Hard Numbers: Josh Wong sentenced again in HK, carnage in Rio de Janeiro, global food crisis, Florida restricts voting

Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong is seen in Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre after jailed for unauthorised assembly near the police headquarters during the 2019 anti-government protests in Hong Kong, China December 3, 2020.

10: Joshua Wong was sentenced along with other Hong Kong democracy activists to 10 months in prison for participating in a vigil last year marking the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing. Wong is currently behind bars for participating in separate pro-democracy protests, and will only start this new sentence after that term concludes in November.

25: At least 25 people were killed Thursday in a shootout in Rio de Janeiro where drug cartels were allegedly trying to recruit children. Police said that it was "the largest number of deaths in a police operation in Rio." Gang violence has surged in Brazil during the pandemic, after it declined in 2018 and 2019.

155 million: The UN World Food Programme released its new annual report this week, and the findings are staggering: 155 million people required food assistance globally in 2020, a five-year high. Some of the worst food-related crises are in Burkina Faso, South Sudan, and Yemen.

40 percent: Florida became this week the latest Republican-run US state to enact fresh laws placing restrictions on voting. A new bill will limit the use of drop boxes, making it harder to vote by mail in a state where 40 percent of people — that's 4.8 million Floridians — cast mail-in ballots in the 2020 presidential election.

More from GZERO Media

Five years ago, Microsoft set bold 2030 sustainability goals: to become carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste—all while protecting ecosystems. That commitment remains—but the world has changed, technology has evolved, and the urgency of the climate crisis has only grown. This summer, Microsoft launched the 2025 Environmental Sustainability Report, offering a comprehensive look at the journey so far, and how Microsoft plans to accelerate progress. You can read the report here.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin speak during a meeting at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, on September 1, 2025.
Sputnik/Alexander Kazakov/Pool via REUTERS

The leaders of China, India, Russia, and over twenty countries from the “Global South” gathered in Beijing yesterday, marking another milestone away from the US-led global order. Several leaders will also attend a major Chinese military parade tomorrow.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press conference at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, in Mihail Kogalniceanu, near Constanta, Romania September 1, 2025.
Inquam Photos/George Calin via REUTERS

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s plane lost GPS navigation while approaching Plovdiv, Bulgaria, on Sunday. Pilots circled for an hour before landing manually with paper maps.