Brain death is the irreversible loss of all brain function, including the brainstem, meaning the person has no possibility of regaining consciousness or independent bodily functions. It is legally recognized as death in many countries and is distinct from coma or vegetative states.

For the purposes of this debate, organ donation requires individuals to register as willing donors for their organs to be used if needed post death/brain death.

Model X refers to the scope of organ donation being expanded to include surrogacy, keeping the brain-dead subject'alive' while their womb is utilized for surrogacy. People cannot specifically opt-in/opt-out of their bodies being used for surrogacy, but only opt-in/opt-out to organ donation as a whole.

Duelling is a consensual, formalized combat between two individuals to resolve legal disputes through physical engagement rather than judicial arbitration. It begins with one party issuing a challenge, which, if accepted, leads to both sides appointing seconds to negotiate terms, ensure fairness, and enforce agreed-upon rules. Seconds also verify that both parties are of sound mind, understand the conditions, and have access to weapons that provide a relatively balanced contest.

The duel takes place in a controlled setting, with combatants using weapons of comparable lethality and effectiveness, such as firearms with similar accuracy or melee weapons suited for direct engagement. The engagement follows agreed-upon conditions and may end in one party’s incapacitation, voluntary yielding, or a duelist deciding their honor is satisfied and forfeiting their claim.

Kroger (a major retail outlet in the USA) has partnered with Microsoft to install facial-recognition technology in stores to identify individual customers, which could allow individual shoppers to see prices calibrated specifically for them. The next shopper may pay a different amount based on their profile.

Planned obsolescence is a business strategy where companies deliberately design or manufacture products with a limited lifespan or functionality. This approach ensures that products become outdated, inefficient, or non-functional after a certain period, requiring customers to purchase replacements or upgrades.

Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) are shell companies formed by investors with the intent of identifying and acquiring the next big company in high-growth industries. These investors, known as SPAC sponsors, raise capital through an IPO without having a pre-determined target, effectively creating a “blank-check” entity that will later merge with a private firm, taking it public. 

Unlike traditional IPOs, where a company seeking to go public must undergo intense scrutiny, SPACs shift the process by allowing investors to first raise funds and then scout for promising companies. This structure provides an expedited and flexible path to public markets, particularly for startups that may struggle with the costly and time-consuming IPO process.

Historically, the technology sector has been a major beneficiary of the SPAC boom, particularly between 2020 and 2021, when low interest rates, investor enthusiasm, and a booming stock market created ideal conditions for speculative, high-growth investments. SPACs allowed cutting-edge but unprofitable tech firms—such as electric vehicle (EV) startups, fintech platforms, and AI-driven enterprises—to raise massive amounts of capital without meeting the strict profitability expectations of traditional IPO investors. 

Companies like DraftKings and SoFi successfully used SPACs to go public, attracting retail and institutional investors alike. 

However, the tech sector’s reliance on SPACs also led to an influx of overhyped, underperforming companies that ultimately fell short of their ambitious projections.

The collapse of SPACs in the tech sector can largely be attributed to heavily increased regulatory oversight and market corrections. The SEC introduced stricter guidelines, requiring SPACs to disclose financial projections with greater accountability, limiting the aggressive future revenue forecasts that had fueled investor optimism. Additionally, new rules imposed greater liability on SPAC sponsors, making them responsible for misleading financial claims.This led to a wave of liquidations where SPACs failed to merge with suitable targets.

You are Phunsuk Wangdu, an exceptionally bright individual who has a penchant and a burning passion for machines. You are the son of the gardener of the Chhaanchhad family, one of the most well-off families in Delhi. You grew up playing with and taking care of their son, Ranchhoddas. the family took you in on your parents' death (when you were 10 years old), and raised you as their own. However, you always felt extremely indebted yet stifled, inferior, and had an identity crisis.

