Perspective

NFTs – or non-fungible tokens – are effectively a digital proof of sale, and it's fair to say they’re having a moment. Most recently an iconic YouTube home video from 2007 called "Charlie bit my finger" has been sold for a six-figure sum as an NFT, with the family who made it pledging that the winning bidder is now "the sole owner of this lovable piece of internet history". So how exactly do NFTs work? And could they transform the way we do business in the future? We speak to financial technology expert James Bowden, a lecturer at the University of Strathclyde.

In recent days, an uneasy peace has settled over Israel and Gaza, after 11 days of bloody fighting came to an end last week. As clean-up operations continue, we speak to Stanford University History Professor Joel Beinin about his belief that Hamas has positioned itself as "the one force in Palestinian society that stood up against Israel", with the militant group stepping into the void left by the Palestinian Authority.

Rumaitha Al Busaidi is a woman of many talents. As a marine scientist, she's advised the Omani government on how to diversify away from reliance on oil and gas, and as the youngest Omani woman to set foot on the South Pole she hopes to show young Arab women that they too can defy stereotypes and pursue their dreams. More recently, she's released a TED Talk in which she argues that empowering women and girls will be key to reducing global carbon emissions. She joined us for Perspective.

Here in France, with cafés, museums and cinemas now open again after more than six months of restrictions, FOMO – or the "fear of missing out" – is in the air once again. But what about "NOMO", the necessity of missing out? We speak to artist, writer and educator Jenny Odell about the perils of social media, the restorative power of nature and how lockdowns have changed us. She is the author of "How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy".

"Conflict is an Anglophone construct to tell a story." That's the view of Irish author Ronan Hession, whose first novel "Leonard and Hungry Paul" was low on car chases or other high-level drama, instead focusing on the quite lives of two ordinary men and their friendship. His second book "Panenka" also depicts quiet people trying to find their way in the world. Hession reads mostly non-Anglophone literature, pointing out that it represents the vast majority of publications. It's a move that has opened him up to a wide variety of forms of storytelling. He joined us for Perspective.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel did not become interested in politics until the fall of the Berlin Wall. She is now preparing to bow out after 15 years in power and four terms as chancellor. French journalist Marion Van Renterghem has just published a book in French, entitled "C'etait Merkel" ("That was Merkel"). She tells us more about the childhood and early years of the woman who rose to the top of German politics but never lost her strong moral compass.

To mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, we speak to Alice Nkom. She became Cameroon's first female lawyer in her early 20s and now at 76 is one of the few people defending the rights of homosexuals and transgender people there. Despite death threats, she is still calling loudly for change in Cameroon, where people are imprisoned because of their sexual orientation. In a recent case, two men were sentenced to five years in prison simply for wearing women's clothes. Nkom joined us for Perspective to tell us more about her tireless fight for LGBT rights.

Last year, France Télévisions reporter Arnauld Miguet became the last remaining Western journalist in Wuhan, as the Chinese city experienced 133 days of the world's most restrictive Covid-19 lockdown. From the early rumours of a mysterious new virus, to the challenges of reporting in a ghost town, Miguet's new book "133 jours à Wuhan" offers a unique perspective on the early days of the global pandemic. He shared his experience with Haxie Meyers-Belkin.

As Hamas rockets continue to rain down on Israel, Israel is vowing to push on with its air strikes against the group's positions in the Gaza Strip. But this time, the conflict is also spilling over into so-called "mixed" towns and cities within Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling for an end to the "savagery" of violent clashes between Jewish and Arab neighbours. We discuss this latest troubling aspect to the conflict with Alain Dieckhoff, a research professor at Sciences Po University specialising in Israeli politics and society.

"The British government has left us out in the cold," says Terence Knott. He's the man behind EUBritizens, an action group of British people living in Europe whose lives have changed dramatically due to Brexit. They've lost their freedom of movement and their right to study, their professional qualifications no longer apply and some are even stuck at home unable to drive as their driving licenses are no longer valid. They're aiming long term to win back European citizenship, starting with a legal case to allow them the right to vote in Europe as they say they've been disenfranchised. Knott joined us for Perspective.