Hard Numbers: UK feels Rwanda migrant deal heat, Ecuadorian flower lives, Argentina’s eccentric politician, Russian trucks bolt to beat sanctions

156 million: The British government has come under fire for a new deal that would send asylum seekers who arrive on British shores – especially those arriving by boat – to Rwanda to await processing and potential resettlement in the East African country. The UK will give Rwanda an initial $156 million in economic investment in what critics have called an immoral quid pro quo.

40: A wildflower that was thought to be extinct in Ecuador has been spotted for the first time in 40 years. The flower, Gasteranthus extincus, was believed to have been eradicated as a result of the government’s aggressive deforestation efforts, which aim to create more space for farming.

2.4 million: Since Javier Milei took office in Argentina's Congress in December, 2.4 million Argentines have signed up to win his $3,200 paycheck, which he auctions off monthly on social media. Milei, 50, an eccentric economist and libertarian – he claims to have not combed his hair since he was 13 – is currently coming in first in early polls ahead of next year’s presidential election.

50: Russian and Belarusian trucks formed a 50-mile-long line at the Polish-Belarus border over the weekend as they attempted to leave EU territory before a sanctions deadline. It’s unclear whether national authorities will seize vehicles that didn’t queue up in time, or whether Belarus will retaliate against Polish lorries trying to make their way back to the EU.