Hard Numbers

1.6 million: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says the country's civil militia, which supplements its armed forces, has ballooned to 1.6 million members, more than three times its size at the beginning of the year.

Facing a dire economic situation, many Venezuelans have turned to the armed forces as the only reliable source of income.

$100,000: Sunday's election in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which heralds its first transition of power in 17 years, will likely serve to further entrench the power of a ruling elite backing current President Joseph Kabila. Simply to participate in the election, prospective candidates had to pony up $100,000, a prohibitive threshold for almost all except those tied to the deeply corrupt state apparatus.

63: While the high-profile murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi captured a lot of attention, in all, 63 professional journalists were killed in 2018, according to Reporters Without Borders. That's up 15 percent from the previous year.

0: There is currently not a single country in the world in which women have the same economic opportunities as men, according to a new report from the World Economic Forum. The opportunity gap applies at the global level as well: where today there are just 17 female heads of state or prime ministers across the 149 countries tracked by WEF.

More from GZERO Media

Stephen Graham, winner of Best Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and Best Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Owen Cooper, Best Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, and Erin Doherty, Best Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, for "Adolescence", Best Limited or Anthology Series pose with their awards at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 14, 2025.
REUTERS/Daniel Cole

8: Netflix teen murder series "Adolescence" won eight Emmys including for best limited series. Supporting actor Owen Cooper,15, became the youngest male actor to win an Emmy.

Senior U.S. and Chinese led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and Chinese trade negotiator Li Chenggang meet to discuss trade and economic issues and TikTok, in Madrid, Spain, September 14, 2025.
United States Treasury/Handout via Reuters.

In an announcement teeming with viral potential, the White House said the US and China have outlined a deal for TikTok to continue operating in the US.

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a letter from Britain's King Charles as he meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 27, 2025.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

As US President Donald Trump travels to the United Kingdom this week, there is an unnerving sense in which the ghost of Christmas past will be greeting the potential ghost of Christmas yet to come.

A combination photo shows a person of interest in the fatal shooting of U.S. right-wing activist and commentator Charlie Kirk during an event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, U.S. shown in security footage released by the Utah Department of Public Safety on September 11, 2025.
Utah Department of Public Safety/Handout via REUTERS