x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Focus

FRANCE 24 English

Our Focus programme brings you exclusive reports from around the world. Every day at 8:45am Paris time.

news & politics

All Episodes

00:06:11

International Day of Zero Waste: Chile's Atacama...

Focus ·

2024/03/30

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

en

00:06:02

Gotland island, a strategic location in the Baltic...

Focus ·

2024/03/29

Sweden joined NATO earlier this month, becoming to become the 32nd member of the military alliance. Around the Baltic Sea, nations are worried about what Russian President Vladimir Putin could do next after showing he was capable of invading Ukraine. Sweden has officially ended its traditional neutrality and its prime minister has even told Swedes they need to be prepared for war. Military service was already reintroduced back in 2018. Our reporters Clovis Casali and Julien Sauvaget went to the

en

00:05:58

Tunisian authorities crack down on dissenting voices

Focus ·

2024/03/27

Since Tunisian President Kais Saied seized full governing powers in July 2021, concern has been growing about a crackdown on free speech and dissent in the country. In the last year, about 50 political opponents have been in jail in various cases. Some have been awaiting trial for more than a year. Meanwhile, judges fired by the president have not been reinstated, despite a ruling in their favour. While some Tunisians are speaking out, others feel resigned to their fate. Our correspondents

en

00:05:37

Canada: Quebec sees 'mining boom' as cheap drilling...

Focus ·

2024/03/26

The eastern Canadian province of Quebec is seeing a new "gold rush" for minerals the government calls "critical and strategic". Demand for graphite, lithium and cobalt is growing rapidly, mainly because of their important role in the production of electric vehicle (EV) batteries. As a result, thousands of drilling rights have been granted in just a few months. These rights can be purchased by anybody for about €50, but some analysts say the rush to buy titles is threatening residents and the

en

00:06:40

Inside Cracolandia, Sao Paulo's neighbourhood of...

Focus ·

2024/03/25

In the heart of the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo – the largest metropolis in the Americas, with 12 million inhabitants – lies Cracolandia. Literally the "land of crack cocaine", it's a dangerous area frequented and inhabited by homeless people and drug users. They have no shelter, water or sanitation. Due to the lack of public services in the city, NGOs have provided food, work and entertainment for these extremely vulnerable people for many years. Our correspondents followed a psychiatrist who is

en

00:04:44

Spain's Rio Tinto river offers scientists Mars-like...

Focus ·

2024/03/24

In this edition we discover Spain's Rio Tinto, or Red River, in Andalusia. The waterway's unique purple and burgundy tints, as well as sometimes yellow or blue colours, are due to the significant quantities of iron in the river. This acidity and these conditions make its environment comparable to those on the planet Mars. Astrobiologists from around the world, even from NASA, use the river for their studies. Our correspondents Céline Schmitt, Julien Garrel and Sarah Morris report.

en

00:05:10

Cuba's crumbling economy: Island plunges further into...

Focus ·

2024/03/23

Cubans are taking to the streets as their country spirals further into economic crisis. Suffering from food shortages and power outages, residents are demanding action from the regime. The country has never recovered from the Covid pandemic crippling its tourism sector. The additional burden of US sanctions and the long-running US embargo has not helped. Cubans lack essential items like food and medicine, while fuel prices rose 500 percent at the beginning of March. Our France 2 colleagues report,

en

00:05:18

International Day of Forests: Pakistan struggles to...

Focus ·

2024/03/21

Experts in Pakistan recently warned of the increased risk of floods and other natural disasters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the country's most forested province, due to massive deforestation. Timber traffickers are accused of cutting down trees illegally on a regular basis. While forest protection services are stepping up patrols in forest reserves, the authorities admit to being overwhelmed by the problem. Our correspondents Shahzaib Wahlah and Sonia Ghezali report.

en

00:05:07

France takes part in joint military exercises in...

Focus ·

2024/03/19

For the past month, more than 200 French military personnel have been stationed at Fort Irwin in California's Mojave Desert. For the first time, France has been invited to take part in joint exercises with five allied countries: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Initiated by the Pentagon, the project, dubbed "Convergence", is designed to enable all these armies to cooperate in conflict zones and act as an effective coalition. Now that war has returned to

en

00:05:32

World Recycling Day: Thailand drowning in foreign...

Focus ·

2024/03/18

Thailand is one of the biggest plastic polluters in the world: Some 2 million tonnes of plastic waste are produced each year in the country, and only 25 percent of it is recycled. It's estimated that at least 50,000 tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean annually. But Thailand's underdeveloped recycling industry is just one of the problems. Thailand also imports plastic waste, with 372,000 tonnes imported in 2023 alone. Overwhelmed by the problem, the Thai government has announced measures to ban the

en

00:05:28

Moldova's EU membership hinges on resisting influence...

