☰
HomeLiving Beyond BordersGZERO WorldSignalIn 60 SecondsPuppet RegimeGZERO World PodcastContact UsAbout UsCareersPrivacy PolicyTerms

HARD NUMBERS: Mona Lisa moves, EU tries to stop Russia from playing games, Pakistan bans "fake news", Trump tells India to buy more US weapons

January 28, 2025
GZERO Media
Thousands of visitors come to see, and snap, Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa every day.
Eric Broncard/Hans Lucas.

30,000: The Mona Lisa is moving. The 16th-century masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci will have its own room at the Louvre Museum as the institution readies for a massive, long-overdue expansion. The current structure, last updated with I.M. Pei’s iconic glass pyramids in the 1980s, is crumbling as it struggles to accommodate 30,000 visitors daily, more than twice the intended capacity. President Emmanuel Macron visited the museum on Tuesday to announce expansion plans, but who’s going to pay for the hundreds of millions of dollars required? The answer to this question remains as inscrutable as Mona Lisa’s smile …

120 million: The EU is proposing a ban on any exports of videogame consoles to Russia over concerns that Moscow techies are repurposing the equipment to fly combat drones. Major Western and Japanese manufacturers of gaming equipment suspended sales to Russia in March 2022, but secondhand sellers in Europe continue to ship to Russian buyers. Will the ban have an effect? Chinese companies sold $120 million of this equipment to Russia last year, a fourfold increase over 2022.

3: Pakistani lawmakers have voted to criminalize the spread of “fake news.” Anyone convicted of intentionally spreading misinformation faces three years in prison. The law also creates an agency empowered to block web content that is “unlawful or offensive.” Journalism and civil society advocates are already on edge about this new sweeping power of unelected bureaucrats to decide what’s true and what’s not.

35 billion:Donald Trump on Monday told Indian PM Narendra Modi he wants India to buy more US weapons. The two men have a famously good relationship, but India’s overall trade surplus of $35 billion with the US has caught the mercantilist attention of Trump. India has long been the world’s biggest arms importer, buying mostly from Russia. But as it faces down a potentially hostile China, Delhi has been boosting domestic production instead. Buying more American kit could complicate that strategy.

More from GZERO Media

Syrian government inks key deal with the Kurds

People in Damascus celebrate after the Kurdish-led and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreed to integrate into Syria's new state institutions.
REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

The SDF militia, which controls a vast swathe of Northeastern Syria, will integrate into the national government.

Duterte arrested for drug war

Filipino activists hold candles during a protest vigil supporting former President Rodrigo Duterte's arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, March 11, 2025.
REUTERS/ Peter Blaza

Philippine authorities on Tuesday arrested former President Rodrigo Duterte in Manila on an International Criminal Court warrant for alleged crimes against humanity linked to his deadly drug crackdown.

Canada and US to discuss renewed USMCA following tariff de-escalation

Ontario Premier Doug Ford prepares to speak to an American news outlet in his office at the Queens Park Legislature in Toronto on Monday, March 10, 2025.

Chris Young/The Canadian Press via ZUMA Press via Reuters

In a major development on Tuesday, Ontario, Canada, suspended its 25% surcharge on exports of electricity to Michigan, New York, and Minnesota. Premier Doug Ford also said that he, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and the United States Trade Representative will meet on March 13 to discuss a renewed USMCA ahead of the April 2 reciprocal tariff deadline.

US-Canada trade war helps Mark Carney's election prospects

- YouTube

youtu.be

With recent tensions between Zelensky and Washington, how likely are the Saudi-hosted peace talks to yield real progress? Are we on the cusp of a nuclear proliferation era as Poland and Germany talk of acquiring nuclear weapons? Does Justin Trudeau's replacement, Mark Carney, have a shot of winning Canada's general election? Ian Bremmer shares his insights on global politics this week on World In :60.

A new report on how Microsoft is helping rural communities protect critical healthcare infrastructure

Microsoft

Last year, @Microsoft launched its Cybersecurity for Rural Hospitals Program, an initiative designed to help protect access to health care for the 46 million people living in rural America. Funded through a philanthropic investment, the program now has more than 550 rural hospitals, nearly one-third of all US rural hospitals, participating to receive free cybersecurity assessments, cybersecurity training, Microsoft security product discounts, and AI solutions designed to promote hospital resiliency. This past week, Microsoft released a new white paper sharing what was learned in the last year, including insights on the current cybersecurity landscape for rural health and the role technology companies can play. Microsoft's goal with this program is to address both the immediate cyber risks facing these critical community resources as well as broader systemic challenges facing rural health. You can learn more here.

Walmart strengthens America’s workforce

Walmart

Across America, Walmart is supporting communities by working with small businesses, like beyondGREEN, in San Antonio, TX. Since becoming a Walmart supplier in 2023, the Texas-based company built a new factory and hired over 100 employees. Across the country, Walmart’s $350 billion investment in products made, grown, or assembled in America supports the creation of over 750,000 US jobs. Learn how Walmart’s investment in US manufacturing helps small businesses grow.

About UsCareers PressContact Us Privacy PolicyTerms of Use
© 2020 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.