Morning Brief: China slams WHO for questioning COVID data, Peru witnesses nationwide riots, and more

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, China has hit out at the World Health Organization for saying that the country has not been transparent about reporting COVID-19 deaths. On the other hand, President Vladimir Putin, in light of the Russia-Ukraine war, publicly humiliated his deputy Prime Minister Denis Maturov during their first official virtual meeting of 2023 on Wednesday.

Furthermore, Black Lives Matter (BLM) co-founder Patrisse Cullors lost a cousin to police brutality to police brutality that 'included' being repeatedly tasered and restrained.Meanwhile, Authorities in Peru have preemptively closed the airport in the tourist hub of Cusco in the light of weeks-long protests that have left dozens dead across the country.

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China slams WHO for calling it out on lack of COVID-19 data

A spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday that Beijing has held close communication with WHO, holding five technical exchanges over the past month with the latest one on Wednesday.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters that the two sides have discussed current clinical treatment, epidemic development, monitoring and vaccination.

Peru: Tourist hub airport closed amid nationwide protests

In Peru, supporters of ousted president Pedro Castillo are demanding the removal of the current leader Dina Boluarte. Theymarched on the streets of cities across the country with demands of fresh elections.

The demonstrations have at times turned violent, and clashes with security forces have left 42 people dead, including a police officer who was burnt alive in a vehicle, while hundreds more have been injured.

Furious Putin scolds deputy PM Manturov over failure to procure contracts from Russian airlines

President Putin accused Manturov, the minister for trade and industry, of fooling around instead of acquiring new aircraft for the nation. RIA Novosti news agency has released the deputy PM's humiliation tape.

A cousin of Black Lives Matter co-founder suffers cardiac arrest, dies after being tasered by LAPD

Keenan Anderson, 31, was a teacher and a father and died at a hospital in Santa Monica. Body camera footage of the January 3 incident released by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) shows Anderson being held down by the officers as he begs for help.

"They're trying to George Floyd me!" he can be heard saying in the video. Notably, Floyd's case made headlines worldwide when he was murdered by a policeman in May 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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