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Hard Numbers: Spain’s deadly floods, UK’s giant tax hike, Allegations of Israel misusing US arms, Scary candy bar prices

October 30, 2024
Tracy Moran
​Cars lie partially submerged after floods in Utiel, Spain, on Oct. 30, 2024.
Cars lie partially submerged after floods in Utiel, Spain, on Oct. 30, 2024.
REUTERS/Susana Vera
95: Scores of people have been killed in flash flooding in eastern Spain since heavy rains began Tuesday. Floods between Malaga and Valencia have killed at least 95 people, and Spaniards are being warned to stay home amid forecasts of more storms. The EU Commission, meanwhile, has pledged to assist with the Copernicus geo-monitoring satellite system to help rescue teams on the ground.

40 billion: UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves on Wednesday announced a whopper of a tax increase: £40 billion (US$52 billion). This is the biggest British tax hike since 1993, and wealthy Brits and business owners will bear the brunt. But Reeves also boosted the health care budget for day-to-day operations of the NHS by £22.6 billion and slotted £5 billion for house building.

500: Are US-supplied weapons being used in Israeli attacks against civilians in Gaza? The White House has 500 reports from government, aid organizations, nonprofits, media, and other eyewitnesses alleging this. Still, the State Department hasn’t taken action on any single case, and more than two-thirds of them remain unresolved, according to a Washington Post report.

45: Americans looking to dole out tasty chocolate treats to costumed kiddies tonight likely had a scare before Halloween — at the checkout. The price of chocolate and confectionary products with cocoa jumped 45% between January and September, according to the producer price index. So those Snickers, KitKats, and M&Ms won’t need to be decorated in spookily decorated foil to cause plenty of fright.

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