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Hard Numbers: Cuban blackout, Turkish bank reversal, Ramaphosa in trouble, Myanmar vs. OnlyFans

September 28, 2022
Carlos Santamaria
A vintage car passes by debris caused by the Hurricane Ian as it passed through Pinar del Rio, Cuba.
A vintage car passes by debris caused by the Hurricane Ian as it passed through Pinar del Rio, Cuba.
REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

11 million: Hurricane Ian knocked out all the power for 11 million Cubans — likely for the first time in the island’s history — when the category-3 storm made landfall Tuesday night. The disaster will put intense pressure on the regime to deliver aid at a time when Cuba is grappling with severe food and energy shortages, which sparked rare protests in July 2021.

3: Three Turkish state-owned banks have stopped using Mir, a Russian electronic payment system, after Washington convinced Ankara it was a ruse for Moscow to circumvent Western sanctions (which Turkey has not joined). It's a big about-face for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was bullish on expanding Mir amid growing Russia-Turkey trade ties that are raising alarm bells in the West.

4 million: South Africa's embattled President Cyril Ramaphosa might face an impeachment vote in parliament for allegedly trying to cover up a money laundering and bribery scandal related to a $4 million heist at his game farm in early 2020. Who's looking to replace Ramaphosa? Jacob Zuma, his controversial predecessor, wants to throw his hat in the ring.

6: Myanmar sentenced a model to six years behind bars for ... posting nude pictures of herself on the adult subscription site OnlyFans. That’s her official crime — she previously took part in protests against the ruling junta and was tried at the notorious Insein prison in Yangon, where most political prisoners are locked up.

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