In a week marked by unprecedented wartime protests in Ukraine over the dismissal of Defence Minister Mykhailo “Misha” Fedorov — praised for his battlefield contributions and anti‑corruption drive — tensions have risen. Reports indicate he clashed with Commander‑in‑Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi over strategic approaches.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was forced to take a side to preserve governmental unity amid a broader cabinet reshuffle. The timing is particularly delicate as Ukraine continues its 40‑day campaign of strikes against Russian fuel facilities and recent attacks on vessels in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
Meanwhile, tensions in the Strait of Hormuz have escalated again, a month after the signing of a memorandum of understanding in which former President Donald Trump declared, “Ships of the world, start your engines, let the oil flow!” Trump has since said the agreement is over, yet he has allowed negotiations to continue. Oil prices and global gasoline costs have risen, and both sides exchange familiar rhetoric: Trump threatening further strikes on Iranian infrastructure, and Tehran vowing to “crush every US interest still intact in the Middle East.”
In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stepped down, as has the English national football team, both receiving similar criticism for a lack of creativity, boldness, and positivity. In his place, Andy Burnham has taken over as Labour’s new leader. The son of a toolmaker faced accusations that his political “toolbox” lacked the solutions needed to remedy Labour’s internal chaos. Does the newcomer possess a more effective approach? A guitarist and Stone Roses enthusiast who daily plays I Am the Resurrection and dabbles in Wordle, Burnham presents a fresh face for Labour. Will he be the catalyst for change, or will Labour, like Fools Gold, overvalue perception over substance?
Suggested reading:
- Stalingrad by Vasily Grossman
- A Kind of Anger by Eric Ambler
- What the Wild Sea Can Be: The Future of the World’s Ocean by Helen Scales
- My Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein: A Fiction by Deborah Levy
Produced by Gavin Lee, Alessandro Xenos, Théo Vareille, Daniel Whittington and Laura Burloux
