated them on the grounds they had been removed from the electoral roll – Thiam because of nationality-related legal issues stemming from him acquiring French citizenship, and Gbagbo for a criminal conviction.

Their absence added to a tense political climate, with their supporters calling for protests and the authorities banning rallies on the grounds of public safety.

None of the remaining four candidates seeking to unseat Ouattara represents an established party – unlike the president, who heads the ruling RHDP. 

Major security deployment

Some 44,000 security forces have been deployed nationwide in the run-up to the vote.

Three people died over the past few weeks and more than 700 were arrested as marches were quashed. Around 30 people were sentenced to three years in prison for disturbing public order.

The authorities said they did not want to see a repeat of the election unrest of 2020, when 85 people died.

Ouattara himself came to power after a violent crisis followed the 2010 contest. More than 3,000 people were killed in clashes between his supporters and those of Gbagbo, who ruled for a decade before him.

Why Côte d’Ivoire’s election could be more complex than it seems

Regional loyalties

Turnout is a crucial issue, with analysts saying it could follow regional lines.

Ouattara’s traditional stronghold is in the north, while southern and western regions are home to groups that historically supported Gbagbo or the PDCI.

“Since the end of one-party rule in 1990 and the rise of multipartyism, the political debate in Côte d’Ivoire has begun to tribalise,” says historian Hyacinthe Bley of Félix Houphouët-Boigny University in Abidjan.

This has led to tensions, even a coup in 1999 and a civil war after the 2010 election.

“The country is still divided between the north and the south,” Bley told RFI, “and no one has forgotten the violence of the war of 2010 to 2011. The presidential election of 2015 was more peaceful, but the reconciliation is still not complete.”

Young voters in Côte d’Ivoire want jobs, change – but most of all, peace

According to Bley, people in Côte d’Ivoire still vote for a person rather than a party, which makes the absence of opposition heavyweights significant.

“The absence of the two main opponents will demobilise a significant portion of the electorate, and so far we haven’t seen a significant shift behind a candidate,” William Assanvo, a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, told AFP news agency.

If no one wins a majority in Saturday’s vote, the election will go to a second round between the two top candidates.

(with AFP)

It began in Moldova. In late December 2023, a video purportedly showing President Maia Sandu disowning her government and mocking the country’s European ambitions went viral on Telegram.

The Moldovan government swiftly dismissed the clip as fake, but the damage was done.

According to Balkan Insight, an investigative news website, and Bot Blocker, a fake-news watchdog, the Kremlin-linked bot network “Matryoshka” generated the clip using the Luma AI video platform.

The footage, voiced in Russian, caricatured Sandu as ineffective and corrupt, recycling earlier disinformation tied to fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor.

French cybersecurity agency Viginum later described how AI-generated deepfake videos, including the one mimicking President Sandu, were distributed through Telegram and TikTok by a pro-Russian propaganda network affiliated with the Russian media outlet Komsomolskaya Pravda.

Viginum said websites like moldova-news.com were backed by what it called a “structured and coordinated pro-Russian propaganda network.”

Troll factories and cloning

Saman Nazari, a researcher with Alliance4Europe, a Europe-wide pro-democracy platform, told RFI the use of AI to influence elections is massively increasing.

In the past, he said people who wanted to influence elections would copy-paste the same text over and over again.

“They just have AI rewrite them, publish them across different accounts, different pages, with small variations aimed at specific target audiences,” Nazari said.

Nazari also said AI tools are now used to make disinformation operations look legitimate.

France’s Foreign Ministry said Storm 1516, a cyber-attack group, had launched 77 Russian disinformation campaigns targeting France, Ukraine and other Western countries since 2023.

According to Nazari, the operations were run by the successor to the Saint-Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency [founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin in 2013 and dissolved in 2023], the Russian Foundation for Battling Injustice – which created websites that look exactly like well-known media outlets.

The groups running these websites clone news sites, fill them with stolen articles that are rewritten or translated and then re-publish them to appear credible, Nazari said.

Alliance4Europe has counted hundreds of such websites during European elections.

“In the past, it was quite a big job to create a website and fill it with content, but now it’s being done almost automatically,” Nazari said. 

Personal targets

The threat is spreading into Western Europe. Professor Dominique Frizon de Lamotte of CY Cergy Paris University was targeted by an AI-generated video that faked his image and voice and attempted to link him to pro-Russian groups in Moldova.

“I have no connection with Moldova; I don’t even use Telegram,” he told France 3 television. The video was flagged by EUvsDisinfo, an EU misinformation monitoring group, and French media as an attempt to undermine trust in academics.

The 2024 presidential election in Romania brought further evidence of AI-linked interference.

Officials said the interference, widely attributed by European governments to Russian-backed actors, led to the annulment of the election results by Romania’s Constitutional Court, an unprecedented move in Europe.

During the rerun in mid-2025, far-right narratives and fabricated content circulating on TikTok and Telegram sought to influence public opinion. Pro-European candidate Nicusor Dan ultimately won the repeat vote.

All eyes on Hungary

Hungary is preparing for a flood of AI-influenced content ahead of its 2026 elections.

Pro-government groups, including the National Resistance Movement, have already spent over €1.5 million promoting unlabelled AI videos attacking opposition leader Peter Magyar.

Some clips show fabricated scenes of Hungarian soldiers dying in Ukraine to provoke nationalist sentiment. Magyar has called the videos “pathetic” and “election fraud”.

Analysts say that even when viewers think content might be fake, emotional impact still shapes opinions.

Within a larger legal framework, the European Union has rules forcing platforms to show who is behind political adverts.

Within a wider framework, the European Union has already introduced the Digital Services Act in 2022 to strengthen platform rules on transparent political advertising.

The commission also operates a Rapid Alert System and an AI Integrity Taskforce to detect and counter manipulative content across languages and borders.

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

Voters at risk

Nazari said young people are used to seeing altered images and deepfakes online.

“Young people have grown up with memes, with people making deep fakes. Edited images and videos and so on. [They] are familiar with the concept.”

But older voters, he told RFI, are more likely to be misled.

“They might not be able to distinguish between a real video and a deep fake video,” Nazari said, adding they are especially vulnerable in countries where digital literacy is not very high.

In a statement released on Friday, the European Commission said Meta’s Facebook and Instagram platforms, along with TikTok, had violated the Digital Services Act (DSA) – the EU’s flagship legislation on online transparency and accountability, which came into force last year.

The DSA demands that major online platforms do more to tackle illegal content, open up their algorithms to scrutiny, and ensure researchers can study how their systems affect users – particularly children.

According to the Commission, both Meta and TikTok have failed to give researchers “adequate access to public data”, a key requirement meant to allow independent experts to track everything from the spread of misinformation to children’s exposure to harmful content.

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

Regulators also accused Facebook and Instagram of making it too hard for users to flag illegal content or challenge moderation decisions.

The EU said the Meta platforms had adopted deceptive interface designs, also known as “dark patterns”, that make it confusing or discouraging for users to take action when they wish to report harmful material, such as child sexual abuse or terrorist content. “Such practices can be confusing and dissuading,” the Commission warned.

Meanwhile users who have their content removed or accounts suspended by the platforms lack a way to make a detailed appeal, it said.

Potential penalties

Meta and TikTok will now have the chance to review the Commission’s evidence and submit commitments to address its concerns. If the EU finds those responses inadequate, it can impose fines of up to 6 percent of a company’s global annual turnover – a potentially massive penalty for the two social media giants.

Meta insisted that it had already made changes to meet EU requirements. “We disagree with any suggestion that we have breached the DSA,” the company said, pointing to updates it has made to content reporting tools, appeals processes and data access systems since the law took effect.

TikTok, owned by Chinese parent company ByteDance, said it remained “committed to transparency” but warned that DSA rules on sharing data with researchers could clash with the EU’s own General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

“We are reviewing the European Commission’s findings, but requirements to ease data safeguards place the DSA and GDPR in direct tension,” a TikTok spokesperson said. “If it is not possible to fully comply with both, we urge regulators to provide clarity on how these obligations should be reconciled.”

Tiktok ‘fails’ political disinformation test ahead of EU elections

Free speech and Big Tech

Meta and TikTok are already facing several EU investigations – including probes into how addictive their platforms are for children and whether their algorithms amplify harmful content.

The latest accusations against Meta threaten to rile United States President Donald Trump, who has threatened to slap tariffs on countries that he believes unfairly target American tech companies.

Brussels denies its social media rules are overly restrictive. “When accused of censorship, we prove that the DSA is doing the opposite,” said EU digital spokesman Thomas Regnier on Friday. “It is protecting free speech, allowing citizens in the EU to fight back against unilateral content moderation decisions taken by Big Tech.”

(with newswires)

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

It sounds early, but it’s not. 2026 is right around the corner, and I know you want to be a part of our annual New Year celebration, where, with special guests, we read your New Year’s resolutions. So start thinking now, and get your resolutions to me by 15 December. You don’t want to miss out! Send your New Year’s resolutions to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

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 for the RFI English Listeners Forum banner to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

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 counseled on the best-suited activities for your level according to your score.

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 breaking 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 excellent staff of 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 all 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 27 September, I asked you a question about Paul Myers’ article “Dembélé and Bonmati win Ballon d’Or as PSG take team and coach prizes”. The French Ballon d’Or award is awarded every year to the top football players in Europe, both men and women.

You were to send in the answer to these three questions: What is the name of the football prize for strikers, who won the men’s, and for which teams does he play?

The answer is, to quote Paul’s article: “In other awards, Viktor Gyokeres received the Gerd Müller Trophy to honour the striker of the year. Playing for Sporting Lisbon and Sweden, he netted 54 goals in 52 matches to top the scoring charts across the continent.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?”, which was suggested by Rafiq Khondaker, the chairman of the Source of Knowledge Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh.

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

The winners are: RFI English listener Rafiq Khondaker, the chairman of the Source of Knowledge Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh. Rafiq is also the winner of this week’s bonus question – and the listener who asked the question!

Congratulations on your double win, Rafiq, and thanks for all the bonus question ideas you regularly send to us.  

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Nafisa Khatun, the president of the RFI Mahila Shrota Sangha Club in West Bengal, India, and Ras Franz Manko Ngogo, the president of the Kemogemba RFI Club in Tarime, Mara, Tanzania.

