The Debate
A live debate on the topic of the day, with four guests. From Monday to Thursday at 7:10pm Paris time.
Episodes
Has France failed its children? Outrage over murder of 11-year-old Lyhanna
Here in France, outrage over the apparent failure to stop the murder of 11-year-old Lyhanna. The suspect – a 41-year-old father of one of her schoolmates – had previously been flagged over suspected paedophile offences but was never questioned. We'll ask what went wrong and examine why a string of child abuse cases is forcing France to confront difficult questions about prevention, accountability
Unbreakable Kim? China's Xi visits Russia-backed North Korean leader
It takes convincing these days to get China's leader to go abroad. Xi Jinping has just wrapped up what was only his first foreign visit of 2026. Why Pyongyang? It's hard to deduce from official readouts of that two-day state visit to neighbouring North Korea. Was it politeness after a pair of visits by Kim Jong Un to Beijing? Celebrations of the 65th anniversary of their mutual defence pact? Or is
Who calls the shots? Trump tries to rein in Netanyahu, salvage Iran deal
The US president believed those who insisted he could wrap up hostilities by the end of March, long before the November midterms. If not, the off-ramp would be easy to find. But did Donald Trump factor in that his main ally in the war against Iran was also gearing up for a campaign? That's right: Benjamin Netanyahu is running for re-election. This past weekend, Israel's prime minister ignored the
Cancer breakthroughs: Does a string of advances signal turning point?
It’s not every day that a standing ovation at a medical conference goes viral. Dateline: Chicago, at the annual conference of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Doctors from around the world rose to their feet to applaud the announcement of a new pill that doubles survival time for pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest forms of the disease. The conference also brought major advances in b
Can Europe own its digital destiny? EU unveils tech sovereignty roadmap
The list is long: strategic sectors in which Europe is rarely master of its own destiny – energy, manufacturing, even its nuclear deterrence. But what about digital? Who even owns the personal data of Europe's citizens? The European Commission is unveiling its tech sovereignty roadmap this Wednesday. At the dawn of the artificial intelligence revolution, as investors around the world anticipate re
The Macron method: How to deal with Putin's Russia?
Here's one for free speech absolutists to chew on: What should the French government do when the former head of Russian state television's French-language channel is offered a place of rank on an all-news station with a free-to-air broadcast license and she touts Kremlin propaganda lines with little or no pushback or fact-checking? Introducing Xenia Fedorova, who's just had her 10-year residency p
Forever at war? US, Iran trade blows as Israel pushes deeper into Lebanon
What happened to that four-week campaign that the Pentagon promised? Overnight volleys between Iran and the United States are met by many with a shrug, so often has the current ceasefire been violated. Even the deal in the works is mostly to roll over that fragile truce and open more talks, not to permanently settle differences. Ceasefires and their violations seem to be the norm, as Israel and He
No love for Arsenal? English fans divided ahead of Champions League final
What exactly is the issue with Arsenal? Here in France, we just assume that everyone in England is enamored with the storied team of Arsène Wenger, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira…and all the other greats all the way to the team’s present French defender William Saliba. Ahead of the Champions League final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, our panel delves into the not-always-rational, always-
Where does Europe's far right turn? Populists look to distance themselves from Trump
If the first thing Europeans think of when they fill up at the pump is Donald Trump's decision to attack Iran, it's little wonder that previously pro-MAGA populists are quietly distancing themselves from the president of the United States. In fact, Trump actively campaigning for Peter Magyar's rival actually helped Hungary's new conservative prime minister boot out Viktor Orban, his predecessor of
Hotter than July: Can electrification save humanity from soaring heat?
Europe's in meltdown, and it's not even June yet. We're seeing a not-so merry month of May as record highs explode under a heat dome that's drifted north from the Sahara. After the frying pan of an energy crisis, the fire of a heatwave is forcing a reset by the same politicians who pandered to those who complained about the cost and red tape of recent energy transition policy. Enter Emmanuel Macro
End in sight? Hormuz, nukes at the heart of US-Iran sticking points
Three months into what was originally billed as four-week war, is an end really in sight? Donald Trump's messaging on bargaining with Iran was enough to push Brent crude oil below $100 a barrel for the first time in two weeks. Both Washington and Tehran are managing expectations of a final deal or "memorandum of understanding". Time is not on Trump's side, what with a World Cup to host in less tha
Tipping point? The scramble to contain global energy crisis
It's easy to lecture world leaders about how fuel subsidies ruin the environment and bleed state coffers dry, but try telling that to beleaguered Bolivians and cornered Kenyans, two of the many nations where the energy crisis has reached breaking point with citizens unable to keep up with prices at the pump. It's not just in the Americas, Africa and Asia where the Iran war is destroying livelihood
Ebola returns: How to fight outbreak amid defunding of global health?
