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

Last month, as part of its European Digital Commitments, Microsoft introduced new initiatives to support the development of multilingual AI models and to help safeguard Europe’s cultural heritage. To help close the AI language gap, the company is working with partners across Europe to expand access to multilingual data and to advance open-source models that reflect the region’s linguistic diversity. Microsoft is also launching a new call for proposals to increase digital content for ten underrepresented European languages and is expanding its Culture AI initiative. Building on successful projects in Greece and Italy, the company is partnering with the Ministère de la Culture and Iconem to digitally recreate Notre-Dame. This work aims to ensure that Europe’s iconic landmarks are preserved for future generations through immersive, AI-powered experiences. Read more here.

US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba participate in a news conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., USA, on February 7, 2025.
CNP/INSTARimages

Eighty years ago this week, the US dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing more than 200,000 people, mostly civilians. It was the first and, so far, only use of nuclear weapons in war.

- YouTube

China has a stranglehold on critical minerals and is dominant in renewable energy technology. Amid US tariff chaos, Beijing is pitching itself as a stable trade partner and trying to drive a wedge between the Western alliance, Fareed Zakaria says on GZERO World.

A 3D-printed miniature model of US President Donald Trump in front of the Swiss flag in an illustration taken on July 23, 2025.
REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump announced 39% tariffs on Switzerland – the fourth-highest rate of all the duties that the American leader has imposed since April. Bern’s relationship with Beijing might have something to do with this.