Hard Numbers: Pakistan’s mosque mandate, Morrison banned from WeChat, Thai PM visits Saudi, Bitcoin tumbles

January 24, 2022

Illumination of the stock graph is seen on the representations of virtual currency Bitcoin in this picture illustration taken taken

46: Facing an omicron wave, Pakistani authorities have announced that only fully vaccinated people will be allowed to enter mosques. In Karachi, Pakistan’s most populous city, almost half of people tested for COVID (46 percent) are returning positive results.

76,000: Amid a deepening diplomatic row between Beijing and Canberra, Australian PM Scott Morrison has lost access to his account on the Chinese messaging app WeChat and is unable to communicate with his 76,000 followers. Beijing denies claims of interference, but appeals to restore Morrison’s account have fallen on deaf ears.

30: Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha will visit Saudi Arabia this week, marking the first visit of a Thai leader to Riyadh in 30 years. Diplomatic ties between the two states broke down in 1989 after a Thai janitor stole $20 million worth of gems from a Saudi prince. Riyadh accused Bangkok of bungling the criminal investigation.

50: The price of Bitcoin has fallen 50 percent since it peaked last November. Cryptocurrencies have fallen across the board, in part because geopolitical tensions have sparked a global flight from riskier investments and in part because many governments have tried to crack down on digital assets.

Hard Numbers: Macron digs in his heels, Mali puts a retaliatory tax on US visitors, Ecuador’s fuel protests heat up, Nobel Prize for Economics criticize protectionism

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to the members of the media, after arriving by plane to attend the Gaza Peace Summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025.

Yoan Valat/Pool via REUTERS

2: French President Emmanuel Macron rejected calls to resign as his fragile government faces two no-confidence votes this week.

What We’re Watching: Gaza ceasefire begins, Venezuela’s opposition wins Nobel, Peru’s president ousted

Palestinian children look at rubble following Israeli forces' withdrawal from the area, after Israel and Hamas agreed on the Gaza ceasefire, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, October 10, 2025.

REUTERS/Ramadan Abed

Israel approved the Gaza ceasefire deal on Friday morning, bringing the ceasefire officially into effect. The Israeli military must withdraw its forces to an agreed perimeter inside Gaza within 24 hours, and Hamas has 72 hours to return the hostages.

Hard Numbers: Pakistan’s mosque mandate, Morrison banned from WeChat, Thai PM visits Saudi, Bitcoin tumbles

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Hard Numbers: Pakistan’s mosque mandate, Morrison banned from WeChat, Thai PM visits Saudi, Bitcoin tumbles

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More from GZERO Media

A new set of forces is distorting the economy's response mechanisms and muting the traditional cycle. Listen to Strategic Alternatives, the RBC Capital Markets podcast, to hear Chief Economist Frances Donald break down what it means for companies, investors, and policymakers.

People from different cultures often approach the same problem in different ways. We wondered — would an AI trained and tuned in China approach a complex geopolitical challenge differently than a model created and trained in Europe, or in the United States?

2: French President Emmanuel Macron rejected calls to resign as his fragile government faces two no-confidence votes this week.

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

In this week's Quick Take, Ian Bremmer talks about the landmark moment in the Middle East: All 20 remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas have been released, and a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas has been signed—brokered by President Trump.

Israel approved the Gaza ceasefire deal on Friday morning, bringing the ceasefire officially into effect. The Israeli military must withdraw its forces to an agreed perimeter inside Gaza within 24 hours, and Hamas has 72 hours to return the hostages.

We’re living in a time of record-high conflict, a level of violence not seen since World War II. The past four years have been marred by deadly battles in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Myanmar, and beyond, with approximately 14% of the planet’s population now impacted by war.

Think you know what's going on around the world? Here's your chance to prove it.