The Debate

The official line these days out of China is that it's a stable partner "in an uncertain world." So what to make of the bombshell news out of Beijing? Xi Jinping purging his top general Zhang Yiouxia with accusations against the 75-year old loyalist that range from corruption to leaking nuclear secrets to the US. We’ll ask about the reasons and the timing… What with the move fueling speculation that an invasion of Taiwan could now come sooner rather than later. How soon and with what pushback from a United States that's offering fresh armament for Taipei but not troop support, and from wary neighbors like Japan where new nationalist prime minister Takaichi Sanai has taken a big gamble by calling a snap election for this week. More broadly, does this purge signal a very new chapter in the longest reign of China’s most powerful leader since Mao? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Piera Rocco, Delphine Liou.

Making Ukrainians freeze in winter wasn't enough. A Russian strike hit a moving train on Tuesday in the northeastern Kharkiv region, killing six people. As the casualty toll on both sides approaches two million according to an independent study, we weigh the grinding effect of nearly four years of all-out war.  Read moreAt least six killed in Russian drone attack on passenger train And what it will take to end it? Ahead of more talks in Abu Dhabi, the United States is adopting a neutral tone in the face of Russia's demand that Ukraine give up the entirety of the eastern region of Donbas. What are Kyiv's options? And what are Europe’s options? NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is telling allies to "keep on dreaming" if they think they can go it alone without a US-led NATO. With the French president due to speak in the coming weeks on an eventual expansion of France's nuclear umbrella to neighbours, and public opinion across the continent rallying against Donald Trump's hostile takeover bid for Greenland, what does 2026 have in store? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Daniel Whittington, Piera Rocco, Charles Wente.

Now that Iran's internet blackout is over, how many are dead during those 20 days? Nationwide New Year's protests were met with a new measure of ruthlessness. We ask about a death toll that could run into the tens of thousands and what this scale of loss will mean for Iranians both at home and abroad.  Read more‘As in wartime’: Iranian doctors recount deadly crackdown on protesters We also revisit Donald Trump's promise at the height of the defiance that help was on the way. What to make of US warships only now arriving in the region? For what aim? Is Washington engaging or disengaging? Allies like Saudi Arabia want no part of a new bombing campaign and the is US pressuring Iran, while easing away from a presence to support the Kurds in neighbouring Syria.  More importantly, the regime this time proved its ability to shut down the internet for as long as it takes. Despite the inflation that triggered the protests, has the Islamic Republic – weakened after US-Israeli strikes on its nuclear facilities last summer – emerged stronger? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Daniel Whittington, Piera Rocco, Charles Wente.

It's being described as the mother of all deals. But will the trade agreement struck between the EU and India lead to a wider sense of a happy family? The signing took place with predictable and – some might say – justifiable fanfare. The headline says it's a free trade festival, 20 years in the planning, with clear and present opportunities for business to go back and forth. We discuss the plan, analyse the opportunities and shine a light on the possible threats. In a world where local production is often bragged about by politicians, does a multilateral accord represent a threat to local businesses? The scenes of French farmers protesting over the European Union deal with South America's Mercosur are still very fresh in our minds. Produced by Mark Owen, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Piera Rocco, Charles Wente.

Just 17 days after the shooting death of Renée Good, masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minneapolis have again shot dead a US citizen, this time 37-year-old Alex Pretti. Again, there's video evidence to contradict official narrative that the victims were acting as domestic terrorists, along with a race to gather evidence before it can be tainted or destroyed, media echo chambers and a US president who watches from on high. Why these shows of force? Will they discourage dissent or trigger a backlash? Do these hurriedly recruited federal agents armed with military-grade weapons answer to courts and lawmakers, or solely to the US president? And while passions reach boiling point in specific opposition strongholds, will the rest of the United States continue to go about its business? At what point is the rest of the population affected by the breaking of norms and the pushing of boundaries? More broadly, has the veneer come off a superpower that claimed a certain exceptionalism in its values; values on which it arguably won the Cold War? What's changed? Is that change permanent? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Piera Rocco, Charles Wente.

