Reporters

Muhamad, a 25-year-old Somali migrant, fled terror in his country in a bid to reach Europe. He arrived in Libya in 2017 and was abducted by human traffickers. Tortured, insulted and harassed for several months, Muhamad met the love of his life, Amina, in a secret prison in Libya. The hellish conditions of their detention did not prevent them from beginning their love story and fighting for survival. The young couple finally managed to escape and are now in Europe. Muhamad told his story to InfoMigrants journalist Kinda Youssef, with animation by FRANCE 24's Adel Gastel.

The eastern city of Bakhmut has become the most active and violent frontline in the Ukraine war. It is constantly pounded with both Russian and Ukrainian artillery, and infantry is fighting on the streets. Our reporters James André and Mayssa Awad spent six days inside Bakhmut. They followed Ukrainian soldiers fighting to hold the city and the last residents struggling to survive under constant shelling. This is their exclusive report.

Iceland is perhaps best known for its glaciers and the stunning Northern Lights. But the island is also a laboratory scrutinised for its democratic and social model. Founded in the year 930, its parliament is no doubt one of the oldest in the world. For more than a decade, Iceland has topped the World Economic Forum's annual report on gender equality. Its parliament is the most gender-balanced in Europe, with almost 48 percent of women elected in 2021. So what is this small country of 376,000 inhabitants doing to stand out from the crowd? Does it deserve its reputation as a paradise for gender equality? FRANCE 24’s Mélina Huet reports.

Her death has sparked the biggest uprising against the Iranian regime since the mullahs came to power more than 40 years ago. Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, died on September 16 after being arrested by Iran's morality police for violating the country’s strict dress code for women. Since then, protesters have been taking to the streets to express their anger. The regime has responded with arrests, torture, death sentences and executions. Many demonstrators trying to escape this crackdown have fled to the Kurdistan region of neighbouring Iraq, where they have found refuge. Kevin Berg reports.

The "false positives" scandal is one of the deadliest episodes of the conflict in Colombia. In the 2000s, the Colombian army murdered thousands of innocent civilians, passing them off as guerrillas or criminals in order to increase the "body counts" of military operations. The victims were young men from poor families, lured by false promises of employment. Today, families are still fighting for the truth and for justice. For two years, our Bogota correspondent Pascale Mariani investigated this national scandal by following one mother, whose son was killed in 2008, in her search for justice.

To justify the invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin used the false pretexts of "denazification" and "demilitarisation" of the country. Russian state propaganda is built around the myth of a Ukraine in the hands of "Nazis", one where the Russians come to "liberate" the "Russian speakers". This propaganda is disseminated not only in Russia, but also in the occupied Ukrainian territories, where the population is plunged into a parallel reality. FRANCE 24's reporter Elena Volochine went to meet locals and exposed the terrifying real-life consequences of Russian propaganda on the ongoing war in Ukraine.

After decades of threats from mainland China, tensions over Taiwan are arguably higher than at any time since 1949. As Chinese President Xi Jinping considers the use of force to invade the island and steps up military preparations, the threat of war hangs over 23 million Taiwanese citizens. FRANCE 24's team went to Taiwan to experience first-hand how people are coping. They met citizens tempted by independence, young politicians on the campaign trail and billionaire warmonger Robert Tsao, who is spending his fortune on preparing the defence of Taiwan.

In El Salvador, a state of emergency declared in March over widespread gang violence is still in place. The country's president, Nayib Bukele, has declared total war on ultra-violent criminal gangs, suspending constitutional rights in the process. Almost 60,000 people have been arrested since March, some as a result of arbitrary detentions. Thousands are now in prison. Although this crackdown is supported by most of the population, it has been strongly criticised by human rights groups. FRANCE 24's Laurence Cuvillier and Matthieu Comin report.

Despite being responsible for less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, Pakistan is among the countries worst affected by extreme weather events due to climate change. This summer, it was hit by torrential rains during what the UN chief called "a monsoon on steroids". In just a few weeks, a third of Pakistan was submerged.  Some 1,700 people were killed and two million houses were destroyed. In total, 33 million people were affected by the flooding, or 1 in 7 inhabitants. FRANCE 24's Shahzaib Wahlah and Sonia Ghezali report, with the collaboration of Sameer Mandhro.

FRANCE 24 takes you on a journey through the American heartland, from the Midwest to the South, for a closer look at the issues that could decide the crucial November 8 midterm elections. Our reporter Fanny Allard met with Americans in cities along the Mississippi River to find out how they feel about police reform, guns, abortion, the economy and climate change.