For the first time in the company's history, employees of the South Korean technology group Samsung are on strike. According to the union, they are demonstrating for higher wages and better working conditions.

A union at Samsung has called for a strike for the first time in the 55-year history of the South Korean electronics company. The National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU) called on employees not to show up for work on a bridge day in South Korea today to protest for better wages and working conditions. Read

China is supporting its domestic industry in the construction of electric cars with high subsidies. The EU accuses Beijing of distorting competition and is working on punitive tariffs. Is a trade war looming? And what does that mean for car buyers?

The European Union suspects that the Chinese government is paying excessive subsidies to its car manufacturers, thereby giving them a competitive advantage. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen therefore launched an investigation in September to determine whether China is violating the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Read

Inflation in Turkey is now at almost 70 percent. More and more people are at risk of falling into poverty. Now the Erdogan government wants to implement austerity measures. Is it really prepared to make drastic cuts?

A little off the beaten track in a small side street in Istanbul's Beyoglu district is the small bakery "Eryilmaz Kardesler". Here, the bakery still bakes its own goods. Its customers are almost exclusively regulars.

But the mood is depressed. The standard 200-gram white bread now costs ten Turkish lira - that's 31 percent more than just a few weeks ago, according to calculations by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce. Read

China launches anti-dumping investigation into plastic imports from the EU and US. The result could be punitive tariffs. Washington and Brussels had previously accused the country of unfair trade practices.

China's Ministry of Commerce has launched an anti-dumping investigation into imports of a key type of plastic from the European Union and the United States. As the ministry in Beijing announced, imports of POM copolymers are under review.

The thermoplastic is used, among other things, in the production of cell phones, cars and medical equipment. In addition to the EU countries and the USA, Japan and Taiwan are also affected by the measure. The investigation into this should be completed in a year, the ministry announced. However, it can also be extended by six months. Read

Temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius with devastating effects on people and nature: Southeast Asia is suffering from the longest heat wave in decades - caused by a mixture of climate change and El Niño.

Hundreds of thousands of dead fish float on the surface of a lake in Vietnam. In Cambodia, the government is shortening school teaching times. In Thailand, more than 30 people have already died as a result of the heat. The thermometer in Southeast Asia sometimes shows more than 40 degrees Celsius. The perceived temperature is much higher - more than 50 degrees Celsius. This is life-threatening for animals and people. Read

Because of the war in Gaza, Turkey has completely suspended its trade relations with Israel. The Netanyahu government immediately spoke of a breach of contract.

Turkey is suspending the export and import of all products related to Israel due to the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. The Turkish Ministry of Trade announced this on the X platform, formerly Twitter.

The new measures will be strictly implemented until the Israeli government allows the uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, it said. The financial service Bloomberg had previously reported on the trading stop, which is likely to further exacerbate the already strong tensions between the two countries. At the beginning of April, Turkey had already imposed export restrictions on certain goods in trade with Israel. Read

China has sent new astronauts into space. They are supposed to carry out experiments on the Tiangong space station - and, among other things, breed fish.

Shortly before 9 p.m. local time, the launch vehicle carrying the Shenzhou-18 spacecraft lifted off from China's space center in the Gobi Desert. On board the spacecraft: three Chinese astronauts. Around seven hours later they reached the Tiangong space station, or “sky palace” in German. Read

It is Federal President Steinmeier's first visit to Turkey since he took office. He is also concerned with a special chapter of German-Turkish history. However, the start of the trip was disrupted by loud protests.

For the first time in ten years, a Federal President has traveled to Turkey: Frank-Walter Steinmeier will spend three days on the Bosporus. At the start of his visit, Steinmeier praised the lifetime achievements of Turkish migrants in Germany and their contribution to German prosperity. Read

The Central Group from Thailand is taking over the property of the Berlin luxury department store KaDeWe. The group is also considered a possible full owner of the department store business, which includes the Alsterhaus and Oberpollinger.

The property of the Berlin luxury department store KaDeWe is being completely taken over by the Thai Central Group. The previous owner was the now insolvent Signa Prime Selection. As the Central Group announced, a complete acquisition by the Thais has now been agreed. Read

The USA and China are fighting bitterly for global economic supremacy. Competition and mistrust are particularly high in key industries. Nevertheless, the US government is also committed to rapprochement.

Deep in the south of the USA, in Norcross, Georgia, President Joe Biden's government has a die-hard fan: Matt Card, the head of the solar company Suniva. The United States, he says, was once a world leader in the solar industry. And he is deeply grateful to this administration and Congress for creating tax incentives that will make the United States the leader in this area again, Card said last week when Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited the company. Read

The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) is considered an important indicator of the mood in the Chinese economy. It has now risen again for the first time in six months.

Manufacturing activity in China rose for the first time in six months in March, according to an official survey of Chinese manufacturers. The official Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 50.8 points, up 1.7 percentage points compared to the previous month, as the statistics office in Beijing announced. Read

In Thailand you can live very well for relatively little money. Many pensioners from Germany want to spend their retirement there. Now new tax regulations are causing unrest.

Enjoying retirement under palm trees: That’s what many people dream of. Thousands of Germans have fulfilled this dream, moved to Thailand and live there on their German savings. Not only do they enjoy an affordable life with sun, sand and sea, but also the prospect of not paying taxes. Read

India and China are also fighting for influence in the Indian Ocean. Now the Maldives have broken with India and turned to China instead. India has already announced an answer.

For some people, the thought of the Maldives puts them in a peaceful mood. Many Indians now feel differently. Because the neighboring archipelago has thrown them out quite abruptly - not the tourists, but the Indian soldiers who are stationed there.

The President of the Maldives, Mohammed Muizzu, has decreed their expulsion. But that's not all: At the same time, a military agreement between the Maldives and India's rival China became public. And then a Chinese spy ship showed up off the Maldives. Read

A normal Ramadan is unthinkable for German-Palestinians. The El Danaf family is fasting and trying to focus on the essentials. But this is difficult as relatives fight for survival.

When the sun sets in Bonn at 6:35 p.m., on this first day of Ramadan, the El Danaf family's dining table will have lentil soup, braised eggplant, leg of lamb with vegetables and nut wedges. The four adult sons wanted the dishes for breaking their fast.

In other years they would have taken photos of the table setting and shared them via WhatsApp and Facebook. But in the current situation? "No! Relatives and friends in Gaza have next to nothing to eat," they say. Trucks with flour, rice, oil and drinking water can hardly get through to the people in the war zone. Aid packages dropped from planes only reach a few of the people in need. Read

Inflation in Turkey increased again in February. Consumer prices rose by over 67 percent year-on-year. The central bank recently stopped raising the key interest rate further.

Even after the change at the top of the central bank, consumer prices in Turkey continue to rise massively - even more sharply than recently. The inflation rate rose to 67.07 percent year-on-year, the national statistics office announced today in Ankara. After currency devaluation remained at just under 65 percent at the turn of the year, it has recently picked up speed again. Read

There are 300 languages ​​and dialects in China, but many are threatened with extinction - also because the government wants everyone to speak standard Chinese. A report on International Mother Language Day.

