The World in Images - The year 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 A closer look at this outdated imagery that is reinventing itself and spreading racist stereotypes with impunity.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.

Images speak louder than words: the dominant language of our world. Images are powerful and ubiquitous. We are all exposed daily to a flood of images, which we perceive more or less consciously. What we see can shock or move us. But do we always understand what we see at first glance? Sonia Devillers contextualizes images and explains their background.

Images are language: the dominant language of our world. Images are powerful and ubiquitous. We are all exposed daily to a flood of images, which we perceive more or less consciously. What we see can shock or move us. But do we always understand what we see at first glance? Sonia Devillers contextualizes images and explains their background.

For its 360th anniversary, the construction giant Saint-Gobain released a series of videos featuring an unexpected guest: François Gemenne, a climate specialist and former member of the IPCC. This blend of disciplines raises questions about the sometimes ambiguous relationship between scientists and polluting industries.

A photographer, pinned to the ground by ICE agents, reacted with remarkable presence of mind, throwing his camera away before it could fall into the hands of his tormentors. A telling scene that became a symbol of eroding press freedom in the USA.

In August 2025, the Tokyo metropolitan area released a prevention video that resembles a cross between a news report and a disaster film. Its aim is to prepare the population for a potential eruption of Mount Fuji. The clip, created using artificial intelligence, illustrates how present the threat of natural disasters is in the collective consciousness.

On TikTok, a girl unboxes her first "autistic" Barbie from Mattel. The doll is designed for social media and fits into the company's inclusive marketing strategy. But what does the product say about the current portrayal of this developmental disorder?

China is preparing for its first manned lunar mission in the coming years and is using this project for its public relations. A cheering crowd accompanies the arrival of three taikonauts, who will soon depart for the Chinese space station. Folkloric and communist symbolism is prominently featured in this ceremony.

Despite the rose-tinted glasses and dolphins, Francisco Franco is clearly visible in the center of this image. As part of the TikTok trend "Pop Fascism," the Spanish tyrant, along with other European dictators, is haunting social media.

Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Pablo Picasso, or Andy Warhol – the American artist Beeple has placed these and other prominent figures on the bodies of strange robot dogs. A sensational installation that openly plays with the image of the powerful.

The ghosts of fallen young athletes touch the helmet of Vladyslav Heraskevych, the Ukrainian flag bearer at the Milan Winter Olympics, one after the other. Behind the video is United24 Media, a platform operated by the Ukrainian government that straddles the line between reporting and propaganda.

In January 2026, Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, posted the last of four videos titled "Mother Nature" online. Beyond aristocratic pomp, she shares her thoughts on the power of nature. The videos were filmed in seemingly peaceful landscapes – a symbolic and strategic choice given the crises the royals are currently facing.

South African photographer Wim van den Heever was named "Wildlife Photographer of the Year" in 2025. His winning image shows a spotted hyena in the moonlight next to the ghostly ruins of an abandoned diamond mining town in Namibia. A rare image that shaped the development of wildlife photography.

This year's Chinese New Year celebrations focused on the theme of family – because after decades of a strict one-child policy, the country wants to change course and promote births. An analysis of the carefully designed Chinese propaganda campaign for births.

An anti-ICE demonstration in a video game! On the gaming site Roblox, very young users are taking a stand against the US immigration authorities. Their protest makes it clear that online games can also be spaces for political expression.

A Swedish slow-TV program shows the moose migration calmly, uncut, and without commentary. The authentic and unusual format captivates audiences worldwide.

In March 2026, from the Île Longue military base, Emmanuel Macron delivered a key speech on nuclear deterrence, in a carefully orchestrated event. A show of force where the symbolic power of the images rivaled that of the weapons.

A float in Düsseldorf's Rose Monday parade went down in history in 2026: It depicts Vladimir Putin impaling a carnival jester. The Kremlin sued Jacques Tilly, creator of the character and staunch advocate of the subversive power of carnival revelry.

During the offensive against Iran, the White House posted videos on its social media channels that combined film scenes, video games, and real airstrikes. This new communication strategy deliberately blurs the line between war and entertainment.

The painting depicts Donald Trump from behind, conducting an orchestra of his most loyal supporters. The painting, by a Trump sympathizer, is reminiscent of court painting, a genre generally considered a thing of the past.

