Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Hard Numbers

Hard numbers: Iran protests death toll reportedly far higher, Deadly attack on Mexican soccer pitch, Gold prices surpass milestone, & More

​Two Iranian motorcyclists stop in front of the burned East Tehran General Directorate of Tax Affairs headquarters in Tehran, Iran, on January 21, 2026.

Two Iranian motorcyclists stop in front of the burned East Tehran General Directorate of Tax Affairs headquarters in Tehran, Iran, on January 21, 2026.

Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto
30,000: The estimated death toll in Iran during the protests at the start of the year, per local health officials, underscoring the scale of the Islamic Republic’s crackdown on its own citizens. This number would far eclipse initial estimates from the independent Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has so far confirmed 5,459 deaths. The regime itself said there had been 3,117 deaths.

11: The number of people killed on a soccer pitch in the Mexican city of Salamanca on Sunday, after a group of gunmen fired on a group of people who had stayed behind after a match there. The motive for the attack is unclear, though it comes as President Claudia Sheinbaum tries to tamp down on cartel-related violence.

81: The number of UK Labour members of parliament required to initiate a leadership challenge against their leader, Prime Minister Keir Starmer. There’s just one problem: Labour leadership blocked one of the potential challengers, Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, from running to return to parliament after a seat opened up in the area. Burnham can’t run for leader unless he’s an MP.

$5,000: The price of gold surpassed this amount – per troy ounce – for the first time ever on Monday. This comes as speculation grows over possible US-Japan action to support the yen, a move that would put further downward pressure on the US dollar. The price of gold has jolted upwards over the last two years as investors question the US’s status as the global reserve currency.

Bonus number! 54: The number of years since Japan has been without pandas. China is taking back the two bears at Tokyo’s zoo after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent comments that Japan could take military action if China attacked Taiwan.

More For You

​Participants hold placards during a protest to condemn the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and commemorate students killed in a strike on a girls' primary school in Minab in southern Iran on February 28, in front of the U.S. embassy in Seoul, South Korea, March 12, 2026.

Participants hold placards during a protest to condemn the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and commemorate students killed in a strike on a girls' primary school in Minab in southern Iran on February 28, in front of the U.S. embassy in Seoul, South Korea, March 12, 2026.

REUTERS/Kim Soo-hyeon
175: The number of people killed at an Iranian girls’ school in a strike on Feb. 28. Initial intelligence reports suggest that the US was to blame for the strike, per the New York Times, after the military used a now-defunct set of coordinates to deploy the hit. The White House hasn’t claimed responsibility and said the investigation is ongoing. [...]
​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 [...]