French polls show Macron’s lead holding

Niger's coup leaders have tried to expel France's ambassador, but Paris says it doesn't recognize their authority to order him out. Macron said on TV he was "literally" a "hostage," stuck in the French Embassy in Niamey.

China has sharply rejected statements made by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in the United States about Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

King Charles III's first state visit to France this week will include echoes of his mother's many trips across the English Channel. Like Queen Elizabeth II did in her day, he will process through the streets of Paris, plant a tree at the British ambassador's residence and dine at the Palace of Versailles.

African Development Bank President, Akinwumi Adesina faults global finance architecture.

Its grapes are twice fermented, which is the same as the process used to make prosecco. However, prosecco is fermented in stainless steel vats and champagne is twice fermented in glass bottles. The result is two very different sparkling wines. Champagne retains a dryness and develops a very complex flavour profile.

Deep in France's southern Lubéron mountains lies a stunning red and orange landscape reminiscent of the vast plains of America: the Colorado provençal. This spot of wild nature is in fact a former open-cast ochre quarry. Every year, some 300,000 visitors venture through these 30 unusual hectares, between fairy chimneys and strange sculptures, to discover the remains of the site's industrial past.

Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Saturday.

This week in Across Africa, Georja Calvin-Smith speaks to Namibian President Hage Geingob ahead of his arrival in New York for the UN General Assembly. He shares his perspective on governance, the impact of Africa's first climate change summit and the role of the African Union in responding to regional upheaval.

Germany and France decided to jointly develop key weapons systems, but several have been abandoned. And now, the MGCS battle tank prestige project is meeting a lot of resistance.

The French president said military cooperation with the West African nation would end and France's soldiers stationed there would return home by the end of the year.

This week in Across Africa, Georja Calvin-Smith speaks to Namibian President Hage Geingob ahead of his arrival in New York for the UN General Assembly. He shares his perspective on governance, the impact of Africa's first climate change summit and the role of the African Union in responding to regional upheaval.

The German and US defense ministers have said they see no immediate need to leave Niger, following France's decision to withdraw troops. Niamey's junta has been more focused on the former colonial power's presence.