6.4 million: More than 6.4 million viewers tuned in live to watch K-pop band BTS give a speech at the UN General Assembly on Monday, where they called for young people to get vaccinated and become involved in fighting climate change. It's the most-watched clip ever on the UN's YouTube channel, shattering the previous record set by Emma Watson in 2014. By contrast, only a few thousand viewers checked out US President Biden's speech live the next day.
60: Although more than 100 world leaders traveled to New York to attend this year's UN General Assembly in person, 60 heads of state opted instead to send pre-recorded speeches. The list includes China's Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin, France's Emmanuel Macron, and Iran's Ebrahim Raisi.
11.4 billion: President Biden announced on Tuesday that the US will donate $11.4 billion annually over the next three years to help developing nations combat climate change, double the amount previously committed. Still, it's less than half what the European Union, with a smaller economy than America's, gives per year now for the same goal.
89: While the representative of Libya's UN-backed government prepared to address the UN General Assembly on Tuesday in New York, 89 out of 113 members of Libya's lower house of parliament voted to oust the same government from power. The upper house then rejected the resolution, casting further doubt on the UN-led peace process that aims to hold elections in December after a decade of civil war.Ever since Donald Trump returned to office last year, governments have been hedging bets on the future of American power and what it might mean for them.
Microsoft is advancing its efforts to eliminate single-use plastics across its global packaging portfolio through material innovation and design changes across products like Surface and Xbox. By rethinking how packaging works—from cushioning to coatings and structural components—the company is reducing waste and demonstrating how design decisions at scale can deliver meaningful sustainability impact. Last week, Microsoft marked a key milestone in reducing single-use plastic in its packaging to just 0.07%, reflecting significant progress toward its broader commitment to become a zero-waste company by 2030. Read the full story here.
In this “ask ian,” Ian Bremmer says the United Arab Emirates’ decision to withdraw from OPEC reflects a broader erosion of trust in longstanding institutions amid growing regional instability.