Sunday Summary - 16th of November 2025

Shadows of the Past, Fights of the Future

Dear reader, welcome to your weekly Sunday night blues remedy! Tonight, we are travelling across the continents, amidst the phantoms of the past and the troubles of global diplomacy. 

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13 Novembre : La France se souvient*

*France remembers 

As a French writer, it would have been hard for me to dismiss the subject of the commemoration of the terrorist attacks of November 13, 2015, which changed French society forever. On this night, the Islamic State terrorist commanded the attacks that killed 132 victims on Parisian terraces and in the Bataclan theater. Other terrorists committed suicide using explosive vests next to the Stade de France, where the French football team was playing against Germany. These attacks were the first of this kind in France, and the shock was colossal. President François Hollande spoke on TV on the night of the attacks and declared, “C’est une horreur” with a grave expression and a depth of emotion that we had never seen before.  

I was eight years old when these attacks were committed, and I remember the shock it engendered in the weeks and months after. I will never forget the heavy silence when I arrived in the classroom on the following day, and the permanent fear in crowded places. 2015 was also marked by the attacks against the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in January. The question after November 13 was: When will it stop?

This Thursday, several ceremonies were held in the places where the attacks were committed. This culminated with a republican ceremony where a homage was given to the 132 victims, in the presence of President Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. The ceremony was held to try to bring joy and hope to the hearts of the survivors who attended it. Songs and music were played, and a drone spectacle in front of the Eiffel Tower was presented. 

10 years later, we commemorate the victims of these attacks. But, 10 years later, the terraces of the restaurants were crowded. 10 years later, the French football team played a match in Paris. 10 ans après, la vie continue. 

Figure 1 - The Eiffel Tower shines

COP 30: All Quiet on the Climate Front

Apart from marking the 10 years of the Paris attacks, 2025 also marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, ratified at COP21. This agreement was historic, as it set ambitious objectives for the future of the fight against climate change, with the main one being to limit the temperature rise to 2°C. 

The link with the Paris Agreement is that COP30 is currently taking place in Bélem, Brazil. This weekend marks the halfway point of the Conference, and it seems that no significant progress has been made. Also, it has been the first time since COP 26 in Glasgow in 2021 that protestors were authorized to express their discontent and to call leaders for action. Indeed, being held at the borders of the Amazon rainforest, local populations are opposed to the establishment of oil projects that will steal the resources of the forest, as the BBC explains. A few oil companies are represented at the COP, like the French TotalEnergies, with its CEO Patrick Pouyanné being part of the French official delegation. 

In the meantime, seeing the presence of lobbyists and the lack of urgency among the world leaders, it seems that this COP will not mark any progress. The Guardian recalls this sentence from Ban Ki-moon last year, when he said that “COPs no longer fit for purpose”. Is it time to change of model and take concrete actions? 

When the Paris Agreement was signed by several heads of State, including Hollande and Barack Obama, many of the world leaders have since deserted it this year. For example, Donald Trump did not go to Brazil, making it even more challenging to have a common action against climate change. 

A No-Show That Makes the Show

Donald Trump not only missed COP30, but he also announced this week that he will not go to the upcoming G20 held in South Africa, nor will any American officials. Vice President JD Vance was expected to attend the meeting, but he announced that he would not travel to South Africa on November 22. 

The reason invoked by Donald Trump is the presumed “human rights abuses” experienced by the Afrikaner white farmers. He has denounced the assumed bad treatment of some South African citizens since he came back to the Oval Office in January. According to the US President, quoted by DW, “it is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa.” South African Cyril Ramaphosa claimed that this decision not to attend the conference will not affect the success of the dialogues, and told Donald Trump not to think that his absence was essential to the dynamics of international diplomacy.

One certainty is that Donald Trump will attend next year’s conference and will use it as a strength demonstration. Do you know where G20 2026 will take place? Miami, Florida! 

More Nebulous than Ever 

Carrying on with American politics, several Democrat members of the House have published a vast set of emails that shall demonstrate the close links between Donald Trump and sexual criminal Jeffrey Epstein. According to the excerpts that press outlets consulted, these emails were exchanged between Epstein, his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, and the author Michael Wolff. In all of these emails, Trump was at the centre of the exchanges, and it appears that he was aware of some confidential information related to Epstein. Indeed, this BBC article shows an email in which Epstein and Wolff talked about an interview that could “finish Trump” during the 2016 Presidential Campaign. Also, Donald Trump often tried to cut his links with Epstein and Wolff, showing a wish not to be involved in scandals. 

The White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt and other members of the Republican Party tried to minimize the impact of these new revelations. But, as CNN argues, these new elements add more and more pressure to an already fragilized president, and are a political danger for him. Americans are starting to criticize the lack of transparency in the administration. According to a poll by Ipsos, 7 Americans out of 10 think that the government is hiding some elements in this affair. A bill is currently being presented in the making at the House of Representatives to reveal “unclassified documents” linked to the connection between Trump and Epstein, reports Al Jazeera. 

Figure 2 - Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein statues

The “Bad Loser Trophy”

You might think that Donald Trump is a common obsession we have as writers. We apologize, but I have to admit that Trump is an infinite source of news. 

To end on an ironic note, I have read some articles this week on the FIFA Peace Prize. You have never heard about this before? That’s normal. It will be awarded for the first time this year, on December 5, in Washington. Reader, I know what you think. And we think the same. “Is this Peace Prize created on purpose to satisfy Trump after he did not receive the Nobel Peace Prize?” 

At least FIFA does not give extensive comments about this. It was introduced as a way to reward “individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace.” However, we know that Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, and Donald Trump recently built a friendship in light of the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026. Moreover, Infantino explicitly claimed on his social media that Trump “definitely deserves” the Nobel Peace Prize. And the International Football Federation never celebrated peace promoters, above all, outside the sports world. As this AP paper states, if Trump ends by receiving this trophy, it will reinforce the idea that it was explicitly done for him. Therefore, it appears to be a “bad loser trophy”!

Figure 3 - Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino

That’s it for this week, dear readers! Enjoy your Sunday evening!