Hard Numbers: Piling on Beijing, 7th time’s the charm for Boris, massacre in Myanmar, US unemployment claims drop

December 09, 2021

Staff members sit near a board with signs of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, at the National Aquatics Center, known colloquially as the "Ice Cube", in Beijing, China April 1, 2021

5: Five countries — Australia, Canada, the UK, New Zealand and Lithuania — have so far joined the US in refusing to send government officials to the Beijing Winter Olympics in February over China’s human rights abuses. China’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday said these states would “pay the price” for the diplomatic boycott.

52: US unemployment claims plunged last week to a 52-year low. Several factors likely influenced the drop, including the ongoing pandemic recovery as well as job market changes related to the holiday season.

11: Myanmar's military reportedly rounded up 11 civilians — including five children — on Tuesday, tied them up, and then burned them alive. The massacre in the country’s northwest reportedly came after a military vehicle hit a roadside bomb.

7: UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson became a dad for the seventh time Thursday, when his wife Carrie gave birth to a baby girl. It’s a welcome reprieve for Johnson, who has been having a very rough time politically, including over a recent scandal in which his staff allegedly breached lockdown restrictions to party.

Could a hard-right party swing Japan’s election?

Japanese Prime Minister and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party leader Shigeru Ishiba is surrounded by security policemen as he meets with his supporters after he delivered a campaign speech for his party's candidate Masaaki Waki for the Upper House election in Yokohama, suburban Tokyo, Japan, on July 18, 2025.

Yoshio Tsunoda/AFLO

Less than a year after losing its majority in the lower chamber, the Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition government faces another test during the Upper House elections this Sunday.

Hard Numbers: Piling on Beijing, 7th time’s the charm for Boris, massacre in Myanmar, US unemployment claims drop

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Ian Bremmer sits down with Virginia Senator and Senate Intelligence Chair Mark Warner to break down a successful summer for President Trump—and the urgent Democratic pushback building inside Washington.

Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) says President Trump’s allies are remaking the US intelligence community for political loyalty—and it’s putting national security at risk.

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Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

Less than a year after losing its majority in the lower chamber, the Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition government faces another test during the Upper House elections this Sunday.

Deadly sectarian violence in Syria escalates, leaving over 350 dead. Tensions between Sunni Arabs, Druze, Alawites, Kurds, and Christians threaten post-war stability.

In a move meant in part to boost sagging voter turnout, the UK government has lowered the voting age from 18 to 16 for the next round of national elections.