408: The number of people killed in the Afghan capital of Kabul, after a Pakistani strike hit a drug rehabilitation center there, according to Taliban officials. Another 250 were reported injured. Islamabad claimed the facility was being used as an ammunition depot, as the conflict between the two neighbors, which started as border clashes last year, continues to spiral.
5: The number of Iranian women’s soccer team members – including the team captain, Zahra Ghanbari – who withdrew their asylum claims in Australia, per Iran’s state media. Now, only two out of the seven women offered asylum remain in Australia – they had sought asylum after they refused to sing Iran’s national anthem at the Asian Cup. Human rights activists suggested that these women’s families may have been threatened, prompting the reversal.
13: The number of people who contracted meningitis, an infection that’s most common among children and young adults, in the English county of Kent over the last four days. Two of the cases proved fatal. Meningitis is caused by a contagious viral or bacterial infection, and the outbreak has prompted widespread panic at the University of Kent and high schools in the area.
2,000: The number of live ants that a Chinese citizen tried to take out of Kenya last week. On Tuesday, a Kenyan court charged him and one other man with transporting wildlife illegally. Why smuggle ants, you ask? Certain enthusiasts of the insect are willing to pay large sums to watch how the complex social structures of these colonies develop.
