The Interview

In an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24, Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin ruled out a referendum on Irish unity in the next few years. "I don't foresee a border poll certainly over the next number of years, not during the lifetime of this government," he said. The Taoiseach also insisted the Northern Ireland Protocol would be implemented despite the current post-Brexit "teething problems".

Haitian Minister of Foreign Affairs Claude Joseph spoke to FRANCE 24 about concerns the United States and the international community have of the recent political turmoil in his country over the presidential term limit.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Iran's ambassador to the UN discussed the possibility of a US return to the 2015 nuclear deal under the Biden administration. Majid Takht-Ravanchi said that since it was Washington that withdrew from the accord, "it's quite clear who should take the first step". Asked about the war in Yemen, he said Tehran was "encouraging all sides" in the conflict to "agree to a general ceasefire". Finally, the former deputy foreign minister said Iran was willing to do a prisoner swap, but that the US had so far not accepted the offer.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Amrullah Saleh, the first vice president of Afghanistan, said that the Taliban had breached their commitments under the landmark deal agreed with the US last year. He also welcomed the decision of the Biden administration to review US policy on Afghanistan with "wide eyes and open ears".

In an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh hailed a ruling by the International Criminal Court allowing an investigation into possible war crimes committed by Israel and Palestinian factions. He urged the court’s chief prosecutor to open a formal probe, noting that it would be an important step towards the international recognition of Palestine as a state.

Dubbed the "Indiana Jones of the art world", Arthur Brand is perhaps the world's greatest art detective. He has spent his life tracking down some of the most important stolen masterpieces, from Dalis to Picassos. Brand became famous in 2015 when he recovered two giant bronze statues that were among Adolf Hitler's favourites. He recounts his fascinating investigation in a new book, "Hitler's Horses: The Incredible True Story of the Detective who Infiltrated the Nazi Underworld". He spoke to FRANCE 24's Valériane Gauthier.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of the UN agency in charge of Palestinian refugees, warned that his agency was on the edge of financial collapse. He said he was only able to pay the salaries of his employees in late 2020 thanks to last-minute contributions and borrowing. He held out hope that the Biden administration would resume its funding for UNRWA, which was ended under Donald Trump in 2018.

Dr. John Nkengasong, the head of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), granted an interview to FRANCE 24 from Addis Ababa. He said he was "extremely concerned" about the second wave of the coronavirus in Africa, where mortality rates in more than 20 African countries are higher than the global average. Nkengasong also warned that the South African variant of Covid-19 is spreading to other African nations. He rejoiced at the Biden administration rejoining the WHO in the global fight against Covid-19, saying it was "a happy day for the global health community".

Gulbahar Haitiwaji lives in France and belongs to China's Uighur minority, a mainly Muslim community from the northwestern province of Xinjiang. Back in 2016, her life changed dramatically. Summoned to return to China under a spurious pretext, she was thrown into prison then sent to a "re-education" camp. She recounts the appalling conditions of her detention in a new book entitled "Survivor of the Chinese Gulag". The Chinese "want to wipe out the culture and the tradition of the Uighurs and eradicate the Uighurs themselves", she told FRANCE 24.

Lebanon remains in a deep financial crisis, with many people struggling to make ends meet. Meanwhile, the country is still without a government, five months after the devastating Beirut blast. Riad Salameh, the governor of Lebanon's central bank, denies any responsibility for the financial crisis. "My conscience is clear," he told FRANCE 24's Marc Perelman in an exclusive interview in Beirut, strongly hinting that he had been made a scapegoat.