The Debate

By FRANCE 24 English

The Debate episodes

September 04, 2023 France's dress code dispute: What's behind back-to-school ban on abayas?
France's 12 million pupils are back at school after the summer break. In a nation that prides itself on its state education system, hot topics include a lack of teachers, exam reform, the skyrocketing cost of supplies for parents and how to tackle bullying. But the education ministry's ban on the abaya, the loose-fitting dress worn by some women in Muslim countries, dominated headlines in the buildup to this first Monday of September.
44 min
August 31, 2023 Outcry over Spain football chief's forced kiss after World Cup win
How a scandal can steal the spotlight from a remarkable achievement. When the Spanish women won the World Cup on August 20, they would have been forgiven for thinking their names would be making headlines for weeks, months or even years. That is the case, but now because of the scandal over the unwanted, unsolicited kiss that was forced on star player Jenni Hermoso by the head of the Spanish Football Association, Luis Rubiales. What does this scandal say about the casual sexism in sport and more broadly, the sinister attitude of men who abuse their power in this way?
47 min
August 30, 2023 Gabon's turn: Will latest Africa coup mark end of Bongo family dynasty?
Soldiers in Gabon popped up on television in the pre-dawn hours to announce they had overthrown President Ali Bongo, just one hour after election results in the dead of night gave him a third term in office. We ask about the latest developments and who's in charge in Libreville.
42 min
August 29, 2023 Who blinks first? France defies Niger coup leaders' ultimatum
After Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso, this time it feels like it's personal. France's president took on all-comers in his annual address on Monday to his ambassadors in Paris: insisting his man in Niamey is staying put, defying an ultimatum from Niger's coup leaders and ruing what Emmanuel Macron sees as wavering on the part of European and US allies.
46 min
August 28, 2023 After Prigozhin: What next for Putin's Russia after demise of Wagner leader?
Will Wagner outlive its founder? Russian authorities have confirmed the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin and his number two in the downing of their private jet on a flight to his native St Petersburg. We ask about the downing of the plane on the two-month anniversary of his aborted march on Moscow and the thousands of irregulars on three continents who still answer to the private military company.
42 min
July 13, 2023 Modi on parade: Deals, displays and doubts as Indian PM visits France
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Paris this Thursday for a special visit. Modi is the guest of honour at the July 14 military parade on the Champs-Élysées, but his visit is also expected to deepen ties with New Delhi's oldest strategic partner in the West, with a deal worth over €5 billion for India to take delivery of 26 French Rafale fighter jets.
46 min
July 12, 2023 Exactly what Putin didn't want: What next for NATO after enlargement?
US President Joe Biden laid out his vision in Vilnius and threw down the gauntlet to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who is now further isolated by a NATO summit that strengthens the Alliance at Russia's border. That summit came in the wake of wavering Russian support for Putin's Ukraine campaign.
44 min
July 11, 2023 Is NATO up to the challenge? Putin's war tests Alliance's resolve
NATO is no longer brain dead. Emmanuel Macron, who authored that quip back in 2019, can thank Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine for that. But now that it's back to its original mission of containing Russia, can the Alliance keep up?
47 min
July 10, 2023 King of NATO? Biden and the fate of the war in Ukraine
Too old, too out of touch, gaffe-prone – the president of the United States has his critics. But has Russia's invasion of Ukraine put 80-year-old Joe Biden back in the saddle? The veteran Cold warrior sat down with the new British king on Monday, before flying to the NATO summit, where Washington's all-in attitude has been crucial for Kyiv and has put US might back at the heart of Europe's defence strategy.
46 min
July 08, 2023 The battle for cobalt: Investigating the dark side of electric car batteries
FRANCE 24 brings you a special debate about the battle for cobalt, a strategic mineral essential to making electric car batteries. Electric vehicles will help reduce the pollution caused by the internal combustion engine, the current standard for most motorised transport. But as our special full-length Reporters programme shows, the mining of the cobalt necessary for the batteries is already a source of human misery and damage to the environment, particularly in DR Congo. We delve into the issue with our guests, including the co-director of "The Battle for Cobalt", our documentary about the dark side of the cobalt rush.
27 min

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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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