Hard Numbers: French civil war(ning), US money for Central America, $1 trillion in arms, displaced Colombians

Hard Numbers: French civil war(ning), US money for Central America, $1 trillion in arms, displaced Colombians
French soldiers patrol near the Eiffel Tower in Paris as part of the highest level of "Vigipirate" security plan after a shooting at the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo.
REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

1,000: Around 1,000 current and former members of the French military have signed a letter warning of a looming "civil war" in France over immigration and Islam. The text — released on the 60th anniversary of a failed coup meant to force then-President Charles de Gaulle to retain Algeria — was supported by far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

310 million: The US has pledged an additional $310 million in economic assistance to help Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala stem the flow of Central American migrants to the US southern border. Migrant arrivals from the "Northern Triangle" countries have been steadily growing since the beginning of the year.

1 trillion: Global military spending rose to almost $1 trillion last year, up 2.6 percent from 2019. The biggest spenders were the US, China, India, Russia, and the UK.

27,000: More than 27,000 people have been displaced in Colombia in the first quarter of the year, according to the country's human rights ombudsman. That's a 177 percent increase over the same period in 2020, as the country has suffered a pandemic-related uptick in violence.

More from GZERO Media

A miniature statue of US President Donald Trump stands next to a model bunker-buster bomb, with the Iranian national flag in the background, in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, on June 19, 2025.
STR/NurPhoto

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will decide whether to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities “in the next two weeks,” a move that re-opens the door to negotiations, but also gives the US more time to position military forces for an operation.

People ride motorcycles as South Korea's LGBTQ community and supporters attend a Pride parade, during the Seoul Queer Culture Festival, in Seoul, South Korea, June 14, 2025.
REUTERS/Kim Soo-hyeon

June is recognized in more than 100 countries in the world as “Pride Month,” marking 55 years since gay liberation marches began commemorating the Stonewall riots – a pivotal uprising against the police’s targeting of LGBTQ+ communities in New York.

Port of Nice, France, during the United Nations Oceans Conference in June 2025.
María José Valverde

Eurasia Group’s biodiversity and sustainability analyst María José Valverde sat down with Rebecca Hubbard, the director of the High Seas Alliance, to discuss the High Seas Treaty.

Housing shortages in the US and Canada have become a significant problem – and a contentious political issue – in recent years. New data on housing construction this week suggest neither country is making enough progress to solve the shortfalls. Here’s a snapshot of the situation on both sides of the border.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks during a meeting of northeastern U.S. Governors and Canadian Premiers, in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., June 16, 2025.
REUTERS/Sophie Park

While the national level drama played out between Donald Trump and Mark Carney at the G7 in Kananaskis, a lot of important US-Canada work was going on with far less fanfare in Boston, where five Canadian premiers met with governors and delegations from seven US states.

- YouTube

What’s next for Iran’s regime? Ian Bremmer says, “It’s much more likely that the supreme leader ends up out, but the military… continues to run the country.”