There are RFI Listeners Club members Zenon Teles, who’s also the president of the Christian – Marxist – Leninist – Maoist Association of Listening DX-ers in Goa, India, and last but assuredly not least, Shaira Hosen Mo from Kishoreganj in Bangladesh.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Mathar”, mixed by Brendan Lynch and performed by the Indian Vibes Ensemble; “Carnival De Paris” by Dario G, performed by the Dario G Ensemble; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Hurt” by Trent Reznor, sung by Johnny Cash.

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 “Paris police hunt Louvre thieves after priceless jewels vanish in daring heist”, which will help you with the answer.

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

Send your answers to:

english.service@rfi.fr

or

Susan Owensby

RFI – The Sound Kitchen

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Click here to find out how you can win a special Sound Kitchen prize.

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After months of negotiations, the three European aerospace giants signed a preliminary memorandum of understanding on Thursday to create a jointly owned satellite company that could be fully operational by 2027.

The move marks one of the most ambitious industrial mergers yet in Europe’s space sector.

French Economy Minister Roland Lescure hailed the announcement as “excellent news”, saying the deal would “strengthen our European sovereignty”.

Under the agreement, the new venture will be jointly controlled by the three companies – with Airbus holding a 35 percent stake and Leonardo and Thales each owning 32.5 percent.

Governance will be shared evenly among the partners, according to a joint statement.

If approved by regulators, the project – provisionally called Bromo – would be operational in 2027. The new group is expected to employ around 25,000 people across Europe, with annual revenues of about €6.5 billion and an order book worth more than three years of sales.

At a press conference on Thursday morning, a Thales executive confirmed that the company’s headquarters would be based in Toulouse. The south-western French city is already home to Airbus and hosts production and R&D facilities for both Thales and Leonardo.

Negotiations over governance and structure are still at an early stage, Airbus executives told journalists.

They added that there would be no rotating leadership and no management roles reserved for specific shareholders or nationalities.

EU launches flagship satellite project to rival US networks by 2030

Strategic ambition

Talks with governments, trade unions and the European Commission could take up to two years, as the partners hammer out the details of a deal that will affect operations in France, Italy, Germany and the UK.

The creation of a European satellite powerhouse is designed to help the continent compete more effectively with US and Chinese rivals – and especially with Musk’s fast-expanding Starlink network, which has revolutionised satellite internet.

Unlike Musk’s SpaceX, which deploys its reusable launchers to carry Starlink satellites, the new European venture will not include space launchers.

World’s first reprogrammable satellite launched into space from French Guiana

The three firms had recently renewed efforts to combine their satellite operations after earlier talks collapsed over governance and valuation issues. Previous merger attempts in the sector have also faltered amid concerns over competition and national rivalries.

However, the rapid rise of Starlink – which now boasts more than 8,000 satellites in orbit – has put Europe under mounting pressure to consolidate its resources or risk being squeezed out of the market altogether.

Investors welcomed the announcement, with shares in all three companies rising in early trading on Friday.

“The initiative is undoubtedly positive,” said Italian investment bank Equita in a note, “as it creates a European champion able to compete globally and improve the profitability of activities that have struggled in recent years.”

(with newswires)

President Alassane Ouattara has been in power since 2011, having changed the constitution in 2016 to remove presidential term limits. 

While the former International Monetary Fund economist has been credited with keeping Côte d’Ivoire prosperous during his time in office, and the country’s economy is the healthiest in West Africa, its wealth is still held in the hands of the few.

Businessman and former trade minister Jean-Louis Billon, 60, is seen as Ouattara’s main opponent, following the disqualification of political powerhouses Laurent Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam.

“We believe Jean-Louis Billon will provide jobs for young people here, for us in Côte d’Ivoire,” one young man told RFI at a rally in support of Billon in the country’s economic capital, Abidjan.

“Right now, as young people, we want to work so we can feed our families.”

Côte d’Ivoire presidential race begins amid rising tensions

Youth unemployment

Around 40 percent of Côte d’Ivoire’s 38 million citizens are under 15, 75 percent under 35, and youth unemployment is one of the main issues at stake in these elections. 

Billon’s promise of more jobs has drawn in many young voters. 

His supporters also see him as an agent of change, and his election as a chance for healthy political alternance.

“We would like a little change,” one supporter told RFI at the Abidjan rally.

“Honestly, we recognise that the current president has done the best he could for us. Anyone who says that Ouattara hasn’t worked [would] be [speaking] in bad faith. Because he’s done everything: infrastructure, schools, universities. Currently, everything is good, everything is fine. But we would like a little change, to appease the hearts of other politicians.”

‘Peace, not politics’

Flavio Cunha is a 21-year-old economics student at Félix Houphouët-Boigny University, in Abidjan, who is worried about his future prospects, in a country where opportunities could be plentiful.

“I wouldn’t say that I feel hopeful, it’s kind of complicated,” he told RFI.

“The job opportunities are really super limited. So you have to be super competitive in the job market, because we have a lot of new graduates and experienced graduates on the job market. You don’t get jobs easily.”

He believes politics can get in the way of progress in the country. 

“African politics make things worse because of our leaders, especially here. The politics that they’re applying doesn’t actually suit us. We feel a little bit worried about what’s going to happen [with the election], because of the way that the politicians speak and the way they do politics. It doesn’t make us [feel] secure about our future.”

Fake news flourishes as Côte d’Ivoire heads into presidential election

Flavio remembers the country’s civil war of 2010-2011 and doesn’t want a repeat of this.

“I do have memories, lots of difficult memories, a lot of bad things. I lived in Adjamé at the time [in Abidjan]. I was seven. I saw a lot of dead bodies on the streets, that was horrible.”  

He added: “We just need peace, that’s it. That’s why we young people are not that into politics. Because in Cote d’Ivoire, in Africa, politics means war – fighting and stuff. We don’t have democratic politics in Cote d’Ivoire. That’s unfortunate, as that’s super important.”

Flavio says he would like to go abroad to set up a business after his degree, and wok in English.

Silenced voices

Many in Abidjan say that life remains hard for the average Ivorian.

Although the city’s economy is booming and infrastructures are growing, with the first urban train currently under construction along with flyovers which have radically improved traffic, some say they still cannot get better jobs. 

“I don’t want to be a taxi driver here in Abidjan, away from my family,” one young driver told RFI. “I hope we can have a president that creates good jobs for young people like us.”

Another criticised the lack of political alternatives. “Thiam and Gbagbo should have been able to run,” they told RFI. “And it is a shame that a president can change the constitution to prolong his mandate, and that he can ban any form of opposition’s protest.” 

Côte d’Ivoire bans protests after opposition leaders barred from vote

Excluded candidates have called on their supporters to protest, but such demonstrations have been banned by the authorities. 

This has caused justifiable anger and risks voter apathy or even a boycott of the election, says Hyacinthe Bley, a historian at Félix Houphouët-Boigny University.

“The authorities should let them express their anger, or else they will think that the current government just uses all means for repression to their advantage,” he told RFI. “That cannot be good for a peaceful election.”

Seeking stability

After holding a rally in the centre of the country, Ouattara returned to Abidjan to host two further rallies at the city’s main stadium in Le Plateau, a business district in which skyscrapers loom over the laguna.

One of these was dedicated to young people – many of whom recognise his economic achievements for the country.

“After President Houphouet-Boigny, only President Ouattara has worked, practically speaking. So, people realise that he is the one able to move the country forward,” one supporter told RFI.

Côte d’Ivoire elections 2025 – Ouattara’s call to youth

Pascal Kobena said he based his support for the current president on the future of his children.

“Ouattara does everything so the country can move forward in terms of development, in terms of peace, and to guarantee the security of Ivorians, property and the people who live here,” he told RFI.

Referring to the civil war, some say they have bitter memories of how political divisions brought only violence and a divided society and that they are not willing to risk peace for the sake of politicians’ careers.

They see Ouattara as the solution for stability, among them the groups of “ADO girls” and “Mums for Ouattara” at the stadium rallies.

“We don’t change a team that wins!” one woman told RFI.

Some 8.7 million people are eligible to vote in Saturday’s first round. Most political observers expect Ouattara to be reelected on the straight of this first ballot, without a second round.

The presidential campaign officially began on Friday 10 October.

President Alassane Ouattara has led the country since April 2011, and is seeking a fourth term. 

He managed to establish himself as a heavyweight in Ivorian politics over the past thirty years, and is credited with keeping Côte d’Ivoire prosperous and economically dynamic. But Ouattara’s Côte d’Ivoire is also seen as “France’s last bastion”.

Now 83, he can run after changing the constitution in 2016 to remove presidential term limits, which has angered most of the opposition in Côte d’Ivoire.

Four candidates are standing against the incumbent president, the only ones having been ruled eligible by the country’s constitutional court: former ministers Jean-Louis Billon, Ahoua Don Mello and Henriette Lagou, and Simone Gbagbo, ex-wife of president Laurent Gbagbo and therefore a former first lady.

But neither of the main opposition parties – PDCI and PPA-CI – have been able to secure a candidate, as the court disqualified many, including former president Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, a businessman and former minister of development.

Why Côte d’Ivoire’s election could be more complex than it seems

The election campaign will end on 23 October, two days before voting begins.

Provisional results will be published at the national level by the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) between Sunday 26 October and Thursday 30 October 2025.

To be elected in the first round, a candidate must obtain an absolute majority of the votes cast. If none does, a second round of the presidential election could take place on Saturday 29 November.

Our guest this week is Paul Melly, researcher on West Africa and consulting fellow with the Chatham House think tank in London, UK.

Episode mixed by Melissa Chemam and Erwan Rome.

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

Ivorians go to the polls on Saturday to choose their next president. Incumbent leader Alassane Ouattara, 83, is seeking a fourth term and faces four challengers. Two of those challengers are women.

On both the president’s side and in the opposition, women have become a driving force. Some attend every meeting. Others help run campaign offices. MPs, mayors and other elected women are also involved.

Even candidates’ wives, such as Henriette Gomis Billon – married to main challenger Jean-Louis Billon – are busy trying to win support.

Female contenders

Two women are standing for president: Simone Ehivet Gbagbo, a former first lady and ex-wife of Laurent Gbagbo (who was excluded from the race along Tidjane Thiam), and Henriette Lagou.

Lagou told the media she hopes to embody a female alternative in a competition dominated by the traditional male figures of Ivorian political life. A former minister for women, she also founded the movement Two Million Girls for Gbagbo to support young Ivorian women and girls.

They are seen mainly as symbols of female involvement rather than likely winners. Still, their presence on the ballot shows how many women want a greater role in decisions that shape the country.

