Natural disasters claimed 10,400 lives and imposed $160 billion worth of damage to the global economy last year, German reinsurer Munich Re said today. That’s down from $350 billion and 13,000 fatalities in 2017. The good news, such as it is, stops there.
The UN Refugee Agency recently released its 2018 tally for migrant journeys across the Mediterranean. 2,262 people died or went missing last year attempting the crossing, a 28% drop since 2017. But that welcome stat masks a disturbing trend—record rates are dying at sea.
Bed bugs are a home dweller’s worst nightmare. The Cimex lectularius species is nocturnal, can hide in nooks and crannies for weeks at a time, and swells to twice its normal size after feeding… on human blood. Finding one is enough to make some residents trash their furniture, or even move.
In news that surprised no one, the US National Center for Health Statistics released data on Thursday (Dec. 20) that the average American has become heavier over the last two decades. The average adult in the US is now overweight, verging on obese.
Russian president Vladimir Putin holds his annual year-end press conference tomorrow (Dec. 20) at 12pm local time. The Kremlin is billing it as a way for reporters to get barrier-free access to the longtime leader. A record 1,702 journalists have been accredited to attend.
The holidays can be a trying time. There’s the dinner parties, and all that awkward small talk with coworkers and extended family. For those needing conversation fodder, the UK’s Royal Statistical Society is here for you with its list of the most intriguing data points of 2018.
On Oct. 30, 1995, Quebec held a vote on whether to become independent from Canada. The final tally, a nail-biting 50.58% for No against 49.42% for Yes, saw federalists narrowly win in a poll that had for months captivated not just Quebec residents, but most of the country.
British prime minister Theresa May decisively won a vote of no-confidence brought by her own party today. The embattled leader, who has been managing the almost impossible task of seeing through Brexit, secured 200 votes, with 117 against her. She needed at least 159 votes from Conservative MPs.
UK workers today (Dec. 11) just received their best jobs news in some time: their average weekly pay rose by 3.3% in the three months to October, the largest increase since the 2008 financial crisis. When adjusted for inflation, that number drops to a smaller—though respectable—1.1%, a pace last achieved in 2016.
For many in the UK right now, negotiations over Brexit can at times seem like the political version of an epic Lord of the Rings-style fantasy, involving an unending number of convoluted scenarios, bouts of chaos, multiple characters, and an almost impossible goal.
