Hard Numbers: Iran targets Israeli embassies in Europe, Deadly heat wave in India, Fentanyl just got more dangerous, China’s army gets a dog
2: According to Israeli and Swedish security services, Iran is behind a string of terror attacks by criminal networks on Israeli Embassies in Europe. In Sweden, the criminal gang known as Foxtrot was following Iran’s orders when it attempted an attack on the Israeli Embassy in January. The report also found that Iran was behind last week’s attack on Israel’s Embassy in Belgium in which two airsoft grenades were thrown.
126: In New Delhi, India, a severe heat wave has pushed temperatures to 126 degrees Fahrenheit, marking the second day of record highs. Three people have died and water is in short supply, leading local officials to implement usage limits. The heat is expected to start subsiding on Friday, but public health officials say they expect the number of heat-related mortalities to mount in the coming days.
160: Public health officials warn that the US illicit drug supply is becoming even more toxic. Mexican cartels and American drug gangs are now blending medetomidine, a dangerous sedative, with fentanyl because it is cheaper, less regulated, and more readily available than the deadly opioid. In Philadelphia, the mixture caused 16o hospitalizations over just a few days and has been blamed for overdose outbreaks in cities across the US. What’s worse: Medetomidine does not respond to naloxone, the medication used to reverse most fentanyl overdoses, and there is currently no way for street users to know their drugs are laced.
1,500: The Chinese army has debuted its latest weapon: a gun-toting robot dog. The machine — which looks like a mechanical canine with a machine gun on top — was manufactured by a Chinese company and can be used to conduct reconnaissance and identify and shoot at enemies. The concept was first developed by Boston Dynamics, which says there are about 1,500 of its deadly dogs in militaries around the world.