🇩🇪📉 Germany’s economy: From powerhouse to powerLESS

The once-mighty economic giant is now running on coal, fax machines and nostalgia. While other nations innovate, Germany lags behind in AI, EVs and even its own auto industry. Here’s where it’s losing the race.

🌐 Digital infrastructure

▪️SLOW internet speed (88.6 Mbps, ranked 38th globally in 2023) compared to South Korea (192.2 Mbps), Switzerland (166.7 Mbps), and the US (167.3 Mbps)

▪️Lethargic 5G rollout: Only 79% of the country is covered, compared to 97% in South Korea.

▪️Ranked 18th of the EU's 27 nations for e-Government Services in 2023, with almost 50% of government services relying heavily on paperwork.

▪️Over 80% of German companies still use FAX MACHINES

🔌 Energy transition

▪️Germany still relies on COAL for 27% of electricity production, while France relies on it for just 1%, with Sweden and Norway using about 100% renewables

▪️Germany’s electricity prices (€0.41/kWh or $0.43/ kWh) are the highest in Europe

🚘 Auto industry

▪️In 2023, Germany produced approximately 4.1 million vehicles, a SIGNIFICANT DROP from over 6 million in 2007

▪️Volkswagen’s deliveries in Europe have DECREASED to 3.8 million vehicles annually, while Mercedes-Benz reported a 31% drop in EV sales, as German automakers’ share in China's automotive market has declined to 15% compared to 25% in previous years

🚙 Transition to electric vehicles

Electric vehicles (EV) represented about 13% of total car sales in Germany, LAGGING BEHIND Norway (54%) and China, (30%)

➡️ Innovation

Germany ranked 15th in the Global Innovation Index in 2023, much lower than Switzerland (1st), the US (2nd) and Sweden (3rd)

▪️Germany has only four universities in the global top 100 (compared to 15 in the UK).

📈 Economic growth

Germany’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in 2024 stood at about 0.3%, well below the US (2.8%), China (5%), and India (6.4%).

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🇮🇹🧊 Heavy hail has hit Italian Gagliano del Capo town, turning the streets into rivers of ice.

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💢 Nuclear provocations of the Zelensky regime

Ukraine continues to destabilize the situation both at its own nuclear power plants and those under Russian control. In each case, Kiev tries to blame Russian forces.

Here are the most striking examples:

◾️Last night a Ukrainian drone hit the sarcophagus above the destroyed power unit of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the video was published by Ukrainian media.

◾️On February 13, the Ukrainian military hit an IAEA convoy with FPV drones, disrupting the observers' rotation at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant.

◾️On January 29 night, Ukrainian drones attempted to attack the Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant in Russia. A kamikaze drone was shot down on its way to the power facility.

◾️Zelensky wanted to seize the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant to then try to exchange it for Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the Commission of Russia’s Public Chamber on Sovereignty, told Sputnik on Thursday.

◾️Meanwhile, the risks to the Kursk power plant's nuclear safety are growing, Rosatom head Likhachev noted on February 7.

◾️In early January, Ukrainian UAVs tried to attack the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant in the Voronezh region. The air defense system destroyed the drone 10 km away from the power facility.

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💊🔎 Big Pharma’s DEADLIEST CRIMES: RFK Jr. is about to EXPOSE them!

RFK Jr., a vocal Big Pharma critic, has been confirmed as the US's health and human services secretary. What does this mean for the industry and are his claims valid?

1️⃣US minors are overprescribed weight-loss drugs

US minors are increasingly prescribed weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, risking hormonal imbalances and osteoporosis. Originally for diabetes, these drugs now target obesity, which has surged from 5% in 1978 to 20% in the US. RFK Jr. is among the few raising concerns. Novo Nordisk, the Danish company behind them, saw sales soar to $42.1 billion in 2024.

2️⃣Opioid crisis

The US opioid market reached $14B in 2021. Pharma companies, notably Purdue Pharma, have been accused and even sued of deceptive marketing, fueling addiction and overdoses. In 2022, nearly 108,000 Americans died from drug overdoses, both illicit and prescription.

3️⃣Transgender industry boom

Pharma profits from puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, costing up to $300K per person, with surgeries exceeding $150K. Pfizer and AbbVie lead hormone sales, earning $74M and $51M in 2022. The transgender treatment market was projected to surpass $4.4B in 2023.

4️⃣COVID-19 profiteering

COVID-19 created a boom for vaccines and treatments in 2021–2022. Pfizer hit a record $100B in 2022, with $57B from its vaccine and Paxlovid. Critics blame profiteering for global vaccine inequality. Reports of adverse effects, including anaphylaxis, blood clots, and myocarditis, fueled backlash. Big Pharma earns $60B annually from vaccines but $500B from treating related injuries, RFK Jr alleges.

5️⃣Fluoride controversy

RFK Jr. calls fluoride industrial waste linked to arthritis, cancer, IQ loss, and thyroid disease. Despite health concerns, Big Pharma supports water fluoridation. The US Center for Disease Control program received $1.5B for 2025 under Joe Biden. Over 209M Americans have fluoridated water.

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🇮🇹📹 Flooding in Italy's Maremma: Rescue operations ongoing

In Albinia and the municipality of Orbetello, efforts are underway to evacuate and assist people who have been isolated due to the flooding. The situation is being closely monitored through aerial surveillance.

