Hard Numbers: Iran’s mass execution, Great Barrier faces big bleaching, Italy’s overcrowded prisons, Biden looks to bring home more Americans

29: Iranexecuted at least 29 people in a single day this week, including a mass hanging of 26 inmates at one prison. All had been convicted of murder, rape, or drug crimes. Iran executes more people each year than any country except China (the United Statesis fourth). The killings came a day after Tehran faced international criticism for executing a man for participating in anti-government protests in 2022.

---

400: The waters around Australia’s Great Barrier Reefare the hottest they have ever been in the past 400 years, according to chemical samples studied by researchers. Warmer water is putting the world’s largest coral reef in danger, as rising ocean temperatures cause “coral bleaching,” a phenomenon in which corals die of heat stress. Coral reefs are critical ocean ecosystems and important barriers to erosion. Since early 2023, more than 50 countries have reported mass bleaching incidents.

65: Italian lawmakerspassed a bill to improve conditions in the country’s overcrowded, understaffed prisons, where 65 inmates have killed themselves in the first two-thirds of 2024. By comparison, there were 70 suicides in all of 2023. Italy’s prisons hold about 70,000 people, which is roughly 115% of official capacity, and there is a persistent shortage of guards. The bill will, among other things, hire additional prison staff, permit more inmate phone calls to family, and simplify procedures for early release.

3: Seeking to build on its success in securing the release of Americans held in Russian prisons, the Biden administration is now pressing for the return of three US citizens detained in Afghanistan. They include an NGO worker, an employee of a communications company, and a tourist. The three were detained by the Taliban after the Islamist group retook power following the US withdrawal in 2022.