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.

More from GZERO Media

GZERO Media is seeking a Deputy Head of Content to create and manage daily content offerings including our newsletters, breaking news updates for social channels, digital video, podcasts, and branded content as needed. This role reports directly to the Chief Content Officer and will be responsible for writing, editing, and creating content as well as overseeing the work of reporters and creators. This position is based in our New York City global headquarters.

Then-Bank of England Governor Mark Carney shakes hands with then-Chinese Premier Li Keqiang before the 1+6 Round Table Dialogue meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, in Beijing, China, on September 12, 2017.
REUTERS/Etienne Oliveau/Pool

Questions lurk over how Mark Carney plans to engage with China, as the United States warns allies against dealing with Beijing.

US President Donald Trump announces he has selected the path forward for his ambitious Golden Dome missile defense shield, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., USA, on Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
Chris Kleponis/Pool/Sipa USA

Donald Trump wants to protect the United States from ballistic and hypersonic missiles with a “Golden Dome,” and Canada, officially, wants in.