7,000: The UN says 7,000 migrants – those fleeing Africa, and those returning – have been stuck in Niger since the coup in the West African country last month prompted the closing of borders. Niger has been suspended from the African Union and ECOWAS since the coup, but diplomatic efforts to restore constitutional order have failed … which means these discouraged migrants might have a helluva wait.
1,468: This won’t reduce illegal migration. Hungary announced Wednesday that it has released 1,468 foreign national detainees convicted of people smuggling. Budapest announced its intended release earlier this year, noting that the prisoners would have three days to vacate the country. They may leave, but we reckon they know their way back.
26: Twenty-six workers were killed Wednesday, and more are feared missing, amid the collapse of a railway bridge they were constructing in northeastern India over the Kurung River. Rail and construction accidents in India, often linked to infrastructural issues, are not uncommon.
6: South Carolina’s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday to uphold a ban on abortion after about the six-week mark. The decision from the all-male court reversed the court’s earlier ruling, which said the state constitution’s privacy protections included the right to seek an abortion. The new ban takes effect immediately.
