The Debate

Days after Donald Trump left Beijing, it's Vladimir Putin's turn in the Chinese capital, where the Russian president can boast that unlike his US counterpart, he'll be signing actual business deals. But the biggest one may have to wait. Xi Jinping is in no hurry to agree to the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, which would double Russia's exports to China.

We ask why, particularly during a global energy crisis. Since 2022, Russia's dependence on China has grown as it remains bogged down in its war in Ukraine. Of late, the enemy's drones have been hitting key infrastructure further and further inside Russian territory. 

For its part, the Kremlin is publicly flexing its muscles with three days of joint military drills with Belarus to practice the deployment of nuclear weapons.

A show of strength or a show of weakness? Who's really got the momentum at the outset of yet another summer of war in Europe?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Margot Loizillon.

If Venezuela proved easier than Iran – where Donald Trump's still looking for a win – could that explain why the attention seems to be turning to Cuba? The United States last week dispatched its CIA director to Havana and offered aid, all the while its crippling blockade is plunging the Communist island nation in the dark. We talk about carrots and sticks in the latest of a long, very long list of US pressure campaigns.

History is littered by failed US attempts at regime change in Cuba, dating all the way back to 1959 and the revolution led by Fidel Castro – who would have turned 100 this year. We ask our panel if this time is any different for a regime that has survived embargoes and the end of the Cold War, the decline of agriculture and sugar cane exports, as well as successive waves of mass emigration. In this standoff, Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, has been front and center. Just how much does the US secretary of state's push jibe with what citizens of Cuba want or need?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Juliette Brown, Charles Wente.

From the Temple of Heaven to the Forbidden City, plenty of great power pageantry was on display as the leaders of the world's two mightiest nations toasted each other at an official state banquet.

The US president was flanked by the likes of Elon Musk, Tim Cook of Apple and Jensen Huang of chipmaking leader Nvidia – tech titans keen to see trade tensions smoothed over. Hardly surprising, then, that the laudatory toasts between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump were not what you might call straight talk.

But behind the scenes, critics worry if instead of straight talk, it's a straight swap and a tale of two Straits: our panel reacts to Trump's softer messaging on Taiwan – separated only from the mainland by the Strait of Formosa – and ask if Washington instead wants Beijing more involved in reopening the Strait of Hormuz. China is the largest importer of Iranian oil.

Whether it's Taiwan or artificial intelligence, is the course of history and global security being decided on a cocktail napkin at the Great Hall of the People? What do both countries – and leaders – have to gain? What do they have to lose?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Daniel Whittington, Guillaume Gougeon, Margot Loizillon.

Eurovision has hit a "bum note" over the participation of Israel in this year's song contest. Demonstrations are planned in Vienna against the presence of Noam Bettan and his song "Michelle". He succeeded in getting through the semi-final 24 hours ago, but his appearance was greeted by chants of "Stop the genocide." Five nations who usually take part have pulled out in protest, including serial Eurovision winners Ireland. The Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia and Iceland are also boycotting the event.

Read moreIsrael, Finland qualify for Eurovision final as five countries boycott contest

The question is: should politics and culture be kept separate? Is that even possible? Beyond that comes the question of whether or not one can criticise Israel or Zionism without then facing accusations of being an anti-Semite or anti-Jewish.

It is clear that many view Israel's military operation in Gaza and the West Bank as a genocide. But should this mean a singer can't take part in the Eurovision showcase event? We point out that Israel's war on Gaza is the reaction to the Hamas-led October 7 attack that killed 1,200 people, with 250 taken hostage. That clearly was an atrocity.

Isn't Eurovision an escape from reality? Or are there some realities we cannot escape from?

Produced by Mark Owen, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Guillaume Gougeon, Margot Loizillon.

US President Donald Trump is travelling to Beijing, where he will be hosted by his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. On the agenda are a series of issues that could cement the superiority of one over the other, and even lead to a new world order. Beneath the diplomatic and friendly language there are messages that will be hard to digest for one of the two men. Behind the handshake, there’s a likely arm wrestle over who has dibs where and when in the world. Our panel dissect what’s at stake and hopefully answer your questions in what is the most testing of times.