To appeal to female voters, both Ouattara and Billon have recruited dozens of women organisers and supporters.

Martine Vléon, national campaign director of the women working for Billon, said: “This page in our country’s political history will be written by women who stand tall, dignified and determined – women who know that Côte d’Ivoire’s future will not be built without them.”

She added that women have always had a strong role in Ivorian politics.

Voices on the ground

“We want peace in Côte d’Ivoire,” a Billon supporter told RFI. “Someone who will give us peace. We want to live in tranquility, in joy, in love. That’s what we’re looking for. We don’t want someone who will come and create problems, no… We want to work.” 

For Ouattara’s women supporters, what matters is the legacy of the president.

“I’m here to support my Papa ADO (Alassane Dramane Ouattara), the father of orphans, the one who built today’s great Côte d’Ivoire, which now looks like Paris. I don’t need to go to Paris anymore; I stay in my country, thanks to ADO. My country is the most beautiful country in the world. Papa ADO, I adore you.”

Another woman praised what she sees as progress.

“He’s a good president. Thanks to him, there are so many markets today, and jobs,” she told RFI. “We don’t struggle to sell anymore, you know what I mean?”

She said school and childbirth are free and added: “There are evening classes for adults. And today we no longer suffer to give birth like before, you see? That’s why we women come out today to say thank you. May God give him a long life. You don’t change a winning team!”

Representation gap

Women are often seen as those who hold families, businesses and society together.

Their political activism has deep roots too, including the Women’s March on Grand-Bassam in December 1949, when women travelled from Abidjan to Grand-Bassam to demand the release of political leaders held by the French colonial authorities.

Still, their seats at the table remain limited. In 2023, women represented only 13 percent of members of parliament. They were 7 percent of mayors and barely 6 percent of regional elected officials.

A 2019 law set a 30 percent quota for women in list elections and it has encouraged more women to stand. But real parity is still far off.

“Ivorian women have always carried the country on their shoulders,” Vléon said at a meeting in Abidjan.

“They feed our families, educate our children, care for our sick and participate in economic and social life with courage and selflessness.”

Many hope that after this campaign women will not only be visible – they will finally be heard.

President Ilham Aliyev announced the change during a visit to Kazakhstan, pointing to a shipment of Kazakh grain travelling through Azerbaijan to Armenia – the first such transit since cargo limits were imposed in the late Soviet era.

“It’s not a huge game changer in terms of Armenia’s ability to import and export,” said Joshua Kucera, a Caucasus analyst with the International Crisis Group (ICG).

But he added that the move was symbolically important, showing Azerbaijan was “willing to do things that they haven’t been willing to do before”.

Armenians caught between hope and distrust after accord with Azerbaijan

The lifting of cargo restrictions follows a series of agreements signed in Washington on 8 August between Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

These agreements are aimed at ending decades of hostility centred on the Nagorno-Karabakh region – a mountainous territory internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but historically inhabited primarily by ethnic Armenians.

The accords – and a 17-point peace deal that is yet to be officially signed and ratified – envisage the opening of transport routes to enhance trade, connectivity and mutual trust between the two countries, as well as the cessation of conflict.

The restoration of trade transits through Azerbaijani territory effectively reconnects Armenia to regional markets, following years of isolation due to prior hostilities and blockades.

Armenian constitution

However, significant hurdles remain. The biggest sticking point, according to Kucera, could be language used in the Armenian constitution which stipulates reunification between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Both sides now [effectively] acknowledge that this is Azerbaijani territory,” he said.

Azerbaijan thus views this as an unacceptable “territorial claim” in Armenia’s constitution, which stands in the way of a final peace agreement.

Armenia is now proposing a referendum on the constitution, to take place in 2027.

But according to Kucera, many Armenians perceive this as “bullying” from Azerbaijan.

“They don’t think it’s a legitimate demand from Azerbaijan. And so nobody knows if this referendum is going to pass.”

He added that many Armenians may simply boycott it. “If the referendum fails, the peace process will get a big hit.”

Spectre of 1915 Armenian genocide looms over Nagorno-Karabakh

Regional peacemaker

Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump claims that agreements between the two countries will be cemented by the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (Tripp).

This transport corridor through southern Armenia would link Azerbaijan to its exclave Nakhchivan, bypassing Iran and cutting transit times significantly.

Azerbaijan flexes its muscles amid rising tensions with Russia

With this initiative, the White House appears to be assuming the regional peacekeeper role that was traditionally Moscow’s, but Kucera is sceptical about a lasting US role in the area.

“Traditionally, the Caucasus has not been a very high priority of the US,” he told RFI. “Long before Donald Trump, you [had] an occasional attempt to get involved. [But] the attention never lasts for very long.”

He added: “I don’t think you can expect that this Russian absence from the Caucasus is going to last forever.”

The report, released on Wednesday, looked at four widely used AI assistants: OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot, Google’s Gemini and Perplexity.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) conducted the study in partnership with British public service broadcaster the BBC, building on the results of an earlier BBC in-house study.

Between late May and early June, 22 public service media outlets from 18 countries posed the same 30 news-related questions to the free versions of the four AI assistants.

Journalists working in the participant media organisations – including Radio France, Germany’s Deutsche Welle and NPR in the United States – were asked to check and rate the answers provided by the AI asisstants.

The five criteria used to evaluate the responses were accuracy, sourcing, distinguishing opinion from fact, editorialisation and context.

Overall, 45 percent of all AI answers had “at least one significant issue”, regardless of language or country of origin, the report said.

Hallucinated details

One out of every five answers “contained major accuracy issues, including hallucinated details and outdated information”, it found.

Common mistakes included confusing real news with parody, getting dates wrong or simply inventing events.

Sourcing – missing, misleading, or incorrect attributions – was the biggest cause of problems, at 31 percent, the report found. This was followed by accuracy, which caused 20 percent of the problems, and providing sufficient context, at 14 percent.

Of the four assistants, “Gemini performed worst with significant issues in 76 percent of responses, more than double the other assistants, largely due to its poor sourcing performance”, the report said.

EU begins rollout of new AI rules with tech giants split on compliance

In one example, Radio France asked Gemini about Elon Musk’s alleged Nazi salute at United States President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January.

Gemini responded that the billionaire had “an erection in his right arm”, having apparently taken a satirical radio programme by a comedian at face value.

Gemini gave Radio France and Wikipedia as sources for this information, but did not provide links to the content mentioned.

“The chatbot therefore conveys false information using the name of Radio France, without mentioning that this information comes from a humorous source,” the Radio France evaluator wrote.

Outdated information was another of the most common issues in the 3,000 responses.

When asked “Who is the Pope?” ChatGPT told Finnish public broadcaster YLE that it was “Francis”, as did Copilot and Gemini when asked by Dutch media outlets NOS and NPO, even though by this time Pope Francis had died and been replaced by Leo XIV.

‘Endangering public trust’

Fast-moving news stories proved to be particular stumbling blocks for the AI assistants, as did direct quotes, which were found to sometimes have been made up or modified.

“Like all the summaries, the AI fails to answer the question with a simple and accurate ‘we don’t know’. It tries to fill the gap with explanation rather than doing what a good journalist would do, which is explain the limits of what we know to be true,” one BBC evaluator said, when referring to a question for Gemini.

AI chatbots and TikTok reshape how young people get their daily news

For Jean Philip De Tender, deputy director general at the EBU: “AI assistants are still not a reliable way to access and consume news.”

He added: “This research conclusively shows that these failings are not isolated incidents. They are systemic, cross-border and multilingual, and we believe this endangers public trust. When people don’t know what to trust, they end up trusting nothing at all, and that can deter democratic participation.”

AI assistants are increasingly being used to search for information, particularly by young people. According to a global report published in June by the Reuters Institute, 15 percent of people under 25 use them every week to get news summaries.

(with AFP)

The robbery has also reignited the debate over museum security in France. Shortcomings have been previously pointed out on numerous occasions, and the Louvre heist, carried out in broad daylight at the world’s most visited museum, is just the latest in a series of incidents.

Among the stolen items were a tiara belonging to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, which features nearly 2,000 diamonds. The thieves also took a sapphire necklace belonging to Marie-Amélie, wife of Louis-Philippe I and the last queen of France, and Queen Hortense, the mother of Napoleon III which is composed of eight sapphires and 631 diamonds, according to the Louvre’s website.

Experts have said it would be impossible to resell these jewels in their current state, as they are listed in royal and imperial inventories, as well as in museum inventories.

They say the most likely scenario is that the jewellery will be resold once it has been dismantled.

Louvre remains shut for a second day as police hunt jewel heist gang

Magali Teisseire, a jewellery expert for the auction house Sotheby’s said: “An old-cut diamond can be recut into another shape and resold. Unfortunately, if they are recut, it is impossible to determine their origin as they are no longer stones with recognisable cuts, facets and inclusions.”

For auctioneer Olivier Valmier, the investigation into the heists is also a race against time to prevent the destruction of the pieces, whose gold could be quickly melted down.

“This week, [gold] reached a record price of €120,000 per kilo. But the value of gold is less than that of precious stones per unit,” he added.

Experts capable of cutting diamonds of this size optimally are rare, and the work could take several months.

Missing works

Around 60 investigators from the Paris judicial police’s banditry squad (BRB) and the Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Property (OCBC) have been mobilised.

On Sunday evening, French President Emmanuel Macron promised: “We will recover the works and the perpetrators will be brought to justice. Everything is being done, everywhere, to achieve this.”

However, many priceless objects stolen from global cultural institutions have never been recovered.

In 1990, two men dressed in police uniforms robbed Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum by setting off the fire alarm in the middle of the night.

They removed 13 paintings and drawings by Rembrandt, Vermeer and Manet from their frames. The museum is still offering $10 million dollars for any information on their whereabouts.

In 2002, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam was targeted by the Neapolitan mafia. The thieves climbed on to the roof with a ladder, broke a window and descended into the exhibition hall using a rope.

The two Van Gogh paintings they took were discovered in 2016 during a raid on the home of one of the Camorra mafia bosses.

In 2018, a Berlin gang stole 21 pieces of jewellery from a museum in Dresden, Germany, three of which are still missing.

This is not the first time the Louvre has been targeted. In 1911 its most famous exhibit, The Mona Lisa, was stolen – by a glazier who worked for the museum. The painting was returned two years later.

The Paris museum was last targeted in 1998, when a painting by French painter Camille Corot was stolen and has still not been recovered.

Louvre plagued by leaks and crumbling infrastructure, museum boss warns

Questions over security

“We have failed,” said French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin on Monday, the day after the Louvre theft.

