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Steinmeier has pursued the middle road in Germany's relations with Russia even after the tensions over Ukraine. He says we have to put behind us the illusions that a multipolar world will replace the bipolar world. He looks to his Protestant faith in these times, and says it is important to stay involved, and not allow escalation of conflicts at the periphery, such as the one in Ukraine. Critics such as the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, say his diplomacy and efforts at Ostpolitik is a matter of just opening doors, that Putin has already created discord in Europe.

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Southern Turkey is hit by a powerful earthquake centred around the city of Gaziantep, southeastern Anatolian region. The European Union countries including Germany and Spain send rescue teams and other aid.

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The danger from filled stadiums in Europe for Euro soccer 2021 leads to an outcry in Germany from Merkel, members of the European parliament, that "UEFA is endangering lives."

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Macron of France, Scholz of Germany and Tusk of Poland meet in Berlin to iron out difference on Ukraine. Macron calls for strategic ambiguity and a more efforts to support Ukraine.

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Th Basel Committee on Banking Supervision set strict financial guidelines for capital and liquidity that banks have to hold, but failed to implement early compliance. Banks get 8 years to comply for most of the banks, and 13 years for some of the banks. Increasing capital requirements by triple the current levels in the form of current equity, as required by the new Basel rules, gives banks a larger buffer in a situation that some of their assets lose value in a crisis such as the one in 2008. The US argued for stronger requirements and early implementation. Germany held back the implementation timetable mainly because its regional banks are saddled with bad loans; which might require $100 billon capital infusion by the German government, if early compliance was set in the new rules. The result is that the Basel rules have not grasped the opportunity to act quickly to strengthen the banking system, according to Prof. Jeremy Stein of Harvard University, a former advisor to the U.S. Treasury Department. In Stein's view the timetable is so far out, that another crisis will probably take place before the implementation. In the event, regulators from the U.S., Germany, and other countries let fears of tightened lending by banks prevail to an extent where the new rules timetable is stretched way out for 8-13 years....

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The mood for migration and for illegal migration has soured in Denmark, Netherlands, France and Germany. A series of attacks by migrants in UK, France, Germany has soured the mood for migration. A recent attack this week killing 2 National Guardsmen in Washington DC continues this trend in the US and has soured mood in the US and Europe for migrants.  The UK Home Office says-110,000 sought asylum in the UK Jan to Sept 2025, and  36,000 are temporarily housed in hotels up 2% from 2025. This is a big issue in the UK tying up state funding for illegal migrants in hotels and creating a climate of uncertainty in UK neighborhoods where such hotels are located. Nor is this an issue in which the Conservatives Party acted firmly as there were 56,000 migrants housed in hotels in September 2023. Labour Party entered government in July 2024 and has adopted the policy of Denmark under Shabana Mohamed as UK Home Secretary to stop and remove migrants from the UK. ...

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Viktor Orban of Hungary drops his veto and Ukraine gets the green light for EU Membership. This is a result of weeks of effort by France's Macron, Germany's Scholz to reach this goal. It is an historic day for Ukraine which is making little progress in the war and faces a difficult winter. DW of Germany covers this crucial period for Ukraine as it needs 50 billion euros of aid from the EU to get through the next year. The US has already given about $111 billion of aid and the EU is now stepping up to meet financial commitments to defend its own region.

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Soccer coach Tuchel takes on the British national team. This follows big name coaches taking on assignments for the US and Italy.

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Krugman sees France has a fairly successful country with a strong safety net, contrary to perceptions. He asks then why the vote for Le Pen of the National Front, with its perceived racism and ideology. He points to the bureaucrats in Brussels and how they are perceived in Britain, the way austerity policies were favored by the European Union and Germany. Much of the reporting to date shows the effects of neglect for rural communities and small towns and the loss of jobs as the reason for discontent with established parties. It appears that this has affected the vote more than the anti-European Union message. During the last debate Macron was more effective in showing that there were advantages for France in remaining connected to the global community and to remain in the eurozone, calling it a huge mistake to follow Le Pen's policies. 

