Hard Numbers: Volcano in Iceland, Earthquake in China, déjà vu in Berlin, gigantic drug bust in Jordan

The eruption of a volcano on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula just after 10pm on Monday night
The eruption of a volcano on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula just after 10pm on Monday night
Icelandic Coast Guard/Cover Imag via Reuters

13,000: A volcanic fissure approximately 13,000 feet long has burst open near the Icelandic village of Grindavik, spewing lava. Grindavik was evacuated weeks ago due to increased seismic activity (which usually precedes eruptions), but there is no telling when they will be permitted to return.

131: At least 131 people have been killed and nearly 1,000 injured after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck southwest of the city of Lanzhou in western China on Tuesday. The death toll may rise in the coming days, as rescue efforts are complicated by the remote, mountainous terrain in one of China’s least developed areas.

455: Berlin residents in 455 of the city’s 2,256 electoral districts will have to go to the polls to rerun elections that they already voted in over two years ago. Germany’s top court found that delays and procedural snafus on Election Day 2021 were severe enough to require a mulligan, but for the MPs whose jobs are on the line, the ruling isn’t the worst possible news: Because only select districts are revoting and not the entire city, they are likely to keep their seats.

4.93 million: Jordanian authorities seized approximately 4.93 million pills of Captagon – a form of amphetamine popular in the Middle East – and nearly 13,000 “palm-sized” sheets of hashish in a bust near the Syrian border. It’s the largest seizure yet in an ongoing crackdown from Amman on the smugglers using the remote desert frontier to sneak drugs out of Syria, where the majority of the world’s Captagon is produced.

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Tensions in the Middle East escalate as Israel launches a surprise military strike against Iran, prompting international concern and speculation about broader conflict. In his latest Quick Take, Ian Bremmer calls Israel’s strike on Iran “a huge success for the Israelis” and a significant blow to Iran’s regional influence.

Iranian policemen monitor an area near a residential complex that is damaged in Israeli attacks in Tehran, Iran, on June 13, 2025.
Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto

Israel bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities Thursday night, causing “significant damage” at the country’s main enrichment plant, killing leading Iranian military figures and nuclear scientists, and sparking fears that the Middle East is on the verge of a wider war.

A tank on display at a park in Washington, D.C., on June 12, 2025, two days ahead of a military parade commemorating the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary and coinciding with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday.

Kyodo via Reuters Connect

The official reason for this weekend’s military parade in Washington DC is to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the US Army – but the occasion also just happens to fall on President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday.