The Debate

Can blatant racism and shameless greed ruin the World Cup? Fans of the beautiful game and its history can take solace in the opening match at Mexico City's storied Azteca Stadium, the only venue to already host two World Cup finals.

It's a stark contrast with the build-up in the United States, a host nation that's barred Somalia's African referee of the year despite accreditation and a valid visa, refused entry to fans and support staff from a host of nations, imposed short stay restrictions on Iran's team, which will have to plane-hop between LA and new base camp Tiujana, while FIFA's president counts the cash from both a bloated 48-team tournament and ticket prices that are out of this world.

Read moreSomali referee banned by US from World Cup to officiate European Super Cup, UEFA says

When is it too much? Each World Cup is a snapshot of its time: 1978 in junta-ruled Argentina, 1998 and France feting its black-blanc-beurre multiracial heroes, 2014 and the social unrest of post-commodities boom Brazil.

FRANCE 24's François Picard had the privilege of covering the last time the World Cup was in the United States, in 1994: the highs and lows of Diego Maradona, Bulgaria's shock upset of defending champions Germany and a very different America that hosted the final between Brazil and Italy. How will this one be remembered?

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

Here in France, outrage over the apparent failure to stop the murder of 11-year-old Lyhanna. The suspect – a 41-year-old father of one of her schoolmates – had previously been flagged over suspected paedophile offences but was never questioned. We'll ask what went wrong and examine why a string of child abuse cases is forcing France to confront difficult questions about prevention, accountability and institutional failures.

We'll also discuss fresh developments involving French singer Patrick Bruel, who was formally charged on Wednesday over allegations of rape and sexual abuse dating back to 1997.

Under pressure, the government has unveiled a series of proposals, including life sentences for certain sex offenders. The Justice Minister blames magistrates for dropping the ball. The far right blames those same magistrates for pursuing what it sees as political vendettas – pointing to the corruption conviction of Marine Le Pen. The left, meanwhile, accuses the government of focusing too heavily on small-time drug dealers while neglecting other priorities. Across the political spectrum, however, there is broad agreement on one point: a lack of resources.

One stark statistic comes from the head of the gendarmerie: in France, four minors every hour file complaints relating to sexual offences. How do authorities cope with such a daunting caseload? And what more can be done to protect children?

 

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

It takes convincing these days to get China's leader to go abroad. Xi Jinping has just wrapped up what was only his first foreign visit of 2026. Why Pyongyang? It's hard to deduce from official readouts of that two-day state visit to neighbouring North Korea. Was it politeness after a pair of visits by Kim Jong Un to Beijing? Celebrations of the 65th anniversary of their mutual defence pact?

Or is it those ever closer ties between North Korea and Russia? Moscow's help in exchange for support in the war against Ukraine has been followed up by North Korea's boast of plans to "exponentially" ramp up its nuclear arsenal.

We ask about what was unsaid during Xi's visit to Pyongyang and whether those claims of a construction boom and growth inside one of the world's most reclusive states are true. For instance, is North Korea serious when it talks of developing a tourist industry? And if that growth is for real, how's China taking the news?

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

The US president believed those who insisted he could wrap up hostilities by the end of March, long before the November midterms. If not, the off-ramp would be easy to find. But did Donald Trump factor in that his main ally in the war against Iran was also gearing up for a campaign? That's right: Benjamin Netanyahu is running for re-election.

This past weekend, Israel's prime minister ignored the US president and did what most of his constituents want, bombing both Beirut and Iran. Trump could easily cut Israel off for ignoring him. But does he even dare, what with a coalition of Evangelicals and pro-Israel lobbyists so embedded with the Republican establishment that supports him?

Read moreIran launches missiles at Israel in first bombardment since fragile ceasefire

We ask about Trump's options and the fading hope of all those investors and world leaders, who hope that if they just close their eyes long enough, good business sense will prevail and the Strait of Hormuz will return to the free-flowing passage it was before February 28.

With hardliners in both Israel and Iran finding that war is the best insurance policy for their political survival, how does Washington secure a deal that guarantees closure?

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

It’s not every day that a standing ovation at a medical conference goes viral. Dateline: Chicago, at the annual conference of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Doctors from around the world rose to their feet to applaud the announcement of a new pill that doubles survival time for pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest forms of the disease.

The conference also brought major advances in breast, bladder and head and neck cancers, among others. So why are breakthroughs coming so quickly? Is it the same wave of innovation that delivered Covid vaccines in record time? The growing use of artificial intelligence and increasingly sophisticated data science? Or a political determination to intensify the fight against diseases that affect an ever-growing share of the population?

That broader question inevitably leads to prevention. We'll examine access to screening, lifestyle choices and a factor that often receives far less attention than it deserves: environmental exposure. From air pollution to industrial chemicals, many cancer risks lie beyond the control of any one individual.

Case in point: the bill passed on Wednesday by the French Parliament to reduce cadmium levels in fertilisers and food. Lawmakers backed stricter measures than those proposed by the government, which has faced pressure from France's powerful agricultural lobby.

The dangers of tobacco and alcohol are well known. But how many of the cancers we develop are shaped not only by personal choices, but also by political decisions and commercial interests?

