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Three solar farms in the east of England get approved in the first week of the Labour government. At present most of the solar energy is generated in the north without transmission capabilities to get it where it is needed in the south. Starmer's Labour government is planning a major expansion of solar energy with rooftop panels for homes so that households can cut energy costs. Plans are to triple solar energy by 2030 and quadruple wind offshore energy.

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"When the Legends Played in the Leagues" is the Wisden Book of the Year. The Guardian shows Gary Sobers, the West Indies cricketer from the sixties and the seventies who is one of the most famous cricketers of all time. It shows English cricket in the English Leagues for 1950- 2000. Included here are West Indies cricketers Lance Gibbs, Wesley Hall and Rohan Kanhai. What Ken Rosewall and Rod Laver were to tennis Sobers and Kanhai were to cricket in that era.

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During Euro Cup soccer 2024 Germany's faltering rail system Deutsche Bahn presents challenges with frequent cancellations and delays. So frequent are the delays that they are announced matter of factly as if it was standard way of operating the trains. One can see this in Frankfurt, which has a vast rail network operating connecting most of Europe from its main rail station. It is a result of failure to invest in upgrading rail systems and signalling, tracks, rolling stock. 

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Elections to France's 13 regional councils is showing weak support for president Macron's En Marche party that was newly created by Macron. Macron's party won less than 10% of the vote in the regional elections. The Republicans, former president Sarkozy's party were written off after Macron's win. Instead the Republicans who are conservatives and represent the Gaullist tradition have revived under Sarkozy's health minister Xavier Bertrand. Mr. Bertrand now remains the main candidate with Macron for the French presidential election in 2022. Terrorist attacks, the sense of a lack of law and order, and the pandemic, have revived the conservatives in France. Brexit nationalism, the failure of the socialist Labor party and a shift of laborites in the north of England to the conservatives under Boris Johnson led to a Johnson win in British elections. A similar situation is unfolding in France. Xavier has served under presidents Chirac and Sarkozy, both in the Gaullist tradition. He was Sarkozy's spokesperson in 2007 and helped run Sarkozy's election campaign. He was Health Minister from 2010 to 2012. ...

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Private credit market has grown to $2 trillion in 2025 in 10 years  reaching $3.5 trillion in 2028 yet remains unregulated. Private credit is when investment funds such as Blackstone and Apollo, others, loan money to large companies. After the 2009 financial crisis bank regulation was tightened so that riskier loans were kept off the banks books to avoid another financial crisis. This led to the private credit market as a source of loans for small companies.Over 10 years the loans are now going to large companies and it is growing fast. As is typical in the capitalist economies regulation falls behind new financial developments or tech developments. Congress is always playing catchup and is distracted by other issues or has lobbyists asking for less regulation.  This report in the WSJ says when companies like Blackstone have private credit loans of $260 billion this can pose substantial risks for the US economy when this area of lending has no regulation as is required for a modern economy to function correctly. Private credit offers returns of 14-16% for these funds with risks associated and regulators are not asked to set the required rules. It only makes bank regulation ineffective as lending goes to unregulated parts of the economy. ...

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A centrist 73 years, and mentor of Macron, the head of the Movement Democrate allied to Macron's Renaissance party is appointed to succceed Banrnier as PM of France. Macron hit a new low of public approval rating of 23% by Ipsos. Scholz of Germany is at 18% following reaching 65% in Jan 2022. Bayrou says-“I am fully aware of the Himalaya of difficulties that lie before us,” Bayrou says he would strive for a “necessary reconciliation” with Melenchon of France Unbowed party and Marie Le Pen of National Rally on the left and right of the centrist Macron. These are mere labels- both Melenchon and Marie Le Pen want to see higher public spending and no cuts in the Budget for 2025, Macron is not eager for cuts, Barnier wanted to cut the budget to cut the growing deficit but this is not a time to cut spending as investment is needed to grow the economy and meet needs for public services and cost of living assistance. Macron was taken by surprise by Barnier's approach leading to a no confidence vote and Barnier resigning.  ...

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There are 240 Norwegian and Finnish companies in India, says this report in The Hindu. Nordic countries are providing green technologies to India. At the Nordic-India Summit held in Copenhagen in May 2022, the five Nordic prime ministers and prime minister Modi agreed to intensify cooperation on digitalisation, renewable energy, maritime industries and the circular economy. Denmark is helping India with ports and logistics. Trade ministers of Norway and Finland visiting India together  Feb 9-10 describe the efforts to provide Nordic technology solution in green transition to India. Trade between Norway and India has doubled in the last 3 years and the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund is likely to become on the largest investors in India at $17.6 billion. Vestre us Norway's Minister of Trade and Industry, Skinnari is Finnish Minister of Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade. 