The museum “has failed to keep up in the deployment of equipment designed to protect the works”, according to a previous report by the Court of Auditors consulted by French news agency AFP.

The Court, which examined the period between 2019 and 2024, noted a “persistent delay” in this area.

It found that many rooms in the museum are not protected by video surveillance, and the that obsolescence of much of the equipment has accelerated “at a much faster rate than the pace of investment by the institution to remedy the situation”.

In January, the president of the Louvre, Laurence Des Cars, alerted Culture Minister Rachida Dati to flaws in the museum’s security.

Trade unions have denounced a lack of security staff at the museum. On 16 June, the Louvre was closed for several hours due to a strike by employees, carried out as a warning over the shortage of security personnel.

“The Louvre Museum is short of several hundred reception and security staff,” Alexis Fritche, secretary-general of the CFDT Culture union, told RFI’s Laurence Théault. “When the theft took place, there were four staff members on duty instead of the six scheduled. There was a glaring shortage of staff.”

“We believe that there needs to be an audit of security and prevention measures. It is often the staff who are best placed to talk about the difficulties and weaknesses that may exist, particularly in a security system,” Fritche added. 

Christian Galani, a representative of union CGT Culture, told AFP that the Louvre’s security team had seen “200 jobs cut in 15 years, while visitor numbers have increased 1.5 times”.

“You can walk through several areas without seeing a single security guard, and several rooms are systematically closed due to a lack of available staff,” he said.

Series of recent thefts

The theft at the Louvre is only the latest in a series of incidents. In September, a thief removed 6 kilograms of gold nuggets from the Natural History Museum in Paris.

The museum’s alarm and video surveillance systems had been “inoperative” since a cyberattack on 25 July, AFP learned from police sources – which the museum has neither confirmed nor denied.

Also in September, two Chinese platters and a vase – classified as “national treasures” and worth several million euros – were stolen from the Adrien Dubouché National Museum in Limoges.

Chinese woman arrested following September gold theft at Paris museum

“We are well aware that French museums are highly vulnerable,” Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez acknowledged on Sunday when asked about possible flaws in the Louvre’s security system.

On Monday, he sent instructions to all prefects to strengthen security measures around cultural institutions where necessary.

Des Cars is due to be heard by the Senate on Wednesday. Laurent Lafon, chairman of the Cultural Affairs Committee, told AFP that she must provide “her explanations following Sunday’s theft”.

A commission of inquiry into the security of museums across the country will also be proposed to the National Assembly.

The Louvre, which remained closed on Tuesday, is set to undergo major renovations. At the beginning of the year, Macron announced works estimated to cost up to €800 million over a period of 10 years.

This article was adapted from this report and this report by RFI’s French service.

On a dusty field in Sherikat, a suburb in the south-east of South Sudan’s capital Juba, children and teenagers practice dribbling balls and weaving between cones. They take turns playing against each other, different coloured jerseys dividing them into teams.

“This is Young Dream Football Academy,” says Alaak Akuei, who everyone calls Kuku. “We are working with young people. Most of them come from the street and some are in gangs.” 

Akuei, 24, used to belong to a gang himself. He joined when he was 13 and newly arrived in Juba from a smaller town in the south.

Five years later, after several stints in prison, he set up Young Dream. 

“The young men, they don’t have anything to do. That’s why many of them are on the streets and end up in gangs,” he says. “We need to offer them activities to keep them busy and so that they don’t drop out of school. Football can be very powerful to fight this issue of gangs.” 

‘Sense of belonging’

Gang crime has become a major concern in Juba and other cities in South Sudan. In one internal displacement camp in the capital alone, the NGO Nonviolent Peaceforce estimates that nearly 1,200 people belonged to gangs in 2021, more than 90 percent of them aged under 18.

Members were accused of crimes including theft, drug dealing, rape and assault.

While many victims are members of rival gangs, outside “civilians” can be caught up too: between 2018 and 2023, the charity says, gang violence reportedly killed 39 people in the camp – 11 of them non-members – and severely injured more than 600.

From civil war to economic chaos: Ten years of independence for South Sudan

Years of insecurity in the country have killed or displaced millions, breaking up communities and disrupting schooling and livelihoods.

Now, the peace deal that ended the 2013-18 civil war looks close to collapse, threatening to tip the country back into conflict. 

Meanwhile, widespread corruption and power struggles between political factions have left much of the country struggling to secure food, healthcare, education and other basic services, according to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan.

In the absence of the state, gangs have stepped in. They offer not only a path to profits, but a community. 

“Children and youth are looking for a sense of belonging, to be loved. That is the main reason why they join gangs,” believes Sakaya Peter, who works for community empowerment NGO Gredo.

“In these groups, they don’t just fight or steal. They love each other deeply and care for one another.”

For the same reason, he says, initiatives such as the football academy can offer an effective alternative.

“By bringing them together regularly to do sports, we can offer them that same feeling that they have people they can get support from.”

South Sudan’s returnee farmers yearn for peace to revive food production

Second chances

Today Young Dream trains more than 900 young footballers, as well as running other sports programmes, academic support sessions and leadership workshops. 

Its six coaches are all former gang members. Emmanuel Aman Malual, 21, sees it as a second chance.

“Back when we were in the gang, we slept on the streets, drank, smoked. We did a lot of bad things. But it is possible to change,” he says. “I am a different person now, and I can’t imagine going back. Now all I want is to help these children, because they are the future of this nation.”

By the side of the pitch, a group of boys stand in the shade of a tin veranda. They were recruited from the streets by Akuei, who is also trying to get them back in touch with their families. 

John, 17, left home in 2017. His mother, an alcoholic, could be violent. His ambitions are simple: “I want to play football and go to school, and stay in a nice place where I can sleep, change my clothes and live normally.”

This article was adapted from the original version in French by RFI’s Florence Miettaux.

Migrants still set off daily from the beaches of northern France, where hundreds of people gather and wait for a chance to reach Britain.

The deal signed in July was meant to discourage crossings through a “one-for-one” system – for every migrant returned to France, another would be legally accepted into Britain.

Yet the flow has continued to rise, prompting doubts about whether the plan can deliver the results ministers expected.

Deal a failure?

Only 42 migrants have been sent back to France under the deal, while 23 have received visas to move legally to the UK. Nigel Farage, leader of far-right Reform UK, has called the plan a total failure.

One Iranian migrant who was returned to France managed to cross the Channel again a few days later.

Criticism is rising in northern France as well. Guy Allemand, mayor of Sangatte near Calais, told RFI the deal was “purely political” and “hypocritical”.

“This bilateral agreement does nothing to ensure the safety of migrants or to dismantle the smugglers’ networks,” he said. “It’s simply a political response to Nigel Farage – an agreement of appearances.

“When you look at the numbers returned compared with the tens of thousands of successful crossings, it’s insignificant. Migrants are not at all deterred.”

Humanitarian groups challenge UK-France migration deal in French court

Court ruling 

France’s Conseil d’État, the country’s highest administrative court, is expected to rule soon on whether the agreement should stand. Around 17 NGOs have challenged the deal, saying that its principles are inhumane.

At least 27 people have reportedly died attempting the crossing since 1 January.

The deal’s troubles are playing out against the backdrop of camp clearances around Calais – scenes that have become part of the region’s daily life.

The pressures around the deal coincide with continued camp clearances near Calais. At the end of September, French authorities evacuated a camp in a disused warehouse on the city’s outskirts.

Known as Cheers, the site had housed up to 600 people in what officials described as degrading and dangerous conditions.

The Pas-de-Calais prefecture said the operation was calm and without incident, arguing the warehouse had become a hub for smuggling networks exploiting vulnerable migrants.

Aid groups and journalists who visited earlier this year reported dark, damp and overcrowded spaces, with piles of waste and makeshift bedding.

Around 170 residents accepted accommodation in regional reception centres, while others left for nearby woods and roadside camps.

The London gathering of the so-called “coalition of the willing” comes as Ukraine’s Western allies ramp up pressure on Moscow, with both the United States and the European Union announcing fresh sanctions this week targeting Russian energy exports in a bid to cripple its war economy.

EU leaders have also moved closer to securing funds for Ukraine’s defence over the next two years, though they stopped short of approving a vast “reparations loan” backed by frozen Russian assets.

“On Friday, the Prime Minister will call on allies to step up the gifting of long-range capabilities to ensure Ukraine can build on its success of this week,” Downing Street said in a statement ahead of the summit.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and the Netherlands’ Prime Minister Dick Schoof are expected to attend the meeting in person, while other leaders – including French President Emmanuel Macron – will join by videolink.

Zelensky pushes EU to unlock €140bn in frozen Russian assets

Missiles and momentum

Starmer’s push for more missile deliveries comes after Zelensky’s recent visit to Washington failed to secure the long-range Tomahawk missiles he has been pleading for. The Ukrainian leader argues such weapons are essential to strike Russian targets deep behind enemy lines.

The nearly four-year conflict continues to grind on despite Western efforts to push Russian President Vladimir Putin towards negotiations.

In recent days, Moscow has launched a new wave of deadly drone and missile attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, signalling its determination to wear Kyiv down as winter approaches.

According to Downing Street, Starmer will also urge European leaders to “finish the job on Russian sovereign assets to unlock billions of pounds to fund Ukraine’s defences.”

His appeal follows Thursday’s EU summit in Brussels, where leaders instructed the European Commission to explore options for supporting Ukraine financially over the next two years.

On the table is a potential €140 billion “reparations loan” using profits generated by some €200 billion in frozen Russian central bank assets.

The European Commission has proposed channelling the windfall from those assets into a loan for Kyiv – without seizing the funds outright – but the plan has met stiff resistance from Belgium, where most of the frozen assets are held.

While Thursday’s summit conclusions avoided direct mention of the proposed loan, the statement – endorsed by all member states except Hungary – invited the Commission to present “as soon as possible” its options for future financial support.

Zelensky welcomed the outcome as a clear sign of “political support” for the idea of using Russian assets to sustain Ukraine’s war effort.

European Council President Antonio Costa said the bloc had “committed to ensure that Ukraine’s financial needs will be covered for the next two years”.

“Russia should take good note of this,” he told reporters. “Ukraine will have the financial resources it needs to defend itself.”

Shadow fleet targeted as EU advances frozen assets plan for Ukraine

Building Ukraine’s defences

Zelensky has been pressing for additional long-range weapons for weeks, hoping to seize on what he views as shifting dynamics in Washington.

