Numbers

IRAQ

2,600 Estimated number of U.S. soldiers requested for Iraq for a new aviation unit, increasing the surge of additional U.S. forces to nearly 30,000 troops, 8,500 more than President George W. Bush initially ordered in January

51% Percentage of Iraqis who approve of attacks on coalition troops

REMITTANCES

$23 billion Amount of money sent home by Mexican migrant workers in 2006, mostly from the U.S.

$10 Median hourly wage in 2006 of Mexican-born workers in the U.S. At that wage, it would have taken migrants 2.3 billion work hours to earn those remittances.

EUROPE

50 Age of the European Union, which began as the European Economic Community on March 25, 1957

44% Percentage of Europeans who think life has gotten worse since their country joined the E.U.

BUDGET

80 million Gallons of discount heating oil delivered to low-income U.S. households this winter by Citgo, a subsidiary of a Venezuelan state-owned oil company, scoring President Hugo Chavez political points.

18% Cut in the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, from $2.2 billion to $1.8 billion, as recommended by Bush in his budget message to Congress for fiscal year 2008

Sources: Boston Globe; BBC (2); Pew Hispanic Center; Financial Times (2); New York Times; Citgo