Perspective FRANCE 24

Thousands of people in Portugal are marking the fiftieth anniversary of the country's Carnation Revolution – a military coup that put an end to Europe's longest dictatorship and to 13 years of colonial wars in Africa. The 1974 revolt, which was led by a group of idealist left-leaning young military captains, quickly turned into a popular uprising as the troops were joined by jubilant crowds. It was nicknamed the Carnation Revolution after the flowers that protesters placed in the soldiers' guns and tanks, in a rare example of a military coup being staged to install democracy. Yves Léonard, a professor and researcher at Paris's Sciences Po University, is the author of numerous books on Portugal's modern history. He spoke to us in Perspective.

Amnesty International is accusing Israel of a flagrant disregard for international law during its offensive in Gaza. The organisation's annual report says the situation is being compounded by the failures of Israel's allies to stop the indescribable civilian bloodshed being seen in the Palestinian enclave. It is one of the main criticisms in the report, which says the world is seeing a near-breakdown of international law, amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and massive human rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar. In Perspective, we spoke to one of the researchers on the report who worked specifically on the Middle East. Palestinian writer Budour Hassan reiterated Amnesty's call for Israel to allow to human rights investigators and journalists "unfettered access" to Gaza.

Africa's Sahel region now accounts for almost half of all deaths from terrorism worldwide. That was the stark warning heard at a high-level summit in Nigeria that aims to counter terrorism across Africa. It comes as the threat of Islamist extremist attacks is on the rise. International troops, notably French forces, have been forced to leave Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger after a series of coups. In Perspective, we spoke to Stig Jarle Hansen, a professor of international relations at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and the author of "Horn, Sahel and Rift: Fault-lines of the African Jihad". He told us that the withdrawal of French troops has inevitably led to the spread of Islamist militant attacks, and that a "Cold War" is playing out amid increased Russian influence in the region.

Indians begin voting on Friday in what will be the world's biggest-ever election, with nearly a billion registered voters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist BJP is seen as the favourite, but faces a challenge from a huge centre-left opposition coalition. We speak to Louise Tillin of the King's College India Institute about what's at stake. She says that at the heart of these elections lies a battle for the future of India's democracy, amid concerns about unequal media coverage, election financing and the arrest of opposition leaders at the start of the campaign.

Exactly five years after the fire that destroyed the roof and badly damaged the rest of Paris's Notre-Dame Cathedral, one of those who worked on the project has spoken of the camaraderie of the team reconstructing the edifice and the skill of their achievement. Valentin Pontarollo is a carpenter who finished working on the roof just a few weeks ago. The carpentry of the structure is now complete. In Perspective, he told us of his joy at what the team has achieved, five years after tons of 13th-century oak either caught fire or was sent crashing down into the nave below. 

A 21-year-old bird watcher or birder, who is quickly becoming one of the world's leading lights on environmental issues, has spoken to FRANCE 24 about her passion for birds and the environment. Mya-Rose Craig talked about her early introduction to birding and how magical she found the creatures to be. It has led her to become a major campaigner to ensure their habitats survive, something that has grown into other campaigns to help the environment. She is also the creator of the charity Black2Nature, which aims to help Black and minority ethnic children see and understand nature. Her book "Birdgirl" has now been published in French. She joined us for Perspective.