26,000: The first grain-filled ship to leave the Black Sea port of Odesa set sail on Monday. Carrying 26,000 metric tonnes of Ukrainian corn, the ship will first stop in Istanbul en route to Lebanon.
1 billion: The EU disbursed 500 million euros on Monday to Ukraine, and another 500 million is set to drop on Tuesday. EU Commission VP Valdis Dombrovskis said the billion euro loan is the first part of a 9 billion euros financial package to help Ukraine amid the war, and that the EU will provide support “for as long as it takes.”
1,000: Brazil’s health ministry reports the country is battling close to 1,000 cases of monkeypox, with the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro especially hard hit. Brazil has recorded one death from the virus; Spain has reported two.
25: While the Bank of England has raised interest rates by .25 percentage points several times since December, it is now mulling its highest benchmark rate in 25 years. The bank will announce on Thursday whether its new benchmark rate is 1.75% – a .50 percentage point hike.
In this Quick Take, Ian Bremmer weighs in on the politicization of the Olympics after comments by Team USA freestyle skier Hunter Hess sparked backlash about patriotism and national representation.
100 million: The number of people expected to watch the Super Bowl halftime performance with Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican superstar and newly minted Album of the Year winner at the Grammys.
Brazilian skiers, American ICE agents, Israeli bobsledders – this is just a smattering of the fascinating characters that will be present at this year’s Winter Olympics. Yet the focus will be a different country, one that isn’t formally competing: Russia.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), appeals for a candidate during a street speech of the House of Representatives Election Campaign in Shintomi Town, Miyazaki Prefecture on February 6, 2026. The Lower House election will feature voting and counting on February 8th.
Japanese voters head to the polls on Sunday in a snap election for the national legislature’s lower house, called just three months into Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s tenure.