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Hard Numbers: Saudi oil windfall, Castillo's friends, Chinese map raid, Truss ahead

August 14, 2022

Carlos Santamaria

Hard Numbers: Saudi oil windfall, Castillo's friends, Chinese map raid, Truss ahead

Paige Fusco

48.4 billion: Saudi Aramco, the (almost entirely) state-owned Saudi oil company, made a record $48.4 billion in profits in the second quarter of 2022, up 90% year-on-year thanks to high global prices. Fist bump notwithstanding, US President Joe Biden’s call for Crown Prince MBS to pump more oil has so far fallen on deaf ears.

4: In a joint statement, four Latin American governments — Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Mexico — backed the embattled Pedro Castillo to continue as Peru's president. Castillo has already survived two impeachment attempts and is under six separate criminal investigations, including for obstruction of justice, after little over a year in power.

23,500: Chinese customs officials seized 23,500 "problematic" maps intended for export over their drawing of China's official national borders. The maps didn't accurately represent Beijing's vast maritime sovereignty claims in the South China Sea and the East China Sea.

22: UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is leading former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak by 22 percentage points in the race for Conservative Party leader and next British PM, according to a new poll. Truss is widely favored to win the contest as she's more popular with the Tory base than Sunak, who's coming under increasing pressure to drop out.

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Hard Numbers: Major hurricane sweeping through Caribbean, Insurgents implement blockade in Mali, Côte d’Ivoire’s octogenarian leader wins again, Diphtheria on the rise

Hurricane Melissa, which has developed into a Category 5 storm, moves north in the Caribbean Sea towards Jamaica and Cuba in a composite satellite image obtained by Reuters on October 27, 2025.

CIRA/NOAA/Handout via REUTERS

30: Hurricane Melissa, which was upgraded over the weekend to a Category 5 storm, is expected to hit Jamaica on Monday and bring 30 inches of rain and 165-mph winds, in what will be one of the most intense storms to ever hit the island.

Trump’s Asian trade blitz sets up sitdown with Xi

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh as East Timor's Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao and Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong look on at the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 26, 2025.

Vincent Thian/Pool via REUTERS

The US president signed a raft of trade deals on Sunday at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, but the main event of his Asia trip will be his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

GZEROMEDIA

What We’re Watching: Milei’s smashing election night, Brazil’s Lula eyes US trade deal, Sudan’s rebel forces seize stricken Darfur town

Argentina's President Javier Milei celebrates after the La Libertad Avanza party won the midterm election, which is seen as crucial for Milei's administration after U.S. President Donald Trump warned that future support for Argentina would depend on Milei's party performing well in the vote, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 26, 2025.

REUTERS/Cristina Sille

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Hard Numbers: Saudi oil windfall, Castillo's friends, Chinese map raid, Truss ahead

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Hard Numbers: Saudi oil windfall, Castillo's friends, Chinese map raid, Truss ahead

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More from GZERO Media

The real US-China AI race isn’t about who builds the most powerful technology, but who applies and governs it in ways that strengthen—rather than undermine—society, Tristan Harris tells Ian Bremmer on GZERO World.

A new set of forces is distorting the economy's response mechanisms and muting the traditional cycle. Listen to Strategic Alternatives, the RBC Capital Markets podcast, to hear Chief Economist Frances Donald break down what it means for companies, investors, and policymakers.

While President Trump’s demolition of the White House East Wing dominates the headlines, Ian Bremmer says bigger stories are being overlooked.

30: Hurricane Melissa, which was upgraded over the weekend to a Category 5 storm, is expected to hit Jamaica on Monday and bring 30 inches of rain and 165-mph winds, in what will be one of the most intense storms to ever hit the island.

The US president signed a raft of trade deals on Sunday at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, but the main event of his Asia trip will be his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

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On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, Tristan Harris of the Center for Humane Technology warns that tech companies are racing to build powerful AI models and ignoring mental health risks and other consequences for society and humanity.

Tristan Harris, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, joins Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World Podcast to talk about the risks of recklessly rolling out powerful AI tools without guardrails as big tech firms race to build “god in a box.”

The next leap in artificial intelligence is physical. On Ian Explains, Ian Bremmer breaks down how robots and autonomous machines will transform daily life, if we can manage the risks that come with them.

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