Hard Numbers: Not a Good Start, Boris!

7,000: The Philippines is the latest country to be hit by the African swine flu, a fatal pig virus that has spread across Asia over the past year, driving up pork prices. Authorities culled more than 7,000 pigs within a short radius to prevent an epidemic in the world's eighth biggest pork producer.

13: The new European Commission, a cohort of 27 commissioners charged with enforcing EU rules and treaties, will include 13 women and 14 men when it takes office on November 1, making it the most gender diverse leadership team in EU history.

38: According to a new Pew survey, 38 percent of Americans think colleges are having a negative impact on the direction the country is headed. These views increased by 12 percentage points since 2012, and are linked to partisanship: the jump was driven almost entirely by hardening attitudes among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.

6: On Tuesday, British MPs voted to block Boris Johnson from holding snap elections, marking his sixth parliamentary loss in six days. This capped a bad few days for Britain's prime minister after a new law came into effect on Monday, blocking him from pursuing a "no deal" Brexit.

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Demonstrators carry the dead body of a man killed during a protest a day after a general election marred by violent demonstrations over the exclusion of two leading opposition candidates at the Namanga One-Post Border crossing point between Kenya and Tanzania, as seen from Namanga, Kenya October 30, 2025.
REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

Tanzania has been rocked by violence for three days now, following a national election earlier this week. Protestors are angry over the banning of candidates and detention of opposition leaders by President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Illegal immigrants from Ethiopia walk on a road near the town of Taojourah February 23, 2015. The area, described by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as one of the most inhospitable areas in the world, is on a transit route for thousands of immigrants every year from Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia travelling via Yemen to Saudi Arabia in hope of work. Picture taken February 23.
REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

7,500: The Trump administration will cap the number of refugees that the US will admit over the next year to 7,500. The previous limit, set by former President Joe Biden, was 125,000. The new cap is a record low. White South Africans will have priority access.

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In an era characterized by rapid technological advancement, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence present both challenges and opportunities. At the 2025 Paris Peace Forum, GZERO’s Tony Maciulis engages in an insightful conversation with Dame Jacinda Ardern, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, and Lisa Monaco, President of Global Affairs at Microsoft, discussing strategies for a secure digital future.

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As AI adoption accelerates globally, questions of equity and access are coming to the forefront. Speaking with GZERO’s Tony Maciulis on the sidelines of the 2025 Paris Peace Forum, Chris Sharrock, Vice President of UN Affairs and International Organizations at Microsoft, discusses the role of technology in addressing global challenges.