Hard Numbers: Amazon deforestation, South Sudan famine, COVID vaccine protection, Lebanese inflation

Hard Numbers: Amazon deforestation, South Sudan famine, COVID vaccine protection, Lebanese inflation
An aerial view shows a tree at the center of a deforested plot of the Amazon near Porto Velho, Rondonia State, Brazil.
REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

16: Brazil's new plan to save the Amazon promises to curb deforestation, but not too much. Although it would reduce annual forest loss to the average recorded over the past five years, next year's target is still 16 percent higher than the Amazon's total deforestation in 2018, the year before President Jair Bolsonaro — who favors economic development of the rainforest — took office.

7.24 million: Up to 7.24 million people in South Sudan will likely suffer acute food insecurity in the coming months, according to the World Food Programme. The country is one of the UN's top 10 projected global hunger hotspots for this year.

0.008: Fully vaccinated people in the US have a 0.008 percent chance of getting COVID, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health officials have always warned that vaccination is not 100 percent effective against infection, but that the benefits of inoculation far outweigh the risks.

5: Basic food items in Lebanon are now five times more expensive than two years ago. Lebanon's economic collapse, which began in late 2019, has seen the value of the local currency plunge, raising the prices of everyday items in a nation that imports around 80 percent of the goods it consumes.

More from GZERO Media

- YouTube

President Trump has made it clear: He wants a ceasefire in Ukraine. The White House has been engaging with Russia diplomatically, while making it clear to Kyiv that ongoing US military support isn’t a guarantee. The problem? Moscow has so far shown no interest in meaningful compromise. On GZERO World, Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba joins Ian Brmmer to discuss President Trump’s negotiation strategy, Russia’s goals, and Ukraine’s uncertain future.

Supporters of Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa gather outside National Electoral Council (CNE) building, in Quito, Ecuador, on April 13, 2025.

REUTERS/Daniel Becerril

After a tight first round, Daniel Noboa's tough-on-crime approach carried the day in Sunday's runoff against progressive candidate Luisa González.

US President Donald J. Trump signs executive orders in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 25, 2025.

Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday that aims to secure elections by requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. The order aims to guard against illegal immigrants voting in elections and would require all ballots to be received by Election Day.