1.79: And the Oscar goes to… North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who cried as he urged women in his country to help reverse a declining birth rate. As of 2022, an average North Korean woman would have 1.79 children over the course of her life, down from 1.88 in 2014. Food shortages in North Korea, one of the poorest countries in the world, could be contributing to women having fewer babies, but neighboring South Korea, despite its far superior economy, has an even lower rate, just 0.78 children per woman.
8 million: The WHO wants you to drop the pop and ditch the booze. The international health org is calling on governments everywhere to raise taxes on alcohol and sugary sweetened beverages in an effort to reduce health risks and deaths from both. “Globally 2.6 million people die from drinking alcohol every year and over 8 million from an unhealthy diet,” says the WHO.
65: The El Niño weather phenomenon continues to be tied to fatal, destabilizing climate events across the globe. At least 65 people in Tanzania have been killed in recent landslides and floods caused by torrential rain, according to Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa. Roughly 5,600 people have also reportedly been displaced by the landslides. The heavy rainfall is linked to El Niño, which has contributed to fatal downpours in neighboring countries as well.
2: It's me, Hi, I'm the Person of the Year, it's me… Taylor Swift is Time’s 2023 “Person of the Year.” The pop sensation has now been a Person of the Year two times – in 2017 she was included as part of the “Silence Breakers” – a group of women at the center of the #MeToo movement.
America’s new National Security Strategy confirms what Europeans have feared for months: Washington now sees a strong, unified European Union as a problem to be solved, not an ally to be supported.
In this episode of Tools and Weapons, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith sits down with Ed Policy, President and CEO of the Green Bay Packers, to discuss how purpose-driven leadership and innovation are shaping the future of one of the world’s most iconic sports franchises. Ed shares how technology and community-focused initiatives, from Titletown Tech to health and safety innovations on the field, are transforming not just the game of football, but the economy and culture of Green Bay itself. He explains how combining strategic vision with investment in local startups is keeping talent in the Midwest and creating opportunities that extend far beyond Lambeau Field.
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More than a week after Hondurans cast their ballots in a presidential election, the country is still stuck in a potentially-dangerous post-election fog.