Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

News

Hard Numbers: Swiss borders, Thai anti-royal tweets, Nigerian air pollution, Vietnam recycles condoms

File photo of Swiss and EU flags. Reuters
Make us preferred on Google

62: In a referendum over the weekend, nearly 62 percent of Swiss voters said they wanted to preserve freedom of movement between the European Union and Switzerland, which is not a member of the EU. The right-wing Swiss People's Party had proposed imposing migration quotas at the border, saying that the current frontier is basically a... (okay, they didn't actually say it's a "Swiss cheese" but still).


820,000: #RepublicOfThailand became the top trending Twitter hashtag in Thailand last Friday. Users tweeted it more than 820,000 times after parliament delayed plans to reform the Thai constitution, including curbs on royal power demanded by the youth-led protest movement challenging the monarchy.

11,000: Air pollution in Lagos, Nigeria's most populous city, caused more than 11,000 premature deaths in 2018 alone, according to a recent World Bank study. Children under five accounted for a majority of those deaths.

300,000: Vietnamese officials recently confiscated more than 300,000 used condoms that had been boiled, dried, reshaped, and then… put up for sale again in the southern province of Binh Duong. A local woman who was in on the scheme said she was paid by the pound for recycling the goods.

More For You

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at UN headquarters in New York City.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 24, 2026.

REUTERS/EDUARDO MUNOZ
As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stage at the UN General Assembly yesterday, more than half of the delegates in the room stood up and walked out. In fact, some entered the assembly hall minutes beforehand only to walk out when Netanyahu began speaking.After the walkout, he proclaimed, “If there are any other moral cowards who [...]
Where’s the beef?
Natalie Johnson
Historically low cattle numbers, combined with strong demand, have driven beef prices higher in the US. And it’s an issue clearly on President Donald Trump’s radar. This summer, he lowered tariffs on some beef imports to bring prices down. But prices have remained stubbornly high, and now he’s turning to Paraguay for help. The arrangement could [...]
France to send troops to Saudi Arabia, “Cockroaches” in India mobilize against elections chief, Xi to send pandas to Atlanta

The President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, received the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saoud, at the Elysee Palace on 21 March 2022.

Julien Mattia via Reuters Connect
France offers troops to help secure Saudi Arabia’s energy sitesFrench President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday that the country plans to help Saudi Arabia protect energy infrastructure from escalating Houthi attacks. Macron said he would send soldiers, radars, and defense systems, but that they would not “engage in” any direct conflict with [...]
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham attends the Middle East peace event "The Road Ahead: One Year After the New York Declaration and the Comprehensive 20-point Peace Plan" with French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham attends the Middle East peace event "The Road Ahead: One Year After the New York Declaration and the Comprehensive 20-point Peace Plan" with French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at UN headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 22, 2026.

REUTERS/Toby Melville/Pool
The world’s middle powers are talking a great deal about the need to work together at the UN this week. French President Emmanuel Macron spoke of reviving multilateralism; South Korean President Lee Jae Myung talked about the “cherished value of multilateral cooperation”; British Prime Minister Andy Burnham discussed the need to “work together to [...]