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'Extremist right-wing ideologies' an increasing threat in France & 'across much of democratic world'

François Picard is pleased to welcome Dr Joseph Downing, Senior Lecturer in International Relations and Politics at Aston University. In modern France, the politics of insecurity increasingly extends beyond questions of crime and public order to encompass deeper struggles over national identity, disappearance of the political centre and erosion of democratic values. The emergence of far-right extremist violence, alongside the persistent stigmatization of ethnically diverse working-class suburbs, raises urgent questions about the relationship between fiery and divisive political rhetoric and fa

Amid uncertainty over EU aid, Vitalii Kim insists Ukraine has no choice but to fight for motherland

François Picard is pleased to welcome Vitalii Kim, Minister for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine. "If Europe will not support us, we also will fight because it's our motherland," says Kim, insisting that Ukraine's determination to resist Russian aggression will endure regardless of the outcome of negotiations over European financial assistance. Yet behind this assertion of national resolve lies a more complex reality: a country confronting not only the immediate pressures of war, but also its mounting psychological, social and institutional consequences.

Mbappé's China faux pas: When the sports world collides with the complexities of geopolitics

François Picard welcomes Igor Mladenovic, a French-Serbian sports writer, sports business analyst and former football commentator based in Luxembourg. For Mladenovic, the backlash in China over Kylian Mbappé's playful reference to a meme depicting him in the likeness of Mao Zedong illustrates a dilemma of the digital age: how a seemingly innocuous anecdote from a football superstar can escalate into a geopolitical firestorm.

As China's Communist Party holds plenum, Xi's anti-corruption drive continues

In this edition of Perspective, we try to figure out what happens behind the closed doors of the Chinese Communist Party's plenum meeting. At the heart of the discussions will be President Xi Jinping's firm grip on power. For analysis, we're joined by Jean-François Di Méglio from the Asia Centre think tank.

Iraq condemns six French people to life for belonging to the terrorist organisation ISIS

Six Frenchmen were sentenced to life imprisonment on Tuesday by an Iraqi court for membership of the Islamic State group. A seventh received 15 years in prison. One of the lawyers has already announced that he would make a call.

Iraq: Six French people sentenced to life imprisonment for IS membership

On Tuesday, an Iraqi court sentenced six French nationals to life imprisonment and one seventh to 15 years in prison for membership of the ISIS group. Marie-Charlotte Rupie is live from Baghdad.

French education reform proposals 'vague': Govt created 'most of the problems' it now seeks to solve

François Picard welcomes Jean-Rémi Girard, President of the SNALC teachers’ union, who places responsibility for France’s educational difficulties not simply on demographic change or fiscal constraints, but on years of political decisions that, he argues, have weakened the public education system. Against a backdrop of student protests, budgetary uncertainty and mounting concerns over educational inequality, Girard contends that the French government faces the formidable task of addressing a crisis largely of its own making.

'They should be afraid': Serbia's student-led victory over Vučić sends warning to 'corrupt' leaders

François Picard welcomes Helena Ivanov, Associate Research Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based foreign policy and national security think tank advocating liberal democracy, strong transatlantic alliances, robust Western defence capabilities and the international promotion of democratic institutions. Ivanov describes the election as a historic turning point in Serbian politics. After 14 years of Aleksandar Vučić's political dominance, the reported electoral victory of a student-led movement represents, more than a challenge to an entrenched political establishment.

NFL Paris Premier: The Saints' Alvin Kamara on global reach and sport as an opportunity for youth

FRANCE 24's François Picard and Selina Sykes are pleased to welcome New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara as the National Football League (NFL) expands its international reach to Paris. As the Saints prepare to face off with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kamara calls the occasion as "an opportunity unlike any other" while reflecting on his remarkable career, his interest in representing his country in flag football at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, and his ambitions to develop sporting opportunities in Liberia, his parents' country of birth.

