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For passengers air travel nowadays is travelling on planes that are often totally booked. This is because airlines are cutting flights. And with fewer passengers after the economic crisis hit, airlines are having a difficult time cutting flights enough to meet the continuing drop in the number of passengers. Before the crisis business and international travel was a good source of revenue, now this is fading as there is more competition on transatlantic routes with about 50 airlines offering flights between US cities and European cities. The liberalization of air travel between the two continents with the 2007 "open skies" agreement is keeping downward pressure on prices. The International Air Transport Association says the number of passengers travelling on business and first class tickets between N. America and Europe was down 18.4% in April 2009, compared with same month in 2008. Traffic between N. America and Asia was down 26%, for the same period. This is hitting Lufthansa ansd KLM-Air France hard, but is helping Easyjet, Ryanair, and Air Berlin. As demand drops airlines will continue to cut capacity, and this will be done by cutting the number of flights on a route and using smaller planes. After all this capacity cutting takes place by September, OAG Aviation estimates that the seats on domestic flights will drop to 66.5 million from a peak of 84 million in 2001, a drop of 21%. Some airlines which rely less on corporate travellers will not see as steep a drop. These airlines are Southwest, JetBlue and AirTran. Airlines that may not survive the effects of the economic crisis, with tight credit and drop in air travel, and volatile oil prices, are United Airlines and US Airways. United relied heavily on corporate and trans-Pacific fliers before the economic crisis. Fitrch Ratings cites this in reducing the credit rating for United to junk status, as well as the heavy debt maturities in 2009 and 2010. In June 2009 United raised $175 million by issuing new debt, but at an interest rate of 17%. At US Airways the combined airline with America West after a$1.5 billion merger is struggling. It has the thinnest cash position of any airline according to a Morningstar research analyst, and may need further borrowing to meet debt payments. With all assets already mortgaged US Airways may have little borrowing capability left....

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Sanae Takaichi press conference with DJT at White House March 19 2026- there is no mention of Japanese help with clearing Straits of Hormuz. US Japan relations after the meeting of Takaichi and DJT at the White House appear to be in good shape. Japan will invest $73 billion in US investment projects in 2026 as part of the $550 billion commitment made at the time of the US Japan trade deal in 2025 under the previous LDP prime minister. Takaichi is coming with strong support in Japan after winning a landslide victory in the general election. Japan's main concern is the belligerent North Korea and China's posture in Asia as it relates to Taiwan. Agreements were reached on critical issues- to develop alternative supplies of critical minerals, to rebuild the shipbuilding industry which US and Japan had given up after dominating it for most of the 20th century. This is critical to ensure open navigation on the oceans of the world. Agreements on high tech and AI, and agreement to purchase Alaskan oil to cut Japan's 90% dependence on volatile Middle East supplies. Japan has managed Middle East supply by keeping over 254 days of inventory but this looks to be very risky as Germany learned from its dependence on Russian oil which went in the wrong direction under Merkel. Japan has released about 18% of its total reserve amount of the 254 days inventory (146 days in national reserves and 101 days in private mandated reserves). It uses 3.14 million barrels a day in 2026 down from 5.8 million barrels a day in 1996, using about half today through conservation and using renewable energy showing the potential for the US and Europe. Germany has cut oil consumption by a third in comparison from 2.9 mbd in 1996 to 2.0 in 2026. And the US remains stagnant with oil demand highest in 2005 at 20.5 mbd and 20 years later at 20.5 mbd mainly because 14mbd or 70% goes to cars and trucks on the road for 347 million people over continental spaces (compared to 297 million in 2005) for a reduction of oil use of 15%. ...

