What will the world remember from World Cup 2026? Will it be the on-field drama or the American-style packaging of the spectacle: commercial breaks disguised as water breaks, TV cutaways to celebrities during the action and red cards overturned to please the host country's leader? What will the final bring? Will US President Donald Trump be flanked by his Argentinian counterpart and far-right ally Javier Milei? Will they pose with Pedro Sanchez, the prime minister of a left-led Spain Trump has threatened to cut ties with?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Riham Mahir, Andrew Hilliar.

When the Master Poulet fast-food chicken chain opened up a branch in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Ouen, the Socialist Mayor Karim Bouamranne saw red, as the heat lamps and the smell of rotisserie until 2am did not gel with his vision for a modernized city centre. Meanwhile, hard-left mayor of neighbouring Saint-Denis, Bally Bagayoko savoured the moment to praise Master Poulet’s product and price.  A FRANCE 24 journalist went to Saint-Ouen to take a closer look at the controversy.

Our guests talk affordability, convenience and the right to healthy eating. They also address the concept of “food ghettos”, a nation of growing inequality where quality produce is more expensive in working class neighbourhoods. Finally, while the left tears itself apart over the issue, we ask how to find the common ground to better feed the French?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Piera Rocco, Andrew Hilliar.

Iran's leadership can now paint US president Donald Trump as the villain after he threatened a 20 percent toll on commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday – though he has since walked the toll back. With missiles flying across the Gulf and as the price of crude climbs to a four-week high, we ask broader questions: why this cycle of war, talks, televised signing ceremonies and then return to hostilities? Are we just spectators in this performative drama? How can the cycle be broken?

Produced by François Picard, Andrew Hilliar, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Juliette Brown.

Beyond the pageantry and the photo opportunities, however, lies the hard reality of doing more without Washington's military and financial muscle. For what could be Keir Starmer's last summit as British prime minister, the UK has signed up to a €60bn EU defence loan scheme, Germany has pledged €90 million to help build Ukrainian long-range drones, and Ukraine itself has the wind in its sails. Its long-range strikes are forcing fuel shortages in Russia, yet it remains unable to stop ballistic missiles from killing civilians or prevent Russian forces from inching forward in the Donbas industrial heartland.

As Moscow continues to feed the meat grinder on a brutal frontline, how do Europeans prepare for what comes next?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Piera Rocco, Andrew Hilliar.

We'll ask why new construction has so often failed to deliver on the promise of homes that stay warmer in winter and cooler in summer—and what solutions exist for the vast majority who can't simply build a new house from scratch. Can Paris preserve the charm of its iconic zinc rooftops without turning top-floor apartments into ovens? How do we help those who can't afford costly heat pumps or extensive insulation?

As climate change deepens inequality, competition is also intensifying for the water needed to grow crops, cool nuclear power plants, and restore depleted soils. At a time when the political mood favors rolling back regulations, where should policymakers draw the line?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Guillaume Gougeon, Ilayda Habip and Piera Rocco

What does this celebration really mean? Is it about 1776 and the birth of a nation, or remembering 250 years of events that shaped a common present? Perhaps it is a celebration of the world’s premier superpower that won the Cold War, has dominated trade and finance and gave the world so much music, movies and literature? At a time when the current president is loosening traditional alliances, where global admiration for democracy in America is plummeting, we look at why the US seems to have changed so suddenly – and so much.

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

Tehran can boast of a growing list of foreign dignitaries – a show of strength for a regime that's rebounded since Khamenei was killed on the very first day of the war. His funeral is certainly intended as a victory lap for a leadership that's always revered martyrdom. But does that mask the reality that the Iran war has resulted, according to some, in a lose-lose situation? And with Khamenei's son and successor yet to show signs of life, who really is in charge?

Are we also witnessing the funeral of a theocracy, replaced instead with a military dictatorship? More broadly, how will the masters of Tehran deal both with a region that's working on how to bypass its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and a population that still has to grapple with corruption, rampant inflation and the cruel legacy of the New Year's crackdown on protests that left untold numbers dead or imprisoned?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Riham Mahir, Charles Wente.

A Ukrainian offensive still seems like a pipe dream. Instead, is the current pressure a way to force concessions out of a Kremlin forced to admit what's all over Russian social media: that petrol stations across Russia are running on empty because of those long-range strikes? Will Vladimir Putin compromise or double down?

And what do Crimeans themselves want? Most seemed happy to vote yes in a referendum to rejoin a Russia they only left in 1954. More broadly, what consequences for the entire Black Sea region, which since 2022 has alternated between periods of war, disruption and mutually agreed calm to allow both sides to ship goods? The Black Sea is of course shared with Turkey, which hosts next week's timely NATO summit. 

