The Latest Breaking News from Radio France Internationale

Ivorians are heading to the polls on Saturday in one of the most watched presidential elections in West Africa. Incumbent Alassane Ouattara is seeking to defeat four other candidates to secure a fourth term – though key opposition figures are not on the ballot.

Europe’s busy election schedule in 2025 and 2026 is being targeted by AI-generated manipulation on social media. But this time around, Europe’s political landscape is transforming. The fight for voters’ hearts is no longer waged on the streets but on screens, through artificially generated images, cloned voices and sophisticated deepfakes.

The European Union has accused social media giants Meta and TikTok of breaking the bloc’s strict rules on online content, opening the door to potentially hefty fines.

Airbus, Leonardo and Thales have unveiled plans for a new European satellite group headquartered in France – a landmark alliance aimed at bolstering Europe’s space ambitions and taking on global heavyweights such as Elon Musk’s Starlink.

More than 36,800 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far in 2025, overtaking last year’s total and piling pressure on a new UK-France deal meant to stop the journeys.

French police have gathered more than 150 DNA samples and fingerprints in the hunt for the thieves behind a daring daylight raid on the Louvre that saw eight royal jewels worth €88 million stolen.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is in London this Friday for a meeting of the country’s key supporters, where Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to call on Europe to deliver more long-range missiles to help Kyiv maintain its momentum against Moscow.

European Union leaders are pushing for a bigger role in Gaza and the West Bank after being left out of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Women have been highly visible in Côte d’Ivoire’s election campaign. They turn up at rallies, organise events and even run for president. But they remain under-represented in national politics and many hope this vote will finally open the door to real change.

Organisers of the 2026 Tour de France on Thursday unveiled the routes for the men's and women's races.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday urged European leaders to quickly allow his country to use €140 billion in frozen Russian assets to repair the damage caused by the three-year war with Russia.