Perspective

With the first round of voting in France's presidential election now only six days away, we explore latest the twists and turns of the campaign trail with Andrew Smith, a professor of contemporary French history at the University of Chichester. He unpicks incumbent Emmanuel Macron's rock star-style rally at the La Défense arena over the weekend, which aimed at reassuring undecided voters on both the centre left and centre right. We also discuss the chances of Macron's historic far-right rival Marine Le Pen, who's led a low-key campaign and could benefit from high abstention.

To some people, war may be an abstraction that they only imagine happening elsewhere. Or perhaps it's something that they have experienced personally, either directly or indirectly. Either way, the concept of war extends far beyond the battlefield, appearing in computer or video games, at weapons trade fairs or in movies. In short, some argue it has become a consumer good much like any other. Photographer Rafael Heygster explores this theme in his photo exhibit "I Died 22 Times". He joined us for Perspective to tell us more.

On March 30, Russia's foreign minister made his first visit to China since the start of the war in Ukraine, declaring that Moscow and Beijing will move towards a "multipolar, just, democratic world order". US President Joe Biden, meanwhile, told a business roundtable meeting that the US must lead what he described as a "new world order". So what does Russia's invasion of Ukraine say about the new global balance of power? Michael Cox, Emeritus Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics, joined us for Perspective to tell us more.

A new film paints a portrait of the woman known in South Sudan as the "mother of the nation". The film follows Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior, who is the widow of revolutionary leader and national hero John Garang de Mabior, in her role as the country's vice president amid a fragile peace deal in the country. The portrait is remarkable for its intimate access as its director is also her daughter, Akuol de Mabior. She joined us for Perspective to tell us more about "No Simple Way Home".

As the global rights watchdog Amnesty International unveils its annual report, the group's Secretary General Agnès Callamard joined us for Perspective. In the report, she accused Russia of turning humanitarian corridors in Ukraine into "death traps" – a tactic she says was used in Syria and Chechnya. Callamard also hit out at the UN Security Council for failing to "act adequately in the face of atrocities". Speaking to FRANCE 24, she slammed "our failure to reform" multilateral institutions, adding that the use of veto has meant that the UN Security Council has been "unable to address conflict" in several countries, with Ukraine the latest example.

Two weeks from now, France will know who is into the second round of the presidential election. The candidates will then enter a crucial final two-week period when the gloves are expected to come off in the battle to win votes. This weekend saw a last-ditch attempt by far-right pundit Eric Zemmour to win back support after losing momentum. Meanwhile, the far left’s Jean-Luc Mélenchon is rising in the polls but incumbent Emmanuel Macron, the favourite to win, remains well ahead. Andrew Smith of Chichester University spoke to us about where the campaign stands.

Kyiv is calling on the West to widen sanctions on Russian television personalities, accusing them of espousing propaganda. Within Russian borders, the Kremlin is maintaining tight control over the airwaves, with media outlets pushing the narrative that the war in Ukraine is not only legitimate, but also a military success. Separately, the EU has banned Russian outlet RT and Kremlin-controlled Sputnik from broadcasting in the bloc. For more, we're joined by Vladimir Slivyak, co-chair of the Russian environmental group Ecodefense and winner of the Alternative Nobel Prize. He told us that although it's "getting increasingly difficult" in Russia to obtain independent information about the war, some of it is still getting through to Russian citizens.

Baky Meïté is a former captain of the Ivory Coast rugby team. Back in the spring of 2020, he put his rugby career on hold to work as a janitor in a geriatric hospital in Paris. He has now published a book, "Les Chiffons Bleus", as a tribute to his former colleagues who appear somewhat forgotten today. He joined us for Perspective.

Earlier this month, South Korea held one of its most closely contested presidential elections in recent history. Conservative candidate Yoon Suk-yeol weaponised a sexist blacklash against feminism and won the race by just over 263,000 votes. Despite the slim margin, South Korean feminists fear the consequences for women will be severe, especially for a country that already has the largest gender pay gap among developed nations. Journalist and author Hawon Jung joined us on Perspective to tell us more.

Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate began her activism back in 2019 by staging a solo climate protest at the gates of the Ugandan parliament, before going on to co-found both the Rise Up Movement and Fridays for Future Uganda. She is currently in Paris as part of a delegation of Ugandan and Tanzanian activists who are fighting to drum up opposition to a huge oil pipeline under construction in East Africa. She joined us for Perspective to tell us more about her activism, her hopes for her meeting with Pope Francis and how she feels about being dubbed the African Greta Thunberg.