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Mohammed bin Salman, 31 years old, is made the successor to his father King Salman. Prince Nayef, 57, the crown prince is removed from this position. Nayef was Interior Minister. After the current king assumed office in Jan. 2015, he promoted his son to the position of defence minister, overseeing the state oil company and overseeing economic affairs. He put together a plan Saudi Vision 2030, and the kingdom has taken a larger role in international affairs under his leadership as the U.S. under the Obama administration moved away from the Saudi policies in Bahrain, Egypt, and Yemen. Under Salman the Saudi kingdom has moved to confront Iran in Syria and Yemen supporting opposite sides in the conflict, and with Saudi aircraft bombing targets in Yemen.  Recap- for more depth see groups and links and search. In international affairs the Saudis grew restive as the Obama administration failed to setup a no fly zone in Syria to protect its Sunni population. Following the chemical weapons attacks in Syria the lack of a U.S. response led to the Saudis turning down a Security Council seat.  Early confrontation occurred in Bahrain with a Shiite population and Sunni government. The Saudis then intervened to support Sissi in Egypt against the Muslim Brotherhood government as the liberals drifted away from the Brotherhood. With Iranian and Russian support for the Syrian government in Damascus against rebels, the Saudis began to use oil policy leading to an effort to let oil prices fall by loosening production limits, believing it would hurt their rivals even more. This hurt Iran, Russia and Saudis, each in a different way. Some of the roots of the Russian involvement in Syria are also related to this. Russia responded to the oil price drop by relying less on exports, and letting devaluations help the Russian economy become more self sufficient. Iran by working to get a deal with the Obama administration on nuclear development to get out of the sanctions regime that hurt Iran's economy. The Saudis cut some subsidies and Prince Salman led the effort for an initial public offering for Saudi state oil company Aramco. As time progressed the Arab Spring with protests in Tunisia, Egypt, and even before that in Iran for greater freedom, morphed into a sectarian struggle between Shiites and Sunnis. The roots of Islamic State are in the unrest in Mosul, Iraq's largest city, with the Shiite government of a pro-Shiite prime minister, leading to the fall of the city to the militants. He was replaced by the current prime minister Abadi to accomodate U.S. insistence on keeping out sectarian sentiment. This is why the problem is so intractable. Desire for freedom plays a role, but religion also plays a role, not only that but there are two versions of Islam in the region.  Remember Gandhi's admonition- "an eye for an eye that makes the whole world blind," as India struggled to set up a democracy in the South Asian region, after the British left.         ...

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The new government of prime minister Naoto Kan in Japan has tapped 2 business executives for posts as Ambassador to Greece and Ambassador to China. A former top executive at Nomura Securities heads for Greece, and former CEO of Itochu Corporation heads for Beijing. It is an effort to stay on top of changes in the global economy with experienced businessmen. Kan's idea is to harness the needs of Asian countries, finding solutions to problems, to raise the Japanese growth rate.

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Uber CEO Kalanick faces problems after the ride sharing app service company uses aggressive tactics in its business. Kalanick resigned after increasing pressure, with major investors on the board asking him to resign. Mike Isaac in the NYT says Uber is an example of how some aspects of Silicon Valley culture have caused a public outcry. A federal inquiry is under way into a software tool used to avoid law enforcement. Other complaints came up during the period Kalanick was CEO. The business conduct of CEO Kalanick has come under strong criticism and shows what can go wrong in the aggressive pursuit of business. For many it is an example of how not to run a company.

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The DW's Ines Pohl interviews Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina as she begins a fourth term as prime minister. Hasina says "everybody should take a break so we can accomodate the younger generation."  Hasina says she will not run again. 

As the economy continues growth at 6-7 percent Hasina emphasizes basic needs of food security, housing, health, education, job opportunities. "Every human being wants a better life we have to insure that", says Hasina.

A big change for Hasina is in girl's education. "What I have done is that education for girls is totally free up to the 12th grade and that we provide a stipend to them." Hasina sees the culture change into making parents rethinking girl's education as a big change, believing that the girl can earn her own money as a good thing when she is married. It is a change she believes will continue to change Bangladesh society.