Fewer and fewer young people speak Shanghai Hua, the dialect of Shanghai. Zhang Chunling, who lives in the city, says she finds this a shame: "You may not believe it, but I feel like my heart is broken. It's like something has been taken away from me. What can I do for Shanghai do? The only thing I can do is teach people Shanghai dialect." Read

Japan is also in recession. Because the yen is so weak, the country is falling down in the ranking of the largest economies - which means Germany is now in third place. But the domestic economic crisis also continues.

Japan loses third place among the world's largest economies, falling behind Germany. In the fourth and final quarter of last year, Japan slipped into recession due to weak domestic demand. It is the second quarter in a row with a negative sign for gross domestic product (GDP). Read

Chinese platforms such as Temu, Shein and AliExpress ship most of their products duty-free to Europe. It's about billions of packages a year. SWR research shows how online retailers exploit customs and tax gaps.

The Belgian regional airport in Liège is now one of the largest air freight hubs in Europe. More than a million small packages arrive here from China every day. A large part of it goes on to Germany. At the 60 Belgian customs checkpoints around the airport, it is clear every day how Asian shippers are cheating. Read

A Düsseldorf company apparently belongs to an Iranian holding company that is sanctioned by the USA. Internal documents available to WDR and SZ raise the question of whether the Revolutionary Guards also benefit from the deals.

The International Business Center is located directly at the exit of the A52 motorway, in an industrial area in the west of Düsseldorf. GIC International GmbH is located here, in a multi-story office building at Monschauer Straße 12. The company has a rather sparse website. You can see photos of power plants and industrial facilities. "Oil, gas, petrochemicals, cement, metal..." - they have 30 years of experience in international trade and have business partners in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. According to official information, the company made around 600 million euros in sales between 2017 and 2021. Read

Just a week ago, Iran said it had launched a communications satellite into space. Now, according to the IRNA news agency, three more followed. Western governments view the launches with concern.

Iran has launched three more communications satellites into orbit. According to the state news agency IRNA, the Simorgh launch vehicle successfully sent the satellites into space. It is the first time that Iran has put three satellites into orbit at the same time. Read

Foreign companies invested significantly less in China in 2023 than in the previous year. One of the reasons is the de-risking strategy of Western countries, another is the poor economy in China.

Poor economic activity, high credit costs and the political goal of de-risking: In 2023, foreign companies invested less in China for the first time in more than a decade. Their direct investments totaled just 1.13 trillion yuan (146 billion euros), as the Ministry of Commerce in Beijing announced. This corresponds to a decrease of 8.0 percent compared to the previous year. Read

China's inflation rate in 2023 was the lowest it has been in more than a decade. Foreign trade figures for the year as a whole also increased only slightly, at 0.2 percent.

Deflationary pressure remains. According to the statistics office, consumer prices for the year as a whole increased slightly, by 0.2 percent compared to the previous year. But over the past three months, China's economy has already been in deflation. Prices fell again in December compared to the previous month. As the statistics office in Beijing announced, they fell by 0.3 percent. Economists consider falling prices to be bad for the economy. They warn of a similar stagnation in the economy as in past decades in Japan. Read

The Dutch government has revoked certain export licenses from chip supplier ASML for business with China. The background is allegations from the USA that Beijing is using the technology for military purposes.

According to the ASML group, the Dutch government has partially revoked an export license for the delivery of some devices to China. The company announced today that the reason was US export restrictions. The company said the revocation will impact a small number of customers in China. Read

The trade deficit with China is growing - the EU no longer wants to accept this. In Beijing, the EU leadership is insisting on reducing trade barriers. President Xi advocates a partnership - but rejects any interference.

It is the first physical meeting between EU leaders and Chinese leaders in four years - and it has a clear focus: economic relations.

At the start of the talks, EU Council President Charles Michel called on China's state and party leader Xi Jinping to reduce trade barriers for European companies. Goods worth more than two billion euros are exchanged between China and the European Union every day, but the European Union's trade deficit amounts to almost 400 billion euros, criticized Michel. It is hoped that concrete measures can be implemented to bring this relationship back into balance. Read

German entrepreneurs concerns about their business in China are increasing. Companies are now changing their strategies: parts of the company should be able to be separated quickly in an emergency and supply chains should return to Europe.

Fans from ebm-papst are used all over the world. The world market leader from Germany has also been producing in China for almost 30 years. For the company from Mulfingen in southern Germany, the country is the second most important market. The factory near Shanghai also supplies fans to the Asian market.

Thomas Nürnberger, who has been responsible for the China business at ebm-papst for seven years, is slowly becoming too risky. He is implementing a program called “Decoupling China”. Concrete measures for emergencies are currently being prepared. Read

Rice, sausages, toy cars: On Chinese online platforms like Douyin, livestream shoppers sell goods every second. A huge market with an estimated turnover of 450 billion euros last year.

Live streamer Zheng Xiangxiang even made it onto social media outside of China with her sales appearances. She became known for only holding the goods up to the camera for a few seconds at a time. Her assistants give her shoes, clothes, cosmetics and so on, she briefly opens the box, says the price and continues.

Zheng Xiangxiang has around five million followers on Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of the short video app TikTok. According to reports, the young live streamer earned the equivalent of more than ten million euros a week. In October, the Douyin platform banned this type of livestreaming in which you don't learn anything about the product, but the market is huge and for many famous influencers in China, livestream shopping is a secondary or even the main source of income. Read

The shortage of skilled workers on the labor market should also be eliminated through immigration. From today onwards, the Skilled Immigration Act will gradually come into force. What does this mean for the economy?

Skilled workers are urgently needed in Germany. The gap in the labor market must also be closed through immigration: around one in seven employees in Germany has already immigrated. Foreign workers make up around 15 percent of employees with social insurance, according to statistics from the Federal Employment Agency (BA). To ensure that well-trained skilled workers continue to come to Germany in the future, the Skilled Immigration Act is gradually coming into force from today. Read

Tianjin is one of the most modern and richest cities in China. But that is precisely where the economic crisis is manifesting itself. Empty skyscrapers symbolize the problems the country is struggling with.

Drive through Tianjin-Binhai. An impressive skyline - about 80 kilometers east of the core city of Tianjin. The metropolis is located in the north of China, near the capital Beijing. Here there are skyscrapers next to skyscrapers, criss-crossed by wide streets.

The driver tells us a little: This high-rise building is empty, that one too, they stopped building here. He estimates that around 70 percent of the houses here are empty. The statement cannot be verified. However, if you look closely, you will notice that many of the buildings are unused or have not been completed. Read

Inflation in Turkey remains very high, but at least price increases are slowing. Inflation drivers included clothing, gastronomy and the weakness of the local currency.

Consumer prices in Turkey rose by 61.36 percent in October compared to the same month last year. The statistics authority Tuik announced this today. In September the inflation rate was slightly higher at 61.53 percent.

