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Regardless of what happens in the Brexit talks between Johnson and Leyen the situation will be change for people on both sides after January 1, 2021, says this report in DW.com. Tourism, travel, banking and haulage by truck will be affected.

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Theresa May, prime minister of Britain, faced a difficult situation by Jan. 2017- the European Union was not going to budge on the free movement of people and services within the EU. With no prospects for negotiations on the migration issue and a decision to retake control of migration, May announced on Jan. 17, 2017, that she would pull Britain out of the single market. By Jan 2017 Theresa May was perceived in the media facing tough challenges and having no clear path, and no clear plan, and little support from the civil service, business, and within a divided Conservative party, to implement Brexit. This has not changed much even with this decision, as the additional hurdle of getting Scotland, Ireland and Wales, and the close to 50% of the people who voted against Brexit to support this move remains as large as ever, the situation of ample uncertainty, for May and for Britain.

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Former Texas Senator Kay Hutchinson, America's new ambassador to NATO, offers this spirited defense of NATO in an NYT op-ed. She points out that when it comes to European defense and need to revitalize NATO there is no difference between president Trump, Rex Tillerson, Gen. Jim Mattis at the Defense Department, and senators of the Republican and Democratic parties. Rex Tillerson, U.S. Secretary of State, made a similar statement by visiting a war memorial in Italy recently. Chancellor Merkel has made similar statements in her visit to the Baltic Republics. Behind the revitalization of NATO remains another goal to spread the burden of defense evenly so that the U.S. is not bearing a disproportionate responsibility.  Here Hutchinson reminds readers that if all 29 NATO members met the 2014 defense spending pledge - to spend 2% of GDP on defense and 20% of each defense budget on modernizing capabilities- $100 billion in defense funding would have been created for 2016. Hutchinson says the European Defense Initiative will be funded with $4.8 billion for strengthening defenses in Eastern Europe. NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg is taking the lead in ensuring NATO funding goals are met. ...

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Commisssion papers of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill were critical of the Obama administration. The papers said the administration's efforts were affected by a sense of over optimism, and this may have affected the speed and resources brought to bear on the situation. It is critical of the administration's casual approach taken to estimate the size of the spill, and initially underestimating the scale and extent of the spill.

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The Economist points out (in this cover issue on India-Pakistan relations) several fundamental facts. The first is that the current state of relations betweeen India and Pakistan hurts Pakistan the most. It makes a much smaller country and smaller economy bear the burden of defense against a large neighbor- defense takes up much needed allocation of funds for infrastructure and development, education and healthcare. It also weakens democratic institutions and their development by an overdependence on the military for governance. Poor India-Pakistan relations have significant adverse effects on the U.S. In fighting the Taliban U.S. forces are fighting a force that Pakistan's military helped create and support from its early beginnings as a way to counter Indian influence. With an Indian-Pakistani peace settlement of issues in Kashmir and other outstanding issues the U.S. would be in a significantly better position to disengage from the region, especially when the entire Middle East is moving in a new direction in 2011. Consider the difficulties in establishing peace in Northern Ireland, and between Turkey and Greece, and the difficulties of establishing peace between India and Pakistan cannot be considered even more difficult. Pakistan and India muddle along- neither side is doing much to take the initiative. For the U.S. disengagement from South Asia can be best achieved by pushing for a settlement between the two countries. Pakistan and India have much to gain from a settlement. Considering the progress made in Ireland, such places as Yugoslavia, and in Turkish-Greek relations, there is a lot more that can be done and should be done to bring India and Pakistan together. In Ireland diplomatic efforts were made by U.S. envoy George Mitchell, and in Yugoslavia U.S. envoy Holbrooke made diplomatic efforts towards the Dayton accords. Greek-Turkish relations have advanced to the point where Erdogan and Papandreou, the Greek and Turkish prime ministers, discuss solutions to the Greek debt crisis. This includes options to reduce Greece's defense expenditures in the light of Turkey's new foreign policies. The lack of such efforts to break the deadlock between India and Pakistan by the U.S,. the U.K. and other countries involved in the NATO mission in Afghanistan, the emphasis on a military solution supported first by Gen. McChrystal, and then by by Gen. Petraeus, all show a lack of understanding of the real issues that need to be tackled- issues relating to a peace settlement between India and Pakistan....

