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.

Serge Haroche won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2012 along with American physicist David Wineland for their work on studying quantum phenomena when matter and light interact. The study of matter at its most fundamental level may be hard for many people to wrap their heads around, but as Haroche tells FRANCE 24, study in this field has led to the inventions of life-changing devices. "The GPS is based on atomic clocks; magnetic resonance imaging, which is used in medicine, is also based on quantum phenomena."

As the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 breaks attendance records in Switzerland, FRANCE 24's Perspective programme discusses a boost in support for the women's league and how it's covered in the media. A French broadcaster that was supposed to show a group stage match between France and the Netherlands on Sunday night decided to show the men's FIFA Club World Cup final between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea instead. For retired French footballer Laura Georges, the decision was disappointing. "As the main broadcaster, you have to support your team," she says. Women's football "has been evolving", Georges adds, though it still needs "more sponsors" and "leaders who believe in the game".

About a year after receiving the all clear from doctors, British comedian and broadcaster Mark Steel released his book "The Leopard in My House: One Man's Adventures in Cancerland". Setting it apart from other offerings in the genre is Steel's dry humour that shines through during some of his bleakest moments. Speaking to FRANCE 24's Perspective programme, he said it's all part of the job: "I think the terrible thing is, the mind of the comic goes 'if I get through this, there's a show in this'."

Ghana is already known as a "fast-fashion graveyard", but a new study has shown unwanted clothing is now being dumped beyond urban areas. Reporters at Unearthed, working with Greenpeace Africa, found mounds of clothes from brands including Next, Primark and H&M clogging areas of the protected Densu Delta. Sam Quashie-Idun, the head of investigations at Greenpeace Africa, told FRANCE 24's Perspective programme that one particular dumpsite now "looms taller than a two-storey building".

As Indigenous Australians mark NAIDOC Week – a time to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples – the country is grappling with the findings of a landmark Aboriginal-led inquiry. The commission found that First Peoples in the state of Victoria suffered genocide and crimes against humanity from the beginning of British colonisation. "Between the 1830s and 1851, it is estimated that the Indigenous population of Victoria was reduced from 60,000 to 15,000," historian Romain Fathi told FRANCE 24 in Perspective. 

The award-winning author of a new book has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how it is the voices and hearing the chatter of his characters that inspires him to write. Swedish-Tunisian writer Jonas Hassen Khemiri's new book "The Sisters" in English or "Les Sœurs" in French follows the lives of three sisters and a curse that weighs on them. In the book they spend 35 years trying to break the curse "Everything you love, you will lose". He spoke to us in Perspective.

"Down with secularism and long live Sharia law". That's the cry that went up a week ago outside the satirical magazine LeMan in Istanbul after it published an image interpreted by some as a caricature of the Prophet Mohammed. A violent protest took place outside the office of the magazine, which is known as the "Turkish Charlie Hebdo". Four of its staff members were arrested and the courts subsequently blocked its website in the name of public order.  

The director of ActionAid Zambia has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the dire conditions women are facing in the country because of cuts to USAID. This as the organisation is officially wound down, ending billions of dollars' worth of aid programmes across the world. In Zambia, the cuts mean women are having to sell sex to men in order to be able to go fishing to feed themselves and their families. Faides TembaTemba spoke to us from the UN Conference on Financing for Development in the Spanish city of Seville.

One of the world's leading picture book artists has spoken to FRANCE 24 about his aim to use art to inspire people to make a positive change in the world. Nikkolas Smith is an award-winning artist who seeks to tackle issues like social justice, people who are socially marginalised and even climate change. He has also worked on artwork for big budget films and even for Disney theme parks. His latest project is the book "The History of We", which tells the story of the origins of humanity in Africa. He spoke to us in Perspective.

Amnesty International says it has deep concerns over the level of repressive policing in Kenya. The comments come after the latest demonstrations in the country last Wednesday, when the NGO says 19 people were killed and at least 500 injured after police fired on protesters. The rallies were called to mark one year since deadly protests began over a finance bill and tax rises. Amnesty says that although there was some police restraint in parts of the country last week, in the capital Nairobi the situation exploded again. Irungu Houghton, Executive Director of Amnesty International Kenya, spoke to us in Perspective.

A leading sociologist has told FRANCE 24 that we need to stop defining who is worthy based on professional success. She says our current way of measuring worthiness in diplomas alienates more than half the population, leaving them feeling stigmatised. That in turn leads to a rise in far-right populism. Harvard sociologist Michèle Lamont argues in her book "Seeing Others: How to Redefine Worth in a Divided World" that instead of measuring having, we need to measure being. She spoke to us in Perspective.

