The World This Week

4.8 (37)
NEWS
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.

12H AGO

Ceasefire & Peacetalks, Hungary 'False Flags' & Final Rallies

In a week that started with US President Donald Trump threatening to wipe out a whole civilisation in Iran if the regime failed to respond to his ultimatum, pesidential decorum went out of the window, with Trump unfiltered, f-ing and jeffing on Easter Sunday as he warned Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz, followed up by surreal scenes on the White House lawn as he hammered home the message, sandwiched between the First Lady and the Easter Bunny to an audience of families and children. It’s been a week that ended with a two week ceasefire announcement with both Tehran and Washington claiming to have the upper hand, as Pakistan’s government played host to the belligerents, Islamabad on lock down this weekend, with senior US and Iranian officials in town. The the Strait of Hormuz, the choke point for a fifth of the worlds oil, still hasn’t opened completely or immediately according to energy analysts, despite the US demand. Tehran is talking of a toll fee of up to 2 million dollars per ship, But the sole narrative from the US defence Secretary Peter Hegseth was of a winning one. It’s been a week where attention quickly turned from Iran to Lebanon, as Israeli forces carried out the most deadly attack so far in its reignited war against Hezbollah, claiming exemption from the ceasefire. Operation ‘Eternal Darkness’ the IDF labelled it, with fifty fighter jets dropping 160 bombs on 100 areas in ten minutes. Israeli officials called it the heaviest blow to Hezbollah since the attacks on electronic devices two years ago (code named Operation Grim Beeper) Lebanese health officials claimed it was a brutal indiscriminate massacre, with civilian areas hit and at least 250 people killed. As it became clear that Israeli actions in Lebanon could derail the US Iran peace talks, it appeared that President Trump’s pressure led to an announcement by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that there would be separate truce talks with the Lebanese government in the coming days, about disarming Hezbollah. It’s been the final week of campaigning in the Hungarian election, the closest fought campaign in sixteen years with polls suggesting it could be the end of the Orbán era, although not if the US can help it. Vice President JD Vance flew in to Budapest to endorse Europe’s longest serving leader, and claimed, without evidence, that Brussels bureaucrats and Ukraine’s Intelligence Service were interfering in the vote. The same claim came from the opposition leader Peter Magyar but aimed at the US, Russia too, and neighbouring Serbia where news emerged that the Serbian army had suddenly foiled an apparent bomb attack on a Russian gas pipeline to Hungary. ‘Ukraine was behind it”, Victor Orban implied. Cheap theatre and fear mongering to boost Orban’s chances at the polls, his critics said. He denied it was a so-called ‘False Flag’ operation. And it’s been a week for the history books with the Artemis 2 crew officially taking another giant leap for mankind, they flew the furthest into space than any humans have before. Just over a quarter of a million miles and back in ten days the plan, a stepping stone for future missions and a recce for a possible space base for the space race in years to come. Produced by Gavin Lee, Théophile Vareille, Juliette Laffont, Alessandro Xenos.

46 min
APR 3

Iran: US fighter jet downed, The space race, Syrians leaving Germany?

It has been a week that began with President Trump addressing the nation for the first time since the Iran war began five weeks ago. Expectations that he might signal an end to the conflict – or announce a ground offensive, or a split from NATO – were not met. Instead, his 18-minute speech echoed his social media rhetoric: a mix of “we’re almost done” and threats of escalating attacks, including striking every Iranian power plant if a deal is not reached. On the Strait of Hormuz, he told allies simply to “just take it”. Meanwhile, Iran’s president reached out to Americans in an open letter, accusing Trump of acting under Israeli influence, while Foreign Minister Abbas Arachi said the country was prepared for six more months of war. Tensions spiked on Friday when reports emerged that a US F-15 had been shot down over Iranian territory, with state TV urging Iranians to capture the crew. Across the globe, countries felt the ripple effects of the energy crisis, while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer insisted: “This is not our conflict”, despite pressure from Washington. Amid the geopolitical turmoil, the world turned its eyes skywards as four astronauts – three Americans and one Canadian – embarked on humanity’s first lunar mission in five decades. Their ten-day, half-million-mile journey aims to fly past the far side of the Moon, scout future landing sites, and lay the groundwork for a lunar gateway station, edging humanity ahead in the space race towards Mars. Produced by Gavin Lee, Théophile Vareille, Guillaume Gougeon and Laura Burloux

48 min
MAR 27

Iran: Rolling ultimatums, Moscow 'at the EU table'?

In a week of movable ultimatums set by US President Donald Trump to "obliterate Iran’s power plants", a deadline was set initially of Monday at midnight, then extended by five days on account of "very productive conversations", then to 10 days with Trump claiming "talks are ongoing" and "going very well". Tehran claimed suggestions of negotiations were fake news, and US talk of de-escalation was a front designed to buy time for a ground invasion with an amphibious force of US marines heading from the Far East to the Persian Gulf. Washington presented a 15-point plan to end the conflict. Iran set out its own five conditions, reportedly relayed via Pakistan. But assassinations of the regime's top figures have continued, as has Iran's de facto chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, with both sides using the media to mock the other. It's also been a week of intensified Israeli air strikes and ground operations in the south of Lebanon, with the IDF blowing up bridges along the Litani River which bisects the south of the country and meets the Mediterranean Sea. For what end? Israel says it's creating a "defensive buffer zone" against Iranian-backed Hezbollah fighters attacking northern Israeli towns. Lebanon's president says it's a violation of sovereignty which cuts civilians from dozens of towns and villages off from the rest of the country. Nationwide, one in five people are reported to have fled their homes, and the UN warns of the risk of a Gaza-style siege in the south. It's also been a week where millions of travellers at US airports felt the effects of a partial government shutdown. Tens of thousands of transport security staff haven't been paid for more than a month, and the effect is sporadic chaos, snaking lines at airport gates and the longest waiting times on record. There's been political deadlock since February, with Democrats blocking full funding for Homeland Security because of disputes over immigration and customs reforms that the Republicans want. Trump's solution is to send ICE agents to airports, raising questions for US border czar Tom Homan over how useful they will be. It's also been a week of elections in Europe. Denmark saw political drama fit for an episode of "Borgen" as Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen resigned for the second time in her career after her decision to call a snap election failed to pay off at the polls. Aiming for a so-called Greenland bounce after holding firm against US pressure in January, her centre-left party actually lost seats and her coalition lost its majority, in the Social Democrats' worst result since 1903. It's been an election week in Slovenia too, and a fragmented result from a contest framed as the liberals against the populists. The party of the current, pro-EU Prime Minister Robert Golob faced former leader Janez Janša, who denied accusations that he hired a private investigator to dig for dirt on his rival. Golob ended up winning by the narrowest of margins and coalition building now begins. Here in France, all the main parties seemed to claim partial victories after municipal elections, which was easy to do with 35,000 seats up for grabs. The French left took the three biggest cities, Lyon, Marseille and Paris, where the new mayor, Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire, took a victory lap around the capital on a rental bike with supporters. Meanwhile the French far right failed to win its targets in the south, but exponentially built on its voter base, and party leader Jordan Bardella still tops the latest polls for the presidential elections next year. Produced by Gavin Lee, Rebecca Gnignati, Daniel Whittington, Alessandro Xenos.

48 min
MAR 20

Iran: The 'Mosaic Doctrine', Zelensky vs Orban, Hungary-splaining

In a week where assassinations have continued within the top ranks of Iran's regime – the minister of intelligence, the commander of the Bases paramilitary and the powerful security chief Ali Larijani included – a weakened government seems to have had little bearing on Tehran's retaliation across Israel and nine Gulf states. Just one week ago, US President Donald Trump spoke of a war that was "very complete, pretty much". That statement now appears to have been premature and over-confident. There's no more talk of a Venezuela-style regime change that works for Washington. And Israel's actual cooperation with Washington has come under scrutiny, after Israeli air strikes on the world's largest natural gas field, at South Pars, which provides power for an estimated 70 to 80 percent of Iranians. Trump's immediate response was that he knew nothing about it. Insiders questioned the remark; critics claimed it spoke of the US getting sucked further into an Israeli agenda. Israel's prime minister said that was nonsense. It's also been a week that the human and economic cost of war in the Gulf was felt more deeply around the world, plus a reignited conflict in Lebanon with 1 million people now displaced. The relentless creeping up of the cost of oil is now affecting more than 85 countries in Europe, Asia, America and Africa, made worse after the Iranian attack on Qatar's Ras Laffan gas field, one of the most important global energy hubs that supplies up to 20 percent of the world's liquefied natural gas. Combined with Iran's effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz – to which Trump called on world powers to act and join the US and send their warships to protect ships from drone attacks – the lack of any immediate response or readiness from NATO allies led to Trump once again questioning the point of the organisation. "A foolish mistake," he said, adding that the US doesn't need their help. Though his administration asked, not for the first time: where was the gratitude? Also this week, Denmark's public broadcaster DR published revelations that Danish troops rushed to Greenland back in January, carrying explosives preparing to blow up the airport's runways, such was the fear from European intelligence chiefs that Trump would order a military takeover of the island. Danish soldiers are also said to have carried blood banks to treat those wounded in the event of a battle. Denmark's government has declined to comment. Plus we look ahead to the Hungarian parliamentary elections, where Prime Minister Viktor Orban is facing what's considered his biggest challenge yet from rival Peter Magyar. Produced by Gavin Lee, Théophile Vareille, Juliette Laffont, Alessandro Xenos.

46 min
MAR 13

Iran: A 'nepo-ayatollah', the 'hubris trap' and the costs of a 'very complete war'

It’s been a week that's seen a new ayatollah proclaimed in Iran. Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the assassinated supreme leader Ali Khamenei, has not been seen in public and is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being injured in the same strike that killed his father. State television showed crowds chanting "Long Live Khamenei", while at night in Tehran some residents risked arrest to shout from their windows "Death to Mojtaba". A statement attributed to the new leader vowed continued attacks on US and Israeli interests, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and what it called "never-ending revenge". In Washington, US President Donald Trump offered mixed signals, describing the mission as both "very complete, pretty much" and yet not "won enough", while confirming that strikes will continue and saying more than 6,000 targets have already been hit. Reports also suggest frustration inside the White House over Israel's decision to strike oil installations in Tehran, as debate grows over the human cost of the campaign after a missile hit a girls' school in Minab, killing more than 160 people, most of them children. Meanwhile, Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz has triggered the largest disruption to global fuel supplies in the history of the oil market. Tankers attempting to pass through the corridor have been targeted by explosive naval drones, leaving around 20,000 crew members stranded aboard ships in what has become a war zone, as missile and drone attacks continue across Gulf states including Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Produced by Gavin Lee, Andrew Hilliar, Guillaume Gougeon, Laura Burloux and Danielle Brown

46 min
MAR 6

Iran war: A special edition

A major war erupted in the Middle East this week when the United States and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and at least forty senior Iranian officials – reportedly within the first five minutes of the bombing campaign on Saturday morning. Day seven. As more figures in the Iranian regime are hunted, hundreds of police and paramilitary bases continue to be bombed, along with Iran’s ballistic missile and drone launch sites, storage facilities and naval fleets. The legal justification put forward by President Donald Trump – that Iran posed an imminent threat to Tel Aviv and Washington – is widely disputed. Accounts from the Trump administration about the war’s aims have appeared contradictory. The president initially spoke of regime change, urging the Iranian people to rise up and seize what he called a once-in-a-generation moment. Yet his secretary of defence insisted it was anything but regime change. It has also been a week that has seen the conflict spread across the Gulf and beyond. Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes across eleven countries where US bases or troops are stationed, or where governments are accused of aiding Washington. Governments around the world scrambled to evacuate tourists after hotels, as well as airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, were struck. Fuel depots, embassies and energy infrastructure were also targeted by Tehran in Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan. A drone attack also targeted a British military base in Cyprus. Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it had closed the Strait of Hormuz – the corridor through which around one fifth of the world’s oil passes. The week has also seen Israel resume its bombing campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, striking the capital Beirut and once again sending troops into the south. The move came in response to rockets and drones fired by the Shia Muslim militia group, which had threatened to avenge the killing of the Ayatollah. As the conflict appears to spread somewhere new almost every day, the United Kingdom, France and Germany have pledged what they describe as “defensive action to protect Gulf countries”. But there were few words of appreciation from President Trump, who expressed anger at Britain’s delay in allowing US troops and aircraft to use UK bases. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said lessons had been learned from the “mistakes of Iraq”, stipulating that the United States could use sites in England – and on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia – only for defensive actions targeting missile sites, not the regime. The result: a major rift in what was once known as the “special relationship”. Produced by Gavin Lee, Théo Vareille, Daniel Whittington and Melissa Kalaydjian.

47 min
FEB 27

Ukraine, The Clintons, 'El Mencho' and Iran

It's been a week that began in silence in Kyiv's Independence Square, where European leaders laid flowers for Ukraine's war dead – even as the fighting grinds on in the east, across vast drone-dominated front lines in territory Russia now claims as its own. In Washington, US President Donald Trump delivered the longest State of the Union address on record, hailing what he called a "roaring economy" and the most secure border in American history, in a speech heavy on superlatives and light on new policy. Meanwhile, the long shadow of Jeffrey Epstein returned to haunt politics on both sides of the Atlantic. Hillary Clinton faced questions in a private hearing, as fresh scrutiny fell on her husband Bill Clinton. In Britain, following the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor last week, it was the turn of former ambassador Peter Mandelson to be arrested in connection with the scandal. Both men deny wrongdoing. Produced by Gavin Lee, Antonia Cimini, Guillaume Gougeon and Laura Burloux

47 min
FEB 20

Epstein, Andrew's arrest and a royal crisis

It’s been a week that saw Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested on his 66th birthday, facing charges of misconduct for sharing confidential material with Jeffrey Epstein – deepening the crisis for the monarchy. The US also mourned the loss of civil rights icon Jesse Jackson, who passed away at 84, remembered for his pivotal role in the movement and his influence on future leaders. In China, the Spring Festival Gala featured groundbreaking humanoid robots, while world leaders gathered in New Delhi for a major AI summit, grappling with governance and global competition. Plus Meta's Mark Zuckerberg testified in a landmark trial over social media’s role in keeping children addicted. Produced by Rhea Smircic, Alessandro Xenos, Guillaume Gougeon and Florence Viala

49 min

See All (24)

4.8

out of 5

37 Ratings

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.