Perspective

This Wednesday is the last day of campaigning before the UK's general election, which is expected to produce a major change. According to the latest polls, the opposition Labour Party is predicted to sweep to power with more than 480 seats in the 650-seat parliament. That's far more than even Tony Blair won in his 1997 landslide victory for Labour. The Conservatives, who have been in power for the last 14 years, are predicted to drop to around only 60 seats, which would be the fewest since the party was founded in 1834. In Perspective, we spoke to Nigel Fletcher from King's College London.  He is also co-founder of the Centre for Opposition Studies, an independent research organisation focused on promoting the study of political opposition.

He began his quest to ensure everyone on the planet has access to fresh water when he was just six years old. Now 33, Ryan Hreljac has founded his own charity, Ryan's Well Foundation, and become its executive director, bringing fresh water supplies to 1.5 million people in 17 different countries. He spoke to us in Perspective.

Nothing is settled yet, but French President Emmanuel Macron has lost his bet. That’s the view of one political analyst, who called the results of the first-round legislative elections here in France "terrifying" after the far right came out on top. Andrew Smith, a lecturer in liberal arts at Queen Mary University of London, reminded us that a few weeks ago Macron reportedly said, rather crassly, that he wanted to throw a grenade at people's legs and see what happened. But for Smith, it has gone off in his hands instead. He spoke to us in Perspective.

A Turkish activist and lawyer has spoken to FRANCE 24 about her joy at being able to take part in France's Gay Pride parade in Paris this coming Saturday. She admitted, however, that her thoughts will be with members of her own LGBT community back home in Turkey, who hope they will be able to do the same at their own Pride march. Hayriye Kara is in Paris with Amnesty International to talk about the difficulties that LGBT people face in Turkey. Same-sex relationships and queer or trans people are not illegal there, but there is no legal protection from discrimination. She spoke to us on Perspective. 

Climate and aviation experts are warning that levels of turbulence, and incidents of severe turbulence on airplanes, are likely to get worse due to climate change. The warnings come after a British man died and more than 100 people were injured on board a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore last month. Severe turbulence caused the plane to plummet 1,800 metres in just minutes, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Bangkok. In Perspective, we spoke to Nicolas Bellouin from the University of Reading, who is also Chair in Aviation and Climate at Paris's Sorbonne University. He explained what turbulence is and why it's expected to get worse. He also advised passengers to keep their seatbelts fastened at all times.

Almost 10 years after the Islamic State group launched its conquest of the Mount Sinjar region in Iraq as part of its takeover of the country, a new film tells the stories of the Yazidi people, who suffered a genocide under the extremists' rule. Several thousand Yazidis were killed or captured, while half a million others fled. The film "Sinjar, the Birth of Phantoms" talks to survivors about how their lives have been turned upside down, and how they still fear violence could return. Its director Alexe Liebert told how she hopes the film will ensure their voices are heard.

Ahead of Friday's snap presidential elections in Iran, a leading critic of the regime has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the vote and how little the result is likely to change things in the country. Kasra Aarabi, from United Again Nuclear Iran, told us that all six candidates allowed to stand have been personally approved by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He also spoke to us about the regime's race to obtain the nuclear bomb, saying the West only has eight months to prevent that from happening. He joined us for Perspective.

New research shows that the death of at least 23 migrants, with many more missing and injured, could have not only been prevented, but may also have been partly instigated by the police in Morocco and Spain. The migrants died exactly two years ago as they tried to enter the Spanish North African enclave of Melilla from Morocco. Both countries have always denied being complicit, but the research by Border Forensics sets out to prove otherwise. In Perspective, we spoke to Charles Heller, director of research at Border Forensics.

June 20 marks World Refugee Day and this year's theme is solidarity with refugees. Our Perspective guest is someone who understands the plight of refugees only too well. Sally Hayden is an award-winning journalist and the author of "My Fourth Time, We Drowned: Seeking Refuge on the World’s Deadliest Migration Route". She spoke to us about the dire situation of those who try to cross the Mediterranean and end up stuck in Libyan detention centres, where they face multiple human rights abuses.

How do you get information out of someone if they are reluctant to open up? That's the subject of a new book that aims mainly to help researchers conducting fieldwork. Yet "The Interloper: Lessons from Resistance in the Field" also contains very useful information and ideas for everyday life. Professor Michel Anteby from Boston University says that if a researcher or individual is being pushed away by someone they want to talk to, they must embrace the problem and understand why they are being turned away. He also says any pushback will also reveal information one can learn from. He joined us for Perspective.