The World This Week

4.8 (36)
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.

6H AGO

“Turn the volume up” Mamdani’s glory & the Dems’ dichotomy, Pokrovsk falling? Shein in France

It’s been a week that’s seen a remarkable political upset in New York, where 34-year-old Zohran Mamdani became the city’s youngest mayor in 130 years – and its first Muslim and immigrant leader in generations. The Democratic Socialist’s pledge to make New York more affordable galvanised young voters, though his call to tax the rich unsettled the party establishment. In Ukraine, fierce fighting continues for control of Pokrovsk, the fortress city key to Donetsk’s supply lines, as Russia claims to have encircled it and President Zelensky vows defiance on the front line. In Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum – after being groped by a man in public – has vowed to criminalise street harassment nationwide, calling it an attack on all women. And for Elon Musk, it’s been a record-breaking week, as Tesla shareholders approved what could become the biggest executive pay deal in history – worth up to a trillion dollars if he meets his ambitious targets. Produced by Gavin Lee, Henri-Pierre Mafulu and Guillaume Gougeon

48 min
NOV 1

US-China superpower showdown, Who can help Sudan, Prince no more

It’s been a week that saw Britain's king strip his brother Andrew – formerly Prince Andrew – of his last title and ask him to leave the Royal Lodge, just days after the release of Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir. It's also been a week where Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met – Trump calling their 100-minute summit "an outstanding meeting"– as Beijing agreed to pause its rare-earth export curbs in a diplomatic truce. But also a week of horror in Sudan with door-to-door killings of unarmed civilians as paramilitary forces captured El-Fasher following a 500-day siege. And a week of devastation in the Caribbean, where a Category 5 hurricane ripped across islands, with Jamaica's prime minister warning it could be the "storm of the century". Produced by Gavin Lee, Henri-Pierre Mafulu and Guillaume Gougeon.

47 min
OCT 24

Louvre heist, 'Yellow Line' in Gaza and the Ukraine war

We assess the fallout of the Louvre heist in France. Also, Israel begins physically marking its areas of control in Gaza, deeper than its government agreed to as part of the Trump peace plan. Several Arab leaders argue that the new demarcation will see Gaza permanently divided into two zones. Finally, US President Donald Trump places sanctions on Russian oil companies. The meeting in Budapest with Russian leader Vladimir Putin is no longer on the cards, and as "talks go nowhere", European allies of Ukraine meet in London.

48 min
OCT 17

Governing Gaza, Ukraine, AI 'slop' and the dead internet theory

It’s been a week of global upheaval and fragile progress – from a historic prisoner release and tentative ceasefire in Gaza, to the dramatic fall of Madagascar’s president amid a military rebellion. In the US, political tensions deepen as yet another Trump critic faces federal charges, raising fresh questions about the weaponisation of justice. In the UK, espionage concerns escalate as MI5 names China a "daily threat" after a collapsed spy trial sparked controversy at the highest levels. Plus, is the internet dominated by bots instead of humans? Produced by Gavin Lee, Siobhan Silke, Alessandro Xenos and Guillaume Gougeon

1h 4m
OCT 10

End to the war in Gaza? Revolving door of French PMs, Nobel Peace Prize

In a week that marked the second anniversary of the Gaza war and saw a breakthrough in peace talks, a ceasefire was agreed upon on Thursday. This agreement should lead to the imminent release of the 48 hostages still held by Hamas, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli troops are also expected to withdraw to an agreed line. President Trump is flying out to Egypt to personally sign the deal, which he is widely credited for, before heading to Israel to mark the moment the captives are freed, expected early next week. Are we witnessing the beginning of the end of the war? It’s also been a week that saw another French Prime Minister bite the political dust. Macron loyalist Sebastian Lecornu took on the seemingly poisoned chalice just last month. On Monday – 27 days later – he resigned, becoming the shortest-serving PM in the history of the Fifth Republic. The man nicknamed “the Pickle” couldn’t get France out of one. President Macron has now burned through five PMs in two years. Rather than trigger elections to break the deadlock, he’s fallen back on his previous choice by bringing Lecornu back again. Finally, this week also saw the announcement of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, currently in hiding. The panel praised her “tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela” and her bravery in standing against the authoritarian regime of President Nicolas Maduro.

45 min
OCT 3

Gaza peace plan, European drone wall, pirate flags & Gen Z protests

This week, US President Donald Trump declared "eternal peace for the Middle East" was within reach as he stood side by side with the Israeli prime minister to unveil a new plan for Gaza; the EU talked about its defence response to suspected Russian violations of NATO airspace, and parallel protests erupted in Morocco and Madagascar, organised anonymously on online platforms like TikTok and Discord.

48 min
SEP 26

Trump on Putin: Has the penny dropped? The downfall of President Sarkozy, Recognising Palestine

In a week of coordinated, choreographed diplomacy, a number of Western leaders formerly recognised Palestinian statehood. Benjamin Netanyahu said the move rewarded terrorism, insisting there would never be a Palestinian state. Meanwhile, Russian violations of NATO airspace have been a dominant theme of the UN summit. And former French president Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to five years in prison. He's been found guilty of criminal conspiracy in a case dubbed the Libya Connection.

48 min
SEP 19

Trump Vs TV Networks, A right royal knees-up, ‘Genocide’ in Gaza

This week has seen major upheavals on the global stage: Trump’s lavish and unprecedented UK state visit offered a boost to embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer, while the US grappled with political fallout and free speech debates following activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Meanwhile, Israel faced a damning UN report accusing it of genocide in Gaza, charges it strongly rejected, and France was rocked by mass strikes against austerity as President Macron contended with both political unrest and a bizarre defamation case targeting his wife. Produced by Gavin Lee, Henri-Pierre Mafulu and Guillaume Gougeon.

48 min

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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.