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Hard Numbers: Duterte rides high, Colombian massacres surge, US firms sue over tariffs, Ethiopia files charges in singer's murder

Image of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte flanked by the national flag, a gun, and symbols of justice

91: Despite overseeing Southeast Asia's worst COVID-19 outbreak, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's approval rating is now at a heady 91 percent, up four points since before the pandemic.

42: So far in 2020 there have been 42 mass killings in Colombia, says the UN. That's the highest annual mark since a 2016 peace accord was signed between the government and FARC rebels. Human rights activists and former FARC rebels have borne the brunt of the violence, according to the UN.

3,500: President Trump often falsely says Beijing is paying for the tariffs that his administration has slapped on China's exports. But they are actually paid by US firms, more than 3,500 of whom have now filed lawsuits (paywall) alleging that the measures are no longer legal, and demanding compensation. The list includes American giants like Coca-Cola, Ford, and Disney.

4: The Ethiopian government has filed terrorism charges against four people over the killing of a famous musician in June. The murder of Hacalu Hundessa, whose music advocated for the rights of Ethiopia's Oromo ethnic group, sparked days of violence.

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People gather outside the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport to decry President Trump's travel ban on 19 countries which went into effect this morning.

5: US President Donald Trump added five new countries – Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria – to the list of nations banned from traveling to the US.

US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finland's President Alexander Stubb, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pose for a family photo amid negotiations to end the Russian war in Ukraine, at the White House in Washington, D.C., USA, on August 18, 2025.
REUTERS/Alexander Drago

With the release of its National Security Strategy, the Trump administration has telegraphed how the US intends to engage with allies, and what it expects from them.