The Global Briefing: What Else Is Moving the World

While the Gulf dominates the front pages, the rest of the world has not paused. A briefing on what else is shaping the week.

A record year for conflict

The backdrop to the current crisis is grim. The Uppsala Conflict Data Program, a leading academic tracker, has recorded the highest number of active conflicts and the highest conflict-related death toll in decades, with roughly 244,600 people reported killed in conflict in 2025. The current escalation in the Gulf is, in that sense, part of a broader and worsening pattern rather than an isolated event.

Tension in the Taiwan Strait

In Asia, regional tensions remain elevated. A military drill this week marked the first time the US-supplied HIMARS rocket system has been fired in the direction of the Taiwan Strait — a pointed signal in a standoff that the world watches with the same wariness it brings to the Gulf.

Unrest in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, leaders have called for calm after a violent stabbing in Belfast, in which a Sudanese man was arrested and accused, sparked anti-immigration protests. It is the latest flashpoint in a fraught European debate over migration that shows no sign of cooling.

And, briefly

Sweden has moved to ban mobile phones in schools from the coming academic year, joining a growing list of governments rethinking children's relationship with screens. And in lighter news, the next World Cup will feature a striking cast of debutants — among them Uzbekistan, Jordan, Cape Verde and Curacao — a reminder that even in a heavy year, the world still makes room for a first time.