Hard Numbers

68: The downing of a Soviet-era Indian fighter jet last week has brought into sharp focus the dilapidated state of the country's armed forces. In the event of war, India could supply its troops with ammunition for just 10 days, according to government estimates, and 68 percent of the army's equipment is considered "vintage." We were going to make a Salvation Army joke but...

10,000: Since the launch of a campaign against organized crime in January 2018, China has brought more than 10,000 alleged gangsters to trial across the country. The effort aims, in part, to assuage citizens' growing concerns about gangs' control over large portions of both the formal and informal economies.

13,000: British decontamination experts spent 13,000 hours cleaning the house of former Russian spy Sergei V. Skripal, who was poisoned a year ago this week. The UK government blames Russia for carrying out the attack. The house is clean now – there's an Airbnb play there for sure.

130,000: Over the next decade, automation will erode or replace the work of around 130,000 US government employees, according to a new report.

More from GZERO Media

Luis Fernando Cerimedo, advisor of Presidential candidate Nasry Asfura of the National Party of Honduras (PN), speaks during a press conference after the general election, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, December 1, 2025.
REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

There are close presidential races, and then there’s the one in Honduras, where just 515 votes separate the top two candidates following Sunday’s election in the Central American nation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky inspects a guard of honor by the Irish Army at Government Buildings during an Irish State visit, in Dublin, Ireland, on December 2, 2025.
REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Even though an energy corruption scandal is roiling his leadership, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky isn’t necessarily in a rush to accept a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war – especially if the terms are unfavorable.

In this episode of Tools and Weapons, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith sits down with Ed Policy, President and CEO of the Green Bay Packers, to discuss how purpose-driven leadership and innovation are shaping the future of one of the world’s most iconic sports franchises. Ed shares how technology and community-focused initiatives, from Titletown Tech to health and safety innovations on the field, are transforming not just the game of football, but the economy and culture of Green Bay itself. He explains how combining strategic vision with investment in local startups is keeping talent in the Midwest and creating opportunities that extend far beyond Lambeau Field.

Subscribe and find new episodes monthly, wherever you listen to podcasts.

The Gen Z group led by Miraj Dhungana escalates their ongoing demonstrations, confronting police outside the prime minister's official residence in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Nov. 26, 2025.
Sanjit Pariyar/NurPhoto

Youth unemployment is making headlines from China to Canada, with many countries’ rates at historic highs. The fallout is fueling Gen Z discontent, creating migration pressures, and threatening social unrest in nations around the globe.

People stay at a school, which is functioned as the temporary shelter at flooded area, on November 30, 2025 in Sumatra, Sumatra. The authorities in Indonesia were searching on Sunday for hundreds of people they said were missing after days of unusually heavy rains across Southeast Asia that have killed hundreds and displaced millions.
Photo by Li Zhiquan/China News Service/VCG

800: The death toll from the tropical storm that battered parts of Southeast Asia is now close to 800.