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Hard Numbers

Hard numbers: Myanmar’s military-backed party set to win sham election, Trump threatens to raise tariffs on South Korea, Silver prices spike, & More

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing (R) arrives at a polling station in the Myanmar capital of Naypyitaw on Dec. 28, 2025.

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing (R) arrives at a polling station in the Myanmar capital of Naypyitaw on Dec. 28, 2025, for the country's first general election since a 2021 coup.

Kyodo
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57: The number of seats – out of 61 – that Myanmar’s military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party has won in the lower house following Sunday’s election, according to a party official. The election, the first since the army seized power in 2021, was widely viewed as a sham, with many townships refusing to vote.


$22 billion: The net outflow from African nations to China from 2020-2024, a reversal from the net inflow of $30 billion over the preceding five-year period. This turnaround reflects rising debt repayments and a sharp drop in the amount of Chinese loans to the continent.

500,000: The number of undocumented migrants who could be granted legal status in Spain, according to the country’s government. It’s a notable move for the fast-growing European economy, and one that stands in contrast to many of its neighbors, which have tightened legal immigration.

25%: The incoming US tariff rate on South Korean imports, after US President Donald Trump vowed to raise duties from 15%. Trump said lawmakers in Seoul were taking too long to enact a trade deal that the two sides had agreed on in July – the deal would have allowed preferential treatment for Korean cars in the US market.

250%: The amount that silver prices have risen over the last year, an astonishing amount that far eclipses the jump in gold prices. The cost of silver now sits around $110 per troy ounce.

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