Hard Numbers: Australia ups its defense game, Biden’s emission limits, deadly blasts in Pakistan, Champagne destroys beer (literally)

Map of China and Australia.
Map of China and Australia.
GZERO Media

19 billion: Following a major defense review, Australia is forking out A$19 billion ($12 billion) to conduct its biggest military overhaul since World War II. With an eye on China’s expansionism in the South China Sea and its increasingly dicey bilateral relations with Beijing, Canberra will procure missiles with longer striking capabilities, with munitions built domestically.

3,400: The Biden administration will soon announce limits on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions coming from existing power plants, compelling the country's 3,400 plants to use carbon-capture technology. Currently, the plants — only 20 of which use the technology — generate a quarter of the country’s planet-warming pollution.

17: At least 17 people were killed in northwest Pakistan on Monday when two explosives went off at a police counterterrorism office in Kabal. It’s unclear who was behind the attack, but there has been an uptick in terrorism in recent months, particularly in border regions.

2,352: Belgian customs authorities crushed 2,352 cans of perfectly good Miller High Life beer after the Comité Champagne – which represents growers and traders of the French bubbly – complained that the American beer behemoth’s use of the “champagne of beers” slogan infringed upon the region’s protected right to the term “champagne.” Belgian customs said the Comité Champagne even covered the bill.

More from GZERO Media

ZOHRAN MAMDANI, Rama Duwaji, MIRA NAIR, MAMOOD MAMDANI during an election night event at The Brooklyn Paramount Theater in the Brooklyn borough of New York, US, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.
(Photo by Neil Constantine/NurPhoto)

Last Tuesday, a self-identified democratic socialist who ran on making New York affordable for the 99% won the city’s mayoral race in a landslide, defeating former Governor Andrew Cuomo. And the reactions have been predictably hysterical.

A fruit and vegetable stall is lit by small lamps during a blackout in a residential neighborhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, on November 6, 2025, after massive Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in October.
(Photo by Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto)

As a fourth winter of war approaches, Russia is destroying Ukraine’s energy grid faster than it can be rebuilt.

Walmart’s $350 billion commitment to American manufacturing means two-thirds of the products we buy come straight from our backyard to yours. From New Jersey hot sauce to grills made in Tennessee, Walmart is stocking the shelves with products rooted in local communities. The impact? Over 750,000 American jobs - putting more people to work and keeping communities strong. Learn more here.

Last week, Microsoft committed $15.2 billion to the UAE. This strategic investment expands cloud and AI infrastructure in the Middle East. It aims to boost regional innovation, economic diversification, and digital resilience. The move underscores tech’s role in shaping global competitiveness and security. A milestone for the UAE — and a signal of where the digital future is headed. Read the full blog here.