China gets up to a fifth of its imported oil from Iran and another 4% to 5% from Venezuela, often through clandestine channels to skirt United States sanctions — or at least it did before recent disruptions.
Shakeel Sobhan Published February 5, 2026 last updated February 5, 2026 Chancellor Friedrich Merz is in Saudi Arabia, his first stop on a three-day visit to the Gulf region as Germany seeks closer partnerships in the region. DW has the latest.
The governments of Tonga and the Cook Islands have condemned misuse of their flags amid reports that at least 29 ships were flying their colors in a bid to dodge international sanctions.
The US dollar continues to fall sharply in value against other major currencies, continuing the trend that saw its steepest annual drop in almost a decade in 2025. The dollar fell by 1.3% against a basket of currencies on Tuesday, meaning that it has fallen by 2.6% since the start of 2026.
Tesla's annual profit sank to its lowest level in years as the company faces an array of challenges from increased competition to reputation issues caused by CEO Elon Musk's political engagements. The electric vehicle (EV) company on Wednesday reported that net income last year plunged 46%, to $3.8 billion (€3.17 billion).
Amazon confirmed a further 16,000 job cuts in its corporate sector in a blog post to employees on Wednesday, completing a move to cut around 30,000 corporate jobs that began last October.
The fact that the key Gulf states — Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — are currently held in high regard by the German government is evident from the steady stream of ministerial visits to their capitals.
What oil deal have the US, India agreed? After months of pressure over India's purchases of discounted Russian and sanctioned Iranian crude, New Delhi appears to have bowed to US President Donald Trump's demand by agreeing to phase out Russian oil imports and shift toward buying more barrels from the United States — and potentially Venezuela.
What happened to gold and silver prices over the past week? After surging to a record high above $5,580 (€4,705) per ounce on Thursday, gold suffered its steepest one‑day decline in years on Friday, dropping by around 9%. The sell-off didn't stop there.
France on Monday adopted a 2026 government budget, following months of negotiations and no-confidence motions in Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's minority government. "France finally has a budget," Lecornu wrote on X after the vote, hailing a "parliamentary compromise" which "curbs public spending" and "does not hike taxes for households and businesses."
More than 20 financial institutions worldwide have publicly vowed not to finance deep-sea mining — an activity scientists say could cause irreversible harm to ocean ecosystems. However, a DW investigation has found that some have invested at least $684 million (€581 million) in companies linked to the industry.
New Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro. Ricardo Moreira/Getty Images for Disney hide caption toggle caption Ricardo Moreira/Getty Images for Disney The Walt Disney Company is getting a new CEO. Tuesday morning, the company's board of directors announced that Josh D'Amaro will replace Bob Iger, who's been at the helm for nearly two decades.