Hard Numbers: America’s poisoned wells, US guns in the Caribbean, China's port in Peru, Euro approaches Dollar

27: Is there something in the water in the US these days? Yes, something poisonous. Some 27% of the country’s population drinks water from aquifers that are contaminated with so-called “forever chemicals,” according to a new study by the United States Geological Survey. The contaminants seep into the ground from military bases, chemical facilities, plastic factories, and other industrial sources.

90: Island nations across the Caribbean are suffering from a surge in homicides, and they have one thing in common: US guns. Some 90% of the firearms used in killings in the region are bought in the United States and smuggled out, usually via Florida. Last year, more than 800 US-bought firearms were seized across the Bahamas, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Trinidad.

3.6 billion: On Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Peruvian President Dina Boluartewill officially open the Port of Chancay, a Chinese-built megaport on the Peruvian coast. The $3.6 billion deepwater facility is a major bid by Beijing to advance China’s commercial interests in Latin America. Peru says that the port will boost its own exports to Asia, but critics warn that Chancay – which is legally controlled exclusively by the Chinese company Cosco – is a threat to Peru’s sovereignty.

1: Amid an ongoing slump, the Euro has fallen to its lowest point this year, just cents away from reaching a value of $1. Experts cite fears that European exporters could be hammered by the tariffs that US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened. For context, with the exception of a few weeks in late 2022, the European currency has not traded at or below parity with the greenback in two decades.