Hard Numbers: Myanmar’s junta in talks with China and India, Royal cake piece sells, Boeing strike ends, Polls show Trump landslide against Biden

Myanmar's army chief General Min Aung Hlaing inspects troops during a parade to mark the 67th anniversary of Armed Forces Day in Myanmar's capital Naypyitaw March 27, 2012.
Myanmar's army chief General Min Aung Hlaing inspects troops during a parade to mark the 67th anniversary of Armed Forces Day in Myanmar's capital Naypyitaw March 27, 2012.
REUTERS/Soe Zeya/

5,350: Myanmar’s ethnic groups fighting against the junta are up in arms over China hosting junta leader Min Aung Hlaing for the first time since the military coup in 2021. According to a UN report, 5,350 civilians have been killed by the junta. The talks come as ethnic minority militias and pro-democracy fighters are making unprecedented gains in parts of Myanmar, including areas bordering China. and as India is reportedly in talks with some rebels and the shadow pro-democracy government.

2,200: Seventy-seven years after it was sliced, a piece of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s wedding cake has sold at auction for £2,200 (US$2,863) to a phone bidder from China. The family selling the slice are the descendants of the queen’s housekeeper, who was gifted it by the royal.

38: US Boeing workers have ended their seven-week strike, accepting the aviation manufacturer's offer of a 38% pay raise over the next four years. The walkout consisted of 30,000 workers demanding a 40% pay rise and has cost Boeing nearly $10 billion.

7: Ever wonder what would have happened if Joe Biden hadn’t dropped out of the presidential race? According to a YouGov, if we lived in an alternative reality where Biden was still on the ballot, Donald Trump would be ahead seven points nationally. In this scenario, such a poll would have translated to a Trump landslide.

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