Hard Numbers: Global chips glut, DRC border jam, Amazon deforestation

35: Remember last year's big semiconductor shortage? It's over. High inflation, China's zero-COVID policy, and Russia's war in Ukraine have slashed global demand for chips, with the benchmark Philadelphia Semiconductor Index dropping 35% in 2022.

60: The Democratic Republic of Congo will expand its main border post with Zambia to ease congestion. Trucks loaded with precious minerals like copper are often stuck in lines up to 60 km (37.3 miles) long.

1,500: A record 1,500 square miles of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest were destroyed in the first half of this year, more than in all of 2021. What’s worse, the deforestation occurred during the rainy season, when it's harder to cut trees. Heading into the drier months, law enforcement is expected to be laxer ahead of October’s presidential election in which climate-skeptic President Jair Bolsonaro faces tree-hugger former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.