RFI English

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

Niamey back to normal after soldier mutiny Life returned to normal in Niger's capital, Niamey, on Sunday, after the military regime and its Russian paramilitary partners put down a mutiny by soldiers. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0H0.g

Women in Zimbabwe push for recognition of 'invisible' domestic labour In Zimbabwe, women and girls overwhelmingly bear the burden of domestic labour – costing them opportunities outside the home. New policies are being considered to recognise the value of this unpaid work. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0FB.g

'No' camp seen winning Iceland's EU referendum Iceland's 'No' camp appeared headed for victory in a referendum on whether to resume the country's suspended European Union membership negotiations, as ballot counting approached the end early Sunday. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0EW.g

Guinea-Bissau votes in referendum on giving president more powers Voters in military-run Guinea-Bissau will cast ballots on Sunday in a referendum that could give the president more powers ahead of a general election meant to restore civilian rule later this year. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0Dp.g

Killing of Palestinian children and teens by Israel surges in West Bank Alia al-Hallaq's son Mohammed was nine when he was killed by an Israeli army bullet last October, but the Palestinian homemaker still speaks of herself as a mother of five, not four. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0Cv.g

UAE building ‘relationships of dependence’ through investment across Africa The United Arab Emirates has become a major economic and strategic force in Africa, through investments in key sectors and a growing involvement in conflicts on the continent – prompting some to describe its approach as imperialist. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D0Ag.g

AI challenges trust in photography as Visa pour l’Image festival opens Artificial intelligence and the growing difficulty of telling real photographs from fake ones are at the heart of this year’s Visa pour l’Image photojournalism festival, which opens in the southwestern city of Perpignan on Saturday. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D09p.g

Trapped for 115 days, cargo ship captain recounts ordeal in Strait of Hormuz In late January 2026, the Banglar Joyjatra, a Bangladeshi bulk carrier, entered the Persian Gulf on what should have been a routine commercial voyage before continuing to South Africa. Instead, Captain Mohammad Shafiqul Islam and his crew became trapped for 115 days as conflict engulfed the Strait of Hormuz. He told RFI how the voyage turned into a fight to get his ship and crew safely out. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D082.g

Attackers target Niger's Niamey airport and presidency perimeter Sustained gunfire and explosions rang out across several areas of Niger's capital, Niamey, early on Saturday, according to two Reuters witnesses, with the cause not immediately clear. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D06v.g

Iceland referendum could put EU membership talks back on the table Icelanders will vote on Saturday on whether to resume negotiations to join the European Union, with the result expected to be finely balanced after a campaign dominated by questions of sovereignty, fishing and the country’s place in an increasingly uncertain geopolitical landscape. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D06o.g

‘Words and promises not enough’ as Syria’s Kurds face uncertain future Syria’s Kurds are facing an uncertain future after this week’s dissolution of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and the integration of military and civilian institutions in northeastern Syria into the Syrian state, raising questions over what the changes will mean for their rights, safety and daily lives. RFI spoke to a Kurdish civil society activist in the region. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D039.g

Macron to meet new UK PM Burnham against backdrop of Bayeux Tapestry French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to London on Wednesday for his first meeting with the United Kingdom's new prime minister, Andy Burnham, in what will be the first visit by a European Union leader since he took office. Macron will also unveil the Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum in a "significant moment" for Franco-British relations. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D02Q.g

French presidential hopefuls clash over economy and EU in first debate Seven leading candidates in the race to succeed President Emmanuel Macron have clashed in their first debate ahead of the 2027 election, exposing sharp differences over the economy, public debt and France's relationship with the European Union. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/D00C.g

Algeria mourns wildfire victims as firefighters battle deadly blazes Algeria entered a second day of national mourning on Friday as firefighters continued to battle wildfires in the north of the country that have killed at least 12 people and injured dozens. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/Czye.g

French Foreign Legion soldier kidnapped in southwestern Colombia The Colombian army has announced a soldier in the French Foreign Legion was kidnapped earlier this month while travelling in the department of Narino, an area in southwestern Colombia dominated by guerrillas. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/CzwW.g

Cop17 races for desertification deal as report warns half world’s soils under threat Delegates at the Cop17 summit on desertification in Mongolia are seeking to seal a deal to combat drought on Friday, the last day of the event – as a United Nations report warns the world's soils are rapidly deteriorating, while tried and tested solutions are not being implemented. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/Czvs.g

Nepal’s deadly glacier collapse exposes climate risks across the Himalayas A massive glacier collapse that triggered deadly flooding on the Nepal-Tibet border has exposed the growing dangers facing the rapidly warming Himalayas, where scientists say retreating ice and thawing ground are making mountain landscapes increasingly unstable. 👉 Read more: https://rfi.my/Czrx.g