Hard Numbers: Turkey’s inflation falls, South Korea bans deepfake porn, Moonshine poisons dozens in Iran, Mexican troops kill migrants

A person holds a 100 Turkish lira banknote while on vacation in Turkey.
A person holds a 100 Turkish lira banknote while on vacation in Turkey.
Imago Images
50: The annual inflation rate in Turkey fell below 50% for the first time in a year this week, with prices rising by a mere 49% since last September. The data suggest President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s policy of austerity and high interest rates – currently at 50% – is working to tamp down runaway price growth. This is a big U-turn for Erdogan, who before his re-election last year took the deeply unorthodox view that low interest rates were the way to tackle inflation.

387: South Korea has detained 387 people this year for deepfake crimes – that is, using AI to create sexually explicit videos of real people without their consent. Last week, the country moved to outlaw the possession or even the viewing of such material. Experts say South Korea has the worst problem of any country in the world when it comes to sexually explicit deepfakes. Most of the perpetrators are teenage boys.

26: Tipples of toxic moonshine have killed at least 26 people in northern Iran and left hundreds hospitalized. Alcoholic beverages are generally banned under the strict Islamic revolutionary government that has held power in Iran since 1979, but where there’s a desire, there’s a drink – bootleggers and black-market booze smugglers are known to thrive.

6: At least six international migrants were dead after Mexican soldiers shot at a truck near the Guatemalan border on Wednesday. The Mexican Defense Department said troops had opened fire after hearing shots when the truck approached a checkpoint. The truck was carrying migrants from Egypt, Cuba, India, Pakistan, and at least one other country.

More from GZERO Media

Test of a Russian ICBM, launched on October 26, 2024. Since invading Ukraine, Russia has placed its nuclear forces on ready and has increased testing and development of its ICBMs.
Russia MOD via EYEPRESS, from Reuters.

All sides are pulling out the stops right now -- for one important reason.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant attend a ceremony for the 70th cohort of military combat officers, at an army base near Mitzpe Ramon, Israel, October 31, 2024.
REUTERS/Amir Cohen

These warrants will pose a test for Israel’s Western allies if Netanyahu ever plans to visit, and raises questions over how they should interact with the Israeli leader more generally.

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., withdrew his bid to become attroney general on Nov. 21 over continuing allegations of sexual impropriety. President-elect Donald Trump appointed him on Nov. 13, 2024.
USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters Connect

Matt Gaetz announced Thursday that after meeting with senators, he would not go through with the nomination process to become Donald Trump’s attorney general, claiming he did not wish to be a “distraction.”

Are you a reporter and writer with creative flair and an academic or professional background in international politics? Do you think it's more important than ever to help the general public understand the dizzying political changes in the world today? If so, you could be a strong candidate to fill our opening for a senior writer on the GZERO Daily newsletter team.

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks, on the day of the 114th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution, in Mexico City, Mexico November 20, 2024.

REUTERS/Raquel Cunha

The lower house of Mexico’s Congress approved the text of a constitutional proposal to scrap oversight bodies on Wednesday, a first step in the ruling Morena party’s goal of eliminating autonomous institutions and consolidating power.

World leaders assemble for a group photo at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on November 19, 2024. The gathering was overshadowed by Donald Trump's impending return to the White House.

REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

With Trump about to take power again, one of the world's most important multilateral gatherings was an exercise in cowardice and smallness.