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The German government has taken notice of hate speech on social media and social bots. The Justice Ministry convened a task force on hate speech on internet. Justice Minister Heiko Maas promised legal action against social media like facebook and twitter if it violated laws of libel and inciting to violence. Chancellor Merkel is bringing in a data science expert Professor Simon Hegelich of the Technical University of Berlin for consultations in Dec. 2016. Only AfD of the main parties, with its anti-immigration stance, has not come out in favor of not using social bots or paid trolls in the 2017 elections. Hegelich in talk with DW.com says it is hard to legislate on this because the whole phenomenon has not been fully understood. Article 5 of the Constitution provides for free speech. Hegelich also says the state of technology moves faster than legislation, and being international sites like facebook, twitter and others pose additional issues. He does not say laws cannot be helpful but that its not clear how best to do this. Thomas Jarzombek is a CDU member of parliament and digital media expert. He says social bots are more likely controlled by foreign countries, and fake news sites are more of a domestic problem. Making this worse is the incentive for unemployed journalists to do blogging of the crude and aggressive type to make more money. Jarzombek sees the need for the press to do more in its role for the democratic process to function properly, by functioning in the role of "enlightenment" and "awareness."  Jenna Behrends, a law student and CDU local politician for Berlin-Mitte, says it is necessary for good bots to be used to fight bad bots, in an article in Der Spiegel. Major mainstream media would then have to launch social bots themselves to fulfill their role of providing the public with correct and fair information free of excessive bias and distortion of the bad bots. One example of this is shown explicitly here of German chancellor Merkel's picture with the words " Guilty of betraying the people," with links to "Drain the swamp," and "Brexit." A more complex question is one of how to let people vent out frustration about the mainstream media itself being biased in favor of the established views and not doing enough or giving enough space to reflect alternative views, so that these can be debated without inflammatory language and deliberate distortion. A whole range of tools and modifications of behaviour may be necessary ahead of next years elections in France and Germany, now that the phenomenon is better understood following a vote in the Anglo-Saxon countries.   ...

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The shaping of China's policy for a Air Defense Zone and the role of president Jinping,

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Tom Hanks and Robin Wright in the movie "Here" a technical experiment in deaging and new kind of cinematography different from the past. Robin Wright's vision of growing up as adults in the 1960's, the period John F. Kennedy was campaigning in 1956 and in 1960 in Wisconsin, with radio the main medium and life moving slowly. There is this image from a writer in Wisconsin about that time when John Kennedy turned up at a supermarket in suburbs of Wisconsin to talk to customers for his Wisconsin campaign, and with Robert Kennedy also in the store, Mrs Kennedy takes a microphone and talks to customers at the store about JFK's campaign.  A new spirit of social change was being felt in the air when Kennedy represented this not just for America but for the Free World across Asia, Latin America, and Africa. It is this optimism that America felt and reaches out for again. It is also a period of optimism in the US and the Free World, a spirit John Kennedy really captured. The FDR-Truman period laid behind the chapter of excesses of capitalism and Roosevelt's response, Truman set the Free World's response to the Soviets, Eisenhower period completed the Interstate Highway System but was stagnant in other respects. It is this Wisconsin campaign that put Kennedy on the map for the Democratic nomination in 1960 with a new feeling in the air about what America could really aspire to and aspire for. ...

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Attahiru Jega, Vice Chanellor of Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria, is the new head of Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission with responsibility for the first fair election in Nigeria's history. He has to come up with an entirely new list of voters for a country of 70 million, and very little time to do this. The task involves tens of thousands of computers with finger printing technology and video to be used in 12,000 polling stations, training 360,000 workers, and all this in a country where electricity is mostly generated by private gas powered generators and transport links are poor.

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After the lockdowns and indoor living there is nothing like the outdoors this year. Nothing like just walking out the door. Spend 2 hours outside, smell the flowers, the pine trees, feel the fresh air- its the best therapy one can find- hike, bike, simply stand and feel the breeze.

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The India Pakistan conflict escalates as Pakistan retaliates for an Indian air attack on a terrorist camp deep inside Pakistan. Pakistan sends planes to attack Indian positions in Kashmir. One Indian plane is downed in Indian air strikes inside Pakistan. This follows a terrorist attack that killed 40 Indian soldiers in a convoy in Pulwama, Kashmir. In 2016 India attacked Pakistan targets across the border after a terrorist attack.

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Seb Piquet is the voice heard by teams and organizers of the Tour de France cycling race. He rides behind the main group of riders in one of the Skodas of the tour organizer and gets information from three cyclist helpers going with the lead cyclists. Piquet is the one man narrator that everyone depends on, and without him no one knows what is going on in the race. WSJ looks at Piquet and this year's Tour. 