Can border walls keep out pandemics? The World Health Organization is officially branding the Ebola outbreak in eastern DR Congo a "public health emergency of international concern". As the death toll from the rare strain climbs, so does the number of contact cases. Ituri province may seem remote on a map, but nowhere's very far in a globalised world. Watch moreEbola in DR Congo: 'This could be a
Putin on the back foot? Russian president in China as Ukraine campaign stalls
Days after Donald Trump left Beijing, it's Vladimir Putin's turn in the Chinese capital, where the Russian president can boast that unlike his US counterpart, he'll be signing actual business deals. But the biggest one may have to wait. Xi Jinping is in no hurry to agree to the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, which would double Russia's exports to China. We ask why, particularly during a global e
Cuba instead? Trump ups pressure on Havana as Iran campaign stalls
If Venezuela proved easier than Iran – where Donald Trump's still looking for a win – could that explain why the attention seems to be turning to Cuba? The United States last week dispatched its CIA director to Havana and offered aid, all the while its crippling blockade is plunging the Communist island nation in the dark. We talk about carrots and sticks in the latest of a long, very long list of
China's Xi woos Trump with state banquet: Taiwan on the table?
From the Temple of Heaven to the Forbidden City, plenty of great power pageantry was on display as the leaders of the world's two mightiest nations toasted each other at an official state banquet. The US president was flanked by the likes of Elon Musk, Tim Cook of Apple and Jensen Huang of chipmaking leader Nvidia – tech titans keen to see trade tensions smoothed over. Hardly surprising, then, tha
Should politics and culture mix? Inside the Eurovision 2026 controversy
Eurovision has hit a "bum note" over the participation of Israel in this year's song contest. Demonstrations are planned in Vienna against the presence of Noam Bettan and his song "Michelle". He succeeded in getting through the semi-final 24 hours ago, but his appearance was greeted by chants of "Stop the genocide." Five nations who usually take part have pulled out in protest, including serial Eu
Whose art of the deal? Trump and Xi to meet in Beijing
US President Donald Trump is travelling to Beijing, where he will be hosted by his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. On the agenda are a series of issues that could cement the superiority of one over the other, and even lead to a new world order. Beneath the diplomatic and friendly language there are messages that will be hard to digest for one of the two men. Behind the handshake, there’s a likely
Is Africa ready for the AI revolution? The scramble for resources, jobs, digital sovereignty
Nations like Kenya are looking to scale up their ability to meet Africa's artificial intelligence needs. Recently, the likes of Zambia, Zimbabwe and most recently Ghana turned down deals to store citizens' data in the United States. For France, a summit like the Africa Forward one in the Kenyan capital Nairobi is an opportunity to offer a third way between US and Chinese tech. We bring you a speci
Still no sign of a solution in Iran: US president says war will be over soon
Donald Trump again says the Iran war will be over "soon". The US president has said this in some way, shape or form a number of times in recent days. Yet there's still no solution on the horizon in the Middle East. On March 9, Trump said the war was "very complete, pretty much". On March 24, he reportedly said the US and Israel had "won" the war. On April 14, in a Fox Business interview, Trump sai
Starmer's last stand? The UK local elections
Never have local elections in the United Kingdom been so loaded with implications. The rise in popularity of two parties – Reform UK and the Greens – raises questions about the political system, which has for so long been based on two main parties. But on a wider scale, the fate of the UK prime minister could be in play. Keir Starmer has been under pressure, it seems, ever since winning the 2024
How unbreakable is Iran's regime? Tehran defiant despite deepening hardship for citizens
Iran's economy may be teetering on the brink of collapse, but does that really threaten its regime? Monday's flare-up of hostilities across the Strait of Hormuz makes clear that oil's not about to start flowing freely again. Tehran and Washington are both signalling they can bear the pain of lost revenue and inflation, with Iran arguably taking that brinkmanship further. When missiles target the E
Poking the bear? Armenia welcomes European leaders in Russia's backyard
Just as Europe frets over fresh Trump tariffs, a US troop drawdown announced for Germany and the message it sends to a hostile Russia, how about not one but two summits in former Soviet state Armenia. Before a first-ever gathering of EU leaders in Yerevan on Tuesday comes the European Political Community: a talk shop with regional players which also include Ukraine and NATO heavyweights like the U
Musk vs Altman: Beyond battle of egos, who gets final say on AI?
Is it just another billionaires' battle of egos or does the $150 billion lawsuit that pits Elon Musk against Sam Altman go to the heart of how artificial intelligence could determine the future of humanity? We ask about the origin story of OpenAI, founded by some of Silicon Valley's leading luminaries as a non-profit organisation that would put innovation at the service of a socially responsible A
