Fresh out of Barnard College with a degree in political science, Riley is a writer and reporter for GZERO. When she isn’t writing about global politics, you can find her making GZERO’s crossword puzzles, conducting research on American politics, or persisting in her lifelong quest to learn French. Riley spends her time outside of work grilling, dancing, and wearing many hats (both literally and figuratively).
15: Turkey’s central bank raised its key interest rate by 650 basis points to 15% on Thursday in a big bid to slow runaway inflation. But was it big enough? Markets aren't convinced. The Turkish Lira actually fell on the news, as markets had been hoping for a more decisive hike to as much as 40%. Although Erdogan promised during his recent presidential campaign to get tough on inflation, the mellower move suggests he’s still wedded to his wackier economic ideas after all.
400,000: Kenya is set to launch Africa’s largest school meals program, aiming to cook up 400,000 lunches daily for hundreds of primary schools. The program would not only take a bite out of child hunger in a country where more than a quarter of children suffer malnutrition, but it could also provide thousands of jobs in the kitchens.
300,000: An organization representing 300,000 European journalists says a new EU law could threaten their freedom. The proposed measure would permit governments to snoop on reporters suspected of having criminal sources – i.e., the most interesting kind! The confusing irony is that the law – titled the European Media Freedom Act – also seeks to protect journalists from politically motivated surveillance, a big issue in countries like Hungary and Poland where governments have cracked down on the media.
5: The majority of Indonesians will enjoy a special five-day weekend at the end of June, courtesy of President Joko Widodo. He ordered the one-off special holiday as a way to boost domestic travel and consumption, both of which are recovering sluggishly from the pandemic.
