The Newsmakers

Independence day in Poland. It's meant to be a celebration of the country's return to sovereignty at the end of World War One. But a rally at this year's commemoration ended in violence. Nationalists clashed with police, attacked the Russian embassy, and burned down a pro-LGBT display. But the scenes that really stunned the world were the images of red flares burning while a crowd chanted for God, honor, and fatherland. They're slogans common during neo-Nazi marches. It's left us wondering -- how can a country that suffered under the Third Reich, find itself in this kind of political climate?

A new missile defence contract between Turkey and Russia seems a done deal. And it has some members of NATO worried. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan traveled to the Russian resort town of Sochi this week, to meet with his Russian counterpart. He and Vladimir Putin had been at loggerheads after the Turkish military shot down a Russian fighter jet in 2015. But their relationship now seems essentially fully restored. And some are asking if it means Ankara is moving away from its alliance with Europe.

Sanctions have hit Venezuela once again, this time from both sides of the Atlantic. The US and the European Union are imposing new restrictions on the crisis-hit country. After a contentious election earlier this year, 10 more Venezuelan officials have been targeted by Washington. They're accused of undermining democracy through corruption. Meanwhile the EU is set to impose an arms embargo. But Venezuelans are already suffering. With food and medicine hard to come by, many are starving, some even to the point of death. So are sanctions really the answer? Will they force President Maduro's hand, or just give him more ammunition to blame the West for his country's problems?

Bangladesh is leading the way for gender equality in South Asia. That's according to the World Economic Forum, which has ranked them highest in the region, for the third time running. But not everyone's convinced they belong at the top of the list. The country boasts an impressive number of female politicians, but gender-based violence is still a massive problem. Almost 90% of married women have experienced domestic abuse. So is Bangladesh really the gender utopia some make it out to be?

Daesh's last stronghold is hanging by a thread. The Syrian town of Bukamal near the Iraqi border is all that remains of the terror group's urban territory. This past week, the Syrian regime said they'd liberated it, before the group managed to claw it back. But its collapse appears imminent, and with it, their form of statehood that once held vast expanses of territory across Iraq and Syria. So what comes next? Who fills the vacuum? And what's being done to ensure they don't return?

NATO and the United States are sending 3,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan. Some generals on the ground call wildly insufficient to combat the country's worsening security situation.

Brazil's government is facing a violent backlash after trying to crack down on illegal gold mining in the Amazon. A task force burned about 30 boats near a protected forest reserve. Two days later, protesters torched environmental offices. But the question of who's in the wrong here isn't so cut and dry.

Former US president Barack Obama took a hard line against the drug war in the Philippines, calling it a human rights disaster. And President Rodrigo Duterte responded with swear words. Since then, the Philippines has been pivoting towards China and now it's Trump who's offering to make to peace. At this week's ASEAN summit, he crooned about the great relationship between the two countries with no mention of the nearly four thousand Filipinos who've died from what many call extrajudicial killings. So, is this the price the US is willing to pay for influence in Southeast Asia?

Emmerson Mnangagwa has been vice president since 2014. He was exiled with the country's leader during the war against white minority rule, and many had expected him to take over. But it wasn't to be. Mugabe has accused him of disloyalty and deceit. His former deputy has now reportedly left the country because of death threats. Mugabe accuses him of consulting Church prophets to find out when the 93-year-old president will die. And after expelling him from the party, Mugabe warned others could be next. Now, Grace Mugabe is set to be appointed vice president next month. So is she guaranteed to take over, or could we see another plot twist?

Organ trafficking is now a booming business. After the Syrian conflict broke out in 2011, more than one and a half million people escaped to Lebanon. They now make up a quarter of the population and many live in abject poverty. With little money and poor accommodations, some have now resorted to selling organs to support themselves and their loved ones.