780: The leftwing Spanish government has ordered a fresh lockdown of Madrid and most surrounding towns after the region reached 780 COVID-19 infections per 100,000 people. The conservative regional administration initially refused the order, but says it will comply while it sues in court to implement only a partial quarantine.
5 million: Social media companies in Turkey face maximum fines of $5 million and internet bandwidth restrictions of up to 90 percent if they don't take down "contentious" posts, under a new law that came into effect on Thursday. Critics say the bill will stifle online dissent to strongman President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
60: At least 60 pro-democracy activists were arrested in Hong Kong for protesting against the territory's new security law on China's national day. The law empowers police to detain any person for expressing sentiments against the Chinese government in Beijing.
89 billion: Africa loses $89 billion each year due to tax evasion and theft, according to a new
report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development. Nearly half of that amount is due to underreported exports of commodities like gold, diamonds, and platinum.
