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Hard Numbers: Russian spies out of NATO, Nigeria's debt problem, North Korea embraces WHO, Austrian leader probed for corruption

October 07, 2021
Gabrielle Debinski
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg holds a news conference during the NATO summit at the Alliance's headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium,

8: NATO has expelled eight Russian diplomats from its headquarters for alleged spying. After this latest diplomatic incident, NATO will half the number of Russian liaison officers accredited to operate out of Brussels.

10 billion: Nigeria will borrow $10 billion from foreign and domestic lenders to help fund its 2022 state budget. President Muhammadu Buhari has come under fire for excessive borrowing, which many say has contributed to the country's mounting debt problem. But the government pushed back, saying that borrowing was still "within acceptable limits."

40,700: In a rare move, North Korea is reportedly loosening border restrictions to allow the World Health Organization to transfer much-needed COVID medical supplies through the Chinese border. The WHO says that as of September 23, Pyongyang had carried out a grand total of 40,700 COVID tests, all of which had come back negative, but no one is buying that.

140,000: Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is at the center of a corruption probe linked to his time as finance minister in 2017. Prosecutors say Kurz was involved in bribing a polling company up to 140,000 euros ($161,900) to cook the numbers in his favor. He also faces accusations of embezzlement. Cops raided Kurz's office Wednesday, but the chancellor said he won't resign, calling the scandal "manufactured."

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