Hard Numbers

30,000: More than 30,000 Syrians have fled their homes in the northwestern province of Idlib since a government military offensive began there last week, according to the UN. A UN official said fighting in Idlib could provoke the worst humanitarian catastrophe of the 21st century.

34: Traffic delays cost Los Angeles and New York around $19 billion and $34 billion, respectively, in 2017. The two US cities were among top 5 most congested in the world last year, joined by Moscow, Sao Paulo, and San Francisco, according to a new report from INRIX.

20: Around 20 percent of arrests in China in 2017 took place in the western province of Xinjiang – where the country’s large Muslim Uighur population is concentrated – despite the province only accounting for about 1.5 percent of China's population. That doesn’t include an estimated 700,000 to 1 million Uighurs who’ve been detained in government “re-education” camps.

5: Support for far-right Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro has jumped by 5 points to 26 percent since he was stabbed during a campaign rally last week. Bolsonaro, who lost 40 percent of his blood as a result of the attack, is in stable condition after undergoing medical treatment.

0: In contrast to previous years, North Korea displayed no inter-continental ballistic missiles in the massive military parade to celebrate the anniversary of the country’s founding, which took place over the weekend. Instead of flexing its military might, the Kim regime touted progress in economic development and improving living standards.

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Last Thursday, Brazil’s Supreme Court delivered a historic verdict: Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right former president who tried to overturn the 2022 election, was convicted along with seven close allies for conspiring against democracy and plotting to assassinate his rivals, including President Lula. Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison and barred from office until 2060. At 70, he will likely spend his remaining years behind bars.
Last Thursday, Brazil’s Supreme Court delivered a historic verdict: Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right former president who tried to overturn the 2022 election.

Last Thursday, Brazil’s Supreme Court delivered a historic verdict: Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right former president who tried to overturn the 2022 election.

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Brazil’s Supreme Court has sentenced former President Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for plotting to overturn the 2022 election and allegedly conspiring to assassinate President Lula. In this week's "ask ian," Ian Bremmer says the verdict highlights how “your response… has nothing to do with rule of law. It has everything to do with tribal political affiliation.”