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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi answers a question at the Upper House's budget committee session at the National Diet in Tokyo, Japan, on November 12, 2025.
Hard Numbers: Japan’s PM organizes 3 a.m. meeting, Exam day for South Korea’s students, US government shutdown ends, & More
3: Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has taken her country’s difficult work culture to a new level, organizing a meeting last Friday at 3 o’clock – in the morning. Takaichi herself has a reputation as a workaholic, though it was still a surprise to see her leaving her residence just after 3 a.m. to convene a meeting that lasted three hours.
550,000: South Korea will come to a standstill today as 550,000 students, the most in seven years, will sit down to take the country’s infamously-long college entrance exam. For most students, the exam – which could determine their education and future job prospects – will last roughly eight hours. Blind students receive extra time, though, meaning they can spend up to 13 hours in the exam room. If you’re anything like us, that thought provokes cold chills.
43: The longest-ever US government shutdown is over after 43 days, after US President Donald Trump signed a continuing resolution last night that will fund the government until Jan. 30. Earlier on Wednesday evening, the House passed the bill, with six centrist Democrats crossing the aisle to vote for it – two Republicans voted against.
5: Trump became the fifth leader to announce that he won’t travel to South Africa next week for the G20 summit, joining Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, and Argentine President Javier Milei. US Vice President JD Vance will go in Trump’s stead.
10: France today mourns the 10th anniversary of the Bataclan attacks, when Islamic State-linked militants killed 132 people in a series of coordinated attacks in and around Paris. The country remains wary of threats from jihadist militants – the interior minister said authorities have foiled six terrorist plots this year.
US President Donald Trump and Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán shake hands as they pose for a photo, at a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, amid a US-brokered prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on October 13, 2025.
What We’re Watching: Orbán seeks Russian oil carveout from Trump, Nigerien uranium to pass through risky area, Israel hits southern Lebanon
MAGA’s European hero comes to Washington – with a mission
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will visit the White House today to try to convince US President Donald Trump to allow him to continue purchasing Russian oil despite new US sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil firms. Oil refineries in China and India – the largest two buyers of Russian oil – are already exploring alternatives. But Orbán is hoping he can leverage his personal and ideological connection to Trump to gain a carveout. Landlocked Hungary relies on Russian pipelines for nearly 90% of its oil, though other non-Russian import routes via the Balkans are also possible. With the opposition surging ahead of next April’s election, there’s a lot on the line for Orbán. Will Trump give his mate a favor, or put his foot down?
Will Nigerien uranium reach Russia?
French officials believe Russian nuclear giant Rosatom struck a $170-million deal with the ruling military junta in Niger to purchase 1,000 tons of uranium from a mine formerly run by a French firm. The reported deal is the latest sign of Russia’s growing influence in the region, at the expense of the former colonial power, France. The greater concern with this purchase, though, could be that the uranium will have to pass through areas of Burkina Faso that are controlled by jihadist groups. Islamist militants are gaining momentum in West Africa – they have the Malian capital surrounded – sparking concern among governments in the region.
Israel attacks southern Lebanon
Israel temporarily breached its ceasefire deal with Lebanon on Thursday, issuing evacuation orders before bombing buildings in southern Lebanon it claimed were a part of Hezbollah’s military infrastructure. One person was killed and three were injured, per media reports. The Israeli military said the strikes were due to Hezbollah rebuilding its military capabilities, despite the Lebanese government agreeing to disarm the group. Fears are rising in Lebanon that Israel may resume major airstrikes if Hezbollah doesn’t give up its weapons soon, but Lebanon's government worries about inflaming local tensions if they push Hezbollah too aggressively.
Farmers proceed to their fields for cultivation under Nigerian Army escort while departing Dikwa town in Borno State, Nigeria, on August 27, 2025. Despite the threat of insurgent attacks, farmers in Borno are gradually returning to their farmlands under military escort, often spending limited time on cultivation.
What We’re Watching: Trump threatens Nigeria, Jihadis surround Mali’s capital, Latin Americans back US-led regime change in Venezuela
Trump threatens hit on Nigeria over plight of Christians
US President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened military action against Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, over the government’s alleged failure to protect Christian communities, who make up nearly half of the country’s 231 million people. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu rejected the claims, which echo a growing concern about anti-Christian violence among the American right, though his adviser said he’d “welcome US assistance” in combating jihadist insurgencies such as ISWAP, which have targeted Christian communities. In addition, there has been a surge in sectarian violence in Nigeria this year, a result of intensifying competition for land and resources between farmers, who are typically Christian, and herders, who are mostly Muslim.
Mali on verge of succumbing to jihadis
Meanwhile, in nearby Mali, jihadis have surrounded and blockaded the capital of Bamako, starving the city’s four million residents of fuel. The militants are now on the cusp of taking power from the Russian-backed military junta there. This is the latest twist in a 13-year long conflict that has featured three military coups, a French invasion, a Russian intervention, a French withdrawal, and a notorious jihadi leader nicknamed “One-Eyed Nelson.” The rise of an ultraconservative jihadist caliphate would subject Mali’s people – especially its women – to immense hardship, while also threatening to create a fresh refugee crisis that could ripple towards Europe. It would also mark a fresh setback for Russia, and could boost jihadist groups that have sprouted in neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.
Split-screen on regime change in Venezuela
Nearly half of Americans oppose US-led regime change in Venezuela, and just 18% support it, a YouGov poll says. But people in the region see things differently, according to a multi-country Bloomberg study that shows 53% of respondents want Tío Sam to knock out Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. Mexico is the only country where opposition surpasses support for the idea. Within Venezuela? A plurality said they “don’t know.” The US has recently been striking boats it says belong to drug traffickers tied to the Venezuelan regime. But with more US warships in the region than at any time since the 1989-1990 invasion of Panamá, many are wondering if Maduro’s regime itself is the eventual target. (For more on what that could look like, see here.)
King Charles III says goodbye to Pope Leo XIV in the San Damaso Courtyard, in St Peter's Square, after attending the ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, during the state visit to the Holy See, on October 23, 2025.
Hard Numbers: Pope and king pray together, Gazans bury unidentified dead, Cast of crabs begin Christmas Island migration, & More
491: In a moment of religious and historical significance, King Charles III prayed alongside Pope Leo XIV today, becoming the first head of the Church of England to do so since this church split from the Vatican 491 years ago. The two leaders also exchanged gifts: Charles gave Leo a silver photograph of St. Edward the Confessor, and in return, the pontiff handed the king a scale version of the “Christ Pantocrator” mosaic.
54: Gazans buried the unidentified remains of 54 Palestinians on Wednesday that Israeli authorities had returned to the strip. The mass burial has prompted questions in Gaza about who the dead were, and what had happened to them. Israeli authorities said they had been combatants in Gaza.
36,734: The number of people crossing the Channel from France to the United Kingdom has already hit 36,734 so far this year, but that amount may be set to increase further – and the French political crisis is partly to blame. Paris appears to be backing away from recent commitments to clamp down on this form of migration, in part due to the recent exit of Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who had instigated an aggressive approach.
50 million: A cast of roughly 50 million crabs have begun their annual migration across Christmas Island off the coast of Australia, as they will move from their homes to the beaches to lay their eggs. Authorities on the island have built special bridges to help the crabs navigate obstacles like roads.
677: Nearly 700 foreigners fled Myanmar into Thailand after the military seized KK Park, a notorious Chinese-backed cybercrime compound known for cyber scams run by criminal gangs.. Thai authorities detained 677 people, mostly from China and India, and say all actions follow legal and humanitarian principles.
Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga addresses delegates after President William Ruto signed the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Amendment Bill 2024, backed by the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO), at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 9, 2024.
Hard Numbers: Kenya’s long-time opposition leader dies, World Bank doubles down on agriculture, US revokes visas of Charlie Kirk critics, & more
80: Kenya’s long-time opposition leader Raila Odinga, who unsuccessfully ran for president five times but served as prime minister from 2008 to 2013, died of a heart attack in the Indian city of Kochi on Wednesday, at the age of 80. Though Odinga was generally out of power, his populist ideals and combative style gave him an outsized influence on the East African country.
$9 billion: At the World Bank/IMF annual meetings this week, the Bank pledged to double its annual investment in agriculture and farming to $9 billion. The program, called AgriConnect, will help fund the 500 million smallholder farmers globally who produce 80% of the food consumed, aiming to create more jobs and financing opportunities for the sector.
250,000: El Fasher, Sudan, has been declared “uninhabitable” after 549 days under siege by RSF forces. Ninety percent of homes are destroyed, food and water are nearly gone, and acute malnutrition affects children and mothers. Constant bombardment, hospital attacks, and communication blackouts have left 250,000 civilians trapped and barely surviving inside the paramilitary force’s blockade of the city.
6: The US has revoked the visas of at least six foreigners who “celebrated” the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on “far-left radicals.” The move follows expanded social media vetting by immigration officials and mass visa cancellations. Trump also posthumously awarded Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday.
3.5 million: In a desperate bid to end France’s short-term political chaos, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said he will delay President Emmanuel Macron’s signature pension reform, a move he says will benefit 3.5 million people. Lecornu hopes that the move will bring Socialist Party deputies onside, ensuring that he lives to fight another day.
President Macron is down but not out
Everybody thinks President Emmanuel Macron is on political life support, but Eurasia Group's Mujtaba Rahman has spent a week in Paris and he thinks Macron has a way out.
I'm standing in front of La Rotonde, which is the restaurant where Emmanuel Macron celebrated his win in 2017. That seems like a really long time ago given the absolute political and fiscal chaos that's engulfed France and Macron's presidency over the course of the last one-plus years. Tomorrow, Emmanuel Macron is going to appoint his fourth prime minister in a year and a bit. And even though we don't know who the identity of that prime minister is, here's why I think it might stick.
