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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will lead US negotiating team in US- Japan  talks for Liberation Day Tariffs April 2, 2025 Negotiations.

"Japan remains among America’s closest allies, and I look forward to our upcoming productive engagement regarding tariffs, non-tariff trade barriers, currency issues, and government subsidies.” 

DJT says

"Countries from all over the world are talking to us. Tough but fair parameters are being set. Spoke to the Japanese prime minister this morning. He is sending a top team to negotiate. They have treated US very poorly on trade. The don't take our cars but we take MILLIONS of them. It all has to change but especially with CHINA.

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Efforts to put aside the smartphone are shown in the NYT and ways this can be done to improve mental health and general well being. Some are switching to flip phones, others are keeping the smartphone only for some tasks and reducing its use so that they have more quality time with their spouses, friends and others they interact with in a better way.

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The UAE is putting $30 billion into a new fund called Alterra to invest in clean energy in the developing world. The goal is to get $250 billion into the fund by 20230 from other investors. Alterra is investing $6.5 billion along with BlackRock, Brookfield, TPG, in climate investment vehicles. This includes investment to build 6000 megawatts of clean energy in India, including 1200 megawatts of wind energy.

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It took action by DJT for what Canada and Mexico could have done from common sense. This is an unconventional use of tariffs by the US. Yet this was an unconventional situation in which the US under several administrations Republican and Democrat Clinton-Bush-Obama, allowed the situation at the Border leave the US in a deteriorating situation with its neighbors to the north and south. Canada and Mexico could have acted before the 25% yet they did not act till the tariff was imposed. A situation such as this cannot be found in the history of the United States of America from its founding in 1776, not in 225 years has the US seen such loss of life from fentanyl and drugs crossing its borders, or the constant flow of illegal migration, neglect of its auto industry and jobs in the US. DJT stated on Truth Social media site-"Canada has agreed to ensure we have a secure Northern Border. I am very pleased with this initial outcome, and the Tariffs announced on Saturday will be paused for a 30 day period to see whether or not a final Economic deal with Canada can be structured." "Fairness for all!"   ...

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The retrieval of $4 billion in  capital from SPAC misallocation of capital back to HEIRS- Health, Education, Infrastructure, Retirees, and Societal needs leading to much needed Upward Mobility in 2022. WiIliam Ackman says he is returning the capital for this SPAC after failing to find companies that meet investment criteria. This SPAC hedge fund raised $4 billion on the New York Stock Exchange in July 2020 as an Initial Public Offering.

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Wisdom and common sense made Michael Boskin to suggest that trade between India and Pakistan should increase in 2012. Boskin was the elder Bush's chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers and helped setup the NAFTA, North American Free Trade Agreement. Boskin says in this WSJ article on April 15, 2012 that trade between India and Pakistan of $2.7 billion was only two thirds of the trade India had with much smaller Sri Lanka. In 2020 OEC data show it to be less than $300 million for trade between India and Pakistan,  and in the Pakistan floods year of 2022 with a third of the country below water the smooth flow of goods and products over borders never made more sense. Boskin said in the WSJ in 2012 that normally bilateral trade follows the "gravity model" of being proportional to the countries GDP and inversely proportional to the distance between them. He then cites estimates of Amrita Batra of Nehru University and Mohsin Khan of the Petersen Institute that show bilateral trade should be 20 times the $2.7 billion in 2012. This would be $50 billion in 2012 ten years ago. In 2020 this would be over $100 billion, not one three hundredth of that at $300 million in 2020 an alarmingly low level of trade between neighboring countries.   ...

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What is the point of winning the World Cup says Steve Thompson, 2003 Rugby World Cup player for England, if you have to deal with the rubbish that comes after it. At 42 he can't remember his wife's name.  He has been diagnosed with dementia. It appears that all the knocks to the head taken in the game have affected his memory. This report in The Times looks at the reality and anguish of sports players who discover years later what happened during the time they played.

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Japan's International Cooperation Agency plans to fill some of the gaps in western participation in accelerating African infrastructure building that have opened up in the last  two decades. Unneeded wars in Iraq and Afghanistan led to lack of attention and focus on much needed development in Africa by the US and Europe. This is changing and the JICA with its long history of participation in African development is also now taking on an important role to give Africa a new opportunity to accelerate economic progress after the pandemic.

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Indian efforts to develop and produce the booster vaccine.

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Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya sets a new record for running by doing a marathon in under 2 hours in Vienna, Austria.

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Biographical details about the British prime minister Keir Starmer in The Guardian.

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China's growth will slow to about 3% in 2022 as the decisions made at the Central Economic Work Conference that ended on December 10 were to emphasize economic stability as the overriding goal. The goal of discouraging speculation in housing with the slogan housing is for living will remain in place in 2022. The goal of controlling surging debt that poses a serious risk to the economic future of China will also remain in place. The external environment remains uncertain and getting complicated with a change in the US and German governments in 2021 and shifts in policies.

A party congress will take place in 2022 in addition to the Beijing Winter Olympics. 

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AI generated misleading videos playing on stereotypes in 2025 elections.