Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Global Stage: Live from Munich WATCH RECORDING
News

Hard Numbers: The Spaniards are Going Home

89: In South Korea, 89% of consumer payments are now cashless, and paper money is becoming increasingly rare in Chinese cities. Here's an interesting look at what happens when cash disappears.

47 million: Spain's population grew in 2018 to 47 million, its highest point ever. The growth comes from an influx of migrants from North Africa but also from other European countries. In addition, the number of Spaniards returning home last year topped those who left the country for the first time in at least seven years. This population surge is fueled in part by a national economic growth rate that's forecast at double the Eurozone average in 2019.


76: According to a new survey from Gallup, 76% of US adults say immigration is good for the country — the highest figure to date by just one percentage point. But 23% say immigration is the country's most important problem — also the highest figure ever by one point.

0: The masses headed for this weekend's famed Glastonbury Music Festival are in for a surprise. Just two years ago, the Glastonbury crowd consumed one million plastic bottles. This year, that number will be zero as event organizers take the festival green. No word yet on what all those people will be drinking from.

More For You

The French President Emmanuel Macron (R) welcomes the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (L) at the Elysee Presidential Palace.

The French President Emmanuel Macron (R) welcomes the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (L) at the Elysee Presidential Palace.

SOPA images
In a bid to de-risk, Europe turns inwardEuropean Union leaders agreed to move ahead with “Buy European” policies as part of a broader push to de-risk from the US and boost competitiveness amid China’s industrial prowess. Meeting in Belgium on Thursday, the bloc’s 27 leaders discussed protecting strategic sectors such as defense, clean tech, AI, [...]
​An employee cuts flowers inside a greenhouse, ahead of Valentine's Day, at Ayura Flowers, in Sopo, Colombia February 3, 2026.

An employee cuts flowers inside a greenhouse, ahead of Valentine's Day, at Ayura Flowers, in Sopo, Colombia February 3, 2026.

REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez
65,000: The tons of fresh-cut flowers that Colombia exported between Jan. 15 and Feb. 9 this year, ahead of the Valentine’s Day rush. However, US tariffs and a weaker dollar threaten to undermine the sector. Americans buy 80% of Colombia’s flower exports, but the Trump administration imposed 10% tariffs on Colombia last April. [...]
Thousands of demonstrators rally in support of the Iranian people during an anti-Islamic Republic protest outside the White House in Washington, D.C., USA, on Jan. 17, 2026.

Thousands of demonstrators rally in support of the Iranian people during an anti-Islamic Republic protest outside the White House in Washington, D.C., USA, calling attention to opposition to Iran’s government, on Jan. 17, 2026.

Robyn Stevens Brody/Sipa USA
To many observers of the Middle East, it has felt like it is only a matter of time before the United States bombs Iran again. Ever since the anti-regime protests began around the turn of the year, US President Donald Trump has been threatening military action against Iran. At first, it was about the protests: Trump said the US was “locked and [...]
PA via Reuters Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych, with his helmet, which features pictures of people killed in the war with Russia. Heraskevych was ruled out of the Men's Skeleton event by the International Olympic Committee just over an hour before competition began, pictured at the Cortina Sliding Centre, on day six of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Italy. Picture date: Thursday February 12, 2026.

PA via Reuters Ukraine's Vladyslav Heraskevych, with his helmet, which features pictures of people killed in the war with Russia. Heraskevych was ruled out of the Men's Skeleton event by the International Olympic Committee just over an hour before competition began, pictured at the Cortina Sliding Centre, on day six of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Italy. Picture date: Thursday February 12, 2026.

20: The number of fallen Ukrainian athletes and coaches depicted on a Ukrainian skeleton racer’s helmet at the Winter Olympics, which prompted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to disqualify him on Thursday. The IOC said the helmet violated Olympic rules, which prohibit political messaging during games. Critics of the disqualification said [...]