The Latest Breaking News from Radio France Internationale

Paris mayoral race puts city's green transformation to the test

As Parisians prepare to vote in Sunday’s municipal election, outgoing mayor Anne Hidalgo's decade-long push to cut vehicle use and expand cycling is under scrutiny as candidates debate whether to build on or roll back policies that have reshaped the French capital’s streets.

Radio France Internationale · Mar 13

Chad says courts handle alleged abuses by security services after UN complaint

The Chadian government has responded to accusations of repression by its security services, voiced by civil society organisations at the United Nations earlier this month, telling RFI that alleged abuses are referred to the courts.

Radio France Internationale · Mar 13

France treads 'a fine line between defensive and offensive’ in Middle East

President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel as a violation of international law, while France deploys military forces to protect its interests in the region and defend its allies hit by Iranian reprisals – a balancing act that could prove to be…

Radio France Internationale · Mar 13

French soldier killed in Iraq as pro-Iran group vows to hit France's interests

A French soldier has been killed and several wounded in an attack in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan, President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed, describing the attack as "unacceptable". It is France's first military death in the Middle East war, in which at least 2,000 people have been killed since the United States…

Radio France Internationale · Mar 13

Ukraine's Zelensky in Paris as part of EU tour to bolster war effort

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday as part of a European tour to drum up vital support from allies in the war effort against Russia, amid concerns over the conflict in the Middle East.

Radio France Internationale · Mar 13

Canadian, German and Norway leaders hold Arctic security talks

Canadian, German and Norwegian leaders will meet in the Norwegian Arctic on Friday to discuss the region's fragile security situation, against the backdrop of a large NATO exercise.

Radio France Internationale · Mar 13

Haiti earthquake survivor prepares to make history at Winter Paralympics

Para skier Ralf Etienne, who lost his leg in the 2010 Haiti earthquake, will on Friday become the first person from the country to compete at a Winter Paralympic Games. He told RFI it's a chance to showcase his home nation's strength and resilience on the world stage.

Radio France Internationale · Mar 12

'If the Strait of Hormuz were to remain closed, we would face a major crisis'

The war in the Middle East is sending shockwaves through global energy markets as the tensions spillover into the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil transportation routes. Former French economy minister Eric Lombard tells RFI the situation could trigger a major global economic crisis if it…

Radio France Internationale · Mar 12

Podcast: Middle East war, women in politics, Khomeini's last days in France

France's balancing act in the Middle East war. Convincing women to run in France's local elections. And the French village where Iran's first supreme leader spent his last months in exile.

Radio France Internationale · Mar 12

Screen and music icon Barbra Streisand to get Cannes festival's top prize

Legendary American actress and singer Barbra Streisand will receive an honorary Palme d'Or award at this year's Cannes Film Festival in May, joining New Zealand director Peter Jackson in taking the French festival's top accolade.

Radio France Internationale · Mar 12