LyrArc Article Gist
The CDU gets 36% of the vote in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in east Germany. The FDP gets 7%. This was a result that surprised the CDU as the AfD party was polling well before the election, The result gives the ruling CDU party hope of doing better in east Germany where it had lost votes to the right wing AfD party. This was a crucial election ahead of German elections for a new government to replace Merkel. The Greens are polling well nationally.

LyrArc Article Gist
A new poll from YouGov shows the Conservative Party getting 310 seats and Labor Party at 257 seats. Labor would gain 30 seats and Conservatives lose 20 seats under this prediction. Conservatives would fall short of the majority of 326 seats needed. Support for Theresa May is slipping especially after announcing older people would have to take on more burden for care, dubbed the dementia tax by media. A coalition of Labor party with the Scottish National party (SNP) with 50 seats and the Liberal Democrats with 10 seats is now a possibility.

LyrArc Article Gist
A new foreign investment law passed by the Chinese People's Congress is designed to address concerns of western companies facing problems operating in China. This includes unequal market access, forced technology transfers, unfair treatment in public procurement. It was passed in only 3 months after the first draft was debated showing the importance Beijing places on the bill. Its a step designed to help in the trade talks with the U.S. about leveling the playing field. China amends its intellectual property law and introduces a punitive damages "mechanism" so that infringements are fairly dealt with. The new Chinese law replaces three foreign capital laws passed between 1979 and 1990, and is a unified legal standard for foreign investment in China. It eliminates the requirement for foreign companies to transfer proprietary technology to Chinese joint venture partners and protects against "illegal government interference." The European Union Chamber of Commerce says Article 40 still allows for"political issues to influence investor-state relations." Experts say this is a small step in the overall effort to level the playing field. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
The losses for soccer clubs in Europe could reach 4 billion euros from the coronavirus for the soccer seasons ending in 2021. The big ten leagues including Spain, France, Italy, Germany and Englan d,  would lose 3.6 billion euros, with lost ticket sales of 1.5 billion over 2 seasons. The stadium in Leipzig could host 21,000 people in one of the first soccer games in front of fans.

LyrArc Article Gist
Young girls from Ladakh competing for junior Olympics ice hockey training within sight of Himalayan peaks in India.

