Hard Numbers: Eurozone inflation record, Saudi woman sentenced for tweeting, US life expectancy drops, Russia cuts off gas to EU … again
9.1: Year-on-year inflation in the Eurozone’s 19 countries rose to 9.1% in August, up from 8.9% last month. It’s the highest rate on record since the group began recording in 1997, and will put pressure on the European Central Bank to again raise interest rates, raising the likelihood of a recession in some EU countries.
45: A Saudi woman has been sentenced to 45 years in prison after a court convicted her of using the internet to "tear the kingdom’s social fabric.” Though Saudi officials have not released many details on the case, a human rights NGO said the woman used a pseudonym to tweet her political opinions.
76: Average life expectancy in the US dropped to 76 in 2021, down three years from 2019. The dip was more pronounced among white Americans and is partly attributable to the pandemic.
745: Russia has again completely halted natural gas deliveries to the European Union via the 745-mile-long Nord Stream 1 pipeline under the Baltic Sea. The pipeline was already operating at just 20% capacity after Russia slashed supply because the EU hit Moscow with sanctions over Ukraine. For now, this move has not impacted global gas prices.