Valentina Alexandre is a history teacher and tour guide in the United States. The young woman was born in Haiti and traveled to Benin to learn more about her ancestry.

October 9th, 2021 was the 40th anniversary of France’s abolition of the death penalty. To mark the occasion, President Emmanuel Macron announced the organisation of a “high-level meeting” at the United Nations starting in early 2022. The meeting’s goal? To “convince” leaders of countries that still use the death penalty of the “urgency of abolishing it”. Robert Badinter, who served as France’s justice minister 40 years ago when the death penalty was abolished, continues to fight for the universal abolition of capital punishment. He speaks to FRANCE 24.

In Perspective, FRANCE 24 looks at the past and present of one pocket of Southern Africa: the country of Angola. Paula Cristina Roque, who spent much of her Covid-19 lockdown penning a new book on Angola called "Governing In The Shadows", joins us from Lisbon to talk about her work.

The winner was not a driver but an algorithm at Indianapolis's famous Motor Speedway, pushing its car to an average speed of 218 km/h and ushering autonomous vehicles into a new era. Nine university teams took part in the Indy Autonomous Challenge in the hopes of winning a million dollars and pushing forward the advent of self-driving cars.

With the contract killing of a fashion magnate by his ex-wife, amid the sort of squabbles and underhand dealing that could easily feature in a soap opera storyline, the Gucci saga was irresistible to director Ridley Scott. As "House of Gucci" premieres in London, we check out its stars Lady Gaga, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons and Adam Driver on the red carpet.

Disrespect for traffic rules causes many road accidents in Angola. In Bengo province, a group of young men have use whistles on the streets to alert drivers to traffic violations. It's a complicated job.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Angola on Friday. One key issue will be trade between the two countries. Changes are underway in Angola. After decades of unbridled corruption under Eduardo dos Santos his successor has initiated a radical turnaround.

While tensions in Kazakhstan continue to grow, the world is trying to understand what is behind the unrest. Under authoritarian rule, the former Soviet republic has escaped the global spotlight for decades.

It's the largest trial of organised crime to be held in Italy since that of the Sicilian mafia Cosa Nostra at the end of the 1980s. The Calabrian mafia 'Ndrangheta, one of the most powerful in the world, went on trial in the beginning of 2021. Some 70 convictions were handed down in November, with 355 defendants still to be judged. Our correspondent Louise Malnoy met the protagonists in this so-called "maxi-trial" in which many southern Italians are placing their hopes.

While tensions in Kazakhstan continue to grow, the world is trying to understand what is behind the unrest. Under authoritarian rule, the former Soviet republic has escaped the global spotlight for decades.

Salima Mukansanga on Tuesday became the first female lead referee at an Africa Cup of Nations soccer match. At a soccer club in Rwanda's Kigali, members of the women's team are gathered around the television.

For over a century, Afghanistan's rulers and ethnic groups have been arguing about what women should do and how they should be. Women haven't had much say.