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Thomas Bach is a German fencing athlete who won the Olympic Gold medal. He is from Wurzburg, Germany and was elected in 2013, in office as International Olympic Committee president till 2025. In the new election in 2025 Bach supported Coventry of Zimbabwe, a winner of the gold medal in swimming for the job, over a candidate from Spain whose father Samaranch held the same job, and COE a candidate from Britain. Other candidates were from Japan and France. The process of voting and the people voting is not representative of the world's people. As countries such as Germany and Spain are dominant. Britain and France, China and India have never elected a representative from their country as IOC president in the 20th century or the 21st. IOC presidents are there for long periods, as long as 20 years. Avery Brundage of the US was IOC president from 1952-1972  for 20 years followed by Morris of Ireland for 7 years. Following this in 1980 another 20 year term for a Spanish businessman Antonio Samaranch, whose son tried to run in 2025. In 2001 12 years for a Belgian Jacques Rogge, followed by another 12 years for German Thomas Bach.  In 20th century no one from France or Greece, no one from India or China has been elected IOC president and the election process is an insider's affair, even thought the games are watched in China, India and other parts of the world by hundreds of millions of people. ...

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Uruguay, Ghana and Germany exit. South Korea and Portugal advance after a 90th minute injury time goal by South Korea. Brazil loses to Cameroon but advances. World Cup soccer with surprises.

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Ireland owes $139 billion to German banks and $132 billion to British banks according to the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland. German officials said in Berlin that Deutsche Bank was especially exposed to Ireland. But Deutsche Bank does not say that, it insists the money at risk is $400 million euros, calculated after the use of derivatives to hedge risk. Total gross exposure is not revealed by Deutsche Bank. This makes investors more nervous and promotes the spread of contagion to Greece and Portugal.

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Brexit negotiation guidelines from the EU rule out parallel talks on both Britian's future relationship with the EU and the separation agreement negotiations, preferring a phased approach. Only when the first phase of separation is complete or at an advanced stage would the second phase of future relationship with the EU be negotiated. The EU Council president, Donald Tusk, says the process would be long, complex and at times confrontational. Der Spiegel online writing on the negotiation describes the approach in a meeting with the lead German negotiator Mr. Oettinger, on the team of Michael Barnier who leads the negotiations for the EU- Oettinger focussed on what Britain owes the EU, estimated at over 60 billion euros. So far apart are the British and EU positions that Michael Barnier has no idea on the pathway for these negotiations, only awareness of the priorities such as the rights of EU and British citizens in each others region, says Der Spiegel. Looking at Theresa May speaking in parliament about her decision to move forward with Brexit in a letter to the EU invoking Article 50, one senses a mixture of confidence and nationalist appeal, far different from reality on the ground. The Leader of the Opposition cited government figures for a sharp decline in GDP as a result of Brexit, and the Scottish leader in parliament went so far as to say the government attitude in negotiations made "Scottish independence inevitable"- all headwinds Theresa May appears to be ignoring or treating with disdain. At this time the EU and the British prime minister appear to be talking over rather than to each other.   ...

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US Russia relations improve in 2025. The new national security document of US put out by the DJT Administration says that Russia is not a threat.  It sticks to migration and western identities when facing civilizational erasure over next two decades as key threats to the US. It poses questions for the European Union, Germany and France, yet also offers away out of the "mess" in Ukraine with the Russians saying NATO was too close to their borders as the real issue, and the US not aligning itself with NATO reducing big power tensions including nuclear arsenal expansion. Germany rebuilding the Bundeswehr and it's military offers a rebalancing of the military situation yet is not the long term solution to the Ukraine problem, NATO limiting it's role and the US limiting it's role in NATO offers a solution that preserves the long term interests of Western Europe(Germany, France, Italy, UK, Spain) and preserves world peace and dialogue. It also promotes integration of India and Russia into the world trade and world economy as it diversifies from the dominance of China in world trade and the world economy of the last 20 years of free trade that deindustrialized US and Europe. What this national security document does not say is that China's dominance in world trade and the errors of the US, Europe, Japan, Russia, India in world trading relationships and their economic approach that made this possible is the central issue and calls for diversification of supply channels in the world economy. This shifts the direction of the world in a peaceful direction where the US, Japan and Europe, India can compete in economic growth and trade with China on equal terms. ...