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This article by Lithuanian president Dalia Grysbauskaite, on the 75th anniversary of the Welles declaration points to a path for other Eastern European countries seeking membership in the new Europe. The declaration by Sumner Welles, acting Secretary of State, on July 23, 1940, stated that the U.S. did not recognize the Soviet occupation of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia. It says the other Eastern European states such as Ukraine need to follow Lithuania's example to fight corruption, transform their economies, and create a foundation for the future, for integration into the European Union.

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Kathryn Ruemmler is legal counsel at Goldman Sachs, and adviser to the CEO. The WSJ looks at Epstein file releases by the US Justice Department on Ruemmler's connections to Epstein in 2019 as a legal adviser. Some of it is after FBI arrested Epstein. Other files released show Ruemmler had consulted with Epstein on jobs she was interviewing for with Goldman, and potential jobs at Google, Facebook and Citadel, according to this report. This aspect is similar to what is reported in the media about Mandelson having consulted with Epstein for job offers at large financial companies. In the case of Mandelson he described his access to influence in Labour government decisions. The Mandelson connections are rocking the British government of PM Keir Starmer for his poor judgement in appointing Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US and lack of due diligence on his background.  WSJ report says Ruemmler had helped try Enron executives and this brought her attention that led to her going to the White House as Barrack Obama's counsel. She left in 2014 and was a white collar defense lawyer at Latham and Watkins.  ...

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Inherent conflicts between views of Reidel, Biden and other policy advisors such Richard Holbrooke, all wary of Hamid Karzai's government in Afghanistan and General McChrystal -whose experience in tactical strategy was his strong point, not an overall perspective that took into account factors outside US control such as the people, their history, recent history, the terrain, lack of viable government, neighboring Pakistan- spill out into the open. Holbrooke, the special ambassador to the South Asian region has serious differences over Karzai with ambassador to Kabul, Eikenberrry, and with Jones, National Security Advisor. Eikenberry has his own differences with Karzai. See the group "Eikenberry Cables," which provides his cable reports from Afghanistan which talk about Karzai, the Afghan military, and the prospects there, in bleak terms. The same Eikenberry is shown here telling Jones that Holbrooke's chilled relations with Karzai are not helping, and Jones assuring Eikenberry that Holbrooke is on the way out. Followed by Secretary of State Clinton supporting Hilbrooke by talking to Obama. See also the group "April 2010 Biannual Defense Departmet Report on Afghanistan," which shows that of 92 districts surveyed none supported the Karzai government, somethig that must cause policy team members to pause and think....

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Kylian Mbappe scores for PSG after return from an injury as PSG beat Real Sociedad 2-0 in Champions League last 16.

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Under Chinese law and the rule of law as applied in China exit bans are placed on individuals or legal representatives of companies that have debt payments to make. This could be small debt amounts or large debt amounts, says this report in the WSJ.

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See this video on the acceleration of renewable energy from wind and solar in Europe with Spain and Germany taking the lead. Wind energy plays a dominant role in Spain. France lagging behind is planning to increase solar ten fold in a few years.

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Merkel prods Russia to follow Germany's example as she lands in Kiev on the 75th anniversary of the nonaggression pact signed between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Merkel said: "That today a German chancellor can be here shows what has happened... We want countries to be able to freely decide their political direction. We no longer participate, as the Federal Republic of Germany, in stirring up historical misery, and that is a good development of history." Russia badly needs to find a new place in a new world rather than stir up memories from the Soviet or Tsarist period, just as Germany has done in the period since 1945 with chancellors Adenauer, Brandt, down to Merkel and president Gauck today. The world today is very different from the period when Merkel grew up in the German Democratic Republic and Putin lived as a KGB officer in Dresden, Germany. Even more so as the manner of living in urban areas in different parts of the world, business, industry, the arts, culture, products is increasingly converging, with higher expectations. ...

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U.S. home ownership rate drops to 64.8% of American families in the 1st quarter of 2014, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This is the lowest since 1995.

