FRANCE 24's François Picard welcomes David Gibson, journalist and director of Fordham University's Center on Religion and Culture. On Monday, Pope Leo XIV set out his sweeping vision for AI and humanity. His first encyclical – a special papal letter that's sent to bishops in the Roman Catholic Church – was presented alongside Anthropic's Chris Olah, an attempt to demonstrate the possible dialogue between AI scientists and the rest of the world. Analysts are already comparing Leo's document to Pope Francis's 2015 climate encyclical that sparked global political debate.

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Jean-Vincent Russo, Guillaume Gougeon, Charles Wente.

The story of how an online joke became a viral sensation on social media, and started what appears to be the grassroots of a political movement.The Cockroach Party was founded by a public relations student to parody the comments made by India's supreme court judge. Abhijeet Dipke set up The Cockroach Party ten days ago, and has 23 million followers. Indian government alligned Critics call it a trojan horse for the opposition. Abhijeet speaks to France 24's Gavin Lee.

As concerns continue to grow over artificial intelligence, national security and digital sovereignty, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has blocked a proposed $50 million contract between the Metropolitan Police and AI giant Palantir. The company had been expected to provide advanced tools to help police process intelligence in criminal investigations. To discuss the decision, FRANCE 24's Gavin Lee is joined by Susan Hall, leader of the Conservative Party in the London Assembly.

Produced by Gavin Lee, Alessandro Xenos, Jamie Smith-Maillet, Guillaume Gougeon and Guillaume Mercier

Roland Garros begins this weekend, as the world's best players arrive in Paris for the 130th edition of the French Open. In the men's draw, world number one Jannik Sinner returns after last year's epic final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz. In the women's competition, Aryna Sabalenka arrives as the top-ranked player, while attention will also focus on Iga Swiatek – the Queen of Clay – and defending champion Coco Gauff.

To discuss the tournament, FRANCE 24's Gavin Lee is joined by renowned tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou, best known for coaching Serena Williams during one of the most successful partnerships in modern tennis, as well as helping guide Coco Gauff's rise from a young age.

Produced by Gavin Lee, Alessandro Xenos, Antonia Cimini and Guillaume Gougeon

As NATO foreign ministers gather in southern Sweden, fresh questions are growing over US President Donald Trump's commitment to the alliance. The message from Washington this Friday came via Secretary of State Marco Rubio, amid continuing uncertainty over Article 5 –NATO's collective defence guarantee. In recent months, Trump has raised doubts over US support for allies, alongside reports of possible troop withdrawals from Europe and tensions over Greenland.

Read moreNATO ministers seek clarity after Trump’s ‘confusing’ about-face on US troops in Europe

Just weeks ago, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested that thousands of American troops could be pulled from Germany and deployments to Poland reduced. Today, though, Rubio announced that 5,000 US troops would instead be sent to Poland, which is also preparing to receive its first F-35 fighter jets as it strengthens its defences against Russia.

To discuss what this means for NATO, FRANCE 24's Gavin Lee speaks to Dr Gavin Hall, expert on NATO and Teaching Fellow in Political Science and International Security at the University of Strathclyde.

Produced by Gavin Lee, Alessandro Xenos, Antonia Cimini and Guillaume Gougeon

FRANCE 24's François Picard welcomes veteran Israeli journalist and Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy. He offers a scathing analysis of Israeli politics, the Gaza war, the unprecedented rise of xenophobic nationalism and Israel's growing dependence on the United States. Speaking from Tel Aviv amid mounting electoral tensions, Levy argues that "everything – war and peace, domestic politics, legislation – is now covered by the shadow of the upcoming elections".

Read moreFar-right Israeli minister sparks outcry with video of bound and kneeling Gaza flotilla activists

Levy delivers a moral and geopolitical indictment of both the Israeli government and Western responses to the war in Gaza. He condemns this week's treatment of the Gaza flotilla activists as "really so shameful that you don't want to watch them and you don't want to be part of it," while accusing European governments of empty rhetoric and double standards: "Condemnation means nothing because Israel totally ignores all those European condemnations."

Perhaps most strikingly, Levy depicts contemporary Israel as increasingly isolated, radicalised and strategically dependent on Washington. "Israel is in a situation which it was never before: total dependence," he argues, asserting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "has no other choice but to follow the instructions of Donald Trump."

Levy offers a stark assessment of Netanyahu as both "a leader in war" and "responsible for the genocide in Gaza", language that reflects the intensity and polarisation surrounding current Israeli politics.

François Picard is pleased to welcome Paranjoy Guha-Thakurta, an Indian journalist, investigative author and filmmaker. He offers a sweeping critique of the nexus between oligarchic wealth, political power and weakened institutional accountability in contemporary India. Drawing on the allegations surrounding billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani, US sanctions investigations and the politics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he argues that "crony capitalism and oligarchy" have become deeply embedded within the fabric of the Indian state.

Read moreIndia’s new digital rules tighten the noose on freedom of speech

Moving beyond the technical details of US Department of Justice investigations and alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Guha-Thakurta frames the affair as an indictment of the toxic convergence of politics, wealth and power. "The big question," he argues, "is why have the government agencies in India not acted on the evidence that has already been in the public domain?" And he offers a blunt assessment: "Mr Gautam Adani’s proximity to the Prime Minister of India."

Guha-Thakurta repeatedly invites observers to "connect the dots" while carefully distinguishing allegations from established evidence. Modi and Adani, he says, "are like very, very close friends," while criticism of Adani is often portrayed "as if it is criticism against India."

He also highlights the personal cost of investigative journalism in India. Referring to the multiple defamation cases filed against him, he states: "I happen to be the only citizen of India… who is the recipient of seven cases of defamation." For Guha-Thakurta, this reflects a broader political reality marked by intimidation, concentrated power and systemic corruption: "This is the reality of India. This is the reality of crony capitalism and oligarchy in this country."

François Picard is pleased to welcome Anne Moore, Professor of Biochemistry at University College Cork. She is warning about the seriousness of the latest Ebola outbreak linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain. While tests and vaccines exist for the Zaire strain, Professor Moore says “we don’t yet have proof that vaccines work against the current strain” and that tests have not yet been designed to detect Bundibugyo. Moore stressed that shrinking international funding is weakening the global response. “We’re plugging gaps instead of deploying the full countermeasures we could.” Moore broadens her analysis beyond virology, arguing for international solidarity and institutional resilience.

Moore defended the essential role of the WHO, warning that “viruses aren’t watching the news”, and argued that only a fast, coordinated international response can prevent another major health crisis.

She compared epidemic preparedness to maintaining a fire station: “You pay for the fire station, but you only need it every now and then. But when you need it, you really need to make sure that those fire trucks can go out and quench the fire”.

Global health systems cannot be improvised in moments of panic, she said. They must be funded, staffed, and trusted before catastrophe arrives.