Perspective

The coronation of Britain's King Charles III will be the first in the lifetime of anyone below the age of 70. For more on the ritual and its evolution, historian and author Joanne Paul joined us for Perspective. She explained that the ceremony goes all the way back to the 7th century, with the first anointing of a British monarch. While that "unction" continues, not without controversy, the ceremony has always adapted to be a reflection of the times. One regular feature: royal mishaps, from the procession of Henry VIII getting stopped by pouring rain to Queen Victoria's "absolute shambles" of a ceremony.

Ione Gamble was diagnosed with Crohn's disease when she was 19, right around the time when a new wave of internet-driven "girlboss" feminism took off. Managing a chronic illness opened her eyes to the movement's blind spots, and led her to reconsider her own relationship with femininity and empowerment. She founded the zine "Polyester" to give a platform to critical feminist voices, and published the essay collection "Poor Little Sick Girls," exploring how capitalism has warped radical feminist concepts like self-care. She joined us for Perspective to discuss contemporary feminism, inclusivity and navigating the "hellscape" that is social media.

In Reporters Without Borders' 2023 Press Freedom Index, Turkey is ranked 165th out of 180 nations for the environment facing journalists. Among the reasons for the worsening conditions is a crackdown ahead of presidential elections in May, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces his toughest re-election battle yet. Ozgur Ogret, a journalist and Turkey representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists, joined us on Perspective to tell us more about the situation.

In April, Washington's city council unanimously approved the first reading of a bill that would inaugurate Swann Street near the Dupont Circle neighbourhood of the US capital. The bill honours William Dorsey Swann. Born in 1860, he was the first known person to dub himself a drag queen. His legacy is just one part of the larger influence the African American queer community had on Black emancipation in the US. Historian and journalist Channing Gerard Joseph joined us for Perspective to tell us more.

The brutal power struggle unfolding in Sudan has no clear end in sight, with over 500 people already killed and thousands forced to flee. After the joy and hope of the democratic protests that led to the fall of Omar al-Bashir, the country has been unable to escape the shadow of his regime and the men who wish to succeed him. Nicholas Westcott, director of the Royal African Society, says he was sadly not surprised when the fighting began a fortnight ago between Generals Burhan and Hemedti, two longstanding rivals. He says a peaceful outcome is possible, but will require a unified response from international powers to convince key players like Egypt that prolonged conflict isn't in their best interests.

Since the fall of the Islamic State group, jihadism has largely receded from the public debate in Europe, but the threat is far from over. In a new book entitled "La colère et l'oubli" – which roughly translates to "anger and forgetfulness" – researcher Hugo Micheron explains that European governments tend to make the mistake of forgetting jihadism as soon as the terror threat declines. But over the past three decades, the movement has taken advantage of periods of retreat to focus on recruitment and come back stronger. Micheron joined us for Perspective.

Award-winning photographer, artist and filmmaker Tomas van Houtryve was selected to visually document the devastation wrought by the massive blaze that ripped through Paris's Notre-Dame Cathedral four years ago. Over the course of 12 months, he enjoyed rare access to the monument and the teams assigned to painstakingly restore it to its former glory. His exhibition "Notre Dame: Rebuilding an Icon" can now be seen outside the cathedral, where it will remain until next summer. He joined us for Perspective.

Every minute, a child somewhere on the planet loses their battle against malaria. Four African nations account for just over half of all deaths worldwide: Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Niger. Global health chiefs say extreme weather events are driving sharp increases in both infections and deaths, particularly in countries like Pakistan and Malawi. Dr Saschveen Singh, Tropical Infectious Diseases Advisor at Doctors Without Borders, joined us for Perspective to mark World Malaria Day. She told us that vaccines are "no magic bullet" but "another tool to add to our toolbox".

They share a determination to reduce US and Western influence. Observers say autocratic leaders – from Russia to China to India – are united by a belief that it's time to re-shape the current world order, which emerged in the aftermath of World War II. Our Perspective guest is one of those observers. Julien Théron is a political scientist and lecturer at Sciences Po, and also author of "Le Pacte des Autocrates". For him, autocratic leaders wrongly insist that democracy is only for Western countries.

Since the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in August 2021, women have been robbed of their right to learn, work and move freely. Their exclusion from public life is having dire consequences for the entire country. We discuss the situation with Melissa Cornet, a human rights researcher who works with the NGO CARE. She notes that the lack of new female graduates means that there will soon be no more women teachers, doctors or nurses in Afghanistan. She also points out that while bans on female aid workers are having a devastating effect, many NGOs are closing not because of the bans, but due to lack of funding – with only 5 percent of Afghanistan's humanitarian needs currently being met.