On attaining adulthood, you begin to apply for college. You receive an admission offer and a scholarship from a top college. At the same time, the Chhaanchhad family gives you an offer: to study mechanical engineering at an equivalently good college. However, you must study under Ranchhoddas' name and must abandon all friends and contacts you make in college immediately after graduation. There is no chance of you being caught.

There is a Secret Time Travel Agency based in the year 2100 that has unknown intentions and motives. They recruit special agents, called Loopers, from different years in the past to serve as Contract Killers for their agency.

As per their contract, they will be trained and equipped to carry out 10 killings in their tenure, in exchange for which they will get

1. the choice to pick any time period and place to live the rest of their life in (either at or before their present time, not future)

2. ⁠the equivalent of 100 million in the currency of that time period. you can use this money however you wish, and it cannot be traced.

However, to be a Looper, the first murder you are required to commit is of yourself, aged 75 years. This is inescapable, and guarantees your commitment to the organization and determines your lifespan.

You are a 25 year old policeman in Delhi from a lower middle class background. The Agency approaches you to be a looper.

Dr. Kenzo Tenma, from Japan, is the most skilled brain surgeon working in a reputed hospital in Germany. One night, he is paged for an urgent surgery involving a young boy with a bullet wound to the head. Just as he scrubs in, he receives strict instructions from the director of the hospital to operate on another high priority patient who has just come in with a hemorrhage- the revered Mayor of that town. Only Tenma has the skill to save either patient, the other will necessarily die.

For the purposes of this debate, assume that all gods exist in a competitive market. Gods must compete for human belief in order to gain strength. If belief falls below a certain level, the God will exist only as a memory, or even disappear eventually. For example, Greek gods are a memory but have no concrete form nor power. There are innumerable forgotten gods who society has simply moved past. Gods can be created or brought back into existence if human belief in them is sufficient. Gods themselves, while shaped in appearance and priorities by how humans imagine them, are all knowing and autonomous. Humans are unaware of the deity marketplace. Minor gods are either gods in non-major religions or minor gods in major religions. 

The Bahá'í Faith emerged in 19th-century Persia from the Bábí movement, challenging Islamic orthodoxy. Bahá'u'lláh claimed to be a new prophet, continuing divine revelation after Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. The faith emphasizes unity, peace, gender equality, and social justice, spreading globally despite persecution. It has 5–8 million followers and a structured, non-clerical administration. In Western liberal democracies, women from conservative Islamic, Christian, or Jewish backgrounds often face patriarchal norms and religious conservatism. The Bahá'í Faith offers a progressive alternative, advocating women’s empowerment, education, and leadership without clergy or male religious authority. However, it bars women from its top governing body (the Universal House of Justice), and prohibits homosexuality. As a non-proselytizing faith, Bahá'í encourages personal spiritual exploration, blending monotheistic traditions with modern liberal values. Voluntary conversion is one of the main ways through which the follower base of this faith grows. 

Under Deng Xiaoping, China’s foreign policy followed the principle of "taoguang yanghui" or "hide your strength, bide your time," emphasizing caution, economic growth, and diplomatic cooperation. This strategy focused on integrating China into the global economy while avoiding direct confrontations with major powers. China maintained a low-profile approach, fostering stable international relationships to support its rise without provoking hostility. In contrast, Xi Jinping’s Wolf Warrior Diplomacy has embraced high-profile, aggressive, and confrontational tactics, directly countering perceived foreign criticism rather than deflecting it. This shift was evident in the 2018 APEC Summit, where Chinese officials reportedly stormed the office of the Papua New Guinean foreign minister to pressure him into altering the summit’s final communiqué, creating a diplomatic standoff. In 2019, China’s Ambassador to Sweden, Gui Congyou, publicly threatened Swedish officials over an award given to a Chinese-Swedish dissident, stating that China would "treat friends with fine wine, but for enemies, we have shotguns." In 2020, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian tweeted a doctored image of an Australian soldier holding a knife to an Afghan child’s throat, provoking outrage and a formal protest from the Australian government. Unlike Deng’s era, where diplomacy aimed to avoid provocation, today’s approach seeks to dominate narratives, intimidate adversaries, and assert China’s power unapologetically.

