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Luis Fernando Cerimedo, advisor of Presidential candidate Nasry Asfura of the National Party of Honduras (PN), speaks during a press conference after the general election, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, December 1, 2025.
17: Japan’s two-year government bond yield jumped above 1% for the first time since the Great Financial Crisis 17 years ago after Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda suggested the central bank would raise interest rates later this month. Ueda’s comments had ripple effects far beyond Japan’s borders, too: US and German bonds also took a hit.
9 million: Rare exceptions aside, humans have escaped death from bird flu. The same cannot be said for avian animals, as almost nine million poultry birds have been culled globally since October. Cattle, pigs, cats, & dogs have also been infected with the current strain of the disease. Experts are monitoring the virus in case it mutates into something that’s more harmful to people.
22: Former Rep. Mark Green, a Republican who retired from Congress in July, won Tennessee’s 7th District by 22 points last year, but today’s special election to replace him looks set to be a lot closer. Polls show that Republican Matt Van Epps has an edge over Democrat Aftyn Behn, but not by much – one recent survey found the gap at just two points. A GOP defeat would be another warning sign for the party ahead of the midterms.
What We’re Watching: Pushback on Venezuela strike, Tax protests in Bulgaria, China-Japan coastguard dispute
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a meeting with Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader at the National Palace, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic November 26, 2025.
Washington is growing uncomfortable with Venezuela strike
The White House sought to shift blame away from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Monday, instead declaring that Admiral Frank Bradley ordered the killing of two people on a boat – even after the boat was destroyed. A report from the The New York Times undermined the original Washington Post report over Hegseth’s role in the strikes, appearing to affirm the White House’s position. Nonetheless, Congress is questioning whether this move constitutes a war crime. Even Sen. Jim Justice (R-WV), who represents the second-reddest state, criticized the second strike. The domestic uproar comes as it emerged that US President Donald Trump refused Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro’s amnesty requests during a Nov. 21 phone call. Is a US hit on Caracas now imminent?
Tax protests rock Bulgaria
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, to protest a new budget that would raise taxes to pay for expanded social services. Several dozen people were arrested after clashing with the police. What’s at issue? Bulgaria is the most corrupt EU country, according to Transparency International, so when people hear “higher taxes” they mostly hear “thicker lining for officials’ pockets.” The protests have thrown the fate of the ruling center-right government into doubt just weeks before Bulgaria finally joins the Eurozone. If the government falls, Bulgarians would head into their eighth general election in the past four years.
China-Japan coastguard faceoff in disputed waters
There’s tension in the East China Sea after China and Japan’s coast guards faced off near the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. China said that its coast guard took “necessary” action after a Japanese fishing boat illegally entered its waters. Meanwhile Japan attested that Chinese vessels intruded into Japanese waters and threatened a fishing boat. The incident comes amid worsening China-Japan ties after the new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested Japan could respond militarily if China attacked Taiwan. Meanwhile, both sides have militarized their coast guards in recent years and are increasing their patrols near the islands, upping the risk of confrontation in an area that has been a long-running flashpoint in the East China Sea.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky inspects a guard of honor by the Irish Army at Government Buildings during an Irish State visit, in Dublin, Ireland, on December 2, 2025.
It hasn’t been an easy year for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – and not just because Russia is still invading his country.
US President Donald Trump’s return to office heralded a sharp slowdown in new White House spending on Ukraine – it has dropped to virtually zero this year. Europe has made up for some of the shortfall, but is now struggling to find new funds for the war effort. Further, the US recently authored a plan that would force Ukraine to relinquish sizable parts of its territory.
Now, a corruption scandal is engulfing the Ukrainian leader, forcing his top aide, Andriy Yermak, to resign. Yermak was officially Zelensky’s chief of staff, but reportedly held a far greater role – he was also the vice president, lead negotiator, and held vast powers on economic and security matters. His exit will thus leave a major void in Zelensky’s government.
What this means for peace negotiations. The Trump administration believes that the corruption scandal will make Zelensky more willing to accept a peace agreement – even one that includes measures that have been red lines for Kyiv. Trump has been publicly pressuring the Ukrainian leader, dishing out another ultimatum for accepting a deal that involves giving up land in exchange for security guarantees.
