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Hard numbers: Another South Korean leader sentenced over Martial law, US and China to finish TikTok sale, Guinea-Bissau announces election date, & More

​South Korea's former prime minister Han Duck-soo arrives at Seoul Central District Court to receive a first-instance verdict on insurrection-related charges, in Seoul, South Korea on January 21, 2026.

South Korea's former prime minister Han Duck-soo arrives at Seoul Central District Court to receive a first-instance verdict on insurrection-related charges, in Seoul, South Korea on January 21, 2026.

Matrix Images/Jung Ui-chel
23: The years to which former South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was sentenced in jail over his role in helping former President Yoon Suk Yeol impose Martial law in late 2024. The sentence is far longer than the five-year sentence that Yoon himself received last week. Yoon could face a longer sentence after a ruling is made on the most serious charge, insurrection, next month.

20%: The stake Chinese-owned ByteDance will retain in TikTok’s US business, as a four-year-long dispute between the US and China over the app is set to conclude today. Influencers and the 170 million American users of TikTok can breathe a sigh of relief.

3: The number of people killed in a shooting in the rural Australian town of Lake Cargelligo on Thursday. The violence occurred on the same day that the country was honoring the victims of the mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach, and just days after the House of Representatives passed legislation that would tighten gun restrictions.

966,152: The estimated number of registered voters in the West African nation of Guinea-Bissau. Why is this relevant? Well the country’s military leaders, two months after ousting President Umaro Sissoco Embaló from office in a coup d’état, called an election for Dec. 6. The West African regional body Ecowas had called for a quicker transition.

28%: The surge in iVision Tech’s stock on Thursday after French President Emmanuel Macron wore a pair of their aviator sunglasses during his speech at Davos, a bold choice considering the speech was inside. His staff said the shades were covering up a burst blood vessel. It also comes after Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro’s appearance in a Nike tracksuit during his arrest prompted the sweats to sell out online. Move over Vogue, world leaders are the new trendsetters.

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​Iran player Fatemeh Pasandideh (right) reacts during the national anthem of Iran prior to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Group A match between Iran and Philippines at Gold Coast Stadium on the Gold Coast, Sunday, March 8, 2026.

Iran player Fatemeh Pasandideh (right) reacts during the national anthem of Iran prior to the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Group A match between Iran and Philippines at Gold Coast Stadium on the Gold Coast, Sunday, March 8, 2026.

AAP
7: The number of members of the Iranian women’s soccer team who were granted asylum in Australia on Wednesday – including six players and one of the team’s support staff – after they refused to sing the national anthem during the Asian Cup soccer tournament there. However, one of the seven women withdrew her request on Wednesday and is set to [...]
​A man removes a sheet from a wall with shrapnel holes at the site of a drone attack on a birthday party, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on October 4, 2025.

A man removes a sheet from a wall with shrapnel holes at the site of a drone attack on a birthday party where an alleged gang leader was distributing gifts to children, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on October 4, 2025.

REUTERS/Egeder Pq Fildor
1,243: The number of people killed by government-ordered drone strikes in Haiti between March 1, 2025, and Jan. 21, 2026, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday. The number of armed drone attacks has been increasing in recent months as the Haitian security forces seek to regain control of areas dominated by gangs. Some of the strikes have gone astray, [...]
​Share of Colombian voters who participated in Sunday's right-wing primary.

Share of Colombian voters who participated in Sunday's right-wing primary.

Natalie Johnson
Center-right Colombian Sen. Paloma Valencia will head into May’s presidential election with some momentum, after 83% of voters opted to vote in the right-wing primary on Sunday – which she won comfortably. Left-wing Sen. Iván Cepeda and conservative lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella will be her biggest rivals come the election.There was also a [...]
​Bangladeshi women hold placards as they take part in a rally to mark International Women's Day in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on March 8, 2021. (Photo by Mamunur Rashid/NurPhoto)

Bangladeshi women hold placards as they take part in a rally to mark International Women's Day in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on March 8, 2021. (Photo by Mamunur Rashid/NurPhoto)

(Photo by Mamunur Rashid/NurPhoto)
27.5%: The share of parliamentary seats women hold worldwide, as of Jan. 1, 2026, per a report by the Inter-Parliamentary Union. It’s a modest gain – 0.3 points – from a year prior, but marks an overall slowdown since 2017. The Americas topped the list of regions with the highest share of female parliamentarians, with women making up 35.6% of [...]