Hard Numbers: Sudanese anger, Israel’s no-fly list, Venezuelan gold in England, Egyptian activists jailed

People march to the presidential palace, protesting against military rule following last month's coup in Khartoum, Sudan December 19, 2021.

3: Hundreds of thousands of Sudanese hit the streets in Khartoum Sunday to mark the third anniversary of the ousting of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir. The military, which staged a coup in October against a power-sharing government, responded with tear gas.

58: To stop the spread of the omicron variant, Israel has barred its citizens from traveling to 58 countries on a government “red list." The US and Canada have now joined that list, which also includes the UK, France, and Germany.

1 billion: The UK’s Supreme Court ruled Monday that Venezuelan gold worth $1 billion will remain in vaults at the Bank of England while the labyrinth British court system decides if it should be returned to the government of President Nicolás Maduro or to Juan Guaidó, Venezuela's opposition figure backed by London. If the courts rule in Guaidó’s favor, it could set a precedent for the recovery of other Venezuelan assets held in European banks.

5: Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, who played a prominent role in the 2011 uprising that led to the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak, has been sentenced to five years in prison for “undermining national security.” Two other activists also received prison terms. Since coming to power in 2014, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, the former army chief, has cracked down hard on political dissent.

More from GZERO Media

- YouTube

In this Global Stage panel recorded live in Abu Dhabi, Becky Anderson (CNN) leads a candid discussion on how to close that gap with Brad Smith (Vice Chair & President, Microsoft), Peng Xiao (CEO, G42), Ian Bremmer (President & Founder, Eurasia Group and GZERO Media), and Baroness Joanna Shields (Executive Chair, Responsible AI Future Foundation).

A Palestinian Hamas militant keeps guard as Red Cross personnel head towards an area within the so-called “yellow line” to which Israeli troops withdrew under the ceasefire, as Hamas says it continues to search for the bodies of deceased hostages seized during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in Gaza City, on November 2, 2025.
REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Farmers proceed to their fields for cultivation under Nigerian Army escort while departing Dikwa town in Borno State, Nigeria, on August 27, 2025. Despite the threat of insurgent attacks, farmers in Borno are gradually returning to their farmlands under military escort, often spending limited time on cultivation.
REUTERS/Sodiq Adelakun
US President Donald Trump (sixth from left) and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (seventh from left) arrive at the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, on October 28, 2025.
Akira Takada / The Yomiuri Shimbun via Reuters Connect

Last Thursday, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington will restart nuclear weapons testing, raising fears that it could end a 33-year moratorium on nuclear-warhead testing.

Behind every scam lies a story — and within every story, a critical lesson. Anatomy of a Scam, takes you inside the world of modern fraud — from investment schemes to impersonation and romance scams. You'll meet the investigators tracking down bad actors and learn about the innovative work being done across the payments ecosystem to protect consumers and businesses alike. Watch the first episode of Mastercard's five-part documentary, 'Anatomy of a Scam,' here.

- YouTube

"We are seeing adversaries act in increasingly sophisticated ways, at a speed and scale often fueled by AI in a way that I haven't seen before.” says Lisa Monaco, President of Global Affairs at Microsoft.

US President Donald Trump has been piling the pressure on Russia and Venezuela in recent weeks. He placed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil firms and bolstered the country’s military presence around Venezuela – while continuing to bomb ships coming off Venezuela’s shores. But what exactly are Trump’s goals? And can he achieve them? And how are Russia and Venezuela, two of the largest oil producers in the world, responding? GZERO reporters Zac Weisz and Riley Callanan discuss.

- YouTube

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says AI can be both a force for good and a tool for harm. “AI has either the possibility of…providing interventions and disruption, or it has the ability to also further harms, increase radicalization, and exacerbate issues of terrorism and extremism online.”