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Hard Numbers: French far-right surge, Pakistan-Taliban truce, Mexican bad optics, Duterte succession

November 09, 2021

Carlos Santamaria

Hard Numbers: French far-right surge, Pakistan-Taliban-truce, Mexican bad optics, Duterte succession

Eric Zemmour poster pasted sticks on a wall, with the text Zemmour President, in Hautes Alpes, Briancon.

Thibaut Durand / Hans Lucas

19: French far-right provocateur Éric Zemmour is now polling at 19 percent in presidential polls, only four points behind incumbent Emmanuel Macron. Zemmour, who has been convicted of inciting racial hatred, continues to soar ahead of his right-wing challenger Marine Le Pen.

1: Pakistan's government and its longtime enemy, the Pakistani Taliban, have agreed to a one-month cease-fire while they try to negotiate an end to years of violence. Meanwhile, a delegation of the Afghan Taliban — who've been involved in peace talks next door — is set to visit Pakistan this week.

35,000: The head of Mexico's anti-money laundering unit has been forced to step down after $35,000 in cash was found on a private plane carrying VIPs to his wedding in Guatemala. Although the money was later found to be properly accounted for, the optics were simply too bad for AMLO, a famously frugal, anti-corruption president.

6: The daughter of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte dropped out of the race for mayor of her hometown just six days before the final deadline to run for president. If Sara Duterte throws her hat in the ring to succeed her dad, it'll upend an already crowded field for the presidential election in May 2022.

GZEROMEDIA

What We’re Watching: US’s Iran decision postponed, Court OK’s Trump’s use of the national guard in LA, Rwanda detains top opposition leader

A miniature statue of US President Donald Trump stands next to a model bunker-buster bomb, with the Iranian national flag in the background, in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, on June 19, 2025.

STR/NurPhoto

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will decide whether to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities “in the next two weeks,” a move that re-opens the door to negotiations, but also gives the US more time to position military forces for an operation.

Hard Numbers: A Pride Month look at LGBTQ+ rights and challenges around the world

People ride motorcycles as South Korea's LGBTQ community and supporters attend a Pride parade, during the Seoul Queer Culture Festival, in Seoul, South Korea, June 14, 2025.

REUTERS/Kim Soo-hyeon

June is recognized in more than 100 countries in the world as “Pride Month,” marking 55 years since gay liberation marches began commemorating the Stonewall riots – a pivotal uprising against the police’s targeting of LGBTQ+ communities in New York.

GZEROMEDIA

What we’re watching: The subnational US-Canada relationship, Golden Dome’s leaden weight, MAGA Iran crackup

Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks during a meeting of northeastern U.S. Governors and Canadian Premiers, in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., June 16, 2025.

REUTERS/Sophie Park

While the national level drama played out between Donald Trump and Mark Carney at the G7 in Kananaskis, a lot of important US-Canada work was going on with far less fanfare in Boston, where five Canadian premiers met with governors and delegations from seven US states.

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Hard Numbers: French far-right surge, Pakistan-Taliban truce, Mexican bad optics, Duterte succession

GZEROMEDIA

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What We’re Watching: US’s Iran decision postponed, Court OK’s Trump’s use of the national guard in LA, Rwanda detains top opposition leader

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Canada recorded a population growth of 0% in the first quarter of 2025, the lowest mark since 2020.

What we’re watching: The subnational US-Canada relationship, Golden Dome’s leaden weight, MAGA Iran crackup

While the national level drama played out between Donald Trump and Mark Carney at the G7 in Kananaskis, a lot of important US-Canada work was going on with far less fanfare in Boston, where five Canadian premiers met with governors and delegations from seven US states.

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Hard Numbers: French far-right surge, Pakistan-Taliban truce, Mexican bad optics, Duterte succession

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Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

More from GZERO Media

In his latest Quick Take, Ian Bremmer breaks down the US decision to formally join Israel in military strikes against Iran, marking a major escalation in the Middle East.

Think you know what's going on around the world? Here's your chance to prove it.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will decide whether to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities “in the next two weeks,” a move that re-opens the door to negotiations, but also gives the US more time to position military forces for an operation.

June is recognized in more than 100 countries in the world as “Pride Month,” marking 55 years since gay liberation marches began commemorating the Stonewall riots – a pivotal uprising against the police’s targeting of LGBTQ+ communities in New York.

Eurasia Group’s biodiversity and sustainability analyst María José Valverde sat down with Rebecca Hubbard, the director of the High Seas Alliance, to discuss the High Seas Treaty.

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

Canada recorded a population growth of 0% in the first quarter of 2025, the lowest mark since 2020.

While the national level drama played out between Donald Trump and Mark Carney at the G7 in Kananaskis, a lot of important US-Canada work was going on with far less fanfare in Boston, where five Canadian premiers met with governors and delegations from seven US states.

The G7 meeting this week was always going to be a tricky one.

What’s next for Iran’s regime? Ian Bremmer says, “It’s much more likely that the supreme leader ends up out, but the military… continues to run the country.”