Hard Numbers
Hard number: Cuba gets bigger bills for bigger problems
The number of new banknotes Cuba issued this month to deal with rampant inflation. The 2,000 and 5,000 Cuban peso notes are roughly worth $4 and $10, respectively.
Natalie Johnson
Cubans are no strangers to carrying large bundles of cash just to get through daily shopping, a habit born from years of relentless inflation. Things have only gotten worse lately, since a de facto US oil blockade sent prices even higher. To ease the burden of transactions, Havana is introducing two new banknotes, the largest of which is worth five times as much as anything previously in circulation.
Algerians are headed to the polls today to elect their next members of parliament. However, hopes for true democracy look more remote than ever.
In addition to the health concerns from the Ebola outbreak, the UN is sounding the alarm on a potential development crisis in Africa sparked by the disease.
The protests in the small Balkan country were touched off by the start of construction on a seaside luxury resort linked to US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.