Business

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was given the red carpet treatment on arrival in New Delhi on Wednesday, as he heads to the AI Impact Summit 2026.  Lula is traveling with more than a dozen ministers and a large business delegation including CEOs of leading Brazilian companies, as he seeks to intensify trade ties with the world's most populous country.  "India and Brazil share a close and multifaceted relationship," Indian Foreign Ministery spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.  India took over the presidency of the BRICS bloc from Brazil this year. Lula's visit follows a July 2025 visit to Brasilia by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the first by an Indian prime minister in more than 50 years. Narendra Modi (right) visited Brazil last summer as Brasilia chaired...

Michael Schoellhorn, the CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, says the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), the long-planned Franco-German fighter jet and air defense project, will survive but that "there will have to be some restructuring in certain parts." Speaking in an exclusive interview with DW, Schoellhorn, whose company is one of the two main partners in the project, says "there will be an FCAS," but acknowledged the difficulties between his company and the French partner Dassault Aviation. "Yes, there's a problem with the manned-fighter between two companies," he said. "Mine is one of them. It's a danger that if you start on these big European projects, it takes more than political will. It takes the industrial alignment of the players involved." There have been several reports in rece...

Michael Schoellhorn, the CEO of Airbus Defence and Space, says the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), the long-planned Franco-German fighter jet and air defense project, will survive but that "there will have to be some restructuring in certain parts." Speaking in an exclusive interview with DW, Schoellhorn, whose company is one of the two main partners in the project, says "there will be an FCAS," but acknowledged the difficulties between his company and the French partner Dassault Aviation. "Yes, there's a problem with the manned-fighter between two companies," he said. "Mine is one of them. It's a danger that if you start on these big European projects, it takes more than political will. It takes the industrial alignment of the players involved." There have been several reports in rece...

Is Christine Lagarde leaving the ECB early? Officially, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde is not quitting her job early as head of the 21-member eurozone's central bank. However, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday that Lagarde has told people close to her that she is considering stepping down before her eight-year term ends in 2027. According to the FT, Lagarde has been weighing the move for several months and has discussed it with senior European officials. The 70-year-old's thinking, the report said, is to leave before France's presidential election in April 2027. That timing would let French President Emmanuel Macron, who can't seek a third term, help choose her successor, along with Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The goal appears to be to ensure a mai...

Sentiment across major German businesses held steady at 87.6 points, according to the January edition of the monthly Ifo index.  Some analysts had predicted a slight rebound in the Munich-based foundation's survey of around 9,000 business leaders but the overall figure was ultimately unchanged. "Assessments of the current situation edged up somewhat, while expectations were revised slightly downward," Ifo Institute President Clemens Fuest said. "The German economy is starting the new year with little momentum."  Germany's economy has been struggling in recent years, with only marginal GDP growth of 0.2% in 2025, according to provisional figures, and similarly marginal negative growth figures in the two previous years. Chancellor Friedrich Merz flagged improving the situation as a key go...

Sentiment across major German businesses held steady at 87.6 points, according to the January edition of the monthly Ifo index.  Some analysts had predicted a slight rebound in the Munich-based foundation's survey of around 9,000 business leaders but the overall figure was ultimately unchanged. "Assessments of the current situation edged up somewhat, while expectations were revised slightly downward," Ifo Institute President Clemens Fuest said. "The German economy is starting the new year with little momentum."  Germany's economy has been struggling in recent years, with only marginal GDP growth of 0.2% in 2025, according to provisional figures, and similarly marginal negative growth figures in the two previous years. Chancellor Friedrich Merz flagged improving the situation as a key go...

Jared Kushner speaks after the signing of a Board of Peace charter during the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, SwitzerlandImage: Evan Vucci/AP Photo/picture allianceUS President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner revealed a "master plan" regarding the redevelopment of the Gaza Strip. Using slides showing development plans and images showing skyscrapers and glitzy apartments titled "New Gaza," Kushner said the Palestinian territory would become "a place that the people there can thrive, have great employment." "In the Middle East they build cities like this, you know for two or three million people, they build this in three years," Kushner said. "And so stuff like this is very doable if we make it happen."  Kushner spoke of investments of at least $25 billion (€2...

The European Parliament voted on Wednesday for a legal check of the EU's trade deal with four members of the Latin American Mercosur bloc, a move that could severely delay or even derail the deal.  German Chancellor Friedrich Merz took to social media soon after news of the vote, calling the result "regrettable" and saying it "misjudges the geopolitical situation."  The EU signed the deal with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay on Saturday, after a quarter of a century of negotiations. But it still requires approval from the European Parliament before it can formally take effect. Farmers protested outside the parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, after clashes with police the previous dayImage: Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa/picture alliance Razor-thin margin in vote, amid massive prote...

"Without action now, there is no tomorrow," Ukrainian President Zelenskyy tells world leaders at Davos, adding that Europe needs to be able to protect itself. Follow DW for more.

Skip next section Quick recap before we resume, plus what to expect Thursday at Davos01/22/2026January 22, 2026Quick recap before we resume, plus what to expect Thursday at DavosUS President Donald Trump touched on a variety of topics during a lengthy speech to government officials and business elite on Wednesday. But he made headlines when he said he won't use military force to acquire Greenland. Later in the day, Trump said he had a productive meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and that the pair had "formed the framework of a future deal" regarding Greenland. Given that he had a deal, Trump said he was backing down from his earlier threat of imposing a 10% charge on eight European countries, including Denmark, that opposed his push to acquire the Arctic island. On Thursda...