Hard Numbers: Venice bus tragedy, Armenia joins ICC, NYC mayor challenges “right to shelter” law, Biden's border U-turn

The site of the tragedy where a bus fell from the Mestre overpass outside of Venice, Italy.
The site of the tragedy where a bus fell from the Mestre overpass outside of Venice, Italy.
Reuters

21: Italian authorities are using DNA samples to identify some of the still-unknown victims of a devastating bus accident outside Venice that left 21 people dead. It remains unclear what caused the electric vehicle to crash.

60: Armenia’s parliament has voted – 60 to 22 – to join the International Criminal Court. Russia said it was disappointed with Yerevan, an ally, considering that the ICC has issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin. But Armenian officials sought to reassure the Kremlin, saying the move was motivated by its ongoing conflict with Azerbaijan.

122,700: Mayor Eric Adams has asked a judge to suspend a long-term edict mandating that New York City provide shelter to those who seek it. Adams says the Big Apple can’t cope with the 122,700 migrants who have arrived since spring 2022, and he is traveling to Latin America this week to try to deter would-be asylum-seekers from making the journey to New York. For more on the politics of New York’s migrant crisis, see our explainer here.

20: In a remarkable about-face, the Biden administration is set to build 20 miles of wall at the US southern border. The White House, and most Democrats, had long opposed and even ridiculed former President Donald Trump’s calls to “build the wall.” But faced with soaring numbers of undocumented migrants, the administration said Tuesday there is now an “acute and immediate need” for a wall.

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People gather at a petrol station in Bamako, Mali, on November 1, 2025, amid ongoing fuel shortages caused by a blockade imposed by al Qaeda-linked insurgents.
REUTERS/Stringer

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Last week, Microsoft released the AI Diffusion Report 2025, offering a comprehensive look at how artificial intelligence is spreading across economies, industries, and workforces worldwide. The findings show that AI adoption has reached an inflection point: 68% of enterprises now use AI in at least one function, driving measurable productivity and economic growth. The report also highlights that diffusion is uneven, underscoring the need for greater investment in digital skills, responsible AI governance, and public-private collaboration to ensure the benefits are broadly shared. Read the full report here.

- YouTube

At the 2025 Abu Dhabi Global AI Summit, UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan warns that without deliberate action, the world’s poorest countries risk exclusion from the AI revolution. “There is no way that trickle down will make the trick,” she tells GZERO Media’s Tony Maciulis. “We have to think about inclusion by design."

- YouTube

In this Global Stage panel recorded live in Abu Dhabi, Becky Anderson (CNN) leads a candid discussion on how to close that gap with Brad Smith (Vice Chair & President, Microsoft), Peng Xiao (CEO, G42), Ian Bremmer (President & Founder, Eurasia Group and GZERO Media), and Baroness Joanna Shields (Executive Chair, Responsible AI Future Foundation).