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A report by international inspectors says Greece's funding requirements can be met only if bondholders such as French and German banks take writedowns of 60%, or if more loans are made to Greece more than planned. This reinforces Germany's position that Greece's debt be reduced to less than 50% for a long term sustainable solution. Volker Kauder, conservative leader in Germany's parliament, told the German weekly Der Spiegel, "the governments in Europe are going to have to get used to this," (the German position). Germany opposes using the ECB to print more euros to make loans to the eurozone bailout fund, the EFSF, which would relax prudent financial practice. After warnings from Kauder and other German parliament members, Merkel is staying firm about the German position. German law requires Merkel to get approval from a parliamentary budget committee for any additional loans.

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A proposal by the former FDIC chairman, Sheila Bair, to now extend the U.S. Federal Reserve loans made to American bankers to everybody in this country. This will level the playing field, and bring a true sense of equality, with everyone entitled to the same benefit. And this could be done in Europe too, because the ECB could level the playing field by making the low interest loans it made recently to European bankers now available to everybody in Europe. And wouldn't that be a good idea? Yes, it comes from someone who has a good knowledge of banking, seeing us all through a financial crisis, and a keen sense of what is good for the U.S. and Europe. Bair makes her point in a novel way, yet it voices the feelings of the middle class in the U.S. and Europe.

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A lot of readers responded to this saying that the Nano will actually reduce the consumption of gasoline per passenger mile travelled and reduce CO2 emissions as the two wheelers it replaces are very fuel inefficient and polluting. Also future versions of the Nano can be improved to develop more fuel efficent ones and also with new technologies like hybrid and so on which reduce oil consumption and emissions even further. Meantime readers say it is important for western countries to focus their energies on developing other technologies like electric vehicles and other hybrid technologies that can then be transferred to Asian countries to fuel efficient and less polluting motorization possible there. The shift to smaller vehicles in western countries would also create a healthy balance and a global partnership in the true sense of the word to oil consumption and prices down.

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Across Europe the big energy push is in solar. The goal is to triple the size of solar by 2030 in just 8 years. Germany already gets 17% of its energy from solar. It is considered better and more acceptable to people and landscapes than wind turbines. This WSJ report looks at how this will be done and what hurdles have to be overcome. By 2030 45% of the total energy use in Europe has to come from renewable energy.

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Sandra Day O'Connor, one of the great voices of America in her own voice in this video from the National Constitution Center. Sandra O'Connor talks about the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the US Constitution that represented in 1865 the second founding of these United States. A second founding that was a new birth of freedom true to the original founders that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

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Ashwini Vaishnaw says, that for good governance on the internet the entire existing governance structure of the internet needs fundamental rethinking. As everything that is put out on the internet tends to be believed, clear responsibility has to be taken for what is put out. 

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Nigel Farage is making a comeback in European Union elections in Britain. He led the Independence party and has formed a new Brexit Party to contest the elections. He says the Brexit supporters were deserted in the way the Conservative Party bungled Britain's leaving the European Union. As a result of loss of support for Theresa May with the mess created by repeated failures to pass Brexit deals in parliament, some polls show the Brexit Party surging to 34% of the vote inEuropean elections. The Conservative Party at 11%, and the Labour Party at 21%. The Liberal Democrats at 13%. The Conservative party fragments, and the Labour Party loses supporters to the Greens and Liberal Democrats. Another change is that some of the pro-Brexit supporters of the Labour Party in the middle and the north of the country may shift their vote to the Brexit party. The Conservative party's losses of support are a result of the failure of Theresa May to hold her party together. In the case of the Labour party even though it had 40%  of the vote in the last British election, it is faced with the fact that it has an odd mix of supporters. In the north and the middle of the country its working class support comes partly from Pro-Brexit supporters, and in the cities and London the support is from more liberal, better educated people. This puts both the main parties in the situation which they never thought they would be in.  Mr. Farage says its OK for Britain to leave the European Union without a deal. Prime Minister May has taken great pains to forge a deal, even a cross party deal with Labour if necessary. This has alienated the most fervent Brexit supporters in the Conservative Party who favor a no-deal Brexit. Much of this comes from caution that a no-deal Brexit would hurt Britain's economy and lower growth. A large majority in parliament believes a no deal Brexit would be disastrous for Britain. Nigel Farage does not have to deal with such distant matters as economic growth, the British pound and GDP.       ...

