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Hard Numbers: Photographer snaps legendary Olympic surfing pic, Japan raises interest rates, Morocco frees journalists, ‘White Dudes’ raise millions for Harris, Ebikes deliver in Accra

Japan's Kanoa Igarashi competes in the third round of the men's surfing event at the Paris Olympics in Teahupo'o, Tahiti, on July 29, 2024. Igarashi lost to Gabriel Medina of Brazil.

Japan's Kanoa Igarashi competes in the third round of the men's surfing event at the Paris Olympics in Teahupo'o, Tahiti, on July 29, 2024. Igarashi lost to Gabriel Medina of Brazil.

Reuters
Willis Sparks
By Willis SparksJuly 30, 2024
Willis Sparks
Willis Sparks is a senior editor for GZERO Daily. He is also a Director in the Global Macro practice at Eurasia Group, where he has worked since 2005. He has made speeches on international politics on every continent except Antarctica. Willis holds degrees from Brown University, the Juilliard School, Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, and the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris. He also holds an honorary degree from the Moscow Art Theatre School. A native of Macon, Georgia, Willis has worked as a stuntman at New York's Metropolitan Opera. As a child, he declined an opportunity to spend an afternoon riding the Great American Scream Machine, a rollercoaster, with Ronald McDonald, for money. He has never regretted that decision.
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9.9 + 6 million: Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina and French photographer Jerome Brouillet have collaborated on what may become the most striking image of the 2024 Paris Olympics. During a surfing event held in Tahiti, Medina rode a sizable wave to a 9.9 score. Brouillet’s stunning photo of Medina’s celebration quickly captured more than 6 million likes on Instagram.

.25: Japan responded to a shrinking economy and rising inflation Wednesday by raising interest rates for the second time this year — only the second time in 17 years it has done so. The Bank of Japan raised its key interest rate to roughly .25%, up from 0-.1% — a far cry from the negative interest rates it had for years. Tokyo also plans to unwind its bond-buying program.

2,476: On Monday, in honor of his 25th anniversary as Morocco's king, Mohammed VI pardoned 2,476 people held in prison. Among those released are three journalists -- Omar Radi, Soulaimane Raissouni and Taoufik Bouachrine – held for years and rights advocate Maati Monjib. Rights groups have repeatedly denounced the imprisonment of government critics on false charges in Morocco.

4 million: An online event sponsored by a group called “White Dudes for Harris” drew 1,900 people, including actor Mark Hamill and singer Josh Groban, and raised $4 million in just three hours on Monday. The event centered on presentations on why white men, a demographic that polls say strongly favor Donald Trump, should help elect Kamala Harris.

300: Thanks to entrepreneur Valerie Labi and her company Wahu Mobility, there are now 300 delivery riders in Accra using Ghana’s first electric bikes. Ebikes are far less polluting than the gasoline-powered motorcycles that have long poisoned the country’s air as part of the large, and growing, product delivery business.

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