The World This Week

4.8 (37)
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Updated Weekly

Our panel of Paris-based journalists review the week's international news: the stories that made the headlines and also those you may have missed! Join us every Friday at 7:10pm Paris time.

1d ago

Barricades & the blame game: the French school protests

In a week that’s seen the heroism of the captain, crew and passengers on board FlyDubai flight 1073 heralded, eye witnesses report seeing the co-pilot trying to kill the pilot and destroying the cockpit controls in order to crash the plane. Despite being stabbed repeatedly, Captan Smit Machchhar managed to open the cockpit door, allowing passengers to overwhelm the suspect and regain control of the aircraft after its rapid descent of more than 14,000 feet in 30 seconds. They prevented a 9/11-style catastrophe, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. It’s been a week that’s seen an apparent thwarted attack at an English RAF base which is used by American bomber jets to strike Iran. An English farmer raised the alarm and has been praised for apparently preventing a potentially catastrophic situation at the base in Fairford in Gloucestershire. The anonymous woman traveling home late found the road blocked by three vans close to the runway, and five masked men jumped out and ran. She called the police and arrests were made under the Explosions Act within minutes. PM Andy Burnham said strong indications suggest Iran played a part, but in what is not yet clear. Five men were bailed, and a British Iranian national has since been arrested. Also this week, student protests at French high schools across the country turned violent as frustrations over conditions boiled over, sparking clashes with police. Produced by Gavin Lee, Théophile Vareille, Juliette Laffont, Delphine Liou.
Sep 25

Pope Leo in Paris, Xi Jinping in DC, AI at a crossroads

It’s been a week of walkouts, power plays and diplomatic theatre – from a battle over press freedom in Washington, to a United Nations General Assembly marked by protests and departures, as leaders clashed over Iran, Cuba and Venezuela. There was also a rare red-carpet meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, as the US and China extended their trade truce and turned their attention to the race for dominance in artificial intelligence. And from the geopolitical to the spiritual, Pope Leo brought his call for restraint and regulation of AI to France, as he sought to position the Vatican as a moral voice in a rapidly changing world. Produced by Gavin Lee, Rebecca Gnignati, Alessandro Xenos, Guillaume Gougeon and Laura Burloux
Sep 18

AI: Silicon species or Trojan horse? Riyadh calling, Russia votes and the Ed Sheeran debate

This week, Saudi Arabia has turned to its allies for military support as Iran-backed Houthi rebels tighten their grip on Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab shipping choke point, while drone attacks on the kingdom’s oil infrastructure deepen an emerging energy crisis. In Russia, voters head to the polls for a tightly controlled parliamentary election with little meaningful opposition, as Vladimir Putin insists there will be no new mobilisation. Meanwhile, warnings about the risks of AI are coming from inside the industry itself, with Microsoft’s AI chief Mustafa Suleyman warning against treating AI models like humans – and raising the prospect of a new “silicon species” competing with us for resources. Finally, in Britain, the royal family is back on the defensive as Earl Spencer’s new claims about Princess Diana’s funeral prompt an unusually pointed response from Buckingham Palace. Produced by Gavin Lee, Théophile Vareille, Alessandro Xenos, Guillaume Gougeon, Farida Soliman and Laura Burloux
Sep 11

Can we slow down AI, and who has the right to remember 9/11?

In a week that marks 25 years since 9/11, Americans paused to pay tribute. Six bells tolled to signify six fatal moments in New York, at the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania– with a seventh bell rung this year to commemorate those who later died from 9/11-related illnesses. A private memorial ceremony for families of the victims and dignitaries sparked controversy with a 100,000-signature petition against the attendance of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. We ask: who gets the right to remember? We also look at how al Qaeda has fragmented how the group has morphed 25 years later. Relations between the UK and Israel hit a new low this week. Britain’s new Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, accused the Israeli government of turning a blind eye to “settler terrorism” and ethnic cleansing in the occupied West Bank. Alongside France and Canada, the UK announced an import ban on Israeli goods coming from the settlements. Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s Foreign Minister dismissed the comments as “Outrageous lies, a morally distorted stunt”, while Israeli President Isaac Herzog called them “a grave miscalculation”. Within hours of the announcement, Israel closed the British consulate in East Jerusalem and kicked UK staff out of a security training mission in Ramallah, as well as an aid coordination team for Gaza. We discuss whether the new sanctions can help stop settler expansion, or whether they will boost Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ratings ahead of elections. This week, there have been many headlines warning of the grave risks of AI from people inside the leading companies, as some researchers have estimated the odds of humanity being wiped out by the computer intelligence within three and a half years. Up to a 10 percent likelihood was the forecast of Evan Hubinger, a senior researcher at Anthropic. He responded to a similarly apocalyptic viral tweet posted by Jacob Coxon, a former OpenAI and Anthropic researcher who resigned this week, accusing his former employers of acting irresponsibly. His thread, which had more than 153 million views, warns that AI could wipe out all humans by the end of the decade, and that the tech giants racing for AI superintelligence supremacy are gambling with our lives in the process. Produced by Gavin Lee, Margot Loizillon, Théo Vareille, Daniel Whittington and Laura Burloux
Sep 4

Germany's 'most dangerous man': A PR gift for the AfD?

