Nepal’s “Gen-Z” protest movement has looked to a different generation entirely with their pick for an interim leader. Protest leaders say they want the country’s retired chief justice, Sushila Karki, 73, to head a transitional government. The demand comes just two days after the prime minister resigned amid swelling anti-corruption protests triggered last week by a social media ban. Karki has reportedly accepted, but is currently negotiating with the president and other powerbrokers to find a constitutional path to power. For an explanation of these protests which are not “mid", see GZERO’s feature from yesterday.
The ultra-authoritarian Belarusian regime of Alexander Lukashenko has released 52 prisoners, reportedly at the urging of the White House. Meanwhile, the US says plans are afoot to normalize ties with the deeply isolated country, Russia’s closest ally. The Trump Administration has poured a lot of effort into relations with Lukashenko, whose 31-year reign, crackdowns on dissent, and election-rigging have earned him the moniker “Europe’s last Dictator.” Lukashenko has styled himself as a kind of “Putin Whisperer.” Is Trump seeking a bridge to the Russian president, or a potential wedge against him?
In the Pacific Northwest, acoustic monitoring is helping detect endangered southern resident orcas and alert nearby vessels in real time. By combining underwater sensors, edge computing, and AI, Microsoft and conservation partners are helping ships reduce noise and collision risks in critical feeding areas. The initiative offers a glimpse of how emerging technologies can support biodiversity conservation while balancing environmental and commercial interests. Read the full story here.
Humanitarian aid isn’t just charity—it’s the world’s safety net against disease, conflict, and instability. David Miliband joins Ian Bremmer to unpack what America’s retreat from global aid means for the world and what comes next.
The global aid system is running out of money just as the world’s crises are multiplying. On Ian Explains, Ian Bremmer unpacks why consequences of shrinking aid budgets extend far beyond the borders of the world’s most vulnerable countries.
For decades, cars dominated trade, but computer servers have taken the top spot.