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Germany leads in balcony solar installation- 1 million installed in 2023-2025 ($200 to $1200 solar modules installed on baconies. The boom is the largest in Europe for solar balcony installations. Japan is sending a delegation to learn from Germany. Renewables overtook coal for first time worldwide. In Germany the cost of this electricity from soalr balcony installs is half that of electricity from the grid. Berlin University Applied Sciences says it pays for itself in 4-7 years, after that the electricity has no cost. Solar modules life is 30 years, batteries life is 7-10 years. With 4 modules about half the needs for electricity for a household can be met.

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Compare AI models for versions v2 v3 by DeepSeek that cost $5.6 million with Anthropic AI model that cost $100 million+, and one gets the order of magnitude in cost for the new DeepSeek China model vs its US counterparts.  The hundreds of billions of dollars that OpenAI and big spenders such as Google, Meta, and Microsoft would have to drain capital markets would be a disaster for workers and families in the US and the standard of living, the infrastructure improvements that don't get done, and the investments in transportation and other vital needs such as schools, education and healthcare that directly impact the cost of living and the standard of quality of life in America and other countries. This is where competing models from China, from India, and from European countries can get us back to where we want to be to continue improving the cost of living and standard of living, quality of life in America for workers and families. This is the choice workers and families made in 2020 and in 2025, rejecting the wasted resources in wars that serve no purpose, and rebuilding the Nation's infrastructure, its water, schools, transportation, healthcare, childcare.  ...

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Young people in Turkey are troubled by many things says this DW video report. DW.com talks with young people on the streets of Istanbul. Young people are troubled by the cost of living with inflation out of control, with not being able to speak their mind, with the waning prospects with many unemployed. Kilicdaroglu, a civil servant who leads the Republican party founded by Ataturk in 1923, offers Turkey a new path with the western alliance and the nations of Europe and the US.

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Resale value rankings. VW makes it to the top.

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Ukrainian view on surrendering the 25% of Donbass it does not control for peace deal are shown here in interviews by DW.com in that region near the frontlines. The Kviv Institute of Sociology survey shown here is that 71% of Ukrainians are against giving up the 25% of Donbass. Survey in the Donbass region show 47% opposed, 29% undecided and 24% support giving up tereritory for a peace deal. About 200,000 people mostly pensioners and people who do not want to see their home being looted still live in the Kviv controlled Donbass areas near the frontlines. What about elections? If elections are held and an Ukrainian party including that of Zelensky were to agree to surrendering the Donbass how would the Ukrainian 71% opposed or undecided react. Other attitudes to giving up the rest of Donbass is that there is afeeling even among people who might favor this for a peace deal that Russian forces might continue the war at a later time. Germany's Merz is investing heavily to build up the Bundeswehr and recharge the German economy- the German response is to coordinate with UK, France and Italy and the EU to set up a bloc independent of the US to respond to the peace overtures of the US president with one's of it's own that do not include giving up the Donbass, and to create guarantees that the war ends here, no sporadic starts as in the last 2 decades. ...

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It took 12 hours after Maduro's capture for Berlin to respond. Chancellor Merz of the CDU and Lars Klingbeil of the SPD Deputy Chancellor are in a coalition government, with the SPD taking a different and cautious view than the CDU. Both agree that the Maduro government was illegitimate and about human rights abuses.The final statement said the Maduro government was illegitimate and had human rights abuses, and welcomed the change. It also was cautious in its wording as it was concerned about implications for international law. No mention was made of drug trafficking to the European Union from Venezuela and its impact on European society as a concern, but this must be a concern that European leaders have. European leaders have failed to bring this up which can be mystifying for people outside Europe knowing the increasing damage drug trafficking is doing to European society, including France, Italy and Germany.

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Water shortages, inflation of 50% and tax increases of 62%, economic protests in Iran and discontent with billions of aid for proxies. The political discontent is fueled by economic discontent and Iranians oppose sending billions of dollars in aid to proxies of Iran in the Middle East, in Lebanon and Yemen, involvement in other parts of the world. Women's protests happened in 2022, and this has merged into the general wave of protests. This Dw.com report says the situation is such that the prime minister says it is "difficult to govern the country." A year ago in Jan 2025 the currency Rial was 820,000 to 1 US Dollar, in Jan 2026 it is 1.45 million Rials. This makes everything harder to import.

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India's economy growth rate was 8.2% in the third quarter 2025 up from 7.8% in second quarter of 2025. GDP reached $4.18 trillion, projected to reach $7.3 trillion in 2030. This make it the fourth largest economy in the world ahead of Japan, and projected to overtake Germany for third position by 2028. A quarter of the population of 1.4 billion people or 350 million people are between 10 years and 26 years age. GDP per capita is at $2700 lower than Japan at $32,000 and Germany at $56,000. India suffered from lack of ambitious targets, leaks in development budget from corrupt practices, a weak governance during the early period after independence in 1947-2000. Over a 15 year period starting with the first government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999-2004 and with the Modi government in 2014-2026  the political system has evolved for stable responsible governance and no leaks in the development budget, ambitious targets. When the first Modi government took office the country was ready for a surge in deveopment and modernization following the example of the Modi state government in Gujarat which started in 2001. After the failures of the Congress government 2004-2014, Modi took office in the midst of a wave of support for rapid modernization. The first decade has laid the foundations 2014-2025 and the second decade 2025-2035 is a period of rapid growth that should enable India to catch up with China. ...

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German Foreign Ministry is to take up question of dependence on China in 2026, and a commission will look into it. Yet this comes 2, 3 or 4 years too late. Germany is scrambling to develop it's foreign policy. German Defense officials in the military say they no longer have 24 contact with their US counterparts. Germany is pulling Britain and France with it to counter any signs of weakness in Europe, so that the three countries can act as a counter weight to the US, and to Russia allied with China. Merz is now called the foreign policy chancellor. So much has changed from the Merkel days which are years that were wasted in infrastructure, digital, foreign policy, and migration policies that make sense for people's ease of living. Germans may have underestimated Merz in the way they overestimated Merkel, lacking the clear view of what the future requires from Germany in a world filled with China, India, Brazil and the other nations of Europe, and the US, a world which requires confidence and investment. ...

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Pep Guardiola on Manchester City after the Uruguayan Valverde's hat trick and the 3-0 loss to Real Madrid. Pep says -"I've always said when we arrive in the last 10 games every team plays for something - for relegation, for Europa League, for Conference League, for Champions League, to be champions. It's normal, every game." Manchester City now face West Ham United in March 2026.