Hard Numbers: Peruvian president's first 100 days, Ecuadorian migrants at US-Mexico border, no jab stay home in Austria, French hot-air balloon record

In the photos taken on November 10, 2021, the President of the Republic, Pedro Castillo, reports on the progress in the management of the 100 days of his Government. Castillo announced that he will sell the presidential plane and that no public official should travel on the "front line."

100: In a speech marking his first 100 days in office, Peru's leftwing president Pedro Castillo says he'll sell the presidential plane to fund healthcare and education. The Marxist-leaning former schoolteacher also wants to ban public officials from flying first class.

95,692: A record number of migrants has tried to cross the US-Mexico border so far in 2021, mostly Mexican nationals. The second largest group has come from Ecuador (95,692), where people are trying to flee a floundering economy.

35: Amid a spike in COVID infections, the Austrian government says it is just "days away" from requiring non-vaccinated residents to go into lockdown, saying vaccinated residents should not have to endure further restrictions. Austria has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Western Europe, with 35 percent of the population yet to be jabbed.

4,016: A French hot-air balloonist has broken the world altitude record, flying 4,016 meters (13,175 feet) over western France. Remi Ouvrard said he felt no discomfort from the rapidly thinning oxygen at that level, even though his dad implored him to come down. The previous record set was 1,217 meters.

More from GZERO Media

President Donald Trump talks to the media next to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, with a Tesla car in the background, at the White House on March 11, 2025.

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Elon Musk may have a big day ahead. On Friday, according to the New York Times, he’ll be made privy to war plans for a US military conflict with China. But President Donald Trump has denied that Musk will be briefed on China during his visit.

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon smiles during the signing event for an executive order to shut down the Department of Education next to U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, DC, March 20, 2025.
REUTERS/Carlos Barria

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday stripping away much of the Department of Education, but he stopped short of dismantling it completely. On Friday, he announced that the federal student loan portfolio and the department’s “special needs” programs were being moved to other federal agencies.

Canadian PM Mark Carney
Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Reuters

The countdown is on! At noon on Sunday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to dissolve parliament and send voters into an election campaign that promises to be one of the most consequential — and hotly contested — in recent history.

Human rights activists hold a placard reading 'Military is a Killer of Women' during Aksi Kamisan, or Thursday's Protest, in front of the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 20, 2025.
Afriadi Hikmal/NurPhoto via Reuters

Indonesian activists are protesting a new law allowing active-duty military members to serve an expanded role in the civilian government — a move they warn could bring back the days of military repression under strongman leader Suharto.

Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas arrives at the Consilium building in Brussels, Belgium, on March 20, 2025.
Aleksy Witwicki/Sipa USA

Though European leaders have been excluded from Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Ukraine, meetings on Thursday in Brussels and London aimed to demonstrate Europe’s continuing commitment to supply Ukraine with the weapons it needs to repel Russian invaders.

The BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt unites leaders and experts from business, politics, science, and civil society to tackle some of today's most pressing challenges. With our partners and a global network of over 2,600 members, we collaborate to advance solutions in our focus areas – energy transition and climate change, urbanization and infrastructure, and education and qualification. Learn more about how we create a positive dynamic that strengthens an innovative and responsible economy while also promoting an open-minded and future-proof society here.