His latest appeal follows US President Donald Trump’s apparent frustration with Putin after an inconclusive summit in Alaska earlier this month.

Although the UK and France already supply Ukraine with Storm Shadow and Scalp cruise missiles – and Ukraine produces its own Flamingo and Neptune systems – Kyiv remains eager to obtain Germany’s Taurus missiles, a move Berlin has long resisted over fears of escalating tensions with Moscow.

At the London summit, Starmer is also set to announce the acceleration of a British programme to manufacture air defence missiles, which aims to provide Ukraine with more than 5,000 weapons in the coming months.

Around 140 lightweight multirole missiles are expected to be delivered to Ukraine this winter, reinforcing the message that Britain intends to keep Kyiv’s defences strong well into 2026.

(With AFP)

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said on Thursday that forensic teams have carried out the samples and other traces at the site of Sunday’s heist.

“The analyses take time, even though they are a priority for the laboratories,” Beccuau told Ouest France, adding the results in the coming days could point to suspects if they are already on file.

The thieves struck with precision. They arrived in a stolen furniture removal truck, raised a ladder to a first-floor window and cut into a gallery displaying France’s crown jewels.

They fled down the ladder and sped off on scooters. One diamond and emerald crown was dropped, but they still got away with eight pieces.

Among the stolen treasures were an emerald and diamond necklace once gifted by Napoleon Bonaparte to Empress Marie-Louise and a tiara belonging to Empress Eugénie, set with nearly 2,000 diamonds.

Louvre chief Des Cars admits ‘terrible failure’ at museum during jewel heist

Security failings

On Wednesday the Louvre’s director Laurence des Cars admitted that the robbers had exploited a blind spot in the museum’s exterior security system.

But police have plenty of footage. Beccuau said officers have tracked the thieves’ route across Paris and nearby areas using public and private cameras.

The prosecutor said the aim is to arrest the thieves fast to recover the jewels before the stones are removed and the metals melted down.

“This organised theft has had such resonance that there’s a small hope the robbers won’t dare move with the jewels,” Beccuau said, adding that the intense media attention could slow them down.

Security questions raised after Louvre heist of ‘unsaleable’ royal jewels

Concerns over jewels

The Drouot auction house director warned earlier that the pieces are “completely unsellable” in their current form. Experts fear they could be broken apart to sell on the black market.

The heist has reignited debate over the security of museums and cultural sites.

Less than 24 hours after the Louvre break-in, staff at the Maison des Lumières Denis Diderot museum in the eastern town of Langres found a display case smashed and part of its treasure missing.

The stolen items included gold and silver coins unearthed during renovation work in 2011.

Police say they are not ruling out any link, including a copycat attempt.

(with newswires)

Meeting in Brussels for a summit dominated by Ukraine and Russia on Thursday, the 27 EU heads of state are also focusing on the fragile truce in Gaza and how the bloc might help stabilise the enclave.

The EU is the biggest donor of aid to Palestinians and Israel’s largest trading partner – a sign of its potential influence.

“It is important that Europe not only watches but plays an active role,” said Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Luc Frieden as he arrived at the summit. “Gaza is not over; peace is not yet permanent.”

Pressure on Israel

The conflict has exposed divisions inside the EU and driven relations with Israel to historic lows. In September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Brussels would pursue sanctions and a partial suspension of its trade deal with Israel to push for lasting peace in Gaza.

Momentum slowed after US President Donald Trump pushed through a ceasefire. But with violence still flaring in Gaza and the West Bank, some European leaders want the bloc to keep up the pressure.

From Dublin to The Hague, there are calls to maintain threats of sanctions on Israeli cabinet ministers and settlement activities, along with planned trade restrictions.

Those governments see such measures as leverage to persuade Israel to limit its military actions and commit to longer-term stability.

France’s Macron repeats warning on Netanyahu’s military plan for Gaza

Europe pushed aside

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier this month that “Europe has essentially become irrelevant and displayed enormous weakness”.

That remark has added urgency to Europe’s push to regain influence.

Having been sidelined during the ceasefire talks, EU officials are now trying to be part of the next phase – rebuilding Gaza and managing its fragile peace.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Europe “should play a role in Gaza, not just pay for it”.

The bloc has long backed the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank, and has pledged major humanitarian aid for Gaza.

Israel says Rafah crossing will reopen as more hostages identified

Concrete involvement

Among the EU’s proposals is an idea to extend its existing West Bank police support mission into Gaza, strengthening a planned stabilisation force under the 20-point ceasefire plan.

Brussels has also requested a seat on the plan’s transitional Board of Peace, said Dubravka Suica, European Commissioner for the Mediterranean.

Several member states are already taking part in the US-led effort monitoring the truce. Denmark and Germany have joined the new Civil-Military Coordination Centre in southern Israel.

Meanwhile, the European Border Assistance Mission in Rafah, set up in 2005, has begun restarting its work.

Earlier this year, it deployed 20 border security experts from Italy, Spain and France.

During the previous ceasefire in February and March, the mission helped more than 4,000 people, including nearly 1,700 medical patients, leave Gaza before renewed fighting forced a pause.

Macron recognises Palestinian state at UN, defying Israel and United States

Member states act alone

Some EU states have taken their own measures to show anger over Israel’s military campaign.

Spain has gone the furthest, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez calling the war a “genocide” and announcing an arms embargo and a ban on Israeli-bound fuel shipments through Spanish ports.

Slovenia followed in August with its own arms embargo – a first for an EU member.

Some national broadcasters have also suggested excluding Israel from the next Eurovision song contest. Member broadcasters will vote in November on whether Israel should compete.

Despite internal divisions, EU leaders want the ceasefire to be the start of a new phase of involvement.

(with newswires)

The Paris Court of Justice said the company made claims that could influence consumer choices while still increasing oil and gas production.

Greenpeace Franceand two other environmental NGOs – Friends of the Earth France and and Notre Affaire à Tous (Our Shared Responsibility) – told the French news agency AFP the ruling was “a major legal precedent against climate misinformation”.

They challenged a communication campaign launched in May 2021 on the company’s website and in the media.

“This is the first time anywhere in the world that a major oil and gas company has been convicted by the courts for misleading the public by greenwashing its image regarding its contribution to the fight against climate change,” Greenpeace said.

The case focused on around 40 messages about the company’s name change and its stated shift to cleaner energy.

French prosecutors probe TotalEnergies over deadly Mozambique attack

Company rebrand

Total had renamed itself TotalEnergies to show its ambition to be a company for all energies, from oil to wind and solar power. It announced a goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 together with society.

It also called gas “the fossil fuel with the lowest greenhouse gas emissions”, even though methane leaks from gas production have a strong warming effect.

The environmental groups won the removal of messages about carbon neutrality and the energy transition.

These included lines such as “Our ambition is to be a major player in the energy transition while continuing to meet the energy needs of populations” and “Our ambition is to contribute to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 together with society”.

The court dismissed complaints about claims on fossil gas and agrofuels.

Lawyer Johnny White from ClientEarth said the conviction in France could have wider consequences.

At a hearing in June, TotalEnergies lawyer Clémentine Baldon said the messages were not advertisements aimed at consumers but were part of institutional and general communication governed by the Monetary and Financial Code.

TotalEnergies said the case used consumer law to attack the company strategy.

Across Europe, companies face growing pressure over climate messaging. Courts have recently ruled against airlines such as KLM and Lufthansa and found that their sustainability claims misled consumers about the environmental impact of flying.

Europe’s top human rights court rejected Fillon’s efforts on Thursday to overturn his conviction for misusing public funds. Judges at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said his claim that he did not receive a fair trial was “manifestly ill-founded”.

The ruling closes a case that once reshaped French politics. Fillon had been favourite to become president in 2017 until allegations emerged that he paid his wife, Penelope, for a fictional job as his parliamentary assistant.

The scandal cost him support and he finished third in the first round with 20 percent of the vote. It was the first time a mainstream right-wing candidate had missed the runoff in the Fifth Republic.

French ex-PM Fillon given suspended prison sentence over wife’s fake job

Final ruling

Fillon was definitively convicted by the Paris Court of Appeal in June. He received a four-year suspended prison sentence for misusing public funds. He also received a 375,000-euro fine and a five-year ban from holding public office.

That sentence was slightly lighter than the one imposed in 2022, when the same court had handed him four years of prison time, including one year that could have been spent behind bars, along with a 10-year ban from office.

In August 2024, Fillon took his case to the ECHR. The appeal also covered his wife and his former parliamentary stand-in Marc Joulaud. All three argued that French courts did not give them a fair trial.

They based their complaint on Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the right to a fair trial. They said the judges were not independent and raised concerns about pressure from prosecutors and the way magistrates are appointed in France.

But Strasbourg judges ruled that the trial was fair. They dismissed the complaint and rejected any claim that the judges lacked impartiality.

Fillon also argued under Article 7 of the Convention, which bars punishment without law, saying the offence of misappropriating public funds should not apply to members of parliament.

The court noted that he had not raised that point before French judges and refused the argument.

France’s ex-prime minister Fillon back in court over fake jobs scandal

Political fallout

The revelations arrived at a decisive moment. Fillon had campaigned as a clean, experienced leader who would fix France’s finances. Instead, his reputation collapsed.

The case also carries some irony. During the 2017 campaign, Fillon sharply criticised the Strasbourg court.

“The ECHR increasingly meddles in social issues that shape our identity, we can’t accept that”, he said at a rally after judges ruled that France had violated the rights of children born via surrogacy abroad.

Fillon has since withdrawn from frontline politics. He now works in the private sector and has not commented publicly on Thursday’s ruling.

The fallout from corruption investigations has not been limited to Fillon. His former boss Nicolas Sarkozy has also turned to the same court.

Sarkozy is serving a sentence at Paris’s Santé prison following a conviction linked to alleged Libyan financing of his 2007 campaign.

He has lodged an appeal with the ECHR after being sentenced last year for corruption and influence-peddling in the wiretaps affair.

The Strasbourg decision appears likely to bring Fillon’s long legal fight to an end.

(with newswires)

The 113th edition of the men’s race will start in Barcelona on 4 July and end 3,333km later at the Champs-Elysées in Paris on 26 July after a sweep through the streets of Montmartre.

The women’s event will begin in Lausanne on 1 August and finish in Nice on 9 August.

After the success of the road race through northern Paris during the 2024 Olympics, the city’s police chief, Laurent Nunez, allowed the 2025 men’s race to trundle through Montmartre before the traditional finale along the Champs-Elysées.

