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The debate in France about the need for a new policy to boost manufacturing at home. The planned closure of a Bridgestone factory in Bethune in northern France in 2021 provides another example of the effect on local communities with closing of plants. The French government has pledged to relocate more production back to France. About 15 billion euros of a 100 billion euros package to fight the effects of the pandemic on the economy will go to relocate sectors and boost local manufacturing and jobs.

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So far Italy has resisted the second wave of the coronavirus by adhering to the strict social distancing and mask guidelines better than other parts of Europe. After the traumatic experience in March and April Italians especially in the north near Milan are strictly following the guidelines. The daily number of new infections is at 1851 on October 1, and fatality rate is low.

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Bicycling makes it easier to get to school in rural parts of Ghana and outside the capital Accra. A bike club in Accra provides bikes to schools.

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Most questions about the vaccines from Oxford, Pfizer and Moderna are answered in this Q&A in The Times.  The Oxford vaccine is the only vaccine that is being provided at cost to the public at a cost of 4 pounds, Pfizer using German technology at 15 pounds and Moderna from Cambridge, Massachusetts, at 28 pounds. The Oxford vaccine can be stored in a fridge, the others use mRNA technology of messenger RNA which requires ultra low temperature storage. Astra Zeneca could have handled the trials and methodology for results in a better way. As the two trials one that produced results of 62% and the other results of 90% cannot be combined to give results of 70% but are two distinct and separate trials. However too much emphasis has been placed on the vaccine, as other prevention measures remain important for 2021. Other vaccines are being developed in Britain with new technology and in India by ICMR which are in trials stage and about which not enough is known. The Russian and Chinese vaccines have not released detailed data limiting their use around the world. ...

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German chancellor Scholz and Canadian prime minister Trudeau sign an agreement in Newfoundland for exporting Canadian green hydrogen energy to Germany in just 3 years. Canada is seen as a major supplier to Germany for energy in the medium term including LNG. Newfoundland is the base for a green hydrogen plant. Windy areas which are not densely populated are considered ideal for production of green hydrogen, which is why Newfoundland was chosen.

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Only about 20% of Ugandans have access to electricity according to Uganda Bureau of Statistics. About 10% of GDP is from tourism. The efforts to place a 380 MW electricity hydropower project near the Murchison Falls along the Nile tries to balance these two important needs. To maintain tourism and still increase electricity to improve the lives of the Ugandan people.

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The German lower and upper houses of parliament, the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, passed legislation to end the use of coal by 2038. The phase out has two parts one is the legal avenue for reduction in emissions, the other is the regional economies of affected states. The government will provide 40 billion euros for restructuring economies, including reskilling workers and providing new infrastructure, for the effort. coal operators will also receive compensation if they announce plans for closure of coal plants by 2026.

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Indian men report doing more housework during the pandemic, sharing housework and childcare with their wives.

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Jimmy Carter rejected an ostentatious presidency and DJT is a beneficiary says the Editorial Board of the Washington Post. It was Jimmy not James. Beige wool cardigan sweater was OK for prime time address. No chaueffeurs or limousines for staffers. Thermostats were turned down to 65 degrees during the day. Daughter Amy was enrolled in a D.C. public school. He had his cousin Hugh Carter Jr pinch pennies by cutting out unnecessary costs in the West Wing. House Speaker Mike Johnson reminded the public of these virtues of simplicity and thrift. Jimmy Carter carried his own luggage into Air Force One. "Hail to the Chief" was not performed when he entered the room. The Nation appreciated this as is so evident in the final tribute and the heart felt gratitude of the people of America. One sees little division in the Nation when it comes to goodwill for Jimmy from Thune and Johnson in the US Congress whose tributes speak louder than the politics. Senator Thune should know, he grew up in a two room home in South Dakota and understands simplicity. What difference does it make if he is  a Republican or Carter a Southern Democrat. ...

