Japan is on its way to becoming one of the best-funded military powers. And this is particularly due to China. The country’s defense budget is set to double to two percent of gross domestic product by 2027. Japan would thus fulfill the NATO target and could become the third-largest economy in the top 5 military […]
After lengthy negotiations in the trilogue, Germany has called into question the consensus reached in December for a European supply chain law. However, many companies in Germany – including many small and medium-sized enterprises – have long since embarked on the path to a sustainable economy and are implementing comprehensive due diligence obligations. They support […]
Indonesia will elect a new president on Wednesday – and two things are already certain. Firstly, there will be a new president, as incumbent Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is no longer allowed to run after two terms in office. The front-runner is the current Defense Minister, Prabowo Subianto, from the Advanced Indonesia Coalition. And secondly, China […]
You are leading the international legal team for Jimmy Lai, who has been imprisoned in Hong Kong for three years now. How is he and his legal team holding up?He is 76 now. We are very concerned about his health. He is held in solitary confinement, which, of course, should not be happening. His son […]
A skydiver jumps out of the plane and pulls the first line – nothing happens. Fortunately, there is still the reserve parachute, so he pulls the second ripcord in a slight panic. Nothing happens. He hurtles towards the ground. Suddenly, hardly believing his eyes, he sees a man flying towards him from the ground. His […]
After weeks of heated debates and protests, the Bundestag provided clarity on the 2024 budget in its session last Friday. However, the government fails to provide an answer on how urgently needed investments in climate policy can be ensured despite the substantial cuts in many areas – from agriculture to investments in future technologies to […]
The 2024 United States presidential election is shaping up to be a rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Polls show that support for both candidates is close for the moment, but much can change between now and the November election. Nonetheless, the chances of another Trump presidency are not trivial. And even if he doesn’t […]
Pharmaceutical companies and the cosmetics industry will have to contribute to wastewater treatment in the future. Negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU member states agreed in a trilogue on Monday that at least 80 percent of the corresponding cleaning costs should be borne by the manufacturers, as the Parliament announced. This will be […]
Italy wants to use its G7 presidency to put relations with the African continent on a new footing. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Monday at the start of an Africa summit in Rome that the fates of Europe and Africa in particular are closely linked. With a view to colonial history, she added that […]
Traditional New Year celebrations in China are just a few days away – and the country is already preparing for a record travel wave. The travel industry expects nine billion domestic trips around the celebration on February 10th, according to state media reports. That would be almost twice as many as last year. Back then, […]