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The European Recovery Fund package finally gets settled after long negotiations over the weekend. It is settled by lowering the nonrepayable direct aid to countries hardest hit by the pandemic of 500 billion euros the initial target to 390 billion euros. The change was made to meet Dutch demands that are based on right wing parties in Netherlands critical of the deal and upcoming elections in the country. Mr. Rutte of the Netherlands held on to the end. He has been in power for about ten years by following the Dutch mood carefully. This time both Merkel and Macron, both France and Germany supported the 500 billion euro plan for nonrepayable aid to countries particularly in southern Europe that took the brunt of the pandemic- Spain, Italy and Greece. The EU's executive branch will now for first time issue debt on a large scale to fund this nonrepayable aid and additional loans of 360 billion euros. There is also a multiyear EU budget of 1 trillion euros for 2021 to 2027 designed to meet the goals of European recovery. The way the EU is setup a lone holdout or a small country like the Netherlands with the help of two other small countries Denmark and Sweden could hold up the agreement against the interests of the larger nations Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal. Poland and Hungary also strongly supported the 500 billion euro target for nonrepayable aid. The combined population of these countries is about 314 million compared to just 17 million for Netherlands, 10 million for Sweden, and 6 million for Denmark. In addition Merkel has recovered her footing in Germany after the pandemic and most right wing parties in Europe have lost ground during the pandemic. That Mr. Rutte could push this far in the face of the need to show solidarity at a time like this shows weakness in the fabric and structure of the EU, and its rules and organizing charter. Normally a blocking minority would need 4 countries and 35% of the population to block EU proposals supported by the majority. This could be used if the blocking is seen as not in the common interest. In recent years most decision are made with unanimity, but this is one in which solidarity needed to be shown without the long negotiations taking some of the spirit and vigour behind the earlier plan. ...

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Coalition Against Climate Disinformation at the COP30 Belem Brazil Summit. CAAD says about the state of disinformation-

"Big Carbon's spending and Big Tech's algorithms are preventing us from seeing and hearing one another online. Instead, we're exposed to one lie after another."

The frequent fires and floods all over the world which happen suddenly and quickly show the effects and costs of climate change are real. Actions need to be taken on climate change even as the cost of living crisis and struggles of people in China,India and Africa and in the US and EU have to be considered for access to electricity and for cost of living concerns. Fossil only provides a short term transition to a long term plan for the future based on renewable energy, and the fight for climate change action to be renewed by EU, China, Brazil and India as the US sorts out its own problems with the transition.

 

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This report in the New Yorker provides a good glimpse at the problems of global warming and limiting climate change goal of 1.5 degrees centigrade. Sally Ann Ranney co-founder of the American Renewable Energy Institute answers questions from the New Yorker magazine. Limiting climate change warming of the planet to 1.5 degrees centigrade by 2100 is a goal enshrined in the Paris Agreement. In the absence of this the global warming would be 2.7 degrees centigrade by 2100. For this 1.5 degrees centigrade goal to be reached fossil fuel use and carbon emissions have to be cut by 50% by 2030 and 100% by 2050. 

The ice pack in the Arctic is part of a planetary cooling system and its accelerated melting is a good sign of the danger the planet faces. Ranney answers a number of these questions.

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This report in WSJ says fears are growing about the potential misuse of artificial intelligence that includes committing crimes and spreading false information, or information that is likely to be damaging to people. The Biden administration is looking into the possible misuse and inviting comment. The National Telecommunication and Information Administration is as a first step inviting comments. Alan Davidson who heads the agency says we know we have to put some guardrails in place. Asked about AI and new chatbots and risks they pose president Biden says, "it remains to be seen," it could be.

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During a meeting with British prime minister Boris Johnson, German chancellor Olaf Scholz says Germany will stop importing Russian oil by the end of this year and stop importing Russian gas very soon. Johnson said Germany will stop importing Russian gas by 2024, and that a lot of infrasgtructure had to be put in place. He called the German decision a big one and said that he applauded the German decision which was a seismic one to move away from Russian hydrocarbons. Scholz said this would be permanent and that Germany would be 100% on renewable energy in 20 years.

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Australian prime minister Morrison says it is imperative that Australia build its own guided weapons capability as a priority. On the 100th Anniversary of the Australian Air Force he announced a $550 million investment in building a new manufacturing facility for its own weapons, so that Australia is not dependent on long supply chains which could be disrupted. Funds will be fast tracked to build Australia's own production in 3 years, and a partner will be chosen. Australia sees China's new posture as a threat in the Indian Ocean region.

