Hard Numbers: Trump’s big birthday present, Sudan’s cash experiment, Iran's war on contraception, communal living in Russia

14 million: The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee on Sunday rang up their biggest single fundraising day ever, hauling in $14million – on the President's birthday.

9: As part of the debt-ridden Sudanese government's plan to reduce the need for costly government subsidies for food and fuel, officials are piloting a new program that will simply give cash payments of about $9 a month directly to its neediest citizens. The move comes as countries around the world look to reduce subsidies.

500,000: Nearly three decades after the collapse of the USSR, more than 500,000 people in St Petersburg, about a tenth of the city's population, still live in dilapidated "communal" apartments dating from the Soviet period. In these "komunalky,"up to 40 people share a single bathroom and kitchen, heightening the risk and fear of COVID-19 transmission.

1: Iran's government is limiting access to contraceptives and vasectomies at state run hospitals, in a bid to boost the country's population growth rate, which has fallen below 1 percent.

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Supporters of main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) attend a rally to protest against the arrest of Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul and main rival of President Tayyip Erdogan, a day after the removal of the CHP's Istanbul provincial head Ozgur Celik by a court over alleged irregularities in a 2023 CHP provincial congress, in Istanbul, Turkey, September 3, 2025.
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After a weekend of mass protests in Turkey, a court in Ankara has postponed its decision in a highly charged case that could oust Turkey’s main opposition leader – and boost the fortunes of long-time President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

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Stephen Graham, winner of Best Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and Best Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Owen Cooper, Best Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, and Erin Doherty, Best Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, for "Adolescence", Best Limited or Anthology Series pose with their awards at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 14, 2025.
REUTERS/Daniel Cole

8: Netflix teen murder series "Adolescence" won eight Emmys including for best limited series. Supporting actor Owen Cooper,15, became the youngest male actor to win an Emmy.

Senior U.S. and Chinese led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and Chinese trade negotiator Li Chenggang meet to discuss trade and economic issues and TikTok, in Madrid, Spain, September 14, 2025.
United States Treasury/Handout via Reuters.

In an announcement teeming with viral potential, the White House said the US and China have outlined a deal for TikTok to continue operating in the US.

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a letter from Britain's King Charles as he meets with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 27, 2025.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

As US President Donald Trump travels to the United Kingdom this week, there is an unnerving sense in which the ghost of Christmas past will be greeting the potential ghost of Christmas yet to come.