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Hard Numbers: Greek train crash, US attaches strings to chip cash, Serbia and Kosovo outline peace, camel copies for sale

Destroyed train carriages are seen at the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 1, 2023.
Destroyed train carriages are seen at the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 1, 2023.
REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis

43: At least 43 people are dead after a passenger train carrying people from Athens, Greece, to the northern city of Thessaloniki collided head-on with a freight train. A provincial stationmaster has already been arrested as part of the initial investigation. Greek rail unions have long complained about staffing shortfalls and outdated equipment.

10: Cash for chips now comes with strings attached. The US government has ruled that any American companies that receive money from a new multibillion-dollar fund to support the semiconductor industry must agree not to expand in China for 10 years. For more on the Great Global Chips War, see here.

15: A mere 15 years after Kosovo’s controversial declaration of independence from Serbia, the two countries reached a(nother) tentative, EU-brokered framework for peace earlier this week. Much remains to be worked out, but it’s a good sign nonetheless. See here for our recent explainer on why it’s so hard for Kosovo and Serbia to normalize relations.

50,000: Do you have A) $50,000 burning a hole in your pocket and B) a stunningly beautiful camel at your disposal? If so, please consider spending (A) on making a perfect clone of (B), courtesy of a Dubai lab that specializes in camel copies. Get over the hump — do it!

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From civil conflicts to trade wars to the rise of new technologies, GZERO runs through the stories that have shaped this year in geopolitics.