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Speaking at the annual meeting of Italy's banking association on July 11, 2012, prime minister Mario Monti calls the struggle he is leading to change the economic performance of Italy, and especially against structural vices in the economy, "a very tough war." He added that the plan to reduce Italy's borrowing rates with the agreement to use the ESM or EFSF, the EU's rescue fund, "must be consolidated both in its substance and the way it is communicated." Bank of Italy governor, Ignazio Visco, said the spread between Italian and German bonds and the borrowing rates approaching 7% for Italy compared to about zero for Germany and France, were "far above what would be justified by the fundamentals of our economy." Deputy finance minister, Vittorio Grilli, is taking over the role of finance minister which Monti had assumed earlier. Monti will lead a new economic and financial policy committee which includes Mr. Grilli and development minister Corrado Passera.

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Alas, economists and intellectuals such as Gita Gopinath of the IMF, just don't get it when they say the EU can increase growth by half percent meeting labor shortages using immigrants. As WSJ reports 50-60% of asylum seekers in Netherlands since 1999 are less skilled /less educated immigrants, are unemployed or on benefits.The new view across all parties is lets stop the immigration surges, its too overwhelming for the people to deal with, so that we can focus on cost of living and low wages for workers. Across Starmer's Labour in Britain, across Biden/Harris Democrats lined up with Republican Lankford in the US pledging to sign the legislation to close the southern Border, and in France Macron's premier Michel Barnier wants to do the same.   Mette Frederiksen of Denmark was a pioneer in the EU in showing that immigration acts as a distraction that hurts the working class as it distracts people from the key issues facing workers of cost of living and low wages, poor benefits. She was elected as a Socialist party leader in Denmark in 2015 and as prime minister in 2019. Sahra Wagenknecht, follows Mette Frederiksen, herself a daughter of immigrant, has formed her own party out of Socialist Die Linke in Germany which is now getting about 15% German voter support, 25% in the east, along similar lines to pause and stop immigration because it hurts the working class. In other parts of EU- France's Macron coalition has a prime minister who has called for a pause on immigration. US president Harris and Candidate Harris have pledged to sign bipartisan legislation drafted by Republican Senator Lankford to close the southern Border. The European Asylum Agency has the numbers at just over one million asylum seekers in EU in 2023 and agains in 2024 split by country- Germany 127,000 24% France 77,000 15%, and Italy and Spain 87,000 each 17% each Belgium, Netherlands and Austria 17,000 each at 3% each, Greece a bit higher. Some like the US and Germany with stronger economic base and industries can absorb the educated immigrants from middle class fleeing wars and strife, and less educated immigrants in construction and hospitality. The bigger danger is in creating support for parties that will use the issue to take whole economies and countries backwards by further depressing workers wages, benefits and rights, exacerbating social divisions around race and income that they say they will solve but have no economic policy to do this. All socialist and socialist democratic parties have grasped this in 2023-2024, some earlier by 2019. ...

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A grass roots movement that is taking shape in the Social Democrats SPD party since 2018 that is likely to reshape the party around critical issues. A surge in memberships in the party is bringing more young people into the party. Many are joining to bring momentum like that of Jeremy Corbyn into the SPD. Jeremy Corbyn revived Labour by winning 40% of the vote in the 2017 election. He also won the leadership of the Labour party with the help of young people who became Labour party supporters by paying a small fee of $4.15. In 2015 these young activists took part in the leadership contest electing Corbyn. For the SPD the election results under a series of leaders are one long road downhill to support today at about 14%, a shocking figure for the party of Willy Brandt, a figure in the SPD from 1964 to 1987 of the stature of Konrad Adenauer who helped build a new post war Germany. There is no where to go but uphill and little to lose in shifting away from the coalition with the Christian Democrats which has hurt the SPD and the working class. Even a $14 minimum wage was rejected by the CDU in 2019 as the coalition begins to collapse and activists elect a new leader who like Corbyn for Labour in Britain can revive the SPD around critical issues and clear policy for ordinary working class Germans. ...

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Leaders of France, Germany and Italy are shown on a train ride from Poland to Kviv as they visit Irpin and Kviv to show solidarity with Ukraine, in this story in The Guardian.

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Obama's speech in Berlin and its reception by Europeans.