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.
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This week has seen renewed hope for ending the war in Iran, 10 weeks since it started, with four weeks of stalemate, a ceasefire and skirmishes over the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Intermittent peace talks have boiled down to a 14-point, one-page "memorandum of understanding", crafted by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, which has been sent to Pakistani mediators and is being reviewed by Tehran. If agreed, the conflict would be declared over, with a 30-day window for talks on core issues, n...
In this edition of The World This Week, Gavin Lee's panel discuss King Charles's state visit to the US, US President Donald Trump's phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, and the court battle playing out between Elon Musk and Sam Altman. It's been a week where King Charles III has been earning his crust as head of state on a high-profile visit to the United States, with soft power on full display and some diplomatic heavy lifting needed to improve strained ties at the top of the...
In a week where a stalemate appears to have developed after nearly two months of asymmetric warfare between the US and Iran, President Donald Trump's Truth Social posts have swung between belligerent maximalism and breezy deal-making: one minute suggesting a within-reach deal, whereby Iranian forces would personally help their enemy confiscate what he calls the "nuclear dust" and move it to America. The next moment: threats of nationwide annihilation. "No more Mr. Nice Guy," he warned. Meanwhile...
In a week where Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz fully open for commercial trade – effectively ending its nearly seven-week de facto blockade of the critical shipping lane – President Donald Trump imposed a US blockade on Iranian ports to strangle its ability to trade. Trump vowed to continue enforcing what is effectively a US siege until a peace deal is finalised. Meanwhile, in Lebanon , a 10-day ceasefire was announced: no bombs would be dropped, and no shots fired. However, Israeli military...
It’s been a week that began with US President Donald Trump threatening to wipe out an entire civilisation in Iran if the regime failed to respond to his ultimatum. Presidential decorum quickly went out of the window, with Trump speaking unfiltered – even swearing on Easter Sunday – as he warned Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. That message was reinforced in surreal scenes on the White House lawn, as he addressed families and children, flanked by the First Lady and the Easter Bunny. The week ...
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 ...
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 fro...
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. Ther...
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 o...
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. Th...
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 ne...
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...
This Friday in The World This Week , we talk about the unravelling of the Epstein files, the end of the Old World Order and the Olympic helmet dilemma. Epstein files unravelling This week, the names of those listed in the Epstein files have continued to feel the consequences, at least on this side of the Channel. Resignations and investigations are underway now in France and Norway . The British prime minister has narrowly survived, for now. And while Keir Starmer was fighting for his political ...
In a week where global headlines have been dominated daily by the fallout from what the Trump administration calls the "final release" of Epstein files, we bring you a special edition of The World This Week focusing on the consequences for those associated with the late sex offender. An unprecedented 3 million pages of files, containing hundreds of thousands of videos and images, were finally disclosed a month after the government deadline – the late publication ostensibly due to redactions requ...
This Friday in The World This Week , we talk about the implications of a fatal week in Minneapolis, Iran & the "Armada" ultimatum and what Trump's goal is for Gaza. The implications of a fatal week in Minneapolis This week, video evidence and citizen journalism have shown their fundamental importance in holding governments to account. In this case, eyewitness footage stood up against the rapid-response accounts of the Trump administration in the hours following the fatal shooting of Alex Pre...
It's been a week of power plays and redrawn lines. In Davos, US President Donald Trump declared victory in the escalating row over Greenland, announcing a framework deal he says delivers "everything we wanted, total security". The White House hails it as classic Art of the Deal brinkmanship — critics warn it’s come at the cost of the old world order, a charge echoed by Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney. It's also been the week the Board of Peace became a formal international body. Born with UN...
It's been a week marked by brutality, brinkmanship and political theatre. In Iran, a third week of protests spiralled into a nationwide uprising as the regime shut down the internet and phone lines. Graphic accounts of a violent crackdown emerged via Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites, with human rights groups reporting thousands killed by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in what they describe as an unprecedented massacre – even as US President Donald Trump urged protesters on, before appearing to shift...
In the week that saw the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Operation Absolute Resolve played out in just two hours and 28 minutes. The combined military precision and tactical deception by US land, sea, and air forces led to Maduro and his wife, Cecilia Flores, being snatched from a fortress-like compound in Caracas. They were handcuffed, blindfolded and flown to New York to face drug trafficking charges. Stunned world leaders barely had time to react before Trump declared that he ...
The program looks back at the tumultuous year 2025, examining Donald Trump's return to power, his unconventional diplomacy in Ukraine and Gaza, and the aggressive enforcement of US policies. Panelists discuss the political instability in Europe, the growing influence of tech billionaires on media and democracy, and ongoing international crises in places like Sudan and Venezuela. They also explore the pervasive impact of AI on society and conclude with bold predictions for the political future of France, Germany, the UK, and the US in 2026.
This week brought frantic peace manoeuvres over Ukraine, as a leaked 28-point plan triggered emergency talks and a swift Geneva rewrite, with President Donald Trump quietly shelving his ultimatum while Kyiv grappled with a corruption scandal. In West Africa, Guinea-Bissau plunged into turmoil after a sudden military coup left President Embalo telling FRANCE 24 he had been deposed. Nigeria declared a national emergency after the worst mass school kidnappings since Chibok, as pressure mounted from...
This week saw Ukraine brace for a fourth winter of war as President Volodymyr Zelensky shores up support amid reports of a secret 28-point peace plan involving territorial concessions and military cuts – a proposal blasted by European allies – while rolling blackouts, relentless strikes and a corruption scandal trigger calls for a no-confidence vote. In Washington, a defining moment in President Donald Trump’s second term saw a MAGA rebellion force through the release of all government and FBI f...
This week, President Trump has threatened to sue the BBC for one billion dollars after it emerged its Panorama programme misleadingly edited his speech. The US President also sent a formal letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog, asking for a pardon for his ally the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who’s facing a long running trial for alleged bribery and fraud. And after three weeks in prison, Nicolas Sarkozy has been released ahead of an appeal trial to be held next year.
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 t...
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 civil...
Nov 01, 2025•47 min
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