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

In this edition, we ask how best the international community can help Venezuela and take a look at the dozens of US forces airlifting in supplies and helping coordinate air traffic – an unexpected turnaround as Washington was once the sworn enemy of Caracas. But US President Donald Trump has claimed the locals are "dancing in the streets" now that he’s removed former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and the oil’s flowing his way. If this is truly a turning point, then what kind of turning point is it?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Riham Mahir and Charles Wente.

On that score, some still stick to Trump whispering, like the NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who before a show-and-tell display of flattery in the Oval Office told Fox News that Italy had allowed "500 US planes" to take off from bases as part of Operation Epic Fury.

We ask if the Italian prime minister lied about her refusal to actively take part in the campaign against Iran and, more broadly, about Meloni's tack towards the pro-EU mainstream – patching up sometimes testy relations with neighbour France and getting a red carpet welcome this Thursday from Emmanuel Macron at an overdue bilateral summit in the French Riviera town of Antibes.

Why the shift? Is it the end of the whole of the European far-right's MAGA envy? Remember that 2027 is an election year in both France and Italy.

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Piera Rocco, Riham Mahir, Charles Wente.

From no-bid contracts and allegations of fraudulent sales of land, to the diplomatic row sparked over the manhandling of ethnic Greeks in the area, we ask about the situation and the prime minister’s promise that the project will propel Albania into the “Champions League” of tourist destinations.

In this David-versus-Goliath tale, the lines are becoming blurred between the personal business interests of the Trump family and the power of a sitting US president. US President Donald Trump has sent his son-in-law to mediate peace with Iran and Russia, pardoned his convicted real estate mogul father and appointed him ambassador to France. Why does the outrage seem stronger in Albania than in the United States or here in France, where French President Emmanuel Macron quietly welcomed four-term Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama just this week?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Piera Rocco, Charles Wente.

Watch moreHow can France adapt to recurrent heatwaves?

France's political class is scrambling to prove it's prepared to do what's necessary. Enter that burning question: should there be air conditioning for all? Emphatic yeses are arising from more than just home appliance salespeople: the far-right is all in with A/C, framing as constraining and elitist those who fret that cooling systems add to the warming outside temperatures.

Unquestionably, hospitals, nursing homes, schools and social housing need to adapt to the new normal, with more than half of France's heatwaves occurring since 2010. So what measures should be taken? How to help those who can't afford expensive geothermal pumps or new shutters for their homes? What's fair and what's sustainable?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Piera Rocco, Charles Wente.

Read moreAndy Burnham, ‘King of the North’ and frontrunner to replace Starmer as PM

We ask about the politics of popular Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, and reflect – on the eve of Tuesday's tenth anniversary of the Brexit referendum – if the same Britain that took a punt on leaving the European Union can rally behind any leader or any party to end a decade of turmoil.

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Piera Rocco, Juliette Brown, Charles Wente.

Read moreMore than 12 million oil barrels transited the Strait of Hormuz overnight, Vance says

Oil markets certainly believe. They're down again as the Strait of Hormuz gets set to reopen. But it's only a 60-day Memorandum of Understanding. And while Gulf neighbours will cheer the lifting of the blockade on what's the world's biggest maritime choke point for oil and gas, we take a second look at the agreement brokered by Pakistan and Qatar – most notably, the inclusion of a cessation of fighting in Lebanon.

What happens if Israel or Hezbollah don't like the way negotiations unfold? Would Washington and Tehran be able to rein them in? How does the US president's plan compare with the 2015 UN nuclear agreement that he constantly belittles? Are we headed for closure or a whole new level of uncertainty?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Juliette Brown, Charles Wente.

Lunch preceded dinner with tech titans the guests of honour on the closing day of the G7 summit in the French Alps. There, the elephant in the room was Trump's sudden decision last Friday to give Anthropic 90 minutes to shut down foreign access to its latest artificial intelligence models. The reason cited: national security. How exposed are both governments and major corporations like French banking giant BNP Paribas, which recently announced it was partnering with Anthropic for its security needs? Can a stroke of the pen from the Oval Office suddenly expose the rest of the world to hackers?

Read moreAnthropic disables access to top-tier AI models after US ban on foreign use

For years, the same Europeans who counted on the US defence shield to protect them also banked on its big tech: everything from Visa credit cards and Google searches to Amazon deliveries and cloud storage.