A new way of ensuring everyone on the planet has access to glasses is being pushed by a global NGO that has just launched in France. A machine has been developed that can make glasses anywhere on the planet for just one single dollar. This as it is estimated that up to 950 million people across the globe are unable to have access to glasses or cannot afford them. That means that many people are born – or become – unable to do any skilled work. In Perspective, we spoke to the executive director of GoodVision France, Maryline Ehlermann.

A man who spent 14 years in prison without charge in Guantanamo Bay until his release in 2016 has spoken to FRANCE 24 about his experience of suffering torture there. Mohamedou Ould Slahi is an engineer from Mauritania who was accused by the US of recruiting for and providing other support for al Qaeda in Afghanistan and even of being involved in organising the 9/11 attacks. While in Guantanamo he says he was subjected to a range of torture methods – from sleep deprivation, to isolation, to beatings. His story was documented in his memoir, "Guantanamo Diary", and was turned into a star-studded 2021 film, "The Mauritanian", which tells the story of him and his lawyer who succeeded in obtaining his release. He spoke to us in Perspective.

The mother of an Israeli hostage still being held by Hamas in Gaza has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the plight of the hostages, 626 days after they were first taken by Hamas. Viki Cohen is the mother of Nimrod Cohen, who was taken from his tank by Hamas when he was just 19 years old. He turns 21 next month. There has been no news of him since March, when he was seen in a Hamas video. She says Israel must stop the war in Gaza to bring the hostages back. She spoke to us in Perspective.

A British surgeon who has been traveling to and from Gaza to provide medical aid has spoken to FRANCE 24 about her frustration that the situation there is not fully recognised globally. Doctor Victoria Rose has completed several block stints in hospitals in Gaza, working to save lives. She says that what she witnessed is often suppressed or dismissed as fake news, but in reality, she has seen the indiscriminate bombing of the entire population. She spoke to us in Perspective.

The leaders of an Australian delegation visiting the world's largest refugee camp have spoken to FRANCE 24 about the plight of the Rohingya community there. The group, in conjunction with the Refugee Council of Australia, have travelled to the Cox's Bazar camp in Bangladesh in a bid to raise awareness. It's been almost eight years since hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled violence in Myanmar, with no prospect of returning home. In Perspective, we spoke to Noor Azizah, herself a former Rohingya refugee, who is now co-executive director of The Rohingya Maiyafuinor Collaborative Network; as well as prominent human rights advocate and former Socceroo (Australian international football) star player Craig Foster.

The Bhopal gas tragedy, which happened over 40 years ago, continues to kill people even today. That's the message brought to France this week by two leading activists who continue to push for justice. The initial leak, which is still considered the world's worst industrial accident, killed over 3,500 people within days in the central Indian city of Bhopal in December 1984, after they breathed in poisonous gas leaked from a Union Carbide pesticide factory. According to government estimates, more than 15,000 people have died in the years since, although activists say the figures are in reality far higher. In Perspective, we spoke to Rachna Dhingra, coordinator of the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal; and Satinath Sarangi, founder of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action.

For those suffering from mental health problems, the internet can be a door to getting help and finding a community, but it can also open a user to extremely damaging content that encourages self-harm. Adele Zeynep Walton is campaigning for a safer digital world after her sister Aimee took her own life in 2022, having spent time on a pro-suicide forum. Walton's book "Logging Off: The Human Cost of Our Digital World" draws attention to a growing, insidious phenomenon.

The head of Stop Ecocide International has spoke to FRANCE 24 from the UN Ocean Conference in the south of France about the need to legally recognise crimes against the environment as serious crimes. Jojo Mehta jointly founded the organisation back in 2017 with the aim of using the law to make destructive practices illegal. She says we don't take damage to the environment seriously enough, and that her aim is to be able to hold individuals accountable for their environmental crimes. She spoke to us in Perspective.

One of the world's leading climbers and photographers has spoken to FRANCE 24 about his passions and his mental health struggles. Cory Richards grew up with a perfect early childhood living in the Rocky Mountains. But when things went wrong, he ended up institutionalised, then on the street. He was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder and still struggles with his mental health. His new book in English "The Color of Everything: A Journey to Quiet the Chaos Within" has just been translated into French as "Les brûlures de glace" or "Ice Burns". He spoke to us in Perspective.

One of the world's leading cancer specialists has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the need to detect cancer early and prevent it from ever taking hold, rather than having to treat people later. Professor Alexandra Leary is an oncology specialist in gynaecological cancers and deputy director of the oncological department of the Gustave Roussy cancer research hospital outside Paris. She is just back from a major gathering of the world's top cancer specialists in Chicago. She spoke to us in Perspective.

One of the world's leading researchers on the state of our oceans has spoken to FRANCE 24 as the UN Ocean Conference got underway in the French Riviera city of Nice. The event is focused on "accelerating action and mobilising all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean". We spoke to Chris Bowler, the scientific coordinator of the Tara Ocean Programme – first about that programme and then about his reaction to French President Emmanuel Macron's opening speech at the conference in Nice.

