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Hard Numbers: Ramaphosa inaugurated, Stonehenge gets painted, Houthis sink another ship, Wildfires scorch New Mexico, Louisiana schools get religion
Cyril Ramaphosa
2: Cyril Ramaphosa was inaugurated Wednesday for his second term as South Africa's president. His road ahead is looking perilous, as he will have to keep his coalition government – featuring parties with vastly different ideologies – together while the country faces cripplingly high unemployment and social instability.
5,000: Two environmental activists from the Just Stop Oil group sprayed paint on Stonehenge, in Wiltshire, England, on Wednesday to protest the fossil fuel industry. The paint reportedly is washable, but Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stillcalled those responsible for defacing the 5,000-year-old stone circle “a disgrace.” Two people were arrested within hours of the incident.
10: The shipping industry is rattled after Yemen’s Houthi militia sunk another ship on Wednesday – the second ship to be sunk since March. Insurance industry experts report that attacks in the region have increased significantly, with the Houthis also deploying lethal-attack drone boats. There have been 10 Houthi strikes so far in June, up from five in May.
20,000: As the heat dome scorching the Northeast US moves into its fourth day, New Mexico saw two fast-moving wildfires burn out of control on Wednesday, torching more than 20,000 acres and forcing thousands to evacuate. The state’s governor has declared a state of emergency and says it is unclear when firefighters will regain control.
10: Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed legislation on Wednesday requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom in the Pelican State. Critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union, say it violates the constitutional separation of church and state, to which Landry replied “I can’t wait to be sued.”