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DJT and US diplomacy given a chance, patient waiting for Iran to make a unified proposal with split in Iran government, while the US naval blockade goes on- April 21 2026. About 2 million people lose their jobs in Iran as inflation exceeds 50% and economic activity, steel, car making and petrochemical industries are affected with major disruptions and supply chain issues.

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“The industry operated in a certain manner in the first half of the decade that is not an appropriate path for the second half of the decade,” says Microsoft President and Vice Chair Brad Smith. Microsoft will now act as aresponsible company and pay higher electricity prices, replenish water supplies, and pay more for land so that electricity prices are not pushed up by AI data centers and passd on to consumers. This draws praise from DJT as the US faces an affordability crisis and AI is suspected to increase the cost borne by consumers of electricity. 

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Tsutsui Yoshinobu, head of Keidanren, Japan's business federation, says China limiting exports of vital raw materials is "an obvious act of economic coercion." For the first time in 2025 Keidanren cancelled its annual dialogue meeting with China's representatives.  This was a followup to comments by Japanese PM Sanae that it would consider an attack on Taiwan as a danger to Japan's security. Sanae now enjoys 62% popularity rating. After 2 years of the LDp government with aminority in parliament she has announced a snap election to gain an abasolute majority in parliament. In the last elections small nationalist parties gained a large share of votes. Changes are happening in Japanese politics as a younger generation becomes more nationalistic. Sanae was made PM only recently at the end of 2025 after the PM in the LDP party faced criticism and resigned. Before he resigned he quickly signed a trade agreement with the US DJT administration to maintain Japanese exports to US at a 15% tariff. ...

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Antonia Romeo new UK Cabinet Secretary Feb 2026-  precocious yet "warm and forthright"  in civil service interactions active as Consul General and at Home Ministry. After Westminster school and Oxford University, and a stint working at Oliver Wyman in management consulting, she joined the civil service. Becoming permanent secretary at the Department for International Development and the MoJ, and spent time as consul general in New York. She spent time with immigration and boat migrant issues at the Home Ministry, and is now keenly aware of the issues facing Britain. That bit of precociousness is needed at this time to set out a plan of action and get results for Starmer and his team. Based on what Labour stands for building on the skills of everyone in Labour not just those who go by labels as centrists, left and right, false labels that ignore that common sense means something else entirely. Getting results means addressing tough issues for the economy, cost of living, housing, through honesty, resilience, hard work and dedication. ...

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Removing nuclear material has already been done for Kazakhstan and Georgia by the US in the past. The same methods and advanced technologies could be used to get all of the nuclear material out of Iran. Special operations set up for this purpose can also be used to get this done. This appears to be the only safe and certain way to avoid the nuclear proliferation. Despite what the media has been saying, even the Pope and others like Starmer and Macron are saying, who have never brought this up, but is the only way to tell the whole story,  the US and the world is safer without nuclear proliferation -especially in the most volatile region of the world for the last 5 decades. This is all the US is doing and getting more than its share of blame when all it is interested in is making it safe for the people of the world , including the people of India, Brazil, China and Russia, European Union and Africa, Latin America, whatever their leaders say.

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One Big Beautiful Act passed in US Senate with Vance casting tie breaking vote. It renews the tax cuts from DJT's first term in office in 2017 and provides tax cuts to seniors, middle class, and small business. It provides 100% expensing for business to increase investment. Mothers get child care credit that is doubled, senior citizens over 65 years get a $6000 deduction. The seniors deduction means 88% of seniors will now pay no taxes on social security benefits from 64%. Medicaid changes so that able bodied Americans will have to put in 80 hours of work to qualify.  Note that the Medicaid program was becoming unworkable and unsustainable- starting with the idea of helping people unable to work and transitioning those who could work, it jumped to $228 billion cost in 2000 from $28 billion in 1980, ten times over 20 years. Going up to $918 billion in 2024, 4 times the 2000 level. Medicaid is now 62% of what Social Security costs, $918 billion compared to $1480 billion for Social Security. ...

