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This group of 26 leading scientists from Australia, France, Britain and the US are calling for a new international full, open and unrestricted forensic investigation into the origins of the coronavirus in its original location of Wuhan. This happens as scientists on the WHO investigation team in Wuhan say they did not have unrestricted access to conduct their investigation. The Biden administration has restored ties to the World Health Organization after the Trump administration cut ties on this issue of transparency. The Biden administration says transparency is an essential condition for the US as it seeks to continue US participation in WHO. The US, India, France, Britain and other European nations have a long history of participation in WHO and were original founders. Recent flawed election processes at WHO and the lack of effective leadership from western foundations have led to the lack of effective leadership of WHO that prevailed in post war world for the first five decades of the organization. Much of that leadership was from western nations, India and Japan, during a period in which the pandemics were managed limiting their spread from the areas of origin. ...

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How quickly things can change - Italy is now growing faster than Germany or France. The construction industry is booming with energy efficient home renovation. The superbonus 110 is a payment by the Italian government for energy efficient housing improvements. The government pays 65% of the cost to homeowners making better energy efficient renovations plus 10%. As introduced by the Five Star movement government it was 100% plus additional 10%. Giorgia Meloni's government lowered it to 65% from 75% in 2023. This has boosted the construction industry in Italy and revived Italy's growth where it is growing faster than France and Germany. Germany is seeing about 0.3% growth compared to 0.7% predicted by OECD for Italy in 2024. Giorgia Meloni the new Italian prime minister, after Mario Draghi a central banking official, has continued Draghi's policies and provided a measure of stability and leadership to the government.  Much of the capital comes from the $216 billion or $200 billion euros that will be given to Italy from the COVID Recovery Fund. Italy is the largest recipient. ...

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France and Algeria see improving relations as a necessity and Macron visits Algeria on the 60th anniversary of its independence. About half a million civilians and soldiers died in the Algerian civil war that ended in 1962, 400,000 Algerians. Algerian estimates are higher. It was a trauma for France and for Algeria. De Gaulle pushed through Algerian independence against fierce opposition by 1962 using a referendum, with many assasination attempts on his life. Macron called for "looking back at the past with humility," to look back at the history long before the arrival of the French, and archives from both nations will be put together for an objective account of what happened. Macron has said that Algerians simply focused their hatred on French occupation since 1830 and Turkey whitewashed its own occupation of Algeria before 1830. The Ottoman Turks set up the Regency of Algiers in 1525 after defeating Spanish-Moroccan armies and Turks controlled the region till the French took over in 1830.  Macron says Algeria's identity as a separate nation was set only after French rule. ...

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The yellow vest protests in France puts Macron as a change agent as out of step with the broader changes taking place in France as fears of economic security and financially struggling families take precedence over other issues. Macron had hoped to setup business friendly policies but has only a small support base. Only about 24% supported Macron in the first round of voting with 40% claimed by parties to the far right and left.  The yellow vest protests are spontaneous and do not have nationalism or race, migration as motivating factors. No far right party is involved, or far left party, or the socialists. It is basically about the institutional and political structures not able to respond to the fears of economic insecurity in rural France and in smaller towns. It is about loss of social cohesion in the economic progress of the last two decades. The focus is now on minimum wage, salaries, and a sense of fairness and opportunity that existed in a previous era that now appears ruptured. ...

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Like South Korea and Taiwan, French people are adapting to use of masks outside. They are now required to ride the subway and use public transport.

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How the French health care system works. France comes in first and the USA 37th in aWHO health care ranking. THe difference in deaths from respiratory disease is half that in the USA, and lower rates of death from heart disease and diabetes. IT has more hospital beds and doctors per capita than the USA. 65% of French people are satisfied with their health system compared to 40% in the USA, and yet France spends 10.7% of GDP on health care and the USA spends 16% for poorer results. THe French system is more generous to its seniors. Unlike Medicare there are no deductibles, just modest co-payments that are often dismissed for chronically ill. And diabetes and critical surgeries are covered 100%. French also buy supplemental insurance like Medigap for extra expenses like dental and eyglasses. Cancer patients are treated free of charge. Avastin treatments costing $48,000 a year are provided at no charge. France's PMI or Protection Maternelle et Infantile, is rated highly. It is anetwork of thousands of healthcare facilities, that ensure that every mother and child in the country receives basic preventive care. Mothers even receive afinancial incentive for attending their pre and post natal visits. France makes this care affordable by reibursing doctors at a much lower rate. The average yearly net income for doctors is around $55,000, about athird of what doctors in the USA make. But French doctors don't have to pay back huge student loans as medical school is paid for by the state and malpractice insurance premiums are only a tiny fraction of that in the USA. And again the French government pays two thirds of the social security tax for most French physicians- which is typically 40% of income. So the $55,000, is more like $92,000 taking that into account and more like $110,000 when student loans and malpractice is taken into account at US levels. Specialists who have 4 or more years experience can charge what they want, but as one gastroenterologist says, there in an unspoken and undefined limit to what you can cahrge or what is socially acceptable. Yet even in France there is inflation in health care costs that the government deals with through price controls and more spending. The French national insurance system is running increased deficits each year and this is now $13.5 billion, and it has led to higher taxes for employers and workers. ...

