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Hard Numbers: Ukraine’s opens the exit door, More Colombian soldiers kidnapped, South Korea bans cells in schools, Taylor Swift’s big day

August 27, 2025

Riley Callanan

and

Zac Weisz

A Ukrainian soldier is seen at a checkpoint at the road near a Crimea region border March 9, 2014. Russian forces tightened their grip on Crimea on Sunday despite a U.S. warning to Moscow that annexing the southern Ukrainian region would close the door to diplomacy in a tense East-West standoff.

REUTERS/Viktor Gurniak

60: Ukraine will allow men aged 18–22 to leave the country, easing a wartime ban that kept males under 60 from crossing the border. The ban has been a point of tension in the country, with boys being sent abroad before 18, families remaining separated for long periods of time, and men outside the country refusing to reenter. Despite ongoing manpower shortages, Zelensky remains resistant to lowering the draft age below 25.

34: A rebel FARC group has kidnapped 34 soldiers in southeast Colombia in what is the latest instance of dissidents fighting government forces in the Latin American country. The move came after the military forces recently killed 11 guerillas in a spike in hostilities. The militant FARC group accepted a peace deal with the government in 2016, but some of its members rejected the deal, splintered off, and have continued to cause chaos ever since (read more here).

115: South Korean students won’t be able to use their phones in school starting March 2026, after 115 members of the National Assembly passed a bill that bans the use of cells in the classroom. Only 31 members voted against. South Korea becomes the latest country to enact such a law, following similar moves from Italy, the Netherlands, and China.

80,000:Taylor Swift’s engagement to NFL star Travis Kelce has ignited a frenzy on prediction markets, with more than $80,000 new bets on the “Kalshi” platform within hours of the announcement. Wagers range from the wedding date to future children – the latest sign of America’s gambling craze spilling into celebrity culture.

GZEROMEDIA

Microsoft’s Environmental Sustainability Report 2025

Microsoft

Five years ago, Microsoft set bold 2030 sustainability goals: to become carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste—all while protecting ecosystems. That commitment remains—but the world has changed, technology has evolved, and the urgency of the climate crisis has only grown. This summer, Microsoft launched the 2025 Environmental Sustainability Report, offering a comprehensive look at the journey so far, and how Microsoft plans to accelerate progress. You can read the report here.

Hard Numbers: Floods provide test India-Pakistan relations, Signs of Orthodox discontent over Israel, France returns Malagsy king’s remains, & More

Punjab, Pakistan - Photos show flood-hit areas in Punjab, Pakistan, on August 26, 2025. Pakistan has evacuated tens of thousands of people to safer areas after neighboring India released water from overflowing dams and swollen rivers into low-lying border regions, officials said Tuesday.

Latin America News Agency

150,000: Pakistan has evacuated at least 150,000 people from areas around three rivers of the Punjab province. Flooding risks are driving the evacuations, as monsoon rains continue to batter large portions of South Asia.

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Hard Numbers: Ukraine’s opens the exit door, More Colombian soldiers kidnapped, South Korea bans cells in schools, Taylor Swift’s big day

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The Trump administration is divided over its approach to Venezuela, according to Venezuelan journalist Tony Frangie Mawad.

Israel is under increasing pressure–at home and abroad–to reach a ceasefire with Hamas. That's nothing new. But what is new, says Eurasia Group's Firas Maksad, are political opportunities for Bibi–at home and abroad–to make a deal and come out on top.

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150,000: Pakistan has evacuated at least 150,000 people from areas around three rivers of the Punjab province. Flooding risks are driving the evacuations, as monsoon rains continue to batter large portions of South Asia.

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