Hard Numbers: Russia wants a bigger piece of Africa

1: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was formally indicted on corruption charges Tuesday, making him the first sitting prime minister to face trial in Israel's history. The charges came hours before Netanyahu was set to meet President Trump for the unveiling of the US' long-anticipated Mideast peace plan.


60,000: Clashes in Sudan's West Darfur between Arab and African ethnic groups have displaced some 60,000 Sudanese, with 4,000 people fleeing to neighboring Chad in the last week alone. An uptick in violence has undermined efforts by Sudan's transitional government to end Darfur's decades-long conflict.

200: Russia is raising its profile in Africa, recently sending 200 mercenaries to Mozambique to combat the surge of jihadist violence in the region. Moscow is already involved in Libya's civil war and is looking to build a port in the Horn of Africa, which would be Russia's first permanent military installation on the continent.

6: For the first time since being jailed for driving the failed Catalan independence bid in 2017, six Catalan politicians returned to Barcelona's regional parliament to attend a committee session addressing the consequences of that crisis. The former Cabinet members are serving prison sentences of between nine to 13 years for that independence bid.

At its plant in Mantua, Italy, Eni's chemical company Versalis has developed a new kind of expanded polystyrene, commonly known as styrofoam. It requires lower emissions and energy consumption, and it even resists breaking into little flecks and styrofoam balls. This new polystyrene was designed and produced specifically with reuse in mind, and for some applications it can be reused several times.

Learn more at Eniday: Energy Is A Good Story

The 2020 Iowa Democratic Caucuses, a critical early contest on the path to winning the nomination, begin tonight. After that, the pace of the primaries picks up fast, with important contests in New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina. Here's the latest polling of the frontrunners in each of those states. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders tops polls in Iowa and New Hampshire, but former Vice President Joe Biden is number one in Nevada and has a commanding lead in South Carolina.

Ben White, Chief Economic Correspondent for Politico, with his Special Iowa Caucus edition of US Politics In :60 Seconds!

So, it's finally here. Voters are actually voting, or I should say caucusing, to be more precise. So, what's going to happen?

Typically, the conventional wisdom is there's three tickets out of Iowa. I don't think that's going to be true this year. I think there's a pretty good chance that Bernie Sanders comes in first. I think that Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren will be fighting for second place. Klobuchar and Buttigieg fighting for third and fourth. But I think the result will be kind of muddled. So, I think there may actually be six tickets coming out of Iowa.

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What do Chechnya, Georgia, and Iowa have in common? The President of Russia has an answer.

GZERO WORLD with Ian Bremmer airs nationwide on public television Fridays beginning at 11 a.m. ET. Check local listings. The interview will also be published in full on gzeromedia.com on Monday, February 10, at 6 a.m. ET.