2.5 million: The population of Gabon who can no longer get onto certain social media platforms, like YouTube and TikTok, after the government suspended access on Tuesday. The government said that the platforms were spreading “hateful and abusive” content online, but it comes as the oil-producing African state faces growing protests over high costs of living.
8: The number of parliamentary elections Bulgaria will have held in almost five years once an election takes place on April 19, which the president called for on Wednesday. None of Bulgaria’s elections over the past decade have led to a stable governing alliance, and political infighting has rocked fragile coalitions.
$36 billion: The amount of capital that Japan will provide for a trio of US projects. As part of its trade deal with Washington last year, Tokyo pledged to invest $550 billion in the United States, and this announcement marks the first stage of that agreement. The projects include a natural gas plant in Ohio, a crude oil export facility along the Gulf Coast, and a synthetic diamond manufacturing site in Georgia.
56%: The approval rating of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, who announced that she will run for president in 2028. Duterte, who is the daughter of the former president, is currently in a bitter showdown with the current president Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., whose approval rating is just 34%.
