Hard Numbers: X’s neo-Nazi problem, China’s export extravaganza, America’s economic bounce, Oreo’s antitrust woes, Russia’s bumpy flights

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre in Paris, France, June 16, 2023.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre in Paris, France, June 16, 2023.
REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
150: American History X? A study by NBC found that at least 150 openly pro-Nazi premium accounts are active on the social media platform (formerly known as Twitter.) About half a dozen of the accounts – which post Nazi imagery and symbols, glorify the Third Reich, and/or deny the Holocaust – racked up 4.5 million views during one week in March. X, NBC notes, has anti-hate speech policies that are supposed to catch such content.

5.3: China’s economy, the world’s second-largest, grew more than many experts expected, expanding by 5.3% compared to the same period last year. That beat analysts' predictions by 0.7 points. The boom was driven largely by huge investments in manufacturing for export – in particular solar panels, cars, and steel. Concerns remain about the persistent weakness of China’s property sector, but at this pace, China will comfortably hit its “around 5%” growth target.

2.7: Meanwhile, the world’s largest economy, the US, is projected to grow 2.7% this year, according to new IMF figures. That’s not quite on China’s level, but it’s still double the rate of any fellow members of the G7, a club of the world’s largest democratic economies. Coupled with China’s strong showing, the US economic boom has helped to stave off a global recession.

340 million: The company that owns Oreos is about to get dunked, it seems. An EU antitrust probe has found that Mondelez, the US-based company that also makes Toblerone bars and Cadbury chocolates, deliberately restricted the flow of its products between European countries in a bid to keep prices higher. The company has reportedly set aside €340 million ($360 million) for the coming fine.

20*: Flying in Russia is getting more dangerous but less fatal. Western sanctions on plane parts and servicing have caused a sharp rise in aircraft malfunctions, but Russia’s 20 air travel deaths in 2023 were still the lowest in a decade. The asterisk is for the late Yevgeny Prigozhin, of Wagner insurrection fame, who was killed along with nine others when his plane went down last August. Authorities say the possibility of foul play means the incident isn’t included as a conventional air travel death.

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