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Members of the religious group Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) wave their hands during the first of a three-day anti-corruption protest at the Quirino Grandstand, Manila, Philippines, November 16, 2025.
What We’re Watching: Anti-graft protests resurface in the Philippines, Polish railway hit, Trump flips on Epstein files vote
Anti-graft protests restart in the Philippines, with help of a church
More than 200,000 people took to the streets of Manila, the Philippine capital, on Monday to protest against suspected corruption in flood-control projects. A day prior, a protestant megachurch organized a rally in the Catholic-majority country of 114 million people. These aren’t the first anti-graft demonstrations in the Southeast Asian nation this fall: there were violent protests in September after a government audit showed that the government had spent billions of dollars over the last few years on substandard or non-existent projects. A pair of typhoons also ripped through the country in recent weeks, possibly adding more fuel to the fire. Protest leaders have planned another rally later this month.
Polish railway attacked
In Poland, an explosion damaged a train line that connects Warsaw to Ukraine. The line has been used to transport aid and weapons to Ukraine, and while the investigation is ongoing, Poland’s government has said that it was a “highly probable” act of sabotage by Russia. Russia has targeted Poland for being an aid hub for Ukraine – seemingly carrying out cyber attacks, arson, and other acts of sabotage since the start of the war. If Poland uncovers the attack was carried out by Moscow, it will mark an escalation of the conflict.
Trump does U-turn on Epstein files
After piling pressure on lawmakers to halt the release of the US Justice Department files on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, President Donald Trump reversed course and said Congress should release the files. Trump said he had “nothing to hide.” It was a remarkable about-face, and showed that congressional Republicans can still press the president – it has often been the other way around since the former real estate mogul came to Washington. GOP lawmakers will hope the vote reassures voters – including the MAGA base – ahead of next year’s midterms that they are serious about investigating the Epstein case. There are still doubts over whether the bill will come to pass: The House will bring it up this week, but it remains an open question whether the Senate votes on it.
Protect the watchdogs: Journalism, justice, & accountability
Journalists are often the whistleblowers exposing high-level corruption.
UNODC’s Delphine Schantz explains why we must engage and protect reporters, equip them with investigative tools, and strengthen criminal justice systems so accountability isn’t optional.
Excerpt from a Global Stage livestream at UN HQ on the International Day of Democracy at the 80th UN General Assembly.
Watch more of GZERO Media’s Global Stage series, sponsored by Microsoft, from the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly here: gzeromedia.com/globalstage
The rise of impunity–and its human cost
What happens when global norms collapse and no one is left to enforce them? On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, International Rescue Committee president and CEO David Miliband warns that we are living through what he calls an “Age of Impunity,” where power is exercised without accountability, and civilians in conflict zones from Syria to Ukraine to Gaza are paying the price. “The Age of Impunity is becoming the Age of Cruelty,” Miliband says, as rights guaranteed under international law are ignored and no one is holding the powerful to account.
Miliband highlights findings from the Atlas of Impunity, an annual index published by the Eurasia Group, that tracks accountability across 170 countries. The data shows not only extreme cases of impunity in war-torn regions but also surprising results in advanced democracies like Canada, the US, and Nordic countries. Still, there are some signs of progress. For Miliband, the challenge is clear: it will take a massive push from governments, civil society, brave civilians, journalists and human rights advocates to reverse the retreat of accountability and uphold basic principles of human rights.
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔). GZERO World with Ian Bremmer airs on US public television weekly - check local listings.
Has China lost patience with Venezuela's Maduro regime?
China once poured untold billions into Venezuela’s oil industry, but opposition leader María Corina Machado says that era is over. “China was producing around 70,000 barrels a day in Venezuela in 2016. Today, that's less than 40,000,” she tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World. The reason? “China does not want to deal with a profoundly corrupt, inept tyranny such as Maduro. They know him very well.” She argues that fears of China stepping in to rescue Maduro are misplaced; Beijing has already learned its lesson.
For investors, Venezuela is a dead zone. “Would you lend to a country that ranks literally last in the world for rule of law?” Machado asks, citing the World Justice Project’s assessment of 142 nations. Despite holding the world’s largest oil reserves, Venezuela’s economy remains in ruins because, as she puts it, "you cannot develop resources under communism, crime, and dictatorship." But she insists that Venezuela is ready for change: “We know what we have to do in the first 100 days—guarantee security, restore basic services, and open markets.” The country, she says, is waiting for its chance to rebuild.
Watch full episode: Can Venezuela's opposition leader unseat Nicolás Maduro?
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, the award-winning weekly global affairs series, airs nationwide on US public television stations (check local listings).
New digital episodes of GZERO World are released every Monday on YouTube. Don't miss an episode: subscribe to GZERO's YouTube channel and turn on notifications (🔔).GZERO World with Ian Bremmer airs on US public television weekly - check local listings.
