Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

News

Hard Numbers: Viva Zapata

Make us preferred on Google

30,000: According to the UN, just over 30,000 refugees have reached Europe by boat across the Mediterranean so far this year. That compares with 114,000 for all of 2018, 171,000 in 2017, 363,000 in 2016, and more than 1 million at the height of the crisis in 2015.

4.25: Turkey's central bank slashed interest rates by a whopping 4.25 points this week, the biggest cut in 17 years. This is an important story because it shows just how desperate President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to boost the local economy out of a recession that threatens his political popularity.


37,900: About 37,900 people held jobs in American newsrooms in 2018, according to Pew. In 2008, the figure was 71,000. Only a fraction of those journalists have been re-hired by digital media outlets.

10: Remember Franky Zapata, the former jet ski champion and inventor riding a hoverboard while carrying an assault rifle above the Bastille Day celebrations in Paris? Franky attempted this week to cross the English Channel on that board in 20 minutes at an average speech of about 87 mph at an average height of about 50 feet above the water. But 10 minutes into the flight, Franky got very wet. He says he'll try again. #TheRealRonObvious

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 [...]