Hard Numbers: Earth sets gloomy climate record, China’s economy deflates, US Marines found dead, Nigeria faces off with Ivory Coast

​A warning sign alerts visitors of the extreme heat dangers at Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America at 279 feet below sea level, in Death Valley National Park, California, U.S. August 17, 2020.
A warning sign alerts visitors of the extreme heat dangers at Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America at 279 feet below sea level, in Death Valley National Park, California, U.S. August 17, 2020.
REUTERS/David Becker
1.5: The world experienced its first 12-month period (Feb. 2023 - Jan. 2024) in which average global temperatures were more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. This, combined with last month being the warmest January on record, has climate scientists ringing alarm bells.

15: While much of the world is suffering under the weight of inflation, China is battling deflation. Prices in the country have fallen to their lowest level in 15 years. China’s consumer price index fell 0.8% year-over-year in January, as Beijing struggles to rebound from a tanking stock market, collapsing foreign investment, declining exports, and its property sector in freefall.

5: Five US Marines were confirmed dead in California on Thursday, after the helicopter they were in crashed not far from San Diego early Wednesday during a routine training flight. President Joe Biden said he and first lady Jill Biden are “heartbroken” and extended their “deepest condolences to their families, their squadron, and the US Marine Corps.”

7,000,000: Nigeria will face off against host nation Ivory Coast in the Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday. Apart from being crowned the champions of Africa’s most prestigious soccer tournament, the winning team takes home $7 million.

More from GZERO Media

Midjourney

Artificial intelligence was not a primary focus of the US presidential campaign for either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, and AI-generated disinformation did not disrupt election proceedings like many experts feared. Still, with Republicans looking set for a clean sweep of the White House and both chambers of Congress, the election results have major implications for the future of AI.

AI-generated cyber threats have C-suite leaders on edge.
Fortune via Reuters

The Biden administration is planning to support a controversial United Nations treaty on cybercrime, which will be the first legally binding agreement on cybersecurity.

An illustration of the ChatGPT logo on a phone screen, along with the US flag and court gavel.
Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters

A federal judge in Manhattan last Thursday threw out a lawsuit filed by the news outlets Raw Story and AlterNet against OpenAI, alleging that the artificial intelligence startup behind ChatGPT used its articles improperly to train large language models.

Flags of Taiwan and the US.
Tyrone Siu/Reuters

The US Department of Commerce ordered Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company to stop shipping advanced chips to Chinese customers starting yesterday, Monday, Nov. 11. The government sent a letter to TSMC specifying that this restriction applies to all chips that are seven nanometers or smaller, which can be used to power artificial intelligence models.

- YouTube

Ian Bremmer's Quick Take: With Donald Trump heading back to the Oval Office, loyalty among personnel is expected to play a major role in shaping policy, affecting everything from US-China trade relations to Middle Eastern relations. In his latest Quick Take, Ian Bremmer explains the potential impacts on global politics.

- YouTube

In a GZERO Global Stage discussion at the 7th annual Paris Peace Forum, Dr. Comfort Ero, President and CEO of the International Crisis Group, shed light on the increasing elusiveness of global peace amid rising conflicts worldwide. She pointed out a "crisis of peacemaking," noting that comprehensive peace processes and settlements have become rare, with the last significant one being in Colombia in 2016.

- YouTube

Today, around 3.3 billion people live in countries spending more on debt than on essential services like education and healthcare, and governments worldwide are struggling to pay these debts. Rebeca Grynspan, secretary-general of the UN Conference on Trade and Development, warns of looming trade wars and faltering financial systems designed to reduce global poverty and promote development. What will it take to get countries back on track? Grynspan shares insights on this, highlighting the roles of the UN General Assembly and the International Monetary Fund in a Global Stage interview with GZERO’s Tony Maciulis on the sidelines of the 7th annual Paris Peace Forum.

Stephen Miller waves from the stage during a Trump campaign rally in Detroit, Michigan, on October 18, 2024.
REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Thomas D. Homan, Elise Stefanik, and Lee Zeldin have been picked for Trump 2.0, while Stephen Miller, Marco Rubio, Kristi Noem, and Michael Waltz are reportedly set to be nominated.