Skip to content
Search
Human content, AI powered search.

Latest Stories

News

Hard Numbers:, Friday January 19

Willis Sparks
By Willis SparksJanuary 19, 2018
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.
See Full Bio
Make us preferred on Google

186,000: The number of asylum seekers in Germany fell to186,000 in 2017, down from a high of 890,000 in 2015.

550: North Korea will send a delegation of at least 550 people to next month’s Winter Olympics in South Korea, including 230 cheerleaders and a 30-member taekwondo demonstration team. #TaekwonDiplomacy

12: President Trump has had 12 federal appellate judges confirmed in his first year, more than any president before him. He has also added a Supreme Court justice, Neil Gorsuch. Given that two of the Supreme Court’s liberal justices and its one wildcard member (Anthony Kennedy) are all aged 79 or older, Trump’s lasting impact on the judiciary looks likely to grow.

12: In 2017, the quality of democracy around the world fell for the twelfth year in a row, with 71 countries seeing a decline in political rights and civil liberties.

6: Moscow got 6 minutes of sunlight in December. Seriously. #StillBeatsYakutsk

Latest Videos

What recent elections say about voter frustrationplay icon
ask ian

What recent elections say about voter frustration

Are environmental summits a waste of time?
The Debrief

Are environmental summits a waste of time?

Brazil’s left-wing president wins historic fourth term
Quick Take

Brazil’s left-wing president wins historic fourth term

Could US & Israeli elections reshape the Middle East?
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

Could US & Israeli elections reshape the Middle East?

What would Netanyahu's electoral defeat mean for the Middle East?
GZERO World Clips

What would Netanyahu's electoral defeat mean for the Middle East?

In memory of Moose
ask ian

In memory of Moose

More For You

The tough path ahead to power in Israel

Likud Party leader and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech to supporters at the Likud campaign headquarters following the release of exit polls and initial results of the general election in Jerusalem on October 28, 2026.

Likud Party leader and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech to supporters at the Likud campaign headquarters following the release of exit polls and initial results of the general election in Jerusalem on October 28, 2026.

Anadolu via Reuters Connect
Israelis turned out in droves on Tuesday for an election billed as one of the most consequential in the country’s history – and they still don’t know who won. About 77% of Israel’s eligible voters cast ballots, the highest in more than two decades, to decide whether to give Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition another term or hand [...]

Fuel costs halt three-year cruise around the world

Fuel costs halt three-year cruise around the world
Lottie Tellyn
Ship owner Villa Vie Residences told passengers the cruise would end its journey early in Cambodia because refueling costs have jumped more than 300% since the start of the Iran war. Some passengers have now flown home, while others are still waiting in the port city of Sihanoukville, Cambodia. The ship, Odyssey, was one of the few designed for [...]

Flávio Bolsonaro lands in the US, European leaders plead with Putin, South Africa sends troops to quell unrest

Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro disembarks from a plane after arriving at Opa-locka Executive Airport near Miami, Florida, U.S., October 28, 2026.

Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro disembarks from a plane after arriving at Opa-locka Executive Airport near Miami, Florida, U.S., October 28, 2026.

REUTERS/Eva Marie Uzcategui
Brazil’s Bolsonaro Jr flees to the US after election lossBem-vindo a Miami! Flávio Bolsonaro, the right-winger who lost Brazil’s presidential runoff to incumbent lefty Lula on Sunday, landed in the Magic City with his family on Wednesday morning. Bolsonaro, who is under investigation for money laundering in Brazil, fled after Brazilian police [...]

One year since the El Fasher massacre

One year since the El Fasher massacre
Will Fitzpatrick
Sudan marks a grim anniversary this week. Tens of thousands still remain missing after the RSF’s siege of El Fasher. The RSF also remains in control of the city, and the civil war continues to drag on with seemingly no end in sight. To mark the occasion, the British government has sanctioned 15 Sudanese military leaders from both the Sudanese [...]