Hard Numbers: Ukraine's canine hero, IS strikes in Sinai, another kidnapping by Haitian gangs, Havana explosion

Ukraine's canine hero, IS strikes in Sinai, another kidnapping by Haitian gangs, Havana explosion
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy awards service dog and bomb sniffer "Patron."
Reuters

200: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has handed out a number of medals to service members fighting against the Russian onslaught. The latest recipient of a war-time accolade? A brave soul named Patron, a petite Jack Russell Terrier and bomb sniffer who has identified more than 200 explosive devices.

11: A weekend attack by IS operatives in the Sinai Peninsula left 11 Egyptian soldiers dead, injuring several more. Sinai, a hotbed of terrorism after the Muslim Brotherhood was ousted in 2013, had become less volatile since Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi launched a military operation there in 2018 to root out terror groups.

17: Haitian gang members have kidnapped at least 17 people traveling on a bus outside the capital. The group includes Haitians, Turks, and Dominican nationals. Kidnappings for ransom have become common in Haiti since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse last summer. Since then, rival gangs have been fighting over large swaths of the country.

30: At least 30 people were killed in a hotel explosion in Havana, the Cuban capital, after the top-tier Hotel Saratoga – which has hosted guests including Beyonce and Madonna – was rocked by a suspected gas leak. The hotel was about to reopen after a pandemic-related two-year closure and signals yet another blow for Cuba’s economy, which has become increasingly reliant on tourism.

More from GZERO Media

US President Donald Trump pardons a turkey at the annual White House Thanksgiving Turkey Pardon in the Rose Garden in Washington, D.C., USA, on Nov. 25, 2025.
Andrew Leyden/NurPhoto

Although not all of our global readers celebrate Thanksgiving, it’s still good to remind ourselves that while the world offers plenty of fodder for doomscrolling and despair, there are still lots of things to be grateful for too.

Marine Le Pen, French member of parliament and parliamentary leader of the far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party and Jordan Bardella, president of the French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party and member of the European Parliament, gesture during an RN political rally in Bordeaux, France, September 14, 2025.
REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Army Chief Asim Munir holds a microphone during his visit at the Tilla Field Firing Ranges (TFFR) to witness the Exercise Hammer Strike, a high-intensity field training exercise conducted by the Pakistan Army's Mangla Strike Corps, in Mangla, Pakistan, on May 1, 2025.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)/Handout via REUTERS

Field Marshal Asim Munir, the country’s de facto leader, consolidated his power after the National Assembly rammed through a controversial constitutional amendment this month that grants him lifelong immunity from any legal prosecution.