Author: Andrew Rogers

China has overtaken the United States as Germany’s top trading partner in 2025.Total trade between Germany and China reached €251bn, according to official data. Germany imported €170.6bn in goods from China but exported only €81.3bn.Trade with the US fell to €240bn, partly influenced by American tariffs. Friedrich Merz will visit Beijing for talks with Xi Jinping and Li Qiang.He plans to discuss Ukraine, human rights and economic relations.A large business delegation will join the trip. German carmakers remain deeply tied to the Chinese market.Companies such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen rely heavily on Chinese production and sales. The EU is…

OpenAI said it flagged the account of Jesse Van Rootselaar months before a deadly attack in British Columbia.The system identified the activity in June last year as linked to the “furtherance of violent activities”. The company reviewed whether to notify the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.It decided the content did not show an imminent and credible threat at the time.Its policy requires clear risk of serious physical harm before a referral. Last week, the 18-year-old killed eight people in Tumbler Ridge and then died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.Police said the victims included a teaching assistant and five students aged 12…

Amazon’s cloud division reportedly suffered at least one service disruption last year after an internal AI agent made a critical change to its environment.The tool autonomously deleted and recreated a system component, causing a lengthy interruption, according to the Financial Times. AWS underpins large parts of the internet, so outages raise concerns about concentration of digital infrastructure.The company said the incident was limited in scope and described it as user error caused by misconfigured access controls.It added that core services such as computing, storage and databases were not affected. The report comes as Andy Jassy continues major job cuts at…

Airbus has proposed building two separate warplanes to rescue Europe’s stalled Future Combat Air System.The €100bn programme has been delayed by a leadership dispute with Dassault Aviation. Chief executive Guillaume Faury said the conflict should not endanger Europe’s next-generation defence capability.He argued a split solution could allow progress and attract additional partners. Tensions have grown between France and Germany over the aircraft’s role.Berlin does not require a nuclear-capable jet, while Paris does.Friedrich Merz described the disagreement as technical rather than political. Governments in Germany, France and Spain must soon decide whether to continue the fighter element.Other parts of the project,…

Leading Alpine skiers say melting glaciers are threatening the future of their sport and the wider environment.At the Winter Olympics in Cortina, athletes highlighted how dramatically the ice has shrunk in recent decades. Lindsey Vonn said many glaciers she trained on as a child have almost disappeared.Mikaela Shiffrin added that skiers witness climate change first-hand on high mountains.Italy’s Federica Brignone said the retreat of glaciers now raises concern for the planet, not just skiing. Scientists report that Italy has lost more than 200 square kilometres of glacier area since the late 1950s.The decline has accelerated sharply in the past two…

Senior figures from the UK’s biggest banks will meet this week to begin creating a domestic card payments system.The project aims to reduce reliance on the US networks Visa and Mastercard. The talks will be chaired by Vim Maru of Barclays.City investors will fund the new company, known as DeliveryCo, with government support.Officials want a backup that keeps payments running during any disruption. About 95% of UK card transactions currently use the two US systems.Executives warn that losing them would severely damage the economy as cash use declines.Sanctions in Russia, which cut off the same networks, showed how quickly consumers…

Volkswagen aims to cut costs by 20% by 2028 as competition from Chinese carmakers intensifies.Reports say plant closures are among the options under review. Chief executive Oliver Blume and finance chief Arno Antlitz outlined the plan to senior managers.The goal is to secure sustainable profits despite falling sales and high production costs. The company already launched a major restructuring that will reduce 35,000 jobs by 2030.Those measures are expected to deliver billions in annual savings. Volkswagen said it will comment further when it presents results on 10 March.It added that earlier reforms have already generated double-digit billion-euro savings. The pressure…

Daily GLP-1 tablets are widening access to obesity treatment and boosting industry expectations.Analysts now value the global market at up to $200bn by the early 2030s. Novo Nordisk launched the first oral version of Wegovy in the US.Early demand outpaced the original injection.Patients say pills feel easier to manage and avoid weekly shots.Lower storage needs and reduced prices also attract new users. Rival Eli Lilly is preparing its own tablet, orforglipron.More oral drugs from biotech firms are in development.Broader insurance coverage in the US will further expand uptake. Injections still produce greater weight loss.They will likely remain the choice for…

Driver unrest marked Formula One’s second pre-season test in Bahrain.Several leading drivers criticised the sweeping new regulations. Verstappen described the new Red Bull as “anti-racing”.He said the complex energy management makes the car “not fun to drive”.He compared it to “Formula E on steroids”.He warned he could leave the sport if he stops enjoying racing. Lewis Hamilton also criticised the changes.He said the new systems are too complex for fans to understand.He argued drivers need deep technical knowledge to manage the cars. The 2026 rules introduce new engines, chassis and tyres.Engines now split power almost evenly between combustion and electric…

US inflation dropped to 2.4% in January after last year’s tariff-driven price swings.Prices rose 0.2% from December, according to the consumer price index.Core inflation increased 0.3% for the month. Economists expected a slight decline to 2.5%.Inflation hit 2.3% in April, then climbed to 3% by September.It fell again to 2.7% at the end of the year. The White House credited Trump’s economic agenda for stabilizing prices.It rejected claims that tariffs caused lasting inflation. Investors watch the data for signals on interest rate cuts.The Federal Reserve paused cuts in January and will decide again in March.Jerome Powell expects a temporary tariff…