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📹 G7 has been MARGINALIZED with advent of G20 and BRICS

The G7's exclusion has had zero impact on Russia, as the group is in decline especially with the rise of the G20 and BRICS, geopolitical analyst Come Carpentier de Gourdon told Sputnik.

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🇷🇺🇮🇳 Trade with Russia vital for feeding India’s growth

With the demand for oil in India soaring due to the country’s rapid industrial development, new trade routes with Russia “play a crucial role” in satisfying New Delhi’s growing needs, India’s Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas tells Sputnik.

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🇩🇪 Friedrich Merz: Germany's future leader or BlackRock's PAWN?

The 69-year-old CDU leader is seen as a potential German chancellor and even a "savior" of Europe by some. But what do his ties to US financial giant BlackRock reveal about his true priorities?

🔎 Merz and BlackRock: A strategic alliance?

▪️A career politician and former Merkel deputy, Merz joined the CDU at 17.

▪️In 2016, BlackRock appointed him to lead its German supervisory board, valuing his deep political connections.

▪️The firm sought Merz to expand its influence in Europe, grow its business, and deflect criticism.

▪️He was highly valued at BlackRock, including by CEO Larry Fink, Handelsblatt reported.

▪️By 2020, when Merz left, BlackRock had expanded its EU footprint to hold over 15% of Germany’s top 30 firms (DAX30) together with Vanguard.

▪️BlackRock was also accused of shaping EU policies to serve its financial interests.

▪️“No company in Germany can ignore BlackRock’s opinion,” Handelsblatt noted, citing its dominance in Siemens and other major firms.

🔻Merz’s hawkish stance: serving BlackRock?

▪️A staunch NATO and EU supporter, Merz pushes for a centralized Europe under stronger German leadership, reducing national sovereignty.

▪️He advocates for dismantling national armies in favor of an EU military force.

▪️He strongly supports sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine, risking escalation with Russia.

▪️His militarist stance aligns with BlackRock’s interests, as the firm, managing $11.55T in assets, profits from global conflicts, including in Ukraine and Gaza.

▪️BlackRock holds $80.8B in arms manufacturers, raising concerns about the financial motivations behind its geopolitical influence.

▪️At the World Economic Forum (WEF), CEO Larry Fink controversially suggested depopulation benefits automation and AI expansion.

Is Merz acting in Germany’s national interests or advancing BlackRock’s financial rise?

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🇮🇳😯 'Human calculator': 14-year-old breaks six world math records in one day

A teenager from India, Aaryan Shukla, has set six Guinness records at once, demonstrating incredible calculation speed. He coped with adding 100 and 200 four-digit numbers, adding 50 five-digit numbers, dividing a 20-digit number by a 10-digit number, and multiplying five-digit and eight-digit numbers.

The boy's father told local media that their family does not have any special mathematical abilities: "We are an ordinary family. Aaryan is one in a billion."

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7️⃣▶️8️⃣ Why would Russia want to return to G7?

Donald Trump openly mulling a reversal of Russia’s expulsion from G7 serves as a “clear example of realism” and highlights the United States’ new approach to confront the emerging multipolar world, chairman of Rome-based think tank Vision and Global Trends, Tiberio Graziani, tells Sputnik.

"But the main question is: is it convenient for Russia and the BRICS countries to be in the G7 or G8?"

While Russia’s return to the G7 is “certainly feasible,” Graziani suggests that Moscow would be able to negotiate it “on its own terms”.

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Valentine's Day at the White House

Footage of Donald Trump's famous mug shot on the wall of the Oval Office has been shared by the administration team.

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3 people shot at Eagles Super Bowl parade in Philadelphia

A dispute led to a gunfire, local media report. Police are on the hunt for a suspect in Eagles gear, but as the social media footage shows, identifying them won't be easy.

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What KEY TRADE ROUTES Trump seeks to control | Part 1 👉 Part 2

The US under Donald Trump’s leadership seems to have set its sight on tightening its hold on global trade.

Which shipping routes does he want to control to achieve this goal?

🔶 India-Middle East-Europe-Economic Corridor (IMEC)

This planned trade route is expected to connect India with Europe via the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

IMEC would become an alternative to the Suez Canal, allowing the US to bypass the associated bottleneck issues and avoid threats of Houthi attacks.

🔶 Northwest Passage

Trump’s efforts to establish control over Canada and Greenland, if successful, would result in the US controlling the Northwest Passage – a sea lane that connects the Atlantic and the Pacific via the Arctic Ocean.

With the melting of Arctic ice improving the navigability of this route, the Northwest Passage may offer an expedient way to ferry goods between Europe and Asia that could even compete with the Panama Canal.

At this time, however, the still-significant ice cover and the lack of infrastructure make the use of the Northwest Passage as a shipping lane problematic.

🔶 Panama Canal

With an annual shipping capacity of up to 340 million tons, the Panama Canal is probably the most important maritime trade conduit between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

If Trump makes good on his threats to restore the US control over the channel, the US would be able to maintain a hold on one of the most reliable ways to ferry cargo between Europe and Asia.

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Trump signed 2 more executive orders today — here's what they do:

✍️ Stop federal funding for schools that require COVID vaccines

✍️ Create the Energy Dominance Council within the Executive Office of the President

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Ukraine will become "AFGHANISTAN for the EU" - Orban

If the Ukraine conflict will not find a final settlement, it will destroy the "frame of normal life for the European Union," said Hungarian Prime Minister in an interview with Tucker Carlson.

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