Capital One bank cites money-laundering probe to justify closing Trump Organization accounts

Capital One Financial on Friday defended its decision to close more than 300 Trump-affiliated bank accounts back in 2021, stating that it did so after a money-laundering review. The ‌disclosure marks the first time a bank has formally tied money-laundering concerns to US President Donald Trump's family business.


Issued on: 02/08/2026 
By: FRANCE 24

The Trump Taj Mahal casino sits along the boardwalk on August 28, 2015

 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. © John Moore, Getty Images via AFP


Concerns over money laundering by the Trump Organization led Capital One Financial to close more than 300 bank accounts in 2021, the US bank said on Friday as it defended its decision against a lawsuit for illegal debanking.

The ‌disclosure marks the first time a bank has formally tied money-laundering concerns to ⁠US President Donald Trump’s family business. Capital One is seeking to dismiss the case by casting doubt on claims of illegally debanking – or denying services on religious or ‌political grounds – the Trump Organization.

The Trump Organization and Capital One did not immediately respond to requests for ⁠comment.

Capital One has never accused the Trump Organization of illegal money laundering. But Friday’s filing argues that “documents and Plaintiffs’ own allegations make clear that Capital One closed Plaintiffs’ accounts for anti-money laundering (“AML”) reasons. The closures ​were the result of months of analysis and a careful review by Capital One’s AML team ‌in accordance with bank policies and regulatory guidance.”

Capital One gave notice of its plans to close more than 300 Trump-affiliated bank accounts in March 2021. The Trump Organization and Eric Trump, the president’s son, filed a lawsuit in March 2025 in a ‌Florida federal court, alleging the accounts were closed because of Capital One’s “woke” beliefs and its desire to benefit from the political mood after the January 6, 2021 riot ​at the US Capitol.

Trump pressure on large banks

The federal court in Miami has tossed two complaints in the Capital One case, but gave the plaintiffs opportunities each time to submit an amended complaint. Capital One said that the latest version, ​filed in July, “suffers from the same fundamental flaws as their prior two pleadings”.

Capital One said in Friday’s filing ​that the Trump Organization’s allegations of political pretext were “misguided” and “based on cherry-picked quotations unsupported ​by the full context” of documents submitted to the court.

“The transaction patterns identified by Capital One are among the types of activity flagged by federal banking guidance,” the filing said.

Since ​the start of Trump’s second term, his administration has put pressure on some large banks, echoing conservative complaints that the institutions are deliberately targeting the political right.

'Trump is tightening his grip on American economic policy and institutions'

Cover image: Donald Trump in August 2025 © FRANCE 24
01:28

Trump signed an executive order in August 2025 barring discriminatory debanking. In January, Trump filed a suit against JPMorgan Chase on the same grounds, underscoring the fraught policy environment Wall Street is navigating during the president’s second ⁠term.

In 2019, during his first term, Trump sued Capital One and Deutsche Bank in an attempt to prevent them from sharing financial records with ⁠Congress as part of ​a probe led by Democratic lawmakers. Anti-money laundering professionals at Deutsche Bank reportedly flagged a set of transactions, but executives ignored them; Deutsche Bank denied the report at the time.

(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)

Trump says US backed Japanese yen in rare currency intervention

President Donald Trump said on Sunday the United States had intervened to support the Japanese yen, describing the move as a "signal of friendship" that would benefit both the US and global economy. The Financial Times reported Washington and Tokyo had jointly backed the yen for the first time in nearly three decades.

Issued on: 03/08/2026 
By: FRANCE 24

This photo illustration taken on December 5, 2024 shows new Japanese 10,000 yen notes. © Richard A. Brooks, AFP


President Donald Trump on Sunday confirmed that the United States had intervened to support the Japanese yen, calling the move a "signal of friendship" that would financially benefit the US and world economy.

The Financial Times reported on Friday that the US Treasury had jointly intervened with Japan to prop up the yen for the first time in nearly three decades.

Asked aboard Air Force One why the US was moving to support Japan's currency, Trump said: "Because we have a good relationship with Japan."

The US will see "financial benefit" from the move and "it's also good for the world economy," Trump insisted, but "it was really more than anything else, it was a signal of friendship."

"We're very strong -- very very strong financially. They are, you know, they have a weakening yen, and they wanted a little bit of help. And we're always there for Japan. Japan's been very good to us, with the exception, of course, of Pearl Harbor," the president said.

In its statement, Japan's finance ministry said Friday's yen-buying intervention with the US Treasury Department "countered excessive volatility and disorderly movements in the Japanese yen in recent months".

"The Japanese Ministry ‌of Finance remains attentive and in close communication with our counterparts at the US Treasury," it added. "We will not hesitate to conduct further joint intervention."

The Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York had taken the unusual step of selling euros to buy yen on behalf of the US Treasury on Friday.

The intervention came after the yen slid to 163.24 per dollar last month, its weakest level since 1986, as higher US interest rates, rising oil prices and persistent capital outflows weighed on the currency.

Washington's move came as the yen rebounded sharply last week, fuelling speculation that Japanese authorities had also intervened in currency markets.

Analysts cited by FT estimated Japan's intervention may have totalled about 8.45 trillion yen ($52.8 billion).

The Nikkei business daily put the amount at between 6 trillion and 7 trillion yen.

According to FT, the move would be the first coordinated US-Japan effort to support the yen since 1998.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Pesticides, cadmium, PFAS: France reckons with the hidden toxins in food (1/2)

EXPLAINER

Concern over pesticides, PFAS “forever chemicals”, cadmium and other contaminants has been on the rise since a March report revealed French residents are up to four times more likely to register unsafe levels of cadmium than their European counterparts. For many, reducing exposure to these chemicals has become a priority – but also a source of anxiety. We spoke to two women campaigning to raise awareness of toxins in food.


Issued on:  01/08/2026 - 
FRANCE24
By: Cyrielle CABOT

Members of the agricultural unions FDSEA 72 and Jeunes Agriculteurs (JA) farmer unions, remove from shelves goods containing some acetamiprid, a neonicotinoid pesticide, during a protest operation at a supermarket in Mundolsheim, on August 20, 2025.

