Hard Numbers: Children starving in Sudan, Israel’s credit downgraded, Two tales of Chinese balloons, Chiefs win Super Bowl, Senate advances aid bill

​Halime Adam Moussa, a Sudanese refugee who is seeking refuge in Chad for a second time, waits with other refugees to receive a food portion from an international aid agency near the border between Sudan and Chad in Koufroun, Chad, May 9, 2023.
Halime Adam Moussa, a Sudanese refugee who is seeking refuge in Chad for a second time, waits with other refugees to receive a food portion from an international aid agency near the border between Sudan and Chad in Koufroun, Chad, May 9, 2023.
REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

2: Moody’s bond rating agency on Friday announced a first-ever downgrade of Israel's credit rating from A1 to A2, due to the negative economic impacts of the Gaza war and the potential conflict with Hezbollah. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich dismissed it as “a political manifesto,” but if other major agencies follow suit, it would make it harder for Israel to sell bonds, impacting its war effort and post-war recovery.

700,000: UNICEF reports that 700,000 children in Sudan face malnutrition due to the 10-month conflict that has ravaged the country, with tens of thousands at risk of death from lack of food, mass displacement, and disease. The agency is calling for $840 million in assistance and lamented the fact previous requests for aid have not been met.

8: Taiwan's defense ministry reported that eight Chinese balloons crossed the Taiwan Strait Friday and five sailed over the island on Saturday. China has previously claimed such balloons were for “meteorological purposes,”, not surveillance, but Taipei accuses them of being a threat to aviation safety and a form of “psychological warfare.” China’s balloon activity has increased since the election of pro-independence President Lai Ching-Te.

38,000: In more high-flying news, a Hong Kong mall's dragon sculpture, crafted from a hoard of 38,000 balloons, roared into the Guinness Book of World Records just in time for this year’s Chinese New Year celebrations. The 137.04-feet-long masterpiece was assembled by balloon artists Sze Tai "Wilson" Pang and Kun Lung Ho and over 60 volunteers.

3: The Kansas City Chiefs won their third Super Bowl in five years on Sunday night, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22. It was a nail-biter of a game – and just the second Super Bowl in history to go into overtime. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw the game-winning touchdown pass to receiver Mecole Hardman after the 49ers gained a short-lived lead off of a field goal.

18: The Democratic-controlled Senate on Sunday moved closer to passing a $95.3 billion foreign aid bill that includes assistance for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan – voting 67-27 to clear a procedural hurdle and advance the legislation. Eighteen Senate Republicans voted to advance the bill despite vocal opposition from Donald Trump, who recently helped tank a bipartisan bill that lumped foreign aid and border security together. Though the foreign aid bill could pass in the Senate within days, it faces an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled House.

More from GZERO Media

A combination photo shows a person of interest in the fatal shooting of U.S. right-wing activist and commentator Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, U.S. shown in security footage released by the Utah Department of Public Safety on September 11, 2025.
Utah Department of Public Safety/Handout via REUTERS
A drone view shows the scene where U.S. right-wing activist, commentator, Charlie Kirk, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, U.S. September 11, 2025.
REUTERS/Cheney Orr

The assassination of 31-year old conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a college event in Utah yesterday threatened to plunge a deeply divided America further into a cycle of rising political violence.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro stands next to members of the armed forces, on the day he says that his country would deploy military, police and civilian defenses at 284 "battlefront" locations across the country, amid heightened tensions with the U.S., in La Guaira, Venezuela, September 11, 2025.
Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS

284: Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro has deployed military assets to 284 “battlefront” locations across the country, amid rising tensions with the US.

A member of Nepal army stands guard as people gather to observe rituals during the final day of Indra Jatra festival to worship Indra, Kumari and other deities and to mark the end of monsoon season.
REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

Nepal’s “Gen-Z” protest movement has looked to a different generation entirely with their pick for an interim leader. Protest leaders say they want the country’s retired chief justice, Sushila Karki, 73, to head a transitional government.