Perspective

It's an immense moment of pride for the whole team as French astronaut Thomas Pesquet and his crewmates return to Earth. The four astronauts splashed down successfully off the coast of Florida in a SpaceX capsule. It marks the end of Pesquet's six-month mission in space, where he became the first ever French astronaut to command the International Space Station. We spoke to his colleague and friend Rémi Canton, who led the mission for the CNES, the French space studies agency.

One year after Joe Biden was elected US president, Republicans must be feeling quite confident. That's the view of Thomas Gift, a lecturer in political science at UCL and founding director of the Centre on US Politics (CUSP). He says recent polls and election results point to a strong showing for Republicans in the US midterms in one year's time. The chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan is just one reason why voters are displeased with Biden, as well as deep divisions within the wider Democratic Party. However, Gift says the passing of Biden's infrastructure bill should give the president a boost.

Derived from the French word for obstacle course, parkour involves running, jumping, climbing and vaulting to get from one point to another in a complex environment. It carries symbolic weight for Palestinians Jehad and Abdallah, who practice the sport in the ruins of Gaza. For them, it almost literally embodies the daily struggles of life in the Palestinian enclave. Italian filmmaker Emanuele Gerosa's documentary "One More Jump" explores their story. He joined us for Perspective.

The blockade in Gaza makes the living conditions of its 2 million residents a constant struggle, disrupting every aspect of daily life. The periodic outbreaks of war with Israel have only deepened the humanitarian crisis, leaving nearly every civilian in the enclave affected. To confront the trauma, Malak Mattar turned to painting as an outlet. A form of healing and resistance, her brightly coloured works often depict women grappling with the complex reality of life in Gaza. She joined us for Perspective.

This Tuesday marks the start of a new phase in the November 2015 terror attacks trial in Paris. After weeks of testimony from survivors and relatives of victims, the court will hear from the defendants. Among them is Salah Abdeslam, the sole surviving member of the terrorist commando. French terrorism researcher Kevin Jackson has co-authored a graphic novel exploring the backgrounds of the attackers and the events leading up to the atrocities. He joined us for Perspective.

At the heart of the climate crisis is a profound injustice: poorer countries are the most vulnerable to climate change and the least responsible for it. According to British charity Oxfam, the poorest half of the world's population accounts for just 10 percent of global carbon emissions. One young leader from the Global South who's in Glasgow for COP26 is Kenyan activist Kevin Mtai, who joined us for Perspective. While Mtai is hopeful about the summit, he said he was disappointed by the presence of corporate sponsors, especially in contrast to the limited access given to climate activists.

Judge Ladoris Cordell was the first lawyer to open a private practice in east Paolo Alto, California and also the first African American woman to sit on the Superior Court in northern California. In her memoir, "Her Honor: My Life on the Bench," she offers a deeply intimate and informative account of navigating the flaws of the American justice system, as well as 10 suggestions on how to fix it. She joined Erin Ogunkeye for Perspective.

Through a series of compelling characters, our guest's book vividly evokes the teeming, sweltering city of Bangkok and captures the lush history of Thailand. Pitchaya Sudbanthad, author of "Bangkok Wakes to Rain", joined us on Perspective to discuss his vision for the book, how it sounds the alarm over climate change and what that could mean for Bangkok.

Coronavirus is not going to suddenly disappear and no one is safe until we're all safe. That's the message from Danny Altmann, Professor of Immunology at Imperial College London, as the northern hemisphere heads into the winter with worries of an explosion of Covid-19 cases. The increase is already being seen in the UK, where case numbers have risen to up to 50,000 a day. We spoke to him about how he thinks the Covid-19 response is going and what could be coming next.

In Perspective, FRANCE 24 looks at the past and present of one pocket of Southern Africa: the country of Angola. Paula Cristina Roque, who spent much of her Covid-19 lockdown penning a new book on Angola called "Governing In The Shadows", joins us from Lisbon to talk about her work.