As France welcomes Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Paris for a state visit, France is also celebrating a whole year of cultural exchanges with Brazil. One of the institutions taking part is a museum in Paris dedicated to one of Brazil's best-known artists, the late Frans Krajcberg, who spent his life working between the two countries. 

The head of Amnesty International in Ukraine has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the vital importance of the independent investigation of crimes committed during the Russian full-scale invasion. Veronika Velch told us that it is crucial to do this work, even if it may appear meaningless right now. She says that there is a profound difference between the way Russia is carrying out the war, and the way Ukraine is defending itself. Velch says that eventually there will be justice, because otherwise peace cannot be restored for the generations to come. She spoke to us in Perspective.

A Ghanaian oncology nurse who has won an international award for her work has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the need to invest in nursing. Naomi Ohene Oti is an Oncology Nurse Specialist and Head of Nursing at Ghana's National Radiotherapy Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Centre. She has just been named the winner of the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award, with the prize aiming to recognise and celebrate the extraordinary contribution of nurses across the world. "Nurses are the heartbeat of healthcare, so when they (governments) get it right (in terms of investing in nursing), the system also will get it right," she told us in Perspective.

A well-known French mathematician who has given a free lecture to students in Gaza online has spoken of his delight at being part of a new programme aiming to ensure that education for Gazans continues. While media coverage of Gaza often features attacks on hospitals and schools, the organisation Academic Solidarity with Palestine says that at least 12 universities and colleges have also been destroyed, along with nearly 100 university professors killed. Michel Broué is now one of a series of high-profile academics – including Nobel Prize winners – who are giving their time in a bid to ensure education in the enclave does not die. He spoke to us in Perspective.

An environmentalist who's been fighting for the protection of Colombia's Atrato River has spoken to FRANCE 24 about why the waterway is vital for the environment and for the local Indigenous community. The Atrato was protected nearly 10 years ago after people got together to persuade Colombia's constitutional court to force the government to take action. Special protections are now in place. But campaigners say the measures do not go far enough. Rodrigo Rogelis, researcher and deputy director of the SIEMBRA socio-legal centre, is currently in Paris to speak at Sciences Po university. He spoke to us in Perspective.

The president of Signal, a secure messaging app, spoke to FRANCE 24 about the urgent need to protect personal data. Meredith Whittaker highlighted how a handful of big tech companies collect vast amounts of information – often with little oversight and frequent misuse. She emphasised the need for structural change to regulate how companies handle user data. Signal is advocating for stronger privacy protections while defending freedom of expression. She spoke to us in Perspective.

A feminist group in France working to combat sexual violence spoke to FRANCE 24 about the case of former French surgeon Joël Le Scouarnec, who is accused of sexually abusing hundreds of his patients, many of them children. The case is due to conclude this week. However, it has received far less publicity in France and worldwide than the recent Gisèle Pelicot trial, prompting questions about why this is the case.

The author of a new book on the lack of reparations for the 12.5 million people shipped across the Atlantic in the slave trade has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how none of them or their families are yet to be internationally compensated. The trade is described in the book as surely one of the most heinous crimes against humanity committed in the modern era – all to help grow the sugar, tobacco, indigo and coffee trades. Many people perished on the African shores or during the voyage. The book “Reparations for Slavery and the Slave Trade: A Transnational and Comparative History” has also just been translated into French, and its author Ana Lucia Araujo, who is a professor of History at Howard University spoke to us in Perspective.

The curator of a new exhibition in Paris dedicated to the legendary barefoot diva, Cesaria Evora, spoke to FRANCE 24 about the singer's profound influence on world music. Evora began her career as a teenager, performing for sailors in her native Cape Verde, but it wasn't until the age of 50 that she was discovered in Paris. Evora's deep captivating voice singing songs in the Morna style soon became famous across the planet. Curator Emilie Silva joined us in Perspective.

Leading anthropologist Pedro Cesarino speaks to FRANCE 24 about his new book, “Les vautours n'oublient pas” (The vultures never forget), which was inspired by the struggles of young Indigenous people in the Amazon. Caught between ancestral traditions and a modern world of mining, corruption, and violence, they live at the crossroads of two conflicting realities. Through the story of a mother searching for her missing son, Cesarino highlights the deep fractures in Brazilian society.

Hundreds of aid trucks are needed daily to meet the food needs of people in Gaza, not just the five allowed in by Israel yesterday, says Ahmed Bayram, media advisor for the Norwegian Refugee Council. Speaking to us in Perspective, Bayram stressed that aid must "gush" into the enclave and called for increased diplomatic pressure to make that happen.