While the world waited on what Donald Trump would utter on Greenland on Wednesday, what if we missed the bigger picture? For 73 minutes, the US president, before an audience of traditional transatlantic allies in Davos, hurled invectives and insults while doubling down on what's now official US policy: the assessment that Europe is a continent in civilisational decline; implying that it's overrun by non-Christians and non-Whites. How do Europeans respond? Even far-right aficionados of MAGA have a hard time with the Greenland grab. Trump's imminent threat has passed for now, but can European leaders establish a common framework for what lies ahead? How do what the Canadian prime minister called "middle powers" coalesce?  And if the time for flattery and calling Trump "Daddy" truly has passed, then what’s the next step for Europe, for NATO and for nations the world over that still believe in the rules-based order of old? Produced by Rebecca Gnignati, Elisa Amiri, Piera Rocco.

From windmills to NATO, Donald Trump let the world have it from the podium of the World Economic Forum. For more than an hour, the president of the United States took on all-comers in his first return to Davos in six years. We ask about the latest threatening language on tariffs and grabbing Greenland, and how an audience of corporate executives feels about a showdown with Europe that's rekindled the threat of a trade war. How much of it is really about Greenland and, as the US frames it, the broader scramble for the raw materials that will power artificial intelligence? Flying into the Swiss Alps, Trump is harder on Europeans than on the Chinese and the Russians, whom he again blamed in equal measure with the Ukrainians for so far failing to agree to a settlement. Ultimately, after a year when they paid even less tax and netted yet more profits, do the corporate titans in the room at Davos care if the US is turning its back on free trade, international law and the independence of its own central bank? Produced by Rebecca Gnignati, Elisa Amiri, Juliette Brown.

He's back with a vengeance. On the first anniversary of his second inauguration, Donald Trump is using all the levers at his disposal to enact retribution on his adversaries at home and the guardians of the old liberal order abroad.  Read moreThousands rally across US against Trump policies on inauguration anniversary One year on, why did voters in the US decide to overlook the attempt by his supporters to overturn by force the result of the 2020 elections and return to office the twice-impeached Donald Trump? This time, it's different, very different. The 79-year-old president wields so much power that he can send masked federal agents into the streets and even raise doubts for some over the fair conduct of midterm elections in opposition strongholds. Inside the Oval Office, boomers raised during the Cold War have been replaced by Gen Zers enthralled by the "move fast and break things" mantra of Silicon Valley tech titans.  As Europeans scramble in the face of hostile tariffs, calls to grab Greenland and official policy that states the US must "cultivate resistance" within the continent to "Europe’s current trajectory", its leaders face many of the same post-pandemic issues: an ageing population, a head-swimmingly fast digital transformation, a loneliness epidemic among young and old alike, and echo chambers that monetise shock and outrage. 

So much for appeasement. The same Europeans who held their nose and swallowed their pride when the EU agreed to Donald Trump's tariffs last summer can no longer ignore the obvious – that there are limits with a president of the United States who tends to treat them as vassals, not allies, or even as adversaries for pushing back on its White nationalist brand of nativism. We ask how much pain citizens are willing to bear in the name of safeguarding the continent's security and sovereignty, and how far countermeasures can go in the face of Trump's grab for Greenland, the tariffs slapped on Denmark's allies and official US policy that views liberal values as a threat. Read moreWhat is the EU anti-coercion 'bazooka' it could use against the US over Greenland? And then there’s Ukraine. A lot of the carefully-worded "diplospeak" from European capitals this past year has been about keeping the US president on board. But from Greenland to the Baltics, is Europe ready for what lies ahead?

US President Donald Trump had started his Wednesday pondering military strikes against Iran before pouring cold water on the concept, even expressing doubts that Iranians would accept as leader the late shah's son. In a sign of how fast a news cycle can flip, Iran's foreign minister expressed his assurances in English on Trump-friendly Fox News. After a ruthless response to nationwide protests, has the Islamic Republic once again seen off an existential challenge?  Read moreIranian foreign minister says there is 'no plan' to hang people during crackdown After a third night of reported quiet in the capital Tehran, the internet is still restricted and the death toll is still mounting, while the same economic woes weigh heavier than ever on citizens. Read moreTrump says Iran executions ‘stopping’ as Tehran signals fast trials and hangings What lessons do Iranians draw? What comes of this latest show of defiance? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

