Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Hard Numbers

Hard Numbers: Deadly day for Israeli troops, former UN official ordered to pay up, Tesla admits Autopilot isn’t safe, US Fed keeps interest rates the same

Israeli soldiers prepare to enter the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at Israel's border with Gaza in southern Israel, December 13, 2023.

Israeli soldiers prepare to enter the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at Israel's border with Gaza in southern Israel, December 13, 2023.

REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Make us preferred on Google

10: Ten Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza on Tuesday, marking one of the deadliest days of the conflict for the IDF since it launched a ground invasion of the enclave in late October. Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry on Wednesday said that over 18,600 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since Oct. 7.


$63.6 million: An ex-UN official is being ordered to personally repay the organization $63.6 million, court filings show. The former official, Vitaly Vanshelboim, entrusted tens of millions of dollars to a British businessman he met at a Manhattan party – who apparently squandered the money, which was meant to finance renewable energy and housing projects. Vanshelboim was a top official at the UN Office for Projects Services before he was fired over the scandal in January.

2 million: Tesla is issuing a recall and sending a digital update to almost all its cars in the US – roughly 2 million – over safety concerns surrounding its Autopilot system. Elon Musk’s car company said that its Autopilot software system controls “may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse,” and will add additional alerts and geographical limits on where the system can be used. The recall follows an investigation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – and reports of deadly crashes involving Tesla vehicles in Autopilot.

5.25-5.5: The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged – in the 5.25% to 5.5% range – at its final 2023 meeting on Wednesday. This comes after recent economic data showed inflation cooling, though falling short of hitting the Fed’s 2% target. The Fed says it remains “highly attentive to inflation risks.”

More For You

Fewer migrants, but deadlier journeys to Europe
Will Fitzpatrick
The number of migrants and refugees reaching the continent by sea has dropped sharply this year as many European countries tighten their immigration rules. But despite fewer crossings, more migrants have died. Nearly 2,300 people have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, up from roughly 2,000 during the same period last year, as [...]
The dictionary gets a “glow-up”
We often talk about how transformational artificial intelligence will be for the world. As it turns out, it’s also changing the way we speak. Merriam-Webster added words and phrases around AI, including “AGI” (artificial general intelligence), “vibe coding” (using AI to create computer code), and “uncanny valley” (the eerie feeling that something [...]
Kosovo’s most famous politicians jailed for war crimes
Natalie Johnson
In the late 1990s, Thaçi, a former philosophy student, served as a senior commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, a rebel group that fought for independence from Serbia. Under the name “Commander Snake,” he oversaw dozens of murders and instances of torture in a brutal conflict that saw war crimes by both sides, including a campaign of ethnic [...]
Brazilian Supreme Court scandal spills into presidential race
Natalie Johnson
Lula’s lead over Bolsonaro has narrowed in recent days following a Brazilian Supreme Court scandal. Earlier this month, a police report disclosed alleged links between Justice Alexandre de Moraes and Daniel Vorcaro, the suspected ringleader of a multibillion-dollar bank fraud. Though he hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing in the case, the crisis [...]