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In 2025 about $75,000 is considered income yearly for 2 adults and 2 children as the bottom rung of the middle class in America. About half the 70 million children in America, 35 million children are in conditions that involve need for food assistance and other aid, where the sense of income security, healthy food security, that was seen in the 1950's to 1990's the post war industrialization period is now missing in the closing days of the deindustrialization period of America in 2020-2025. WSJ's Dan Frosch provides this report from Binghamton, Broom county in upstate New York. At one time this area was part of the industrialization age in post war America. IBM offices were located here in Endicott. These office buildings of IBM are now being demolished. Instead of industry the economy depends on the University of Binghamton and the university attracts out of state students who bring in new investments in housing. Lower income yet middle class families face higher divorce rates with more single mothers struggling on incomes where they are on the border line for food assistance, and as wages creep up lose food and other aid. At income levels of $39,000 these families struggle to feed children. The poverty rate which declined during covid assistance period was already up in 2023 as government aid phased out under Biden and is now up further. A quarter of children in a once proud industrial region of America in upstate New York near Syracuse, now face poverty conditions. Life is a constant struggle to pay the rent, falling behind on utility or other bills and not having enough for food and other basic needs even at $39,000 year because of the inflation and cost of living having jumped in the last 5 years.   ...

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The Supreme Court chastises the governor's role yet leaves the decision on qualification or disqualification of 16 MLA's who crossed over to the Opposition in Maharashtra to the Speaker of the legislative assembly of Maharashtra state in India. The speaker Mr. Rahul Navrekar is expected not to disqualify the 16 MLA's. With the support of these and other MLA's Mr. Shinde had formed a new government in Maharashtra in a 2 party coalition with pm Modi's BJP party in the state.

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Denmark's efforts backfire on Greenland. EU leaders have failed to separate Denmark's actions as a former colonial power in which it acquired Greenland in the Treaty of Kiel 1813 with Sweden and England during the Napoleonic Wars. And EU leaders have bought into Danish views designed to maintain control of Greenland that talk of the tribal population of about 50,000 over an island the size of Canada- smaller than would fit into a baseball stadium- that is largely unpopulated because of the sheet of ice all year round in the Arctic region. Much of the North of Greenland was first explored by the US Navy under Admiral Perry in the 1890's. Denmark has done little to develop the island or improve lives for the native Inuit. Secretary of State Seward wanted Greenland during the Alaska Purchase 1867 and it was sought by the US in 1900's, again in 1947 for $100 million by US president Harry Truman. It is "unwise" as Secretary Bessent has said for EU leaders to accept the canard that this is somehow just DJT's idea, and ignore it is essential for US security, it is part of the Western Hemisphere to which the Monroe Doctrine applies, and climate change melting ice has made it critical for US policy to address this gap in US security for the eastern seaboard of the US. For Denmark it is as the US commmanders in chief stated in 1947- "completely useless." ...

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Here is someone in the UK who got is degree a BSc. in economics and is now working in finance in London. He borrowed 44 thousand pounds. He paid back 7000 pounds. How much does he owe? 54,000 pounds that's because at interest of 7.3% instead of 8% he still cannot keep up with interest costs. This is the problem not that young people don't want to pay back their loans. The setup is faulty. The problem is Plan 2 Loans in England And Wales which charge an additional 3 percent over and above the Retail Prices Index which was 4.3% in March. All Plan 1 Loans charge only the RPI 4.3%. At 4.3% this borrower would at least have paid back some of the principal so he knows he is making progress with the student loan.  The Labour government has said -"government could reduce the monthly repayments for every single new graduate without adding a penny to government borrowing or general taxation". But nothing new is expected this year's Budget.  ...

