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Hard Numbers: Najib pardon mulled, Angola counts votes, Taiwan ups defense budget, Sardinia woos you

August 25, 2022
Carlos Santamaria
Hard Numbers: Najib pardon mulled, Angola counts votes, Taiwan ups defense budget, Sardinia woos you
Former Malaysian PM Najib Razak speaks to the media outside a court in Putrajaya.
REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin

12: Malaysia's highly influential ex-PM Mahathir Mohamed says the king will likely pardon Najib Razak, the disgraced former prime minister who this week began serving a 12-year prison term over corruption related to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal. Not good when you're trying to show you're serious about punishing graft.

51: With almost all ballots counted, the ruling MPLA party has won 51% of the vote in Angola's most competitive election since independence. That's a seven-point lead over the opposition UNITA party, which is crying fraud and will likely contest the result in court.

19.41 billion: Taiwan plans to boost defense spending by 13.9% next year to a record $19.41 billion. China is getting increasingly bold in its military moves to intimidate the self-governing island following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's recent trip to Taipei.

15,000: Sardinia is offering 15,000 euros ($14,960) for people to move to the sun-soaked Italian island, famous for its pristine coastline, donkeys, and breads. But there's a catch: you'll have to live in a small town, use half of the money to buy or renovate a home, and become a full-time resident. Totally worth it, if you ask this Signalista.

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