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Hard Numbers: ISIS-K strikes, ripple effects of Canadian wildfires, eurozone recession, Aussies rescue humpback in distress
Security forces keeping watch after mosque explosion
11: At least 11 people, including two Taliban officials, were killed and dozens more injured in an explosion in a mosque in northeastern Afghanistan. The Islamic State offshoot has since taken responsibility for the blast. For more on ISIS-K and its ongoing beef with the Taliban, see our explainer here.
5,804: Smoke plumes from wildfires in Canada caused at least 5,804 delays on flights in and out of the US on Wednesday, as the Northeast in particular struggles with off-the-charts smoke pollution levels that have closed schools and public events. Meanwhile, experts say smoke plumes are expected to reach as far away as Norway after having recently passed over Greenland and Iceland.
0.1: The eurozone is technically in recession territory after recording two consecutive quarter contractions of 0.1% – in the last quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of this year. Still, the bloc’s economy is doing better than many initially anticipated at the outset of Russia’s war in Ukraine, and should grow by 0.9% this year.
40,000: Mesmerizing footage captured Australian marine workers rescuing a humpback whale that got tangled in a shark net off the coast of New South Wales. As more humpbacks — around 40,000 — head towards that coastline amid the northern migration season (May-November), Aussies have a special disentanglement crew ready to aid mammals that get stuck.