Perspective

An uncounted number of extra people have died, and 2.5 million have lost access to medicine to block the spread of HIV and AIDS. That's because of huge cuts to global aid programmes since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January. UNAIDS warns that unless the situation improves, the funding cuts will mean an extra 3.3 million people will be infected by HIV over the next five years. On World AIDS Day, we spoke in Perspective to Christine Stegling, Deputy Executive Director of the Policy, Advocacy and Knowledge Branch of UNAIDS.

A world-renowned American chef and blogger who now lives in Paris has spoken to FRANCE 24 about his love for the genre, and the difference between desserts in the English-speaking world and here in France. David Lebovitz has just revised his ninth book "Ready for Dessert", which includes both US and French-style desserts and puddings. He says that the pastry world is nowadays very global, but he still likes to share recipes that people can make at home. He spoke to us in Perspective.

An Irish author who struggled for years with alcohol and drug use has spoken to FRANCE 24 about his book that tells his story of addiction and recovery. Tim MacGabhann says he was born missing a layer of skin that other people seem to have, meaning that everything just hit too hard. He says that around age 17 he broke into the drinks cabinet and felt completely safe. His memoir is entitled "The Black Pool: A Memoir of Forgetting". He spoke to us in Perspective.

The fifth president of Georgia has spoken to FRANCE 24 about her decision to leave the presidential palace almost a year ago, and her attempts ever since to help the millions of people who support her and the country's bid for EU membership. After losing elections in Georgia that were widely seen as fraudulent and amid huge demonstrations in the country, Salomé Zourabichvili stayed in place to fight the pro-European cause. She spoke to us about the war in Ukraine, as well as her optimism that her country will once again turn away from Russia and towards Europe.

A Cambodian environmentalist activist who's been sentenced to eight years in jail in absentia back home has told FRANCE 24 that she hopes to return to the country one day to continue her environmental fight. Ratha Sun was charged and found guilty – along with five others – of conspiracy and insulting the king. She managed to escape before the sentencing and fled Cambodia. She spoke to us in Perspective. 

A leading climate researcher has told FRANCE 24 that the conclusion of the COP30 summit at the weekend was scientifically nothing less than a failure. Johan Rockström is director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. The German institute is seen as one of the world's top environmental think tanks. Although more funding for countries to adapt to extreme weather events was agreed, there were no explicit details to phase out fossil fuels or strengthen countries' inadequate emissions-cutting plans, which dozens of nations had demanded. Rockström spoke to us in Perspective.

Currently touring Europe, jazz musician and trumpet player Takuya Kuroda sits down with FRANCE 24 to speak about his beginnings in the industry and his recording process. Originally from Kobe in Japan, Kuroda says the country's jazz scene, particularly vibrant in Tokyo, encouraged him to go to New York. The Big Apple, he says, is still an influential "melting pot" of cultures and styles. When it comes to "contemporary crossovers" in his own music, Kuroda credits jazz vocalist José James, whom he met during his studies, with showing him how to blend jazz with other genres like funk and hip-hop.

A new bill submitted to the French Senate is hoping to make incest a standalone criminal offence – a move that has been long awaited by children's rights groups. Speaking to FRANCE 24, Iris Ané from the Face à l'inceste organisation highlighted the fact that for centuries, the term of "incest" was "completely absent from French law". The legislation would also make statutes of limitations non applicable for sexual crimes committed against minors, a change backed by 90 percent of French citizens according to a recent Ipsos poll. Ané says allowing victims to come forward well after the time of the abuse is important, as "50 percent of victims of incest suffer from dissociative amnesia". 

An Irish photographer has spoken to FRANCE 24 about his new exhibition here in Paris that raises questions about gender roles, identity and the relationships between those in the photographs and the photographer himself. Daragh Soden delves into the world of drag queens in photographs in which he often appears himself either as an admirer, a collaborator, a narcissist or a voyeur. He told us he was drawn to the world of drag queens both aesthetically and also conceptually. His exhibition is on display at the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris until Christmas. He spoke to us in Perspective.

It has been 36 years since the Velvet Revolution in former Czechoslovakia – the peaceful uprising that ushered in a nonviolent transition of power and brought down communism. Nearly four decades on, the Czech Republic is undergoing political change again: last month, the party of “Trumpist” former premier Andrej Babis topped the parliamentary election and is returning to power. In this edition of Perspective we spoke to David Ondracka, author of “The Case of the Czech Republic: How billions disappear and why our state doesn't work" and the former head of Transparency International in the country.

