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Akio Toyoda of Toyota Motors resisted making a full scale commitment to EV's leading to Toyota falling behind in EV technology, ceding leadership to Chinese, American and German companies. This report in WSJ looks at how this happened. Toyota vehicle sales are declining and VW has overtaken Toyota. Toyoda failed to make a commitment to a date for going all electric and this has led to criticism of his management of the company and seen as resistance to the climate transition to EV's in the automobile industry putting behind the period of fossil fuel driven cars. Toyoda is the grandson of Kiichiro the founder of the company when it was in textiles in the 1920's. He says the the role of CEO is very lonely and very hard, as his early years were spent without the team spirit seen at the top and he was closer to the grassroots. He is now chairman and has given the decisions of the transition to EV's to the new CEO, Mr. Koji Sato.

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Nirmala Sitharaman Indian Finance minister talks about food exports by India of about 15 million tons of wheat and other foodgrains to countries that are suffering severe food shortages from the effects of the war in Ukraine. She also describes India's unique geography and the Himalayan border with Pakistan and China that stretches for 1500 miles, at at heights that go up to 15,000 feet, and the lack of clear support from the US and Britain, the European Union, in providing the technology and capabilities to defend that border that has led to India's relationship with Russia as an arms supplier. This is about to change with the new position taken by the US and Britain for defense collaboration not just for Indo-Pacific but with India for protecting the Himalayan land border.

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Strack of DW.com reports on the 2016 CDU convention where Merkel received 89.5% of the vote. Merkel receives applause for the burqa ban, and her denunciation of populist hate sentiment, of Islamism and parallel societies, parallel cultures. The best passages of Merkel's speech says Strack, were about reunification, about how she started in politics from the natural sciences, her start at SPD, then shifting  quickly to the "Democratic Beginning" leading to the CDU. "Head into the open," "that is where freedom is," and says Strack she had the hall listening to a chancellor speaking with emotion when in the past she has been cool and reserved. Parallels to the 1994 campaign of Kohl for a fourth term when enthusiasm came only from "generation" Kohl are being made.

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What is the Pirates party in European Union countries? It started as a party of tech savy young people about 15 years ago who were fed up with the mainstream parties. For the first time Pirates and Mayors party in Czech Republic will form a coalition government in 2021. Ivan Bartos head of the Pirates party says the party is "a new wind, no oligarch or big sponsors and completely transparent." It is in a way a party like the Greens, away from established parties, with younger people who are tech savy and want openness in society. In the Czech election the party was able in alliance with other centrist parties to defeat a scandal ridden minority government of billionaire Babis that opposed EU climate change policies.

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The difference in the styles of Wagoner and Henderson who is no 2 at GM. Henderson is direct and has tackled the problems facing GM with more boldness.

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World leaders including president Obama attend the funeral of Israel's former president Shimon Peres. He is known for negotiating the Oslo Peace Accords in 1994. He was a protege of prime minister Ben Gurion, and has served as prime minister, defense minister and foreign minister, and been part of the Israel's key events since independence in 1948. President Obama  said the work of Shimon Peres remains unfinished. "Now this work is in the hands of Israel's next generation, in the hands of Israel's next generation and its friends." In the years following the 1994 accords the peace process went astray, and trust has not been restored.

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University fees in Britain are set at 9250 pounds a year and millions of people have tens of thousands of student debt. The student loan book in Britain is already at 120 billion pounds and it weighs in heavily on young people starting life after college affecting the quality of life. 

The Green party says it will cost 40 billion pounds for waiver of recoverable student debt over 5 years. The Labour Party in Britain is looking at following the Green Party's support of writing off the student debt. Labour has said it will abolish student fees. Labour party's McDowell says the system was designed so that much of the student debt would remain unpaid and it is time to clear this and take this burden off the shoulders of young people. 

This would also give the economy a boost as young people are better able to afford basics such as housing, food and services after this is lifted.

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In 2023 there are 4.3 million electric vehicles on American roads and 150,000 public charging ports. President Biden's goal is for 50% of cars to be EV's by 2030 with 500,000 public charging ports. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory affiliated with DOE forecasts need for 1 million charging ports. Ohio and Pennsylvania are leading the way in a slow start with other states joining in. A single public charging port can cost about $150,000. It will cost $31 billion to $55 billion to build the public portion of a national charging network. About $24 billion is planned investment.

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Peter Landers of the WSJ shows how Japan is becoming an attractive destination for American investment in 2023. Prime minister Kishida has created new interest in Japan after the G7 Summit in Hiroshima.