 © Frederick Florin, AFP

FRANCE 24 is launching a series of articles this week that examines the cocktail of contaminants increasingly found in everyday food.

A few months ago, Laura* was quietly scrolling through her social media feeds when a word she’d never heard before started to pop up: “cadmium”. “I’d never heard of it before,” recalls the 41-year-old Parisian, who works as a communications director. “When I realised what it was – a heavy metal that’s harmful to our health and found in lots of the foods we eat every day – I felt an immediate wave of anxiety.”

She said that literally overnight, all the packets of pasta, biscuits and rice that were in her kitchen cupboards – and that she had barely paid any attention to until then – had become “potentially harmful” to her, her husband and their three children.

“I’d heard about pesticides, endocrine disruptors and so on, but I didn’t really pay much attention to them. Cadmium was a real eye-opener,” she says. “I began to take a serious interest in food contamination and realised the scale of the risk and how important it is to choose our food carefully for the sake of our health.”

READ MORE‘Public health time bomb’: How France allowed cadmium to poison its crops and soil

In recent years, there has been a spate of food controversies: mercury in tuna, cadmium in pasta, potatoes and chocolate, hexane in certain oils, pervasive organic pollutants (PFAS) in seafood, pesticides in fruit and vegetables. These are all things Laura now tries to be mindful of.

Christine, a single mother and childcare worker from Savoie, started paying closer attention to what was on her plate when her first daughter was born six years ago. “I wanted to make sure I was giving her the best, both during breastfeeding and afterwards,” she says. “I tried to avoid ultra-processed foods and opted for organic products where possible, to avoid pesticides.”

Like Laura, she was shocked by the revelations about cadmium. “All this time, I’d never paid any attention to pasta, rice or bread. I had no idea.”
Radical dietary changes

Keen to rid their diets of as many contaminants as possible, Laura and Christine set themselves the same mission: to be extra vigilant about what they and their families eat. But having to shake up their eating habits has caused huge headaches when it comes to day-to-day grocery shopping.

As a first step, the women banned the most harmful foods from their shopping lists, even if it meant fewer foods actually made it onto their shopping lists compared to their “banned” lists.

At Christine’s house, salmon is off the menu due to mercury contamination, as is chocolate from Africa and pasta made in France because of cadmium. Instead, they opt for lentils and other pulses, fruit and vegetables bought from local producers, and meat that is, where possible, locally sourced.

READ MOREFrench population overexposed to cadmium through food, health agency says

Secondly, they have tried to prioritise products they consider healthier. When shopping, the women follow the same well-rehearsed routine. Smartphone in hand, they wander the aisles and compulsively scan every label using the Yuka app, which rates food and beauty products based on nutritional quality, additives and whether ingredients are organic. Products from different brands are meticulously compared; the “least worst” option is almost always chosen, and anything classified as red or orange – which is considered “harmful” – is immediately placed back on the shelf.

“And whenever possible, I make things from scratch,” says Laura. “Because that’s the best way to be sure of what we’re eating.”

The third step in their strategy has involved balancing all this against another important factor – price. Although Laura admits she’s fairly well-off, “with five mouths to feed, every penny counts”. She estimates that her food budget has increased by around €350 a month since she decided to change her habits.

“In the end, I find myself buying some food from organic shops, some from the supermarket, and certain fruit and vegetables from the greengrocer,” Laura says. “I base everything on the best value for money. It takes ages.”

She acknowledges that, despite her best efforts, the increase in household expenditure is having an impact on daily life.

“We’ve had to cut back on holidays. We’ll be going away for a shorter time this summer. And we’ve cancelled our annual weekend away over the May bank holidays.”

For lower income households with even tighter budgets, eating better sometimes means compromising on both quality and quantity. “I live alone with my two daughters. And eating well is expensive. So, unfortunately, sometimes I have to settle for ‘lower-quality food’ because I can’t afford the best,” Christine says. “But I try as much as possible to prioritise quality over quantity, even if it means I don’t get to eat enough.”
‘The agri-food industry is distancing us from what we eat’

Eating without risk of exposure to harmful chemicals has become a top priority for many consumers. According to the study “La France à table”, published in June 2025 by the Jean-Jaurès Foundation, 40 percent of French people believe that the quality of food products has deteriorated over the past five years while 22 percent feel it has deteriorated substantially.

By no means a new trend, the results nevertheless reflect declining consumer confidence in food, says Sophie Thiron, a food sociologist and senior lecturer at Jean-Jaurès University in Toulouse.

“It is rooted in a long history of food controversies from the past. As early as 1905, the media was blowing the whistle on the dairy industry, which was selling adulterated milk as pure milk. In more recent times, there was mad cow disease in 1996 and the horse meat scandal of 2013,” Thiron notes.

WATCHFrance overexposed to heavy metal cadmium due to food

“The revelations about cadmium, like those about pesticides before them, simply add to an already fertile ground of consumer concerns about what ends up on our plates,” she says. “And, in this case, it’s been further amplified by the widespread media coverage and health warnings from the scientific community.”

But Thiron believes that, at its root, all this wariness stems from the same problem: “The agri-food industry is distancing us from what we eat. We have less and less information about the origins or ingredients in our food. This gives the impression that we are not in control.”

Today, she acknowledges, there are several other factors exacerbating the situation. “Beyond the health aspect, more and more people are also thinking about their diet in terms of its impact on the environment or animal welfare.”

Added to this, she says, is the growing difficulty of “making sense of it all”.

“People are bombarded with messages – particularly from influencers – about what they should and shouldn’t eat, with information that is sometimes completely contradictory. It’s becoming very difficult to sort through it all, and everyone is overwhelmed.”
Anxiety and mental strain

For Laura and Christine, the constant need to weigh up every purchase has also become a source of anxiety.

“But all this anxiety is mainly linked to my daughters,” Christine explains. “Sometimes it keeps me awake at night. I feel as though I’m constantly thinking about it. I’m afraid of exposing them [to these contaminants] without even realising it,” she says.

“Especially as we know that no matter how hard we try, it’s impossible to protect ourselves completely. There are too many sources of contamination. There’s a saying, ‘We live to eat’. But I feel as though, whatever we do, we ‘eat to die’.”