Nunez, appointed Interior Minister in Sébastian Lecornu’s new cabinet on 13 October, has sanctioned a repeat.

“He has given us permission to pass through Montmartre again,” said race director Christian Prudhomme as he outlined the routes at the Palais des Congrès in Paris. “And we are obviously very happy about that.

“Thanks to the Paris Olympics, last year was a phenomenal success. We would never have been able to pass through Montmartre with the Tour de France without the Olympics. Rue Lepic was amazing: the fervour, the enthusiasm, the smiles.”

The men’s tour will begin with a 19km team time trial around Barcelona. During the course, individual times will be taken into account for the general classification.

The individual time trial will unfold over 26km on stage 16 between Evian-les-Bains and Thonon-les-Bains.

The 21st and final stage of the most prestigious cycling race on the planet will proceed over 130km between Thoiry and the Champs-Elysées.

Tadej Pogacar, who won the 2025 event, will, barring injuries, attempt to become only the fifth man to win the race five times since the inaugural event in 1903.

Le Court Pienaar regains lead of women’s Tour de France after winning stage 5

Women’s title defence

A fortnight after claiming the 2025 race in front vociferous partisans, Frenchwoman Pauline Ferrand-Prévot announced she would defend her crown.

The 33-year-old said in the days after her victory that one tour was enough. But during a victory celebration reception at the Team Visma – Lease a Bike headquarters in Den Bosch, in the Netherlands, she told reporters: “I want to fight again to win it.” 

The 2026 women’s race will start with a 137km route around Lausanne and include for the first time a trawl up Mont Ventoux in southern France during the the seventh stage.

“I don’t think there is anything better in terms of scale, anything more majestic than Mont Ventoux, which is just magnificent,” said Marion Rousse, director of the Tour Femmes.

“In terms of elevation gain, this is the toughest tour in history, with almost 19,000 metres of elevation gain. We want to make it a little harder because the peloton is also better equipped.”

The 1,175km race will culminate on 9 August after a 99km loop around Nice. “This route is tricky because there’s a trap on every stage,” Rousse added.

Sehili was detained in the Far Eastern district of Primorye in September. He had been trying to ride across the Eurasian landmass faster than anyone before him.

His partner Fanny Bensussan told French media last month that Sehili decided to present himself to customs officials, convinced they would let him pass on his bike, but he was arrested instead.

“All he could think about was his sporting achievement,” she said. Bensussan has been campaigning for his release since the arrest.

In a post on social media on Thursday she wrote: “Sofiane is coming home.” She said she could not wait to see him and that the entire cycling community was celebrating the news.

“I have been extremely well supported over the last two months,” she said. She praised the couple’s lawyer in Russia. “She has been under a lot of pressure, often working alone. It could have been worse without her.”

Sehili’s case drew attention from cycling fans in France and abroad who have followed his progress on long-distance rides and unsupported challenges.

Roglic among the cycling big names lining up to contest Paris-Nice

Court ruling

A regional court ruled two weeks ago that a lower court decision to keep the 44-year-old in custody was legitimate and well-founded.

But on Thursday, a court in Primorye confirmed that Sehili admitted his guilt and could be released. He was exempted from paying a 50,000-rouble (€530) fine due to the time he had already spent in detention.

A court statement said his passport, a copy of an electronic visa, an e-book, two mobile phones, a video camera, a navigator and a bicycle had been returned to him.

Sehili describes himself as an ultra-endurance racer and adventure cyclist. He set off from near Lisbon on 1 July planning to beat the German rider Jonas Deichmann.

In 2017, the then 29-year-old cycled the 14,331 km route from Cabo da Roca to Vladivostok in 64 days two hours and 26 minutes, verified by Guinness World Records.

During his trek, Sehili often cycled 300km a day and passed through Turkey, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China before the odyssey to Vladivostok was interrupted.

Sehili had tried to cross from China into Russia at a border crossing that only allowed trains or coaches over the frontier.

Using either one of those modes of transport would have invalidated his record.

(with newswires)

President Ilham Aliyev announced the change during a visit to Kazakhstan, pointing to a shipment of Kazakh grain travelling through Azerbaijan to Armenia – the first such transit since cargo limits were imposed in the late Soviet era.

“It’s not a huge game changer in terms of Armenia’s ability to import and export,” said Joshua Kucera, a Caucasus analyst with the International Crisis Group (ICG).

But he added that the move was symbolically important, showing Azerbaijan was “willing to do things that they haven’t been willing to do before”.

Armenians caught between hope and distrust after accord with Azerbaijan

The lifting of cargo restrictions follows a series of agreements signed in Washington on 8 August between Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

These agreements are aimed at ending decades of hostility centred on the Nagorno-Karabakh region – a mountainous territory internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but historically inhabited primarily by ethnic Armenians.

The accords – and a 17-point peace deal that is yet to be officially signed and ratified – envisage the opening of transport routes to enhance trade, connectivity and mutual trust between the two countries, as well as the cessation of conflict.

The restoration of trade transits through Azerbaijani territory effectively reconnects Armenia to regional markets, following years of isolation due to prior hostilities and blockades.

Armenian constitution

However, significant hurdles remain. The biggest sticking point, according to Kucera, could be language used in the Armenian constitution which stipulates reunification between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Both sides now [effectively] acknowledge that this is Azerbaijani territory,” he said.

Azerbaijan thus views this as an unacceptable “territorial claim” in Armenia’s constitution, which stands in the way of a final peace agreement.

Armenia is now proposing a referendum on the constitution, to take place in 2027.

But according to Kucera, many Armenians perceive this as “bullying” from Azerbaijan.

“They don’t think it’s a legitimate demand from Azerbaijan. And so nobody knows if this referendum is going to pass.”

He added that many Armenians may simply boycott it. “If the referendum fails, the peace process will get a big hit.”

Spectre of 1915 Armenian genocide looms over Nagorno-Karabakh

Regional peacemaker

Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump claims that agreements between the two countries will be cemented by the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (Tripp).

This transport corridor through southern Armenia would link Azerbaijan to its exclave Nakhchivan, bypassing Iran and cutting transit times significantly.

Azerbaijan flexes its muscles amid rising tensions with Russia

With this initiative, the White House appears to be assuming the regional peacekeeper role that was traditionally Moscow’s, but Kucera is sceptical about a lasting US role in the area.

“Traditionally, the Caucasus has not been a very high priority of the US,” he told RFI. “Long before Donald Trump, you [had] an occasional attempt to get involved. [But] the attention never lasts for very long.”

He added: “I don’t think you can expect that this Russian absence from the Caucasus is going to last forever.”

As police search for the culprits, Des Cars told a panel of senators on Wednesday that the museum lacks enough security cameras outside the building. She said other gaps were exposed by the theft.

“Today we are experiencing a terrible failure at the Louvre, which I take my share of responsibility in,” she said. “We did not detect the arrival of the thieves soon enough.” Des Cars said she had offered to resign but Culture Minister Rachida Dati did not accept it.

Just after the museum opened on Sunday four thieves used a basket lift to reach an upper level. They forced open a window and smashed display cases in the Galerie d’Apollon.

They fled on motor scooters with eight treasures including Empress Eugénie’s diamond diadem and sapphires once worn by Queen Marie-Amélie and Hortense de Beauharnais.

One piece was later recovered near the museum. It was Eugénie’s imperial crown, set with emeralds and more than 1,300 diamonds. Des Cars said it was damaged but can be restored.

Macron reveals bold Louvre overhaul with exclusive space for Mona Lisa

Security concerns

The theft has stunned France and drawn global attention, fuelling a debate over museum security and public accountability.

More than 100 officers from France’s elite anti-gang brigade and the central office for trafficking of cultural goods are working on the case. Police have not announced arrests.

Des Cars said the alarm systems worked as designed when the display cases were smashed. She said the problem was outside, where there is no full video surveillance of the Louvre’s facades. She said there is already a plan for 100 percent coverage.

She also said barriers should stop vehicles parking right next to the museum’s buildings. She wants a permanent police station inside the Louvre, which has 30,000 visitors a day and 2,300 workers.

The Louvre reopened on Wednesday for the first time since the raid.

“For a place like the Louvre, it’s unfathomable,” said Amanda Lee, an art teacher from Chicago, when asked about the theft. The 36-year-old added: “I heard it took under four minutes. How is that possible here, with no police in sight?”

Claire Martin, a 41-year-old lawyer, was at the museum with her two children from Versailles just outside Paris. “We saw the masterpieces even though the Galérie d’Apollon was shut,” she said.

“We told the kids it’s a history lesson. We came for the art. The police can deal with the thieves.”

Macron to visit Louvre Museum after warning over visitor conditions

The theft happened only steps away from the Mona Lisa. It came five months after Louvre employees went on strike. They warned of chronic understaffing and not enough resources for protection with too few eyes on too many rooms.

On Tuesday Dati rejected claims of a failure inside the museum. She told MPs the alarms worked perfectly. She pointed instead to weak surveillance of the street outside, which let the gang operate their crane without detection.

A draft report by the Cour des Comptes, France’s national audit office, has criticised delays in bringing in upgraded protective equipment. Senators said they will continue to examine what went wrong and how the museum will improve its security.

Eurostar is investing 2 billion euros in up to 50 new electric double-decker trains built by French manufacturer Alstom. The international high-speed company is aiming to grow its annual passenger count to 30 million by the early 2030s – a 50 percent increase from current levels.

This major investment comes as Eurostar faces rising competition on the cross-Channel route linking the UK and France, potentially ending its three-decade monopoly on passenger rail services.

Operators including Italy’s Trenitalia, the UK’s Virgin Group, Spain’s Evolyn, and Dutch startup Heuro have all expressed interest in launching services through the Channel Tunnel.

Eurostar named Europe’s worst rail service while Italy’s Trenitalia leads the way

Double-decker trains

Eurostar CEO Gwendoline Cazenave described the Alstom deal as a “milestone order” that brings the company’s ambitious growth plans to life.

“We’re particularly proud to introduce double-decker trains to the UK for the first time,” Cazenave said in a statement.

Alstom confirmed an initial €1.4 billion order for 30 Avelia Horizon trains, with an option for 20 more. Deliveries are expected to be completed by the mid-2030s.

Cazenave told French news agency AFP that Alstom was chosen partly because of its ability to deliver quickly, due to an existing partnership with Eurostar’s majority shareholder, French rail operator SNCF.

