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Hard Numbers

Fears rise of another South Sudan civil war, Democrats see opening after Texas primary, Shots fired at Toronto synagogue, Iran conflict has India seeking alternative oil sources

A man holding a South Sudan flag takes part in a national day of prayers for peace in Juba, South Sudan, on September 19, 2019.​

A man holding a South Sudan flag takes part in a national day of prayers for peace lead by South Sudan's President Salva Kiir at the state house in Juba, South Sudan, on September 19, 2019.

REUTERS/Jok Solomun

178: The number of people killed in South Sudan on Sunday, according to a local official, after dozens of young gunmen launched a surprise attack in the north of the East African state. Ninety children were among the dead. The attack has exacerbated fears that the country could slide back into civil war, just eight years after the last one ended.


53%: The share of the vote that Texas state Rep. James Talarico received in yesterday’s Democratic Senate primary, with most ballots counted. His opponent, US Rep. Jasmine Crockett, conceded this morning. The Republican primary, meanwhile, will go to a runoff, as neither Sen. John Cornyn nor Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton received more than 50% of the vote. It’s the ideal scenario for Democrats, as they seek to win in a Texas Senate race for the first time since 1988.

20: The number of shots fired at Temple Emanu-El synagogue in Toronto, Canada, on Monday night, as Jewish people went to celebrate the festival of Purim. Nobody was injured, though the shots did some damage to the building. No suspects have been identified. Antisemitic attacks have doubled or tripled, depending on the location, over the last few years.

40%: The proportion of India’s oil imports that go through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway Iran has threatened to close – by bombing ships that pass through it – amid its conflict with the US and Israel. New Delhi, whose crude stocks could only satisfy about 25 days of demand, is therefore searching for alternative sources of oil. It may look again to Russia, from whom it had significantly reduced its purchases.

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