Focus

The Chinese government is planning to close 1,000 coal mines over the course of this year - that means 1.3 million jobs will be lost as China seeks to reduce its coal dependence and curb its air pollution. However, economies in cities like Datong almost completely rely on coal. Our correspondent goes to China's industrial north to see how the government plans to deal with this dilemma. A programme prepared by Phoebe Lanzer-Wood and Elise Duffau.

China has unveiled plans to become a "world football powerhouse" by 2050, able to take titles from the world's top teams. So how is it going to do that? By pumping money into the beautiful game: In the last few months, Chinese football clubs have invested hundreds of millions of euros importing foreign talent from European clubs. The president has called football a national priority, and made it compulsory in some schools. A programme prepared by Gaëlle Essoo, Yong Chim and Laura Burloux

Nestled between India and China, with just 750,000 inhabitants, Bhutan is one of the world’s most mysterious nations. It has been dubbed the "land of happiness" since it is the only country in the world with a Gross National Happiness index to measure its citizens' quality of life. But has following this path helped the sheltered Buddhist nation? Our reporter Surabhi Tandon has been to Bhutan to find out. A programme prepared by Gaëlle Essoo and Laura Burloux

Two French soldiers died of their wounds this Wednesday after their vehicle hit a landmine in northern Mali on Tuesday. Seventeen French troops have now been killed in the Sahel region of West Africa since Paris first sent soldiers to Mali in 2013. More than 3,000 French troops remain on the ground and have managed to drive jihadist groups out of some zones, but they and their Malian counterparts lack the manpower to control the whole desert. Our colleagues from France 2 report from Mali. A programme prepared by Gaëlle Essoo and Laura Burloux.

Russia’s embargo on Western products initially meant near-empty shelves in some grocery stores, but a new round of state investment could turn into a boom for Russian agriculture. It's a year and a half since Russian President Vladimir Putin slapped an embargo on food products from the West, in retaliation for Western sanctions over Russia's annexation of Crimea. The resulting loss of revenue is certainly bad news for European farmers, but could turn into a windfall for Moscow. The Russian government has promised to grant various subsidies to its own farmers in order to encourage them to develop their activities and boost production. Our correspondents in Russia report.

A programme prepared by Gaëlle Essoo and Laura Burloux.

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One year ago, Muhammadu Buhari became president of Nigeria and vowed to rid the country of the militant Islamist group Boko Haram. Since then, the insurgents have not been totally defeated, but some progress has been made. Our correspondents have been to Maiduguri, the north-eastern city where the Boko Haram insurgency began. The security situation there has improved considerably over the past few months.

Peruvians head to the polls this Sunday to choose a new president and they could well put another Fujimori back in power. Keiko Fujimori is the daughter of Alberto Fujimori, who ruled Peru in the 1990s but has since been jailed for corruption and human rights abuses. Opinion polls suggest Keiko is the favourite, although she needs more than 50% of the vote to avoid a run-off on June 5th. She's loathed by some, but adored by her father's supporters. Our reporter in Peru takes a closer look.

In Djibouti, some 187,000 voters are eligible to vote in presidential elections on Friday April 8. The current head of state, Ismail Omar Guelleh, who has been in power since 1999, is seeking a fourth consecutive term. Nicknamed "IOG", he looks set for a comfortable re-election win against a divided opposition. Our correspondents report. Djibouti, a small country in the Horn of Africa, is pampered by its international partners because of its strategic position at the entrance to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. It's here that France, the former colonial power, has set up its largest military base abroad. The US and Japan also each have a base, while China is set to build one by the end of 2017.

Considered a stable partner, the Djiboutian authorities are nevertheless accused by human rights organisations of gagging the press and making life difficult for opposition parties. FRANCE 24's Duncan Woodside and Thaïs Brouck report from Djibouti.

A programme prepared by Phoebe Lanzer Wood and Elise Duffau.

In this edition our correspondents report on the situation of Christians in Pakistan, in the wake of an Easter Sunday bombing by the Taliban that claimed dozens of lives. It was the latest in an escalating number of attacks on Christians in the country, who represent just two percent of the population. As well as facing violence, Pakistani Christians say they are treated as second-class citizens. A programme prepared by Phoebe Lanzer Wood and Elise Duffau.

In this edition we head to China, one of the world's top shipbuilders. But the industry is in trouble worldwide, which means more and more shipyards are having to close. It's having a devastating impact on local economies across the country, as our correspondent reports. A programme prepared by Anna Kowalska and Elise Duffau.