The World This Week

It has been a week that has seen the anniversary of the brutal Hamas October 7th attacks. A multi-fronted war now taking place, a year on, with Israel poised to carry out a “lethal, precise and above all, surprising” counter-strike on Iran at any time. Meanwhile, some UN peacekeepers have been injured by Israeli fire in southern Lebanon. World leaders are demanding answers.

It has been a week that has seen a hurricane devastate the east coast of the US. Millions of people left without power, and rescuers searching through the floods waters for survivors in Florida. What started as a category 5 predicted storm, eased slightly – though fears were made clear.

And it has been a week where two works of art have been trashed by critics albeit the first, unwittingly. The repair man at a Dutch museum mistook these meticulously painted artistic recreations of the Belgian Beer, Jupiler, for the real thing, and he binned them! And similar sentiments expressed by cinema goers around the world this week after the release of Joker: Folie à Deux, the much-anticipated sequel to Joker, after laughing all the way to the bank after the Oscar-winning billion dollar box office success of the original...

It has been a week of relentless escalation in the Middle East, with Israeli air strikes across Lebanon, Gaza and Yemen against Iranian-backed militants. Hundreds of civilians have been killed in the past seven days, and in the south of Lebanon, a "limited ground offensive" has begun. Iran has retaliated, sending almost 200 ballistic missiles across Israel, leading to much speculation over Israel's response.

This week has also seen "Mr Teflon" Mark Rutte take over the helm at NATO. It's a nickname he's going to need as he takes on the job in the midst of spiralling international crises. He has also been called "The Trump Whisperer", which could come in handy, depending on who gets the keys to the White House. Rutte’s first trip was to Kyiv. It is inevitable, he says, that Ukraine will become a NATO member.

And it has been "Veep week" in the US, with the two running mates going head-to-head in a 90 minute debate. It was a surprisingly cordial affair, with tough questions for both. Tim Walz says he "misspoke" when suggesting he was in Hong Kong at the time of the Tiananmen Square massacre. JD Vance says he only compared Trump to Hitler in the past because of the mainstream media. We ask: who won, was it worth it and does it matter? 

This week has seen Israel and Hezbollah step closer to all-out war. Air strikes across Lebanon on Monday killed more than 500 people – the deadliest day in the country since the civil war more than three decades ago. Hezbollah struck deeper into Israeli territory. Then the chief of the IDF told Israeli soldiers to prepare for the possible entry of ground troops into southern Lebanon. Unified calls came for a 21-day ceasefire from the UN and Western allies, but the rhetoric of the Israeli PM suggests anything but peace.

In France, several defendants have testified in the mass rape case of Gisèle Pelicot. Her ex-husband Dominique has already admitted to organising the sedation and rape of his wife by strangers over a period of 10 years. The horrifying case has had a ripple effect across France and beyond, in a case that would have stayed behind closed doors if it wasn't for the strength, courage and dignity of Gisèle Pelicot in deciding to lift her right to anonymity. We look at how she has become a national and global symbol in the fight against sexual violence.

And it has been a week where both sides of the Channel have seen their new governments setting out their stalls. Here in France, after a left-wing victory and two months of uncertainty, with a right-wing minority government now in power, the new conservative interior minister set out three priorities.

Meanwhile in Britain, it was conference speech time for the centre left prime minister nicknamed "Free Gear Keir" in the press this week for accepting donor gifts of clothing and VIP football treatment. Then came a terrible faux pas: a sausage gaffe, while talking about Israel.

This week has seen a new method of technological warfare – used against Hezbollah in Lebanon. First Pagers, then Walkie-Talkies simultaneously exploding in people’s hands, pockets, bags. Dozens killed, thousands injured. No comment from Israel’s spy agency who is said to have meticulously planned and physically infiltrated the group’s supply chain. We will look at how it happened, why now, and what next?

It has been a week that has seen another apparent assassination attempt against Donald Trump. A 58-year-old suspect, said to have hid for hours in the shrubbery at the seventh hole of the Trump International Golf Course before being spotted by the FBI agents on Sunday morning. The former president says he was bundled into a gold buggy as gunfire rang out and seized on the moment to claim it is the inflammatory language used by his rivals that is stoking political violence.

It has also been a week in which the head of the World Health Organisation Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus spoke to reporters about what he has seen on his visit to Sudan, a country in the midst of war with little sign of resolution. He said the mass displacement – now more than 12 million people – was shocking and had become the largest displacement crisis in the world. Dr. Tedros said he believes the “really low” attention that the global community is paying to the ongoing crisis is partly due to racism.

Finally, it has been a week of waiting for the new French government to be announced, a decision that is supposedly imminent. And Prime Minister Michel Barnier, only two weeks into the job is finding he is a hit with the public! New polls suggest he is now France’s most popular politician. It is his colleagues he has been struggling to convince – news of a clash with President Macron, and a barney between Barnier and his predecessor Gabriel Attal over plans to raise taxes. We will try and peak behind the curtains and let you know what is really going on.

This week has seen another US presidential debate take place. The last 90 minutes cost President Joe Biden his job. This time it started with niceties; an extended hand from Kamala Harris that has become known as the "power move handshake": look it up on TikTok. 

"Let’s have fun," said Donald Trump. And if they didn't, we did! News lines emerged that would make the satirical website The Onion proud. "Immigrants are eating dogs and cats in Springfield", read one. Then one very famous self-styled "childless cat lady" set out her stall. Has Tuesday night altered the race to the White House?

