Reporters

Spain’s Alejandro Sanchez, Germany’s Marie-Thérèse Kaiser and Italy’s Fabrizio Busnengo all have two things in common: They are under 35 and are positioning their respective far-right political parties at the gates of power. Each of them shrugs off the dark side of their countries’ history, campaigning with gusto for parties that are less than a decade old: Vox in Spain, Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and Brothers of Italy. Our correspondents Sarah Morris, Céline Schmitt, Armelle Exposito, Anne Mailliet, Louise Malnoy and Lorenza Pensa report on the new faces of the far right in Europe.

In our hyper-connected world, it’s increasingly difficult not to leave digital footprints, whether it's on the internet or social media. Every move we make is tracked by our smartphones: our online searches, interests and movements. Often, we are unaware of how our data can be used. But more and more users are becoming conscious of threats to their freedom, from data collection by internet giants to mass surveillance. Some are now trying to pass under the radar of algorithms. Our reporter met pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, teenagers in Morocco and activists in Germany.

The war in Ukraine is being waged on many fronts. From Odesa on the Black Sea to Irpin in the north, via Mykolaiv and the capital Kyiv, FRANCE 24's Gwendoline Debono has followed the trail of violence and devastation. Our reporter met fighters joining the war, civilians hiding in underground bunkers and women giving birth amid Russian shelling. She witnessed the horror of the morgue of Mykolaiv, where bodies are brought in all day long for families to identify. She also followed volunteer ambulance workers who take huge risks to try to save those trapped by the fighting.

The French healthcare system is often held up as an example for its quality of treatment and universality of coverage. But disparities exist across the country, with a severe shortage of doctors in certain areas seriously limiting access to care, a phenomenon the French call "medical deserts". Although the government has decided to increase the number of students accepted to medical school, this measure will take almost a decade to bear fruit. FRANCE 24's reporters Pauline Godart and Claire Paccalin went to find out what it's like to live and work in a "medical desert".

In Irpin, just outside the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, a multi-faceted resistance movement is preparing to face the approaching Russian troops. Our team met Bohdan, a Ukrainian artist; Maxime, a Russian artist; and Sergiy, a Ukrainian member of the French Foreign Legion. All of them will play a role in defending their city. FRANCE 24's Cyril Payen and Georges Yazbeck report.

Clentélex is a 23-year-old man from Ivory Coast who has overcome the odds. He grew up in a poor neighbourhood of Abidjan. Unlike many of his contemporaries who were lured into violence and crime, Clentélex used comedy as his weapon of choice. He won the biggest comedy prize in his homeland, an award which gave him the chance to perform at the prestigious Montreux Comedy Festival in Switzerland. Noémie Mayaudon and Jean-Charles Guichard bring us his incredible story in this documentary.

On March 18, 1962, after almost eight years of brutal war, France and Algeria signed a ceasefire agreement in the French spa town of Évian, paving the way for Algeria's independence. But the initial relief was followed by a particularly violent transition period. The OAS, a dissident far-right French paramilitary group that refused Algerian independence, stepped up its bombings and assassinations, leading to the departure of hundreds of thousands of French settlers from Algeria. Sixty years after Évian, our reporters have tracked down witnesses and key players from this crucial chapter in both countries' history.

On March 15, 2011, the Syrian revolution began. Ameer al Halbi covered the ensuing conflict as a photographer for several years, before fleeing his hometown of Aleppo and finding refuge in France. Once there, he continued to work as a photographer, driven by the same commitment and passion. Halbi was seriously injured at the end of 2020 while covering a protest in Paris. In this first-person report, he tells us about his relationship to photography, war and exile.

Germany has one of the highest rates of femicide in Europe. According to statistics from the Federal Criminal Police Office in December 2021, the pandemic has only made the situation worse. Despite the tireless work of support groups for victims of domestic violence, the number of femicides continues to rise. Activists condemn a failure by police to take women's cases seriously enough, as well as legal shortcomings in German law. Our Berlin correspondents report.

Discovered in Serbia's Jadar region, jadarite might be considered miraculous – at least by the Serbian government and the Rio Tinto mining group. They view this lithium derivative as an ideal raw material source for electric car batteries. But activists say it destroys ecosystems and causes severe illnesses. After months of protests, the government cancelled the project, but as elections loom, many suspect it is purely a political manoeuvre. FRANCE 24’s Laurent Rouy reports.