Hard Numbers: Hong Kong's anti-democratic crackdown (again), former FARC rebels protest, US election issues to watch, Turkey's woes

November 02, 2020

Mask-clad representatives in Hong Kong's legislature argue and throw papers in the air.

8: Hong Kong police arrested 8 pro-democracy politicians over a fight that erupted last May in the city's legislature during a debate over key committee assignments. Asked why only pro-democracy lawmakers were arrested when the scuffle involved pro-China/establishment politicians as well, a police spokesperson simply said: "It's not about social status or political background."

236: Hundreds of former FARC rebels marched in Bogota, Colombia's capital, over the weekend, demanding better implementation of the landmark 2016 peace deal and an end to the killing of former FARC militants. The protesters say that even though former FARC combatants agreed to demobilize and reintegrate into Colombian society, some 236 former rebels have been targeted and killed by government forces over the past four years.

440: Daniel Nichanian, an American political scientist, has put together a comprehensive cheat sheet that tracks key electoral issues to watch on November 3. There are currently 440 issues on Nichanian's meaty list of "things" to keep an eye on, which includes state legislature spats over gun control, mandatory sex education, and redistricting reform.

66: At least 66 people died after an earthquake in the Aegean Sea rocked Turkey and some Greek islands. The Turkish city of Izmir bore the brunt of the quake. The natural disaster will only compound Turkey's recent woes, as the country is already facing high inflation and unemployment, as well as a plunging currency.

Hard Numbers: Tesla approves $1 trillion Musk package, Kazakhstan wants to join Abraham Accords, Typhoon rips through Vietnam, & More

Elon Musk attends the opening ceremony of the new Tesla Gigafactory for electric cars in Gruenheide, Germany, March 22, 2022.

Patrick Pleul/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

$1 trillion: Tesla shareholders approved a $1-trillion pay package for owner Elon Musk, a move that is set to make him the world’s first trillionaire – if the company meets certain targets. The pay will come in the form of stocks.

Q+A: Climate tries for a comeback at COP30

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz walk after a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), in Belem, Brazil, on November 7, 2025.

REUTERS/Adriano Machado

When it comes to global warming, the hottest ticket in the world right now is for the COP30 conference, which runs for the next week in Brazil. But with world leaders putting climate lower on the agenda, what can the conference achieve?

What We’re Watching: Orbán seeks Russian oil carveout from Trump, Nigerien uranium to pass through risky area, Israel hits southern Lebanon

US President Donald Trump and Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán shake hands as they pose for a photo, at a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, amid a US-brokered prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on October 13, 2025.

Yoan Valat/Pool via REUTERS

Hard Numbers: Hong Kong's anti-democratic crackdown (again), former FARC rebels protest, US election issues to watch, Turkey's woes

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Hard Numbers: Hong Kong's anti-democratic crackdown (again), former FARC rebels protest, US election issues to watch, Turkey's woes

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More from GZERO Media

On Ian Explains, Ian Bremmer breaks down how the US and China are both betting their futures on massive infrastructure booms, with China building cities and railways while America builds data centers and grid updates for AI. But are they building too much, too fast?

Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt asks whether the world is sliding back into the dangerous era of open nuclear weapons testing, and it all started with a misunderstanding by US President Donald Trump.

Don't let a chummy White House visit fool you. He's on the ropes.

$1 trillion: Tesla shareholders approved a $1-trillion pay package for owner Elon Musk, a move that is set to make him the world’s first trillionaire – if the company meets certain targets. The pay will come in the form of stocks.

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

When it comes to global warming, the hottest ticket in the world right now is for the COP30 conference, which runs for the next week in Brazil. But with world leaders putting climate lower on the agenda, what can the conference achieve?

As the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary, UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan argues that reform must begin with recognizing how much the world has changed since 1945.

Think you know what's going on around the world? Here's your chance to prove it.

How do we ensure AI is trustworthy in an era of rapid technological change? Baroness Joanna Shields, Executive Chair of the Responsible AI Future Foundation, says it starts with principles of responsible AI and a commitment to ethical development.