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Algeria Gate: France’s unemployment rate climbed to 8.3% in the second quarter of 2026; the highest level in about six years, underscoring mounting pressure on the French economy amid slowing growth and the rising costs of economic and geopolitical crises.

French Unemployment Rate Reaches 8.3% in Q2 2026

The French unemployment rate rose again in the second quarter of 2026 to 8.3%, its highest reading in nearly six years. The increase highlights growing strains on the French labour market as economic growth slows and the fallout from geopolitical and climate-related shocks intensifies.

Labour Minister Blames Weak Growth and Geopolitical Shocks

French Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou said the deterioration in the labour market is primarily linked to weak economic growth. He pointed to the consequences of conflict in the Middle East, particularly the war involving Iran and the resulting disruptions in energy markets and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, along with heatwaves and wildfires that have affected large parts of the country.

In an interview with the newspaper Journal du Dimanche, the minister explained that limited economic growth was the main driver behind the rise in unemployment. Higher gas and fuel prices stemming from the regional conflict have added further pressure on economic activity. At the same time, extreme heat and widespread forest fires have hindered any rapid recovery or improvement in labour-market performance.

Jobless Numbers Climb by 62,000

According to the French statistics agency, the unemployment rate increased to 8.3% from 8.1% in the previous period. Data from the International Labour Office showed that the number of unemployed people rose by around 62,000 in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the first quarter, bringing the total to approximately 2.7 million.

This represents a 0.2 percentage-point increase from the first quarter of the year and reflects ongoing pressure on the French job market at a time when the economy is struggling to generate sufficient growth to create new jobs.

France Faces Debt, Deficit and Political Instability

The rise in unemployment comes as France grapples with a deepening financial and economic crisis, compounded by political instability caused by successive governments and difficulty reaching consensus on economic and fiscal policy.

French public debt has reached record levels, exceeding 110% of GDP. The cost of servicing the debt stood at roughly €34.5 billion in the first half of 2026, tightening the government’s fiscal room for manoeuvre. International institutions project that France’s budget deficit will widen to around 5.2% of GDP, well above the 3% ceiling set by European fiscal rules.

This development adds to concerns about the resilience of the French economy and the challenges facing policymakers in supporting job creation while managing fiscal constraints and external shocks.

Algeria Gate: A new opportunity is opening up for Algerian students and young researchers wishing to pursue their academic path in Switzerland. The Swiss Confederation is launching its excellence scholarship programme for the 2027–2028 academic year, aimed in particular at foreign researchers who have completed their master’s or doctoral studies.

Applications will open from 20 August 2026, with a submission period running until 30 November 2026 for Algeria, according to information provided by the Swiss Embassy in Algiers. Applications must be submitted online via the programme’s official platform.

Opportunities in research and doctoral studies

Awarded by the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students, these scholarships aim to strengthen international scientific exchanges with more than 180 countries. They enable selected candidates to undertake research work, a doctorate or a postdoctorate at Swiss universities, universities of applied sciences and scientific institutions.

For research scholarships, candidates must in particular secure the support of an academic supervisor in Switzerland. Applications are evaluated on the basis of the candidate’s academic profile, the quality of the proposed project and its potential for future scientific cooperation.

This initiative therefore represents an important opportunity for Algerian students and researchers wishing to join the Swiss scientific environment and develop research projects within an international university framework.

Interested candidates are invited to prepare their application file before registrations open and to consult the specific conditions applicable to Algeria on the official Swiss platforms.

Algeria Gate: Recent criminal and financial investigations in Belgium and Italy have exposed a dangerous shift in the tactics of Moroccan-linked criminal networks involved in hashish trafficking.

These groups no longer confine themselves to smuggling hashish alone; they have refined methods for concealing the drug, moving its proceeds, and have extended their operations into cocaine; a development that highlights the expanding drug trade aimed at saturating European markets with narcotics.

The Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgium revealed in a statement that a furniture store in the Borgerhout area had been sealed under judicial seals. The store was being used to smuggle hashish arriving from Morocco into Belgium. The 61-year-old manager of the store was also arrested in a case combining drug trafficking and financial investigations.

The Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that the drugs were hidden inside furniture and passed under the cover of commercial activity before the proceeds of this trade returned to Morocco to be reinvested.

The investigations highlighted how the Moroccan hashish trade has transformed from mere smuggling shipments into an integrated system that combines concealment, transport and the reinvestment of proceeds across borders, becoming a tributary of the parallel economy.

For its part, Italian police in the city of Viareggio arrested a 22-year-old Moroccan youth in possession of 19 bags of cocaine, cash sums and two mobile phones.

Italian investigators are analyzing the content of the two phones in order to reconstruct the network of suppliers and customers and identify communications linked to the drug trade. In parallel, they are examining the packaging method of the seized cocaine, which had previously been recovered in another security operation in the western pine forest, providing them with an additional path to determine the links between distribution operations and supply sources.