Focus

Ethiopia has one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world, rumoured to be the descendants of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon in 950 BC. From the 1970s to 1990s, this community known as Beta Israel was persecuted under the Communist regime, and Israel evacuated more than 20,000 Ethiopian Jews in dramatic airlifts known as Operation Solomon and Operation Moses. But a few thousand were left behind.

India has the second-largest road network in the world, spanning over 6 million kilometres. But these roads are silent killers, with one death reported every three minutes. Every day, headlines are filled with horror stories: drunk drivers mowing people down, school buses hit by speeding trucks killing children, buses with dozens of passengers plunging into gorges.

The topic of artificial intelligence looms large as Chinese President Xi Jinping begins his highly anticipated state visit to Washington. The fate of Taiwan – coveted by its larger neighbour, China – will also be on the table. It's the global leader in superconductor research and development. These powerful chips can be found in smartphones, computers, and above all in AI development. Our France 2 colleagues take a rare look inside one of Taiwan's state-of-the-art laboratories. 

In Southeast Asia, hundreds of thousands of people working in fraud centres are scamming people across the world. US authorities suggest the fraudsters are responsible for scams worth almost $10 billion a year against US nationals alone. Victims in Europe, the UK and China have also been targeted. Human rights groups further warn that those working in the centres are often themselves victims of human trafficking – forced to work as slaves.

People living in Chad's Lake Province are bearing the brunt of climate change. The region and the communities that have developed there have historically depended on this vast body of water. Fishing, first and foremost, but also farming, are the pillars of local livelihoods. Yet both are increasingly disrupted by erratic weather patterns: dwindling fish stocks, damaged farmland and a rising cost of living.

With just a couple months to go until the US midterm election, a new political fault line is emerging in Republican strongholds across Texas driven by the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence. According to an analysis by the Texas Tribune, nearly 60 percent of planned new data centers are set to be built in congressional districts that voted for Donald Trump in 2024. But the AI boom is now sparking a backlash from some of the voters who helped put him back in office. Pierrick Leurent and Valérie Defert have this report.

The himalayan flash flood that devastated northern Nepal on August 26 was an unprecedented disaster. The death toll continues to rise, with nearly 1,400 people now confirmed dead and 5,130 still missing, including around 600 foreign nationals from 35 countries.  

Part of the island of Montserrat, a UK Overseas Territory, was buried by a volcanic eruption in 1995. Today, caution is essential for those venturing on the mysterious island that is full of spectacular Caribbean landscapes. Our colleagues at France Télévisions and FRANCE 24's Florent Marchais report.

The aviation sector is one of the India's strongest-performing industries. More than 70 airports have been built over the past decade, and the country counts over 400 million air passengers annually. In just ten years, India has become the world's third-largest aviation market, behind China and the United States.

The psychological impact on the Ukrainian population of nearly five years of full-scale Russian onslaught is hard to overstate. Children and teenagers are particularly at risk of trauma. With support from foreign philanthropists, one Ukrainian NGO is trying to help at least a few teenagers cope better, via summer camps that mix therapy and fun. Our correspondent Gulliver Cragg reports.

Since this spring, about 6 percent of Lebanon has been occupied by the Israeli army. On the ground, around 600 French soldiers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) continue to patrol the zone. The delicate peacekeeping mission documents violations of UN resolutions by both Israel and Hezbollah, with its own future highly uncertain. Our France 2 colleagues report, with FRANCE 24's Florent Marchais.

Over the past five decades, Nepal has established itself as a model for wildlife conservation. Nearly 20 percent of the country's territory has been designated as protected areas. An effective anti-poaching policy has helped save iconic species such as the one-horned rhinoceros and the gharial crocodile, which were once on the brink of extinction. But this success also comes with tragic consequences.

Syria's economic capital Aleppo was left largely in ruins by the fighting that raged there between regime and rebel forces from 2012 to 2016. A 2023 earthquake also caused severe damage to the old city. But reconstruction is now well underway, in particular of Aleppo's treasured historic monuments.

Vietnam, a country of more than 100 million people, is facing a sharp decline in its birthrate. Once known for large families, the nation's fertility rate has fallen to just 1.9 children per woman. This figure worries the government, which for decades was obsessed with controlling population growth. For more than 40 years, a two-child policy was the norm in Vietnam – a restriction that was only lifted in June 2025.

Pakistan, a country known for its conservative values, rarely makes waves in the music and entertainment industry. Yet in major cities like Karachi and Lahore, a quiet but thriving DJ scene is beginning to make itself heard, with emerging talents and artists transforming the music industry. At the heart of this evolution, more and more women are asserting themselves in a field largely dominated by men.

Born barely five years ago in Yopougon – the poorest, but also the liveliest area of Ivory Coast's economic capital Abidjan – Biama has got the whole of Ivorian youth dancing. Faster than coupé-décalé, this newer musical and choreographic genre borrows many of its codes. But unlike its older sibling, which is associated with trendy nightclubs, biama is danced in the streets and on social media, making it easily accessible to its young, working-class audience.

