The Debate FRANCE 24 English
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A live debate on the topic of the day, with four guests. From Monday to Thursday at 7:10pm Paris time.
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India votes as BJP looks to extend ten-year grip on power: Referendum on Modi?
A world record 969 million citizens called to the polls for what some see as a referendum about one man.India’s about to embark on the world’s biggest election, staggered over seven weeks with Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP favored to stretch its solid lead in parliament. Modi’s been pointing to a decade of unprecedented growth and power for a nation courted by the West and beyond.
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Calls for coalition to shore up Kyiv's air defences: How to protect skies over Ukraine?
Ukrainians wonder if there's a double standard. An international community that comes together to fend off Iran's attack on Israel can't increase its air defence commitments in time to defend against Russian air strikes, such as the one that took out the Trypilska thermal power station last week. We ask if Volodymyr Zelensky is right, and whether EU leaders gathered at a summit in Brussels need to treat Iran and Russia as one common foe, particularly given how close the pair have drawn in the past two years.
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Israel mulls next move after direct strikes by Iran: Does it stop here?
Did it finish with Saturday night, or will it spiral further out of control? Iran's first-ever direct attack against Israel has already sent the whole region into uncharted territory. We ask about the measure of its response to Israel's targeting of Tehran's embassy compound in Syria. We also ask whether the proportionality shows Iran's strength or weakness, and whether Israel's prime minister will heed the call of G7 allies to leave it there and move towards an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
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Blossoming coalition? Japan at heart of US-led push to contain China
Roll out the red carpet for Japan. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is being feted with a speech before a joint session of Congress and a White House state dinner. Key to the courtship is Tokyo's ramped-up role in policing the Pacific. Like the Germans in Europe, the Japanese have had to shed the post-war pacifism that's even embedded in their constitution. It’s with an eye to China, North Korea and Russia that they’ve drawn closer to South Korea and supported Ukraine.
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Building Fortress Europe? Migration pact divides EU parties ahead of elections
It's not only in the US and UK that border protection is on the ballot. The European Parliament's vote on a migration pact was always going to be a nail-biter, especially two months out from EU elections. We ask about the close result and about burden sharing, this as the numbers of those crossing the Mediterranean hit their highest level since 2015.
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The cost of climate inaction: Landmark ruling presses European governments to act
"To choose not to choose is still to act," as French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre once said. Judges at Europe's highest jurisdiction agree. Their non-binding ruling against Switzerland over its failure to formulate a concrete climate action plan resonates as scientists confirm that the planet is coming off the hottest month of March on record.