Perspective

The respected author of a new book on Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has told FRANCE 24 that he sees no peaceful solution to the conflict. Nicolas Tenzer is a non-resident senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis and Chairman of the Center for Studies and Research on Political Decision. He says the West should have seen more clearly in early 2022 that Putin's war in Ukraine was inevitable. He believes the only way forward is to step up military aid to Kyiv. He joined us on Perspective.

S. Leo Chiang is a Taiwanese-American film director based in San Francisco and Taipei. His most recent short film "Island in Between", about his deeply complex relationship with his Taiwanese identity – specifically in relation to China – has been nominated for an Oscar. He says he hopes his feature will remind people of how much Taiwan and China have in common, and help them to reject the all-too-easy tendency to "demonise the other side". He joined us on Perspective.

Three months on from the October 7 Hamas attacks and Israel's counteroffensive in Gaza, the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave is increasingly dire. The death toll continues to climb and the injured are struggling to receive adequate treatment in hospitals on the brink of collapse. While aid trucks are now regularly entering the enclave, aid agencies warn they don't come close to covering the diverse needs of desperate Gazans, with children disproportionately affected. Ricardo Pires, a spokesperson for UNICEF – the UN Children's Fund – told us more in Perspective.

It's a treat synonymous with numerous holidays, from Valentine's Day and Easter to Halloween. But the Christmas season also has people worldwide craving chocolate in all its forms. It's on the table for Christmas meals, in stockings and advent calendars and even comes in the form of some of the world's favourite Christmas characters like Santa or his elves. But how do chocolate makers set themselves apart in a crowded market? Edwin Yansané, the co-founder of French chocolatier Edwart, joined us on Perspective to tell us more.

At least 68 journalists and media workers have been killed in the first 10 weeks of the Israel-Gaza war, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. No other conflict has taken so many journalists' lives in such a short timeframe, with Palestinian journalists in Gaza accounting for the vast majority of the victims. FRANCE 24's Erin Ogunkeye spoke to Tim Dawson, Deputy General Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, about these killings and the widespread claims that journalists are being deliberately targeted by the Israeli military.

A campaign to restrict the use of rap music in court cases is gaining momentum. Those behind it say that playing such music stigmatises and stereotypes those on trial, particularly if they are young, Black and male. The music has been played, probably correctly, in some cases where it is directly relevant as the crimes committed are so similar to lyrics listened to, or even written, by their perpetrators. The campaign group, however, is anxious that it is also being played just to make the defendants seem guilty, even if the music has nothing to do with their crime. In Perspective, we spoke to Dr Abenaa Owusu-Bempah, an associate professor of law at the London School of Economics.

If you are a little girl growing up in Malawi, the UN estimates there is an almost 50 percent chance that you will be married before you reach the age of 18. There is even an almost 10 percent chance that you will be married by the time you turn 15. Underage marriage is a serious problem that takes children out of education for a life they have not chosen. In Perspective, we spoke to Ulanda Mtamba, a campaigner against child marriage. She is country director for the nonprofit NGO AGE Africa.

How can the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza be monitored by outside organisations? Nearly 19,000 people have been killed in 10 weeks of war, according to the Hamas-run health authorities. The credibility of those statistics has at times been undermined by sceptical world leaders, including US President Joe Biden. In Perspective, FRANCE 24's Gavin Lee spoke to Emily Tripp from UK-based transparency watchdog Airwars, which is using open-source data to try to verify the death toll in the Gaza Strip. She told us that so far, the estimates from the Hamas-run health authorities are consistent with Airwars' own findings.

Journalist Cole Stangler is the author of "Paris Is Not Dead: Surviving Hypergentrification in the City of Light". His book delves into the phenomenon of gentrification in the French capital, with high rents pushing many residents out to the suburbs, while also celebrating the neighbourhoods that still remain affordable for working-class Parisians. He spoke to FRANCE 24's Gavin Lee about a time when rent in Paris would cost less than the price of tobacco and the importance of social housing in the French capital – themes that he also explores in his book.

A group of independent journalists have spent weeks investigating how Israel uses artificial intelligence to carry out air strikes in Gaza. Officially, the IDF has said little more than admitting it uses an AI system known as "Habsora", or "The Gospel" in English. The journalists' research raises the question of whether the high civilian casualty rate in Gaza is a result of Israel's extensive use of this AI system. Journalist Yuval Abraham, from the Israeli-Palestinian magazine +972, explained his findings to FRANCE 24's Gavin Lee in Perspective.