The liberal Neos party in Austria has broken off its coalition talks with the conservative ÖVP and the social democratic SPÖ. Neos leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger criticized the lack of commitment to reform and the short-term thinking of the other parties. The talks, which had been going on since November, had attempted to keep the right-wing FPÖ out of power. A key issue was budget planning in the face of an economic crisis. It is now unclear what will happen next - a new election could be imminent.
South Korea's presidential guard prevented the arrest of deposed President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been charged with sedition, at his residence in Seoul. After a six-hour blockade, the investigators broke off the attempt for security reasons. Yoon was suspended in December after he unexpectedly declared martial law. His case is now being heard in court.
Biden plans to block the sale of U.S. Steel to the Japanese group Nippon Steel for 14.9 billion dollars, according to insiders. The White House examined the deal due to national security risks, but was unable to reach an agreement. An official veto could be issued on Friday, despite potential tensions with Japan. The deal faced opposition from the US steel union and political groups. Biden and President-elect Trump want to keep U.S. Steel in U.S. ownership. Nippon had made far-reaching concessions to allay concerns, but now faces the threat of a penalty payment and strategic losses.
Donald Trump, the US President-elect, called on Truth Social for the “opening up” of the North Sea and the elimination of wind turbines. His comments followed a report on APA Corp's withdrawal from the North Sea by 2029, as the region sees falling oil and gas production and a decline in investment due to increased taxes and a focus on renewable energy. However, wind farms are struggling with rising costs and technical problems, forcing some companies to review their plans.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Texas war veteran, killed 14 people in New Orleans on New Year's Day when he drove a truck into a crowd of people. The FBI confirmed that he acted alone and was inspired by the Islamic State. Before the crime, he published videos in which he expressed his support for IS. As a result, security measures in the USA were tightened.
Matthew Livelsberger, a 37-year-old US soldier, has been identified as the driver of the cybertruck that exploded outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas. He committed suicide before gas cans and fireworks detonated in the vehicle, slightly injuring seven people. A terrorist background is being investigated but has not yet been confirmed.
Ghana has passed a provisional budget of 68.1 billion cedis to prevent a government shutdown. President-elect Mahama takes office next week and faces challenges in the energy sector.
Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede emphasized independence from Denmark in his New Year's address and called for Greenland to take control of its future. The independence movement is gaining support, partly due to historical abuses by Danish authorities. Greenland gained the right to independence in 2009 and presented a first draft constitution in 2023.
In China, the birth rate is falling, leading to an oversupply of retirement homes as kindergartens close. The government has raised the retirement age to ease the burden of the rising number of pensioners. Despite government incentives such as tax breaks, the birth rate remains low, exacerbating the country's demographic challenges.
Israeli airstrikes on January 2, 2025 killed at least 68 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including the head of the Hamas-controlled police force, Mahmoud Salah, and his deputy Hussam Shahwan. The attack occurred in a region designated as a humanitarian zone, highlighting the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Further airstrikes hit various locations in the Gaza Strip, including refugee camps and ministry buildings. The Israeli military stated that the attacks targeted Hamas militants, while Hamas and Islamic Jihad responded with rocket attacks on southern Israel. The war, which began in October 2023, has led to numerous casualties and displacements.
In December 2024, the number of unemployed people in Germany rose by 33,000 to 2.807 million. The unemployment rate increased to 6%. Unemployment increased at the end of the year due to seasonal factors, and also rose by 10,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis. The number of registered jobs fell to 654,000. There was also an increase in short-time work, with 287,000 people on short-time work in October.
Tesla achieved record sales of over 657,000 vehicles in China in 2024, an increase of 8.8%, despite a global decline in deliveries of 1.1%. With a 36.7% share of total deliveries, China became Tesla's second largest market. While global demand for electric cars stagnated, China drove 90% of global sales growth in this segment. BYD, Tesla's biggest competitor, increased its global sales by 12.1% to 1.76 million vehicles and dominated with a strong domestic and export business. Tesla responded to the competition with price discounts and financing offers, while BYD missed its export targets and is facing labor issues in Brazil.
SAP has risen to 32nd place among the world's most valuable companies thanks to the AI boom. Siemens and Deutsche Telekom are also represented in the top 100. US technology companies dominate, while European companies are less well represented, especially in the digital sector.
Real estate market: falling interest rates, rising prices? First, real estate prices experienced a historic decline, now they are rising again. At the same time, however, interest rates are falling.(TAG)
Eurozone: lending only growing slowly The ECB cut interest rates a total of four times in 2024 - most recently by 0.25 percentage points in December. This has also led to more favorable lending conditions - but lending has nevertheless lost momentum. (BZ)
Germany's Unicorns: Under pressure 33 young companies are fighting for their billion-euro valuation. Some have recently lost their status, few are ready for an IPO. The Handelsblatt shows who is still threatened with relegation. (HB)
A law comes into force in Florida that obliges social networks to block the creation of accounts for children under the age of 14 and to deactivate existing children's profiles. Social networks that do not comply with the law risk civil lawsuits. The authorities in Florida explain the need for the law with the protection of children from online violence and the harmful influence of social networks on their mental health.
Republic of Moldova wants to shift the debt to “Gazprom” in the amount of 709 million US dollars to Transnistria, said the President of the Republic Vadim Krasnoselski, while commenting on a letter sent by the Moldovan company AO “Moldovagaz” to the Transnistrian “Tiraspoltransgaz”.
Following Ukraine's announcement that it would not extend the gas transit agreement with Russia, the Federal Ministry of Economics informed the press that the resulting supply freeze would have no impact on Germany. It also promised help for Eastern European countries. A spokeswoman explained on Wednesday that the gas supply in eastern and southern Germany as well as in neighboring countries would be guaranteed at all times, even in the event of a supply disruption. The capacities at the German LNG terminals are available to companies from other EU member states, it added.
“Negotiations to end the war cannot take place because Russia has not paid a sufficient price for starting this war. There is a lot of talk about negotiations - peace agreements - but this is just an illusion and nothing more,” said Zelensky's advisor Mykhailo Podolyak.
An Iranian diplomat who arrived in Lebanon on Mahan Air was denied entry after refusing to have his diplomatic baggage scanned on the grounds that diplomatic baggage is not searched. Security sources confirm that the new instructions issued by the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stipulate that all arrivals' luggage must be scanned without exception.
Israeli drones fly continuously over the capital Beirut and its suburbs
- Labour market: Number of people in employment in Germany rose to record level in 2024 (STAT)
- Equality: More women on the management boards of DAX companies (SPG)
- Deutsche Bank: Focuses on US fixed income business for growth in investment banking (FT)
- Lufthansa: No new supervisory board chairman found (HB)
- Lilium: Consortium of investors takes over insolvent air cab manufacturer (WIWO)
- US markets: Losing ground at the start of the year (CNBC)
- China: Intensified efforts to oust Boeing and Airbus from the aircraft market (FT)
- Japan: Activist investors push Japan to a “major turning point” (FT)
- LNG: US demand for LNG gas reaches a new record high (RT)
- Rolex: Raises prices worldwide (HB)
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