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The collapse of the zloty, losing half its value against the Swiss franc is proving to be traumatic for Polish consumers who took out loans in Swiss francs for property, cars, consumer goods. In the past the zloty had soared in value and it was cheaper to pay off the loans in Swiss francs which had lower interest rates. Now with the zloty losing so much value it is proving very difficult to pay off these loans. What was once seen as a win-win game, says a economic advisor to Poland's President, now is turning into a risky currency gamble. He says that people were taking risks without knowing the consequences and what they were getting into, much like homeowners in the US getting into risky subprime loans.

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France's prime minister Edouard Philippe announces hard line measures after rioting in Paris in yellow vest protests.

Yellow vest protests will be banned in worst hit neighborhoods in Paris. The Paris police chief was replaced after violence, looting and arson in the Champs Elysees area of Paris. 10,000 gilets jaunes yellow vest protestors marched in Paris. Police have come under criticism for excessive use  of force. Hand held rubber bullet launchers and explosive sting grenades are some of the devi ces used  by police. The government says not enough force was used. Philippe said "inappropriate orders were given to reduce use of rubber bullet launchers. He says there should be a hardening of France's doctrine of law and order.

Suggests an impasse has been reached between the government and protestors.

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The French team's Olivier Giroud works with Mbappe after the injury to Benzema meant France had to find a different style of play. Giroud 36 years brings experience and a rugged persistent approach to the game. Coach Deschamps says "Nothing has ever been handed to him,  He was put down and criticized a number of times, but he has this mental ability." 

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Indian prime minister Modi is the guest of honor on France's national holiday, the Bastille Day July 14, 2023. On this day French revolutionaries freed prisoners of King Louis XVI at the Bastille in Paris. By October this led to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen the first formal document of rights of the people before the American document on these same rights a few years later.

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Egan Bernal's home town of Zipaquira in the Andes mountain range, 80 miles north of Bogota, Colombia, is visited by Vyas and Mazars of the WSJ, to show how cycling in the mountains is popular in the Colombian Andes mountains. The steep climbs and descent helps young bikers train at high altitude. Children train with coaches who helped train Bernal, this years winner of the Tour de France in the Alps.

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France's deficit is at 4.3% of GDP in 2014, exceeding the EU target of 3% and putting at risk France's committment to reach this by 2015. Unemployment is at 11% in early 2014. President Hollande appoints a new prime minister, Manuel Valls, to tackle the economy after losing local elections in France.

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Some young people in Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the U.S. who are ignoring the rules about social distancing and restricted social gatherings are seen as endangering the fight against coronavirus. Health authorites are highly concerned about carefree youths and young people not following the new rules.

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Belgium, Denmark, France and Sweden are the only major countries that have enshrined gender equality in laws for the workplace, according to a World Bank report.

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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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Ms. Lagarde, France's Finance Minister, says in an intervew, "balancing our public finances is a priority." France plans to take 80 billion euros off its budget deficit between 2011 and 2014. See the groups for Osborne, the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, who announced large spending cuts today.

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French president Sarkozy, and German chancellor Merkel, announce the decision to seek treaty changes to make fiscal discipline a critical part of the new EU treaties. They issued an ultimatum to other EU countries to decide within a week whether they wanted to be part of a eurozone under this arrangement. In any case France and Germany will move ahead for a tighter union. Merkel stated- "We need structural changes. It is not possible to do this in the framework of the current treaties." Germany secured France's acceptance for having national budgets submitted for review by a supranational European body and automatic sanctions. France secured Germany's acceptance of a way to override this if automatic sanctions are blocked by a strong majority of members voting to this effect. On the issue of bondholders, of private creditors sharing in losses, France and Germany agreed to limit this to Greece. Merkel stated: "Greece is and will remain an exception," to which Sarkozy added, "the message to investors from across the world is that in Europe we pay back our debts."...