Hard Numbers: India’s exit polls, China’s moonshot, America’s launch woes, African gold

FILE PHOTO: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves towards his supporters during a roadshow as part of an election campaign, in Kolkata, India, May 28, 2024.
FILE PHOTO: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves towards his supporters during a roadshow as part of an election campaign, in Kolkata, India, May 28, 2024.
REUTERS/Sahiba Chawdhary/File Photo

3: The world’s biggest democratic event has ended with polls closing on India’s multi-week election, and all indications are that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will cruise to a third term. No surprise there, but Modi’s attempts to build inroads in opposition strongholds appear to have fallen somewhat short. Official election results are due Tuesday.

4.4: China’s Chang-e 6 probe intends to collect a 4.4-pound sample from the surface of the far side of the moon after its second successful landing attempt. China is the only country to have landed probes on the dark side of the moon, which is challenging because radio communications from Earth are blocked by the moon’s mass and need to be relayed by a special satellite.

2: Meanwhile, NASA delayed the launch of Boeing’s new Starliner rocket on Sunday for the second time after a crucial computer program failed to load just minutes before launch, pushing back the arrival of two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. Boeing’s public relations have been in turmoil following multiple safety failures on its airliners, but a successful launch could make it just the second private company to ferry people to the ISS.

30 billion: A Swiss NGO estimates that over $30 billion worth of gold is smuggled out of Africa each year, with the lion’s share going to private refiners in the United Arab Emirates who then push the metal onto legitimate markets. The silver lining? With so much of the industry concentrated in the UAE, the NGO says targeted enforcement efforts could prove effective.

More from GZERO Media

Director Sean Baker, producers Alex Coco, and Samantha Quan, and cast and crew members win the Oscar for best picture for "Anora" during the Oscars show at the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on March 2, 2025.

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

It was a big night for independent filmmaking and a film with Russian themes at the Oscars on Sunday as “Anora” took home five Academy Awards, including best screenplay, best editing, best director, best actress, and best picture.

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Finland's President Alexander Stubb and other officials attend the European leaders' summit to discuss European security and Ukraine, at Lancaster House in London, Britain, on March 2, 2025.
NTB/Javad Parsa/via REUTERS

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European leaders from France, Italy, Germany, and other nations, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, spent the weekend in London crafting a European-led plan to bring peace to Ukraine.

Syrian Kurds gather with flags as Turkey's jailed militant leader Abdullah Ocalan calls on his Kurdistan Workers Party to lay down its arms last week in Hasakah, Syria.

REUTERS/Orhan Qereman

After a 40-year conflict with Turkey that has killed 40,000 people, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, known as the PKK, declared a ceasefire on Saturday following a call from its leader, Abdullah Ocalan, to dissolve the group. Ocalan, imprisoned since 1999, called the move a “historical responsibility” – but one that brings no apparent concessions from Ankara.

Israeli tanks are seen inside Gaza amid a ceasefire breakdown between Israel and Hamas on March 2, 2025.
REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Israeli Defense Forces blocked aid trucks from entering Gaza on Sunday, just one day after the first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas expired, bringing negotiations over a permanent truce to a standstill.

A man gestures toward security forces during an anti-government rally in Bucharest, Romania, March 1, 2025.
REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Tens of thousands of far-right demonstrators gathered in Bucharest on Saturday to protest the Romanian government’s decision to call off a second round of national elections, deeming it an assault on democracy. A rerun of the first round is now scheduled for May 4, but the protesters want the government to reinstate the original result and hold a run-off instead.

The Kremlin

China and Russia are reportedly looking to exploit US federal workforce cuts by targeting recently fired or at-risk federal employees in national security roles for recruitment, according to sources familiar with US intelligence. The quarries? Employees with top security clearances and information about America’s critical infrastructure and government operations.

- YouTube

On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže discusses Ukraine's fate and Baltic security in the face of Russian aggression. Former Russian colonel Dmitri Trenin offers a starkly different perspective from Moscow, arguing that negotiations over Ukraine should be decided primarily by the US and Russia—not Ukraine or Europe.