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Most Senators of both parties have worked with Senator Marco Rubio of Florida on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and have a very positive view of Rubio. Shaheen of New Hampshire, Kaine of Virgina, Duckworth of Illinois, Cornyn of Texas, Cruz of Texas, all welcomed Rubio's appointment as Secretary of State. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois even thanked Rubio for changing House rules so she could bring her new born daughter to the Senate for votes- Rubio had told her "What's the big deal?" This may be the best and most important appointment DJT has made considering how down to earth, courteous yet frank spoken Rubio has been in his work in the Senate and in talking to the public. Rubio told Cornyn about his concerns for US outbound investment hurting America. “At a minimum we should have insight into whether American investment dollars" are used for funding "activities designed to undermine the United States of America." In 2020 Rubio had poointed out how easily "Luckin Coffee" had raised money in US capital markets- it later went bankrupt. In other situations national security was involved but not considered in the proper way for outbound investment for two decades on Wall Street.   ...

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The unease in rural areas was accompanied by unease among younger people 18-34 years over cost of living, and the unease among Latinos in general and Black people without a college degree. 

Taking an approach to the wars that would remove them as distractions by looking for a settlement in Ukraine through negotiations, and prioritizing strong action on the border, price surges would have helped Biden tackle pressing issues that caused so much unease. These opportunities were missed.

Objectively assessing this unease, and not listening enough without preconceived ideas, are needed for issues from the Ukraine conflict, illegal immigration and cost of living surges. So that changes in policy could be made based on the facts and evolving situations on the spot to not let the unease accumulate.

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Uber and Lyft, ride-hailing apps are adding to the traffic in downtown areas of major cities in the U.S. It is getting worse to the point where cities are looking for ways to ease the congestion in downtown areas of Chicago, San Francisco, New York, New fees are being enacted in these cities on Uber and Lyft, and regulators are also considering fees. The problem is that ride sharing apps customers prefer not to pool or share rides as the ride sharing apps said they would to prevent congestion. Another problem is that Uber and Lyft are actually pulling people away from buses, subways and walking creating new waves of congestion and poor utilization of public transportation designed to ease travel for most of the post war period. Worse they are not supporting healthy living because it is harder to walk on traffic congested streets and some people become lazy and just grab a ride rather than walk a short distance or walk to public transportation. Another issue is that an estimated 40% of the time the Uber and Lyft drivers in major cities cruise around for fares without passengers. San Francisco county officials have found in a study that over 60% of the slowdown of traffic speeds in San Francisco between 2010 and 2016 was due to the introduction of ride hailing apps. In Chicago, the policy director in the mayor's office says there is exponential growth in traffic congestion from these ride hailing apps.  A December report by the California Air Resources Board found that ride- hailing cars are driving with no passengers 39% of the time, and New York city estimates cruising at 41%. Mr. Schaller, a New York City official who has studied this issue says surveys in many cities show about 60% of riders in Uber and Lyft would have walked, biked or taken public transit or stayed home if a ride hail car was'nt available. More and more so called disruption by Silicon Valley in the interest of rapid and chaotic growth is looking like a bad thing, says this report in the WSJ, creating a whole new set of problems. What is not even understood here is the vast misallocation of resources, the billions of dollars that could have improved public transportation, bike paths and other means of getting around, improvements in cities downtowns to make them friendlier and with new park spaces with those dollars invested there instead of in ride hailing apps.   ...

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Ancestral community in Kerry County, Ireland meet Governor Kathy Hochul of New York on her visit there. She is the grand daughter of Courtney and Browne who emigrated from this small fishing village to work in a steel mill in Buffalo, New York.

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In pictures showing the impact of heat waves and drought on China, one sees the dry bed of Poyang Lake, as shown here in the Indian Express. The climate crisis is affecting China with the effects on the Yangtze and other rivers. Parts of China dependent on hydropower are seeing power cuts. Never before have so many effects of climate change happened worldwide in one year as in 2022.

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Rachel Bachman tells the story of Kristie Mewis, one of the best soccer players in the world who is retiring because of an injury suffered in a game in 2017. Even after the injury she made an effort to continue her game winning championships in women's soccer till she decided to switch to covering the game as a broadcaster using skills she had developed.