The fifth-largest economy in the world is facing a major population crunch. The decline — from 126.1 million to 123 million — is the biggest population drop over a five-year period since the government began collecting census data in 1920. The government has urgently tried to encourage citizens to have more children as a way of preventing a demographic crisis, but those efforts have so far…

India’s disgruntled youth are becoming cockroaches

A Kafkaesque political metamorphosis is unfolding across India as millions of disaffected Gen Z’ers are turning into cockroaches – that is, members of the new Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). The party, an online protest movement created by a 30-year old recent graduate from Boston University, was inspired by India’s Chief Justice **Surya…

You already know that the war in Iran has stoked inflation, but it’s not just for oil, gas, and fertilizer. The shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz has caused prices to “balloon” for another commodity that’s essential for everything from advanced medical equipment and automobiles, to drones, laptops, and even AI. In this video, GZERO’s Alex Kliment puts his pulmonary capacity on the line to…

Four years ago, Colombia tried a new tack, electing a left-wing president for the first time. Since taking office, Gustavo Petro has raised income taxes for top earners, halted new oil exploration in a bid to phase out fossil fuels, expanded access to government services like education in rural areas, and hiked the country’s minimum wage by 23%. He has also tried to deal with the…

France to give Norway nuclear protection

*When the sun shines, we’ll shine together — but when it doesn’t, you’ll have the protection of France’s nuclear arsenal. That, to adapt the classic Rihanna record, was the message from French PresidentEmmanuel Macron* to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre at a bilateral meeting in Paris on Wednesday. Norway, like the rest of…

Spain temporarily banned the US-based prediction markets Polymarket and Kalshi on Tuesday, as well as its rival Kalshi, arguing that they were operating without a gambling license. The ban will last three to four months, pending a review from the country’s gambling watchdog. The move comes as other bans against Polymarket, in particular, are stacking up around the world. They aren’t all…

Over 700 women die each day around the world from complications during pregnancy and childbirth, according to data from the World Health Organization and a group of UN agencies. The world has made undeniable progress over the last two decades in lowering the maternal mortality ratio, which is the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births during a given period. But as our Graphic Truth…

Cornyn’s hefty loss yesterday to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton(whom US President Donald Trump endorsed) in the Senate runoff yesterday will be a costly one for the Republican Party. Firstly, the GOP is losing one of their most prolific fundraisers in Senate history. Secondly, Paxton’s scandal-filled history – including allegations of corruption and security fraud charges – could…

US-Iran: Is a deal still possible?

The merry-go-round of negotiations between the two countries continues. The latest began on Saturday, when US President Donald Trump said an agreement was “largely negotiated,” before Iran poured cold water on this. The US military then hit Iranian missile launchers and boats suspected of dropping mines in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. Iran…

In his latest “ask ian,” Ian Bremmer says momentum is building toward a possible deal with Iran, driven by sustained negotiations and shifting US positions.“There’s still ongoing negotiations at a high level,” Ian notes, adding that Washington and Tehran are maintaining “a significant amount of ongoing touch points.”

He points to a key shift in President Trump’s stance on Iran’s…

The United States and Iran seem to be moving closer to a deal to end the war, recent skirmishing and mixed signals notwithstanding.

If concluded – still a big if – this agreement would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, lift the US blockade, unfreeze Iran’s frozen assets (via Qatar), and extend the ceasefire – while kicking nuclear negotiations down the road. There’d be no dismantling of Tehran’s…

Back in January, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a call to arms to the world’s middle powers at the World Economic Forum, projecting Canada as a defender of the multilateral global order. But now, at home, a separatist movement threatens to unravel that image – and, if successful, could even fracture Canada itself.

Last week, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith …

Turkey’s crisis of democracy deepens

Riot police over the weekend raided the headquarters of Turkey’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), following a court order to remove party leader Özgur Özel. There were subsequent demonstrations in Istanbul and Ankara against the move by the government of President Recep Tayyip****Erdoğan , one that protesters…

Cambodia has been an autocracy ever since Hun seized power in a coup d’état in 1997, but it is apparently looking to change that image. On Monday, the president announced that he would be freeing Kem**** from house arrest, barely a month after an appeals court upheld the conviction against him – one that carried a 27-year sentence. The move is reportedly an effort to repair frayed ties with…

In his latest Quick Take, Ian Bremmer says the Russia–Ukraine war is becoming more volatile as battlefield dynamics shift and diplomatic pressure fades.

