Hard Numbers

45: Fewer than 45% of eligible Iraqis voted in the country’s national election last weekend, authorities said. That’s less than in Iraq’s three previous national elections, but better than the average turnout in a typical US midterm contest.

14: Developed countries generate 60 percent of global GDP, but only contain around 14 percent of the world’s population. #NotGoingToLast

5.6: Demand for air conditioners is expected to rise to 5.6 billion units by 2050, up from about 1.6 billion today, according to the latest estimates from the International Energy Agency. Without big improvements in energy efficiency, by mid-century, AC units and fans could consume as much electricity as all of India and China do now.

1/2: Restrictions on cross-border data flows shave around half a percent off European GDP, according to the Center for International Governance. A reminder that privacy protection comes with a price tag.

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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.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney gives a thumbs up as he departs after meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, D.C., USA, on May 6, 2025.
REUTERS/Leah Millis

Mark Carney won the Canadian election largely by adopting a pugnacious “elbows up” posture against the Trump administration. Now that he’s in office, he’s adopted a more diplomatic posture.