A serious plane crash occurred over Washington when a passenger plane with 64 people on board collided with a US military helicopter and both crashed into the Potomac River. There are reports of fatalities, with CBS reporting 18 bodies recovered. The passenger plane was an American Airlines Bombardier CRJ700, and the helicopter was a Sikorsky H-60 Blackhawk. Despite major rescue efforts, freezing temperatures and strong winds hampered the search. The US Army confirmed that the helicopter was conducting a training flight, with no VIPs on board. The FBI ruled out terrorism, while President Trump described the incident as preventable.
The EU interior ministers are meeting in Warsaw today to discuss tougher measures against irregular migration. The focus is on an asylum reform that includes tougher measures. Germany, represented by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, is pursuing a stricter migration policy, but emphasizes that all proposals must be implementable under European law. Stricter repatriation guidelines are also being discussed, with an extension of the grounds for detention and longer detention periods. Solidarity between the EU states is also being called for in order to manage migration together, even if some countries are already going their own way.
The US fears that China's DeepSeek is profiting from US AI models through “distillation” and thus violating terms of use. This technology makes it possible to take knowledge from powerful models and save costs. OpenAI is investigating possible violations, but experts consider a ban to be difficult as open source models are freely accessible. US Secretary of Commerce Lutnick wants stricter export controls, but effective enforcement remains uncertain.
Russia and China are increasing their presence in the Arctic, while NATO countries are developing ice-proof drones. Extreme cold and icing put unmanned aerial vehicles under pressure. Russia already has robust models, while NATO is catching up. The USA and European countries are investing billions in winterized drones. Start-ups are developing solutions such as self-heating wings. In addition to high-tech models, some countries are considering inexpensive “kamikaze drones”, despite environmental concerns. Experts warn of Russian armed patrol drones along the northern route.
US President Trump wants to expand the migrant camp in Guantanamo Bay to 30,000 places. According to him, “criminal illegal immigrants” are to be detained there. Human rights organizations criticize the detention conditions. Cuba's president calls the plan “brutal”. At the same time, the US government is stepping up deportations and military operations on the border with Mexico.
US President Trump has signed an executive order to expel pro-Palestinian protesters without US citizenship. Student visas of “Hamas sympathizers” are to be cancelled immediately. Rights groups criticize the move as unconstitutional. Civil rights organizations warn of restrictions on freedom of expression.
Tech giants such as Microsoft, Meta and Tesla disappoint with mixed results, while the Fed pauses its interest rate cuts. Uncertainty over Trump's possible trade tariffs is also causing nervousness. Analysts warn of rising risks as high valuations and fluctuating markets threaten stability.
Jerome Powell assures that the Fed is shaping its monetary policy independently of political influences. The interest rate policy remains data-driven, despite Trump's calls for rapid cuts. The head of the central bank also defends the decision to withdraw from a global climate group and reviews the adjustment to Trump's diversity decree. Analysts nevertheless fear creeping political influence on the central bank.
Hamas and allied groups such as Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees have gathered in Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip to release three Israeli hostages on January 30, 2025 as part of an exchange agreement. In return, 110 Palestinian prisoners are to be released by Israel. This exchange is part of a ceasefire that has been in place since January 19, 2025. So far, several Israeli civilians and soldiers as well as hundreds of Palestinian prisoners have been released as part of the ceasefire.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Donald Trump's nominee to head the US Department of Health and Human Services, was sharply criticized in a Senate hearing. Democratic senators accused him of obfuscating his anti-vaccine views and spreading conspiracy theories questioning the use of life-saving drugs. Kennedy defended himself by emphasizing that he was not against vaccinations and that all of his children were vaccinated. Still, his past statements on vaccinations, including the claim that no vaccine is safe, as well as his ties to the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense, were heavily criticized. Some Republicans supported Kennedy, largely because of his goals in fighting diseases such as obesity and diabetes. The vote on his confirmation is expected, and there are mixed opinions about his chances.
