News

Hard Numbers: El Niño heats up, Eurozone inflation cools down, Senegal’s Sonko launches hunger strike, Congress gets a spark

An Egyptian girl whips her wet hair while cooling off in the water amid a heatwave in Hurghada, Egypt.
An Egyptian girl whips her wet hair while cooling off in the water amid a heatwave in Hurghada, Egypt.
REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

3.5 trillion: As if the world’s hottest month on record weren’t enough, El Niño, the Pacific Ocean climate phenomenon that raises temperatures around the world every few years, is back. Experts say that droughts and seawater changes associated with the warmer temps could lop $3.5 trillion off global growth by the end of the decade.

5.3: Eurozone inflation fell to 5.3% in July, down nearly a full point since May. Falling energy costs were the main reason, but core inflation — which excludes energy and food prices — is still at 5.5%, meaning the ECB isn’t likely to back off on its rate hike policy any time soon.

7: After he was hit with seven new legal charges, prominent Senegalese opposition figure Ousmane Sonko began a hunger strike. Sonko, currently serving a prison term for "corrupting youth" in a conviction that provoked riots, says the government is trying to keep him from challenging President Macky Sall in next year’s election.

25: At least 25 US members of Congress currently drive electric vehicles, according to a straw poll by Politico. Twenty-three of them are Democrats, but one of them is Republican representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who rocks a “Friends of Coal” license plate on his Tesla Model S.


CORRECTION: An earlier version of this piece erroneously stated that 25 members of the US Senate were driving electric cars. It is actually 25 members of Congress. We regret the error.

More For You

- YouTube

At the 2026 AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Tony Maciulis speaks with Tonee Ndungu, a Kenyan entrepreneur who helped launch one of the tech hubs that became a baseline for what is now known as Silicon Savannah. Ndungu explains how growing up with dyslexia and ADHD shaped his focus on inclusion, and why he sees technology as a bridge that can help people move beyond the limits they have been told about themselves.

- YouTube

Artificial intelligence has enormous potential, but only if people can actually access it.
Speaking at the 2026 AI for Good Global Summit, UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock argues that AI should not be viewed as a cure-all for global development. Without reliable internet, telecommunications infrastructure, and access to basic technology, even the most advanced AI tools cannot reach the communities that need them most.

- YouTube

Artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly powerful tool for disaster preparedness and emergency response.
Speaking at the 2026 AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith explains how AI combines predictive modeling, satellite imagery, and public data to help governments identify vulnerable communities before disasters strike and respond more quickly when they do.

- YouTube

Graham Platner is out of Maine's Senate race. That may improve Democrats' chance of defeating Republican Susan Collins—but it doesn't guarantee it. In the latest episode of the GZERO Debrief, Eurasia Group US Practice Head Clayton Allen says Democrats may be better off than they were a week ago, but Republicans remain the favorites to hold the Senate seat.