How about that phone call? The US president has gone over the heads of the Ukrainians and the Europeans by promising talks "immediately" with Vladimir Putin, this on the same day that his new defence secretary told NATO counterparts that returning to Ukraine's borders of 2014 was "unrealistic". Donald Trump may not have forced a sit-down on Day One of his presidency, as he had boasted as a candidate, but here it comes. What can Volodymyr Zelensky do or say as he meets in person with Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference? The likes of France insist they'll continue to honour bilateral security agreements with Ukraine – with or without the United States.But by keeping out Russia's neighbours in Europe, is this the beginning of the end of the NATO alliance that kept the peace on the continent throughout the Cold War? With Trump wanting the Europeans to finance Ukraine's reconstruction, what do they ask for in return? What leverage do they have?Produced by Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Elisa Amiri, Ilayda Habip.
Remember the run-up to Inauguration Day in the US, when Donald Trump's envoy twisted arms to push a Gaza ceasefire over the line? How did we so quickly go to Trump not only doubling down on his plan to forcibly deport the entire Palestinian population of Gaza, but also telling visitors like the king of Jordan to take them in? We ask about the plan, the pushback to the plan and the whether that ultimatum to Hamas to free all its hostages by Saturday noon signals a return to all-out war. Israeli troops are certainly preparing. More broadly, how much does Trump want to own this conflict? After all, this is a US president known for campaigning against forever wars. Already it seemed like Bashar al-Assad’s fall in Syria might signify a once-in-a-generation reshaping of the region's balance of power.But now, what to make of the Trump factor?Produced by Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Elisa Amiri, Ilayda Habip.
Is it down to the Digital Age? Not only has the world become a smaller place but now, more and more power’s concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. Elon Musk’s offer to buy the parent company of ChatGPT from Sam Altman’s OpenAI is the latest example of a whole new age, an age where a billionaire like Musk can also have one foot in government as he and Donald Trump arbitrarily purge the federal payroll. Altman, who swiftly rejected Musk’s offer is here in Paris for the AI summit co-hosted by France and India. Are Silicon Valley tech titans to be courted or combatted at the dawn of an almighty scramble for the planet’s data and resources? Is it a battle for market share or a battle of values?In writing global governance rules for AI, who defines what's public and what's private, what's free speech and what's censorship or stoking hate? And how much in common between those that are neither the US nor China in setting global standards that actually protect citizens rights and foster trust in these most turbulent times?Produced by Rebecca Gnignati, Elisa Amiri, Ilayda Habip.
As France and India co-host an AI summit in Paris, we ask if technology has advanced too far beyond our control and that any well-intentioned bid by world leaders to forge common rules and guidelines is too little, too late? Right now, it’s Silicon Valley that’s got the money to draw the best and the brightest and the cheap energy to power the bigger and bigger data centres needed for AI. With a new US administration that’s ready to start a trade war with all those in its path, how does the rest of the world defend privacy, shared natural resources – including strategic minerals mined in places like China and Africa?And what to do about a digital age that so far seems to concentrate so much power and wealth in the hands of a few? More broadly, is the technology evolving faster than humanity can process its potentials and its dangers? We'll ask our panel.Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Guillaume Gougeon and Ilayda Habip.
Does what goes for Greenland and Gaza also go for Ukraine? With the third anniversary of Russia's all-out invasion approaching and Kyiv on the back foot, allies are scrambling to figure out the "art of the deal" power plays of a US president they thought they already knew. Do you placate or push back when dealing with Donald Trump? Ukraine's president has been showing transactional flair by vaunting his country's rare minerals in exchange for protection from Vladimir Putin. Zelensky is now openly contemplating what Trump wants: direct negotiations with Moscow. We review terms and conditions and – on the day that France delivered its first Mirage jets to Kyiv – the degree of volatility that the coming weeks and months may bring for Ukraine and for a Europe that's still divided over whether to wean itself off its reliance on the United States for its own security. Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Elisa Amiri, Ilayda Habip.
Donald Trump has told the world in the company of a beaming Binyamin Netanyahu that "the US will take over the Gaza Strip". Should we take at face value what he's selling as a grand development scheme and what critics denounce as a quixotic pipe dream that can only lead to the ethnic cleansing of the two million Palestinians who live in Gaza? How does one rebuild Gaza after destruction on a biblical scale? In the aftermath of past wars, Gulf states footed much of the bill. The money went to housing, but was also sometimes diverted by Hamas. We gauge regional reactions after Tuesday night's bombshell announcement out of Washington. And where in the short term does the promise of a US takeover leave the current ceasefire deal? Did Trump just torpedo his administration's own efforts? What's the next surprise going to be?Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Guillaume Gougeon and Ilayda Habip.
