World Questions

Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first female President takes office while protests still rage over changes to the constitution. World Questions explores the challenges she faces with a sharply divided panel facing questions from around the country. Does scrapping the national police force and putting the army on the street, mean a safer Mexico? Will forcing the country’s judges to fight for election loosen the grip of the drug cartels? Is it time to ban bullfighting for good? What is the future for relations with the USA? Jonny Dymond presents a deeply felt debate from a country undergoing change.The Panel Arturo Avila, Spokesperson for the governing Morena Party in the Chamber of Deputies Denise Dresser, writer and Professor of Political Science at Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico Vanessa Ramero, independent legal consultant and analyst Jorge Triana, former deputy leader of PAN, the largest opposition party in the Chamber of DeputiesAudio updated on 15 October 2024

With less than a month until the election, the BBC’s flagship political debate programme Question Time broadcasts from the key swing state of Pennsylvania. The programme hears directly from American voters as they get the chance to put their questions to a panel of politicians and prominent figures, holding them to account on the topics which matter most as they prepare to go to the polls. On the panel, Republican and Democratic members of Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives, Martina White and Malcolm Kenyatta; the British-American political commentator Mehdi Hasan; Bryan Lanza, who’s an adviser to presidential candidate Donald Trump; and the BBC North American correspondent, Anthony Zurcher.Chaired by Fiona Bruce, the debate was recorded at the National Constitution Centre in Philadelphia on 9 October 2024.

Mass migration, employment and opportunities, democracy, joining the EU and widespread corruption. Just some of the issues debated by a public audience in the Albanian capital, Tirana. Jonny Dymond chairs the discussion with a panel of leading politicians and civil society activists.The panel: Lavdrim Krashi: MP for the governing Socialist Party Lulzim Basha: Leader of the Euro Atlantic Democrats Edlira Cepani: Lawyer and human rights activist Fiori Hoxhaj: Youth and women’s campaigner

Nomadic life and climate change, air pollution and endemic corruption - Mongolia’s economy has tripled in size since becoming a democracy thirty years ago and the sudden growth has brought many challenges. It is a nation of sweeping grassland pastures and an ever-growing Gobi desert, sealed between Russia to its north and China to its south. Such large autocratic neighbours bring a sense of threat to this fledgling democratic nation. All those issues and more are raised by the public and debated by a panel of politicians at the moment a new coalition government is being formed. Presented by Jonny Dymond at the Chinggis Khaan Museum in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar.The panel: Bulgantuya Khurelbaatar: Deputy Speaker of the State Great Hural (Parliament), MP for the Mongolian People’s Party and former Minister for Labour and Social Protection Jargalan Batbayar: Chairwoman of the Democratic Women's Union and MP for the Democratic Party Munkhnaran Bayarlkhagva: Independent Analyst, formerly of the National Security Council of Mongolia Munkhdul Badral Bontoi: Citizens' Representative of Sukhbaatar District Council and former Parliamentary Candidate for the HUN PartyProducer: Charlie Taylor

Anu Anand presents a lively debate over the lack of affordable healthcare, access to clean water, racial disparities, the war in Gaza and the upcoming Presidential election in the swing state of Michigan, USA. The panel: Sarah Anthony – Democrat State Senator John Damoose – Republican State Senator Professor Matt Grossmann – Michigan State University Kaitlyn Buss – Assistant Editorial Page Editor, The Detroit News Jennifer Root –Executive Director of SEIU union, Michigan Producer: Helen Towner

Could a new amnesty law on Catalan independence threaten Spain's unity? The nation is also facing complaints about corruption, a critical water shortage and a growing inequality between the old and the young. Jonny Dymond asks Spanish people how they see the future of their country.On the panel: Juan Fernando López Aguilar, MEP for the Socialist party which leads the government. Javier Zarzalejos, MEP from the People’s Party. Alfred Bosch, writer, historian and a long term member of the pro Catalan independence party Esquerra Republicana. Gabriela Bustelo, writer and political columnist.Producer: Steven Williams

Gaza, the West Bank and women's rights in Jordan. As war continues in neighbouring Israel, members of the public from around the Kingdom of Jordan raise questions for political leaders and key figures to debate. Jonny Dymond presents.The panel: Senator Alia Hatoug Bouran: Former Ambassador to the United States Hadeel Abdel Aziz: Director of the Centre for Legal Aid in Jordan Senator Mohammed Al Momani: Former Government Spokesman Oraib Al Rantawi: Director of the Al Quds Centre for Political StudiesProducer: Charlie TaylorAudio for this episode was updated on 17th April 2024

Jonny Dymond presents a debate from Manila, the capital of the Philippines. A large and lively audience ask questions about Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, constitutional reform, divorce laws, poverty, transport and the record of their President, "Bong Bong" Marcos JnrPanel - Justice Antonio Carpio - former Supreme Court judge Rafaela David - President of the Akbayan Citizens Action Party Richard Heydarian - author and journalist Roberto Galang - Dean of School of Management at Ateneo de Manila University

After a bitter election, a new government takes power in Poland promising to de-politicise the state. But after courts are ignored, key people are sacked and opposition politicians are arrested in the Presidential Palace, is democracy being restored or undermined? Jonny Dymond chairs a panel of leading politicians as they debate the big issues put to them by the public in the Royal Castle of Warsaw.The Panel: Mateusz Morawiecki, MP: Former Prime Minister of Poland, Vice President of Law and Justice Party Senator Magdalena Biejat: Deputy Marshal of the Senate, Co-leader of Razem. Agnieszka Pomaska, MP: Vice Chair EU Affairs Committee, National Board member of Civic Platform Krzysztof Bosak, MP: Co-leader of the Confederation and Independence Party(Photo: Participants in the Poland's Independence Day march organised by nationalist groups in Warsaw. Photo by Wojtek Radwanski / AFP / Getty Images)Producer: Charlie Taylor

What next for this oil rich country which is experiencing a cost of living crisis and debate over its high levels of public spending? Jonny Dymond is joined online by a panel of leading Norwegian politicians and activists taking questions from the public across the country.The panel: Hadia Tajik: Labour MP Henrik Asheim: Conservative MP Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen: Sami musician and environmental campaigner Nils August Andresen: Economist and historianProducer: Helen Towner