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A whole series of efforts will come together to cut logistics cost for businesses from 14% to a small percentage. PM Modi says the policy aims to expedite last mile delivery to save time and money. Gati Shakti Plan will address some of the infrastructure gaps. "National Logistics Policy helps in making the support system modern," says Modi. The government is using technology to support logistics in new ways, Faceless assessment has started in customs and e-way bills and FASTag are bringing efficiency to the logistics sector. Drones are being used.  Sagarmala Project to connect ports and dedicated freight corridors is starting to improve logistics connectivity and systematic infrastructure development work. Modi said the world has accepted the production linked incentive scheme PLI announced by the government for boosting domestic manufacturing. Put together this puts India in a position to become one of the top three economies in the world from the situation today of being in the top five. ...

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Pope Francis recalls his days as a boy playing soccer on the streets outside his home in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a rag ball because they did not always have a leather ball. "There was not always someone with a leather ball so we played with a ball made of rags, a pelota de trapo." Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio to Italian immigrants in Argentina. He calls it a great school of life for him being the goalie and having to take all the shots taken at him. His leadership has shown concern for the marginalized and the poor through the repeated economic crises and the current pandemic. In his talks with world leaders including Trump, Biden, and recently Modi of India he has shown the importance of taking good care of the environment, the downtrodden and the marginalized in society. 

Some of the influences in his life come from his father, an accountant from Asti in northwest Italy, who loved reading to the children and had a library.

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South Korean public opinion shows 80% of the public opposed to the release of slightly radioactive Fukushima water into the sea by Japan. Japanese public opinion is accepting this as unavoidable. This is weakening the position of South Korean president Yoon in coming elections. Yoon is a prosecutor who joined politics only a few years back and has seen his popularity drop by 7 percentage points to 35%. Yoon is known for his effort to bring South Korea and Japan closer together with the US in dealing with North Korea and China. Biden met with Kishida and Yoon at the White House only recently, and Yoon made a state visit to the US before India's Modi. Because Yoon is an outsider to politics he has been able to get South Koreans to accept the idea of settling past disputes with Japan tracing back to the colonial era and World War II, yet the Fukushima water release is opposed by the vast majority of South Koreans.

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This astounding story in WSJ by Jiyoung Sohn in Seoul and Yang Jie from Tokyo, shows how South Korea stopped the illegal transfer to China of entire  computer chip factory setup information of Samsung by a South Korean engineer in Singapore. This shows president Biden has accomplished what no other president has been able to do in the last 40 years. Biden brought Japan and South Korea together reminding them that their differences over wartime occupation can be overcome, leading to the US, Japan and South Korea forming  close cooperation in 2023. After all it was the US that helped setup the democratic framework in the two Asian neighbors after 1945. This story shows how the problem of South Korean and Japanese technologies illegally transferred is being tackled by both countries in 2023. This is part of overall cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region that includes India and Australia, for an open Indo-Pacific region based on the rule of law. ...

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In a nationwide television address prime minister Modi of India calls for a Janata Curfew on Sunday March 22, for a test of people's self-discipline in fighting the coronavirus. He urged people to not go outside of their homes from 7am to 9 pm voluntarily in this curfew. The aim is to build public consciousness of the need for social distancing and staying away from crowds and people gathering, as an effective way to prevent spread of coronavirus. Only health care workers and people who provide essential services would be outside. He asked that at 5 pm on that day people ring bells to thank health workers and others who are doing what is necessary in the health crisis.

The prime minister said there should be no hoarding as the government will ensure that there are adequate supplies. He said an Economic Response Task Force has been setup under the leadership of the Finance Minister that will decide on an economic relief package.

