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 political rhetoric, radicalization and the erosion of democratic moderation. Downing examines these interrelated challenges against the backdrop of a deadly shooting in the Paris suburbs, allegedly motivated by racist and anti-Muslim hostility. For Downing, the attack illustrates a broader shift in Europe's extremist landscape, in which the rise of far-right political violence demands greater public and institutional attention: "This is really one of the first and one of the most serious right-wing nationalist, nativist-inspired terror attacks that you see in France." Yet Downing's analysis reaches beyond the horrific attack. He challenges the political representation of France's working-class suburbs as centres of Islamist radicalism, describing such portrayals as a divisive rhetorical strategy that stigmatizes communities whose residents are overwhelmingly engaged in ordinary civic and economic life. His central political concern is the weakening of the democratic centre. Amid rising living costs, social insecurity and the circulation of polarizing identity narratives through digital media, he argues that political movements on the ideological fringes gain an advantage by offering apparently simplistic, and often divisive solutions, to deeply complex problems. "The centre of politics in France, as in many other democracies, is struggling to hold." Perhaps most revealingly, Downing identifies the deliberate or careless conflation of racial identity, migration status and religious extremism as a particularly damaging feature of contemporary political discourse. By treating French citizens of African or Arab heritage as perpetual outsiders, political commentators risk reinforcing the very divisions that undermine national cohesion. The interview therefore opens onto a wider question at the heart of contemporary democratic politics: what happens when narratives of national insecurity become more politically influential than the social realities they claim to describe? Downing's reflections illuminate not only the challenges facing France but also the wider vulnerabilities of democratic societies confronting political polarization, economic anxiety and the normalization of exclusionary rhetoric.

A man suspected of a gun attack in the Paris suburbs last week, killing one person and wounding seven including a child, has admitted to "targeting individuals who appeared to be Muslim, African, or North African," prosecutors said on Thursday. The attack came amid an increasingly tense political climate, with just six months to go before next spring's presidential election. 

Erin Ogunkeye welcomes Lt. General (ret.) Ben Hodges, former commander of US Army Europe and NATO Allied Land Command. The dismissal of senior military officers without public explanation raises fundamental questions about institutional trust and the relationship between civilian authority and military leadership. For General Hodges, the reported firing of Lt. General Brett Sylvia reflects a potentially troubling pattern within the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Equally striking is his criticism of the reluctance of retired senior commanders to speak publicly against policies they consider damaging. Hodges said he was "disappointed and surprised" by the limited public resistance among former four-star generals.

Following Spain's deadly high-speed train crash, Delano D'Souza is joined by Francisco Badea, Director of FEM Expert Engineering, Railway Structural & PRM Certification Expert. Batea challenges explanations that reduce railway disasters to isolated human mistakes. “It is basically an absurdity to say that it depended on one person and one human mistake,” he argues, emphasizing that modern railway networks operate through multiple layers of protection, including automated safeguards, train-detection technologies, operational protocols and institutional oversight. “The system has been designed in a way that this type of accident should never happen.”

Medical staff and residents at a treatment centre in Ituri danced and sang to celebrate a first since May: the centre is no longer treating any confirmed Ebola cases.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia arrived at Toledo University Hospital on Thursday to visit those injured in the train accident in Urda – in which at least 69 people died – who are being treated at this hospital, 15 of whom are in the ICU. The King and Queen will meet with the medical team and subsequently visit several of the injured, who will be accompanied by their families. FRANCE 24's Sarah Morris reports from oledo University Hospital.

Tens of thousands of US citizens have fled the United States since Donald Trump's return to power two years ago. Given the language and a shared history, Ireland has been among the top choices for Americans looking for an alternative. FRANCE 24's team reports.

The United States has fired its top military planner, The Atlantic reported Wednesday, in a surprise shake-up as President Donald Trump appears to be preparing to resume large-scale strikes against Iran. Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia was removed this week from his role as head of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His ouster would be the latest in a series of high-profile departures from the military since Trump returned to power a year ago.

In the United States, Democrats are turning to Barack Obama to rally voters ahead of the midterm elections, a crucial test that could shape the remainder of Donald Trump's presidency. The former president has addressed three campaign rallies this week, with the latest one in Atlanta, Georgia. FRANCE 24's International Affairs Editor Angela Diffley has more.

Wednesday's deadly train crash has dealt a serious blow to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s campaign. The accident in Toledo province killed 69 people and came just nine months after another deadly crash on the same line, leading to accusations from experts and the public of underinvestment in railway infrastructure under Sanchez's government after years of rapid network ​expansion.

Neither man is on the ​ballot but Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic former President Barack Obama took prominent roles on the campaign trail on Wednesday, with less than a week to go before congressional races that could shift the balance of power in Washington. Thirty-five ‌of the 100 Senate seats and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are being contested next Tuesday. Nonpartisan analysts generally favor Democrats' chances of capturing a majority in the ⁠House, with the contest for the Senate seen as very close.

The French government is looking for new ways to calm social unrest ahead of more planned demonstrations over the cost of living this weekend. The minimum wage was set to increase on January 1, 2027. Now, officials are considering making the change one month earlier and adding an extra boost.

The midterm elections campaign is in full swing in the United States, but Donald Trump is doing his utmost to avoid one subject: the Epstein Files. On January 30, the US Department of Justice published the court records relating to the Epstein case. At FRANCE 24, two of our journalists, Samia Metheni and Ava Luquet, delve into the 3 million documents to understand how Epstein's network operated. What did they find looking through the documents and what impact do they still have on Trump? Ava Luquet answered François Picard's questions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hosted dozens of African leaders at a Russia-Africa summit, part of Moscow’s efforts to expand its influence across the continent. The Russia-Africa summit marks a renewed Kremlin effort to bolster ties with a continent of nearly 1.6 billion people that is increasingly assertive on the global stage. 

Democratic Republic ⁠of Congo's main ​opposition coalition, C64, met in Rome on Tuesday. Under pressure to respond to Joseph Kabila’s rebellion, its five leaders addressed the situation in the country from the Italian capital. They condemned any seizure of power by force and called for inclusive dialogue. FRANCE 24’s Emmet Livingston reports.

French anti-terrorism prosecutor Olivier Christen said the suspect in the Trappes racist attack, which killed one person and injured five others, had been brought before a French court. FRANCE 24 International Affairs Editor Philip Turle has more.

In Niger, guards ignored the panicked cries for help from 33 detainees who died in a detention cell last month. Reports indicate that 72 people were crowded into a poorly ventilated, 20-square-metre space, where dozens slowly suffocated over 11 hours. The cell may have been cleaned and disinfected before it could be investigated. FRANCE 24's correspondent Sam Olukoya has more.

A man suspected of a gun attack in the Paris suburbs last week that killed one person and wounded five including a child has admitted to "targeting individuals who appeared to be Muslim, African, or North African," prosecutors said on Thursday. FRANCE 24's Charli James reports.

Spain's second high-speed rail disaster this year, in which one train struck another from behind, killing 69 people, has raised fresh concerns about the safety of the country's rail network ahead of a national election. Three days of mourning have begun in the country.

Israelis awaited the final election results on Thursday to confirm what appeared to be taking shape: neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies nor the array of parties seeking to oust him seemed likely to secure a majority of seats in parliament. FRANCE 24's Clovis Casali reports from Jerusalem.