① President Xi Jinping has emphasized advancing high-quality cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), urging efforts to manage all types of risks and effectively address the impact of geopolitical conflicts. What could be BRI cooperation’s future trajectory? (00:50)

② Why has US President Joe Biden waited until the final days of his presidency to visit Africa? (14:22)

③ German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has paid a visit to Ukraine, his first to the country in more than two years. We explore Germany’s careful balancing act on the war in Ukraine. (24:47)

④ French Prime Minister Michel Barnier is facing a no-confidence vote this week after he pushed through a budget bill without a final parliamentary vote. Why is this crisis not a surprise? (35:23)

⑤ Volkswagen workers are staging mass protests across Germany over proposed pay cuts. We explore the problems in Volkswagen and Germany’s manufacturing sector that are being reflected by the strike. (42:40)