WATCHToxic beginnings: Babies exposed to pesticides in the womb

“And beyond the logistics, constantly having to think about the best option when you want to eat something takes so much mental energy. It’s exhausting,” Laura says.

Although concerns about food safety cut across all demographics, women – particularly young mothers like Christine and Laura – appear to be especially affected. "Unfortunately, this reflects a broader societal issue: the responsibility for their children's health – and often that of their partners – still falls disproportionately on women," Thiron says.

This was highlighted when FRANCE 24 invited readers to share their experiences for this article and received responses exclusively from women.

"Contrary to popular belief, this anxiety affects the middle class just as much as the working class," Thiron adds. "It simply manifests itself differently. Middle-class households are more likely to respond by changing their purchasing habits in every way they can. Lower-income households, meanwhile, are often more inclined to distance themselves from the issue because they know they have fewer options.”
Grassroots campaign

Over time, however, the anxiety and frustration both women felt gave rise to a shared determination to push for political change.

"What we can do as individuals quickly reaches its limits. We need [collective] action so that politicians finally take this issue seriously and make it a priority," Christine says.

Laura admits that, until relatively recently, she "wasn't the slightest bit eco-conscious". She now describes herself as having made a "complete U-turn".

"I realised this was the root of the problem. Now I regularly hand out leaflets with environmental groups to raise awareness about pesticides and cadmium in particular," she says.

WATCHNew French bill aims to teach children how to eat better

Their campaigning has already gained political traction. On June 3, following months of public pressure, France’s National Assembly overwhelmingly passed a bill aimed at reducing the population’s exposure to cadmium. The legislation, however, was adopted against the government’s advice and must still be approved by the Senate before becoming law.

Looking ahead, both women say policies to reduce exposure to food contaminants will be a key factor in how they vote in France’s upcoming presidential election. Laura says that, if little changes, she has even considered leaving the country.

“To the Nordic countries? Elsewhere? In any case, somewhere where there’s a clear political commitment to tackling these contaminants and [where the government] is more proactive. My children’s health is at stake.”

* Names have been changed

This article is an adaptation from the original in French by Nicole Trian.

How can you keep yourself safe from forever chemicals and cadmium in food? (Part 2/2)

LONG READ

Food-related health warnings have become increasingly frequent in recent years, to the point where maintaining a diet free of contaminants can seem almost impossible. So what’s the best way to limit your exposure, and will there ever be a way to fully remove these harmful pollutants from our blood? FRANCE 24 breaks it down in part 2 of our 2-part series.


Issued on: 01/08/2026 
FRANCE24
By: Cyrielle CABOT

PFAS and cadmium: How to avoid ingesting (too much) poison. © Studio graphique France Médias Monde


Cadmium, forever chemicals… these contaminants poison the food we eat. From the anxieties these chemicals breed in the public mind and the best practices to adopt to avoid the worst impacts to the small towns struggling to decontaminate their drinking water, FRANCE 24 has prepared a three-part series to break down these mounting food scandals. You can read part 1 here.

In the beginning, there were pesticides. Then came PFAS: per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances quickly dubbed “forever chemicals” for their uncanny endurance in soil, water and living flesh. Most recently, it’s been cadmium.

Each time, health authorities issue variations of the same warning: all of these contaminants do us harm, and they are everywhere – even in our tap water.

While the most meaningful measures to fight against these contaminants are found in the realm of political action, there are still some things that individuals can do to reduce their risk. What foods should you avoid, and what should you be eating more of? FRANCE 24 draws together some of the best practices to follow to limit your exposure.

When it comes to cadmium, be careful with cereals

Along with tobacco, food is a main cause of cadmium poisoning, a vast study released by the France's National Food Safety Agency (ANSES) revealed in March. Being mindful about what exactly is on your plate is therefore an effective way to keep yourself safe from this heavy metal, which builds up in the liver and kidney and raises the risk of cancers and cardiovascular diseases.

But to do this, you need to look at two different factors: not just which ingredients are the most commonly contaminated, but also – most importantly – how often you’re eating them.

In 2012, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) analysed 144 food groups to measure their exposure to cadmium. That study remains one of the most detailed on the subject to date, and it created a list of the most highly contaminated foodstuffs.

READ MORE‘Public health time bomb’: How France allowed cadmium to poison its crops and soil

Among them, seaweed, oilseeds such as sunflower seeds, mushrooms, animal organs, molluscs – especially oysters, mussels and clams – frog legs, dark chocolate and crustaceans all have cadmium concentrations in excess of 10 micrograms per kilogram, considered a high contamination threshold. The first step, it would seem, would be to limit consumption of these foods.

That being said, unless one is an avid consumer of frog legs and oysters, these foods make up a relatively small proportion of the population’s overall exposure – most people eat them only very occasionally, and then in small amounts.

Unfortunately, most contamination comes largely from products that many people eat every day – cereals such as pasta, bread or biscuits, as well as potatoes and certain vegetables. Despite the fact that the amount of cadmium found in these foods remains relatively low, they’re things that are consumed regularly in many populations – even multiple times a day.

The foods the most and least contaminated by cadmium. © Studio graphique FMM

Without going so far as to push for the removal of baguettes and bucatini pasta from menus, Pierre Souvet, a cardiologist, president of the French Health and Environment Association and the author of a guide on minimising cadmium intake, advises “varying your diet as much as possible”.

If you’re already eating pasta for lunch, “you can replace breakfast cereals or cakes and biscuits as an afternoon snack with fruit compote and yogurt”, he suggests. “And regularly choose dishes made with legumes instead of pasta.”

And to choose these alternatives wisely, you can opt for the least-contaminated foods: dairy products, eggs, citrus and other types of fruit and legumes such as beans and lentils.

He also advised varying where in the world you’re buying your food from.

"We know that cadmium levels in food depend in part on where the food comes from, because some soils are rich in cadmium," he explains. This is the case with chocolate from South America, for example, which is often more contaminated than its African counterpart.

Souvet had one final piece of advice for those wanting to limit their cadmium exposure: watch out for possible deficiencies in iron, zinc or calcium, which increase the body’s risk of absorbing the heavy metal. In this area, he said, women tend to be more at risk than men.

