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Hard Numbers: California flooding, Greece prosecutes migrant aid workers, US seizes Yemen-bound arms, EU-NATO pact
A flooded street after the threat of mudslides prompted evacuation orders in east Santa Barbara, California.
GZERO Media
20 million: Some 20 million people across the Golden State are under flood warnings amid California’s worst flooding and mudslides in decades – some areas have seen as much as 16 inches of rain in recent days. The entire community of Montecito in Santa Barbara County – home to the rich and famous, including the estranged son of King Charles III – was told to evacuate on Monday.
24: The trial of 24 aid workers accused of espionage for helping migrants arrive in Greece at the height of the 2015-2016 migrant crisis kicked off Tuesday on the island of Lesbos. The government, doubling down on its tough-on-immigration policy ahead of summer elections, claims some of the defendants monitored Greek Coast Guard radio channels and used fake license plates to access prohibited areas.
2,000: The US Navy said it seized 2,000 assault weapons traveling on a boat in the Gulf of Oman believed to have been sent by Iran to Houthi rebels in Yemen. While a UN arms embargo has long banned arms deliveries to the Houthis, the weapons appeared to have been made in …. Russia and China.
3: The European Union and NATO signed an agreement to strengthen geostrategic cooperation on issues including climate change, disinformation, and the war in Ukraine. It’s the third such pact signed between the two blocs since 2016. Some 21 EU states are already NATO members, while Sweden and Finland are pushing to join.
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What is President Trump trying to achieve in Iran, and how does his strategy compare to past US interventions in the Middle East?
The US has paused Russian oil sanctions in a bid to stabilize energy markets rocked by the war with Iran. Administration officials stress that it’s a “tailored” measure, applying only to oil already loaded onto tankers, but it’s still a gift to Russia, which has already been clocking an extra $150 million daily in oil revenues since the war began.
4: The number of crew members aboard a US refuelling plane – out of six total – who died after the aircraft crashed in neighboring Iraq on Thursday, US Central Command said this morning.