However, Turkish consumers should prepare for further price increases in the coming months, as the statements by central bank chief Hafize Gaye Erkan show: At the end of the year, they expect inflation to be around 65 percent year-on-year, said Erkan. The peak is likely to be reached next May at 70 to 75 percent. Read

The Transrapid was once the epitome of German cutting-edge technology. This was also the beginning of an era for China: in 2002, the first commercial Transrapid route was opened in Shanghai. What happened to her?

Anyone who visits the magnetic levitation train museum in Shanghai takes a journey back in time to Emsland. It goes back to 1983, to the former Transrapid test track. German technology and German engineering are upheld in this museum. It is the basis for what has been floating over the tracks in Shanghai two floors above the museum from the Transrapid train station for a good 20 years: the world's first commercial magnetic levitation train, also known as Maglev.

Federal Transport Minister Kurt Bodewig sent the Transrapid to Shanghai in 2002. For China, it should be the beginning of a new era in rail transport. Read

The Chinese economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter. The economy suffered greatly from the lockdowns during the corona pandemic and now appears to be recovering.

The gross domestic product (GDP) in China grew by 4.9 percent in the third quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year. This means that the Chinese economy is getting off to a better start than experts had expected.

Economists surveyed by the Reuters news agency had expected economic output to grow by just 4.4 percent for the period from July to September. Read

The Chinese Internet is subject to strict censorship and critical posts are quickly deleted. But a little pink dinosaur is now giving people courage. What it's all about.

A pink dinosaur is shaking up the Chinese internet. Tens of thousands of accounts on the Chinese online networks Xiaohongshu and Douban have the same name: Momo. And they comment as much as they can. Their profile pictures show a pink dinosaur with small, round button eyes, flushed cheeks and usually a smile. Sometimes he has a watermelon or flowers in his hand, sometimes he is wearing glasses or headphones. It is an emoji that has been around on the Chinese internet since 2014 and is now finding new use. Read

Almost two million Afghans live as refugees in Pakistan - many of them for a long time. Anyone who does not have any documents should now be deported. Observers fear a humanitarian catastrophe.

Pakistan's Acting Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti is certain: Of the 24 suicide bombers who attacked Pakistan this year, 14 were Afghan nationals living in Pakistan. He then lists the most serious attacks - attacks attributed to the Taliban group TTP, which is active in Pakistan: in Peshawar in January, in Balochistan in May and again in July, and on the border with Afghanistan in September. Dozens dead. This is now over, says Bugti. All illegal immigrants would have to leave Pakistan. And it is clear who is meant: it is predominantly about Afghans. Read

Airports, train stations, roads, bridges - for years everything in China was designed for expansion. Now the infrastructure is often underutilized. Have the limits of growth been reached?

Anyone traveling from Shanghai to Beijing on the Chinese high-speed train Fuxing will experience speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour. The ride is virtually smooth and almost always on time. The route between the two metropolises is well booked. Read

In view of the high inflation, the Turkish central bank has once again significantly raised the key interest rate. Other central banks in Europe also announced their interest rate decisions today.

In view of the persistently high inflation, the Turkish monetary authorities have once again raised interest rates significantly. The key interest rate will rise by 5.0 percentage points to 30.0 percent, as the central bank announced today in Ankara after its monetary policy meeting. It is already the fourth interest rate increase in a row.

Despite the significant interest rate hike, the key interest rate is still below the inflation rate, which rose to 58.9 percent in August. The aim of the decision is to initiate a process of falling inflation rates and to anchor inflation expectations, according to the central bank's statement. Inflation rates in July and August were above expectations. Read

The EU sources a large proportion of its lithium-ion batteries from China. According to media reports, a strategy paper warns the EU that demand could increase and lead to even greater dependence on China - and calls for countermeasures.

In a strategy paper, the Spanish EU Council Presidency warns the international community against dependence on China for lithium-ion batteries and fuel cells. Without countermeasures, the EU could become as dependent on China by 2030 as it was for energy supplies from Russia before the war in Ukraine, reports the Reuters news agency. The paper, which was prepared for the heads of state and government of the EU, is intended to form the basis for discussions about Europe's economic security at the EU summit in Granada, Spain, at the beginning of October. Read

Apple has been drawn directly into the power struggle between China and the USA. Chinese government employees should no longer use iPhones, the company will lose 200 billion in market value. What could the consequences be?

Conspicuous advertising for the iPhone has so far also been seen in China's capital Beijing. “Be careful about the security of your personal information,” read a giant billboard in the city this spring that Apple used to promote its most important product. The US company also has an Apple Store in the city.

Could that change now? As several media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, consistently report, Chinese authorities, institutions and state-owned companies have banned their employees from using the iPhone for work. Read

The Indian economy is growing rapidly. India is said to have overtaken Germany and Japan in just four years. People who had previously emigrated return to their homeland and set up companies there.

The latest business figures, which Srikanth Reddy presents to his team, are on the projector. The 29-year-old from the southern Indian metropolis of Hyderabad founded the start-up Hala Mobility: a company that focuses on sustainable mobility and lends electric scooters to customers and delivery men. Within three years he collected around one million dollars in investor funds, and he has now hired almost 80 employees.

Reddy studied in Italy and Spain and did his doctorate in Madrid. For a few years he worked as a well-paid data specialist in Spain's capital. Then he made a conscious decision to return to his home country. "With my job I could have lived a carefree life in Europe," says Reddy. "But what I really wanted was to make a difference. I wanted to create something that would solve a big problem." Read

In view of the high inflation, the Turkish central bank has raised the key interest rate to 25 percent in an unexpectedly large step. It was the third rate hike in a row.

The Turkish central bank is raising the key interest rate by 7.5 percentage points to 25.0 percent, as the central bank announced today after its monetary policy meeting. The financial markets were surprised by this significant increase: on average, economists had only expected an increase to 20 percent.

However, the key interest rate is still below the inflation rate, which rose to almost 50 percent in July. With the big hike in interest rates, the central bankers are therefore likely to have tried to underpin their determination in the fight against high inflation. Read

Japan is currently surprising with growth rates that other economies like Germany can only dream of. What is different there than in the other industrialized countries?

Economists are amazed at the Japanese economic growth: while Germany is in the middle of a recession, Japan's economy is on course for growth. The economy grew significantly in the second quarter, with gross domestic product (GDP) climbing an annualized 6.0 percent between April and June. Compared to the previous quarter, the plus is 1.5 percent.

What are the reasons for the exceptional growth rate? "The GDP surge to a record high was led by foreign trade. Exports rose sharply while imports fell," commented John Vail, market strategist at Asian wealth manager Nikko AM.

Japan is currently benefiting from the Bank of Japan's delayed monetary tightening, the devaluation of the yen and a late post-pandemic reopening of the economy. "This gives Japan a good chance of decoupling itself from the global economic cycle," says Johan Van Geeteruyen, market expert at asset manager DPAM. Read

In China, too, people are concerned about the downturn in the economy. After fears of deflation, bad figures from foreign trade are added today, which collapsed in July.

