Hard Numbers: Fenced-off Shanghai, Tigrayan soldiers seek asylum, Saudi royals sell assets, overtaxed Argentine farmers

Hard Numbers: Fenced-off Shanghai, Tigrayan soldiers seek asylum, Saudi royals sell assets, overtaxed Argentine farmers
Annie Gugliotta & Jess Frampton

6: After partly relaxing its COVID-19 lockdown last week, Shanghai is now erecting metal barriers to keep people indoors in high-risk districts. Frustration among residents is mounting, as seen in a six-minute video about the lockdown’s impact that's gone viral on Chinese social media despite censors' attempts to block it.

500: Over 500 Ethiopian soldiers from the war-torn Tigray region deployed as UN peacekeepers in Sudan say they won't return home because they fear for their safety. They want asylum in the neighboring country, which has a beef with Ethiopia over a controversial dam on the Upper Nile.

600 million: Big-spending members of the Saudi royal family have recently sold more than $600 million worth of art, real estate, and yachts stashed in the US and Europe. The royals are worried about getting cut off by de-facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who — by Saudi standards — is somewhat more frugal.

64.9: Thousands of Argentine farmers took to the streets of Buenos Aires on Saturday for an anti-tax protest. You'd probably do the same if an estimated 64.9% of your income went to the government.

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