One might assume that the new president of the United States has a pretty full in-tray. So at first glance, it was a bit of a surprise to hear Donald Trump lash out at South Africa, threatening to cut aid over its 2023 Employment Equity Act. There's obvious suspicion over who did the whispering in Trump's ear. South African-born Elon Musk has been locking horns with the ANC-led government of Cyril Ramaphosa over its refusal to sign onto SpaceX founder's Starlink broadband via satellite system. Musk calls post-Apartheid laws on Black empowerment "openly racist". Who wins this showdown? More broadly, are tech titans now dictating US foreign policy? How much power do they wield? And as the developing world goes online, who controls the personal information of citizens who log on? Watch more'US driving South Africa and other Global South, non-aligned countries into the arms of China'Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Elisa Amiri, Ilayda Habip.
Forget soft power. It's all about hard bargains. Donald Trump is making good on his campaign promise of tariffs and is starting with his closest neighbours. We ask if it's all a big made-for-reality-TV drama that ends at the negotiating table. He has already hit pause on tariffs for Mexico. How much has the world's most powerful nation decided to throw its weight around? We gauge reactions. Trump turned heads at his inauguration when he referenced William McKinley, the tariff-loving turn-of-the-20th century predecessor to Theodore Roosevelt, who tested the powers of the presidency and went to war with Spain to assert dominance over the Americas and the South Pacific.On that score, Trump's threats to annex Panama seem to be yielding results, with the Central American nation telling his secretary of state that it's ready to allow Panama's participation in China's Belt and Road infrastructure initiative to expire. Will it be enough to quell talk of land grabs?Editor's note: Since this programme aired, the US has also agreed to pause tariffs on Canadian imports. Produced by Théophile Vareille, Rebecca Gnignati and Ilayda Habip.
For exiled Syrians, this is their Berlin Wall moment—the doors to a homeland they thought they'd never see again are suddenly swinging open. The heady days following December 8 and the fall of Assad's seemingly immovable regime have brought an unexpected Christmas gift: a return to Damascus. But as the initial euphoria fades, clear-eyed Syrians know better than to declare "and they all lived happily ever after". The lessons of the Arab Spring loom large, and the challenges ahead are daunting. How to navigate a landscape shaped by heavily armed factions: sometimes allies, sometimes rivals? What to do with thousands of Syrian civil servants and state security employees left unpaid since Assad’s fall?And as the international community moves to lift sanctions, the bigger question remains: how to channel money and efforts toward rebuilding a Syria that is not just revived, but reimagined?Produced by François Picard, Théophile Vareille, Guillaume Gougeon and Ilayda Habip.
On his first full day back in power, US President Donald Trump trumpeted a $500 billion plan to build giant data centres for artificial intelligence. The photo op put the rest of the world on notice: the billionaire tech bros of Silicon Valley reign supreme, with the full weight of the White House behind them. Fast forward to Monday and the record $590 billion drop in the market value of US chipmaker Nvidia. Spooking the markets is the announcement that a Chinese startup can operate its latest AI model 18 times cheaper than Sam Altman's GPT-4. Is DeepSeek for real? Why the sudden surprise? If it upends America's dominance of artificial intelligence, does that mean a democratisation of global information systems or a showdown between superpowers that ultimately decides who rules the world? Produced by François Picard, Théophile Vareille, Elisa Amiri, Ilayda Habip.
Some 50 former inmates of the largest of the Nazi death camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau have made the trip to Poland for the 80th anniversary of the camp's liberation. How to process the collective folly of the industrial-scale mass extermination of 1 million Jews, along with 100,000 others, in the space of a few short years? The Holocaust shattered the belief that technology could only be synonymous with progress and on that score, the gas chambers serve as a cautionary tale. How do citizens and nations remember the Holocaust in 2025? From the former Soviets whose forefathers liberated the camps, to nations at the other end of the globe untouched by World War II, what's the lesson?The words "never again" ring hollow in today's world. An all-too-long list of genocides have unfolded since. How, then, to talk about it?Produced by François Picard, Théophile Vareille, Elisa Amiri, Ilayda Habip.
With public coffers depleted and an ageing population putting pressure on social safety nets, how can Europe mobilise the financial resources necessary to meet its triple goals of a decarbonised economy, effective defence and technological competitiveness? FRANCE 24's Charles Pellegrin puts the question to his panel of guests at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The EU's objectives are threefold: Completing the transition to a fully decarbonised economy in the face of global warming; Guaranteeing self-reliance in security in the face of Russian expansionism and US isolationism; Boosting European competitiveness in the tech sector to be able to fully rival the United States and China.The cost of these goals was outlined in Mario Draghi's competitiveness report in September 2024: a whopping €800 billion. Achieving them would be no mean feat.Watch moreCan Europe get its industrial groove back?But public coffers are depleted and demographic decline is adding pressure on social safety nets. Capital and banking markets are shallow and fragmented. Yet on the other hand, private savings are at high levels.So what can Europe do? Our panelists give us their take.Read moreFull coverage of the World Economic Forum
In a crowded Paris metro car or at the counter of a bustling café, it’s easy to forget what loomed over us just five years ago. Yet, on the fifth anniversary of the first Covid-19 lockdown in Wuhan, China, the headlines tell a different story: Donald Trump, on his first day back in office, signing an order for the United States to withdraw from the World Health Organization. We’ll examine why the UN health body might lose its largest donor and discuss the grievances surrounding global health leadership. Are we dealing with fringe anti-vaccine groups—or a more profound dissatisfaction? And just as many who fell ill in the early days of the pandemic continue to battle long Covid, have the fear, isolation, and anxiety from lockdowns left a lasting mark on our politics? Five years on, Covid is barely part of the conversation. What crucial issues remain unresolved? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Guillaume Gougeon and Annarosa Zampaglione.
