Hard Numbers: Japan’s birth rate sinks to record low, Executions set to double in Iran, Sudan’s soccer team provide rare moment of joy, & More

126: Japan’s birth rate is set to hit its lowest level since record-keeping began 126 years ago, according to preliminary data. Demographic experts believe there will be fewer than 670,000 newborns in 2025, falling short of even the government’s most pessimistic targets.

13: A train derailed in the Mexican state of Oaxaca yesterday, tragically killing at least 13 of the 250 people aboard. Another five remain in critical condition. The Interoceanic Train links Mexico’s Pacific and Gulf coasts, and its main line came into service in 2023 as a way to promote economic development in southern Mexico. As of Sunday, officials had yet to determine the cause of the accident.

1,500: At least 1,500 people were executed this year in Iran by the start of December, according to the Norwegian-based Iran Human Rights group, with many more killed since. The organization expects the final number for the year to be double last year’s total of 975, emphasizing how the Islamic Republic has clamped down on dissent since the 12-day war with Israel in June.

1: Sudan’s brutal civil war has reportedly killed hundreds of thousands and displaced eleven million people. However, the nation’s soccer team provided a rare bright spot yesterday, defeating Equatorial Guinea 1-0 in the Africa Cup of Nations – Sudan’s first win in the tournament since 2012.

14,000: The Philippines produces 14,000 tons of ube, a purple yam, each year. That might not be enough to satisfy burgeoning global demand, as Western food makers rely on the yam to make trendy treats like purple-glazed doughnuts, purple-colored lattes, and violet-tinged hot cross buns. As one Philippine official put it: “It’s the new matcha.”