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Rating
5from
This podcast has
25 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
FRANCE 24 EnglishExplicit
No
Date created
2015/11/02
Latest episode
2026/10/22
Average duration
6 min.
Release period
2 days
Description
Our Focus programme brings you exclusive reports from around the world. Every day at 8:45am Paris time.
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Brazil's sprawling favelas require long-term urban planning solutions
2026/10/22
As Brazilians head to the polls on Sunday for the second round of presidential elections, our correspondents take us to the heart of the country's favelas, where residents live in unsanitary conditions. Over the past 40 years, the area occupied by Brazilian favelas has almost tripled in size. They now cover around 460,000 hectares, compared with 53,700 in 1985.
Concerns mount over artificial intelligence as Silicon Valley sees AI boom
2026/10/21
Tuesday, October 20 saw protests in more than 50 US cities against the rise of artificial intelligence. Demonstrators are calling for a moratorium on AI development, and the sentiment is shared by many: according to a recent study, 71 percent of Americans believe AI will lead to job losses. In the heart of Silicon Valley, record investment is now on a collision course with public fear and uncertainty. FRANCE 24's Pierrick Leurent and Valérie Defert report, with Wassim Cornet.
Six years on, France remembers slain teacher Samuel Paty
2026/10/20
French schoolteacher Samuel Paty was killed on October 16, 2020 after false rumours circulated about racism following one of his lessons in which cartoons from the satirical publication Charlie Hebdo were shown. For the first time since his murder, journalists from France Télévisions were allowed to film inside the school where he taught in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, near Paris. They met a new generation of young people, who are determined to play their part in the fight against terrorism.
Inflation squeezes households as Lebanon's economic crisis persists
2026/10/19
Lebanon's economic crisis has dragged on since 2019. A re-igniting of Israel's war with Hezbollah derailed the weak recovery seen last year. The World Bank now forecasts that the Lebanese economy will shrink by 6.4 percent this year, with inflation expected to reach around 17.5 percent. A growing divide is visible everywhere: in households, in businesses and even in consumer habits. Our correspondents Serge Berberi and Renée Davis report.
How books are being scanned and destroyed to train artificial intelligence
2026/10/16
To train artificial intelligence models, millions of physical books are being digitised and destroyed. Our colleagues at France 2 investigate this controversial practice and the risk of seeing many rare second-hand books disappear forever.
War in Ukraine: Kyiv residents decry shortage of bomb shelters
2026/10/15
Kyiv's mayor, Vitaly Klitschko, has advised those residents who can "temporarily relocate" for the winter to do so. That advice has been met with derision at best from many residents, who say his administration is responsible for failing to better prepare the Ukrainian capital for Russian attacks. In particular, they complain of a severe shortage of adequate bomb shelters.
Asia's fertility hub: Thailand emerges as top destination for IVF treatment
2026/10/13
Thailand has become one of Asia's leading fertility hubs. Every year, thousands of foreign patients travel to Bangkok's state-of-the-art private clinics for IVF, egg donation and other fertility treatments. They come from China, South Korea, Europe and across Southeast Asia, looking for what may be harder to find at home: shorter waiting times, lower costs and, in some cases, fewer restrictions.
Residents of Ukraine's Kramatorsk forced to flee as drone strikes intensify
2026/10/09
The city of Kramatorsk, in eastern Ukraine, is increasingly coming under Russian attack. For those who have stayed behind, the threat from drones and shelling has become a daily reality. Many have resisted leaving their homes, despite the growing danger – but now, more and more residents are being forced to flee. Our colleagues at France 2 followed an evacuation from the city and witnessed first-hand the dangers that residents face.
Strait of Hormuz crisis fuels Cairo's plastic recycling business
2026/10/08
In the heart of the Egyptian capital Cairo, within the labyrinthine streets of the Manshiyet Nasser district, nearly 120,000 residents process a third of the megacity's waste every day. Long marginalised, these informal recycling specialists are now undergoing a dramatic transformation due to geopolitical tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, through which polyethylene from the Gulf usually passes.
China's evolving funeral practices: From traditional burials to cremation
2026/10/07
This year, China released new rules for funeral practices. The government is putting an emphasis on affordable and environmentally friendly funeral services. It's part of a decades-long reform to promote cremation. But in a country where burials are deeply rooted in local traditions, how are these attempts to modernise funerals being perceived? FRANCE 24's Yena Lee reports.
Mexico makes push for fracking despite environmental concerns
2026/10/06
Following months of consultations with energy experts, Mexico is preparing to tap its shale oil and gas reserves using one of the world's most controversial extraction techniques: fracking. The process is already used to extract oil in the southeastern state of Veracruz, where local communities have long complained of pollution and environmental damage. But the administration of President Claudia Sheinbaum is seeking to reduce Mexico's reliance on the United States and – eventually – achieve energy self-sufficiency. FRANCE 24's Quentin Duval and Laurence Cuvillier report.
What's real and what's fake? How AI is impacting Brazil's election race
2026/10/02
With just two days to go before the first round of Brazil's presidential election, artificial intelligence is taking centre stage, whether it's a deepfake avatar of former president Jair Bolsonaro to support his son's candidacy, or an AI-generated working-class female voter criticising President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. According to the Brazilian intelligence agency, disinformation will be one of the main challenges of this election. Our correspondents report.
A blessing or a curse? New Caledonia's dwindling nickel industry
2026/10/01
This Thursday October 1, the French government is holding a summit aimed at attracting investors and revitalising wealth creation in France's overseas territories. Among the assets Paris wants to highlight is New Caledonian nickel. But the industry has been severely weakened by the political deadlock and tensions that have rocked the archipelago in recent years.
Ethiopia's last Jews dream of visa for Israel
2026/09/30
Ethiopia has one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world, rumoured to be the descendants of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon in 950 BC. From the 1970s to 1990s, this community known as Beta Israel was persecuted under the Communist regime, and Israel evacuated more than 20,000 Ethiopian Jews in dramatic airlifts known as Operation Solomon and Operation Moses. But a few thousand were left behind.
Fatalities on Indian roads: One death reported every three minutes
2026/09/25
India has the second-largest road network in the world, spanning over 6 million kilometres. But these roads are silent killers, with one death reported every three minutes. Every day, headlines are filled with horror stories: drunk drivers mowing people down, school buses hit by speeding trucks killing children, buses with dozens of passengers plunging into gorges.
Podcast reviews
Read Focus podcast reviews
ordamn 2021/03/10
Short but great
France24 does real embedded, produced, truly global journalism and it shows. I know it’s expensive, but I wish there were more of it; we need more tha...
Jack_McCoy 2018/12/04
I Love These Focus Pieces
I love the Focus segments on France 24, which take me to different places around the world. You meet people from other countries and hear their storie...
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