Hard Numbers
Hard Numbers: Gaza death toll undercount, China’s deflating economic news, Cuba’s growing exodus, Amazing eyeball news
A Palestinian woman reacts after the death of her sister
REUTERS/Suhaib Salem
0.2: Consumer prices in China fell 0.2% on an annual basis in October, meaning the world’s second-largest economy is now officially experiencing deflation, where sluggish demand for goods and services causes prices to fall. The news accentuates ongoing concerns about China’s mediocre post-pandemic economic recovery. Why are falling prices a bad thing? See our explainer here.
10,700: Roughly 10,700 Cubans were detained at the US southern border in September, nearly twice the figure in August, as a deepening economic crisis in the Caribbean island nation drives more people to take the risk of undocumented migration to the United States. Many of those arriving via Mexico have completed a 1,500-mile journey on foot.
2: A US man who lost most of his face and his left eye in a high-voltage power line accident has two eyes again as a result of the world’s first transplant of an entire human eyeball. It’s too soon to tell whether the new eye works properly, but the breakthrough has millions of sports fans around the world wondering if referees and umpires have heard of this treatment.India’s Modi consolidates grip after historic state election win, Venezuela and Guyana are back in court over border dispute, Trump administration weighs a hands-on approach to AI
Putin is increasingly paranoid, according to a Financial Times report out today. Security has been tightened, more time is being spent in underground bunkers, and the vast majority of his attention is being absorbed by Russia’s war with Ukraine. One reason of his concern is said to be Ukraine’s drone capabilities, which have demonstrated an ability to strike Russian airfields thousands of miles from Kyiv.
There are signs AI could ripple through the economy much faster than past innovations. At the 2026 World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings, GZERO’s Tony Maciulis asked Microsoft's Vickie Robinson what it will take to prepare economies for the age of AI and how quickly it needs to happen.
Apparently they really are saying this on Wall Street now. But are they SINGING it? #PUPPETREGIME