Macron came very close to pulling an early election this week. In that focused mind, Macron doesn't want an early election, and really no MPs in Parliament wants an early election, except the far right, because they are France's most popular party and they would win that early election. In combination with the fact Macron is now willing to potentially reverse an increase in the retirement age, there may be enough there for restless MPs to do a deal and put this crisis to bed.
Now, the crisis doesn't just matter for France, it also matters for Europe. France is the Euro area's second-largest economy, it's a G7 country, a nuclear power, and across all the major foreign policy issues of our time, the French have been a leading player. It's about the global role he's playing in the world at a time when the US is withdrawing and there are existential and important questions hanging over the future of Gaza, the future of Ukraine where he has been a leading voice. The outcome of this crisis matters way beyond France's borders. It's also going to have really important implications for the rest of the world.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, here in September as the Minister of Armed Forces arriving at the Elysee presidential Palace, has resigned.
What We’re Watching: France’s prime minister resigns, Maduro makes a military display, government shutdown persists
Another prime minister bites the dust in France
France’s Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu resigned just 26 days after taking office — and a day after announcing his cabinet. He blamed France’s fractured parliament for “behaving as if they had an absolute majority” and refusing to compromise. The decision now falls to President Emmanuel Macron, who can appoint a fifth prime minister, call new parliamentary elections, or resign — something he’s vowed not to do before 2027. But both remaining options are risky: a new prime minister could face another quick collapse, while fresh elections could further boost Marine Le Pen’s far-right party.
Maduro’s militia push falls flat
Tanks rolled through Caracas for a military parade as Venezuela’s government tried to project strength after the US attacked another boat off its coast on Friday, but turnout was sparse. President Nicolás Maduro has urged citizens to join militias to defend against what he calls a looming US invasion, yet many recruits say they were pressured to enlist and won’t fight if it comes to it. The US has deployed its largest Caribbean naval force in decades, officially to combat drug trafficking, though the scale suggests that the Trump administration may really be interested in regime change. With low enthusiasm at home and external pressure increasing, Maduro faces fresh questions about the loyalty of his forces and the stability of his rule.
Partisan gridlock keeps US government closed
The federal government shutdown is entering its second week with no resolution in sight. Both parties are blaming each other as the Senate remains deadlocked and the House stays home. Donald Trump has so far preferred taunting Democrats online over negotiating, while his advisers threaten potential federal layoffs. The key sticking point is healthcare: Democrats want to extend healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, which are set to expire soon. Republicans say they’ll only discuss that after reopening the government. The shutdown’s early effects have been limited, but the pain will grow as federal workers miss paychecks and public pressure builds for a deal.The Palestinian flag is raised as the Palestinian mission to the United Kingdom holds a ceremony after the UK government announced on Sunday the country's formal recognition of a Palestinian state, at the mission's headquarters in London, United Kingdom, on September 22, 2025.
What We’re Watching: More Western nations recognize Palestinian state, Southeast Asian unrest spreads to the Philippines, Putin wants to de-facto extend nuclear arms deal
Troupe of Western nations recognize Palestinian state ahead of UN meeting
Australia, Canada, Portugal, and the United Kingdom all followed through with pledges to recognize a Palestinian state on Sunday, just in time for the start of the United Nations General Assembly’s main meetings. France is set to formally follow suit today. The move is an effort to pressure Israel to end its war in Gaza, but it seems to have had the opposite effect: citing the news, several Israeli ministers urged the military to annex the West Bank. Not every major Western nation was on board with the plan: Germany said recognition should come at the end of the peace process, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said recognizing Palestinian statehood now would be “counter-productive.”
Philippine protests turn violent
The Philippines became the latest country in Southeast Asia to face disorder, as 33,000 people gathered in Manila on Sunday to decry the government’s reported misuse of funds allocated for flood relief efforts. The protests also took a violent turn, as police arrested dozens of people suspected of hurling various makeshift weapons at officers stationed near the presidential palace. The unrest began earlier this month when a wealthy couple that leads many flood-control projects showed off their luxury cars during media interviews – this was especially painful for Philippine citizens, since the country is regularly hit with storms and many live in poverty.
Russia tacks another year onto key nuclear arms treaty
Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russia will observe the last remaining US-Russia nuclear arms pact for one more year. The so-called “New START” Treaty of 2010, which limits the number of warheads and bombers each side can hold and deploy, is set to expire in February. Bilateral inspections collapsed several years ago due to the Ukraine war and no new treaty has been negotiated; at least theoretically, New START remains in effect. Putin’s decision is welcome, but it merely punts two key questions: will the US and Russia reach a new pact to limit the world’s most destructive weapons, and how will any new arms control system take into account the growing nuclear arsenal of China?