Iran is responding to US propaganda with AI-generated video clips that reenact the war using Lego figures. The regime uses these clips to stage supposed triumphs or ridicule its enemies. This report focuses on this new secondary theater of war, which heralds a new era of Iranian propaganda.

In the Afrofuturistic heist video game Relooted, gamers must try to retrieve artworks from Western museums. This "liberation" of African artifacts offers a shift in perspective and highlights the extent of colonial looting.

TMDB has not published a written overview for this episode yet.

TMDB has not published a written overview for this episode yet.

TMDB has not published a written overview for this episode yet.

In February 2026, a striking commercial stood out during the Super Bowl broadcast. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring actress Emma Stone, the ad employs cinematic conventions to promote a product - in this case, a website creation platform.

A cult figure of Soviet culture, Cheburashka triumphed at the Russian box office in 2026. Adopted as a good-luck charm on the Ukrainian front, this childlike object now irritates the authorities - proof that animated cinema often carries profound ideological stakes.

The Marineland marine theme park in Antibes closed on January 5, 2025. Images of the orcas and dolphins that remained there sparked a heated public debate, reflecting a shift in societal attitudes towards zoos and wildlife parks.

The photo has a surreal quality: A ballistic missile is lodged in a field in Syria. It hasn't exploded, and life at the impact site continues as normal. This is a striking metaphor for the intrusion of war into people's everyday lives.

The video, posted online by a YouTuber specializing in "urban exploration," takes viewers on a tour of the former private jet of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Content revolving around crime has been booming on social media for several years. But how far should entertainment go when it comes to crime?

On March 26, 2026, to mark his election as Prime Minister of Nepal, singer Balendra Shah released a rap video – the culmination of a highly unconventional election campaign. This raises the question of the role of artists in politics.

In September 2025, FIFA unveiled the mascots for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with an animated video. Inspired by the emblematic animals of the three host countries, these characters are a powerful marketing tool that reveals much about the relationship between humans and animals.

A jar of Nutella spotted in zero gravity during a live broadcast of the Artemis II mission: an unintentional product placement that became a marketing campaign. This art of opportunism invites us to dissect the strategies brands use to place their products everywhere.

A huge billboard in New York's Times Square displays the portrait of Iran's new Supreme Leader – accompanied by a clear message of hate. The political instrumentalization of this public space by the Israeli government illustrates how blurred the line between advertising and propaganda has become.

Brand-new football pitches rising from the rubble of Gaza: this is the scene envisioned in the partnership video between FIFA and Donald Trump's Peace Council. Behind this backdrop, from which Gazans have been erased, other issues are apparent.

Twenty years after their last trip, sumo wrestlers are back in the United Kingdom. Whether in the streets of London or in the Royal Albert Hall, specially transformed into a dojo, these prominent representatives of Japanese culture have attracted everyone's attention.

Filmed by drone in a Rio favela, a tourist walks through a landscape littered with corrugated iron and concrete. These viral videos, designed for online platforms, reignite the debate about tourism in the favelas: between a spectacle of misery and a reflection of a grim social reality.

In Tehran, a giant billboard portrays two celebrated figures from Iran’s military history. Carefully designed and tightly controlled, the image reflects a long-standing tradition of using walls and public spaces as tools of political communication. Across centuries and political systems, governments have used highly visible displays to shape public narratives and project power.

In southern India, a major Tamil film star surprised many by winning regional elections with a newly founded political party. His rise from popular screen icon to political leader highlights a long-standing phenomenon in the state of Tamil Nadu, where the influence of Tamil cinema has often helped launch successful political careers.

A controversial advertising campaign for "Friend," an AI-powered necklace designed for conversation, sparked a wave of negative reactions. In several places, posters were vandalized, reflecting broader concerns about the growing role of technology in everyday life and reviving debates linked to modern forms of Luddism - opposition to technological change.

Ahead of the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, Donald Trump has proposed building a monumental triumph arch in Washington, D.C. The project reflects the revival of an architectural symbol historically associated with power, prestige, and national identity - a highly visible structure that is at once spectacular, political, and deeply ideological.

On April 10 2026, Italian weekly L'Espresso published a striking photo of an Israeli settler in military clothing grimacing opposite a Palestinian woman with downcast gaze. The image sparked accusations of stereotyping and antisemitism and triggered diplomatic reactions, becoming part of the broader Israel-Palestine war of narratives.

