5,000: Belarus has cleared its migrant camps at the Polish border, but the crisis ain't over yet. Minsk has offered to return 5,000 migrants to their home countries, but there's a catch — in exchange, the EU must take in another two thousand migrants, something EU member states are unlikely to agree to.
30: The UN wants Somalia to hurry up with electing all the members of its federal parliament so that a long-delayed presidential vote can happen before the end of the year. Once the chamber is filled, 30 percent of lawmakers must be women.
3: Despite sky-high inflation, Turkey's central bank has taken the odd step of cutting interest rates for the third time since September, as demanded by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to boost economic growth. Economists have warned this will only make prices surge even more, but he has other ideas.
1,960: A beef noodle soup vendor was arrested in Vietnam for mocking authorities with a parody of the famous steak impresario Salt Bae. The man posted on Facebook a viral video of himself throwing chopped green onions into tasty pho broth... just days after the real Salt Bae hand-fed a Vietnamese government minister a $1,960 gold-encrusted tomahawk steak in London.The day before the United States and Israel struck Iran on February 28, more than 150 accounts on Polymarket correctly bet it would happen on that specific date.
In this “ask ian,” Ian Bremmer breaks down the latest developments in the Middle East, highlighting a new five-point peace initiative from China and Pakistan.
Last week, Microsoft announced Microsoft Elevate for Changemakers, a new initiative designed to help nonprofit leaders confidently navigate the AI era. The program provides essential AI credentials, access to a peer community, and role-based resources to support responsible, mission-driven AI adoption. Part of Microsoft’s broader Elevate commitment, the initiative builds on the company’s 50-year legacy of supporting nonprofits worldwide. Microsoft partners with nearly one million nonprofit and education organizations globally and will deliver more than $5 billion in discounts, donations, and grants in the coming year. By equipping those closest to social challenges with the tools to lead, Microsoft Elevate for Changemakers helps ensure nonprofits remain at the forefront of AI-powered solutions. Read the full blog here.
The US president has now suggested several times that the Iran war could end without reopening the Strait of Hormuz.