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Our Focus programme brings you exclusive reports from around the world. Every day at 8:45am Paris time.
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After a month and a half spent living under the threat of drones, residents of Iraqi Kurdistan are exhausted. Just 24 hours before the ceasefire, a civilian was killed in a drone attack blamed on Iran by Kurdish authorities. In total, around 700 drone and missile attacks have targeted US positions and certain Kurdish interests. Victims' loved ones are devastated by the war between Iran and the United States, of which they are the indirect victims. FRANCE 24's Marie-Charlotte Roupie reports, with Josh Vardey.
As global attention remains focused on the Middle East, a parallel contest of influence is unfolding in the Far North, where NATO troops have recently carried out a large-scale exercise simulating a Russian invasion. Armoured vehicles, ships, helicopters, and thousands of soldiers braved sub-zero conditions to test their readiness and send a clear message to Moscow. This report from our colleagues at FRANCE 2 and FRANCE 24’s Guillaume Gougeon.
Hungary's election on Sunday could have repercussions far beyond its borders. Since Prime Minister Viktor Orban came to power in 2010, Hungary has become the only EU member state ranked as “partly free” by Freedom House – but it is also a model for far-right movements elsewhere. Orban's ties to Russia have also hindered Europe’s response to the war in Ukraine. With polls showing a strong lead for the centre-right opposition Tisza party, our regional correspondent Gulliver Cragg reports.
In the weeks leading up to the ceasefire, the impact of the war in the Middle East was felt far beyond the region, reaching countries such as India. The nation of nearly 1.5 billion people relies heavily on imports of cooking gas, or LPG, much of it sourced from the Middle East. When Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz – a critical global shipping route – supplies were severely disrupted. Long queues formed outside distribution centres in major cities, forcing many to turn to the black market. The conflict has also put at risk the lives of nearly ten million Indians living and working in Gulf countries. At least eight Indian migrant workers have been killed in war-related incidents. Many others remain stranded, unable to afford the high cost of flights home, as their families wait anxiously for their return. Even with a fragile ceasefire in place, those affected continue to live in precarity – and, for some, in grief. Report by Supriya Kumar, Fantine Dantzer, Alban Alvarez and Khansa Juned.
Today's Focus looks into fraud on social contributions in France. There are many ways to bypass the system, including undeclared work, or fake sick leave forms. Authorities are tracking down these abuses, which cost billions every year. This report specifically looks into undeclared work: employing an individual under the table costs up to €7 billion every year. It affects all sectors, such as retail or personal care services; but mostly the construction industry. Our colleagues from France 2 followed labour inspectors on building sites, who try to uncover illicit work and hold employers accountable. Here 's their report, with FRANCE 24's Lauren Bain.
In Fizi territory, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, fighting is raging between Congolese soldiers, who are supported by local armed groups, and M23 rebels, who are allegedly supported by Rwanda. New recruits swell the ranks of the armed groups. And civilians are caught in the crossfire. A report by Aurélie Bazzara-Kibangula and Emmet Livingstone.
Donald Trump has branded Mexico a narco-state, accusing it of failing to control its border. The US president has escalated his rhetoric, issuing stark accusations and threatening unilateral military action, claiming drug trafficking and illegal immigration still pose a significant threat to the United States. But what’s the reality on the ground? Our correspondents, Laurence Cuvillier and Quentin Duval, report from the Mexican side of the border.
The war in Sudan is spilling into Chad with increasing intensity. In mid-March, a drone strike – the fourth and deadliest cross-border attack from Sudan – killed 20 people in the town of Tiné, which has become a frontline in the conflict’s spillover. Chadian authorities have not officially identified those responsible, and both the Sudanese army and RSF rebels deny involvement. Since the strike, tensions in Chadian areas near the Sudanese border have escalated. The Chadian army has been placed on “maximum alert,” some citizens are calling for armed resistance, and hundreds of civilians are fleeing the border region. Harold Girard and Brahim Abakar Oumar report.
