Foreign nationals become a growing target in the Sahel, Bulgaria’s ex-president to run again, Israel shuts Gaza border again, Shooting in Texas bar

30: The number of foreign nationals who were kidnapped in Mali and Niger in the first 11 months of 2025, according to data from the independent conflict monitor ACLED, up from seven in the preceding three years combined. The Islamist insurgencies in these West African states have been threatening the broader region, but it could now turn into a more expansive issue with international visitors being seized.

7: The number of elections that corruption-saddled Bulgaria has held over the last five years – a number that will rise to eight following the snap election on April 19. President Iliana Iotova announced the vote last month. Former President Rumen Radev, who has a softer stance on Russia, formally moved toward running again on Monday by registering an alliance called Progressive Bulgaria. Polls indicate that any faction led by Radev will win.

26: The number of days that the Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt was open before Israel shut it again on Saturday as it launched strikes on Iran. The border had been largely shut for 20 months amid the Israel-Hamas war, before the Israelis reopened it Feb. 2. There are fears that the re-shutting of the border will further reduce Gaza’s limited fuel and food supplies.

2: The number of people killed during a shooting at a bar in Austin, Texas, on Saturday evening. Another 14 were injured. The shooter, who was killed by police, was a Senegalese national who became a naturalized US citizen in 2013. A motive hasn’t been determined yet.