RFI English

French clubs cash in as Ligue 1 transfer window comes to a close The transfer window for French football clubs closed on Tuesday evening after three months of trading that saw the 18 Ligue 1 sides splash out €522 million and reap €894 million in player sales. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0f5.g

DRC school year begins amid Ebola, strikes and conflict Millions of students returned to school across the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday, but the new term began amid an Ebola outbreak affecting six provinces, a teachers’ strike call and continuing conflict in the east. In AFC/M23-controlled territories, the movement organised the return to classrooms even as Kinshasa continued to pay primary and secondary school teachers. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0eX.g

No more Messi nights for Argentina as skipper says adios to national squad Fifa president Gianni Infantino led the tributes to Argentina skipper Lionel Messi, who announced his retirement from international football just over a month after playing in the 2026 World Cup final. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0c7.g

From labels to Netflix, how Quebec's fight to protect French collides with US trade French-language protections in Quebec have emerged as an unlikely source of friction between Canada and the United States, bringing rules designed to protect French in overwhelmingly English-speaking North America into a much bigger fight over trade. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0bT.g

Russia’s return to G20 talks unsettles Europe as Iran and trade tensions loom Russia's presence at the opening of G20 meetings in North Carolina sparked pushback from Europe on Monday, adding fresh tension to talks already clouded by the Iran war and US President Donald Trump's trade policies. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0bS.g

French tennis star Fils bemoans lack of energy in US Open first round flop France's top tennis player Arthur Fils admitted he felt his energy drain away as he botched a chance to open up a two-set lead over Stefanos Tsitsipas during his first round match at the US Open. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0aT.g

Ukraine air defences top agenda as EU ministers meet in Ireland European Union defence and foreign ministers gathering in Ireland this week are set to focus on strengthening Ukraine’s air defences, as concern grows over both Russia’s intensifying bombardment and what European officials see as a widening campaign of destabilisation across the continent. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0Y3.g

'Devoted servant of the nation': Former French PM Édouard Balladur dies aged 97 Former French prime minister Édouard Balladur died in Paris late Monday at the age of 97, his family said. Born in Turkey, he served as former president Francois Mitterrand's last prime minister from March 1993 to May 1995, carrying out several major privatisations of state companies, and unsuccessfully ran for the top job in 1995. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0Wa.g

French schools start new year in shadow of summer cyberattack Millions of pupils are returning to classrooms across France on Tuesday for the start of the new school year, with some schools forced to fall back on paper timetables and registers after a major cyberattack disrupted education systems over the summer. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0WJ.g

Ten years after Gabon’s post-election violence, painful questions remain Ten years on, victims of violence that followed president Ali Bongo’s disputed re-election in Gabon are still demanding truth and justice. Questions also remain over the possible involvement of French nationals and the response of the French authorities. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0Rw.g

France's international photojournalism festival founder Leroy dies aged 69 Tributes have been pouring in for Jean-François Leroy, the founder of the Visa pour l'image photojournalism festival, who died on Monday at the age of 69. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0Rd.g

Niger coup attempt: 'Russians saved the day' analyst tells RFI Niger’s military government has survived its most serious internal challenge since seizing power in 2023, after Russian paramilitaries helped loyalist forces crush last Saturday's attempted coup in the capital, Niamey. RFI spoke to an expert who explains how this episode has left General Abdourahamane Tiani’s junta weakened and more dependent on Russia. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0R9.g

Fils heads into US Open as leader of the French pack as Djokovic bows out France's top tennis player Arthur Fils will launch his US Open campaign on Monday in the shadow of a shock first round defeat for the fourth seed and four-time champion Novak Djokovic. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0PO.g

EU hides disappointment after Iceland's 'No' vote The EU put a brave face Sunday on Iceland's vote against restarting membership talks, but the outcome was a bitter pill to swallow – robbing Brussels of a hoped-for success story while delighting its eurosceptic critics. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0OB.g

UN committee presents legal case for broad slavery reparations Countries are "legally obliged" to provide broad reparations for harms resulting from both direct and indirect involvement in the transatlantic African slave trade, a United Nations committee has said. This comes amid a fresh interpretation of a global accord, published on Monday. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0Nv.g

PM Lecornu opens political season as French government returns from summer break French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is bringing his cabinet together on Monday to tackle the increasingly difficult task of drawing up the 2027 budget, with weak growth, rising borrowing costs and the threat of a no-confidence vote narrowing the government’s room for manoeuvre. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0LC.g

Macron in Sweden to sign frigate deal, strengthening 'strategic partnership' Emmanuel Macron will visit Sweden on Monday to sign a €4.3 billion contract for Stockholm's acquisition of four French frigates – a trip that will also provide the French president with an opportunity to discuss broader concerns about European security and NATO cooperation with Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0Ka.g

Farm workers face a ‘double-edged sword’ of extreme heat and pesticides As extreme heat makes working outdoors increasingly dangerous, farm workers face another, less visible threat: the pesticides used on the crops around them. Higher temperatures can make these chemicals evaporate faster, increasing workers’ exposure as their bodies are already struggling with the heat. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0HT.g

Still dancing at 88, Mali’s Mariam Bagayoko keeps tradition alive At the age of 88, barefoot and cinched into a belt of cowrie shells, renowned singer Mariam Bagayoko still sweeps across the stage with infectious energy, dazzling wide-eyed fans with the rhythms of a bygone Mali. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0H2.g

French high schools scramble to work out rules as phone ban takes effect The new school year starts on Tuesday in France, and with it comes a new rule: mobile phones will no longer be allowed in high schools. The ban came into force a week before the first day of term, leaving schools with little time to work out how to put it into practice. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0GK.g