Focus

Today we report on a little-known chapter of the French conquest of Algeria: the Algerian fighters shot and beheaded in the mid-19th century for resisting French colonialism. More than 150 years after their deaths, the skulls of these resistance fighters still sit in the vaults of the French National Museum of Natural History in Paris. How did they get there? Will they ever be repatriated to the land they fought and died for? Our team went to find out more. A programme prepared by Josh Vardey and Aline Schmidt.

In the US city of Atlanta, the birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr., a group of residents have started a "Buy Black" movement, inspired by the civil rights struggle. These entrepreneurs, investors and members of civil society want to encourage their peers to spend their money in the African-American community and boycott the "white" economy. The initiative was created partly as a reaction to repeated police violence against the black community. Our correspondents report from Atlanta. A programme prepared by Elise Duffau and Patrick Lovett.

While filming a report about a militia leader allied with the internationally recognised Libyan government in Tripoli, FRANCE 24 journalists witnessed the takeover of a key oil terminal by troops under the command of the rebel general Khalifa Haftar. Haftar, a former Muammar Gaddafi lieutenant who eventually turned against the late Libyan strongman, has proclaimed himself leader of the eastern region of Benghazi and defied the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).

On September 11, he launched a major military operation to take control of Libya’s so-called Oil Crescent, a geographical area that includes the country’s most important oil production installations. Hafta’s forces quickly took over the key terminals in Zoueitina, Brega, Al Sedra and Ras Lanuf.

Only days prior to the offensive, FRANCE 24 journalists Jonathan Walsh and Amar al Hameedawi were in Ras Lanuf interviewing Ibrahim Jadhran, the commander of the so-called “Guardians of Oil Installations”. The militia group, allied with the GNA, had been responsible for protecting the economically strategic area from jihadist groups as well as from Haftar’s forces.

The journalist’s assignment was suddenly cut short on news of Haftar’s offensive. “At first we couldn’t believe it, but then the situation became very alarming. We understood that Haftar’s men were gaining ground and Jadhran’s men were retreating,” Walsh said.

Abandoned by their local security guards and fixers, the journalists laid low in their hotel room in Ras Lanuf for three days. They were eventually able to sneak out of the country. “I was afraid they would confiscate our material. I was able to back-up our images on an obscure computer folder and erase the camera’s memory cards”.

The two journalists found safe passage to Misrata, then Tripoli and finally France. Click on the player above to see the report they brought back.

This programme was prepared by Patrick Lovett, Gaëlle Essoo and Claire Pryde.

D-Day is fast approaching for the embattled leader of Britain's Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn. Just a year ago, the election of this radical London MP brought about a sharp swing to the left for Labour - sparking divisions within the party. But the breaking point came with June's Brexit referendum, when Corbyn faced sharp criticism from the "In camp" for his half-hearted performance during the campaign. In protest, Labour MPs resigned en masse from his front bench team in the House of Commons, and launched a bid to oust him. The party has asked its 600,000 members to vote on whether to keep Corbyn in power, or replace him with challenger Owen Smith. The result will be announced this Saturday, at the party's annual Conference in Liverpool. But as our correspondent Hervé Amoric reports, that still might not put an end to the months of tug of war over Labour's political direction.

A programme prepared by Patrick Lovett, Emerald Maxwell, Elom Marcel Toble and Nadia Charbit.

Critics say it's a country ruled by a communist regime which stifles any kind of political opposition. On the other hand, Vietnam has chosen to embrace a market economy, and enjoys impressive economic growth. That's left the US, India, Russia and France all lining up to reinforce business ties with Hanoi. As Clovis Casali reports, it's left the country's youth hoping for a bright future. A programme prepared by Emerald Maxwell, Elom Marcel Toble and Claire Pryde.

Systemic corruption by politicians divides political parties in Spain. It's also one of the main causes of the current political impasse. Spain's conservative People's Party has won two general elections within a year but has failed to muster a parliamentary majority because of corruption allegations against many of its members. New political parties Podemos and Ciudadanos argue the two mainstream parties previously turned a blind eye to systemic corruption. These new parties have won voters by calling for a cleaning-up of politics. But the campaign against corruption is a tough one, as our correspondents report.

A programme prepared by Emerald Maxwell and Elom Toble

Grande-Synthe, near the northern port of Dunkirk, is France's first refugee camp to meet international standards. It is currently home to almost 1,500 people, mainly asylum seekers from Iraqi Kurdistan. Alongside official structures, voluntary initiatives are springing up to provide for the daily needs of the refugees. Our team reports.

This year's Bastille Day will stay firmly in the minds of those who celebrated on Nice's Promenade des Anglais - but for all the wrong reasons: 86 people were killed, and scores more were injured when a terrorist drove a lorry into the crowd. FRANCE 24's Mark Owen and Sylvain Rousseau, who covered the July 14 attack, returned to Nice two months after the attack and found that, although people in Nice seem to be gettting on with life, the atmosphere is tense and the city is still in great shock. A programme prepared by Jessica Sestili and Elise Duffau.

Russia's parliamentary elections take place this Sunday, and the ruling United Russia party is expected to win, even though polls show a steep drop in voter support over the past few months. One of the most unpopular measures introduced by the government amid the economic crisis is health reform. The government has made deep cuts in health funding and says it’s improving the system’s efficiency – but the consequences can be devastating for rural communities. Our team reports from the Urals. A programme prepared by Jessica Sestili and Elise Duffau

The Libyan port city of Sirte, on the Mediterranean Sea, was in the grip of the Islamic State organisation for an entire year. It was a strategic stronghold for the terrorist group, with access to the sea and nearby oil refineries. But since May, a coalition of militias and forces loyal to Libya's UN-backed unity government (GNA) have been retaking the city and the remaining jihadists are now cornered in one last district. Our colleagues at France 2 report from Sirte. A programme prepared by Patrick Lovett, Elom Marcel Toble and Claire Pryde.