France in focus

This week, France in Focus takes to the skies to follow the perilous work of French mountain rescuers. This year, unusual weather conditions have led to a deadly winter with far more avalanches than usual. Tragically, 28 lives were lost in the French Alps between late December and mid-February – far exceeding typical seasonal averages. FRANCE 24's Jonathan Walsh and Joanna Cockerell head to the Savoie region to see how highly skilled teams are responding to the challenge. 

After lighting up the streets of Paris in 2024, the Olympic flame will be making a return to France in 2030, when the French Alps are set to welcome the Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Organisers have promised financially and environmentally sustainable games, where 93 percent of pre-existing infrastructure will be reused. However, with only four years to go and a number of criticisms, will France be able to deliver on time and on budget? Read moreFrance gets conditional approval to host 2030 winter Olympics The organisers of the 2030 Winter Olympics are facing a governance crisis, following a string of high-level resignations. The official event map is yet to be published, after several delayed deadlines. Meanwhile, environmental groups and locals are raising the alarm over fears the Games will leave an irreversible mark on the Alps, which are already on the front line of the climate crisis. We take a closer look in this edition of France in Focus.

This week on France in Focus, we take a look at Sophie Adenot, who at 43 is about to fulfil a lifelong dream by becoming the second French woman to travel into space. She's been training for a nine-month mission aboard the International Space Station, the culmination of an exceptional career in aviation and space exploration.  Read moreNASA delays rocket launch to ISS over weather conditions Sophie Adenot's fascination with space began at a very young age. She was first inspired by her grandfather, a former aircraft mechanic in the French Air Force, and later by Claudie Haigneré, the first French woman to become an astronaut. "The day Claudie took off, I thought, 'That's it – there's a woman astronaut. It's possible','" Adenot recalls, remembering how she watched Haigneré's 1996 mission to the Mir space station live on television.  An outstanding career   An engineer by training, Adenot graduated from the French National Institute of Aeronautics and Space in Toulouse, as well as the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States. She began her professional career at Airbus before joining the French Air Force at the age of 23. In 2019, she made history by becoming France's first woman helicopter test pilot.  After an unsuccessful attempt in 2008, Adenot applied again in 2021 to the European Space Agency's astronaut selection programme. This time, she was chosen as one of just five candidates from a pool of 22,500 applicants.  Intensive training  She then embarked on nearly three years of rigorous training, across Germany, France, the United States and Japan. This included simulated spacewalks in large swimming pools, virtual reality exercises and survival training. Her ability to remain calm under pressure has been one of her greatest strengths. "She is very determined, able to stay focused in critical situations, fundamentally empathetic and deeply motivated, with a clear drive to achieve her goal," says Daniel Neuenschwander, Director of Human and Robotic Exploration at the European Space Agency.  The ISS, a flying laboratory  Aboard the ISS, Adenot will take on a wide range of scientific and technical challenges. Over the course of the mission, she will conduct around 200 experiments, including several focused on medical ultrasound in space.  The station will also be a place of wonder. "On board the ISS, you orbit the Earth every 90 minutes – sixteen times a day – and you see a sunrise each time. These are magical moments," says Haigneré.  Like her predecessor, Adenot wants to make sure she holds on to the sense of amazement she had as a child, as her lifelong dream finally comes true. 

January 22 marks the ninth edition of La Nuit de la Solidarité à Paris (A Night of Solidarity in Paris), an initiative from Paris's City Hall to raise awareness about the needs of homeless people and an attempt to change perceptions of those living on the margins of society. FRANCE 24’s reporters Florence Gaillard and Jonathan Walsh followed two homeless people to learn more. Romain is 45 years old and is following a rehabilitation program, while Valérie, 62, is still struggling to survive on the streets. In October, the collective "Les Morts de la Rue" (The dead of the street) published an alarming report: 912 people are estimated to have died on the streets in mainland France in 2024. This figure is rising every year. While the vast majority of the victims are men, there are also increasing numbers of women and children. This uptick comes at a time when the French Housing Foundation estimates that there are 350,000 homeless people in mainland France. That's 20,000 more than in 2023. The importance of being heard and supported  Every year, Paris's City Hall organises a night of solidarity to encourage people to reconsider their own ideas about those who are sleeping rough. The initiative involves meeting homeless people in the streets and asking them to complete an anonymous questionnaire. Their responses provide a better understanding of the profiles of homeless people and their needs, enabling public solidarity policies to be adapted accordingly. The issue of homelessness has often been swept under the carpet, but some groups continue to fight for the rights of those living in extremely precarious circumstances. FRANCE 24's reporters visited La Mie de Pain, a neighbourhood association which offers various facilities to more than 1,500 people every day. One of those visitors is Romain, who found himself homeless after separating from his wife, and Valérie, who lost everything after her parents died.  The people sleeping rough on Paris's streets all have different and personal stories, but they all need to be heard and supported. Thanks to the organisations that help them rebuild their lives, some are able to find work, then housing and eventually manage to return to mainstream society.  

Some 3 million French citizens live abroad, scattered across the globe. From the snowy uplands of Quebec to a remote, desert island in Guinea-Bissau or the depths of the Ivorian forests, our France 2 colleagues went to meet some of their French compatriots who have started whole new lives. Thousands of kilometres from French shores, they are living out childhood dreams of closeness to nature and joining new communities and cultures.  Stéphane Denis was an entrepreneur, with a life of suits, meetings and sales. But he never forgot his childhood dream to move to Canada one day. At 33, he sold up in France and relocated to the mountains of Quebec – an inhospitable region, where temperatures can drop to -48°C, but one where he had a mission: the conservation of the endangered wood bison. He inherited this passion from his father, and has passed it on to his daughter, who made the move with him at the age of 10. After more than 20 years, Val-des-Lacs is his home. Stéphane has forged his place in the community, running a bison reserve and an outdoor activities centre. He also slips seamlessly in and out of the local québécois dialect.  Laurent Duris had a different fantasy: a desert island in a turquoise sea. In 2000, the former soldier took out a 99-year lease on the island of Kéré, off the coast of Guinea-Bissau. His wife and four-year-old daughter bring the permanent population up to three. Over the years, Laurent has gone from sleeping in a tent to building his family home and a number of other houses that make up the holiday resort he and his wife now run. Apart from fruit and fish, though, life on the island is far from self-sufficient. Necessities as basic as water have to be delivered at great expense, and the family's way of life is only viable thanks to international tourism.  Finally, in the Ivorian forest, Estelle Raballand describes her lifestyle as more of a duty than a fantasy – a duty to the endangered chimpanzee population of West Africa. Three decades ago, she signed up to volunteer at a monkey sanctuary in Guinea, and has practically never left Africa since, going on to found her own conservation facilities in Guinea and then Ivory Coast through her NGO, Akatia. She has chosen to live without many of the comforts of modern life, such as running water, phone signal and electricity, preferring to invest donations in the chimpanzees and their future instead. 

Every year, the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris welcomes around 12,000 residents from all backgrounds and nationalities. Students, researchers and artists live there side by side across its 47 campus houses, tucked away in a lush park in the south of Paris. The "Cité U", as locals call it, is celebrating a century of history, with its founding principles more relevant than ever. Born out of the devastation of World War I, Paris's Cité Universitaire was founded on a powerful ideal: peace. Its founders believed that human, intellectual and cultural exchanges could transcend borders and help secure lasting peace. The Cité U fosters dialogue and mutual understanding between cultures through conferences, artistic performances and personal initiatives.  For the past 100 years, the Cité Universitaire de Paris has shown that a humanist vision cannot only stand the test of time, but also inspire new generations.  From its creation, the Cité has been deeply engaged with pressing issues: geopolitical tensions, multilateral cooperation, challenges to the rule of law and the climate crisis. Through debates and collective projects, residents, guests and visitors come together with one aim in mind: to develop lasting solutions for a shared future. An outstanding setting for imagining the world of tomorrow The site is also home to an outstanding architectural and natural heritage. Long a source of inspiration for artists from around the world, its 47 houses each reflect the identity of a different country, blending tradition with modern design. Like an open-air museum, the Cité U has even become France's leading multi-set filming location. Scenes from the film "The Count of Monte Cristo" were filmed there. A century on, the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris continues to inspire dreams and imagine a better world for tomorrow.

