Hard Numbers: US low on chips, Egypt buys US arms, snow in Athens, Mexican remittances

Hard Numbers: US low on chips, Egypt buys US arms, snow in Athens, Mexican remittancesHard Numbers: US low on chips, Egypt buys US arms, snow in Athens, Mexican remittances
Gabriella Turrisi

5: US manufacturers now have on average less than five days' worth of semiconductor supplies, down from 40 days before the pandemic. There's growing pressure for America to produce more chips as a global shortage drags on.

2.5 billion: The Biden administration has approved the sale of $2.5 billion worth of US-made arms to Egypt, despite some opposition in Congress. A few Democratic senators wanted the Egyptians to meet certain conditions on human rights in order to get American weapons.

3.1: Parts of Greece and Turkey have been blanketed by a rare snowstorm, leaving thousands of people stuck in traffic for hours and forced to evacuate. Usually balmy Athens received 3.1 inches of snow on Monday, almost three times its annual average, while flights at Istanbul's airport have been suspended for two days. The storm is now heading to Israel.

50 billion: Remittances sent home by Mexican migrants in 2021 are expected to exceed $50 billion for the first time, in part due to pandemic stimulus money from the US. Mexico receives about 6 percent of global remittance payments, behind only India and China.

More from GZERO Media

Solar panels and windmillsSolar panels and windmills

Global energy demand is growing, and meeting it requires all forms of energy — oil, gas, and renewables — working together. Enbridge is investing in all of the above. Billions in renewables. Decades of reliable oil and gas infrastructure. Because keeping the world moving isn’t about picking one solution — it’s about using them all. The bottom line: The energy future is evolving. We’re ready. Learn more here.

- YouTube

Do you think the Signal controversy in the US will have an impact on the transatlantic relationship? What impact do you think the Turkish protests and instability will have on Turkish relationships with its European allies? Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden and co-chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, shares his perspective on European politics from Stockholm, Sweden.

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 2, 2025.
REUTERS/Carlos Barria

During a speech in the White House Rose Garden on Wednesday, Donald Trump announced a 10% across-the-board tariff on US imports, with higher rates for countries that have a larger trade surplus with the United States – to the tune of 20% for the EU, 54% for China, and 46% for Vietnam, to name a few of the hardest-hit. Trump also confirmed that he’s imposing 25% levies on foreign-made cars and parts.

Palestinians travel in vehicles between the northern and southern Gaza Strip along the Rashid Road on April 2, 2025.

Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Reuters

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel was seizing more territory in Gaza to “divide up” the besieged enclave. He spoke as Israeli forces increased the intensity of their assault on Hamas in Gaza, which resumed two weeks ago after phase one of the ceasefire agreed to in January ended.

Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, tour the US military's Pituffik Space Base in Greenland on March 28, 2025.
JIM WATSON/Pool via REUTERS

How much would it cost for the United States to maintain Greenland as its territory? And what are the revenue possibilities from the Arctic island’s natural resources? Those are two questions the White House is reportedly looking into in the surest sign yet that Trump’s interest in Greenland is genuine.

Protesters demanded the ouster of South Korean President Yoon in central Seoul on March 29, 2025.
Lee Jae-Won/AFLO via Reuters

South Korea’s Constitutional Court will tie the legal bow on what has been a tumultuous period for the country as it rules Friday on whether to formally dismiss or reinstate impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol.