Business

"People are moving away from gasoline and diesel," said Jens Boysen-Hogrefe, a tax and transportation expert at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW). "The boom in electric cars triggered by high fuel prices is accelerating the transition in drive technologies that was already planned anyway," he told DW. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), sales of electric vehicles in Europe rose by nearly 30% in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year. Norway is leading the way, with electric cars accounting for as many as 95% of all newly registered passenger cars in the country. The agency's "Global EV Outlook 2026" reveals that EV growth rates in Asia-Pacific countries, excluding China, were even more remarkable, with sales in some regions ris...

The Global Gender Gap Report 2026, published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Wednesday, reveals that gender parity worldwide is closer than ever — standing at 69.2%. However, the Geneva-based nonprofit warned that full parity may still be 120 years away and that the progress made so far remains "fragile." The report, which looked at gender parity across workforce participation, education, health and politics in 145 economies, found that women now occupy senior leadership positions in government and business at levels that were rare globally when the index began in 2006. Yet, while women's presence at the top of politics has grown since the first report, the past decade has seen that trend reverse. The percentage of countries led by women peaked in 2022 and has now fallen back to 20...

Dramatic warnings about the existential risks posed by artificial intelligence to humanity are nothing new. As early as the 1940s, the renowned scientist and science fiction author Isaac Asimov explored potential risks and unintended consequences of intelligent machines. In 1991, Hollywood blockbuster "Terminator 2" imagined a dystopian 2029 in which an out-of-control military AI called Skynet directs killer robots in a war against humanity. If the warnings of several of the biggest names in AI are to be believed, a similar scenario could become a reality — even before 2029.The opening sequence of 'Terminator 2' depicts a dystopian future where AI has spiraled out of control and turned against humanityImage: Columbia/dpa/picture alliance Growing calls for strict regulation "The people...

When the world's largest pension fund changes its investment strategy, the financial world pays close attention, especially when it plans to drastically reduce its holdings of US government bonds.  According to Reuters, Norway's sovereign wealth fund wants to cut its US bond holdings, which totalled around $215 billion (€186 billion) at the end of June, by $80 billion. Global investors are increasingly viewing the US debt binge with suspicion, especially as the country's national debt surpassed $40 trillion in August. This week, the yield on 30-year US Treasury bonds climbed to nearly 5.4%, the highest level since 2007. How much debt is too much? For highly indebted countries like Japan, where debt exceeds 200% of economic output, borrowing money on capital markets is getting increasin...

Dramatic warnings about the existential risks posed by artificial intelligence to humanity are nothing new. As early as in the 1940s, the renowned scientist and science fiction author Isaac Asimov explored potential risks and unintended consequences of intelligent machines. In 1991, Hollywood blockbuster "Terminator 2" imagined a dystopian 2029 in which an out-of-control military AI called Skynet directs killer robots in a war against humanity. If the warnings of several of the biggest names in AI are to be believed, a similar scenario could become a reality — even before 2029.The opening sequence of 'Terminator 2' depicts a dystopian future where AI has spiraled out of control and turned against humanityImage: Columbia/dpa/picture alliance Growing calls for strict regulation "The peo...

The industrialist Aliko Dangote is turning to Nigerians to help finance the next growth phase of his oil refinery: The richest man in Africa announced that he is seeking to attract about $1.6 billion (€1.4 billion) by going public. This initial public offering of Dangote Industries is intended to help support a $14.3 billion expansion, which would more than double the refinery's production capacity. In absolute numbers, it would increase capacity from 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 1.4 million bpd. It would also include new petrochemical and refining units designed to reduce Nigeria's reliance on imports of some petrochemical products while also allowing the plant to produce different grades of diesel. This plan would make the refinery one of the largest single-site refining complexes...

The industrialist Aliko Dangote is turning to Nigerians to help finance the next growth phase of his oil refinery: The richest man in Africa announced that he is seeking to attract about $1.6 billion (€1.4 billion) by going public. This initial public offering of Dangote Industries is intended to help support a $14.3 billion expansion, which would more than double the refinery's production capacity. In absolute numbers, it would increase capacity from 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 1.4 million bpd. It would also include new petrochemical and refining units designed to reduce Nigeria's reliance on imports of some petrochemical products while also allowing the plant to produce different grades of diesel. This plan would make the refinery one of the largest single-site refining complexes...

Can land corridors offset the impact of the maritime blockade on Iran? The US-led maritime blockade targeting Iranian ports has severely disrupted trade through its southern ports, but it is also accelerating a strategy Tehran had discussed for years: moving more commerce through northern ports, railways and land corridors. Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh, visiting Moscow for talks with Russian officials, said Iran should activate its northern borders and shift a significant share of imports and exports away from the country's southern maritime routes. The idea is straightforward. Iran has seven land neighbors, access to the Caspian Sea and several routes linking it to Russia, Central Asia, Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan and the Caucasus. In theory, that gives Tehran more options than a country...

Fort Knox, the fortified complex in the state of Kentucky where about half of the US government's gold reserves are held, is a byword for security. To be "like Fort Knox" means to be extremely secure and well-guarded. Yet the perception of the United States as a whole as a secure location to store gold is clearly on the wane. The decision by the Dutch central bank recently to move about 86 tonnes (95 US tons) of gold from New York to London highlighted growing concerns among some governments over storing strategic assets in the US and whether they could be readily accessed in a crisis. The De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) cited "geopolitical unrest" and said moving its gold across different jurisdictions would improve its "crisis preparedness." France also removed its remaining gold exposur...

Fort Knox, the fortified complex in the state of Kentucky where around half of the US government's gold reserves are held, is a byword for security. To be "like Fort Knox" means to be extremely secure and well-guarded. Yet the perception of the US as a whole as a secure location to store gold is clearly on the wane. The decision by the Dutch central bank recently to move some 86 tonnes (95 US tons) of gold from New York to London highlighted growing concerns among some governments over storing strategic assets in the US and whether they could be readily accessed in a crisis. The De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) cited "geopolitical unrest" and said moving its gold across different jurisdictions would improve its "crisis preparedness". France also removed all its remaining gold exposure from ...