Policies & World
Governments, trade, and the geopolitics shaping the global economy.
Policies & World
German Finance Minister Presses G20 to Address Iran War and Trade Tensions
Lars Klingbeil urged the Trump administration to end its war with Iran and warned that the conflict, combined with unresolved trade disputes, is driving global bond yields higher ahead of G20 finance talks in North Carolina.
2 min read
Policies & World
German Officials Renew Push to Ban Far Right AfD Branches Ahead of Key Vote
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Green politician Cem Ozdemir called for legal action against AfD chapters they label ethno nationalist, days before a Saxony Anhalt election that could bring the party into government for the first time.
2 min read
Policies & World
Why Natalie Harp, Always at Trump's Side Lately, Is Drawing Scrutiny
Trump's executive assistant and former One America News host has become a near constant presence beside the president, controlling much of the news he sees and reviewing his social media posts, and her influence is raising questions in Washington.
3 min read
Business
Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Teams With Rolls-Royce to Build Fighter Jet Engines in India
Reliance Industries and Rolls-Royce have agreed to design and manufacture indigenous combat engines for India's fifth-generation fighter program, pushing Mukesh Ambani's empire into one of the hardest technologies in modern manufacturing.
3 min read
Policies & World
Berlin's Russian House: A Cultural Center, or a Base for Propaganda and Spying?
German lawmakers want to close the Russisches Haus on Friedrichstrasse, run by the EU-sanctioned agency Rossotrudnichestvo, which they suspect of serving as a hub for propaganda and espionage, but diplomatic status and fears for the Goethe Institute in Moscow have stayed Berlin's hand.
3 min read
Policies & World
Germany's Economy Minister Warns the AfD's Rise Could Scare Off Investors
Katherina Reiche says growing support for the far-right AfD could unsettle the foreign investors Berlin is courting as it seeks at least 3.75 trillion euros of private capital by 2040 ahead of its first Invest in Germany summit in October.
4 min read
Policies & World
Lee Says Korea's Community in Germany Is a Bridge as Korean Firms Expand in Frankfurt
On the final stop of a five nation tour, President Lee Jae Myung told Koreans in Frankfurt that their community is a key pillar of Korea's competitiveness and a bridge to Europe, as Korean companies deepen their presence across Frankfurt and Hesse.
2 min read
Wealth
New York's Pied-a-Terre Tax Will Barely Scratch the Billionaires It Targets
Mayor Zohran Mamdani's new tax on luxury second homes took effect on July 1, but for owners like Ken Griffin, Jeff Bezos, and Joseph Tsai the bill through 2031 amounts to a tiny fraction of a percent of their fortunes.
3 min read
Markets
Commerzbank Opens the Door to Takeover Talks With UniCredit After Months of Resistance
Chief executive Bettina Orlopp told staff that Commerzbank will hold talks with UniCredit about a possible tie-up, a thaw that comes after the Italian bank built a stake of roughly 48 percent in its German rival.
2 min read
Business
BMW to Shed About 8,000 Jobs in Its Largest Voluntary Buyout as German Auto Pain Deepens
BMW plans to cut roughly 8,000 administrative and development jobs in Germany through the largest voluntary redundancy programme in its history, aiming for about 1 billion euros in annual savings from 2028 as China weakness and tariffs squeeze the sector.
3 min read
Business
Mercedes CEO Calls for a German Productivity Push as China Slump Erodes Car Profits
Chief executive Ola Kallenius is launching a productivity initiative for Germany and lowering the carmaker's 2026 outlook, after a 30 percent drop in China sales cut adjusted profit in the core cars division by 26 percent to 909 million euros.
3 min read
Policies & World
Poland's Law and Justice Splits as More Than 30 MPs Walk Out Before the 2027 Election
Jaroslaw Kaczynski confirmed that more than 30 lawmakers have left Law and Justice in its deepest rupture since 2001, as a power struggle with former prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki fractures the Polish right and hands an opening to Donald Tusk.
3 min read
Business
Made for Germany Coalition Lifts Its Investment Pledge Past 800 Billion Euros
A business alliance built to restore faith in Germany's economy says its members now plan to commit more than 800 billion euros by 2028, up from 631 billion at launch, even as its own leaders warn the country needs more reform and steadier politics to earn it.
3 min read
Policies & World
Germany Prepares Its Terms for a UniCredit Takeover of Commerzbank
Berlin is shifting from resistance to negotiation, drawing up conditions on the Mittelstand, a Frankfurt base and an independent listing as UniCredit closes in on nearly half of Commerzbank.
3 min read
Policies & World
Italy Presses the EU to Water Down Green Rules in Its Next Budget
Rome wants to strip the environmental strings from the bloc's long term budget, the latest front in Giorgia Meloni's campaign to soften Europe's climate agenda and hand more power back to national capitals.
4 min read
Policies & World
Germany Awards Rheinmetall a Laser Weapon Contract Without Competition
Lawmakers signed off on nearly 500 million euros for a naval laser meant to shoot down drones, and handed the work to the country's largest arms maker with no open tender.
4 min read
Policies & World
Germany Will Host the First ATACMS Missile Factory Outside America
Lockheed Martin and Rheinmetall have agreed to co-produce one of NATO's most capable missiles in Lower Saxony, the first time the weapon will be built anywhere beyond the United States.
4 min read
Policies & World
Germany Approves a Budget That Bets Big on Defense and Cuts Aid
The cabinet has signed off on a draft budget that pours money into the military and pares back development aid. It is one of the clearest signs yet of how the war in Ukraine has rewritten Germany's priorities.
4 min read
Policies & World
Deterring Russia Is Cheaper Than the Alternative, Estonia's Leader Warns Europe
As the European Union argues over how much to spend on defense, Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal offers a blunt calculation. The price of failing to deter Vladimir Putin, he says, would dwarf the cost of paying for security now.
4 min read
Policies & World
Germany Pledges to Defend Its Trade, Signaling a Harder Line on China
Berlin has promised to shield its companies from unfair competition as part of a sweeping economic package. The language avoids naming China, but the target and the shift in posture are unmistakable.
4 min read