Hard Numbers: Deaths surge in India, US undocumented farmworkers, Colonial Pipeline ransom payment, vaccine cash for South Africa

Family members of Vijay Raju, who died due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), mourn before his cremation at a crematorium ground in Giddenahalli village on the outskirts of Bengaluru, India, May 13, 2021.

4,000: For the second consecutive day, India reported more than 4,000 daily deaths from COVID. This comes as India is grappling with massive vaccine shortages and is now doling out the second AstraZeneca shot 16 weeks after the first one to make up for shortfalls.

1.25 million: About half of all US farmworkers — 1.25 million people — are undocumented migrants, mostly from Mexico. But many of these people, who are earning minimum wage with no benefits while keeping the American agricultural system running, are mostly struggling to feed their own families, according to a new Guardian investigation.

5 million: Colonial Pipeline, the largest oil pipeline in the US, reportedly paid $5 million in ransom to cyber criminals who took its system offline for close to a week, Bloomberg reports. This revelation comes after the company said it had no plans to pay the hackers and was working to restore its operations via a backup system.

213 million: Patrick Soon-Shiong, a South African-born Asian American, has pledged $213 million to help fast-track vaccine production in South Africa. The entire continent of Africa is currently relying on vaccine imports, and only 2 percent of all doses administered globally have been in African countries.

More from GZERO Media

When Walmart stocks its shelves with homegrown products like Fischer & Wieser’s peach jam, it’s not just selling food — it’s creating opportunity. Over two-thirds of what Walmart buys is made, grown, or assembled in America, fueling jobs and growth in communities nationwide. Walmart’s $350 billion commitment to US manufacturing is supporting 750,000 jobs and empowering small businesses to sell more, hire more, and strengthen their hometowns. From farms to shelves, Walmart’s investment keeps local businesses thriving. Learn how Walmart's commitment to US manufacturing is supporting 750K American jobs.

- YouTube

"We don’t want an outcome where everyone in the world is not participating equally in this opportunity economy that’s coming from AI,” says Baroness Joanna Shields, Executive Chair of the Responsible AI Future Foundation. Speaking with GZERO Media’s Tony Maciulis, Shields emphasizes that responsible AI must deliver impact.

A Venezuelan Navy patrol boat sails off the Caribbean coast, amid heightened tensions with the U.S., in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, October 24, 2025.
REUTERS/Juan Carlos Hernandez

On Tuesday, the US struck four boats off the Pacific coast of Central America, killing 14 people who the White House said were smuggling narcotics.

Israeli warplanes launched heavy airstrikes targeting an entire residential block near the Al-Sousi Mosque in Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City. The strikes destroyed a large number of homes, levelling some to the ground. Civil defense and ambulance teams rushed to the scene and are working to rescue victims and recover bodies from under the rubble amidst widespread destruction and significant difficulties in rescue operations due to the ongoing bombardment and a shortage of equipment.

Israeli strikes in Gaza killed 100 people last night, according to local officials, in the deadliest day since the signing of the ceasefire three weeks ago.