Hard Numbers: World Cup emissions, Russian mercs on TikTok, peak US inflation, Spanish letter bombs

A Brazil fan with a replica World Cup trophy before the first-round match against Switzerland.
A Brazil fan with a replica World Cup trophy before the first-round match against Switzerland.
REUTERS/Carl Recine

6,000-8,000: That's how many additional metric tons of carbon dioxide the World Cup has generated so far thanks to over a hundred daily shuttle flights between Qatar and neighboring Gulf nations because the host country doesn't have enough hotel rooms for fans. So much for Qatar's claim that this would be the most carbon-neutral World Cup ever.

1 billion: TikTok videos that glorify acts of violence committed by mercenaries from Russia's notorious Wagner Group have been viewed more than 1 billion times, according to a new report. The private military company — which has sent many of its men to fight in Ukraine — is run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close Vladimir Putin ally.

0.2: Have we reached peak US inflation? The core personal consumption expenditures index rose by a lower-than-expected 0.2% month-on-month in October. Economists prefer this closely watched metric to the consumer price index because it excludes volatile food and energy costs. Watch out for the Fed's next interest rate hike on Dec. 14.

5: Spanish authorities are puzzled by five letter bombs sent this week to the defense ministry, an EU office, the US and Ukrainian embassies, and an arms factory that makes grenades for Ukraine. Russia, of course, has denied any wrongdoing in a country with bitter memories of explosive packages from ETA, the now-defunct Basque armed militant group.

More from GZERO Media

- YouTube

Since the onset of its war in Gaza, Israel has operated without meaningful consequences. In this week’s Quick Take, Ian Bremmer explains how that may be changing. Pressure from the UAE, Trump, and European governments could force Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to rethink unilateral strategies.

Shinjiro Koizumi, Sanae Takaichi, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Ichiro Aizawa, Toshimitsu Motegi and Takayuki Kobayashi at a campaign event of the Liberal Democratic Party candidates in Tokyo, Japan, on Sept. 24, 2025.
IMAGO/Future Image via Reuters Connect

The Liberal Democratic Party leadership election on Oct. 4 will likely be a race between the telegenic moderate Shinjiro Koizumi and the arch-conservative Sanae Takichi. The latter is vying to be the first female leader of Japan.

Ukraine’s battlefield has transformed into a high-tech war of attrition, with tens of thousands of drones swarming the skies at any given moment. Christopher Miller, chief Ukraine correspondent at the FT, joins Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World Podcast to discuss how life has changed on the front line and in Ukraine’s cities

- YouTube

As the United Nations turns 80, the urgency to rethink global cooperation has never been greater. In a live broadcast from the UN headquarters and moderated by GZERO Media’s Global Chief Content Officer, Tony Maciulis, an expert panel gathered to discuss if AI and data can reshape a strained multilateral system to meet today’s crises.