Perspective

The World cup, now just under a week away, is the world's most-watched sports competition. But between accusations of corruption and rights abuses in this year's host country Qatar, the 2022 World Cup is arguably among the most controversial. In early November, French sports journalist Vincent Duluc published "le Dictionnaire Amoureux de la Coupe du Monde" ("Loving Dictionary of the World Cup") which through a series of anecdotes in dictionary format recounts some five decades of World Cup history. He joined us on Perspective.

Photography is more than just an art form. Photojournalism specifically is an essential component to understanding major global events, especially conflict. The war in Ukraine is a perfect illustration: how else can the world understand the scale of destruction or the transformation of daily life but through visual accounts? Kateryna Radchenko is the director of the Odesa Photo Days festival, which works to showcase Ukrainian photographers and foster dialogue. She joined us for Perspective.

In 2014 the peaceful city of Raqqa in northern Syria was proclaimed the capital of the Islamic State group's so-called caliphate. For nearly four years, residents there lived under a reign of terror. A new book out in French brings their stories to the world. "L'Asphyxie : Raqqa, chronique d’une apocalypse" ("Asphyxiation: Raqqa, Chronicle of an Apocalypse") is co-written by French reporter Céline Martelet and Syrian journalist Hussam Hammoud. Hammoud has just arrived in France where he has been granted asylum after an initial rejection by French authorities. The two authors joined us for Perspective.

The UN's annual climate change conference grows more urgent every year. With just over 1.1°C of warming above pre-industrial levels, the world is already seeing devastating consequences. As COP27 opens in Egypt, we discuss the stakes at this year's summit with Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme. She explains that current pledges remain largely insufficient and calls on G20 countries – responsible for more than 75 percent of carbon emissions – to ensure climate justice. Her message to all those disappointed with current climate action: Elect leaders who will be sure to make it a priority.

Fintech startups increased in value by more than 80 per cent across Africa last year, led by strong performances in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya. Funding for these firms has more than doubled in the first six months of this year, with over 640 tech hubs now in operation across the continent. But the startup market accounts for less than one per cent of global venture capital funding. To find out why, we're joined for Perspective by Boum III Junior, co-founder of the fintech Daba.

French journalist Laurent Richard founded Forbidden Stories in 2017 with a simple mission: to continue the work of journalists who have been assassinated or otherwise silenced. That same year, Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb. The organisation worked to continue her investigations and identify her killers, exposing corruption at the highest levels of the Maltese government. For Richard, the ultimate goal of Forbidden Stories is twofold: to bring crucial reporting to the world and to deter crimes against journalists by showing that "it doesn't make sense to kill a reporter when there are 50 others ready to carry on their work". He joined us for Perspective as we mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists.

Despite being on trial for corruption charges, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is hoping to make a comeback as Israelis vote in their five election in less than four years. The conservative leader was ousted just 16 months ago by a diverse coalition that united against him but ultimately fell apart. We discuss Netanyahu's ongoing domination of Israeli politics, alienation of Arab Israeli voters and the country's broader political deadlock with Gideon Rahat, a professor of political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

It was a nail-biting race, but in the end Brazil's former – and now future – left-wing president came out on top. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has defeated far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in a highly polarised presidential run-off. The win marks an incredible comeback for Lula, who after spending 580 days in prison on corruption charges will return to office for a third term. But can he lead such a divided country and will Bolsonaro accept the results? We discuss this and more with our Perspective guest Marieke Riethof, a senior lecturer in Latin American politics at Liverpool University in the UK.

Photojournalist Fabiola Ferrero was born in Caracas in 1991 and grew up hearing stories about Venezuela's glory days. Two decades later, she's one of the millions who have left her home country amid economic and political crisis. Thanks to a grant from France's Carmignac Foundation, she went back in search of those lost promises, visiting symbols of Venezuela's former prosperity and documenting how they look now. She joined us for Perspective to discuss her series entitled "The Wells Run Dry".

Just 47 days into the job, Britain's King Charles III this week carried out his first significant constitutional responsibility as head of state, appointing Rishi Sunak as prime minister. Philip Kyle is an author who spent almost three years working for Charles's foundation, The Prince's Trust. He has just published the first biography of the new king in France. Kyle joined us for Perspective to discuss the challenges the 73-year-old monarch is likely to face, from keeping the royal family united to remaining political neutral as king.