Hard Numbers: US troops out of Afghanistan, Somalia’s presidential election, Australian lockdown, Indian police vs Twitter

June 30, 2021

Hard Numbers: US troops out of Afghanistan, Australian lockdown, Somalia’s presidential election, Indian police vs Twitter

Gabriella Turrisi

1.000: Of the more than 4,000 US troops still in Afghanistan, only about 1,000 will remain in the country — to guard the embassy and Kabul's airport — by mid-July, well ahead of the September 11 deadline set by the Biden administration. Amid the faster-than-expected American withdrawal, a top US commander is warning Afghanistan could slide into civil war if the Afghan government is unable to stop a Taliban takeover once US soldiers leave.

8: Somalia will hold its presidential election on October 10, eight months after the outgoing president's term in office expired on February 8. The vote had been delayed over a dispute between the federal and state governments, which almost turned violent last April, when the upper and lower houses of the Somali parliament disagreed on whether to give the president a two-year extension.

7: Seven Australian cities, accounting for about half of the country's population, are now (again) under lockdown to stop the spread of the highly infectious Delta COVID variant. Meanwhile, barely 5 percent of Australians have been fully vaccinated, with many opposed to the AstraZeneca jab following mixed signals about its effectiveness from the government.

2: Police in two Indian states — Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh — have filed official complaints against Twitter for featuring a map on the social media platform's careers page that shows parts of Indian-administered Kashmir outside of the country's official borders. This comes as the Indian government pressures Twitter to comply with new rules on online speech that tech firms say undermine privacy rights.

Can we achieve gender equality by 2030?

- YouTube

youtu.be

It has been nearly 30 years since former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared at the UN Conference on Women, hosted in Beijing, that “Women’s rights are human rights.” While progress has been made in some key areas, like education and access to healthcare, the number of women in the global labor force has remained largely stagnant since the 1990s. Women still trail men overall in income, digital inclusion, and even access to banking. This week World Bank announced a bold initiative to bridge that divide by creating more economic opportunity, broadening female leadership, and reducing gender-based violence in the next 5 years as 2030 approaches.

Can the IMF change to help more women?

Matthew Kendrick

When a country hits rock bottom financially, the International Monetary Fund is meant to step in with funds to stabilize the economy without damaging its society — or the gender gap. But studies show that these programs often push women out of work at a disproportionate rate to men as the economy contracts. Matthew Kendrick reports from the World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings on a push to build more equitable programs.

North Korean troops move into Russia’s border area with Ukraine

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un attend a farewell ceremony before Putin's departure at an airport in Pyongyang, North Korea June 19, 2024.

Gavriil Grigorov/Reuters

Kyiv says that roughly 12,000 North Korean troops are in Russia, a far greater number than reported by the US, though it remains unclear precisely how many have entered what Ukraine referred to as the “combat zone.”

Will Japan’s LDP lose its grip on power?

October 23, 2024, Kamagaya, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister and leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Shigeru Ishiba reacts to his supporters after he delivered a campaign speech for his party candidate Hisashi Matsumoto for the general election at Kamagaya in Chiba prefecture, suburban Tokyo on Wednesday, October 23, 2024.

(photo by Yoshio Tsunoda/AFLO)

As Japan heads to the polls this Sunday, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s decision to call an early election just weeks after taking office is turning out to be a high-stakes gamble.

Global economy at risk if Middle East conflict expands, says World Bank's Ayhan Kose

- YouTube

youtu.be

While the global economy shows signs of growth and decreasing inflation, the near future involves risks, including the escalation in the Middle East impacting oil prices, strained China-US relations, and an increasingly challenging tariff and trade environment, said Ayhan Kose, World Bank Deputy Chief Economist. He discussed the geopolitical tensions influencing the global economy with GZERO's Tony Maciulis at the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington, DC, in a GZERO Global Stage interview.

Hard Numbers: US troops out of Afghanistan, Somalia’s presidential election, Australian lockdown, Indian police vs Twitter

GZEROMEDIA

More from GZERO Media

Can we achieve gender equality by 2030?

Can the IMF change to help more women?

Colors, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and the use of your eyes

There are times when we need more context, and there are times when we do not. How do we tell the difference?

Hard Numbers: Turkey retaliates for terror bombing, Boeing workers reject deal, Biden to issue historic apology, Brand new prime number

North Korean troops move into Russia’s border area with Ukraine

Kyiv says that roughly 12,000 North Korean troops are in Russia, a far greater number than reported by the US, though it remains unclear precisely how many have entered what Ukraine referred to as the “combat zone.”

GZEROMEDIA

Georgia’s vote: A contest between Russia and the West

Georgian Dream insists the country is still on track to join the EU, as critics accuse the party of pushing Georgia in an increasingly anti-Western, authoritarian direction.

Graphic Truth: BRICS economies eclipse the G7

In 2001, a Goldman Sachs economist coined an acronym for the four largest and most promising “emerging market” economies: Brazil, Russia, India, and China became known as the “BRIC” countries.

Texas showdown: Trump and Harris target the different sides of gender divide

With the latest polls still showing Donald Trump and Kamala Harris neck and neck in the swing states, both candidates are heading to Texas, a far less competitive state, with hopes of reaching key voter groups nationwide.

Will Japan’s LDP lose its grip on power?

As Japan heads to the polls this Sunday, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s decision to call an early election just weeks after taking office is turning out to be a high-stakes gamble.

Global economy at risk if Middle East conflict expands, says World Bank's Ayhan Kose

Hard Numbers: US troops out of Afghanistan, Somalia’s presidential election, Australian lockdown, Indian police vs Twitter

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

More from GZERO Media

There are times when we need more context, and there are times when we do not. How do we tell the difference?

Kyiv says that roughly 12,000 North Korean troops are in Russia, a far greater number than reported by the US, though it remains unclear precisely how many have entered what Ukraine referred to as the “combat zone.”

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

Georgian Dream insists the country is still on track to join the EU, as critics accuse the party of pushing Georgia in an increasingly anti-Western, authoritarian direction.

In 2001, a Goldman Sachs economist coined an acronym for the four largest and most promising “emerging market” economies: Brazil, Russia, India, and China became known as the “BRIC” countries.

With the latest polls still showing Donald Trump and Kamala Harris neck and neck in the swing states, both candidates are heading to Texas, a far less competitive state, with hopes of reaching key voter groups nationwide.

As Japan heads to the polls this Sunday, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s decision to call an early election just weeks after taking office is turning out to be a high-stakes gamble.