There was no Oval Office made-for-TV drama as US Vice President JD Vance joined Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of Greenland and Denmark this Wednesday. We ask about renewed pressure by the Trump administration on Copenhagen to hand over that Arctic dependency. How intent is the US on seizing Greenland? Even if it means the end the Atlantic Alliance that's safeguarded Europe's defence under US tutelage since the end of World War II? It's hard to see how NATO could survive coercive action against a faithful ally by its dominant member. Read moreTaking over Greenland, a long-standing US obsession Donald Trump stated his intentions on Inauguration Day nearly one year ago, yet still the question begs: why Greenland? Is it about securing maritime passages, untapped raw materials, muscle flexing or simply the fun of keeping everyone guessing? But as Denmark's prime minister says, it's not fun. It's serious.  Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

A big stress test for the West's rules-based order, or will French judges take it all in their stride? It's the opening day of Marine Le Pen's appeal against a corruption conviction that for now bars the far-right frontrunner from the 2027 presidential race. With the verdict expected in July, that's getting awfully close to Election Day next spring. The National Rally politician and her supporters have branded the case lawfare – a political vendetta.  Recently, Marine Le Pen voiced her support for another convicted politician – Nicolas Sarkozy, who became the first former French president to serve jail time since the end of World War II. In a new book, he too cries that the fix is in, a message broadly amplified by right-wing media echo chambers. What are the facts of the case, where 24 others have been convicted for funnelling EU parliament staff funds back home to the mother ship? Do said facts matter? Is France like the United States, which denies plans to pressure the judges in the Le Pen case? And what about her party's plan B? Could voters simply turn the page on the scion of a far-right family and happily elect her second-in-command Jordan Bardella as France's first far-right president since Nazi occupation? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Daniel Whittington, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente

It's no longer just about the cost of living. Protests in Iran are entering their third week despite evidence of a ferocious crackdown and the shutting of the internet. Each time, the context differs but the under-sanctions Islamic Republic of Iran has always outlasted previous movements. Why should this one be any different? Among the variables, there's maximum pressure from the US that culminated in support for Israel's 12-day bombing campaign last summer and extends to fresh threats of retribution. In the past, like during the 2009 Green Movement, the West has been hesitant to further squeeze a nation where it's ordinary citizens who bear the brunt of sanctions. We ask if Europe wants to also up the pressure.  But there's always the "nothing to lose" factor. One of the clear signs that revolution was afoot in 1979 was that elites no longer supported the shah. Is it a sign that this time the protests started with Tehran Grand Bazaar merchants fed up with inflation? Back then, the revolution had a face: Ayatollah Khomeini. In 2026, how far could a leaderless movement go? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Daniel Whittington, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente

Iran's biggest protests since the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement of 2022 are extending everywhere from Tehran's Grand Bazaar to remote villages throughout the country's 31 provinces. As usual, the regime is offering dialogue while employing deadly force, issuing menacing warnings and slowing or even shutting down the internet.  Every time social movements arise in the under-sanctions, inflation-hit Islamic Republic, the regime outlasts its opponents. Why should this time be different? What are the variables? We ask about a global stage where Iran's influence is in stark retreat – in Syria, Lebanon and further away in fellow OPEC+ member Venezuela. After last summer's US and Israeli bombing campaign, how resilient do the clerics and the Revolutionary Guards remain? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Daniel Whittington, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

It’s a tweet pinned to the top of the official account of the US State Department: "This is OUR Hemisphere, and President Trump will not allow our security to be threatened." US diplomacy is making the capture of Venezuela’s president and the threats against Greenland about security. But it was first about drugs and immigration, and now oil and precious minerals.  Read moreTaking over Greenland, a long-standing US obsession So what does drive this present-day version of the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine and its claim that the United States holds imperial sway over its entire hemisphere? We ask about motives and targets. The same Trump administration that wanted to cut a quick deal with the Kremlin on Ukraine is first pressuring an ally of Moscow in South America and now defying Vladimir Putin with the boarding in the North Atlantic of a Russian-flagged ghost tanker originally bound for Caracas. What reaction can we expect from China, the main importer of Venezuelan crude? Read moreUS military seizes Russian-flagged oil tanker in North Atlantic And what do NATO allies make of a US that expresses support for a plan that would effectively halt Russia's advance in Ukraine, while threatening to seize Greenland from Denmark?  Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Daniel Whittington, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

