Hard Numbers: Germany's deadly floods, US drug overdoses soar, troops on South African streets, Australians in lockdown
95: At least 95 people have been killed and dozens are missing after flash floods swept parts of Europe, with Germany bearing the brunt of the onslaught, reporting 81 deaths. Belgium and the Netherlands have also been hit hard by the deadly floods, which experts say are in part caused by climate change.
30: Drug overdose deaths in the United States rose 30 percent in 2020, according to new CDC data. Medical professionals have long been accused of overprescribing opioids in exchange for kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies. (Alex Gibney's fascinating documentary The Crime of the Century documents how Purdue Pharma, owned by the infamous Sackler family, helped engineer the current crisis.)
25,000: The South African government is deploying 25,000 troops to try to quell widespread looting and rioting that erupted in the wake of last week's imprisonment of Jacob Zuma, the former president and African National Congress stalwart. At least 72 people have been killed amid the most significant bout of unrest there since the end of apartheid.
40: Over 40 percent of the Australian population is under stay-at-home orders after an outbreak of new COVID cases in Sydney and Melbourne, the two most populous cities. Only 12 percent of Australians are fully vaccinated, and Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been accused of botching the inoculation drive.
