What We're Watching: France tackles extremism, China’s vaccine goes global, Qatar-Saudi thaw

Art by Annie Gugliotta

France's anti-extremism law: On the 115th anniversary of France's famed laïcité laws that separate church and state, President Emmanuel Macron yesterday unveiled a controversial new bill meant to tackle religious extremism. While the bill doesn't single out Islam by name — that would be illegal under France's constitution — officials have made clear that its aim is to rein in Islamic extremism and organizations that support it. The proposed law comes as Macron is under tremendous pressure to respond to a recent spate of Islamic terror attacks in France, which has lost more of its people to terrorism than any other EU member state and seen thousands of its citizens join ISIS in recent years. The new law would scrutinize funding for religious institutions, restricts home-schooling, tightens rules on online hate speech, and even singles out punishment for doctors who issue "virginity certificates." It still needs to be approved in Parliament, where Macron (just barely) controls the lower house. Although close to 80 percent of French people believe that "Islam has declared war on France," debate over the law is expected to be fierce, with far-left and far-right groups saying it doesn't actually go far enough, while other critics say that the law needs to be part of broader efforts to better integrate French Muslims into society.

End to Qatar blockade? Saudi Arabia and Qatar this week made significant progress towards a deal to end Riyadh's three-year blockade of Qatar, imposed because of what the Saudis say is Qatar's support for terrorism. The latest diplomatic breakthrough was brokered by Kuwait and the US, which wants to end the standoff and give President Trump another foreign policy win in the Middle East before leaving office. The preliminary agreement hinges on Riyadh granting the Qataris access to Saudi airspace in exchange for the Qataris dropping their pending international lawsuits against the Saudis, which seek damages over the blockade. However, there's just one problem — Doha is also under blockade by Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE, and it's not clear that they are willing to give up just yet. There's also bad blood over Qatar's moves since 2017 to cozy up to Iran, mortal enemy of most of the Sunni Gulf powers and Egypt.

China's vaccine diplomacy: A Chinese coronavirus vaccine was approved for use outside China for the first time on Wednesday, when the UAE announced that the Sinopharm shot, which can be stored at room temperature, is 86 percent effective. It's a potential game-changer for many developing countries that lack cold-storage facilities for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are more effective than Sinopharm's but require deep freezing. The UAE's approval is likely the first among dozens of countries where China aims to push its own brand of vaccine diplomacy, which consists of sharing its drugs with poorer nations as a "global public good" instead of trying (like the US is doing) to inoculate all its own people first. On the one hand, China's vaccine push will be a lifesaver for developing countries that can't buy enough doses now, as Western countries hoard COVID-19 vaccines. And it may help restore trust in China after Beijing allegedly covered up the initial Wuhan outbreak. What will China ask for in return for this largesse? It's hard to say, but with this kind of leverage, Beijing will be in a good position — as long as its vaccines really work.

More from GZERO Media

Across North America and Europe, blackouts are becoming more common, often hitting when the demand peaks or when the weather turns extreme. The surging demand for power and new energy sources are putting pressure on the energy systems. Meeting today’s energy needs takes a flexible, pragmatic, “all-of-the-above” approach — drawing on all fuels and technologies. Learn how Enbridge is delivering reliable, affordable energy in uncertain times.

Amir Seaid Iravani premanent representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran speaks during the UN Security Council on June 24, 2025 in New York City.
John Lamparski via Reuters Connect

It’s not clear yet how much the US attack on Iran's nuclear sites this weekend set back the Islamic Republic's ability to develop atomic weapons, but experts say the airstrikes almost certainly threw a bomb into something larger: the global nuclear non-proliferation regime.

A pie graph showing the percentage of Americans in favor of having a third major political party.
Ico Oliveira

Remember when Elon Musk threatened to start his own political party during his spat with Donald Trump? It’s unclear how many Americans would switch their political affiliation to a Musk-run party specifically, but a plurality agree that they’d like another major political party to rival the Democrats and Republicans.

Open Call is the heart of Walmart’s $350 billion commitment to US manufacturing, supporting products made, grown or assembled in America. The pitch event represents a unique opportunity for selected entrepreneurs to meet face-to-face with Walmart merchants and earn a chance to get their products on store shelves nationwide. Last year, finalists from across the country represented 48 states, with entrepreneurs from over half these states receiving deals. It’s all a part of Walmart’s investment in American jobs and communities. Learn more about Walmart’s annual Open Call.

Last week, Microsoft released its 2025 Responsible AI Transparency Report, demonstrating the company’s sustained commitment to earning trust at a pace that matches AI innovation. The report outlines new developments in how we build and deploy AI systems responsibly, how we support our customers, and how we learn, evolve, and grow. It highlights our strengthened incident response processes, enhanced risk assessments and mitigations, and proactive regulatory alignment. It also covers new tools and practices we offer our customers to support their AI risk governance efforts, as well as how we work with stakeholders around the world to work towards governance approaches that build trust. You can read the report here.