We have updated our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for Eurasia Group and its affiliates, including GZERO Media, to clarify the types of data we collect, how we collect it, how we use data and with whom we share data. By using our website you consent to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy, including the transfer of your personal data to the United States from your country of residence, and our use of cookies described in our Cookie Policy.
Hard Numbers: Canadian wildfires bury NYC in smog, Ukrainian Nord Stream plot revealed, China digs itself into a hole, peacekeepers found dead in Somalia, Apple “ducks” another market record
New York City's Statue of Liberty is covered in haze and smoke caused by wildfires in Canada.
6: Remember the last time a piece of critical infrastructure was blown up and everyone argued about whether it was Russia or not? We still don’t know who blew up the Nord Stream pipeline last September, but as early as last June the US apparently learned of a plot by six Ukrainian special forces operatives to attack the underwater line. Was Ukraine always the most likely culprit? Sorry Seymour Hersh, some of us thought so.
11,100: If you’re in this hole, keep digging! A Chinese oil company is set to dig the world’s deepest hole – 11,100 meters down into the oil-rich Tarim Basin in Northwest China. The aim is to study the evolution and internal structure of the Earth, but also, of course, to potentially boost China’s access to much-needed energy resources.
54: At least 54 Ugandan peacekeepers were found dead at an African Union base after an attack there by al-Shabaab jihadists. Al-Shabaab has been waging an insurgency against Somalia’s central government for more than a decade, but today’s death toll is one of the highest since the African Union force joined a Somali government offensive against Al-Shabaab last August.
3 trillion: Apple, formerly known as the world’s first $2 trillion dollar company, has now become the world’s first to reach a market value of $3 trillion. The milestone coincided with its announcement that Apple devices will no longer correct one of the most common swear words to “ducking,” a feature that has long irritated iPhone users and caused some ducking hilarious typos.