The indigenous Hmong people have lived in a mountainous region of northern Vietnam for centuries. But today, these farming communities are on the front line of the climate crisis. Rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall and landslides are now part of their daily life. The terraced rice paddies tended by generations of villagers are struggling to cope, while important medicinal plants are disappearing due to deforestation.

In 1894, when the Belgian city of Antwerp was hosting a World's Fair, 144 Congolese people were forcibly brought to the city to be exhibited in the Congo Pavilion. In this "human zoo", seven Congolese men ultimately died of disease. Today, this shocking episode still haunts Belgium as one of its colonial history's darkest chapters.

In the 1930s, Japan found itself battling against the spread of leprosy. Faced with the infectious disease, which attacks the nerves and deforms the body, the authorities confined leprosy patients to sanatoriums – some of them on the island of Nagashima. Even after the first treatments appeared in the late 1940s, it would take until 1996 for the government to end the forced confinement of patients who had in fact been cured for decades.

For decades, humanoid robots belonged to the realm of science fiction. But today, they're one of Silicon Valley's hottest markets. According to consulting firm McKinsey, automation could transform up to 30 percent of all hours worked across the US economy by 2030. Dozens of companies are already developing robots that can interact with people and even help with everyday tasks. FRANCE 24's Pierrick Leurent and Valérie Defert report, with Wassim Cornet.

Pasta may be one of the world's most beloved staples, but technology is being used to improve the iconic Italian dish. In the Emilia-Romagna region, Italy's "Food Valley", researchers are creating the pasta of the future by focusing on its main ingredient, wheat. FRANCE 24's Natalia Mendoza, Laura Roudaut, Tommaso Marro and Charlotte Davan Wetton report.

Two earthquakes of rare magnitude struck Venezuela on June 24, seconds apart. The state of La Guaira on the Caribbean coast was by far the hardest hit, with entire buildings collapsing there in seconds. Tens of thousands of people are still missing but help still has not arrived.

In this edition, our reporters look at Haiti, which is still in the grips of a long-running battle against armed gangs in the capital and some provinces. A new international security force is being deployed but has yet to make widespread progress. Against this backdrop, the humanitarian crisis in the country is continuing to spiral. 1.5 million people are now internally displaced in Haiti and malnutrition is widespread.

In just a few decades, the Hunza Valley in Gilgit-Baltistan, a remote mountainous region of northern Pakistan, has undergone a dramatic transformation. Expanded access to education, improved healthcare and strong local development have reshaped the area, in a model of progress often linked to foundations associated with the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Ismaili community. The minority counts nearly 500,000 members in Pakistan and makes up around 90% of Hunza's population.

Under the guise of fighting crime, Sao Paulo has rolled out the world's largest facial recognition system operated by a city. India, China, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom have introduced similar technologies under vague legal frameworks. But no city has embraced surveillance on the same scale as Sao Paulo, making it the world's biggest "Big Brother". The artificial intelligence system, known as Smart Sampa, is now at the centre of a growing scandal after being accused of racial profiling. Report by Marine Resse, Fanny Lothaire, Mélanie Blondeau.

India's rapid-delivery apps have transformed everyday life in its biggest cities, promising almost anything at your doorstep in 10 minutes or less. But behind the convenience lies a fast-growing gig economy that is reshaping jobs, wages and expectations for millions of young Indians. Supriya Kumar and Sacha Desmaizières report.

In Bosnia, parts of the scientific community are opposing the construction of a massive hydroelectric dam, warning of potentially serious environmental consequences. The project comes as dam construction has surged across the country, fuelled by the fact that it has become a highly lucrative business – one critics say is largely controlled by those with close ties to the authorities.

Germany is rearming amid an economic recession with thousands of jobs slashed across industrial and service sectors. In these tough economic conditions, the Bundeswehr is now one of the country's most attractive employers for young people. Applications rose by 23 percent in January 2026 alone. Behind the figures lies a more complicated reality: for many young Germans, putting on a uniform is not a vocation – it's a fallback option. FRANCE 24's Anne Mailliet reports, with Nick Holdsworth.

Scandola, a UNESCO-listed nature reserve off the coast of Corsica, is attracting a growing number of visitors from around the world – drawn to its dramatic landscapes and rich marine life. However, protecting its unique wildlife and fragile marine ecosystem is becoming an increasingly delicate balancing act. Our colleagues at France 2 and FRANCE 24's Guillaume Gougeon report.

While the Lyhanna case in France has exposed the shortcomings of a fragmented system for dealing with sexual violence against minors, Belgium stands as a model with its Centres for the Care of Sexual Violence (CPVS). The centres are based on a simple principle: a victim only has to walk through one door to find a doctor, forensic nurse, psychologist and specialized police officer – all in one place. Born from a pilot project in three hospitals, the model proved convincing with its scientific results from the first evaluation. In 2020, the government decided to roll it out nationwide.

