Hard Numbers: France’s unions start to look like Grinches

55: Ongoing strikes over a proposed pension reform have brought Paris to a standstill, with major train services shuttered. But as the holidays near, public opinion is shifting against the unions behind those work stoppages: 55 percent of people surveyed by Le Figaro newspaper said it's "unacceptable" for strikes to continue over the holiday period.

173: Myanmar's navy detained 173 Rohingya Muslims in a boat off the country's southern coast, a worrying sign that members of the minority group are making dangerous sea journeys to avoid persecution by the military. Last week, dozens of other Rohingya who tried to flee by boat appeared in a Myanmar court to face charges of "traveling illegally."

70,000: The number of migrants and refugees going to Europe from Turkey has nearly doubled this year, with some 70,000 arrivals. The surge has raised questions about whether Turkey is honoring the terms of its migrant deal with the EU, in which Ankara is supposed to let through only the most "vulnerable" migrants.

1: The wealthiest one percent of adults in Lebanon receive a quarter of the national income, and the top 0.1% take as much as the bottom 50%. That level of income inequality is part of what sparked the recent nationwide anti-government protests.

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People gather at a petrol station in Bamako, Mali, on November 1, 2025, amid ongoing fuel shortages caused by a blockade imposed by al Qaeda-linked insurgents.
REUTERS/Stringer

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Last week, Microsoft released the AI Diffusion Report 2025, offering a comprehensive look at how artificial intelligence is spreading across economies, industries, and workforces worldwide. The findings show that AI adoption has reached an inflection point: 68% of enterprises now use AI in at least one function, driving measurable productivity and economic growth. The report also highlights that diffusion is uneven, underscoring the need for greater investment in digital skills, responsible AI governance, and public-private collaboration to ensure the benefits are broadly shared. Read the full report here.

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At the 2025 Abu Dhabi Global AI Summit, UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan warns that without deliberate action, the world’s poorest countries risk exclusion from the AI revolution. “There is no way that trickle down will make the trick,” she tells GZERO Media’s Tony Maciulis. “We have to think about inclusion by design."

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In this Global Stage panel recorded live in Abu Dhabi, Becky Anderson (CNN) leads a candid discussion on how to close that gap with Brad Smith (Vice Chair & President, Microsoft), Peng Xiao (CEO, G42), Ian Bremmer (President & Founder, Eurasia Group and GZERO Media), and Baroness Joanna Shields (Executive Chair, Responsible AI Future Foundation).

A Palestinian Hamas militant keeps guard as Red Cross personnel head towards an area within the so-called “yellow line” to which Israeli troops withdrew under the ceasefire, as Hamas says it continues to search for the bodies of deceased hostages seized during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in Gaza City, on November 2, 2025.
REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas