The Debate

By FRANCE 24 English

The Debate episodes

June 10, 2019 Hong Kong's last stand? Massive protest against China-backed extradition bill
How much does China still need Hong Kong in its current embodiment? The Beijing-backed authority in that former British colony remains unmoved by the sea of humanity in the streets on Sunday to protest a bill that effectively allows extradition to the mainland of political prisoners. Hong Kong is due to keep its "one country, two systems" status until 2047. Activists accuse Xi Jinping of moving the clock forward.
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June 06, 2019 D-Day commemorations: Leaders, veterans honour sacrifice on Normandy beaches
It is a little piece of US soil inside an 80-kilometre stretch of Normandy coast. At the American cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the 150,000 Allied troops who landed 75 years ago today to free France from the Nazis. Before lunch between the two presidents and their wives in nearby Caen, Macron awarded the Legion d'honneur, France's highest award for merit, to five US veterans.
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June 05, 2019 D-Day 75th anniversary: The story of The Longest Day
This week, the world is marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the beginning of the end of World War II. On June 6, 1944, 150,000 British, American and Canadian troops stormed the beaches of Normandy. It was a dramatic bid to free France from the Nazis with the biggest combined land, air and naval operation in history. We take a closer look at the strategy and intricate preparation it took to prepare the Normandy invasion but also the effect it had on the thousands who took part.
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June 04, 2019 Tiananmen then and now: What's left of China student protests?
"A regime that shoots on its own youth has no future", said France's then president François Mitterrand in reaction to the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. Back then, Tiananmen seemed like a prelude to what could only be the irreversible drive of history towards universal liberal multiparty democracy. But today, China has gone from strength to strength without the reform the youth demanded. A sizable portion of mainland China's population is even completely unaware of what happened.
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June 03, 2019 The EU elections effect: Are we seeing a shift of power?
European elections have never been so significant and the fall-out keeps on coming. In France, the leader of the centre-right party Les Républicains, Laurent Wauquiez, has resigned, citing the poor results for his party in the European elections eight days ago. And it does not end there. Andrea Nahles of Germany’s SPD has also walked - another party caned by the voters. The political landscape of Europe is changing, or so we are led to think. But where will all this lead us?
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May 30, 2019 Israel votes... again: Netanyahu and Lieberman spar over religious right
Neither Israel's prime minister nor his far-right former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman are blinking in their showdown over whether ultra-Orthodox Jews should do military service. Is this the Jewish state's new political divide, between secularists and the religious? With the left fading from relevancy, we ask if this will become the new hot-button issue when Israelis vote again in September. The stakes are personal for Netanyahu: he is seeking immunity in several corruption probes.
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May 29, 2019 Marriage of equals? Fiat-Chrysler, Renault and Nissan in tie-up talks
Wedding bells are in the air between Italy and France's flagship champions of state-backed industry. The Fiat-Chrysler-Renault merger would create the world's third-largest automaker. Perhaps even the first - but only if Renault's alliance partner Nissan signs on. Nissan was left in the dark over negotiations after resisting a full merger with Renault. It will have to decide if it is willing to trade market share for autonomy. Someone will probably have to swallow a whole lot of national pride.
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May 28, 2019 Who calls the shots? Tense bargaining over EU top jobs
We know Europe's balance of power is shifting. We just do not yet know in which direction. Horse-trading is on the agenda as leaders of the bloc meet for an informal summit in Brussels after Sunday's EU elections that for the first time ever failed to give a single voting bloc an outright majority. It is Members of the European Parliament that have to confirm nominations to the Commission. We discuss whether it will be MEPs or national leaders who have the upper hand.
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May 27, 2019 Whose Europe? EU elections end dominance of mainstream blocs
The highest participation in an EU election for 25 years has pushed the two mainstream centre-right and centre-left blocs below 50% of the vote. They are still the top two vote-getters across the continent, but the momentum is definitely with either those who want a lot more Europe or a lot less. It's all about who now calls the shots in Brussels, picking new European commissioners, a new boss of the European Central Bank and deciding on security, immigration and energy transition.
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May 24, 2019 May resignation, EU elections, Modi landslide win and climate change protests
Our panel of journalists discuss the big topics of the week, starting with the resignation of British Prime Minister Theresa May due on 7th June. Meanwhile, EU elections are underway in Ireland and the Czech Republic. In India, 303 seats for Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist BJP in general elections where the Congress party could only win 52. And, environmental challenges felt across Europe with high school students again staging Fridays for the future rallies.
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A live debate on the topic of the day, with four guests. From Monday to Thursday at 7:10pm Paris time.

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