The numbers speak for themselves.

(Baonghean) - The world this past week revolved around controversial numbers. From the numbers that affected the whole world in the US presidential election to the low-value banknotes in India, all have had a significant impact on politics and economics.

Jill Stein during a campaign in Illinois in September. Photo: Reuters

Will the US recount votes in 3 battleground states?

On November 25, former White House candidate Jill Stein officially requested a recount of the presidential election votes in Wisconsin and announced that she would request a similar process in Pennsylvania and Michigan - both states that gave results in favor of Donald Trump.

On her Twitter page, Ms. Stein confirmed that the recount will be carried out as soon as next week. The information was confirmed by the Wisconsin State Election Commission and is expected to be completed by December 13 at the latest. Ms. Stein also said that she has called for 4.8 million USD out of the total 7 million USD needed to pay for the recount in the 3 above-mentioned states.

Various technologies are used in the US Presidential vote. Photo: Reuters

According to her, election experts have identified “statistical irregularities” that have raised concerns about the security of the voting system. She also explained that the purpose of the vote counting campaign is not to attack or deny Mr. Trump’s victory but to examine the entire vote counting process. For example, some machines used in Wisconsin are banned in California because of the risk of hackers stealing data or reinstalling software.

In an interview with CNN, Ms. Stein affirmed: “This election is the target of many hacker attacks” and that her actions were not intended to protest Donald Trump or support Hillary Clinton.

Meanwhile, Democrats are also skeptical about a result that said Hillary Clinton had surpassed Donald Trump by 2 million votes but the final result was reversed due to a lack of the necessary number of electors.

Specifically, Mr. Trump won 290 electors compared to Mrs. Clinton’s 232. The three states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan that Mrs. Stein called for a recount are also the three important battleground states that led to the difference between the two candidates. So, can recounting the votes in these three states “reverse” the situation for the US presidential election?

The official numbers of the first round of voting have not yet been announced. The electors will meet on December 19 and if nothing changes, Donald Trump will move into the White House on January 20, 2017.

India's economy is in trouble because of the cancellation of two currency denominations.

The Indian economy is in a state of “half-crying, half-laughing” when the Prime Minister of this country decided to abolish the 500 and 1,000 rupee notes (equivalent to 172,500 VND and 350,000 VND). This corresponds to reducing 80% of cash in circulation on the market.

These days, businesses in India are in a state of disrepair. People line up at ATMs to get 2,000 rupee notes (equivalent to 700,000 VND). The notes are brand new but almost useless - simply because no one has change for a 2,000 rupee note. The result: winter has arrived but farmers cannot buy seeds, fertilizers and pay for their crops.

Indians queue to receive 2,000 rupee notes - barely usable for daily living expenses. Photo: AFP

According to experts, the cancellation of 500 and 1,000 rupee notes will severely affect the growth results of the Indian economy in 2016.

If at the beginning of the year, the GDP growth figure was predicted to reach 7.9%, now analysts only dare to give a modest figure of 6.8% - a decrease of more than 1% and will certainly cause India to fall behind in the race with China.

It is worth noting that the demonetization of the two most commonly used notes will not have any impact on the market for dirty and counterfeit money, the Indian Finance Minister asserted. Even former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (2004 - 2014) said that the situation was so urgent that he had to personally speak out: "The way this measure has been implemented is a complete mistake, a huge mistake in terms of management."

He also predicted that the move would result in a 2% hit to India's growth - a view shared by a majority in the opposition-dominated Senate.

However, in complete contradiction with local officials, the International Monetary Fund welcomed Mr. Modi's decision, saying it was a necessary move to combat "corruption and illicit flows of money."

Hai Trieu

(According to Le Monde)