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As the US and EU find other ways to act on cost of living action to reduce the impact of higher oil and gas prices, curb pharmacy and health costs, and grocery bills, tackle housing costs, the role that lower retail prices of goods from China play a diminished role. More important are jobs and wages in this economic structure and perceptions are being followed and shaped by policy of Biden, Scholz and other leaders of Democratic and Socialist parties. Biden and Yellen have raised the alarm over China's export based manufacturing strategies being revived one more time, there is also a new perception of the advantage of such lower retail goods from China coming at the expense of jobs and wages, loss of manufacturing technologies as in chips in the US, which is seen as clearly unacceptable. WSJ shows that recent data shows that this strategy in China is not delivering the growth China expected. The diversification of supply chain to India and Vietnam is also a response to earlier concentration of supply chain in China. ...

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George Bush's administration passed healthcare legislation that allowed private pharmaceutical companies not to have to negotiate with Medicare on cost of drugs. It also passed the so called Medicare Modernization Act that created a huge opportunity for profits through Medicare Advantage Plans. The chart in WSJ shows profits it calls a bonanza. What it means is that instead of reducing the costs of providing medical care to elderly Americans it has increased the cost leaving less and less money for infrastructure for roads and bridges and airports that are dilapidated in the US, and less money for essential services in education and health care, transportation, housing. This has reduced the standard of living and quality of life in America. For healthcare it is providing less for higher cost when compared to China, India, Germany, France and the UK. George W Bush administration put America into 2 wars in Asia and the Arab world which also drained resources contributing to a lack of investment in the country in essential infrastructure and services. ...

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On the first days of her campaign Kamala Harris addresses the American Federation of Teachers. One of the big issues is learning loss for children during the pandemic. How to address reading loss, learning loss of children who are falling behind? Harris supports teachers in many ways. She wants to see the hard work of teachers respected and compensated by increasing teacher pay. Lyrarc's Movement for Global Literacy is focused on this same issue how to address reading comprehension loss among children in the US, that was weak to begin with and is now in trouble with the pandemic learning loss. Lyrarc is a useful tool and essential tool following serious learning loss from the pandemic, for increasing literacy and reading comprehension of children and young people in the US, UK, India and other countries. With NAEP test scores showing two thirds of children in 8th grade failing Reading Comprehension, and 75% failing Civics comprehension Lyrarc is an essential tool for addressing this problem. ...

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HBO may be capitalizing on cultural portrayals of unethical world of finance for successful television shows that do little to change the culture in America. During the 2009 financial crisis decade many such shows were seen, yet after Big Pharma and Finance, a new player Tech monopolies joined the list of unethical behavior, new technologies continue to operate without government setting the rules for fair play and level playing field essential for capital and labor to function in a modern economy- rules for capital and rules for labor set by "serious" public servants not revolving door public servants who finish their careers in the same banks, pharma or tech company monopolies. Bothe houses of Congress are then captured by the Big Pharma, Finance, and Tech monopolies, resulting in "Capture Capitalism" that has existed in different forms and yet cleaned up every 50-75 years since 1750, Adam Smith's fight against the monopolies of the East India Companies of Britain, Holland and Denmark. ...

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Matt Garman, head of AI and Cloud Services at Amazon talks to Emma Tucker of the WSJ. Garman says Amazon was not slow, just being deliberate and thinking it through rather than coming up with something quickly as Microsoft had done with ChatGPT. He sees the need for regulation, only that it not create a situation where others including China go ahead and the US falls behind. This means that the US needs to coordinate AI rules with other countries including China, India, Russia, for comprehensive solutions on how AI is to be managed to work towards good.

On a five day week vs remote work Garman says Amazon takes the view that the creative work can best be done with humans interacting at the office. It sees this as essential for good work. On the 3 day week with 2 for remote work, the only problem he says is that everyone picks different 3 days and this leads to loss of human interaction at work.

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During a critical 4 weeks in March 9 to April 9, 2025 Germany finds itself without a newly elected government following elections Feb 23, 2025. Only on April 9 is a new CDU/CSU and SPD coalition government in place led by CDU chancellor Merz. Tariffs came to the forefront, the critical issues of world trade and the effect on stock markets, without an elected government in place in Berlin to speak for the European Union and participate in discussions.  Japan's Ishiba and India's Modi offered the US some support as it sought to restore the world trading system to where it was before the serious distortions from China joining the WTO. Much of it the result of American companies outshoring American manufacturing and turning their backs on American workers, and the dignity and pride of workers who rebuilt the US and Europe, and Asia after the Depression and the Second World War.