The message seemed to fall on amenable ears: Zelensky told his countrymen on Nov. 21 that he must either accept a deal or lose the US as an ally. Washington and Kyiv reportedly made a little more progress during talks in Miami over the weekend.
Not so fast. There’s just one problem with the White House’s belief that it can pressure Zelensky into accepting a deal: Ukrainian soldiers don’t support the US peace plan, and Ukrainians at large increasingly believe that Washington is trying to force Kyiv to accept an unfair peace deal, according to polling from the Kyiv International Institute of Technology. If Zelensky accepts a bad deal, it might further harm his domestic standing.
“Zelensky’s political problems arguably make it even harder for him to make any major concessions to secure a cease-fire,” said Eurasia Group’s Eastern Europe expert Alex Brideau. “While the public wants negotiations and an end to the war, it does not support a deal that meets Russian demands on territory and neutrality.”
What does Zelensky want? He is focused on “obtaining security guarantees from Western partners that would protect the country from any future Russian invasion,” said Brideau. The US has offered this to Ukraine, but with the caveat that they must hand land to Russia that the Kremlin hasn’t yet taken – something the comedian-turned-wartime leader isn’t ready to do.
As such, Zelensky on Monday turned to a more sympathetic ally for support: Europe. The continent has been Ukraine’s principal supporter this year, and was quietly aghast at the 28-point peace proposal that the US released last month. After meeting with Ukraine’s leader in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated that it was up to Kyiv whether it chooses to cede territory.
Not rushing yet. Zelensky wants to make a deal “as quickly as he can,” per Brideau. The Ukrainian leader even said that “now more than ever, there is a chance to end this war,” while visiting Ireland on Tuesday. However, he isn’t time-constrained, in large part because Ukraine refuses to hold an election during wartime – Zelensky’s five-year term technically expired 18 months ago.
“Under martial law, Ukraine cannot hold national elections,” says Brideau. “Until there is a path for a lasting cease-fire, the government will keep renewing the martial law declaration every three months.”
If there was an election, recent polling suggests that Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom Valerii Zaluzhnyi would defeat Zelensky in a hypothetical race.
The incumbent leader, though, has said that he would step down if the war ended. For all the various negotiations that have taken place between Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington, this isn’t necessarily going to happen imminently.
“A quick deal will remain elusive,” said Brideau, “given the wide gulf between Russia and Ukraine on their core demands and insufficient external pressure to force a change by one or both.”
The Gen Z group led by Miraj Dhungana escalates their ongoing demonstrations, confronting police outside the prime minister's official residence in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Nov. 26, 2025.
Youth unemployment is making headlines from China to Canada, with many countries’ rates at historic highs. While the global youth unemployment rate for 2025 is projected to be slightly lower than that of 2020, at 12.8%, regional disparities abound. In developed countries, four in five workers aged 24-29 have a regular paid job, but in developing countries, that number is only one in five. Analysts blame the lingering fallout from COVID-19, economic uncertainty from trade wars, and the advent of artificial intelligence. The fallout is fueling Gen Z discontent, creating migration pressures, and threatening social unrest in nations around the globe.
The hot spots. Africa’s youth has been struggling, with an estimated 26.1% of those aged 15-24 not in employment, education or training as of 2022. At the same time, Africa’s population is the youngest on the planet – and projected to have the greatest growth in the next fifty years. Lack of employment prospects have already spawned Gen Z demonstrations in Kenya and Morocco, and a growing population could exacerbate that trend.
In contrast, many Asian countries, including Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, and Singapore, are experiencing demographic decline – but employment prospects for youth are also dropping. China’s official youth unemployment rate, which excludes students, reached a peak of 18.9% in August, before declining to 17.3% in October. South Korea’s youth unemployment rate hit 5.3% that same month, due to an increase in young graduates unable to find work. And in Nepal youth unemployment sits north of 20% – a factor in violent youth-led protests that toppled the country’s government in September.
South America is also experiencing high youth unemployment and attendant social unrest. According to the International Labor Organization, the youth unemployment rate is triple that of adults, with 60% of young people employed on the black market, without workplace rights and social protections. This year has seen Gen Z protests hit Peru and Mexico, over corruption, crime, poor job prospects, and the cost of living.
Why are young people failing to find work? From 2020-2023, the COVID-19 pandemic locked millions of young people out of classrooms and first jobs, delaying their entry into the labor market and widening skill gaps. Today, trade wars have caused further economic disruption: countries like Canada and China report layoffs and hiring freezes of young people due to high US tariffs and accompanying economic uncertainty.
But the top reason is AI, which is gobbling up clerical, customer-service and entry-level jobs that used to absorb first-time workers, particularly university graduates.
Some popular disciplines, like computer science, have cratered: a report by the United Kingdom’s National Foundation for Education Research found a 50% decline in job advertisements for software development and IT between 2020 and 2025, with four times as many postings for senior than junior programming roles. Another report by the British Standards Institution surveyed 850 business leaders across the UK, US, France, Germany, Australia, China and Japan: 39% said they had cut entry-level roles and replaced them with AI.
For geopolitics, that means three things. Gen Z protests could multiply, with frustrated out-of-work young people demanding change. If states cannot deliver it, they could clamp down, such as by using digital repression to prevent tech-savvy youth from mobilizing – a tactic already deployed in Nepal, China, and many African nations.
Unemployed young people will also put pressure on migration channels, notably to Europe and North America. Over half of young people in several North African nations report a desire to emigrate. Young Indonesians use the hashtag #JustRunAwayFirst to describe their frustration with domestic job prospects. The UN reported that 72 million international migrants originated from Asia in 2024, 13% more than in 2020, due in part to a sense of “futurelessness.”
The social contract could fray, including in authoritarian states. Prior to 2014, most Chinese believed that inequality was largely the result of individual failings in an ascendant China. By 2023, the majority blamed inequality on unequal opportunities, corruption, and a failing economy. Beijing is reportedly concerned about “involution,” a term that describes the feeling of futility young people feel about their lack of job prospects and ability to afford the “good life.”
What We’re Watching: Trump orders shutdown of Venezuela airspace, Honduras election on a knife edge, Migrant skepticism spreads
Two military jets fly in formation during the industrial air show.
Is the US attack on Venezuela imminent?
US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the airspace above Venezuela should be seen as “closed in its entirety.” Caracas slammed the move and said it contravenes international law, while its citizens prepare for strikes. Trump’s announcement comes two days after he said the US would commence land strikes on the South American nation of over 26 million people – the White House has also been bombing boats in the Caribbean and building up its military presence there for months now. Amid signs that an invasion is imminent, there is also discontent emerging in Washington about the potential action, after a Washington Post report found that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered the US military to kill two people on a drug-carrying boat – even after the boat had been destroyed. Trump will convene a meeting on Venezuela this evening.
Honduras’ election couldn’t be closer
Hondurans went to the polls yesterday to choose between two conservative candidates, former Tegucigalpa Mayor Nasry Asfura and former sports broadcaster Salvador Nasralla. Early results show that the two are neck in neck, with just 4,000 votes separating them. Their campaigns focused on jobs and crime, as Honduras has the highest homicide rate in Central America and unemployment hovers at 5.2%. US President Donald Trump has also weighed in, endorsing Asfura and saying he was the only candidate the White House would work with. Trump also pardoned the former president of Asfura’s party on Friday. As the vote rolls in with no clear winner yet, the candidates are showing signs that they may not accept the results, trading accusations of election fixing.
Skepticism of migrants and refugees spreads to developing nations
Amid burgeoning tensions with the Taliban, Pakistan has been rapidly expelling Afghans from its territory, removing one million of the three million Afghans from its borders this year alone. Many have never lived in Afghanistan. Pakistan isn’t the only developing country growing skeptical of migrants and refugees from war-torn nations: Uganda, once a safe haven for Africans fleeing war – as well as Afghans – has announced new restrictions on which refugees it will accept. Egypt, Kenya, and Somalia, are also moving to limit refugee arrivals. Where will those who are fleeing Afghanistan, the Sudan civil war, and other internal conflicts go?
People stay at a school, which is functioned as the temporary shelter at flooded area, on November 30, 2025 in Sumatra, Sumatra. The authorities in Indonesia were searching on Sunday for hundreds of people they said were missing after days of unusually heavy rains across Southeast Asia that have killed hundreds and displaced millions.
800: The death toll from the tropical storm that battered parts of Southeast Asia is now close to 800. Indonesia has been hit especially hard – at least 600 people have died there as the heavy rains caused floods and landslides. Meanwhile, a cyclone across the Bay of Bengal has left at least 350 people dead in Sri Lanka, prompting Colombo to declare a state of emergency.
