In Pakistan, more than 2 million children frequently attend madrasas – Koranic schools that offer free religious education to the most disadvantaged. But behind the walls of these revered institutions lies a chilling reality: thousands of children are subjected to sexual violence in deafening silence. Our correspondents bring us a special 31-minute investigation. Warning: viewers may find this report disturbing. 

Every year, North Koreans risk their lives trying to escape the regime in Pyongyang. For those who do manage to flee, neighbouring South Korea is the obvious destination. More than 34,000 North Korean defectors have entered the country since 1953. But they still find it difficult to adapt to life in a nation so geographically close to their own, yet so different. FRANCE 24's Chloé Borgnon and William de Tamaris report.

Egypt, the most populous country in the Arab world, is facing a crisis: a growing shortage of food and water. How do you feed a population of 113 million people – estimated to grow to 160 million over the next 25 years – when even water is running short? The Nile, Egypt’s lifeline, is under stress. The government is drilling deep into the Sahara to tap underground aquifers and urging families to have fewer children. But are these measures enough? Edouard Dropsy and Mathilde Delvigne report.

Italy's southern Puglia region is the territory of the Sacra Corona Unita, also known as the "fourth mafia". Less well known than Cosa Nostra, the Camorra or the 'Ndrangheta, the criminal group is still very powerful. It has infiltrated all sections of Italian society, from local firms to public administration. Our reporters went to meet a group of women who are taking on this mafia group, despite the risks to their own lives.

In a country in the midst of change, where more and more women refuse to wear the veil despite the rules, conservatives are looking to maintain their grip on power. Nearly 180,000 clerics, or mullahs, preach the words of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran, but not all of them are ultra-conservative. Some have understood the need for dialogue, in a society divided by economic sanctions and the feminist uprising that followed the death in custody of Mahsa Amini back in 2022. Farad Fathi, a media-savvy cleric and a staunch supporter of the regime, is reaching out to young Iranians to convince them of the mullahs’ ways. Charles Emptaz and Olivier Jobard report.

PFAS, better known as "forever chemicals", are ultra-resistant to water and heat – so much so that they are virtually indestructible in nature. These chemicals are everywhere in our daily lives – in clothes, cosmetics and kitchen utensils – and are poisoning us. FRANCE 24's reporters Cécile Khindria and Juliette Lacharnay went to meet the citizens who are taking on the industrial giants behind PFAS.

The banks of the Suchiate River in southern Mexico, on the border with Guatemala, are sometimes called "the silent border" of the United States. Tens of thousands of migrants pass through there every year. Although the United States is their goal, Mexico often ends up being their final destination. FRANCE 24's Laurence Cuvillier, Matthieu Comin and Jean-Marie Lebrun report.

In recent years, Spain has become a leading destination for tech giants to set up their data centres in Europe. Madrid even aims to become a "digital hub" on the continent, like Germany and the UK. But at what cost to the environment? To cool down their servers, data centres consume billions of litres of drinking water: a huge worry in Spain, one of the countries worst affected by drought in Europe. Our correspondent Armelle Exposito investigates the environmental impact of these data centres.

Since his inauguration for a second term on January 20, US President Donald Trump has been shaking US democracy to its core with his executive orders. By implementing drastic budget cuts, withdrawing from international agreements and ordering massive layoffs of federal employees, he is moving so fast that the courts can't keep up. The stated aim of the Trump administration is to cut public spending, but underlying this goal is a desire to reshape institutions according to a right-wing ideology. FRANCE 24's Fanny Allard and Fraser Jackson report.

The Sudanese army has just won the battle of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, after two years of civil war. It is now calling on inhabitants to return home. But at what price? Our reporters were on the front line during the final phase of the offensive against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Watch their exclusive 31-minute report.