Spotlight

Mali's military junta is facing one of its most serious security challenges in months. A wave of coordinated attacks by the jihadist group JNIM and its Tuareg ally, the FLA, has targeted army positions across the north of the country, raising fresh questions about the government's ability to contain the insurgency. The armed groups have been seeking to expand their control since capturing the nort...

The images emerging from Tehran are striking. Tens of thousands of mourners dressed in black have gathered at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla for the funeral and lying in state of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following his assassination on February 28, the first day of joint US-Israeli strikes on the Iranian capital. The images emerging from Tehran are striking. Tens of thousands of mourners d...

Armenia sits at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East. In contrast to much of the European Union where the drag scene is mainstream, it remains underground in Armenia. Performers face stigma, police pressure, threats of violence, and rejection by their own families. Despite all this, drag queens have built a vibrant, bustling community that has attracted both local Armenians and inter...

This weekend, the United States marks 250 years since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, one of the most influential political texts in modern history. Its assertion that governments derive their power from the consent of the governed, and that all people are endowed with the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, has inspired democratic movements around the world. As...

In this edition, FRANCE 24's François Picard talks with Dr. Gershon Baskin, Middle East Director of the International Communities Organisation and former hostage negotiator. One thousand days after the outbreak of the Gaza war, Gershon Baskin shares a stark assessment of Israel's political and strategic trajectory. Rather than framing the anniversary solely as a military milestone, he argues that...

François Picard is pleased to welcome Thibault Muzergues, political director for Shared Ground and author of "The Woke Right". France enters the final 300 days before its presidential election amid a politically combustible convergence of judicial investigations, institutional distrust and an increasingly fragmented party system. Muzergues argues that while allegations surrounding the far-right Na...

François Picard is pleased to welcome Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. In this wide-ranging interview, Türk presents a coherent vision of human rights as the essential framework through which to understand some of the defining global challenges of the 21st century. Rather than treating migration, climate change, nationality, international law and institutional govern...

As French President Emmanuel Macron meets with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman amid efforts to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, François Picard speaks to Dawud Al Ansari, a geopolitics and energy analyst. Meanwhile, diplomacy in the Gulf is once again being tested by renewed military tensions. Al Ansari offers a nuanced assessment from an Omani perspective, arguing that the country is pla...

The heatwave that's seen much of northern Europe melting in the past week is moving eastwards, with Germany and Hungary reaching or exceeding 40°C in the past 24 hours. Here in France , residents finally saw a break from baking temperatures and the tropical nights with the cooler Atlantic air coming in from the west.  And a momentous moment: a barrage of lightning flashes and storms for more than...

Shots have been fired in the Strait of Hormuz, creating a diplomatic and logistical conundrum about what to do next. Some 11,000 crew members remain stuck on ships in the middle of the two belligerents who are negotiating an end to the conflict and providing opposing directives on how to safely evacuate. For its part, Iran is telling them to leave, but to first cross via its Larak Island at the no...

FRANCE 24’s Gavin Lee welcomes Germania Rodriguez Paleo, an American Venezuelan journalist, commentator and former US chief reporter for the Daily Mail. In this interview, Rodriguez Paleo offers a political analysis of Venezuela's devastating earthquakes, arguing that while the seismic event itself was a force of nature, the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe was the product of decades of insti...

François Picard is pleased to welcome Eric Klinenberg, Professor of Sociology at NYU and Author of "Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago". He challenges one of the dominant assumptions surrounding extreme heat: that technological adaptation alone can protect societies from climate change. Drawing on his landmark study of Chicago's deadly 1995 heatwave, he argues that mortality during...

François Picard is pleased to welcome Silvia Boccardi, a freelance journalist based in Rome. Nearly five years after the Taliban's return to power, Afghanistan occupies an uneasy position in international politics. As European governments increasingly seek practical engagement with the authorities in Kabul, questions persist over whether diplomatic contact can alleviate humanitarian suffering with...

François Picard is pleased to welcome Wayne Jordash, President of Global Rights Compliance Foundation. He argues that the European Union's approach to alumina exports exposes a fundamental flaw: while seeking to constrain Russia's military-industrial capabilities through sanctions, European authorities continue to permit the export of a strategic raw material that may ultimately support Russian we...

US and Iranian officials have begun talks in Switzerland, just five days into a 60-day ceasefire agreement that already appears under strain. Tehran claims it has closed the Strait of Hormuz, citing the continued fighting in Lebanon, while Washington says the talks are focused on ending Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions and securing a lasting end to the conflict. The Strait of Hormuz remains one of...

Ten years after Britain voted to leave the European Union, the UK could once again be facing a dramatic change in leadership. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is under mounting pressure amid growing speculation about his political future, with reports suggesting support within his own party is weakening and talk of a possible leadership contest gathering pace. The uncertainty comes as Andy Burnham retu...

Just days after US President Donald Trump hailed a 60-day peace agreement with Iran, elements of the deal appear to be unravelling. Tehran has announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, despite a provision in the agreement guaranteeing the safe passage of commercial vessels. Iran says the pact's first principle – the immediate cessation of military operations, including in Lebanon – has been b...

There are reports in the Times of London that British cabinet ministers are set to tell Prime Minister Keir Starmer that his "time is up" to set a timetable for his departure and an orderly transition. There's been no confirmation from Downing Street that these talks have taken place so far. "Events, my dear boy, events" is the quote attributed to the late British prime minister Harold Macmillan,...

In the lead-up to Colombia's presidential runoff, François Picard is pleased to welcome Renata Segura, Program Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the International Crisis Group. "What we're seeing in this election are two options that are very different from past elections," Segura explains. As Colombians focus heavily on security issues, far-right candidate Abelardo de la Espriella's...

François Picard is pleased to welcome François Heisbourg, Chairman of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. He argues that the apparent Iran-related "peace deal" announced by US President Donald Trump remains opaque, incomplete and potentially unstable, with crucial details unresolved. Yet for Heisbourg, the deeper story extends beyond the Gulf. He sees current developments as evidenc...

US President Donald Trump turns 80 this Sunday, and the White House lawn has been transformed into a giant arena, complete with floodlights, cameras, giant Star-Spangled Banners and a 90-foot scaffold known as "The Claw", as 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue hosts "Freedom 250", a celebration featuring professional UFC cage fighting. The event combines three occasions: Trump 's birthday, Flag Day – which m...