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Of 100 million internet users in India only about 12.5 million have broadband. The Indian government now has plans to raise the number of broadband connections to 175 million by 2017, and to reach 600 million users by 2020.

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An estimated 135,000 die in road accidents in India each year with the figure reaching 250,000 by 2025, according to experts. WIth 2% of the world's cars India has 12% of the road accident deaths.

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India's largest state, Uttar Pradesh, goes to the polls in February 2012. Uttar Pradesh in the northern region has an estimated population exceeding 200 million. 15% of the parliament seats are from U.P. Uttar Pradesh used to be a major stronghold of the ruling Congress party since independence in 1947 during the Nehru and Indira Gandhi years. More recently in the 2002 and 2007 elections Congress failed to get more than 25 seats out of a total of 219 in this state. The state government is now run by a caste based party called the Bahujan Samajwadi party- which draws its support from Dalits a caste lower placed in the caste hierarchy- led by Kumari Mayawati. The election campaign is also being conducted under new rules designed to limit campaign expenses and limit extravagance in election campaigning.

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A look at countries in Europe shows different strategies for tackling coronavirus Delta variant as schools reopen in September 2021. Italy requires all teachers to carry a covid digital certificate that shows vaccination or PCR test results. France, Germany and Spain do not require vaccination for teachers to go to schools, and rely mostly on social distancing and mask requirements in schools. Britain not only does not require vaccination digital certificate, but also has not made masks and social distancing mandatory. Health experts say there are serious risks in this approach with mass return to schools and offices after August 2021, and the fall weather with more time indoors. This could lead to a surge in coronavirus as in the US where the reopening of schools and Delta variant has led to surge particularly in states such as Texas, Florida, California. In UK 65% of total population is now fully vaccinated, in Italy 62%. Teachers in Italy fully support the new rules. In Lombardy region with Milan as the capital, only 300 out of 300,000 workers returned to schools without the green pass, according to regional officials. Britain remains an outlier says this report in the WSJ, taking more risks than is proper at this time, and simply hoping for the best. Not the best strategy in this situation.   ...

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Institute of Fiscal Studies, IFS, shows where the money is going in Labour's first Budget. See graphs of the household income over the 75 years under Conservative and Labour governments, which shows slower growth in household income over the next 5 years. Healthcsare and Education are growing at 4%. The growth of 6-10% is for local government spending, housing, communities and local government, work and pensions, Justice, HM Revenue. The slow rise in household incomes to 2030 is the result of trickle down economics which is sold vigorously by some groups as economic orthodoxy including the largest corporations paying little in taxes. This is true also of the US. FDR called it Tory policies and policies that say trickle down economics works when it doesn't. FDR said at DNC in 1932- "And we thought the Tories left in 1776." Today this is why UK household incomes show slight growth to 2030, and even this Labour Government is hesitant to boldly question this economic orthodoxy.  For Britain the debacle of Brexit turning some legitimate questions of immigration into isolation from economies of mainland Europe adds to the problem.     ...

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Different styles of Elon Musk and Vice President Vance. One tempestuous and following instincts and moods for Musk, the other careful study to arrive at conclusions and an openness to bipartisan approaches for JD Vance. Vance brings his Yale Law School education and the discipline of his experience in the Marine Corps, in addition to a sounding board with Usha Vance who is also a Yale Law School graduate. This report shows a quiet demeanor of Vance and underestimates this compared to the noisy and difficult to control demeanor of Musk in the first 100 days of the DJT second term in 2025. Vance age 40 years brings an exceptional ability to understand and grasp the issues to dialogue with people of different perspectives including Democrats (seen live in television debate with Time Walz) that will be of great value in the second term of DJT as the Operation Wetback of Eisenhower of 1954 is carried out in 2025, new immigration laws are passed on bipartisan basis, and the trade tariffs are conducted on a selective basis after careful study with the president getting advice from the Vice President, and policies are carried out to help small factory towns across America recover from the Clinton-Bush-Obama years of shipping out American manufacturing. ...

