Reporters

From espionage to hybrid warfare, FRANCE 24 has been investigating a Russian Orthodox church in Sweden that's suspected of being a platform for Russian intelligence. Our reporters have discovered at least three cases of battles for influence around churches and have spoken to key witnesses. 

In 1960s Greenland, thousands of young Inuit girls – some barely teenagers – were sent to hospital. Without giving an explanation or obtaining their consent, Danish doctors fitted them with IUDs, a painful procedure that left lifelong scars. In total, more than 4,500 Greenlandic women were victims of this mass forced contraception campaign orchestrated by the Danish authorities. FRANCE 24's Sarah Andersen met with victims now demanding justice. 

With the cancellation of grants to Harvard University, the revocation of visas for foreign students, and the withdrawal of research funding, the Trump administration is moving forward with its agenda to cut public spending. These measures are widely seen as an attack on the state of Massachusetts, which traditionally votes Democrat and whose economy heavily relies on research and pharmaceutical industries that have developed around the Ivy League university. Arnaud Zajtman and Frédéric Cristea report.

Nicknamed the "Black Wagners", hundreds of African men have been recruited by the Russian army to fight against Ukraine. Lured by promises of high wages, jobs or even Russian passports, some have voluntarily opted to join Russian President Vladimir Putin's army. But for others, things are far more complicated: dozens have been manipulated and forcibly recruited. Lucile Chaussoy, Marc Kouho and Saloum Sané investigate.

In Pakistan, more than 2 million children frequently attend madrasas – Koranic schools that offer free religious education to the most disadvantaged. But behind the walls of these revered institutions lies a chilling reality: thousands of children are subjected to sexual violence in deafening silence. Our correspondents bring us a special 31-minute investigation. Warning: viewers may find this report disturbing. 

Every year, North Koreans risk their lives trying to escape the regime in Pyongyang. For those who do manage to flee, neighbouring South Korea is the obvious destination. More than 34,000 North Korean defectors have entered the country since 1953. But they still find it difficult to adapt to life in a nation so geographically close to their own, yet so different. FRANCE 24's Chloé Borgnon and William de Tamaris report.

Egypt, the most populous country in the Arab world, is facing a crisis: a growing shortage of food and water. How do you feed a population of 113 million people – estimated to grow to 160 million over the next 25 years – when even water is running short? The Nile, Egypt’s lifeline, is under stress. The government is drilling deep into the Sahara to tap underground aquifers and urging families to have fewer children. But are these measures enough? Edouard Dropsy and Mathilde Delvigne report.

Italy's southern Puglia region is the territory of the Sacra Corona Unita, also known as the "fourth mafia". Less well known than Cosa Nostra, the Camorra or the 'Ndrangheta, the criminal group is still very powerful. It has infiltrated all sections of Italian society, from local firms to public administration. Our reporters went to meet a group of women who are taking on this mafia group, despite the risks to their own lives.

In a country in the midst of change, where more and more women refuse to wear the veil despite the rules, conservatives are looking to maintain their grip on power. Nearly 180,000 clerics, or mullahs, preach the words of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran, but not all of them are ultra-conservative. Some have understood the need for dialogue, in a society divided by economic sanctions and the feminist uprising that followed the death in custody of Mahsa Amini back in 2022. Farad Fathi, a media-savvy cleric and a staunch supporter of the regime, is reaching out to young Iranians to convince them of the mullahs’ ways. Charles Emptaz and Olivier Jobard report.

PFAS, better known as "forever chemicals", are ultra-resistant to water and heat – so much so that they are virtually indestructible in nature. These chemicals are everywhere in our daily lives – in clothes, cosmetics and kitchen utensils – and are poisoning us. FRANCE 24's reporters Cécile Khindria and Juliette Lacharnay went to meet the citizens who are taking on the industrial giants behind PFAS.