Skip to content
Search
Human content, AI powered search.

Latest Stories

What We're Watching

What We’re Watching: Italy paralyzed by flotilla protests, Australia revamps military, and who will Japan’s new PM be?

​Pro-Palestinian demonstrators protest during a nationwide strike called by the USB union to condemn the Israeli forces' interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla vessels aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel's naval blockade, in Rome, Italy, October 3, 2025.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators protest during a nationwide strike called by the USB union to condemn the Israeli forces' interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla vessels aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel's naval blockade, in Rome, Italy, October 3, 2025.

REUTERS/Yara Nardi
Riley Callanan
By Riley CallananOctober 03, 2025
Riley Callanan

Riley is a writer and reporter for GZERO. When she isn’t writing about global politics, you can find her making GZERO’s crossword puzzles, conducting research on American politics, or persisting in her lifelong quest to learn French. Riley spends her time outside of work grilling, dancing, and wearing many hats (both literally and figuratively).

See Full Bio

Italy frozen by protests over Gaza aid flotilla

Over 200,000 people protested across Italy on Friday in a nationwide strike supporting the Gaza aid flotilla. Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and blocked trains, ports, and highways in cities from Milan to Naples, where tens of thousands marched. Unions accused Rome of failing to press Israel to lift its blockade on aid reaching Gaza, which the UN says has created famine conditions. Opposition leader Elly Schlein demanded an arms embargo against Israel and the official recognition of a Palestinian state. But Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni branded the flotilla “dangerous” and dismissed the strike by joking that "long weekends and revolution do not go together."

Australia gives its military a makeover

Australia has announced a $16 billion defense boost after Chinese naval drills off its eastern coast underscored the limits of relying on remote geography for security. The spending marks the country’s largest increase since World War II, and comes amid US pressure for allies to raise defense outlays. Australia is planning to spend more than $500bn on its military over the next decade. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to meet Donald Trump on October 20, where defense spending and Indo-Pacific security will top the agenda.

Japan’s ruling party to elect new leader

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party votes Saturday to replace outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, raising the prospect of a historic shift: either the country’s first female premier, Sanae Takaichi, or its youngest modern-era leader, Shinjiro Koizumi, 44. With the LDP weakened by recent electoral defeats, a sluggish economy, and an upstart ultranationalist challenge from the right, the leadership contest could reshape both the party and Japan’s political future. Read more here

.

gaza aid flotillaitaly protests gazanationwide strike italychinese naval drillsaus

Latest Videos

What is Trump's exit strategy from Iran?play icon
ask ian

What is Trump's exit strategy from Iran?

Trump bashes globalization, but Americans still buy foreign
GZERO World Clips

Trump bashes globalization, but Americans still buy foreign

Trump's war of choice in Iran
Quick Take

Trump's war of choice in Iran

Trump's tariff pivot after SCOTUS ruling
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

Trump's tariff pivot after SCOTUS ruling

The Supreme Court checks Trump’s tariff power
Ian Explains

The Supreme Court checks Trump’s tariff power

Tehran's best and worst-case scenarios
GZERO World Clips

Tehran's best and worst-case scenarios

More For You

Iran ups the ante on oil threats, Chile’s new president inaugurated, Russia tries to save Orbán’s re-election bid

​The Thailand-flagged cargo ship Mayuree Naree engulfed in black smoke in the Strait of Hormuz, March 11, 2026.

The Thailand-flagged cargo ship Mayuree Naree engulfed in black smoke in the Strait of Hormuz, March 11, 2026.

ROYAL THAI NAVY/Handout via REUTERS
US and allies desperately try to cool frightened oil marketsIran has been upping its threats against the world’s oil supply, striking at least one cargo ship yesterday and reportedly laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway near Iran through which 20% of global oil supply passes. Its military command even suggested that the world should [...]

Japan critical minerals deal, Military take over in Madagascar, Argentina week in NYC

Sanae Takaichi announces running for presidential election of the LDP

Sanae Takaichi announces running for presidential election of the LDP

Aflo via Reuters
Japan strikes rare earths deal with largest non-Chinese producerAustralian mining giant Lynas will sell rare earths to Japan for 12 years in a major pact meant to chip away at China’s dominance of the global market. The highlight of the deal is that it sets a minimum price of $110 per kilogram of the minerals. That is the same “price floor” that [...]

Iran conflict sends oil prices surging, Trial begins for Erdogan’s main adversary, German Greens win in auto state

Pirhossein Kolivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, stands in front of the Shahran oil depot, which was targeted by US-Israeli strikes, in western Tehran, Iran, on March 8, 2026.

Pirhossein Kolivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, stands in front of the Shahran oil depot, which was targeted by US-Israeli strikes, on the eighth day of the war in western Tehran, Iran, on March 8, 2026.

Sobhan Farajvan/Pacific Press/Sipa USA
Depot bombing, Strait of Hormuz constraints send oil prices surgingOil prices skyrocketed above $100 per barrel on Monday – nearly hitting $120 at one point – after Israel bombed fuel depots outside Iran’s capital of Tehran and data showed oil production along the Persian Gulf tanking due to the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz. US President [...]

Iran conflict fueled food crisis, Rapper set to win in Nepal, US gives Russia sanction relief

Cargo ships are unloading newly arrived chemical fertilizers at the port terminal in Lianyungang, East China's Jiangsu province, on February 27, 2024. ​

Cargo ships are unloading newly arrived chemical fertilizers at the port terminal in Lianyungang, East China's Jiangsu province, on February 27, 2024.

(Photo by Costfoto/NurPhoto)
Iran conflict could trigger a food crisisDisruptions to a key Gulf waterway in the Iran conflict aren't just threatening the world’s oil and gas supplies; they could also cause a food security crisis. Roughly a quarter to a third of global raw materials used in fertilizer pass through the Strait of Hormuz. With tanker traffic in the strait largely [...]