A threatening video by Syrian HTS jihadists is causing alarm in France. The extremists announce that they will burn down Notre-Dame Cathedral again if the imprisoned knife terrorist Brahim Aouissaoui is not released. Aouissaoui killed three people in Nice in 2020. The security authorities have stepped up protective measures around the cathedral.
Former US Senator Bob Menendez, a major supporter of the Armenian lobby ANCA, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for corruption.
The threat of violence is rising in Myanmar as the military junta plans an election in 2025 to secure its legitimacy. Many opposition groups and ethnic armies oppose the election and have recaptured territory. There are fears that the election could lead to bloody clashes, while international actors are calling on the junta to engage in dialog.
The German parliament has approved a proposal to drastically restrict migration with the support of the far-right AfD. This move, which aims to close land borders and tighten security measures, was approved by a narrow majority. Critics such as Chancellor Scholz warn of the risks of working with the AfD, which is being monitored by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Merz, who is pushing for these measures, defended the cooperation and explained that it was not wrong for the “wrong people” to support a proposal. Supporting the AfD in this decision could change the political landscape in Germany in the long term.
Despite a stagnating economy, tax revenues in Germany rose by 3.8% to 861.1 billion euros in 2024. The flat-rate withholding tax on interest income, VAT and wage tax in particular contributed to the increase. However, the export industry is struggling with uncertainties due to possible trade restrictions.
Meta has reached an agreement with Donald Trump and will pay him 25 million dollars to settle a lawsuit over the blocking of his Facebook and Instagram accounts in 2021. The accounts were blocked after the storming of the US Capitol and later unblocked. The majority of the payment (22 million dollars) will go to Trump's presidential library. Trump had sued Meta and other tech companies for censorship. Recently, Trump and leading technology entrepreneurs have come closer again.
ASML regained the confidence of the markets with surprisingly strong order figures in the fourth quarter. Orders amounted to 7.1 billion euros, well above the expected 4 billion euros. The extreme ultraviolet lithography systems (EUV), which are crucial for modern AI chips, are particularly in demand. ASML's largest customer, TSMC, is also planning investments of 38-40 billion dollars for 2025, which indicates a continued increase in demand for chips from the AI industry. In response to this positive news, ASML shares rose by 11%. Tech stocks are recovering as the demand for semiconductors continues to rise due to growing AI applications.
The German-Canadian hydrogen partnership, recently celebrated by the German government as a milestone in the energy transition, is on the brink of failure. The bad news is piling up on Canada's Atlantic coast: all ten major projects that were supposed to supply Germany with “green” hydrogen from 2025 are stuck in the planning phase.
From 1.1 to 0.3: the German government is clearly revising its economic expectations for 2025 downwards. According to the annual economic report presented by Economics Minister Habeck, the unemployment rate is also likely to rise. (FAZ)
Wall Street billionaire Dalio: Warns of new tech bubble. After the DeepSeek quake on the stock markets, Wall Street great Ray Dalio sees parallels to the dotcom bubble at the turn of the millennium. The success of the Chinese start-up carries the risk of further price losses. (FT)
AI models: Alibaba wants to outdo DeepSeek Alibaba wants to outshine DeepSeek with its own AI. The Chinese company claims that its new AI model outperforms both the competition from its own country and ChatGPT & Co. from the USA. (RT)
- DAX: +21,600 points for the first time yesterday (TAG)
- EU Commission: “Need shock therapy for competitiveness” (HB)
- Varta: Restructuring concept decided at battery manufacturer - investors lose everything (SUED)
- Lufthansa: Acquires stake in Latvian airline AirBaltic (MM)
- Renk: Armaments company reports record order volume (SPG)
- Microsoft: Sales up 12% (MM)
- Short bets: NVIDIA shorts scored over €6bn gains after DeepSeek panic (RT)
- India: Global euphoria for Indian bonds wanes, rupee weakens (BBG)
- HSBC: Exits investment banking business in the US, UK and Europe to focus on Asia (FT)
- Twitter/X: Partners with Visa to compete with Venmo and PayPal (RT)
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