Roundtable

Covid-19 infections in China are rampant. 90% of people in Hunan province alone are thought to be carrying the virus. Some European countries have responded by demanding negative tests from anyone arriving from China.

France, Italy and Spain have already imposed their own rules. China’s government says the restrictions are both ‘unreasonable and unacceptable’. So, is the EU’s Covid crackdown justified? Or, alternatively, does it perhaps not go far enough?

Guests:

Andy Mok

Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for China and Globalization

Dr Julian Tang

Clinical Virologist at the University of Leicester

Antoine Flahault

Director of the Institute of Global Health

Roundtable is a discussion programme with an edge. Broadcast out of London and presented by David Foster, it’s about bringing people to the table, listening to every opinion, and analysing every point of view. From fierce debate to reflective thinking, Roundtable discussions offer a different perspective on the issues that matter to you. Watch it every weekday at 15:30 GMT on TRT World.

Britain’s royal family is under attack from one of its own. In his new book ‘Spare’, Prince Harry gives his side of the rifts in a family that used to pride itself on keeping its inner workings secret.

But perhaps among the most damaging and possibly dangerous revelations are Harry’s nonchalant description of killing Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, and claims of possible racism towards his wife Meghan Markle. So, how much harm is being done to one of the world’s most famous families?

Guests:

Shola Mos-Shogbamimu

Political and Women’s rights activist

Richard Fitzwilliams

Royal Commentator

Roundtable is a discussion programme with an edge. Broadcast out of London and presented by David Foster, it’s about bringing people to the table, listening to every opinion, and analysing every point of view. From fierce debate to reflective thinking, Roundtable discussions offer a different perspective on the issues that matter to you. Watch it every weekday at 15:30 GMT on TRT World.

In July, a seventeen second TikTok video introducing the concept of Quiet Quitting went viral. The Creator Zaidleppelin said “it is not about outright quitting your job but quitting the idea of going above and beyond at work.”

The idea of doing the absolute bare minimum in your job struck a chord with the public.

A recent report by YorkTest found that following the video, Google searches for the term ‘quiet quitting’ increased 18,000%

So is quiet quitting a real phenomenon?

Guests:

Kate Magee

Editor of Management Today

Cary Cooper

Professor of Organisational Psychology, University of Manchester

Chris Neville

Secretary of Bury Trades Council and a union member

The funeral of Benedict the sixteenth is being seen as a watershed moment for the Roman Catholic church - and more than a billion worshippers world-wide. The former pope - who was the first in 600 years to resign - died last month aged 95.

Criticism and controversy marred his papacy, including child sex abuse scandals in many countries.

So what will be the legacy of Benedict?

Guests:

Thomas Reese

Catholic Jesuit priest

Christopher Lamb

Rome Correspondent for The Tablet

Brenden Thompson

Chief Executive of Catholic Voices

It’s a region Russia regards as its own backyard - but the European Union may be looking to strengthen its influence in Central Asia. The EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell recently met regional leaders in Tajikistan and stressed their strategic importance to Europe. Around the same time, Vladimir Putin hosted a similar gathering in Russia. But with the distraction of the war in Ukraine, is he losing his grip on a traditional sphere of influence?

Guests:

Paul Stroski

Senior Fellow at Carnegie’s Russia and Eurasia Program

Emil Avdaliani

Professor of International Relations at European University and Director of Middle East Studies at Geocas

Bruce Panier

Journalist and Political Analyst

Roundtable is a discussion programme with an edge. Broadcast out of London and presented by David Foster, it’s about bringing people to the table, listening to every opinion, and analysing every point of view. From fierce debate to reflective thinking, Roundtable discussions offer a different perspective on the issues that matter to you. Watch it every weekday at 15:30 GMT on TRT World.

If reports are true, Vladimir Putin thought the conflict in Ukraine would be over in a matter of days. But the fighting has now been raging for more than 10 months, shows no sign of ending and Russian forces have suffered a string of setbacks.

Ukrainian officials have said that Moscow is preparing a major offensive at the start of the new year. If that goes ahead, and fails to make a breakthrough, what will be the effect on the Russian President? Can he hold on to power in the face of defeat?

Guests:

Andrew D'Anieri

Assistant Director at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center

Domitilla Sagramoso

Senior Lecturer at King’s College London

Natia Seskuria

Fellow at RUSI

Roundtable is a discussion programme with an edge. Broadcast out of London and presented by David Foster, it’s about bringing people to the table, listening to every opinion, and analysing every point of view. From fierce debate to reflective thinking, Roundtable discussions offer a different perspective on the issues that matter to you. Watch it every weekday at 15:30 GMT on TRT World.

Climate activists are gluing themselves to gallery walls and throwing soup at masterpieces. They say their aim is to force people to pay attention to the environmental crisis. But it’s not obvious that they're increasing their support as a result.

In cities across Europe, from Madrid to London, protesters are resorting to new tactics. It’s not just about throwing food in galleries, but also stopping traffic on major roads causing massive disruption. Is this a strategy that wins, or loses, the sympathy of the public?

Guests:

Alex De Koning

Just Stop Oil Spokesperson

Rupert Read

Co-director of the Moderate Flank Incubator

Sally Hickson

Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Guelph

Roundtable is a discussion programme with an edge. Broadcast out of London and presented by David Foster, it’s about bringing people to the table, listening to every opinion, and analysing every point of view. From fierce debate to reflective thinking, Roundtable discussions offer a different perspective on the issues that matter to you. Watch it every weekday at 15:30 GMT on TRT World.

Military spending is on the rise globally. This year it passed $2 trillion for the first time. And it’s not just about America, or the conflict in Ukraine. Increased spending on weapons is happening across the world in countries like China, Iran and Nigeria.

This has led to criticism that governments are taking money that could be used to deal with climate change, to wage war instead, and the richest nations are the ones selling the weapons. So is the global arms trade making the climate crisis worse?

Guests:

Nick Buxton

Researcher at Transnational Institute

Pieter Wezeman

Senior Researcher with the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme

Roundtable is a discussion programme with an edge. Broadcast out of London and presented by David Foster, it’s about bringing people to the table, listening to every opinion, and analysing every point of view. From fierce debate to reflective thinking, Roundtable discussions offer a different perspective on the issues that matter to you. Watch it every weekday at 15:30 GMT on TRT World.

The G7, EU and Australia have put a price cap on Russian oil. This latest sanction against Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine means they will no longer pay more than 60 dollars a barrel, regardless of the market value.

Perhaps even more damaging for Russia is that insurance firms or shipping companies that do not respect the price cap will be prevented from working in European and G7 countries.

So will this measure do anything to force Russia to rethink its actions in Ukraine? Or will Moscow simply find a way around it?

Guests

Domitilla Sagramoso

Security and Development Lecturer Department of War Studies at King's College

Mark Gasic

International Affairs Analyst

Cornelia Meyer

Marco-Economist and Energy Analyst

The United States’ new national security strategy makes it clear that, despite events in Ukraine, America regards China as its main “immediate and ongoing threat".

Part of Washington’s plan is to persuade European allies to adopt the same hardline against Beijing.

However, not all members of Nato and the EU are quite as ready to put themselves in opposition to China - partly, because it could cost them some serious money.

Guests:

Guido Cozzi

professor of Macroeconomics at the University of St. Gallen

Amelia Hadfield

Head of Department of Politics at University of Surrey

Jamie Shea

Former Dept Asst Secretary General at NATO