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As restrictions ease and the Delta variant makes up 83% of US cases, cases increase in the US. Stalled vaccination rates presents an added problem. On July 20 49% of the US population was fully vaccinated. Two thirds of counties in the US have less than 40% coverage, according to CDC director Walensky.

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With more vaccines available from Pfizer and Moderna, and the poor SinoVac Chinese vaccine effectiveness against the Delta variant, Brazil and other countries in Latin America and Asia are shifting away from Chinese vaccines. Brazil's federal government has halted negotiations for additional doses of Chinese vaccines. In the early stages in 2020 Chinese vaccines helped Brazil cope with the devastating rise in cases. The slow pace of vaccinations in US and Europe has freed up more vaccine doses of Pfizer for other countries including Brazil. From accounting for 80% of vaccines in Brazil early in 2020, SinoVac vaccines now make up only 35% of Brazil's vaccine doses. At that time Brazil bought 100 million doses of SinoVac vaccine which were delivered. The local producer of SinoVac vaccine, the Butantan Institute will no longer make Chinese vaccines. While Sinovac vaccines are effective at preventing deaths, the vaccines have a low effectiveness rate for symptomatic infections. ...

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Mexico does 3 tests per 100,000 people very low compared to other countries. Reasons range from cost cutting to a push for herd immunity. Instead Mexico has pushed through deep cost cutting. The U.S. has 178 tests per 100,000 in comparison. This leaves Mexico running blind as it has reopened the economy. The government says half of Mexicans work in the informal economy and the economy needs to remain open. Not doing testing means there is less information on fighting the virus in the way it was done in Italy, Spain, UK, France and Germany. Other countries with a large informal economy are doing as getting as many as 500,000  samples a day for tests. Mexico now has 360,000 cases and its fatality rate is now approaching that of the UK.

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Stade Francais cancels all training and puts coaching staff and playing squads into isolation after 25 persons are found to test positive for coronavirus. It is not clear how this happened for French rugby sports after premier league in Britain and the French soccer league games are being played in empty stadiums for a television audience without any reports of difficulties.

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US stock markets rebound during US naval blockade of Iran April 15 2026.

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California introduces vaccine mandate for all school children. All schoolchildren from elementary school to high school will have to get vaccinated once the government completes full approval of vaccines for children. The government has fully approved children's vaccine for over 16 years and emergency authorization for 12-15 years old children. California's governor Newsom has taken this step for vaccine mandates after defeating a recall effort for governor recently.

Also helping reach this decision is the result in Los Angeles School district, where the vaccine mandate for all school children over 12 years has resulted in cutting by half the number of daily infections of schoolchildren. Schools reopened in Los Angles last month and this is an encouraging sign that schools can be kept open with the right policies.

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The marketshare of companies in China's smartphone market for the 1st quarter shows Samsung with a commanding lead of 25%, the Apple iPhone has only 6.5% of the market, Huawei comes in ahead of Nokia with 12% compared to Nokia's 11%, and close behind is ZTE with 11%, Lenovo with 8%, CoolPad with 6.2%. Motorola has 4.8%. HTC slipped badly and is now at 2.6%. With other companies having 13% of the market. The market is largely fragmented today with Samsung the leader. It also shows the very fluid nature of the market with many new entrants and rapidly changing positions for Samsung, Nokia and HTC. Nokia finds itself facing competition from many new entrants and a rapidly expanding Samsung, which accounts for its suddenly eroding position.

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89% in IPSOS poll support deporting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes, says the Washington Post. Americans both Democrats and Republicans want safer neighborhoods. There is majority support to deport all immigrants here illegally. The Washington Post-Ipsos poll in February says 51% of Americans support trying to deport all Americans here illegally estimated at 11 million. Not only this there is something in the air about building a Nation anew- that means a new effort to build cultural literacy is also taking off. Cultural Literacy is a title of a book by H.D. Hirsch, from the 1980's and is a movement about nationhood that is more relevant today than in the 1980's, as the results of three decades of education based on skills development have failed in America's school system for K-12. Content as the core of education was allowed to decline.This has created huge gaps in the nation in communication, in a grasp by succeeding generations of what this Nation was founded on and has been for over two centuries. Waves of immigrants with no knowledge of the culture and language necessary for citizens added to this situation in the educational system has not fostered the integration that happened in the 1850's, 1900's and the 1950's waves of immigration.  ...

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Rio Tinto took on large debt of some $40 billion during the boom times, including debt taken on for the purchase of Canadian aluminium company Alcan. About $9 billion is due for refinancing this year and $10 billion in 2010. Now it is making a firesale of assets such as mines it owns. Its also turning to Chinalco, stateowned Chinese aluminium maker. For some $15 billion Chinalco would increase its ownership in Rio above 11%, and may get the 30% stake Rio has in Chile's Escondida copper mine. It will also layoff 14,000 workers.