10: In a one-page letter, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested President Isaac Herzog end his corruption trial. It comes two weeks after US President Donald Trump sent Herzog a letter urging him to pardon Netanyahu. If convicted, Netanyahu could face up to 10 years in prison.
81,000: Government efforts to address climate change may be stalling, but the protests remain – at least on waters off the Australian coast. Hundreds of protestors took to their kayaks in Newcastle harbor to disrupt inbound shipping at the world’s largest coal export port on Sunday. Two protestors even managed to scale an 81,000-ton coal ship and unfurl a banner on the side of it.
13: Trump didn’t just pardon turkeys this Thanksgiving holiday: he also commuted the sentence of a private equity executive just 13 days into a seven-year sentence for securities and wire fraud. David Gentile, the executive, defrauded thousands of people in a scheme that raised $1.6 billion.
1: Pope Leo XIV made his first foreign trip over the weekend, visiting Turkey for three days before heading to the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Sunday. While in Turkey, he encouraged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to help negotiate a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinian territories.
US President Donald Trump pardons a turkey at the annual White House Thanksgiving Turkey Pardon in the Rose Garden in Washington, D.C., USA, on Nov. 25, 2025.
Well, it’s about to be Thanksgiving in the United States. Although not all of our global readers celebrate that particular holiday, it’s still good to remind ourselves that while the world offers plenty of fodder for doomscrolling and despair, there are still lots of things to be grateful for too. Here’s a selection of five good news stories from around the world in 2025!
First, energy is getting cleaner, faster. This year, renewables quietly overtook coal as the planet’s top source of electricity – a milestone driven almost single-handedly by China’s clean-energy boom. Beijing added more solar capacity than the rest of the world combined, pushing solar-panel prices to record lows and making renewables the cost-effective choice for fast-growing power grids in the developing world. Across Africa, solar panel imports from China rose 60% over the last year, trends echoed from Malaysia to Mexico. Yes, the US wobbled a bit, with fossil-fuel use increasing and green-energy projects scuttled, but analysts still call 2025 a “turning point”: coal’s long, filthy reign is ending.
Second, people are much kinder than we think. Global data shows lost wallets are returned at about twice the rate people expect, according to the World Happiness Report. The researchers found that most of us dramatically underestimate the honesty of our neighbors. And that that optimism gap matters. The researchers found that believing you live among people who’d return your wallet turns out to be one of the strongest predictors of happiness. Big smiles to the Nordic countries, which top both the happiness rankings and the wallet-return charts.
Third, fragile but real diplomatic breakthroughs emerged in long-running conflicts. Whether you love or hate US President Donald Trump’s diplomatic style, he has made progress in stopping some of the world’s most intractable conflicts. In June, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels agreed to US-brokered peace negotiations and signed a “comprehensive” peace framework in Qatar this month – their most concrete progress in years. Meanwhile, in August, Armenia and Azerbaijan’s leaders agreed to a political framework to end the 37-year long Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. And in Gaza, Hamas and Israel agreed to the first phase of a ceasefire. While the crucial second phase is riddled with challenges, the (mostly) sustained pause in violence has allowed for desperately-needed humanitarian aid to Gaza and diplomatic negotiations on the enclave’s future.
Fourth, stranded astronauts finally made it home. NASA’s Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams returned to Earth after an unplanned nine-month stay on the International Space Station. The pair were ferried back to earth by a SpaceX ship, which was greeted by dolphins when it splashed down off the Florida coast. Their eight-day mission stretched to more than a year after Boeing’s Starliner ran into trouble and couldn’t return back to earth, but they kept busy while waiting for their rescue: they ran experiments, went on spacewalks, and even celebrated Christmas in orbit. Williams now holds the record for most spacewalk hours by a woman.
And finally, the Smithsonian National Zoo is about to have another elephant in the room. Twelve-year-old Nhi Linh is expecting her first calf — the zoo’s first in 25 years! Early ultrasounds of the 150-pound fetus suggest everything looks healthy. The team is now reinforcing the enclosure for a newborn who is expected to arrive before spring, a symbol of home for a species with fewer than 50,000 living in the wild.
In news cycles that often swirl around negativity, these stories remind us that progress – whether in geopolitics or the pachyderm-population – marches on. Happy Thanksgiving!