Politics today spans symbolism, accountability and strategic realignment. At NATO’s Ankara summit, Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised eyebrows by sending leaders home with engraved vintage revolvers and live ammunition, a jarring diplomatic flourish that also underscored Turkey’s push to market its defence industry. In Seoul, South Korea’s Supreme Court upheld former president Yoon Suk Yeol’s seven-year sentence over abuses tied to his 2024 martial law declaration, reinforcing the country’s effort to reckon with that crisis. In Britain, incoming prime minister Andy Burnham signalled a sharper turn on the Middle East, apologising for Labour’s earlier Gaza stance and hinting at tougher sanctions and possible trade restrictions on Israel-linked settlement goods. Meanwhile, Australia and India deepened Indo-Pacific ties with a long-awaited uranium supply deal during Narendra Modi’s visit to Melbourne. And in China, a deadly factory fire in Fujian prompted Xi Jinping to order a full rescue effort and investigation.