Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

News

Hard Numbers: Google deletes misinformation, Africa’s COVID testing falls short, China-India spat hits cricket, Belarus’ salaries stagnate

Hard Numbers: Google deletes misinformation, Africa’s COVID testing falls short, China-India spat hits cricket, Belarus’ salaries stagnate
Make us preferred on Google

2,500: Google has deleted around 2,500 YouTube accounts linked to a coordinated misinformation campaign about Hong Kong, Chinese regime critics and China's coronavirus response. It's been a busy week for social media platforms cracking down on fake news, after Facebook and Twitter censored a post from US President Donald Trump for containing misinformation about COVID-19, and Brazil's Supreme Court ordered Facebook to block accounts tied to allies of President Jair Bolsonaro for spreading lies about judges.


10: Just ten of Africa's 54 countries account for 80 percent of all coronavirus testing carried out so far in the continent, according to the regional disease control body. Although the list includes Africa's most populous nations, the concentration of the activity reflects major shortfalls in testing across all 54 countries in Africa, where already weak health systems are struggling to cope with the influx of COVID-19 patients.

293 million: Chinese smartphone maker Vivo has cancelled of a $293 million deal to sponsor India's immensely popular national cricket league for the next four years. The decision has been blamed on growing anti-China sentiment in India following a deadly Himalayan border clash in June.

500: Between 1999 and 2010, the average monthly wage in Belarus jumped ten-fold, to $500— but it has stayed there since. President Alexander Lukashenkos's once-popular promise of "$500 for everyone" has now become an internet meme for younger people, who call him "Psycho 3%" — and will likely not vote for Lukashenko in Sunday's presidential election.

More For You

In this special edition of “ask ian,” Ian Bremmer reflects on the life and passing of his beloved dog, Moose. [...]
Argentina's President Javier Milei visits the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site during his tour in Jerusalem's Old City, February 6, 2024

Argentina's President Javier Milei visits the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site during his tour in Jerusalem's Old City, February 6, 2024

REUTERS/Ammar Awad
“We hope and believe that 2026 will be the year of Latin America,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar proclaimed late last year.So far, it looks like things are going his way. Even as Israel grows increasingly isolated on the world stage, there is one region where a whole swath of newly elected leaders can’t seem to get enough of the Jewish [...]
Tourist Trap
Lottie Tellyn
The dropoff deepens a trend that began in 2025, when overseas arrivals fell by 2.5%. The decline is particularly striking given that thousands of people came to the US for the World Cup earlier this year. The Trump administration has set an ambitious goal of attracting 100 million overseas visitors a year by 2030, but meeting that target would [...]
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan receives Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney with an official ceremony in Ankara, Turkiye on October 22, 2026.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan receives Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney with an official ceremony in Ankara, Turkiye on October 22, 2026.

Anadolu via Reuters Connect
Canada looks to Turkey for new partnershipCanadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Turkey on Thursday for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The visit is the first by a Canadian prime minister to Turkey. The two leaders promptly announced a new “strategic partnership” focused on expanding cooperation in defense and energy — Erdogan is [...]