By Marco Hugo Barsotti MHB 
Welcome to am1575news, the bulletin of Francia24 and Radio Centrale Milano for Thursday August 27, 2026 in podcasting, on medium wave and on franceoggi.com. In the newsroom in Nice Marco Hugo Barsotti, from Paris Rachel Costa.
News from France
Twenty‑three departments on orange alert for thunderstorms on Thursday afternoon, Corsica on heatwave alert
Twenty‑three French departments have been placed under orange vigilance for thunderstorms on Thursday 27 August, starting in the afternoon, according to the national weather service bulletin released at 6 a.m. The alert concerns Allier, Aube, Calvados, Cantal, Côte‑d’Or, Eure, Loire, Maine‑et‑Loire, Haute‑Marne, Mayenne, Nièvre, Nord, Oise, Orne, Pas‑de‑Calais, Puy‑de‑Dôme, Haute‑Saône, Saône‑et‑Loire, Sarthe, Seine‑Maritime, Somme, Vosges and Yonne.
Météo‑France forecasts a “strong thunderstorm episode with marked risk of violent phenomena”. Expected conditions include hail ranging from 2 cm to 5 cm, intense precipitation with hourly totals up to 30 mm, winds that can reach 80‑100 km/h and, locally, exceed that threshold, as well as strong electrical activity. In the Auvergne, Burgundy and Vosges areas, violent rotating phenomena are possible.
Meanwhile, the two provinces of Corsica (Corse‑du‑Sud and Haute‑Corse) have been placed under orange vigilance for the heatwave. Temperatures are expected to range between 31 °C and 34 °C, with peaks up to 36 °C in the Sartène area.
franceinfo, 27/08/2026
Fact Check by Gemma4.
Maria Carolina of the Two Sicilies and Jordan Bardella share a tender summer memory
Maria Carolina of Bourbon‑Sicily relived her vacation days on her Instagram profile, sharing a series of photos that alternate family scenes, nature and more intimate moments. Among the images, the princess appears in a sunflower field, on horseback, with a light‑blue dress against a Mediterranean backdrop and, in a particular snapshot, next to Jordan Bardella. The two, smiling, hold hands in front of the camera, with the RN politician resting his head on his phone.
The summer ended in Porto Cervo, where the family owns a villa and where Maria Carolina spent several days with her parents, Charles and Camilla, and with her sister Maria Chiara. She also shared a photo of an eclipse over the sea.
Despite their constant privacy, the two found time to be together during the summer break. Jordan Bardella, for his part, had posted short videos of “calm moments” between sea and mountains and confirmed his passion for Italian cuisine, especially for amatriciana pasta, prepared by the princess.
The carousel thus confirms a summer complicity between the 23‑year‑old young duchess and the political leader, showing that even behind the scenes of private life, the two manage to share moments of joy. Gala, 26 August 2026
Fact Check by Gemma4.
Distributors warn: fruit and vegetables smaller, uglier and more expensive due to the heatwave
The heatwaves and drought that have hit agriculture this summer have already left clear marks on supermarket shelves. According to Dominique Schelcher, CEO of Coopérative U, fruit and vegetable prices have risen on average by 13 percent compared with last year and the products arrive in supply chains with significantly smaller sizes. “For potatoes the situation is critical: the next fries will be much smaller,” Schelcher added in a statement to the newspaper Le Parisien.
The group therefore decided to relax its quality standards, accepting “fruit and vegetables with less regular shape, which were previously discarded.” The goal, according to the executive, is to support French farmers and encourage consumers to still buy these products, more “ugly but available,” so as not to exacerbate the shortage phenomenon the sector is experiencing.
Carrefour’s president, Alexandre Bompard, also confirmed the situation in a live radio interview on RTL, describing the products as “less beautiful, smaller” and emphasizing the need to “get used” to these new market conditions.
Agricultural producers’ forecasts are not optimistic: the potato harvest is expected to drop by 23 percent compared with the previous year, marking the lowest yield in the last three decades, with an estimated loss of at least €400 million. Sugar beet production is also expected to fall by 20 percent relative to the five‑year average. Despite these figures, Schelcher believes that “prices overall will remain stable” and forecasts reductions in other consumer categories, such as hygiene, detergents and perfume products.
In summary, the combination of intense heat and drought is transforming the fruit‑and‑vegetable supply chain, forcing large distributors to lower quality criteria and to inform customers about the arrival of smaller, less attractive and more expensive produce. BFM Business, 26 August 2026
Fact Check by Gemma4.
