99 billion: Terminating NAFTA would cost North America’s three economies $99 billion in annual real GDP, according the Bank of International Settlements. The US stands to lose the most, $40 billion, followed by Canada and Mexico, $37 billion and $22 billion respectively.
600,000: In North Korea, there are currently 436 government-approved markets in operation, which in total employ at least 600,000 workers, according to the Center for International and Strategic Studies in Washington. That’s more than double the number that existed a decade ago and part the Kim regime’s efforts to improve living standards.
3,000: The eastern German city of Chemnitz has been roiled by protests over the past few days, which included the clash of about 3,000 right-wing extremists with left-wing counter protesters after the death of a German man at the hands of two migrants. There were some 10 reports of protesters using Hitler salutes – a criminal offense in Germany.
15: This week, the UN announced it is looking into possible war crimes committed by both Saudi Arabia and Houthi rebels during the ongoing civil war in Yemen. Among the issues now under the microscope: 15 clerics have been killed in extrajudicial assassinations tied to the ongoing power struggle since October of last year.
13: The combined population of four eastern European nations – Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia – is expected to fall by 13 percent by 2050, according to the United Nations. That demographic decline, the fastest for any region during the time period in question, is one that could be solved by loosening restrictions on migration or by outsourcing more jobs to robots.