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The FDIC report in Feb. 2012 shows improvement in bank lending to $130 billion, for the 4th quarter of 2012. This is an increase of 1.8% over the previous quarter. Lending to commercial and industrial borrowers increased by $62.8 billion, or 4.9%. Smaller commercial and industrial loans of less than $1 million increased for the first time since 2010. Banking profits for 2011 were up to $119 billion, up 40% from the prior year. Banking revenues for 2011 declinedby 4.5% from 2010, as a result of low rates and slower loan demand.

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The final tally is Republicans 220 and Democrats 215 as all results are in for the 435 member House of Representatives in the US. This is the second smallest majority in US history- in 1917-19 Congress Democrats had  217-215 majority of 2 seats. Because DJT has appointed 3 US Congress members the GOP majority for months will be 217-215. Gaetz's and Waltz's districts are likely Republican but Elise Stefanik's in New York is uncertain. 

At 220-215 Republicans can lose votes of only 2 members of Congress. Washington Post says there moderates, vulnerable Republicans and retiring Congressmen who can express their concerns about legislation. About 12-20 Congressmen have scored less than 60% in Heritage Action's scorecard says Washingon Post. This means hasty,  or controversial legislation will face constructive opposition, be modified or rewritten to satisfy concerns of moderates.

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Neil Irwin in the NYT why the U.S. China Phase 1 Trade Agreement is more than a hill of soyabeans as he puts it, more than about all the soyabeans that the U.S. farmers can sell to China. China's economy was seeing the effect of U.S. tariffs. Additional tariffs to cover all imports from China to the U.S. would have worsened this. China avoided this by agreeing to Phase 1. The U.S. had looked for some enforcement mechanism based on China putting this down in a written agreement particularly for avoiding subsidies to state enterprises and improper access to U.S. advanced technologies. China's reluctance to do this led to Mr. Trump saying that China had reversed its position and Trump expanding the tariffs stage by stage. These issues are now set aside for Phase 2 still to be negotiated. Both sides taking what they could get. China relief from the threat of tariffs on all exports. The U.S. under Mr. Lighthizer's negotiating leadership retaining the enforcement idea through the tariffs that are still in place of 25% on half of China's exports to the U.S. The bonus for Mr. Trump is the goodwill China generates by agreeing to buy all the U.S. farmers can produce, farmers having not only stood behind Mr. Trump but also forming a key part of his support base. China will continue to compete in technological areas with the U.S., and the state enterprise model which worked for China as Mr. Xi tells visitors will continue. Phase 2 is just that Phase 2, when and if it can be negotiated between Trump with his negotiator Lighthizer and Xi with his negotiator Liu He. On key points neither side is budging. A key goal for Mr. Trump is to put the trade surplus China enjoys of $300 plus billion a year with the U.S. on a serious downward path, and bring so many of the jobs and manufacturing back home. On this trade data for 2019 and the plan for 2020 of both countries is clear. It should be down each year by 10-20% for the next few years, a major achievement of Mr. Lighthizer, who did the same with  Japan under president Reagan. ...

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The pace of traffic growth in Beijing is tremendous, especially in the last 5 years. Beijing had 4.7 million registered vehicles in Dec 2010. The rapid growth shows 700,000 new vehicles added in 2010, 550,000 in 2009, 376,000 in 2008, 252,000 in 2007. Beijing will be fully saturated by the time the number hits 6.5 million, say experts. A June survey by IBM shows Beijing has the worst traffic of 20 large cities in the world, only Mexico City has comparable traffic. In 2009, the government cut in half the sales tax on small engine cars, and spent billions in subsidies for rural car purchases. As a result car purchases have accelerated to new levels, with 2009 sales up by 46% over 2008, and sales through November 2010 up by 34% over 2009, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. In July, Beijing city officials said that rush hour traffic had slowed to about 15 miles per hour, and was headed for 9 miles per hour by 2015. Twenty years ago, Beijing was a city of bicycles and old alleys, and a single limited access highway made a rectangle around the city. In 2010 five freeways circle the city, and eight freeways spoke from the suburbs to downtown, and the subway will soon stretch to 10 times its 1990 length....

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After a second round of price increases P&G's last price increase of 10% leads to first quarter revenues up 4% on sales volume declines of 3% for the first quarter of 2023. The company making Gillette razors, Charmin toilet paper and Tide detergent for household supplies has shown the persistence of inflation as companies increase prices to pass on the increase in price of raw materials. Some of this money will go to buy back stock- P&G plans to buy back $8 billion of its own stock. Companies such as P&G are countering criticism of price increases by saying they offer premium products or use the term "irresistable superiority" says this report in NYT. This leads to "profit price spiral" and adds to "wage price spiral" effects. A executive board member in eurozone says half of the price increases in EU can be attributed for the last quarter of 2023 to company profits.

