Hard Numbers: Somali healthcare crisis, UK COVID test failure, Colombian prison riot, views on women's rights

50: Only 50 percent of urban residents in Somalia have access to health care, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, with the number dropping to 15 percent for the country's rural inhabitants. The dire warning comes as COVID-19 cases steadily increase in Somalia, a country with few hospital beds and zero ventilators.

314: Colombian prison inmates at a facility in Villavicencio staged riots and some attempted a jailbreak after at least 314 inmates and guards tested positive for COVID-19, the highest number at any jail in the country. They were protesting lack of adequate protection provided by the state, but the unrest was swiftly quashed by prison guards.

74: Across 34 countries surveyed by Pew, a median of 74 percent of respondents agree that it is "very important" for women to have the same rights as men. Western Europe, the US, and Latin America led the pack. The poll also showed that women were more inclined than men to say gender equality is important.

100,000: After setting April 30 as a goal for conducting 100,000 coronavirus tests a day, the British government has acknowledged that it's unlikely to meet the self-imposed target. Boris Johnson's government has been widely criticized for its mismanagement of the outbreak, which has now killed over 26,000 people in the UK, the second highest toll in Europe behind Italy.

More from GZERO Media

Syrian forces head to Latakia after fighters linked to Syria's ousted leader Bashar Assad mounted a deadly attack on government forces on Thursday, March 6, 2025.

REUTERS/Mahmoud Hassano

Nearly 50 people were killed on Thursday in the deadliest clashes Syria has seen since the overthrow of Bashar Assad. Pro-Assad militants attacked security checkpoints around the western coastal town of Jableh, a stronghold of the former regime.

The Liberian-flagged tanker Ice Energy, chartered by the US government, takes Iranian oil from Iranian-flagged Lana (formerly Pegas) as part of a civil forfeiture action off the shore of Karystos, on the Island of Evia, Greece, in May 2022.
REUTERS/Costas Baltas/File Photo

The Trump administration is reportedly considering a strategy to disrupt Iran’s oil exports by stopping and inspecting Iranian oil tankers at sea. The US would use the Proliferation Security Initiative, established in 2003 to prevent the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction, as a legal justification for the inspections.

Donald Trump issues a proclamation from the Oval Office
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

US presidents don’t typically talk to organizations the US government has labeled terrorist groups, but Donald Trump is not a typical US president.

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the US Capitol on March 4, 2025.

Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS

You didn’t need to sit through all 99 minutes of Trump’s peroration to know that he gave himself an A++ on his first six weeks in office, writes GZERO Publisher Evan Solomon. But if Trump gets to grade himself, maybe it’s time for a more objective report card — one that looks at two criteria: Trump as a dealmaker and Trump as a manager.

The Energy Security Hub at the 2025 Munich Security Conference featured in-depth discussions on energy innovation, security, and market viability. Fatih Birol, IEA executive director, discussed growing global energy demand, especially the rapid rise in electricity outpacing overall growth. He noted electricity demand is projected to increase six times faster than total energy in 10 years, underscoring the need for electrification and grid expansion. As energy systems become decentralized and digitalized, the CEO of E.ON, Leonhard Birnbaum, said: “You’re either fully digitized – or you’re done.” Key takeaways: Energy security requires developing and securing electricity grids Technological openness is a unifying element for getting to net zero Bridge the “Valley of Death” to scale markets New global partnerships will help Europe stay competitive Public acceptance will strengthen democracy You can read the full Executive Summary from the BMW Foundation here.

a crowd of people outside of a white building

In a 5-4 split decision, the US Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to disburse nearly $2 billion in foreign aid funds for work completed by contractors and grant recipients under the US Agency for International Development and the State Department. Does this tell us much about how the top court will handle future Trump-related cases?