Inside the Americas

Ten years ago this week, US investment bank Lehman Brothers collapsed, unleashing a global financial crisis. In this special edition of the show, we focus on that crash, its consequences, and the slow recovery that followed. We take a look back with Adam Tooze, the author of "Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World".

This week, a devastating fire broke out at Brazil's National Museum. Only an estimated 10 percent of its 20 million artefacts have been saved. The blaze has sparked outrage, with protesters taking to the streets to criticise the government, whom they blame for not providing the museum with adequate funding.

Straddling the border between Bolivia and Peru, Lake Titicaca is the size of the French island of Corsica. It's one of the largest and highest bodies of water in the Americas. But the once pristine lake is now plagued with pollution: a crisis that's prompting locals to act. Our colleagues from France 2 report, with FRANCE 24's Luke Shrago.

As Venezuela devalues its currency by 96 percent, President Nicolas Maduro is accused of mismanaging the country's economy. The capital, Caracas, used to be a stronghold for late president Hugo Chavez. FRANCE 24’s Claire Paccalin reports from one Caracas neighbourhood where residents now watch on with confusion as their daily lives become a constant struggle.

This week, we take a closer look at the native communities living in the Americas. From the north to the south, indigenous people still face massive discrimination, land theft and violence. We spoke with Irène Bellier, a director of research at the CNRS research centre, about the great challenges they face, and what can be done in the fight for Native Americans rights in 2018.

Call it pot, marijuana, grass or skunk; the way we smoke cannabis is changing. Once confined to hazy student dorm rooms, its use is increasingly out in the open. From complete legalisation in Uruguay to the steady increase of medical and recreational marijuana available in the US, cannabis has become widely available in many places. John Walsh, director for drug policy and the Andes at the advocacy group WOLA, joins us this week to take a look the progress, and the problems, of the legal high.

In California, the sixth most destructive fire in state history continues to rage, one of more than a dozen currently burning. The blazes have destroyed more than a thousand homes, and killed at least six. Also, making untraceable guns at home is now possible, thanks to 3D printers. A US court this week blocked the release of online blueprints that would have made such weapons widely available. And it's called the Sunshine State for a reason. We take a look at some of Florida’s best beaches.

This week in Nicaragua, witnesses say police attacked protesters in the northern city of Jinotega, leaving at least three people dead. Since July 19, President Daniel Ortega has ramped up arrests against demonstrators who are calling for him to step down. Just as it seemed the protest movement was waning, the latest violence has revived tensions. Our correspondents report from Jinotega, where residents are torn between anger and fear.

This week, Donald Trump rowed back on remarks he made in Helsinki alongside Vladimir Putin after outrage at home. The US president said he "accepted" the conclusion of his intelligence services that Russian meddling had taken place during the 2016 election campaign. He blamed the furore on a grammatical error he made during his speech, but Trump's comments have already turned many in his own party against him.

Donald Trump has made his second nomination to the US Supreme Court: Brett Kavanaugh. He's an appellate judge, serving on the DC Circuit Court since 2006, and a former advisor to George W. Bush. Democrats worry Kavanaugh's conservative record may mean fresh challenges to abortion laws in the United States. We take a closer look.