Wild leopards in the heart of Indian cities, bears roaming the streets in Japan, and foxes wandering through central London. Increasingly, wild animals are appearing in urban areas in search of food, with hundreds of videos buzzing across social media. So what explains this growing phenomenon? Our colleagues at France 2 report, with Lauren Bain.
Since the start of Donald Trump’s second term, media outlets in the United States have faced an uphill battle. Targeted verbal attacks, attempts to control information and press credentials, and financial pressure are just some of the ways the White House has sought to influence reporting –or label journalists as enemies of the government. Public media outlets are especially vulnerable, relying in part on federal funding. So, is it still possible to report on the inner workings of politics? And how are journalists pushing back? Fanny Allard reports.
In the face of growing competition with Donald Trump's United States and the ongoing trade war, Canada is betting big on greenhouse agriculture. In Ontario, the heart of national agricultural research and innovation, tomatoes and cucumbers are just some of the produce grown safe from bad weather and harsh winters. The country is also banking on artificial intelligence to reduce its dependence on imports, particularly American ones.
With just months to go before the World Cup, Mexico is making headlines for the grip that criminal organisations still hold over parts of the country. The killing of drug lord El Mencho, during a special forces operation in late February, has sparked a surge of violence nationwide. But President Claudia Sheinbaum insists the necessary security measures will be in place to protect football fans and players.
Fifteen years after the revolution that deposed Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, our team reports from the eastern city of Benghazi. Although the security situation there is now relatively stable, reunification does not seem to be on the immediate agenda, with Libya still ruled by two different governments.
In Hungary, mayors now have the right to "select" residents of their towns after a new law was passed last summer. The far-right mayor of Pilis, a town of 12,000 inhabitants, is one of them. One former resident of the town, who was forced to leave, explains why he believes the procedure is discriminatory, particularly towards the Roma minority. Our France 2 colleagues report, with FRANCE 24's Florent Marchais.
Shiite Persians make up 51 percent of Iran's population. Yet communities like the Azeris, Kurds, Balochs and Arabs also number in the millions. Historically, they have often been ignored or mistreated by the regime in Tehran, both under the shah and the Islamic Republic. These ethnic minorities could play a role in the current conflict raging in the Middle East. FRANCE 24's David Gilbert and Florent Marchais report.
Cubans, who have historically received preferential treatment from the US, have not been spared by President Donald Trump's war on immigration. The US has ended family reunification and legal immigration from Cuba by adding the island to its travel ban. It has also suspended temporary protection programmes, exposing thousands of people who arrived legally to deportation to a country suffering from severe US sanctions and crippling electricity blackouts.
In October 2025, a police operation left 122 people dead in the favelas of Penha and Alemão, in the north of Rio de Janeiro. Its aim was to weaken the Comando Vermelho, or "Red Command", one of Brazil's oldest and most powerful criminal organisations. The gang is growing rapidly; in 16 years it has increased its area of control by 90 percent and is extending its influence far beyond Brazil.
The US-Israeli war against Iran has once again underlined the vulnerability of the world's oil and gas supplies. Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz has pushed up oil prices and threatened global economic stability. This comes at a time when wind farms and solar panels are providing real value. The wind-powered Danish island of Samsø is showing the way forward. FRANCE 24's Malcolm Brabant reports.
Since 2015 and the outbreak of war between the Houthis, who control the north of Yemen, and the internationally recognised government in the south, the country's education system has been steadily collapsing. According to UNICEF, nearly 4 million Yemeni children are currently out of school, amounting to 40 percent of the under-18 population.
At the Joussieh border crossing near the Syrian city of Homs, thousands of Syrian refugees are fleeing the devastating war in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah. Driven out by Israeli air strikes after years of exile in Lebanon, families and children wait for hours before returning to a country where 90 percent of the population is surviving in post-Assad poverty. FRANCE 24's Dana Alboz and Hussam Hammoud report.
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