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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.
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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Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with journalists to comment on new U.S. sanctions targeting two major Russia's oil producers, as well as other international issues, in Moscow, Russia, October 23, 2025.
Sputnik/Alexander Shcherbak/Pool via REUTERS

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.

A Boeing C-135 Stratotanker / Stratolifter military aircraft known as KC-135 of the United States Air Force USAF configured as Air Tanker Transport for aerial refueling, powered by 4x CFMI jet engines and tail number 63-8003. The military plane spotted flying over the Netherlands in the blue sky from Mainland USA to Tel Aviv TLV to support the Israel USA - Iran war known as Operation Epic Fury by the US Department of Defense. Venlo, the Netherlands on March 2, 2026
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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.