Focus

By FRANCE 24 English

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

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How many episodes does Focus have?

The podcast currently has 1,496 episodes available.

Focus episodes:

July 29, 2021 India: New Delhi urban rebuild sparks controversy
New Delhi's Central Vista used to be a favourite spot with residents of the Indian capital. But the large public space, close to the president's house and heritage buildings, is being remodelled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The €2 billion construction caused uproar when it was deemed an "essential service" at a time when Indians were dying by the thousands from Covid-19. The move reopened debate around heritage conservation and public spaces in India’s ancient capital. Our correspondents report.
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6min
July 27, 2021 Low-income neighbourhood of Naples produces its own free solar energy
In Italy, some 1 million renewable energy installations are already producing 19 percent of the country's energy. Initiatives to produce electricity for local consumption are on the rise. One example is a deprived suburb of Naples, where solar panels have been installed on an after-school centre. In a neighbourhood hit hard by poverty and organised crime, the project gives low-income families access to free electricity while fostering environmental awareness among young people and their parents. Our correspondents report.
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5min
July 22, 2021 Afghanistan: Former military interpreters live in fear of return to Taliban rule
As the Taliban gain ground throughout Afghanistan, Afghans who worked as interpreters for foreign armies are living in fear of reprisals. Perceived as traitors by the Taliban, they've been imploring Western nations to grant them a visa so they can flee the country. Although the Taliban say no harm will be done to former interpreters who show remorse, Afghans who worked for foreign forces find it difficult to believe this promise. Some of them agreed to speak to FRANCE 24 anonymously.
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6min
July 17, 2021 Venezuelan migrants in Colombia face hunger and distress
In Maicao, a Colombian town on the border with Venezuela, slums have grown in size due to an increased number of Venezuelan migrants. One of these neighbourhoods, La Pista, is located on an old landing strip. Battling a lack of resources, most of the migrants who live there do not have enough to feed their families. Their children suffer from malnutrition, a scourge that has worsened with the Covid-19 pandemic. Our correspondents report.
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6min
July 16, 2021 Japan's bike samurais gear up for Olympics
Frenchman Benoît Vêtu is the head coach of the Japanese national track cycling team. After winning the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics with the Chinese women's sprint team, he will try to reproduce the feat with the Japanese team – this time at the Tokyo Olympics, which will start on July 23. Vêtu is just one of the foreign coaches recruited at considerable expense by the Japanese to shine in Tokyo. We profile the man as well as the sport of keirin, a cycling track event which is highly popular in Japan and which generates large sums of money thanks to betting.
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6min
July 16, 2021 Puppy trafficking in Europe, a 'well-organised mafia'
During the Covid-19 lockdowns, many Europeans decided to adopt a pet to make the time spent at home more enjoyable. Last year in Germany, 20 percent more dogs were adopted than in 2019. But professional breeders could not keep up with demand and unscrupulous people stepped in. Breeders who flout the law have cropped up all over the internet, offering puppies for immediate delivery. Every year, tens of thousands of puppies are imported illegally from Poland and Hungary, often to Germany. It's a murky business that generates both profits and animal suffering. Our correspondents report.
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6min
July 15, 2021 High hopes, keen interest as new coffee plant discovered in Sierra Leone
In Sierra Leone, a team of researchers and agronomists have found traces of a wild coffee known as Coffea stenophylla. Farmed until the beginning of the 20th century, it used to be served to European high society. But due to its scarcity, it was gradually replaced by arabica and robusta strains. Forgotten by farmers, Coffea stenophylla was thought to have completely disappeared by 1954. The new find has generated much excitement in Sierra Leone because of its potential to revolutionise the global coffee sector. Our team reports.
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4min
July 14, 2021 How the French army trains for 'high-intensity' combat
France's new military programming law increases the country's defence budget to 2 percent of GDP by 2025. It's an investment in the modernisation of equipment, but also in the training of soldiers. The aim is to teach soldiers to face an army at least as well equipped as that of France in a context of global rearmament. Our reporters Fadile Bhayat, Mandi Heshmati and Caroline Grandjean followed French troops during a "high-intensity" training exercise.
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4min
July 14, 2021 Iraq struggles to tackle child labour
For the first time in 20 years, child labour has increased around the world. Last year, 160 million youngsters were working, or 8.4 million more than in 2016. The Covid-19 crisis and resulting rise in poverty are often responsible. In Iraq, the number of children forced to work has increased steadily in recent decades due to conflict, forced displacement and economic challenges. Our correspondents Jack Hewson and Lucile Wassermann went to meet some of those who are trying to stem the scourge of child labour.
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6min
July 14, 2021 Denmark's tightening of immigration policy causes concern for Syrian refugees
Last month, Denmark's parliament voted a law allowing it to send asylum seekers to reception centres outside the European Union. Rwanda is among the potential host countries the Danes are negotiating with. It's the latest move in a tightening of Denmark's immigration policy. Copenhagen is already the only capital in Europe to have deemed the region around the Syrian capital Damascus to be sufficiently safe to send refugees from the area back there.
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6min

FAQs about Focus:

How many episodes does Focus have?

The podcast currently has 1,496 episodes available.