READ MOREPesticides, cadmium, PFAS: France reckons with the hidden toxins in food (1/2)
When it comes to forever chemicals, watch out for fish

As with cadmium, food is the main way that the French, and likely many other, populations are exposed to certain forever chemicals – in particular, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, the EFSA warns. Despite this, there has long been a dearth of information about just how present these harmful substances are in food.

In 2025, environmental NGO Générations Futures sought to change that by analysing the official data that was available on thousands of samples tested in France, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands for substances from the broader PFAS family – PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS and PFNA.

The results showed that 69 percent of fish, 55 percent of molluscs and animal organs, 39 percent of eggs, 27 percent of crustaceans, 23 percent of dairy products and 14 percent of meat were contaminated with at least one of the four regulated PFAS.

In France, where the data were limited to fish, animal organs and meat, contamination rates reached 88 percent, 56 percent and 35 percent, respectively. On the other hand, red meat and poultry (14 percent), vegetables (14 percent) and fruit (three percent) seemed to be the least affected.

The foods the most and least contaminated by PFAS. © Studio graphique FMM

Given these results, it might then be recommended to limit your consumption of freshwater fish, animal organs, molluscs, crustaceans and animal milk, instead seeking out fibre-rich foods like vegetables, fruit and legumes.

But Générations Futures spokesperson François Veillerette said these findings remained very general.

“In reality, PFAS concentrations can vary enormously within the same food category,” he says.

Among fish, for example, perch and eels contain high levels of PFAS, while sea bream and salmon contain very little.

“Even from one food to another, PFAS concentrations can vary widely,” he adds. “For example, some eggs may have high levels of PFAS, especially if they come from an area where a chemical plant is located. Others may have none at all.”

WATCH MOREEU moves to tighten rules on harmful pollutants: The invisible danger of 'forever chemicals'

"Unfortunately, though, there is often a lack of transparency regarding the origin of these products. Most of the time, we never know if our eggs come from a farm near a chemical plant, for example," he says.

As with cadmium, he adds, "the best thing to do is therefore to vary not only the types of food, but also the sources and brands for similar products”.

“In short, don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

It’s also important to note that the NGO’s study only focuses on four substances among a vast array of forever chemicals.

For example, it has nothing to say about the presence or absence of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), which is considered harmful to childbearing. When it comes to our understanding of just how present forever chemicals are in the food we eat, there’s a great deal of work left to be done.

Drinking water

Beyond what we put on our plates, drinking water is also often at the centre of the debate around PFAS pollution.

To keep an eye on the contamination levels of the tap water you drink during meals, Générations Futures launched an interactive map for the French population called "Dans mon eau" (“In My Water”). This citizen-driven tool collects and updates official data in real time, allowing people to find out the quality of the water coming out of their tap at home. It could serve as a model for other countries.

To reduce your exposure to tap-water-borne forever chemicals, you can use a water filter pitcher or – much more effective, but much more expensive – filtration systems that can be professionally installed under your sink.
Going organic

Whether it came to forever chemicals, cadmium or pesticides, both specialists had one broad recommendation in common: opt for organic produce.

"Organic foods are significantly less contaminated with pesticide residues and other pollutants,” Souvet says. “For example, a 2014 meta-analysis estimated that organic foods contained, on average, 48 percent less cadmium.”

A study titled BioNutriNet also shows that choosing an organic diet can be better for your health in general. The study found that eating organic food is associated with a reduction in a number of health risks, including cancer (-25 percent) – particularly breast cancer in postmenopausal women (-36 percent) and lymphoma (-75 percent). There is also a reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes (-35 percent) and obesity (-31 percent).

Will we be able to de-contaminate?

"Unfortunately, all these efforts and best practices can, at best, help us adopt a low-risk approach," Veillerette says. "It seems unrealistic today to think that we can completely protect ourselves from any form of contamination."

In the face of this bitter truth, a vital question emerges: will we ever find a way to fully rid our bodies of these harmful substances?

Researchers have in recent years begun looking for ways to speed up the process, given that both PFAS and cadmium can endure for years in our bodies.

In Australia, for example, a team of researchers is currently studying the use of blood transfusions to decontaminate people heavily exposed to PFAS – which primarily bind to proteins in the body, particularly in the blood and liver.

Some 285 firefighters received blood or plasma transfusions every six weeks for one year. In both cases, these transfusions helped lower their PFAS levels.

Danish researchers have opted for a different approach, trying to intervene during the digestive process itself, during which certain PFAS are absorbed into the body instead of being evacuated.

To this end, they are studying the properties of cholestyramine, a drug normally used to lower cholesterol.

The drug was administered to residents of the town of Korsor, Denmark, identified as one of Europe’s main PFAS contamination “hot spots”. Within 12 weeks, their PFAS levels had decreased by 60 percent.

When it comes to cadmium, clinical trials are currently underway to study the effects of hemodialysis – that is to say, removing a patient’s blood and passing it through a filter outside their body to cut out toxic pollutants. As you might expect, it’s a treatment as invasive as it is costly – but one that could prove a necessary solution for people suffering from extreme contamination.

While these results may be promising, there’s a great deal of research still to be done to confirm their effectiveness – and assess their concrete effects on the patients’ long-term health.

“For now, the best course of action is to prevent contamination,” Souvet says.

And, both experts agreed, that means putting into action public policy measures that reduce contamination at the source.

This article has been translated from the original in French.

The Dartmouth Workshop: The $7,500 investment that gave birth to AI (2/2)

ANALYSIS


Some 70 years before the current frenzy of record-breaking fundraising by modern AI giants such as OpenAI and Anthropic, the Rockefeller Foundation made what may have been the first investment in the history of AI. With a $7,500 grant from the foundation in 1956, four eminent mathematicians organised the Dartmouth Workshop, where the term “artificial intelligence” was first coined.

Issued on: 01/08/2026 
FRANCE24
By: Sébastian SEIBT

The Dartmouth Workshop was where the term "artificial intelligence" was used for the first time. © FMM graphics studio, Chat GPT

In the second part of our summer series “AI before AI”, FRANCE 24 looks back at the early days of artificial intelligence. Click here to read Part I on the forgotten Soviet programme that developed early AI concepts.

