You’re reading Significant Digits, a daily digest of the telling numbers tucked inside the news.
2 titles
Chris Froome has joined the Tour de France elite, clinching his second victory on Sunday in Paris. Now only 20 men — excluding Lance Armstrong, whose seven titles have been officially stripped — have won the general classification on multiple Tours. Froome, a Kenya-born Brit, also took the much-cooler-sounding King of the Mountains honor as the event’s best climber. He was only the sixth rider to take both crowns in one year. [The Guardian]
15 years
Chinese gamers, lament: I’m about to destroy you in “Halo.” China just lifted its 15-year ban on video game consoles, allowing companies like Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony to hawk their wares across the country — one of “the world’s largest videogame markets.” [The Wall Street Journal]
15 percent
Tourism in Cuba has jumped, up 15 percent in the first five months of this year. After a normalization of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba, some worry that Cuba may eventually lose its “1950s nostalgia” and become just another tourist trap. As long as any radical transformation does not eliminate mojitos, I would still like to visit. [NPR]
18 percent
Donald Trump, The World’s Greatest Troll, is trolling right along. Trump is drawing 18 percent support among Republicans, according to a recent CNN/ORC poll. This puts him atop the expansive field of Republican presidential hopefuls nationally, besting Jeb Bush’s 15 percent. Trump also leads in New Hampshire — and is a close second to Scott Walker in Iowa — according to recent NBC News/Marist polling. Chicken Little could not be reached for comment. [CNN]
$25 gift card
Nike will pay up to $2.4 million per a settlement in a lawsuit related to its FuelBand. (Apple was also named as a defendant, but the company bears no liability.) Beneficiaries of the class action settlement can apply for $15 cold, hard cash, or a $25 Nike gift card. According to the plaintiffs, the product’s ability to accurately measure physical activity, like steps taken and calories burned, was overblown. [AppleInsider]
45 2/3 innings
On Sunday, a hapless Zack Greinke gave up a run to a pitcher (a pitcher!) on one of the worst offensive teams in the league to end his pathetic 45 2/3-inning scoreless streak. The Mets’ Jacob deGrom notched an RBI (just his second of the year) on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the third against the Dodgers. Greinke’s was only the fourth-longest such streak in the expansion era. The Dodgers went on to lose in 10 innings. [USA Today]
51 million posts
Lost your phone? You’re not alone. In an average month, “more than 51 million posts, comments, likes and shares are related to users discussing lost phones,” according to Facebook. Amazingly, though, over 75 percent of posts about lost phones are made from other mobile devices. [Adweek]
$105 million
Fiat Chrysler has been fined a record $105 million, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cracks down on safety violations. Chrysler reportedly mishandled nearly two dozen recalls of its automobiles. In one high-profile incident, Jeep Grand Cherokee models from 1993 to 2007 were shown to be “prone to deadly fires.” More than 50 deaths have been linked to that problem. [CNN Money]
$200 million
The Venezuelan brewing industry is $200 million in debt to suppliers, and the country could stop brewing beer by August. Strict currency controls have made crucial beer-related imports such as barley and malt scarce. Supplies of toilet paper and shampoo have reportedly also been scant. A shortage of beer, however, would clearly be much, much worse. [Fusion]
$49 billion
AT&T and DirecTV are merging. The deal — worth $49 billion — was approved by the FCC on Friday. If you’re having déjà vu, it may be because of Comcast’s $45 billion bid for Time Warner Cable, which fell apart in April. I’d like to apologize in advance to all Significant Digits readers for their inevitable customer service-induced stress dreams. This column will return tomorrow, sometime between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. [Variety]
My esteemed colleague Walt Hickey is off working on his tan, so if you see a digit that tickles your significance bone, please tweet it to me @Ollie.
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And happy Monday!