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A new solar module factory in Freiberg, near Dresden, Germany, with the latest technology, requiring workers to only supervise the manufacturing process, is shown in this report in DW.com. It is cheaper to make higher performance solar panels that produce 20% more electricity in Germany than to import from China. This could be a global trend in automated supply chains. This is a technological shift says the CEO because more efficient production technology requires less resources and fewer steps in the manufacturing process. Key components such as solar cells are also made nearby in Leipzig in eastern Germany, 90 miles away.    This report shows the interesting changes that are underway. In 2018 the factory building in Freiberg now being used for solar modules was left empty after German manufacturer solar company Solarworld lost a price war with Chinese competitors. Today this solar company Meyer Burger brings new jobs and excitement to Freiberg and the region. By 2026 plans are for it to make 5 GW of modules annually in Germany. Meyer Burger made the heterojunction SmartWire technology machines that made solar modules. In 2020 it decided to make solar modules instead of selling its equipment to others, using its own proprietary technology. Thinking has changed. CEO Erfurt says it is complete nonsense to transport solar modules halfway across the world from China, they should be made where the products are used as it is energy infrastructure. Transport costs 10% of cost, and new technology is constantly being developed and costs decreasing with technology advances. He adds that this is how energy sovereignty can be achieved. In 2021 the demand is expected at 209 GW worldwide. Erfurt expects it to be 500 GW in 2025. Large demand that will now be met locally in the regions themselves- in Spain, in Germany, and in India.   ...

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"Favorable" District courts are now being used to support illegal migration into the US that was rejected in the 2024 election. A District Court in DC makes a ruling on ending asylum "invasion" of US southern border, by questioning that millions of illegal migrants entering in one year alone is an "invasion." Even though it is publicly known that over 2.4 million people crossed the US southern border in fiscal year 2023. These District Court rulings are being given high priority by the US Supreme Court.  In the most recent ruling from last week the SC stated in a 6-3 decision written by Justice Coney Barrett on birthright citizenship that the law on the lawsuits can apply to the individual case not  be converted into a national injunction.  The situation of asylum seeking deteriorated in three ways, the Mexican government of president Lopez Obrador, Alejandro Mayorkas as Biden's selection for Homeland Security, himself an immigrant from Cuba, and the Biden administration not grasping the true extent of the crisis at the southern border with the unsettled situation in central America and the economic disaster in Venezuela. For the first time in the 400 year history of this hemisphere since the Spanish colonization by 1600 and American independence by 1800 the ideas of the Monroe Doctrine of the US protecting this hemisphere were ignored leading to the disastrous situation at the US borders, leading to fentanyl and illegal migration of such proportions. As a result of the election of 2024 and the public view of illegal migration the DJT administration is taking the approach taken by president Eisenhower in 1952 in Operation Wetback, seeking to return illegal migrants to their home countries.   ...

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On average about 90,000 jobs were added by the private sector by July 2010. 125,000 jobs have to be created on average each month for the job numbers to keep up with growth in population. And most of these jobs were created in March and April of 2010 when the economy was doing better. The 8 million jobs lost in the recession still remain to be recovered. And employers who have raised funds at low interest rates -companies like IBM paying 1% for $1.5 billion in bonds issued- are holding off on hiring in the current economic uncertainty. Worsening the situation is the cutbacks in state and local governments with layoffs of 48,000 workers. Even the $26 billion aid package passed in Congress for state governments will not help make a serious impact, considering the budget problems facing state governments. An example is Seattle, which has used its rainy day fund to bridge a $40 million gap in its 2010 budget. It faces a $56 million gap in 2011.

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Abrantes-Metz, a professor at the Stern School of Business, New York University, looks at the problems of stress tests of banks 2010-2014.

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FR24 reports from a teashop in the old Turkish city of Gaziantep before the Turkish elections on May 14, 2023 in which the two decade rule of Mr. Erdogan is contested by a civil servant from the Republican party of Kemal Ataturk Mr. Kilicdaroglu. Ataturk was the founder of the Republican party, became president in 1923, and modernized Turkey. 

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NATO Air Drills with active participation of the US and Germany including Japan near Eastern European borders with Russia, are meant to show that the US and allies can move quickly in both the European region and in the area near Taiwan if needed. It follows a drill exercise by Russia with Chinese forces close to Japan in 2022.

