Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Hard Numbers: London’s languages, US cities' economic boom, Asia’s concrete jungles, Addis Ababa's bike love

Students from the Youth Strike 4 Climate movement during a climate change protest on Parliament Square in Westminster, London. Reuters
Make us preferred on Google

300: London — a city where a large chunk of the population is foreign born — is home to the world's most internationally diverse student body. More than 300 languages are spoken by London's school students, many of whose families immigrated from South Asia, Africa and Europe.


70: In the decade following the 2008 global financial crisis (which left more than 11 million Americans unemployed within months), America's largest cities — including San Francisco, Boston, and New York — accounted for over 70 percent of the country's job growth. By contrast, unemployment is still at pre-2008 levels in many American rural areas and small towns.

39: Public green spaces like parks and nature reserves, which many city dwellers have flocked to in COVID-19 times, are a luxury in most of Asia's crowded urban centers. In the region's 22 major cities, average green space per capita is only 39 square meters (420 square feet), about half of the figure in Africa and more six times smaller than the per capita average in Latin America.

800: Many big city governments struggle with traffic congestion, but in developing economies the problem is often exacerbated by poor infrastructure. The answer isn't always to build more roads: Addis Ababa has an ambitious plan to build 800 kilometers (490 miles) of bike and pedestrian lanes by the end of the decade.

More For You

What the rise of a trillionaire reveals about the American Dream
- YouTube
In this episode of "ask ian," Ian Bremmer looks at what the rise of Elon Musk as the world’s first trillionaire reveals about wealth, innovation, and the future of the American Dream. [...]
As AI reshapes the future of work, its impact will depend on the choices we make today. In this new blog, Brad Smith reflects on how graduates are calling for technology that supports human judgment, expands opportunity, and strengthens the role of people in shaping the future.As AI adoption accelerates, the focus must remain on building skills, [...]
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu at a news conference

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a news conference, following a US-Iran deal, in Jerusalem, June 15, 2026.

REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool
US-Iran deal could spell disaster for NetanyahuIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was already struggling in polls ahead of elections later this year, but his situation might get worse after Washington and Tehran agreed to a deal (pending its signing on Friday). Why the issue with ending the war? Israel ploughed resources into the war, its [...]
Cape Verde’s keeper goes viral
Will Fitzpatrick
The 40-year-old’s stunning display against Spain has earned him plaudits worldwide, as Cape Verde managed to draw 0-0 with European champions in Atlanta yesterday. It’s an astonishing achievement for the tiny African island of 500,000 people, which is ranked 64th in the world (Spain, which has 50 million people, is 3rd). Vozinha’s saves have also [...]