Business

In preparation for hosting the 18th BRICS summit in Delhi this weekend, India came up with a slogan which tried to keep the group's brand intact without alienating its many new members. "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability" matches the acronym for the body's five original members — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — whilst also denoting goals which the new members — Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates — can get behind. "It's an elegant way to reinterpret BRICS so that the acronym represents a joint mission rather than country names," Mihaela Papa, director of the BRICS Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told DW. For Sushant Singh, lecturer in South Asian Studies at Yale University, the vague slogan r...

In preparation for hosting the 18th BRICS summit in Delhi this weekend, India came up with a slogan which tried to keep the group's brand intact without alienating its many new members. "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability" matches the acronym for the body's five original members — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — whilst also denoting goals which the new members — Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates — can get behind. "It's an elegant way to reinterpret BRICS so that the acronym represents a joint mission rather than country names," Mihaela Papa, director of the BRICS Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told DW. For Sushant Singh, lecturer in South Asian Studies at Yale University, the vague slogan r...

Germany is watching the upcoming state election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt with keen interest. Much of the attention is focused on the performance of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), whose state branch in Saxony-Anhalt has been classified by the domestic intelligence agency as "confirmed right-wing extremist." According to opinion polls, the AfD could emerge as the clear election winner. In the last state election in 2021, the AfD won around 20% of the vote and has since been the largest opposition party. The state is governed by a coalition of the Christian Democrats (CDU), the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Free Democrats (FDP), with Sven Schulze (CDU) serving as state premier. Where does Saxony-Anhalt stand? The AfD is campaigning on the claim that Saxony-An...

Volkswagen has built one of the largest workforces in the global auto industry. At nearly 630,000 people — 680,000 if you count joint ventures in China — VW employs around 60% more workers than Toyota, 140% more than Stellantis and nearly 240% more than Ford. That headcount was once a sign of Germany's industrial might and VW's huge profits. Now, it's become a massive burden, one that's forcing the company to make painful job cuts to survive against agile Chinese competitors. After already trimming thousands of positions last year as profits came under pressure, Volkswagen is now preparing to slash 50,000 additional jobs worldwide, including tens of thousands in Germany. The proposal got the backing of the VW Supervisory Board on Thursday, September 2. VW also wants to close four Germa...

Canada has been quietly praised for refusing to fold under pressure from US President Donald Trump in the long-running fight over trade tariffs. The latest talks between the North American neighbors collapsed on August 21. Until the 11th hour, both sides were talking as if a deal was within reach. The United States then put 50% tariffs on about $20 billion (€17.2 billion) worth of Canadian goods, while Ottawa pledged to match those duties on US imports. Until the talks folded, Canada's approach was to cut a deal that would reduce the tariffs and keep cross-border supply chains functioning, particularly in the automotive and steel sectors. US negotiators were, however, accused of changing the terms at the last minute, which the Canadian side said would have forced them to match US tar...

The German economy is showing tentative signs of recovery after a prolonged period of gloom. Europe's largest economy is on track for its strongest GDP growth since 2022, while business sentiment is finally trending upwards again after a lengthy spell in the doldrums. The country's official statistics office reported last week that the economy grew by 0.3% in the second quarter of 2026, beating estimates and building on robust figures for the previous two quarters. Several others have revised their forecasts upwards. The Ifo Institute, Kiel Institute for the World Economy and the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research are all now predicting growth of 1.3% or more for 2026. Meanwhile, the Ifo business climate index — a key barometer of the country's corporate mood — returned its highest...

On September 1, a new era begins at Apple as John Ternus becomes just the third man to hold the CEO role at the tech giant since 1997. Ternus was announced as Tim Cook's successor back in April, bringing Cook's 15 years at the helm of one of the world's biggest companies to an end. Since then, Ternus, a leading hardware engineer at the company, has been working closely alongside Cook in preparation for the big job. Just as Cook had when he took over from the iconic Steve Jobs, Ternus has big shoes to fill. Apple's share price has increased by more than 2,000% since Cook took over in 2011 and the company has sold more than 3.1 billion iPhones in that time. Ternus faces a range of challenges at Apple, but his ability to keep the company at the top will hinge on how he reshapes its AI stra...

On September 1, a new era begins at Apple as John Ternus becomes just the third man to hold the CEO role at the tech giant since 1997. Ternus was announced as Tim Cook's successor back in April, bringing Cook's 15 years at the helm of one of the world's biggest companies to an end. Since then, Ternus, a leading hardware engineer at the company, has been working closely alongside Cook in preparation for the big job. Just as Cook had when he took over from the iconic Steve Jobs, Ternus has big shoes to fill. Apple's share price has increased by more than 2,000% since Cook took over in 2011 and the company has sold more than 3.1 billion iPhones in that time. Ternus faces a range of challenges at Apple, but his ability to keep the company at the top will hinge on how he reshapes its AI stra...

Canada has been quietly praised for refusing to fold under pressure from US President Donald Trump in the long-running fight over trade tariffs. The latest talks between the North American neighbors collapsed on August 21. Until the 11th hour, both sides were talking as if a deal was within reach. The United States then put 50% tariffs on about $20 billion (€17.2 billion) worth of Canadian goods, while Ottawa pledged to match those duties on US imports. Until the talks folded, Canada's approach was to cut a deal that would reduce the tariffs and keep cross-border supply chains functioning, particularly in the automotive  and steel sectors. US negotiators were, however, accused of changing the terms at the last minute, which the Canadian side said would have forced them to match US tari...

Addiction, self-harm, suicide: Social media's engagement-driven strategy is under intense scrutiny for allegedly engineering compulsive use and severe psychological harm, especially in children. Platforms like Facebook, YouTube and TikTok make huge profits by keeping users hooked via nonstop scrolling, recommendations and constant notifications. Facebook owner Meta, for example, generated a record $196.2 billion (€168.3 billion) in advertising revenue last year, driven by its ability to keep people glued to their screens. That business model is now facing major legal and regulatory roadblocks, with social media bans for people younger than 16 spreading globally and a growing wave of lawsuits, mainly in the United States. In the latest major case, 29 states, including California, Colora...