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During Euro Cup soccer 2024 Germany's faltering rail system Deutsche Bahn presents challenges with frequent cancellations and delays. So frequent are the delays that they are announced matter of factly as if it was standard way of operating the trains. One can see this in Frankfurt, which has a vast rail network operating connecting most of Europe from its main rail station. It is a result of failure to invest in upgrading rail systems and signalling, tracks, rolling stock. 

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A pair of reports by the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee shows that Google, Facebook and Twitter "evaded" and "misrepresented" themselves about the extent of activity by Russian trolls on their sites. 

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It is now not just an issue of migrants, a much broader issue of how the people of Britain can have democratic processes and action on the economy work without disruptions and distractions such as migrants. The interests of 69 million Britons and hundreds of million in war ridden countries vs 40,000 migrants put on boats here because of economic conditions in their home countries. The best course of action for Labour is direct targeted assistance to rural schools and rural health care, farmers, in affected countries as they recover from years of war. 20,000 crossed the English Channel in boats in 6 months January to June 2025. Eritrea, Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, areas of war in Middle East are source of migrants crossing the English Channel in boats.  Britain offering weekly allowance of 50 pounds a person and free National Health Service services encourages migrants to make the journey in boats and pay migrant trafficking operators with their life savings. Without a clear goal on migrants and necessary action Britain under Labour sees further destabilization of the social and political fabric of the country by reducing confidence in the two main political parties.  ...

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2023 is the year of huge aviation orders. Some even say this may stave off a recession. Biden says this would create 1 million jobs in the US. Modi names about 10 American states that will benefit from India's growing civilian and military aircraft needs. The biggest order in aviation history was one of 500 single aisle planes from Airbus by India's Indigo Airlines. Before this order Air India made an order of 470 planes from Airbus and Boeing. Riyadh Air and the Saudi airline also place large orders. 

WSJ cautions that it takes 6 years for planes on order to be delivered. There are production and regulatory issues. Some of the orders can be pared down. One expert says it is a way to get in line for planes to be delivered by planning ahead as the Indians have done by foresight about rapidly growing demand.

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Dangers from lead exposure during the Notre Dame cathedral fire when dust of toxic lead from the fire spread through Paris. This report in FR24 says not much was done about this in the first days of the fire. When the spire was rebuilt during renovation there was strong support for not using lead in the renovation instead shifting to copper or some other metal that was not toxic. Yet this report says the authorites used lead in the renovation of the spire and there is much concern about any lead getting into the air or water.

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The internal divisions in the two main political parties in Japan, the Democratic Party and the LDP. The lack of a coherent base believing in a particular set of ideas in either party.

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Air fares are rising, and airlines are charging separately for everything from bags, blankets, snacks, seats in front rows, and priority boarding, to other extra charges. Airline strategies to reduce routes and fill up seats are working. Delta Airlines filled 85% of seats in the second quarter of 2010, with revenue from passengers going up by 19%. Delta made the highest profit it has made in the last ten years- $467 million for the second quarter. The Air Transport Association figures show that passenger revenue increased for July 2010 by 20%,, compared to prior year. Price paid by one passenger for flying one mile was 14.95 cents in July 2010, according to ATA.

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Of 38 Southern Norfolk railcars that derailed near East Palestine, Ohio, 11 were hazardous chemical cars. Officials assume 9 had vented, seeped into ground or nearby waterways, says this report in WSJ. An Emergency Response Manager at EPA lists 5 toxic chemicals that may have contaminated soil, water or air near the site of train derailment.

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Face masks work and cut down infection by 85% say studies, but it is important to make sure that it stays on and leaves no opening for air from outside to get in. This means not taking calls in areas where infection can occur and not touching the mouth, eyes or nose with the hands. 

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Jason Gay could have been talking about Zen Buddhism or a kind of yoga, no he is just talking about looking at the trees, open spaces outside, nature, being outside and not being bombarded with everyday distractions. Time spent outdoors in fresh air that opens the brain, he says, to sparks of creativity and inspiration.

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South Korea will share an increased part of the cost of stationing US troops and bases in the country. This was a key demand of the Trump administration as it sought to reach agreement on fair shared cost of the defense costs. South Korea paid $913 million a year and the new amount is likely to be at least over 15% higher.