Reporters

At the beginning of the summer, a group of female Israeli teenagers fought for the right to come to school wearing shorts. This seemingly minor battle in fact reveals a deep divide within Israeli society between secular and religious views.

After the deadly explosion that hit the port of Beirut on August 4 and destroyed part of the city, amid a backdrop of government negligence, corruption and popular revolt, Lebanon is on its knees and seems trapped in a downward spiral. From the rubble of the central neighbourhoods of the Lebanese capital to the Shiite south along the Israeli border, our reporters Cyril Payen and Bilal Tarabey followed the daily life of a group of young friends. They tell us about their fears, hopes and dreams with the sincerity of those who have nothing left to lose.

For many foreigners in France, applying for a residence visa can be a long and hard-fought battle. For several years now, local prefectures have been taking appointments electronically and applicants are required to carry out administrative procedures on the internet. However, the demand for visas is so high it can take up to a year to score a highly-sought-after appointment. In the meantime, foreigners are unable to work legally and live in fear of being deported at any time. Our reporters investigate the long road to residency for foreigners in France.

In the spring of 2003, Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled. Iraq then had to rebuild itself, with the presence of US forces who had put an end to the dictatorship. But after the departure of US troops in 2010-11, the Iraqi state never succeeded in asserting its authority, leaving the country open to becoming a zone of ​​competing influence between the US and neighbouring Iran. We take a look back at nearly 20 years of Iraqi history: a state under twin American and Iranian domination.

At the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula, a stone's throw from the Moroccan coast, the Strait of Gibraltar has become a gateway for the trafficking of drugs between Europe and Africa. The 14-kilometre stretch of water sees a never-ending procession of speedboats loaded with hash and cocaine, despite a police crackdown. Our reporters travelled to the nearby Spanish town of La Linea to meet residents affected by drug trafficking, whether they're participating in it or fighting against it.

During 2019, dozens of Yazidi women and their children arrived in France in small groups to start a new life in safety. In their home country of Iraq or Syria, the Yazidis were the prey of the Islamic State group and suffered massacres, kidnappings, rapes and sexual slavery. How to overcome such trauma? How to start again in a foreign country with an unfamiliar culture and language? FRANCE 24 followed the first steps in France of these women and children who have been to hell and back.

During the French colonisation of West Africa, several thousand children born of relations between French colonialists and African women were abandoned by their father and taken from their mother. Owing to a decision by the Governor General of French West Africa, these mixed-race children were separated from the rest of society and placed in orphanages. Through a series of exclusive testimonies on what was long a taboo subject, FRANCE 24 retraces the forgotten history of these hidden children of France, deprived of their parentage and demanding recognition.

Every day thousands of people around the world continue to become direct casualties of the Covid-19. But there’s another group slowly emerging – indirect victims who have not contracted the virus but are suffering its consequences. Our reporter Julie Dungelhoff went to meet a temporary worker and cleaner who have been hard hit by the crisis.

In a year's time, the Olympic Games, dubbed the "reconstruction Olympics", should allow Japan to move on from the Fukushima tragedy. The region, a symbol of the 2011 disaster, has officially been cleaned up but many problems remain, such as radioactivity and "forbidden cities". Over the course of several months, our reporters followed the daily lives of the inhabitants of this "cursed" region.

For women in Madagascar, having their monthly period is more than just an inconvenience. Having access to toilets, clean water or even disposable sanitary protection is a luxury out of reach to most of them. Our reporters went to investigate on the island, where due to a lack of access to basic infrastructure and necessities – but also because of beliefs, taboos and humiliation – menstrual hygiene is a battle for millions of women, with serious consequences for their empowerment, education and health.