A Franco-Syrian photographer who came to Paris directly after the attacks of November 13, 2015 has spoken to FRANCE 24 about his reasons for abandoning what he was doing, and how his decision to come to Paris has affected him since. Ammar Abd Rabbo took many pictures in the days after the attacks as he felt he needed to come to the city where he grew up to pay tribute to the victims. He says he also felt, as a Muslim, very pleased at the way civil society dealt with what happened. He spoke to us in Perspective.

The international charity Save the Children is warning of widespread violence against women and children in Somalia. Just this week, a father killed his four children in an arson attack. In October, an 11-year-old girl was subject to a violent rape, and a mother was murdered along with her three daughters. According to Save the Children, these cases are not isolated, and action needs to be taken. In Perspective, we spoke to Zahra Dahir, the head of Children Protection and Gender and Social Inclusion at Save the Children.

An internationally renowned French journalist has spoken to FRANCE 24 about her mission to ensure journalists keep covering the reality of people's lives once the guns of war have stopped firing. Anne Poiret, the founder of After War, also has two documentaries that have been released recently, and she spoke to us about both of them. "Les fantômes de l'Ukraine", or "Ghosts of Ukraine", speaks to the wives, daughters and mothers of men who have gone missing during the war in Ukraine. On the day that Iraq votes in parliamentary elections, she also told us about her documentary "L'Irak sous Emprise" or "Iraq, Land of Factions". Poiret joined us in Perspective.

The head of the World Wide Fund for Nature France has told FRANCE 24 that the world needs action and implementation as world leaders meet in Brazil to decide how to combat climate change. The COP30 summit is getting underway 10 years after the landmark Paris Agreement was signed. Véronique Andrieux says we have to move further away from fossil fuels and towards more energy efficiency.

One of the world's leading authors, known for his work on African Americans and White supremacy, has spoken to FRANCE 24 as his latest book "The Message" has been translated for the first time into French as "Le Message". Ta-Nehisi Coates is known worldwide as a progressive American author, journalist and activist. He told us he just thinks of himself as a nice guy, and that sometimes he wishes he didn't have to get involved in what he does. He spoke to us in Perspective.

A Parisian artist, who has roots in both Africa and the Caribbean, has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how as a child she could not even dream of her work being on display in a gallery in the city. Roxane Mbanga's exhibition sees her reconstruct the rooms of her dream house. She's done that by weaving together the threads of her heritage from Guadeloupe, Cameroon and the Ivory Coast. She says her work focuses on Black women and their "different perspective". Mbanga spoke to us in Perspective.

Some of the leading figures behind the trial of a huge multinational getting underway in Paris have spoken to FRANCE 24 about how the French cement company Lafarge put its own economic interests above any other considerations. Lafarge stands accused of making payments to the Islamic State group and other terrorist groups in northern Syria to keep its cement factory operating and protected during the country's civil war.

The director general of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the "series of crises" affecting journalism. Thibaut Bruttin hit out at the "return of violence against journalists" and the "erosion of support" for the protection of journalism. Bruttin was speaking to us to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. This year, his organisation is unveiling what it calls a list of 34 "press freedom predators" who attacked journalists and the right to information in 2025.

An award-winning author has spoken of her verse novel which centres around the lives and traditions of her own Sami people. The Sami are indigenous to northern Scandinavia, including Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia. Linnea Axelsson's book "Aednan: An Epic", or "Aednan - Terre-Mère" in French, tells the story of two families. It won Sweden's most prestigious literary award, the August prize. She is in Paris for an evening of poetry being held at the Swedish Institute and spoke to us in Perspective.

The authors of a new book on a murder mystery that has gripped political life in France and Morocco for 60 years have spoken to FRANCE 24 about their discoveries. The disappearance of Moroccan opposition politician Medhi Ben Barka from the streets of Paris exactly 60 years ago, just a day before he'd been due to be received at the French President's Élysée Palace, shocked both countries. Since then, a thousand possible theories about what happened have emerged, some involving the Israeli secret service Mossad and even the CIA. Ronen Bergman and Stephen Smith spoke to us in Perspective about their book "L'Affaire Ben Barka", or the "Ben Barka Affair".

A leading campaigner for women's and girls' rights in Afghanistan says the recent cutting off of the internet in the country led many women there to "completely" lose hope for the future. Mursal Sayas says that "every day" the situation for women gets "worse and worse", with more and more restrictions. She says that Afghan women knew it would be this way when the Taliban returned to power just over four years ago. Sayas, who is an Afghan writer, journalist and founder of the association Women Beyond Borders, spoke to us in Perspective.