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The European Union plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, based on 1990 levels. The 21 hour summit of EU leaders met in Brussels. It was a constant worry about climate proposals said Angela Merkel. After a 21 hour debate agreement was reached including overcoming concerns of coal dependent countries. Merkel says "it was worth a sleepless night."

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Japan is still very cautious about nuclear power after the meltdowns at Japanese nuclear reactors in Fukushima. A decade after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami hit the nuclear reactors only 9 reactors are operating compared to 54  earlier. In Germany the final reactor is set to be retired in 2022. From Wales to South Korea and the US planning has stopped after Fukushima.

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California governor Newsom faces a recall election in 2021. Only 3 governors in the US have faced recall elections, says the NYT. Newsom faces criticism for his handling of the pandemic, homelessness in California, and other issues. It is also a sign of the rural-urban divide and polarization in the US as Newsom is running his campaign as one against former president Trump.

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Taiwan adds new spending of $8.7 billion over 5 years to its military spending to fund acquisition of home developed precision missiles, naval ships, and weapons systems for existing warships. The military budget will grow by 4% to $15.1 billion in 2022. China's PLA air force flew 19 warplanes into Taiwan's air defense zone on Sunday, September 14.

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EV's require about 4 times the copper of gas vehicles, and solar energy components need twice the quantity needed for fossil fuels. By 2035 global copper demand will double from 25 million tons to 50 million tons. In 2023 there is a shortage of about 3 million tons. Chile is the largest producer of copper and second largest producer of lithium.

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Leakage of state funds is serious. Just think how many hospitals and schools, how many solar panel farms or wind farms can be built with $4.5 billion that is reported as the money laundered in the 1MDB leakage of state infrastructure funds? Here it is reported that Goldman Sachs settles for its involvement in the 1MDB with $2.5 billion in cash and guarantee recovery of $1.4 billion in proceeds from assets lost by the Malaysia state infrastructure fund. This is what the WSJ says on July 24, 2020, Ben Otto and Chester Tay- "Goldman Sachs was the main banker for the Malaysian fund 1 Malaysia Development Bhd. or 1MDB. The bank raised billions of dolars for the fund which was allegedly stolen by people working for the fund, government officials and two senior Goldman bankers." It also says Goldman raised $6.5 billion for the 1MDB through bond sales in 2012 and 2013, much of which was stolen by a Malaysian government advisor. And that Goldman received $600 million in fees which would be about 10%. Many of the countries in Asia and Africa have a colonial past in which little or no investment was made for centuries in heath, education and infrastructure. This makes it all the more appalling and heartbreaking. Goldman bankers were also involved in advising China during the hyper growth years which are leading today to little or no growth and concentration in property sector, with appalling devastation of the climate in China over a compressed period of 10-15 years 1995-2010,  leading to fires, floods, drought in China and worldwide, including in Africa and Asia. Was this good advice or self-serving for investment banks as this was accompanied by shift of manufacturing to China leading to decay of communities throughout America and and now a reversal after the pandemic all compressed so as to wreak havoc first one way and then the other way leading to a world more prone to conflict and war. Was this good advice or a cautionary tale for both America, for African and Asian countries and for China most of all a country that has a colonial past and treated with respect by Americans. Two Americans come to mind  Theodore Roosevelt who helped establish the now famous Tsinghua University in Beijing in 1911, and Joe Stilwell who led the Allied operations in China against the Japanese. Were Roosevelt, Stilwell sincere friends of China and Asian countries or the Goldman bankers is a question that just comes up. ...