In France's Loire Valley, castles are relying on the magic of Christmas to secure their future. Each winter, historical landmarks are turned into festive, fairy-tale settings, drawing tens of thousands of visitors. But beyond the lights and decorations lies a pressing challenge: how to preserve these iconic sites in the face of mounting structural and financial woes. Watch moreFrench castle of Chambord celebrates five eventful centuries Chambord, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest château in France's Loire Valley, spans 5,500 hectares and includes 426 rooms and 77 staircases. This year, the estate invested a record €200,000 in Christmas festivities, with the aim of generating up to €1 million in revenue. These funds will help maintain this vast and fragile giant. While Chambord has undergone many restorations over the past 500 years, one of its most urgent projects still lies ahead. The Francis I wing has been closed to the public since 2023 for security reasons as it's at risk of collapse. Built on marshland, the château is increasingly affected by climate change: façades are leaning, floors are sinking and cracks continue to widen. Overall damage is estimated at €37 million, including €12 million needed for emergency work. The Christmas event is just a sparkle in the fight to save Chambord. A public fundraising campaign is currently underway, with renovations expected to begin in 2026. Watch moreFrance's iconic Chateau de Chambord gets a makeover Loire Valley's smallest château hosts its first ever Christmas Just 20 kilometres away from Chambord, the smallest castle in the region is embracing a more intimate and sustainable approach. Troussay has belonged to the same family for 125 years, spanning four generations. It's the first time its owners are opening the château to the public during the festive season. With handmade decorations, a recycled nativity scene competition and the support of friends, the aim is to keep costs low while maximising fundraising. The money raised will go towards urgent roof cleaning after three consecutive years of heavy rain and humidity. Despite receiving state funding, resources simply aren't sufficient. The château is therefore exploring creative new ways to finance its preservation. One castle, 57,000 owners Other sites are experimenting with entirely new economic models. Over the past eight years, the start-up Dartagnans has raised more than €8 million from 57,000 co-owners around the world, helping to save four ruined castles, including La Mothe Chandeniers. Abandoned for nearly a century after a fire in 1932, the château was rescued in 2017 through a pioneering crowdfunding campaign. Read moreGlobal crowdfunding campaign buys French château Rather than restoring it completely, the co-owners chose to preserve its wild, romantic character. Nature has reclaimed the site, with trees, ferns and wildlife now living in the ruins. Only the Lord's room, in the clock tower, will be restored and converted into a guest room, while the rest of the château will be secured and left frozen in time. Every year, the co-owners are invited back to witness the progress made and to share in the festive spirit.

In France, the mental health of young people has deteriorated in recent years, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic. In this edition, we met several young people suffering from mental health struggles, who shared their stories in the hope of overcoming taboos. With one third of young people in France suffering from a mental health disorder, we take a closer look at the effects on their day-to-day lives. Adolescence is a sensitive period, "the age of all dangers" according to many psychologists, where teenagers navigate profound changes.  Read moreWhy is Australia banning children under 16 from social media – and can they enforce it? The mental health of many young French people has deteriorated in recent years, particularly since the Covid-19 health crisis. The rate of hospital admissions for suicide attempts and self-harm has skyrocketed, particularly among young girls. Increasing numbers of teenagers and young adults are suffering from depression, anxiety and eating disorders. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder usually develop between the ages of 15 and 25. Indeed, 75 percent of chronic psychiatric illnesses appear before the age of 25. Watch moreInside a French emergency psychiatric unit: Social stigma, a lack of beds and drug shortages As the French government pledges to tackle mental health struggles, we met with several young people suffering from some of these disorders. These youngsters were willing to tell their stories with the hope of overcoming the taboos that still surround mental health issues.

Could Shein be suspended in France? The Chinese giant is under growing scrutiny for selling controversial products, including childlike sex dolls and bladed weapons. The ultra-fast fashion brand has just opened its first physical store in the BHV, one of Paris's iconic department stores. French fashion brands denounce what they call unfair competition in an already weakened sector: one in two fashion retailers is facing serious financial difficulties, with 37,000 jobs lost in the last decade. We take a closer look.

