Hard Numbers
Hard Numbers: World news you need to know today
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaks during a press conference in Budapest.
Marton Monus/dpa via Reuters
April 12, 2024
GZERO dives into the day's most important hard numbers in geopolitical news.
The Hard Numbers you need to know today include Turkey restricting exports to Israel, Switzerland owing citizens for climate change, France ruling that cows CAN moo at night, a Michigan judge jailing parents for son’s deadly school shooting, and the EPA limiting carcinogenic chemicals.
Turkey restricts exports to Israel
REUTERS/Umit Bektas
54: Turkey said Tuesday that it would restrict exports to Israel until there is a cease-fire and increased aid to Gaza. The move came after Israel refused to allow Turkey to air-drop aid into the territory. The restrictions will stop 54 products from being exported to Israel, and the Jewish state said it would respond by banning products from Turkey.
Switzerland owes citizens for climate change
REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
Anne Mahrer and Rosmarie Wydler-Walti of the Swiss elderly women group Senior Women for Climate Protection, talk to journalists after the verdict of the court in the climate case Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland, at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg, France, on April 9, 2024.
87,000: The European Court of Human Rights in France ruled that the Swiss government had violated its citizens’ human rights by not doing enough to stop climate change. The court ordered the government to pay a group of Swiss women, all aged 64 and up, $87,000 because older women are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illnesses. While this case adds to a growing list of court wins for climate change, it is unlikely to have a significant impact on policy.
France says cows CAN moo at night
Photo by Stijn te Strake on Unsplash.
A herd of cows standing on top of a lush green field.
46: In a decisive win for Mother Nature, France has decided, once and for all, that cows are allowed to moo at night. The law, passed by France’s parliament 46-7, says that people who decide to live next to a farm, shop, bar, or restaurant cannot complain about the noise. It is meant to stop the slew of noise complaint court cases being brought by disgruntled neighbors – mostly new arrivals to the countryside – over being woken up by the sound of cows, Maurice the rooster, pond frogs, and other rural noises.
Parents sentenced for son’s school shooting
USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters Connect
Jennifer Crumbley shoots her husband James Crumbley a glance during their sentencing hearing in the Oakland County courtroom of Cheryl Matthews on Tuesday, April 9, 2024.
10: Jennifer and James Crumbley were convicted of involuntary manslaughter for failing to prevent their teenage son from killing four students in the deadliest school shooting in Michigan’s history, and on Tuesday, they were sentenced to at least 10 years in prison. They are the first parents in the US to be convicted over the deaths caused by their child in a mass shooting.
Biden limits carcinogenic chemicals
200: More than 200 chemical plants across the US have been ordered to limit the amount of toxic pollutants they release into the air under a new regulation announced by the Biden administration on Tuesday. The new rule from the EPA targets ethylene oxide, which is used to sterilize medical devices, and chloroprene, which is used to make rubber in footwear. Both have been classified as likely carcinogens.
