LyrArc Article Gist
What is the difference between South Korea and the U.S., Europe in the handling of coronavirus? It is tracking and testing.  President Trump and health adviser Dr. Fauci, see South Korea as the successful model to be followed in controlling the coronavirus. What has happened till now it is accepted with shortage of basic medical supplies and equipment, stress on hospital systems, are merely mitigation actions. South Korea was prepared for the coronavirus crisis because of the MERS and other epidemics, and failures resulting in corrective actions. Labs were centralized and better equipped for testing and tracking the infected. One of the key tools is testing. President Trump says the goal is for the U.S. to exceed and far surpass tests per capita in South Korea. Five million tests are planned by the end of April in the U.S. Where the U.S. falls short is in use of multipronged digital tracking using data from people's use of mobile phones, credit card usage, and use of apps designed to separate infected people from others. South Korea is a democracy with a population of 52 million people, about the size of France. People who were student activists in the democratization era in South Korea say the use of digital technology is a need today. We have to adapt in emergency situation they say. Ki Mo-ran, epidemiologist, and adviser to South Korean government says this is a key part lacking in the European and U.S. efforts to control coronavirus. She says in South Korea we know the patient's contacts, where he goes and stays, so we don't have to lock down everybody. Without digital tracking one cannot know which place is contaminated, which place is clean, so that there can be a lockdown of just that area and not the whole country, says Ki Mo-ran. She asks the question- is one person's privacy more important than the lives of a family or other people who are affected. Is it OK to lockdown every child in the country in a home as in Spain for over a month so that particular people's privacy is respected? These are serious questions for western society, are they exceptions or is democracy not just a western idea but equally cherished in Asian societies, people talk about Confucianism in China and the Asian culture forgetting that the biggest democracies are quite large and functioning well in India in addition to South Korea, Taiwan Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Japan, far larger in area and population than China. The French government has chosen the app TraceTogether as the least intrusive one adaptable to France for use there. The U.S. is having Google and Apple develop one of its own. India will be developing one of its own. The NYT raises the question will it be watered down so much in France or in the U.S. and UK to be less effective than the  dire need for an alternative to lockdowns? ...

LyrArc Article Gist
This Washington Post Editorial Board Opinion asks Europe to get serious about its energy needs and finding alternate supplies than Hormuz, that the US president DJT is sending the right message "Go get your own oil." And this is true also for China, Japan, South Korea and India. What there is no need for is the posturing of these countries when it is China and Japan that are dependent on Hormuz strait and that region for 90% of their imports, not the US which is zero dependent and self sufficient. Germany has shown the way with only 6% of its imports from that region, Italy and Britain have not acted to find other alternate supplies. 

LyrArc Article Gist
The sudden souring of North and South Korea's relations after the sinking of a S. Korean warship. The North Koreans cut off all ties with the South. The "sunshine policy" of the two previous administrations now comes to a close.

LyrArc Article Gist
Supreme Court of India supports Posco's and Vedanta Resources projects in Orissa state in India. These are large projects for the aluminium and steel industry in India for instance Posco's project is for 12 million tons of steel and for developmet of a port in Orissa.

LyrArc Article Gist
insurance rates for oil tankers of 0.25% of ship's value increase to 1-2% in Iran war for Straits of Hormuz, US Development Finance Corporation says it will offer reinsurance to insurers to cap the price shippers pay. There is no shortage of insurers to insure ships for the Straits of Hormuz, Lloyd's of London is open for business. Shipping executives say they are concerned about the safety of the crew members, that it is about more than insurance. About 1000 shipos are waiting outside the Straits of Hormuz to make the journey through the Straits. At its narrowest point it is only 19 miles making it possible to plant mines in that area. The US is taking action and has sunk many Iranian minelayer ships.

LyrArc Article Gist
Nuclear arms control SALT treaties expire Feb 2026 - need for new negotiations as the treaties were obsolete, did not include China, smaller nuclear weapons, and weapons from space. The SALT arms limitation treaty was first signed in 1972 by Brezhnev with Nixon. These treaties went through a second version and were renewed. The US no longer thinks this is relevant as China is not included, and smaller nuclear weapons, ones from space are not included and new negotiations are the best way to conduct true arms limitation. An accompanying video in NYT by David Sanger goes into these aspects of talks. Rafael Gross, head of IEA International Atomic Agency, says- You wouldn’t negotiate the same treaty again. There are new technologies that are not covered by the treaty — hypersonic missiles, undersea nuclear weapons, space weapons. And there are many other countries that, for one reason or another, feel now as if they may need a nuclear arsenal of their own.” This is the reason. It also happens that in 2026 US and Russia could coordinate their efforts, so that new US weapons may be needed as other risks could emerge from other places. There are smaller nuclear powers and new nations that might develop nuclear weapons as the US nuclear umbrella may be seen as not fully dependable. This new thinking would be that US and Russia may not see themselves as adversaries but work together to prevent nuclear risks from other sources. This is also why the US (and Russia) may want to wind down smaller regional conflicts, reduce their reliance on their own alliances, so that nuclear cooperation between nuclear powers US, Russia, China, and India may lead to control of nuclear weapons in a larger sense from space and from smaller countries that might develop nuclear weapons as has happened in Iran, which might create new risks that cannot be managed. A belligerent North Korea could lead to South Korea and Japan developing a nuclear weapon. This is also why the Ukraine conflict has run its course and it is in no one's interest to let the Nordics or Britain continue the conflict. The US, Russia, China, India, Brazil should not let middle or smaller powers continue regional or historical conflicts, and promote settlement through peace talks of such conflicts, as it inevitably leads to damaging the interests of billions of people around the world in peaceful cooperation and tackling challenges that affect the quality of life. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Cem Ozdemir, Baden-Wurttemberg State Premier, with roots in Turkey born in Stuttgart area (parents came to Germany in the 1960's). Cem Ozdemir is exceptional in his popularity in an affluent German state. The 2026 state election campaign was run with focus on Ozdemir, and he did well in his debate with the CDU leader in the state. He led his party to over 30% of the vote. A third of working class voters gave the AfD their vote and it made it to 19% of the vote. The CDU came in second with a half percentage point below the Greens at 29.5%. Ozdemir was pre school educator and has a degree in psychology before he joined the Greens party. Under Chancellor Schroeder he was domestic spokesperson, and under Chancellor Scholz in 2024 he was Agriculture Minister.

LyrArc Article Gist
A dangerous escalation in the rhetoric between president Trump and North Korea creates tension and concern in Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing.

LyrArc Article Gist
A careful examination of the Case-Shiller 20 City Index shows that even though housing prices increased by 5.9% year to date through July 2012, when looked at year over prior year only 2 cities Minneapolis and Detroit show an increase over 6%, other than Pheonix at 16%. It increased only 1.2% over the prior year in July 2012. Sixteen cities showed increases, Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas and New York showed declines. For this reason the interpretation of this one month data should be done cautiously as it can be skewed by unusual factors such as lower short and foreclosure sales according to experts.