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A Pew Research Center poll in September 2016 finds 81 percent of Indians have a favorable opinion of Narendra Modi in 2016, compared to 87 percent in 2015. Even among supporters of the opposition Indian National Congress a majority say they have a favorable opinion of Mr. Modi. The author of the poll, Bruce Stokes, says the opinion of frustration of the Indian elites and media about the Modi administration is not reflected in public opinion. Recently the Modi government passed legislation for a national Goods and Services Tax replacing overlapping state and federal taxes that are seen as holding up growth.  Issues the Indian public ranks high are corruption, unemployment and terrorism.

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Chancellor Scholz of Germany holds talks with PM Narendra Modi on growing ties between Germany and India in trade, clean energy and new technologies. Scholz is on a two day trip to New Delhi and Bengaluru. The trip takes place in the backdrop of G-20 talks in India.

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Ford takes a $2.7 billion charge for Argo startup in driverless cars and says  fully profitable fully autonomous vehicles at scale are a long way off. Ford and VW have each a 40% stake in Argos startup. Ford will now concentrate on partial automated features already offered.

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Finance ministries around the world are looking for ways to save their economies after the impact of coronavirus and economic aid packages in trillions of dollars have diminished finances. France says now more than ever a digital tax makes sense. An EU wide tax is unlikely because of Ireland where the low tax location is provided. Earlier attempts for equitable tax sharing have failed. One of the principal reasons may be that the U.S. does not get the taxes because of European offshore location.

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In an effort to take decisive action early the quarantine is extended from Lombardy to the whole of Italy. Travel is restricted to places where people live. Italy has suspended payment of bills, taxes and mortgages. All open air assembly and sporting events are banned. Italy's quarantine is similar to the quarantine in Hubei province China, where cases have dropped sharply showing that it worked in China. Italy is also setting aside 10 billion euros for the effort to contain the coronavirus crisis and mitigate the economic impact.

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The Bush tax plan simplifies the tax code and cuts the highest rate from the current 39.6% to 28%. It reduces the corporate tax rate to 20% and favors business investment. The tax on income earned by companies overseas is gradually phased out in the plan. It is designed to jumpstart growth. Jeb Bush balances his plan by creating some element of fairness by doubling the standard deduction, expanding earned income credit, limiting itemized deductions to 2%, and ending loopholes for hedge funds such as "carried interest." Jeb Bush has lamented the loss of income and economic mobility for the working class and lower middle class in the U.S., more than most of the Republican candidates, and this tax plan takes this into account, by betting that working class and lower income people benefit most from higher growth, better job mobility, and wage growth, as well as an element of fairness in taxes.

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This NYT editorial says the Pfizer bid to acquire Astra Zeneca is an inversion, a tax maneouvre using openings in U.S. and British tax laws that allows an American company to incorporate in London by acquiring a British company. In effect Pfizer beomes a subsidiary of the British company. This reduces taxes owed even though business takes place at Pfizer as before. NYT says 25 companies have adopted inversions since 2008. The top corporate tax rate in Britain at 20% is lower thant the top rate of 35% in the U.S. Additional tax maoeuvres could make it easier for income shifting to tax havens, and make it possible to free up cash held in foreign countries without the need to first repatriate it to the U.S. The problem is that such maneouvres are taking place at a time of large U.S. deficits, and deep cuts in public services and government investment in R&D, infrastructure, education, that would lead to future economic growth.

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Boris Johnson takes a 7 mile bike trip. Exercize boosts the immunity system. After recovering from the coronavirus Boris Johnson has adopted an exercize routine that includes cycling and walking.

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The new budget in France is designed around two goals. The first is to take aggressive action to bring the deficit down to 3% by 2013, not a gradual program but one intended to send a strong message to capital markets that France under a Socialist government is dead serious when it comes to the deficit and debt reduction. Every 0.1% increase in France's borrowing rate would mean $260 million going into interest payments on the debt, according to Pierre Muscovici, the finance minister. France's borrowing rate is close to Germany's 1%, and the French are determined to keep it this way. The other goal was stated by Mr. Muscovici: "I don't want a policy of austerity, hitting salaries, weakening the state and turning it into a pauper." The idea being that hitting the common man would mean decline in consumer spending and lower growth and tax revenues that would create the kind of negative spiral facing Spain of declining growth and rising unemployment, worsening deficits, and higher debt payments. The way Muscovici raised the $39 billion- beyond the $9 billion in higher taxes and savings already implemented for 2012- is through $13 billion in new taxes on corporations, and additional $10 billion from new income taxes, including a higher tax rate of 45% on incomes over $193,000. Additional $13 billion will come from a freeze in public spending, so that some ministries take cuts adjusted for inflation keeping the overall budget the same. Spending cuts could come later to balance the budget as growth picks up to 2% in 2014, is the government reasoning, softening the impact. The new budget is well received by German public opinion as showing the resolve of Germany's key partner in the EU. Part of the reason the French are able to get business and people with higher incomes to contribute is that France is unique in that there is a greater consensus than in other countries on the steps needed and a sense that austerity measures targeting the middle class would be counterproductive. The aggressive action with considerations for equity and fairness also gives France the chance for a faster turnaround and avoid the problems plaguing Spain and Italy, which French public opinion and business appears to have grasped and the government's experienced ministers for the economy have successfully presented. ...

