Focus

With negotiators holding fresh talks this week on overhauling the NAFTA free trade deal, we look at the example of soft fruits. America's increasing appetite for smoothies and antioxidant fruits means booming business for Mexico's berry growers. But for their US counterparts, cheap labour and state subsidies south of the border are proving tough competition and fuelling accusations of dumping. Our colleagues from France 2 report, with FRANCE 24's Wassim Cornet. A programme prepared by Patrick Lovett and Gaëlle Essoo.

With France's agricultural fair in full swing, we take a look at female farmers. One in four farmers in France is now a woman, up from 8% some 50 years ago. French women have always played a key role in agriculture, but they only gained the same legal rights as their male counterparts in 2011. Since then, more and more women have decided to step out of their husbands' shadows and become farm managers. Our reporters profile a female farm boss in Brittany, western France. A programme prepared by Wassim Cornet, Gaëlle Essoo and Claire Pryde.

Mit dem preisgekrönten Dokumentarfilm «Electroboy» über ein junges Leben als Achterbahnfahrt erlangte Florian Burkhardt traurige Berühmtheit. Mit 27 Jahren war die Party abrupt zu Ende und Burkhardt wurde zum Pflegefall. Aber er hat sich aufgerappelt, ein neues Buch geschrieben und macht Musik. Er zog aus, suchte Ruhm und Anerkennung, wurde Fotomodell, Möchtegern-Filmstar, Internet-Pionier, Snowboard-Profi und schliesslich Zürcher Partykönig. Bis eine schwere Angststörung sein Leben auf der Überholspur beendete. Im Dokumentarfilm «Electroboy» liess Florian Burkhardt seine komplizierte Familiengeschichte schonungslos rekapitulieren, schrieb später ein erstes Buch darüber und ist nach einigen Jahren in Deutschland zurück in der Heimat. Sein Leben meistert er heute ganz bescheiden, möglichst ohne Rummel und «mithilfe von Medikamenten», wie er selbst sagt. Im Focus erzählt der mittlerweile 44-Jährige über ein Leben zwischen Übermut und Absturz.

The "Dark Web" is a part of the internet that can only be accessed with a special browser. One of its main features is a huge quantity of illegal marketplaces selling drugs, weapons, stolen bank cards, fake IDs and more. But hidden among the criminals and buyers are French units of specialised police forces, who are hunting down cybercriminals. This report takes a closer look. A programme prepared by Patrick Lovett, Gaëlle Essoo and Florence Viala.

A tally of homeless people in Paris last week counted at least 3,000 people sleeping rough in the capital. The French government is being criticised for not sticking to its promise of finding shelter for everyone. It is also being accused of downplaying the problem - last month, one junior minister suggested there were only 50 homeless people in the greater Paris region. FRANCE 24 went to find out what measures have been put in place for those living on the street, such as Fabrice (pictured). >> On France24.com: Counting the homeless on the streets of Paris

A programme prepared by Patrick Lovett, Gaëlle Esso and Florence Viala.

Italy is one of Europe's main arrival points for migrants, but processing each asylum request can take up to two years. That's a long period of forced idleness for asylum seekers. In response, the Italian government has decided to spend €50 million over two years on professional training schemes for refugees and asylum seekers. Our correspondents report from Bologna, where the new arrivals are learning about cooking and fashion. A programme prepared by Patrick Lovett, Gaëlle Esso and Florence Viala.

Cobalt is an essential component of batteries for smartphones and electric cars. Around 60% of it comes from just one country, DR Congo – and most of the metal is exported to China. But there are ethical concerns: Amnesty International says children and adults are mining cobalt in extremely hazardous conditions. Meanwhile, around a quarter of the cobalt extracted in DR Congo is sold through the black market. This report is from our France 2 colleagues, with Erin Ogunkeye. A programme prepared by Florence Viala, Gaëlle Essoo and Claire Pryde.

One in five prison beds in Germany are empty. The figures from German juvenile offenders' institutions are even more striking: the rate of youth crime fell by half between 2007 and 2015. This phenomenon is only partly linked to the fact that the population is ageing. German criminologists believe a ban on corporal punishment has had a positive effect on the country's youth. Our correspondents report. A programme prepared by Patrick Lovett and Gaëlle Essoo.

Im Teenageralter hat Kevin Huguenin als «jüngster Bestatter» der Schweiz für Schlagzeilen gesorgt. Mittlerweile hat er seinen 19. Geburtstag gefeiert und ist um eine Menge Erfahrungen reicher. In «Focus» spricht er von seiner Berufung zum Bestatter und über sich selbst. Ein junger Mann verschreibt sein Leben dem Tod und den Toten - Kalkül, Spleen oder Überzeugung? Als «jüngster Bestatter» ist Kevin Huguenin eine Ausnahmeerscheinung im Geschäft mit dem Tod. Über sein Start-up Unternehmen zum Ende des Lebens, seine Gemeinsamkeiten mit dem «Bestatter» Mike Müller und sein Leben als solches – Kevin Huguenin im Gespräch mit Hannes Hug.

In eastern Africa, you can now reliably take the train from Ethiopia's capital to neighbouring Djibouti. The new railway line - built and paid for by China - went into operation a few weeks ago. Over a century ago, the French had already built a rail line between the two African nations. It essentially stopped worked ten years ago, but a few cars kept running. Now, in cities where the old line stopped, expectations for the new one are high. Our correspondents report. A programme prepared by Patrick Lovett, Gaëlle Essoo, Hannah Gay and Florence Viala.