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Citi's shares went up 18% with the $25 billion capital injection October 13, 2008, but says Eavis in Heard on the Street, the dangers in its balance sheet are still there. Oct 14, 2008, the closing price was $18.62 per share but its tangible book value is estimated at just more than $10 a share. With losses expected to remain high for several quarters this premium may be an odd thing, and with the losses the tangible book value may be below $9 a share. So there are more strong winds ahead of Citi.

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The end of the Covid Emergency is set for May 11, 2023 by president Biden for the US.

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US stock markets rebound by April 15 2026 during naval blockade of Iran.

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The best exercise routine is a consistent routine, says this health expert in The Guardian. Beware she says of sugary drink highs or coffee in excess to serve as pick ups during the day when energy is low. Instead do some short stretching or exercise routine even if it is only 10 minutes. It does not have to be a long or strenuous exercise, don't let the ads of young people doing strenuous routines fool you, says this expert. What is important is to keep doing it, to stretch and move around even if this is for a short time. Consistent routine is critical.

Carbohydrates, whole grain breads are not to be frowned on, she says, as this provides extra energy, and is healthy when balanced with protein and fat in the diet.

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DJT was asked if China's celebration of Victory Day with Russia recently in Tianjin had any message for the US. He said he did not see it that way, that US has good relations with China. In this context the Smithsonian Museum exhibit on military history of the US shows a real aspect of the World War II in loss of life- Russia 17 million dead, China 11 million dead, Germany 10 million dead, Poland 5 million dead, Japan 2.5 million dead, US 1 million dead, UK 800,000 dead. Russian and Chinese losses of 28 million dead are 15 times the losses of US and UK combined of 1.8 million dead. With the scale of losses of such magnitude Victory Day celebrations in Tianjin can be seen in the context of this shared history and major losses overcome as much of the world knows with US help. A sobering view is that the colonial powers Imperial Japanese Army, French and British policies caused famines in World War II leading to 6-7 million deaths in India, Indonesia and Vietnam which is 4 times the 1.7 million US and UK deaths. Views of China in the Context of the Ukraine War and Russia are very different in US than in France and Europe and are widening in differences in 2025. In the US as in this report in the WSJ China is seen as a trade partner and competitor with certain issues, many of China's university leaders and experts question the prospect of a long term alliance with Russia, and for DJT Russia is a nuclear power with which US seeks good relations and a political settlement of the Ukraine War. In France as shown in the article in Le Monde adjacent to this the European attitudes towards Russia throughout European history since 1700 of regional rivalry between France and Russia, Germany and Russia since 1900, Britain and Russia since 1700. FDR led the alliance with Russia against the Nazis and Imperial Japanese in the 1930's and 1940's. Herbert Hoover led the effort to bring relief supplies and aid to Russian in the period of the Civil War after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. With China America kept the government in China functioning as it retreated from the invasion by the Imperial Japanese Army in the 1930's and 1940's and the only hope with Gen. Joe Stilwell in China alongside Chinese leaders. ...

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German chancellor Merkel announces steps for a new lockdown to tackle the second wave and infections daily of over 30,000 in Germany, critical levels for ICU beds in parts of the country. Stores, schools and daycare centers will close till January 10, to prevent spread of the virus during the Christmas period. The action was taken in consultation with 16 state leaders.

Stores now include hairdressers. Parents are given paid holidays to look after children as day care centers are closed. Communal singing in churches is not allowed.During December 24-26 a slight relaxation allows families to invite 4 adults and any number of children under 14 years. People planning to meet up are urged to isolate for a week to be safe.

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This Washington Post report shows elder cost where you live in the US. Out of 5.9 million Americans over 85 years 50% live with family, including spouses and adult children, 40% live alone including assisted living facilities, and only 8% live in nursing homes. A quarter live in multigenerational homes, and this is common among Asians, with Filipino families tending to live together. In Florida 57% of seniors over 85 years live with family and spouses, and in Texas 31% live in multigenerational households. Hawaii has the highest number of people over 85 years living with their families- 61%. 16% of seniors over 85 years live in nursing homes in South Dakota, highest in the US, and in Louisiana 44% of women seniors over 85 years live alone, according to Census.

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Angela Merkel loses a local election in her region of Mecklenburg Pomerania in Germany. The CDU comes in third at 19% following the AfD anti-immigration party with 21%. The Social Democrats party gets over 31%. Commentators say this region is more likely to take an anti-immigrant stance, compared to other parts of Germany. The next elections are on Sept 18 in Berlin, which is very different from parts of the former communist East Germany. The CDU has embraced the themes of "homeland," and public safety, and Merkel says about the decision a year ago on immigration-"it was not about opening the border to everyone- it was about not shutting it to those who made their way to us from Hungary, on foot and in great need of help." Merkel is likely to regain her footing with voters, as the vote in Mecklenburg was more of a protest vote and Merkel has adapted current policy to check immigration. Peter Tauber, general secretary for the CDU, Merkel's party, sees the vote also reflecting anger of those who have lost out in the moves to globalization, and not just about immigration. ...