Hard Numbers: Afghan women protest, gunman kills two in New Zealand, Eastern Europe seeks import ban extension, Phoenix melts

50: In Afghanistan, where women’s rights have been increasingly restricted since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, 50 women dared to protest in Kabul on Wednesday. The demonstrations were a response to the Taliban closing beauty salons, further restricting the public spaces accessible to women.

2: Two people were shot dead in Auckland, New Zealand, early Thursday, just hours before the launch there of the ninth Women’s World Cup. The gunman is also dead, and six others were injured in the incident. Authorities do not believe it was an act of terror, and the soccer tournament is set to continue as planned.

5: The five countries closest to Ukraine – Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia – are asking the EU to continue allowing them to ban the sale of Ukrainian grain until the end of the year. These countries serve as critical ground transport routes and will continue to allow for the transfer of grain, but selling it domestically was proving catastrophic for local markets and farmers. This led to an import ban in April that was set to end in September.

20: As of Wednesday, Phoenix, AZ, has endured 20 straight days of temperatures at or above 110 degrees, beating its previous record of 18 days in 1974. Wednesday also marked nine consecutive days where the low temperature was in the 90s, another record.