Hard Numbers:  Rwanda's mass grave, Iran's grim COVID milestone, Mexico's obesity crackdown, Australia's free vaccines

100: Remains of over 100 victims of the Rwandan genocide were discovered this week in the backyard of a home in the Nyarugenge district. Six people have so far been arrested for their role in hiding the remains of the victims — ethnic Tutsis— including at least one person who has remained active in local politics despite their role in the 1994 genocide that left at least 800,000 Rwandans dead.

20,000: Iran passed a grim milestone on Wednesday, surpassing 20,000 deaths from COVID-19. Despite the uptick in cases and deaths since June, more than 1 million Iranian students recently took their university entrance exams in person, while the government also plans to go ahead with an annual mass Shiite commemoration later this month.

73: Obesity has emerged as one of the most dangerous underlying conditions for people who contract COVID-19. As a result, states across Mexico, one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic, are now working on legislation to limit the sale of fatty junk foods to kids. A whopping 73 percent of Mexicans are considered overweight.

0: After securing access to a promising COVID-19 vaccine currently being developed by the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Oxford University, the Australian government said it will require residents to pay… zero dollars to get vaccinated. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that not only will the jab be free for the country's 25 million people, it's also likely that the government will make vaccination "as mandatory as you can possibly make."

More from GZERO Media

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.

- YouTube

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.

- YouTube

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.