Hard Numbers

65 and 18: The average age of Sub-Saharan Africa’s leaders is 65. The average age of the region’s citizens is 18.

70: The lower house of India’s national parliament sits for only 70 days a year. That compares with 131 days in the US House of Representatives, 142 days in the UK’s House of Commons, and 150 days in Japan’s Diet.

12: Democrats have outperformed their Republican opponents by an average of 12 points more than predicted by the partisan split in the special elections that have been held since Trump’s election victory. #TrumpEffect

1/3: More than one-third of Puerto Rico is still without power three months after Hurricane Maria.

6,700: At least 6,700 members of Myanmar’s Rohingya minority were killedduring the first month of the government’s crackdown, according to Doctors Without Borders. The government claims there have only been 400 casualties.

80: Iran and its allies now provide 80 percent of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s fighters, according to an estimate from officials in the Trump administration.

More from GZERO Media

People celebrate the one year anniversary since student-led protests ousted Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 5, 2025.
REUTERS

Earlier this week, thousands of people flooded the streets in Bangladesh’s capital of Dhaka to mark the one-year anniversary of a student-led protest movement that brought an end to 15 years of rule under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Activists of All India National Congress burn an effigy of US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi during a protest in Kolkata, India, after the Trump administration announced a 25% tariff on Indian goods, on August 1, 2025.
Samir Jana/Hindustan Times/Sipa USA

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump upped the ante further, announcing he would double India’s tariff rate to 50% later this month. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has so far refused to back down.

Last month, as part of its European Digital Commitments, Microsoft introduced new initiatives to support the development of multilingual AI models and to help safeguard Europe’s cultural heritage. To help close the AI language gap, the company is working with partners across Europe to expand access to multilingual data and to advance open-source models that reflect the region’s linguistic diversity. Microsoft is also launching a new call for proposals to increase digital content for ten underrepresented European languages and is expanding its Culture AI initiative. Building on successful projects in Greece and Italy, the company is partnering with the Ministère de la Culture and Iconem to digitally recreate Notre-Dame. This work aims to ensure that Europe’s iconic landmarks are preserved for future generations through immersive, AI-powered experiences. Read more here.