Welcome to RFI – Radio France Internationale broadcasting live from Paris. It is 5 PM.
Here’s your easy French news update.
Today is Monday, November 10.
In the headlines:
The COP30 is now open, marking ten days of discussions on our planet’s climate. This edition will focus on the role of the Amazon rainforest in efforts to mitigate climate change.
In France, former president Nicolas Sarkozy has been released from prison today. We will hear from his lawyer.
Ukraine is also in the news, as authorities investigate a large-scale corruption scandal involving dirty money in the energy sector. Anastasia Becchio will explain shortly.
Finally, while Diego Maradona has been gone for five years, he continues to captivate and intrigue the public. An international congress dedicated to Maradona took place this weekend, with a report from our correspondent in Buenos Aires.
The COP30 is drawing attention to climate issues, with the president of the IPCC stating, “It is now almost inevitable that global warming will exceed 1.5 °C.” Jim Skea emphasized that this temperature increase results from insufficient climate action. This year, Brazil is hosting the conference, with President Lula choosing to hold it in the Amazon to highlight the critical role of tropical forests in carbon absorption, which helps slow global warming. Lucile Gimbert reports that the vast Amazon rainforest, essential for maintaining the global climate balance, faces threats from deforestation driven by agriculture. The primary issue today, according to Brazilian geographer Arnaldo Carneiro, is recurrent droughts caused by global warming linked to greenhouse gas emissions from Western countries.
He emphasized that while Brazil must aim for zero deforestation by 2035, the ongoing greenhouse gases from the Northern Hemisphere require collective action from countries like the USA, Europe, China, and Russia for effective climate change measures.
In Paris at 5:04 PM, we report on Nicolas Sarkozy, who has left La Santé prison after 20 days. His lawyer, Maître Christophe Ingrain, describes the court’s decision as a normal application of the law and notes that the next step is preparing for the appeal trial regarding the funding of Sarkozy’s 2007 election campaign from Libya. The appeal is set for five months from now, in March, during which Sarkozy remains under judicial control, with restrictions including no travel outside France and no contact with any Ministry of Justice official.
In Ukraine, while facing Russian military assaults, authorities are also combatting corruption. This morning, police conducted a major operation involving searches and seizures as part of an investigation into bribery linked to strategic public sector enterprises, particularly the state nuclear operator Energoatom. Anastasia Becchio reports that the operation uncovered significant corruption involving high-ranking officials, with photos of bags filled with money revealed by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau. The investigation spans 1,000 hours of audio recordings, indicating that corrupt officials demanded bribes of 10 to 15% of contract values. An estimated $100 million may have been embezzled. High-profile individuals, including the former Minister of Energy, now Minister of Justice, Hermann Halouchtchenko, are implicated, with Ukrainian media reporting that one key figure fled the country shortly before police raids began.
Amid these issues, Ukraine is also dealing with one of the worst attacks on energy infrastructure by Russian forces, affecting power supplies for thousands.
In the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met today with Jared Kushner in Jerusalem to discuss the second stage of the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. This next phase includes disarming Hamas and ensuring it will have no role in Gaza’s future.
In a tragic incident near Malaysia, authorities from both Malaysia and Thailand have reported recovering at least 21 bodies from a capsized boat carrying migrants, primarily Rohingyas.
Lastly, nearly five years after his passing, Diego Maradona continues to be a significant figure in Argentina. This weekend, an international congress was held at the University of Buenos Aires, where researchers, artists, and social leaders explored Maradona’s cultural impact beyond football. Organizers of the congress emphasized the importance of studying Maradona scientifically, examining his connections to feminism and politics.
The event featured four keynote speeches, numerous discussions, exhibits, and the sharing of books and documentaries, all aimed at understanding the Maradona phenomenon. One of the discussions highlighted Maradona’s diverse heritage, linking him to Afro descendance through a genealogical research that traced his lineage back to a soldier in the army that liberated Argentina.
Stay tuned for our colleagues from Radio Foot Internationale, and we’ll see you tomorrow for another easy French news update.