Hard Numbers: Crypto heist, Israel-Morocco ties back on, FARC child soldiers, Lithuania’s border fence

Hard Numbers: Crypto heist, Israel-Morocco ties back on, FARC child soldiers, Lithuania’s border fence
Annie Gugliotta

600 million: In what could be the biggest crypto heist in history, hackers stole more than $600 million worth of cryptocurrency from Poly Network, a platform that connects crypto users. In a somewhat strange turn of events, the hackers seem to have regretted their action and have started to return the money.

18: Yair Lapid became on Wednesday the first Israeli foreign minister to visit Morocco in almost 18 years. Both sides agreed to normalize ties last December under a deal brokered by the Trump administration in exchange for US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty in the Western Sahara.

18,667: Colombia's now-defunct FARC militant group recruited at least 18,667 children during that country's decades of civil conflict. The new tally, found by a special court set up under the 2016 peace deal to investigate human rights abuses, is more than twice as high as figures previously released by the government.

4,000: The parliament of Lithuania, an EU member state, has voted to build a border fence to stop non-EU migrants entering the country from neighboring Belarus. More than 4,000 migrants have crossed over this year compared to just 80 in all of 2020. The Lithuanians say Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko is encouraging the refugees as a reprisal for EU sanctions against Belarus.

More from GZERO Media

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

Given the tumultuous nature of his initial four years in office, the world is now bracing for the impact of Trump’s return.

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.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz leaves the Bellevue Palace, after he sacked Christian Lindner.
REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen

Germany’s governing coalition collapsed on Thursday after Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner, head of the pro-business Free Democrats and a linchpin in his majority, likely spurring a vote of confidence.

Jess Frampton

What to expect when you’re expecting Trump 2.0? Can he live up to the great expectations he set and alleviate the grave concerns? Publisher Evan Solomon spells it out, in true T.R.U.M.P. style.

A water treatment pond at the McKay River Suncor oil sands in-situ operations near Fort McMurray, Alberta, as seen in 2014.

REUTERS/Todd Korol

The Canadian government has launched new draft regulations requiring oil and gas producers in the country to cut greenhouse gas emissions by a third in the next eight years alongside a cap-and-trade system for the industry.