Focus ·

2024/03/17

Ever since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Republic of Moldova, a small country between Romania and Ukraine, has been grappling with the influence of oligarchs – rich businessmen with close links to power. Often pro-Russian and backed by the Kremlin, the main oligarchs have been convicted by Moldovan courts, but have fled the country. Despite their absence and progressive power loss, some remain very active in politics and are fomenting what President Maia Sandu calls a 'hybrid war" led by Russia

en

00:06:03

A new era of space flight: ESA's partnership with...

Focus ·

2024/03/16

SpaceX launched Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket, for the third time on Thursday. The spacecraft is an essential part of NASA's Artemis programme, a partnership that embodies a concept known as "new space" or privatised space flight. The European Space Agency is following NASA's lead and has entered this new era of the space race, partnering with private companies and startups to get its missions off the ground. We take a closer look at the French companies making innovations and

en

00:05:24

Russian presidential election: The dashed hopes of...

Focus ·

2024/03/15

Exiled Russians who have fled to France since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine have few illusions about the outcome of Russia's presidential election. Voting began this Friday, with the main aim being to ensure a high turnout, rather than deciding on Vladimir Putin's re-election, which is a certainty. The vote is overshadowed by last month's death in prison of Putin's main opponent Alexei Navalny – widely denounced as a political assassination by the Russian opposition. Navalny's death also

en

00:06:02

Contamination from Trinity nuclear test site...

Focus ·

2024/03/12

“Oppenheimer” swept the Oscars on Sunday, detailing the creation of the atomic bomb at the trinity test site. But what the film failed to capture was the impact the nuclear test had on local residents. Between 1944 and 1986, the US Department of Defense dumped more than 30 million tons of Uranium in the area between Arizona and New Mexico known as the "Uranium Belt", in the middle of a Navajo reservation. According to the CDC, this radioactive exposure has resulted in dozens of cancers, birth

en

00:04:44

Increasing sense of marginalisation among Italy's...

Focus ·

2024/03/11

There are approximately 2.7 million Muslims living in Italy, which amounts to about 4.9 percent of the population, a community that is being targeted by the current coalition government led by the right-wing Brothers of Italy party. They are the second largest religious group in the country after Christians, but local governments and mayors frequently impose restrictions on their right to practice their religion. This is the case in Monfalcone, a town in the Northern part of the peninsula. Our

en

00:06:11

International Women's Day: The heroines in Pakistan's...

Focus ·

2024/03/08

Today is International Women's Day, and our Focus takes us to Pakistan, where a policewoman has recently been making the headlines. Assistant superintendent Syeda Shehrbano Naqvi came to the rescue of a woman being accused of blasphemy by an angry mob in a local Lahore market.

en

00:05:15

Fine particle pollution suffocates Italy's Po Valley

Focus ·

2024/03/07

Our Focus report today takes us to Italy's Po Valley, one of the most polluted regions in Europe. This vast area of northern Italy concentrates 40% of the country's inhabitants who breathe toxic air containing levels of fine particles approximately four times higher than the World Health Organization guidelines. Our correspondents in Italy Charlotte Davan Wetton, Natalia Mendoza, Simone Bauducco, Enrico Camana tell us more.

en

00:07:38

Gang warfare plunges Haiti's capital into crisis

Focus ·

2024/03/06

Sunday's major prison break in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, in which gangs allowed thousands of inmates to escape, has plunged the country even deeper into chaos. Authorities declared a state of emergency and curfew in the capital, 80 percent of which is controlled by criminal gangs. Since the shock assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021, the country has been mired in a political crisis, which has in turn led to a security and humanitarian disaster. Amid a brutal turf war between

en

00:05:52

Winter drought threatens livelihoods in Himalayas...

Focus ·

2024/03/04

This winter, the Himalayan region on the Indian side experienced record high temperatures and an unprecedented drought. With almost no snowfall, this January was the hottest and driest in 43 years. Meteorologists say temperatures in recent months have been up to eight degrees above normal. Climate change is also leading to the fast melting of glaciers. More than 200 million inhabitants living in the Himalayans are struggling to survive and are forced to migrate. FRANCE 24's Nabeel Ahmed, Selma

en

00:05:19

'White gold' rush: US lithium industry sparks hopes...

Focus ·

2024/03/01

The volcanic subsoil of Imperial Valley in Southern California is home to one of the world's largest lithium deposits. The mineral is key to producing batteries for electric cars. But the local community could be completely transformed by the arrival of the lithium industry. While thousands of jobs might be created, the environment risks paying a price. Our US West Coast correspondents Wassim Cornet and Pierrick Leurent report on locals' hopes and fears.

en

377 results

Similar Podcasts

Boletines RNE

RNE

BBC News

BBC World Service

برامج

مونت كارلو الدولية / MCD

Journal Afrique

RFI

要闻解说

RFI - 法国国际广播电台