History's 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’ll ask our panel if this time’s any different for a regime that’s survived embargoes and the end of the Cold War, the decline of agriculture and sugar cane exports, successive waves of mass emigration. It’s the son of Cuban immigrants Marco Rubio who’s been front and center in this standoff. 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.

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.

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.

Produced by Mark Owen, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

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

On March 9, Trump said the war was "very complete, pretty much". On March 24, he reportedly said the US and Israel had "won" the war. On April 14, in a Fox Business interview, Trump said the war was "very close to being over." On April 16, CBS reported Trump again saying the conflict was "very close to over." On May 1, in a letter to Congress, the US president declared the hostilities had "terminated." On May 7, Trump said there was a "very good chance" the war was nearing an end and spoke optimistically about peace negotiations.

This Thursday, there is word of a 14-point memorandum being under consideration by Tehran. Key in the demands being made by Washington is a moratorium on Iran's enrichment of uranium. In return, there would be a lifting of sanctions against Iran and an unfreezing of assets. 

Is there any chance of a breakthrough?

Produced by Mark Owen, Antonia Cimini, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

But on a wider scale, the fate of the UK prime minister could be in play. Keir Starmer has been under pressure, it seems, ever since winning the 2024 general election. There are already reports of plans to push him aside if Labour loses heavily in Thursday's local elections. So could this be Starmer's last stand?

Produced by Mark Owen, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Guillaume Gougeon and Charles Wente.

When missiles target the Emirates' prized Fujairah pipeline, which bypasses the Strait, they're shooting at what was a favoured hub for parking its cash and bypassing sanctions. We ask about who feels more pain in the divorce with the same UAE that last week quit OPEC, in part because it thought Gulf neighbours weren't tough enough on Tehran.

Read moreUS and UAE report Iran attacks as military pushes to reopen Strait of Hormuz

The Islamic Republic knows that its main nemesis, the one that killed its supreme leader, faces the pain of rising prices at the pump ahead of November US midterm elections. But what about ordinary citizens in Iran, a nation where mass New Year's protests were sparked by soaring inflation?

At what point is the regime in danger? A messianic streak and a survival mode honed over decades are both factors. But Iran and its powerful Revolutionary Guards also rely on a vast patronage system. Behind the cloak of an internet blackout, how's it looking on that score?

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

We revisit Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's clarion call for so-called middle powers that share common interests and values to band together.

Read moreEuropean and Canadian leaders hold security talks in Yerevan amid uncertainty over US policy

Is this summit a show of strength? Or a provocation sure to rile both Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, one month before Armenia's incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan goes before voters to sell his US-brokered peace deal with neighbouring Azerbaijan in a general election?

More broadly, do wars in Iran and Ukraine make Western-style liberal democracy an easier or a harder sell?

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

Watch moreMusk vs Altman: Two tech mavericks go head to head in OpenAI trial

Is there an air of inevitability in this tale of ambition? Is it human nature that profit eventually comes before safety, particularly when investors want a return on their record sums? A ruling in California against Altman could scuttle the transformation of OpenAI from non-profit to publicly traded company.

We've seen this movie before – literally. The 2010 film "The Social Network" chronicled the ambitions and betrayals surrounding the rise of Facebook. Since then, the stakes have risen exponentially. Gone are the days when tech titans mused about effective altruism.

The big question: does the rest of the planet watch passively as the United States moves towards less, not more regulation at the dawn of an era where machines are sure to upend the way we work, think and live? 

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

How did Pakistan emerge as a central player? What are the benefits and risks when you raise your hand to facilitate dialogue between sworn enemies, particularly when one's your neighbour and the other's a global superpower that can scuttle an IMF bailout if relations sour?

At the heart of it all is the powerful chief of the military, Field Marshal Asim Munir. He knows Iran well from his time as head of intelligence and has infuriated India by ingratiating himself with Donald Trump. But what if the US president turns out to be a fair-weather friend? And can the art of the deal bring down prices at the pump for ordinary Pakistanis left reeling by the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz?

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

Does the successor to Queen Elizabeth II have what it takes to keep a poker face and stick to the script prepared by his prime minister? All it takes is a hot mic moment or a raised eyebrow for the media covering the four-day visit to go into overdrive.

Then there's the matter of the king's brother, the former prince Andrew, who's been criminally indicted following the same Epstein files revelations that brought down the UK ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson.

A coincidence of the calendar has Prime Minister Keir Starmer's former chief of staff testifying on the same day back in London over the bungled vetting that led to the appointment of a former Labour Party insider whose nickname was the Prince of Darkness. Mandelson's reputation was no secret, yet he was appointed anyway. Why? To please Trump.

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

Read moreSuspect in press gala shooting charged with attempted assassination of Trump

We ask about the latest targeting of the US president and the echo chambers that amplify vilification and hate, that turn adversaries into enemies, as well as a social media landscape where conspiracy theories can make a better fit than facts, both as ideology and as a business model.

In the buildup to that White House Correspondents' Dinner, all the talk was of how traditional media – already on the backfoot – would respond to all the bashing, particularly in the week that saw a mega-merger that could change the course of globally renowned news outlet CNN. But we'll never know, as the speech never happened. 

Read more‘Staged’: Conspiracy theories spread online after thwarted shooting at White House press gala

Partisanship has always existed. But as the United States gets set to mark its 250th anniversary, is this time different? Is the level of verbal violence specific to a nation where gerrymandered constituencies encourage radical rhetoric? Or do more and more people globally think they're above the law?

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

We ask about US demands that can change course inside the same presidential tweet, and an unclear chain of command on both sides: why was US Vice President JD Vance flanked by Trump confidantes Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff last time? Does it actually matter that none of those three are trained diplomats or Iran specialists?

And who's really calling the shots in an Islamic Republic that's in survival mode? On that score, what are Tehran's intentions regarding Hezbollah? Its proxy militant group in Lebanon is absent as the US State Department in Washington brokers more old school-style negotiations between the Israelis and the Lebanese.

Who's got leverage over whom and if diplomacy fails, what does escalation look like?

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

Cue images of the French president who staged his Wednesday cabinet meeting in the central Allier region, where Emmanuel Macron also inaugurated a large lithium mine.

How fast can the energy transition make up for lost oil? How much of a bind is this for Europe, when harmony among the 27 rests on Russian oil flowing to eastern members through the Druzhba pipeline and when China's dominance of the battery and electric vehicle markets makes it very hard to compete?

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

Contrary to the mantra that went viral last year, Trump does not always chicken out. He certainly proved it on February 28, when he started the war and took out Iran's supreme leader.

Not only that, but he doesn’t always seem to have a plan. We ask about erratic messaging, fresh reports of impulse decision-making inside the White House and an apparent disregard for winning hearts and minds.

Case in point: allowing Israel to continue a Gaza-style bulldozing of towns in southern Lebanon that flies in the face of Trump's objective of pursuing normalisation on Israel's northern border and a broader deal with Hezbollah patron Iran.

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Margot Loizillon.

Read morePope Leo blasts 'handful of tyrants' ravaging world during Cameroon visit

The message was the same when he landed on Wednesday in Yaoundé and while it may sound like a rebuttal to a critical US president who's an ocean away, it's also first a pointed message to the leader in the room hosting Leo: 93-year-old Paul Biya, only the second head of state Cameroon has known since independence from France in 1960.  

We ask our panel what makes the Bamenda leg of the pope's four-nation tour of Africa historic, about the separatist rebels who called a four-day truce during the visit, and how the Church can help in a nation where half the population is under 18 and whose politics can feel like a ticking time bomb, with zero visibility surrounding Biya's succession.

We also ask how, less than a year after succeeding Francis, this pope is faring under fire from Donald Trump and Catholic conservatives, and whether his message resonates among the faithful in an age of wars, growing inequality and artificial intelligence.

In the face of stiff competition from evangelical churches, the direction of the world's largest organised religion in the 21st century is at stake.

