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Hard Numbers: Lebanon riots, Philippine economy nosedives, women in Somali politics, the end of the world
A demonstrator gestures as others warm up near a fire during a protest in Tripoli, Lebanon.
REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim
1: At least one person died and more than 200 were injured in clashes between security forces and citizens protesting new pandemic restrictions in Tripoli, Lebanon's second-largest city. Lebanon is currently mired in a staggering economic crisis and the government has provided little relief for people forced to shutter their businesses because of lockdowns.
9.5: The Philippines economy contracted 9.5 percent last year, the government announced on Thursday. It's the biggest annual decline on record for the country, which currently trails only Indonesia in COVID cases and deaths among Southeast Asian nations.
30: Ahead of next month's elections, Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble recently announced a quota reserving 30 percent of parliamentary seats for women. But women's rights groups say they want the requirement written into the constitution so that it cannot be reversed in Somalia, where women currently make up just under a quarter of the legislature.
100: The Doomsday Clock — used by a group of nuclear scientists to illustrate how close we are to a man-made disaster that could end the world — remains for the second year in a row at 100 seconds to midnight, the closest it's ever been. The pandemic was bad, the clock's keepers at the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists noted, but they also pointed to better-than-expected progress on climate change and the recent extension of a major US-Russia arms control pact.The day before the United States and Israel struck Iran on February 28, more than 150 accounts on Polymarket correctly bet it would happen on that specific date.
In this “ask ian,” Ian Bremmer breaks down the latest developments in the Middle East, highlighting a new five-point peace initiative from China and Pakistan.
Last week, Microsoft announced Microsoft Elevate for Changemakers, a new initiative designed to help nonprofit leaders confidently navigate the AI era. The program provides essential AI credentials, access to a peer community, and role-based resources to support responsible, mission-driven AI adoption. Part of Microsoft’s broader Elevate commitment, the initiative builds on the company’s 50-year legacy of supporting nonprofits worldwide. Microsoft partners with nearly one million nonprofit and education organizations globally and will deliver more than $5 billion in discounts, donations, and grants in the coming year. By equipping those closest to social challenges with the tools to lead, Microsoft Elevate for Changemakers helps ensure nonprofits remain at the forefront of AI-powered solutions. Read the full blog here.
The US president has now suggested several times that the Iran war could end without reopening the Strait of Hormuz.