Ten years after the November 13 Paris terror attacks, France's security and intelligence services are dealing with reports of increasingly younger individuals who often become radicalised quickly via social networks. Through rare access inside the police's radicalisation telephone hotline, as well as interviews with terrorism experts, a former prisoner and a survivor of the Bataclan attack, we explore the lessons learnt since 2015 and what the terrorism threat looks like today.

With the Grand Egyptian Museum set to open in Cairo, we explore the enduring passion of the French for Ancient Egypt. With its hieroglyphics, pyramids and mysteries, the land of the pharaohs fascinates young and old alike. Exhibitions showcasing its ancient treasures are always a hit. So where does this passion originate from? We take a closer look in this edition of France in Focus.

With nearly 85,000 inmates for a capacity of only 62,000, French prisons are overflowing. In this rare documentary, our cameras were able to enter the Grenoble-Varces prison, which is regularly singled out for its unsanitary conditions and overcrowding. In this detention centre, inmates are sometimes crammed three to a cell measuring only nine square metres. With inhumane conditions, exhausted prison staff and record reoffending rates, the French prison system seems to be nearing breaking point. We take a closer look.

Fortnite, Valorant, and Rocket League tournaments are taking French stadiums by storm, drawing packed arenas and thousands of fans to spectacular shows. Esports is booming in France: the sector’s turnover has tripled in four years, clubs are becoming more established, and pro players are emerging as stars. Sonia Baritello, Olivia Salazar-Winspear, and Elodie Radenac followed the Vitality club during the Rocket League World Championships in Lyon to capture the excitement of this highly anticipated event. They also discussed the issue of gender equality in gaming with pro player Lou Henguelle during the Valorant World Championships at the Bercy arena in Paris.

At least one in five people in France suffer from a mental health condition. The issue has been named a priority for the government in 2025, which hopes to tackle a wide range of conditions, from mild symptoms to severe and chronic illnesses. Every day, psychiatric emergency departments in hospitals treat patients in distress, while operating in increasingly difficult conditions. To find out more, we spent time with the Ville-Evrard psychiatric unit of the Delafontaine Hospital in Saint-Denis, north of Paris. Fayçal Mouaffak is a psychiatrist who heads up the Emergency Psychiatric Services unit of Ville-Evrard in Seine-Saint-Denis. When he arrives at work, four patients are already waiting for him on stretchers in the emergency room corridors. All of them have spent the night there and one 18-year-old girl has already been there for three days. The hustle and bustle and noise of the ward often aggravates their symptoms. The author of "Diary of a Psychiatrist on the Frontline in Seine-Saint-Denis" starts his working day at breakneck speed, trying to find beds for them as quickly as possible while also providing the necessary medical care. A lack of space and staff shortages Finding beds for patients is a daily struggle for the psychiatrists. They spend a good part of their day making phone calls to get patients transferred. In 2023, there were 566,000 visits to emergency rooms for psychiatric reasons, an increase of 21 percent compared to 2019. At the same time, 8,800 beds have been cut in public hospital psychiatric wards over the past 15 years. These shortages are partly due to a lack of staff. Psychiatry is one of the least popular specialties among medical students. The CRUP, a solution to overwhelmed emergency rooms Stereotypes go some way to explaining this lack of interest. There are many assumptions about the patients. "People think psychiatry is a violent sector, but that's because they don't know any better. There is no more violence than anywhere else," says Nadia Cheffi, psychiatrist and head of the secure psychiatric emergency unit (known as CRUP in French) at Ville-Evrard. Psychiatry was her first choice for specialisation in medical school and she "has no regrets". Misconceptions also exist among healthcare professionals. "In discussions with our colleagues (...) we often see the old stereotypes come up: that psychiatry isn't really medicine," laments Dr. Mouaffak. However, he insists, "there are effective treatments, medical protocols (...) research is advancing rapidly (...) and there are also physiological factors involved in these illnesses." Dr Mouaffak was one of the initiators of this secure psychiatric facility (CRUP), a response to seeing patients waiting far too long in the emergency rooms of hospitals without specialised care. The CRUP opened two years ago within the Delafontaine Hospital. Patients have their own rooms, receive treatment in a much calmer atmosphere, and can stay for up to 72 hours. This gives doctors the time to stabilise their condition before they return home. Alternatively, they can be transferred to other wards for longer stays in hospital. Both the patients and their caregivers say it’s a real relief: "It makes what I do meaningful again," says Hakima, an emergency room nurse. Dr Mouaffak hopes to see this model adopted more widely. The Emergency Psychiatric Services unit of Ville-Evrard is set to open another CRUP within the Avicenne Hospital in Bobigny – also located in the greater Paris region – in the near future.

