The World This Week

It’s been a week where, 90 days into the conflict and ceasefire stand-off with Iran, both Tehran and Washington are insisting time is on their side — each claiming the other needs a deal more urgently.
Pressure is growing on the Trump administration with soaring energy prices and midterm elections approaching, while Iran is reportedly losing huge oil revenues with tankers backed up in port. Reports suggested a temporary agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz was close, before the US struck Iran’s southern coast, calling it self-defence against mine-laying boats and drone launch sites. Tehran threatened retaliation, US bases in Kuwait were targeted within hours, and talks over a wider deal continue tonight.
Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli operations in Lebanon will intensify despite the supposed truce, with more than 120 airstrikes launched in a single day and Beirut hit again for the first time in weeks. The UN has described the scale of destruction as horrific.
It’s also been another high-profile week for Xi Jinping, as Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić received China’s Friendship Medal alongside fresh Chinese investment worth a billion euros. But while there were celebrations in Beijing, there were mass anti-government protests in Belgrade, with demonstrators blaming corruption and opaque Chinese-backed infrastructure deals after the deadly collapse of a train station canopy that killed sixteen people.
And it’s been a sweltering week across Western Europe as a record-breaking May heatwave sent Parisians diving into the Seine and Canal Saint-Martin for social media clicks — despite police handing out fines to anyone caught jumping into the water.
Meanwhile in Scotland, Peter Murrell, the former chief executive of the SNP and ex-husband of Nicola Sturgeon, pleaded guilty to embezzling party funds on what police described as a lavish lifestyle he couldn’t afford.
Produced by Gavin Lee, Théophille Vareille, Emmanuel Miculita, Guillaume Gougeon, Alessandro Xenos and Laura Burloux

It's been a week marked by major geopolitical and cultural developments across several fronts, from Beijing to Havana to Cannes. 
In the Chinese capital Beijing, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a rare visit to see Xi Jinping, with a carefully staged ceremony and renewed pledges of "unyielding relations", while Ukraine reported continued deep-strike drone operations inside Russian territory.
In Washington, the Trump administration indicted 94-year-old former Cuban president Raúl Castro over alleged murder and conspiracy to kill US nationals, linked to the 1990s downing of two civilian aircraft. It's a move officials describe as long-delayed justice, but which critics see as part of a wider push on regime change.
And there has been an uproar in the French film industry over Vincent Bolloré, a right-wing billionaire tycoon, the owner of Canal+, and with it, Studio Canal, Europe's largest film production company. On Sunday, at the Cannes Film Festival, Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada dropped a bombshell. He said the company would no longer work with more than 600 French cinema professionals who had signed a petition entitled "Switch off Bolloré", criticising the tycoon, warning about his growing control and calling for mobilisation against what they claimed was his attempt to lead a far-right "civilisational project" throughout French media. 
Produced by Gavin Lee, Alessandro Xenos, Antonia Cimini, Guillaume Gougeon and Laura Burloux

This week has seen the world's superpowers take centre stage with US President Donald Trump in Beijing for the first state visit of a US leader in almost a decade. With tensions over trade, technology and Taiwan, what stayed tacitly implied was the deeper, more difficult question of whether the two alpha powers of world order can share the 21st century. Or is confrontation ultimately unavoidable?
Chinese President Xi Jinping has long indicated that he wants China to be the number one military, economic and political force by 2049. But it was flattery and fanfare, smiles and waves in the Great Hall of the People. Trump had vowed to make China pay for "ripping us off like no one has ever done before". But after a banquet of Beijing roast duck and crispy beef ribs, Trump toasted his great rival with the words "You're a great leader. I say it to everybody." But on the question of Taiwan, no comment.
It's been a week of will-they-won't-they, watch and wait in Westminster as a leadership challenge seemed likely against the British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, a week on from the worst local elections result in history for the ruling Labour Party. Starmer dug his heels in while rumours spread of cabinet unrest and private calls for him to go. Downing Street insisted bigger issues were at hand than party navel-gazing, like Iran and Ukraine. But once the pomp of the king's speech was over, including a heckle of "Not now Andy!", as Black Rod knocked to enter parliament, it was back to the question of political succession: will it be Wes, Angela or the aforementioned Andy knocking at the Downing Street door? Wes Streeting resigned from cabinet, and with Angela Rayner looking to be back in the frame, for Andy Burnham it's a question of plotting a route back to parliament, while the carry on continues.
It's also been a week where French President Emmanuel Macron has been on the move in Africa: jogging through the streets of Alexandria and taking morning runs in Nairobi with an Olympic marathon champion. He's being playing football in the Kenyan capital too, living his best life according to the French paper Libération. He'll need to master the diplomatic equivalent of the Cruyff Turn to succeed in his quest to pivot French interests away from its former colonies, to carve out a new sphere of relevance in anglophone Africa, where he was playing co-host at the Africa Forward summit in Kenya, and investing €14 billion, an ambitious reorientation in a fiercely competitive market dominated by China. 
Produced by Gavin Lee, Andrew Hilliar, Daniel Whittington, Emmanuel Miculita, Alessandro Xenos, Guillaume Gougeon and Laura Burloux.

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, namely Iran's nuclear programme, the Strait of Hormuz and sanctions relief for the regime.
It's been a week of headline hell for Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Having survived recurring controversies including the Mandelson affair, but headed into UK local elections with his approval ratings in nosedive, he's picking up nicknames faster than his beloved Arsenal are points. "Captain Hindsight", "Sir Flip Flop", say the opposition. And while Arsenal enjoy their place at the top of the table – set to win the Premier League for the first time in two decades – Starmer's popularity ratings are in the relegation zone. After a dismal election performance and the success of the populist Reform UK party, there's talk of a Labour plot to oust him before the next elections.
Finally, it's been the second week of the OpenAI trial: a case brought by Elon Musk claiming OpenAI breached its founding principles. This week, the mother of four of Musk's children, Shivon Zilis, took the stand – both about what was going on at OpenAI, but also about her and Musk's personal relationship. 
Produced by Gavin Lee, Théo Vareille, Daniel Whittington, Alessandro Xenos.

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 shop. The king's carefully crafted speeches at the state dinner and in Congress brought up reminders of the shared history and wartime alliances. Half sermon, half stand-up: it's the art of the seal! We assess whether it landed, and if it made any difference to a relationship that's not been so special of late.
Also this week, Trump spent an hour and a half on the phone with Russia's Putin. With a fragile ceasefire and effectively a double blockade in the Strait of Hormu  occupying Tehran and Washington, the Kremlin initiated the call, they say, to the White House. A post call read-out from Putin's spokesperson said it contained an offer of assistance to help de-escalate in the Middle East; to help the US take 440 kilos of buried, enriched uranium from Iran and move it to Russia.
Finally, it's been a week that's seen a battle between two tech billionaires commence in a Californian court. Elon Musk is suing Sam Altman, seeking his dismissal as CEO of Open AI and $130 billion in damages. Taking the stand, Musk set out how he co-founded OpenAI with Altman, injecting $38 million into early funding and calling himself a "fool" to believe its stated mission as a non-profit charity for the good of humanity. He claims OpenAI betrayed its principles in the hunt for profit to enrich the executives. OpenAI portrays Musk's lawsuit as being driven by regret and jealousy over OpenAI's success without him, and this is playing out during a wider battle between the few tech bros for control of advanced artificial intelligence.
Produced by Gavin Lee, Rhea Smircic, Juliette Laffont, Marguerite Lacroix, Andrew Hilliar.