Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Hard Numbers

Hard numbers: Turkey restricts exports to Israel, Switzerland owes citizens for climate change, France says cows CAN moo at night, Parents sentenced for son’s school shooting, Biden limits carcinogenic chemicals

​Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan addresses a conference in Ankara, Turkey.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan addresses a conference in Ankara, Turkey.

REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Make us preferred on Google

54: Turkey said Tuesday that it would restrict exports to Israel until there is a cease-fire and increased aid to Gaza. The move came after Israel refused to allow Turkey to air-drop aid into the territory. The restrictions will stop 54 products from being exported to Israel, and the Jewish state said it would respond by banning products from Turkey.

87,000: The European Court of Human Rights in France ruled that the Swiss government had violated its citizens’ human rights by not doing enough to stop climate change. The court ordered the government to pay a group of Swiss women, all aged 64 and up, $87,000 because older women are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illnesses. While this case adds to a growing list of court wins for climate change, it is unlikely to have a significant impact on policy.


46: But in a decisive win for Mother Nature, France has decided, once and for all, that cows are allowed to moo at night. The law, passed by France’s parliament 46-7, says that people who decide to live next to a farm, shop, bar, or restaurant cannot complain about the noise. It is meant to stop the slew of noise complaint court cases being brought by disgruntled neighbors – mostly new arrivals to the countryside – over being woken up by the sound of cows, Maurice the rooster, pond frogs, and other rural noises.

10: Jennifer and James Crumbley were convicted of involuntary manslaughter for failing to prevent their teenage son from killing four students in the deadliest school shooting in Michigan’s history, and on Tuesday, they were sentenced to at least 10 years in prison. They are the first parents in the US to be convicted over the deaths caused by their child in a mass shooting.

200: More than 200 chemical plants across the US have been ordered to limit the amount of toxic pollutants they release into the air under a new regulation announced by the Biden administration on Tuesday. The new rule from the EPA targets ethylene oxide, which is used to sterilize medical devices, and chloroprene, which is used to make rubber in footwear. Both have been classified as likely carcinogens.

More For You

Another Polymarket ban
Will Fitzpatrick
Spain temporarily banned the US-based prediction markets Polymarket and Kalshi on Tuesday, as well as its rival Kalshi, arguing that they were operating without a gambling license. The ban will last three to four months, pending a review from the country’s gambling watchdog. The move comes as other bans against Polymarket, in particular, are [...]
Cornyn’s defeat could cost Republicans dearly
Will Fitzpatrick
Cornyn’s hefty loss yesterday to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (whom US President Donald Trump endorsed) in the Senate runoff yesterday will be a costly one for the Republican Party. Firstly, the GOP is losing one of their most prolific fundraisers in Senate history. Secondly, Paxton’s scandal-filled history – including allegations of [...]
Cambodia seeks to shed autocratic image?
Will Fitzpatrick
Cambodia has been an autocracy ever since Hun seized power in a coup d’état in 1997, but it is apparently looking to change that image. On Monday, the president announced that he would be freeing Kem from house arrest, barely a month after an appeals court upheld the conviction against him – one that carried a 27-year sentence. The move is [...]
African continent turns to Chinese solar
Will Fitzpatrick
As the Iran war disrupts global energy supplies, countries in Africa and Southeast Asia are accelerating their shift toward renewable energy to counter rising fuel prices. New Chinese consumer data released this week shows a sharp surge in solar panel exports, with shipments to Southeast Asia climbing 75% year-on-year in April. China, the world’s [...]