The Latest Breaking News from RFI

With more than 320 million speakers globally, French is the world's fifth most-spoken language. But traditionalists complain that spelling, grammar and vocabulary are on the decline. On International French Language Day, one linguist tells RFI that change isn't just inevitable – it's healthy.

Trade unions have called on France’s 5.7 million public sectors workers to walk out on Tuesday in a push for better pay and conditions, a month after the government announced some €10 billion in public spending cuts.

This week on The Sound Kitchen you’ll hear the answer to the question about the delayed presidential election in Senegal. There’s a history lesson about Lithuanian’s love of books (and their language), there are your answers to the bonus question on “The Listener’s Corner”, and of course, a delicious dessert…

Ugandan pop star-turned-opposition leader Bobi Wine is at the heart of a documentary that charts his electoral challenge to long-time ruler Yoweri Museveni. The film was nominated for an Oscar.

As young people quit Senegal amid mounting economic and political hardship that has seen universities close and jobs dry up, local charities have moved in to stem the exodus by offering practical training aimed at helping vulnerable youth forge a path into the workplace.

The death of Yaya Dillo – the main rival to transitional Chadian president Mahamat Idriss Déby in upcoming elections in May – has deepened the political strife plaguing the country.

Tunisian imam Mahjoub Mahjoubi was recently expelled from France for alleged hate speech under an accelerated procedure made possible by the country's tough new immigration laws. In a crackdown on Islamist fundamentalism, France has ejected a string of foreign imams whose preaching has been deemed a threat.

Ukraine's aspirations for EU membership face a daunting economic reality. New research puts the cost of the country joining the bloc as high as €136 billion – even before post-war reconstruction begins.

As commentators hail France's decision to protect abortion rights within its constitution as a legal milestone, healthcare workers warn that having the right to an abortion and having access to one remain two different things.