Ukraine says speed limits on Starlink are still hampering military efforts to fight off Russian drones, days after a surprise network slowdown that Kyiv called deliberate and Washington denied ordering.

European lawmakers have kicked off what's likely to be a long and fierce negotiation over the bloc's seven-year budget. Member states are divided on spending priorities, and pending elections in countries including France and Italy are adding pressure to the talks in Brussels. Also in the show: AI stocks lose a trillion dollars in this week's tech stock sell-off, and Ledger's CTO Charles Guillemet explains why AI is changing the security landscape. 

Artificial intelligence is "changing the security landscape". That's according to Ledger, a French unicorn of cryptocurrency that's seeking a bigger role in digital security. Chief Technology Officer Charles Guillemet says: "Finding vulnerabilities and exploiting them costs almost nothing. So this is the new challenge that we have, as the security industry in general – how can we raise the bar for security so it becomes so difficult to break systems? And I think hardware is part of the equation."

China and North Korea formally opened the Yalu River Bridge on Thursday, connecting Dandong in China with Sinuiju in North Korea. Beijing says the bridge will promote economic and trade cooperation.

The French glassmaker Duralex is known for its practically unbreakable tableware – and business model. It's been pulled back from the brink for the fifth time in 25 years, by an entrepreneur who is vowing a new, environmentally conscious chapter for the manufacturer. Also in the show: high energy prices fuel inflation in the US just weeks before midterm elections, and Greenland hits back at US President Donald Trump's plans for "massive" oil, gas and mineral exploration there. 

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stops by Paris to tout new stakes in French AI-enabled tech firms like medical booking site Doctolib. Also in this edition: OpenAI says it caught a spy red-handed, and China's trade surplus continues to boom despite soaring energy costs and trade conflicts.

China has moved from exporting cars to bringing entire auto industry ecosystems, building up production capacity in Europe and boosting partnerships with local companies. Arthur D. Little's automotive expert Philipp Seidel tells FRANCE 24 that while tariffs and quotas can buy time, EU carmakers must improve their own competitiveness and not become too dependent on Chinese suppliers. But first, we look at the latest IMF global growth forecasts and warning about rising debt. 

François Picard is pleased to welcome Valdemar Osted, partner and head of technology at Danish digital consultants Common Consultancy. Can the fear of disinformation become as dangerous to democracy as disinformation itself? Osted challenges widely circulated claims that attacks on Russian data centres have triggered a sudden collapse in online engagement among supporters of US President Donald Trump and Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). Drawing on social media monitoring and research into inauthentic behaviour, Osted reports finding no unusual decline in Facebook interactions following the attacks.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts that global economic output will slow to 3.1% this year in spite of geopolitical disruptions, but warns that high inflation and AI share valuations could be risks for financial stability. Also in this edition: Russia says it has exported $320 billion worth of oil and gas to European countries since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, despite sanctions. Plus: Dangote refinery extends its IPO deadline by two weeks to attract even more retail investors.

The IMF has raised its 2026 global growth forecast slightly to 3.1%, citing the resilience of advanced economies despite rising energy prices caused by the Iran war. But it warned that poorer countries that are not benefiting from the AI boom remain particularly vulnerable to energy shocks, economic uncertainty and mounting debt.