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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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This picture of Indian finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman picking out vegetables on a visit to the vegetable market and talking to vegetable vendors in Mylapore, Chennai, will be remembered for a long time for its casual feeling and simplicity. This is not just the Sitharaman as cabinet minister- this is also with Modi one of the proponents of the free rations food program that provided 5 kilograms of rice or wheat to 800 million Indians, with vegetables and lentil dhals, during the pandemic. This is what built the resilience of the world's largest section of humanity during the pandemic.

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Ian Talley provides this excellent account of how this drop in oil prices is likely to add to economic growth in major world economies, removing any ambiguity about the positive effect on the global economy. West Texas Intermediate crude dropped to about $65 from $105 between June and December 2014. The IMF estimates growth in 2015 will increase from 3.1% to 3.5% largely because of the lowering in energy costs. JP Morgan Chase economists see an addition of 0.7% points in global growth in the first half of 2015. ECB president Draghi sees the lower oil prices as an unambiguous positive. Estimates from Rhodium Group show major oil importing countries seeing import bills cut by $500 billion if prices remain low for 6-8 months, with $90 billion going into the U.S. economy. IMF estimate is that only 20% of the drop in oil prices is from lower demand, about 80% from higher fuel efficiency, increased supply using new technologies, decisions by OPEC to lower oil price, increases in supply. Based on estimates by the Rhodium Group, IEA and the IMF, the extra money flowing into the economies of the U.S., Asia and Western Europe from reduced oil import bills, as measured in percentage of GDP is: the U.S. 0.5%, Germany 0.8%, Japan 1.2%, China 0.8%, India 1.8%, South Korea 2.4%. Italy and France and other oil importing countries benefit. The impact comes at a time when Japan, China, India and eurozone economies badly needed a boost after significant slowdown in growth in 2014. It could not have come at a better time and because it is technologically driven as in the case of highly fuel efficient automobiles and new oil exploration technologies, a self sustaining process. The corresponding impact for oil exporters is: Russia -4.7%, Nigeria -5.4%, Venezuela -10.2%....

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A million Indian soldiers served in the First World War on the Allied side. This is the story of the 39th Garhwal Rifles in Givenchy, France, in the Christmas of 1914. Spice tins were given to Indian soldiers from Princess Mary, only daughter of King George V. They were also exchanged on Christmas day 1914 by Allied soldiers with German soldiers at the Front lines.

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The Afghan School in Kabul run by former Taliban officials for girls and boys is one of the best schools in Kabul. Boys and girls attend chemistry classes together. Taliban officials see the schools as a bridge between madrassas and modern schools, and now accept the idea that as long as Islamic ideals are respected girls should go to school like boys. A former Taliban foreign minister- of the government the U.S. ousted under president Bush- now helps his daughter with homework. The changes in neighboring Pakistan where the government of Nawaz Sharif is pushing modern ideas and technological development are likely to push progress in Afghanistan as well- this happens as the U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan. The U.S. leaves a region hungry for progress as new governments pushing technological development supported by business emerge in Pakistan and India in 2013-2014. Unfulfilled promises of economic development are at the forefront of people's minds. A transformation as large as the shift from communism in China to state run market economy and the technological and economic transformation that followed is now at its early beginnings in the region. This shift would be from religious strife and socialist structures to a market economy....

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Indian prime minister Modi calls on nations at the G20 meeting to focus their attention on issues that they agree on even though their are issues on which they disagree. These issues include food insecurity, climate change, and the burdens of debt and debt servicing in developing countries. US foreign minister Blinken says this is the right approach and calls on all nations to take action in that direction.