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Glaxo's Dr Garnier talks with Jeane Whalen of the WSJ about his work, a lot about his committment to running a company not just for rich countries, that access is a very important word for him and his efforts to make drugs affordable or even free or close to free depending on the country's standard of living, his 24-7 day handling the Avandia issues, and the innovative drug pipeline he has put together over the years.

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Mexico's President appointed Carstens as Central Bank chief replacing Ortiz, who had held a strict line against inflation bring in down to 4% even as Mexico's economic growth declined in 2009 with a 7% drop in GDP. Ortiz differed with President Calderon and saw his mandate as acting strctly to keep inflation under control. Now Calderon is emphasizing job creation and growth. He appointed Social Developmet Minister Cordero to the post of Finance Minister. Until now Mexican Presidents including predecessor Vicente Fox relied on technolcrats to run financial positions.

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A decade of austerity under the Tories has made everything harder for leveling  up to happen between the south and north of England, says this analysis in The Guardian. Huge gaps in health, education, transport, and wages. Grimsby wages are 60% lower than London's.

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Chandrayan 3 in the freezing cold lunar night that lasts 14 days at temperatures of -400 degree Fahrenheit or -300 degrees Centigrade. At these temperatures the connectivity with the moon lander is lost but its mission has been completed in the 14 days of lunar day.

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U.S. Defense Secretary Hagel launches the "Defense innovation initiative" at a defense forum held in the Reagan Presidential Library, Nov. 2014. The purpose is to get universities, government and the private sector to work together to put the U.S. ahead of its adversaries in its technological capabilities, similiar to the "New Looks" program in the Eisenhower years. During the Eisenhower period the effort was designed to match the Soviet conventional power in Europe with U.S. technological capabilities. The urgency of the effort comes from the U.S. budgetary cutbacks following 2 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that have depleted U.S. capabilities and emboldened Russia and China in Europe and Asia.

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Mario Monti takes office as prime minister of Italy as Italian bond yields reach 7.4%. Italy faces the task of refinancing 200 billion euros of maturing bonds by April 2012. Bond yields exceeding 7% make the task of refinancing Italian debt even more difficult. Monti said he would try to restore Italy to financial health without giving up "social equity," and added that "we owe it to our children to give them a dignified and hopeful future."

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The rapid spread of emoji chracters originating from Japan in our daily text conversations. This is bringing emotional state into daily conversations with a simple click on a smartphone. Shigetaka Kurita a designer for Docomo in Japan noticed the use of a picture of the sun in Japan for sunny weather not the use of words as in the U.S., and the use of a bulb over a head for someone with a smart idea, hearts common in Japan for affection, and this led him to the idea of creating a whole set of characters for different moods and emotional states to use in mobile conversation. Apple was the first to adopt them on its smartphones after the emoji were already popular in Japan for about 10 years.

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Technology that combines food waste with cow manure to produce renewable natural gas or RNG is becoming popular. Black Rock is buying Vanguard Renewables, a company that does this in Vermont for $700 million and investing another $1 billion for RNG production. Trapping methane emissions is part of the program put forward at COP26 Glasgow.

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 China exports to the US $438 billion vs $143 billion the US sends to China - the US deficit with China 2024 equals $295 billion. This is the fact that the media continues to ignore. Behind this is the gutting of the industrial base of the US shipped offshore to China since 2000 by American companies. 5 million jobs lost and tens of thousands of factories destroying the backbone of the economy, America's middle class.  Much of the US exports are oil and gas which can be shipped to Europe, India and other places. The soyabeans and grain from America's farmers is the other part of exports of $13 billion. The US can find other markets for the farm products including India under a trade agreement, and farmers can be supported with agricultural subsidies. It only makes sense to rebuild America's industrial base and pull back from an unfair trade arrangement that can only be the result of serious neglect of their responsibilities of previous administrations before DJT in 2016. The piecemeal efforts 2016-2024 have not worked to rebuild America's middle class,  recover jobs and factories, as a result a new bolder approach is needed in 2025 to rewrite the rules for world trade for an even playing field where everyone is treated with fairness. ...