Hard Numbers: India’s BJP irks Muslims, Bolsonaro’s bling, Tunisian judges on strike, TikToking boomers in Japan

Hard Numbers: India’s BJP irks Muslims, Bolsonaro’s bling, Tunisian judges on strike, TikToking boomers in Japan
Indian Muslims demand the arrest of BJP member Nupur Sharma for her comments on Prophet Mohammed in Mumbai.
REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

2: India's ruling BJP party has suspended two officials for making controversial comments about the Prophet Mohammed that have sparked outrage across the Islamic world. PM Narendra Modi is in a tough spot: only a formal apology will placate Gulf countries that India does a lot of business with, but it might make Modi look weak in the eyes of his Hindu nationalist base.

76: Want a medal in Brazil? Join the cabinet. Since taking office in early 2019, President Jair Bolsonaro has distributed 76 of the country's three most prestigious medals to his ministers, more than any of his elected predecessors did during two terms. One of the latest recipients outside government is billionaire Elon Musk, the first-ever foreign civilian to be distinguished with Brazil's Order of Defense Merit.

57: Tunisian judges will go on strike this week, days after President Kais Saied fired 57 of their colleagues in a brazen move to "purify" the judiciary. Saied assumed emergency powers almost a year ago to fix the country's dysfunctional democracy, but critics say he’s become a dictator.

16 million: A group of middle-aged Japanese men are crushing it on TikTok — 16 million views and counting — with their awkward dance numbers to encourage people to visit their town, which like many parts of rural Japan suffers from population decline. They call themselves ojiqun (Gen-Z slang for old heartthrobs) and famously dress up in shirts, ties, and ... brightly colored belly warmers.


This comes to you from the Signal newsletter team of GZERO Media. Subscribe for your free daily Signal today.

    More from GZERO Media

    Ambassador Robert Wood of the US raises his hand to vote against the ceasefire resolution at the United Nations Security Council, on November 20, 2024.
    Lev Radin/Sipa USA, via Reuters
    - YouTube

    Ukraine has launched US-made long-range missiles into Russia for the first time. Will this change the course of the war? How likely will Trump be able to carry out mass deportations when he's in office? Will there be political fallout from Hong Kong's decision to jail pro-democracy activists? Ian Bremmer shares his insights on global politics this week on World In :60.

    A man rushes past members of security forces during clashes between gangs and security forces, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti November 11, 2024.
    REUTERS/Marckinson Pierre

    The UN Humanitarian Air Service is scheduled to restart flights to Haiti on Wednesday, a week after several planes attempting to land at Port-au-Prince airport came under small arms fire.

    People hold signs reading "Trump, we will not pay for the wall" and "Trump, stop the mass deportations" near the border fence between Mexico and the U.S., in Tijuana, Mexico March 13, 2018.
    REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

    Donald Trump responded “TRUE!!!” to a post on Monday predicting that he would declare illegal immigration a national emergency in order to deploy the military to deport migrants.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on the situation in Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk regions following an incursion of Ukrainian troops, in August 2024.
    Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via REUTERS

    The long-prepared move came just hours after Ukraine launched US-made ATACMS long-range missiles into Russia for the first time. Are we headed towards a major escalation?