250,000: The Arabic language hashtag “we all have trust in Mohammed bin Salman” hasappeared over 250,000 times on Twitter since the Saudi crown prince became embroiled in the controversy over the suspected killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. “We have to stand by our leader” and “unfollow enemies of the nation” are among the other hashtags trending this week.
500: South Korea has rejected the asylum claims of more than 500 Yemenis fleeing the country’s civil war after they arrived on its southern island of Jeju, taking advantage of the resort destination’s no-visa policy. South Korea’s strict immigration and asylum policies reflect its emphasis on ethnic and cultural homogeneity – although the country does help resettle more than 1,000 North Korean refugees each year.
44: In a recent poll, just 44 percent of Italians said they would vote to stay in the EU if given the choice – the lowest of any country in the 28-member bloc. However, 65 percent of Italians said they approved of the euro, which was higher than the EU average.
20: A shooting at a technical school in Crimea, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014, on Wednesday has left 20 dead. The shooter, who killed himself afterwards, was evidently inspired by the perpetrators of the 1999 Columbine massacre in the United States. For Russians, this is the first mass school shooting of its kind.
10: Twitter released 10 million tweets sent by state-backed troll accounts since 2016. The data trove included detailed info on over 3,800 Russia-connected accounts and a smaller number of suspected troll accounts from Iran. It is intended to help researchers better understand how countries manipulate social media to advance their agendas.
