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Hard Numbers: Deadly drones in Nigeria, Volcano death toll rises in Indonesia, Tuberville unblocks military promotions, US job openings drop

December 06, 2023
John Haltiwanger
Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu speaks after his swearing-in ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria May 29, 2023.
Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu speaks after his swearing-in ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria May 29, 2023.
REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja

85: Nigeria’s president on Tuesday called for an extensive probe after a drone strike killed at least 85 civilians and wounded dozens in the northwest part of the country over the weekend. The strike was seemingly meant to hit militants but mistakenly hit a group of people gathered for a Muslim festival. Nigeria has been fighting extremist groups like Boko Haram for years – with significant support from the US – and this is not the first time there have been civilian casualties from Nigerian military operations.

22: At least 22 people are dead in Indonesia after a volcanic eruption. Mount Marapi, which is popular with hikers, first erupted on Sunday, spewing a 9,800-foot ash cloud into the air. Subsequent eruptions have reportedly hampered rescue efforts. The volcano has been active since an eruption in January that caused no casualties.

400: Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., on Tuesday announced he would stop holding up more than 400 military promotions after causing months of delays. Tuberville’s blockade was in protest of a Pentagon policy that allows service members to get reimbursed for travel costs linked to getting an abortion or fertility treatment. But he still intends to hold up roughly 11 promotions at the four-star rank.

8.7 million: A lot of “help wanted” signs just disappeared. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the US had just 8.7 million job openings in October. That’s a huge drop from September’s 9.3 million and the lowest level since March 2021. The plunge hasn’t been accompanied by layoffs, so analysts believe this is simply a rebalancing from the pandemic.

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