Hard Numbers: Mexico's COVID death toll, Al-Shabab strikes again, AstraZeneca-EU agreement, Perth's lockdown

A man wearing a face mask sleeps at a park near a banner reading "The use of face masks is mandatory in our municipality", amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Tlacolula de Matamoros, Oaxaca state, Mexico January 30, 2021.

158,000: Mexico has now recorded more than 158,000 total COVID deaths, surpassing India — a country with 10 times its population — to suffer the third highest coronavirus death toll in the world, behind the US and Brazil. Hospitals in Mexico City are struggling to care for the influx of patients and doctors have reported rationing life-saving supplies like oxygen tanks.

5: Al-Shabab militants claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, that left five people dead and led to an eight-hour standoff with security forces. Al-Shabab has wreaked havoc on the country in recent years, with the aim of turning Somalia into an Islamic state.

9 million: After a row over production shortages, AstraZeneca drug maker has agreed to ship an additional 9 million COVD vaccine doses to the European Union by the end of the first quarter of 2021. The EU has accused AstraZeneca — which had initially promised to send around 80 million doses to the 27-member bloc by the end of March — of prioritizing doses for the UK at its expense.

1: Australian officials locked down the entire city of Perth in Western Australia after detecting a single case of COVID-19 — the first infection confirmed there in more than 10 months. The move, which is set to last five days, keeps more than 2 million people in their homes for all but essential outings.

More from GZERO Media

Trump's silhouette as a wrecking ball banging into the Federal Reserve.
Gemini

President Trump has made no secret of his longstanding desire for lower interest rates to juice the economy and reduce the cost of servicing the $30 trillion federal debt.

The Nepalese government’s decision last week to ban several social platforms has touched off an ongoing wave of deadly unrest in the South Asian country of 30 million.

The Nepalese government’s decision last week to ban several social platforms has touched off an ongoing wave of deadly unrest in the South Asian country of 30 million.

General Wieslaw Kukula, chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, takes part in an extraordinary government cabinet meeting at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, following violations of Polish airspace during a Russian attack on Ukraine in Warsaw, Poland, on September 10, 2025.
(Photo by Aleksander Kalka/NurPhoto

NATO jets last night shot down Russian drones that had entered Polish airspace. Poland said the unmanned aircraft had crossed the border en route to a strike on Ukraine.

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, after an announcement of a trade deal between the U.S. and EU, in Turnberry, Scotland, Britain, July 27, 2025.
REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo

100: In his ongoing, and so-far fruitless, efforts to convince Vladimir Putin to stop the war in Ukraine, Donald Trump reportedly asked the EU to apply 100% tariffs on India and China, the Kremlin’s most important trade partners.

Throughout his Walmart career, Greg has earned nine promotions, moving from an hourly associate to now overseeing 10 Walmart stores. His story is one of many. More than 75% of Walmart management started as hourly associates, and the retailer offers competitive benefits to support associates on and off the clock. At Walmart, there is a path for everyone. Learn how Walmart is investing in opportunities for associates at all levels.

This summer, Microsoft released the 2025 Responsible AI Transparency Report, demonstrating Microsoft’s sustained commitment to earning trust at a pace that matches AI innovation. The report outlines new developments in how we build and deploy AI systems responsibly, how we support our customers, and how we learn, evolve, and grow. It highlights our strengthened incident response processes, enhanced risk assessments and mitigations, and proactive regulatory alignment. It also covers new tools and practices we offer our customers to support their AI risk governance efforts, as well as how we work with stakeholders around the world to work towards governance approaches that build trust. You can read the report here.