Hard Numbers: World Cup emissions, Russian mercs on TikTok, peak US inflation, Spanish letter bombs
6,000-8,000: That's how many additional metric tons of carbon dioxide the World Cup has generated so far thanks to over a hundred daily shuttle flights between Qatar and neighboring Gulf nations because the host country doesn't have enough hotel rooms for fans. So much for Qatar's claim that this would be the most carbon-neutral World Cup ever.
1 billion: TikTok videos that glorify acts of violence committed by mercenaries from Russia's notorious Wagner Group have been viewed more than 1 billion times, according to a new report. The private military company — which has sent many of its men to fight in Ukraine — is run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close Vladimir Putin ally.
0.2: Have we reached peak US inflation? The core personal consumption expenditures index rose by a lower-than-expected 0.2% month-on-month in October. Economists prefer this closely watched metric to the consumer price index because it excludes volatile food and energy costs. Watch out for the Fed's next interest rate hike on Dec. 14.
5: Spanish authorities are puzzled by five letter bombs sent this week to the defense ministry, an EU office, the US and Ukrainian embassies, and an arms factory that makes grenades for Ukraine. Russia, of course, has denied any wrongdoing in a country with bitter memories of explosive packages from ETA, the now-defunct Basque armed militant group.