Syria is a highly diverse country with multiple ethnic and religious groups. The majority (74%) are Sunni Muslims, but there are significant minorities like Alawites, Christians, Kurds, Druze etc. Since 2011, Syria had been involved in a major civil war with multiple factions like the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the governing Assad Regime, various rebel and terror groups like the ISIS. Recently, on 8 December 2024, the Assad regime collapsed during a major offensive by opposition forces. The offensive was spearheaded by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and supported mainly by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army. For the purposes of this debate, decentralization refers to a political structure where power is distributed among regional governments rather than centralized in Damascus, Syria'a capital city. 

Five Eyes is an intelligence sharing agreement between the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. There are a number of informal cooperative agreements with other governments (e.g. Singapore, France, and Denmark) that Five Eyes works with on a case-by-case basis when their incentives are aligned. These cooperations often involve sharing intelligence or the planning of covert operations. Currently, Five Eyes' has no cooperative agreements with non-state actors.

In recent years, South Asian social justice movements have increasingly adopted radical and violent approaches to achieve their objectives. While these movements have led to significant political changes, they have also sparked debates about the legitimacy and consequences of such actions. A few examples include Janatha Aragalaya movement in Sri Lanka, where a mass uprising against economic collapse and corruption led to protesters storming the Presidential Palace and forcing President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country. Similarly in Bangladesh, initially a student protest over public sector job quotas, it escalated into nationwide unrest and violent clashes with security forces.The movement ultimately led to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigning and fleeing to India, triggering a constitutional crisis. 

For the purposes of this debate, ‘The Activist’ is a new show which consists of a panel of celebrity investors, and contestants competing against one another for a prize and the support of a major network. ‘The Activist’ features a myriad of activists from various backgrounds, causes and countries, all competing to gain ‘investments’ for their respective causes. Only one contestant emerges as the winner and the titular ‘Activist’. 

Serena is a gifted athlete who has grown up with an Olympic dream. At the cusp of their Olympics trials, they receive a major health diagnosis. There is a corrective surgery which, while effective, would render them incapable of professionally competing any further. If left untreated, there is a 50% chance of death. This surgery must be done immediately, or it becomes impossible. If Serena refuses treatment, they have enough physical ability to possibly win a medal in the immediate Olympics, but will have to live with a permanent disability, even if they do survive.  

League Thinking is a methodology, which pushes for the development of a revenue-sharing agreement where the main governing body of the sport negotiates broadcast and revenue deals as one and shares the profit equally among all participating countries.

For centuries, climbing the world’s highest mountains has symbolized endurance, achievement, and national pride. It has become a global industry, with thousands attempting Everest, K2, and other major peaks each year. The demand for guided expeditions has led to the growth of Sherpa communities, whose economies now depend heavily on mountaineering tourism. Beyond personal ambition, high-altitude climbing has shaped sports, tourism, and international relations. Nations have used first ascents to assert dominance, while governments regulate access to peaks for economic and environmental reasons. As the climbing industry expands, so does its impact on local communities and fragile mountain ecosystems. 

Minimalism is characterised by the use of a minimal number of colours, textures and elements. Maximalism uses a maximum number of colours, elements and patterns as possible. The choice between these two artistic styles is considered an important part in shaping product design, consumer engagement etc.

Dakshay, a casting director, is searching for an actor to play the lead role in an upcoming project, which specifically requires someone from an ethnic minority background. He has two best friends, Rohan and Salman, both of whom he is equally close to. Rohan is a highly accomplished theatre actor and comes from an ethnic minority background, making him a natural fit for the role. On the other hand, Salman is a commercially successful actor but does not belong to the specified ethnic minority.