Research carried out by the Alliance4Europe NGO suggests that pro-Russian networks manipulated information online in an effort to exacerbate anger in France ahead of last weekend's massive protests and subsequent unrest. After analysing more than half a million posts across various social media platforms, the group says it was able to track the campaign back to the start of September. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks with Omri Preiss, Managing Director at the Alliance4Europe.
Egypt's parliament on Monday delayed a debate on President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's request to authorise military support for Saudi Arabia until next week, state media reported, after an emergency session ended without a decision a day earlier. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks with Dr May Darwich, Associate Professor in International Relations of the Middle East at the University of Birmingham. She explains that "this kind of military operation does not really have any objectives or exit strategy so at the moment this might actually weaken Egypt's regional role".
In the wake of the weekend violence in France, political camps have been trading blame for the "chaos". The riots have played into the hands of the far-right National Rally, which has been quick to capitalise on the anger and fears over law and order. Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Dr David Lees, Reader in French Studies at the University of Warwick, says that far-right candidate Marine Le Pen "is trying to use these events as a vehicle for pushing her popularity ahead of the elections next year".