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Women made large gains in the 2018 Mexico elections. WOmen won 49.2% of Mexico's 128 member Senate for a 50% increase. WOmen also won 47.8% of the lower house of Congress. In Mexico City, a city of 8.9 million people, the first female mayor was elected. In a country with macho politics this is a stunning change. A UN study shows only Belgium has a larger representation in the upper legislative chamber, and only Rwanda, Bolivia and Cuba have ahigher representation in the lower house of parliament. Not all the momentum for women comes from the election of Lopez Obrador. In 2014 the constitution of Mexico was changed requiring poltical parties to have male and female candidates in equal numbers at the federal, state and local levels. In fact of the more than 83,000 candidates seeking office nationwide, 50.4% were women. More than 89 million people registered to vote and female voters were 51.9% of the total. Mr. Lopez Obrador's encouragement added to the fervour for women to vote and women to fight for political office. It also helped Claudia Sheinbaum , a 56 year ol environmental engineer win the election for Mayor of Mexico City by a landslide. Sheinbaum was environmental chief under Mr. Obrador when he was Mayor 2000-2005. Her platform was to improve drinking water supplies and transportation services, expand free child care.  Some of Mr. Obrador's supporters say the agenda for reducing inequality by tackkling corruption, reducing government waste, increasing social spending on the poor helped rally women as candidates and voters. Obrador's conviction that women have a greater capacity for hard work also played a part. Sheinbaum was encouraged to run for office in 2015 and won as governor of Tlalpan, one of Mexico City's 16 boroughs. After the 2006 election loss of Obrador for the presidency she had returned to research work at the National Autonomous University. The entry of women is also seen as a way to bring new approaches to tackle the problems of inequality and corruption after the male dominated established parties from the Calderon-Pena era failed to address these problems. ...

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Mr. Zuchowski succeeds John Krafcik as CEO of Hyundai U.S. operations. Krafcik joined Hyundai from Ford Motor in product planning and became the CEO in 2008. Under him sales doubled. Hyundai was seen as delivering better value with a lot of features packed in its base models -a restyled Sonata in 2010 and the Elantra in 2011. From 2008 to 2011 Hyundai U.S. market share increased from 3% to 5.1%. Market share declined to 4.6% through Nov. 2012 partly due to capacity limitiations. In 2012 the EPA said fuel mileage claims were misstated for Hyundai models and testing was done improperly. Zuchowski joined Hyundai from Mazda Motors in 2007 as president of sales.

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How to do the disposal of 99.1 million old television sets, that the EPA says sit in closets unused throughout the USA, in an ecologically friendly way is a challenge. State laws in 18 states and in New York CIty make manufacturers responsible for recycling electronics. Similiar stautes were introduced in 13 other states in 2009. When states like Maine and Washington have made it easy for people to take their old electronics PC or television sets to dropoff points the response has been very good. In Washington the drop off is free of charge, and there are 200 collection points in the state, with 15 million pounds of electronic waste collected since January.

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President Xi's struggle to bring 43 million people out of extreme poverty in China in 3 years as shown in this BBC video. Xi Jinping's focus is on the people left out in the boom years in which the wealth gap expanded to astounding levels and many were left behind. Communist era society under Mao went for leveling up after the 20's and 30' capitalism under the Nationalists. Then came the Japanese invasion in 1931 and chaos out of which Mao built Communist China by 1947. The years with the Nixon opening in 1971 led to another experiment with capitalism to modernize China under Deng and Jiang Zemin in the 80's and 90's to this day after the experiment under Mao had collapsed by 1976. This led to a fading away of the Communist Party's ethos and reason for existence till its revival under Xi Jinping. For Jinping the efforts to guide China's progress started by Deng appeared to derail with the widening wealth and inequality gaps in China, the sense of corruption and misuse of power at local levels that people could see, and the gradual sense in America that the experiment of outsourcing manufacturing and jobs to China was failing for Americans. From 2013 to 2017 a complete rethinking was underway which shaped Jinping's ideas for the future for China. Some of it may be still underway after the realization that Russia and China had diverging views of the world also, following China's sense that the prolonged war in Ukraine affecting its relations with the European Union does not help a country such as China as a middle income country with large pockets of poverty. Russia was seen as a non colonial power in the Soviet era yet it was a major part of the western colonial powers that suppressed the first revolution for an independent China in 1901.   ...