This week, the Ukrainian capital was hit by Russia's most intense wave of air attacks on Kyiv, reportedly in four years, with Reuters describing air raid sirens, drones, cruise and ballistic missiles exhausting Ukraine’s defence system, with 12 people killed and the Ukrainian foreign minister making a direct appeal to Western allies for more Patriot interceptor missiles. Ukraine's asymmetric war continues, exposing the vulnerabilities of its refineries and logistics hubs. AP reports more than 43,000 Ukrainian drones have either struck targets or been intercepted over Russia since June. It's been a week of goodwill and pledges between old frenemies on either side of the Channel. With President Emmanuel Macron in London to mark the beginning of the 10-month loan of the Bayeux Tapestry, political headlines focused on Normandy, with Britain's latest PM Andy Burnham looking for ways to stop the migrant boats. Migration was on the agenda in Birmingham, too, as the leaders of the nationalist right, Nigel Farage and Jordan Bardella, got together and got their share of the headlines — not all of them good for Reform UK — as the new Franglais power couple projected their own alliance. And it's been a final week of election rallies and TV debates for an unusually consequential contest in Germany: the state election in Saxony-Anhalt, where the Alternative for Germany party, currently ahead in all the polls, could make history. Lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund could become the first far-right leader of a German state since World War II, with Der Spiegel magazine carrying over fears of what came before, labelling Siegmund "Germany's most dangerous man". The former perfume salesman embraced it as a PR gift, taking copies to rallies and signing them for supporters. Produced by Gavin Lee, Alessandro Xenos, Théo Vareille, Daniel Whittington and Laura Burloux
Jul 17

Dismissal of top Ukrainian official sparks unrest while UK Labour gets a new PM

In this edition, we look at rare wartime demonstrations in Ukraine protesting the ousting of Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. After six months on the job, he has been credited with making a difference both on the battlefield and in an anti-corruption drive. However, he had reportedly clashed with Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, over how the war should be waged. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had to choose a side for the sake of unity during a wider government reshuffle. The timing is difficult for Kyiv’s war effort, taking place in the middle of its "40-day influence operation" of relentless strikes on Russian refineries and hitting ships in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. It has also been another week fighting for supremacy in the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the US. A month has passed since the Memorandum of Understanding was signed, with US President Trump proclaiming, "Ships of the world, start your engines, let the oil flow!" He has since said the deal is over while, paradoxically, saying he’ll let the negotiating teams continue talking. Petrol prices worldwide have spiked again, and we are hearing familiar rhetoric from the belligerents, with Trump again threatening to knock out Iran’s power plants and bridges, and Tehran claiming it will "crush every US interest that’s still intact in the Middle East". Turning to the UK, both British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the England team have bowed out, with each receiving similar exit feedback. They weren’t creative, bold or positive enough. Andy Burnham will step in to take Starmer’s job officially next week. We discuss whether he will fare better than his predecessor. Produced by Gavin Lee, Alessandro Xenos, Théo Vareille, Daniel Whittington and Laura Burloux
Jul 10

Iran: Forewarnings and a Funeral, NATO, Le Pen

It’s been a week of shifting alliances, escalating tensions and political drama. NATO leaders gathered in Turkey for a pivotal summit, where President Trump arrived questioning the alliance’s unity before leaving in a markedly warmer mood, as attention also turned to his relationship with President Zelensky and the future of Western support for Ukraine. In the Middle East, Iran held days of public mourning for its late Supreme Leader, while fresh exchanges with the United States cast further doubt on hopes for a lasting ceasefire. In France, Marine Le Pen’s political fortunes were transformed by a landmark appeal court ruling that revived her presidential ambitions. And on the football pitch, Les Bleus moved a step closer to a third World Cup title as Kylian Mbappé hit back at racist abuse from a Paraguayan senator. Produced by Gavin Lee, Alessandro Xenos, Rebecca Gnignati, Guillaume Gougeon and Laura Burloux
Jul 3

Is Putin suffering from ‘Drowning Man Syndrome’?

From intensifying drone warfare between Ukraine and Russia to mounting fears of a humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan, anti-immigration protests in South Africa and a landmark ruling by the US Supreme Court, this week has been shaped by conflicts over power, identity and international law. In Russia, long queues formed at petrol stations after Ukrainian drone strikes targeted oil refineries and fuel infrastructure. Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the attacks were "creating problems", saying strategic reserves were being used and that restrictions on diesel exports were under consideration, though he insisted that the situation was "not critical". The disruption follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's launch of a 40-day campaign of deep strikes against Russian energy facilities aimed at increasing pressure on the Kremlin. At the same time, Russia unleashed one of its largest aerial assaults on Kyiv since the start of the war, firing 74 missiles and some 500 drones during an 11-hour bombardment that killed at least 30 people and struck residential buildings. Our panel examines the military balance, the diplomatic calculations on both sides and whether Russia risks entering what some analysts describe as a "drowning man syndrome" – escalating further as its strategic options narrow. We also turn our attention to Sudan, where the humanitarian situation in El-Obeid is rapidly deteriorating. Around half a million civilians are effectively trapped as paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces tighten their encirclement of the city. Military analysts warn that a major ground offensive could be imminent, while the United Nations says dwindling food supplies and damage to essential infrastructure are placing civilians at grave risk. Amnesty International has warned that the siege mirrors the tactics used during the capture of El-Fasher and is calling for the urgent deployment of an international protection force to prevent what it describes as another potential "stain on the conscience of humanity".

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Our panel of Paris-based journalists review the week's international news: the stories that made the headlines and also those you may have missed! Join us every Friday at 7:10pm Paris time.