25 talking points for better conversation at cocktails from news of the past week.
1. Nearly 100 countries and hundreds of NGOs have provided medical aid to Turkey.
2. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is one of the few world leaders who have made an address from Westminster Hall over the past 30 years, including Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, and, more recently, King Charles III.
3. The Biden administration believes the People's Liberation Army balloon effort has spied on "more than 40 countries across five continents."
4. "Near space has become a new battleground in modern warfare," an article in the Liberation Army Daily, the official newspaper of China's military, said in 2018.
5. British media reported in June that over 10 Russian generals had been killed in the Ukraine conflict. Japanese intelligence estimates the total at more than 20.
6. In early March, 10,000 Norwegian and allied soldiers will train to defend Norway in the winter exercise Joint Viking.
7. Ethiopia is Africa's second most populous country.
8. New Zealand finds 3.5 tons of cocaine floating in the Pacific: The cache, estimated to be worth $315 million, is large enough to supply the Australian market for a year and New Zealand's for three decades.
9. 27.3 million: The number of viewers who watched President Biden's State of the Union address on TV — the second smallest SOTU audience in at least 30 years.
10. China accounts for more than 70% of the world's lithium-processing capacity.
11. A typical 60 kilowatt-hour EV battery might hold 160 pounds of graphite compared to 20 pounds of lithium.
12. How much graphite was mined in the US last year? The US has not mined since the 1950s.
13. Just one million EVs, assuming a 60-kilowatt-hour battery in each vehicle, will require almost 80,000 tons of graphite.
14. Japan targets $1,500 for spending by foreign visitors with more extended stays and sustainable tourism to attract the affluent.
15. Google today controls 91% of the search engine market.
16. The collegiest town in America: Alfred, NY, where students make up an astonishing 85% of the town's population of 4,500.
17. Twitter Blue subscribers can now send tweets up to 4,000 characters.
18. AMC, the movie theater chain, plans to add dynamic seat pricing.
19. Conductor Gustavo Dudamel is leaving the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the New York Philharmonic starting in 2026.
20. You can sleep in your vehicle in nearly every major ski area in Oregon and Washington.
21. The CBC is looking to end its broadcasts on traditional TV and radio in favor of a digital-only strategy.
22. Austin is the fastest-growing major metro area in America, having expanded by a third in the past ten years.
23. Beyoncé has now won more Grammys than any other artist in history.
24. Getting workers back to the office just reached a key milestone: 50 percent are back at their desks on average, the most since the pandemic hit in March 2020.
25. The decision on who will host World Cup 2030 will happen in 2024, with the bidding process set to open officially later this year.
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
ITK Daily is geopolitical business intelligence for senior executives with global ambition.
ITK Daily curates news @ the intersection of globalization, disruption, politics, culture, + sport and provides actionable insights and sharp commentary.
