Perspective

In the past 25 years since Hong Kong was handed over to China from British rule, the self-government and freedoms it was originally promised have gradually been eroded. After the Umbrella Movement in 2014, Beijing's controversial extradition law in 2019 and its equally controversial national security law a year later, there's little space left for civil liberties in Hong Kong. Nathan Law, who became its youngest legislator in 2016, is now an exiled activist whose recently published book gives an account of China's growing authoritarianism and what activists can do to confront it. He joined us for Perspective from London.

A new Conservative prime minister has been picked in the UK, with Liz Truss gearing up to sift through the dispatch boxes and state papers. But her arrival at 10 Downing Street following Boris Johnson's resignation comes at a time of major strife in Britain, with a cost of living crisis having already sparked a summer of strikes. Meanwhile, despite Johnson pledging his full support for his successor, there's already speculation over him potentially making a comeback in the future. In Perspective, we spoke to Tony Travers from the London School of Economics.

France's Bastille Day is usually synonymous with joyful street parties and colourful fireworks. But six years ago in the Mediterranean city of Nice, the festivities ended in tragedy. Some 86 people were killed and more than 400 injured when an Islamic State group sympathiser rammed a truck into crowds on the promenade. On the opening day of the trial of eight people accused of having a role in that bloodshed, FRANCE 24 spoke to counter-terrorism expert Raffaello Pantucci for Perspective.

June is Pride Month, a celebration of the world's LGBTQ populations which also serves to continue the fight for equality and justice for the community. Activist Anna Sharyhina joined us on Perspective for a conversation about LGBTQ rights in Ukraine before and since the Russian invasion. Originally from Kharkiv, she co-founded the Ukrainian NGO "Sphere", which works to provide a safe space for the country's queer community and organised Kharkiv's first Pride parade in 2019.

One would assume that archaeology, the study of the human past through material remains, is a relatively neutral field. But in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, archaeological excavations have been used to dispossess disenfranchised communities. The Israeli NGO Emek Shaveh monitors and documents how numerous archaeological sites have been used to infringe on Palestinian property and cultural heritage rights. Its Executive Director Alon Arad joined us for Perspective.

"Everyone has the right to education." This phrase is part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It refers to education in all countries, for girls and boys as well for all adults. In Perspective, we spoke to David Atchoarena, head of UNESCO's Institute for Lifelong Learning. He told us why adult education is not just a right, but also essential to tackling the world's social, economic and environmental uncertainty. He also explained why some groups, such as migrants and prisoners, are still struggling to access education.

Whether you like it or not, the term "woke" has entered our vocabulary. Born out of the anti-racist struggles of African Americans in the 1950s, it initially meant awake or politically aware. More recently, its meaning has morphed into a derogatory term, often used by right-wing commentators, for people who fight for a cause. Here in France, the term le wokisme is also emerging, but nearly always in its negative connotation. In Perspective, we spoke to Alex Mahoudeau, author of "La panique woke, anatomie d'une offensive réactionnaire", or "Woke panic, anatomy of a reactionary offensive".

France is in for "a lot more fireworks to come" after President Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance lost its absolute majority in parliament in Sunday's elections. That's the view of Andrew Smith from Chichester University in the UK. He say the French parliament could be a lame duck if Emmanuel Macron "takes a hostile attitude" towards it. Smith says the immediate challenge for the president is to see if he can form some sort of working majority with the conservative Les Républicains, who are now kingmakers, or whether the latter "will hold out and remain a party of opposition".

The war in Ukraine upended all aspects of daily life for Ukrainians, journalists included. In a matter of days, The Kyiv Independent newsroom went from being a three-month-old startup with only around 30,000 visits per week, to one of the world's most important on-the-ground sources for the conflict with millions of followers. Alexander Query, a French reporter working for The Kyiv Independent, joined us on Perspective to talk about how the war has transformed the media outlet.

South Sudan's independence in 2011 was supposed to bring hope for a better future after decades of conflict. Instead, the world's youngest nation descended into civil war, with violence continuing despite a 2018 peace deal. As hope in the government's ability to end the conflict dwindles, civil society is stepping in with grassroots peacebuilding efforts. Thomas Sametin co-directed the documentary "For the Sake of Peace", which profiles two of these peacebuilders. He joined us on Perspective to tell us more.