because the eurozone s largest economy is now officially in recession. germany has had two consecutive quarters of negative growth. the country s economy contracted by 0.3% between january and march. this follows a contraction of 0.5% in the final three months of 2022. a drop in consumer spending was main cause of germany s disappointing performance in the first quarter, with household consumption falling by 1.2%, as the cost of living crisis continued to cause headaches for millions of people. joining me now is christian schulz deputy chief european economist at citi bank. thank you for being with us. perhaps no great surprise for those who watch those numbers, but it is symbolically important that what was once was a powerhouse economy is now technically in recession. technically in recession. indeed. germany s - technically in recession. indeed. germany s. .. they ve technically in recession. indeed. germany s. .. they ve had - technically in recession. indeed. germ
the transition hasn t always been smooth, but hong kong retains its own currency and identity. it s one of the most densely packed cities on the planet, it s got more skyscrapers than anywhere else on earth and it s a fusion of cantonese culture with a colonial past. sojoin me as i explore this unique mix of east and west where. .. ..i put my dumpling making skills to the test. she laughs 0k, well, not bad. yeah! ..learn more about the visual identity of the city. ..and meet the conservationist putting hong kong back in touch with its rural roots. came out of nowhere and they kind of sound like ducks. who knew? horn blares now, this is the way to arrive into hong kong. i m on the star ferry, which goes from kowloon all the way into the heart of hong kong island. and it costs about four hong kong dollars, which is about 50 us cents, so i think it s fair to say this is probably one of the best value cruises in the world. you ll find hong kong off the southern coast of mainland
has the latest from new york. there is a roughly one in four chance that the us will hit the so called x date that s when the government runs out of money to pay its bills without a deal to raise the debt limit. that is according to the banking giantjp morgan chase. and they say the odds are getting worse. that forecast comes after house speaker kevin mccarthy said on wednesday that he thought progress could be made, but warned that the two sides remain far apart. republicans are warning that any deal must cut future federal spending in exchange for raising the debt ceiling a red line for the white house. republicans are demanding that any deal must cut future federal spending in exchange for raising the debt ceiling a red line for the white house. on wall street, us stocks fell as investors have been watching these talks closely for any sign of an agreement. and even if a deal is done in time, economists say that depending on the details, cuts to government spending
reach a deal on the country s debt ceiling, with the us house speaker kevin mccarthy saying on wednesday that negotiators remain far apart. our north america business correspondent michelle fleury has the latest from new york. there is a roughly one in clutch make chance that the us will hit the so called x date, when the us government runs out of money to pay its bills, before the dental ministries. that is according toj.p. morgan chase. they say the other any worse. debt limit raises. kevin mccarthy said he thought progress could be made but warned the two sides remain far apart. but warned the two sides remain farapart. her pub but warned the two sides remain far apart. her pub concert amending that any deal must cut future federal spending in exchange for raising the debt ceiling, a redline for the white house. on wall street, us stocks fell as investors have been watching these talks closely for any sign of agreement. and even if a deal is done in time, economists say
now on bbc news. the travel show. it s incredible to think that this thriving metropolis was once a sleepy little fishing village. it became an international port, a crucial meeting point between east and west, a fusion of cultures and a global financial centre. hong kong is always evolving. it s often at the sharp end of political debate, and right now, it s in a fascinating time of transition. this former british colony was handed back to china in 1997, and ever since then, its connection with the past, the mainland and its future has been evolving. the transition hasn t always been smooth, but hong kong retains its own currency and identity. it s one of the most densely packed cities on the planet, it s got more skyscrapers than anywhere else on earth and it s a fusion of cantonese culture with a colonial past. sojoin me as i explore this unique mix of east and west where. .. ..i put my dumpling making skills to the test. she laughs 0k, well, not bad. yeah! ..learn more ab