Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Hard Numbers

Hard Numbers: Otis death toll mounts, Taiwanese march for marriage equality, illegal Indian migrants in the US, South Africa’s rugby win, Sweden proves No. 1

​People walk next to damaged trees in the aftermath of Hurricane Otis, in Acapulco, Mexico, on Oct. 29, 2023.

People walk next to damaged trees in the aftermath of Hurricane Otis, in Acapulco, Mexico, on Oct. 29, 2023.

REUTERS/Quetzalli Nicte-Ha
Make us preferred on Google

43: The death toll in Acapulco following Hurricane Otis now stands at 43. Another five were killed in nearby Coyuca de Benitez, and dozens of people remain missing. Authorities say more than 220,000 homes and 80% of the hotel sector have been damaged, while more than 513,000 people have lost power.


180,000: An estimated 180,000 people marched on Saturday in a Taipei Pride march – East Asia’s largest – including the country’s leading presidential candidate. The most senior government official to ever attend, Vice President Lai Ching-te declared, "Equal marriage is not the end — it's the starting point for diversity. I will stand steadfast on this path."

42,000: Approximately 42,000 migrants from India crossed the southern US border illegally between October 2022 and September 2023, according to data compiled by the US Customs and Border Protection. That’s more than double the previous record number from the same period a year earlier. An additional 1,600 have crossed illegally from the northern border, four times the number who crossed in the last three years combined.

4: In what was described as an epic, rainy seesaw of a match, South Africa won its fourth consecutive world rugby title, beating New Zealand 12-11. No team has ever won four titles, making South Africa’s Springboks the undisputed rulers of rugby.

1: Let’s move to Sweden! In a ranking of 87 countries by cost of living, Numbeo ranked Sweden number one for affordability, safety, and overall quality of life. The cost of living in Sweden is, on average, 20.9% lower than in the United States, while renting is 57.5% lower.

More For You

AI-boosted cybercrime
Natalie Johnson
Artificial intelligence now contributes to more than half of cybercrime in Africa, helping criminals launch faster, more sophisticated attacks, according to a new study by the international police organization Interpol. Phishing, online extortion, and identity theft ranked among the most common cybercrimes last year. With more than 1 billion [...]
School shooting in Thailand puts gun ownership in focus
Will Fitzpatrick
A 14-year-old boy opened fire at a school outside Bangkok on Friday after killing his grandparents at their home, killing seven people and injuring 30 others before taking his own life. The attack has renewed scrutiny of Thailand’s high levels of gun ownership. Despite having strict gun laws, Thailand has a booming black market for firearms. There [...]
Nigerian security forces free hundreds of abductees
Natalie Johnson
In what Nigeria’s president described as the country’s largest single-day rescue operation, security forces freed hundreds of people from captivity in the northern Kainji Lake National Park. Authorities have not identified the kidnappers, but abductions by armed groups, including Boko Haram-linked militants, have become increasingly common to [...]
You tariff some, you refund some
Will Fitzpatrick
The repayment accounts for about 60% of the $165 billion that the Trump administration collected from tariffs. Most of the refunds so far have gone to companies, notably larger tech companies – Apple reportedly received $2.2 billion, and Amazon $600 million. But the Supreme Court’s ruling hasn’t stopped Trump from trying again: he recently imposed [...]