Smoke rises from a burning building in North Gaza, as seen from the Israel-Gaza border, March 23, 2025.
Israel ramps up military offensives as Bibi battles the courts
Israel stepped up its attacks against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon this weekend. The Israeli military ordered the evacuation of Rafah and confirmed the killing of a Hamas leader on Sunday, while the Israeli cabinet approved a proposal to create a directorate to advance the “voluntary departure” of Palestinians from Gaza. In Lebanon, Israel carried out airstrikes in retaliation for rockets fired into Israel. The strikes killed seven people, including a child, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, and prompted fears of a “new war” in the region.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s biggest fight might be internal. Last week, he announced the firing of Shin Bet security head Ronen Bar over alleged failures to prevent the Oct. 7 attacks in 2023. Bar had been investigating Netanyahu’s office for allegations of corruption.
On Friday, the Israeli courts stayed Bar’s dismissal pending further hearings. Now, the Israeli prime minister is attempting to remove Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who vocally opposed the dismissal of Bar and has clashed with Netanyahu over his proposed overhaul of the judicial system, an issue which has Israelis taking to the streets regularly to protest his attempts to expand executive power.
On Sunday, the Israeli cabinet unanimously passed a no-confidence motion against Baharav-Miara for “ongoing substantial differences of opinion between the government and the attorney general, which prevents effective collaboration.” The issue of her removal will now go to a committee expected to be stacked with Netanyahu loyalists, whose decision can then be appealed to the Supreme Court.
That process could take weeks and set up a showdown between the executive and judicial branches of government. Opposition leader Yair Lapid warned that if Netanyahu defies the courts, Israel “will no longer [be] a democracy” – and that citizens may stop paying taxes in protest.Graphic Truth: Corruption in Canada and the US
The United States is larger, more powerful, and — these days — unfriendlier than Canada. But it’s also seen to be way more corrupt. According to Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index, Canada ranks as the 15th most transparent government in the world. The US, meanwhile, languishes at 28th.
But both countries have seen industry and expert perceptions of transparency and the rule of law deteriorate steadily in the 13 years that the study has been done. The US notched its lowest-ever score in the new report, partly based on perceptions of declining ethical standards in the judiciary during the Biden administration. Here’s a look at how Canada and the US have stacked up on the index since its inception in 2012.
FILE PHOTO: A volunteer distributes food to people in Omdurman, Sudan, September 3, 2023.
UN launches probe into Sudan aid officials
The United Nations World Food Programme has reportedly launched an investigation into allegations of fraud and breaking rules around neutrality in war zones against two of its top officials in Sudan amid its ongoing civil war. The probe will scrutinize WFP’s deputy director for Sudan, Khalid Osman, as well as Mohammed Ali, an area manager, and the list of investigation targets is expected to grow.
What are the accusations? Officials are reportedly believed to have misled donors about the roles of each side of the civil war in preventing delivery of aid, casting more blame on the Rapid Support Forces than the Sudanese Army. For example, Osman is alleged to have hid the fact that Sudanese Army officials prevented 15 trucks to carry aid to South Darfur in June of this year, where many communities are at risk of famine. Ali is also specifically being investigated for the disappearance of more than 200,000 liters of fuel being warehoused by the UN.
What happens now? Osman has been placed on a de facto suspension, and Ali’s status is not clear. Osman allegedly controlled which WFP staff could access the organization’s activities in Sudan, and more of his affiliates are likely to come under observation.
That’s scant comfort for the 46 million Sudanese caught in the crossfire, particularly in Darfur, where Black ethnic groups are systematically targeted for genocide, displacement, and weaponized rape. Over half the country’s population are near starvation, and over 10 million are displaced from their homes.Russian Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov inspects the construction of apartment blocks in Mariupol, Russian-controlled Ukraine, in this October 2022 image.
Shocked! Russian deputy defense minister jailed for graft
Russian authorities this week detained a prominent deputy defense minister on corruption charges. Timur Ivanov, a long-standing close ally of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, oversaw a wide variety of construction and logistics projects for the Russian armed forces, including in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.
Anti-corruption activists, including the outfit of late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, had long focused on Ivanov’s lavish lifestyle. This is the highest-profile corruption takedown since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Now, if you are shocked – shocked! – that there’s corruption in Russian military contracting, we’ve got news for you: Corruption is rife in the Russian government. Getting busted is usually less about a sudden universal respect for transparency, and more about turf battles within the Russian elite.
Is Shoigu in trouble? Not yet, but note two things. One, he’s heard lots of criticism from pro-war hawks who accuse him of corruption and incompetence in his military strategy. The most prominent of them, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is no longer among the living, but the grumblings continue. Second, in just a few weeks, Vladimir Putin will be reinaugurated and will have to name a new cabinet. If Shoigu really is in any trouble, that’s when it will become clear.