The World This Week

It’s been a week of shifting alliances, escalating tensions and political drama. NATO leaders gathered in Turkey for another pivotal summit, where President Trump arrived questioning the alliance’s loyalty before leaving in a markedly warmer mood, as attention also turned to his relationship with President Zelensky and the future of Western support for Ukraine. In the Middle East, Iran held days of public mourning for its late Supreme Leader while fresh exchanges with the United States cast further doubt over hopes for a lasting ceasefire. In France, Marine Le Pen's political fortunes were transformed by a landmark appeal court ruling that reignited her presidential ambitions, while on the football pitch Les Bleus moved a step closer to a third World Cup title as Kylian Mbappé forcefully responded to racist abuse from a Paraguayan senator.
Produced by Gavin Lee, Alessandro Xenos, Rebecca Gnignati, Guillaume Gougeon and Laura Burloux

From intensifying drone warfare between Ukraine and Russia to mounting fears of a humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan, anti-immigration protests in South Africa and a landmark ruling by the US Supreme Court, this week has been shaped by conflicts over power, identity and international law.
In Russia, long queues formed at petrol stations after Ukrainian drone strikes targeted oil refineries and fuel infrastructure. Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the attacks were "creating problems", saying strategic reserves were being used and that restrictions on diesel exports were under consideration, though he insisted that the situation was "not critical". The disruption follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's launch of a 40-day campaign of deep strikes against Russian energy facilities aimed at increasing pressure on the Kremlin. At the same time, Russia unleashed one of its largest aerial assaults on Kyiv since the start of the war, firing 74 missiles and some 500 drones during an 11-hour bombardment that killed at least 30 people and struck residential buildings. Our panel examines the military balance, the diplomatic calculations on both sides and whether Russia risks entering what some analysts describe as a "drowning man syndrome" – escalating further as its strategic options narrow.
We also turn our attention to Sudan, where the humanitarian situation in El-Obeid is rapidly deteriorating. Around half a million civilians are effectively trapped as paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces tighten their encirclement of the city. Military analysts warn that a major ground offensive could be imminent, while the United Nations says dwindling food supplies and damage to essential infrastructure are placing civilians at grave risk. Amnesty International has warned that the siege mirrors the tactics used during the capture of El-Fasher and is calling for the urgent deployment of an international protection force to prevent what it describes as another potential "stain on the conscience of humanity".

Political change in Britain has dominated the headlines this week with Keir Starmer’s resignation paving the way for Andy Burnham to become prime minister, while the country also marks 10 years since the Brexit vote. Also, fresh peace talks between the US and Iran have begun amid continuing tensions and sharply different accounts of progress from both sides.
In Venezuela, the country’s strongest earthquakes in more than a century have left hundreds dead, with rescue efforts continuing and fears that the death toll will rise.
Across Europe, record-breaking heat has pushed temperatures to new highs and sparked a political row in France over the role of air conditioning in a warming climate.
Produced by Gavin Lee, Nicholas Rushworth, Andrew Hilliar, Guillaume Gougeon and Laura Burloux

This week, an interim peace agreement was signed between the US and Iran, bringing a temporary end to the conflict and the beginning of a 60-day window to negotiate the many unresolved issues between the two sides. 
US President Donald Trump signed the Memorandum of Understanding over a dinner at the Palace of Versailles, and before he'd had time to digest his dessert of hot chocolate pie and French vanilla ice cream, there were already grumblings within the Republican Party that a military win had been turned into a strategic defeat. Iran's supreme leader claimed Trump had made a deal out of desperation, but it was bravo and cheers at the Château.
It's also been a week's that's seen the leaders of the G7 nations meet lakeside in Geneva. The summit was in Evian, five decades on from the inaugural meeting in France that focused on how to deal with the global economic turbulence in the aftermath of the oil crisis of 1973. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US were back, alongside Canada. This year, some other handpicked leaders were invited: the prime ministers of India and Kenya, the presidents of Brazil, Turkey, Egypt and the UAE, the emir of Qatar, and also new faces at the table: the bosses of big tech. Canada's Mark Carney said the old ritual gathering is useful for weaving the strands of a new world order through broader engagement, but the G7 no longer pretends to run the world.
Finally, it's been a week that's seen President Volodymyr Zelensky secure renewed Western commitment at the G7, with European leaders talking of an apparent renewed focus and tone from Trump. This time last year, he compared the war to two boys fighting in a park. "Sometimes you're better off leaving them to it," he said. This week, he put his name to a joint statement declaring "unwavering support" for Ukraine and backed calls for increased pressure on Russia. And while the US president stopped short of criticising Putin, he said Moscow should make a deal.

This week began with US President Donald Trump pronouncing that a ceasefire extension was so close with Iran, two or three days max, that it would only take an hour to finalise. Hours later, Tehran downed a US Apache helicopter off the Gulf of Oman, with the crew rescued from the sea. The attack was reportedly an attempt to deter the US's evolving efforts to increase air patrols that target Iranian drones in order to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. 
Two nights of US military strikes across Iran followed, with counter attacks from the Iranian regime in strikes on US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. By Thursday, Trump warned of hard attacks to come by nightfall, declaring a plan to capture Iran's Kharg Island in the not-too-distant future, but the threat to strike was called off. Trump claimed the Iranian leadership had blinked and approved the final points of a ceasefire extension. Iran's regime has said no final decision has been made. 
It's also been a second week of mass demonstrations in Albania. What started as an environmental movement against plans by Trump's family to build a luxury resort has snowballed into a wider political movement expanding by the day and even calling for the Albanian prime minister to resign. Demonstrators are calling it the "Flamingo Revolution", after the species native to the protected coastline where Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are leading a consortium to create a multi-billion-dollar hotel project, also eyeing up the idyllic state-owned island of Sazan. Protests have increased since construction work started and Ivanka gave a podcast interview on how she was wanted to develop it since being captivated by the island after hiking up the island barefoot. Demonstrators say there is no transparency. US senator Bernie Sanders waded in stateside, calling it "Albanians versus the Global Oligarchy". The Albanian prime minister claims online bots by a hostile state are magnifying the anger and that an environmental assessment is still underway, while the European Commission reminded Albania not to take action that could undermine its EU aspirations.
Finally, it's been a week that's seen riots in Belfast triggered by a brutal late-night street stabbing. The suspect is a Sudanese migrant granted leave to remain in the UK for five years. Video of the attack went viral within hours, showing a sustained assault on a man in his 40s and bystanders rushing in, one using a wooden hurling stick to drive the attacker back. Two nights of unrest followed and what began as calls to protest the attack quickly turned into anti-immigration riots, amplified online. Addresses linked to migrant and asylum seeker housing were shared on social media. Bricks were thrown through windows, cars set alight, walls graffitied with the words "local houses for local people." It's led to renewed debate over immigration enforcement, and how to counter potential dog-whistle politics or underlying racism while dealing with genuine concerns.
Produced by Gavin Lee, Andrew Hilliar, Alessandro Xenos and Daniel Whittington.