LyrArc Article Gist
A nuclear plant in a war zone with repeated shelling? This is taken up in this debate video of 44 minutes in FR24 which you can click on. The world has not seen this since the start of nuclear energy from plants in the 1950's. Calder Hall the first UK nuclear power station and the first in western Europe started in 1956. Eisenhower opened the first US nuclear power station Shippingport on the Ohio river in Pennsylvania, 50 kilometres from Pittsburgh in 1958 as part of the Atoms for Peace Program. The US built 54 nuclear plants that are operating today in 2022 generating 50% of the renewable energy in use today in the US. The question is what does the unthinkable conducted by the Russians and Ukrainians, by weaponizing a nuclear plant do to public perception of the safety of the Atoms for Peace Program initiated by president Eisenhower in 1954? What does this damaging of public safety perceptions after Fukushima do to the Atoms for Peace type of programs in China India, and European Union that are part of the emissions cutting programs in the world? These are serious questions at a time when climate change is not simply a word but means floods, fires, drought, and declining food production all over the world from Spain to Pakistan, from Germany to China. China and India are affected. China has 53 nuclear plants in 2021 with 50 GW and plans to double this by 2030. India has 22 nuclear plants  with 8 GW in 2021 and plans to triple this to 22 GW by 2030. How will climate change be tackled with public safety perceptions affected with another nuclear accident like that in Fukushima arising from shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. As the president of the UN Security Council Zhang Jun of China clearly stated at the UN SC meeting last week that China opposed use of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant by Russia (or Ukraine) in any way that could lead to damaging nuclear safety leading to an unintended accident. China only gets about 5% of its energy from nuclear, India about 3%, and this will need to increase multiple times to tackle climate change. France gets 70% of its energy from nuclear, the US 20%, by comparison. Nuclear energy safety and clear rules to prevent weaponizing of nuclear plant zones is essential and a solution like that developed for the food grain shipments from Odessa through Black Sea to the Mediterranean has to be arranged quickly. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
The problems Brazil faces with a sea of liquidity from developed countries with low interest rates going to emerging market countries with higher interest rates. Brazil is taking steps including a recent cut in interest rates to stem the flow. But interest rates at 12% are still too high not to attract business people in the carrying trade who borrow at low rates in the U.S. and Europe and invest the money in Brazil. The foreign direct investment has also increased. The result is an artificially overvalued currency- by as much as 36% since Jan 1, 2009 according to analysts- which hurts exporters and job creation in Brazil, as it becomes cheaper to import products than manufacture at home. Workers from VW recently protested in Sao Paulo as imports of cars are up significantly and there is a fear of job reduction at VW plants in Brazil. Brazil's automakers association estimate is for car imports to make up 25% of all cars sold in Brazil in 2011. This compares with 5% of cars sold being imported in 2005. It also shows up in production statistics. Brazilian industrial production declined by 1.6% in June 2011 from May. The cost of inputs are increasing rapidly for labor, raw materials, transportation, making Brazil a costly place to do business. The cost of living is now higher in Sao Paulo than in New York city. Cynthia Benedetto, the CFO of Embraer, a large Brazilian aircraft maker, says she always thought since she was a little girl that Brazil was the place of the future. But its deceptive now that the future is here, because this euphoria of progress could be shortlived. Embraer is investing in technology to reduce labor costs and is opening factories overseas. Bombardier, one of Embraer's competitors from Canada recently announced plans to build a manufacturing plant in Mexico. Brazilian president Rousseff is aware of this, and told Latin American leaders in Lima, Peru: "we have to defend ourselves against this immense, fantastic, extraordinary sea of liquidity that finds its way to our economies in search of returns that it can't find in its own." At the same time Rousseff has election promises to fulfill that require larger spending and for which the capital inflows are convenient but could prove erratic- for social welfare projects, and for infrastructure spending in advance of the Olympics. Turkey is seeing a similiar situation with booming consumer credit sustained by capital inflows even as its manufacturing competitiveness has remained weak. ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Two statements by Republican leaders in Congress show the seriousness with which they are approaching the issue of hacking by Russia during the U.S. presidential election of 2016. Senator Mitch McConell: "The Russians are not our friends, we need to approach all these on the assumption the Russians do not wish us well," strongly condemning the hacking. Rep. Paul Ryan: "As I've said before, any foreign intervention in our elections is entirely unacceptable. And any intervention by Russia is especially problematic because, under President Putin, Russia has been an aggressor and undermines American interests."

LyrArc Article Gist
How did Steve Smith go from that Jofra Archer short ball bouncer to sitting out the next Test match for rest, and then go on to score 211 at Old Trafford on September 5, 2019. Australia were able to score 497 for eight wickets in the first innings. In the second innings he scored a needed fast 82 runs. Bouncing back quickly shows Steve Smith's character and courage. In his own words- "A bit of the past came up, if you know what I mean, from a few years ago. That was the first thing I thought about. The I thought "I'm actually OK here." I was a bit sad, but I was alright mentally the rest of that afternoon.  "No, I'm really not going to change anything. There is a  bit of talk that he has got the wood over me, but he has'nt got me out. He hit me on the head on a wicklet that was a bit up and down at Lord's. All the other bowlers have had more success with me, I dare say. I've faced them a bit more, but they've got me out a lot more, so yeah, pretty comfortable about that." About a heavier barrage of short balls and bouncers in the next match he thought "If you bowl it up there then you can't nick me off, or hit me on the pad, or hit the stumps," he shrugged. About the Dukes ball, its and interesting ploy, so we'll see what happens." Steve Smith went on to play like he always does moving about to take the ball in his own way, building up 600 runs in Test series three times, 671 in this Ashes series.     ...

LyrArc Article Gist
Volkswagen restructuring in Western Europe. Note the price pressures in global markets and high import taxes in growth markets like Russia, China and India. This puts more pressure for restructuring Western European auto manufacturing.

LyrArc Article Gist
A key wicket of Brooks to end a long partnership with Joe Root as Siraj takes the catch at the boundary line and drifts over past the boundary line making it not a valid catch. Siraj ends the series by bowling out Atkinson for a 6 run win by India vs England August 4, 2025 at the Oval in London.