Hard Numbers: Bolivian frontrunner, COVID vaccine distribution, Chinese hackers target US, pandemic spurs child poverty

Coronavirus vaccine testing in France. Reuters

172: The World Health Organization announced that 172 countries have signed up to its program to ensure a COVID-19 vaccine is distributed fairly around the world. The COVAX scheme aims to procure and deliver around 2 billion doses of a successful vaccine to all participating countries — both rich and poor — by the end of next year.

40.3: Luis Arce, candidate for the party of former Bolivian President Evo Morales, is the clear frontrunner to win next month's presidential election amid a deeply fractured opposition. A new poll projects he will capture 40.3 percent of the vote — almost four times the support of the embattled incumbent, Jeanine Áñez, and just enough to avoid a runoff.

150 million: The coronavirus pandemic has pushed 150 million more children into poverty worldwide since the beginning of 2020, according to a new report by UNICEF and Save the Children. The calculation is based on "multidimensional poverty" indicators such as access to education, health care, housing, nutrition, sanitation, and water.

5: The US Department of Justice has indicted five Chinese nationals linked to China's intelligence services for allegedly infiltrating over a hundred US companies and organizations, as well as pro-democracy groups in Hong Kong. The accused also worked with two Malaysian citizens to commit theft and money laundering related to the US video games industry.

More from GZERO Media

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to the media at the US Capitol in Washington, April 17, 2024.

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday announced plans to move forward with a vote on several foreign aid bills, defying hardline Republicans and potentially sparking a vote to oust him.

World Bank economist: The poorest are getting poorer globally | Global Stage

The combined shocks of multiple crises, including the pandemic, wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, food insecurity, and inflation, have taken a massive toll on the 75 least developed economies, according to World Bank Group’s Deputy Chief Economist Ayhan Kose.

Mamuka Mdinaradze, leader of the ruling Georgian Dream party's parliamentary faction, is punched in the face by opposition MP Aleko Elisashvili during discussion of the bill on "foreign agents" in the Parliament, Tbilisi, Georgia, April 15, 2024 in this still image taken from a live broadcast video.
Parliament of Georgia/Handout via REUTERS

Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, on Wednesday advanced a controversial “foreign agents” bill that rights groups say could be used to stifle civil society and silence political opponents.

People gather as they watch from afar after an alleged gang member was killed and set on fire, amid an escalation in gang violence, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti March 20, 2024.
REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol

The international community is struggling to address half a dozen conflicts, spanning from the Middle East to Haiti, that often involve institutions poorly equipped to tackle modern problems.

Members of the Sudanese Armed Forces gather on the street, almost one year into the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in Omdurman, Sudan, April 7, 2024
REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig

It’s been a year since tensions between the army and a major paramilitary group plunged the vast East African country into civil war. With much of the world looking elsewhere, there is little prospect for peace.

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks at United Steel Workers headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US, April 17, 2024.
REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

President Joe Biden used a meeting in Pennsylvania with United Steel Workers on Wednesday to call for a tripling of steel tariffs on China.

Leaders of Israel and Iran in front of fighter jets.
Jess Frampton

On April 13, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles from its own territory in its first-ever direct, attributable attack against Israel, thrusting the long-simmering shadow war between the two regional foes into the light.

Bharatiya Janata Party supporters hold party flags while waiting for Narendra Modi's road show during an election campaign in Guwahati, Assam, India, on April 16, 2024.
David Talukdar/NurPhoto via Reuters

The world’s most populous country will hold elections between April 19 and 1 June for its lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, one of the world’s most popular heads of state, is expected to lead his Bharatiya Janata Party to a comfortable victory and secure a third consecutive term in office. We sat down with Eurasia Group experts Rahul Bhatia and Pramit Pal Chaudhuri to learn more about the upcoming elections.