Focus
Kanaal Besonderhede
Focus
Our Focus programme brings you exclusive reports from around the world. Every day at 8:45am Paris time.
Onlangse Episodes
49 episodes
Gold mining in Peru: The not-so-glittery side of your smartphone
The COP30 climate summit will open on November 10 in Belem, a city in Brazil's Amazon, as the rainforest continues to be threatened by deforestation....
Ukrainian youth orchestra recreates sounds of Russian attacks
In the Ukrainian village of Kivshovata, south of Kyiv, air raid sirens have become part of everyday life. Although far from the front line, Kivshovata...
Spain bets on migration to drive economic growth, bucking European trend
As Europe tightens up its borders and makes migration policy stricter, Spain has surprised with a welcoming approach to migrants. Between January and...
New York mayoral race: On the campaign trail with Zohran Mamdani
Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate in New York City's mayoral race, is shaking up US politics. The 34-year-old could make history on Tuesday by...
Inside the mega farms growing cheap Moroccan tomatoes
French tomato producers are seeing red, angry at what they believe is unfair competition from Morocco. In one of the most arid parts of the North Afri...
Three years of Meloni: Assessing the track record of Italy's far-right leader
Three years after her arrival at the Palazzo Chigi, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni still enjoys high approval ratings. The strict budget polici...
In the Netherlands, immigration dominates election campaign
Dutch voters head to the polls on October 29 and far-right parties have made immigration the central issue of the campaign. This hardline rhetoric led...
More than two decades after independence, East Timor finally joins ASEAN
Twenty-three years after obtaining its independence, East Timor is starting a new chapter in its history. The small Southeast Asian country has just j...
Liberated Ukrainians still bear the scars of time in Russian prisons
Over 6,000 Ukrainian prisoners have been liberated from Russian prisons since the beginning of the war. But behind the scenes of their touching reunio...
Ivory Coast combats uptick in disinformation campaigns around elections
The election campaign in Ivory Coast has come with an upsurge in disinformation on social media. Supporters of both the ruling and opposition parties...
Life after al-Hol camp: Women of IS group try to reintegrate into Syrian society
When the Islamic State group was defeated in 2019, more than 40,000 men, women, and children were held in the al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria. Along...
Police crack down on illegal meat smuggling from France into Switzerland
Illegal meat trafficking is on the rise, with quantities seized by customs becoming increasingly significant. From simple steak portions hidden under...
Exploring India's spice route: A thousand-flavour journey through Kerala
The state of Kerala, in southern India, is home to the country's most famous spice route. From the hills where the spices are grown to the ports where...
Assisted dying in California: A decade on, how have views changed?
Earlier this month, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law that made assisted dying permanent in the state, after an initial law was passed in...
India’s baby bust: World’s most populous country fears demographic decline
India, home to 1.45 billion people, recently overtook China as the world’s most populous country. Yet, behind this demographic milestone lies an unexp...
Academics leave Trump’s America over budget cuts and threats to intellectual freedom
Researchers, professors, and scientists are leaving Donald Trump’s America in increasing numbers, choosing to settle in Canada. Their reasons are ofte...
Gold rush in western Kenya: Miners risk health and safety in Kakamega county
Miners in Kenya risk their lives every day to extract gold 30 meters below the Earth's surface. With the recent gold rush in the country, artisanal mi...
Flood funds embezzlement leaves Filipinos at mercy of climate crisis
It’s one of the biggest corruption scandals the Philippines has seen since the final years of dictator Ferdinand Marcos. The government has admitted t...
Municipal elections in Kosovo: Serbian minority worried for its future
The first round of local elections in Kosovo are taking place on Sunday, October 12. Kosovo still lacks a functioning government since its legislative...
Afghanistan hit by worst drought in 30 years
Afghanistan is enduring its worst drought in 30 years, having recorded less than half of its usual rainfall this past winter. As the sixth most vulner...
Umm al-Khair, a Palestinian West Bank village engulfed by Israeli expansion
Between June and September, Israeli authorities approved the construction of more than 20,000 housing units in the occupied West Bank, according to a...
Two years after October 7 attacks on Israel, war in Gaza drags on
Two years after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led terrorist attacks on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza, the Palestinian enclave is now a shadow of its...
One year on, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum enjoys record popularity
One year after her landslide election victory, Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum remains remarkably popular, with around 80 percent of Mexicans bac...
The exodus of oasis dwellers: In Mauritania, climate change is threatening date farmers
In the oasis of the Mauritanian Sahara, the main refuge for date palms, climate change is tightening its grip. These ecosystems, which depend on shall...
South Africa's Moravian Church at centre of land disputes in Western Cape
In South Africa, some towns in the Western Cape are entirely controlled by the Moravian Protestant Church, which has a missionary legacy dating back t...
A bridge too far in Italy? Scepticism over planned link between Sicily and mainland
The Italian government has approved the construction of a suspension bridge between the island of Sicily and the mainland. It would be 3,300 metres lo...
Moldovan parliamentary elections: Inside the pro-Russian region of Gagauzia
Moldovans head to the polls for parliamentary elections on Sunday September 28, less than a year after a presidential race marred by accusations of Ru...
Food delivery takes flight: In Dublin, drones are bringing orders to customers
Have you ever seen a pizza fly? Well, in Dublin, they do! Drones are changing the way we get food delivered, straight from the sky to our doorstep. Co...
In Arctic region of Svalbard, scientists study impact of climate change on polar bears
Some 300 polar bears live in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. But with sea ice rapidly receding due to climate change, researchers are trying to...
Pakistan-India: In Punjab, flooding sparks anger among residents
Since late June, unusually heavy monsoon rains have hit northern India and Pakistan, killing hundreds of people. The worst-hit province is Punjab, whe...
Nepal’s Gen Z demands change: Aftermath of a youth uprising
After Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Nepal has become the latest South Asian country to witness its own “Generation Z revolution”. In just three years, it'...
Inside Thailand’s ‘little Burma’, a refuge for Myanmar’s exiles
Myanmar is once again in the grip of civil war. Since the 2021 military coup that ousted the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi, hundreds of thou...
Shifting gears: Malaysia bets on indigenous plant for EV future
Malaysia was once a leader in Southeast Asia’s automotive sector, even producing the region’s first national car. But in recent years, it has struggle...
From New Delhi to Berlin: The Indians starting a new life in Germany
Since a migration agreement between Berlin and New Delhi came into force in 2023, the number of visas issued for Germany has soared. Nearly 40,000 Ind...
'Treasure Island': Kuwait uncovers its past through archaeology
Long perceived as a young state with little past, Kuwait intends to write its own history. In this Gulf emirate of 4 million inhabitants, archaeology...
In Indonesia, addiction to smoking starts in childhood
Considered one of the world's largest producers and consumers of tobacco, Indonesia is seeing a devastating scourge amongst its youth: some 40 percent...
Fancy a move to the countryside? Japan seeks to curb rural exodus
Reviving Japan's countryside is a topic that's close to the heart of Shigeru Ishiba, the country's outgoing prime minister. Ishiba hails from a remote...
Mass investment changes face of Dakhla, in Morocco-controlled Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory, listed by the United Nations as non-self-governing. Morocco largely controls the area, but for decades has bee...
Swiss villages threatened by melting glaciers
The reality of disappearing glaciers is no longer a distant phenomenon: back in May, a glacier collapsed, triggering a massive landslide that buried t...
The price of prosperity: Singapore's 60 years of independence
On August 9, 1965, Singapore became an independent city-state. Despite having no natural resources, it now rivals some of the world's greatest nations...