Hard Numbers: COVAX’s rush against the clock, European gas woes, Turkey’s lira nosedives, Ghana to fine airlines

In this photo illustration a hand holding a medical syringe seen in front of the Covax Facility logo.

200 million: The COVAX vaccine sharing initiative is racing to deliver around 200 million doses of the COVID vaccine to poor countries this month in order to meet its target of supplying at least 800 million doses by the end of the year. Supply chain issues and export bans caused the facility to significantly slash its original distribution targets.

10 percent: European gas futures rose 10 percent Monday after Germany’s new Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that the recently completed Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which is slated to double the capacity of undersea gas exports from Russia to Europe, is not compliant with EU law. As a result of cold spells and supply chain disruptions, gas storage levels in Europe are currently 10 percent lower than seasonal norms.

14.33: Turkey’s ailing currency reached new lows Monday, when the lira traded at 14.33 against the US dollar, for the first time ever above 14. Inflation in the country is soaring at around 20 percent, in large part because of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s insistence on keeping interest rates low.

3,500: Ghana will fine airlines $3,500 for every person who arrives in the country and is either not vaccinated against COVID or tests positive. The West African country, which recently imposed a vaccine mandate for all arrivals, has vaccinated around 5 percent of its population.

More from GZERO Media

- YouTube

If China, Japan, and South Korea formed a united front, what kind of leverage would they have in negotiating against US tariffs? I think they are heading in that trajectory. The question is, will it be enough to keep Syria stable and away from descending into civil war? Why does Trump want to take Greenland? Ian Bremmer shares his insights on global politics this week on World In :60.

President Donald Trump, seen here on the South Lawn of the White House in February, is set to unveil his "Liberation Day" tariffs.

REUTERS/Craig Hudson

T-Day has arrived. On Wednesday afternoon, Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs on US trade partners will take effect immediately after a Rose Garden announcement.

A giant screen in Beijing shows news footage about the People's Liberation Army (PLA) joint army, navy, air and rocket forces drills around Taiwan on April 1, 2025.
REUTERS/Florence Lo

Beijing conducted one of the largest and most provocative military drills ever around the island -- but why now?

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a briefing, Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 28, 2025.
Ukrinform/ABACA via Reuters Connect

Vladimir Putin insists that Volodymyr Zelensky is no longer Ukraine’s legitimate president because his government has imposed martial law and delayed elections that were due in 2024.

President Donald Trump speaks from the Oval Office flanked by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on the day he signed executive orders for reciprocal tariffs, Feb. 13, 2025.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Details of a group chat between senior administration officials that leaked last week – the so-called Houthi PC small group – provide allies, adversaries, and watchers with revealing insights into the administration’s foreign policy blueprint. Lindsay Newman explores the takeaways.

Proud Source became a Walmart supplier in 2021. Today, its team has grown by 50%, and it's the largest employer in Mackay, ID. Walmart supports small businesses across the country, and nearly two-thirds of Walmart's product spend is on products made, grown, or assembled in America. It’s all a part of Walmart’s $350 billion investment in US manufacturing, which helps small businesses grow and supports US jobs. Learn more about Walmart’s commitment to US manufacturing.

As Microsoft celebrates its 50th anniversary, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith sits down with company cofounder Bill Gates for a special episode of Tools and Weapons. They discuss Gates’ new memoir, "Source Code: My Beginnings," reflect on Microsoft’s impact over the past five decades, and explore why the next phase of the digital revolution is shaping up to be the most exciting yet. Subscribe and find new episodes monthly, wherever you listen to podcasts.