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This marks the end of an era in which British Empire based journalists and media barons such as Beaverbrook and Murdoch were able to unduly influence events in the world. The period from 1915 to 2020 was one in which the British Empire and the USA  were dominant in the world. News Corporation will be run by Lachlan Murdoch who is the CEO as his father Mr. Rupert Murdoch has resigned his roles at the company. He remains as chairman emeritus at age 92. This marks the end of an era for a son of journalist Keith Murdoch who gained prominence in Australia evading censors and  covering a disastrous campaign in World War I, the invasion of Turkey by British forces in which 8000 Australian soldiers were killed, 20,000 wounded, about half of the Australian force before evacuation on Dec. 20, 1915. It could be said that Rupert's father Keith Murdoch left with his reputation intact in the British Empire after building the Australian newspaper business that his son Rupert inherited. Rupert introduced new technology and set up Sky News in Britain and Fox News television channel in the US. A large legal settlement for improper coverage of election machinery in US 2020 presidential election leaves his media business with a diminished reputation as Lachlan inherits it compared to the reputation left by Keith Murdoch in standing up to British authorites in the First war for staggering losses suffered by Australia. Rupert Murdoch tried to innovate with an aggregation news site for internet news Knewz to achieve some of what Keith Murdoch had achieved. This venture did not get the resources or ideas it deserved and failed. Apple News has started its aggregation site years later in 2020 with human  selection for aggregation following Lyrarc.com which started in 2010.  ...

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Lisbon tram from an earlier era when it was electrified in 1915, falls apart in 2025. Reports say a cable broke and the brakes failed. It is a funicular tram that goes down 850 feet a steep hill and connects downtown to the Bairro Alto neighborhood. Many comments refer to overcrowding of this tram and the trams being used as part of the city's public transit system. Much of the older infrastructure in Europe needs updating.

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The US Air Force plans to order 100 planes of the B21 Stealth Bomber at $700 million each. This aircraft is made at Plant 21 in Palmdale, California. The development of this plane was kept hidden for seven years even to families with someone working at the plant. It is made by Northrop Grumman. The previous version of the plane was the B2 Spirit of which only 21 were made leading to a high cost of $2 billon per plane. These planes last for many years. The B52 bombers of the Vietnam era are still in use. Their cost is prohibitive for most countries. During the period after the collapse of the Soviet Union investment in these bombers declined. With new risks emerging for NATO in Europe and in Asia this aircraft is seen as an American deterrent.

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Full transcript of Kamala Harris Interview on MSNBC with Stephanie Ruhle on September 25, 2024, the same day when she outlined her Economic Plan for the next 4 years at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh is where the US steel industry was built in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Harris outlined a plan that would help rebuild American industry including the steel industry and other key industries of the future, in Chips and Science, in a partnership of the government with the private sector to compete with China and the European Union. 

She looked back to the ambition and vision of another era and to bring it back today-the Transcontinental Railroad under Lincoln, the Interstate Highway System under Eisenhower, the Space Endeavor under John F. Kennedy.

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Revised auto fuel efficiency standards win the support of GM, Ford, Chrysler, Honda and Hyundai. These standards would lower the average fuel economy to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, a decline from the initial target of 56.2 mpg. The revised proposal calls for a 5% average annual increase in fuel economy for cars and a 3.5% increase for light trucks through 2021. After 2021 both cars and trucks have to meet a 5% annual increase. Useful innovation in the new standards is to provide credits for hybrid pickup trucks, and give credits for technological advances that improve fuel economy but don't show up in EPA tests such as the one that shuts of the engine when a car is idling. Other credits would be offered for solar roof panels on electric vehicles. It includes incentives for "promoting early market penetration of tailpipe CO2/fuel consumption reducing technologies." This comes after a long period in which the U.S. lagged behind other countries in fuel economy. It could be one of the main achievements of the Obama administration, and help build a new auto industry around new technologies....

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Jet Blue's new Terminal 5 at Kennedy cost $750 million and ready to handle the 28 percent of passengers of the 47.7 million who used Kennedy airport last year. Security should take no more than 10 minutes with the 20 lanes and ample space provided. Its designed from scratch to be comfortable and to look and be minimally intrusive and offer a better experience to passengers.

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The struggle between the Detroit automakers and the states over auto emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat trapping gas emissions. California adopted the first state law requiring auto manufacturers to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide in 2002 and in 2004 set standards for the emission reductions. Vermont, as well as Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania adopted the same standards. Automakers sued toblock these standars in Vermont and California. While the California case is pending, Judge Sessions issued a ruling on the Vermont case this week against the auto manufacturers. This follows a decision by the US Supreme Court in April 2007 that the Environmental Protection Authority has the right to regulate heat trapping gases like carbon dioxide as air pollutants. This endorses the idea that states can set their own limits. What is needed for a state to do this is to get a waiver from the EPA, as the federal Clean Air Act has a provision that allows California to set ists own standards with a waiver from the EPA, and for other states to follow California's lead. A detailed opinion includes analysis by the Judge in this case stating why the Transportation Department's authority is limited to automobile fuel economy standards and does not carry over into auto emissions as pollutants of the atmosphere, the area of pollutants being reserved for the EPA and the individual states to work out together. Under California law as it is now emissions reductions for cars could be 30% or more below the current levels in the 2016 model year. By 2012 emissions are required to be below 2005 levels by 25% for cars and light trucks, SUV's and larger trucks 18%. Note that what is technologically feasible to accomplish in the area of auto emissions is an unknown. At the same time its a function of determination, R&D investment, collaboration between companies to pool technological and capital resources, development of engineering and manufacturing investment and knowhow to learn mass manufacture at low cost, introduction of the already feasible features quickly such as stop start engines which the Germans have already in the works for mass manufacture across product lines, and so forth. The first comer in these technologies enjoys an advantage as Honda constantly advertises itself, and the the only way to say what is technologically feasible or not is by pointing to these pioneers. In this case because of the stronger environmental movement in Europe especially in Germany, some of this pointing will be done in the direction of the German auto manufacturers progress in this direction to meet the new EU standards of 120 micrograms of CO2 per kilometre. ...