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Central banks for the European Union, US and Britain show slight divergence in their approach to inflation. The Bank of England's Bailey increases interest rates in UK to 0.25% from 0.1% a slight increase to signal its direction more than a serious interest rate increase. In the US Fed chairman Powell indicates an intention to make 2-3 rate increases  in 2022 if the conditions require action. In the European Union Ms. Lagarde of the ECB will taper purchases to 20 billion euros a month later in 2022, and keep interest rates at minus -0.5%. The British pound and the euro gained slightly as a result. 

Supply chain issues and energy prices are a big part of the current inflation increases which were described as transitory by Mr. Powell. The persistence of this inflation led to recent moves by the central bank. At some point these pressures would ease leading to a long term policy approach that pushes for a robust economic recovery.

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Uncertainty Germany faces as it faces a new election on February 23, 2025. 630 members of German parliament will be elected Feb 23 instead of September 28, 2025 because the FDP of Lindner decided to withdraw from the Scholz SPD Greens coalition. The chancellor is elected from the majority in parliament.

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The Guardian shows pictures in both black and white and in color from the last 50 years of US president Joe Biden. The first picture is a black and white picture from 20 November 1972 showing him cutting his 30th birthday cake with his wife Nelia, sons Beau, and Hunter. He is shown taking the oath of office for the Senate as he turned 30 the youngest senator and now the oldest former senator to be president. On the Metroliner Amtrak in 1988. He spent decades riding Amtrak to Washington D.C. He campaigned with Jill Biden for president in 1988. Not till the extraordinary situation of the pandemic in 2020 did Americans who largely ignored him give him the opportunity to lead- and at what a time when the Nation desperately needed his vision and his leadership through the largest vaccination program in history with the exception of that in India. And following this with his skills in Congress to get the legislation passed with Republicans for trillions of dollars to go into aiding families recover, and the economy to recover, investing in chips and science, and in infrastructure in ways that have happened only three times in American history, first in the early days of rail transforming a largely agricultural country during Lincoln and Grant's years as president in 1860's and 1870's, and again during the TR, Woodrow Wilson years in the 1900, 1910 period, and in the period under FDR, Truman and Ike 1940's, 1950's. No other country recovered better and stronger, and yet because of the lingering effects of the pandemic with 1 million dead from the Covid virus, and increases in the cost of living even as inflation was brought down from 9% to 3% for reasons stemming from unwise decision of American business to concentrate the supply chain in China, from housing and automobile price increases, the Nation did not immediately grasp the sheer magnitude of what had been achieved. ...

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Black women had 12% of the jobs in the federal government and did well above the average of 6% for jobs in the federal  government. In the Department of Education black women held 25% of the jobs says NYT.

A change is taking place with more Hispanic and white women, and white men gaining jobs in the private and government sectors. For black women 319,000 lost jobs in both the private and public sectors in Feb-July 2025, much of these losses in the federal government.  While 176,000 Hispanic women gained jobs in private and public sectors, for white women 142,000 gained jobs, and white men at 365,000 making the largest gain, labor statistics show.

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On again off again talks with China. Yet the facts about the losses in the US from fentanyl remain a major impediment to trade and other relations and reflect a separate tariff. The magnitude of the losses in the US to its young people remain a major impediment. DJT seeks to calm financial markets with sudden announcements of results such as this for soyabeans, as financial markets fail to reflect this aspect of relations of losses to the young people in the US from fentanyl sourced from China that exceed the lives lost in the Vietnam war, Korean war and the First World War combined. Today in 2025 a strange situation exists beyond issues of rare earths and soyabeans.

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Women's World Cup Final at Navi Mumbai 2025 -India vs South Africa. India 298. South Africa requiring 9 runs an over at 209 for 6, are bowled out for 246. Deepti Sharma with a knock of 87 and 2 wickets is player of the match, Shefali Verma could have been player of the match with 5 wickets. Harmanpreet Kaur with her own batting performance and captaincy could also have been player of the match. South African captain Wolvardt scores 100 but requires much more to get to 9 runs an over when South Africa were 209 for 6. The batting performance of Kaur and Sharma and bowling by Verma and Sharma set India on the right path to win this game.

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The US president calls Brazilian president Lula Inacio Da Silva, "a good person actually," after meetings at the UN in September 2025. Tariffs imposed on Brazil for cocoa, coffee, meat and fruits have been lifted. Lula asserted Brazil's independent institutions and Brazil as a sovereign country. The tariffs were never popular in Brazil and Lula's popularity in Brazil is now up to to 33% after an earlier decline. He is more energized and at 80 is expected to run again for office. COP30 just completed in Belem, Brazil, and Lula has received favorable response in trying to salvage the climate agenda following the shift away from costly climate change decisions to the cost of living crisis.

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Washington DC National Guard deployment ruling by District Judge Jia Cobb ruling it unlawful gives time to December 11 for federal government to appeal her ruling. Small crimes committed by delinquent migrant youth on cycles had affected safety in the Nation's capital leading to the federal government sending in the National Guard when DC authorites failed to correct the situation. 