A new exhibition here in Paris is exploring the talents of a man deemed one of the greats of French photography. Luc Delahaye worked in the 1990s covering major conflicts as a photojournalist including Afghanistan, Rwanda, Bosnia, the Gulf, Chechnya and Lebanon. Yet afterwards he decided he wanted to turn his attention more to art as he tried to explore new formats in his desire to produce larger images. "Luc Delahaye – Le bruit du Monde" or "The noise of the world" is on at the Musée du Jeu de Paume in Paris's Tuileries gardens. We spoke to the exhibition's curator Quentin Bajac in Perspective.

The Deputy Director and Chief Curator of one of the world's leading art museums — the Guggenheim in New York — has spoken to France 24 about how her new exhibition in Paris is her love letter to France. Naomi Beckwith is currently in Paris, working temporarily at the Palais de Tokyo on her exhibition 'Echo Delay Reverb – American Art – Francophone Thought.' She explained that it tells the story of how the flourishing of new ideas in 1960s France — its philosophies and theories — migrated to the United States and profoundly influenced the development of American culture. She spoke to us in Perspective.

New research shows that children who go onto the social media app TikTok and make enquiries about mental health will quickly find depressive content, and that within a few hours they are bound to see content from users expressing the will to kill themselves. That research from Amnesty Tech is entitled "Dragged Into the Rabbit Hole". The organisation says the findings highlight TikTok's ongoing failure to address its systemic design risks affecting children and young people, and also illustrate the failings of the European Union's Digital Services Act. Since 2023, the act requires platforms to identify and mitigate systemic risks to children's rights. In Perspective, we spoke to Lauren Armistead, deputy director at Amnesty Tech.

The grandson of the pioneer of Afrobeat Fela Kuti, and the son of African musical royalty Femi Kuti, has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how he is carrying on the family tradition. Mádé Kuti is now redefining Afrobeat, whilst at the same time remaining true to his family history and the genre's political, musical and cultural roots. This Monday evening, he is in concert in Paris at La Maroquinerie, and he also has a new album out entitled "Chapter 1: Where Does Happiness Come From?". He spoke to us in Perspective.

As a fragile ceasefire holds in Gaza, the occupied West Bank remains a flashpoint. Since October 7, settler violence and Israeli demolitions have reached unprecedented levels. Speaking to FRANCE 24, Anne-Claire Yaeesh, Handicap International's Director for the Palestinian Territories, said these developments have “completely changed the face of the West Bank”. According to rights groups, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been displaced since January, following the launch of a large-scale Israeli military operation, and many are unable to access basic services such as healthcare. Yaeesh noted that one of her organisation's partners, the Al Jaleel Health Centre in Jenin, had been attacked. She said employees “found out on social media”, where videos showed “Israeli soldiers playing and throwing” wheelchairs.

France's new Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has proposed freezing President Emmanuel Macron's controversial pension reform in a bid to avert a no-confidence vote. The concession meets a key demand from the Socialist Party, whose support is crucial in parliament. Paul Smith, a French politics expert at the University of Nottingham, told FRANCE 24 he was surprised Lecornu “went as far as he did” by suspending Macron's flagship economic reform until the next presidential election. He added that “an awful lot of decisions depend on timing”, noting that this move will keep the pension reform front and centre ahead of the 2027 vote.

Hours after returning from a Gaza peace summit in Egypt alongside President Emmanuel Macron, French-Israeli activist Ofer Bronchtein told FRANCE 24 that negotiations must continue following a historic hostage and prisoner swap. Bronchtein, co-founder and president of the International Forum for Peace, warned, “I really hope nobody is going to look for an excuse [...] to go back into fighting.” He was instrumental in pressing Macron to recognise a Palestinian state at September's UN General Assembly, stressing that “there is no other solution” than mutual recognition of each side's right to exist.

A leading NGO official has spoken to FRANCE 24 abut her intense relief after the announcement of a peace deal for Gaza. Shaina Low works for the Norwegian Refugee Council. She spoke to us about her and her colleagues' reaction to the news, and what is needed now in term of humanitarian aid to help Palestinians in Gaza. She spoke to us in Perspective.

A leading commentator on French politics has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how France's political crisis has not yet been solved, but there do seem to be "potential routes forward". French President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed that he will name a fourth prime minister in just over a year before Friday night. France is now moving away from the likelihood of snap parliamentary elections. Outgoing Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu appeared on national television last night where he said a way forward is possible, pointing potentially to Macron appointing a more left-wing prime minister to see if that could provide the stability needed. In Perspective, we spoke to Andrew Smith, historian of modern France at Queen Mary University of London.

