mario of hope in today, germany's foreign minister called for more heavy weapons to be sent to you, free to hope. if we fail russia's invasion, you watch the w news. why from berlin? coming up next he w. a business news with rob stick around. he will be right back, i'll see you tomorrow with what does war do to people are hatred and violence inherited from generation to generation and award winning documentary searches for answers for 2 years. the all camera companies us sell a fist family in northern syria insights into the isolated world of radical islamists and into a spiral of violence without end. a

film about family, faith, masculinity of fathers and sons starts april 16th on dw. ah, the economic toll of hooton's war, new figures suggest ukrainian economy could almost half in size this year. meanwhile, russia is taking its own financial hit also on the show. talent and business is leaving hong kong fed up with 2 years of tough panoramic restriction. and despite just becoming to it has biggest shareholder, a long must, will not be joining the board despite announcing it would last week. we'll delve

into the possible reasons behind this change. this is due to be a business on rob was in berlin. welcome to the program. the financial devastation reeked by russia's war in ukraine, laid bare. the world bank has put the economic cost of the conflict into the into numbers in a new report, it forecasts that ukrainian economy will shrink by 45 percent this year. it says, half of all businesses have closed in ukraine and the trading goods has come to a grinding halt as a result of russia's attack. now, the war is also taking a toll on russia itself, with economic sanctions biting hard that the world bank expects. the russian economy to contract by 11 percent this year. now we've been speaking to an a piano from the world bank. she told us about the extent of the economic problems in ukraine pray. we are seeing of course, the collapse in a domestic demand. we have seen businesses close,

the black sea is about 50 percent of all the exports in ukraine go through the black sea. that's of course right now very difficult. and also what's important to keep in mind is that where the fighting is taking place. this where 50 percent of the ttp of ukraine is produced in the 1st place. a ukraine had made strong strides on poverty reduction over the last few decades. and we had a poverty rate of about 1.8 percent in 2021. where now forecasting poverty will go up to close to 20 percent in 2022, with another 60 percent of the population at risk. what we have learned over the years is that when a country is in conflict, it's important to maintain crests and such an international development institution . because when the war ends and the conflict ends, we would be able to be there and services will have been maintained to the population and institutional capacity and institutions will have been maintained. and that's very important for the day after hello. rollback is also predicting

a major knock on effects for economies beyond russia and ukraine had slashed its growth forecast for central europe, for example, this year from 6 percent to 3 and a half ukraine's western neighbor. poland is experiencing a labor shortage, just ukrainian men had back to their homeland, to fight to poland. transport sector is one of the largest in europe. polish companies deploy some 300000 drivers who transport goods across the continent. one and 3 of them is ukranian. since the war broke out, much has changed. it's still the tensor of $100000.00 ukrainian drivers, a huge amount of return to their country, probably about 70 percent of them. now we're short on drivers, but we don't present them. we know very well how difficult their situation is and their jobs will still be waiting here for them. and he took all alexander for rank,

is the head of a transport company and is himself ukrainian. i trans employees, 120 drivers from georgia, better routes and you cran. but none from poland. he's trying to keep his ukrainian drivers into you. so very next her spouse shelled with just the traffic girl that got to warn you. crane has made us short of drivers up to the provider, but our own ukranian drivers. so let our guys are traveling to ukraine to defend their country. most invites successful, even though still here are thinking of going there over that, but we're still able to stop them though, but it's almost impossible to make it back. now, as it is, yes, that was all the cities being bombed by adam. that's why nest bob, those are mass i. banks finesse that sandwich has membership on the bumper to the line. them unbearable circumstances for those like iraq vianza a driver on the road in germany. yes, i thought yeah. even if i were to drive all the way there,

i wouldn't be able to get in. i just won't make it physically, i can't get there. i can't do anything. it's hopeless. i don't know what to do. i don't want anything, not even money. i just pray to god that they all survive. that's all sure. all he has within reach are photos of his hometown and eastern ukraine, which is family sent him for the time being he still driving in the you for, for how much longer you been without the goes up and we won't be able to make up for such a massive loss of drivers corporal. this will be a huge problem from all of europe. if polish logistics are debilitated, it will impact the entire e. you. it won't just be polish shelves that will stay empty. not at any time. there is no easing of the crisis in sight. the longer the war goes on, the likelihood of sanctions being imposed, including against better roofs goes up. this could put the bell russian drivers out

of work to meaning even fewer trucks and europe's roads. now to some of the other global business stories, making the news, the government to marry a druggie has signed a deal without jerry it is applying more natural gas to italy. it's among the nations pushing to end this reliance on russian import. following the invasion of ukraine, under the deal, algeria will supply an extra 9000000000 cubic meters of natural gas to, to lead during 20232024. so like as prime minister ma hinder roger pac sir says he'll reinstate fertilizers subsidies, farmers to decrease food prices. sri lanka has been rocked by massive anti government protest, save a several weeks to, to rising fuel prices. rising prices for essentials like food and fuel as well. as a frequent power outages to and testers here a long musk will not joined twitters board of directors according to the social

