The Debate

Europe's in meltdown, and it's not even June yet. We're seeing a not-so merry month of May as record highs explode under a heat dome that's drifted north from the Sahara. After the frying pan of an energy crisis, the fire of a heatwave is forcing a reset by the same politicians who pandered to those who complained about the cost and red tape of recent energy transition policy.

Enter Emmanuel Macron. France's president was precisely one of those politicians who had segued from summits to make the planet great again to cuts in subsidies for homeowners and moratoriums on going green. Flanked by captains of industry, Macron on Tuesday unveiled plans to turbocharge what almost sounds like the electrification of everything. We hear about heat pumps, charging stations and electric vehicle factories here in the land of nuclear power.

Read moreWhy is Europe heating up faster than the rest of the world?

More broadly, can industry and technology come to the rescue of humanity? If blocking the Strait of Hormuz is all it takes to threaten livelihoods the world over, it's worth asking about the sustainability of the alternative: one that features a scramble for copper, cobalt, uranium and whatever else can be extracted in the name of growth.

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

Three months into what was originally billed as four-week war, is an end really in sight? Donald Trump's messaging on bargaining with Iran was enough to push Brent crude oil below $100 a barrel for the first time in two weeks. Both Washington and Tehran are managing expectations of a final deal or "memorandum of understanding".

Time is not on Trump's side, what with a World Cup to host in less than three weeks and inflation that's fast erasing the sweetener of tax breaks for voters ahead of the November midterm elections. But if inflation's bad in the US, Iran has economic ruin to contend with. So again, who blinks first?

Read morePossible Iran-US deal: What we know about the key issues on both sides

And how do regional players align? Gulf states are divided between hawks – led by the United Arab Emirates, who've drawn closer to Israel in this conflict – and doves, led by the Strait of Hormuz's other frontline state Oman.

So which is it: a deal, a return to war or permanent state of limbo over the world's biggest choke point for oil and gas?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Jean-Vincent Russo, Guillaume Gougeon, Charles Wente.

It's easy to lecture world leaders about how fuel subsidies ruin the environment and bleed state coffers dry, but try telling that to beleaguered Bolivians and cornered Kenyans, two of the many nations where the energy crisis has reached breaking point with citizens unable to keep up with prices at the pump. It's not just in the Americas, Africa and Asia where the Iran war is destroying livelihoods and derailing fiscal roadmaps.

France – which at the outset of an election year is already running the biggest budget deficit of the eurozone at 5.1 percent of GDP – is further loosening the purse strings, with the prime minister announcing fresh measures.

Watch moreFrance announces €710 million in new energy aid

So, to subsidise or not to subsidise? On that score, what lessons have been learned from the last energy crisis in 2022? Oil and gas prices are notoriously volatile. What if the Strait of Hormuz is never the same again? And how much fuel is left before the entire global economy's running on empty?

Produced by François Picard, Antonia Cimini, Juliette Laffont, Juliette Brown, Charles Wente.

Can border walls keep out pandemics? The World Health Organization is officially branding the Ebola outbreak in eastern DR Congo a "public health emergency of international concern". As the death toll from the rare strain climbs, so does the number of contact cases. Ituri province may seem remote on a map, but nowhere's very far in a globalised world.

Watch moreEbola in DR Congo: 'This could be a very bad outbreak,' MSF health worker says

We ask about the outbreak and the lessons learned from previous pandemics. Since Covid, the United States has quit the UN's health body. Public aid and science budgets are trending down among all G7 nations.

What does that mean for the WHO and for global health? Why is it that despite Covid and despite globalisation, there's such a backlash against vaccines, cross-border cooperation and more broadly, against science itself? 

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

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.