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US shipping and logistics infrastructure rebuild of 10 Ports including Los Angeles Fenix terminal and NYC Staten Island Port Liberty terminal. Stonepeak's $2.4 billion investment for 25% stake in United Ports deal with CMA CGM French maritime company. This is important because of overconcentration by China in world shipping industry which the US seeks to change by building its own shipping and logistics.

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Nutrition critical for health is only now in 2026 being made part of Medical School curriculum with efforts of RFK Jr.  It took so long and in the meantime several generations of Americans have suffered from obesity and poor nutrition, higher incidence of diseases stemming from poor nutrition, and the overuse of pharmaceuticals. This also made medical care more costly, increasing the medical cost burden for families.

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Hungary under newly elected government of Magyar in 2026  to receive 18 billion euros of EU funds frozen for several years because of Orban's policies. Magyar needed 133 seats in parliament for a majority to change aspects of the Constitution modified by Viktor Orban. It now has two thirds of the seats in parliament to restore rule of law and take action on corruption.

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Tens of millions of migrant workers head back to their homes in poorest states as LPG cylinder prices quadruple and are in short supply April 13, 2026. This piece in Le Monde shows how India which relies on imports for 60% of LPG supplies used for cooking in a country of 1.4 billion people is affected by the actions of nations in Middle East interrupting open seas navigation. 

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Immigration rulings on questioning by ICE- Kavanuagh ruling and Sotomayor dissent plus later apology. Kavanaugh supported ICE questioning for illegal immigrants in the Supreme Court decision. Sotomayor dissented and said Kavanugh would not understand as his parents never worked by the hour. Kavanugh wrote the Opinion of the Court saying that the questioning was temporary short and if legal the immigrant was free to go about his work.

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SCOTUS decision on Voting Rights Act by knocking down gerrymandered district in Louisiana, April 2026. Republican States are redrawing their maps so that they are no longer gerrymandered (altered) to favor race or gender. The US Supreme Court supports this in Louisiana and this will mean 1 seat  in Louisiana and 4 seats in Florida may be gained by Republicans for the House in the midterms.

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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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BBC's Mark Tullly reflects on the period of coverage from 1962-1994 of South Asia. He says of Indira Gandhi that she took the democratic process out of the Indian National Congress party, and set up her sons as future leaders that was undemocratic. Here he reflects on that period in an intervew with the BBC after he left the BBC.  He has deep connections to the Indian period after 1800 as his great grand father on his mothers side was around 1840 in a part of Uttar Pradesh where British planters had farmers plant opium that would later be bought by planters for export. This coincides with the period when Britain in Hong Kong traded in opium as part of British trading in the emerging colonial culture British Empire. There is mixed legacy for Britain in India and China. The history of the Opium Wars in the 1850's and opening up of colonial ports ended with the 1900's revolution and the emergence of the CCP in China by 1950. In India the legacy was mixed bringing together this part of Asia into a new nation and bringing parliamentary traditions of Britain that provided the basis for good governance.  Tully is a softspoken thoughtful Englishman who revolted against British classical education in his youth and studied history and religion at Cambridge, made friends with the future bishops of Canterbury and Lincoln at Cambridge. He is not the Englishman of the Empire as his fondest memories are of the servants verandahs on the bungalows of Britishers and the smoke from their quarters, and the language. So it is a thoughtful view that he gives of the undemocratic nature of Indira Gandhi and mismanagement of the economy that could have changed if India had gone in a different direction under other leaders in the the 1990's. Why is this significant? China's modernization drive started in the 1990's. India's by the undemocratic nature and mismanagement under Indira Gandhi did not start its modernization till 2010, about 20 years after China, opening up a huge gap that is only now being corrected leading to problems for world security, US security, European security and Indian security. And delaying the aspirations of development of 1.4 billion people for 2 decades. Vikshit Bharat cannot come fast enough for both Merz in Germany and Leyen at the European Union, who last week and this week visit Ahmedabad and India for the Kite festival and for Republic Day 2026. ...