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Seen as a rural urban divide, less educated and well educated and tech workers the situation in France looks similar to that in the US in the elections of 2016 and 2020. With business in the US and European Union shifting manufacturing to China and the governments neglecting rural areas, decline in standard of living for people on pensions that have not kept up with the cost of living, the situation in France as in the US is decades in the making. Bernie Sanders and Melenchon were appealing in different ways to younger people yearning for change and a system that would correct these changes.   Melenchon coming this close to less than one percentage point of Le Pen in the first round of French elections shows that a straight Macron Le Pen version of what has happened is an oversimplification, just as seeing the changes in America under president Biden vs Trump would be a simplification, as voters for Sanders who voted for Biden are changing the Biden agenda and setting America on a new path. A path to reshoring jobs that were sent to China, rebuilding American manufacturing, increasing workers wages and restoring workers leverage for higher wages, investing $2 trillion in child care, housing, supporting worker incomes and families, supporting older Americans on pensions. In the same way beneath the idea that nothing has happened after the yellow vest protests for cost of living, that has not only not gone away- but increased in the concern for cost of living in this election with the surging inflation - new developments are happening.  Even as Germany under Merkel appeared not be changing in 2020- 1 year after Merkel the situation will have changed completely to address social concerns that were ignored earlier and to invest in infrastructure in a big way. Behind this is a fundamental change that is taking place. Facing a challenge from totalitarian states the fabric of society in the free world, the US, Germany, France, other EU states, India, and nations in the free world will have to respond with changes that restore the fabric of society to what it was before this kind of fracturing, bringing all parts of society together to bring all the energies in place for rebuilding, investing in infrastructure, restoring local manufacturing and renewal. It requires a unified effort to be put in place to respond in the right way.     ...

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Eric Cantor is the senior Republican leader in the House of Representatives. He is a key figure in the negotiations with the Obama White House over the budget, deficit reduction, and raising the debt ceiling. Cantor and House Speaker Boehner are leading the negotiations on the Republican side. Cantor rejects any compromise on tax increases. He told reporters: "I think behind this notion of 'We want shared sacrifice' that they continue to say means 'We want to raise taxes,' and we don't accept that we raise taxes in an economy like this." Cantor is a lawyer and a former state legislator from a district that covers the Richmond, Virginia, suburbs. He was elected in 2000. Through his "Young Guns" program Cantor recruited many of the 87 new Republicans who were elected in 2010. It is this support from rank and file Congressman that has propelled Cantor into a leadership position for the deficit talks. Responding to critics that say a compromise is needed from both sides in the talks, Cantor says- "I don't think the White House understands how difficult it is for fiscal conservatives to say they are going to vote for a debt-ceiling increase." On June 23, Cantor pulled out of talks with the White House. In the current round of negotiations Boehner pulled back from "a grand bargain" which included tax increases, after consulting with Cantor....

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This report in WSJ shows how the US central bank, the Federal Reserve's increase in interest rates by 5 percentage points in the short space of 2 years affects Europe. It increases inflation in Europe as energy and many other products are priced in US dollars, with the strengthening of the dollar in relation to the euro. The dollar is $1.07 in relation to the euro. European Union is facing much higher inflation than the US. The German economy has slipped into a mild recession in 2023.

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Airbus boosts production of its widebody A350 jets from six to nine a month by 2025. The smaller 330neo will go from three to four a month. Both Airbus and Boeing have difficulties increasing production with an overstretched supply chain. Both airplane makers have late deliveries to customers. Boing is having problems increasing production of the 787 with the goal of making five a month shifted to the end of the year. The 777X aircraft the biggest to order is years behind in its development schedule.

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Peggy Noonan asks why did she do it this way, and says Nikki Haley lacked authenticity in the manner she presented herself in her announcement to be a candidate for president from the Republican party. The words, the phrases, the action, she says were oddly stuck in the past, the way politics was done before 2023. Noonan calls the language used so tired, cliched and phony, when America looks for authenticity after the pandemic and a world struggling to find its bearings. 

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Poland's ruling party, the Justice Party, faces elections in 2024. The influx of grain from Ukraine has lowered prices for farmers in Poland, and this affects the largely rural base of the Justice Party. As a result the government has acted to stop Ukrainian grain from entering the country, and also bans the shipment of grain through Poland to other EU countries. The UN sponsored Black Sea ports agreement that allows Ukraine to ship from Odessa and other ports is also coming up for renewal.

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China's retail sales were up 10% in March. The economy expanded 4.5% the first quarter of 2023 over the prior year and is dependent on consumers spending in the domestic economy. Over the prior quarter growth was 2.2%. Investment in buildings, fixed assets and machinery declined by 0.2% over the prior month, in real estate over the prior quarter it declined by 5.8%. The recovery is a rebound from three years of weak consumer spending during the pandemic as Chinese people went out- traveled and went out shopping.