345: Pakistan’s newly elected prime minister, Imran Khan, who rose to power as an anti-corruption crusader, is already under fire for claiming his daily helicopter commute to work costs just $6.12, close to the price of a taxi. The real cost, according to BBC Urdu, was estimated at $345 per trip.
66: Vladimir Putin went on TV this week to announce the Russian government would backtrack on unpopular changes to the country’s pension system. Men will still see pension age move from 60 to 65, despite complaints that life expectancy for Russian men is just 66 years old. But women will see the pension age move from 55 to 60 rather than 63. It’s a rare Putin retreat, thanks in part to a pension-related 16-point drop in his approval rating from 80 percent to 64 percent.
53: Argentina’s currency crisis intensified this week. The value of Argentina’s peso fell 7 percent on Wednesday and another 15 percent on Thursday. It’s down 53 percent against the dollar so far this year. The International Monetary Fund has responded by agreeing to accelerate the pace of a $50 billion bailout of the country.
52: Ninety-one percent of US adults say Supreme Court decisions have an impact on their everyday lives, but 52 percent cannot name a single justice now serving on the Court. Anger and apathy are a dangerous combination.