The author of a highly acclaimed book about poverty and how it affects children has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how the worst part of her own difficult childhood was feeling that she was not loved. "Poor" is the story of Katriona O'Sullivan, who grew up in abject poverty and chaos in a family of five children. She became pregnant and homeless at just 15 years old and barely survived for the next five years. Yet O'Sullivan has not only survived – she has thrived, become an academic and published her memoir, which has now been translated into French as "Pauvre". She spoke to us in Perspective.

An aid worker who has just returned from Gaza City has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the latest situation there. Hunter McGovern from Doctors Without Borders left when the NGO was forced to abandon its work due to the encroaching Israeli forces. He says there was an "absolute breakdown" as they pulled out, and that for the people who live there, no 10 minutes went by without the noise of either the destruction of buildings or drone strikes. He spoke to us in Perspective.

An Israeli trauma and therapy expert, who himself has refused to continue serving in the Israeli military, has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the pain that the region is suffering. Doctor Tuly Flint says that when a society does not stop to contemplate, it blindly goes on using force so that it feels nothing. A few months into his service in the military, he signed a refusal letter stating that he refused to "blindly serve a government that sends its army to fight a war that has become needless". He spoke to us in Perspective.

One of Europe's leading oncologists has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how huge advances in technology are helping women who have and are recovering from breast cancer. Doctor Joana Ribeiro from the Gustave Roussy Institute says that, for example, a new AI-based tool is allowing more personalised treatment. She says that despite the advances, there is still so much still to learn about breast cancer. She spoke to us in Perspective.

A Ukrainian soldier has spoken to FRANCE 24 about her life in the Ukrainian trenches, and why writing poetry has helped her get through the war. Yaryna Chornohuz's poetry book that she wrote on the front line won the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine for Literature in 2024. It has now been translated into English as "Dasein: In Defence of Presence", or in French "C'est ainsi que nous demeurons libres". This Monday evening, she is also appearing in Paris at the Theatre de la Ville, in association with the Ukrainian Institute in France. "Art is a kind of therapy and a way to save the truth of humanity," she told us in Perspective.

A Palestinian artist who left her home in Gaza shortly before the October 7 attacks to pursue a masters in fine art in London has spoken to FRANCE 24 about her work. Malak Mattar became the first Palestinian artist to ever have a solo show at the world-renowned Central Saint Martins arts and design college. She says with her exhibition "Falasteen", the Arabic name for Palestine, she channels rage, love and hope into her paintings. She told us the exhibition was a call for "life, equality and dignity". Mattar is also author of the book "Sitti's Bird: A Gaza Story". She spoke to us in Perspective.

Some 1,200 people have been killed in Syria and many others injured by landmines or improvised explosive devices since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad almost a year ago. Now the NGO Handicap International is trying to prevent more deaths, and help those already injured. We spoke to Noor Bimbashi, Senior Advocacy and Policy Officer for the NGO. She has just returned from three weeks in Syria. She told us in Perspective that the people of Syria are one of the most hopeful she's ever met.

The UN's Special Rapporteur on Palestine has told FRANCE 24 that France's recognition of a Palestinian state marks a real shift in European policy. Francesca Albanese points out that only a few European countries have now not recognised the state. However, she also said she is concerned that the recognition distracts attention "from what is needed" amid the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Albanese adds that "we cannot use Hamas as an excuse to hijack the Palestinians' self-determination". She spoke to us in Perspective.

The author of a new book which tells the story of the troubles in Northern Ireland that spanned three decades has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how his aim was to create a microhistory of the period by homing in on his own parish. More than 20 people died in the few square kilometres where Martin Doyle grew up. Doyle has spoken to people from both sides of the divide to document what happened to them in his book "Dirty Linen: The Troubles in My Home Place". He is also currently artist in residence at the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris. He spoke to us in Perspective.

The co-founders of a wildlife photography project that aims to raise $2.5 million for conservation have spoke to FRANCE 24 about how they hope the project will send a "message of hope" to the world. The Prints for Wildlife project brings together over 375 wildlife photographers who have donated their pictures to be sold on the group's website. The co-founders say the initiative has developed an incredible sense of community amongst their colleagues, adding that art always carries us through times of anxiety and despair. Marion Payr and Pie Aerts are the co-founders of Prints for Wildlife. They spoke to us in Perspective.

"No Country for Love", now translated into French as "Ce pays qui n'aimait pas l'amour" is a novel based on real events written by Yaroslav Trofimov, who is also chief foreign-affairs correspondent for The Wall Street Journal. Trofimov, who was born in Kyiv, features a lead character based on his grandmother who grew up in Ukraine during the Holodomor – the famine imposed on the country in the 1930s that killed millions – and then the outbreak of World War II. For Trofimov, the book covers one of the most terrifying moments of the 20th century and also explains why the spirit of "never again" animates Ukraine in its fight today. He spoke to us in Perspective.

