Focus

In Singapore, the quest for eternal youth is no longer just a billionaire's fantasy. It's becoming big business. High-tech clinics, longevity labs and specialist companies all promise the same thing: slowing down the ageing process. From continuous metabolic monitoring and genetic testing to supplements and oxygen therapy, every aspect of the body is measured and optimised.

As Brazilians head to the polls on Sunday for the second round of presidential elections, our correspondents take us to the heart of the country's favelas, where residents live in unsanitary conditions. Over the past 40 years, the area occupied by Brazilian favelas has almost tripled in size. They now cover around 460,000 hectares, compared with 53,700 in 1985.
 

Tuesday, October 20 saw protests in more than 50 US cities against the rise of artificial intelligence. Demonstrators are calling for a moratorium on AI development, and the sentiment is shared by many: according to a recent study, 71 percent of Americans believe AI will lead to job losses. In the heart of Silicon Valley, record investment is now on a collision course with public fear and uncertainty. FRANCE 24's Pierrick Leurent and Valérie Defert report, with Wassim Cornet.

French schoolteacher Samuel Paty was killed on October 16, 2020 after false rumours circulated about racism following one of his lessons in which cartoons from the satirical publication Charlie Hebdo were shown. For the first time since his murder, journalists from France Télévisions were allowed to film inside the school where he taught in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, near Paris. They met a new generation of young people, who are determined to play their part in the fight against terrorism.

Lebanon's economic crisis has dragged on since 2019. A re-igniting of Israel's war with Hezbollah derailed the weak recovery seen last year. The World Bank now forecasts that the Lebanese economy will shrink by 6.4 percent this year, with inflation expected to reach around 17.5 percent. A growing divide is visible everywhere: in households, in businesses and even in consumer habits. Our correspondents Serge Berberi and Renée Davis report.

To train artificial intelligence models, millions of physical books are being digitised and destroyed. Our colleagues at France 2 investigate this controversial practice and the risk of seeing many rare second-hand books disappear forever.

Kyiv's mayor, Vitaly Klitschko, has advised those residents who can "temporarily relocate" for the winter to do so. That advice has been met with derision at best from many residents, who say his administration is responsible for failing to better prepare the Ukrainian capital for Russian attacks. In particular, they complain of a severe shortage of adequate bomb shelters.

Thailand has become one of Asia's leading fertility hubs. Every year, thousands of foreign patients travel to Bangkok's state-of-the-art private clinics for IVF, egg donation and other fertility treatments. They come from China, South Korea, Europe and across Southeast Asia, looking for what may be harder to find at home: shorter waiting times, lower costs and, in some cases, fewer restrictions.

The city of Kramatorsk, in eastern Ukraine, is increasingly coming under Russian attack. For those who have stayed behind, the threat from drones and shelling has become a daily reality. Many have resisted leaving their homes, despite the growing danger – but now, more and more residents are being forced to flee. Our colleagues at France 2 followed an evacuation from the city and witnessed first-hand the dangers that residents face.

In the heart of the Egyptian capital Cairo, within the labyrinthine streets of the Manshiyet Nasser district, nearly 120,000 residents process a third of the megacity's waste every day. Long marginalised, these informal recycling specialists are now undergoing a dramatic transformation due to geopolitical tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, through which polyethylene from the Gulf usually passes.