Billions of dollars are now pouring into artificial intelligence, and AI start-ups have little trouble convincing investors to back them financially.

But back in 1955, the Rockefeller Foundation rejected a $13,500 request to fund a conference submitted by John McCarthy, a young American mathematician who, although promising, was still at the start of his career.

Rockefeller Foundation administrators balked at approving so much money – the equivalent of more than $160,000 today – to organise a workshop for a field of research that did not yet exist. What was “artificial intelligence”, and why devote two summer months to it at New Hampshire's Dartmouth College?

Nevertheless, McCarthy was backed by some high-profile figures and had teamed up with Marvin Minsky, another young mathematics prodigy. The two rising stars managed to convince other heavyweights to join the project. Nathaniel Rochester, who invented the first commercial computer for IBM, was one of the co-signatories of the funding application. At the time, the few computers in existence resembled large cupboards overflowing with electrical wires and bore little resemblance to today's modern computers.

McCarthy and Minsky also managed to secure the involvement of Claude Shannon, whose reputation as a mathematician was already well established following his seminal 1948 paper on the mathematical theory of communication. Shannon ranks among the names most frequently cited when discussing early AI pioneers alongside Alan Turing and John von Neumann, according to Philippe Mathieu, director of the Multi-Agent Systems and Behaviour team at the University of Lille.

They promised to explore topics at the conference including automatic computers, neural networks, the creation of a computer “programmed to use a language” and even the “self-improvement” of intelligent machines – which might today be described as “deep learning”.
The birth of AI

One man at the Rockefeller Foundation offered a ray of hope: Warren Weaver, director of the Division of Natural Sciences, had already approved funding for several landmark projects of the time, including in genetics, molecular engineering and agriculture. Weaver had also written an analysis of Shannon’s work.

“Weaver was a friend of Shannon's, which is why the application was addressed directly to him,” said Rudolf Seising, who specialises in the history of science and technology at the Deutsches Museum in Munich.

But although Weaver found the proposal interesting, he felt it was focused on how the brain works, and that brain research sounded more like medicine than mathematics, according to Seising. “He therefore forwarded it to Robert S. Morison, the director of medical research at the foundation,” he added.

Morison decided to award $7,500 to this biomathematics project, making the first AI investment in history.

Are we in an AI bubble?

Cover image: PEOPLE & PROFIT © FRANCE 24
11:59



The term “artificial intelligence” was still not yet a fait accompli. In a joint article written with Shannon, McCarthy suggested referring to “Intelligent Machines”, but “Shannon felt the term was much too big,” Seising said. They eventually settled on “Automata Studies”, which McCarthy found less promising.

“‘Artificial intelligence’ was a good term for raising money and to interest the public and policymakers. But it was not purely a marketing decision, as it also served to define a common vision; it was the starting point for a community of researchers on artificial intelligence,” said Hartmut Hirsch-Kreinsen, a sociologist who specialises in technology.

That was the aim of the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence. The group of four – McCarthy, Minsky, Shannon and von Neumann – wanted to bring together mathematicians, philosophers and economists alike to work on the future of AI.

Disappointing results?

In June 1956, the team took up residence at Dartmouth College apartments for five weeks. The true significance of the research programme is debated to this day: was this really the founding moment of AI, or were the results disappointing overall?

The conference itself yielded little of substance. Its organisers had hoped for an exchange of ideas that would in the near future enable them to demonstrate in concrete terms that “every aspect of learning or any other feature of intelligence can in principle be so precisely described that a machine can be made to simulate it”, as McCarthy wrote.

In reality, the various accounts of this historic conference show that most of the participants – the exact number of whom is not known – interacted with one another only very sporadically and were present for just a few days, sometimes simply to make use of the computers.

But the Dartmouth workshop went down in history, and the 50th anniversary of AI was celebrated in 2006.

And at least one breakthrough was unveiled at the conference: the “Logic Theorist”, considered to be the very first AI programme, was presented by its creators, Allen Newell and Herbert Simon, to the Dartmouth assembly.

Many of the workshop's participants went on to have brilliant careers, and several went on to win Turing Awards, the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for AI.

The conference even influenced the silver screen in the 1968 film, “2001: A Space Odyssey”. Director Stanley Kubrick consulted Minsky as he was developing his concept for the HAL 9000 – the hyper-rational, potentially deadly AI computer and centerpiece of the film's spaceship.

This article has been translated from the original in French.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for CYBERSYN

Brazil's Lula says he is 'in great shape' as he launches fourth term bid


Brazil's Workers' Party on Sunday formally endorsed President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, setting up his candidacy for the October elections as the 80-year-old faces increasing pressure from foreign leaders.

Issued on: 02/08/2026 - 
By: FRANCE 24

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during the Workers' Party (PT) national convention in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on August 2, 2026, where he formally announces his bid for re-election. © Miguel Schincariol, AFP


Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 80, said Sunday he was "in great shape" as he launched his candidacy for October elections, with pressure from President Donald Trump's administration looming over the campaign.

Lula, a leftist titan of Latin American politics who is loved and despised in near-equal measure in Brazil, highlighted what he called his stamina and good health as he addressed a convention of his Worker's Party (PT) in Sao Paulo attended by around 3,000 people.

"I want to fight against old age. I don't want to be shuffling along. That's why I work out my legs. That's why I work out my arms. That's why I walk for an hour," said the veteran leftist, adding he was far fitter than when he was first elected in 2002.

The former metalworker and union leader made a dramatic comeback when he returned to power three years ago after a stint in jail on corruption charges that were later annulled.

He is seeking a fourth and final term in office.

Brazil's constitution allows presidents to serve two consecutive terms. After sitting out at least one term, they can run again, with no lifetime limit on the number of terms.

In his speech to a crowd awash in red, the colour of the PT, Lula compared himself to World Cup icons like Argentina's Lionel Messi and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo.

"What people don't realise is that this World Cup of mine is the seventh," he said, referring to the number of times he has run for the top job in the past four decades.