One month after Congolese authorities officially declared a new Ebola outbreak, the virus is still spreading in the east of the country and the death toll continues to rise. There are now more than 1,000 confirmed cases and more than 250 confirmed deaths. FRANCE 24's Aurélie Bazzara-Kibangula reports from eastern DR Congo, with Paula Séville.

Brazil have advanced to the World Cup round of 16, despite many experts predicting that Japan would defeat the Seleção. The football-mad South American nation has lost some of its lustre since the team's dramatic 7-1 loss to Germany in 2014 on home soil – a World Cup that traumatised an entire nation, and not just because of the defeat. 

Poland is one of the most restrictive countries in Europe for LGBT rights. Neither marriages nor civil partnerships for same-sex couples are legal there. But as of late May, Poland has legalised the recognition of same-sex marriages performed in third countries. The change comes after the European Court of Justice ruled that Warsaw was in contravention of EU free movement laws if it withdrew rights that couples had acquired in another country. As a result, Polish same-sex couples have been rushing to organise weddings outside the country. FRANCE 24's Adrien Sarlat reports, with Gulliver Cragg.

In Albania, a widespread protest movement is underway against the current government. The demonstrations erupted after construction began on a luxury resort in a nature reserve in the southwest of the country. The real estate project is spearheaded by Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, and his wife Ivanka. Environmental activists have rejected the prospect of construction in the reserve, home to flamingos and other wildlife, while others see job and economic opportunities. FRANCE 24's David Gilberg reports with Lauren Bain.

A father of three who was seized by ICE at a FIFA match last summer – at the very same stadium where the World Cup final will take place – is warning immigrant fans of the risks they are taking if they attend World Cup games in the United States. FRANCE 24's Jessica Le Masurier, Yves Schaeffner, Mehdi Bouzouina and Sarah Andersen bring you this exclusive report. We are keeping the family anonymous for their safety.

In much of the world, rabbits are seen as harmless, fluffy pets. But in Australia, they're an economic and environmental disaster. Introduced for sport hunting by British settlers in the mid-19th century, rabbits faced no natural predators. As a result, their population exploded across the continent within decades. Despite mass eradication campaigns, hundreds of millions of rabbits remain today, devastating the landscape and tormenting Australian farmers. FRANCE 24's Grégory Plesse and Quentin Théron report.

This Tuesday June 23, Marc Bloch will be inducted into Paris's Panthéon mausoleum. A leading 20th-century historian, he co-founded the French academic journal "Les Annales" and was also a soldier in both World Wars. Bloch, who was Jewish, joined the French Resistance during World War II and was tortured and executed by the Gestapo in 1944. Throughout his life, he embodied both intellectual rigour and an unwavering commitment to the French Republic. FRANCE 24's Florence Gaillard reports, with Florent Marchais.

In 2025, the Supreme Court of India declared maternity leave a fundamental right for working women. India is among the countries in the world where pregnant women are entitled to 26 weeks of paid maternity leave, which can be taken for up to two children. The move has been widely welcomed by women's rights advocates. But they emphasise that India still has a long way to go in ensuring the rights of working mothers. FRANCE 24's Navodita Kumari and Zubair Dar report.

Over the last decade, gun murders have jumped by nearly 90 percent in Canada. This increase is fuelled by a never-ending stream of illegal weapons acquired across the border in the United States. According to data from the Toronto Police, 88 percent of the guns seized in crimes last year originated in the US. Canadian police and elected officials are demanding tighter controls at border crossings. FRANCE 24's Francois Rihouay, Joanne Profeta report, with Fraser Jackson.

Gaming cafés have become a common sight on the streets of Cairo, especially in poorer neighbourhoods. Egyptians hold a world record for time spent gaming per day, with an average of 1 hour and 43 minutes daily. Some 43.5 percent of young gamers in Egypt are considered to be addicted. In February, the government launched a campaign to combat addiction. FRANCE 24's Mathilde Delvigne reports.

Poland, which is regularly targeted by Russian hybrid attacks, takes the threat of war with Moscow very seriously. The country now spends nearly 5 percent of its GDP on defence, and aims to train its civilians too, so they will know how to react if war breaks out. To this end, it has introduced a programme of one-day training sessions with the army, entitled "Always Ready", which have turned out to be a runaway success. FRANCE 24's Adrien Sarlat and Jan Garstecki joined some of the participants at a session near Warsaw.

Syria has been particularly hard hit by the decline in global humanitarian aid, especially from the US. In the northwest of the country, hundreds of thousands of displaced people are still living in makeshift shelters. When the Assad regime fell, they hoped to be able to return home. But on seeing their villages destroyed, most have remained stranded in camps, waiting for reconstruction that will take years. As time goes by, living conditions there are deteriorating and vital infrastructure such as hospitals are at risk of closing.