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Hard Numbers: Clean power beats coal, Biden’s border problem, more Afghan funds frozen, NBA back in China

March 30, 2022
Carlos Santamaria
Hard Numbers: Clean power beats coal, Biden’s border problem, more Afghan funds frozen, NBA back in China
Annie Gugliotta & Jess Frampton

38: Clean energy sources — such as solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, and bioenergy — generated 38% of the world’s electricity in 2021. It’s the first time renewables jumped ahead of coal, which accounted for 36% of global electricity generation last year.

18,000: That's how many illegal border crossings per day US authorities are bracing for if the Biden administration lifts a Trump-era public health order to turn migrants back due to COVID. Keeping the order in place would likely upset progressive Democrats, while removing it would see Republicans pounce on the likely migrant surge just months ahead of November midterms.

600 million: The World Bank has suspended four development projects worth $600 million in response to the Taliban banning girls from returning to secondary school in Afghanistan. Undeterred, the Taliban insist they must first decide on suitable uniforms for girls.

18: American professional basketball returned to Chinese state TV on Tuesday, with CCTV showing its first game in 18 months. China, the NBA's biggest overseas market, took games off the air — although they were available on streaming platforms — after a team manager tweeted support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong in October 2019.

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