network. musk has bought a 9.2 percent stake in the company over the weekend. he sent several tweets, suggesting major changes to how twitter operates, but as decided not to sit on the board. let's get more on this from our financial correspondent in new york, jens quarter. yeah. and so we got any idea of why musk would choose not to join the board of twitter. rob, clearly, quite a turn of events. i mean a, just a week ago that we learned about the 9.2 percent stake then last week, tuesday was when we learned that mosque actually tries to play an active role and become a board member. and now over the weekend to decided them. otherwise, even if there is no official wording on the motors of law must clearly there was a lot of speculation. if you might have one to take over the entire company of a twitter. as a board member,

he only would have been allowed to own of 14.9 percent stake in the company. now that is not in the board. you can pretty much do what have one of them if he puts the money on the table. so at least that's some of the speculation you're watching . that's interesting. so was the verdict on whether or not this is a positive or negative move for the social network erupt definitely. it's at least not boring to work at twitter in the states. my guess, i mean they have to be in some report that not everybody is so happy about in the back and forth. some of the largest shareholder, what ill on my skin still is and he will try and play an active role. i mean, over the weekend t bombarded the twitter network with ideas, for example, maybe to stop selling at, in the future that it's hard to imagine because that's basically all where the money comes from with a twitter. he also, but that was a joke,

hinted that maybe twitter should move the headquarter to a homeless shelter as nobody really worked out of office at this point. so a lot of confusion at this point, but it was interesting to see that by the end of the day, the stock of twitter did trade to the upside. so obviously nobody seems to be to up that that is not joining the board. ok. any quarter in new york for us, thank you very much. now, hong kong is facing what the business community that describes as the most severe brain drain. since it came under the road of china. an existing problem has been made much worse by an exodus from the countries driven by its strict approach to the current of ours pandemic did. we use? phoebe cong reports, hong kong travel agency circles to survive by turning itself into a grocery instead of trips. they sell to them from overseas. many others i shot it

because of the pandemic. for the closure has made child like almost impossible for over 2 years. however, to air post to patch a terminal is getting busier. since 2020 to hong kong has seen, and that's also a 160000 of the patches. a 5 vote increase from last year. many a foreign talent like john wood, who left with his business after 8 years in hong kong. i want to be able to have my son where he has the freedom to do simple things like go to the beach or walk around outdoors, a lot of mascot. and as a global philanthropist, i want to have the freedom to travel around the world and raised my seed funding. and so for me, hong kong went from one of the most open, exciting cities in the world to being the senate is closed. and petrified, where the government's policies seem to change willy nilly. the final straw is hong kong. here is to china. sarah cove at policy prompting the toughest measures ever

made the only canal break. not only individuals at voting with feet, but also companies companies or have significant problems to refill positions to attract talent, to hong kong, across industries. yes. even reaching as far as financial services industry, which has usually been perceived as the most resilient part of it. in the latest survey with this by the european chamber of commerce, about half of the european companies in hong kong plan to relocate in the coming year. only 17 percent will firmly state when you wake up every morning and see that journalists are being arrested. ah, that some newspaper publishers are being arrested. that there is no more freedom or sam boy, no more freedom of speech that hits me pretty hard if you can't subject the city state to all his solitude. if you do the cultural dna and your actual dna dies, it's hong kong has always been covered from crisis over that case. but this time

there is no guarantee that's all from me on the business name here in berlin. if you would like more from it, you can head over to our website d to we don't. com slash business. you can also think is out on the d to we can use youtube channel and where of course, on facebook are on there as d to we don't business, remain the team. thank you very much for watching. and until next time, take a revolution. who's really thinking, urban environmental, european fearing to leave the way you are cars, more security cleaners, faith is and happier, healthier people. read. next on d. w. a joy ride through fascinating worlds.

into uncharted deb with our guides know their way around with a strictly scientific trip to some pretty wacky places. ah, curiosity is required to borrow today in 60 minutes on d. w. ah, we're all set to get to go beyond deal with as we take on the world. 8 our i do all this is we're all about the stories that matter to you.

whatever it takes, 5 policeman follow with we are your is actually on fire made for mines and we're all used to the streets of our cities being hectic. smelly and noisy always have been always will be right. it's up to us to find all way through the traffic. what other options do we have in more than half of us now live in cities that are getting ever more crowded for generations. cities have been built for cars, not people causing traffic jams and pollution. many cities are already.