Hard Numbers

$143 million: If you think you had a rough Valentine's Day, things could be worse. In 2018, the US Federal Trade Commission recorded over 20,000 romance scams, whereby individuals were lured by phony online profiles and eventually exploited for their money, costing the affected $143 million dollars. That was up from $33 million in losses in 2015.

5,000:The humanitarian goods awaiting entry into Venezuela from Colombia could feed around 5,000 people for ten days and provide medical assistance to 10,000 people for 90 days, according to the American embassy in Colombia.

73: Sectarian divisions run deep in Nigeria. The Muslim and Christian populations are roughly equal, but their political views diverge. Some 73 percent of Muslims approve of the current government, against just 24 percent of Christians.

31: Turkish President Erdogan has pledged to sell cheap food dubbed "people's vegetables" to combat rising food costs that saw prices rise 31 percent in January. Erdogan says he's resolved to put an end to "food terrorism."

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​Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini at the European Council in Brussels, Belgium, on December 11, 2017.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini brief the media at the European Council in Brussels, Belgium, on December 11, 2017.
REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

The UK and EU threatened Tuesday to revise trade ties with Israel unless PM Benjamin Netanyahu stops the new offensive in the Gaza Strip and allows sufficient humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave.

In this new episode of Tools and Weapons, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith sits down with Satya Nadella — Microsoft’s third CEO — to talk about his journey from his early days playing cricket to leading Microsoft, the link between poetry and programming, and how the company is leading the next wave of technological transformation, redefining how we build and interact with technology. Subscribe and find new episodes monthly, wherever you listen to podcasts.

Open Call is the heart of Walmart’s $350 billion commitment to US manufacturing, supporting products made, grown or assembled in America. The pitch event represents a unique opportunity for selected entrepreneurs to meet face-to-face with Walmart merchants and earn a chance to get their products on store shelves nationwide. Last year, finalists from across the country represented 48 states, with entrepreneurs from over half these states receiving deals. It’s all a part of Walmart’s investment in American jobs and communities. Learn more about Walmart’s annual Open Call.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa gestures during the opening of the U.S.-sub-Saharan Africa trade forum to discuss the future of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), at the NASREC conference center in Johannesburg, South Africa, on November 3, 2023.

REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

If recent headlines are anything to go by, you’d think that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to Washington, D.C. this week is an effort to rebut US President Donald Trump’s belief that white South Africans are suffering a genocide. In reality, it’s all about trade.