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Efforts in Ghana to use locally available materials such as clay, laterite and granite chippings to build affordable housing. Ghan needs 2 million new houses per year. A prototype one room house would cost $5000. Solar pumps developed by German engineers are used to cool the home and make it eco-friendly. 

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Efforts by Indian Council of Medical Research to have a vaccine ready by August 15, 2020. India already has 700,000 cases of coronavirus. Bharat Biotech is developing Covaxin in partnership with the National Institute of Virology.

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Mandatory airport tests in Germany. South Africa gets $4.3 billion in emergency financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund as it battles the pandemic through use of the Rapid Financing Instrument. And president Kenyatta imposes a 9 am to 4 pm curfew in Kenya for 30 days.

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This unbelievable story from Berlin, Germany, where dozens of police officers are injured and three hospitalized trying to disperse 20,000 people gathered to protest anti-pandemic measures. 130 people had to be arrested. 1100 officers had to be deployed to monitor the gathering even though there is a spike in cases in Germany. The gathering was done with people not wearing masks and not social distancing. Berlin mayor Michael Muller said they risked the health of other people. The gathering was a mixture of hard left and hard right supporters in a strange mix with shouting "we are the second wave" as the protest reached the Brandenburg Gate. Police had to use loudspeakers to get people to leave the area. And launched legal action for "non-respect of hygiene rules." Some officers were hit by shards of glass.

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This beautiful DW.com video shows the use of face masks in vibrant colors and styles is in the hope that it will become popular. It is of great importance in the fight to stop the spread of coronavirus. A large part of people who have coronavirus are asymptomatic and are a big problem as spreaders of the virus, say health experts. The Robert Koch Institute in Germany recommends use of face masks. Jena is the first city in Germany making them mandatory. Other cities will follow, only not soon enough,

Face masks to prevent spreading the virus are a way of life in China, South Korea. Then why is it so difficult for Europe and the U.S.? Czech Republic and Slovakia have made face masks mandatory. The Center for Disease Control in the U.S. are now revising their guidelines to require people to wear face masks to avoid the spread of the virus, cloth masks or scarfs could be used also.

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Spotlights the shift to lighter materials and focus on fuel efficiency in the airplane industry. Henri Courpron, executive vp procurement at Airbus, says that it will double the use of titanium in the next 3 years to about 8 tons annuallyand will use most of it to make the A380 its largest plane. About 9% of the planned weight for the A350 (to compete with Boeing's 787 Dreamliner) will be titanium. Titanium prices have about doubled in past 18 months, about 100,000 tons are produced annually, with that going up to 150,000 in the next 5 yrars. Airbus finalized deals of $1.4 billion for supply to 2015 with RTI Internation Metals of Niles, Ohio, with a deal with Kamengorsk Titanium-Magnesium Plant of Kazakhstan to supply titanium ore. And a deal with OAO VSMPO-Avisma of Russia.

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Detroit carmakers Chrysler and GM are falling back on incentives to grow sales for 2010 models. Chrysler is offering rebates upto $4000 and 0% financing. But it is a sign of how low the capacity utilization is in the industry. North American auto capacity utilization will average about 50% in 2009 according to JD Power & Associates.

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This is what our energy wars, our climate change wars are about in summary. Europe has moved faster than the US, India and China in cutting fossil fuels use over 20 years 2005 to 2025. Europe going from 1525 trillion watt hours to 792- cutting use by half. The US from 2900 to  2553 trillion watt hours just 12%. And China...China tripled its use. This has come at a price as the costs of renewables push up electricity prices beyond what homes and industry can support. UK electricity prices 80% higher than US and half of UK energy users plan to ration its use 2025. Half of electricity costs in UK come from cost and delivery, other half of costs from subsidies of renewables and other. In Germany high electricity costs are hobbling industry and reducing economic growth. Lower electricity prices make the US more attractive than Germany as a place to invest. Another way to look at it- US and Europe cut fossil fuel use by about 1100 trillion watt hours and China increased its use by 4200 trillion watt hours or 4 times what the US and Europe cut in 2024 over 2005. Adding India, Brazil this would be 5-6 times what the US and Europe saved in 2024 over 2005. The "And "strategy of combining reduction in fossil with building renewable capacity is working out compared to dumping fossil in one shove and going all out renewable. There is also the question of equity. China and India argue equity means we should be allowed to use some fossil with renewable for 2.5 billion people's needs. The other side of equity is the US saying the same as "no fossil period" strategy puts the needs of the large part of the population for lower costs of energy  pushed aside as wealthy classes say it is OK. Even when the savings through cuts and sacrifices in US and EU are cut down, cut down by 5-6 fold increase in China, India, Brazil alone. In this kind of climate change war it makes sense not to go with labels such as climate change denial DJT vs China climate change affirming, when China is diluting US-EU climate change entire twenty year savings of 2005-2024 by a factor of 4, 1100 trillion watt hours wiped out by China's 4200 trillion watt hours added. And India, Brazil taking this to a factor of 6. This is why a lot of the discussion with self-righteous indignation becomes less purposeful. What is clear is that every action to cut cost of living in US and EU for large parts of the people is an effort in the right direction as it frees up resources for the fight against climate change, the sense that we are all in the same boat and in the same struggle. The fight against cost of living is part of the long run struggle against climate change. ...

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Sales for Honda in Japan dropped 13% which is quite remarkable see the related BW article on declining Japanese auto sales. N.American sales up 2% in a weakenig market, but worldwide sales up 5.6% in the first quarter of 2007.

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Toyota plans to build another 450,00 cars in China to meet it target of manufacturing 900,000 vehicles by 2010. It needs to make 90% of its 1 million car goal with manufacturing capacity inside China, includes Toyota Higlander, RX, Yaris etc. WSJ reviewed a confidential Toyota Plan and states that a new plant is planned by 2009 for its Guangzhou complex to make another 100,000 cars, in addition to the 443,000 it makes in China right now. Crucial information on Toyota's plans for the future in a critical market for both GM and Toyota.

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Under new coach Montse Tome the Spanish women's soccer team plays France for a spot in the Olympics in Seville. France as host nation has already qualified. European teams get two spots at the Olympics. The other spot is to be filled by the winner of the Netherlands vs Germany womens teams in Heerenveen. Germany lost 2-1 to France in Lyon.