Ian points to renewed Russian strikes on Kyiv and Vladimir Putin 's warnings urging Western diplomats and civilians to evacuate, signaling possible “systematic strikes” on the capital. He says these threats come as Ukraine…

Can use this excuse for almost anything now.

Watch more PUPPET REGIME!

Is Cuba next?

Yesterday the Trump administration indicted Raúl Castro.

Now the question—in Washington as much as Havana—is if Trump is preparing another regime change campaign in the Caribbean. But he'd do well to remember that Cuba is not Venezuela, says Eurasia Group's Latin America expertRisa Grais-Targow.

As the Iran war disrupts global energy supplies, countries in Africa and Southeast Asia are accelerating their shift toward renewable energy to counter rising fuel prices. New Chinese consumer data released this week shows a sharp surge in solar panel exports, with shipments to Southeast Asia climbing 75% year-on-year in April. China, the world’s largest producer of solar panels, is also…

Students keep the pressure on ruling party in Serbia

Student protesters will take to the streets in Serbia this weekend in the first major demonstrations this year against President Aleksandar Vučić. Students have become a significant political force in Serbia over the last two years: in 2025, then-Prime Minister Miloš Vučević resigned after anti‑corruption protests led by…

Previously, the volume hadn’t topped $117 billion monthly, but analysts say the Iran war has stoked the use of China’s currency by oil exporters like Russia and Iran, who are seeking to avoid US sanctions. While the trend does reflect a slight erosion of the dollar’s international dominance, something we’ve been keeping our eye on, it’s worth keeping things in perspective: the greenback is…

US amps up pressure on Cuba by indicting ex-president

The Justice Department yesterday charged Raúl Castro , the younger brother of Fidel , with murder and a conspiracy to kill American citizens over a 1996 incident in which the Cuban military shot down two civilian planes belonging to Cuban exiles off the coast of the communist-run island. The indictment creates potential scope…

This week, far-right Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich used an alleged arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court against him to insert fresh impetus into the effort to build settlements in the West Bank, saying on Tuesday that he wanted to make the settlements “irreversible.” He also ordered the eviction this week of Palestinian residents from a West Bank hamlet.

Smotrich’s…

With the help of government funds and the police, settlers have been creating new settlements at a rapid clip since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed a coalition with far-right leaders Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. The current coalition government itself has approved over 100 such communities. But settler groups have also formed settlements that the Israeli…

In the early hours of May 17, more than 500 Ukrainian drones punched through three of Moscow’s four air-defense rings. They hit oil infrastructure, military-industrial plants, and apartment buildings in and around the capital, killing at least four and wounding a dozen. Coming three days after a deadly Russian barrage that Ukrainian officials described as the largest combined air attack of…

GZERO Media is back on the podium at the 47th Annual Telly Awards , adding six more trophies to our shelf — including three in Gold! We’re so grateful to be recognized for our groundbreaking work in global analysis and… checks notes... geopolitical puppetry.

Our latest haul includes:

• Gold — How Russia overtook Ukraine's drone advantage: Ian Explains | Television — News &…

Labor unions bring La Paz to a halt

****Protests and unrest have gripped the Bolivian capital of La Paz for the past two weeks, culminating in clashes between demonstrators and police on Monday. What began with the national labor union demanding a 20% wage increase quickly grew as other unions joined in, citing rising fuel costs and unsafe working conditions. Many of these groups are…

********Global humanitarian needs are rising sharply – right as the systems designed to respond to them are facing the deepest funding cuts in years.

More than 120 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide in 2025, and the United Nations estimates that number will climb to 136 million by the end of this year as conflicts in Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine continue, and the war in Iran adds…

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche(whom President Donald Trump hired) will appoint a five-person panel to administer the money to people who claim that they suffered “lawfare” at the hands of the government. The fund could be used to write checks to those who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, or other allies of Trump, who himself has claimed he was the target of “lawfare” during…

The US and Israel planned to install a Holocaust denier as Iran’s president

You heard that right: before the Iran war began, the United States and Israel planned to make former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – a Holocaust denier who has called for the destruction of Israel – the new leader, according to a New York Times report. Evidently, Ahmadinejad, who was under house…

In his latest “ask ian," Ian Bremmer examines US–Iran tensions, as President Trump signals possible military strikes but repeatedly pulls back amid regional pressure and limited strategic options.

Ian notes that Trump has issued several ultimatums on Iran while backing down "every time because his military options are not great.” The result, he argues, is a cycle of pressure…