Since the start of the war in Gaza, France has welcomed several hundred Gazans to safety. Priority has been given to families of children seriously injured in bombings, such as Ayham, who lost both his legs at just 15 years old on October 14, 2023. Artists and scientists have also been evacuated through the PAUSE program, which supports intellectuals in exile. Dr. Fadel Afana joined a team of psychiatrists at Sainte-Anne Hospital in Paris, while Gazan rapper Abu Joury was evacuated with help from the Al Kamandjati association in Angers. Florence Gaillard and Mohamed Fahrat met with each of them to share their stories. As war rages in Gaza, some of its citizens are beginning new lives in France. Abu Joury spent his entire youth in Gaza – he got married, built a music career, and buried his father there. But when the conflict erupted, he was forced to flee advancing Israeli troops. For months, he moved from one refugee camp to another, until he learned his wife was pregnant. At that moment, he knew they had to escape the Gaza Strip by any means necessary. Dr. Fadel Afana is among the fortunate selected for the PAUSE program, which supports artists and scientists in exile. With his background in psychiatry and experience treating post-traumatic stress in war zones, he joined a team of doctors at Sainte-Anne Hospital in Paris. For him, the mental health crisis among Gazans has become an urgent emergency. Seventeen-year-old Ayham arrived in Lyon with his father in January 2024, his life forever changed. A few months earlier, he lost his older brother and both legs in a bombing. Though he continues to receive regular hospital treatment, Ayham has begun walking again with the help of prosthetics and rehabilitation. Though his dream of playing professional football is no longer possible, he remains determined to fulfil new hopes for his future.

The fall of Phnom Penh to the Khmer Rouge in 1975 was the beginning of a genocide that would claim up to 2 million lives. Among the hundreds of thousands of Cambodians who fled the horror, many found refuge in France. But 50 years on, what remains of their memories? We take a closer look in this edition of France in Focus. "It may seem excessive, but in a sense we died that day because everything that was true the day before changed overnight." These words by Phouséra "Séra" Ing, a Franco-Cambodian artist, resonate like a painful echo of the countless lives pierced by war, genocide and exile. Through the testimonies of survivors and their descendants, this episode of France in Focus explores the struggles of exile and the transmission of memory. How do survivors speak of the unspeakable? How do their children grow up with a legacy of silence and things left unsaid? From the French embassy in Phnom Penh to Thai refugee camps, from villages in rural France to the suburbs of Paris, this film traces these journeys of exile and reconstruction. We meet Séra, who found a way to heal his wounds through comic books; Sambo, who took 15 years to feel at home in France; and Virak, who discovered his father's story late in life. Each of their stories reveals the difficulty of bringing generations together to discuss a collective trauma. As a memorial to those lost in the Cambodian genocide is unveiled in France, survivors are finally learning to speak freely and heal. Because as Sun-Lay, president of the Fragmentis Vitae Asia Association, reminds us: "Memory is the remedy for the pain of the present."

This week, France in Focus is shining a spotlight on the father of modernist architecture, on the 60th anniversary of his death. Franco-Swiss master Le Corbusier laid the foundations for a new epoch, with his revolutionary 1923 book "Towards an Architecture" acting as a blueprint for architects to this day. Le Corbusier is best known for his avant-garde urban housing projects, like the Cité Radieuse building in Marseille. The UNESCO World Heritage site attracts over 70,000 visitors a year. Outside of France, he created large-scale cities like Chandigarh in India, and inspired renowned architects Oscar Niemeyer and Lucio Costa when building the new Brazilian capital Brasilia. But his architectural aesthetic was not always showered with praise, with critics calling his urban housing projects soulless. Over the last decade, evidence has also surfaced showing that Le Corbusier had alleged ties to fascist groups and spent time with the French collaborationist regime in Vichy during World War II. FRANCE 24's Jennifer Ben Brahim looks at what made Le Corbusier one of the most revered but also reviled architects of the 20th century.

