Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

News

Hard Numbers: Expensive beer in Qatar, EU asylum-seeker backlog, DRC fighting, China’s chain-smoking Marathon Man

Belgium fan kisses World Cup insignia on his plastic glass of beer before a match at the 2018 Russia World Cup.

Belgium fan kisses World Cup insignia on his plastic glass of beer before a match at the 2018 Russia World Cup.

REUTERS/Carl Recine
Make us preferred on Google

14: Expect to cough up some serious cash if you're itching for a cold one at the upcoming soccer World Cup in Qatar. A half-liter of official sponsor Budweiser, the only beer allowed to be sold to ticketed fans before and after matches but not inside stadiums, will cost almost $14 — about double what a larger pint of Bud would set you back in expensive NYC.


117: That's how many asylum-seekers the EU has been able to transfer across the bloc since its much-touted relocation system was launched in June. Out of how many applications? 8,000.

20: Kenya's former President Uhuru Kenyatta arrived on Tuesday in Goma, the capital of war-torn North Kivu province in the eastern DRC, to mediate peace talks between M23 rebels and the government. Goma is only 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) away from where the two sides are fighting amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.

3.28: A 50-year-old Chinese man finished a marathon in a pretty impressive three hours and 28 minutes ... while chain-smoking cigarettes. Uncle Chen, as he's popularly known, reportedly only lights up when he runs.


This was featured in Signal, the daily politics newsletter of GZERO Media. For smart coverage of global affairs that normal people can understand, subscribe here.

More For You

​A woman votes on Election Day, in Arden, North Carolina, on November 5, 2024.

A woman votes during the 2024 US presidential election on Election Day, in Arden, North Carolina, on November 5, 2024.

REUTERS/Jonathan Drake
Young voters are splitting up, and gender is the wedge. In countries around the world, young women are moving steadily left while young men are shifting toward conservative and nationalist parties. [...]
Out of Le Pen-alty box
Farida Dowidar
Le Pen, who leads the National Rally party, can run for president for a fourth time next year in 2027, after the Paris Court of Appeals shortened her ban on holding public office. However, she may have to run under conditions she won’t like: the court ruled Le Pen must wear an ankle bracelet, which she previously said she wouldn’t accept. Le Pen [...]
​US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7, 2026.

US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan participate in a state arrival ceremony and honor guard review, before attending a NATO leaders summit, at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7, 2026.

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
NATO summit opens with Trump at center stageWorld leaders arrived in Ankara, Turkey, for this week’s NATO summit, where a light official agenda is being overshadowed by side deals that could hand US President Donald Trump some early wins. During his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Trump announced plans to lift sanctions [...]
The new smoke-free craze
Farida Dowidar
Nicotine pouches have exploded in popularity, and Zyn, the leading brand, is expected to see nearly $33 billion in sales growth. Like vapes, pouches are part of the wave of smoke-free nicotine products creating new revenue streams for tobacco companies while sales of cigarettes in places like the US have seen a sharp decline. While the [...]