Hard Numbers: Israel rescues Arab-Israeli man from Gaza tunnel, China invests big in Pacific military exercises, Millions of Nigerians face acute food shortage, Trump sees advantage over Harris on the economy slip
104: Israeli forces on Tuesday rescued Qaid Farhan Alkadi, a 52-year-old Arab Israeli, from a tunnel in southern Gaza, where he was being held by Hamas. There are now 104 hostages from the Oct. 7 attack on Israel who remain in Gaza, though 34 are presumed dead.
15 billion: China spent a whopping $15 billion on military exercises in the Western Pacific in 2023, according to a Taiwanese estimate, amounting to roughly 7% of its defense budget. This comes amid mounting tensions between China and other countries in the region related to territorial disputes in the South China Sea and East China Sea. The US has also repeatedly raised concerns about Beijing’s aggressive stance toward and activities near Taiwan, the self-ruled island democracy China views as a breakaway province.
32 million: Nearly 32 million Nigerians are facing an acute food shortage, which the government says is “a result of the removal of fuel subsidy in addition to security challenges.” The security issues include raids by armed bandits on farms, which have driven up food prices. Meanwhile, Nigerians are dealing with crippling inflation and a major cost-of-living crisis. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu slashed popular fuel subsidies as a cost-saving major, prompting mass protests this summer.
43: With 69 days until Election Day, former President Donald Trump appears to be losing his edge over Vice President Kamala Harris over voter views on the economy. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 43% of voters prefer Trump’s approach to the economy and employment, while 40% said the same about Harris. But this is a significant shift since the last poll in late July when Trump had an 11-point lead over Harris on the economy.