For China, the second largest economy in the world, the growth prospects are becoming increasingly gloomy. China's exports and imports fell faster than expected in July. After sharp declines in the previous months, exports in July fell by 14.5 percent year-on-year in dollars, as the customs authorities announced in Beijing today. Imports recorded a similarly significant drop of 12.4 percent. Both values ​​were even worse than expected by analysts.

After a strong start to the year, the economy is slowing down noticeably and German companies are also disappointed by expectations. China's economy grew at a slow pace in the second quarter as demand slowed both at home and abroad. Read

Laptops, tablets, PCs: India restricts imports of electronic devices. Domestic production is to be boosted in this way. India has already imposed high tariffs on mobile phones in the past.

The Indian government has restricted the import of electronic devices such as laptops, tablets and PCs. Behind this is a multi-billion dollar incentive system designed to boost local production. In the future, the devices can only be imported with a license, the Indian government announced.

"The point of this move is to move manufacturing to India. It's not a nudge, it's a nudge," commented Ali Akhtar Jafri, former director general of electronics association MAIT. Read

China wants to overcome the economic crisis with a number of economic stimulus measures and personnel changes in key positions. It remains to be seen whether such a turnaround can succeed.

As has long been suspected on the capital markets, China has appointed a new head of the central bank. Vice President Pan Gongsheng replaces Yi Gang as head of the central bank, Chinese media reports. Pan has been Vice Federal Reserve since 2012. He had also done research at Cambridge and Harvard. Read

Minister of Labor Heil is traveling in India to get young people excited about Germany. He advertises the new immigration law, but asks for understanding of bureaucracy. There are also critical questions.

"Skilled labor immigration law" is not an easy word to translate. But the fact that German companies are desperately looking for young talent is a message that Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil, who traveled to India for a G20 ministerial meeting, not only conveys to his counterparts. But also young people personally, in a museum café in New Delhi.

"We have now created a modern immigration law in Germany. The most liberal we have ever had," says Heil. He wants to make it clear that Germany not only needs a few academics bureaucratically, but that there is a real need for massively qualified immigration - including for people with professional qualifications. "I'm looking forward to talking to young people who are planning to come to Germany," he says. Read

Exports from China shrank by more than 12 percent in June. Imports have also fallen significantly. The economic slump in important trading partners has consequences for the Asian country.

China's foreign trade contracted significantly in June for the second time in a row. Exports fell 12.4 percent year-on-year to around $285 billion, the customs agency said today. The imports of the second largest economy fell by 6.8 percent to 215 billion dollars. Both values ​​​​were weaker than expected by experts. Foreign trade had already cooled off in the previous months.

The main reason for the decline in exports is primarily the weak dynamics on the world markets. Inflation and higher interest rates and energy prices as a result of the war in Ukraine are also impacting demand for products "Made in China". Read

Reconstruction after the earthquake in southern Turkey is costing the country tens of billions of dollars. To finance it, the government increases taxes. Consumers are affected, but so are companies.

Turkey's government is raising taxes to help finance reconstruction efforts following February's devastating earthquake in Turkey. According to an official statement, VAT is to rise from 18 percent to 20 percent.

The tax rate will also be increased for everyday goods such as toilet paper, detergent and diapers - from eight to ten percent. Read

German clinics are urgently looking for nurses. Therefore, two years ago, the Federal Employment Agency entered into a cooperation agreement with the Indian state of Kerala. Now comes the first nursing staff.

26-year-old Jeenamo Thomas has been preparing for this day for half a year. She learned German for four hours five days a week in Trivandrum, the capital of the southern Indian state of Kerala. Now the young Indian woman will leave her homeland in a few days and start a new life thousands of kilometers away in Hamburg. Read

Rising minimum wages, a fluctuating lira exchange rate, almost 80 percent inflation: Turkey has lost its attractiveness as a business location in recent years. Nevertheless, thousands of German companies are active there.

The brand new production halls of the North Rhine-Westphalian family company Ejot west of Istanbul are bright and offer plenty of space. The medium-sized company has been in Turkey for over 20 years and mainly produces screws in all variations. He has invested 25 million euros in the new plant - a clear commitment to the country.

"That's an order of magnitude, we don't do that every year in every country," says Ejot CFO Wolfgang Bach during a factory visit: "That was almost half of the total investment volume last year, so it was a very conscious decision, knowing full well that there are also risks." But the family business has come to the realization that the opportunities of investing in Turkey are greater than the risks. Read

Restricting Internet access or shutting it down entirely - it's part of the standard repertoire of the Indian authorities. The country now has the most internet shutdowns in the world. The reasons are often political in nature.

Pay for a meal online, send a WhatsApp message or be navigated by Google Maps. All of this was impossible for 30 million people in large parts of the Indian state of Rajasthan for a whole week at the end of February.

Because the exams for prospective teachers were running, the state government had simply cut the mobile Internet connection from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Before the start of the exam, parts of the exam, including the solution, had ended up on the Internet. The tests after leaks had already been canceled or postponed in previous years. The drastic measure, it was said, was intended to stop the spread of leaked documents and thus prevent fraud. Read

German companies in China are pessimistic about the future. More than half of the companies expect "unchanged or worse" industry development this year. This is shown by data from the German Chamber of Commerce.

Confidence in an upturn looks different: According to a recent survey by the German Chamber of Commerce in China (AHK), more than half of German companies in China rate their own business prospects as the same or worse than recently.

China is still an important market and growth driver for many companies, says Hubertus Troska, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce. Nevertheless: "The economic recovery has not progressed as quickly as had been expected. The companies cite the growth conditions in the market as reasons on the one hand and the geopolitical tensions on the other hand, which make doing business more difficult," says Troska. Read

What will happen after Erdogan's election victory in Turkey? The political scientist Bagci does not believe that Erdogan will now completely do away with democracy. But Erdogan can now appear even more confident abroad.

Turkey is experiencing historic days: for the first time there was a runoff election for the presidency, and the winner Recep Tayyip Erdogan also made history.

"The fact that Tayyip Erdogan has been elected for another five years is also unique in our history - it's 100 years this year," says political scientist Hüseyin Bagci in Ankara. "We have never had a politician who will be in government for 25 years. Historically speaking, he is an exceptional personality in Turkish history." Read

The first passenger aircraft designed in China has successfully completed its maiden flight. But there are doubts that the C919 could conquer the international market and compete with Airbus and Boeing.

The first passenger plane developed in China has taken off on its maiden commercial flight. The C919 aircraft, built by the Commercial Aviation Corporation of China (COMAC), carried around 130 passengers from Shanghai Hongqiao Airport to Beijing, according to the state-run newspaper China Daily. The flight lasted less than two hours. The lettering was emblazoned on the machine: "The first C919 in the world".

The passengers were lavishly entertained on board. Images in state media showed passengers waving Chinese flags and singing patriotic songs while cakes were distributed to them. A short ceremony to celebrate the successful maiden flight then took place on the runway in Beijing. The flight was "extremely smooth, comfortable and memorable," a passenger told state broadcaster CCTV. "I think I'll remember it fondly for a while." Read

It is the first summit of its kind: China's President Xi has invited five Central Asian countries to Xi'an. The main focus of the meeting was economic policy. Observers see it as a clear signal to the West and to Moscow.

China wants to work more closely with the Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. President Xi Jinping presented a development plan for the five former Soviet republics at the China-Central Asia Summit in Xi'an, China.

China is willing to pool development strategies with the five states and press ahead with joint modernization efforts, Xi said in his speech at the meeting in central China's Shaanxi Province. This includes building infrastructure networks, closer cooperation in the energy and industrial sectors and boosting trade. Read

Resentment about the economic crisis could decide the outcome of the elections in Turkey. High inflation and a weak currency are burdening the population, and investors have lost confidence.

The country's economic situation obviously plays a very important role in Turkey's presidential elections - possibly the decisive one. Rising prices have made daily needs more expensive. Broad sections of the population have difficulties buying essentials. The price of a kilo of onions in the capital, Ankara, has quintupled in the last 18 months.

The lira is on the decline and has lost half of its value against the euro since 2021, and inflation is around 50 percent. It peaked in October 2022 with an inflation rate of over 80 percent. Read

The weakness of the global economy is also affecting Chinese exports. They grew more slowly in April and imports fell significantly. Is China's economic recovery at risk?

China's foreign trade lost momentum in April. Beijing Customs said today that exports rose just 8.5 percent year-on-year to $295.4 billion. The increase was thus lower than in the previous month, when an increase of 14.8 percent was recorded.

"We believe March's 14.8 percent year-on-year growth is unsustainable and monthly export growth could slip back into the low single digits or even into negative territory," wrote Ting Lu, chief China economist at Nomura. He referred to a slowing global economy and increasing geopolitical tensions. Read

In Turkey, many women see themselves in a difficult environment between religion and patriarchy. Many fear that, depending on the outcome of the May 14 elections, their situation could continue to deteriorate.

"In this country, women are kept in check" - the 20-year-old Defne is outraged. And women's rights are being curtailed more and more: First, Turkey is withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention for the Protection of Women from Violence. Things could get worse now, says left-leaning politician Menekse Kizildere. Right-wing parties that support President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the election want to scrap Law 6284, she says. It is considered the most important remaining to protect women. "It's their campaign promise to repeal this law - that's as far as they go," says Kizildere. Read

With billions of euros, the EU wants to make itself more independent of Asia when it comes to computer chips. Not only the planned Intel chip factory in Magdeburg could benefit from this.

The EU wants to ensure that Europe becomes more independent of Asian manufacturers when it comes to computer chips. The "European Chips Act" is intended to promote the expansion of the European microchip industry. A package worth 43 billion euros is being put together for this purpose, financed from the EU budget and the private sector. The European Parliament and the member states still have to approve the project, which, however, is considered a formality.

Chips are used, for example, in cars, household appliances and smartphones. But there have been bottlenecks in semiconductors for a long time, for example in the automotive industry. The Munich car manufacturer BMW had to temporarily interrupt production in 2021 due to the shortage. The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) warned in January that 20 percent fewer vehicles could be produced worldwide by 2026 due to the shortage of chips. Read

The partner country of the Hannover Messe this year is Indonesia - the country with the world's largest nickel deposits. The country is interesting for German car manufacturers. But what is Indonesia hoping for?

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Indonesia's President Joko Widodo open the Hannover Messe in a festive manner. A great moment for Indonesia. Because of the corona pandemic, her appearance here was postponed several times. In his opening speech, President Widodo invites the German economy to invest in Indonesia - especially in building a green economy. Read

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran have met for the first time in seven years. China had brokered the talks that took place in Beijing.

Iran-Saudi Arabia's foreign ministers Hussein Amirabdollahian and Faisal bin Farhan have met for the first time in seven years. The talks took place in the strictest secrecy and mediated by China in Beijing. Both countries have been hostile to each other for years.

The foreign ministers agreed to allow civilian flights between Saudi Arabia and Iran again as part of their rapprochement. However, there is not yet a time frame for the resumption of flight connections. Both countries also want to make it easier for the citizens of the other country to issue visas, including for Iranian pilgrimages to Mecca. Read

China's "New Silk Road" is becoming more expensive: 60 percent of foreign loans are in danger of defaulting. To avoid this, Beijing grants rescue loans and thus creates new dependencies.

According to a study by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), the ambitious "New Silk Road" trade project will result in high costs for China. More and more emerging and developing countries that have taken out loans from the People's Republic for the construction of infrastructure can no longer service them as planned. As a result, the Chinese government has significantly increased bailout loans in recent years. Read

China's planned entry into the port of Hamburg shows how deep the gap in the government's dealings with Beijing is. A clear course is still missing. According to research by NDR and WDR, Chinese investments are now being examined more strictly.

This is certainly not how the Hamburg port operator had imagined its annual balance sheet. In a few days, the operator of the most important German port, HHLA, will present its figures for 2022. It will probably be about high energy costs, the economic downturn and a result that one would probably have wished for higher. Above all, however, one thing is clear: one of the most important deals of the past year is still up in the air.

The entry of the Chinese state-owned company Cosco at the Hamburg container terminal has not been completed almost two years after the start of negotiations. At the beginning of the year, HHLA said optimistically that they had agreed on "specific requirements" and that only the final details were being clarified.

Cosco, however, sounded more cautious: not all the conditions for entry had been met. There is no guarantee. It is still being discussed with the Federal Ministry of Economics (BMWK). Read

The rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran came as a surprise to many. For the region, it could mean upheaval, shifting power relations and - so the hope of many - easing conflicts.

When it comes to the future, political scientist Mostafa Kamal from Cairo University suddenly has a bit of euphoria in his voice. "The title of my next article will be: 'The New Middle East'. This agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran is the beginning of a new Middle East - unlike anything we have known before," said Kamal. Read

The Netherlands is making it more difficult to export certain microchip production machines to China. This is necessary for national and international security. The Chinese government protests.

The Dutch government has announced new export restrictions on computer chip manufacturing technology. "The government has come to the conclusion that it is necessary for international and national security to extend the existing export controls for certain semiconductor manufacturing plants," Dutch Foreign Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher wrote in a letter to parliament.

According to the government, the goal is to prevent military use by China and to protect the position of the Netherlands in such technologies. The regulation should come into force in the summer. Read

The Iranian currency is in free fall. In just two weeks, the rial fell by more than 20 percent against the euro. Iran speaks of a "conspiracy of the enemy".

The Iranian currency has fallen to a fresh low against the dollar. On Sunday, more than 600,000 rials had to be paid for one dollar in the exchange offices - more than ever before. The rial also hit a record low against the euro.

In the past two weeks alone, the Iranian currency has fallen by more than 20 percent compared to the European common currency. It's one of the biggest drops in value in such a short space of time in recent years. Read

The Turkish central bank lowered its key interest rate after the devastating earthquake. However, the central bankers are not expecting the natural disaster to have any lasting effects on the economy.

The Turkish central bank in Ankara has lowered the key interest rate by 0.5 percentage points - to 8.5 percent. It's the lowest it's been in three years. On average, however, economists had expected an even greater reduction to 8.0 percent, probably also against the background of the earthquake disaster.

The central bank had kept the key interest rate stable for the last two months after it had been lowered several times before. The central bankers had decided to take a break after several interest rate cuts had recently weighed on the Turkish lira. The weak Turkish lira is considered a major reason for the high inflation. Read

According to a study, German companies are only extremely dependent on Chinese imports for individual products - but the situation here is "critical". Which products are particularly affected?

The German economy is very dependent on China for important products - laptops, mobile phones and medical devices such as respiratory masks. Here the import shares are up to 90 percent, according to an analysis published today by the Kiel-based economic research institute IfW. The IfW experts identified a total of 221 products for which China and Taiwan together dominate German imports.

Overall, however, the dependency is significantly lower than classic trade statistics suggest. Only an extremely small part of German production depends on Chinese inputs. By far the largest part comes from German contributions. According to this, German companies are only dependent on Chinese imports for individual products - in these cases, however, the dependency is "critical". "For the majority of the products, the import share of both countries is over 80 percent," explained the IfW. Read

Germany is buying more and more products from China, but German exports to China are increasing only slowly. The industry-related Institute of German Business considers this a dangerous development.

China is Germany's most important trading partner, but according to a study by the German Economic Institute (IW), the dependence of the German economy on China is greater than ever. The gap between imports and exports in the China business is therefore widening.

According to IW calculations, the trade deficit with China grew to more than 84 billion euros last year. It has more than doubled compared to the previous year. Read

The quarantine requirement in China has been abolished since the beginning of January. Airlines are allowed to fly there again without restrictions. But the number of international flights has hardly increased. Why?

A press conference earlier this week in Beijing: Lin Yongsheng from the Chinese border authorities presented figures. According to this, almost 2.9 million people entered or left the country during the great wave of travel for the first spring festival since the beginning of the pandemic without restrictions. Read

North Korea had already declared the corona virus defeated. According to a media report, a new lockdown has now been imposed in the capital Pyongyang. Officially, the step is only justified with "respiratory diseases".

According to a report, North Korea has ordered a five-day lockdown for the capital Pyongyang because of "respiratory diseases". As the South Korean news website "NK News" reported, citing a government announcement, residents of the North Korean capital were ordered to stay at home from Wednesday to Sunday.

According to the report, they also have to have their body temperature measured several times a day. The official announcement did not mention the corona virus, instead talking about common colds.

Just the day before, "NK News" reported, citing sources in Pyongyang, that people in North Korea's capital were apparently stocking up on goods in anticipation of a lockdown. Read

According to a study, demographic and economic shifts will ensure that the West will have significantly less weight in the global economy in the future. This could also endanger prosperity in Germany.

According to a study, Europe and the USA will lose massive economic dominance in the next 20 years. According to an analysis by the Prognos research and consulting institute commissioned by the Bavarian Business Association (vbw), the Asian economic area in particular will catch up in the course of "demographic and economic shifts" by 2040.

"The world economy is in upheaval, a shift in power is underway," said vbw CEO Bertram Brossardt. While the growth potential "in the traditional industrialized countries" in North America and Western and Central Europe is limited due to the stagnating population development, "many emerging countries, especially in Asia, are experiencing a dynamic catching-up process". For example, East Asia and the Pacific will "gain in economic importance". The most important driver in the region is China. Read

China's exports and imports contracted significantly in December. The reason is probably the massive wave of corona infections after the state and party leadership had lifted the strict zero-Covid policy.

China's December exports fell 9.9 percent year-on-year due to falling global demand. Imports also fell, down 7.5 percent compared to December 2021, according to foreign trade figures released by China's customs for December and for the whole of last year. Read

Small and medium-sized companies are also heavily dependent on global supply chains - many are now looking for other procurement strategies. However, business with China is indispensable for the solar industry, for example.

Corona pandemic, war in Ukraine, chaos of inflation: The pressure of current crises is also weighing on the shoulders of the solar energy specialist Belectric. The events of the last few years have shown one thing above all: "That the global supply chains are much more vulnerable than assumed," says Peter Walch, CTO and Head of Purchasing at Belectric. Read

After the corona restrictions were still in place for the past two years, tens of thousands of Christians from all over the world are now celebrating Christmas in Bethlehem again. Patriarch Pizzaballa warned of an increase in violence in the Middle East.

Almost three years after the outbreak of the corona pandemic, thousands of pilgrims from all over the world celebrated Christmas in Bethlehem for the first time. In the Israeli-occupied West Bank city where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born, Christians prayed at the Church of the Nativity on Christmas Eve while police cordoned off Manger Square in front of the Church of the Nativity and tourists scanned for selfies.

A festive mood prevailed in Bethlehem, inhabited by both Christians and Muslims. A huge Christmas tree and colorful balloons decorated the streets, Boy Scout groups marched through the streets playing the bagpipes under the eyes of numerous spectators. Read

In a few years, green electricity from Azerbaijan will be delivered to Europe. This requires the construction of an underwater cable through the Black Sea, a corresponding agreement was signed today.

The EU wants to secure renewable energies from Azerbaijan. To this end, a 1,100-kilometer underwater power cable with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts is to run through the Black Sea to Romania. The heads of state and government of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary signed a corresponding agreement in the presence of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Read

Chinese Prime Minister Xi's state visit to Saudi Arabia is not just about oil. Above all, it is about sending a signal to the USA that new geopolitical partners have been found.

A pompous reception at the airport, fighter pilots painted the Chinese colors red and yellow in the sky. Xi Jinping is a welcome guest in Saudi Arabia.

For one of his first trips after the corona pandemic, the Chinese head of state chose the oil-rich country on the Gulf. For two reasons, observers say.

Firstly, there are economic interests, especially energy. The two countries are close trading partners, and Riyadh is one of Beijing's most important oil suppliers. The People's Republic is the largest energy consumer in the world and wants to secure future energy supplies from the Gulf region. As is so often the case, the main topic is oil. Read

Germany wants to further develop relations with India. There is "great potential" in the country, said Foreign Minister Baerbock at a meeting with her counterpart Jaishankar. The focus is on climate protection, migration and security.

Against the background of the Russian war in Ukraine and the dispute with China, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock sees India as a close ally and partner in values. India is currently not only assuming the G20 presidency, but also global responsibility, she said after a meeting with Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi. The Russian war against Ukraine also poses enormous challenges for India.

She underlined that India intends to prioritize climate protection during its G20 presidency. Germany and India want to further expand cooperation, for example in the accelerated energy transition away from coal, oil and gas, as Baerbock said. Germany stands by India as a partner for more climate protection and renewable energy. Indo-German cooperation in the field of security policy should also be strengthened, especially in the Indo-Pacific region. Read

The US has banned the import and sale of devices from well-known Chinese manufacturers. The FCC said these are an "unacceptable risk" to national security. Among others, Huawei and ZTE are affected.

The US government bans the sale and import of communication devices from Chinese smartphone manufacturers and network suppliers Huawei and ZTE. They posed an unacceptable risk to national security, the US telecommunications regulator FCC said. The FCC wants to ensure "that untrustworthy communications devices are not authorized for use within our borders," said FCC Director Jessica Rosenworcel.

"As a result of our order, no new Huawei or ZTE devices can be approved," FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr wrote on Twitter. It is also possible to revoke existing permits. It is the "first time in FCC history" that new devices have been banned due to national safety concerns. Read

Chancellor Scholz wants to expand trade with other Asian countries alongside China. One-sided dependencies for raw materials and technologies should be reduced through closer cooperation with the Asia-Pacific region.

At a conference in Singapore, Chancellor Olaf Scholz offered the countries of Asia and the Pacific region closer economic cooperation. "The Asia-Pacific region is much more than China," he said in his speech. "My message is: Germany would like to strengthen economic ties with your region." Read

Turkey's inflation continues to gallop away and has now hit a record high of 85.5 percent. Experts are convinced: Turkey has not yet reached the peak of inflation.

Inflation in Turkey has peaked: in October, consumer prices were 85.5 percent higher than a year earlier. This is the highest increase in 25 years. In the previous month, inflation was still 83.4 percent. On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose by 3.5 percent in October.

But the end of the inflation flagpole still does not seem to have been reached. This is indicated by the rapid price increases at manufacturer level. Producer prices rose 157.7 percent year-on-year in October. Producer sales prices are an important early indicator of consumer price trends. Read

The Israeli cabinet has approved the maritime border treaty with Lebanon. This clears the way for signing. Mediated by the United States, both countries previously agreed on the agreement that is intended to enable offshore gas production in the Mediterranean.

The Israeli government has finally passed the agreement on the common sea border with Lebanon, thus paving the way for signing. This is a diplomatic achievement, said Israeli Prime Minister Jair Lapid at the beginning of the special cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. "It's not every day that a hostile country recognizes the State of Israel in a written agreement before the international community."

The result is also remarkable because both countries have been officially at war since 1948 and have no official diplomatic relations. The agreement puts an end to a decades-long dispute between the two warring countries over an area of ​​sea off the coast. The dispute over the border in the Mediterranean had intensified after the discovery of large mineral deposits. The negotiations were mediated by the United States. Read

The German and European markets are becoming increasingly attractive for China's car manufacturers. Corporations such as BYD, Nio and Great Wall Motors sense their chance at the Paris Motor Show to capture market shares in the field of e-mobility.

The Paris Motor Show is in crisis. Almost all the famous brands in the car industry have canceled. BMW, Volkswagen and Audi will not be there, as will Ford, Toyota, Hyundai and Fiat. Mercedes only has one appearance in the vicinity of the fair. Renault will be there from France and the Stellantis brands Peugeot, DS and Jeep. After all, the two groups BYD and Great Wall Motors are present from China.

For the two companies from China, the opportunity to attract attention from the European public at the Paris Motor Show is not bad. And that's what matters to them, because China's car manufacturers are increasingly turning their attention to the German market. Read

China's government expects the domestic economy to recover significantly in the third quarter. The zero-Covid strategy had weighed heavily on the Chinese economy in recent months.

The Chinese leadership assumes an economic recovery in the autumn. "The economy really recovered in the third quarter," Reform and Development Commission (NDRC) head Zhao Chenxin said at the Communist Party congress today. He acknowledged "difficulties and challenges" and "greater than expected shocks" this year.

There have been some monthly fluctuations due to the external environment, the pandemic, extreme weather and other unexpected factors, the top economic leader said. But overall, the second largest economy is on the recovery course. Read

The US has imposed new export restrictions on China. This includes computer chips. The delivery stop could affect China's development in the technology sector for years to come.

According to the US Department of Commerce, the new export ban affects all semiconductors worldwide and all US-made devices required for semiconductor production. The Reuters news agency was the first to report on the new regulations. Read

The inflation rate in Turkey is the highest it has been in almost a quarter of a century. In September, inflation climbed to 83.45 percent. And that's just the official number.

Inflation in Turkey has climbed to its highest level in 24 years. The inflation rate was 83.45 percent in September, according to the National Bureau of Statistics in Ankara. In August, consumer prices were 80.21 percent higher than in the same month last year. Food prices in Turkey alone rose by a good 93 percent in the past month; However, the transport sector recorded the strongest increase with an official increase of 117.66 percent.

Experts assume that the actual inflation rate is significantly higher. The independent Inflation Research Group estimates that inflation is actually 186.27 percent. Read

Daimler Truck builds Mercedes-Benz trucks in China for China for the first time. The truck manufacturer wants to use this to position itself in the growing market - despite political uncertainties.

Daimler Truck today gave the go-ahead for the local production of Actros semitrailer tractors. Production takes place in a joint venture with the Chinese manufacturer Foton Motor in Huairou north of Beijing. According to the company, the Actros is the flagship of Mercedes-Benz long-distance trucks and has only been exported to China in small numbers so far, which was correspondingly more expensive than local production. With local production, Daimler Truck hopes to be able to offer the trucks more cheaply and thus increase sales, a company spokesman told tagesschau.de Read

Shipping through the Suez Canal will be around 15 percent more expensive in the coming year. The Egyptian Canal Authority justified the price increase with global inflation rates.

Egypt will significantly increase Suez Canal transit fees from 2023. Boat trips through the Suez Canal will cost 15 percent more than before next year. There are only exceptions for cruise ships and bulk carriers, but these should also pay ten percent more, said the Egyptian Canal Authority. Read

The consequences of the strict zero-Covid strategy, heat waves and an ailing real estate sector are weighing on consumption in China. As a result, the inflation rate has now surprisingly fallen.

China's economy is evidently continuing to lose momentum. Against the background of nationwide corona lockdowns in metropolises or tourist locations as well as heat waves, domestic demand is falling. As a result, inflation surprisingly weakened in August. Read

China is reporting more corona infections again and is temporarily closing numerous important companies. This increases concerns about renewed economic damage - which could also be felt in Germany.

Several major Chinese cities have tightened their measures against the spread of the corona virus. In the southern Chinese technology center of Shenzhen, for example, other shops and companies had to close. The world's largest electronics market, Huaqiangbei, has been closed since the beginning of the week. In the northeast port city of Dalian, which is important for imports of soybeans and iron ore, key districts with a population of around three million have been locked down.

In the port city of Tianjin, 13 million people have to undergo PCR tests. In the run-up to an important Communist Party congress in Hebei province, near the capital Beijing, almost four million people have to stay at home until the end of the week. Read

According to a report, Apple also wants to start production of its new iPhone 14 in India. The US manufacturer is trying to become more independent of the production site in China.

The Californian tech group Apple apparently wants to further diversify its iPhone production in order to find alternatives to the important location in China. The company plans to start manufacturing the new iPhone 14 in India, according to financial news outlet Bloomberg. The largest Apple supplier, Foxconn, has already examined the process of shipping items from China and assembling the iPhone 14s in a plant outside the southern Indian metropolis of Chennai.

Apple is expected to launch its new smartphone - the iPhone 14 - in the fall. The new products are expected to be unveiled in September, before sales begin. According to the Bloomberg report, Apple and Foxconn do not believe that a simultaneous launch in India and China this year is realistic, although this remains a long-term goal. The first iPhone 14 from India will probably not be ready until the end of October or November - about two months after the product launch in China. Read

The Chinese economy is weakening. The consequences of the zero-Covid strategy and the real estate crisis are weighing on the economy. Youth unemployment reaches record levels.

Youth unemployment in China has risen to almost 20 percent. Never before have so many young people in the People's Republic been unemployed. This year alone, 10.7 million university graduates will be pouring into the Chinese job market. The ailing economy can no longer provide young people with enough qualified jobs.

Because China's economy is currently struggling with many problems: The radical corona measures have slowed down the Chinese economy since the beginning of the year. Comprehensive lockdowns in several cities, such as in the port and financial city of Shanghai in April and May, have led to standstills from which the Chinese economy is only slowly recovering. Read

How high is the China-Taiwan crisis? And what are the consequences for the global economy? According to experts, a trade war with China would have massive repercussions for Germany.

A trade war with China would cost Germany almost six times as much as Brexit. This is the result of a current study by the ifo Institute. According to the study published today on behalf of the Bavarian Business Association (vbw), the biggest loser would be the automotive industry. Here there would be a loss of added value of around 8.5 percent or $8.306 billion. Mechanical engineering and companies that manufacture transport equipment would also be badly affected - with a loss of 5.201 billion and 1.529 billion dollars respectively. Only comparatively small areas such as the textile industry would benefit.

According to the ifo calculation, higher import tariffs and other trade barriers on both sides would reduce German gross domestic product by 0.81 percent, which would cost a considerable proportion of overall economic growth. In addition, the ifo researchers emphasize that these are only the lower limits of the losses to be expected. Read

Arab Israelis are still underrepresented in the country's booming IT industry. Nazareth, the largest Arab city in Israel, now wants to specifically attract high-tech companies.

When people hear the name Nazareth, the first thing they think of is religion, the Bible and Jesus Christ. The dome of the great Basilica of the Annunciation towers over the old town. According to tradition, this is where Mary's house stood. A place steeped in history, whose change is visible: the Microsoft sign is emblazoned on an office building opposite the basilica. Salesforce, Broadcom and other software companies have also settled here. Read

More and more people from non-EU countries are coming to Germany to work. In the past ten years, the number has tripled - most come from India.

More and more foreign workers from countries outside the EU are coming to Germany: at the end of 2021 there were around 295,000 people who had a temporary residence permit for gainful employment. As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), their number has more than tripled within ten years. At the end of 2011 there were just over 90,500.

Workers from India accounted for the largest share: Eleven percent of the guest workers came from there. Many people also came from the Balkans to work in Germany. Nine percent of the workers from non-EU countries came from Bosnia-Herzegovina, and another seven percent from Kosovo. Read

China's growth slowed significantly in the second quarter. The background to this is the strict Covid measures in the People's Republic.

China's growth slowed significantly in the second quarter. The economic figures, which the spokesman for the statistics office Fu Linghui presented in the Chinese capital Beijing in the morning, are worse than analysts had expected: According to the official figures, the gross domestic product of the second largest economy in the world increased by 0.4 percent in the second quarter compared to the same period last year increase This is the lowest growth since the start of the Covid 19 crisis in early 2020. In the first three months of this year, growth was 4.8 percent compared to the same period last year. Read

The real estate industry is important for China's economy, but has been in crisis for months. Now the Shimao group is starting to falter. He could not make payments due for a billion-dollar bond.

The real estate group Shimao has been in financial difficulties for a long time. But now the company's crisis is escalating dangerously - creditors waited in vain for interest and repayment figures due for a billion-dollar bond traded on the Singapore stock exchange. The Shimao Group justified the default with "market uncertainties" and "difficult operating and financing conditions." Read

President Erdogan's government wants to force companies to sell foreign exchange reserves in order to support the local currency, the lira. Experts warn of economic damage.

Suddenly the lira rose: from last Friday to Monday by around five percent. If you got 18.26 lira for one euro on Thursday, it was temporarily one lira less today. The Turkish Ministry of Finance has once again opened up its bag of tricks to stabilize the domestic currency. But despite the short-term increase, the latest measure mainly causes experts to shake their heads. Read

Egypt is playing an increasingly important role for Germany as a trading partner. But human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized the situation in the country. Can change succeed through investments?

"Mobility has always been important to us Egyptians," says a promotional video. And that's why the champagne corks must have popped in Munich a few weeks ago. "The new railway system will connect people with each other." Read

Bucking the global trend, the Bank of Japan has not hiked interest rates despite inflation and the currency's slide. Why is the central bank of one of the world's largest economies sending such a signal?

Japan's central bank is bucking the global tightening trend, keeping the reins extremely loose despite rising inflation and the yen's sharp slide. While other central banks have recently raised their key interest rates or at least announced a turnaround in interest rates, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) decided today after a two-day meeting to leave its most important monetary policy levers unchanged.

Short-term interest rates are to remain at minus 0.1 percent and long-term rates at around zero. The BoJ is also sticking to its purchases of government bonds and shares. The Japanese currency watchdogs are thus continuing to pursue the opposite course to that of the central banks in Europe and the USA. Read

Europe is looking for alternatives to Russian gas - and has probably struck gold in the Middle East: EU Commission President von der Leyen signed a declaration for a gas agreement with Israel and Egypt.

The EU, Israel and Egypt have signed a declaration of intent for a natural gas agreement. The deal will enable "significant" exports of Israeli gas to Europe for the first time, Israel's Energy Ministry said.

The EU had said Israel could help reduce its dependence on Russian energy in the future. The agreement was signed on the sidelines of an energy conference in the Egyptian capital Cairo, which was also attended by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Officials believe that Israeli gas will be piped to liquefaction facilities in Egypt and then shipped to Europe. Von der Leyen said the agreement would also strengthen regional cooperation. The EU is also planning an agreement with Egypt on the production of hydrogen. Read

The official inflation rate in Turkey is more than 70 percent. The government has now announced measures to curb the high rate of inflation. This supported the course of the Turkish lira.

The Turkish government has announced a series of measures to contain the high rate of inflation. "The fight against inflation remains the top priority," said the Ministry of Finance in Ankara. The coordination of measures between different state institutions is of great importance.

According to the information, the plan is to issue domestic bonds linked to the income of state-owned companies. This is intended to encourage the saving of lira assets. The central bank increased the required reserve ratio for lira cash loans from 10 percent to 20 percent. The goal should be to reduce the growth of the money supply and thus curb the currently prevailing hyperinflationary tendencies. The announcement that the maturities of consumer loans will be limited also points in this direction. Read

China has massively expanded its position as one of the leading economies for digital technologies on the German market. The country even overtook the USA for patents for digital communication technology.

According to an analysis by the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA), China has greatly increased its pace of innovation in digital technology. In all important technology fields related to digitization, the number of published Chinese patent applications effective for Germany in 2021 increased significantly compared to the previous year. Read