The Debate

By FRANCE 24 English

The Debate episodes

January 10, 2023 French pension reform plan: Is Macron between a rock and a hard place?
The retirement age in France is to be raised from 62 to 64 years, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne has announced. The move is part of the reforms President Emmanuel Macron has been considering since he was first elected in 2017. The issue of changing the pension system in France is an explosive one. It has been a rolling topic on the agenda of successive presidents and governments since at least 1993. Each time, there have been strikes against it. This time around, unions have already called for strikes and protests on January 19.
44 min
January 09, 2023 Brazil’s democracy under threat? Lula vows post-riot crackdown on far-right supporters
Scenes of open revolt in Brazil - protestors invaded the Presidential palace and the Supreme court in the capital Brasilia. An angry mob of supporters of the defeated presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro. The far-right mob caused huge damage to the headquarters of the three Powers in Brasília: the Palácio do Planalto, the Congress, and the Federal Supreme Court.
45 min
January 05, 2023 Britain's winter of discontent? Strikes, shortages and Brexit create perfect storm
The UK is in the grip of a new winter of discontent. Strikes are taking place this Thursday across the board. Rail workers continue their rolling dispute that has stopped train services; they are calling for a better wage and conditions package. Health workers are striking over similar issues. Stories of nurses turning to food banks to feed their families are not anecdotal. Hospitals are reporting being overwhelmed by the combination of a staff shortage and the Covid-19 pandemic. Also out on strike this Thursday are driving instructors, rural finance adjudicators and London bus workers.
45 min
January 04, 2023 Chaos in the House: US right-wingers block Republican Party's speakership bid
The US Congress recovenes but cannot yet get down to work because there is no House speaker elected. Quick explainer here: the US Congress is in two chambers. The Senate is where the Democrats have the majority. The House of Representatives is where the problem lies. Without a House speaker, the wheels of power cannot turn. And a split in the majority party there, the Republicans, is causing a seizure in the motor of governance.
45 min
January 03, 2023 Can China cope? From zero to no Covid restrictions
Why did China suddenly go from draconian Covid restrictions to an "anything goes" approach? The nation where the coronavirus originated kept a lid on it for three years and an easing was expected after the October Communist Party congress. But to go from Covid protests in November to suddenly opening the floodgates and stopping the count on casualties makes for a stunning U-turn.
45 min
January 02, 2023 From Pelé to Lula: How to heal Brazil's divisions?
Sometimes a single person really can change the world. Pelé not only captured the planet's heart with his Midas touch, he also made football the world’s top spectator sport, acting as the graceful ambassador for the beautiful game. The king also put Brazil on the map. As a nation mourns, we ask about the Black shoeshine boy from the favelas who made a point – like the recently departed Queen Elizabeth II – of staying out of his country’s politics, both through dictatorship and democracy.
47 min
December 15, 2022 And in the end, France win? How history will remember Qatar World Cup
When did the French get so good at football? Perennial losers back in the 1980s, the defending World Cup champions are now in their second consecutive final, their fourth since 1998. Back then, a nation feted a win on home soil and a golden "black, blanc, beur" generation. On Wednesday night, France celebrated another black, white and Arab generation. The communion even included opposing fans, proud of a Morocco that's the first African and first Arab side to reach the final four at a World Cup.
45 min
December 14, 2022 Charm offensive: Biden courts continent at US-Africa summit
We've seen African summits in Paris, Brussels, Beijing and Ankara. For the second time ever, after 2014, Washington is hosting an African leaders' summit. With superpower rivalries heating up, no long lectures are planned on human rights and corruption. Instead, the Biden administration is bowing to the African Union’s own blueprint for sustainable growth. Is it the same script as former colonial powers France and Britain?
44 min
December 13, 2022 Winter war effort: How far will Ukraine's allies go?
The cold will not let up. Neither will the fighting. As a conference for Ukraine brings allies and investors to Paris, Russia continues to pound critical infrastructure. How to talk rebuilding when Moscow is still destroying? We ask our panel where the priorities lie, who pays for what and at what point national security interests trump trade and business as usual.
47 min
December 12, 2022 Cash from Qatar? European Parliament rocked by corruption scandal
Just when the on-field drama of the football finally seemed to be eclipsing everything else coming out of Qatar, the World Cup hosts are back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Doha denies any part in the piles of cash uncovered by Belgian police or the arrests that include a vice president of the European parliament. The greasing of the wheels allegedly came as the EU started to ponder visa-free travel to Qatari citizens. Why would the Gulf emirate even want the waiver?
45 min

About The Debate

From the publisher's feed

A live debate on the topic of the day, with four guests. From Monday to Thursday at 7:10pm Paris time.

Share The Debate

Sign up to save your podcasts

The Debate

The Debate episodes

About The Debate

More shows like The Debate

Global News Podcast

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Fareed Zakaria GPS

Intelligence Squared

Newshour

Amanpour

The Documentary Podcast

The Interview

arts24

People & Profit

Access Asia

Talking Europe

The 51%

Fashion

Inside Europe

Tech 24

Down to Earth

Business

Inside the Americas

Europe Rendezvous

The World This Week

GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

Reporters

Focus

Banlieue Project

The Ezra Klein Show

The Observers

Press Review

Ones and Tooze

The Observers Direct

The Foreign Affairs Interview

The Global Story