Amazon boss Jeff Bezos is the star attraction at this week's VivaTech trade fair in Paris. Silicon Valley's dominance has grown to the point where it draws the planet's money and data. Its billionaire bosses dictate their terms and oligarchs like Elon Musk peddle pro-Kremlin, far-right messaging on their platforms. So how does the rest of the world defend its own national security and sovereignty?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

Watch moreTrump suggests US can swiftly reimpose sanctions on Russian oil

How much of it is down to facts on the ground? Overnight, a Moscow-area refinery was hit by a long-range drone, illustrating Kyiv's growing capacity to cripple Russia's oil and gas exports with long-range strikes.

Already, Europeans are tapping into that Ukrainian military upscaling in what's a race against time, with the US drawing down its NATO presence on the continent, making allies pay for Ukraine-bound US hardware and pulling rank on the use of AI by traditional allies who know that true strategic autonomy is years away.

So at summits like this one, even after an Iran war they didn't ask for, G7 members' primary job, critics say, is to placate the president of the United States.

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

We ask what's actually in the memorandum of understanding brokered by Pakistan and Qatar, and whether the uncertainty is well and truly lifted for the world's biggest maritime choke point, the Strait of Hormuz. Will Iran continue to charge for passage? Will the Gulf states pay the US protection money, as Trump insinuated in a New York Times interview? 

Read moreWhat we know about the US-Iran memorandum of understanding

Are Europeans right to volunteer naval patrols? And what should those signatories of the 2015 UN-brokered nuclear agreement make of vague US promises of a new deal with Iran? Everything was done to accommodate the US. Hosts France even pushed back the G7 summit by a day so Trump could enjoy his birthday festivities in Washington. How accommodating  should allies be going forward?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

It's a stark contrast with the build-up in the United States, a host nation that's barred Somalia's African referee of the year despite accreditation and a valid visa, refused entry to fans and support staff from a host of nations, imposed short stay restrictions on Iran's team, which will have to plane-hop between LA and new base camp Tiujana, while FIFA's president counts the cash from both a bloated 48-team tournament and ticket prices that are out of this world.

Read moreSomali referee banned by US from World Cup to officiate European Super Cup, UEFA says

When is it too much? Each World Cup is a snapshot of its time: 1978 in junta-ruled Argentina, 1998 and France feting its black-blanc-beurre multiracial heroes, 2014 and the social unrest of post-commodities boom Brazil.

FRANCE 24's François Picard had the privilege of covering the last time the World Cup was in the United States, in 1994: the highs and lows of Diego Maradona, Bulgaria's shock upset of defending champions Germany and a very different America that hosted the final between Brazil and Italy. How will this one be remembered?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Andrew Hilliar.

We'll also discuss fresh developments involving French singer Patrick Bruel, who was formally charged on Wednesday over allegations of rape and sexual abuse dating back to 1997.

Under pressure, the government has unveiled a series of proposals, including life sentences for certain sex offenders. The Justice Minister blames magistrates for dropping the ball. The far right blames those same magistrates for pursuing what it sees as political vendettas – pointing to the corruption conviction of Marine Le Pen. The left, meanwhile, accuses the government of focusing too heavily on small-time drug dealers while neglecting other priorities. Across the political spectrum, however, there is broad agreement on one point: a lack of resources.

One stark statistic comes from the head of the gendarmerie: in France, four minors every hour file complaints relating to sexual offences. How do authorities cope with such a daunting caseload? And what more can be done to protect children?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Andrew Hilliar.

Or is it those ever closer ties between North Korea and Russia? Moscow's help in exchange for support in the war against Ukraine has been followed up by North Korea's boast of plans to "exponentially" ramp up its nuclear arsenal.

We ask about what was unsaid during Xi's visit to Pyongyang and whether those claims of a construction boom and growth inside one of the world's most reclusive states are true. For instance, is North Korea serious when it talks of developing a tourist industry? And if that growth is for real, how's China taking the news?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

This past weekend, Israel's prime minister ignored the US president and did what most of his constituents want, bombing both Beirut and Iran. Trump could easily cut Israel off for ignoring him. But does he even dare, what with a coalition of Evangelicals and pro-Israel lobbyists so embedded with the Republican establishment that supports him?

Read moreIran launches missiles at Israel in first bombardment since fragile ceasefire

We ask about Trump's options and the fading hope of all those investors and world leaders, who hope that if they just close their eyes long enough, good business sense will prevail and the Strait of Hormuz will return to the free-flowing passage it was before February 28.

With hardliners in both Israel and Iran finding that war is the best insurance policy for their political survival, how does Washington secure a deal that guarantees closure?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.