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This WSJ editorial summarizes the main reasons Republicans and many others object to increase in U.S. contributions as the IMF increases its resources under a new plan. The reforms increase the influence of Brazil, China, India, Turkey and other countries in the IMF governance. Also at issue is European influence that the U.S. sees allowing risky loans to countries such as Greece, where rules were relaxed under EU influence during the eurozone crisis. This topic of IMF reform will be coming up in the G 7 meeting of central bankers and finance ministers in Dec 2014 at Sydney, Australia, with the new U.S. IMF representative defending U.S. interests. The case for the reforms was presented in WSJ by Christine Lagarde, head of the IMF, and is part of the link.

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Japan's vice finance minister for international affairs, Mitsuhiro Furusawa, emphasizes that Japan's effort to revive the economy is exactly what the IMF and the international community have been looking for Japan to do. The effort is designed with the primary objective of fighting deflation. The yen has declined by 15% since the new administration of prime minister Abe assumed power Dec. 26, 2012. It now is at 99 yen to the dollar compared to 80 yen to the dollar in 2012. At 80 yen to the dollar the IMF considered the yen "moderately overvalued." Furusawa assumed the new position recently. His previous position was IMF executive director 2010-2012. In that position he assisted IMF managing director, Christine Lagarde, in efforts to manage the sovereign debt crisis in the eurozone.

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Josh Cochran describes how to use the bike share program in New York, or in other cities such as London, Montreal, Barcelona and Paris, and the joys and many advantages of the bike-share program.

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Houston thunder storm and hundreds of thousands without power has led to new concern about the effects of climate change this year.

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Cost of Living Crisis under Biden, Affordability Crisis under DJT, and the situation in Feb 2026 with 2.4% inflation and job creation at 130,000 jobs in January 2026. Is this a sign that the tariffs policy is greatly misrepresented and misunderstood? The flexibility in tariffs, attention to financial markets through Scott Bessent's keen sghts at the Treasury shared with the president, the cutouts for key countries such as India to exclude semiconductors and cell phonesand other products from tariffs. For instance under tariffs increase India actually increased its exports by diversifying its economy and signing a trade agreement with Germany and the EU, followed by the trade agreement with the US, so that it remains an enven stronger economic partner. The same is true for Japan where elections are leading to a parliamentary majority for PM Sanae Takaichi who wants to work with the US and build a strong economic partnership, and make the large investments in the US it has promised.  Japan and India are two of the five largest economies in the world (US, China, Japan, India, Germany). German Foreign Minister Wadephul for the CDU welcomed Marco Rubio's call for a "new Western Century" and for strengthening western civilization common heritage of the US and Europe. This means 4 of the 5 largest economies in the world are in sync for the future of world trade, and their economic future.  ...

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Crowley home to Gatwick airport- situation of migrants in UK in one English town, shown in The Guardian. Migrants has become a divisive issue in Britain with Labour shifting to new policy on migrants, many Conservative party leaders joining Reform UK party. The situation is similar across the continent in Italy, Germany and France, Netherlands and Nordic countries. It is also a divisive issue in the US in January 2026, and has been since the Operation Wetback under President Eisenhower in 1954 as the US Border at the time was not secure following large migrant flows similar to the last decade. The issues of citizenship are still what they were in 1904 when US president Teddy Roosevelt in his Annual Message to Congress said- "The citizenship of our country should not be debased. It is vital that we keep high the standard of living of our wage workers, and therefore we should not admit masses of men whose standards of living, customs and habits, are such that they tend to lower the level of the American wage worker, and above all we should not admit any man of an unworthy type, any man of whom we can say that he will himself be a bad citizen, or his children and grandchildren will detract from instead of adding to the sum of the good citizenship of the country."    ...

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A dozen Conservative lawmakers including Nicky Morgan support a new customs union with the European Union. The bipartisan motion had the support  of the majority in Britain's parliament. Conservative lawmaker Nicky Morgan stated in parliament that "this country is being asked to experiment at other people's pleasure with a free trade policy where we do not know what the costs will be for constituents and businesses in this country." This reflects changing sentiment in Britain about the costs of Brexit supported by a part of the Conservative Party that includes Liam Fox and Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary.  There is a sense that Britain's economy will be hurt by Brexit and Britain leaving the European Union without any way to lessen the consequences of the break in trading relations.