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UNICEF say 2.5 million children are not attending school in Syria and another 1 million are in danger of dropping out. And that one third of school buildings are destroyed. This is what is left after decades of civil war. The intervention of local and foreign powers in the Arab world has led to huge breakdowns in society, and massive destruction in countries facing civil war such as Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya. This is the kind of situation that happened in China's northern and southern provinces in the 1930's, and 1940's. A new pathway for peaceful development outside of ideologies and socialist movements, pan arabist or religious movements need to be found for the region, the Arab world in North Africa to the Middle East. China, Korea, and Vietnam found a way out after civil wars over 1940-1975. India is putting out a map for a course of action with Vikshit Bharat  or Developed India after two centuries of stagnation under the British Empire 1756-1947, and 5 decades of stagnation under the Congress Raj 1947-2000. The spirit of development and desire for modernization, for modern science and technology, good governance and institutions, must come from within.   ...

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During a critical 4 weeks in March 9 to April 9, 2025 Germany finds itself without a newly elected government following elections Feb 23, 2025. Only on April 9 is a new CDU/CSU and SPD coalition government in place led by CDU chancellor Merz. Tariffs came to the forefront, the critical issues of world trade and the effect on stock markets, without an elected government in place in Berlin to speak for the European Union and participate in discussions.  Japan's Ishiba and India's Modi offered the US some support as it sought to restore the world trading system to where it was before the serious distortions from China joining the WTO. Much of it the result of American companies outshoring American manufacturing and turning their backs on American workers, and the dignity and pride of workers who rebuilt the US and Europe, and Asia after the Depression and the Second World War.

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How European countries Germany, Poland, Britain, France, and Italy are increasing their defense forces and defense budgets to counter Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its military preparations is shown here in DW.com. Under chancellor Merz Germany plans to invest 5% of its GDP in defense for the first time and build Bundeswehr defense forces as the best in Europe. A key factor says DW.com was the speech of chancellor Scholz three days after the invasion of Ukraine, a speech that changed minds in Germany about the needs for defense in the 21st century. It is called the Zeitenwende or turning point speech on Feb 27, 2022.

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It calls for balancing it, taking into account tradeoffs and people's lives in 2025 after the pandemic, cost of living, health and housing vs net zero and speed of net zero targets. Opinion in UK on Net Zero cutting emissions changed over 4 years to split 50-50 on other spending priorities social care immigration NHS, in a focus group of The Times of London. In 2025 40% want to spend less on cutting carbon emissions net zero, large numbers favor more for NHS, then social care, policing and education in equal importance, followed by social housing. 

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Finland faces a severe shortage of workers with about 60% of positions unfilled in the larger Helsinki area. About 100,000 new tech positions will have to be filled. In other lower wage sectors there is the problem of low wages as there is no minimum wage in Finland with sector by sector negotiation for wages. Far right parties are opposed to immigration. Ukrainian workers have to learn Finnish or English to integrate into the Finnish workplace. Elections will be decided on this issue in 2023.

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Joe Biden only the second US president after John F Kennedy to visit the Vatican, says "its good to be back" as he talks with the Pope for well over 75 minutes. Biden is a devout Catholic and never misses Sunday Mass. He thanked the Pope's advocacy for the world's poor and for ensuring vaccine supplies for all the world's people.

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The emergence of the Greens Party in Germany as a party that could govern at the federal level. In Baden-Wurttemburg, a western state with many large companies, the Greens emphasized foresight and pragmatism to win the election. Analysis by ARD broadcster suggests 145,000 voters from CDU migrated to the Greens after corruption scandals led to resignation of CDU members in the Bundestag. One of the problems The Greens face is the relative youth of leaders at the federal level. Robert Habeck is 51 years and Annalena Baerbock is 40 years.  For Angela Merkel who retires in the autumn, and the CDU with its new leader Armin Laschet, the results are a bit of a shock. The CDU gained about 24 to 28% of the vote in 2 state elections. The SPD socialist party was at about 16%. So that the 2 parties that governed Germany since 1950 are combined now at about 40%-42% of the vote.  New coalitions will be formed in the future that include The Greens as a major political party. SDP's Scolz clearly welcomed this idea saying that it is now possible to form a government without the CDU. For Germany the coronavirus years 2020-2021 mark the beginning of a new period that may no longer include the CDU or Merkel in government. Popular fatigue with the Christian Democrats and search for new alternatives for Germany now make a new Greens led coalition a distinct possibility. ...

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Three members of Angela Merkel's political bloc, the CDU and CSU, were made to step down after taking hundreds of thousands of euros from mask manufacturing companies with business before the government. New rules for CDU and CSU for ethics are drafted in a paper, "Strengthen Trust, Follow Rules, Sanction Infractions." Members of parliament are expected to act as role models in society. The mask scandal has angered Germans frustrated with poor performance in the vaccination drive. It hurt the CDU in 2 state elections with its vote dropping to 24-28%. Now the CDU will ask all candidates to swear to uphold the ethics rules before running for office.

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The pandemic came to young German people at a time when the trend was for less opportunity, more inequality. These trends are now aggravated and the loss of opportunities, and the loss of hope is even worse now in 2021. Job searches are being conducted while experiencing intense social isolation, boredom and lack of physical acitivity. The job competition is described here as horrendously competitive, a few roles and so many job seekers jostling to get them as companies have been hammered during the pandemic. 

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The recovery at Lufthansa as the size of the German airline's loss eases.

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Iran attributed the shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger plane at Tehran airport to an "unintentional human error." Of the 167 passengers 82 were Iranians, 57 Canadians, and 11 Ukrainians. The plane was on Tehran Kiev flight when it was mistaken for a hostile plane.

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These pictures of empty streets in squares and shopping streets in Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden, Freiburg, and Munich show how Xmas in Germany in 2020 is different. Germany is under lockdown after second wave daily cases reached 30,000.

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This video from the World Climate Initiative provides a glimpse of water use conservation that has cut water use by 70% in some villages in the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan in India. Under the MARVI project young water experts are trained by the University of Maharana in Udaipur and the University of Sydney. These water experts pass on water conservation methods to the village farmers. One method is to plant a mix of mustard, chickpeas and wheat, with another grain instead of only wheat. Other effort is to educate farmers about use of well water in ways that conserve underground water and to use drip irrigation, sprinklers. Other projects link up with projects and manufacturing set up under Israeli Indian collaboration near Tel Aviv using Israeli water technology.