Hard Numbers: Poland restricts abortion, US arms Taiwan, OECD migration drops, Guinea post-election violence

Women protest against imposing further restrictions on abortion law in Poland in Szczecin. Reuters

2: Accepting a legal challenge by the ruling conservative Law and Justice party, Poland's top court has ruled that having an abortion due to fetal defects is unconstitutional. The verdict means that abortion in the overwhelmingly Catholic country will now only be legal in two instances: after a pregnancy caused by rape or incest, and when the mother's health is at risk.

1.8 billion: The Trump administration has notified the US Congress it intends to sell $1.8 billion worth of new missiles and related military hardware to Taiwan. China, which regards the island as part of its territory, will as usual make a stink, but the US regularly sells arms to Taiwan despite the "One China" policy.

46: The pandemic has caused (legal) migration to 37 of the world's most developed countries to plummet by 46 percent in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2019 — the sharpest six-month decline ever. The OECD warns that weaker labor demand, travel restrictions, and widespread remote work may prevent such migration flows from returning to pre-pandemic levels "for some time."

10: At least 10 people have died in post-election violence in Guinea. President Alpha Condé is currently leading the count after the October 18 vote, but challenger Cellou Dalein Diallo has claimed victory for himself and insists Condé should not have been allowed to run due to (recently overturned) constitutional term limits.

More from GZERO Media

Riot police officers fire tear gas canisters to disperse demonstrators during anti-government protests dubbed “Saba Saba People’s March,” in the Rift Valley town of Nakuru, Kenya, on July 7, 2025.
REUTERS/Suleiman Mbatiah

Kenya’s president orders police to shoot at protesters, European nuclear powers expand umbrella, and US President Donald Trump goes after Brazil.

Hezbollah beat on their chests as a sign of mourning during a mass rally to mark Ashoura, commemorating the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Hussein.

On Wednesday, the Trump administration’s envoy to Lebanon, Tom Barrack, received a stunning proposal from the Lebanese government– a plan to disarm Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed Shia militia group that has dominated Lebanon’s politics and fought two major wars with Israel over the past 20 years.

- YouTube

In this episode of Ian Bremmer’s Quick Take, Ian breaks down the growing crisis between the US and Brazil, sparked by Donald Trump’s surprise announcement of a 50% tariff on all imports from Brazil.

- YouTube

“Tech is a means to an end, not the end itself,” says Hovig Etyemezian, head of UNHCR’s Innovation Service. Speaking to GZERO's Tony Maciulis at the 2025 AI for Good Summit in Geneva, Etyemezian explains how technology is helping address one of the world’s most urgent challenges: the record number of forcibly displaced people. As conflicts rise and resources shrink, UNHCR is using data, AI, and digital tools to improve services and empower refugee communities, but only when designed with those communities, not for them.

Over the last decade, the world of space exploration and innovation has exploded. On this episode of Next Giant Leap, season 2 hosts Mike Greenley, CEO of MDA Space, and Mike Massimino, Columbia Engineering professor and former NASA astronaut, take a look at the new space race with former Congresswoman Jane Harman and China expert Dean Cheng. They discuss the role of space in national security, the potential for space-based conflict, and the role of private space companies in this new era.

Elon Musk in an America Party hat.
Jess Frampton

Life comes at you fast. Only five weeks after vowing to step back from politics and a month after accusing President Donald Trump of being a pedophile, Elon Musk declared his intention to launch a new political party offering Americans an alternative to the Republicans and Democrats.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves (right) crying as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, London, United Kingdom, on July 2, 2025.
PA Images via Reuters Connect

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has struggled during his first year in office, an ominous sign for centrists in Western democracies.