Revisited

It’s been two decades since a wave of riots in France was sparked by the tragic death of two young men fleeing a police patrol in the Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois. Have lessons been learnt, or could tensions over youth unemployment and police harassment easily explode again in France’s underprivileged suburbs? FRANCE 24’s Ségolène Malterre and Mélina Huet met residents to find out.

In April 2023, Kenyan human rights defenders discovered a deadly cult in the Shakahola forest. They exhumed more than 400 bodies from mass graves. The pastor of the Good News International Ministries, Paul Mackenzie, had convinced his followers that by starving themselves to death, they would meet Jesus before the apocalypse struck the Earth. In Kenya, there is complete freedom of religion – anyone can preach as they wish. But in this case, the consequences were disastrous. A trial is currently taking place. FRANCE 24's Bastien Renouil reports.

In Estonia's far northeast lies the Baltic city of Narva, right on the border with Russia. With a tumultuous history marked by successive invasions – first Soviet, then Nazi, then Soviet again – Narva’s conflicting and divided memories of the past may play into the hands of its powerful Russian neighbour. Elena Volochine and Gulliver Cragg bring you this report.

It was a campaign promise with deadly consequences. In the Philippines, the war on drugs led by former president Rodrigo Duterte resulted in over 30,000 deaths, according to international organisations. It also left behind broken families who are fighting for justice. Duterte was arrested in March and now faces charges at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. FRANCE 24's Lisa Gamonet reports.

South of the Syrian capital Damascus, Yarmouk refugee camp was the scene of violent clashes between Bashar al-Assad's regime and rebel militias, and later the Islamic State group, during the almost 14-year-long Syrian war. Ahmed and Jihane Tameem were among those who fled the bombs at the end of 2012. Three years later, they left Syria and found refuge in Sweden with their two children. Now, after the fall of Assad, they have returned home to reunite with their loved ones. FRANCE 24's Claire Billet and Olivier Jobard report.

Three decades after the signature of the Dayton Accords put an end to the devastating war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the nation remains deeply divided. To what extent are the different communities in this small Balkan country managing to live side by side? FRANCE 24’s Karim Yahiaoui and Mohamed Farhat report. 

Nayib Bukele came to power in El Salvador in 2019, winning outright in the first round of presidential elections. Since then, he has steadily consolidated his control. Bukele’s party has dominated the National Assembly since 2021. In 2022, he declared a state of emergency, which remains in effect to this day. He also pressured the Supreme Court to allow him to run for a second term – previously prohibited by the Constitution. Despite concerns over his human rights record, Bukele enjoys overwhelming popularity, with polls showing over 80 percent approval. Since the start of the state of emergency, more than 400 inmates have died in jail. This year, he began constructing a new mega-prison to house hundreds of illegal migrants deported by the United States and labelled terrorists. Six years into his presidency, FRANCE 24 takes a look at the Bukele phenomenon. Laurence Cuvillier and Matthieu Comin report.

August 6 will mark 80 years since the US dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Little Boy, as the bomb was nicknamed, killed 80,000 people instantly. By the end of the year, the death toll had risen to 140,000. What has become of the last survivors? How was the city of Hiroshima able to rebuild itself and transform from a city devastated by nuclear weapons to a centre of peace? FRANCE 24's Mélodie Sforza, Aruna Popuri, Makiko Kobayashi and Justin McCurry report.

Hollywood, a name synonymous with cinema, is seeing its stars fade. Much more than a mythical place, it’s a global industry that generates revenue in the billions making it one of the biggest contributors to California’s economy. Battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, strikes, and devastating wildfires, the film industry is struggling to catch its breath. The box office is plummeting, and studios are relocating for lower production costs — be it in the United States or abroad. Is Hollywood at the dawn of a revival or at the end of its reign? Valérie Defert and Pierrick Leurent explore the challenges facing the movie capital of the world.

It's been 50 years since the fall of Saigon, a day that marked the end of a long and brutal chapter in Vietnam’s history. In the years that followed, Ho Chi Minh City rose from the ashes of war, reinventing itself as a bustling metropolis. Yet, beneath the modern skyline and the hum of economic growth, the memories of April 30, 1975, continue to echo. William de Tamaris takes us back to that pivotal moment and explores how a city shaped by conflict now faces the future, while still carrying the weight of its past.