The new trains – to be named Eurostar Celestia – will offer a 20 percent increase in seat capacity compared to the current fleet.

Alstom CEO Henri Poupart-Lafarge said the Avelia Horizon “embodies our vision of sustainable and competitive European mobility” and is built to handle the demands of high-speed international travel.

More seats, new routes

It is expected that each 200-metre train will have around 540 seats, while two can be joined to double the capacity, as happens with the current Eurostar fleet.

The new fleet is scheduled to enter service in 2031, gradually replacing most of Eurostar’s existing trains.

The rollout will also support the company’s planned expansion to new routes, including direct services from London to Geneva and Frankfurt.

These new destinations will add to Eurostar’s existing network connecting London with Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and other European cities. On the flagship London-Paris route alone, Eurostar hopes to grow annual passenger numbers from 8 to 10 million by 2030.

The Channel Tunnel, from pipe dream to European reality

Meanwhile, Virgin Group founded by Richard Branson is planning to launch its own high-speed rail service through the Channel Tunnel by 2029.

Britain’s rail regulator earlier this year ruled that Eurostar’s London maintenance depot, Temple Mills, could be made available to other operators.

Eurostar said it plans to maintain its new fleet at the depot, which would be developed to accommodate the new trains at a cost of around 80 million euros while creating some 350 jobs.

(with AFP)

Diagne, the founder of the Avenir Communication media group – which publishes the daily Le Quotidien – was stopped by French police on Tuesday morning as he returned home to Le Pecq, in the Yvelines area southwest of Paris.

One of his lawyers, Vincent Brengarth, told RFI that “Diagne was arrested by police acting on an international warrant and then referred to the Versailles public prosecutor’s office”.

He was later released and placed under judicial control. That means he must stay in France, hand over his passport and check in regularly with the police while French authorities examine Senegal’s extradition request.

A communiqué signed by his team of eleven lawyers said the judge took into account that Diagne “is a public figure, a well-known journalist and owner of a press group”.

Financial crisis in privately owned media puts Senegal’s press freedom at risk

Suspect transactions

The 62-year-old editorialist, known for his criticism of Senegal’s government, is wanted under a warrant issued in September after he ignored an order not to leave the country.

The warrant is linked to an investigation into alleged suspect financial transactions, including a supposed kickback scheme worth over €32 million.

The case stems from a report by Senegal’s National Financial Intelligence Processing Unit (Centif), which flagged transfers between the accounts of a real estate company founded by Diagne and those of Ellipse Projects, a French construction firm specialising in hospital projects across Africa.

Ellipse had been awarded major contracts in Senegal’s health and justice sectors under the presidency of Macky Sall.

The investigation in Dakar has already led to the indictment and detention of Diagne’s wife and two sons, who are partners in the real estate company, on charges of money laundering and criminal conspiracy.

Media blackout in Senegal as publishers denounce government threats

Arrest ‘unfounded’

Diagne’s lawyers have rejected the accusations, describing them as politically motivated and “manifestly irregular”.

In a joint statement, his Senegalese and French legal teams said they “remain confident given the totally unfounded nature of the accusations contained in the extradition request and its irregularity”.

Speaking to RFI, Diagne’s French lawyer William Bourdon sai!d he had “powerful and well-documented arguments” to oppose any extradition.

The case will be reviewed by the Versailles Court of Appeal on Tuesday 28 October.

Global press freedom at ‘tipping point’, media watchdog RSF warns

A history with authorities

This is not the first time Diagne has faced legal troubles. In 2004, he was imprisoned for 17 days after being accused of “disturbing public order, inciting magistrates to rebellion and disseminating secret correspondence”.

His arrest at the time sparked major protests among Senegalese journalists and press freedom organisations worldwide, and he was cleared of all charges two years later.

Since his release this week, Diagne has been cooperating with French authorities.

Before his arrest, he wrote on X that he was in France to “prepare his defence” and that he intended to return to Senegal “in a few days to face his responsibilities”.

For now, he remains in France – awaiting the court’s decision on whether Dakar’s extradition request holds up. His lawyers, meanwhile, say they are ready to fight it “with confidence and determination”.

This story was adapted from the original version in French and lightly edited for clarity 

Andrzej Poczobut is a correspondent for the influential Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza. He was convicted of “harming Belarus’ national security” and sentenced to eight years, which he is serving in the Novopolotsk penal colony.

Mzia Amaghlobeli, a prominent journalist who founded two of Georgia’s independent media outlets, was in August convicted of slapping a police chief during an anti-government protest.

She was sentenced to two years in prison in a case that was condemned by rights groups as an attempt to curb media freedom.

“Both are journalists currently in prison on trumped up charges simply for doing their work and for speaking out against injustice. Their courage has made them symbols of the struggle for freedom and democracy,” Metsola said at the parliament in Strasbourg, France.

Global press freedom at ‘tipping point’, media watchdog RSF warns

‘Highest tribute’

The annual EU award, named after Soviet dissident Nobel Peace Prize laureate Andrei Sakharov, was created in 1988 to honor individuals or groups who defend human rights and basic freedoms.

The winner is chosen by senior EU lawmakers from among candidates nominated by the European Parliament’s various political groups.

The assembly says the award is “the highest tribute paid by the European Union to human rights work.”

Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who along with her husband Siarhei Tsikhanouski and others opposed to the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko won the prize in 2020, said that awarding it to the reporters this year “sends a strong message to all political prisoners that you are not alone and journalism is not a crime”.

Several Sakharov laureates, including Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad, went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this month, picked up the Sakharov last year.

The award, which comes with a €50,000 endowment, will be presented in a ceremony at the European Parliament in Strasbourg in December.

The first EU-Egypt summit opened in the Belgian capital on Wednesday, kicking off three days of high-level talks.

Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was welcomed ahead of Thursday’s regular EU summit and a meeting of the “coalition of the willing” for Ukraine on Friday.

The talks aim to reinforce what both sides now call a strategic partnership – focusing on trade, migration and regional security.

Building a partnership

EU officials say Europe remains Egypt’s leading trading partner, accounting for about a quarter of the country’s commerce.

The “migration and mobility” pillar of the partnership is also being highlighted, as migration will dominate Thursday’s wider European discussions.

European Council president Antonio Costa has underlined the EU’s appreciation of Egypt’s “stabilising role” in the Middle East and its “mediation efforts” in the Gaza conflict.

All key topics were expected to be discussed on Wednesday evening, including the role of Hamas, the situation in the West Bank and the humanitarian emergency in Gaza.

The summit links closely to the European Council meeting on Thursday, where leaders will again debate Gaza, drawing on exchanges with al-Sisi.

European leaders hope that the current ceasefire agreement can help pave the way towards the two-state solution they continue to support.

France deepens Egypt ties as Macron rejects Hamas role in Gaza

Investment and recognition

For Cairo, the summit offers a chance to consolidate the strategic partnership concluded in 2024, covering political, economic and security cooperation.

Politically, al-Sisi wants to confirm Egypt’s position as an essential mediator in Middle East peace efforts.

Al-Sisi’s influence was evident at a recent Sharm el-Sheikh peace summit, which brought together around 30 heads of state and government to discuss Gaza.

Observers in Cairo say al-Sisi hopes to build on that momentum and reinforce Egypt’s image as a pragmatic power able to speak to all sides.

Economically, Egypt’s situation remains fragile. Inflation has eased and the pound has recovered slightly against the euro and dollar, but the country still badly needs investment and financial support from Europe.

Who owns the Nile? Water, power and politics in a warming world

Energy and industry

EU leaders, for their part, see Egypt as a valuable partner for energy cooperation, infrastructure and industrial projects.

Al-Sisi has travelled to Brussels with a large delegation of public and private business leaders to court that investment.

The European Commission is expected to sign a €75 million package to support to Egypt.

Cairo also presents itself as a frontline partner on migration. Egyptian officials point to the navy’s record in stopping almost all unauthorised departures from the northern coast in recent years.

That success gives al-Sisi leverage with European leaders keen to show they can control migration routes.

This article has been adapted from the original French and lightly edited for clarity

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

It sounds early, but it’s not. 2026 is right around the corner, and I know you want to be a part of our annual New Year celebration, where, with special guests, we read your New Year’s resolutions. So start thinking now, and get your resolutions to me by 15 December. You don’t want to miss out! Send your New Year’s resolutions to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr

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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 counseled on the best-suited activities for your level according to your score.

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!

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This week’s quiz: On 27 September, I asked you a question about Paul Myers’ article “Dembélé and Bonmati win Ballon d’Or as PSG take team and coach prizes”. The French Ballon d’Or award is awarded every year to the top football players in Europe, both men and women.

You were to send in the answer to these three questions: What is the name of the football prize for strikers, who won the men’s, and for which teams does he play?

The answer is, to quote Paul’s article: “In other awards, Viktor Gyokeres received the Gerd Müller Trophy to honour the striker of the year. Playing for Sporting Lisbon and Sweden, he netted 54 goals in 52 matches to top the scoring charts across the continent.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?”, which was suggested by Rafiq Khondaker, the chairman of the Source of Knowledge Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh.

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

The winners are: RFI English listener Rafiq Khondaker, the chairman of the Source of Knowledge Club in Naogaon, Bangladesh. Rafiq is also the winner of this week’s bonus question – and the listener who asked the question!

Congratulations on your double win, Rafiq, and thanks for all the bonus question ideas you regularly send to us.  

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Nafisa Khatun, the president of the RFI Mahila Shrota Sangha Club in West Bengal, India, and Ras Franz Manko Ngogo, the president of the Kemogemba RFI Club in Tarime, Mara, Tanzania.

There are RFI Listeners Club members Zenon Teles, who’s also the president of the Christian – Marxist – Leninist – Maoist Association of Listening DX-ers in Goa, India, and last but assuredly not least, Shaira Hosen Mo from Kishoreganj in Bangladesh.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Mathar”, mixed by Brendan Lynch and performed by the Indian Vibes Ensemble; “Carnival De Paris” by Dario G, performed by the Dario G Ensemble; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Hurt” by Trent Reznor, sung by Johnny Cash.

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Turkey responded to a call from Hamas for assistance with locating the bodies of Israeli hostages still unaccounted for in the ruins of Gaza, sending specialists to help in the search.

Ankara maintains close ties with Hamas, which some analysts say could make it a useful mediator – although strained relations with Israel could stand in the way of any peacekeeping or reconstruction mission, despite Turkey’s experience in these areas.

“Turkey does have expertise for this – it has a doctrine,” said Murat Aslan of the SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, a pro-government think tank.