Standing next to his wife, Rosangela da Silva, 59, he said he would not run again, because "after we hand Brazil back to the Brazilian people in perfect shape – we're going on vacation to focus on romance for another 20 years."

Lula's main election rival is Flavio Bolsonaro, eldest son of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro.

The 45-year-old senator stepped into the role after his father was convicted of plotting a coup to prevent Lula from taking power in 2023.
Trump looms

The Bolsonaro family is allied with Trump, who has backed several victorious right-wing candidates in Latin America.

"In Brazil, we do not accept anyone sticking their nose where it does not belong," said Lula.

In July, the United States imposed two rounds of tariffs on Brazilian goods, alleging unfair trade practices which Brasilia denies.

Last year, encouraged by another of Jair Bolsonaro's sons, Eduardo, Washington hiked tariffs in retaliation for the trial against the former leader. These were largely lifted after diplomatic efforts.

Staring down a renewed trade war, Lula has built his strategy around defending Brazilian sovereignty and reminding voters of his four decades as the country's most consequential political figure.

He has derided Flavio Bolsonaro as a "traitor to the nation".

"The sovereignty message comes at the perfect time for Lula. It allows him to identify an external enemy to blame for some of the problems we are facing," Leonardo Paz, a political science professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, said.

A recent survey by the Datafolha institute showed that 48 percent of those polled would vote for Lula in a second round and 43 percent for Flavio Bolsonaro.

In 2022, Lula beat Jair Bolsonaro by a razor-thin margin.

Supporters praise Lula's anti-poverty and social programs.

"I'm here today because Lula's policies changed my life and my family's. Thanks to him, we own our own home today," Cristiane Rosa Julho, a 51-year-old social worker, told AFP.

The veteran leftist's administration boasts solid economic growth and record employment levels. But families complain about the cost of living and the fiscal deficit is worsening.

Brazilians are also extremely concerned by security and corruption.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP )

Burkina Faso added to human rights watchlist over crackdown on civil society

Burkina Faso has been added to the watchlist of human rights monitoring NGO Civicus, with the country's military authorities drastically escalating restrictions on civil society and intensifying reprisals against its critics in recent months.


Issued on: 01/08/2026 - RFI

Burkina Faso's military leader Ibrahim Traoré took power in September 2022

. AP - Stanislav Krasilnikov

By: Melissa Chemam

"We have witnessed an escalating pattern of repression. But what pushed us to include the country this year is the sharp scale and intensity of state action against civil society," said Civicus's Nelson Baiye Mbu.

The NGOs cites increasingly restrictive laws, notably a law on freedom of association enacted in July 2025, for the addition of Burkina Faso to its 2026 watchlist.

This legislation introduced strict compliance requirements and regulations, which "the military authorities have instrumentalised to suspend civil society organisations and associations," said Baiye Mbu.

The military authorities dissolved 118 civil society organisations on 15 April, citing non-compliance with the new freedom of association law. A further 564 were suspended between April and May.

"These organisations were given a one-year grace period to comply, yet the suspensions came before that period ended and again one month later, on 11 June, another 245 civil society organisations were suspended," said Baiye Mbu.

"We are looking at about 1,174 civil society organisations either suspended or dissolved, and [this] comes amidst trends of silencing critical voices in the country."

Burkina Faso junta cuts diplomatic ties with former colonial ruler France

Civicus noted that the military authorities, in power since 2022, have systematically used criticism and dissent as grounds for repression, across multiple sectors.

"For example, the General Student Union of Burkina Faso published statements criticising the military authorities' security record, and the authorities responded by suspending the union," Baiye Mbu continued.

"We also have the case of the prominent Sunni Imam, Muhammad Ishaq, who was arrested in May 2026 after he publicly criticised a religious freedom bill."

The authorities also dissolved the country's 100 registered political parties in January, transferring their assets to the state – "a formality" according to Baiye Mbu, "as activities of political parties were already banned since September 2022".
Predictable deterioration

Burkina Faso's inclusion on the watchlist was anticipated, Baiye Mbu said. "If you look at the trajectory, it has been very visible since 2023."

Media outlets including French news magazine Jeune Afrique, in 2023, and broadcasters Voice of America and BBC Africa, in 2024, have had their activities suspended in the country.

Francophone TV channel TV5 Monde was suspended indefinitely on 5 May of this year.

Journalists and activists have been forcibly conscripted, with the authorities accused of using military conscription to silence their critics.

They are also increasingly limiting international scrutiny, recently suspending the United Nations Human Rights Office in Burkina Faso.

As Sahel states withdraw from ICC, NGOs warn of ‘impunity’ over war crimes

Similar trajectories have been seen in neighbouring Niger and Mali – both of which also underwent military coups and have since formed the Alliance of Sahel States with Burkina Faso, with all three leaving regional body the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas).

"What's striking is that all three countries... have made a deliberate choice to align themselves together rather than remain within traditional regional structures, presenting themselves as distinct from the wider West African community," said Baiye Mbu.

"But what is peculiar about Burkina Faso in this equation is the intensity and the pace of civil space contraction," he added.

"So, while Mali and Niger may be competing in this area, Burkina Faso's 2026 civil space record represents a particularly aggressive consolidation of military authority, with very little space left for dissent or independent organising."

No go for Infantino: How FIFA's World Cup private investment plan imploded

The planet's most powerful football administrator Gianni Infantino on Saturday yielded to the international collective when he pulled the plug on a plan to allow private investment in the World Cup. His proposals for world football's governing body FIFA to reform its commercial operations had sparked a furious backlash.


Issued on: 01/08/2026 - RFI

Football federations across the globe combined to voice their unhappiness with plans from the world game's governing body Fifa to reform the commercial operations of its competitions. REUTERS - Lee Smith

The setback to his authority came less than two weeks after the 56-year-old declared the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada as the most successful tournament in its 96-year history.

Infantino's fall from the crest took place over five days.

Tuesday

The British newspaper The Times breaks the story. European football's governing body Uefa issues a statement: "None of us are the owners of football. It is not Fifa's to sell."


