Hard numbers: Fires in French wine country, Sweden gives Turkey a leg up, fertilizer emergencies, monkeys at risk
10,000: Out-of-control fires on the outskirts of Bordeaux in southwestern France have caused 10,000 people to flee their homes. Called a “monster” wildfire by emergency services, this comes amid a hellish summer in France, where fires have already destroyed around 17,000 hectares of forestry.
14: Sweden has agreed to extradite a Turkish citizen – previously sentenced in absentia to 14 years in prison – who is wanted by Ankara for bank fraud. It is actually the first such extradition between the two states since Ankara agreed to let Stockholm join NATO on the condition that Sweden hand over at least some alleged terrorists residing in Sweden.
300: The recent resumption of grain exports from Ukraine’s Black Sea port was hailed as a major victory by the United Nations. But the organization is now turning its attention to the “enormous” fertilizer shortage. Across large parts of import-dependent Africa, fertilizer prices have skyrocketed 300% since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, causing sharp drops in food production at a time when global food prices are soaring.
10: Monkey pox is spreading globally, and the World Health Organization has issued a stark warning: Stop harming the monkeys! At least this comes after 10 of the animals were recently beaten or killed in Brazil, which has reported more than 2,000 cases of the disease.