Hard Numbers: Dorsey resigns from Twitter, Barbados ditches the Queen, Sweden’s first female PM, Solomon Islands protests over China

Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey

5: Twitter’s stock jumped 5 percent Monday after CEO and cofounder Jack Dorsey announced he was leaving the company. Many say that Dorsey is ditching the social media giant to play a bigger role in the crypto world.

30: The island nation of Barbados replaced the Queen as head of state and became a republic this week, becoming the first state in almost three decades to do so. Prince Charles, who has reportedly called the island “Little England” because he plays polo there, attended the ceremony in Bridgetown, as did pop-star Rihanna. Barbados will remain part of the Commonwealth.

100: More than 100 people have been arrested during violent protests in the Solomon Islands in recent days. Protesters, angry at the central government for severing ties with Taiwan and aligning itself with Beijing, a move that exacerbated pre-existing political and ethnic strife, are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.

7: Sweden’s first female prime minister, Magdalena Andersson, has been reappointed to the top job after she was forced to step down last week after seven hours on the job because her budget proposal failed to pass. Still, it will be tricky for Andersson, a Social Democrat, to get some things done, because her party holds less than a third of all parliamentary seats.

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Tensions in the Middle East escalate as Israel launches a surprise military strike against Iran, prompting international concern and speculation about broader conflict. In his latest Quick Take, Ian Bremmer calls Israel’s strike on Iran “a huge success for the Israelis” and a significant blow to Iran’s regional influence.

Iranian policemen monitor an area near a residential complex that is damaged in Israeli attacks in Tehran, Iran, on June 13, 2025.
Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto

Israel bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities Thursday night, causing “significant damage” at the country’s main enrichment plant, killing leading Iranian military figures and nuclear scientists, and sparking fears that the Middle East is on the verge of a wider war.

A tank on display at a park in Washington, D.C., on June 12, 2025, two days ahead of a military parade commemorating the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary and coinciding with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday.

Kyodo via Reuters Connect

The official reason for this weekend’s military parade in Washington DC is to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the US Army – but the occasion also just happens to fall on President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday.