Syz the moment

Source: Michel A.Arouet, @Augur Infinity

Friedrich Merz failed to be elected German chancellor Tuesday, after he fell short of securing a majority in a shock first-round parliamentary vote. Merz needed at least 316 votes to become chancellor and only 310 members of parliament voted in his favor. Germany’s Bundestag has a total of 630 members. The result marks an unanticipated setback for Merz who was widely expected to secure the necessary votes and be officially sworn in later in the day. After the result of the vote was announced the parliamentary session was halted to allow for discussion of next steps. The German Dax stock market index extended losses to trade around 1.4% lower by 10:07 a.m. London time. A second vote needs to take place within 14 days, according to the German constitution, with an absolute majority needed once again. There are also protocols in place in case the second vote also fails to elect a chancellor. Source: CNBC, Bloomberg, HolgerZ

Scientists in Germany just cooked up a solar panel sandwich that makes today’s tech look like a flip phone. By stacking ultra-thin layers of exotic crystals, they created solar cells 1,000 times more powerful than silicon—and way more durable. These featherweight panels don’t even need complex wiring and could someday power cities using way less space, money, and sunlight. Source: Bright Side of News, Mario Nawfal on X

Source: J-C Parets

▶️ The boss of Ryanair has threatened to cancel orders with American aircraft maker Boeing and buy from Chinese manufacturers instead if Donald Trump’s trade tariffs push up costs. ▶️ In a letter to top US lawmakers, Michael O’Leary criticised Washington’s trade war with Beijing and warned that a “material” impact on the price of aircraft could prompt his company to take its business elsewhere. ▶️ The Irishman said Ryanair could even turn to state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), a threat sure to anger Mr Trump, who has made isolating China a key aim of his trade war. ▶️ Ryanair, the largest carrier in Europe, is currently waiting on the delivery of 29 Boeing 737 Max 200 planes, out of a total order of 210. It has also ordered 150 Max 10 jets, the largest in the 737 family, for delivery from 2027 with the option of another 150 afterwards. Source: Yahoo Finance

wiped off the map of lights. This is how it looked from orbit last night after a massive blackout hit Spain and Portugal. Cosmic silence over the region.” Source: David Sobolewski on X

The last time Germany saw potential growth above 1% was back in 2018 — also the last year when productivity made a positive impact. For the new government to hit its target of lifting potential growth above 1% again, reviving productivity will be crucial, especially as the workforce continues to shrink. (Source: Natixis thru HolgerZ)

https://lnkd.in/e3rivJrV Here's an extract >>> Bloomberg) -- Spain is ignoring calls to reconsider its nuclear decommissioning plans, betting renewables and battery storage will make up for the upcoming energy shortfall. The country is plowing ahead with plans to shut down its seven nuclear reactors, which currently contribute 20% of its power mix, over the next decade. It’s also set to close its last coal plant this year. While it’s already only second to Germany in terms of renewable capacity in Europe, Spain is looking to fill the energy gap with more wind turbines, solar panels and giant batteries. The strategy isn’t completely fossil fuel free — as it would rely on natural gas plants as a backup for the foreseeable future. Yet it is a substantial wager on clean power: It depends on a still nascent energy storage industry in Spain to rapidly expand from just 3 gigawatts of capacity today to a target of 20 gigawatts by 2030. It also requires an unprecedented roll-out of wind and solar over the next five years. Spain is targeting 81% power generation from renewables by the end of this decade — from just above 50% in the past two years.“