Reporters

Jihadists from the Islamic State (IS) group have established a stronghold in Somalia’s Puntland region, operating largely undisturbed across a vast mountainous area after setbacks in Iraq and Syria and using it as a base for wider operations in Africa and beyond. Local authorities have launched a major offensive, driving fighters from villages into cave positions amid ongoing clashes and mounting casualties, in a campaign officials say is crucial to restoring stability in Somalia and countering a broader global security threat. A report by Bastien Renouil, Will Swanson and ARTE. 

Japan’s demographic crisis is playing out even behind bars. The number of elderly inmates has quadrupled over the past 20 years. Around a fifth of people over 65 live below the poverty line, struggling to make ends meet. Some go to extraordinary lengths to improve their circumstances, deliberately getting caught shoplifting in the hope of landing in prison. There, they can access a secure place to live, proper meals, and medical care – basic necessities often denied to them outside. A report by Ayana Nishikawa, Alexis Bregere and Justin McCurry.

The ultra-conservative Catholic organisation Opus Dei was founded a century ago in Spain. Today, it's an international movement with around 90,000 members. In its home country, it has managed to infiltrate all spheres of modern society, from schools to hospitals. Despite serious allegations against it, Opus Dei remains a powerful force in Spain. FRANCE 24's Maude Petit-Jové, Mathilde Lopinski, Emile Roger and Sarah Morris report.

Our reporters in the Middle East went to meet Palestinians who are desperately trying to reach Israel to find work there. Before the October 7 attacks, 120,000 Palestinian workers held permits allowing them to enter Israel legally. Today, only a handful of permits are issued. Facing an economic crisis devastating the occupied West Bank, many have no choice but to take the illegal route.

Some 2 million people worldwide are poisoned by snakebites every year, resulting in the deaths of around 130,000 of them. Yet these deaths are avoidable through preventive measures, first aid and public policies to make antivenom available. The World Health Organization has labelled snakebite a neglected tropical disease and believes the subject should be given more attention. Our correspondent reports from Kenya, where war has been declared on snakebites. 

For the Kurdish people, history seems to repeat itself. Kurdish forces are an asset for the West when allies are needed in the region, but left aside when political choices need to be made. The agreement signed at the end of January between Damascus and the Syrian Kurds dealt a blow to the dream of a greater Kurdistan. Our team reports from Syria and Iraq.

Ever since Donald Trump's return to the White House and the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr as Secretary of Health, the United States has become the scene of a growing clash between science and politics. One field in particular is paying the price of this ideological battle: health. FRANCE 24's Pierrick Leurent and Valerie Defert report from Texas.

In this exclusive documentary, FRANCE 24 retraces the chronology of events that took place in Iran from December 28, 2025, when merchants in Tehran's Grand Bazaar went on strike, to January 18, 2026, when the authorities restored internet access. Behind closed doors, from January 8 to 11, Iran's worst massacre took place since the 1979 establishment of the Islamic Republic. Warning: viewers may find the footage and descriptions in this report upsetting. 

Since a deadly crackdown on protests in 2018, the regime in Nicaragua has sealed the country off from scrutiny. Opponents are driven into exile, local independent media are silenced and no foreign journalists are allowed in. What's left is a media blackout, turning the second-poorest nation in the Americas into a tropical North Korea. FRANCE 24's Laurence Cuvillier and Matthieu Comin attempted to break this silence from Costa Rica, where several hundred thousand Nicaraguans live in exile.

In 2024, 40 of the 50 cities ranked as the most polluted in the world were located in India. Delhi topped the list. Over the past decade, air pollution has become the Indian capital's number one scourge. The situation is getting worse every year, but the authorities seem to be ignoring it, much to the dismay of residents. Our correspondents Alban Alvarez and Lisa Gamonet report.