Hard Numbers

50,000: Ongoing Yellow Vest protests in France saw some 50,000 people take to the streets across the country last Saturday, up from 29,000 the week before.

The Yellow Vest movement shows little sign of wavering, despite President Macron's decision to backtrack on the controversial tax proposal that initially sparked the wave of discontent.

50: In more than 50 villages across India, people have petitioned the government to change town names they view as bizarre, embarrassing, or even racist. In some cases, these changes have involvedreplacing names perceived to carry the Islamic cultural vestiges of the Mughal empire that ruled India for centuries with Hindu-inspired words.

32: Civilian gun ownership increased by 32 percent globally in the decade through 2017, rising to a total of 857.3 million guns, according to the Small Arms Survey research project. Firearm possession has increased steadily in Europe, in part in response to heightened perceptions of insecurity, though European gun-wielding still lags behind the global average.

8: Nearly eight people die every day commuting on the suburban railway system in Mumbai, India due to overcrowding that often sees trains filled at three times their recommended capacity. A new $3.3 billion underground replacement is expected to carry an estimated 1.6 million riders a day when it opens in 2021.

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Digital Saksham — saksham translates to “able” in Hindi — is a collaboration between the Confederation of Indian Industry and Mastercard Strive, a global philanthropic initiative to support small businesses. It’s part of a broader effort by the Indian government to unlock the full potential of micro and small enterprises — and part of Mastercard’s efforts to bring 50 million small businesses into the digital economy by 2025, a goal it recently met. Accessing digital tools can help small businesses scale up, reach new customers, and hire more employees. Read more about these efforts to equip small business owners — especially women — with the tools they need to build their businesses and become financially resilient.

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Listen: On the GZERO World podcast, Ian Bremmer examines the impact of Donald Trump’s return to office, exploring how his populist victory and the GOP’s control could reshape US governance amid historian Nicole Hemmer’s warning of “accelerating democratic erosion” and journalist Molly Ball's concerns over eroding checks on executive power.

Donald Trump gestures after taking the oath of office during his first inauguration in Washington, DC, in January 2017.

Olivier Douliery/ABACAPRESS.COM via Reuters

The US Justice Department on Friday charged three men with plotting to assassinate Donald Trump on the orders of the Iranian government.

Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters are guarded by police after violence targeting Israeli football fans broke out in Amsterdam overnight, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, November 8, 2024.
REUTERS/Ami Shooman/Israel Hayom

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) and former President Donald Trump, meeting in New York City on Sept. 27, 2024.
Reuters

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A protester looks on near a burning barricade during a "national shutdown" against the election outcome, in Maputo, Mozambique, on Nov. 7, 2024.
REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

In Mozambique, the opposition has accused the ruling FRELIMO party of stealing the country’s Oct. 9 election, and protests have since led to violence.