Reporters

In the small east African nation of Djibouti, almost half of all men use khat as a stimulant. Chewing khat leaves produces similar effects to amphetamine use. Some 40% of the average household budget is spent on khat, a huge financial drain in a country where almost half the population is unemployed. Khat also creates severe health problems.

More than 200 people have been killed in the unprecedented wave of unrest sweeping Nicaragua in recent months. In mid-April, plans for social security reform sparked protests and the discontent soon degenerated into street battles. The protesters want the resignation of President Daniel Ortega, a former guerrilla fighter at the helm since 2007, after a previous stint in power from 1979 to 1990. The western city of Masaya has become the stronghold of the rebellion. Our reporters have been there.

Ahead of Sunday’s presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey, our reporter went to meet members of the Turkish opposition, who have received little airtime in the state-controlled media. Since the 2016 failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, thousands of opposition supporters have fled Turkey and found refuge in Europe. On the continent, they believed they would be safe and enjoy freedom of speech, but in reality they are forced to live in hiding and fear being arrested.

In the western French region of Brittany, Senegalese fishermen board trawlers in the early morning to catch fish for the local markets of Guilvinec and Lorient. They have come to France to work because the fishing sector is in crisis in their home country due to overfishing. Despite immigrating to France, these foreign workers retain strong links with Senegal.

More than 35,000 people will work without pay for FIFA during the 2018 World Cup in Russia. These volunteers will welcome guests in the 11 host cities, help translate, handle VIPs, and coordinate logistics and doping tests. They will be everywhere: in stadiums, tourist spots, railway stations and airports. FIFA has long used volunteers to help run its World Cups, but in Russia, volunteering has a long tradition. Our reporters travelled across Russia to meet the World Cup volunteers.

In France, May 1968 has become a symbol of young people and workers in revolt. But how were the events viewed outside the country? FRANCE 24 looks back at the international impact of this historic protest movement, and the sometimes surprising hopes and fears it engendered for the world’s youth and its leaders.

Israel regularly makes headlines, but there is more to the country than the conflict with the Palestinians. FRANCE 24 reports from a young but highly developed nation, a holy land for three religions, a country where the most archaic traditions exist alongside the latest trends. As Israel marks its 70th anniversary, Antoine Mariotti and Yoray Liberman bring you this reporter's notebook.

Shrouded in mystery and prestige, the French Foreign Legion is just as feared by its enemies as it is envied by its allies. The legionnaires come from across the world, prepared to fight for a country that is not even their own. In the Legion, they learn to fight in extreme conditions, live together and work as a team. But who are these soldiers and what motivates them? While embedded with the 13th Half-Brigade of the Foreign Legion in Mali, our reporters found out.

Chinese authorities go to great lengths to control society, with forced disappearances becoming the norm. Since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2013, political opponents have gone missing every month. Sometimes without any form of judicial process or oversight, they are sent to secret prisons where they remain for months or even years without anyone knowing where they are. FRANCE 24 investigates the vanishings in China.