Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

News

Hard Numbers: US economy down, Bennett picks up his tab, no ransom in Nigeria, South Koreans spy for North

Hard Numbers: US economy down, Bennett picks up his tab, no ransom in Nigeria, South Koreans spy for North
Paige Fusco
Make us preferred on Google

1.4: US economic growth shrank by 1.4% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2022, the first contraction since the pandemic began. Bad news for President Biden, but a recession can still be avoided if Americans keep spending, hiring remains strong, and wages keep pace with inflation.


7,400: Israel's PM Naftali Bennett says he'll pay for his own meals from now on after running up a $7,400 monthly food tab covered by taxpayer money. Bennett, a self-made millionaire who still lives in his private residence, claims to spend three times less per month than his predecessor Bibi Netanyahu, famous for his lavish lifestyle.

15: Nigeria has updated its terror law in a bid to fix its kidnapping problem. Anyone who pays a ransom now faces a minimum 15-year sentence, and abductors who kill now face the death penalty.

2: Two South Koreans have been arrested for allegedly passing secrets to the North. The pair — a crypto CEO and an army officer — are accused of sharing login details for South Korea's joint military command in exchange for a hefty payday in Bitcoin.

More For You

Saudi Arabia's MBS shaking hands with the UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in Saudi Arabia, on September 3, 2025.

IMAGO/APAimages via Reuters Connect
For many years, mutual concern about Iran helped to paper over deeper disagreements between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The two powerful and ambitious Sunni Gulf monarchies have been on opposite sides of the civil wars in both Sudan and Yemen, as well as in fierce competition for regional dominance in AI. But two months into the so-far unresolved [...]
Chinese court compensates AI-replaced worker
A court in Hangzhou ruled that companies are not permitted to fire employees or reduce their salaries because their positions are being automated or replaced by AI. The case was brought by a worker who was initially offered a 40% pay cut and a demotion when his job as a quality assurance supervisor was automated. After he refused the reduced [...]
US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping talking in Beijing, China.

China's President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump visit the Temple of Heaven in Beijing on May 14, 2026.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Pool via REUTERS
Xi warns Trump on Taiwan despite friendly start to meetingsUS President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday exchanged friendly toasts and reiterations of commitment on the first day of a Beijing summit flush with pageantry. The friendly tone suggests that both sides hope to maintain the current status quo of fragile detente in a [...]
​US President Donald Trump arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, on May 13, 2026.

US President Donald Trump participates in an arrival ceremony at Beijing Capital International Airport during his visit to the country, in Beijing, China, on May 13, 2026.

REUTERS/Evan Vucci
President Donald Trump stepped off Air Force One after landing in Beijing today, and the Chinese rolled out the red carpet: military honor guard, three hundred students waving American and Chinese flags, state banquet on the schedule. Trump, who flew in with a delegation of top cabinet officials and some of the biggest names in American business, [...]