It has also been a week that's seen a world first: a non-professional crew carrying out a spacewalk 700 kilometres above earth. Orbiting at a higher altitude than any mission for five decades, US billionaire Jared Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis took on what is considered one of the riskiest manoeuvres.

Finally, it turns out rock stars can be lifesavers. This week, Nashville police credited Jon Bon Jovi for saving a woman's life by talking her down from the ledge of a bridge. We ask our panel for their reasons to be cheerful this week in an often difficult world.

It has been a week which saw France finally appoint a new prime minister. A mountain hiking, smooth-talking septuagenarian – Michel Barnier. Monsieur Brexit, former EU point man negotiating Britain’s divorce. He has served in the cabinet of many French Presidents in decades gone by. Now, he is back as the oldest PM in the French fifth Republic replacing the youngest one! But why Barnier? And why did he want the job? Is it because he is the master of eggshell diplomacy?

It has also been a week which saw some of the biggest protests against the Netanyahu government in Israel, and a national strike after the killing of six hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. The prime minister is accused of having blood on his hands, and a lack of humanity in blocking truce deals that may have prevented the deaths. He denied the claims, but he did offer an apology.

And this has been the week that tweeting or Xing fell silent in Brazil. The social media platform X is now officially an Ex social media platform in Brazil after a disinformation row rose up between a Supreme Court judge and the site’s owner, billionaire and self-proclaimed free speech absolutist Elon Musk. Has Brazil done the right thing?

This week saw the first sit-down interview for Kamala Harris as US presidential nominee. After a headline-grabbing summer where she’s dominated the American media landscape, we look at the reinvention of Harris: from gaff-prone veep to self-assured and highly polished campaign candidate. We also look at Donald Trump's manoeuvres to regain the spotlight. 

It's also been a week that’s seen the Russian-born CEO of the messaging app Telegram arrested at an airport outside Paris, placed under formal investigation and banned from leaving France. Pavel Durov is alleged to have enabled the proliferation of illicit activity and sexual exploitation of children. It’s an attack on free speech, says Russia, a country that has banned Facebook and Instagram and severely restricted access to YouTube. We discuss the political and ethical implications. 

And unless you've been half the world away, you'll have seen the news from the Gallagher brothers this week. It's time to shake off your parka and get a cigarette lighter ready to wave to "Live Forever", as they're getting the band back together. Oasis, one of Britain's biggest bands, are going on tour, 15 years after their notorious fallout near Paris. We try to answer one of the most contentious musical questions of modern times: Blur or Oasis?

And it's "la rentrée" here in France: back to the office for French politicians, and negotiations continue for a new prime minister. Are there any signs of white smoke? We explain the political Gordian knot that’s causing the impasse, and assess who's to blame.

Produced by Gavin Lee, Luis Miguel Cabrera, Laura Welfringer and Louison Girard.

One month after Emmanuel Macron’s surprise announcement of snap elections, the French Parliament has been elected, but France still needs to find a Prime Minister, with no group holding a majority. Meanwhile, Joe Biden hosted a NATO heads of state meeting, which raised concerns when he confused Kamala Harris with Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky with Vladimir Putin. In Barcelona, angry residents splashed water on tourists and expressed their frustration with mass tourism through protests.

Produced by Gavin Lee, Luis Miguel Cabrera, Guillaume Mercier and Louison Girard.

It's been a week that's seen a new government sweep into power in the UK. A landslide win by Labour has ended 14 years of Conservative rule. It's the Conservatives' worst defeat in living memory. After electoral devastation, voters are trusting the centre left to get the UK through choppy waters. Can Keir Starmer steer calmer? 

It's also been a week of mixed fortunes in the US presidential race. Donald Trump's week could hardly have gone better. The US Supreme Court ruled that he is immune from prosecution for offences relating to his time in office. The White House now appears within Trump's grasp as he edges ahead in the polls since last week's presidential debate, which has sparked intense speculation over President Joe Biden's ability to carry on amid his apparent cognitive decline.

Finally, this week has seen the Hungarian leader Viktor Orban make a surprise trip to Kyiv and Moscow. The right-wing populist known for his warm relations with Vladimir Putin played peacemaker and called on President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.

This week has seen the first presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump, protesters taking the streets in Kenya against government plans for a finance bill, and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange freed and returning to Australia.

Sticking with Biden? Democrats in panic after TV debate

It was a bad week for US President Joe Biden after an at times confused and incoherent live TV election debate against Donald Trump. Critics are questioning Biden's age, as are some of his own party loyalists, after what has been described as the worst presidential candidate performance in recent history. Meanwhile, Donald Trump sent fact checkers into overdrive, with several fictitious assertions about his own success. We ask how much of a difference TV debates make to voters.

Kenya's parliament stormed in finance bill protest

It has been a week that saw the Kenyan parliament set ablaze by protesters railing against government plans for a finance bill. In the attempted storming of the building, at least 20 people were shot dead by security forces. Days later, President William Ruto withdrew the bill. We look at why the group dubbed the "Gen Z demonstrators" and "TikTokers in tear gas" are credited with overturning the planned law.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange freed in plea deal

Finally, this week saw WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange return to Australia a free man after a plea deal with the US. He had spent 14 years either in prison or in hiding at the Ecuadorean embassy in London. His lawyer called the deal a "criminalisation of journalism", while Washington insists his data dump of classified information put lives at risk.