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The British public is very conservative when it comes to reopening. 73% support prioritizing the health of citizens only 17% say prioritize the economy. This is the highest of industrialized nations, Japan being the next highest with 60% supporting prioritizing health only 16% in Japan saying the economy.  For Boris Johnson as he makes the speech on Sunday May 10 on reopening the political margin for error in decision is nonexistent. Britain's tabloid press and other media simply took the idea that to heck with it lets reopen reflecting a lack of caution in the headlines after Mr. Johnson expressed his intention to reopen. After seeing this Johnson and his closest advisers met without his hawkish ministers to reflect on what was happening in the country. The British government's scientific advisers say whether there are 100,000 deaths by the end of the year depends on many factors including testing, contact tracing, the way the lockdown is eased, the situation at nursing homes, and other government action  to prevent a resurgence in infections. At the meeting with Gove, Sunak Raab and Hancock, Mr Johnson stepped back and reversed any plans except for mild reopening- giving people more time outside for exercize, opening limited locations such as garden centres and advising strongly to wear masks on public transport. Both Johnson and Dominic Cummings his adviser had coronavirus, and Johnson spent some time in ICU. They know the impact of the coronavirus from their own personal experience.  For Johnson there is only one chance, Tory senior advisers say the public will forgive mistakes going into coronavirus, but will never forgive mistakes getting out of cotronavirus. He told Keir Starmer of Labour in parliament that he bitterly regrets what has happened in nursing homes. The scientists have warned him that the staff at nursing homes could seed communities once again. And that the coronavurus R ratio (1 being the level it starts growing again) could go up back to 1. This is the situation on May 10 as Johnson prepares to speak to the nation on Sunday at 7 pm, as he shifts to "maximum caution." ...

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Special counsel Jack Smith's filing on efforts to overturn the 2020 election by the former president. The 165 page filing was unsealed by US District Judge Tanya Chutkan.

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Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar says- “The cessation of firing was agreed between the military commanders of both sides through direct contact.” In fact that is what India asked the US - that Pakistan initiate by its general calling the Indian general asking for the war to stop only then would India agree to stop the war, as India had clearly informed Pakistan that it was not targeting Pakistan military only selected terrorist bases inside Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Jaishankar was responding in an interview with a European news reporter about his question on whether the nuclear aspect was kept in mind. It was an interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.  Jaishankar made this clear to Dutch Broadcaster NOS- “We made one thing very clear to everybody who spoke to us, not just the US but to everybody, saying if the Pakistanis want to stop fighting, they need to tell us. We need to hear it from them. Their General has to call up our General and say this. And that is what happened.” "We have sent a clear signal to the terrorists that there is a price to be paid for carrying out such attacks, as they did on us in Kashmir in April. The firing was then started by the Pakistani military. We fired back in self-defense and once the Pakistanis understood that they were taking a harmful course, we were able to stop firing. This situation has not changed for two weeks, that is the status.”   ...

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Novo Nordisk's plans to continue a strategy it has pursued since the founding of the two original companies in the 1920's, of focussing on diabetes treatment worldwide and not pursuing major merger or acquisition deals. Novo Nordisk will pursue a strategy of increasing R&D hiring by 3000, hiring 6000 new employees by 2022. Novo Nordisk has market caitalization of $120 billion and is the largest Nordic company. With the increasing number of diabetes population Novo Nordisk is growing at 12% a year. Novo Nordisk Foundation has 74% of the voting rights and 25.5% of voting capital in the company.

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The Zeitenwende speech by chancellor Scholz in the German parliament came 3 days after Putin launched a full scale invasion of Ukraine. Zeitenwende means turning point in history- and Scholz's speech changed the mood in Germany to take on responsibilities for defense of Europe with a $100 billion fund. Chancellor Merz has expanded this and Germany's defense budget is expanding to $160 billion a year. Germany under Merz will invest 5% of its GDP on defense in future years making the Bundeswehr the largest army in Europe.

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Under UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, natural islands or rocks are given territorial sovereignty going out 12 nautical miles, but no such sovereignty exists for reefs that are submerged in high tide. Two U.S. B-52's fly within 2 nautical miles of the Cuarteron Reef in the Spratly Islands in late Dec. 2015, about 600 miles south of Hainan Island in the South China Sea. China claims control over the South China sea navigation routes through its reclamation work in the seven rocks and reefs in the Spratly Islands. The U.S., Japan, India, Vietnam, Philippines and other countries say these are international waters and form key navigation routes from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean for global shipping. In late October 2015, a U.S. Navy destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of another island built by China in the Spratly Islands.