France in focus

For several decades now, France has been struggling with doctors leaving rural areas and people there not being able to access medical care. Maternity wards are also part of this trend, with 30 percent of them shutting down over the past 20 years. The health ministry wants to pool resources into larger, better-equipped maternity wards to protect patients’ safety, but medical teams and patients are worried. What consequences do mothers-to-be face when you have to drive an hour to give birth? And what health risks does this situation pose for newborns? FRANCE 24’s Claire Paccalin and Pauline Godart went to investigate for France in Focus.

It's one of the untold stories of World War II: how France whitewashed its colonial troops during the liberation from Nazi rule. On August 15, 1944, experienced fighters who came from all corners of the French empire landed in southern France and won key battles to liberate the nation. But because of the colour of their skin, up to 20,000 African riflemen were replaced by untrained, White members of the Resistance. As the country celebrates 80 years since the end of the Nazi occupation, FRANCE 24 pays tribute to these long-forgotten soldiers and highlights their key role in the Provence landings. 

In 1944, France was keen to take part in its own liberation, along with its British and American allies. But in a bid to create the Second Armoured Division, General Leclerc needed resources and equipment from the US. At the time, segregation was imposed by the US Army; Black and White soldiers didn't fight together. For the US, allowing Black troops to liberate Paris was out of the question. On August 25, 1944, when French soldiers paraded down the Champs-Élysées, not a single Black soldier took part in the celebrations. 

Colonial troops suffered further humiliation despite the success of the Provence landings. In September 1944, the military command decided to pull up to 20,000 African riflemen out of the French army. The aim was to "whiten" the ranks. These highly trained soldiers were forced to spend winter in transit camps while white, inexperienced members of the Resistance took their place on the frontlines. 

FRANCE 24's Aurore Cloé Dupuis, Florence Gaillard and Jonathan Walsh tell us more about the other D-Day, in this new episode of "France in Focus". 

A pilot, writer and illustrator, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry penned "The Little Prince", which has been translated into nearly 600 languages. The Frenchman disappeared 80 years ago during a World War II reconnaissance flight. His death long remained a mystery. FRANCE 24's Aurore Cloé Dupuis, Natacha Vesnitch and Sonia Baritello explore the thousand lives of Saint-Exupéry.

With thanks to: Le Scribe Paris Opéra hotel

The Paralympics kick off this Wednesday in Paris and to mark the opening of the Games, our reporters went to meet the French athletes who have brought home gold medals from previous editions of the event. They tell us about the challenges they faced, the obstacles they overcame and their hopes for the 2024 Paralympics. FRANCE 24's David Gilberg and Aurore Dupuis report.

On June 9, French President Emmanuel Macron took France by surprise. He dissolved the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, sending the French to the ballot boxes for snap parliamentary elections. After his party's poor showing in the first round of voting, the president could find himself in a scenario known as "cohabitation", where the president and prime minister come from different parties. France has known three periods of cohabitation since the start of the Fifth Republic in 1958. From arm wrestling to compromise, what lessons can be drawn from the past? FRANCE 24's Sonia Baritello and Claire Paccalin take a closer look in this edition of France in Focus.

Special thanks to Agathe Le Mouroux, hôtel Mercure Paris Tour Eiffel Pont Mirabeau

Le Littré Hotel

In this week's show, we retrace the turbulent life of 19th-century French writer Alexandre Dumas. The wildly successful mixed-race author faced racism, financial ruin and ghostwriter allegations during his lifetime. It was only 132 years after his death that his remains were laid to rest at the Pantheon mausoleum, in 2002. We retell the story of how the man behind "The Count of Monte Cristo" defied all the odds to become one of France's greatest and much-loved writers.

Only a few dozen French nationals have gone down in history as Olympic champions. Pole vaulter Jean Galfione, judoka Emilie Andéol and swimmer Alain Bernard tell FRANCE 24 about the day that changed their lives. From their preparation, to their emotions during the competition, to their subsequent careers, this is the story of three gold medallists who left their mark on the history of sport and won the hearts of French people.

Between the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944 and the liberation of Paris on August 25 lies the Battle of Normandy. For three months, the Allied forces fought fiercely against the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany. From heavily bombed towns, to relentless artillery fire and hand-to-hand combat in the "Falaise pocket", Normandy was ravaged and civilians were trapped. But the Allies achieved a strategic victory that changed the course of history. FRANCE 24's Florence Gaillard and Héloïse Mélan report.

The Germans were expecting the landings in northern France, near the English coast. But on June 6, 1944, the Allies landed on the vast beaches of Normandy in a deluge of fire and brimstone. For D-Day to succeed, it was crucial to minimise the number of German military reinforcements on the landing beaches. So the Allies created barricades by carpet-bombing Normandy to block roads and communications. The result was razed towns and a heavy toll on Normandy's population. The Battle of Normandy cost 20,000 civilians their lives.

Mireille Goudier was only five years old when the Allies bombed Condé-sur-Noireau, where she lived peacefully with her parents and brothers until June 6, 1944. She describes apocalyptic scenes that evening: "noise, screams, and smoke everywhere!" In their neighbourhood, entire families were wiped out. For several weeks, Mireille and her family found refuge with farmers around the ruins of the town. They later decided to take to the roads of Normandy. But, like tens of thousands of civilians, they found themselves trapped in the raging battles.

From August 16 to 21, 1944, 150,000 Allies managed to encircle 100,000 Germans in the "Falaise pocket". German troops were pounded by Allied artillery. To escape the pocket, they had to pass through a bottleneck, soon dubbed the "corridor of death". Soldiers sometimes fought hand-to-hand using bayonets or rocks off the ground. The toll of these five days of carnage was heavy: 2,000 Allied losses, with 10,000 dead and 40,000 prisoners on the German side. By the end of the summer of 1944, the region was ravaged but the Allies had won the Battle of Normandy. For Nazi Germany, it was the beginning of the end.

In this week's show we take a deep dive into the Seine, to find out how Paris's river is preparing for the 2024 Olympics. We see how authorities are racing against time to boost security, curb pollution and keep visitors entertained. With just a few weeks to go before the opening ceremony, one question remains: Will the Seine actually be swimmable?  

French lawmakers are set to debate a new text on assisted dying in France, a parliamentary marathon that could last until the summer of 2025. France currently allows deep sedation but medically-assisted suicide remains illegal. It is a topic that is deeply divisive in France; to find out why, we went to meet patients and caregivers who campaign for medical aid in dying and those who are opposed to it.