Hard Numbers: Sudanese return home, Earthquake in the Pacific, US economy rebounds, Poland arrests multinational spies

190,000: Thousands of Sudanese refugees are returning home from Egypt after the army recaptured territory from RSF paramilitaries in Khartoum. Over 190,000 crossed back since January 2025, five times 2024's total. Despite ongoing fighting elsewhere in Sudan, families are boarding free transit from Cairo to Khartoum, hoping for stability.

8.8: An 8.8-magnitude earthquake – the sixth-most powerful ever recorded – struck off the eastern coast of Russia, sending shockwaves through buildings in Siberia and Japan, and injuring several people. The quake also prompted tsunami warnings in Japan, the state of Hawaii, and the US West Coast, but, thankfully, only modest tsunami waves arrived ashore, with no initial reports of damage.

3%: The US economy rebounded in the second quarter of 2025, growing at an annual rate of 3% after it contracted 0.5% in the first quarter. The recovery defied the recession warnings that followed the introduction of widespread tariffs, although that threat may return as the White House prepares to finally impose its larger “reciprocal” rates on Friday.

32: Poland announced the arrest of 32 people for allegedly spying for Russia on Tuesday – including Poles, Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, and a Colombian. The Colombian allegedly conducted two arson attacks on construction warehouses in May 2024 following Russian intelligence instructions, including how to make Molotov cocktails.