Trump admin 'destroying' US democracy with 'autocratic, terrorist version of Christian nationalism'

François Picard welcomes former US Assistant Secretary of Defense Jim Townsend and former US Air Force officer Michael (Mikey) Weinstein, founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. Is American military power becoming an instrument of political and religious coercion, both at home and abroad? From the reported restrictions on Ukraine's access to Starlink satellite communications to the Trump administration's overtures towards Vladimir Putin and the growing controversy over religious ideology within the Pentagon, the two guests offer a stark assessment of the direction o

France's decades-long ties with Gulf states built on 'economic development, oil, defence agreements'

Genie Godula is pleased to welcome François Gouyette, former French ambassador to the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Against a backdrop of violent unrest at home and escalating conflict in the Middle East, French President Emmanuel Macron's Gulf diplomacy underscores the increasingly blurred boundaries between domestic economic security and international strategic commitments. Ambassador Gouyette argues that the visit serves a dual purpose: alleviating France's energy pressures while reaffirming its longstanding defense partnerships with Gulf monarchies. Insisting that "France has to play its role as a

Art crime detective Arthur Brand warns: 'All museums have been, and will be, victims of theft'

François Picard is pleased to welcome art crime detective Arthur Brand. "In the old days they stole a painting, but a painting is unique; you cannot cut it in two," explains Brand, "In the last 10 years they have been targeting more and more objects made of gold, silver". He examines the transformation of international art theft, warning that increasingly sophisticated criminal opportunism is shifting attention from irreplaceable paintings towards precious metals and gemstones that can be dismantled, melted down or dispersed.

Oxfam takes France to court over 'tax inequality': 'Problem' with tax system, public service funding

François Picard is pleased to welcome Layla Abdelké Yakoub, Tax Justice and Inequality Advocacy Officer at Oxfam France. "Today in France a billionaire pays less taxes proportionally than a nurse or a firefighter," Yakoub explains. She challenges the foundations of France's fiscal system, arguing that the growing concentration of wealth and preferential tax treatment of the ultra-rich are undermining the constitutional principle of equality before taxation. As Oxfam pursues legal action against the French state, Yakoub describes a widening disconnect between the government's efforts to attract

‘Amazing progress’ in lung cancer: Immunotherapy extends survival as mRNA vaccines offer hope

François Picard is pleased to welcome Siow-Ming Lee, Professor of Medical Oncology at the University College London and a specialist in lung cancer. “Lung cancer is not one cancer. There are many different types of lung cancer,” explains Lee. For decades, lung cancer has been closely associated with smoking, late diagnosis and poor survival prospects. Yet there is a broader revolution in cancer brewing: Medicine advances in molecular oncology, minimally invasive surgery and immunotherapy are fundamentally transforming both the understanding and treatment of the disease, including among patient

Digital distrust and polarisation: 'We need to get back to engaging with one another as a society'

François Picard is pleased to welcome Valdemar Osted, partner and head of technology at Danish digital consultancy Common Consultancy. Can the fear of disinformation become as dangerous to democracy as disinformation itself? Osted challenges widely circulated claims that attacks on Russian data centres have triggered a sudden collapse in online engagement among supporters of Donald Trump and Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). Drawing on social media monitoring and research into inauthentic behaviour, Osted reports finding no unusual decline in Facebook interactions following th

'Transactional diplomacy': Greece positioning itself as Trump’s most 'reliable ally in the region'

François Picard is pleased to welcome Petros Konstantinidis, Journalist for TA NEA, Greece's leading daily newspaper, as a financial and investigative reporter. It has all the makings of a reality TV show or a telenovela, or both! “This is diplomacy under Trump turning into lifestyle diplomacy”, explains Konstantinidis.

Capital punishment in US: Elected judges, prosecutors seek 'results', 'not interested in the truth'

François Picard is pleased to welcome Sandrine Ageorges-Skinner, author, advocate against the death penalty and member of the association "Ensemble contre la peine de mort": Together Against the Death Penalty. She asserts that capital punishment is “really a political agenda, especially in electoral times.”

Paralympic Games: Sophie Caverzan's unlimited ambition in para taekwondo

Two years before the Paralympic Games in Los Angeles 2028, French woman Sophie Caverzan dreams of a first Paralympic medal. After failing in her quest in Paris in 2024, she continued her preparation. Already a bronze medallist at the world championships in 2023, and three times vice-champion of Europe, the 31-year-old French woman still has to work in parallel with her daily trainings because the majority of paraathletes still lack support.

Death penalty: Why are executions increasing worldwide?

October 10 marks the World Day Against the Death Penalty. This week, the EU condemned capital punishment as a cruel and degrading form of punishment. But not all world leaders share this view. We discuss why executions are on the rise with our guest François Picard, host of "Death Row Stories".

At the age of 20, the Frenchman Paul Seixas became the youngest winner of the Tour de Lombardie