Removed by the Trump administration from the Stonewall National Monument in New York, the rainbow flag was raised again on February 12, 2026 in Manhattan, birthplace of the Pride movement. A symbol of resistance, it has been central to a global visual conflict since 1978.

TMDB has not published a written overview for this episode yet.

TMDB has not published a written overview for this episode yet.

TMDB has not published a written overview for this episode yet.

Since March 2026, Hezbollah has released disturbing footage of suicide-drone attacks on Israeli targets in southern Lebanon, seeking to challenge Israel’s narrative and intimidate the military and public.

A Chinese TV program on aerospace innovation showed sci-fi-like images of space carriers and alien spacecraft, blurring fiction and reality. A look at how futuristic imagery fuels the imagination of space conquest.

In June 2026, Louis Vuitton opened its fashion show with a giant artificial surf wave. Amid record summer heat, the spectacle sparked criticism, highlighting concerns over the fashion industry’s response to the climate crisis.

At a nationalist rally in London, three activists from the French identitarian group Némésis appeared on stage in niqabs before removing them to cheers. The provocative stunt illustrates the far right’s evolving visual strategies.

As SpaceX prepares for a potential IPO, its futuristic tech advertising targets investors while reinforcing the myth of Musk as a near-messianic entrepreneur.

French brand Sojasun taps into the manosphere’s hostility toward soy in a provocative ad for its desserts - a savvy marketing stunt reflecting the wider culture war over food.

Meta is pulling out all the stops to win over the general public: Kylie Jenner is reinventing herself as a tech ambassador, lending her glamorous image to the company’s smart glasses. Yet these glasses could also be used as a tool for surveillance; potentially at the expense of privacy and consent.

A glimpse into the inner workings of American power: to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence, YouTuber Kai Trump takes her followers on a tour of the White House. Authenticity is the promise. Behind it, however, lies an opportunity to turn a profit from her grandfather’s presidency.

At the heart of this image: women in tears, a smiling Kim Jong-un, and the joy of sporting triumph. But this snapshot of the North Korean women’s football team celebrating victory in the Asian Champions League is, above all, a striking example of how sporting emotion can be harnessed for propaganda.

Brazilian President Lula, dressed in shorts and a tank top, is filmed by his wife during an early-morning workout. By livestreaming himself exercising on Instagram, the Brazilian president is seeking to rejuvenate his image and project an energetic, determined persona.

Sea Shepherd France and the Captain Paul Watson Foundation use a shocking video to denounce krill fishing. Drawing on pirate imagery, the NGOs employ a familiar communication strategy: provocation to capture public attention.

On January 25, 2026, American free solo climber Alex Honnold scaled Taiwan’s 508-meter Taipei 101 without safety equipment. Beyond the feat, the climb was conceived from the outset as a highly spectacular Netflix streaming event.

Taken on February 9, 2026, the viral image of the British prime minister looking defeated from the back seat of his car invites us to examine how press photography shapes our view of political power.

The 'Immortal Regiment' memorial march has been used by the Kremlin for propaganda. This photo shows a portrait of a recently killed Russian soldier alongside those of World War II veterans, linking today's war in Ukraine to Russia’s narrative of national greatness.

Few things are more intimidating than a martial procession of warriors. A short TikTok video captures such a spectacle at an anti-immigration protest in South Africa, where Zulu warrior imagery is used in a context of growing hostility toward migrants.

On August 15, 2026, Poland’s Armed Forces Day featured an impressive military parade broadcast live on TVP. The show of military strength reflects Poland’s preparations for the possibility of a Russian attack.

TMDB has not published a written overview for this episode yet.

TMDB has not published a written overview for this episode yet.

In early August 2026, Corsican separatists of the FLNC held an unusual press conference: armed and masked, they drew on the highly codified imagery of underground organizations. A staged display designed to project a threatening image.

Activists from the Global Sumud flotilla humiliated by the IDF. Posted in May 2026 on X by Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s Minister of National Security, this video is emblematic of the aggressive and spectacular nature of the Israeli far right’s political messaging.

Heading to the South Pole, explorer Matthieu Tordeur traveled to Antarctica with a team to study the ice sheet. Through striking images, he aims to make science more visible and spark public curiosity - but at the risk of turning scientific research into a spectacle.

TMDB has not published a written overview for this episode yet.