News
Hard Numbers: India vs Rihanna, the loneliest girl in America, Iran caves on South Korean ship ransom, cost of a Glock in Congress
File photo of Rihanna at the 4th Annual Diamond Ball in New York.
Reuters
286,000: Pop superstar Rihanna's "Why aren't we talking about this?" tweet referring to the months-long Indian farmer protests had been retweeted more than 286,000 times by Wednesday at 2pm EST. India's government has lashed out against Rihanna, Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, and other celebrities who have voiced support for the #FarmersProtest.
532: As of February 3rd, a nine-year-old girl from El Salvador has spent 532 days alone in US immigration detention facilities after being separated from her parents while trying to cross the border. This violates a rule limiting the detention of minors to only 20 days, and comes as the Biden administration takes executive action to overturn former president Donald Trump's harsh policies to stem the influx of Central American migrants.
7 billion: Iran has agreed to free the crew of a South Korean tanker impounded for allegedly causing environmental pollution in the Persian Gulf. Following this "humanitarian" gesture, Tehran expects Seoul to cough up over $7 billion in Iranian funds frozen by South Korea's banks under US sanctions over Iran's nuclear program.
5,000: US representatives caught carrying a firearm on the House floor will now have to pay a minimum fine of $5,000. Speaker Nancy Pelosi approved the new rule to ensure the safety of all members in the wake of the recent Capitol insurrection and one GOP lawmaker's pledge to take her Glock to Congress.President Trump unveiled “Project Freedom,” an initiative to escort ships and restore traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, on Sunday. By Tuesday evening, he had unceremoniously suspended it by Truth Social post, shortly after Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters how committed the administration was to it.
India’s Modi consolidates grip after historic state election win, Venezuela and Guyana are back in court over border dispute, Trump administration weighs a hands-on approach to AI
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney attended a meeting of the European Political Community in Armenia this weekend, a first by the leader of a non-European country. He was invited to discuss common interests in trade, energy, and security. In a speech that echoed his address to the World Economic Forum in Davos two months earlier, Carney called on middle powers, including Canada and European nations, to work together in the wake of disruption of the established world order — implicitly pointing to the United States. “It’s my strong personal view that the international order will be rebuilt,” he told the crowd in Yerevan, “but it will be rebuilt out of Europe.”
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan’s government fell after losing a no-confidence vote, putting Romania’s access to EU recovery funds – worth approximately $13 billion – at risk.
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan’s government fell after losing a no-confidence vote, putting Romania’s access to EU recovery funds – worth approximately $13 billion – at risk. The country, which has the largest budget deficit in the EU, has to complete the bloc’s mandated economic reforms by August to unlock the funds. But with its country’s pro-EU government pushed out, those reforms are uncertain.