The Latest Breaking News from RFI

French scientists are mapping plankton across the Indo-Pacific – using Navy ships to study the microscopic organisms that produce half of Earth’s oxygen, feed the ocean and help regulate the planet’s carbon. The eight-year mission is charting life in remote waters to understand how these drifting ecosystems evolve – and…

According to the International Organization of Migration, the route from the Horn of Africa to Yemen is one of the busiest – and deadliest – in the world. Hoping to find work in the oil-rich Gulf states, thousands of Africans, many from Ethiopia, risk their lives on perilous sea journeys.…

Violence and arrests over the weekend have deepened political tensions in Côte d'Ivoire, after opposition supporters took to the streets to protest President Alassane Ouattara’s decision to run for a fourth term in October. Several opposition leaders have been barred from the race, and their parties say the arrests are…

Iran is facing a severe water and electricity crisis just weeks after a deadly war with Israel brought the country to a standstill. Although the extreme heat has eased, reservoirs are running dry, daily blackouts continue and economists say years of poor planning and corruption have left the country dangerously…

Tunisian dancer and choreographer Selma Ouissi and her brother Sofiane are well known in the Arab world’s contemporary dance scene. Their work is known for its powerful visuals and precise exploration of movement. At the 2025 Avignon Festival, they presented "Laaroussa Quartet – a Free Body that Invents its Own…

A bill to make it easier for France to return cultural objects taken during the colonial period was presented at a ministerial council in Paris this week by Culture Minister Rachida Dati. Despite a pledge by President Emmanuel Macron in Burkina Faso in 2017, and follow-up reports, only a small…

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you’ll hear the answer to the question about cigarette butts and microplastics. There’s The Sound Kitchen mailbag, “The Listener’s Corner” with Paul Myers, Ollia Horton’s “Happy Moment”, and a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne created by Vincent Pora Dallongeville. All that and the new quiz…

NATO's rearmament plans could generate an annual market of €45 billion over the next decade in France and create more than 500,000 jobs. But the country's industrial capacity is currently insufficient to meet this increased demand. RFI spoke to Romain Lucazeaux of the Caisse des Dépôts, the investment arm of…

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso face the task of untangling themselves from West Africa’s main regional bloc, Ecowas, after officially cutting ties this week. The six-month window to reverse their withdrawal expired on Tuesday. With no sign of a return, both sides must work out what the split means for…