Fifa, having issued a "no comment" to The Times, reveals details of the plan saying: "It would retain a majority share in Fifa Forward Enterprise (FFE)" but hoped to raise €3.64 billion later this year by "carefully selecting long-term investors who will purchase minority, non-controlling interests".

Wednesday

If Infantino had been hoping for reassurance from other confederations he was to be disappointed.

Concacaf, Central and North American football's governing body – which includes the co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup – said it was deeply concerned at having not been consulted.

"We share the disappointment of many within our region and the game that this level of detail has been designed and shared publicly before any discussion with the relevant governance bodies and stakeholders has taken place," read the Concacaf statement.

The Asian Football Confederation expressed its disappointment at not being informed of the plans.

Various media outlets reported Infantino had sent a letter to Fifa's member associations saying they will each receive €34 million if they back the plan but they must sign up by 19 September.

"Fans from everywhere in the world would gain immeasurably from this game-changing potential because it will transform football in their countries," said Infantino on Wednesday in a video.

Thursday

Infantino's video message fails to stem the anger. European football's ruling body issues a statement saying its 55 members, which included World Cup winners Spain as well as semi-finalists England and France, say they will boycott all Fifa competitions.

"No Uefa national teams will participate in any Fifa competition for so long as these proposals remain alive," read Uefa's statement.

Infantino took a further hit when Concacaf's 41 members unanimously rejected the proposal.

Friday

Seemingly impervious to the mounting criticism and shrugging aside Uefa's threat of a boycott, Fifa ploughed on. It released a statement blaming media misreporting of the proposals.

"Nobody is selling football," Fifa said in the statement. "This is not something Fifa would ever entertain.

"We respect the feedback and concern aired in public and reaffirm our commitment to an open and democratic consultation," the statement added.

Carlos Cordeiro, Infantino's special advisor on the White House task force for the 2026 World Cup, resigns.

"Let me be clear: I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally," said the former investment banker and ex-head of the US Soccer Federation in his resignation letter.

"It is a bad deal for Fifa's member associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game."

The AFC also chipped in offering little succour to the increasingly beleaguered Infantino.

"The fact that the situation has reached the point where the real possibility of a Fifa World Cup boycott has entered public discourse should concern everyone who cares about the future of our game," said the AFC.

South America's governing body, Conmebol, issued a statement saying it had requested additional information and clarifications about the proposals.

Saturday

Infantino admitted defeat.

"Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve," Infantino said in a statement.

"As a result, this proposal will not proceed."

(With newswires)

ABOLISH PRISONS

Sri Lanka deploys troops after prison riot

Colombo (AFP) – Sri Lanka deployed hundreds of troops and elite commandos on Sunday to contain riots at an overcrowded prison in which one inmate was killed and six others wounded, police said.


Issued on: 02/08/2026 - RFI

Sri Lankan Army personnel patrol outside the riot-hit Mahara Prison on the outskirts of Colombo © Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP

Deputy police inspector-general Sanjeewa Medawatte said the situation was under control after inmates destroyed multiple buildings on Saturday inside Mahara Prison, just outside the capital Colombo.

"We got reinforcements from the armed forces and the Special Task Force commandos to restore order and send the inmates back to their cells," Medawatte told reporters outside the prison.

In November 2020, a riot erupted at the facility in which 11 inmates were shot and killed, and nearly 120 others wounded.

The latest unrest came almost a month after another prison riot in the same region, in which 10 guards and 21 inmates were killed.

Police say a riot at the Mahara Prison on the outskirts of Colombo killed an inmate © Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP

Medawatte said inmates at Mahara Prison had completely destroyed the kitchen, the hospital, a newly built rehabilitation building and vocational training facilities.

The prison housed 4,100 inmates, about four times its capacity, an issue common across the country's jails.

Last month, the authorities announced plans to convert disused state buildings into prisons.

More than three-quarters of the inmates in Sri Lanka are remand prisoners awaiting trial, and most are held in connection with drug offences.

© 2026 AFP

'Marriage is no longer a shield': new law in Mauritius recognises marital rape

Mauritius's parliament has unanimously voted to criminalise marital rape and impose harsher sentences for femicide, after a spate of violent attacks against women exposed serious gaps in protection. New reforms aim to improve safeguards for victims who have long gone unheard and unprotected.


Issued on: 02/08/2026 - RFI

A protester at a demonstration in Nairobi against the rise in cases of femicide in Kenya. © AP/Brian Inganga

By:  Zeenat Hansrod

"We are refining the law, thereby ensuring that the most horrific and despicable crimes are punished for what they are," Gavin Glover, the country's attorney general told parliament last July.

Nine women were killed in 2025 by a partner, former partner or family member. Four more have died this year.

One in four Mauritian women has experienced gender-based violence, according to government figures.

United Nations figures show the African continent has the world's highest rate of intimate partner and family-related femicide, at three victims per 100,000 women – double the rate in the Americas and six times that in Europe.

"The situation in Mauritius left us with no alternative but to bring stronger laws to protect victims of domestic abuse. This is about the most brutal form of oppression there is: violence, rape, killing – and more importantly about the place where it hides best, the family unit," Glover told RFI.

'Horrifying case'

On 10 December, 2025, the Supreme Court sentenced the husband of 24-year-old Sheena to life imprisonment for her killing, describing her death as "a horrifying case of femicide" and noted "a deeply troubling rise in violent attacks on women by partners or former partners".

Sheena had left her violent husband and rebuilt her life, taking a job at a hotel. He followed her and harassed her there. She sought police help several times – the last time on 5 November, 2019, just three days before he abducted, brutalised and raped her, then stabbed her 22 times in a sugarcane field.

The Minister of Gender and Equality noted that of 10 women killed by their partners over a 15-month period, seven had held a police protection order.

"Clearly there was a flaw in the system. We have somehow failed these women. If they were protected, then how come they were killed?" asked Najah Ahmed, deputy chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of Mauritius.

"A protection order that is not enforced is a mere piece of paper," Glover said.

He explained that the three new amendments to the 1838 Criminal Code – covering marital rape and femicide – work hand in hand with the Domestic Abuse Act passed on 10 July.

