Hard Numbers: France skyrockets Europe’s rearmament, Abducted Nigerian schoolchildren freed, NYC’s subway goes paperless, Saudi executions reach new peak

1: French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to build France’s first aircraft carrier in decades, as Europe accelerates rearmament. The ship won’t be ready before 2038. Germany, similarly, plans to recruit 80,000 troops and spend up to 3.5% of GDP on defense by 2029.

130: Another 130 students and staff abducted by gunmen at a Catholic boarding school in central Nigeria last month have now been freed, the Nigerian government said Sunday. It’s not clear if some staff members remain captive. Africa’s most populous nation has faced a surge of violence this year, affecting schools and farmers alike.

30: See ya later, New York City’s MetroCard. After 30 years and 3.2 billion used cards, the city’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority will transition to an exclusively digital tap-and-go pay system for subway riders, come Jan. 1. It comes as more cities around the world turn to “frictionless” digital systems meant to speed up everyday life.

347: Saudi Arabia carried out a record 347 executions in 2025, marking a second consecutive year of record-high numbers and intensifying its crackdown on dissent. Among those executed were a journalist and two young men who were convicted of protest-related crimes dating back to when they were children. Most executions, though, were for drug-related convictions.