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RFK Jr. nomination heads to the full Senate for confirmation as Health Secretary to bring new ideas and solutions to tackle obesity and disease in the US. He called the US health condition dismal as it is, not just for what is spent. RFK Jr called the US a sinking ship when it comes to the health of its people as he answered questions from Senators at Senate hearings. Ron Johnson, Senator from Wisconsin, said RFK Jr. was an answer to his prayers for someone who could help tackle this crisis. RFK Jr. said he was pro-vaccine and his opposition was only to some aspects of vaccines in certain situations. He also said that his father Robert Kennedy who died in 1968 when RFK Jr. was only 14 years old had told him when he was just 13 that it was important to have a fierce skepticism.  The magnitude of the crisis is so large and the budget is so large that only someone with the experience and one who has fought hard won battles against coal and for the environment for decades, and with the tenacity of RFK, is capable of taking the action needed today. Many senators applauded Make America Healthy Again, even as others asked RFK Jr. to support all vaccines at a time of public skepticism of the government. ...

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Two Slovenians were in the lead for the Tour de France as new talent has emerged. Roglic was leading as he entered the last two stages of the cycling event. He represented a Dutch team Jumbo Visma which failed to make it after Roglic simply failed to find his true form in the stage before the last stage. What was astonishing to see on French television was the gradual collapse of Roglic's lead during the climb and Pogacar building a comfortable lead of about 2 minutes at the end of the stage before the last. Roglic seemed exhausted shocked and ruffled at the end and Pogacar appeared to be calm and assured as he finished the race. Before the stage the sports director of the Dutch Jumbo- Visma team had strong disagreement and altercation with the organizers when a routine check of Roglic's bike was made to see if it was within regulations. He was cited for poor behaviour and barred from further attendance of the remaining stages which could have affected the team's overall composure. ...

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Pulling back from the surge in both ICE agents patrolling Minneapolis streets and protestors going to the streets in a confrontation Border head Homan says this was not the right way of going about law enforcement. Homan said “I do not want to hear that everything that’s been done here is perfect." Instead of street sweep patrols by Border Patrol agents Border head Homan says after meeting with Atty Gen. Ellison of Minnesota, ICE will get people charged with crimes from the jails. In earlier remarks by Kristi Noem, Homeland Security Secretary, she had mentioned that Minnesota state and local authorites were not cooperating and releasing people from the jails to the streets making ICE job more difficult. The Minnesota local authorites now agreed to cooperation with federal immigration authorites for better law enforcement. Minnesota is unique because the governor of the state and mayor are Democrats, and governor Walz was the VP candidate of Kamala Harris for Democrats, with a certain amount of belligerant opposition in that state to DJT and Homan. The lack of cooperation and the antipathy between the federal and local officials carried over, and more and more Border Patrol and immigration personnel were sent to the state reaching 3000. Compared to other Democrat states or cities- California and Tennessee, Washington DC, where initially there was criticism in the state of ICE Minnesota turned out to be different. The president was critical of the way Somali immigrants were settled in the state and the reported fraud for state benefits. The presence of ICE and Border Patrol under Bovino on Minneapolis streets led to more protests and confrontation. The DJT administration and Congress, other states are learning from this experience. ...

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The place is Spain, see adjacent article on places within Spain. If you know Spanish that is an added advantage to talk to the locals. It has changed over the years. In the 1990's one could go to Madrid and freely walk out of the Puerta de Atocha main train station there with little traffic. Over the years after the financial crisis Madrid and Spain suffered. Under PM Pedro it has recovered. Yet it is not the same with international tourism from China, India, US having made visits crowded and less friendly. There is the garbage can index for tourism that tells you something is wrong when garbage cans are overflowing- it happened as tourism jumped to France in the last 2 decades- with garbage overflowing outside Notre Dame before renovation. (After 1993 Japan removed all garbage cans from streets.) About 100 million tourist visited France in 2024 and 80 million to Spain. It brings $100 billion in tourism receipts to Spain and about $80 billion each for France and UK, so that it is a key source of revenue for countries. How to make trips that avoid the rush - careful planning for season and month, finding the right places depending on one's interests nature, history, science, or other, and avoiding tours as there are plenty of resources to do it on one's own, finding right places to stay and visit, using local transport, tram and speed trains in Europe, giving enough time for each place, talking to locals and taking a lesson on Rocket languages online which uses locals and practices word pronunciation so you sound like a local. ...