In a shock announcement on Thursday, New Zealand’s PM Jacinda Ardern said she no longer has “enough in the tank” to continue in the top job and will step down on Feb. 7. Ardern, a darling of the center-left who in 2017 became the world’s youngest female head of government, led the nation of 5 million through a host of challenges in recent years, including the horrific massacre at two Christchurch mosques, the pandemic, and a volcanic eruption on Whakaari/White Island that killed 22 people. Like much of the developed world, New Zealand is currently in the throes of an inflationary crisis that’s forced the central bank to aggressively raise interest rates. What’s more, as the cost of living crunch hurts ordinary New Zealanders, Ardern’s Labour Party is falling behind the center-right National Party in the polls ahead of the next general election in Oct. 2023. It’s unclear who will replace her, but Ardern’s deputy, Grant Robertson, already said he does not want the gig. In a rare act of political civility – and yet another reason why we should all move to New Zealand – Ardern’s rival, Christopher Luxon, head of the National Party, thanked Ardern for her service and for giving her all to a "demanding job."
More from GZERO Media
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tikhanovskaya joins GZERO Reports to discuss the fight against Lukashenko’s dictatorship, Belarus’ ties to Russia, and why she believes her country’s future depends on Ukraine’s victory.
A Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy Harbin Z-9 helicopter sits on CNS Yulin during a display of warships ahead of an exhibition at Changi Naval Base in Singapore on May 18, 2015.
A Chinese naval helicopter flew nearly 10 feet from a Philippine patrol plane on Tuesday over a contested reef in the South China Sea, escalating tensions with Manila and Washington in the airspace over international waterways Beijing claims as its own.
Electricity is becoming crucial to a net-zero transition. It contributes to around 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and the demand is only increasing. A new Bank of America Institute analysis explores the solutions provided by nuclear — as well as the regulatory, supply chain, and financial risks.
What is Trump's long-term play with apparently treating Putin like a friend rather than an adversary? How likely would the release of all remaining captives, as proposed by Hamas, actually lead to a permanent truce with Israel? Does Bolsonaro's indictment for an alleged coup plot signal tough times ahead for Brazil? Ian Bremmer shares his insights on global politics this week on World In :60.
“The Taliban’s war is against women,” Fawzia Koofi, former Afghan parliamentarian, and women’s rights activist, told GZERO’s Tony Maciulis on the sidelines of the 2025 Munich Security Conference.
It was the first high level meeting between the two countries since Moscow's full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
100: M23 rebels – a Rwanda-backed militia – took control of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s second-largest city, Bukavu, on Monday.