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India depends on oil imports for 85% of its needs. $110 a barrel oil imposes severe hardship in a country with a population of 1.2 billion people. Russian oil is offered at a $20-$25 discount says this report in DW.com. Higher oil prices are already making a recovery from the pandemic more difficult in India.

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Leaders of Germany's federal states agreed on cost sharing to settle refugees from Ukraine. Chancellor Scholz said that Germany will provide $2 billion in federal aid to German states for accomodating and integrating Ukrainian refugees.  Refugees from Germany will be able to receive basic welfare benefits similar to the welfare aid received by Germans of 400 euros per month under Hartz welfare program. By integrating them into Germany's social security system the refugees can integrate and stay in Germany, Scholz added. This means access to more resources, to job centers, health care and German language courses.

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Annalena Baerbock is leading the Greens Party in Germany to a new poll high. Almost all parties lost points in the poll for Bild Am Sonntag and the Greeens gained. Coming at a time when the German public is weary after the eurozone financial crisis, the migrant crisis and now the coronavirus pandemic Annalena Baerbock brings a fresh approach to issues in Germany. Her call for a broad tent and the solidarity in the party with co-leader Robert Habeck are getting a good response from the German people.  Greens are ahead by 2 percentage points to 28%, CDU/CSU down by 2 points to 27%, SDU down by 2 points to 13%, AfD and Left Party both down by 1 point, AfD at 10% and Left Party at 7%. Greens present the idea of a new departure for Germany to protect the climate, reduce inequality and start a new Europe. Annalena Baerbock talks about this in her campaign as chancellor candidate for the September 2021 German elections- "we must make changes to create a fair country." The German people are listening after years of disappointment with the SPD under Schroeder, the Merkel years when Germany tackled crises of eurozone and migrants with no new direction for a brighter future,  the AfD creating new divisions and waning in approval, the lockdowns leading to social divisions, rising inequality.  ...

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A Supreme Court decision denying non regular workers a one time retirement benefit and other benefits further deepens the divide between non regular and regular workers in Japan. A large part of non regular workers are women who were laid off in large numbers during the pandemic along with other non regular workers. This report looks at the impact on older women denied these benefits.

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Evergrande relied on presales to finance itself and keep its activities in real estate. A Chinese government crackdown on speculative behaviours and taking on too much debt by property developers led to Evergrande having to offload properties at large discounts. Evergrande is China's second largest developer with $300 billion in debt. Investors have down payments on around 1.5 million properties and face uncertainty in getting money back if housing projects are not completed.

Hong Kong listed shares have collapsed by more than 80% this year. There are risks to financial stability in China if there is a collapse of Evergrande, says this report in DW.com. About 29% of China's economic output is tied to the real estate sector and Chinese in large cities invest savings in apartments as part of speculative investing.

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Australia takes a 1-0 lead in the United Cup tennis against Serbia. Minaur wins in 2 sets 6-4, 6-4 over Djokovic of Serbia in the quarterfinals.

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Protests planned in smaller towns in eastern Germany are the largest since the fall of the Berlin Wall, says this report in DW.com. Protests are against far right AfD and plans to deport immigrants from Germany. About 300,000 people turned out near the chancellery and the Bundestag parliament buildings in Berlin on Saturday Feb. 3, 2024. About 30,000 turned out in Dresden in East Germany. About 1800 organizations have called for protests in Berlin. Luisa Neubauer of the Fridays for Future Climate protests told the crowd according to DW.com- that hope does not fall from the sky, hope is damn hard work and that Germans must live democracy not just passively have democracy. This is showing Berliners and Germans in many cities and small towns in a different light, where the people themselves are taking charge. When political parties from the CDU and SPD, Greens and the Left have let the political landscape fragment with no party having more than 20% support. The future of Germany and the EU depends on these young people out on the streets. ...

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Efforts for community building in Britain and the US that help people interact with other people in everyday settings, countering the trend  towards isolation that have build up in society over the last two decades. The physical infrastructure that does this and how it can be used.

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A new rail link would connect western Tibet with Kathmandu, Nepal. This is part of deals signed in Beijing between Nepal and China during visit of Nepal's prime minister Prasad Oli to China.

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Efforts in Ghana to use locally available materials such as clay, laterite and granite chippings to build affordable housing. Ghan needs 2 million new houses per year. A prototype one room house would cost $5000. Solar pumps developed by German engineers are used to cool the home and make it eco-friendly. 

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Efforts by Indian Council of Medical Research to have a vaccine ready by August 15, 2020. India already has 700,000 cases of coronavirus. Bharat Biotech is developing Covaxin in partnership with the National Institute of Virology.