Last year's summer of sport shone a light on the French capital's iconic monuments, with many Olympic events taking place in or around Parisian landmarks, to the delight of spectators around the world. But the Olympics came with a pledge: that the event would improve conditions in districts like the Seine-Saint-Denis department, the poorest in mainland France. So has this promise been fulfilled? FRANCE 24's Sonia Baritello and Olivia Salazar-Winspear report. Located just outside Paris, the Seine-Saint-Denis department is now home to a state-of-the art swimming pool, with championship diving facilities. The aquatic centre cost €175 million and is supposed to serve the local community. We went to find out if this infrastructure is truly accessible to all. One year after the Games, the Athletes' Village and the Media Village in Seine-Saint-Denis have been repurposed to provide housing in a city where demand for apartments is sky high. Thousands of homes have been created there for prospective buyers, social tenants and local businesses. Yet this urban regeneration is not yet fully complete, leaving many residents wondering if and when the neighbourhood will really feel the benefits of the 2024 Olympics. 

To mark the centenary of his birth, France in Focus looks back at Frantz Fanon's extraordinary career: a volunteer at the age of 18 to fight the Nazis, a committed writer against racism and colonialism, a visionary psychiatrist and a campaigner for Algerian independence. Frantz Fanon, an anti-colonial and anti-racist icon, didn't hold back. During his short life, he spared no effort to fight for, as he put it: "the cause of the people, the cause of justice and freedom." World War II: The Awakening At just 18 years old, he left his native Martinique to voluntarily join Charles de Gaulle's Free French Forces. The young soldier was decorated for his service, risking his life to fight the Nazis. But the recognition was superficial: Black people were subjected to racism, both in the military and in civilian life. He felt disillusioned – in France, his heroism mattered less than the colour of his skin. Years on the 'mainland' After studying medicine in Lyon, Fanon published his first book. "Black Skin, White Masks" examines colonialist constructs, in an attempt to break free from them. That same year, he completed his psychiatry internship at Saint-Alban, in Lozère, alongside François Tosquelles. This Spanish anti-fascist political refugee introduced him to an innovative practice of social therapy – a means of treating mental health patients with dignity. Life in French Algeria In 1953, Fanon was sent to French Algeria. At just 28, he became chief physician at the hospital in Blida. Following Tosquelles's principles, he transformed his department and revolutionised what was at the time a racist and morally bankrupt form of colonial psychiatry. At the same time, he became involved in the Algerian revolution, treating wounded fighters. In December 1956, he resigned from his hospital position and moved to newly independent Tunisia. There, he continued his work as a psychiatrist, contributed to the FLN (National Liberation Front) newspaper El Moudjahid, and represented Algeria at Pan-African conferences. Fanon would not live to see the outcome of his struggle. He died of leukaemia in 1961 at the age of 36, one year before Algeria gained independence. A hundred years after his birth in Fort-de-France in 1925, Fanon remains a powerful anti-racist and anti-colonial reference for intellectuals, artists and activists around the world.

This week, France in Focus explores the "Bétharram scandal", named after the Catholic school in southwestern France where hundreds of pupils were subjected to physical, psychological and sexual abuse for decades. The perpetrators of these crimes were never brought to justice, despite complaints lodged as early as the 1990s. Our colleagues at franceinfo investigate. Warning: Viewers may find this report disturbing. Watch moreBayrou and Bétharram: Did French PM lie? Did he cover up sex abuse? Today, the vast majority of the cases are ineligible for prosecution due to the statute of limitations. But victims are still demanding accountability, notably from current Prime Minister François Bayrou, who was education minister at the time and a high-ranking local figure.  A French parliamentary commission was appointed in March and the findings of its inquiry will be published shortly. Our colleagues at franceinfo have been looking into the case and hearing from the victims first-hand.