HARD NUMBERS: Deadly Israeli strike hits Gaza, UK nabs Universal theme park, US visa clampdown crosses threshold, North Korea gets combat lessons, Pleas for release of activist
23: An Israeli airstrike hit a residential area in northern Gaza on Wednesday, reportedly killing 23 people, according to local health officials. A Hamas-run health ministry said that eight women and eight children were among the dead. Israel said it had struck a senior Hamas militant. Meanwhile, in West Jerusalem, police dispersed demonstrators who gathered to protest the ongoing Israeli attacks in Gaza and the killing of Palestinian emergency workers.
8.5 million: As if US tariffs haven’t caused enough of a rollercoaster, Universal announced this week that it plans to build its first-ever European theme park in the United Kingdom and estimated that 8.5 million people will visit during its first year. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed the plans, saying the news even piqued his children’s interests. The plan is for the park to open in 2031.
500: As part of its clampdown against higher education, the Trump administration has now revoked visas from more than 500 foreign students in the United States, according to NAFSA, an association dedicated to international education. Universities have started warning foreign students and faculty against traveling abroad, as it could allow authorities to take away their visas.
1.2 million: North Korea’s army, totaling 1.2 million soldiers, is reportedly gaining invaluable experience of modern combat from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Twelve thousand of these North Korean fighters helped the Russian ranks beat back the Ukrainians in the Kursk region in December, and South Korea has claimed that another 3,000 North Koreans are joining the Russian frontlines this year.
30: More than 30 human rights groups are pressing the United Kingdom and the European Union to reverse the extradition of Egyptian activist Abdulrahman al-Qaradawi from Lebanon to the United Arab Emirates, where he faces charges of undermining public security, according to UAE state media. An Egyptian activist who has been critical of several Arab states, Qaradawi has reportedly been held in solitary confinement for three months, and he also faces an extradition demand from his home country.