The World in Images - The year 2026 (2026)

In a promotional video, the company Palantir presents its vision of future conflicts. Since Donald Trump's re-election, Silicon Valley has moved closer to power. Once adversaries, these powers are now converging to offer their shared vision of future warfare. Analysis.

With its unique, futuristic architecture, Chongqing epitomises the China of the future. As the youngest of Beijing’s megacities it also shows the astonishingly quick development of the nation and its geopolitical ambitions.

A gorilla smoking shisha at the Family Allowance Office: this type of AI-generated content is flooding social media. A closer look at this outdated imagery that is reinventing itself and spreading racist stereotypes with impunity.

In an AI-generated video, Donald Trump bombards millions of Americans who dared to protest against him with excrement. While this sequence is shocking in its vulgarity, it illustrates the president's new transgressive communication strategy.

A mountainside riddled with holes on all sides collapses, burying numerous people. Following a mine collapse in Congo that killed around thirty illegal miners, these impressive but false images circulated in the media – and journalists worldwide fell for them.

Facing a crowd that also seems about to be engulfed, this surfer defies a wave over ten meters high. Captured in January 2025 in Nazaré, Portugal, this photo serves as a reminder of how images have been a springboard for surf culture.

Is Emmanuel Macron having a private luxury bunker built? At least that's what a video made in Russia "reveals," a video actually created with fake images and AI. Focus on this new stage of the Kremlin's masterfully waged information war.

An indigenous activist, shirtless and wearing a feather headdress, clashes with security personnel at the climate summit in Brazil: This photo, taken on the second day of COP30, illustrates the lack of consideration given to indigenous voices in the climate protection negotiations.

Singing, dancing, mocking the economic crisis. All this is done in a curious commercial with which the US-based corporation Coinbase is promoting cryptocurrencies in the United Kingdom. Its message: Everything will be better with virtual money.

Created by artificial intelligence, striking images of concentration camps with emaciated prisoners have been flooding social media. How are false and wholly inaccurate images disrupting our understanding of the holocaust?

In November 2025, Mediapart and Libération published body camera footage from police officers deployed during the demonstrations in Sainte-Soline on March 25, 2023. The videos show the bloody day from a completely new perspective.

A warship explodes in the middle of the European Arctic Ocean. The spectacular footage, which rivals any blockbuster film, comes from a NATO naval exercise. The focus is on the alliance's communication strategy, demonstrating its defense capabilities and operational readiness.

This photograph was the first proof that Nicolás Maduro had been kidnapped by US special forces and taken to the United States. Posted by Donald Trump on social media on 3 January, it shows the Venezuelan president handcuffed and dressed like a common criminal, an image that shocked the world and revived a long tradition of US imperialism in the Americas.

Shortly before the Hungarian parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's camp is employing a targeted disinformation strategy: A deepfake is intended to discredit Péter Magyar, the most prominent opposition figure. The incident demonstrates how digital manipulation undermines democratic processes – and raises the question of why such practices are still downplayed.

In February 2025, during the eruption of Mount Etna, images of Italian skiers gliding along the edge of a lava flow went viral. A staged display of danger, typical of extreme sports, capable of inspiring as many daring feats as tragic accidents.

While behind him, towers hundreds of meters high were ravaged by flames, this man's cry of distress resonated around the world. A historic photograph that became iconic thanks to a simple principle: bringing the disaster down to a human scale.

Vanity Fair magazine has ignited a controversy by publishing a series of extremely close-up portraits of Trump's inner circle. For example, needle marks were visible on White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's upper lip. The focus is on deconstructing power – through unretouched photos.

As the Russian ambassador left the Moldovan Foreign Ministry, he suddenly found himself face to face with a Russian drone. This "return" demonstrates once again how much the drone has become a symbol of the escalating tensions between Europe and Russia.

Narendra Modi graces the front page of the Indian daily newspaper "The Indian Express" to mark his 75th birthday. The government-funded stunt is part of a large-scale media campaign – and a good opportunity to examine the president's influence on the cultural sector.

Timothée Chalamet made headlines by appearing atop the Las Vegas Sphere to announce the release of "Marty Supreme." A spectacular event, emblematic of new film promotion strategies, at a time when the industry is struggling to fill theaters.

Live on Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of TikTok, these two young women aren't influencers, but fishmongers. Like them, to cope with plummeting consumer spending, many Chinese retailers have had to completely reinvent how they promote their products.

Wearing a traditional Ukrainian shirt and bearing the visible scars of severe burns, eleven-year-old Roman Oleksiv addressed the Members of the European Parliament in Brussels. His account of the horrors of the war in Ukraine was deeply moving—so much so that his interpreter was at times speechless. The scene was powerful, but it also raises questions: How much space should children have in the media's portrayal of conflicts?

Donald Trump has launched his own watch brand and promotes it on US television. The real estate mogul, who rose to become head of state, has never shied away from lucrative business ventures: He transferred his image as a successful entrepreneur to politics.

After more than 20 years of construction, the Grand Egyptian Museum was inaugurated with a spectacular show. Thanks to the enduring global fascination with the culture of ancient Egypt, the pharaonic-style ceremony offered the authoritarian President al-Sisi an opportunity to demonstrate his power.

The Élysée Palace is now actively combating disinformation: After several media outlets accused the French president of trying to control the news, the Élysée Palace published a short fact-checking video on X.

The images of the death of American Renée Good, who was shot by an ICE officer, quickly spread around the world. The fact that they failed to clarify the circumstances of the crime, instead fueling a wide range of interpretations, casts doubt on the evidentiary value of photographs.

On TikTok, AI-generated young women are campaigning for Poland to leave the EU. The videos, which have already been viewed thousands of times, are even worrying the highest circles of the Polish government. The focus is on a new kind of disinformation campaign.

"Can you do it?" – With this question, the French army aims to recruit young people aged 18 to 25 for military service. But because there is once again war on European soil, it is essential to generate interest in military service without concealing the risks of combat deployment.

Perfectly trimmed beard, toned body, and clerical collar: Some priests skillfully showcase their appearance online to gain reach. Behind these religious influencers lies a strategy carefully considered and controlled by the Catholic Church.

In a new video, the actor, who died in 2014, is resurrected with a strikingly realistic voice and facial expressions. What seems like a glimpse into the future is also a play on an age-old human dream: overcoming death. But where are the ethical boundaries of digital immortality?

Shortly after Renée Good's death, this ICE photograph was seen as a symbol of the militarization of American power. As for the highly suggestive attire of its leader, Gregory Bovino, some recognized in it the uniforms of one of the darkest periods in history.

A green river, three ships spraying color, and thousands of spectators. Every year on St. Patrick's Day, the Irish national holiday, the Chicago River turns green. These striking images raise questions about the environmental impact of such large-scale events.

An image from Davos has stuck in our minds: Emmanuel Macron wearing mirrored aviator sunglasses. On the front pages of the international press, the photo appeared as Europe's response to Donald Trump's imperialistic behavior.