Hard Numbers: China claims zero dead, deadly attack in Mali, and borders closing across the globe

15: So far, 15 US states and territories have delayed their primaries amid coronavirus fears, with many expanding vote-by-mail options to protect voters' health. Six of them have picked June 2, which is now an important date to watch.

0: For the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak began in China late last year, China reported zero new coronavirus-related deaths. Still, authorities worried about a second wave of infections have recently placed dozens of communities in Wuhan back under lockdown even as broader restrictions in the city are eased.

39: Around 39 percent of the global population, some 3 billion people, live in countries whose borders are now completely closed to non-citizens and non-residents, according to a Pew study. A smaller number of countries, including Ecuador, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, have even closed their borders to their citizens stuck abroad.

25: Insurgents attacked a military site in northern Mali Tuesday, killing twenty-five soldiers. While no one claimed responsibility for the attack, the government said it resembled the Islamic State or al-Qaeda. Mali's government recently announced its readiness to open dialogue with al-Qaeda-linked groups that have wreaked havoc in that country for years.

More from GZERO Media

A miniature statue of US President Donald Trump stands next to a model bunker-buster bomb, with the Iranian national flag in the background, in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, on June 19, 2025.
STR/NurPhoto

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will decide whether to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities “in the next two weeks,” a move that re-opens the door to negotiations, but also gives the US more time to position military forces for an operation.

People ride motorcycles as South Korea's LGBTQ community and supporters attend a Pride parade, during the Seoul Queer Culture Festival, in Seoul, South Korea, June 14, 2025.
REUTERS/Kim Soo-hyeon

June is recognized in more than 100 countries in the world as “Pride Month,” marking 55 years since gay liberation marches began commemorating the Stonewall riots – a pivotal uprising against the police’s targeting of LGBTQ+ communities in New York.

Port of Nice, France, during the United Nations Oceans Conference in June 2025.
María José Valverde

Eurasia Group’s biodiversity and sustainability analyst María José Valverde sat down with Rebecca Hubbard, the director of the High Seas Alliance, to discuss the High Seas Treaty.

Housing shortages in the US and Canada have become a significant problem – and a contentious political issue – in recent years. New data on housing construction this week suggest neither country is making enough progress to solve the shortfalls. Here’s a snapshot of the situation on both sides of the border.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks during a meeting of northeastern U.S. Governors and Canadian Premiers, in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., June 16, 2025.
REUTERS/Sophie Park

While the national level drama played out between Donald Trump and Mark Carney at the G7 in Kananaskis, a lot of important US-Canada work was going on with far less fanfare in Boston, where five Canadian premiers met with governors and delegations from seven US states.

- YouTube

What’s next for Iran’s regime? Ian Bremmer says, “It’s much more likely that the supreme leader ends up out, but the military… continues to run the country.”