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 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.

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.

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 from the Far East to the Persian Gulf. Washington presented a 15-point plan to end the conflict. Iran set out its own five conditions, reportedly relayed via Pakistan. But assassinations of the regime's top figures have continued, as has Iran's de facto chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, with both sides using the media to mock the other. It's also been a week of intensified Israeli air strikes and ground operations in the south of Lebanon, with the IDF blowing up bridges along the Litani River which bisects the south of the country and meets the Mediterranean Sea. For what end? Israel says it's creating a "defensive buffer zone" against Iranian-backed Hezbollah fighters attacking northern Israeli towns. Lebanon's president says it's a violation of sovereignty which cuts civilians from dozens of towns and villages off from the rest of the country. Nationwide, one in five people are reported to have fled their homes, and the UN warns of the risk of a Gaza-style siege in the south. It's also been a week where millions of travellers at US airports felt the effects of a partial government shutdown. Tens of thousands of transport security staff haven't been paid for more than a month, and the effect is sporadic chaos, snaking lines at airport gates and the longest waiting times on record. There's been political deadlock since February, with Democrats blocking full funding for Homeland Security because of disputes over immigration and customs reforms that the Republicans want. Trump's solution is to send ICE agents to airports, raising questions for US border czar Tom Homan over how useful they will be. It's also been a week of elections in Europe. Denmark saw political drama fit for an episode of "Borgen" as Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen resigned for the second time in her career after her decision to call a snap election failed to pay off at the polls. Aiming for a so-called Greenland bounce after holding firm against US pressure in January, her centre-left party actually lost seats and her coalition lost its majority, in the Social Democrats' worst result since 1903. It's been an election week in Slovenia too, and a fragmented result from a contest framed as the liberals against the populists. The party of the current, pro-EU Prime Minister Robert Golob faced former leader Janez Janša, who denied accusations that he hired a private investigator to dig for dirt on his rival. Golob ended up winning by the narrowest of margins and coalition building now begins. Here in France, all the main parties seemed to claim partial victories after municipal elections, which was easy to do with 35,000 seats up for grabs. The French left took the three biggest cities, Lyon, Marseille and Paris, where the new mayor, Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire, took a victory lap around the capital on a rental bike with supporters. Meanwhile the French far right failed to win its targets in the south, but exponentially built on its voter base, and party leader Jordan Bardella still tops the latest polls for the presidential elections next year. Produced by Gavin Lee, Rebecca Gnignati, Daniel Whittington, Alessandro Xenos.

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 on US and Israeli interests, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and what it called "never-ending revenge". In Washington, US President Donald Trump offered mixed signals, describing the mission as both "very complete, pretty much" and yet not "won enough", while confirming that strikes will continue and saying more than 6,000 targets have already been hit. Reports also suggest frustration inside the White House over Israel's decision to strike oil installations in Tehran, as debate grows over the human cost of the campaign after a missile hit a girls' school in Minab, killing more than 160 people, most of them children. Meanwhile, Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz has triggered the largest disruption to global fuel supplies in the history of the oil market. Tankers attempting to pass through the corridor have been targeted by explosive naval drones, leaving around 20,000 crew members stranded aboard ships in what has become a war zone, as missile and drone attacks continue across Gulf states including Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Produced by Gavin Lee, Andrew Hilliar, Guillaume Gougeon, Laura Burloux and Danielle Brown

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 new policy. Meanwhile, the long shadow of Jeffrey Epstein returned to haunt politics on both sides of the Atlantic. Hillary Clinton faced questions in a private hearing, as fresh scrutiny fell on her husband Bill Clinton. In Britain, following the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor last week, it was the turn of former ambassador Peter Mandelson to be arrested in connection with the scandal. Both men deny wrongdoing. Produced by Gavin Lee, Antonia Cimini, Guillaume Gougeon and Laura Burloux

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 life, the US Attorney General Pam Bondi was in combative mode as she was pressed for five hours by the House Judiciary Committee on the alleged mishandling of the Epstein files release, for redacting the wrong names, and asked why the Department of Justice hadn't pursued more indictments. Out with the Old World Order It's been a week of existential talk over Europe's place in the world. President Emmanuel Macron spoke of the dangerous squeeze between the US and China, and the risk of being swept aside unless the EU unties its regulations, reforms its rules and builds economic sovereignty. To protect without protectionism, he suggested, raising the eyebrows of some fellow leaders who've long cherished an open market. Europe's detachment issues are a key theme at this week's global gathering at the Munich Security Conference, the so-called "Davos for the defence industry". The Olympic helmet dilemma The Ukraine war will be another focal point, as it was too at the Winter Olympics as the athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified for breaching non-political rules for wearing a helmet honouring 24 Ukrainian athletes, victims of the war. It was not a comfortable decision for the Olympic Committee chief. Canada in shock It's been a week of shock and mourning in Canada after a mass school shooting in in British Colombia. At least 10 people died, including children as young as 12. Police say the suspect, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, a biological male identifying as female, had previous mental health concerns, with police having been called out two years ago to seize firearms, though officers say they had "no idea of the motive for the killings". West Bank settlement expansion And it's been a week that's seen the occupied West Bank return to the headlines. The Israeli security cabinet approved a set of measures that make it easier for Jewish settlers to acquire land, shifting the power from the Palestinian Authority to Israeli authorities when it comes to laws around planning, construction, property law and enforcement. Critics, including many Arab states, argue that it is de facto annexation on the quiet, while world attention is on extraordinary events elsewhere. While President Donald Trump has previously stated his opposition to any Israeli annexation, little was said as he met Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Wednesday, where the focus was on how to deal with Iran – by diplomacy or by military force. Produced by Gavin Lee, Andrew Hilliar, Juliette Laffont, Alessandro Xenos.