Rachel’s Editorial – Collectible Fruit, Museum‑Priced Fruit
I’m now reading you my editorial of the day.
Distributors tell us that we will have to get used to smaller, uglier and more expensive fruit, as if they were the latest gadgets of a climatic Black Friday. But did they really explain why the potato shrank? No, they merely rolled out the sacrifice menu: “buy the leftovers, save the farmers”. Isn’t this the most sophisticated form of marketing: turning famine into an invitation to conscious consumption, but without asking a cent more for the awareness?
The heatwave has hit agriculture and now the price has risen by an average of 13 %. It is curious, however, that the same companies that promoted abundance in the Christmas campaigns now appear on TV dressed as monks of sobriety. Have you ever seen a CEO pray for the “solidarity” of customers when his balance sheet is threatened by a fruitless harvest? And who, ultimately, pays the higher price: the consumer or the politically correct “agro sector” that takes credit for saving the planet with a tiny apple?
The Carrefour CEO’s speech, “we will have to get used”, sounds like a prophecy of bad common sense. It’s a bit like telling travelers to watch out for lighter luggage because the plane is cheaper. Agreed, but the problem is not the weight that worries us, it’s the quality. Yet, the distributors’ response is an invitation to buy “uglier products”. It feels like a beauty contest where the prize is a reduced‑size potato fry: smaller, more expensive, but still sold.
In the end, the great dilemma remains: are we really willing to pay more for “civilized fruit” or will we converge into a future where the weekly grocery bill becomes a ritual of resignation? Perhaps the true protest is learning to cook with less, or forgetting the supermarket and returning to growing what we can. Or, more realistically, asking authorities not to turn drought into a new profit model.
Koan of the day
A monk asked the Master: “If the market sells us smaller and more expensive apples, is it the fault of the climate or our vanity?”
The Master replied: “The climate does not bother to put labels, but vanity knows how to package every flaw as a novelty.”
The monk then insisted: “Then, what is the true fruit of wisdom: accepting the price or cultivating patience?”
The Master smiled and said: “The sweetest fruit grows where bread is no longer needed, but the hunger for wisdom always remains at zero cost.”
But let’s return to the news.
Meta will have to pay up to $18 billion to end accusations of harm to minors
The social‑network giant Meta has agreed to a $18 billion settlement (about £13.3 billion) with 48 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and three U.S. territories to resolve claims that Facebook and Instagram had harmed children. California judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers approved the plea deal, describing it as fair, reasonable and comprehensive, not only to provide a financial compensation but also to impose concrete changes in the company’s conduct.
Meta said it does not admit wrongdoing, specifying that the payment will be made in annual installments over a decade. Among the imposed measures, the new standards include a two‑hour daily usage limit for teenagers, activatable only with parental consent, automatic disabling of “likes”, a “school” mode that silences notifications during school hours, and a “night mode” that blocks notifications between midnight and six a.m., set by default and deactivatable only by a guardian. In addition, alerts will be introduced when a young user exceeds fifteen minutes of continuous use and notifications for the milestones of sixty and ninety minutes, a feed free of personalized algorithms, the ability to disable video and content autoplay, and the removal of extreme makeup filters.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the settlement “an important moment to clean up an industry that has hurt our children.” Meta’s chief legal officer CJ Mahoney said the negotiated framework will enable parents to more easily manage children’s access to the platforms. Also, Instagram head Adam Mosseri stated that he has always worked for teen safety.
The plea follows a lawsuit filed in 2023 by 29 states, while New Mexico, not part of the settlement, recently issued a historic ruling that labeled Meta a “public nuisance” comparable to air pollution, imposing fines of nearly $1 billion. Washington D.C. U.S. Attorney Brian Schwalb hailed the agreement as a “monumental victory for public health”.
The settlement also provides that if other platforms such as TikTok, Snap and YouTube adopt similar measures, the daily limit for adolescents could be reduced to one hour. Bonta urged those competitors to follow Meta’s model, threatening to step up his office’s intervention should they not comply.
BBC News, 26 August 2026
Fact Check by Gemma4.
Welcome to the international bulletin from FranciaOggi and Radio Centrale Milano for Thursday August 27, 2026 on FranciaOggi.com in podcasting and on Medium Wave at 1575 kHz.
From Paris, I am Rachel Costa.