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Shale oil producer spending in the U.S. is forecast to drop by 3%, but this will still add one million barrels a day of additional shale oil production. Prices are now at about $45 a barrel and shale producers are cutting back on production rigs in operation with the 40% decline in oil prices. The EIA expects oil production to reach an average of 12.1 million barrels daily in 2019 from an average of 10.9 barrels a day in 2018. This suggests there will be additional supplies and continued downward pressure on oil prices. The situation is favorable for the U.S. and countries such as India which benefit from lower oil prices.

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The Biden administration's har ghar jal effort, clean drinking water in every home. The Modi administration has made its mark by har ghar jal, drinking water from taps for every home in a country of 1.3 billion people. The US Biden administration will be ensuring the same for clean drinking water free of harmful disease causing chemicals including PFAS contamination. PFAS chemicals are forever chemicals that take a long period to break down. Even lower levels of toxic chemicals can be seriously harmful, says the Biden administration.The head of the Environmental Protection Agency leads this effort by putting 1 billion dollars from last years approved spending into the plan for clean drinking water. 2021 approved spending for Workers and Families plan of Biden has $10 billion for preventing PFAS contamination. Of this the first $1 billion will be made available to affected and most hard hit communities for clean drinking water. Money would go to water quality testing, contractor training and new water treatment systems. In addition Food and Drug Administration agency will tackle testing for food and packaging, Agriculture Department for livestock contamination. Defense Department for checking contamination in military installations. It is a sort of Gati Shakti Master plan that brings in all agencies of government, an approach the Modi administration has adopted for India. One does not have to look far to understand the priorities of the world's two greatest democracies. This is the common struggle in the world's two great democracies to bring a better life for all the people.  "People on the frontline have suffered far too long. That is why Biden is taking aggressive action," says Biden/s man at the EPA Michael Regan.  Mr.Modi says the same thing for har ghar jal campaign for drinking water for 1.3 billion people. ...

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The Berman Amendments are what is seen by the Biden administration as well as the previous Trump administration as preventing the US government from regulating or restricting foreign apps, including TikTok. What are these Berman Amendments? They were introduced as legislation by Mr. Berman who represented the Los Angeles District in 1988, that includes the entertainment industry, who now works for a law firm that is representing TikTok, according to this WSJ report. The Berman amendments took away the powers of the president of the US to ban the import of "informational materials" from adversarial nations, later in 1994 it was added to include "digital media." It is now seen in the US Congress as coming from another era the end of the Cold War and needing to be completely rewritten. 

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Relying too much on BP has put the Obama administration's reputation at risk. This is because BP underestimated the size of the problem from the beginning, made errors that caused the disastrous spillage, miscalculated the rate and size of the leak and denied the existence of underwater plumes. The different government agencies that were supposed to prevent the situation from spreading including the White House, Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, Fish and Wildlife Service, and EPA were debating the approach for 3 weeks while neccessary action was either not taken or inadequate. Upto 90 miles of sand barriers needed to protect wetlands and shoreline were only grudgingly approved. Louisiana Governor asked for 23 berms , but only one berm was approved and further approval of berms took a long time.

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Pakistan issues Islamic bond at an interest rate of 7.95%, the highest it has paid on such a bond, for $ 1 billion loan. Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves have dropped below $17 billion. A Saudi loan of $3 billion has proved insufficient to build up reserves ahead of international payments coming due. Neighboring Sri Lanka also faces international payments difficulties and is receiving assistance from India. 

The situation in South Asia remains a strange one to someone from outside South Asia with trade and commerce between India and Pakistan missing. This comes as the global supply chain is being renewed along new lines and manufacturing is taking a new role under Made in India and Atman Nirbhar Bharat. Better trade and commerce and financial relations would improve the ease of living for people in all parts of South Asia, giving trade and commerce a chance to define relations and usher a new era of peaceful cooperation.