Alessandro Xenos - players.bio

US Capitol siege hearings, Russia's hostage diplomacy, Johnson's confidence vote, Islam in India

The war in Ukraine is causing huge disruptions in world food markets since both countries are huge producers of grain, oil and fertiliser. Ukrainian grain ready for export is stuck in port because the Black Sea is now a no-go zone. Negotiations underway in Turkey have shown little progress, leading to accusations that Russia is using grain as a bargaining chip. Meanwhile, two Britons and a Moroccan who were fighting for Ukraine have been sentenced to death by court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.

French legislative elections: Can Macron hold on to his majority?

One thing has changed in the past few weeks: an unexpected alliance on the usually disparate left. The awkwardly named NUPES brings together the France Unbowed movement, Communists, Greens and Socialists all under the same umbrella, with the gambit of making France Unbowed's Jean-Luc Mélenchon the next prime minister. Momentum appears to be on their side.

Beginning of the end? Booed Boris Johnson faces leadership challenge

Is Partygate coming home to roost, or are the ruling Conservatives changing course? As post-Brexit turbulence blurs into the worst inflation in decades, what kind of leadership do the Tory faithful want? What kind of Britain do they want?

Hundred days of war in Ukraine, Queen's Platinum Jubilee, Verdict in Depp-Heard trial

One hundred days of death and destruction have passed in Ukraine, where Russia is flattening the Donbas region. Meanwhile, the US and its allies are stepping up weapons shipments to Kyiv. Among those killed this week was French journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff. The 32-year-old reporter was aboard an armoured vehicle whose mission was to pick up civilians.

The longest reign: What next for the British monarchy?

Why do crowned heads still abound throughout Europe in the 21st Century? Is the embodiment of a nation's power best represented by a hereditary head of state or an elected president? The thrill may be gone in many parts of the Commonwealth, but the aura endures.

Blame game: What went wrong at the Stade de France?

We hear Gérald Darmanin's explanation and ask whether the former chief of staff to Nicolas Sarkozy is ripe for the chop.

Texas school shooting, Battle for Donbas, Indo-Pacific tensions, Women's rights in Spain

While the United States liberally sells weapons of war over the counter, Ukraine is pleading for all the military hardware it can get. As the world marked 90 days of war, it was the week when the eastern city of Severodonetsk emerged as the new Mariupol. Surrounded on three sides, Ukrainian forces now endure a pounding while Russian forces shell the country's second city of Kharkiv at a distance.

Will Colombia look left? Presidential race focuses on inequality, enduring violence

We ask about the many lives of candidate Gustavo Petro, a one-time rebel turned economist and mayor of Bogota. How radical a change do he and his running mate Francia Marquez represent? How real are the threats against them and the electoral process, in a nation where militias still kill human rights activists and which still counts at least one active rebellion?

Contacts

Alessandro Xenos Sport News

US Capitol siege hearings, Russia's hostage diplomacy, Johnson's confidence vote, Islam in India

French legislative elections: Can Macron hold on to his majority?

Beginning of the end? Booed Boris Johnson faces leadership challenge

Hundred days of war in Ukraine, Queen's Platinum Jubilee, Verdict in Depp-Heard trial

The longest reign: What next for the British monarchy?

Blame game: What went wrong at the Stade de France?

Texas school shooting, Battle for Donbas, Indo-Pacific tensions, Women's rights in Spain

Will Colombia look left? Presidential race focuses on inequality, enduring violence