The Debate

This time, it’s an out-of-competition opening night film that's lighting the spark. Is the Cannes Film Festival in tune with the times when it rolls out the red carpet for Johnny Depp – megastar of the silver screen, and a polarising figure for those who followed his acquittal in the ugly bare-all trial that pitted the actor against ex-wife Amber Heard?

Vladimir Putin’s factually wrong when he contends that his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine was a defensive measure against US led aggression. The West is not at war against Russia.

Is Thailand at a turning point, or will the military-backed elites quickly call time on reform? High turnout in Sunday’s general election delivered an unprecedented result, with Pita Limjaroenrat's Move Forward party topping the populist Pheu Thai of Paethongtarn Shinawatra. Together, the pair blew away the United Thai National Party of the outgoing prime minister and former coup leader Prayuth Chen-Ocha.

Turkey's leader of 20 years has done it again. Recep Tayyip Erdogan magnanimously told supporters to respect a result that forces a first ever run-off for president. But Erdogan's supporters can cheer: with 49.5% of Sunday's vote, his lead seems all but insurmountable. We ask why predictions underestimated fierce loyalty to Erdogan, particularly in conservative strongholds of the Islamist-rooted AK Party. What do the results say about the direction Turkey seeks?

Could an eleventh-hour surprise swing Sunday's elections in Turkey? After two decades in power, it was always going to be close as Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces a mostly-united opposition. Still, the charismatic leader of the Islamist-rooted AK Party controls all the levers of power and commands a loyal following. Now, three days out, comes the shock withdrawal of third-party candidate Muharrem Ince. With a niche following among younger voters, we ask if it's a game changer. Could the opposition score a first-round knockout against the incumbent?

For the second year running, Moscow's Victory Day commemorations have been staged as war rages. Vladimir Putin's message at the military parade in Red Square was that we are in it for the long haul. The day began with Russian missiles raining down on Ukraine's capital Kyiv. We hear from a Russian president who claims a "real war" has been unleashed against his country. Is that how ordinary Russian citizens see it? As sanctions bite and the body count rises, will enthusiasm wax or wane?

Saudi Arabia's crown prince is mending fences with Syria and Iran, soothing rivalries with Gulf rivals and now welcoming the Biden administration's point man on security to Jeddah. Ten months after that frosty fist bump with the US president, Mohammed bin Salman is talking peace-brokering in Sudan and a winding down of his eight-year campaign in Yemen.

There is the outrage and the timing of the outrage. Russia's state media is in overdrive after the purported downing of two drones over the Kremlin, just days before the May 9 Victory Day parade on Red Square. The Russian capital was quick to brand it a plot to assassinate Vladimir Putin, with calls to eliminate his Ukrainian counterpart and bomb its capital Kyiv. But while no one was injured at the Kremlin, the daily dose of strikes on Ukraine left at least 23 dead in the southern city of Kherson on Wednesday.

Two years and one World Cup after hosts Qatar bought the greatest footballer of our time, Lionel Messi is leaving Paris Saint-Germain. But perhaps the Argentinian player is already gone. We discuss Messi's suspension for taking an unannounced late-season jaunt to 2030 World Cup candidate Saudi Arabia.

If the international community secretly hoped it could stay out of the crisis in Sudan, and that maybe one of the country's two warring generals could settle their long-simmering rivalry with a quick blow, it's now time to face reality. With no clear winner in sight, nearly three weeks in, Sudan's capital Khartoum is being laid to ruin. Civilians who braved bullets for four years to demand an end to military rule can only hunker down or flee, if fleeing is even an option. Reports of militias in places like Darfur taking sides as civilians flee to neighbouring countries are particularly alarming.