“Since September, cleanup teams have collected more than 500 tons of debris across the District—visible proof of a unified commitment to restoring public trust, improving quality of life, and ensuring that the capital reflects the pride and dignity worthy of representing the American people,” says the Army website in November 2025.

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Microsoft and Amazon to invest$17.5 billion and $35 billion in India  dat centers by 2030. Google plans to invest $15 billion with partners Airtel and Adani Group for a total of $67.5 billion. Renewable energy in Hyderabad costs 7 cents for one kilowatt hour compared to 18 cents on average in the US. TPG of the US is working with Tata Group on AI data centre in Hyderabad and others in India. Till recently most of India's data was stored in Singapore. Even today India has only 5% of the data center capacity in the world and yet consumes most of the data in the world because of it's growing population.

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UK joins Erasmus for 570 million pounds in 2027 one hundred thousand students benefit in first year. UK government says it will “create educational and training opportunities for British apprentices, further education students and adult learners, as well as those in higher education”. It is a new reset with the European Union and part of Labour's manifesto. This is one program that deserved support and has added great value to the community of Europe. It also opens up UK universities for EU students widening the impact to millions of students over a decade that understand the importance of the community of Europe. Shown here are students from UK at Humboldt University campus in Berlin.

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The shift from non-conventional polluting single cylinder engine contraptions used by poorer Chinese called "Inkfish" to conventional fuel efficient engines will reduce oil consumption in China even as more cars are on the road. This explains the paradox of Chinese vehicle sales being up by 77% year over year in the first quarter of 2010, and still gasoline demand went up by only 3%. Kack Perkowski, founder of Chinese auto-parts manufacturer Asimco Technologies, says the shift from the low tech "inkfish" type vehicles to fuel efficient small cars popular with the Chinese and encouraged by government policies to reduce oil consumption is a big factor in this development. Perkowski says 50 million engines are manufactured in China each year and if you subtract the 13.6 million cars, trucks and buses sold in China last year, another 36 million low tech highly fuel inefficient engines including "inkfish" engines were sold. China's car buyers are very price conscious and prefer smaller cars. Smaller cars are also well suited to the crowded roads in the coastal cities. And the Chinese government wants to keep oil consumption down so it is pushing buyers in the direction of smaller engines with tax breaks. The Chinese governmet is expected to announce subsidies for plug-in hybrids worth about one third of the sticker price. The motives are environmental and energy security related, but also have the intent of enabling China's car manufacturers to gain experience and leadership in newer electric car technologies. Bottom line: some experts including Deutsche Bank's Sankey view China's oil demand growing much slower, at about 2.6% a year over the next 15 years. This would mean oil demand tapering off at 13-14 million barrels of oil per day by 2025, much higher than the 9.1 million bpd in 2010, but growth curbed by fuel efficient engines and increasing fuel efficency of the Chinese vehicle population....

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The Tax Plan of Jeb Bush, with the help of advisors Martin Feldstein and Kevin Warsh, lowers the top personal tax rate from 40% (including surcharges) to 28%, and reduces the corporate tax rate from 30% to 20%. The plan is designed to jumpstart the economy for higher growth by increasing business investment and incentives. Businesses are allowed to deduct 100% of new investment immediately. The idea is to increase capital investment so that benefits also go to workers in higher wages. The Bush economic advisors see 50% of the corporate tax burden as affecting workers wages- average compensation would go up by $2750 a year by 2020 and $6200 by 2025 in 2015 dollars. Companies can pay a one time 8.75% tax on money earned and held overseas, paid over 10 years- about $2.1 trillion of this income held overseas can be added to the pool available for business investment. As proposed earlier by Feldstein the itemized deductions including mortgage interest can be taken only upto 2% of adjusted gross income, suggestions during the reform effort not taken up by Obama. To reduce the excessive use of leverage in business decisions the field is levelled for use of debt and equity by removing the deduction for business interest expense. This editorial says that by putting in the details, which political leaders tend to leave vague on specific figures, Jeb Bush and his advisors have taken a crucial step forward. This it says, shifts the debate from current shallow posturing to how America can lay the groundwork for the kind of growth needed to help increase wages, increase economic growth to higher levels, and preserve America's position in the world....

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The Dow Jones Average in the US went up by 11.3% since August 26, 2010, in anticipation of the Fed's quantitative easing, and the Republican win in the House and a filibuster capable 41 seats in the Senate. But on the eve of the midterm election in the first week of November 2010, the mood is changing. There is considerable concern that the Dow Jones average may have gone too far. Experts question the advantages of gridlock in Washington, especially when strong government action may be necessary in a crisis. And there are questions on how effective the Fed can be this time when the interest rates are already near zero.