Focus

By FRANCE 24 English

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

... more

5

44 ratings

Download on the App Store

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

FAQs about Focus:

How many episodes does Focus have?

The podcast currently has 1,545 episodes available.

Focus episodes:

September 03, 2021 Global warming: How to cool down big cities?
This past summer has seen heatwaves in California, Greece, Turkey and Algeria, while July was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth. Urban centres are disproportionately affected by global warming, with cities often several degrees warmer than the countryside in summer months. Paris and its suburbs have become an open-air laboratory for testing out new solutions. In the next 80 years, the French capital will see up to an extra two months of heatwaves per year. As a result, local authorities are working out how best to adapt. Our team reports.
...more
6min
September 01, 2021 Repression or exile: In Belarus, opponents of Lukashenko regime face limited options
Recently, Middle Eastern migrants have amassed in Belarus in a bid to cross to EU member states Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. President Alexander Lukashenko's dictatorship is accused of flying them in deliberately, in order to stoke tensions in retaliation for EU sanctions. Meanwhile, those sanctions appear to be having little effect on Lukashenko's determination to crush dissent. Just over a year after his fraudulent re-election sparked mass protests, Belarusians are continuing to flee to neighbouring countries. Our correspondent reports.
...more
7min
August 31, 2021 US veterans, families of fallen soldiers divided over withdrawal from Afghanistan
Twenty years after the 9/11 attacks that propelled the US into its longest war, the last US troops have left Afghanistan. More than 800,000 US soldiers were deployed there over the past two decades. The Taliban have now retaken control of nearly the whole country. Should the US have pulled out? Could the Biden administration have handled the withdrawal better? What will happen after US troops are gone? Our correspondents met with US citizens whose lives have been changed forever by the conflict.
...more
6min
August 30, 2021 Montenegro's highway to debt: Unfinished Chinese road comes with strings attached
Back in 2015, Montenegro contracted a whopping €1 billion loan from China. The aim was to pay a Chinese contractor to build a highway allowing faster access to remote parts of the country. But six years later, the work is nowhere near complete and the money has already been spent. To make matters worse, the contract states that if Montenegro ends up being unable to repay the loan, it will have to give up some of its territory to China. Our France 2 colleagues report, with FRANCE 24's Olivia Bizot.
...more
4min
August 27, 2021 The Troglodyte property boom: Spanish cave-homes in high demand
Living underground isn't just reserved for rabbits and hobbits: in Spain, it's a traditional way of living that has become more and more popular. Cave houses are all the rage, and while the homes themselves are underground, the real estate prices have skyrocketed.
...more
6min
August 26, 2021 The never-ending challenge of handling radioactive water at Fukushima
Work to decommission Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant continues, a decade after three of its reactors suffered a meltdown following an earthquake and tsunami in northeast Japan. Engineers from its operator, Tokyo Electric Power, work to keep the damaged reactors cool. But this has created another problem: hundreds of tons of contaminated water accumulate at the site every day, and have to be stored in tanks.
...more
6min
August 25, 2021 Spanish fishermen rail against 'absurd' EU rules
In northern Spain, traditional fishermen are angry about plans afoot in the European Commission to introduce extra controls in the sector. France 24's team headed to Galicia to take a look at their traditional methods, which fishermen say the latest proposals put under threat.
...more
5min
August 24, 2021 Cyprus: New illegal immigration routes converge on divided island
The Mediterranean island of Cyprus is now the European country that receives the most asylum seekers relative to its population. In 2020, this nation of 875,000 registered 7,000 applications for asylum. With borders on the Balkan route largely closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and migration policies tightening, Cyprus now finds itself on the frontline. More and more migrants from Syria, Lebanon and sub-Saharan Africa are taking great risks to get to the island in the hope of reaching Europe.
...more
7min
August 23, 2021 'Homosexual propaganda'? Laws, referendum, 2022 elections... Budapest plays anti-LGBT card
Recent measures in Hungary to curb what the government calls 'LGBTQ propaganda' have drawn stern criticism from the EU. Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who faces a tougher-than-usual battle for re-election next year, has long been described as “illiberal”. But recent moves to restrict gay and lesbian publications, and to limit references to homosexuality in sex education classes have prompted many to question whether modern-day Hungary is compatible with the EU's values.
...more
7min
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.
...more
6min

FAQs about Focus:

How many episodes does Focus have?

The podcast currently has 1,545 episodes available.