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The small segment of society in Pakistan that controls business, has large agricultural holdings, and the politicians in parliament, all benefit from a system in which they pay very little in taxes. These groups draw the maximum benefit from their privileged position. According to a transparency promotion organization in Pakistan, the average member of parliament in Pakistan has net worth of over $900,000 and pays little in taxes. A senior tax offical says the tax revenues in 2009 were the lowest in the country's history. According to Pakistan's tax rules income taxes are owed by anyone making more than $3,488 a year. Analysts estimate that of the 10 million who should be paying taxes only 2.5 million are actually paying taxes. And the tax collection is extremely poor, so that less than 2% of the population of 170 million pay taxes, with tax collection as a percent of GDP among the lowest in the world. Pakistan's laws do not allow questioning of money transferred from abroad, so a lot of money can be channeled to Dubai and brought back into Pakistan. This is important becuase the burden of this falls on the poor, in the appalling quality of infrastructure and public services, and the widening gap in the quality of life of most people in the country compared to the affluent few. ...

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Shabana Mahmood, new UK Home Secretary in September 2025 says -"Will do whatever it takes to secure our borders. I am not the kind of person who just hangs around."

About Shabana Mahmood it has been said- “She prides herself on not being woke. She prides herself on having normal-person instincts and understanding where the electorate is.”

The Times says this may be just what Labour Party and Starmer needs right now.

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This is a report on unfair trade with China. China and unfair trade resulting in a $295 billion trade surplus with US. China and unfair trade resulting in a $1 trillion trade deficit with the world. This has devastated manufacturing communities, workers and families, for 1 billion people in the US and Europe, and deprived India of opportunities in manufacturing for 1.4 billion people. Alongside this article we have CPA article showing losses in manufacturing and the cost to the American people using estimates of three types of losses in jobs, other jobs, and taxes that provide public services and infrastructure. The massive blow to America over the last decade of unfair trade and overconcentration of manufacturing in  China was for 25 million in job losses and $250 billion in local infrastructure and public services lost for workers and families in communities and towns across vast parts of America.

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Ajla Tomljanovic takes on the challenge of beating Serena Williams in 3 sets at the US Open tennis championships.  Her father is a handball champion who plays for Croatia and wanted his daughter to take up handball. Ajla stuck to tennis and seemed oblivious to the crowds applauding her opponent's every point as she won 6-1 in the last set after a tie breaker in the second set. Ajla plays for Australia at the US Open.

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Kamakura is only an hour from Tokyo by train. The city has shrines and temples including the Great Buddha. A city of 170,000 attracting millions of people from around the world to its shrines and gardens. NHK Japan takes an early spring trip to Kamakura and its ancient temples of the Buddha.

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Zelensky calls PM Modi on Dec 26 as India takes on the G20 presidency in 2023, and the presidency of the UN Security Council as an elected member for the month of December 2022. He asks PM Modi to pursue a peace formula for a settlement on the war in Ukraine

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Prasar Bharati takes the DoorDarshan archives to give this excellent rendering of the Nehru speech announcing India's freedom "at the stroke of the midnight hour when the world sleeps India awakes to life and freedom."  "A moment comes which comes but rarely in history..." 

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US president Biden feels the tax system is not fair for most Americans and the Trump tax cuts favored the wealthiest Americans. Detailed studies from universities Chicago, Harvard, Princeton and Treasury Department on 2017 Trump tax cuts lowering taxes for corporations from 35% to 21% for top corporate tax rate, and accelerated investment spending deductions, show much of the investment that took place after tax cuts in 2017 would have taken place anyway. And that the tax cut did not pay for itself, adding $100 billion to the national debt of $34 trillion each year. Striking was the point in the studies that said that instead of $4000 the average American only benefitted by $750 per year, most of the benefits going to the wealthiest and corporations. Many of the largest corporations tech and oil companies pay less in taxes than any notion of fairness would call for sometimes much less than ordinary workers.  Biden now proposes the tax increases for corporations to go up to 28%, higher taxes on foreign profits, and the corporate minimum tax increased from 15% to 21%. And for employees paid more than $1 million corporations not to be able to take deductions. ...

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France's finance minister says the government will focus on growth and set deficit targets that will support growth. There is a feeling in the business community that France has reached the limit for tax increases. The government has given up the goal of reducing the deficit to 3% of GDP in 2013. The government says the deficit will be about 4.1% in 2013 and 3.6% in 2014. Economic growth is expected to be only about 0.1% for 2013, and 0.9% for 2014, lower than earlier forecasts. Muscovici has said the French are fed up with higher taxes, and he is looking for savings in spending. About 15 billion euros of savings are planned in the 2014 budget from ministry expenses and healthcare spending. Extra taxes of 6 billion euros planned for the 2014 budget will now be cut to 3 billion euros. To increase growth it is necessary to stabilize taxation and give business a clear picture for 2014-2015.

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Distorted priorities from the last 2 decades and lack of investment allocation for healthcare are hurting states in the U.S at a critical time. With 16 million cases of coronavirus and 300,000 deaths in December, including over 3000 deaths a day by December 12, the situation is dire. Yet states lack the billions needed to conduct the vaccination program to pay for the trucks, get the refrigeration and storage, pay the nurses and the medical personnel, outreach costs, and other costs for a massive vaccination program. Some estimates are that states need about $9 billion for the vaccination programs. New York alone needs $1 billion. For years billions of dollars were wasted in distorted priorities that benefited certain groups at the expense of society as a whole. The very large companies that benefited paid little or no taxes. 

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German regulatory authority takes a tougher stance in 2014, as the time when regulatory authority passes on to the ECB approaches. In the past BaFin has been seen as too supportive of Deutsche Bank.

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Can laundry practices help in action for reducing climate change. Simple actions such as not running partially full loads or small loads make a difference. The load uses the same amount of energy whether its is partially full or full. Using cold water is another way, as heating the water takes up 90% of the energy used.

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Couples divide their finances down the middle 50-50 or if one earns more 60-40 being common. This takes care of common household expenses. Transparency and clarity is important for doing this. Women marrying later in life already manage their finances and make a small shift to doing this as a couple.