Hard Numbers: Bangladeshi protesters killed, Hungary leads EU in jabs, UK-US tariffs tit-for-tat, where did COVID come from?

Hefazat-e Islam activists hold sticks while blocking the road during the demonstration. Hefazat-e Islam activists took part during a nationwide strike following the deadly clashes with police over Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

10: At least 10 people were killed, and dozens injured in Bangladesh amid clashes over the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mark 50 years of Bangladesh's independence. The protests were led by Hefazat-e-Islam, an Islamist political movement that says majority-Muslim Bangladesh should not embrace Modi because of his anti-Muslim agenda at home.

22: Hungary has emerged as the leading vaccinator within the European Union, with 22 percent of the population having now received at least one dose, compared to the bloc-wide average of 12.3 percent. Hungary, which has one of the highest COVID death rates in the world, snatched up millions of doses of Russia's Sputnik jab while the EU was grappling with a sluggish rollout of its own vaccines.

2.7 million: As the global death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 2.7 million, health authorities still can't agree on the pandemic's origins. A new joint WHO-China report says the virus jumped from animals to humans. But US government officials have cast doubt on that theory, and say a new probe is needed without the Chinese government interfering in the findings.

25: The Biden administration has threatened to slap up to 25 percent tariffs on a range of UK goods if London continues with a newly-introduced scheme to raise taxes on US tech companies. The move, initiated by the Trump administration, aims to raise around $325 million, matching the amount the UK would gain from taxing US tech giants.

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The body of Pope Francis in the coffin exposed in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on April 24, 2025. The funeral will be celebrated on Saturday in St. Peter's Square.
Pasquale Gargano/KONTROLAB/ipa-agency.net/IPA/Sipa USA

While the Catholic world prepares for the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday – the service begins at 10 a.m. local time, 4 a.m. ET – certain high-profile attendees may also have other things on their mind. Several world leaders will be on hand to pay their respects to the pontiff, but they could also find themselves involved in bilateral talks.

A Ukrainian rescue worker sits atop the rubble of a destroyed residential building during rescue operations, following a Russian missile strike on a residential apartment building block in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 24, 2025.
Photo by Justin Yau/ Sipa USA
Members of the M23 rebel group stand guard at the opening ceremony of Caisse Generale d'epargne du Congo (CADECO) which will serve as the bank for the city of Goma where all banks have closed since the city was taken by the M23 rebels, in Goma, North Kivu province in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, April 7, 2025.
REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi

The Democratic Republic of the Congo and an alliance of militias led by the notorious M23 rebels announced a ceasefire on Thursday after talks in Qatar and, after three years of violence, said they would work toward a permanent truce.

Students shout slogans and burn an effigy to protest the Pahalgam terror attack in Guwahati, Assam, India, on April 24, 2025. On April 22, a devastating terrorist attack occurs in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of at least 28 tourists.
Photo by David Talukdar/NurPhoto

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has blamed Pakistan for Tuesday’s deadly terrorist attack in Kashmir, and he’s takenaggressive action against its government.

- YouTube

“When things are going fine, nobody really tests the skills and talents of their financial advisor, but this is a moment where really good advice can be extraordinarily powerful,” says Margaret Franklin, CFA Institute's CEO and President. In conversation with GZERO’s Tony Maciulis, Franklin describes the current financial climate as “maximum uncertainty,” rating it a 10 out of 10 on the risk scale.

President Donald Trump at a bilateral meeting with China's President Xi Jinping during the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 29, 2019.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

On Wednesday, Donald Trump said he would deliver a “fair deal” with China and that he’d be “very nice” to the country after meeting with major retailers. But Beijing denies that there are any ongoing talks and has told the US it must cancel its unilateral tariffs before China will broker any negotiations.

Annie Gugliotta

Despite the two parties narrowing by a point in the polls since they released their platforms this past week, looking at the arc of the race overall, it appears that the Conservatives peaked too early and the Liberals have made an impressive resurgence.