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Reports in The Hindu, Indian Express, show a sharp contrast between the lack of improvement in setting up the rule of law in Punjab and the situation of major improvements in Uttar Pradesh. That the rule of law precedes industrial development is seen in Britain, Germany, France and the US. Young people need to be able to look to a future with hope for development in their state.

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Meltzer points to the huge impact on wages in the U.S. from the millions of workers added to the global economy- as people from India, China and other developing countries competed for the same jobs as American workers- as a principal cause for increasing income inequality. The wages of the one percent were insulated from this and actually benefitted in the case of banking and finance. Current pricing practices in health care insulated the medical and hospital related professions. The effects of the global financial crisis- loss of construction jobs, foreclosures, and effects on savings hit the middle class and working classes hard, something Meltzer overlooks.

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Reliance Power's total capacity is expected to reach 5000 megawatts by Dec. 2012. The company plans to install total capacity of 35,000 MW. It is building a 3,960 MW thermal project at Tilaiya in Jharkhand state, eastern India. Another plant of the same capacity is being built at Chitrangi in Madhya Pradesh, central India. About 75% of the funding will be through debt. Relince is in talks with U.S. and Chinese banks to fund the $8.35 billion for these 2 projects. Loans agreements are in place for $5 billion from the Export-Import Bank in the U.S. and $12 billion from Chinese banks, funding that is coming as part of buying equipment from the U.S. and China.

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China's interests and motivations in reaching a WTO deal. It interest in developing the trade ties with developing countries as it has not that much to gain from more open markets in the western countries because of its already high level of exports to these countries. It common interest in protecting "livelihood security" for hundreds of millions of farmers alongside India. And its concerns for food security alonside India with more than a billion people in each country and the current food crisis showing the need to balance industrial development with incentives and support for its farmers and rural areas. So it appears to be careful rational decision that promotes vital Chinese interest in its agriculture.

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A detailed look and appraisal of the Tata's achievement and the vision and plans of Ratan Tata. See the Creation of Wealth a book about the Tata family and the epilogue written by Ratan Tata. And Conversations with Tata about Ratan's father Jamshedji Tata. Some of the achievements are the restructuring of Tata Steel, the acquisition of Corus, the Tata Motors Indica car and the first 1 lakh ruppee car the Nano a Ratna Tata vision coming true, the growth of Tata Consultancy in the software industry, the entry into retail, telecom, biotech, solar, and others, all meant to put Tata at the forefront of India's industrial development and to bring millions of Indians into the market economy. A lot of foresight is built into this, and now Tata believes in setting bigger goals following the example of China knowing that as India grows it will grow into Tata's larger projects. The Nano especially makes it possible to put a car in the reach of India's millions and by this way helping build a large auto manufacturing industry in India for the first time, and enlarging a number of other industries like steel. And Ratan Tata is not content with what tata achieved with the Nano, he wants Tata to reinvent the auto business. In the process of doing all this Tata has kept to its roots which is a strong social committment and a ethical foundation. Even the Jamshedpur Tata Steel restructuring was done by keeping the committments to education, health care etc for Jamshedpur. Tata is owned 66% by a charitable foundation and the ownership and management structure is designed such that even though the Tata family owns only 3% of the shares Ratan Tata manages the direction, goals and progress of the diverse companies which are independently run through management groups that oversee the companies. These management overseeing structures are the holding companies Tata Sons and Tata Industries staffs, and the Group Corporate Office headed by Ratan Tata and which has 9 senior executives who sit on the boards of the companies and act as mentors, nentoring managers and supporting corporate social responsibility values. ...

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Volkswagen restructuring in Western Europe. Note the price pressures in global markets and high import taxes in growth markets like Russia, China and India. This puts more pressure for restructuring Western European auto manufacturing.

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Moody's analyst Mr Shah passed information to the tipster in the Galleon case. The tipster is Ms Khan, a former hedge fund manager who worked at Galleon. Mr Shah left for India in 2007.