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

Hard Numbers: WHO-China COVID probe questioned, Russian spies in Italy, Honduran drug lord gets life in US, global forest destruction

March 31, 2021
Carlos Santamaria
Hard Numbers: WHO-China COVID probe questioned, Russian spies in Italy, Honduran drug lord gets life in US, global forest destruction
An illustration of COVID-10 created at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Reuters

14: Fourteen countries dispute the findings of the World Health Organization's latest report on the origins of COVID-19 in the Chinese city of Wuhan. A team of WHO experts has concluded that the virus was likely transmitted from bats to humans through another animal, but nations including the US, the UK, Denmark and Australia have taken issue with the fact that the report was jointly written with the Chinese.

2: Italy has expelled two Russian diplomats and arrested an Italian navy captain accused of delivering state secrets to Moscow in exchange for money. It's the latest episode in a series of recent Russian espionage scandals in EU countries, following similar cases in Bulgaria and the Netherlands.

138.5 million: A US federal judge sentenced Tony Hernández, a former Honduran lawmaker and brother of President Juan Orlando Hernández, to life in jail for drug trafficking, and ordered him to forfeit $138.5 million in frozen US assets. The prosecution named the Honduran president himself as a co-conspirator, though he has not been charged with a crime.

12: Tropical forest cover — crucial to maintaining biodiversity and offsetting global carbon emissions — declined by 12 percent globally last year compared to 2019, according to a new study by the World Resources Institute. The area of lost forest is roughly the size of Switzerland, and added twice as much carbon dioxide to the atmosphere in 2020 as US cars do annually.

From Your Site Articles

More from GZERO Media

Axel van Trotsenburg reflects on his 37-year career at the World Bank

- YouTube

youtu.be

As the global economy faces uncertainty, Axel van Trotsenburg, Senior Managing Director of the World Bank, warns that “a wait-and-see attitude” is holding back investment and growth, especially in developing countries. Speaking with GZERO Media’s Tony Maciulis on the sidelines of the 2025 World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings, van Trotsenburg highlights human capital and infrastructure as key priorities, with a growing urgency to bridge both the digital and AI divides.

The three biggest US Supreme Court cases to watch

Chart of the most consequential Supreme Court cases of 2025.
Eileen Zhang

The 2025 Supreme Court term began this month, ushering in a slate of cases that could reshape American governance. No one will be watching more closely than President Donald Trump, whose efforts to expand executive power and limit independent oversight will be under the judicial microscope.

Hard Numbers: Kenya’s long-time opposition leader dies, World Bank doubles down on agriculture, US revokes visas of Charlie Kirk critics, & more

Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga addresses delegates after President William Ruto signed the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Amendment Bill 2024, backed by the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO), at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 9, 2024.
REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

Walmart is supporting American jobs by selling American products

Walmart

When Walmart stocks its shelves with homegrown products like Fischer & Wieser’s peach jam, it’s not just selling food — it’s creating opportunity. Over two-thirds of what Walmart buys is made, grown, or assembled in America, fueling jobs and growth in communities nationwide. Walmart’s $350 billion commitment to US manufacturing is supporting 750,000 jobs and empowering small businesses to sell more, hire more, and strengthen their hometowns. From farms to shelves, Walmart’s investment keeps local businesses thriving. Learn how Walmart's commitment to US manufacturing is supporting 750K American jobs.

2025 TechSpark Impact Report

Microsoft

Earlier this month, Microsoft released the 2025 TechSpark Impact Report, which highlights how the company is assisting regions across the US in achieving these goals. Since its launch, TechSpark has obtained over $700 million in community funding, supported more than 65,000 people in developing digital skills, and, thanks to the work of TechSpark Fellows, catalyzed $249M+ in funding and upskilled 34,600 individuals across 46 communities — highlighting the ripple effect of local leadership and innovation. Learn more about this progress in the 2025 report here.

Diamonds are forever, but their high prices aren’t

People walk past a jewelry store in the Diamond District of Manhattan, New York City, USA, on August 6, 2025.
Jimin Kim / SOPA Images via Reuters Connect

GZERO spoke to Eurasia Group’s Commodities Director Tim Puko to better understand why the diamond industry has tanked, and the consequences of this for geopolitics.

About UsCareers PressContact Us Privacy PolicyTerms of Use
© 2025 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.