The new skyscraper in New York’s Chinatown will become the world’s tallest prison
The real estate project, located in the heart of Manhattan’s Chinatown, plans to build a tower over 300 meters tall to house a next‑generation prison. Local authorities have approved the plan, highlighting the architectural innovation and the need for more detention spaces in a city where space is limited. The facility will include advanced‑security cells, rehabilitation areas and spaces dedicated to social reintegration programs.
The initiative has sparked debate among human‑rights activists, who fear an overly punitive approach, and supporters of the proposal, who describe it as a more efficient model for managing the penal system. If realized, the building will become part of the New York skyline, becoming a controversial symbol of how the city tackles crime and incarceration.
Algeria reduces the use of French in public institutions
The Algerian government has launched a process of gradually eliminating the French language from official communications and administrative documents, progressively replacing it with Arabic. The measure, announced by the Ministry of Education, aims to strengthen national identity and promote the mother tongue in schools and public offices. Some local authorities have already begun removing French signage, replacing them with Arabic versions.
The provision has sparked heated debates among cultural groups: on one side, supporters of “Arabization” celebrate the decision as a step toward cultural independence; on the other, French‑speaking businesses and part of the population fear possible economic isolation and a reduction in access to international linguistic resources. The event has attracted the attention of European observers, concerned about the impact on trade relations with France.
The United States allocates $2.2 billion to modular nuclear reactors
The U.S. Department of Defense announced a $2.2 billion investment for the development and deployment of small modular nuclear reactors (SMR). The goal is to provide autonomous and safe energy to military bases worldwide, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and improving operational resilience. The program includes collaboration with companies specialized in building these plants, which promise faster installation times and lower costs compared with traditional reactors.
Energy experts underline that SMRs could represent a breakthrough for the transition to low‑emission sources, but concerns remain about the management of radioactive waste and safety requirements. The initiative, part of a broader plan to modernize military infrastructure, is seen as a decisive step toward energy autonomy for the armed forces.
The world’s first patient undergoing AI‑assisted brain surgery successfully completes the procedure
A 34‑year‑old man with a rare brain tumor was operated with the aid of a real‑time artificial‑intelligence system that guided the surgeon in precisely removing the malignant tissue. The technology, developed by a start‑up specializing in medical imaging, processed milliseconds of intra‑operative data, allowing vital functions to be preserved without compromising complete excision of the neoplasm.
Doctors said the procedure dramatically reduced the risk of collateral damage and shortened the patient’s recovery time. The positive outcome could promote large‑scale adoption of AI‑assisted systems in neurosurgery, accelerating research on personalized therapies for complex oncological diseases.
Meta resolves the legal case related to minors with an $18 billion settlement
Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has concluded a legal dispute with authorities of 52 U.S. states, paying a sum of $18 billion for allegations concerning child safety on its social network. The agreement also includes adopting new protection standards, limiting the collection of personal data of young users and introducing stricter controls on the content they can access.
The operation represents the largest settlement ever recorded for a child‑safety issue in the digital sector. Consumer‑rights organizations welcomed the corrective measures, while market analysts are questioning the impact of such a payment on Meta’s financial results and the company’s ability to maintain its advertising‑based business model.
Nvidia shares rise after announcement of revenue growth expected at 70 percent for the next fiscal year
The semiconductor giant released its second‑quarter fiscal results, beating analysts’ forecasts thanks to exceptional demand for AI‑dedicated chips. The CEO said revenue for fiscal year 2028 should grow by about seventy percent, a significant increase over market estimates. The company attributed the success to contracts with major cloud‑service providers and growing adoption of AI technologies across various industrial sectors.
Wall‑street analysts noted that Nvidia’s rapid growth could position it as the second‑largest tech company by revenue worldwide. However, they warned of possible competitive pressures, especially from emerging specialized chip manufacturers, which could reduce profit margins in the medium term.
Nvidia acquires open‑source platform Hugging Face for $12.9 billion
In a strategic move to consolidate its leadership in artificial intelligence, Nvidia completed the purchase of Hugging Face, a company known for its open‑source language‑model library. The $12.9 billion deal will allow Nvidia to directly integrate the most widely used natural‑language‑processing models into its platform, accelerating the development of AI applications for enterprises and researchers.
Market observers interpreted the operation as an attempt to reduce the start‑up’s reliance on external suppliers and to strengthen the development ecosystem around Nvidia’s proprietary chips. The acquisition is expected to spur further investment in advanced research and reinforce the company’s position in the global race for AI supremacy.
Weather Paris, Monaco Monte Carlo and Milan for Thursday August 27, 2026
Paris – a day of clouds and scattered rain, according to expert Régis Crêpet
Morning in Paris starts with temperatures around 20 °C, very cloudy skies and brief clearings, wind blowing at 10 km/h with gusts that can reach 25 km/h and a 45 % chance of rain.
In the afternoon temperatures rise to 28 °C, the sky remains very cloudy with occasional sun rays, wind stays moderate at 10 km/h but gusts intensify up to 30 km/h and the chance of precipitation drops to 40 %. In the evening the temperature falls to 22 °C, clouds thicken again and wind maintains its speed of 10 km/h with gusts of 30 km/h, while the rain risk rises to 55 %. During the night temperatures drop to 19 °C, wind eases slightly to 10 km/h with gusts of 20 km/h and the chance of rain reduces to 30 %. Overall the day will have a minimum of 20 °C and a maximum of 28 °C, with weak‑moderate winds from north‑north‑west. The scent of rain will be noticeable especially between late afternoon and evening, so we recommend umbrellas and light jackets.
Monaco – clear and warm sky, no rain surprises
In the morning in Monaco the sky is mostly clear, temperature is 27 °C, wind blows from the east at 25 km/h with gusts up to 40 km/h and there is no chance of rain.
In the afternoon temperature reaches 30 °C, the sky becomes partly cloudy but remains dry, wind maintains its intensity of 25 km/h with gusts of 40 km/h and the UV index rises to 6.
In the evening temperatures drop to 27 °C, the sky opens with a few denser clouds, wind comes from the east at 10 km/h and no showers are expected.
At night temperature holds around 26 °C, the sky remains very cloudy, the east wind weakens to 10 km/h but can reach gusts of 35 km/h, and the chance of rain hovers around 45 %. The thermal minimum will be 27 °C and the maximum 30 °C, with stronger winds in the morning and afternoon. The mild and dry climate will make any stroll along the harbor pleasant, but remember to protect yourself from the intense afternoon sun.
Milan – sun and heat with light winds, according to expert Daniele Berlusconi of 3BMeteo
Morning in Milan the thermometer reads 24 °C, the sky is partly cloudy with large clearings, wind is almost calm at 2 km/h from north‑north‑east and no precipitation is expected.
Late morning temperature remains stable around 25 °C, the sky shows scattered veils, wind increases slightly to 3 km/h from the east and the feels‑like temperature is 26 °C.
At noon temperature rises to 28 °C, the sky is lightly clouded, wind is weak, 3 km/h from the east, and no rain is in sight.
Afternoon continues with temperatures gently rising, reaching 30 °C around 14:00, wind remains very light, 2 km/h from east‑south‑east, and the chance of rain stays at 0 %. Late afternoon, around 16:00, temperatures hit 31 °C, the sky remains clear or slightly clouded, wind drops to 1 km/h from east‑south‑east, and any chance of rain remains negligible.
Evening temperatures drop to 29 °C, the sky may have a few scattered clouds, wind stays weak at 1 km/h, with a slight rain probability of 5 % around 20:00.
During the night temperature falls to 27 °C, scattered clouds increase slightly, wind is light at 1 km/h from north‑north‑east, and the chance of rain rises to 15 % around 22:00.
The day’s thermal minimum will be 24 °C, the maximum 31 °C, with weak winds throughout the day.
Rachel’s Weather Editorial – Climate is just an excuse to sell thermometers
It is truly surprising how some want to attribute every tiny temperature variation to the great adversary called climate change: one extra cloud? Guilty! A light breeze that brings coolness? Must be a meteorologists’ conspiracy. So why do we keep buying expensive wall thermometers as if they were secret weapons against global warming? Rhetorical question: if the climate really is changing, why not inform us with a simple forecast instead of creating panic with incomprehensible terms? Perhaps it’s more fun to sell alarmism with colorful charts than to keep us calm with a simple “it will be hotter tomorrow”. In the end, meteorology is a profession, not an entire religion.
Koan of the day
A monk asked: “What is the true face of the weather today?”
Zhaozhou replied: “It is the sun’s shadow dancing on the clouds of Paris, the heat that envelops Monaco and the gentle wind of Milan.”
The monk responded: “So the weather is a symphony of temperatures and winds?”
Zhaozhou concluded: “It is the silent melody you hear when the sky opens.”
And that is today’s weather.
Sign-off.
Online, on X and Mastodon, on all smart speakers and on medium wave, this is FranciaOggi with Centrale Milano 1575 kilohertz.