Produced by Mark Owen, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

Nations like Kenya are looking to scale up their ability to meet Africa's artificial intelligence needs. Recently, the likes of Zambia, Zimbabwe and most recently Ghana turned down deals to store citizens' data in the United States. For France, a summit like the Africa Forward one in the Kenyan capital Nairobi is an opportunity to offer a third way between US and Chinese tech. We bring you a special edition of The Debate from the summit in Nairobi.

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

Donald Trump again says the Iran war will be over "soon". The US president has said this in some way, shape or form a number of times in recent days. Yet there's still no solution on the horizon in the Middle East.

On March 9, Trump said the war was "very complete, pretty much". On March 24, he reportedly said the US and Israel had "won" the war. On April 14, in a Fox Business interview, Trump said the war was "very close to being over." On April 16, CBS reported Trump again saying the conflict was "very close to over." On May 1, in a letter to Congress, the US president declared the hostilities had "terminated." On May 7, Trump said there was a "very good chance" the war was nearing an end and spoke optimistically about peace negotiations.

This Thursday, there is word of a 14-point memorandum being under consideration by Tehran. Key in the demands being made by Washington is a moratorium on Iran's enrichment of uranium. In return, there would be a lifting of sanctions against Iran and an unfreezing of assets. 

Is there any chance of a breakthrough?

Produced by Mark Owen, Antonia Cimini, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

Never have local elections in the United Kingdom been so loaded with implications. The rise in popularity of two parties – Reform UK and the Greens – raises questions about the political system, which has for so long been based on two main parties. 

But on a wider scale, the fate of the UK prime minister could be in play. Keir Starmer has been under pressure, it seems, ever since winning the 2024 general election. There are already reports of plans to push him aside if Labour loses heavily in Thursday's local elections. So could this be Starmer's last stand?

Produced by Mark Owen, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Guillaume Gougeon and Charles Wente.

Iran's economy may be teetering on the brink of collapse, but does that really threaten its regime? Monday's flare-up of hostilities across the Strait of Hormuz makes clear that oil's not about to start flowing freely again. Tehran and Washington are both signalling they can bear the pain of lost revenue and inflation, with Iran arguably taking that brinkmanship further.

When missiles target the Emirates' prized Fujairah pipeline, which bypasses the Strait, they're shooting at what was a favoured hub for parking its cash and bypassing sanctions. We ask about who feels more pain in the divorce with the same UAE that last week quit OPEC, in part because it thought Gulf neighbours weren't tough enough on Tehran.

Read moreUS and UAE report Iran attacks as military pushes to reopen Strait of Hormuz

The Islamic Republic knows that its main nemesis, the one that killed its supreme leader, faces the pain of rising prices at the pump ahead of November US midterm elections. But what about ordinary citizens in Iran, a nation where mass New Year's protests were sparked by soaring inflation?

At what point is the regime in danger? A messianic streak and a survival mode honed over decades are both factors. But Iran and its powerful Revolutionary Guards also rely on a vast patronage system. Behind the cloak of an internet blackout, how's it looking on that score?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Andrew Hilliar.

Just as Europe frets over fresh Trump tariffs, a US troop drawdown announced for Germany and the message it sends to a hostile Russia, how about not one but two summits in former Soviet state Armenia. Before a first-ever gathering of EU leaders in Yerevan on Tuesday comes the European Political Community: a talk shop with regional players which also include Ukraine and NATO heavyweights like the UK, Norway and an outside guest who shares superpower proximity problems. 

We revisit Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's clarion call for so-called middle powers that share common interests and values to band together.

Read moreEuropean and Canadian leaders hold security talks in Yerevan amid uncertainty over US policy

Is this summit a show of strength? Or a provocation sure to rile both Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, one month before Armenia's incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan goes before voters to sell his US-brokered peace deal with neighbouring Azerbaijan in a general election?

More broadly, do wars in Iran and Ukraine make Western-style liberal democracy an easier or a harder sell?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Andrew Hilliar.