1: French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to build France’s first aircraft carrier in decades, as Europe accelerates rearmament. The ship won’t be ready before 2038. Germany, similarly, plans to recruit 80,000 troops and spend up to 3.5% of GDP on defense by 2029.
130: Another 130 students and staff abducted by gunmen at a Catholic boarding school in central Nigeria last month have now been freed, the Nigerian government said Sunday. It’s not clear if some staff members remain captive. Africa’s most populous nation has faced a surge of violence this year, affecting schools and farmers alike.
30: See ya later, New York City’s MetroCard. After 30 years and 3.2 billion used cards, the city’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority will transition to an exclusively digital tap-and-go pay system for subway riders, come Jan. 1. It comes as more cities around the world turn to “frictionless” digital systems meant to speed up everyday life.
347: Saudi Arabia carried out a record 347 executions in 2025, marking a second consecutive year of record-high numbers and intensifying its crackdown on dissent. Among those executed were a journalist and two young men who were convicted of protest-related crimes dating back to when they were children. Most executions, though, were for drug-related convictions.
On Ask Ian, Ian Bremmer breaks down the steady escalation of US pressure on Venezuela and why direct military action is now a real possibility.
On Ian Explains, Ian Bremmer takes a look at the growing surge in global conflict and the ripple effects of so much violence, war, and armed struggle throughout the world.
A year into US President Donald Trump’s second term, America’s immigration policy has undergone one of its most sweeping resets in decades.
The Australian government announced a plan to purchase and destroy civilian-owned firearms after a terrorist attack left 15 people dead at a Jewish holiday gathering on Sydney’s Bondi Beach.