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Our Focus programme brings you exclusive reports from around the world. Every day at 8:45am Paris time.
386 Episodes
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Over the past two years, the French and Spanish police have been discovering the extent to which rubbish is illegally smuggled across the border. The phenomenon has long plagued Italy, where the mafia organises the trafficking, and is now reaching France and Spain. In northern Spain, a vast criminal network was recently dismantled in the Aragon region. Our correspondents Armelle Exposito, Victoria David, Rémi Cadoret and Sarah Morris report.
Global demand for cashew nuts is exploding. Around the world, they're eaten as snacks, dairy replacements or used in cooking. In response, Kenya has been trying to revitalise the sector in the coastal region of Kilifi that once fed thousands. But in some factories, women face dangerous working conditions. Our correspondent Olivia Bizot reports.
For more than 60 years, the Dogu Express train has connected Turkey's capital Ankara to the eastern city of Kars. Once a well-kept secret, Instagram influencers have recently turned the trip into one of the country's main tourist attractions. Tickets now tend to sell out in a matter of minutes. Our correspondent Jenna Le Bras got on board with Melvyn Ingleby for a 32-hour-long journey covering 1,360 kilometres, taking in Turkey's most stunning landscapes.
The central Mexican city of Celaya has become the scene of a brutal turf war between rival drug cartels. These criminal groups have taken advantage of its strategic position at the crossroads for transporting drugs into the United States. Kidnappings, shootouts with police and drive-by killings now occur on an almost daily basis in broad daylight. Nearly 500 people were killed in Celaya last year. The city's police officers (pictured) risk their lives every day and are forced to travel in armoured vehicles. Our France 2 colleagues report, with FRANCE 24's Lauren Bain.
The shihuahuaco tree is one of the giants of the Amazon rainforest, reaching heights of up to 60 metres. But it is coveted for its hardwood, one of the most precious and sought-after types of wood in the world. Peru exports it to China, but also to Europe and in particular France, which is one of the main buyers of this tropical timber used for parquet flooring in homes and on terraces. Some 500,000 tonnes have been exported from Peru in the last 10 years. Scientists are now warning that the shihuahuaco tree faces extinction. They estimate that the trees could disappear from certain regions of the Amazon within a few years. Our correspondents report.
India's mammoth elections are now under way, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi widely expected to win a third term. Since coming to power in 2014, Modi has expanded subsidy programmes for the poor and women. These programmes include measures like equipping homes with butane gas by offering free cylinders or distributing free food rations. Some 60 percent of the population benefits from Modi’s food distribution scheme, which he has pledged to renew for another five years. Another success story is the nationwide rollout of digital payment services. Meanwhile, critics say the prime minister is eroding democracy by targeting opposition parties and controlling the media. Our correspondents report.
Deepfake pornography of famous women like Taylor Swift has sparked outrage and calls for the regulation of artificial intelligence. Yet this powerful technology is not only being used to bully women in the public eye – minors are also being victimised. Schoolgirls are finding themselves targeted by AI-generated deepfake porn made by their own classmates using new, easy-to-access "nudifying" apps. And no federal laws exist to stop it.
Indonesia is aiming to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, with 30 percent of the country's energy slated to come from biodiesel by 2030. But the plan has caused alarm among environmental groups. Palm oil, a key component of biodiesel, is the primary driver of deforestation in Indonesia. To meet Indonesia's energy transition goals, more palm trees are needed – and that means clearing the country's primary forests. Our team reports from South Sumatra.
As the Olympic flame begins its journey to Paris and the French capital prepares to host some 15 million tourists in less than four months' time, more than 80 NGOs are denouncing a form of "social cleansing". Authorities in the French capital has been relocating people from the streets in the city centre and around the Olympic sites. These vulnerable populations include homeless people, migrants and drug addicts. FRANCE 24's Julien Sauvaget and Lauren Bain report.
With China set to have 400 million elderly people by 2035, authorities are trying to figure out how to take care of them. Family structures were transformed with the now defunct one-child policy. Even now, the birth rate continues to plummet. With the state pension fund drying up and less than one grandchild for four grandparents, who will take care of China's elders? FRANCE 24's Yena Lee and Katherina Tse report.
