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Hard Numbers: Cholera spreads in Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo turns to an unlikely source to boost tourism, Mass executions held in Iraq, Gunman hijacks bus in LA
430: Over 430 people have died from cholera in Sudan in the past month, according to the country’s health ministry, and the devastating civil war there is making it hard to provide treatment. Doctors Without Borders recently described the health system in Sudan as “decimated” and warned that the humanitarian response amid the cholera outbreak is “regularly obstructed by both warring parties.”
3: AC Milan, one of Italy’s top soccer teams, is reportedly in talks with the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo for a three-year sponsorship deal that would see the club promote the African country as a tourism destination. But there’s an ongoing war in the DRC. Vacationing in a war zone – what could go wrong? The Italian ambassador to the country was killed there just three years ago when the convoy he was traveling with was ambushed, making it no surprise that Italy currently advises people against visiting the country.
21: Iraq executed 21 people, including a woman, on Wednesday, with most reportedly charged with terrorism. Rights groups like Amnesty International have fiercely criticized Iraq for convicting people on “overly broad and vague terrorism charges,” and they have urged the Iraqi government to halt executions.
7: A bus was hijacked by a gunman in Los Angeles on Wednesday and traveled nearly seven miles before coming to a stop after police used spike strips and punctured one of the tires. One passenger reportedly died from gunshot wounds. The suspect has surrendered, but the motive remains unclear.
Hard Numbers: Superyacht sinks off Sicily, Cholera spreads in Sudan, China and Vietnam agree on crocodiles, Nicaragua clamps down further, Israel recovers hostages’ bodies
22: A luxury superyacht carrying 22 people sank off the coast of Sicily early Monday after getting caught in a severe storm. So far, one of the passengers is confirmed dead, and six remain missing, including leading UK tech tycoon Mike Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter Hannah Lynch, and Morgan Stanley executive Jonathan Bloomer.
354: An outbreak of cholera has deepened the misery of war-torn Sudan, where 354 cases of the highly infectious disease have been detected in recent weeks. So far, 78 people have died this year, according to local health officials, including nearly two dozen in just the past few weeks. Last week, cease-fire talks meant to end the country’s 15-month civil war fell apart, as neither of the main players showed up.
14: China and Vietnam signed major economic 14 agreements during a visit to Beijing by new Vietnamese leader To Lam. Highlights included expanded cross-border rail development between the two communist-led, Asian manufacturing powerhouses, as well as streamlining trade in coconuts and crocodiles.
1,500: Nicaragua outlawed 1,500 non-governmental organizations on Monday in the latest sweeping crackdown on civil society by strongman President Daniel Ortega. Many of the groups affected are affiliated with the Catholic church, which has come under intense pressure since intervening on the side of mass anti-government protests back in 2018.
6: Israel says it has recovered the bodies of six hostages taken by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attack last year, five of whom were known to have died in Gaza. Of the roughly 250 hostages abducted in the attack, roughly 100 are believed to still be in Gaza, and 30 of those are confirmed or very likely to be dead.
HARD NUMBERS: New cholera epidemic emerges, House impeaches Mayorkas, US inflation disappoints, Global military spending soars, Oil spill “blackens” Caribbean coastline
4,000: The worst outbreak of cholera in a decade has already claimed at least 4,000 lives in half a dozen countries of central and southern Africa. Experts say the resurgence of the waterborne illness is due to wetter weather, vaccine shortages, and underinvestment in water and sewage infrastructure.
214: The US House of Representatives voted late Tuesday to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, 214-213, on charges that he has “willfully” refused to enforce border laws and breached public trust. This marks an escalation of Republican efforts to attack President Joe Biden and Democrats over immigration.
3.1: In the latest round of the monthly “did inflation ease more/less than we thought?” sweepstakes, the US came up short, posting annual consumer price growth of 3.1% in January, two-tenths of a point higher than expected. The data suggests the US Fed will chill a bit longer before cutting key interest rates, which currently sit between 5.25% and 5.5% as a result of a two-year-long campaign to tame inflation.
9: A nine-mile stretch of coastline in Trinidad and Tobago is “blackened,” the government says, following an oil spill by an unknown vessel last week. The origin and type of the boat, which ran aground and flipped over off the southwest coast of Tobago, is still unknown, and the situation is “not under control.” The disaster comes as the Caribbean nation prepares for its world-famous carnival, a major tourist draw.
2.2 trillion: There’s hardly a business like the arming business, it seems — global defense spending jumped 9% last year to a record high of $2.2 trillion, according to a new report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. The Ukraine war and NATO’s increased defense spending are a big part of the story, but with China growing more assertive and the Middle East embroiled in fresh conflict, the report warns that we are entering a global “era of insecurity.”