300,000: Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air strikes, have recovered large portions of the strategically vital Deraa province near Jordan and Israel in the past three weeks. This offensive has forced more than 300,000 people from their homes, the single largest displacement of the war. Israel and Jordan have refused to allow in refugees.
300: Some 300 anti-government protesters have been killed in Nicaragua since April, according to human-rights groups, almost all of them by paramilitary thugs loyal to Daniel Ortega. Today, the private sector is planning a one-day general shutdown, with support from the Catholic Church, to put pressure on the government to meet a set of their demands.
94.8: Of the 154,557 murders committed in Mexico from 2010 to 2016, 94.8 percent remain unpunished. Compare that figure with 52 percent in Asia and 20 percent in Europe.
17: Seventeen of the 23 players on France’s World Cup team are children of first generation migrants. Once again, the white-hot politics of migration, citizenship, and national identity are making their way onto the pitch ahead of the World Cup final on Sunday.
5: Venezuela’s latest shortage? Banknotes, most of which are imported. The central bank’s own printer produces less than 5 percent of the country’s cash. Given an annual inflation rate now estimated at 46,000 percent, it’s also hard to keep workers, who are paid with the same worthless notes they’re hired to print.