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

They'd spent decades building reputations as reliable havens of stability fuelled by an endless supply of petrodollars. We track the price of crude, the latest movement of tankers through the Strait, prospects for talks, and ask how Gulf states could rethink their alliances with Washington, particularly investments that can sometimes seem like protection money to pay for the US defence shield from Tehran and its proxies like the Houthis, who in the past already hit oil installations.

Read moreUS blockade of the Strait of Hormuz: What do the numbers show?

With Russia and now China accused of actively aiding Iran target its neighbours, where do those Gulf states turn for their defence? Are they all of the same mind when it comes to Iran?

And more broadly, can they restore the veneer of the dream destinations displayed by social media influencers who fled when the fighting started?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Delphine Liou.

Read moreUS hails 'historic opportunity' for peace after Lebanon, Israel talks in Washington

The bad news is that the fighting continues, with Israel accused of the Gaza-style levelling of villages in southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah refusing both surrender and disarmament.

Will Israel set up for good, pushing boundaries like it did recently in neighbouring Syria? A week ago, Benjamin Netanyahu was depicted as omnipotent with outlets like The New York Times reporting on how it was he who convinced Donald Trump to attack Iran.

If that was true, is it still the case? Or was last Wednesday's daytime bombing of Beirut that killed more than 300 people too much, even for Israel's closest allies?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Delphine Liou.

We ask about the task at hand and reactions abroad – starting with Russia, on which Hungary depends for its oil and gas. How to handle the Kremlin?

The sighs of relief in Brussels and Kyiv are audible, what with Budapest no longer championing a coalition of Eurosceptics that includes France's Marine Le Pen.

But it doesn't mean Hungary will always be pliant, nor that hostility from bigger powers will magically disappear.

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

And amid such turbulence, there are always those who sense an opportunity to profit.

We’ll examine who stands to gain, and how – whether this is simply smart investing, or something more troubling. With so much power concentrated in the hands of a single man, we’ll also ask whether greater scrutiny is warranted within the cabinet of Donald Trump, amid accusations that the line between national interest and personal profit may be blurring.

If it is oil producers such as Saudi Arabia and Russia, that is one thing. But what if it is the United States itself?

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

Meanwhile, there is no ceasefire in Beirut, where Israel has carried out its heaviest strikes yet on the capital, hitting multiple densely populated areas. Dozens are feared dead. Will Washington tell Israel to halt its operation against Hezbollah?

Then there is the Gulf. Even if the guns fall silent, it could take weeks – months, perhaps longer – to restore oil output to previous levels.

And finally, there is the ratcheting up of biblical rhetoric.

Faced with a regime where, for now, soldiers – not clerics – appear to hold sway, Donald Trump and his White House have issued the kind of doomsday threats more often associated with radical theocracies or rogue nuclear states. Will the world remember the threat to erase “an entire civilisation”, even if it never comes to pass?

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

We talk about whether JD Vance’s support helps or hurts Orban in the homestretch of a race where the 62-year-old populist has made a point of holding up the European Union’s €90 billion loan to Ukraine.

We also take a look at Orban's strategy and the opposition's claim that the prime minister attempted a false flag operation in neighbouring Serbia. 

More broadly, we assess how the nation of 9.5 million has fared under Orban’s 16-year rule. How has pushing Hungary as the avant garde of a white Christian anti-woke, anti-immigrant alliance served Hungary? And what is the opposition offering instead?

Produced by François Picard, Théophile Vareille, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente

How should Gulf, European and Asian allies react to this “I break it, you fix it” approach to warfare? Is it already too late to walk away? And even if Washington washes its hands of the war it started with Israel, how can a fresh ten-year cycle of instability in the Middle East be avoided?

For the United States, is this merely a passing blemish? Will the midterm elections rescue those hoping for a return to the previous world order? History suggests that, despite setbacks – from the failed 1980 hostage rescue in Iran to the insurgencies that bogged the US down in Iraq and Afghanistan – the United States has ultimately emerged undiminished as the world’s leading superpower.

But now Trump has picked a fight with an enemy that is both a state and seemingly capable of deploying insurgent tactics. Is this a turning point – the moment after which the United States of America no longer appears quite so mighty?

Produced by François Picard, Aline Bottin, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.