The Latest Breaking News from RFI

Credit rating agency Moody’s has downgraded France’s seven largest banks this week – just days after lowering the country’s own sovereign credit rating. The move signals rising borrowing costs for France, adding to a €3.2 trillion debt burden and deepening the pressure on an already fragile government.

French soldiers have been asked to leave Chad by 31 January, sources close to the government in Paris say – a deadline that RFI was able to confirm with Chadian authorities.

The French archipelago Mayotte lies devastated this week after an unprecedented cyclone struck the country's poorest department – its impact magnified by chronic infrastructure failings and a migration crisis that saw thousands avoid emergency shelter for fear of deportation.

Cyclone Chido has claimed at least 34 lives and caused widespread destruction across Mozambique, the National Institute of Risk and Disaster Management confirmed on Tuesday. The powerful storm, which made landfall earlier this week, has left thousands displaced and severely damaged infrastructure, including homes and roads.

French President Emmanuel Macron says he will visit the French Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte "in the coming days" and declare a "period of national mourning". This comes as rescue teams struggle to clean up from the worst cyclone to hit the archipelago in nearly a century.

A unique exhibition – "Dancing in the Light" – is blending light-inspired artworks with dance performances, thanks to the participation of a dozen international choreographers.

A Paris exhibition invites visitors to dive into the ocean and explore the intersecting perspectives of artists and scientists who, for 20 years, have studied and documented marine life and the challenges it faces.

As the Israel-Hamas conflict continues, a collection of films titled From Ground Zero, created by Gaza-based filmmakers, has earned a place at the Oscars.

When General de Gaulle arrived in Paris on 25 August, 1944 to mark the French capital’s liberation from Nazi occupation, his official reporter was by his side to document the historic moment. That reporter was France's first female WWII correspondent, but her name was lost to history – until a…