HARD NUMBERS

1,400: North and South Korea have succeeded in a joint bid to have traditional Korean wrestling recognized as a cultural gem by the United Nations, the latest sign of thawing relations between the two countries. The sport, which some sources say predates the two countries' 1950s-era partition by more than 1,400 years, is known as Ssirum in the North and Ssireum in the South.

100: More than half of all babies born in Japan today can expect to live to the age of 100. The country, which has the world's highest average life expectancy at 84 years, is facing a demographic crunch as it looks for ways to support a growing elderly and retired population with a shrinking number of working-age adults.

70: Elon Musk, the billionaire industrialist and space enthusiast, estimated there was a 70 percent chance that he would personally move to Mars by hitching a ride on one of his SpaceX rockets. The 47-year-old entrepreneur, who last year unveiled a detailed plan for colonizing the red planet, has stated that humanity must become a multi-planetary species in order to avoid extinction. His statement left us wondering how exactly he got to the number 70.

3: China has begun construction of its third aircraft carrier, state media confirmed this week. The as-yet unnamed warship is part of a broader push by Beijing to increase its naval might. China's navy last year became the world's largest by total vessels, though it still significantly lags the US in terms of firepower and overall budget.

More from GZERO Media

- YouTube

China is conducting near-daily military exercises in the Taiwan Strait and the risk of conflict is getting higher. Could Beijing and Taipei be heading toward war? Ian Bremmer sits down with Bonny Lin, director of the China Power Project at CSIS.

Protesters are blanketed in smoke along Alondra Boulevard during a standoff with law enforcement following multiple detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in the Los Angeles County city of Compton, California, U.S., June 7, 2025.
REUTERS/Barbara Davidson

On Saturday, US President Donald Trumpdeployed 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles to quell protests against ICE immigration raids.

View of what state media KCNA reported was a test-firing of the weapons system of the new "Choe Hyon-class" warship, in this picture released on April 30, 2025, by the Korean Central News Agency.
via REUTERS

Welcome to the new global arms race: faster, smarter, more dangerous and more expensive than ever. In 2024, world military spending surged toa record $2.7 trillion, the steepest annual increase since the Cold War's end, driven largely by European, Asian and Middle Eastern nations.

Inter Miami Forward Lionel Messi controls the ball during the first half of an MLS match against the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, on May 24, 2025.
Kyle Rodden/CSM/Sipa USA

The FIFA Club World Cup kicks off on Saturday, with the United States acting as hosts for a competition of the top teams on the globe.