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Hard Numbers: Does Social Media Control Your News?

600: Political violence in Burundi in 2015 prompted half a million refugees to flee, mostly to Tanzania. Now, the first 600 are heading back voluntarily as part of a mass repatriation program. But other Burundians fear being sent back against their will after the Tanzanian government said it would start repatriating all Burundians "willing or not."


2 million: School closures in Haiti over the past two weeks have left about 2 million children and adolescents without access to education, according to the United Nations. Anti-government protests and violence engulfing that county have also disrupted hospitals and aid supplies, and could deteriorate into a full-blown humanitarian crisis, the UN warns.

62: Some 62 percent of US adults say that social media platforms have "too much control" over the news that appears on their feeds, according to a recent Pew poll. Just 21 percent believe social media companies have "the right amount of control" over the mix of news they see.

7.5 billion: The World Trade Organization has given the US the go-ahead to impose tariffs on $7.5 billion of European exports, including aircrafts and some agricultural products. This is the latest installment in a protracted US-EU row over European subsidies to the EU's leading aerospace company, Airbus.

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Hard number: 2026 World Cup debuts
Natalie Johnson
Forty-eight countries have officially qualified for the World Cup, after Iraq booked the final spot with its win against Bolivia on Tuesday. It’s the first time Iraq will be competing in the tournament in 40 years. The Democratic Republic of Congo, too, is set to participate for the first time in years (52 to be exact!), and even declared a [...]
​U.S. President Donald Trump speaks next to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick during the signing ceremony for an executive order on mail ballots, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., March 31, 2026.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks next to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick during the signing ceremony for an executive order on mail ballots, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., March 31, 2026.

REUTERS/Evan Vucci
Trump takes Iran war to prime-timeWhat are Donald Trump’s aims in Iran? He’s sent conflicting signals in recent days — is he ending the war soon or launching a ground invasion? Is he forcing open the Strait of Hormuz or forgetting about it? Has the Iranian regime changed, or not? This evening may bring some clarity when he addresses the nation at [...]
​U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office, as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum look on, on the day he signs an executive order, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 23, 2025.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office, as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum look on, on the day he signs an executive order, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 23, 2025.

REUTERS/Kent Nishimura
Trump’s Strait talk gets wavyThe US president has now suggested several times that the Iran war could end without reopening the Strait of Hormuz. On Tuesday morning, he blasted European allies for not sending forces to protect navigation through the Iran-dominated waterway, which handles a fifth of the world’s oil and gas. “Go get your own oil!” [...]
The number of Asian countries that have lined up to participate in the first edition of Eurovision, the world’s longest-running international music competition, on the continent.

The number of Asian countries that have lined up to participate in the first edition of Eurovision, the world’s longest-running international music competition, on the continent.

Natalie Johnson
10: The number of Asian countries that have lined up to participate in the first edition of Eurovision, the world’s longest-running international music competition, on the continent.The annual musical extravaganza will make its debut in Asia this year, with the grand finale set for November in Bangkok. Countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia, South [...]