Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

News

Hard Numbers: Cost of vaccine hoarding, Taliban back jabs, UK helps EU citizens leave, Brazil's COVID probe

Art by Gabriella Turrisi
Make us preferred on Google

9.2 trillion: COVID vaccine hoarding by rich countries and uneven global access to the jabs will draw out the global recovery from the pandemic. In fact, it'll cost the world economy as much as $9.2 trillion, according to a new study by the International Chamber of Commerce.


112 million: The Taliban have given their blessing for Afghans to roll up their sleeves to get COVID vaccines through the global COVAX facility, which has allocated $112 million to inoculate 20 percent of the population by the end of the year. In the past, Taliban fighters have killed polio vaccine workers in Pakistan, arguing that immunization campaigns were a US plot to sterilize Muslims.

2,000: Ahead of the June 30 deadline to apply for post-Brexit settled status, EU citizens living in Great Britain are being offered by the UK government up to 2,000 pounds ($2,745) and airfare as incentives to voluntarily leave Great Britain and return to their country of origin. This scheme contradicts London's official policy of encouraging all EU residents to stay in the UK.

60: Brazil's Supreme Court has granted the attorney general 60 days to probe the government response to the coronavirus pandemic in the Amazonian city of Manaus. On top of overwhelmed hospitals, the city is now also dealing with a potentially more infectious strain of the COVID virus that was first discovered in this state.

More For You

Peru's conservative presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori addresses the media in Lima, Peru, on June 11, 2026.

Peru's conservative presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori addresses the media, as vote counting continues in a tight presidential race between Fujimori and leftist candidate Roberto Sanchez, in Lima, Peru, on June 11, 2026.

REUTERS/Alessandro Cinque/File Photo
Eight presidents, one of whom lasted five days. A plethora of attempted impeachments – including four successful ones. Several ex-leaders jailed. Eighteen different finance ministers. A litany of publicly-financed projects that are unfinished. Protests prompting a state of emergency declaration. An absence of trust in government. Election count [...]
Canada shows another red card at the border
Will Fitzpatrick
While the US has drawn attention for blocking fans, coaches, and referees from entering the country for the World Cup, co‑host Canada has also denied entry into its country for two players. Ahead of Ghana’s opening match against Panama in Toronto, midfielder Thomas Partey was denied a visa to travel from the US to Canada. And just yesterday, [...]
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian displays a memorandum of understanding after signing it in Tehran, Iran, on June 18, 2026.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian displays a memorandum of understanding after signing it in Tehran, Iran, on June 18, 2026, after the document was signed by US President Donald Trump.

Iranian Presidency via ZUMA Press
What does the US-Iran deal mean for Tehran? The interim agreement to end the war, signed by both sides on Wednesday, appears to tilt toward Iran: it lifts the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, grants sanction waivers for Iranian oil products – meaning Tehran no longer has to sell oil at a discount – and gives the Islamic Republic access to [...]
People walking along the Dubai Creek Harbour

People walk along Dubai Creek Harbour, amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 6, 2026.

REUTERS/Amr Alfiky/File Photo
Will the Gulf pay for its own protection from Iran? Iran could reportedly receive up to $300 billion in a reconstruction fund for its battered economy as part of its interim peace deal with the US, which is expected to be formally signed in Switzerland on Friday. While the structure and management of the potential fund are unclear, US President [...]