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Hard Numbers

Hard Numbers: US friendly fire downs F/A-18, Russia guns down prisoners, US court rules on Pegasus spyware case, China goes after Canadian activists

​An F/A-18 Hornet approaches the flight deck of aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt as USS McFaul trails behind, October 30, 2001. Theodore Roosevelt and its carrier airwing are conducting missions in support of operation Enduring Freedom.

An F/A-18 Hornet approaches the flight deck of aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt as USS McFaul trails behind, October 30, 2001. Theodore Roosevelt and its carrier airwing are conducting missions in support of operation Enduring Freedom.

(CREDIT REUTERS/U.S. Navy-Johnny Bivera)
Matthew Kendrick
By Matthew KendrickDecember 22, 2024
Matthew Kendrick
Matthew Kendrick is an Emmy-nominated journalist covering global affairs for GZERO Media. He speaks fluent Spanish with a mild Chilean accent thanks to growing up in the Atacama, advanced Mandarin thanks to his time in Harbin, and basic Korean thanks to his Fulbright award. Prior to GZERO, Matt was a producer for CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS. When he's not reporting and writing, you can catch him doing yoga, struggling to teach himself Turkish, or (most likely) napping with his two cats.
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2: Two US Navy pilots were forced to eject from their F/A-18 fighter over the Red Sea on Sunday during a “friendly fire” incident when a US warship targeted their plane with a missile. Both pilots survived the ejection but one sustained minor injuries, and it is not immediately clear why the ship, which was on station to shoot down Houthi missiles launched from Yemen, fired upon the aircraft.

127: Russian forces have summarily executed at least 127 Ukrainian troops this year according to prosecutors investigating these war crimes. The figures is an immense spike — officials counted just 20 summary executions of prisoners of war in 2022 and 2023 combined — suggesting an alarming shift in Russian doctrine.

1,400: A US court on Friday ruled that Israeli cyber-intelligence firm NSO Group was liable for hacking the devices of 1,400 WhatsApp users using the secretive software known as Pegasus, in violation of US cybersecurity laws. Pegasus has been implicated in hacks on dissidents by authoritarian governments around the world, and has been on a US blacklist since 2021.

20: Beijing announced Sunday it was taking punitive action against twenty people and two Canadian institutions advocating on behalf of the human rights of Tibetan and Uyghur minorities in China. The measures include asset freezes, bans on entry to China, and seizure of any real estate in the PRC. They come just weeks after Canada also announced sanctions on Chinese officials accused of human rights abuses.
us navyfa-18red seahouthispegasusuyghurschinasanctionsspywarerussiaukraineexecutionswar crimeshard numbers

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Hard Numbers: Ukrainian Olympian disqualified for political helmet, Falling cocoa prices hit Ghana, US troops to deploy to Nigeria, and Lufthansa goes on strike

PA via Reuters Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych, with his helmet, which features pictures of people killed in the war with Russia. Heraskevych was ruled out of the Men's Skeleton event by the International Olympic Committee just over an hour before competition began, pictured at the Cortina Sliding Centre, on day six of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Italy. Picture date: Thursday February 12, 2026.

PA via Reuters Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych, with his helmet, which features pictures of people killed in the war with Russia. Heraskevych was ruled out of the Men's Skeleton event by the International Olympic Committee just over an hour before competition began, pictured at the Cortina Sliding Centre, on day six of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Italy. Picture date: Thursday February 12, 2026.

PA Images
20: The number of fallen Ukrainian athletes and coaches depicted on a Ukrainian skeleton racer’s helmet at the Winter Olympics, which prompted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to disqualify him on Thursday. The IOC said the helmet violated Olympic rules, which prohibit political messaging during games. Critics of the disqualification said [...]

Hard Numbers: Mass shooting in Canada, Vance deletes posts about Armenian memorial visit, Argentinian inflation jumps again, Switzerland considers population cap

​US Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance at the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial, in Yerevan, Armenia, February 10, 2026.

US Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance hold flowers as they walk towards the eternal flame at the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial, in Yerevan, Armenia, February 10, 2026.

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/Pool
1.5 million: The number of Armenians killed by Ottoman Turkss during World War I, per one estimate, in what historians consider to be a genocide. Why mention this now? US Vice President JD Vance visited a memorial to the mass killing in Yerevan on Tuesday. His office then posted about it on social media, before deleting it. The reversal may have [...]

Hard Numbers: Indonesia to deploy troops in Gaza, Signs of a crypto crash, Arrests at pro-Palestinian protest in Australia, Italian-style carbo-loading at the Olympics

Protesters carry posters during a demonstration in support of Palestine at the Asia-Africa Monument in Bandung, West Java. They demand the Indonesian government's immediate withdrawal from the Board of Peace and express solidarity with the people of Gaza and Palestine involved in the conflict with Israel.

Protesters carry posters during a demonstration in support of Palestine at the Asia-Africa Monument in Bandung, West Java. They demand the Indonesian government's immediate withdrawal from the Board of Peace and express solidarity with the people of Gaza and Palestine involved in the conflict with Israel.

Credit Image: © Dimas Rachmatsyah/ZUMA Press Wire
8,000: The maximum number of troops that Indonesia is set to deploy to Gaza, making it the first country to lend soldiers to the international peacekeeping efforts in the enclave. The move is a risky one for Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, as citizens of the world’s largest Muslim-majority country oppose overt engagement with Israel. [...]

Hard Numbers: Bad Bunny steals the show, Hong Kong democracy activist sentenced to 20 years in jail, Japanese markets split on Takaichi’s success, Socialist wins in Portugal

​Bad Bunny performs during the Super Bowl halftime show at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California, on Feb. 8, 2026.

Bad Bunny performs during the Apple Music halftime show at Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California, on Feb. 8, 2026.

135 million: The number of viewers of Bad Bunny’s performance at the Super Bowl halftime show in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday. Early estimates suggest it was the most-watched halftime show of all time. The Puerto Rican superstar infused politics into the performance, delivering a roll call of every country in the Americas and emblazoning [...]