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Hard Numbers: Najib pardon mulled, Angola counts votes, Taiwan ups defense budget, Sardinia woos you
Former Malaysian PM Najib Razak speaks to the media outside a court in Putrajaya.
REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin
12: Malaysia's highly influential ex-PM Mahathir Mohamed says the king will likely pardon Najib Razak, the disgraced former prime minister who this week began serving a 12-year prison term over corruption related to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal. Not good when you're trying to show you're serious about punishing graft.
51: With almost all ballots counted, the ruling MPLA party has won 51% of the vote in Angola's most competitive election since independence. That's a seven-point lead over the opposition UNITA party, which is crying fraud and will likely contest the result in court.
19.41 billion: Taiwan plans to boost defense spending by 13.9% next year to a record $19.41 billion. China is getting increasingly bold in its military moves to intimidate the self-governing island following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's recent trip to Taipei.
15,000: Sardinia is offering 15,000 euros ($14,960) for people to move to the sun-soaked Italian island, famous for its pristine coastline, donkeys, and breads. But there's a catch: you'll have to live in a small town, use half of the money to buy or renovate a home, and become a full-time resident. Totally worth it, if you ask this Signalista.The Regime's viral banger "Special Military Operation" is NOW STREAMING on most platforms, including those TWO BIG ONES. #PUPPETREGIME
What is President Trump trying to achieve in Iran, and how does his strategy compare to past US interventions in the Middle East?
The US has paused Russian oil sanctions in a bid to stabilize energy markets rocked by the war with Iran. Administration officials stress that it’s a “tailored” measure, applying only to oil already loaded onto tankers, but it’s still a gift to Russia, which has already been clocking an extra $150 million daily in oil revenues since the war began.
4: The number of crew members aboard a US refuelling plane – out of six total – who died after the aircraft crashed in neighboring Iraq on Thursday, US Central Command said this morning.