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Hard Numbers: Argentina’s best face, Deadly US storms, Terror in Nigeria, Monarchy defamation in Thailand, Social media scrub in China
60-year-old Alejandra Rodriguez represented the Argentinian province of Buenos Aires in the Miss Argentina 2024 beauty pageant.
60: Age before beauty? Not anymore – now the two go hand in hand. Alejandra Rodriguez, a 60-year-old Argentine beauty queen, became the first sexagenarian to win the title of Miss Buenos Aires. Although she didn’t snag the crown of Miss Argentina – that went to Magalí Benejam – Rodriguez won the “best face” category. “This is the first step of a change that is coming,” she declared, celebrating the Miss Universe rule change that allowed women of any age to compete.
21: At least 21 people have died due to powerful storms that ravaged the central and southern United States, including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kentucky. Tornadoes caused significant damage and left hundreds of thousands without power, with severe weather conditions forecast Monday for the eastern seaboard from Alabama to New York.
160: Suspected Boko Haram militants killed 10 villagers and kidnapped at least another 160, mostly women and children, in Nigeria’s central Niger state. Armed men on motorbikes looted homes and traumatized the community of Kuchi village on Friday – a scenario that has happened repeatedly since 2021, according to Amnesty International, which condemned the violence and called on the government to protect its citizens.
2: A Thai court on Monday sentenced Chonthicha Jangrew, a member of the opposition Move Forward Party, to two years in prison for defaming the monarchy in a 2021 speech. Under Thai law, criticism of the country’s monarchy is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Chonthicha will be allowed to keep her seat while on bail, and she plans to appeal.
4.4 million: China’s internet regulators have banned the flaunting of wealth on social media, targeting influencers like Wang Hongquanxing, dubbed “China’s Kim Kardashian,” who had 4.4 million followers on Douyin flaunting his seven luxury properties before the government shut down his account. The crackdown comes as China’s slumping real estate market constrains its consumer recovery.