International
Peru surpasses 200,000 Covid deaths: officials
AFP
Peru, which has the world’s highest Covid-19 death rate per capita, has surpassed 200,000 deaths from the coronavirus, the health ministry said on Friday.
The ministry announced 25 new deaths over the previous 24 hours, taking the South American country over the symbolic threshold with 200.003 deaths since the pandemic started in March 2020.
The Andean country of 33 million has also recorded 2.2 million infections.
With 6,065 deaths per million population, Peru’s Covid mortality rate is the highest in the world, according to an AFP count based on official data.
The news comes at a time of falling daily cases and deaths attributed to the increase in vaccinations, although authorities remain worried about a potential new wave of infections due to the Delta variant that is now predominant in the country.
“We’re maintaining a high level of control,” health minister Hernando Cevallos said recently.
“It is probable that the first and second waves have generated immunity in part of the population, as has vaccination.”
The fall in infections has allowed the government to relax some healthcare measures and reactivate parts of the economy.
The nighttime curfew has been reduced to just two hours while restaurants are now allowed to operate at full capacity.
Peru’s number of deaths is only surpassed in Latin America by Brazil and Mexico, although those countries’ populations are almost seven and four times greater respectively.
Before the pandemic, Peru enjoyed one of the most dynamic economies in the region but in 2020 GDP fell by 11 percent and more than 2.1 million people lost their jobs as Peru entered recession.
“We need to get vaccinated so there is no more sadness in homes and no more orphans,” Mirtha Garcia Espinoza, a 39-year-old mother of two widowed by the pandemic, told AFP.
Peru’s virus death rate has been falling since April when it reached 2,500 a week.
Last week that was down to 169, according to official figures.
Experts blame Peru’s problems on its large informal economy and an ineffective healthcare system.
The government hopes to vaccinate 70 percent of its population over 12 by the end of the year.
More than 14.2 million people have so far received both vaccination doses, accounting for 51 percent of those aged over 12.
International
Iran closes airspace amid U.S. threats and deadly nationwide protests
Iranian authorities closed the country’s airspace in the early hours of Thursday, according to data from flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, amid growing threats of a possible U.S. attack as protests across the country continue and have reportedly left thousands dead.
According to FlightRadar24, the Iranian government suspended all flights to and from the country, except for international flights that have received special authorization. The notice was initially issued for a duration of just over two hours.
The move comes after U.S. President Donald Trump in recent days threatened to strike Iran if its security forces failed to halt the deaths linked to weeks-long protests that began in Tehran and later spread to other Iranian cities. Despite the threats, the White House said diplomacy remains Trump’s preferred option.
Speaking from the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump claimed that “the deaths in Iran have stopped” and said there would be no executions of protesters following his warnings to Tehran. He added that his administration would seek to verify those claims.
“I’ve been told the deaths in Iran are stopping. They’ve stopped, and that there are no plans for executions,” Trump told reporters, cautioning that the United States would be “very upset” if those assurances proved to be untrue.
The statements contrast with reports from rights groups. The Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) said on Wednesday that more than 3,400 people have been killed since the protests erupted. Meanwhile, Kurdish-Iranian rights group Hengaw reported this week that a 26-year-old Iranian man, Erfan Soltani, was facing execution as of Wednesday.
International
UK Intelligence estimates russian casualties in Ukraine at over 1.2 million
British intelligence services estimate that Russia has suffered approximately 1,213,000 casualties — killed and wounded — since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, an offensive ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin that is approaching its fourth year.
The UK Ministry of Defence said that in 2025 alone, Russian forces are believed to have sustained around 415,000 casualties, making it the second deadliest year for Moscow’s military since the start of the war. That figure is slightly below 2024, when casualties were estimated at about 430,000, according to data released on Sunday.
Citing figures from Ukraine’s General Staff, the British Defence Ministry reported that in December 2025, Russian forces suffered an average of 1,130 casualties per day. The increase marked the fourth consecutive month of rising losses, following a period of comparatively lower casualty rates between April and August of the same year.
According to the assessment, the average daily casualty rate recorded between August and December 2025 was the highest since April 2024. British officials attribute the surge largely to repeated infantry assaults carried out by Russian troops across multiple fronts, particularly in areas where Moscow has recently made limited advances.
The UK warned that it is “highly likely” that Russia’s elevated casualty rates will continue into January 2026, as Moscow maintains large-scale ground offensives despite the significant human cost of the conflict.
International
U.S.–Denmark tensions escalate as Trump pushes NATO to back U.S. claim on Greenland
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday reiterated that Greenland is “vital” to American national security and urged NATO to support U.S. claims to the Arctic island ahead of high-level talks at the White House. Trump’s comments come as Danish and Greenlandic officials prepared to meet with senior U.S. officials amid mounting geopolitical tension over the future of the semi-autonomous territory of Denmark.
In a series of posts on his social media platform, Trump wrote that the United States “needs Greenland for the purpose of national security” and insisted that NATO “would be far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES,” calling anything less “unacceptable.” He also urged the alliance to “lead the way” in securing the island for the United States, warning that Russia or China might otherwise gain influence in the Arctic.
Trump’s renewed push for Greenland — a resource-rich Arctic territory strategically located between North America and Europe — has heightened diplomatic strain with Denmark and within NATO. Copenhagen and Nuuk have firmly rejected U.S. demands for control, reaffirming that Greenland does not want to be governed by the United States and emphasizing its commitment to Denmark, NATO and the European Union.
European allies are responding with increased cooperation on Arctic defense. A European military mission is scheduled to deploy to Greenland, and several NATO members have announced joint exercises and support for Danish security efforts in the region.
The standoff comes amid broader debates over Arctic security and the strategic importance of Greenland’s location and natural resources. It has also underscored fractures within the transatlantic alliance as NATO partners navigate how best to balance collective defense with respect for sovereignty and international law.
Iran closes airspace amid U.S. threats and deadly nationwide protests
UK Intelligence estimates russian casualties in Ukraine at over 1.2 million
U.S.–Denmark tensions escalate as Trump pushes NATO to back U.S. claim on Greenland
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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