 

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

The list is long: strategic sectors in which Europe is rarely master of its own destiny – energy, manufacturing, even its nuclear deterrence. But what about digital? Who even owns the personal data of Europe's citizens? The European Commission is unveiling its tech sovereignty roadmap this Wednesday.

At the dawn of the artificial intelligence revolution, as investors around the world anticipate record-breaking stock market debuts by Silicon Valley giants this month, and as the US president tightens controls on exports of sensitive AI technologies, how can this old continent scale up and compete? Should it build its own chips, store its own data, and train its workforce to adapt to the massive labour-market disruption already underway? Is it too late? Have the United States and China already won the race? And how can Europe achieve sovereignty while preserving what is arguably the EU's greatest strength: its rules-based order?

 

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

Here's one for free speech absolutists to chew on: What should the French government do when the former head of Russian state television's French-language channel is offered a place of rank on an all-news station with a free-to-air broadcast license and she touts Kremlin propaganda lines with little or no pushback or fact-checking? Introducing Xenia Fedorova, who's just had her 10-year residency permit approved and who's become the darling of far-right shipping magnate-turned-media mogul Vincent Bolloré, the same Bolloré who’s swooped for French TV, radio, print and publishing outlets.

Read moreFormer RT France chief Xenia Fedorova fuels concerns over pro-Kremlin influence in French media

How much of what Fedorova says is opinion and how much is disinformation? How much can one billionaire's personal views shape French public opinion ahead of a presidential poll next year where the pro-Putin, pro-Trump far right holds the early lead?

Contrast that with current state policy. On Sunday, France seized another sanctioned Russian tanker with UK support. In the face of repeated Russia-linked aggressions big and small, Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer have doubled down in their support for Ukraine. How much can and should Europeans push back?

Read moreFrance backed by Britain intercepts sanctioned oil tanker sailing from Russia

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

What happened to that four-week campaign that the Pentagon promised? Overnight volleys between Iran and the United States are met by many with a shrug, so often has the current ceasefire been violated. Even the deal in the works is mostly to roll over that fragile truce and open more talks, not to permanently settle differences. Ceasefires and their violations seem to be the norm, as Israel and Hezbollah continue to trade blows and US-brokered truces for both Lebanon and Gaza go mostly ignored.

We ask if the taking of the Crusaders-era castle at Beaufort in Lebanon is a PR stunt, or are Israelis digging in at what was an army command centre for nearly two decades during the last occupation of south Lebanon?

Read moreIsraeli forces capture historic castle in deepest Lebanese incursion in 26 years

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu espouses a super Sparta state mentality to national security, insisting that Israel – like the Ancient Greek state – embrace a permanent war footing. Do the benefits outweigh the costs for an Israeli leader who's again up for re-election?

And what about for Hezbollah, the Iranian regime and a United States whose leaders promised no more boots on the ground but who under Donald Trump has increasingly made use of or threatened military might around the globe. Does that project strength or weakness? And is it sustainable?

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

What exactly is the issue with Arsenal? Here in France, we just assume that everyone in England is enamored with the storied team of Arsène Wenger, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira…and all the other greats all the way to the team’s present French defender William Saliba. Ahead of the Champions League final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, our panel delves into the not-always-rational, always-impassionate world of football fandom. So regarding the side that has just won its first Premier League title in 22 years, what is it? The way they play? Their attitude? Anti-London sentiment? Anti-north London sentiment? Contrast that with the love the Gunners get here in France and across much of Africa. 

Likewise, donning a PSG jersey will earn you compliments on several continents. But our panellists may advise against it in Marseille and a host of other cities across France. Old domestic grudges are hard to overcome – even when one side is the defending European champion, and even though PSG’s Qatari owners booted out hooligans a decade ago and streamlined the club’s big egos in favour of an exciting brand of more fast-paced, team-oriented style of play.

Perhaps what lovers and haters of both Arsenal and PSG can agree on is that Saturday’s final could serve up that key ingredient that may be lacking when the FIFA World Cup kicks off in North America: authenticity. Is the beautiful game bigger than the toxic build-up to any one tournament – or will this bloated 48-team, price-surged, travel ban-threatened World Cup be a game-changer for football?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Riham Mahir, Guillaume Gougeon, Charles Wente

If the first thing Europeans think of when they fill up at the pump is Donald Trump's decision to attack Iran, it's little wonder that previously pro-MAGA populists are quietly distancing themselves from the president of the United States. In fact, Trump actively campaigning for Peter Magyar's rival actually helped Hungary's new conservative prime minister boot out Viktor Orban, his predecessor of 16 years. Magyar is hoping to cash in this week with a deal to unlock more than €10 billion in frozen EU funds.

If Budapest is no longer MAGA's European headquarters, then where do fellow travellers turn in places like France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands?

Do they instead double down on the love for Russia's Vladimir Putin, like Germany's far right? For hardened Eurosceptics, does the master of the Kremlin still seem like an invincible nationalist when he's bogged down in Ukraine?

So do they cosy up to outside superpowers – like Britain's Nigel Farage, who's long been enamoured with Trump – or as shown by recent revelations surrounding the same Reform UK leader, instead find a billionaire with a bee in his bonnet to bankroll them? 

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