As Venezuela's deposed president faces his first US court date on drug trafficking charges, back in Caracas, Nicolas Maduro's regime remains intact. We ask how a US president who promised no more forever wars will deal with an entrenched system whose local militias have their fingers in drug trafficking, gold and also oil. Donald Trump has talked up oil, while the word democracy has yet to pass his lips since Saturday's raid. Why sideline Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado and the civilian opposition, whose election win was stolen? Will he ultimately try to install a US-style occupation authority? Or simply do business with those currently running Venezuela? The country is broken after years of sanctions and mismanagement, but its institutions and cohesion differ vastly from Iraq, Afghanistan and other failed US regime change playgrounds. How will Washington's new age of imperialism mesh with a Venezuela that's about to enter a whole new era? Produced by François Picard, Théophile Vareille, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

It's one of those New Year's resolutions often blurted out after a big family meal. "I'm going to run a marathon!" But like the cautionary saying "puppies aren't for Christmas, they're for life", one wonders how many realise the error of their ways when they're gasping for air during that first January training run. Or not. Not everyone will run a 41-kilometre race in 2026, but more and more will take up what's arguably the world's oldest sport. Why the trend? Is it a mere post-pandemic fad, or the sign of something deeper? We think of running as a solitary pursuit, but it's increasingly a social activity. Running clubs are particularly in vogue among the young, who seek a release from a life that's increasingly happening in front of a screen. Technology is also seeping into the experience, be it with equipment, monitors or apps, to the point that some bemoan the gamification of running. So what's running about: a pursuit or an escape? Goals to achieve or the experience of the journey? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

There's nothing more innately human than humming a tune. Especially when it's made by humans. But don't bother trying to see The Velvet Sundown in concert: the band doesn't exist. The sounds are produced with artificial intelligence. Watch moreThe Velvet Sundown: This band blowing up on Spotify is 100% AI-generated Worse, most listeners can't tell the difference from the real thing. With computers borrowing from real musicians for their inspiration, we weigh the implications. If humans are going to continue to rule artistic creation, then our panel needs to answer one simple question: what makes a hit song? Sometimes it's a gorgeous melody and a brilliant arrangement; sometimes it's an annoyingly easy-to-remember "brain worm" that will stay in your head long after you wish it had departed. Either way, what makes a song special? Produced by François Picard, Aline Bottin, Daniel Whittington, Ilayda Habip and Charles Wente.

It's the word of the year in Japan with a literal take on the Rihanna song "Work". Japan's first female prime minister Takaichi Sanae announced she would "abandon the idea of a work-life balance" when she was elected as the head of Liberal Democratic Party back in October. The 64-year old Takaichi may espouse "work, work, work, work and work", but how about those entering the labour market? Watch more'Work, work, work!' Japan's new PM under fire for asking staff to come in at 3am In the age of the gig economy, 34-year-old Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York thanks to young people, who ask: what's the point of slaving away at a low-paying, high-pressure service sector job when AI is coming for their livelihood and saving up for a home or pension seems like a pipe dream? One survey has 43 percent of Gen Zers stating they quit a job because it didn't fit their personal lives, compared with 28 percent of baby boomers. So what makes a good work-life balance? Is it normal for humans to no longer define themselves by the way they earn their keep? In this age of rapid change and growing inequality, what to expect when it comes to our livelihoods and our lives? Produced by François Picard, Aline Bottin, Daniel Whittington, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

Some brand it "the most crucial EU summit" since the financial crisis of 2008; a last chance to stave off bankruptcy for a Ukrainian government that might run out of money by the end of spring. But where will the money come from?    With Vladimir Putin insisting that it's not "European pigs" that will stop Russia from liberating its "historic lands", and with the US actively supporting pro-Moscow parties that continue to surge in polling across the continent, leaders of the 27-member bloc must now make a choice: seize €210 billion in frozen Russian assets for Ukraine and run the risk of legal liability for those billions down the road; borrow on the bond markets, which Germany and other fiscally frugal northern European states reject out of hand; or cave, as a small but vocal minority of leaders would prefer. Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Charles Wente, Ilayda Habip & Jean-Vincent Russo