“Together they ensure our criminal law names, confronts and punishes violence committed by those closest to a victim: in the home, in the family, in a relationship,” he said.

Harsher sentences

The amendments, voted through on 21 July, address marital rape and femicide. The sentence for murder "in aggravating circumstances where the victim was, inter alia, subject to acts of domestic abuse" is now 15 years to life. Marital rape carries a sentence of 10 to 45 years.

For Passerelle, an organisation which supports female victims of domestic violence and human trafficking, the reforms empower them to tell victims the system is listening, and that the law will protect them.

“A 29-year-old victim came to our shelter a few weeks ago. She said her husband regularly forced her to have sex. She thought it was something normal, something she had to accept,” said Kashif Imambaccass, Passerelle’s legal advisor.

"Rape is rape, and consent means the same thing inside a marriage as outside it. Marriage, civil or religious, is no longer a shield," said Glover.

“If anyone has non-consensual sex with his lawful wedded wife, companion, partner, girlfriend, he can no longer tell the police, the prosecutor or the judge: 'we are together, we live together, its normal'. No, it’s not normal – it is in fact, worse.”

'Every time there's a big rape case in France, it's like we're just discovering it'

The new Domestic Abuse Act also provides for protection for those in same-sex relationships, widening the definition of who can be an offender – "one of the most noteworthy changes", according to Ahmed.

Economic abuse and coercive control are now also clearly defined under the new law.

Glover has also announced an upcoming revision of the country's definition of rape, towards an approach centred on positive consent.

Women in Mauritius demonstrating in the capital, Port-Louis, in 2019 demanding better laws to protect victims of gender-based violence. © Passerelle.

'Living in fear'

Ahmed, recalling the times as a young barrister she accompanied victims of domestic violence to police stations, told RFI: “There have been instances when officers tried to turn me away, assuming I did not know the law. So imagine how hard it is for a victim alone, without a lawyer or anyone else, to hear 'this is between husband and wife, why don't you two work it out?’ and be casually dismissed."

Police officers will now be trained in how to receive such complaints – which, alongside raising public awareness, will be a challenge, said Ahmed.

Marital rape remains taboo in Mauritius, Glover told parliament: "The Bill removes the automatic immunity of the husband."

Imambaccass told RFI he does not believe only law reforms can bring deep changes.

"I'm not sure the amendments alone can deter offenders. They already know they have done something illegal. What matters more is every stakeholder being involved: neighbours, family, police."

He said victims live in fear as partners play mind games with them, and that it often takes a long time following calls to Passerelle for a woman to eventually leave her home for shelter.

The organisation runs two shelters – one currently housing 35 human trafficking victims, the other for domestic violence victims, currently home to 20 mothers and children.

"The women at our shelters need long-term housing and financial independence to get back on track," Imambaccass said. "Many left home with the abuser still living there. If they leave our shelter, they will be on the streets, as [they are] often rejected by their own families."

Under the new legal framework, police must investigate any violent act even if a victim withdraws a protection order. Orders can now be issued on the spot, even remotely by a magistrate, and an exclusion order requires the offender – not the victim – to leave the home, with psychological support guaranteed to victims and children.

“That is how femicide is prevented: not at the graveside, but at the first blow, the first violation, the first police report,” said Glover.

France tightens checks on foreign investment amid concerns over national security

France is strengthening its oversight of non-European investment in strategically important companies, lowering the threshold at which foreign share purchases require government approval.


Issued on: 03/08/2026 - RFI

France's Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu leaves after the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on 22 July 2026. AFP - DIMITAR DILKOFF

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu issued a decree on Sunday extending France’s investment-screening system to acquisitions of 10 percent or more of a listed French company operating in a sensitive sector – regardless of whether its shares are traded in France or abroad.

The government said the measure was intended to prevent opportunistic investors from acquiring influential stakes in French businesses and technologies considered vital to national security.

Under the previous rules, transactions were generally subject to screening when a non-European investor acquired 25 percent of the voting rights in a French company.

A lower 10 percent threshold already applied to certain French companies listed on regulated markets. The decree broadens that protection to French businesses listed outside the European Union, closing a potential gap in the existing system.

The government said the change was needed “to guard against opportunistic, non-European equity acquisitions in French companies listed outside the EU that could pose threats to national security”.

Strategic industries

France has gradually expanded its foreign-investment controls over the past decade, amid concern that critical businesses could be taken over or weakened by investors whose interests do not align with those of the French state.

The screening system allows the economy ministry to examine transactions involving activities that could affect public order, public security or national defence.

The sectors covered include defence, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum technology, robotics, space operations and goods with both civilian and military applications.

Controls also extend to essential infrastructure and services in energy, water, transport, telecommunications and healthcare, as well as food security, political and general-interest news media and critical raw materials.

Low-carbon technologies, energy storage and biotechnology have also been brought within the system as France seeks to protect industries considered important to its future economic and technological independence.

The decree comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions and a broader European shift towards treating investment, supply chains and advanced technologies as matters of sovereignty rather than purely commercial concerns.

France has previously approved sensitive foreign acquisitions only after securing commitments on employment, production, research or the continued operation of strategic facilities.

The sale of a controlling stake in Sanofi’s consumer health business Opella – which makes the widely used painkiller Doliprane – to a US investment fund in 2024 prompted a fierce debate over foreign ownership and industrial sovereignty.

The deal was ultimately approved after the government obtained guarantees on jobs, production and the continued manufacture of key medicines in France.

Attracting investment

The government is nevertheless seeking to avoid unnecessary delays for companies that need to raise money on international markets.

Under the new rules, the finance ministry must decide within 10 days of receiving an application whether the proposed transaction requires a more detailed examination.

The accelerated assessment is intended to give companies and investors greater certainty while preserving the state’s ability to investigate deals that could raise national-security concerns.

The measure highlights the balancing act facing the government – protecting sensitive businesses while continuing to attract the foreign capital needed to support investment, innovation and employment.

France remained Europe’s leading destination for foreign investment projects in 2024, according to consultancy EY, although the number of projects fell by 14 percent to 1,025. The number of jobs associated with those investments declined by 27 percent to around 29,000.

The new rules are due to enter into force later in August.

(with newswires)