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 Pretti in Minneapolis, as government officials tried to define the story, framing Pretti as a domestic terrorist and would-be assassin – narratives which had little bearing on what we could see and hear. Two Border Force agents have since been placed on leave, and the issue is causing splits in the Republican Party and within the MAGA movement. It also brought a rare concession from President Donald Trump, who's more famous for the "attack as a form of defence" route. ICE operations now look set to be reduced in Minneapolis. Iran and the 'Armada' ultimatum It's been a week of final warnings for the Iranian regime. Time is running out, was the explicit threat spelled out on Trump's Truth Social, with a "massive Armada" of US military might making its way into the Arabian Sea. The USS Abraham Lincoln, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, has now sailed into the strategic waters, leaving a binary choice: face the wrath of the US military for a second time in less than a year, or agree a new deal on the nuclear programme. This comes two weeks after an uprising was savagely suppressed, with the death toll of protesters now estimated to be in the tens of thousands. Iran's regime has hit back, saying they're waiting with "fingers on the trigger". What's Trump's goal for Gaza? It's also been the week that Israel held a final funeral for the last hostage in Gaza, Master Sergeant Ran Gvili, whose remains were identified by IDF troops in a search of a cemetery in Gaza City, and confirmed as his on Monday. It brought to a close a two year and four month-long search for the police officer known as the Shield, who was killed as he defended a Kibbutz during the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023. With neither war nor peace for the population in Gaza dealing with a bleak winter, we look at the next step of the Truce Plan: disarming Hamas. Produced by Gavin Lee, Théophile Vareille, Juliette Laffont, Alessandro Xenos.

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 his tone. Meanwhile, urgent diplomacy unfolded in the Arctic, as Denmark and Greenland pushed back against renewed US pressure to annex Greenland. Trump insists America "needs" the island for strategic defence, prompting European allies to boost NATO’s presence – and leaving Greenland’s leadership confronting an unsettling new reality. And across Europe, politics turned volatile. France's minority government survived two no-confidence votes sparked by anger over the EU’s Mercosur trade deal, as farmers clogged the country with tractor protests. In the UK, a dramatic defection saw a senior Conservative sacked and swiftly unveiled by Nigel Farage's Reform party, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer added fresh bite to his rhetoric. Produced by Gavin Lee, Rebecca Gnignati, Guillaume Gougeon and Laura Burloux

In this special edition of The World This Week, our panel of journalists look back at the big stories from 2025 and ahead at what to expect in 2026. The year started with a political tempest in the US. A chaotic, unpredictable diplomatic circus by White House design: friends are foes, foes are friends as the art of the deal went global and the 45th president Donald Trump became the 47th. "The madman theory" said supporters, "a madman reality" said critics, as 12 months of temperamental tariffs ensued, and the term TACO was born (that's "Trump Always Chickens Out", in case you need it for the Christmas pub quiz). European allies started to find the "pay as you play" rules overwhelming, triggering the shifting of alliances elsewhere. President Vladimir Putin was allowed back in from the cold, embraced in the physical chill of Alaska. A man wanted by the ICC is not a concern for Trump, who started a trend of "limo diplomacy" as the world’s strongmen leaders took a series of on-camera car-shares as they spoke, albeit without microphone or karaoke. It's also been a year where it turned out the war in Ukraine wasn't solvable in 24 hours, but remains a country digging in and holding on. So is President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is now under political fire for a corruption scandal, and under pressure from Trump to concede territory and call elections despite the conflict raging on. It's also been a year of aggressive enforcement of US immigration policies, with ICE raids, a surge in deportations, paused decisions on asylum applications and Somalis labelled as garbage. The top trending Google search was Charlie Kirk, another most searched was Zohran Mamdani, the social media savvy politician who optimised the algorithm, going from zero in the polls to hero of the left and elected the next mayor of New York. He campaigned on the making the Big Apple affordable again and raising the plight of Palestinians in Gaza. After two ceasefires and the death toll reaching 70,000 in Gaza, all of the living hostages were released, with the Trump plan still holding as we speak. In Iran, Operation Midnight Hammer saw extraordinary US air strikes on its nuclear bunkers. Meanwhile Sudan, the world's biggest humanitarian crisis and so-called "forgotten war", continued in the shadows of international attention. There were coups in Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, and conflict brewing in Latin America, where US gunboat diplomacy continues to play out off the coast of Venezuela. It was also a year that has seen a shower of online AI slop. It took a while to verify that Venezuela's autocratic leader Nicolas Maduro was in fact dancing to his own speech, retitled "No War, Yes Peace". In Paris at the Louvre, the crown jewels were gone in 420 seconds. In Italy, a new era began at the Vatican with an American papacy as Cardinal Robert Prevost became Pope Leo XIV. Three hours north in Venice, the world watched the Bezos' so-called "wedding of the year": three days of chaos in the floating city, after the world had also watched him send his fiancée into space on a celebrity rocket trip, with a strange mix of passengers, leading many critics to speculate what planet they were on. Produced by Gavin Lee, Rhea Smircic, Daniel Whittington and Laura Burloux

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 files on the Epstein investigation, prompting a visibly irritated president to sign it into law while insisting it marked a victory for transparency. Plus, a G20 summit is taking place in South Africa, but the US is boycotting the event. Produced by Gavin Lee, Antonia Cimini, Guillaume Gougeon and Laura Burloux

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 Volodymyr 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 here in France, this week saw the controversial opening of Chinese e-commerce giant Shein's first ever physical shop – in a storied Parisian department store. Produced by Gavin Lee, Henri-Pierre Mafulu and Guillaume Gougeon