Hard Numbers: Zambian election winner, Iran locks down, Israel's booster milestone, Lebanese explosion

Opposition UPND party's presidential candidate Hakainde Hichilema casts his ballot in Lusaka, Zambia, August 12, 2021.

2.8 million: Zambian business tycoon Hakainde Hichilema won the country's general election Sunday, gaining 2.8 million votes, 1 million more than his rival, President Edgar Lungu. The incumbent, who used intimidation and violence to subdue voter turnout, says the vote was rigged, but the African Union and the European Union refute his claim.

6: Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi announced a six-day nationwide lockdown Monday as the delta variant surges amid a sluggish vaccine rollout. This comes after Tehran recorded almost 400 deaths on Friday, the highest daily toll in 18 months. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has banned imports of US- and UK-made vaccines.

1 million: Justweeks into a new inoculation effort, Israel has now administered 1 million COVID booster shots. Although the World Health Organization opposes boosters until poorer countries vaccinate their populations, the US could soon be following in Israel's footsteps: the CDC has given the go ahead for booster shots for immunocompromised people.

27: A petrol tank explosion in Lebanon's Akkar region killed at least 27 people, injuring scores more. Amid massive fuel shortages, black marketeers were reportedly selling gas when the tanker exploded. This comes just weeks after the country marked the one-year anniversary of the devastating Beirut port explosions.

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