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Credit Agricole says 4th quarter 2011 losses will be 3.07 billion euros. It is one of three French banks hit hard by the eurozone financial crisis, especially the crisis in Greece, because of investments in Greece. Conditions at the bank reflect the overall restructuring process underway at French banks, as part of an overall restructuring in the eurozone financial crisis. The delaying of aggressive action in reducing Greece's debt to a manageable level by the EU and the ECB, was part of an effort to give French and other European banks time to absorb losses on investments in Greece. Credit Agricole has now increased its provision for losses from Greece to 74% from 60% of nominal value. It has also increased the cover rate for bad loans at Emporiki Bank Greece to 54%. Emporiki was acquired in 2006, only 2 years before the financial crisis. Its total losses in Greece for 2011 add up to 2.4 billion euros, according to the bank. Credit Agricole also made writedowns on its stake in Spain's Bankinter SA for 617 million euros and Portugal's Banco Espirito Santo S/A by 364 million euros. Overall debt reduction planned for the 18 months ending in Dec 2012 is for 50 billion euros, to reduce financing needs and improve capital buffers. The bank's core Tier 1 ratio of good quality capital including equity and retained profit is at 8.6% as of Dec 2011. Job cuts of 2,350 are planned for global operations, including 1,750 at the corporate investment bank, and dscontinuing of equity derivatives and commodities trading. Shares of Credit Agricole lost about half their value in the last 12 months. It is 55% owned by 39 French cooperative regional banks, and it owns 25% of these banks....

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Of streaming services Netflix, Paramount, Peacock, ESPN, HBO, Hulu, Disney+, and Fox One only Netflix is consistently and hugely profitable since 2023. Netflix made $3 billion a quarter compared to losses of $1 billion a quarter for Comcast Peacock and Disney+. Peacock is offering bundling deals with Apple TV, and other streaming services are also teaming up. For Netflix the fastest growing and profitable segment is the $7.99 with ads per month which has grown from one third of customers to half of Nertfliz customer base. By contrast the general information market is captured by You Tube which gets about $12 billion a quarter from ads and subscriptions with 75% of profits from ads.

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India replaced a patchwork of 15 state and federal taxes with a unified single Goods and Services Tax to ease the hurdles for businesses to operate nationwide across state boundaries. This is a major a accomplishment for the Modi government as it is expected to increase economic growth by between 0.5% to 2%, according to experts. This removes the obstacles to growth and doing business when companies had to comply with a maze of different tax policies by individual states. Ironically the GST was introduced by the Congress party government in 2011, but opposed by opposition parties then and the Congress party in opposition now in the upper house, Rajya Sabha. By winning the support of smaller parties the Modi government was able to reduce the influence of the Congress party and get the constitutional amendment passed for the single GST tax system replacing the old patchwork taxes. The amendment has to be approved by the majority of state legislatures in India and by the president. Parliament must pass legislation to setup the new tax system, and state legislature pass their legislation. Issues at what rate to set up the GST remain to be solved, with the need to avoid sparking inflation and thereby hurting slow job growth with millions of young people entering the job market each year. ...

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UK Labour's vote is middle class professionals mostly in London region 2026 also contested by The Greens. The Greens after Polanski took over have increased their overall vote in polls for a general election to 20% from 11%. It is the young vote for Labour that the Greens are taking. Of the people who voted for Labour, only 50% in Jan 2026 would vote Labour, according to You.gov cited in The Guardian. The rest gets scattered making it difficult for Labour to form a new government on its own. Of the remaining 50% that now does not go for Starmer's Labour 20% go to The Greens, 14% to Liberals, and 6% to Reform UK, ad 4% Conservative. The astonishing aspect of The Greens rise is how many young people 18-24 years now go for Greens up to to 46% in Jan 2026 from 26% in September 2025. Among 25 to 49 years group The Greens take 20% of the total vote. In a few months everything has changed. Issues for The Greens aren the Economy, Cost of Living, NHS,  Housing, Inequality and Poverty. ...