Hard Numbers

Hard Numbers: Israeli troops kill Palestinians at aid point, Trump sues over Epstein birthday card, China spooks foreign business, & more

Palestinians gather at a food distribution point in Gaza City, on July 20, 2025.
Palestinians gather at a food distribution point in Gaza City, on July 20, 2025.
Majdi Fathi via Reuters Connect

67: At least 67 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire while waiting for UN aid in northern Gaza, according to local medics — one of the deadliest in a string of similar incidents at aid distribution sites. Israel says its troops fired warning shots at a perceived threat, not at aid-seekers.

$10 billion: US President Donald Trump is suing the Wall Street Journal, its owner Rupert Murdoch, and others for $10 billion over a report linking him to a birthday note sent to child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump calls the story defamatory and fake, while the Journal says it stands by its reporting and will fight the lawsuit.

3: China says it wants more foreign investment, but its recent actions against three foreigners are stoking broader concerns about the business climate. A Wells Fargo banker and a US official have been barred from leaving the country on legal grounds, while a Japanese executive was jailed for espionage.

140: An attack by hundreds of Ukrainian drones forced temporary closures at Moscow’s major airports on Sunday, leading to the cancellation of more than 140 flights. Meanwhile, a massive wave of Russian drone and missile strikes on various parts of Ukraine killed at least two people. Both sides have been steadily increasing their aerial attacks recently.

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World Central Kitchen staff hand out free soup in a neighbourhood that experiences electricity and heating outages following recent Russian attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure during subzero temperatures in Kyiv, Ukraine February 3, 2026.
REUTERS/Thomas Peter

1,170: The number of high-rise buildings in Kyiv that were left without heating following a barrage of Russian attacks last night on Ukraine’s capital and its energy facilities, per Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hold up signed documents regarding securing the supply of critical minerals and rare earths, at a bilateral meeting at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, Japan, October 28, 2025.

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Representatives from the European Union, United Kingdom, Japan, and others will meet in Washington this week to discuss a strategic alliance on critical minerals.

People take part in a rally in support of Czech President Petr Pavel, organised by Million Moments for Democracy group in reaction to dispute between President Pavel and Czech Foreign Minister and Motorists chair Petr Macinka, in Prague, Czech Republic, February 1, 2026.
REUTERS/Eva Korinkova

80,000: The number of people estimated to be in the streets of Czechia on Sunday to show their support for President Petr Pavel after he blocked the nomination of an environmental minister who performed the Nazi salute and posted Nazi memorabilia.

US President Donald Trump and musician Nicki Minaj hold hands onstage at the US Treasury Department's Trump Accounts Summit, in Washington, D.C., USA, on January 28, 2026.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

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