The director and producer of a new television series here in France has spoken of her delight at being able to feature France's LGBTQ+ community in a place where they feel safe. Amandine Gay is the woman behind "Ballroom" – a series that features the artistic competition of New York's ballroom culture, where the LGBTQ community combines fashion, dance and self-expression. She says the series shows how people get to know themselves and decide who they are going to be. She spoke to us in Perspective.

The author of a new book that examines the role and under-representation of Black people in traditional Western art has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how her youth as often the only Black person in the room led her to the idea for the book. Alayo Akinkugbe was born in Nigeria but studied in England from her early teens, right through until the end of her degree in art history from the University of Cambridge. She says she has combined both to write her book "Reframing Blackness: What's Black about 'History of Art'?" She spoke to us in Perspective.

Seventy percent of fish stocks in Southeast Asia have been depleted in just 40 years, and both the environmental and the human cost is getting worse. That's the conclusion of a new photojournalism report which focuses on the fishing industry in the region. Its author says her photographs show  the number of fish being taken out of the ocean is simply not sustainable. Her work also shows the appalling conditions for many of the fishermen themselves, who are treated little better than slaves – with some not even allowed onto dry land for up to two years. Nicole Tung is this year's winner of the Carmignac Photojournalism Award. She spoke to us in Perspective.

The people of Syria had almost lost hope before the sudden fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad, so today "hope is a new thing for them". That's the sentiment of an Iraqi-born internationally recognised photojournalist who grew up in Syria and returned there when the Assad regime fell in December 2024 to capture the fighting and its aftermath. Salwan Georges is a photojournalist for The Washington Post, and his work inside Syria is currently on display at the Visa pour l'Image photojournalism festival in the southern French city of Perpignan. He spoke to us in Perspective. 

As the number of people who are homeless around the world has reached 300 million, the head of a UN agency charged with trying to tackle the problem has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the global housing crisis. Anacláudia Rossbach is the executive director of UN Habitat. The organisation aims to provide a better quality of life for all in an urbanising world. The group is promoting socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities – a focal point for all human settlements. She spoke to us in Perspective.

"I'm always very hungry." Those are the credentials expressed by the writer of a new book that delves into the cuisine of Paris. Chris Newens is the author of "Moveable Feasts: Paris in Twenty Meals", which aims to explore the diversity of food in the French capital by travelling around its 20 districts to taste the food of different communities. He spoke to us in Perspective.

A week ahead of the confidence vote on the French government, a political expert has described it as an "absolutely wild gamble". Andrew Smith says that while French Prime Minister François Bayrou has been saying he has not taken a summer holiday since he's been trying to find an answer to France's budgetary crisis, the PM may instead be taking forced holidays in September after his government falls. Smith, who is a historian of modern France at Queen Mary University of London, says the "parliamentary logic just is not there" to support Bayrou. He spoke to us in Perspective.

US President Donald Trump is facing sharp criticism from Democrats, who accuse him of pushing the limits of presidential power. The latest flashpoint is Trump's deployment of the National Guard to tackle crime in Washington DC and now he's warning Chicago and New York could be next. California Governor Gavin Newsom called Trump's tactics akin to those of a dictator, when Guard troops hit his state back in June. But Trump insists it's a necessary move to restore order in America's cities. In Perspective, we spoke to Tristan Cabello, a historian and lecturer at Johns Hopkins University.

War-torn Sudan is in the grips of one of its worst cholera outbreaks in years. More than 100,000 people have been infected by the disease and over 2,400 lives lost since the outbreak was declared last year. The war has been fuelling the crisis, forcing mass displacement and as people move, so does the disease. Cholera has now crossed into neighbouring Chad, where thousands have sought refuge. In the east of the country, at least 68 deaths have been reported in just one month. Aid agencies are warning that if urgent action isn't taken, the region could be pushed to the brink of a wider epidemic. One of those NGOs is Solidarités International. Its executive director Kevin Goldberg spoke to us in Perspective.

It's been four years since the Taliban swept back to power in Afghanistan and the worst fears about their return have indeed come true, especially for the country's women and girls. The Taliban have issued dozens of directives stripping them of their rights – even the most basic ones linked to education, employment and presence in public spaces. And although the international community has issued condemnation after condemnation, these have translated to few impactful concrete actions. In Perspective, we spoke to Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch.