The World This Week

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.

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, hopes for direct talks in Pakistan came and went, with a no-show on both sides. Iran's regime-aligned media released a new propaganda video entitled "Goodbye Oil", an ominous – but now familiar – Lego-style cartoon warning, threatening to devastate the Gulf states if Washington resumed its strikes.
Trump resumed the ceasefire hours before it was due to expire, and it is no longer time-stamped.
Meanwhile, in the Arabian Sea, a de facto double blockade continues – no longer just a war of words – with US forces firing on an Iranian-linked vessel before seizing control of it, while Iranian boats attacked three merchant ships and escorted them to the Iranian coast.
It has also been a week in which Lebanon accused Israel of a war crime, a so-called triple-tap strike that led to the killing of a journalist and seriously wounded another. Amal Khalil, a reporter with the country's pro-Hezbollah newspaper Al Akhbar, and photojournalist Zeinab Faraj had fled their car in southern Lebanon after an Israeli drone struck a vehicle on the road in front of them. They took shelter in a nearby house, which was then reportedly bombed by an Israeli fighter jet. Lebanese officials allege that the IDF then blocked paramedics in the rescue effort by using stun grenades and directing gunfire at the ambulances rushing to help. Israel has denied obstructing the rescue and says it does not target journalists.
This comes as Israeli and Lebanese officials met for a second round of ceasefire talks at the White House, which have led to a three-week extension of the truce.
Finally, it has been a week the British prime minister can be relieved to have made it through. Sir Keir Starmer, the man who vowed to "steer calmer" waters in the UK after what he called the chaos, cronyism, scandal and sleaze of the Conservatives, is now mired in the same issues on his own doorstep. Questions have arisen over the lengths he went to in ensuring that Peter Mandelson was chosen as US ambassador, despite his questionable ties to the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Concerns remain over why checks and balances were so disregarded in the rush to place a wily operator in Trump's orbit. An exclusive in The Guardian last week revealed that Mandelson had not been cleared by the UK's security vetting process. Starmer blamed and sacked a Foreign Office civil servant, Sir Ollie Robins, for not informing him of this information. Only Sir Ollie said it was not his job to do so.
Produced by Gavin Lee, Antonia Cimini, Daniel Whittington, Alessandro Xenos.

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 sources stated that troops would not withdraw from the south of the country, where they are establishing a security zone against the threat of the Iranian-backed armed group Hezbollah.
Trump told reporters that he believes both conflicts are nearing an end. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that if not, American weapons are "locked and loaded", ready to destroy Iran's energy infrastructure when its current deal expires in four days' time.
It was also a week in which Trump challenged public perceptions, uploading an AI portrait of himself, only to quickly delete it. The image, drawing comparisons to optical illusions like the duck-rabbit or hotdogs-or-legs tests, depicted him in a Christ-like healer role. He claimed he was dressed as a doctor, following intense criticism from MAGA Catholics and other conservative Christians after he publicly criticised Pope Leo XIV, accusing him of being weak on crime and nuclear weapons. The pope has been outspoken in his criticism of Trump's wars and immigration policies.
In Hungary, thousands celebrated late into the night on the banks of the Danube after a historic political victory against the odds. Peter Magyar, a government insider-turned anti-corruption campaigner, secured a landslide election win, ending Viktor Orbán's 16-year tenure as Europe's longest-serving leader. The European Parliament had described Orbán's rule as a "hybrid regime of electoral autocracy" that silenced critics.
Magyar, invited by Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok to form a government, immediately outlined plans for sweeping change. He announced intentions to suspend the state-owned broadcaster, signalling a dramatic shift in the nation's media landscape.
Produced by Gavin Lee, Théophile Vareille, Daniel Whittington, Alessandro Xenos.

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 ended with a two-week ceasefire announcement, with both Tehran and Washington claiming the upper hand. Pakistan hosted the talks, with Islamabad under lockdown as senior US and Iranian officials arrived. Yet the Strait of Hormuz – through which a fifth of the world’s oil flows – has not fully reopened, according to energy analysts, despite US demands. Tehran has floated a toll fee of up to $2 million per ship, while US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has maintained a narrative of victory.
Attention then shifted to Lebanon, where Israeli forces carried out their deadliest attack yet in the renewed conflict with Hezbollah, claiming exemption from the ceasefire. Dubbed “Operation Eternal Darkness,” the strikes saw 50 fighter jets drop 160 bombs on around 100 targets in just 10 minutes. Israeli officials described it as the heaviest blow to Hezbollah since the “Operation Grim Beeper” attacks two years ago. Lebanese health authorities, however, called it a brutal and indiscriminate assault, reporting at least 250 deaths, including civilians.
As concerns grew that the escalation in Lebanon could derail US-Iran talks, pressure from President Trump appeared to prompt Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to announce separate truce talks with the Lebanese government in the coming days, focused on disarming Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, Hungary entered the final week of a closely fought election campaign – the tightest in 16 years – with polls suggesting a potential end to Viktor Orbán’s rule. US Vice President JD Vance visited Budapest to endorse Orbán, claiming – without evidence – that Brussels and Ukraine’s intelligence services were interfering in the vote. Opposition leader Péter Magyar made similar allegations, but directed them at the US, Russia, and neighbouring Serbia. Tensions rose further after reports that Serbia had foiled an alleged bomb plot targeting a Russian gas pipeline to Hungary – an incident Orbán suggested could be linked to Ukraine. Critics dismissed the claims as fearmongering; Orbán denied any “false flag” tactics.
Finally, it was a week for the history books in space. The Artemis II crew completed a landmark mission, travelling farther than any humans before them – just over a quarter of a million miles – before returning after ten days. The mission marks a crucial step toward future deep space exploration and the prospect of a permanent human presence beyond Earth.
 
Produced by Gavin Lee, Théophile Vareille, Juliette Laffont, Alessandro Xenos.