Do they stand firm or bow to the pressure? Europe is facing a clear message: Donald Trump’s administration isn't just pushing liquefied natural gas exports. The US is demanding that the continent adjust to a new reality. From walking away from multilateral efforts on climate change and global tax standards, to charting its own course on regulating tech – especially artificial intelligence – Washington is making its priorities clear. Trump's domestic AI initiative showcases America's edge, leveraging deep pockets and abundant cheap energy to lead the digital transformation race. Meanwhile, Europe faces tough questions. Can its leaders muster the collective strength to protect their consensus-driven welfare model and chart their own path forward? Or will they be forced to follow the lead of the planet's most powerful nation? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Guillaume Gougeon and Annarosa Zampaglione.
With a few strokes of the pen, it’s as if he never left. Or is it? On day one of his second term, Donald Trump pardoned nearly all those convicted in the January 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol. Has the 45th and now 47th president succeeded in rewriting the narrative? His diehard supporters are cheering, hailing the pardoned as "hostages" of a political witch hunt and celebrating his promise of mass deportations targeting "criminal aliens". But can Trump keep his coalition intact? From populist voters to billionaire tech titans like Elon Musk, do their interests truly align? And in Washington, where his party controls Congress and the Supreme Court is stacked with his appointees, can the disrupter-in-chief truly crush his enemies and solidify his legacy?Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Guillaume Gougeon and Annarosa Zampaglione.
It's a second coming and a very different Washington. Four years after his unseating at the ballot box and an insurrection that rattled the world's most powerful nation, a victorious Donald Trump returns to the White House with the promise of radical change. François Picard's panel of guests give us their take on his inaugural address and what we can expect from Trump 2.0. Read moreTrump's inaugural address: The main takeaways
How should US allies deal with Donald Trump's return? His inauguration, featuring far-right figures, signals a US president-elect who's intent on shaking up alliances and settling scores. Critics warn he could hand concessions to leaders like Binyamin Netanyahu or Vladimir Putin to dismantle the Washington consensus. But early moves, like pressuring Israel towards a Gaza ceasefire, complicate the picture. Will Trump push Ukraine into a rushed deal that favours Moscow, scale back Europe's defence or take an entirely different approach?For NATO allies, what does "America First" mean now, as Trump's far-right fanbase grows across Europe? Produced by François Picard, Théophile Vareille, Guillaume Gougeon and Ilayda Habip.
It's a done deal for some; close but not quite over the line for others. After so many false starts since the last ceasefire 14 months ago, a deal finally appears at hand for the guns to go silent in the Gaza Strip. Could the difference be the imminent return of Donald Trump? His return comes in the wake of the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and the pummelling of Iran proxy Hezbollah at the hands of Israel. What leverage is left for Hamas? And who to pick up the pieces of a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people and a territory that is largely destroyed?A truce would also prove a moment of truth for Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu. Do his personal fortunes depend on prolonging the war, or is this a window of opportunity to pivot away from the far right and prolong the political shelf life of Israel's longest-serving leader?
Force majeure is defined as an event that's above and beyond our control. That expression is borrowed by insurers from the French to describe what may otherwise be described as an act of God. Los Angeles's devastating wildfires certainly qualify as force majeure: the explosive cocktail of prolonged drought, low humidity and hurricane-force winds together sparking an unprecedented disaster. But is it all down to Mother Nature? What does it take to prevent and put out wildfires in times of global warming? There is what insurers should cover in earthquake, mudslide and fire-prone Southern California, and what authorities should do – from building codes and safety norms, to how much tax should be raised to fund rescue services.The well-to-do in the posh Pacific Palisades neighborhood will almost certainly land on their feet. Some can even pay for private firefighters. But what about the rest of the population?More broadly, are we ready for the new normal?
It's not just Elon Musk. Be they cabinet picks, ambassadors or advisers, Donald Trump’s roster of nominees is stacked with a record number of billionaires. What does that say about the times we live in? And if Trump's first stint as US president is anything to go by, it's safe to predict more deregulation and tax cuts that will serve his team nicely. But does success in making money imply success in serving the common good? Four years ago, captains of industry and tech titans were distancing themselves from Trump's brand of politics after the storming of the Capitol that attempted to stop the January 6 certification of his defeat.Last week, Facebook's boss Mark Zuckerberg announced that he was ditching US-based fact-checkers on his platforms. Will kissing the ring be good for Meta and will the rest of the world feel the impact of what is happening across the Atlantic?At a time when the world needs to come together on issues of environmental norms and artificial intelligence, what response will there be if things get adversarial?