Hard Numbers: COP26 is a wrap, Argentines & Bulgarians vote, Thai royal offenses

Hard Numbers: COP26 is a wrap, Argentines & Bulgarians vote, Thai royal offenses
Delegates talk during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain November 13, 2021.
REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

197: The COP26 climate summit in Glasgow concluded with a compromise deal that for the first time commits 197 governments to gradually wind down coal and end all subsidies for fossil fuels. Top polluters and coal-users China and India objected to an earlier draft that called for completely phasing out coal, as demanded by environmental groups and most developing countries.

40: The leftwing coalition of President Alberto Fernández suffered a crushing defeat in Argentina's midterm parliamentary election on Sunday. His Peronistas lost control of the Senate for the first time in almost 40 years, putting Fernández in a very weak position to deal with the country's ailing economy.

3: A new anti-graft, centrist party is expected to win Bulgaria's third legislative election this year, after previous votes in April and July delivered fragmented parliaments with no majority to form a government. Barely a quarter of Bulgarian voters showed up due to rising COVID deaths in the country with the EU's lowest vaccination rate and highest vax hesitancy.

155: At least 155 people have been charged with royal defamation — which carries up to 15 years in prison — in Thailand since mid-2020, when youth-led protests against the government first called to reform the monarchy. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Bangkok on Sunday to bash a recent court ruling that says any attempts to curb the powers of the king are tantamount to treason.

More from GZERO Media

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with Judiciary Officials in Tehran, Iran, on July 16, 2025.
Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

Twelve days of war earlier this summer demonstrated that Iran has little capacity to defend its cities or its nuclear facilities from Israeli and US strikes. But it still likely retains some uranium supplies, so it has options.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro addresses supporters during a march marking the first anniversary of his victory in the disputed July 28 presidential election, in Caracas, Venezuela July 28, 2025.
REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria

$50 million: The US doubled its bounty to $50 million for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

People celebrate the one year anniversary since student-led protests ousted Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 5, 2025.
REUTERS

Earlier this week, thousands of people flooded the streets in Bangladesh’s capital of Dhaka to mark the one-year anniversary of a student-led protest movement that brought an end to 15 years of rule under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.