The Debate

By FRANCE 24 English

The Debate episodes

December 24, 2018 Amazon almighty: How far will the e-commerce giant go?
Let the person who has not bought that last-minute Christmas present on Amazon cast the first stone. As Amazon nears its 25th birthday, we take a look at whether the Seattle-based firm founded by Jeff Bezos has managed to conquer the world of shopping. Online shopping may cost less, but it comes at the price of handing over sensitive information to the ever-growing e-commerce giant. We've talked a lot about Google and Facebook's outsized power, but does the real power ultimately lie with Amazon?
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December 20, 2018 What's an education worth? The row over France's plan to hike foreign student tuition
France is in the throes of student protests against a spectacular tuition fee hike for foreign students. They currently pay little more than the nominal fee of their French counterparts, this in a nation where the right to higher education is written into the constitution. Will these fee increases scare away foreigners and dent France's ambition of attracting half a million foreign students a year within the next decade?
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December 19, 2018 Inside Libya: How to build a functioning state?
Seven years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, as the year draws to an end, here's the abridged version of Libya: fewer migrants crossing the Mediterranean, fewer terror attacks - but the same political standoff, with rival governments and militias disputing each other's legitimacy. To get a sense of where it's going, and whether international mediation is on the right track, FRANCE 24's team went to Libya. We watch excerpts from our reporting and ask our panel about Europe's role.
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December 18, 2018 High risk, high stakes: DR Congo on edge ahead of overdue elections
It's an election that's two years overdue, in a nation that's never yet experienced a peaceful transition of power through the ballot box. We look at the main players taking part in Sunday's high-stakes vote in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We also take a look at what's next for a vast and resource-rich nation with a vibrant population of 80 million.
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December 17, 2018 Beijing's brand of capitalism: The terms and conditions of doing business with China
What are the terms and conditions of doing business with China? Western business executives off the record say they're spooked by the arrest of two Canadian nationals in what's seen as retaliation for the extradition proceedings launched in Vancouver against the chief financial officer of phone and tech giant Huawei. The charges pressed by the United States raise questions that go well beyond the current trade war with Beijing and the battle for tech supremacy.
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December 13, 2018 Popular discontent: No closure for Brexit at EU summit
What do the people want? We asked the question at the start of the week as France's "Yellow Vest" protests headed into a fifth week. We asked the question again when the UK prime minister pulled the vote in parliament on Brexit. Now it's on to Brussels, where a constant din of insurgent blowback weighs on EU leaders, who find themselves with the same Theresa May but no closer to closure on Brexit and just as divided over how to address the frustrations of EU citizens who themselves are divided.
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December 12, 2018 Aye or Nay? Theresa May faces leadership challenge over Brexit
It could either be the end of the road for Theresa May or a chance to crush dissent within the Tory ranks. The UK prime minister has been lobbying for lawmakers’ support all day, fighting the vote with all she's got - as she promised outside Downing Street this morning. May still has the support of Tory Remainers, but there are reports that they too will desert her if she leaves the so-called meaningful vote on Brexit until after Christmas. So what next? And will the other 27 just sit and watch?
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December 11, 2018 Change of course? Macron concessions fail to satisfy Yellow Vests
What will it take to end it? The first major concessions of Emmanuel Macron's presidency aren't enough for France's Yellow Vests to call off their leaderless movement. They vow to return to the capital next Saturday despite measures that include tax-free overtime and a €100 per month work bonus, or the equivalent of an 8.5 percent increase in the minimum wage. What more can Macron do?
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December 10, 2018 Yellow Vest movement: Can the French president quell the nation's anger?
After Yellow Vest protests sparked another weekend of violence in Paris, Emmanuel Macron is facing the biggest crisis of his presidency. Angry people from all over France converged on the Champs-Élysées to voice their anger. The ensuing violence saw a record number of arrests, with cars burning on the streets, plus shops and businesses targeted. Macron may have made a U-turn on the fuel tax increase that sparked these protests, but many still can't make ends meet. What will be his next move?
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December 06, 2018 The pressure on MBS: Washington pushes Saudi Arabia over Yemen, oil prices
There's nothing like a bit of outside pressure to concentrate minds. In Rimbo Castle, north of the Swedish capital Stockholm, warring sides in Yemen's civil war have sat down in the same room for the first time in two years. They're not yet speaking directly to each other, but talk of prisoner swaps, airport reopenings and truces is raising hopes. Why now and not before? Because of Jamal Khashoggi. Since the Saudi journalist’s murder, policymakers in Washington have lost patience with Riyadh.
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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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