“In Afghanistan, Bosnia, some African countries like Somalia or Sudan, and in Kosovo, Turkey contributed either through its Tika aid agency, responsible for reconstruction, or through its armed forces.”

Aslan believes Turkey’s approach would be similar in Gaza. “Turkey will send soldiers for sure, for the protection of the civilian units,” he said.

Hamas says committed to Gaza truce and returning hostage remains

High risk

However, others warn the mission would not be easy.

“Turkey can become part of this protection force, but it will not be easy. At the moment it seems more problematic than many people assume,” said Huseyin Bagci, an international relations professor at Ankara’s Middle East Technical University.

Bagci fears Gaza could slide into chaos as rival groups fight for control.

“There are fights between Hamas and the clans,” he said. “It will not be easy because Hamas has to give up its weapons, which is the primary condition. Hamas is not 100 percent trusting Turkey – if not, Israel will probably act.”

Turkey and Egypt’s joint naval drill signals shifting Eastern Med alliances

Deep mistrust

Any Turkish deployment would also require Israel’s consent, which appears unlikely given the collapse in relations between the country’s leaders.

Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have regularly traded insults since the start of the current conflict in Gaza, and Ankara’s vocal support for Hamas has further deepened mistrust.

Israeli analysts say the government is hesitant to allow Turkish troops in Gaza, citing deep tensions and mistrust between the two countries.

Gallia Lindenstrauss of the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv said there is little enthusiasm for involving a Muslim peacekeeping force, as any casualties could inflame anger across the Muslim world and worsen relations.

“This conflict in Gaza has heightened tensions between Turkey and Israel, particularly between the two leaders,” she added.

Counting on Washington

Any Turkish role in Gaza would likely need US backing to move forward, given Israel’s resistance, observers warn.

Aslan believes Washington could help bridge the divide. “Erdogan does have a charming power over Hamas,” he said.

“So it’s on Turkey to urge Hamas to accept some things, and it’s on the United States to push Israel to accept the terms of a long-term peace. I believe that Trump is well aware of it, because there is no trust of Israel. That’s a fact, not only for Gazans or Palestinians or Turks, but [across the world] overall.”

Aslan says trust would be essential to persuading Hamas to disarm. “I believe Hamas will lay down their arms when they feel safe, and they have to see friendly faces in Gaza to be persuaded.”

Erdogan’s Washington visit exposes limits of his rapport with Trump

Road to normalisation

Turkish involvement in Gaza could also help pave the way for a reset in relations between Ankara and Tel Aviv.

Bagci believes Erdogan is hoping for political change in Israel to make that possible. “There will be elections,” he said. “Erdogan [is counting on] Netanyahu losing. But if he wins, then he has to deal with him because both sides have to be pragmatic and realistic.”

Bagci said much of the fiery rhetoric from both men is aimed at domestic audiences, with both having reputations as political survivors and pragmatists.

If peace efforts gain ground, observers say cooperation in Gaza could offer a path towards rebuilding trust – and serve both countries as they compete for regional influence.

(with AFP)

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

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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 counseled on the best-suited activities for your level according to your score.

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!

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This week’s quiz: On 30 August, I asked you a question about France’s budget problems … since I asked that question, two governments have been dissolved: that of François Bayrou, and that of the next in line, Sébastien Lecornu, who quit after just a few days, but now he’s back. It’s a high-level game of musical chairs, and we still are not anywhere near coming up with a budget.

You were to read our article “French PM puts government on line with call for confidence vote” and send in the answers to these two questions: What is France’s budget deficit, and what is the official European Union limit for a country’s budget deficit?  

The answer is, to quote our article: “After years of overspending, France is on notice to tame a budget deficit that hit 5.8 percent of gross domestic product last year, nearly double the official EU limit of 3 percent.”

In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question: “What is your favorite memory of your mother?” The question was suggested by Liton Rahaman Mia from Naogaon, Bangladesh.

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

The winners are: RFI English listener Debashis Gope from West Bengal, India. Debashis is also this week’s bonus question winner. Congratulations on your double win, Debashis.

Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Paresh Hazarika, a member of the United RFI Listeners Club in Assam, India, and RFI Listeners Club members Shadman Hosen Ayon from Kishoreganj, Bangladesh, as well as Arne Timm from Harjumaa in Estonia. Last but certainly not least, RFI English listener Rowshan Ara Labone from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Congratulations winners!

Here’s the music you heard on this week’s program: “Les Feuilles Mortes” by Jacques Prévert, set to music by Joseph Kosma and sung by Yves Montand; “Twelfth Street Rag” by Euday L. Bowman; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children’s Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer, and “Serenade to a Cuckoo” by Roland Kirk, performed by Kirk and the Roland Kirk Quartet.

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Populist billionaire Andrej Babiš has swept back into power after voters, frustrated by unfulfilled promises and a stagnant quality of life, turned their backs on the centre-right government.

According to Ondračka, Babiš’s resurgence reflects deep public disillusionment with the political establishment – alongside his skill as a pragmatist who “tells people whatever they want to hear.”

While Brussels voices unease over his return, Ondračka argues that Babiš is neither aligned with Moscow nor guided by ideology.

Instead, he describes him as a tycoon whose loyalties lie squarely “where the money is” – inside the European Union.

Czech populist’s comeback a win for politics of pragmatism in shifting Europe

As the Czech Republic enters coalition talks and joins Hungary, Slovakia and Poland in navigating a shifting political landscape, Ondračka warns that Europe’s populist wave is far from receding, continuing to test the strength of the liberal centre.

The presidential campaign officially began on Friday 10 October.

President Alassane Ouattara has led the country since April 2011, and is seeking a fourth term. 

He managed to establish himself as a heavyweight in Ivorian politics over the past thirty years, and is credited with keeping Côte d’Ivoire prosperous and economically dynamic. But Ouattara’s Côte d’Ivoire is also seen as “France’s last bastion”.

Now 83, he can run after changing the constitution in 2016 to remove presidential term limits, which has angered most of the opposition in Côte d’Ivoire.

Four candidates are standing against the incumbent president, the only ones having been ruled eligible by the country’s constitutional court: former ministers Jean-Louis Billon, Ahoua Don Mello and Henriette Lagou, and Simone Gbagbo, ex-wife of president Laurent Gbagbo and therefore a former first lady.

But neither of the main opposition parties – PDCI and PPA-CI – have been able to secure a candidate, as the court disqualified many, including former president Gbagbo and Tidjane Thiam, a businessman and former minister of development.

Why Côte d’Ivoire’s election could be more complex than it seems

The election campaign will end on 23 October, two days before voting begins.

Provisional results will be published at the national level by the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) between Sunday 26 October and Thursday 30 October 2025.

To be elected in the first round, a candidate must obtain an absolute majority of the votes cast. If none does, a second round of the presidential election could take place on Saturday 29 November.

Our guest this week is Paul Melly, researcher on West Africa and consulting fellow with the Chatham House think tank in London, UK.

Episode mixed by Melissa Chemam and Erwan Rome.

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

Erdogan said this week that Turkey would work with the United States on civil nuclear energy, in a new signal to Washington that Ankara is looking west for its energy needs.

Turkish companies last month signed a 20-year, multibillion-dollar deal with American firms to buy liquefied natural gas.

The agreement came during Erdogan’s visit to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump in late September. During that meeting, Trump urged Erdogan to reduce ties with Moscow and end Turkey’s reliance on Russian oil and gas.

“In a sense, he [Trump] is offering a grand bargain to Erdogan,” said Asli Aydintasbas of the Washington-based Brookings Institution.

She summed up the deal: “Stop the hedging, stop the stuff with Russia, stop the geopolitical balancing, and then let’s re-establish the partnership, and then we can move along and can really become key partners in the region.”

Turkey walks a tightrope as Trump threatens sanctions over Russian trade

Economic pressure

Trump often praises Erdogan as a “friend”, but the US leader has shown he is willing to use economic pressure. During his first term, he triggered a collapse in the Turkish lira over the jailing of an American pastor.

He could again target Ankara with secondary sanctions if Turkey keeps importing Russian energy.

Russian fossil fuels still provide nearly half of Turkey’s total energy. Zaur Gasimov, a Russian-Turkish expert with the German Academic Exchange Service, said Europe’s experience shows how costly a sudden break with Moscow could be.

“It was the case with some Western European countries in 2022 that caused an augmentation of the prices,” said Gasimov. “And the Turkish economy is struggling with inflation that would immediately and heavily affect the life of the average citizen. No party power in Turkey would take such a decision.”

Ankara has ruled out ending its Russian energy contracts, but oil imports from Russia have fallen to their lowest levels in a year.

Some gas deals, signed decades ago, are due for renewal. Analysts say Turkey may use that moment to slowly cut its dependence on Moscow – a move that would deal a serious blow to Russia, which now relies on Turkey as its last major European gas customer.

Druzhba pipeline: dependence, diplomacy and the end of Russian leverage in Europe

Strategic balancing

Energy trade has long been at the heart of Erdogan’s personal relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The partnership has survived the war in Ukraine, despite the fact Turkey also supplies arms and support to Kyiv.

Turkey’s balancing act helps keep regional rivalries under control, said Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, who heads the Marshall Fund office in Ankara.

“Turkey and Russia have been fighting proxy wars in the Caucasus, in North Africa, in the Levant,” he said. “Turkey is getting the upper hand in the end. But Turkey could still manage its relationship with Russia.”

Unluhisarcikli added that Ankara would want guarantees from the West before distancing itself from Moscow, since “it would have security implications on Turkey”.

Turkey would have to be “certain” that it would be welcomed back to Europe and have assurances from the United States, he suggested.

Erdogan spoke with Putin by phone this week, though such contacts have reportedly become less frequent as their once-close relationship cools.

Ankara remains aware of the risks: when Turkey accidentally shot down a Russian bomber near the Syrian border in 2015, Putin responded with sanctions that hit Turkish exports and tourism, and several Turkish soldiers in Syria were later killed in what Moscow called an accident.

Turkey eyes Ukraine peacekeeping role but mistrust clouds Western ties

Declining leverage

With Russia weakened by sanctions and isolation over its war in Ukraine, analysts say its influence on Turkey is diminishing.

“It is the window to Europe. It is a way to the outside world,” Gasimov says. “The number of flights to Turkey is getting bigger and bigger.

“For Russia, Turkey remains a very, very important partnership. So the leverage Moscow once possessed over Ankara is getting less and less.”

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.