Reporters

Zimbabwe is one of the African countries worst affected by poaching. In an unprecedented move, an all-female unit has been created in the north of the country to track down poachers. The rangers are known as the Brave Ones. FRANCE 24's reporters went to meet these women who risk their lives to protect their country's wildlife.

The threat should not be underestimated. In northern Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin's unpredictable behaviour is causing concern in former Soviet bloc countries such as Estonia, but also over in Sweden. Facing military intimidation, cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns, these countries accuse Russia of waging a "hybrid war" against the West. Since the conflict in Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea, they fear they are next in line. Our reporters went to find out more.

Every day, 300 Hondurans take to the road for a life of exile in the United States. They are reluctantly leaving behind a country that is becoming increasingly poor. Many are in fact climate refugees. An ongoing drought means the rivers of Honduras are disappearing; its soil is drying up and its crops are failing. They see escape not as a choice but as a matter of survival. FRANCE 24's reporters followed these migrants in their last-ditch quest for a better life.

Iran marks the 40th anniversary on Monday of the popular uprising that led to the fall of the monarchy and the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979, when the Ayatollah Khomenei became Iran's political and spiritual leader. Today, Iran is a society trying to find a balance between the religious tenets of the revolution and the demands of a young population that is hungry for social and political change. Our reporter brings us an inside look at Iran.

Twelve men and women go on trial at Spain's Supreme Court in Madrid on February 12. Nine of them have already spent more than a year behind bars. They now face between seven and 25 years in prison. All are accused of playing a role in the failed Catalan bid to secede from Spain in 2017. In Catalonia, they have become martyrs to the separatist cause. But more than a year later, what remains of their fight? And what about the process that was supposed to lead to independence?

In Japan, half a million people live isolated in their bedrooms, unable to face the outside world. These modern-day hermits are known as the hikikomori. Since April 2018, the Japanese government has been conducting a nationwide study in a bid to fully understand this strange phenomenon. Once limited to young people, it now affects the whole of Japanese society. Our correspondent reports.

A medicinal plant called Artemisia annua (or sweet wormwood) has been used in China to treat malaria for 2,000 years and is still grown by farmers in Africa. But it's not approved by the World Health Organization and remains banned in a number of countries, including France. Malaria claims almost half a million lives each year and Africa is worst affected. In recent years, the mosquitoes that spread the disease have become increasingly resistant to insecticide.

On the east coast of Greenland, Inuit teenagers have few opportunities. In Tasiilaq, a remote town of 1,600 inhabitants, most of the adults rely on Danish welfare benefits. Amidst high unemployment, alcoholism, sexual abuse and identity crises, young people are suffering the most. On average, one teenager per month commits suicide in Tasiilaq. FRANCE 24's reporters went to meet these young Inuits and found out what is being done to help address the crisis.

Venezuela is facing the worst economic crisis in its history. For those who live in the capital Caracas, daily life is about survival. Public services are barely able to function, the welfare state nothing but a distant memory. Violent crime is on the rise, while prisons are full. From the hospital to the morgue and the cemetery, FRANCE 24’s reporters show you the harsh reality of life in Caracas, where extreme poverty means people are turning to desperate measures to get by.

Our reporters have just returned from 10 days filming in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, a city in turmoil ever since the 2011 revolution. The last all-out battle between rival militias in the city took place in August, killing dozens of people. Since then, a fragile UN-brokered ceasefire has been holding up. In this exclusive report, FRANCE 24 takes you to meet ordinary citizens trying to go about their daily lives in a city that's facing cash shortages and where gunfire rings out every night.