1. Germany: Inflation reaches its highest level since January 2024.
The conflict in Iran has significantly increased the cost of living in Germany. According to initial estimates from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), in April, soaring energy prices pushed the German inflation rate to 2.9%, its highest level since January 2024. Ruth Brand, President of Destatis, said: “The A new rise in energy prices, due to the fighting in Iran, fueled inflation for the second consecutive month. Consumers are particularly feeling the constant pressure on fuel prices.
2. eBay rejects GameStop merger offer
On May 12, e-commerce giant eBay officially announced the rejection of a $56 billion buyout offer proposed by video game distributor GameStop. eBay said the offer was unfeasible and unattractive. Although GameStop is a well-known brand in the American gaming community, its scale is significantly smaller than that of eBay.
3. Indian Prime Minister calls for urgent measures to protect foreign exchange reserves.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for a series of urgent measures, from fuel savings to restrictions on imports and foreign travel, to preserve the country’s foreign exchange reserves. The call comes against a backdrop of soaring global energy prices, which are putting considerable pressure on India’s foreign exchange reserves. To save fuel, the Prime Minister urged citizens to favor teleworking and online meetings, like the measures widely adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
4. The UAE’s main gas plant will return to full capacity next year.
 The Habshan plant, the main supplier of natural gas to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will only return to full capacity next year. This indicates that rehabilitating some of the region’s most critical infrastructure, damaged by the Middle East conflict, will take a long time. Adnoc Gas Plc, the operator of the Habshan plant, said the facility is currently operating at around 60% capacity, with a target of reaching 80% by the end of the year and full capacity in 2027.
5. China warns of risk of imported inflation due to Middle East conflict.
The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) has warned of the risk of increased imported inflation due to rising oil and commodity prices, itself linked to the conflict in the Middle East. The BPC reported that key price indicators recently continued their slight recovery, with consumer prices increasing by 0.9% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the previous year. Despite economic growth of 5% over this period, higher than forecasts, the BPC recognized that China is still facing many internal structural challenges and that the recovery dynamic must be consolidated.
Source : https://baotintuc.vn/kinh-te/diem-tin-kinh-te-the-gioi-noi-bat-ngay-1252026-20260512202314823.htm
/2021/12/14/61b8b98d7c7ee_fabien-magnenou.png "DIRECT. War in the Middle East: Iran refuses to modify its peace proposal, rejected by Donald Trump")