Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

News

Hard Numbers: African migrant tragedy, G7 Russian gold ban, cocky Boris, Sri Lanka out of oil

Hard Numbers: African migrant tragedy, G7 Russian gold ban, cocky Boris, Sri Lanka out of oil
Gabriella Turrisi
Make us preferred on Google

23: At least 23 African migrants died on Friday while trying to jump the fence to enter Melilla, one of Spain's two enclaves in Morocco. It's the first such attempt since Madrid and Rabat recently eased long-simmering tensions over Western Sahara.


$15.45 billion: US President Joe Biden announced Sunday at the G7 summit in Germany that (most of) the group will ban imports of Russian gold to stop oligarchs from hoarding bullion to offset Western sanctions. Last year, Russia sold $15.45 billion worth of gold, with G7 member countries gobbling up 90% of exports.

2: After his Conservative Party lost two by-elections in once-safe Tory seats on Friday, Boris Johnson said he wants to stay on as British PM ... until the mid-2030s. Really? He barely survived a no-confidence vote earlier this month, but Johnson has shown he has the political survival instincts of a cockroach.

15,000: Cash-strapped Sri Lanka is now down to a measly 15,000 tons of fuel to serve the country of 22 million. The government's solution? Haggle for heavily-discounted Russian oil.

More For You

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk as they leave after a bilateral meeting.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk as they leave after a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Busan, South Korea, October 30, 2025.

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
China rebuffs US economic threats over Iran Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump threatened “tremendous economic consequences” for countries that do business with Iran as Washington tries to squeeze Tehran economically. China, Iran’s biggest trading partner, quickly rejected the warning. On Thursday, Beijing said that US pressure would not [...]
The world’s oldest president returns to his post
He’s back! The 93-year-old finally returned from his “brief private stay in Europe,” during which rumors abounded about his health and ability to govern. Biya, the world’s oldest president, has led the Central African country since 1982 and has previously disappeared from public view for extended periods. Many worry about what would happen if Biya [...]
Zhuque-3 rocket by China’s private rocket firm LandSpace, takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.

Zhuque-3 rocket by China’s private rocket firm LandSpace, takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China, December 3, 2025

LandSpace/Handout via REUTERS
China wants to reduce, reuse, and recycle — rocketsChinese aerospace company LandSpace successfully recovered the first stage of a rocket on land for the first time on Wednesday, marking a major step toward reusable rockets. Reusability is crucial in the growing space race because it can dramatically reduce the cost of putting satellites into [...]
A man votes at a polling station in South Carolina's Democratic presidential primary in Columbia.

A man votes at a polling station in South Carolina's Democratic presidential primary in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S., February 29, 2020.

REUTERS/Eric Thayer
If Democrats want to take control of the Senate in November, winning Michigan is a must. Progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who pulled off a razor-thin victory in last month’s primary, will face Republican Mike Rogers, and the race is widely considered a toss-up. A big risk for El-Sayed: a crucial bloc within the state’s Democratic electorate — [...]