Perspective

David McCloskey worked in CIA field stations across the Middle East throughout the Arab Spring and conducted a rotation in the Counterterrorism Center, briefing Congressional oversight committees, senior White House officials, ambassadors and military officials. He has since written several novels, including "Moscow X" and "Damascus Station", which has just been published in French. He joined us on Perspective to tell us more about his former life as a spy, what pushed him to write and the fine line between fiction and reality.

A new documentary is aiming to lift the lid on the unrecognised Black heroes of D-Day. It follows an all-African American battalion of men whose crucial role in the Normandy landings was never revealed. One member of the company was even nominated for a Medal of Honor, but amid racial segregation in the US at the time, it was impossible for him to ever be granted it. The documentary follows the work chronicled already in a book, "Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day's Black Heroes". Its author Linda Harvieux joined us for Perspective.

Taiwan’s newly sworn-in President – Lai Ching-te – will face a difficult start as he prepares to lead the country with a minority government, Taiwan Research Hub Director Chun-Yi Lee at the University of Nottingham told FRANCE 24. Lai, who is seen as pro-independence by China, will need to navigate the already-strained relationship between Taipei and Beijing, Lee said. Lai will also face challenges at home as he seeks to boost Taiwan’s slowing economy, she added.

A 2024 Global Citizen Prize winner – Andrew Ddebme – spoke to FRANCE 24 about the joys of having his work recognised by the international organisation. Ddebme is the founder of MobiKlinic, a digital solution that has helped rural communities in Africa access better healthcare. Ddebme also told his own personal story that led him from the slums of Kampala to becoming an entrepreneur. 

As France and China celebrate the strong ties between the two countries with the state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Paris last week, France’s main Asian art museum – Guimet Museum – is marking the 60th anniversary of France's recognition of the People's Republic of China with a whole year of exhibitions and events lined up. We spoke to the museum’s director Yannick Lintz, and the world-renowned Franco Chinese artist and designer, Jiang Qiong Er in Perspective.

One of the winners of this year’s World Press Awards spoke to FRANCE 24 about how it feels to be recognised, and how important it is for photojournalists to continue carrying out their work. The awards are given out to those who have worked in some of the world’s hotspots like Gaza and Ukraine, but also to some of those who have taken pictures telling lesser-known stories around the world. Lee-Ann Olwage’s award-winning picture shows a grandfather, who has Alzheimer’s disease, with his granddaughter. Little is known about dementia in Madagascar, where those who are diagnosed with the illness are often stigmatised.

What does it mean to be a human, or more specifically a humanist? Is it about culture, morals, principles, science, freethinking, feelings or optimism? Or is it all of the above? The author of the new book "Humanly Possible: Seven Hundred Years of Humanist Freethinking, Inquiry, and Hope", says it is all of those things and more. Sarah Bakewell spoke to us in Perspective.

The Olympic flame arrives in France from Greece this Wednesday. Some 10,000 people will have the honour of carrying the torch for part of its relay around the country, from ordinary citizens to VIPs. One of these torch bearers is a Paris-based, Sri Lankan-born baker who only came to France for the first time in 2006. Since then he has worked as a cook, then at a bakery, and now runs his own establishment. His baguettes are credited with being so good that they won the prize for the best Parisian baguette of 2023. Tharshan Selvarajah spoke to us in Perspective.

It's estimated that more than 53,000 people have fled extreme violence in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, which equates to 80 percent of the city's population. Haiti has been without a president since the assassination of Jovenel Moïse in 2021. The country has been ravaged for decades by poverty and natural disasters. But since February, Haiti's powerful gangs have joined forces to attack police stations, prisons and the airport. An internationally-backed transitional council has been formed and is now beginning to assess how to take back control. One expert has told FRANCE 24 that she believes any kind of top-down international intervention in Haiti is not the answer. Rosa Freedman, a professor of law, conflict and global development at the University of Reading, spoke to us in Perspective.

Chinese support for Russia over the war in Ukraine, renewed tensions over Taiwan and a row over Chinese subsidies giving China's companies an unfair advantage over European competitors: these are the main issues up for discussion as Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on his first state visit to France since 2019. In Perspective, we spoke to Isabelle Feng, a senior researcher at the Asia Centre and a member of the China Horizons project.