Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

News

Hard Numbers: Soviet-made weapons for Ukraine, Russia in Africa, Argentina-IMF deal, porous US border wall

Hard Numbers: Soviet-made weapons for Ukraine, Russia in Africa, Argentina-IMF deal, porous US border wall

Ukraine's military fires a Strela-10 anti-aircraft missile system during drills in Volyn.

Ukrainian Ground Forces Command/Handout via REUTERS
Make us preferred on Google

2,700: After historically reversing its ban on sending deadly weapons to countries in conflict, Germany now plans to supply 2,700 Strela missiles to Ukraine. Interestingly, the Strelas were made in the USSR and have been held in an old depot in the former East Germany, where Vladimir Putin had his last gig with the KGB.


25: US officials are worried Sudan’s ruling junta may resurrect a suspended 2020 agreement to give Russia a 25-year lease on a naval base in Port Sudan. The deal would be a major milestone in Moscow's wider push to become a major player in Africa.

40 billion: Argentina’s parliament is debating an agreement between the government and the IMF to restructure over $40 billion of debt. The agreement is expected to pass, despite the ruling Peronista party having lost its majority in the upper house, and some of its hardline MPs opposing compromise with the IMF.

3,272: Mexican smugglers penetrated new sections of the US border wall 3,272 times over the past three years, using cheap tools like angle grinders and demolition saws available at hardware stores. The US government spent $2.6 million to fix the holes from 2019 to 2021.

More For You

A damaged section of a highway in Nuwakot, central Nepal

A damaged section of a highway in Nuwakot, central Nepal, is seen on August 27, 2026, following an outburst of a glacial lake in Tibet.

Sanjit Pariyar/NurPhoto
Catastrophic flooding in Nepal tests its young, new leaderA massive wall of mud and rock crashed into a river along Nepal’s Himalayan border with Tibet on Wednesday, triggering catastrophic flooding that swept away bridges, destroyed buildings, and swamped roads. Over 300 people were killed, and over 1,000 remain missing – including hundreds of [...]
A big settlement for Big Tech
Will Fitzpatrick
The Facebook and Instagram owner settled with 47 states, the District of Columbia, and US territories on Wednesday, agreeing to pay financial penalties and make changes to its products over claims that its platforms endangered children. Meta agreed to limit how long teenagers can spend on its apps, allow teens to turn off “autoplay" on videos, and [...]
Office of the United Nations in Geneva, second headquarters of the UN

Office of the United Nations in Geneva, second headquarters of the UN in the Palais des Nations, main building with flags of the nations and UN flag at Place des Nations, June 3, 2026, Geneva, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland

DPA/Picture Alliance
On August 4, the Trump administration notified Congress of its intent to pay the United Nations $725 million – less than a fifth of the roughly $4 billion the UN says the United States owes in unpaid membership dues. It will also pay $125 million towards UN peacekeeping operations in Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo, although it was [...]
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters sit on a vehicle in the north of Raqqa city, Syria February 5, 2017.

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters sit on a vehicle in the north of Raqqa city, Syria February 5, 2017.

REUTERS/Rodi Said
Syria’s main Kurdish militia disbandsSome of our readers may recall German sociologist Max Weber’s famous definition of a state as having “a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence.” Well, now you can watch that monopoly expanding in real time in Syria as the country’s main Kurdish militia, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), has officially [...]