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After premium increases in 2023-2024 auto insurance premiums have more than caught up with cost increases during covid years. This WSJ report shows auto insurance companies now have premiums that more than offset what they are paying out for repairs and other expenses. In Florida excess premiums led to $950 million being returned to customers, other states have similar laws. Competition between insurers should lead to lower rates says the WSJ.

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Italy faces tighter restrictions and a national lockdown at Easter for the coronavirus, Italians who were the first to go into lockdown on March 10, 2020, now think they will be the last to exit lockdowns. The mood in Europe is of frustration with the slow vaccination drive and the failure to procure enough vaccine supplies and to approve vaccines in time. The US and Britain have vaccination drives that are moving rapidly leading to a reduction in cases and deaths. In Europe new cases are rising since mid February 2021, and there is the spread of the new variant first detected in the UK.  The variants make up 70% of new cases in France says Health Minister Olivier Veran. ICU's in France are 80% full. Elections in France in 2022 and in Germany in September 2021 are leading to government reluctance to impose tighter restrictions. The government strategy is now being questioned. Only 30% of Germans now have confidence in chancellor Merkel's ability to make competent decisions. The CDU's partner in the government, the SDU socialists have even less trust with SDU getting less than 10%. There are signs of a third wave of coronavirus in Germany resulting from variants of the virus, slow vaccinations, and reopenings. ...

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Russia seen as serious in new negotiations with high level military officials- Jan 28, 2026. This as Russian drone attacks continued on Kviv, Kherson. Contention points - future of Donetsk region in east Russia insists on controlling.

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Prince William's quiet faith and his meetings with Dame Sarah Mullally, new Archbishop of Canterbury. The prince will attend the ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral for the new Archbishop on Wednesday March 25, 2026.

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Knicks vs San Antonio Spurs Game 3 at Madison Square Garden NY City June 8, 2026. Knicks lead 2-0. New York City skyline in orange and blue Knicks colors and fans on the streets.

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A big factor in U.S. car sales, which reached 7.5 million in 2015, exceeding the 7.3 million in 2000, is that a large portion of cars on the road were about 11 years old following the recession in 2008-2009. As Dexter Ford pointed out in a article in 2012 many car owners on the road had replaced the earlier 100,000 mile mark before buying a new car, with 200,000. This pent up demand, and the better technological features including gasoline conserving technology, gave new impetus to demand in 2013-2015. Lower gasoline prices at the pump of about $2.00 a gallon in Jan. 2016 across parts of the country made it economical to own SUV's and pickup trucks. The U.S. car companies Ford, GM and Chrysler-Fiat had sales of 2 million full size pickup in 2015, with the Ford F-150 leading. Car companies have come through a severe crisis and are taking steps to avoid a repeat of the mistakes of the past on fuel efficiency- Ford has introduced a lighter aluminium based version of the F-150 for example. Gasoline prices also provide buyers with extra money to meet car payments which now have been stretched to longer periods and lower rates by auto companies to reduce the cost burden per month. AAA says the average price in 2013 for a gallon of gas was $3.49, in 2014 at $3.34, in 2015 at $2.40. AAA says that 71% of gasoline stations sell gas at less than $2.00 in January 2016, and gas prices are likely to remain low for an extended period with lower demand from China, higher fuel efficiency going forward with stricter standards, new technology for shale oil production, and the replacement of cartel pricing by competing production from Saudis, Iran and Russia. On average Americans saved $115 billion on gasoline, or $550 per licensed driver, according to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report of January 6, 2016. In addition to the $550 saved the higher fuel efficiency with new technology adds a corresponding amount to savings per driver. Add to this the lower payment at low rates over longer periods and the car payment per month has been reduced significantly in a improving job market, to support car sales....

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Beatles oldest singers to get to top the charts as well as having one in 1963 when Macmillan was prime minister and now in 2026 when Labour's Starmer is PM.

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Iraqi oil production drops from 4.3 million barrels a day to 1.3 million by March 8, 2026, after 1 week of war between the US and Israel with Iran over nuclear weapons development and ballistic missile production.

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IEA launches 400 million barrels release from Strategic Petroleum Reserves March 11, 2026 to control oil prices and to make up for the loss of 10 million b/d with Straits of Hormuz shut down by war.

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Instead of normal appropriations process $140 billion for DHS funding to be secured by Republicans using simple majority by May 2026. It takes longer yet accomplishes the same goal of ending DHS shutdown and paying DHS people.

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Reform gets 26% of the vote for 30% of the seats, Greens 16% of the vote in 2026 Local elections in Britain. Labor losses and Conservative party losses were significant. The Liberal party lost slightly in seats.

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Not since Suez crisis in 1956 (when Queen Elizabeth II visited the US), says NYT, is a visit so critical for US- British relations as King Charles visit to the US today, April 27th 2026.

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Goalkeeper Josimar Dias of Cape Verde holds Spain scoreless for 90 minutes - World Cup openers 2026. A 40 year old journeyman who plays for a second tier Portuguese club describes his emotions after the game.

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SCOTUS to decide on birthright citizenship in July 2026. Not since the days of FDR in the 1930's a century ago has there been so much tension between the government and the US Supreme Court.

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Even as China is investing more in the economy and workers are working fewer hours, the unemployment rate is increasing to 5.3% in Feb 2024, youth unemployment at 15% previously estimated at 22% in June 2023 before a new methodology was adopted.

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Delayed elective procedures and surgeries are a serious problem during the pandemic. To get some idea of the magnitude of the problem- Britain had 6 million on the waiting list for elective procedures at the end of October 2021. This is up 41% over March 2020 when the coronavirus was first detected, according to data collected from Britain's National Health Service. The same data show 300,000 were waiting for over 1 year compared to 3000 in March 2020.

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Jacob Bethel gets 105 off 48 balls - yet with fielding of Axar Patel  with 2 great catches, bowling of Jasprit Bumrah, India make it to 7 run win over England T20 World Cup 2026 Wankhede Stadium Mumbai.

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Tim Cook talks to developers at a world wide virtual and in person event. 

Apple will introduce a new 13.5 inch Macbook Air with a inhouse M2 chip for $1195 on sale in July 2022. A new 13 inch Macbook Pro will also be made.

The new iPhone with 5G capability had sales of $191 billion in fiscal year ending in September 2021. iPhone sales up 6.2% in 2022 vs 39% in 2021 when the pandemic led to remote work on Apple and other PC's.

App store and ad sales up by 17% to $80 billion, larger than Mac and iPad sales. 

Apple Pay will break payments into 4 installments as an option. Messages will have an unsend or edit option for 15 minutes.

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Clicking on the light bulb shaped icon at the bottom of Amazon's app takes one to a feed that shows short videos on products buyers can purchase. This type of short video format is becoming popular on Amazon and Google in 2022-2023.

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This photo gallery in The Indian Express shows 32 pictures of how International Yoga Day happened in all parts of India from the capital New Delhi to Alfred School in Rajkot where Mohandas Gandhi went to school. It links past to present across India's huge diversity and many states.

PM Modi put Yoga in this way- "The whole universe starts from our own body and soul. The universe starts from us. And Yoga makes us conscious of everything within us, and builds a sense of awareness." India's development in the next decades to come will be driven by a profound sense of what Yoga is and what it is to be a Yogi.

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Labor party in UK gets 35% of the vote with Conservatives at 26% and Liberals at 20%, in Britain's local council elections. Other parties including the Greens gained 19% of the vote. There isn't much the Conservatives have done to help the British people meet the cost of living crisis. The economy is in worse shape and the country is not prepared to take on the climate change crisis. Britain gets closer to a general election.