Louisiana is home to 25 percent of the US petrochemical industry and is the country's fourth-largest crude oil producer. As a result, it is one of the states with the highest levels of industrial pollution, with disastrous consequences for the health of its citizens. In St James County, part of an area of Louisiana known as "cancer alley", the cancer rate is 50 times higher than the national average. With no buffer zone to allow a safe distance between factories and housing, residents feel abandoned by authorities. FRANCE 24's Fraser Jackson and Fanny Allard report.
As South Koreans head to the polls for a parliamentary election, the country's worsening ties with North Korea are high on the agenda. The small South Korean island of Yeonpyeong is located about 12 kilometres from the North Korean coast. In January, Pyongyang fired live artillery into nearby waters, forcing islanders into air raid shelters. The island could be first in the line of fire if conflict breaks out between the North and South. FRANCE 24's Constantin Simon, Hwang Se-jeong and Justin McCurry report from Yeonpyeong.
In Greece, the success of the tourist industry is making it difficult for local Greeks to keep up with surging property prices. Short-term rentals are booming, while chain stores are replacing local retailers. Residents are being forced out, with more than 40 percent of their disposable income spent on housing – more than in any other European country. FRANCE 24's Nathalie Savaricas, Laurent Laughlin, Aris Dimitrakopoulos and Nikos Kollias report from Athens.
Even if homosexuality is not illegal in Madagascar, it is widely considered to be socially unacceptable. Many LGBT people have to hide their sexuality in order to hold onto their job or simply live in peace. They have developed their own networks, body language and dialect. FRANCE 24's Gaëlle Borgia, Vanessa Rakotomalala and Jedidia Andriamasy report.
Eight years after a national ban on skin-whitening products came into force in Ivory Coast, the trend continues to boom despite its health risks. Half of Abidjan's women are known to engage in skin depigmentation, which can lead to serious health issues such as diabetes and hypertension. NGOs are denouncing what they see as a lack of political will from authorities to tackle the problem. FRANCE 24's Julia Guggenheim, Damien Koffi, M'ma Camara and Justice Baidoo report, with Antonia Kerrigan.
The nickel ore extraction industry is booming in the Philippines, be it on the islands of Sibuyan, Palawan or Luzon. Nickel is mainly known for its use in stainless steel, but is also used for the production of lithium batteries for solar panels and electric vehicles. The metal is therefore a key component of the energy transition.
Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, hundreds of Nepalese men – many with no military experience – have been enlisted by Russian recruiters. President Vladimir Putin has publicly promised citizenship and a high salary to those who sign up to fight for Russia. This has led to a massive recruitment campaign, deemed illegal by the Nepalese government. So far, at least 33 Nepalese soldiers have lost their lives on the front line, but the true number could be significantly higher. FRANCE 24's Nejma Bentrad, Nabeel Ahmed, Rojita Adhikari and Khansa Juned report.
How to explain the sharp rise in autism cases in industrialised countries in recent years? The neurodevelopmental disorder is partly hereditary, but the finger is also increasingly being pointed at pollution. Scientists in southern France are currently investigating the role of environmental factors in autism by following 1,700 families over 10 years. It's a groundbreaking study in a country that lags behind in autism research and diagnosis. To mark World Autism Awareness Day, FRANCE 24 went to Montpellier to meet one of these families. Emerald Maxwell and Sophian Aubin report.
Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out last October, Yemen's Houthi rebels have been carrying out attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea, in what they say is a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians during Israel's war in Gaza. The Houthis' missiles and drones are spreading terror along a particularly busy shipping route. The French and US navies, as well as an EU naval mission, are deployed in the area to protect commercial navigation. The French navy agreed to take FRANCE 24 reporters Bastien Renouil and Olivia Bizot on board one of its frigates to witness the operations behind the scenes.
March 30 marks the International Day of Zero Waste. Between 2000 and 2015, global clothing production doubled. Europe and North America export some of their unsold and discarded clothes to Chile. In the north of the country, textile waste accumulates and often ends its life in the wild dumps of the Atacama desert. The situation is getting worse, despite increasing attention from the authorities. FRANCE 24's Juliette Chaignon and Guillaume Gosalbes report from the Iquique region, with Josh Vardey.
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